The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith

January 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment

QUEEN
The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Historical, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (95 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What happens when “happily ever after” has come and gone?

On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven’s wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven’s fiancé, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White’s own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing:

The king is dead.

Be a Superman not just for viagra vs cialis a few hours to subside. Fractures or Dental Trauma Tooth fractures can occur anywhere, either on the tooth itself or on the bone that surrounds it. cheap viagra canada A wide spread network makes it possible for the men to enjoy cialis on line the sexual activity for 4 to 6 hours with a single dosage. Kamagra Jelly is available in a semi liquid form, available in many different flavors. sildenafil 100mg viagra The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old.

It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what “happily ever after” really means?

Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White.

Snow White’s grief has extinguished all of the joy she used to find in life. Will she be able to find her way back to her old self before it’s too late?

The beautiful prose in this book fits the tone of the original story perfectly. What I love the most about fairy tales is their ability to evoke a sense of awe in the reader, and I was mesmerized by countless scenes in this tale. Life isn’t always easy or happy, but seeing Snow White struggle to overcome even the toughest odds infuses her adventures with a genuine sense of optimism.

I had a hard time understanding what Snow White saw in Prince Charming. Their relationship accelerates so quickly that I wondered how they were able to make the decision to get married when they knew almost nothing about one another. While Snow White is a well-rounded character, I didn’t get to know Prince Charming as well as I would have preferred. What I did learn about his personality was not necessarily always flattering, and it made me even more curious to know why Snow White chose him as her lifelong partner.

What I liked most about this story was its exploration of grief. Snow White has experienced a lot of pain in her life, and her reactions to those events are extremely realistic. Even though the plot is about a very specific kind of grief the coping mechanisms it discusses are universal. Due to these themes and how sensitively they are addressed I would especially recommend this book to anyone who has recently suffered any kind of loss.

I read The Reflections of Queen Snow White in one sitting because I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next. This is a great choice for anyone who loved the original story and has ever wondered what happened to Snow White and Prince Charming after they got married.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Darkness Within by Robert Friedrich

January 2, 2014 By Leave a Comment

WITHIN
The Darkness Within by Robert Friedrich
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Action/Adventure, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (106 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A past long forgotten, a mysterious reading in space, an unprepared crew and an unforgivable Darkness.

A Captain who suffered a terrible accident causing him amnesia, and his crew of the salvage ship “LIGHTARK” stumble upon a mysteries reading far in space. As they investigate they uncover a terrible secret that shall ultimately decide their fate. Will the Captain and his crew be able to survive, or will they be consumed by the Darkness that lurks at the edge of space.

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As soon as Captain Roberts and his crew notice bizarre readings coming from what ought to be an uninhabited part of space I couldn’t wait to find out what it was they’ve discovered. The first few scenes were so well-paced that I felt like I was watching a movie instead of reading a book.

The lack of character development made it difficult for me to connect emotionally with any of the crew members of Lightark. I had trouble understanding their motivation for behaving in certain ways as the plot progresses, and in most cases their intentions and thought processes are never really explained. While I understand that a plot-centered work such as this one may not be designed to explore these things in depth, I was hoping that the issue would be raised eventually. The characters also didn’t seem to understand one another despite working together in very close quarters for what appears be a long period of time. I would have preferred to see more time spent exploring why their professional relationships were so uncommunicative. It could have easily provided more tantalizing clues about what was happening to them, and it was one of the most interesting aspects of the second half of the adventure in particular.

After the first plot twist I had some trouble determining what was really going on. Mr. Friedrich doesn’t tell his readers that the captain is disoriented and afraid, he drags you into the middle of what is happening and offers only as many explanations as as strictly necessary to keep the plot moving along. This technique works well for this book because of how many seemingly inconsequential details the author includes in these passages. I appreciate it when an author expects his or her audience to use common sense to help uncover what is really happening, and there are many opportunities to do so in this tale.

There are numerous grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors in this story. While most of the mistakes don’t affect the meaning of the text, in a few instances I was genuinely unsure of what the author was trying to say. Many scenes switch rapidly between present tense and past tense, and this only added to my confusion. Had the book undergone a more vigorous editing process it would have earned a much higher rating as the premise is intriguing.

On a positive note, Mr. Friedrich clearly poured a lot of effort into his metaphors. I was repeatedly surprised by his clever use of language to describe emotions and experiences that are difficult to put into words. His ability to approach even the most mundane experiences as if his characters are trying these things for the very first time piques my curiosity.

