Jan 17, 2018 | reviews, romance
Tempted by Midnight
Once, they lived in secret alongside mankind. Now, emerged from the shadows, the Breed faces enemies on both sides—human and vampire alike. No one knows that better than Lazaro Archer, one of the eldest, most powerful of his kind. His beloved Breedmate and family massacred by a madman twenty years ago, Lazaro refuses to open his heart again.
Sworn to his duty as the leader of the Order’s command center in Italy, the last thing the hardened warrior wants is to be tasked with the rescue and safekeeping of an innocent woman in need of his protection. But when a covert mission takes a deadly wrong turn, Lazaro finds himself in the unlikely role of hero with a familiar, intriguing beauty he should not desire, but cannot resist.
Melena Walsh has never forgotten the dashing Breed male who saved her life as a child. But the chivalrous hero of her past is in hard contrast to the embittered, dangerous man on whom her safety now depends. And with an unwanted—yet undeniable—desire igniting between them, Melena fears that Lazaro’s protection may come at the price of her heart….
Stroke of Midnight
Born to a noble Breed lineage steeped in exotic ritual and familial duty, vampire warrior Jehan walked away from the luxurious trappings of his upbringing in Morocco to join the Order’s command center in Rome.
But when a generations-old obligation calls Jehan home, the reluctant desert prince finds himself thrust into an unwanted handfasting with Seraphina, an unwilling beauty who’s as determined as he is to resist the antiquated pact between their families.
Yet as intent as they are to prove their incompatibility, neither can deny the attraction that ignites between them. And as Jehan and Seraphina fight to resist the calling of their blood, a deadly enemy seeks to end their uneasy truce before it even begins….
Midnight Untamed
The mission was supposed to be simple. Infiltrate an enemy’s stronghold outside Rome and eliminate its leader. For a Breed warrior as lethal as Ettore Selvaggio, AKA “Savage”, stealth assassinations are only one of his many cold-hearted specialties. But the last thing Savage expects to find behind enemy lines—in his target’s bed—is a woman he once adored.
It’s been years since Savage last saw beautiful Arabella Genova. Years he’s strived to banish to his past, along with the fierce desire he once felt toward Bella . . . and the irresistible calling of her blood that stirs in him even now, despite the fact that she belongs to another male.
But when fate throws Savage and Bella together again in a race for their lives, will his long-lost love prove to be the one woman he can’t live without, or the perfect weapon to destroy him?
Midnight Breed Bundle, by Lara Adrian
Novellas are tricky for me. I like long stories; when I read fan fiction, I always find myself arrowing in on the 100,000+ word masterpieces. By those standards, a novella is …well, short. There’s less character development. Less time to get inside the heads of the characters and understand what makes them tick.
(I’m also not sure if I can write a novella but that probably says more about me than anything else.)
Anyway, I can appreciate it when the novellas are bundled, like this set are, but that also makes writing the review tricky. Especially since my reviews tend to be long and it feels a little like the review would end up being nearly as long as the novella. (Not quite. It’s a feeling, nothing more.) For this set in particular, I also feel like the reviews might get a little repetitive, because it felt like the stories were a little repetitive. I might not recommend reading all three in one sitting.
The Midnight Breed series is another take on vampires, where the Breed (as vampires are called) are born that way. They mate with women who share some genetic component of what makes them Breed; these women are known as Breedmates and can be identified by the special birthmark that appears somewhere on their body. If a Breed male drinks from a Breedmate, he is bonded to her and can feel her emotions until she dies. To complete the bond, the Breedmate also drinks from the male.
What’s not clear from these novellas is, among other things, whether this bond is required in order to procreate or if there is some other benefits to doing so. Also unclear are a lot of things about being Breed in general — each Breed male or Breedmate has some special gift, unique to them, but the reasons for these gifts (or how the Breed came about or what restrictions being Breed places on the males in exchange for the physical gifts) are left a mystery. Some of this is probably because they are novellas and there’s not a lot of time for exposition and some of this might have been because it could be part of an established universe. I was unclear which was which.
