Tis the Season by Jennifer Ashley, Grace Burrowes, Christi Caldwell, Louisa Cornell, Eva Devon, Janna MacGregor, Jess Michaels

November  19, 2018

Just in time for the holidays! 

Oh by the way, most of these authors have upcoming books. This is the second holiday anthology I’ve read this month and much to my surprise I enjoyed almost all the short stories in this book. I will do a very, very, very short run through of all of them. There are 287 pages, seven authors, excerpts from upcoming books and author bios – so you do the math on how long each story is.

http://www.jenniferashley.com/
First is Jennifer Ashley’s A First Footer for Lady Jane. Get ready to enjoy the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay. Lady Jane is the heroine who is sort of engaged to a take-for-granted guy by the name of John. John is bringing his dark-haired friend, Captain Spencer to the festivities. Read the story and find out the importance of dark hair. Cute Story. Other than being placed in Scotland, this story doesn’t seem to be connected to any of Ms. Ashley’s MacKenzie stories. Oh by the way, The Devilish Lord Will, part of the MacKenzie series, will be out in November. A First Footer for Lady Jane is 41 pages long.

https://graceburrowes.com/
Second is Grace Burrowes, A Knight Before Christmas. While this one feels like the season, I couldn’t get interested in it. There were toooooo many characters being introduced. This one has Aiden Ferris, Chloe, a beloved bookstore, and a bank. It also has a lot of name dropping from what I’m assuming are other books. It mentions Aiden’s background, also assuming that's in another book, and it introduces Quinn Wentworth who has his own book, My One and Only Duke. My One and Only Duke is the new Rogues to Riches series. There were way too many names dropped in this story for me to enjoy it. A Knight Before Christmas has 40 pages.

http://christicaldwell.com/
Third is Home for the Holidays, by Christi Caldwell. This is sort of an epilogue to The Rogue Who Rescued Her, which is part of the Brethren series. We get to revisit Martha and Graham, aka Sheldon, to see how their happy ending is working out. For the most part it’s working out, except there are some loose ends which needed to be tied. Graham has a problem with his parents, who seemed to have attempted to break Martha and Graham's relationship apart in their full-length book. So, that is the plot of this little gem – to fix all of those nagging family issues. By the end, all is forgiven. There is a brother, Heath. Heath appears to be hero material, but I don’t know if there are any plans being made for this. This was a nice story and had 42 pages. 

http://www.louisacornell.com/
Fourth is Stealing Christmas, by Louisa Cornell. Ms. Cornell is a new author for me, but she appears to have been around for a while – at least there seem to be a lot of books in her back-list. This story also appears to be another epilogue in which we get to see how characters are doing with their HEA. When the story begins, it appears that their HEA isn’t going so well, since the heroine isn’t speaking to her husband and has just slammed a door in his face. The main characters are Sebastian and his I’m-mad-at-you-because-I-invited-your-hated-brother-for-Christmas wife, Minerva. Evidently their full length story was in a book called Stealing Minerva. There seems to be a number of crazy animals, conniving servants, bosom buddies – can you say future heroes, and of course the hated brother. This was a decent tale and it is sure to arouse your interest in future stories. This story is 30 pages long.

https://twitter.com/evadevonauthor?lang=en
Fifth is  Joy to the Duke, by Eva Devon. Another author I’m not familiar with, but I am interested in maybe checking her out her future books. I’m not really sure what this story is about, except there seem to be a lot of characters who are friends and they are all getting together for a Christmas party. Can you say group hug? We start with Robert Deverall, Duke of Blackstone who is returning home to his depressing home called –wait for it – Blackstone. Along for the ride is his wife Harriet, aka Harry. Evidently Robert had a horrible father, so he has to face his demons and throw a party at the same time. This itsy-bitsy story is jammed packed with people. I shall try to list them, but excuse me if I leave some out. There’s Mary (Robert’s sister). Mary has been in love with Richard Heath. Richard seems to be from the underworld. There is the Duke of Drake. Yes, my little Petunia’s the Duke of Drake – Damian, the Duke of Drake. That’s three Ds in a name. Aaaakkkkk. There is also Royland and Ravernton. I guess they are Robert’s friends. Don’t forget the Duke of Harley – yes Harley. There’s Eglantine – a woman not a bird. Marianne, Edith, and some mothers with no names show up. There are lots of lots of people. A sort of secondary romance which doesn’t go anywhere – probably a future book. This is 34 pages of people saying, “Hi, how ya’ doin’?” 

