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Review Date: 9/15/2010
1899 dying English woman meets vampire who falls in love with her. Not a lot of period detail but sweet development of love story and interesting version of vampire mythology. Sometimes the dialogue was a bit too modern which is jarring. The setup of the future books was generally good but kind of abruptly cuts off about 3/4 of the way through the book - then the future stars leave the scene for good. I know she didn't want to write too much future story into this book but there was so much about them in the first 250 pages of the book and then to end without any resolution was rather annoying to me.
I will probably read others from the series but I'm in no big rush.
I will probably read others from the series but I'm in no big rush.
Review Date: 6/6/2011
Helpful Score: 5
Not the best erotica I've read. It had a bit more "story" than usual, didn't leap directly into sex, which is not what you would expect with a story about a foursome. In fact, there was nothing steamy for the first half of the book. It was mostly exploring, somewhat realistically (if you can find "realism" in a 3 men + 1 woman menage) the emotional and psychological hurdles of embarking on this type of love affair. Each character addresses their own fears and jealousies. OK.
Unfortunately, with all this "story" it wasn't great writing, the characters weren't particularly interesting or well defined individuals. So if we're here for the eroticism, that was woefully underwritten, not terribly sexy or hot. Once the author finally gets going, it does go and go and go, but it just wasn't steamy or gripping. There was one pretty hot scene, but it ends poorly and not sure it makes the book worthwhile.
I hadn't given too much thought to the logistics of a quadrangle sex party, have to say that it turns out 4 is a number that doesn't work very well. I think the notion of lots of hot guys and one girl is sexy, but boy it didn't work on paper. Plus the whole idea that you have four extremely straight/borderline homophobic men all having sex together with one woman - it stretches suspension of disbelief too far. And reading about her having sex with all these guys, it didn't really sound all that fun, it sounded tiring and painful.
Not certain Maya Banks in on my future reading list.
2.5 stars
Unfortunately, with all this "story" it wasn't great writing, the characters weren't particularly interesting or well defined individuals. So if we're here for the eroticism, that was woefully underwritten, not terribly sexy or hot. Once the author finally gets going, it does go and go and go, but it just wasn't steamy or gripping. There was one pretty hot scene, but it ends poorly and not sure it makes the book worthwhile.
I hadn't given too much thought to the logistics of a quadrangle sex party, have to say that it turns out 4 is a number that doesn't work very well. I think the notion of lots of hot guys and one girl is sexy, but boy it didn't work on paper. Plus the whole idea that you have four extremely straight/borderline homophobic men all having sex together with one woman - it stretches suspension of disbelief too far. And reading about her having sex with all these guys, it didn't really sound all that fun, it sounded tiring and painful.
Not certain Maya Banks in on my future reading list.
2.5 stars
Review Date: 5/27/2011
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful beautifully written well paced romance. Set in 1902, the premise is obvious, the Beast is beastly not only in his imperfect (scarred) appearance but in some of his behavior early on. Yet he is so true to the Beauty & the Beast story, that below his terrible behavior is actually a knight gallant and a man of uncommon beauty and attraction. The Beauty is a girl-woman of 18 who is so beautiful she worries that her face is all there is to her. She wants to be loved for more than her appearance, he wants to be loved in spite of it.
The romance was built like those books where the development of the relationship and characters is so intense you hardly notice the lack of actual love scenes. But you get the best of both worlds in this book because Judith Ivory delivers plenty of steam.
While the notion of the 18 year old bride is a bit creepy, I liked that in this book it was at least acknowledged. Eighteen is barely out of childhood and our heroine acts it, the hero notices it. Of course by the end that no longer matters but I appreciate that the age disparity, and particularly her youth, is not just glossed over.
Sensuality R
4.5 stars
The romance was built like those books where the development of the relationship and characters is so intense you hardly notice the lack of actual love scenes. But you get the best of both worlds in this book because Judith Ivory delivers plenty of steam.
While the notion of the 18 year old bride is a bit creepy, I liked that in this book it was at least acknowledged. Eighteen is barely out of childhood and our heroine acts it, the hero notices it. Of course by the end that no longer matters but I appreciate that the age disparity, and particularly her youth, is not just glossed over.