As can happen a lot in this subgenre, at least in my experience, all three stories have at least some amount of insta-lust going on. (Lust is definitely the right term here, although it gets dressed up as love; the novellas might be short but they don’t skimp on the sex scenes. If that’s not your cup of tea, beware.) A lot of the tension in the books comes from the external threats posed by humans who are upset by the Breed’s existence and want to eliminate them, but it feels like this is something overlooked when dealing with it would get in the way of the love story. (For example, the first novella starts out with the death of two very important people coming together to talk peace between humans and the Breed, the consequences of which are never realized in the course of the story. Or any of the subsequent novellas either.)
On the other hand, there are a few parts that I enjoyed? Stroke of Midnight was my favorite, despite the very strong insta-lust that drove the main portion of the plot. It was easy to related to two people trying to live up to their families’ expectations. The heroine from Tempted by Midnight was at least not willing to let the hero wallow in his self-pity and guilt, although I might have wanted to slap her for a few other things. Midnight Untamed had a few new questions to add to the mix but also just …was, I guess?
I think these novellas probably work best if you are a fan of this particular subgenre and looking for something quick to scratch the itch. They’re well-written and judging from the Amazon reviews have their fair share of fans; I just look for something more than insta-lust to develop the relationship and didn’t really find it here.
Jan 9, 2018 | reviews, romance
Have you heard?
The future Duke of Barrington has just been gambled away by his father. To an heiress!
The delicious details thus far…
Nicolas, Lord Hatherly, never intended to marry—nor add to the “mad” Hatherly line—but now he must honor his father’s debt to a social-climbing merchant or lose the family estate.
A notoriously wild marquess, won by her father at a game of cards, is the very last thing Miss Alice Tombs wants. She’s spent the last three seasons repelling suitors in spectacular fashion so she’d be at liberty to explore the world. She’ll just have to drive this one away as well.
Until Nick proposes an utterly tempting arrangement: one summer together to prove the legitimacy of their union, then Alice is free to travel while Nick revels in the time he has left before the Hatherly Madness takes hold.
It will be easy to walk away after a few months of make-believe wedded bliss—won’t it? Alice and Nick are about to find out…one sultry night at a time.
This ought to be fun…
Blame It On the Duke, by Lenora Bell
Well, the holiday season is done so in theory I have time to read again, right? Right. Working on that. (There’s just one more set of baking to do and maybe I’ll take down the decorations at some point and… you know, we’ll just pretend the to do list is blank right now. I feel a lot better that way.) Anyway! I did squeeze in this quick read yesterday and it made me happy, especially since it’s been a bit since I sunk my teeth into a Regency novel.
The book opens with Nicolas hosting one of his famed extravaganzas when his father (who is not in his right mind) crashes the party to announce that he has gambled away his son. Unfortunately for Nicolas, if he refuses to marry the daughter of the merchant who won him, the man will take Sunderland House instead – and Nicolas is utterly convinced that removing his father from the familiar house will kill him. Since Nicolas swore long ago that he would never have children, this leaves him between a rock and a hard place.
Of course, Miss Alice Tombs has her own opinion on the matter and it is decidedly not favorable. Marriage was on her list of things to do eventually, but only after she presented the lost chapters of the Kama Sutra she had found with her uncle’s papers to scholars in India – along with her translation. Unfortunately, her brother’s abrupt marriage to a French opera singer has left her plans in disarray. When Nicolas proposes that they make the most of their current situation, Alice seizes the opportunity to demand some erotic tutelage from him in the name of improving her translation.
What follows is somewhat predictable in the sense that of course hearts get involved despite the best efforts of Nicolas and Alice. Nicolas is quite understandably terrified of what madness the future might hold for him, especially since he watched his father go mad on a voyage to India in search of rare orchids. At the same time, he’s determined to treat his father with as much dignity as possible and works hard to provide him with a home and stable environment, even though it would be much easier to simply ship the duke off to a private asylum. Indeed, the book deals with some of the less savory aspects of the private asylum system in Britain at that time, although not in any real depth.
Given Alice’s interest in improving her understanding of the sensual for her translation, it is unsurprising that the physical relationship between the two of them is a major focus. Still, there is plenty of character development outside the bedroom and I feel she did a good job of balancing the two. This is the third book of a series so there are references to the previous characters; there were a few times where it felt like I would have enjoyed it more knowing some of the backstory (and getting to see Nicolas and Alice through the eyes of the previous H/hs).
My biggest complaint is that the timeline at the end becomes a little compressed and there are a few loose ends that I would have liked resolved – small things that don’t impact the main couple, like seeing Alice’s mother happier and perhaps a little more about the servants’ change of mind (specifically what drove it, particularly March). I would have loved a little more of Alice’s aunt as well. Overall, the book was well written and an enjoyable romp, if existing primarily in the alternate reality shared by many modern Regencies. I would happily pick up the first two books in the series and look forward to seeing if Jane’s story is next.
Jan 3, 2018 | reviews, romance
Faced with an abhorrent betrothal, Cailin Macmillan flees her father’s castle and quickly learns that a woman traveling alone in Medieval Scotland is an easy target for ruthless English soldiers. When Highland patriot Connor Fraser comes to her aid, his steadfast dedication to king and country is challenged by his overwhelming desire to protect Cailin—even if he must marry her to do so.
Accused of murdering one of her attackers and determined to rely on her own resourcefulness, Cailin dresses as a lad, intent on seeking refuge at the camp of Robert the Bruce. Can she elude an enemy from her past—a vindictive English lord bent on her utter demise—or will she fall prey to his carnal intent and be executed for a crime she did not commit?
Highland Legacy, by B. J. Scott
Some days you’re just desperate for an escape and you’re willing to overlook a lot in exchange for a book that takes you somewhere else for at least a little while. That pretty much summarizes my mood while reading this so be aware that I would probably consider this book in the category of “having multiple things that need to be overlooked.” I still haven’t figured out if that’s a function of the subgenre (because medieval Scotland is absolutely a different subgenre from Regency even if they’re both lumped under historical) or just the authors that I’ve read, but. Reader be warned.
Cailin has been a disappointment to her father since her birth, mostly because she’s not male. When he announces she is to be betrothed against her will, she flees the castle. Unfortunately, she flees right into the path of two English soldiers who see nothing wrong with having a bit of fun with a Scottish lass. Her virtue is spared only because Connor Fraser comes along in time, killing one of her assailants and knocking out the other. After a kiss that leaves them both nearly senseless, he sends Cailin back to her father’s castle and continues on with his mission.
Unfortunately for Cailin, one of her two assailants — the dead one — was the brother of the local English lord and he also shows up at her father’s castle demanding justice for his brother’s death, which he blames on Cailin. Only her disguise as a stable boy keeps her from being handed over to the English right there, but it’s clear she cannot remain there. Lacking any other plan, she rides off in pursuit of Connor, planning to follow him to seek refuge with Robert the Bruce.
Of course, little goes according to plan and she finds herself married to Connor after he declares her to be his wife in front of his brothers and other witnesses. They are pursued by the English searching for her but make it safely to Robert’s stronghold, where the news Connor brings leads them to prepare for war. As a favor to Connor, Robert sets aside the marriage, despite the fact that they consummated the match — but then Connor requests that they be handfasted instead, so that if a babe is born it has the protection of his name. Cailin is then sent off to a convent to hide while the men prepare for war.
This gets us, at most, two-thirds of the way through the book. There are still more battles, the English lord comes back multiple times, and Cailin ends up being pregnant for quite a while. (No, really, the way it was written it seemed to be that she was pregnant for the entire year of a handfasting, which …maybe I missed something? I probably missed something. I hope I missed something.)
Still. I enjoyed it well enough and would pick up the sequels if I could get them on sale (or through the Kindle Unlimited program). Sometimes you just need that time to be elsewhere, and this scratched that itch well enough. It’s not going onto the keeper category, though.
Dec 27, 2017 | reviews, romance
With wings of midnight and an affinity for shadows, Jason courts darkness. But now, with the Archangel Neha’s consort lying murdered in the jewel-studded palace that was his prison and her rage threatening cataclysmic devastation, Jason steps into the light, knowing he must unearth the murderer before it is too late.
Earning Neha’s trust comes at a price—Jason must tie himself to her bloodline through the Princess Mahiya, a woman with secrets so dangerous, she trusts no one. Least of all an enemy spymaster.
With only their relentless hunt for a violent, intelligent killer to unite them, Jason and Mahiya embark on a quest that leads to a centuries-old nightmare… and to the dark storm of an unexpected passion that threatens to drench them both in blood.
Archangel’s Storm, by Nalini Singh
One of the things I really love about Nalini’s books is her willingness to explore different parts of the world. While three of the first four books were set in New York (with the fourth taking place mostly in the Refuge), Archangel’s Storm takes us to India and the fortress of the Archangel Neha. Of course, because of the events in Archangel’s Kiss, Neha is unwilling to open her lands to one of Raphael’s Seven without some assurance that the information he learns will not harm her.
As Raphael’s Spymaster, Jason is used to being overlooked as he assembles the big picture from smaller clues — exactly the skillset he needs to help solve the mystery of the murder of Neha’s consort. A challenge, given that the victim had been imprisoned for the past 300 years. Knowing that Neha’s rage must be defused, Jason agrees to swear a blood oath to Princess Mahiya, the only other surviving member of Neha’s bloodline. This grants him entry into Neha’s Court of Poisons. Of course, Mahiya has secrets of her own — secrets she is desperate to keep from a man who already sees too much. Her freedom is almost within reach and she would be a fool to risk it now.
I really liked both Mahiya and Jason as characters. Jason definitely has the strong and silent type thing going on, but there’s a reason for it. His past has a strong influence on the man he’s become and after catching glimpses of him in the previous books, it’s great to get a view “behind the scenes,” as it were. Like Raphael and the rest of the Seven, his core of honor makes him a hero worth rooting for.
Mahiya, on the other hand, is completely new to us. Her upbringing in her aunt’s court might have broken a weaker angel, but Mahiya has a core of inner strength that keeps her from giving up her humanity. She bends, but she doesn’t give up on kindness or give in to hate like so many others might. At the same time, she’s not willing to be a doormat for other angels. I really like the quiet way she stands up for herself, particularly early in the book when she and Jason are still dancing around each other. It’s nice to see a strong heroine in paranormal romance who doesn’t quite fit into the normal “kicking ass and taking names” mold.
Together they make a satisfying couple without being a copy of the previous relationships we’ve seen in the series and I rather like that. There’s a huge diversity in relationships and how they work and Nalini does a great job of exploring that, where the scars both of them carry don’t disappear but are smoothed over to form a beautiful whole without ignoring their existence.
I think the tension builds nicely to a satisfying finish without too many loose ends. (Some are to be expected, of course, with the series continuing to build.) If you’ve read this far into the series, you’re probably fairly invested in the characters and the overall story arc at this point, and there are hints of what might be coming next beginning to surface. All in all, if you have enjoyed the previous books, there’s every reason to keep on reading with this one.
Dec 19, 2017 | reviews, romance
Alexander Sinclair, the Fourth Earl of Falmouth, has a reputation for revelling in vice. But his taste for wine, women and dice is only a fraction of the dangerous truth, for the Earl is the force behind a powerful gang, smuggling contraband between France and Cornwall.
Never afraid to get his hands dirty and with an abiding love of living recklessly, Alex leads many of these runs himself, until one fateful night when the Revenue appear. Forced to sail into a violent storm, the ship is lost and Alex is washed ashore, barely alive, close to the French port of Roscoff.
Innocent beauty, Célestine Lavelle, has lost everything. The daughter of a noble French family forced to flee during the Revolution, she has been forced to work in the kitchens of the local whore house, where her future is shrouded in sin. Desperate and completely alone, the discovery of a half drowned English smuggler on the shore will lead her heart in directions she never dreamed of.
Determined to save his beguiling rescuer, Alex plans that her future should be full of everything that is good and honourable, but will the temptation to take her as his own be too hard to resist?
The Earl’s Temptation, by Emma V. Leech
I will start this review by saying that this is the second book of a series and I read it without having read the first book. In retrospect this probably was not the best plan, as Alexander is the brother of the hero from the first book and (from what I can gather in the text) plays a substantial role in it. Because of this, I was left with the feeling that there was a lot of backstory I was missing, something that definitely influenced my opinion of the book.
That bit of framing out of the way, onto the review! Alexander Sinclair is the Fourth Earl of Falmouth but also runs a smuggling operation in Cornwall, bringing back luxuries from France. During one of the nighttime runs, they are surprised by the Revenue and he is forced to sail into a storm shorthanded. His ship is wrecked and he is the sole survivor, washing up on the beach near the port of Roscoff. There he is found by our heroine, Celeste (as she is called for the majority of the book).
The daughter of a noble French family, Celeste’s life has been marked by tragedy. The family fled during the Revolution but her father was eventually killed and her mother committed suicide after her father’s death. Her only claim to her heritage lies in the papers she has documenting her heritage and those don’t put food in her belly or a roof over her head. As such, she works as a maid in the local brothel, where the Madam has been trying to coerce her into selling her body. (Given that we are told that the Madam is more than willing to drug recalcitrant girls with laudanum, her patience with Celeste’s refusal is …impressive.) Despite all this tragedy, Celeste does not want to see anyone else die and so brings Alexander back to her room, hiding him from the Madam, and nurses him through the chill that follows.
When Celeste overhears the Madam agreeing to sell her virginity to a cruel merchant, she knows she can no longer stay in Roscoe. Alexander, who is captivated by her beauty and wracked with guilt over what he believes she is doing to put a roof over his head, refuses to take her virginity but instead insists that she come with him. The pair makes their way to his family’s estate in France, stopping along the way at the chateau that belonged to Celeste’s family. Despite the sexual tension between them, Alexander refuses to touch her, believing she deserves better than he can offer. Upon meeting his family, she is shocked to discover that he is an earl. Meanwhile, it’s apparent to his family that Alexander has fallen in love with Celeste but he continues to deny it, holding steadfast to his belief that she deserves more.
Not even an attempt to kidnap Celeste can shake him from this belief, and she is sent off to live with his aunts in preparation for her debut. There, she tries to turn herself into the kind of English beauty she believes Alexander wants, while writing to him of all the men who come by to visit — part of the benevolent conspiracy his family endorses. Upon her debut, she makes it a point to flirt with the rogues and rakes and Alexander realizes that he cannot let her slip out of his reach. Of course, there are still one or two twists to be resolved.
Overall, I enjoyed it but it wasn’t a stand-out read or a shining example of the genre. (That’s fine, not every book can be.) It was solid, even if there was a reasonable amount of repetition in the angst of why Alexander felt he couldn’t be with Celeste. The ending also felt like it dragged on longer than was necessary, but it was a happy ending. However, my biggest complaint is probably that we are told repeatedly that he doesn’t feel good enough to be with her and that he is an awful person without seeing a lot of evidence for why he feels this way. This is something that might have been explained in the previous book, but I would hope for at least some level of that exposition or backstory to have made its way into this one.
