Love Romance Passion » Runaway http://www.loveromancepassion.com Because Books Don't Fall Asleep Afterwards! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Review: Wicked (Medieval Trilogy, Book 3) by Jill Barnett http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-wicked-medieval-trilogy-book-3-by-jill-barnett/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-wicked-medieval-trilogy-book-3-by-jill-barnett/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:46:40 +0000 Lynn Reynolds http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13409

Reviewed by Lynn Reynolds

Sofia Howard is seen reading a book that was written by Queen Eleanor. When the book was written, Sofia didn’t want a husband and went to any lengths to make sure that didn’t happen. At least until she met Sir Tobin de Clare.

Sofia appears to be a women’s libber of her time. She has certain beliefs and doesn’t like to be told she can’t. Her king wants her to wed but she wants to have a say in who she chooses. Her friend, Edith, makes a good comic foil for Sophia.

Edith is the one that introduces Sofia to Sir Tobin. But Sofia doesn’t realize that they have met before. You will definitely want to read their reunion. Then we get to see that grown men still like to play childish games. You also get to see why “payback’s a bitch”.

Sofia and Tobin’s story reminds me of The Taming of the Shrew. I loved the movie version with Elizabeth Taylor and her husband Richard Burton. I can definitely see those two in the parts of Sofia and Tobin. It will be interesting to see who will outwit whom.

Our author has a wicked sense of humor. She also makes our couple very prideful – neither wants to give an inch. Our couple exists at a point in time where women don’t have the freedom we have today. There are also consequences for their actions.

The story then jumps to when Sofia spends time at a nunnery. You have to laugh how Sofia’s mind works. But we also have to remember that she is a young lady and is probably just acting her age.

She wants something specific from Sister Judith. She starts out a workout routine that would impress any athlete. Tobin and Sofia are reunited and you will love their reunion. I was starting to get worried that certain things were never going to happen.

But when you read, sometimes you just have to be patient – like the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait”. Their interactions are what makes this a page turner. The ending will surprise you, even though it probably shouldn’t. The only downside was I couldn’t figure out how the title came to be.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Wicked

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-wicked-medieval-trilogy-book-3-by-jill-barnett/feed/ 0 Review: Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-darcys-voyage-by-kara-louise/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-darcys-voyage-by-kara-louise/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:11:40 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=12261

How can you get Lizzy and Darcy to meet each other without prejudice? Take them out of the country of course! By sticking them on a ship bound to the Americas, Kara Louise gives them a chance to see them for themselves... well sort of ;) There’s still some obstacles and misunderstandings.

Two years before the voyage Darcy and Lizzy met on a carriage ride out of London. (Darcy was on this hired carriage because the family one was being repaired.) They have a great conversation which sticks with both of them long after they separate. They just forgot one thing - to get each other’s names!

Darcy’s going to America to retrieve Georgiana after her governess takes ill and can’t return to England. There’s no way he’s letting her go by herself!

But that’s just what Mr. Bennet allows Lizzy to do. She’s traveling to America to be with her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners. Jane decided not to go because she gets seriously sea sick.

When Elizabeth falls ill after taking care of the women and children in steerage, Darcy chucks convention overboard and gets on bended knee. Lizzy is too out of it to really see that his “Marry me and you get a nice bed out of steerage, I promise this is totally platonic, you’ll be saving me from marriage minded barracudas, we’ll get it annulled back in England later” really means “I want to marry you, it will save me from marriage minded barracudas, can we please share a bed? I want you and I don’t want an annulment.” :D

Of course he keeps by his vocal promise, which leads to misunderstandings and an angst ridden separation. Poor Lizzy and Darcy. They really need to work on their conversation skills and learn to say what they’re really feeling and not assume the other can read their mind.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Darcy's Voyage: A tale of uncharted love on the open seas (Pride & Prejudice Continues)

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Kris Kennedy's writing is very engrossing. The Irish Warrior was a page turner from start to finish. It’s a story of an Irish warrior slated to be king and an English widow struggling to run a business. Both get trapped by the evil Rardove, a man promoted by the English King Edward to the aristocracy. A journey that must end in the purest of joys or deepest of sorrows begins when the young widow frees the warrior from the prison and together they escape in the dead of night for their freedom and their very lives.

