Tag Archives: Secret Affair

ARC Review: A Lady Awakened – Bantam – Cecilia Grant

December 22, 2011

Expected Release Date: December 27, 2011
Publisher: Random House Publishing
Imprint: Bantam
Author’s Website: http://ceciliagrant.com/
My Source for This Book: Won in a contest
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy

Official Blurb:

Newly widowed and desperate to protect her estate and beloved servants from her malevolent brother-in-law, Martha Russell conceives a daring plan. Or rather, a daring plan to conceive. After all, if she has an heir on the way, her future will be secured. Forsaking all she knows of propriety, Martha approaches her neighbor, a London exile with a wicked reputation, and offers a strictly business proposition: a month of illicit interludes . . . for a fee.

Theophilus Mirkwood ought to be insulted. Should be appalled. But how can he resist this siren in widow’s weeds, whose offer is simply too outrageously tempting to decline? Determined she’ll get her money’s worth, Theo endeavors to awaken this shamefully neglected beauty to the pleasures of the flesh—only to find her dead set against taking any enjoyment in the scandalous bargain. Surely she can’t resist him forever. But could a lady’s sweet surrender open their hearts to the most unexpected arrival of all . . . love?

Martha Russell has a problem. Her husband has died in a riding accident, and as she never managed to conceive, she will soon be turned out of her home with nothing more than a small amount of money with which to fund the rest of her life.  More than that, however, she learns from her household staff that the man set to inherit her home is a rapist who forced himself on several housemaids, who were then turned out without a reference when they fell pregnant after his assault.

Determined to protect both her servants and herself, she seeks out the aid of her newest neighbor — Theo Mirkwood, a dissolute wastrel and a rake who has been exiled to the country by his exasperated father in hopes that he will finally take responsibility for himself.

What Martha proposes is beyond scandalous — if Theo will agree to sire a child for her, that she can then pass off as the heir to her dead husband, she will pay him more than a small fortune — provided he never speak to anyone of their bargain.

Theo is intrigued by the cold widow’s improper proposal. Supposing that if nothing else, he can enjoy the sensual attention of a woman without having the annoyances that usually come with engaging the services of a courtesan, he agrees to the bargain, only to find himself more in the position of a stud animal than that of a lover.

Determined to bring out the passions he knows Martha is hiding, he quickly discovers that while she may seem to abhor lovemaking with him, she is quite passionate in other areas of her life.  As their time together passes together, however, both Theo and Martha begin to discover the hidden depths of the other, and soon, what started as nothing more than a bargain of commerce turns into something far more.  But when complications arise, and what was once black and white is shown to actually be shades of gray, will the newfound passion between them be enough?

What Worked For Me:

  • I loved the reason that Martha didn’t enjoy lovemaking. At first glance, it would appear that she had found the act between husband and wife to be distasteful, and as such, couldn’t fathom that it could be pleasurable.  However, this is far from the case, though she did find it a bit repulsive with her late husband, and initially saw her time with Theo as an act of commerce and nothing else.  Her real reasons for not allowing herself pleasure in bed with Theo were both surprising and strangely admirable, and I loved watching him work his sensual magic on her.
  • Martha and Theo have sex at least once every single day for an entire month. As such, the sheer volume of sex in this book had the very real potential of bogging the story down. However, Ms. Grant found the absolute perfect balance of explicit sensuality and glossed-over lovemaking to keep the pacing and the steam level right where it needed to be.  There were several times where she and Theo quickly got the lovemaking out of the way simply so that they would have time to talk, which was far more romantic than it sounds when I say that.
  • Theo was delicious. Watching him transform from wastrel son into a man passionate about the minor estate he’d been given and the people living on his land, as well as watching him learn to care for Martha outside of their “arrangement” was absolutely beautiful.
  • I loved the originality of the storyline in general. It’s very rare that a romance novel takes me by surprise, and yet this story was truly a breath of fresh air for a historical, with intricate protagonists, intriguing minor characters, and no true villain.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

  • Despite my love for Martha and Theo, I couldn’t help but be slightly put off by the entire bargain. While Martha’s motivation was admirable, I think the fact that Theo would intentionally sire a child that he could never acknowledge made me a little wary of him in general.
  • While the ending was as satisfactory as could be given the circumstances, it was a bit of a bittersweet ending to me, as any public relationship that Martha and Theo had would be a scandalous one — a scandal that would then be borne by the child they’d created. As such, I couldn’t help but feel that theirs was not a truly happy ending.