Sixth is The Earl’s Christmas, by Janna MacGregor. It’s part of the Cavendish series. Another group hug!!!???? We have Cameron (our hero), Julia (our heroine), March (a sister), Lara (a sister), Bennett, Dr. Mark, Faith, McCalpin, Maximus (a cat), Ewan (dead husband), Kinnon, Tavis, Dougan, another Ewan, and another Cam. It’s a story of second changes and it’s all crammed into 37 pages. But even with all of those people crowded together it wasn’t a bad story and it was a great set-up to other books in the series.

The seventh book in the series is Silent Night, by Jess Michaels. It is part of her 1797 Club series and it also seems to be an epilogue to a novel about Charlotte and her husband Ewan, The Silent Duke. We revisit them two children and five years into their marriage. Miss Michaels manages to pack humor, great characters and poignancy into just 17 pages. Not only that but she has a pretty hot climanism-orgasamax scene between Charlotte and Ewan. By the way, Ewan is deaf and that adds even more to this very, very short story. Even at 17 pages this is my favorite story in the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed most of these stories and if you like novella/short stories you probably should give this one a try

How the Dukes Stole Christmas by Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan and Joanna Shupe

November 13, 2018
The holidays are here and you know what that means!!!!! Anthologies!!!!!!!!

How the Dukes Stole Christmas is an anthology which includes authors Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan, and Joanna Shupe. And, do not worry, my little Petunia's, this anthology has a number of winners in it. They are all loosely connected by magical shortbread cookies. By the way, Ms. MacLean gives us the recipe for her family shortbread cookies - I don't believe her cookies are magical and hopefully they taste better than the ones in these stories.

Let's start with Tessa Dare's Meet Me in Mayfair
http://tessadare.com/
Remember these are short stories, which is why this first story pushes the plausibility envelope a tad bit because the hero and heroine do not know each other. We are talking time limit and love at first sight. Also, the story takes place in a single night. But the story also has some vivid winter scenes and a strong sense of the holiday season. I do believe my nose got cold reading it. There are also some very amusing sibling moments in the beginning of the story. Even if our couple had a short acquaintance, this story sparkled and was a lot of fun. Louisa Ward and Thorndale make a wonderful couple with some very heartwarming moments. This story will make you smile. 
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Sweet
Rating: B
 
The Duke of Christmas Present, by Sarah MacLean
http://www.sarahmaclean.net/
This story is about Eben, Duke of Allryd, and his neighbor, Lady Jacqueline Mosby. These two know each other and have loved each other for a long time, but because Eben thinks he's not good enough they have lost their way. Jacqueline, aka Jack, even left for twelve years hoping to either forget Eben or hoping he would chase after her. While this story was a nice read, it also has one of my least favorite story lines - the I'm not good-enough-boo-hoo theme. There wasn't enough space for that in this story. We also have a number of flashbacks, so we do get to see why their relationship is what it is. I wish there had been more insight into Jacqueline/Jack's head, maybe I would have understood her motivation more. However, even if I would have preferred more brain talk, this story had some delightful moments and a great I love you speech from the hero.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Sweet
Rating: B

Heiress Alone by Sophie Jordan 
https://www.sophiejordan.net/
This story has a bit of a Home Alone theme about it. Annis Bannister wakes up at the family's country estate in Scotland to find her entire family has gone. Yes, they forgot her. She doesn't get too upset; she believes her family will realize they are missing a member and return for her. But a snowstorm appears. And so does the Duke of Sinclair.

Now the Duke of Sinclair wasn't all that impressed with Annis and her Duke-hungry family - in fact he's downright rude to her. She's not all that dazzled with him either - so there a love-hate thing going on with them. But don't worry, my little Petunia's, because Sinclair has to save her and her servants from some brigands. Which means they have to travel through a snowstorm, which means that he has to warm her up when they arrive at his castle, which means he has to take off her clothes and his to warm her up. Needless to say there are some really hot scenes in this story. While I wasn't a great fan of the brigands, I am encouraged enough to check out some of Ms. Jordan's other stories.
Time/Place: Scotland 1840s?
Sensuality: Sweet
Rating: B-