Finian O'Melaghlin is everything one could ask for in a hero. He’s noble, compassionate, capable, and honorable. He has his pride and his strength. He is a man other men will fight beside because they know he’s on their side. And if rumor is true, he’s also got a way with the ladies… but don’t take my word for it, just ask the ladies or really just ask the heroine.

Senna de Valery is a beautiful widow and very young. Her first marriage was at age 15 and it did not go well or last very long. There’s implied evidence to rape in her background and it’s made her people shy (though she doesn’t realize this until later that she is so and she certainly doesn’t seem it, but that’s part of the transformative power of love in this novel). When confronted with danger and cruelty, she’s defiant, strong, and smart. Senna is a heroine to root for.

Rardove has ties to both of them in ways that are equally obvious and concealed. Kennedy gives readers one right off the bat and hints at the other until it’s revealed late in the book. Rardove delights in torture and pain and power and the pictures Kennedy paints are vivid if not comprehensively detailed.

The lovemaking scenes are burn your fingers hot and are told so beautifully that you will probably count them as part of your all-time favorites. The intrigue and politics that make up the suspense half of the story are heart-pounding. In short, you could not go wrong picking up a copy of this book.

Rating: ★★★★½

Buy: The Irish Warrior

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This Victorian romance is the very opposite of sexual restraint. If you're in the mood for something hot and spicy with a wide streak of naughtiness you'll want to read this book! You’ll love it from the very first page.

Miss Juliet Foster upon her father’s death is given all of his wealth while her brother gets the businesses, and her sister the real estate.  Suddenly Juliet isn’t just a virginal American spinster. She’s also an heiress and the leeches are popping out the woodwork to try to force her into marriage so they can get control of it.

Determined not to get caught but to still enjoy her life, Juliet decides the best thing to do is seduce her way through the Continent. First she’ll go to Britain, find a nice staid man to start. Then she’ll hit France to turn herself into a more sophisticated lover. Next Spain, for a little passion. All because, if she’s going to end up with a man he’s going to be Italian – the most perfect of lovers to be found anywhere! There’s just one flaw – somebody has to take her virginity first.

David Winslow, the Marquess of Derrington, Derry to his friends, suffers from the Winslow curse which skips between generations. If he’s ever going to be happy and successful he needs to find a woman more wild than he is because in taming her he’ll tame himself. It’s his ‘dying’ grandmother’s wish that he marry soon and so he goes to America to find himself the perfect bride, one who meets all his grandmother’s requirements and cares not a fig for his wealth or title. When Juliet Foster asks him to take her maidenhead he’s both flabbergasted and excited because he knows she is his perfect match. When she runs away he knows he has to chase after her.

It’s a fun romp of cat and mouse and hot hot sex. Really, it’s decadently delicious in every way.

My one complaint is how often the heroine runs off. The very last time she does was one time too many for me. I felt the angst moment could have been satisfied a little sooner with better results if the North & South type moment had been seized upon with vigor.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Buy: Miss Foster's Folly

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The Heroine: Serena learned the hard way that men couldn’t be trusted. She ran off to marry a young man from her father’s employ only to be jilted. Too proud to return home she took up life as a prostitute and learned that all men were pigs... all except 200 Pounds, the title she gave to another young man who left without her services and gave her money enough to start fresh. In her new life Serena vowed she would never be dependent upon a man again. When her path crosses 200 Pounds she’s determined to repay the debt, little knowing all he wanted from her was the real her not the persona she built as the Siren.

The Hero: Solomon is a man of honor and that makes him odd. Odder still is his preference for tinkering with chemicals to create dyes for cloth with one uncle when he could lead a life of privilege under his other uncle. He recognizes Serena as the prostitute he gave 200 pounds too as soon as they are alone in the dark, but not before. When a man from her past threatens her freedom with a fake marriage, Solomon is determined to help again even though he sought her first for help locating a family heirloom.

Review: Packed with intrigue, A Lily Among Thorns, brings together a beta hero with a backbone (he knows what he wants and won’t accept less) and a heroine who acts in spite of fear with a determination to be admired. The story is very character driven and sprinkled with spicy moments. I particularly liked when Solomon broke the lock dividing their two rooms and how Serena reacts (and thinks about it later too.) Only had one caveat, Solomon starts as a virgin hero and I missed any reference to him losing it before meeting Serena a second time, where he clearly knows what he’s doing. ;)

Rating: ★★★★½

Buy: A Lily Among Thorns, A Lily Among Thorns (UK)

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bookreview1

The Corinthian ranks in my top 5 favorite Georgette Heyers to date.

