Review: The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels #1)
Author: Kerrigan Byrne
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: 1 September 2015

They’re rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards—dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster…

STEALING BEAUTY
Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain. Scarred and hard-hearted, Dorian is one of London’s wealthiest, most influential men who will stop at nothing to wreak vengeance on those who’ve wronged him…and will fight to the death to seize what he wants. The lovely, still innocent widow Farah Leigh Mackenzie is no exception—and soon Dorian whisks the beautiful lass away to his sanctuary in the wild Highlands…

COURTING DESIRE
But Farah is no one’s puppet. She possesses a powerful secret—one that threatens her very life. When being held captive by Dorian proves to be the only way to keep Farah safe from those who would see her dead, Dorian makes Farah a scandalous proposition: marry him for protection in exchange for using her secret to help him exact revenge on his enemies. But what the Blackheart of Ben More never could have imagined is that Farah has terms of her own, igniting a tempestuous desire that consumes them both. Could it be that the woman he captured is the only one who can touch the black heart he’d long thought dead?　

Review

Reviews: Dark Prince by Christine Feehan and Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

As part of a celebration by Piatkus of Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon, I have reviewed the first books in their most popular series. Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon from the Dark Hunter series and Dark Prince by Christine Feehan, a Carpathian novel. 

This is the first time I've read a book from each of  these series so I was super excited to read them! Hope you enjoy my thoughts and feelings on each book. 

Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter #1)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: Piatkus
Re-release date: 28 April 2006

In FANTASY LOVER, international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon has penned a highly original novel inspired by Greek mythology that it is utterly captivating and completely unputdownable.

It might sound like a man's favorite fantasy - to live forever, destined to be the lover of thousands of women. But for Julian of Macedon, it's a nightmare. Once he was a proud Spartan general; now he's a love-slave, his essence magically held captive in a book, cursed to spend all eternity pleasing women. Then, one day, Grace Alexander summons Julian to fulfill her passionate dreams - and sees beyond the fantasy to the man himself.

Long years as a sex therapist, listening to other people's bedroom problems, have taken a lot of the fun out of the physical side of love for Grace. But with or without sex, the rules of the enchantment cannot be changed - Julian is hers for the next month. And, as their time together slips by, Julian and Grace find more to share than sympathy and conversation and they begin to wonder if love might be within their grasp. That leaves only one question. Is love enough to break a 2,000-year-old curse?

Review

Review: The Rogue and I by Eva Devon

The Rogue and I (Must Love Rogues #1)
Author: Eva Devon
Release Date: 29 June 2015

A Lady Ready for Battle:
Miss Harriet Manning once made the mistake of falling completely, totally, and irreversibly in love with a duke’s son. It’s a mistake she won’t repeat twice. Truly. Especially since he abandoned her just when they were about to elope to Gretna Green. Five years later, Harriet hasn’t forgotten the way Lord Garret’s smoldering gaze and wicked sense of humor touched her soul. Still, there’s no way she’ll forgive the traitorous libertine, no matter how he stirs her passions. Now, Harriet is determined to show him she doesn’t care, and never did, by making merry right under his nose but a tragic turn of events at her cousin’s wedding has her wondering if just maybe, love deserves one last chance.

A Lord Who Lost His Heart:
Lord Garret Hart, second son of a duke and now brother to the present Duke of Huntsdown, is never ever EVER getting married. Bachelorhood is for him. After all, women are the very devil. Especially one woman. Miss Harriet Manning is Garret’s own personal Medusa and she has turned his heart to stone. Indeed she has, but not before she absolutely ripped it to shreds, leaving him a complete wreck. Nothing will ever induce him to matrimony or nauseating protestations of boyish love again. But when he is forced into close proximity at his brother’s wedding with the woman who first taught him to dream and see the world as a wondrous place, sparks flash and passions explode. Still, Harriet is not to be trusted. She callously betrayed him once. So how can he ever allow himself another chance at love when love always seems to hurt so much?

Review

When I read a historical by Eva Devon I always know to expect laughs aplenty and a romp of a romance. This book definitely doesn't let you down. Throw in a witty heroine who can't stand our hero and a hero who loves to loathe our heroine, and you know you're in for a good time. 

Harriet, or Harry to her friends and family, has a reputation for saying exactly what she thinks and she knows she's unconventional. She's also pretty adamant that there isn't a man she wants to marry, but it's not public knowledge that the reason she eschews marriage is because her heart was broken by none other Lord Garret Hart. Her sharp and biting sparring with Garret has become well known amongst the ton, even if the cause of their mutual dislike is unknown to others. Harry is a really fun heroine, I loved her intelligence and exuberance. I also liked that she could be vulnerable, and she's not emotionally closed off. 

Garret is determined to remain a bachelor for a long, long time. He's been burned by love in the past after Harry's betrayal and he thinks marriage is basically a terrible idea, so he's not thrilled to be attending his brother's wedding to Harry's cousin. Garret is a fun hero as well, with a mind to match Harry's and he's very sweet at times. 

Garret and Harry make a wonderful couple. They both hide their hurt and protect their hearts by lashing put at the other, but the chemistry between them is as strong as ever. I loved the flashbacks to their early relationship. It was so purely passionate and innocent, void of the pain they come to experience. 

This is such an enjoyable and heartfelt romance. Garret and Harry clash in a pretty fun fashion, but once they start to reconcile it's enough to make you swoon. You find yourself desperately wishing they can find their HEA together. The rest of the characters add to the storyline, and the events surrounding Emmelinea (Harry's cousin) and Edward's (Garret’s brother) wedding were pretty heartbreaking at first. I loved the way Emmeline grows and strengthens during these events, and I'm glad her storyline played out the way it did in the end. I'm not giving more away there since I suspect and hope her story is on the way!

Honestly this is my favourite Eva Devon book to date. It made me laugh out loud on the train (alot) and wipe away a few surreptitious tears. I definitely recommend this to everyone. 

*I received a review copy from the author for my honest opinion. Thank you!

Review: Moonlight on Nightingale Way by Samantha Young

Moonlight on Nightingale Way (On Dublin Street #6)
Author: Samantha Young
Publisher: Piatkus
Release Date: 2 June 2015

Logan spent two years paying for the mistakes he made. Now, he's ready to start over. He has a great apartment, a good job, and plenty of women to distract him from his past. And one woman who is driving him to distraction...

Grace escaped her manipulative family by moving to a new city. Her new life, made to suit her own needs, is almost perfect. All she needs to do is find her Mr. Right-or at least figure out a way to ignore her irresistible yet annoying womanizer of a neighbor.

Grace is determined to have nothing to do with Logan until a life-changing surprise slowly begins turning the wild heartbreaker into exactly the kind of strong, stable man she's been searching for. Only just when she begins to give into his charms, her own messy past threatens to derail everything they've worked to build...

Review

Review: Windburn by Juliette Cross

Windburn (Nightwing #2)
Author: Juliette Cross
Release Date: 3 February 2015
Publisher: Lyrical Press

No man can win her heart—until now…

In the Gladium Province, the boundaries between humans and Morgons, the dragon-hybrid race, continue to blur as a new generation surrenders to long-forbidden temptation…

Sorcha Linden does whatever she wants whenever she wants, and no one can stop her. Least of all a man. After all, they’re good for only one thing—warming her bed. But then she meets Lorian Nightwing, brother of Lucius. Seductive and iron-willed, he is determined to melt her emotional defenses—and warm her rebellious heart.

The beast within Lorian longs to cage Sorcha and mark her as his own. Forever. Yet the man within also longs to protect her. When a stalker starts leaving Sorcha suggestive gifts with cryptic messages bearing an ancient blood cult symbol, Lorian’s dragon side takes over. With her life at stake, Sorcha can no longer deny the love they share. But when evil tracks her into the night, will she be too late to claim it? 

Review

Review: Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

Elect (Eagle Elite #2)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Release Date: 10 December 2013

Would you die for the one you love?
Nixon Abandonato made his choice. And now he has to pay the price. Tracey is the love of his life, but being with him has made her a target of his family's enemies. The only way to keep Trace alive is convince the world she means nothing to him.

Trace Rooks has fallen irrevocably in love with the son of her family's sworn rival, and she knows in her bones nothing can tear them apart. Until Nix suddenly pushes her away and into the arms of his best friend... But Trace isn't ready to give up on a future with Nix--and if he won't fight for them, she will.

In the end, a sacrifice must be made. A life for a life. For what better way to cover a multitude of sins than with the blood of a sinner . . .

Review

Blog Tour: Forever Mine by Monica Burns; Review

Forever Mine
Author: Monica Burns
Release Date: 16 December 2014

Her future lies in the past

When a bomb explosion thrusts Victoria Ashton backward in time to 1897, she’s forced to
impersonate the Countess of Guildford. Despite Victoria’s attempts to convince the earl she’s not his wife, her counterpart’s infidelity, lies, and ill-tempered personality makes the task almost impossible. Worse, Victoria finds herself falling in love with a man who loathes her. Only when the earl learns to trust her does she realize her future lies in the past. But love always comes at a price, and she must make a painful sacrifice in order for them to be together.

Her love is what will save him

Nicholas Thornhill, Earl of Guildford has been searching for his missing wife for three weeks. Rumors of him being guilty of murder make him unwilling to believe his wife’s latest in a multitude of lies. But the changes in Victoria continuously surprise him. Despite his best intentions, he finds the contempt he once felt for his wife turning into something deeper and stronger. But when danger threatens to separate them forever, he must forge a bond with her that crosses the boundaries of time.

A passion to last forever

Buy Links:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | Kobo

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