Luck Be a Lady - Be still my beating heart!

Be still my beating heart!  Hello Nick O'Shea!

Luck Be a Lady

Meredith Duran

Be still my beating heart!  Hello Nick O'Shea!

I find myself devouring historical romance books quickly and always looking for a new one to catch my interest and also new authors to add to my “go to” collection.

I was a little restless and not finding anything that caught my interest I decided on purchasing Luck Be a Lady.  I downloaded it to my Kindle late in the afternoon and did not put it down until I was done that evening, right about midnight!  I was hooked.

I usually find myself reading books about the ton, balls and country parties.  It was refreshing to read Nick and Catherine’s story.  This is a follow up to a previous book Lady Be Good (Rules for the Reckless), which I have not read and I had no trouble reading this one as a stand alone. 

Catherine, our heroine for this book, seeks Nick O’Shea out for help against her brother, which she suspects of being involved in some dirty work.  She fears he may be placing their exclusive Auction House, Everleigh, in jeopardy.  Everleigh is dear to her, as half of it was left to her by her father (the other half is left to her brother).  She grew up in this house.  Away from the pleasures of playing with other children; she was forced to grow up fast.  Earning her the nickname the “Ice Queen”. 

Nick O’Shea grew up in the extreme poverty and through a lot of sacrifice has risen to a powerful position first as a criminal and eventually into honest investments.  He looks after the people that live in his part of the world.  Looking out for his tenants and their children.  Keeping a close eye on those that come in and out of Whitechapel, he is sinfully handsome, with not much education to speak of but a very smart business man.  He is the dangerous, sexy hero that you look for when you pick up a romance book.

Nick has been watching Catherine from afar.  Admiring her beauty and pretty impressed about how intelligent she is with the business of the Auction House.  Secretly desiring her, he was dumbfounded when the opportunity comes to make her his.  The chemistry is strong between these two, and their banter will have you entertained.  Catherine fights the attraction and he pushes forward, teasing, but at the same time giving her space and waiting for her.  The first time they come together was pretty entertaining but also pretty steamy. 

It was interesting to read about Nick’s world.  His struggles to move to the top and what he has done for those that live in Whitechapel.  It was good read about how he slowly melted Catherine’s heart.  A business woman to the end she was at first very suspicious of his help. 

I will give this story five stars.  It captivated me, made me want to cheer for both of them and love the hero! 

This is my honest review. I purchased this book for my collection.

Hannah and the Highlander

Hannah and the Highlander

 Sabrina York

Prepare to be delighted with Hannah and Alexander! 

This is an awesome read that certainly entertains, makes you laugh and curl your toes with delight.

Hannah is a brave sassy lass, independent in her own way and set on having a final say on whom she would marry.  She is a smart cookie that believes that a marriage is a partnership.  She wants to be able to find a husband that will love her for her independence, fire and intelligence.  She is certainly knocked off her feet when she spots Alexander.

Alexander is a strong laird that devotes himself to his people.  He is smart and a leader of men, but the minute he finds himself around Hannah, he is completely disarmed and reduced to struggling to put two words together.  He is crazy about his wife and wants to make her happy in her new home but it is at a lost on how to do it.  It was lovely to read about this strong, fierce man, which is completely disarmed around Hannah.  I loved how she gently helps him and slowly he is able to crawl out of his shell.

The enjoyed the secondary characters are also very enjoyable to discover and  are sure to come out in future books.  Hanna’s sisters are a hoot! 

This is a beautiful written romance story that keeps a good pace and includes some very hot and steamy scenes.  You will not be disappointed.

Thanks for checking out my blog!

Roxana

*ARC provided by author/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

www.romanceandalloftheabove.blogspot.com

Welcome to the erotic world of courtesans - Deeper in Sin

Welcome to the erotic world of courtesans! 
Sharon Page - Deeper in Sin

Sophie Ashley found herself in a dreadful situation.  She desperately needs to find a protector so that she is able to provide for her young son, her close friend and her children.  Thrown out by her adoptive parents for having a child out of wedlock and pursued by a nasty lord that is trying to force her into becoming his mistress, Sophie finds herself in London.  She is seeking entrance to the world of the famous London’s Cyprians. 