My favorite things about this novel:

  • The hero and heroine spend a majority of the book in each other’s presence.
  • The heroine cross-dresses to look like a young lad for most of the novel with the hero helping her in her disguise.
  • The heroine is not a fainting female and is intelligent, if a little young.
  • The childhood sweetheart of the heroine has his own love match and is no way put out by the romance between the hero and heroine.
  • The thief cant: snabble and snaffle are my two new favorite words.
  • The kiss scene. How’s that for a tease?

Corinthian: a man about town, esp. one who lives luxuriously or, sometimes, dissolutely.

---dictionary.com

Sir Richard Wyndham reminds me a bit of Lord Worth. [Hopefully I’m recalling the right hero.]  With Wyndham however it is easier to tell his amusement and enjoyment around Penelope Creed.

Penelope or Pen as she’s referred to when dressed like a boy, is escaping her aunt’s household. She won’t marry her cousin! She won’t! She will marry instead her childhood sweetheart, Piers Luttrell, with whom she’d made a secret engagement five years ago.

Richard is on the verge of making the worst mistake of his life. He’s planning to give his suit to Melissa Brandon, a cold practical woman, because his family is badgering him to marry. The idea drives him to drink. Imagine his surprise at seeing a young lad escape through a window via knotted bed sheets... and then to find out that the lad is in fact a young chit of a girl barely out of the school room.

I’ve noticed in the novels that I’ve read so far that Heyer likes to pair considerably older gentleman with young ladies still in their early teens, rarely in their twenties. It’s usually about a decade age difference. Why do you think she did this?

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: The Corinthian

Find and buy more Georgette Heyer novels.

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Marry a horrible abusive philandering man or risk absolute ruin by running away? Tough choice… not! Spinster Emma Worthington has waited this long for romance and there’s no way her family’s dire straights will force her into an unwanted marriage to a creep. She packs her bag and races to an old suitor in hopes he’ll renew his proposal. It might not be what she had hoped for out of her life, but it was far better than the alternative.

But meeting the man that became of the old suitor was supremely disappointing. He was obviously a drunkard like her father, drowning the memories of his late wife. His children were not the nice polite kids they were before. And she’s fairly certain the housekeeper is on too friendly of terms with the master of the house. So she dithers on his second proposal and seeks employment as a companion only to find out she sought a position with the mistress of her best friend’s husband’s best friend. Utterly humiliating!

Baron Richard Du Quesne thought he recognized the woman at the mail coach stop but now that he knows Emma is on the lam, he’s determined to save her from herself. His moniker around town is the Silver Squire because he owns most of the city and has enough silver lining his pockets to fund a small country for years. Is it any wonder she can’t hide from him? He’s reputation as a rake ruined his suit and his character in her eyes years ago—something he’ll changed this time around come hell or high water.

I can’t think of the words to describe the writing style of this story, but I’m leaning towards epic and classic with lots of drama and comedy. Emma and Richard bicker a lot, she does silly things to get away from him, thinking he’s as bad as the man her parents want her to marry, and does an extremely TSTL move at the end, but he saves her and so do his friends which is really sweet.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: The Silver Squire

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by Sandra Scholes, guest reviewer

Greek myth and Celtic myth meet in this novel of passion and sexual attraction. Although the Greek myth and god part it taken lighter than expected as Ares has quite a list of personality traits to deal with, or more is the case, what other women have to deal with, and being a god who is largely well-built, well-endowed and has a sex drive that would flay most puny humans, the readers will wonder where he will find his new lady love next.

Alena is a runaway bride, one who is supposed to be kept for one man or one god if you prefer, and the god in question is Cernunnos, and he is very angry at her leaving his side after she meant so much to him. She in turn falls for Ares, the god of war, and wanting his protection strikes up a bargain with him using her virginity as bait. Ares is like her in many respects as he is in hiding from the gods for the rumour he has killed Psyche; though whether he has or not is up for debate. Even though he enjoys her in his bed, he would like to think that he has no emotional ties to her at all, even going so far as to consider giving her over to Zeus as his afterward.