Christmas in Central Park, by Joanna Shupe
http://www.joannashupe.com/
This was my least favorite story of the group, even with the cute name of the hero. Our hero isn't a Duke, he's named Duke. And, even though I kept thinking of a dog or John Wayne when I would read the hero's name, I still thought it was a clever idea. Now, maybe some people are too young to recognize it, but the storyline reminded me of the old Barbara Stanwyck movie Christmas in Connecticut. Similar to the movie, our heroine writes a newspaper advice article. She has given advice on cooking, throwing parties, entertaining, and sewing, and she goes by the name of Mrs. Walker. Her boss, Duke, is in a bit of a pinch - he needs to throw a party for the board members so he can make them forget a scandal his newspaper is involved in. He informs Rose (Mrs. Walker) that she must throw a party in one week’s time to impress the board. He wants her to bring her husband (which she doesn't have), and he wants it all to be done at her fancy house (which she doesn't have). So Rose has a week to find a big fancy house, a husband, furniture, food, servants, silverware, china, etc. and not be found out. So, there was a lot of slap-stick things going on and I wish Ms. Shupe had stretched that slap-stick further than she did. Instead she takes our hero down a seedy road. He propositions Mrs. Walker. He misunderstands what Rose's fake husband says to him and thinks he has permission to seduce Rose. Then he finds out the entire truth about Rose and fires her. Not a happy seasonal message. 
Time/Place: New York 1889
Sensuality: Sweet
Rating C-

Overall, How the Dukes Stole Christmas was pretty entertaining. It was a fast read and was filled with some wit, humor, angst, and poignant moments. Except for the less than noble actions of one hero, I do recommend this book.

A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal by Kelly Bowen – Small Glom project

November 13, 2018

And, just that fast it’s over.

http://www.kellybowen.net/
Now, we come to the end of my tiny glom project with A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal. Since we are talking small glom, it is only fitting that we end with a novella which also happens to be part of the Worth series. If you have read I’ve Got My Duke to Keep Me Warm, you may recall the character of Viola Hextall. She is the sister of Heath Hextall and in that book she tried to trick the Duke of Worth into marrying her. When this story begins, she has evidently pushed all of Heath’s buttons. Not knowing what else to do with her, he has shipped her off to America, along with a set of draconian chaperones. When this story opens, she is on board a ship grumbling about her fate and how life has treated her badly.

Having just read I’ve Got My Duke to Keep Me Warm, I found it interesting that Viola was the character who Ms. Bowen chose to write about. In my opinion Viola would be a hard character to reform. I thought she came off as a selfish, immature, spoiled brat who needed to be taken down a peg or two. Well, in this short story she doesn’t necessarily get taken down, but she does become a better person. Through the help and encouragement of Nathaniel Shaw she starts to find herself. She learns that she can be more than what she thought she could. Nathaniel taps into her potential and she becomes a perfect helpmate for him. She even likes herself in the end - and that's the important part.

Having said that I will also say I was not as impressed with this short story by Ms. Bowen as I was with The Lady in Red. I don’t think the two characters were given enough time to fully develop. Maybe it was the obligatory humpa-dumpa scene which took up some valuable character development, but I had a sense of rushed story line. I think Viola's character was too complicated for the short story format. Her voice deserved a larger platform.

While this story was a pleasant read, it had a rushed feel to it and even though I’m happy to have read it, A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal felt like the short story it was. Too bad because I think Viola would have been the perfect complex character to give a bigger book to.

And, I have come to the close of my Kelly Bowen short glom and I have to say – it was a pleasure. I wish I could find more treasures in my TBR pile. There were just a few minor quibbles along the way - the treasure hunters and the too short of a story for Viola – but overall what a wonderful writer Kelly Bowen has become for me. She can now take her place among my auto-buys. 

Time/Place: Regency Atlantic Ocean
Sensuality: Warm

You're the Earl That I Want by Kelly Bowen - Small Glom Project

November 12, 2018
Now comes the problem with Glomming.

http://www.kellybowen.net/
Sometimes it is advisable to put some space between books – then again maybe not. You're the Earl That I Want is the third book in the Worth series, and while I liked it, I wasn’t as fond of it as I was the first two.