I would recommend The Darkness Within to anyone who enjoys creative and occasionally non-linear horror stories that require some effort from the reader in order to reveal their secrets.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson

January 1, 2014 By 2 Comments

DARCY
Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson
Publisher: Harlequin
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (361 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Quince

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman teetering on the verge of thirty must be in want of a husband.
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Not true for Manhattanite Elizabeth Scott. Instead of planning a walk down the aisle, she’s crossing the pond with the only companion she needs; her darling dog, Bliss. Caring for a pack of show dogs in England seems the perfect distraction from the scandal that ruined her teaching career, and her reputation, in New York. What she doesn’t count on is an unstoppable attraction to billionaire dog breeder Donovan Darcy. The London tycoon’s a little bit arrogant, a whole lot sexy, and the chemistry between them is disarming. When passion is finally unleashed, might Elizabeth hope to take home more than a blue ribbon?

Although I am often skeptical how a retold story will turn out, in general I like reading the classics retold. There is something reassuring in the familiarity of the plot, in the idea of knowing how a story will end and that the hero and heroine will find their happy ending. I am skeptical because I wonder, “what if the retelling is so bad that it will spoil my love for the original classic in question?”. Fortunately, Unleashing Mr. Darcy was a fantastic read and Ms. Wilson has done a great job.

The story has some similarities with the original classic tale, foremost are the characters. There is Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth’s sister and Darcy’s friend, the grim aunt, and of course, villains. Elizabeth and Darcy are still full of pride and prejudice. Ms. Wilson also chose to put some memorable scenes in the story but with a twist. More or less, that is where the similarities stop and the difference begins. Elisabeth became American, some new characters are introduced, some well known characters’ roles are diminished and some characters’ names are changed. The author also decided to add a lot of steamy kisses, one lovemaking scene and a lot of sweet dogs in the story. These additions spiced it up and made it more unpredictable, which I liked a lot. What I especially loved about Unleashing Mr. Darcy is that the story provides the reader insight in both Elizabeth and Darcy’s standpoint and I was so happy that I could finally see what is on Darcy’s mind.

Reading Unleashing Mr. Darcy created a multitude of different emotions in me. I laughed (during charming Elizabeth and Darcy’s conversations), I cried (when love was not returned),and I wanted to punch some characters (when injustice was done). All in all I really enjoyed it, and when I read the last sentence I was truly sad because it ended.

As a true fan of Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, it is pretty obvious that I was not disappointed with this particular retelling of the story. I am so happy that I read it and that it made me want to re-read and to watch all the TV and film adaptations of the original one more time.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Secrets of the Velvet Closet by Lena Rai

January 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

CLOSET
Secrets of the Velvet Closet by Lena Rai
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Autobiography, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Full Length (284 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Secrets of the Velvet Closet starts with the tale of a young girl who struggles with abuse and must somehow manage to find her way into adulthood, as well as find herself, through hardships, questionable choices, trials and tribulations, humor, and of course, love. A true coming-of-age story with heartfelt memories and laughter. This autobiographical account is truly an emotional roller-coaster with a highly inspirational message to follow your dreams, and most of all, your heart!

Terrible secrets lose power when they’re exposed to the light of day.

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The narrative jumps around a bit, and sometimes I found it hard to keep track of what was happening. The inclusion of anecdotes about such a large list of friends and family members was also occasionally confusing because there was so little space to get to know these individuals better. Ms. Rai has had such an interesting life that this tale could have been easily split up into a series. This would have also given her more time to delve into the backstories of the men, women, and children who have emotionally impacted her.

There are plenty of colloquial expressions in the plot that I’d never heard of before. I really enjoyed the author’s use of them as well as of slang terms in order to paint a vivid picture of her social circles. Ms. Rai has a wonderfully creative way with words that makes it very easy to envision exactly how her adventures take place.

Grammatical and punctuation errors did occasionally make it difficult for me to understand what she was saying, though. While most of them were easy to decipher there were a few instances in which I was stumped. Had this not been the case this book would have earned a higher rating as the anecdotes themselves were quite entertaining!

What I liked the most was Ms. Rai’s ability to pick herself up and try again no matter what happened to her. As a small child she was exposed to a lot of things that are extremely harmful to children, yet she seems to harbour no ill will against the people in her life who should have been protecting her from those experiences. It takes a lot of courage to reach this point, and I admire her honesty about the painful times as well as as the happy ones.

Secrets of the Velvet Closet made me laugh and cry. This is a good choice for anyone looking for an uplifting autobiography.

Filed Under: Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Texas Child by Linda Warren

December 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

ATexasChild
A Texas Child by Linda Warren
Publisher: Harlequin
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full (297 pgs)
Heat: Spicy
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Poppy

To save a child

Regret. Assistant District Attorney Myra Delgado knows all about it. She’s spent seven years regretting a foolish betrayal of her ex, Levi Coyote. But now Myra needs Levi, a private investigator, and the stakes are bigger than their history—a baby has been kidnapped. And only Myra is brave enough—or crazy enough—to go after a Mexican drug lord and attempt a rescue.

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This was my first foray into stories by Linda Warren and I completely enjoyed it.

It’s a little suspense and a lot of romance, though I was expecting a more even spread between the two based on the blurb. The focus of this story is the characters more than the plot, though the plot is solid enough. Really what makes it most enjoyable is watching the characters, main and secondary, interact with one another. While the villains were a bit clichéd and completely evil, they served their purpose.

I thoroughly enjoyed Pop and Stu. They were awesome, funny in places and very, very wise. I liked our hero, and watching him struggle with having feelings for Myra while being engaged to another woman was intriguing. He is, at his heart, honorable, so it was tortuous for him. I do wish it had been a more difficult choice in the end; I think the author made it too easy by making his fiancee less than admirable at the conclusion. I would have liked to see him choose Myra over an equally admirable woman. It would have made that decision much more interesting.

I really enjoyed Myra. She’s a no-holds barred kind of woman who lets nothing stand in her way. I’m not sure I would have had the conjones to do what she ended up doing to find the baby. Her heart is huge, her courage even bigger and she’s a neat lady. It’s no wonder why Levi is unable to turn away from her again, despite their difficult past.

I think there must be a story prior to this one about some of the other characters we meet in passing. While it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story, I felt like it would have been richer if I’d read the other one.

All in all, A Texas Child was a good story that touched my heart in many ways. I’d absolutely pick up a book by Linda Warren again, and will most likely hunt up the one I’m sure preceded this one.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Black Creek Burning by RT Wolfe

December 31, 2013 By 7 Comments

BlackCreekBurning
Black Creek Burning by R. T. Wolfe
Publisher: Self
Genre: Mystery/Suspense, Contemporary
Length: Full (316 pgs)
Heat: Spicy
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Poppy

After six long years, Brianna Chapman is finally able to cope with witnessing the murder of her parents.
Then, dead animals start showing up on her doorstep, her tires are slashed and her yard is scorched by an unexplained fire.

But Brianna refuses to reopen her parent’s six-year-old arson-murder cold case, along with all the old wounds.

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As Nathan’s and Brianna’s lives and passions intertwine, Nathan discovers a painful truth. Brianna’s parents weren’t the arsonist’s target. Brianna was.

And the killer is back to finish the job.

I so looked forward to reading this book … though I’ve done things a bit backwards and read book two first, it made me desperate to grab this one.  Honestly, it didn’t matter the order, except I wish I’d gotten to know the characters in this book before I read the next one.  The author has a wonderful way with words and I really enjoy reading her work.

I fell madly in love with the hero of this story, Nathan, who’s nearly perfect — don’t worry, he has a flaw or two to keep him human, but he’s smart, sexy, thoughtful and caring.  He’s “dad” to his orphaned nephews, loves his goofy dog and sometimes it seemed he was  out to save the world.  I think he could have.

Did I mention he’s also patient? He’d have to be to put up with our heroine, Brie.  She’s NOT perfect. She’s independent to a fault (which a couple of times nearly put her in the TSTL column with me), cranky, and uptight.  Her life hasn’t been all rosy, so much of it is understandable, and when we see how she behaves with kids, dogs and friends, we realize there is a redeemable human being with a good heart underneath all that frustrating behavior.  My difficulty liking her, at least at the start, is the biggest reason this wasn’t a solid five star book.

The plot is pretty darn solid.  Lots of suspects, plenty of red herrings and I was honestly surprised by “who dunnit”.  Can’t complain a bit about that!