He doesn’t realize how much has enjoyed her company, her personality, their similarities, both runaways, and misunderstood. Even having to choose between handing himself over to Zeus, and be judged accordingly, or spending the rest of his life with Alena seems to be a no-brainer to most readers who will notice how saucy and well-written the erotic scenes are in this hot and romantic story is.

I like the way the title is taken from that infamous novel The Art of War by Sun Tsu, and the way there is a little humour in it to take away some of the serious parts of the story. Katarina is the woman he is with at the beginning, but she might not be there at the end. The myth of both Greek and Celtic mixes well with the overall story, and readers will be in for a treat. Ares proves what kind of man he is both in and out of the bed, and Alena has a lot to offer him, both finding they are similar souls in the romance.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: The Heart of War

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/guest-review-the-heart-of-war-by-lisa-beth-darling/feed/ 0 Review: My Wicked Enemy by Carolyn Jewel http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-my-wicked-enemy-by-carolyn-jewel/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-my-wicked-enemy-by-carolyn-jewel/#comments Sat, 28 May 2011 04:34:48 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=2619

bookreview

Do you like paranormal romance? Did you at one point enjoy Anita Blake? Well, My Wicked Enemy just pwned Anita Blake, but don’t take my word for it see for yourself! I read this in a day, I couldn’t put it down!

Our heroine is a terrified (rightly so) woman who experiences intense migraines. She’s seen something she shouldn’t (a ritual sacrifice) and it on the run from her guardian (the bad guy). Carson took nothing with her, and that includes her medicine, in hopes to escape. Being in a hurry might seem like a disadvantage now, with a pulsing multi-colored migraine rearing its ugly head and a man who’s stalking her through the streets, but it will in fact be a blessing in disguise.

Nikodemus is a warlord, a fiend with natural leadership, and he is the one stalking the pretty and petite Carson Philips through the streets. Killing her is on his to-do list, just below mage Magellan. He can’t believe how easy it is to track the witch. Her magic is fluctuating all over the place. One minute it’s there and the next it’s almost as if she were a human. When he corners her, Nikodemus asks just one question, “Why shouldn’t I kill you?”

The answer leads them through a dangerous adventure that spins out of control as they face mageheld fiends, evil mages, skitterish warlords, blood twins and more! The book starts out like it ends, by taking your breath away.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Marked interracial because the heroine is a witch and the hero is a fiend.

Buy: My Wicked Enemy

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-my-wicked-enemy-by-carolyn-jewel/feed/ 4 Review: Of Two Minds by Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-of-two-minds-by-carol-matas-and-perry-nodelman/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-of-two-minds-by-carol-matas-and-perry-nodelman/#comments Mon, 23 May 2011 09:01:04 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=2452

bookreview

Of Two Minds is a very deep book for kids. As an adult how it ends leads to quite an interesting train of thought I’m not sure young children will catch. This is my second time reading it. I remembered enjoying it thoroughly when I read it back in middle school. I can’t honestly say one way or another if I caught the concept revealed at the end of the book back then. I enjoyed it just as much this time around as an adult.

Lenora is a young teenage princess from a people who all have the power to create whatever they want. To imagine it is to make it be. She doesn’t understand why it’s law not to create worlds and change things to suit your will. Why were people afraid to change the color of their hair or imagine bright pink puppies?

After one incident too many her parents decide to marry her off to Prince Coren. They feel it will ground her, get her head out of her fantasies and make her a sensible woman. To that end they even plan to set a full brigade (4K-11K men) to think her solidly on the island she and Coren will make their future home, thus making escape impossible.

Angry, frightened, and confused Lenora escapes into somebody else’s world when making one of her own is impossible. Unfortunately, she also dragged the object of her distress with her. Coren, gangly redheaded and freckled, can’t even stand up without tripping over his feet. Could he be any more useless? It turns out he can – where’s his sense of adventure?

Rating: 4 Stars

Makes me want to check out the sequel More Minds!

Buy: Of Two Minds

Spoilers:
Pg193

“I’m not dreaming?” Lenora said. “How do I know that for sure?”
“Well,” Lufa smiled, “I suppose none of us really knows that. Perhaps this is all a dream, a fantasy we will wake out of.”
…
“And if all her imaginings could be real, then who was to say that her reality wasn’t somebody else’s dream?”
…
Surely something this real couldn’t be just somebody’s imagination. Could it?

Ah, but couldn’t it? Especially in light of her adventure with Coren. Is her story her own or the very imaginings of others?

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