Sensuality R
4.5 stars
Review Date: 6/23/2012
Having enjoyed another Deborah Hale book, Lady Lyte's Little Secret, this book came as rather a disappointment. The writing wasn't as lovely, the story not as tight.
The two characters meet and he asks her to be his fiance within the first few pages. No getting to know you stage in this book. While there was immediate attraction, the love story built slowly, which is good, because stories where their sexual attraction = love are never very convincing. However Hale drags things on too long and suddenly switches from a beauty and the beast story to a Cyrano de Bergerac knockoff. It seemed an unnecessary addition to an already difficult situation, like she just added it to make the book longer.
Much as I generally enjoy scarred hero stories, this one just didn't work for me. I didn't think we dug deeply enough into either of the characters to be very emotionally attached to them or their situations. Both carry wounds - both of her parents are dead, she's been living with relatives who treat her with little care, he's physically scarred from Waterloo and also lost both parents at a young age. There should be a lot more emotional depth in this book.
As with the other Deborah Hale book I read, this book has little in the way of sensuality, and that which there is can be described as fairly abbreviated.
The two characters meet and he asks her to be his fiance within the first few pages. No getting to know you stage in this book. While there was immediate attraction, the love story built slowly, which is good, because stories where their sexual attraction = love are never very convincing. However Hale drags things on too long and suddenly switches from a beauty and the beast story to a Cyrano de Bergerac knockoff. It seemed an unnecessary addition to an already difficult situation, like she just added it to make the book longer.
Much as I generally enjoy scarred hero stories, this one just didn't work for me. I didn't think we dug deeply enough into either of the characters to be very emotionally attached to them or their situations. Both carry wounds - both of her parents are dead, she's been living with relatives who treat her with little care, he's physically scarred from Waterloo and also lost both parents at a young age. There should be a lot more emotional depth in this book.
As with the other Deborah Hale book I read, this book has little in the way of sensuality, and that which there is can be described as fairly abbreviated.
Review Date: 4/17/2011
Not bad.
This is my second Hannah Howell book and this was much better than the first (Only For You). However it was also remarkably similar to that book. The story had much the same basic premise, with a woman marrying a man she doesn't really know, there's a bad guy who wants to kill the hero, she eventually gets pregnant, winds up caught by villain, hero saves the day, yada yada yada.
What I liked about this book is that the hero is a big, unremarkable-looking, red-haired man with freckles. The emotional angst in the story is that he believes he is ugly and doesn't deserve someone beautiful, doesn't trust that someone beautiful can really love him. It is an unusual storyline, that of a man who is insecure about his appearance. The heroine, someone very beautiful who has spent a lifetime of people fawning over her looks and is unmoved by appearance. She finds certain features beautiful and she finds their spirit beautiful. They are well matched.
3 Stars
This is my second Hannah Howell book and this was much better than the first (Only For You). However it was also remarkably similar to that book. The story had much the same basic premise, with a woman marrying a man she doesn't really know, there's a bad guy who wants to kill the hero, she eventually gets pregnant, winds up caught by villain, hero saves the day, yada yada yada.
What I liked about this book is that the hero is a big, unremarkable-looking, red-haired man with freckles. The emotional angst in the story is that he believes he is ugly and doesn't deserve someone beautiful, doesn't trust that someone beautiful can really love him. It is an unusual storyline, that of a man who is insecure about his appearance. The heroine, someone very beautiful who has spent a lifetime of people fawning over her looks and is unmoved by appearance. She finds certain features beautiful and she finds their spirit beautiful. They are well matched.
3 Stars
Review Date: 3/2/2012
OK book.
Young woman, Susannah, loses everything when her father dies in debt and she must go live with a heretofore unknown aunt in a much humbled lifestyle.
Almost middle-aged man, Kit, is banished like a child to the country by his father who sees his behavior as self destructive. Kit's also a former spy with spy sense and sniffs out a mystery when Susannah has too many "accidents". More mishaps ensue, they fall in love, mystery solved. HEA.