In You're the Earl That I want, we have Heath Hextall. Remember Heath? He is William Somerhall, Duke of Worth’s friend. Right away, one of my many pet-peeves made an appearance. Names. Let's ponder a moment. I have to say I wasn’t fond of the name Heath Hextall. There were so many things going through my itty-bitty brain when I would read his name; it became hard to concentrate. First of all, naming someone after a candy bar may not be such a good thing. At least it wasn't Toblerone. But my thoughts didn't stop at candy. Nah, my inside brain voice would pronounce Heath Hextall with a Daffy Duck inflection. Not a big fan of the double letter names like Vicky Vamp, Elrond Endor, Stephen Stump - you get my drift. Then there was Big Valley. You remember Big Valley? Well, maybe not. But a long, long, long time ago there was a cowboy show with Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley. Remember, she had a son by the name of Heath. Well, Heath wasn't really her son, he was her husband's natural son. And, you know what that means? Someone was playing fast and loose. This was in the days before Ned Stark - well, sort of. I am digressing. Anyway, Heath Hextall is a self-made man – a wealthy self-made man - and he’s on the look-out for a mate. He knows exactly what kind of woman he wants for a wife. He's made a list. He wants someone who is quiet, doesn’t have too many opinions, and will accept his opinions as law. Sounds like a good plan. He requests help from his friend Worth. Worth finds him a perfect candidate - Lady Rebecca Dalton and she is everything Heath Hextall could want. Except for one minor problem: Lady Josephine Somerhall.

If the name Somerhall sounds familiar that's because Josephine, or Joss as she is called, is Worth’s sister. She also grew up with Heath as a friend. She is not, nor has she ever been peaceful, quiet, or inclined to think that Heath is always correct. And, she is about to reenter Heath’s life again. Once she enters his life again, it is no longer the calm sanctuary he requires. In fact, he is almost killed on their first outing. Joss and Heath struggle against each other for a long time. They have a pretty bumpy road to contend with. He wants peace and quiet and she wants freedom – so there is an overlong stretch of will you/won’t you in this story. I found their back and forth struggles tiring. That was only part of my not liking this story as much as the other two.

Maybe because I’m glomming I became tired of Joss trying to right all the wrongs in the world just as the other two heroines did in their books. But, I could overlook that. Maybe. What I really had an issue with was the silly treasure-hunt-decipher-fanatic-Templar plot. It was just too far-fetched for me to buy into and I do admit I skipped over some of the parts in this plot.

Overall, I thought You’re the Earl That I Want didn’t quite match the power of the other two books in the series. Joss and Heath were great characters, but for me, I just could not get past some of the over-the-top hoops they were required to jump through. On top of that was the back and forth between Joss and Heath. And, let us not forget Heath Hextall (say it like Daffy Duck).

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot

A Good Rogue is Hard to Find by Kelly Bowen - Small Glom project

November 12, 2018
This was one of my better ideas.

http://www.kellybowen.net/
How I could have overlooked this first of Kelly Bowen’s series is beyond me. I bought the debut novel, but somehow lost track. I think I need a TBR alarm which goes off when I haven't opened a book. That would be really irritating. Anyway, Ms. Bowen is an excellent writer and I'm verrry happy she came along.  On to A Good Rogue is Hard to Find.

So, we continue on with the Worth series and if you remember your secondary characters, you will remember the eccentric character of Eleanor, Duchess of Worth. She’s the one who carried a chicken under her arm, did really odd things, but was a lot of fun – much to the chagrin of her son, William Somerhall, Duke of Worth aka Will. Well, it seems that Will has had it up to his forehead with his mother’s antics. He has decided to put his foot down – he has an idea. A Romanceland idea - which, as we all know will never work. He’s going to pay an extended visit to his mother. Yep, he's going to move in with her, and we all know how moving back with ones parents works out. (Sends shivers down my spine). He precedes to the dower house so he can keep an eye on her. His plan is not only to keep an eye on her but to stop her from doing anymore scandalous, embarrassing stunts. Imagine his disgruntlement when he arrives at her home only to be confronted by a bunch of hysterical aristocrats who are running in terror away from dower house. When he walks into her house, it is in an uproar – a very funny uproar. I knew right away I was going to love this particular hero.