With determination she knows she can gain access.  She has prepared herself and has gathered information from a journal that she carries.  It is written by her mother, a courtesan, and it details and chronicles her rise and love affairs with many powerful men in London.  With the journal as her guide, Sophie gathers courage and successfully gains access to a lavish Cyprian Ball.  There she meets our hero, Fitzwilliam MontCleif, the Duke of Caradon – and known as Cary to his close friends.

Cary rescues Sophie from a sticky situation during the ball and in doing so sparks hope in Sophie that he may agree to become her protector.  Little does Sophie know that our handsome duke carries with him some very heavy emotional damage that prevents him from offering more than just friendship.  But Sophie does not give up and makes it her mission to try to help him through. 

With a murder-mystery story backdrop we find these two lovers moving through the decadent world of lust and sin, looking for answers to solve the mystery. 

Sophie is very innocent, but is very open to what she sees around her, and wants to be able to please Cary.  Not only because she is falling for him but also so that she can help him emotionally.  At times she seemed to be a bit too eager and not very sure of herself.  She did go forward into any situation readily; but at times it felt that she was missing that courage that you find from a strong heroine.  She makes it up in her sweetness and love for her hero and you could not help but pluck along to see the book through.

Cary is a strong hero.  He is handsome and courageous, and you could not help but feel so bad for what he is going through.  The effects of war and childhood tragedies where finally weighing down on him.  Finding Sophie to soothe his soul is just what he needs. 

This is an erotic novel, and there are some pretty spicy scenes stored within, but nothing too shocking.  Overall it was satisfying.

I would give this novel Four Stars.  The murder/mystery story caught my interest and did surprise me at the end.  The heroine was a little disappointing, but the hero made up for it.

*ARC provided by author/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for checking out my blog!

Roxana

www.romanceandalloftheabove.blogspot.com

Hope, Love and Courage - Highland Knight of Rapture

Highland Knight of Rapture is the 4^th book in a series, and while I have not read the other books I think this book reads well as a stand alone.

Recently I have been doing a lot of spicy reading and felt that I needed a little cooling off.  I was happy to be given the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review and I am happy to report that this book does not disappoint.

The book starts off with our heroine, Lady Helen, delivering a beautiful baby girl.  Her husband and Laird is not happy with the delivery after 5 years of marriage as he wanted a heir.  He is despicable man, with no love, respect and not the slight care for our poor Helen.  Enraged he starts publicly acknowledging his mistress in front of his lady wife and Clan.  Poor Helen, a beautiful and timid lady, tries very hard to please her husband.  Accepting that arrange marriages to forge alliances are the norm, she tries very hard to please her boorish husband and accept her fate. 

Sir Eoin MacGregor, an old friend of Lady Helen and close friend of her brother, arrives at the castle to offer support with the feud against the McDonald.  He remembers Lady Helen very fondly and has secretly loved her all these years.  He is stunned to witness her mistreatment and what she is going through.  He decides to help his beautiful lady so that she can have the happiness that she and her daughter deserve.

I must say, I stayed up all night turning the pages in my Kindle.  This story was very engaging.  You couldn’t stop but feel for Helen and the awful circumstances she was going through, and just sigh at how resigned she was to her fate.  She knew her duty and what was expected of her by her family and clan.  The only joy in her daily life was her new born daughter.

Our hero was such a sweetheart!  Eoin struggled in the beginning with figuring out how to help her, knowing that she was married but not accepting it in his heart.  Someone he was able to offer Helen courage and patiently helped her make some very tough decisions.  They are very frightening decisions for her that would affect so many around her..

While not a very steamy read, it did have its moments, and actually I think that if it would have gotten too hot a read it may have taken away from the story.  I really enjoyed this book and will look to read the other in the series.   

Give Highland Knight of Rapture a try and it will not disappoint!

Thank you for stopping by!
Roxana

I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley for my honest review.

Ecstasy Claimed - The Guardians of the Realms Series Book 2

Ecstasy Claimed (The Guardians of the Realms Series Book 2)

This is the second book in the “Guardians of the Realms” series.  First let me say that these books are not for the faint hearted.  If you enjoy your romances spicy, with very hot alpha males, and strong females, these are the books for you!  I am certainly pretty happy that I have found Setta Jay!

In the first book, Ecstasy Unbound, we were introduced to Gregoire.  One of the guardians of the realm, he has spent his time in fighting for the security of the Realm.  He is a bad boy that has been having his fun while waiting for his mate, Alyssa, to reach maturity for him to be able to come forth and claim her. 

Alyssa has been waiting for her unknown mate to finally come forward and claim her.  Knowing that she has a mate walking around has made her feel pretty abandoned and embarrassed.  After all the years of waiting, her embarrassment has turned to anger and she decides it’s time to stop waiting around and go live her life like she wants to, with no mate to worry about. 

Taking off on vacation with her good friend, Rain, they decide to take advantage of all the upgrades available, including the special extra curriculum activities.  Gregoire gets wind of this and is not about to have someone else introducing his mate to what he can certainly provide himself!  So the adventure begins with these two.  Gregoire trying to win over his mate and Alyssa fighting from falling for this gorgeous alpha male that she is trying very hard to still be angry at for all the pain and embarrassment he caused her. 

It’s a good solid book.  The story is engaging and it can be a good stand alone book as well, but it certainly does not hurt to read the first one. 


Thank you for stopping by and checking out my latest read!
Roxana

I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley for my honest review.



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Ecstasy Unbound (The Guardians of the Realms Series Book 1)

Ecstasy Unbound (The Guardians of the Realms Series Book 1)
by Setta Jay (Author page can be found in this LINK)

Welcome to the world of The Guardian’s of the Realms, a group of immortal warriors in charge of watching over and protecting the four realms of this world: the Realm of Pure Souls, the Realm of Corrupt, the Realm of Humanity, and the Tetartos Realm.

In this first book of this series we are introduced to Uri, immortal warrior, and Alexandra (aka Alex) demi-goddess.  They have been circling each other for years, watching and following from a distance.  Building their obsession and lusting after each other.

Alex finally reaches out to Uri for help in saving one of her brothers, Erik.  When these two finally come face to face their sexual pull is incredible and unbeknownst to both of them their meeting starts the mating frenzy.  This comes as a complete surprise to Alex, Uri and the other immortal warriors.  To have immortal warrior and demi-goddess be destined to be mated is unique.   Their coming together is pretty explosive and sure to have you fanning yourself a couple of times! 

I really liked Alex.  She is a smart, strong heroine.  After the initial shock wore of she very naturally welcomed Uri as her mate.  Even with him being one “hot” alpha male, she was able to hold her own and bring out the softer side in him…not to mention the hard part!

Uri is to die for!  SUPER HOT!!! He certainly is a hot, dominant alpha male, oozing sexiness.  I love that he is very overprotective of Alex.  He is also very open to her desires and not only his. 

I enjoyed how this story flowed.  The beginning was a bit slow, but once I got passed the introduction of the book I was hooked.  There is a lot going on in this book, and I would think that it’s because it’s the first book of the series.  Many characters are introduced and some of the situations explained for you to be able to get a better feel of the story line and why our hero and heroine find themselves in their current situation.  With this all going on I believe the author did a great job and making it come together and flow through out the book. 

I must admit that at the end of the book I went back to the 1^st chapter to re-read the birth of our immortal warriors just so that I was able to connect more of the pieces together.  This book reminded me of the JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, with the super sexy heroes and strong heroines. 

The sex/love scenes are very spicy and some sexual situations may be extreme for some. It is best to keep an open mind about the sex scenes. These males are very open, and more sexual in nature. There is a club scene at the beginning of the book that will have you taking a couple of deep breaths.  Pretty scorching! 

I should note that there is one rape scene that may be uncomfortable for some readers.

I am glad I found this book and look forward to reading the others in the series.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my latest read!
Roxana

*ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.