I’m still an R. T. Wolfe fangirl and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.  If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, you should pick up this book and the next.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.  I know I wasn’t!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Between a Rake and a Hard Place by Connie Mason and Mia Marlowe

December 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

RAKE
Between a Rake and a Hard Place by Connie Mason and Mia Marlowe
 Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (346 Pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

When a royal’s intended bride is kidnapped, only a rake can set things right…

Wealthy heiress Serena Osborne feels like her father is determined to sacrifice her on the marriage altar. The Duke of Kent is negotiating for a bride, and the wickedly appealing Sir Jonah Sharp is sent to woo the Lady Serena on the Duke’s behalf. It only muddies the waters when she succumbs to Jonah’s charm. Repeatedly. But Jonah has a secret agenda—to prevent the marriage at any cost.

When Serena is kidnapped in a desperate attempt to force the royal betrothal, Jonah realizes his new agenda is to secure a bride—for himself.

What made me pick this book was the novel idea of a proper, prim and otherwise perfectly pedigreed young lady of the ton having a naughty bucket list and the determination to do it all before she’s potentially leg shackled to a royal husband. How is she going to pull it off? And what kinds of things does an innocent maiden think are decadent? It was interesting to find out.
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Serena is a very strong willed and adventurous lady. Unfortunately for her, the very first time she tries to check an item off of her list, she gets found out, gets covered in some type of orange cream and ends up enlisting the aid of a very rakish gentleman. The book only gets more madcap and interesting from there. I think the authors had a fun time torturing the heroine.

A lot of the meatiest torture comes from the internal angst felt by the hero, Sir Jonah Sharp. His is not an altruistic interest at all and the reasons for that slowly come to light as the story gets told. At first he’s more like a puppet dancing to someone else’s tune. But as with all good romance stories, love gives the hero a different kind of conflict and the motivation to find a way out of the mess he’s gotten himself into.

The threats against their relationship notwithstanding, the romance experiences baby steps in growth, most happening when Lady Serena’s endeavors go awry and the hero sees a side of the heroine he never expected. She’s a woman with brains, fortitude and a sense of fun not to mention a devious interest in all things sensual. When the two of them get together in various levels of sensuality, touches and seduction, it made for entertaining reading.

Dialogue both external and internal, between the main or secondary characters seemed to fit, kept the plot moving and revealed key insights into the hero and heroine when needed.

Although Serena is as strong a woman as she can be for the times, she still does something that smacked of cliché. I almost wanted to give up reading the book at that point because I knew it was going to happen and I really hoped it wouldn’t. And yet, it did and despite that, I kept reading because the authors hooked me enough with the conflict that I needed to find out how in the world it was going to work out. I’m glad I did because what happened at the family estate was nothing short of surprising. Granted, Serena’s pleas to Jonah didn’t impress me and I rolled my eyes at that point but otherwise it was a satisfying resolution to the dilemma. The author’s wrap up sentences regarding that choice made it clear that many other characters in the story did find the solution more than adequate. I guess I’m outnumbered.

The authors did provide a wonderful happy ever after to round out the adventure. In fact it could be said what goes around, comes around and it was rather humorous. An interesting tidbit is the final page where the authors shared with readers the history and inspiration behind this story and the previous two. I hadn’t read the others and did not feel I was missing anything in this current tale. This is most definitely a standalone read.

Between a Rake and a Hard Place is not only a clever book title, it’s a devious and unique story and a fun romance. Historical romance fans will find many things to delight them because Serena is just so unusual. Jonah might be a rake in the beginning but he’s a man who knows his own mind and I greatly enjoyed the scene with Serena’s father. That showed me Jonah’s strength of character. I was entertained by this novel, and for readers looking for a romance with a little light drama that is mostly character driven, this might be the book to read.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Lord of the Hunt by Shona Husk

December 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

HUNT
Lord of the Hunt by Shona Husk
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (303 pgs)
Heat Level: spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

She Wasn’t Cut Out for His World…

The realm of the fairies might be unbelievably beautiful, but its people are notoriously treacherous. Raised among mortals, Taryn hoped to avoid her fairy heritage her whole life. But now she must cross over to Annwyn and appeal to the King to pardon her exiled parents, or they’re sure to die. And to get to the King, she’ll first have to face the Lord of the Hunt…

He Can’t Imagine Life Without Her…
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Verden, Lord of the Hunt, is sworn to serve to King. But the moment he sees Taryn, the attraction is instant and devastating. How can he not help the beautiful, brave young woman who refuses to bend to the will of the court? Yet the power in Annwyn is shifting, its magic failing. No matter how much he may love Taryn, the Hunter knows that abandoning his duty could bring down the mortal world forever…

Taryn is part fairy but was raised as a human girl. She has no interest in fairies or their world. The only reason she’s daring to enter their territory is try to get her father pardoned. Now if she can just stay out of trouble long enough to do it…

Ms. Husk’s stories all have impossible romances. Her characters love women and men they can’t have. That makes the story more challenging, adds more tension and makes you wonder just how she’s going to work it out.

The author has set this story in Annwyn, a fairyland filled with the King and Queen, their courts, and their games. Taryn has to charm the King and ask him for her father’s pardon; the King is the only one who can grant it. Unfortunately, the Queen believes the King killed her lover and she’s very vicious, as well as being jealous. Taryn doesn’t want to sleep with the King or make the Queen angry, but she hasn’t much to barter for her father’s freedom.

If that dance isn’t dangerous enough, she’s allowed the Lord of the Hunt to steal her heart. He’s too high in the fairy order for her to have any chance of a relationship with him. He’s smitten with her also and sneaks her out of the fairy world to the other side where they can actually talk and make love. Of course, it’s just a matter of time until someone sees them…

I found the fairy world that Ms. Husk drew fascinating. She also depicted the war among the fairies very realistically. The King has to step down, but the Prince has to marry before he can succeed him. In the meantime, the fairy world is deteriorating. Take a bunch of mean fairies, let them see the world ending, and it’s not nice for anyone to be around. You can feel their fear and Taryn fears about letting them loose in our world, just like you would if you were there.

It’s a rough, tough world with little room or desire for true love. I was rooting for both characters and the author finds a way to skillfully grant their desires without loss of face or life. I’m impressed. I enjoyed this read and look forward to the next book in the series. The Prince is going to try to woo his lost human woman back into his life as his wife. It’s not going to be easy.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Douglas by Grace Burrowes

December 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

DOUG
Douglas by Grace Burrowes
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (379 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Camellia

Douglas Allen needs a home for his aching heart…

Douglas Allen, Viscount Amery, hates having arrived to his title without knowing how to manage what few properties he has. Guinevere Hollister is a distant family connection raising her daughter, Rose, in rural obscurity and stewarding the estate they live on. At the urging of mutual family, Douglas reluctantly puts himself in Gwen’s hands for lessons in land husbandry and discovers beneath her prickly exterior a woman of passion and honor. Yet despite the closeness they find, she will not marry him.

Guinevere Hollister needs a champion…

When the powerful Duke of Moreland arranges an engagement between Gwen and his heir, Douglas knows the marriage is not what Gwen wants. In Douglas’s eyes, Gwen deserves to make her own choices, even if she chooses continued poverty and disgrace over the love Douglas offers her. Douglas will take on their family, the meddling duke, and Gwen’s own lonely, stubborn heart to ensure his lady’s happiness.

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Maneuvered into close proximity to each other by well-meaning relatives, Douglas and Gwen rub along cautiously as they spend days inspecting Linden, a property Gwen’s cousin Andrew Alexander has offered to sell to Douglas who is the former brother-in-law of Andrew’s wife Astrid. They inspect the estate on their own as the steward, Mr. Tanner is mysteriously away—a little side story.

Gwen is an excellent steward for Enfield, a property of Andrew’s that Gwen has called home for many years. Since Douglas knows nothing of farming and estate management Andrew recommends Gwen to acquaint Douglas with the ins and outs of keeping an estate prosperous.

The mystery of Gwen’s single mother situation and her reluctance to be away from Enfield is like a carrot on a stick that kept me searching for clues and foreshadowing. I must admit I was astonished at how this all played out—quite a twist in the story. The revelation late in the story ratchets up the tension and threatens to swamp Gwen. Only with the help of family and Douglas is she extricated from the high-handed manipulation of self-absorbed powerful adversary.

How both Gwen and Douglas lose some of their cautious demeanor and begin to thaw is a one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back process. Each of them has kept his or her own counsel for so long; they hardly know how to open up and really communicate on a personal level. Before they get to a sexual relationship, they’ve come to know and respect each other on many levels. Their understanding of each other’s needs and recognizing the deep-down loneliness they’ve both endure is a strong, poignant element in the unfolding of events.

Douglas’ understanding of Gwen’s fear of a man’s touch and how he helps her find her way back from a traumatic experience so she can love and be loved is breath-holding, sensual and sweet.

Many of the secondary characters have peopled previous books in the “Lonely Lords” series. However, DOUGLAS: Lord of Loneliness stands alone beautifully with a memorable love story that is laced with lots of family love and meddling along with humor, and mores of their time in history. Best of all the reader gets the satisfaction of seeing emotionally wounded characters heal and flourish when true love moves in to stay.

Grace Burrowes, with her exquisite style of writing, has given the reader another superb love story set in one of the most interesting times in English history. Captivating!

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Naughty Christmas Nights by Tawny Weber

December 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

GRINCH
Naughty Christmas Nights by Tawny Weber
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday
Length: Full Length (221 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

This Christmas, it’s nice vs. naughty…

Lace stockings…

Hailey North has worked her butt off to make Merry Widow Lingerie a success. But if she doesn’t win the bid for Rudolph’s department store, she’s in big trouble. Her strategy? To prove that romance, playfulness and eroticism are what women want. The problem, however, is what Hailey wants…her wickedly hot, sexy competitor.

Or black leather?

Sex sells, and the Milano line is certainly all about sex. Besides, winning is the only way Gage Milano can extract himself from the family business. Unfortunately, Hailey’s romantic lingerie threatens not only his freedom, but his libido! But when their professional rivalry turns into a red-hot rendezvous, the competition really starts heating up. And Xmas is about to get a whole lot more X-rated!

Desperation is the mother of invention. In this story, it’s also the catalyst for inappropriate hots for The Grinch, a tree decorated to incite giggles, madcap assumptions and a Hugh Hefner inspired plot twist. Ms. Weber has outdone herself with holiday hijinks but managed to deliver a very touching story that was real as well as poignant. For many people, the Christmas season has its lows as well as highs and the author used her characters to effectively illustrate that.
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Gage is the hero who has a lot to learn. He’s successful and a force to be reckoned with in the marketing field. He’s a player who is as smooth as glass when it comes to seducing the ladies. He gets what he wants whenever he sets his mind to it. He’s a man who is more than overdue for a set down and it comes from the least likely source – a sunny elf.

Hailey is an up and coming designer who has incredible talent and won’t take no for an answer. She’s optimistic, cheery, and an all-around sweetheart. She’s also experiencing the worst possible scenario of her life – failure. How can this chipper go-getter make things turn around? By making an assumption and acting on it. Whoops.

Ms. Weber first introduces her characters as the people other people see when they look at them. Surface only. Gage comes across as a son suffering under his father’s thumb and is resentful and feeling trapped; but of course no one knows that. Hailey has the people around her thoroughly convinced she’s got it all together, because she’s the only one she’s ever had that she can depend on – but one person knows the truth.

Then the author throws Gage and Hailey together and the fun begins. There is a mix-up in assumed identities in the beginning which was a great hook. I was wondering how they’d figure it out and what their reaction was going to be. Then there was the contest. Not only was it amusing but what happens in the restaurant was H.O.T. As the hero and heroine rise to the occasion to meet the challenges set before them, they start learning about each other and opening up about important milestones in their lives. That is when the story found its heart. Sex is fine, and those scenes are of course well written because Ms. Weber is very good at writing them, but what they learn about each other made the story much more meaningful and endearing.

Gage did not have a normal childhood. He didn’t know any different until Hailey. That threw him for a loop and I liked how the author had him process that and then take charge. I was very proud of the hero at that point. As for Hailey, her childhood was messed up in a completely different manner, but no less damaging. Gage pushed her, challenged her and got her in touch with her inner temper goddess, so much so that the results were astounding.

One of my favorite parts of the whole book was their discovery of what Christmas is really about and how Gage and Hailey took steps, some unconventional, to make the holiday their own.

Secondary characters are very important to this book but there are three main contributors. One of them showed great courage and in doing so, empowered Hailey to reach for her full potential. It was rather heady but scary too. It also raised the bar for being emotionally connected to the characters. There were two others that were in the beginning but I figured out later that they were throwaway characters – they got the hero and heroine where they should be on stage in the beginning and then they disappeared. And if I was supposed to be engaged with or curious about Gage’s brother, I’m not. As far as I know this is a standalone read, and not a segment in a series, and I’m okay with that.

Dialogue was fun and hysterical at times. I enjoyed how Hailey and Gage bounced off clever one-liners and zings at each other. The pace of the story was good and it kept my interest. The editing was clean and the plot was engaging. The wrap up for the happy ever after was adorable, romantic and satisfying.

Naughty Christmas Nights is a cute, sassy and entertaining story. The romance is solid, Gage and Hailey were fun to get to know and the conflict was light yet effective. This is the kind of book that’s easy to read, delivers plenty of smiles and laughs and makes a person feel good after reading it. Naughty Christmas Nights is a definite recommend.

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