While I tend to prefer my historicals to have sexually inexperienced characters, the entire storyline was absolutely fascinating, and I came to care for every single character in the novel.  Martha was not nearly as cold-blooded and passionless as she first appeared to be, and I admit that I was thrilled to discover that she grew so much as a character over the course of the story. Theo was incredible as well, transforming himself from a wastrel and a rake to a man of passion and integrity.

I am very excited to have discovered this debut author, and greatly look forward to her future novels.

A very solid 4/5 Stars.

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Review: Cowboys Like Us/Notorious – Harlequin Blaze – Vicki Lewis Thompson

August 1, 2011

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Expected Release Date: Available Now!
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Blaze
Author’s Website: http://www.vickilewisthompson.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Sons of Chance Miniseries
Series Best Read In Order: No
Steam Level: Hot

Official Blurb:

Real cowboys aren’t born. They’re made…

Logan Carswell has just kissed his professional baseball career goodbye. Goodbye dreams, career and future. For now, though, he’s working at the Last Chance Ranch and the town saloon, where sexy bartender Caro Davis is definitely taking his mind off his troubles….

Caro’s days have been so hectic, she’s forgotten all about the finer aspects of life. Like men. And sex. And really smokin’-hot sex with men like Logan. But when their two worlds collide—and boy, do they ever collide—they both realize that once the gear is off, a cowboy is still a cowboy!

Bonus Story Inside: Celebrate the 10th anniversary with Vicki Lewis Thompson’s first Blaze™ book, NOTORIOUS! 

This is actually two books in one — Cowboys Like Us followed by the full-length story, Notorious.

The main book, Cowboys Like Us, follows Logan Carswell, who is a self-proclaimed “washed up baseball star”, after sustaining a serious knee injury during a game. Unable to play any longer, he finds himself adrift, with his girlfriend having left him now that he’s no longer a pro-ball “star”, his big-league friends rarely returning his phone calls, and the only career path available seeming to be sportscasting, which is something he simply can’t see himself doing.

Leaving Chicago behind for a few days to attend a friend’s wedding, Logan can’t even relax in the manner to which he’s become accustomed — the prescription painkillers that allowed him to dance at the reception can’t be mixed with alcohol, and being in a small town prevents him from hooking up with even the most willing of women, because he can’t bring himself to leave a woman behind to face the small-town judgement that would result in her having had a weekend fling with him.

However, his plans to behave are obliterated when he meets Caro Davis, the wholesome yet sexy bartender who has forgotten how to relax since her grandmother has moved to an assisted living community. With her grandmother and her job literally taking all of her time, she hasn’t had time for men, but when it becomes clear that the incredibly hot Logan Carswell is interested, well, all bets are off.

What Worked For Me:

  • I really loved that Caro wasn’t a virgin.  I know, I know, I say this all the time, but it makes heroines and their brazen actions so much more realistic if they’ve had a lover or two in their past.
  • Whoo boy the sexual chemistry between Caro and Logan definitely earned the Harlequin Blaze name, and the spicy creativity between them was wonderful as well.
  • I also enjoyed how Logan made Caro promise not to mention his knee injury any more, but that he was also finally able to recognize that he had sunk a bit into self-pity, and really needed to get over himself.
  • Logan was really wonderful. While both he and Caro entered into their relationship with the knowledge that it was going to be short-term, he truly tried to spare her from the reputation, gossip, and pity that he knew would follow her once he left.
  • I loved the sub-plot with Caro’s grandmother. I wanted to dislike the woman at first for her willful ignorance as to how her behavior was affecting Caro, but once she had a “project” of her own, she really seemed to open up, and I saw that she wasn’t bad, but was simply a lonely old woman, terrified of losing the one constant in her life.
  • Having not read the other books in the series, I appreciated how there was just enough information for me to be able to keep the characters straight without feeling as though there was a lot of info-dump.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

  • Again, having not read the whole series, I wasn’t sure if the “haunted bar” was something that played a part in the other books as well. I have a feeling that it probably did, but as a standalone, I must say I wish Ms. Thompson had either left out any inkling of a “haunting” or expanded on it more.
While Caro’s belief that she wouldn’t be subject to pity after Logan left annoyed me, I found her determination to engage in an affair and let the rest of the town go hang was a bit refreshing.  I also loved that Logan was a gentleman from the start, even though he intended for their time together to be a simple fling.
I think the fact that this was actually two books in one threw me off, and made me feel as though the ending were rushed, even though it really wasn’t.  I still had so many pages left before the end of the book that when the resolution and even epilogue presented itself, I was taken a bit by surprise.
Overall, this was definitely hot little read, perfect for summertime.  3/5 Stars
Keywords: Affair Turns To Love, Bartender, Contemporary, Harlequin Blaze, Professional Athlete, Secret Affair, Small Town, Steam Level: Hot, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Western Romance.
BONUS STORY — Notorious

Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Hot

Official Blurb:

Keely Branscom had always been a little notorious. A confirmed wild child, she’d shocked the town by posing for a centerfold at the age of nineteen. But what she’d really wanted was to get a reaction from seriously sexy Noah Garfield. Only, back then, he hadn’t quite known what to do with her….

Now, years later, Noah’s still in over his head with Keely. But when he catches her walking into a Vegas strip joint, he knows that he has to save her from herself.

Only, Keely doesn’t want to be saved. Instead, Noah’s supersexy childhood nemesis seems determined to show him exactly what he’s been missing….

Feeling stuck in her small hometown, and suffering from an unrequited crush on the sexy Noah Garfield,  nineteen year old Keely Branscom shocked the town (and her family) by posing nude as the centerfold of Macho Magazine.  Disgusted with her behavior, her father was understandably angry, but his harsh words were only the nudge Keely needed to leave her podunk town far behind.

Now, years later, Noah is in Vegas for his best friend’s bachelor party and wedding, when he literally bumps into Keely outside of a strip joint. A few arrogant assumptions later, and Noah is determined to play White Knight to Keely’s Damsel in Distress, only Keely isn’t looking for a white knight. Instead, she realizes that this is her only opportunity to exact some revenge on the serious Noah for turning her down when she was younger, and is determined to show him what he’s been missing all these years.

What worked for me:
  •  The UST is so thick in this story you can practically cut it with a knife!  Noah is determined to remain a gentleman, and Keely is just as determined to get him to shed his staid persona and let loose, preferably between the sheets. Or in the hot tub. Or up against the wall. Or… well, you get the idea.
  • I loved the arrogant assumptions that Noah made, and that Keely just kind of went along with things.  While, of course, it came to bite her in the bum, I couldn’t help but enjoy seeing a cocky man being taken down a peg.
  • I also really liked that Noah’s friends embraced Keely as one of their own, even after her centerfold status was revealed.  It would’ve been so easy for them to write her off as a “good time girl”, but instead, they saw the very real connection between Noah and Keely and did everything they could to encourage the two.
What didn’t work for me:
  • I… didn’t really care for just how brazen Keely was.  Surprisingly, however, this was a minor point, because while she was a little “wild” for her small hometown, and while she definitely jacked up the pressure on Noah, she wasn’t some wanton hoochie.  Even so, I tend to like my heroines a wee bit less brash.
Overall, this one was surprisingly enjoyable. I don’t typically go for such brazen heroines, but the sexual tension and chemistry between Keely and Noah was enough to make the devil sweat.     The misunderstanding about her career amused me, as did Noah’s determination to show her that someone could want her for more than just her body, especially when he started to justify his desires to himself by making it sound as though he would be doing her a favor by sleeping with her.
A very easy, sexy read, this too would be perfect for a lazy summer day.  3.5/5 Stars
Keywords: Affair Turns To Love, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Contemporary, Mistaken Identity, Reporter, Secret Identity, Unrequited Love, Harlequin Blaze, Small Town, What Happens In Vegas, Family Issues, Steam Level: Hot, UST Galore, Vicki Lewis Thompson.
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This is the first time I’ve read a Harlequin that was essentially two books for the price of one.   For less than $4 on the Kindle,  you can enjoy both the sexy city-slicker-turned-cowboy Logan, and the staid rodeo rider Noah whose determination to not take advantage of the one woman he wants the most leads to some of the tastiest tension I’ve read in a Harlequin in a while.
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Review: What I Did For A Duke – Avon – Julie Anne Long

June 7, 2011

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Expected Release Date: February 22, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon
Author’s Website: http://www.julieannelong.com/
My Source for This Book: Amazon.com
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 5, Pennyroyal Green
Series Best Read In Order: Worked well as a standalone
Steam Level: Hot

Official Blurb:

For years, he’s been an object of fear, fascination . . . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the ton knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he’ll seduce Ian’s innocent sister, Genevieve—the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he’ll capture her heart . . . and then he’ll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke’s dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice . . . is there anything she won’t do for a duke?

When Ian Eversea is caught with his pants down — literally — by the Duke of Falconbridge, in the bedroom of Falconbridge’s fiance, he is right to fear for his life. However, some of the vicious rumors circling the Duke are true, especially the one that intimates that he savors his revenge as a dish best served cold.  Being forced to escape out a window without his clothes, Ian knows that he has gotten off lightly.  A short time later, Ian’s family, knowing nothing of this incident,  is thrilled to discover that they are to have an incredibly distinguished guest for a few weeks — Alex Moncrieffe, the Duke of Falconbridge.

Unfortunately for them,  Moncrieffe has decided to partake of his revenge, by taking something valuable and beloved from Ian — his sister.

Intending to seduce and then discard Genevieve, he’s astonished to discover that while she’s a bit on the plain side, there is so much more to her than first appears, and he cannot help but to find himself intrigued by her.

Recovering from the heartbreak of discovering that the man she loves is not only oblivious to her feelings but actually intends to wed her best friend, Genevieve is not exactly sparkling company for the Duke. In fact, she does everything she can to, politely of course, tell him to bugger off.   Far from discouraging him, however, he’s intrigued by her quick thinking and obvious personal depths, as well as the mystery of her heartbreak, and soon an unlikely friendship blossoms.

What Worked For Me:

  • I loved Genevieve.  Not only was there the aspect of unrequited love (which was deliciously painful to read about btw), but she said it herself in the very beginning — her very still waters ran incredibly deep.  She was always careful and thoughtful and kind and, well, quiet, but she also possessed a delicious temper, and incredibly generous heart, and an incredible amount of sensuality (especially for someone who’d never even been kissed).
  • I do love me a Revenge Plot in my romances, and this one was fairly typical for a historical — Man 1 insults or injures Man 2, so Man 2 of course decides for some reason that the best thing to do to get back at him is to ruin Man 1′s sister.  However, the beautiful thing about this one is that Genevieve figures out the plot before anything happens, and pretty much calls him on it. Even better, though, is that he admits it, and the two of them actually become… friends.  Interesting concept, is it not?  It worked very well, because rather than relying on the “oh you only slept with me out of revenge! *swoon* *sob* *rant*” reaction, the revenge is quite neatly disposed of, and then Moncrieffe and Genevieve both enjoy little revenges on Ian throughout the rest of the story.
  • Speaking of which, I think that one of the best things about this book, hands down, was the torment of poor Ian.  Moncrieffe (and in some cases, Genevieve) took great pleasure in dropping little hints and teases of possible revenge on Ian for what he’d done with Moncrieffe’s fiance. This was so incredibly satisfying, because as Genevieve mentioned, her brothers thought little of their liaisons with women who were already in other relationships, and how their actions could truly hurt others outside of a little matter of pride, and frankly, it more than served him right.
  • While there are only a few love scenes, they are quite hot. Once they got the fires started, these two simply couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, and there was a delicious level of intensity to each scene.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed the truth about Moncrieffe’s background.  I think that it was infinitely more appealing than the track that so many other romance novels try to follow, and frankly it made me love him even more. I also liked that while he never claimed to love his former fiance, it had not been a cold-blooded match, and in fact he was attracted to her because he thought that someday he might love her.  Too many romance heroes who have loved and lost in the past tend to go for “marriages of convenience” in the future, but while Alex never claimed that his heart was easily engaged, neither did he act as though a past heartbreak rendered him into a cold and unfeeling beast.
  • There’s not one but two lovely Grand Gestures, though one is decidedly much.. well. grander than the other. *dreamy sigh* Both were beautiful and absolutely perfect for Genevieve.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

  • I really couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was simply something missing towards the end.  Throughout the story, I could feel Moncrieffe’s growing affection and fascination with Genevieve, and in turn hers for him, however once a physical relationship was brought into the mix, for some reason, those feelings seemed almost… overshadowed by their passions?  As I said, there’s nothing really specific that I can point to. Perhaps their sexual relationship was simply so intense that nothing else could hold a candle to it, but it was almost as if the characters had both changed at that point, and not necessarily for the better.
  • I wanted so badly to shake Genevieve for continuing to pine after her best friend, even after she and Alex had become lovers. It was infuriating and honestly, came across as being rather out of character for her.  While she agreed with the distinction that Alex had made between love and passion, it simply didn’t feel as though she would actually be able to separate the two, so it came as a bit of a surprise when she seemed to do so with ease.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Between Moncrieffe’s dark past, Genevieve’s heartbreak, the revenge plot, and the delightful ongoing torment of Ian, I simply couldn’t put it down.  While I was incredibly frustrate with Genevieve towards the end, I couldn’t put it down.

Recommended for fans of brutally painful unrequited love, of dark and brooding older heroes entranced by a younger and surprisingly mature heroine, and of grand gestures by heroes gambling for the heroine’s heart.

4/5 Stars

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Review: The Man She Loves To Hate – Harlequin Presents Extra – Kelly Hunter

June 6, 2011

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Expected Release Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Harlequin Presents Extra
Author’s Website: kellyhunter.com
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No, but part of the Dirty Filthy Money “Extras”
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy

Official Blurb:

Three reasons to keep away from Cole Rees…

1. My mom had a scorching affair with his dad—just think how awkward that “meet the family” would be…

2. His arrogance drives me mad—he might be a gorgeous billionaire, but I hate how he knows it!

3. Every time he touches me I go up in flames… and it’s utterly terrifying.

Come on, a fling with the man I love to hate? Like that would ever work out…

But everyone knows it can’t buy you love!

Okay the official blurb is pretty awful. While it covers the main points, it almost makes the book seem as though it will have a first person POV and it most decidedly does not.

When Jolie Tanner was young, her best friend Hannah Rees suddenly turned on her at the urging of her brother Cole, without so much as an explanation.  So, too, did all of her other friends at school.  Unable to understand what she had done to cause all of her friends to shun her, she went crying to her mother, only to discover that her mother was the cause of the problem.  You see, her mother was having an affair with a married man — James Rees, Hannah’s father.

For the rest of her years, Jolie was treated as the daughter of a whore, fighting a reputation that she’d never earned and certainly didn’t deserve. The fact that she was the spitting image of her mother — gorgeous, redheaded, and innately sensual — only made things worse for Jolie.

Now a talented graphic artist, she has built a modest life for herself relying on her own hard work and talent.  When James dies, she travels up to his old ski lodge to retrieve her mother’s items from the cabin before his family is forced to see them.   Of course, things are never as simple as we might want them to be, and on the way down the mountain, not only is there a brutal snowstorm blowing in, but she must share the last ski gondola with the last man on earth who could tolerate her presence — Cole Rees, the son of the man whose marriage her mother wrecked so many years ago.

Trying (and failing) to hide her identity from Cole, their animosity and resentment towards each other reaches a boiling point just as the storm raging outside reaches its own peak, and their gondola crashes to the ground during an avalanche.  Wounded and at risk for hypothermia, they reluctantly join forces to reach the safety of one of the ski outposts before they freeze to death.

Emotions are running high, and neither can resist the sparks of attraction crackling between them, and in the short wait for their rescuers, both are not only blindsided by the level of passion they find together, but also by the realization of just how much they’ve misjudged one another.

But can Cole and Jolie put aside the hostilities of the past, and build a future together when it will only bring pain to their families?

What worked for me:

  • I loved the whole premise of Jolie having been treated horribly her entire life for the sins of her mother.  I don’t know why that appealed to me so much, but I think it was something about the injustice of it all that I found endearing.  Jolie’s really a great person. She’s incredibly shy, but also beautiful, talented, loyal, and smart, and I really liked that about her.  I also loved the fact that she wasn’t a virgin.  I can’t tell you how refreshing that was for a Harlequin Presents, even for the Extra line, especially since Ms. Hunter could’ve easily gone that way what with Jolie’s shyness and bad reputation.
  • I was actually surprised by how much I liked Cole as well. His youthful actions were wrong, but they were also the natural reactions of a grieving child.  The fact that he was willing to put aside his past prejudices, and actually listened to Jolie while they were up on the mountain meant a lot, and even more was the fact that he was willing to swallow his pride and defend her both in public and against his own family spoke volumes.
  • On that same note, as sadistic as it may be of me, I really enjoyed the Rees family’s disapproval of Cole’s relationship with Jolie.  In addition, the fact that she wanted to keep things quiet because she didn’t want to put his family through any more pain than they’d already been through simply raised my level of respect for Jolie another notch.
  • There was just something about the writing style that I found beautiful. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but I will gladly say that I will be reading more of Ms. Hunter’s books in the future if this is any indication of the quality of her writings.
  • Despite the fact that I would rate this book as being “Steamy” rather than “Hot”, the sensuality was very well done, and more importantly, there was a strong focus on the love blossoming between Cole and Jolie instead of just intense sexual chemistry.

What didn’t work for me:

  • I didn’t really care for the whole “pretending to be a boy” thing on the gondola. It seemed at sorts with Jolie’s personality, since even though she was shy and nonconfrontational, she also seemed intelligent enough to know it would never work.

In the end, I absolutely adored this one.  A beautiful heroine who knows that she’s attractive but is also painfully shy and despises the reaction that her looks attract was quite appealing, and of course, the Enemies to Lovers ploy is an all-time favorite of mine.  There was also something lushly sensual about this book despite the fact that there were few graphic love scenes, and watching Jolie’s mother quietly grieving for her dead lover was strangely poignant even though I couldn’t help but to disapprove of her actions.

Recommended for fans of enemies who fall in love, heroines with an undeserved bad reputation and the cynicism that goes along with it, and selfish heroes who recognize that while sometimes you can’t have it all, you can have what’s most important to you.

A very solid 4.5/5 Stars

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Review: Lessons in Indiscretion – Carina Press – Karen Erickson

May 18, 2011

Click on Bookcover to Visit Purchase Page

Expected Release Date: June 20, 2011
Publisher: Carina Press
Imprint: N/A
Author’s Website: http://www.karenwritesromance.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Merry Widows
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Hot

Official Blurb:

Widowed Lady Julia Renwick is still young enough to crave a man’s touch; but she’s too old to think that the Earl of Bedingfield could see her as anything more than a family friend. Garrett Walker is handsome, charming and only 26 years old-the perfect catch for any one of this year’s debutantes.

Garrett has no interest in the maidens vying for his attentions. He wants only Julia. With just two weeks left in the season, he makes a bold move by asking her to dance. When she counters with a shocking request of her own, Garrett eagerly agrees.

Soon, they are stealing away for passionate encounters at every society event they attend. Garrett introduces Julia to excitements she never knew existed, and her newfound confidence quickly attracts other eligible men. It’s not long before Garrett realizes he must find a way to keep the lady all to himself…

18,000 words

At 31 years old and a widow, the Dowager Lady Renwick has never been able to indulge in satisfying bed sport. Her deceased husband was much older than she was, and let’s just say he was no master of the sensual arts.  Finally out of mourning, she decides that it’s time for her to indulge in an affair — and who better to do it with than the incredibly sexy Garrett Walker, a known rake who is also every matchmaking mama’s dream?

Garrett enters into the affair knowing that Lady Julia is only a temporary amusement. What he didn’t expect, however, was her beautiful responsiveness and his own possessive pride in teaching her about carnal enjoyment.    In a very short time, he realizes that not only does he not want his affair to end the Season, but that he also can’t imagine spending his life with anyone other than Julia.

 

What worked for me:

  • Unlike so many other novellas I’ve read, I felt that this was the perfect length.  There was no unnecessary drama or Big Misunderstanding between these two lovers, and that was very refreshing.
  • I really liked the fact that while Garrett and Julia had known each other before the start of the story, there was no actual sexual history between them. Too often, novella authors set up a previous physical relationship between their main characters in order to speed things along, but Ms. Erickson neatly avoided this, and somehow managed to avoid this without making Julia come across as cheap.
  • The love scenes were very hot without being overly graphic, and maybe even more importantly without being overly prolific.  Somehow Ms. Erickson managed to convey the deeper aspects as well as the intensity of their relationship without having to detail every assignation.
  • I loved the butler! I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a thing for loyal but stodgy servants in my historicals.
  • There was a Grand Gesture. *dreamy sigh*

What didn’t work for me:

  • I did feel that Julia’s concerns about being able to provide Garrett with an heir were valid, especially in those days, and wish there’d been some explanation as to why that wasn’t an issue for him.

Sometimes you just need a good historical novella, and this story came to me at the perfect time.  While I of course enjoy longer works, I did feel that this was just the right length for the story that needed to be told.  The chemistry between Julia and Garrett was wonderful, and I’ve always been a fan of the “affair that turns to love” plot line.   The chemistry was wonderful, the love scenes were very well done, and while their relationship progressed very quickly, I never doubted their feelings for one another.

Recommended for fans of widows daring to be scandalous, young rakes blindsided by love, and a sweetly romantic Grand Gesture.

A very enthusiastic 4/5 Stars.

 

 

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