Julie Anne Long writes compelling characters to be sure. The story is good in that the couple is attracted from the start but Long lets them get to know each other before it's "lurrrve". However we're over 200 pages into the book before either will admit even to himself/herself that there's even attraction. That isn't super interesting romance. Long includes a couple pretty good love scenes, not very titillating IMO but not totally glossed over either.
Perhaps it really would've happened this way, but it was also disconcerting that 34-37 year old Kit (she couldn't quite make up her mind about his age but did describe him as a "geezer") is forced by his father to either go to the country for 30 days or he'll be put on a ship to Egypt. Through most of the first 2/3 of the book, Kit seemed like a child. We're supposed to believe that a man who served for 10 years in a war with valor and honors then returns home to be ordered around and treated a like a child by his father? And he's supposedly been home and not on active duty as a spy for 5 years and does nothing but sit around drinking but he's physically fit and ready with super-spy action? He's not fat and swollen like most heavy drinkers? It's easier to get around stuff like that when characters are interesting and persuasive, which in this case they are, but when the book is over, that's what I'm thinking about, not the love story.
I liked the book well enough to read the next in the series, which pretty much sums it up.
Young woman, Susannah, loses everything when her father dies in debt and she must go live with a heretofore unknown aunt in a much humbled lifestyle.
Almost middle-aged man, Kit, is banished like a child to the country by his father who sees his behavior as self destructive. Kit's also a former spy with spy sense and sniffs out a mystery when Susannah has too many "accidents". More mishaps ensue, they fall in love, mystery solved. HEA.
Julie Anne Long writes compelling characters to be sure. The story is good in that the couple is attracted from the start but Long lets them get to know each other before it's "lurrrve". However we're over 200 pages into the book before either will admit even to himself/herself that there's even attraction. That isn't super interesting romance. Long includes a couple pretty good love scenes, not very titillating IMO but not totally glossed over either.
Perhaps it really would've happened this way, but it was also disconcerting that 34-37 year old Kit (she couldn't quite make up her mind about his age but did describe him as a "geezer") is forced by his father to either go to the country for 30 days or he'll be put on a ship to Egypt. Through most of the first 2/3 of the book, Kit seemed like a child. We're supposed to believe that a man who served for 10 years in a war with valor and honors then returns home to be ordered around and treated a like a child by his father? And he's supposedly been home and not on active duty as a spy for 5 years and does nothing but sit around drinking but he's physically fit and ready with super-spy action? He's not fat and swollen like most heavy drinkers? It's easier to get around stuff like that when characters are interesting and persuasive, which in this case they are, but when the book is over, that's what I'm thinking about, not the love story.
I liked the book well enough to read the next in the series, which pretty much sums it up.
Review Date: 2/19/2012
Helpful Score: 3
Another terrific book from Liz Carlyle who is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.
In Beauty Like the Night, we are introduced to Camden Rutledge, a widowed Earl recently come to title with a little girl who is either unable or unwilling to speak. Enter Helene de Severs, a governess also trained in the treatment of mental disorders. She's also Cam's first love who left the area and broke Cam's heart when they were teens.
The two have combustible chemistry and seesaw back and forth with each other through most of the book. A bit of a mystery regarding the child's inability to speak ties the story together.
There's sensuality interspersed throughout and Carlyle draws Bently, Cam's younger brother, as an equally interesting character who will eventually have his own book.
Sexy and interesting.
In Beauty Like the Night, we are introduced to Camden Rutledge, a widowed Earl recently come to title with a little girl who is either unable or unwilling to speak. Enter Helene de Severs, a governess also trained in the treatment of mental disorders. She's also Cam's first love who left the area and broke Cam's heart when they were teens.
The two have combustible chemistry and seesaw back and forth with each other through most of the book. A bit of a mystery regarding the child's inability to speak ties the story together.
There's sensuality interspersed throughout and Carlyle draws Bently, Cam's younger brother, as an equally interesting character who will eventually have his own book.
Sexy and interesting.
Review Date: 8/30/2010
As with previous two in the series, this is fun and funny and fast to read. I thought the romance could have been more developed. We never really got to know the hero and never felt convinced why she decided she loved him. After this book I decided not to read others. I just don't care enough about the characters and never enjoyed them as much after the first book.
Review Date: 2/26/2012
Helpful Score: 1
Certainly the better of the two Capital Theater books but still not one of her best. The book is divided, unnecessarily IMO, into two parts. The first part building up to them having sex, the second resolving the consequences of their actions. But the buildup was not bad and I felt interested in the characters at this point. However the second half of the book went all downhill. There was not enough action and very little drama except the hero's tantrum. It was overly long and boring.
Madeline is one of Kleypas' worst heroines. She is too - everything. Too cheerful. Too subservient. Too unflappable. She seemed naive and almost childish.
The hero was terribly abused as a child and so, reasonably, he is afraid to love and fears attachment. Unfortunately in this case it doesn't make very interesting reading. The story plays out almost - naturally. He pushes her away and instead of her walking out, which would have been more interesting reading, she stays by his side and loves him despite his being a jerk. It was kind of boring. The sex scenes didn't stand out, the drama wasn't particularly dramatic, and the heroine was boring. What's to love here?
Kleypas is one of the best writers in the genre. If this is your first LK book, skip it.
Madeline is one of Kleypas' worst heroines. She is too - everything. Too cheerful. Too subservient. Too unflappable. She seemed naive and almost childish.
The hero was terribly abused as a child and so, reasonably, he is afraid to love and fears attachment. Unfortunately in this case it doesn't make very interesting reading. The story plays out almost - naturally. He pushes her away and instead of her walking out, which would have been more interesting reading, she stays by his side and loves him despite his being a jerk. It was kind of boring. The sex scenes didn't stand out, the drama wasn't particularly dramatic, and the heroine was boring. What's to love here?
Kleypas is one of the best writers in the genre. If this is your first LK book, skip it.
Review Date: 7/16/2012
I read Board Resolution as an ebook. Hill really knows her stuff and can certainly get you into the heads of those who enjoy the roles in a D/s relationship. She writes very detailed sexy scenes and if you like the D/s stories with quite a bit of bondage included, you'll enjoy this story. It also sets the framework for the continuing series Knights of the Board Room (this is book 1). Next story is Controlled Response in another collection called "Unlaced".
Review Date: 12/17/2011
Helpful Score: 1
I could not get into this book. I didn't find any of the characters likeable and the heroine, Tessa, who is supposed to be extremely intelligent just seemed stupid. There was no emotional heart to the story and it just felt like a bad sitcom with a bad laugh track.
I had to put it down. Boring and unreadable.
I had to put it down. Boring and unreadable.
Review Date: 11/15/2011
Helpful Score: 2
How did this book get such good reviews?
The story takes place in 1990's New Orleans but flashes back to the 1800's. Shannon Drake did tons of research about serial killers, Jack the Ripper, and vampire lore which she recounts to us in pages upon pages of rather boring dissemination. Yes it all eventually ties together but it just isn't that interesting to read. Moreover, it doesn't further to story or the relationship between hero and heroine, neither of whom are ever really developed as characters.
The romance just didn't grab me. I liked the characters but the were in love too quickly, they didn't spend much time getting to know each other.
There was a lot of sex in the book but the scenes were brief and not explicit at all.
In summary we have a vampire romance with little romance, nothing steamy, and too much exposition on serial killers.
To me, not a great start to a series.
The story takes place in 1990's New Orleans but flashes back to the 1800's. Shannon Drake did tons of research about serial killers, Jack the Ripper, and vampire lore which she recounts to us in pages upon pages of rather boring dissemination. Yes it all eventually ties together but it just isn't that interesting to read. Moreover, it doesn't further to story or the relationship between hero and heroine, neither of whom are ever really developed as characters.
The romance just didn't grab me. I liked the characters but the were in love too quickly, they didn't spend much time getting to know each other.
There was a lot of sex in the book but the scenes were brief and not explicit at all.
In summary we have a vampire romance with little romance, nothing steamy, and too much exposition on serial killers.
To me, not a great start to a series.
Review Date: 9/6/2010
Helpful Score: 3
Meh. I read this when it came out but it wasn't memorable. Tried re-reading it before I posted it and just couldn't get interested in the story. The plot came back to me, but I just didn't get into the characters the second time around.
Between the Devil and Desire (Scoundrels of St. James, Bk 2)
Author:
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
124
Author:
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
124
Review Date: 8/30/2010
Helpful Score: 3
Second book in series. Will definitely read the third. I loved this character in the first book and looked forward to reading his story. As a reader who likes steamy love scenes, I think Lorraine Heath is more warm shower than steam room. But still good and the romance developed in a way that will have me reading more books by this author.
Review Date: 8/30/2010
Helpful Score: 1
Emma Holly is known for writing erotic fiction. Beyond Innocence is not as graphic or steamy as her contemporary erotic fiction but is still a good read. As a reader of historical romance, this book is reasonably well written. However if your aim is more for historical romance, this story emphasizes the relationship and the chemistry between the H/H more than the time period. Some of the other reviews say it is terrible, I think if you read Loretta Chase or Lisa Kleypas regularly, this book will not be to that standard. But having read a lot of historical fiction, this is fun because it is more focused on the sexual interaction of the main characters and the relationship between two brothers. Some things seemed a bit unbelievable in the time period (e.g. easy acceptance of a gay character) but I read Emma Holly for the hot romance, not historical accuracy.
Review Date: 12/5/2010
I love Emma Holly but found this book boring. It has the sensuality of many of her other books, but it wasn't very interesting, I didn't care for the characters or the side characters and the situation seemed too manufactured.
Review Date: 10/12/2013
Helpful Score: 1
Entertaining read although not particularly edifying. Adrienne is taken back in time from the 1990's to the early 1500's where she can somehow easily speak with their Irish Brogue, everyone talks like they do today, everyone knows what coffee is (and they even have some), and she isn't immediately declared a witch by superstitious peasants.
The pacing of the story was a bit off, not much carried the action except a constant circling of hero and heroine in a battle of wills and sex. The inexplicable choice of the author to have Hawk's brother bear the same name as the heroine just for a silly line early in the story. The Cuban maid back in the 1990's whose presence does nothing for the story except explain why the cat isn't dead but not how Adrienne can afford a maid or a house with security or how she isn't in jail.. Some sexy scenes although heavy on the flowery prose and light in realism. Overall an easy light read but not an author whom I will rush back to read.
The pacing of the story was a bit off, not much carried the action except a constant circling of hero and heroine in a battle of wills and sex. The inexplicable choice of the author to have Hawk's brother bear the same name as the heroine just for a silly line early in the story. The Cuban maid back in the 1990's whose presence does nothing for the story except explain why the cat isn't dead but not how Adrienne can afford a maid or a house with security or how she isn't in jail.. Some sexy scenes although heavy on the flowery prose and light in realism. Overall an easy light read but not an author whom I will rush back to read.
Review Date: 8/28/2010
Helpful Score: 2
Not a keeper for me. Hero was underdeveloped - difficult to fall in love with him. Found their relationship came on too fast and felt superficial. Lots of books progress fast, this one just didn't convince me that these characters really cared about each other or that their relationship really meant anything. I'll probably read the next book b/c often the second in series is better than first, but I'm in no hurry.
Review Date: 4/5/2011
Helpful Score: 1
Eh. Very loosely based on the story of little red riding hood, we have a young woman who meets a grouchy, selfish, stern man and falls head over heels. The book spends most of its time observing how badly Wolf treats Molly (aka Red) after they marry, and proving to us what a selfless saint she is.
I thought the hero was pretty unlikable and the romance weak. She was certainly "good" but not very interesting to me. It wasn't really love for either of them, mostly lust. Limited romance, negligible love scenes. The writing was OK, I've certainly read far, far worse, but it wasn't memorable by any stretch.
2.5 stars
I thought the hero was pretty unlikable and the romance weak. She was certainly "good" but not very interesting to me. It wasn't really love for either of them, mostly lust. Limited romance, negligible love scenes. The writing was OK, I've certainly read far, far worse, but it wasn't memorable by any stretch.
2.5 stars
Review Date: 8/14/2010
Helpful Score: 1
I didn't think this was particularly...titillating. kind of a superficial exploration of the subject and I didn't like anyone very much.
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