Upon his arrival he also finds the woman he’s been looking for all over London for the last few months. Much to his surprise he learns she is his mother’s companion, Jenna. Jenna and Eleanor are a little annoyed with his arrival. Not because they don’t like him. Nah, nothing that simple. Jenna, Eleanor, and almost the entire household are up to some secret shenanigans – things they don’t want Will sticking his big nose into. So, everyone attempts to pull the wool over Will's eyes, to distract him from what is really going on at his mother’s home. And, in the beginning they do a very good job. But, Will isn’t one to be taken in – wellllll, not for too long.  While it takes him awhile to find out the full story of what is going on, he eventually does. The convoluted journey to his discovery is delightful. Ms. Bowen has a way with twisting and turning plotlines which kept my interest engaged through most of the book.

Jenna and Will are a wonderful couple. Both are complex, complete characters. They both have dark pasts, which could have made for a lot of angst in this story, but didn’t. Ms. Bowen seems to be very good at balancing comic moments with poignancy in her books. The beginning of this story was fun with a gradual build-up tension.

This is a well-rounded piece, filled with complex, fully-developed characters. Things are hidden from us. How exciting when those secrets slowly unfold before our eyes. We also get to watch the characters grow, change their outlooks, achieve things they never thought they could. While Will and Jenna are the main focus of the book, the secondary character of Eleanor is also strong. Don’t forget the character of Luke either. Or the butler who pretends he can’t hear, but really can. There is a whole lot jammed into this little story.

Overall, I highly recommend this story and I think you will have a very emotional fun ride when you read A Good Rogue is Hard to Find.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot

Holy Pickled Eggs! It's time for Upcoming Historical Romance!!!

Authors with an asterisk*, I'm picking up! For more Upcoming Releases that aren't historical see HEY DELIA!! November 15, 2018 to December 14, 2018. By the way, it is not my fault if a publisher changes the release dates - just so you know, they do not consult me.
**Book by an author who is either new to me or has fallen off of my list. 

Historical Romance

	Amanda McCabe* http://ammandamccabe.com/ The Governess's Convenient Marriage Debutantes in Paris series November 20 paperback, December 1 ebook
	Betina Krahn* http://www.betinakrahn.com/ The Girl with the Sweetest Secret Sin and Sensibility series November 27
	Cathy Maxwell* http://cathymaxwell.com/ The Duke That I Marry A Spinster Heiresses series November 27
	Christine Merrill http://www.christine-merrill.com How Not to Marry an Earl Scandalous Stricklands series November 20 paperback, December 1 ebook
	Christy Carlyle http://www.christycarlyle.com A Duke Changes Everything The Duke's Den November 27
	Ella Quinn http://www.ellaquinnauthor.com I'll Always Love You Worthington’s series November 27
	Erica Ridley http://www.ericaridley.com Wish Upon a Duke 12 Dukes of Christmas series November 20
	Georgie Lee http://www.georgie-lee.com His Mistletoe Marchioness Matches made in Scandal series November 20 paperback, December 1 Ebook
	Greta Gilbert https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/greta-gilbert/ Forbidden to the Gladiator November 20
	Janna MacGregor** http://www.JannaMacGregor.com/ The Good, the Bad, and the Duke Cavensham Heiresses series November 27
	Julia Quinn* http://www.juliaquinn.com/ The Other Miss Bridgerton Bridgerton/Rokesby series November 20
	Marguerite Kaye* http://www.margueritekaye.com A Scandalous Winter Wedding Matches Made in Scandal series November 20 paper, December 1 ebook
	Mary Balogh* http://www.marybalogh.com Someone to Trust Westcott series November 27
	Merry Farmer http://merryfarmer.net April Seduction The Silver Foxes of Westminster series December 7
	Tatiana March https://www.harlequin.com/shop/authors/13025_tatiana-march.html The Marshal's Wyoming Bride November 20 paper, December 1 ebook
	Victoria Alexander* http://www.victoriaalexander.com/ The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen series November 20
	Glynnis Campbell Tanya Anne Crosby Barbara Devlin Eliza Knight Erica Ridley Suzan Tisdale Kathryn Le Vegue All Things Merry and Bright

Historical Fiction

	Adriana Trigiani http://www.adrianatrigiani.com/ Tony’s Wife November 20
	Sherry Jones http://www.authorsherryjones.com Josephine Baker’s Last Dance December 4
	Vee Walker https://www.facebook.com/majortomswar/ Major Tom’s War November 19
	Clare Hastings http://www.clarehastings.com/ The House in Little Chelsea December 1

I've Got the Duke to Keep Me Warm by Kelly Bowen - Glom and DNF project

October 23, 2018

And we're off!!
http://www.kellybowen.net/
You know I lose track of things. And, somewhere along the way I lost track of Kelly Bowen, until I found her again. In my TBR pile I had her debut novel I've Got the Duke to Keep Me Warm. It was just sitting there. Having just finished Ms. Bowen's more recent books I decided to go back and glom her first series, The Lords of Worth. As I started to read this book, it began sounding familiar and then it dawned on me. I had attempted to read it before and for some reason couldn't finish it and I sat it aside. Light bulb going off!!! That means that I've Got the Duke to Keep Me Warm is a DNF and I can use it to not only glom an author but to start my DNF project. Yes, I am going to reread some of my DNFs - we will see how long I can keep that up. Anyway, I was a happy camper, glomming and DNFing all in one book.

Well, I started. Then I stopped. Then I started. Then I stopped. I'm not sure what the deal was with the first three chapters of the book, but they gave me some trouble. Maybe it was the heroine in disguise theme, which I will admit is not one of my favorite plotline devices - but then that's me, so I must rise above it. Maybe it was the name Gisele. You know authors have no idea what might be triggered in a reader’s psychic when they chose a name. Gisele, I must rise above it. I pressed forward. And, do you know what happened? All of a sudden I realized I had been captured by the prose.

Gisele Whitby is hiding out from her abusive, psychopath husband. How is she hiding out? Well, she very spectacularly fabricated her death, and adopted a new identity. She is now helping other women who were much like she was, trapped in a marriage with a man who beats them. She and her group of cohort’s help these women disappear into the landscape. But she is having a dilemma when this story begins; she needs another helper because her last one fell in love and is on his honeymoon. Gisele is desperate. It seems that her husband has found another woman to marry. She cannot let history repeat itself. Gisele needs to break up those marriage plans and she is on the lookout for a man who can help her. Enter James Montcrief.

James is a great hero. He is also down in the dumps. While his father, the duke did actually marry James' mother, he was a tad bit late and didn't marry her until after James was born. That makes James a bastard. It also makes James' brother, the second son the Duke, the heir. But that isn't why James is blue, no he's accepted that - sort of. He's down in the dumps because of the things he saw on the battlefield, including the death of another one of his brothers at Waterloo. Now he is drowning his sorrow in alcohol and doing odd jobs just to pay for it. This was not a story about his drinking problem; in fact that sort of disappeared once James joined Gisele in her endeavor. We do get to see him come to grips with his brother's death and all the demons floating around in his head.

Gisele has a number of plans to break up the upcoming nuptials of her husband and his fiancée. I do acknowledge when I was reading these plans my eyes kept rolling. The funny part was, Jamie and Gisele were doing the same thing - discarding ideas because they were just outrageously bad. Now, if you think this story sounds like a boo-hoo downer, it's not. One of the patterns I found while reading so many of Ms. Bowen's books in a roll is that she balances them with just the right amount of humor and just the right amount of drama. We are never overwhelmed with either one. The characters of Jamie and Gisele played off of each other marvelously.

Secondary characters. There were a number of well-written supporting cast introduced in this story. Sebastian, Eleanor, Duchess of Worth, Eleanor's companion and Eleanor's son, and a few others. All of these characters managed to pique my interest and at the same time they didn’t take over the book. I believe most of them will have their own stories. Eleanor, Duchess of Worth was actually quite funny, as was her son's reaction to her antics.

Villain. This book has an absolutely menacing villain in the character of Adam Levire, the Marquess of Valence. His abusive actions in this tale are written realistically. There is a wonderful tension which permeates the narrative after Gisele and Jamie put their plan into action. Quibble. I would have liked for Gisele to have escaped out of the story without being snatched by her husband again. However, this is not a perfect world and I knew beforehand that probably the author wasn't going to let that happen. I guess the hero had to ride to the rescue one last time. But that was just a minor quibble.

Overall, I liked this book even though I had a hard time starting it. In the end it was full of wonderful moments, great dialogue, and chock full of fascinating characters. It would have received a higher rating from me if I hadn't stumbled at the beginning and the kidnapping at the end hadn't troubled me. I didn't think it was necessary to add that piece of drama. I do recommend this book! I'm having a lot of fun with my short glom.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot!