ARC Review: A Woman Made For Sin by Michele Sinclair

A Woman Made For Sin by Michele Sinclair
Publication date: August 5, 2014
Series: Promises  #2
Publisher: Kensington
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~~Reviewed by Evelyn~~

A Woman Made for Sin, the second book in the Promises Trilogy by Michele Sinclair, is a fast paced, sexystory of three best friends who would do anything for each other, especially when it comes to love.Lady Aimee Wentworth has been in love with Reece Hamilton since childhood, but the handsome sea captain is reluctant to commit to her because she has a title and he doesn’t.  The three friends concoct a plan to get Aimee and Reece together, but their plan has unexpected consequences for everyone when things go awry and Aimee is captured by sailors who think she is a thief.  She is dragged aboard Reece’s ship and imprisoned in a hold just as it sets sail.

While the story starts out slowly, it quickly evolves into a delightful tale of intrigue and passion, with enough twists and turns to keep a reader guessing until the satisfying conclusion.  It’s easy to cheer for Aimee and her friends, Millie and Janelle, as they find themselves in a variety of perilous situations,but the behavior of Reece and Millie’s husband Chase (Aimee’s brother) can be sometimes frustrating.  There are also many likeable support characters that give the book some of its charm.

I highly recommend this book and give it four stars.  It would have been five if not for a seemingly irrelevant subplot concerning maps (did I miss something?), and the sudden, sometimes confusing, jumps between subplots.  

A Woman Made for Sin will be released on 8/5/2014.  A great book to take on vacation!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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ARC Review: Love and Let Spy by Shana Galen

Love and Let Spy by Shana Galen
Publication date: August 5, 2014
Series: Lord and Lady Spy #3
Publisher: Avon
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~~Reviewed by Evelyn~~

Love and Let Spy, the third book in the Lord and Lady Spy series by Shana Galen, is 352 pages of mysterious and sexy fun!  From the first chapter when we meet our colorful heroine Jane Bondeas she frantically chases down an international assassin through the streets of the city, to the explosive and satisfying conclusion, we are treated to twists and turns, secrets and surprises.   

Jane, who was raised by her uncle to be a spy, is a very unusual but extremely likeable heroine.  She is smart and tough, and not at all interested in society, men or marriage like her contemporaries. She is upset when her uncle announces that she must marry Dominic, the handsome eldest son of Lord and Lady Edgeberry, to settle a longs-standingfamily issue.  Dominic, who has intense secrets of his own, is no more eager to marry than she is.  In spite of their reluctance to get involved, Jane and Dominic soon find their lives entangled and a strong romantic attraction growing between them. 

I highly recommend Love and Let Spyand give it five stars.  While it has it’s intense moments, it is a quick read that doesn’t want to be taken too seriously.  The only thing it is missing is 007 spy music playing in the background!  Enjoy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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ARC Review: Lady Windermere's Lover by Miranda Neville

Lady Windermere's Lover by Miranda Neville 
Publication date: June 24, 2014
Series: The Wild Quartet #3
Publisher: Avon
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~~Reviewed by Evelyn~~

Lady Windermere’s Loveris the third book in the Wild Quartet series by Miranda Neville. The hero and heroine, Lord and Lady Windermere (Damian and Cynthia), were strangers who suddenly found themselves married as partial settlement of a gambling debt.  Damien, who has little interest in being married to someone that he sees as plain and simple, immediately abandons his wife and goes into the foreign service.  When he returns a year later, he finds that Cynthia has become very pretty and more at ease with her position in society.  He begins to feel that perhaps they could have a future together, but he is plagued by rumors that she had taken a lover in his absence.

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I enjoyed her writing style.  The story line held my interest and the pacing was even. The heroine, especially, was very likeable and the hero’s reactions to various situations were very believable.  In one chapter, both Cynthia and Damian draw portraits of each other which gives them new insight into their relationship.  I felt this scenario was particularly well written and I hoped that the author would follow this up later in the book.  She did.  What she didn’t do, however, was follow-up on another issue that haunted the couple, especially Cynthia, throughout the book, and this was disappointing.

I’m giving Lady Windermere’s Lover four stars because I felt the ending was far too abrupt.  It cried out for an epilogue to wind everything up, especially the issue I mentioned above, but instead I felt like the readers were left hanging.  Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I’m adding other books by Miranda Neville to my TBR list.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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ARC Review: Why Lords Lose Their Hearts by Manda Collins

Why Lords Lose Their Hearts by Manda Collins 
Publication date: July 29, 2014
Publisher: St. Martins Paperbacks
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~~Reviewed by Evelyn~~

Why Lords Lose their Hearts, a new romantic mystery by Manda Collins to be released on July 29, 2014, begins with a plot that promises excitement and intrigue, and main characters that are likeable and sympathetic.  The heroine, the young and beautiful Perdita, the Duchess of Ormond, has endured years of abuse at the hands of her husband, Gevase.  When he is accidentally killed by falling on the same knife that he was holding at her throat seconds earlier, she feels genuine relief.  This quickly turns into fear, however, as there is someone out there who blames her for the Duke’s death and wants her to pay for it with her own.

After Perdita’s sisters are threatened and an attempt is made on her own life, Lord Archer Lisle, private secretary to her late husband, vows that he will do anything it takes to protect her and to find out who is putting her life in danger.  He is also secretly in love with Perdita, and is determined to prove to her that it is safe to love again even though she no longer trusts her own judgment when it comes to men.

This is where the promises ended for me.  I had high hopes for this book, but I found the first half very slow and, at times, bogged down by endless dialogue that seemed to over-power the action.  The pace of the book improved in the second half, however, and the events that happened became more compelling, but when I finally reached the finale, with its expected twists and turns, it just didn’t ring true for me.

I’m giving this book three stars. I did like the characters in very much.  I felt they were well developed and their reactions to events in the story rang true.  I could recommend this book to someone who would enjoy reading it for the love story between Perdita and Archer and would ignore the short-comings of the style and the plot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness by Deb Marlowe

Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness by Deb Marlowe 
Publication date: April 13, 2014
Publisher: Deb Marlowe
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~~Reviewed by Evelyn~~

Liberty was bored.  The daughter of the third son of Viscount Levy and a Boston heiress, Liberty had grown up in America.  When her father chose to return to England to take his place in the aristocracy of London, her mother quickly found her place in the charitable and scholarly circles of society.  Liberty, however, felt stifled by the rules of society that governed her new life.

“I’d love to do something more interesting than buying ribbons to match my bonnets,” she complained to her mother.  Even riding had lost its allure as she was expected to ride leisurely in Hyde Park, instead of taking off for a thrilling ride in the country.

A series of advertisements in the Morning Post were suddenly the talk of the town.  A young lady had met the man of her dreams, but she did not know his name or where to find him.Her attempts to meet with him again through the advertisements were unsuccessful, but a sympathetic Liberty suddenly found in them a project to keep her busy.  She would find the unhappy young lady and work to reunite her with her mysterious “man in blue.”Little did she know that her “project” would bring with it romantic possibilities of her own.

Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, the fourth book in the Half Moon House series by Deb Marlowe, is a delightful story of the escapades of Liberty as she tries to help her new friend Felicity find her young man in blue.  Surprisingly, after finding the young man, Peter, and reuniting him with Felicity, Liberty finds herself attracted to Peter’s uncle, the Viscount Brodham, who seems determined to keep Felicity and Peter apart.  Can Liberty justify her own growing feelings for the Viscount when his motives and actions are in direct competition with hers?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I found myself wishing it were a full novel instead of a novella.  I loved the spirited character of Liberty and I felt I knew her well, but I didn’t feel that the other characters, especially Viscount Brodham, were as fully developed as they could have been had the book been longer.  I would still recommend this book to readers, however, especially those who want a fun little book that can be read in one sitting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Review: With this Ring by Celeste Bradley

With this Ring by Celeste Bradley 
Publication date: July 1, 2014
Series: The Worthingtons #3
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
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~~Reviewed by Evelyn~~

In With this Ring, the third novel in the Wicked Worthington Series by Celeste Bradley, we finds the family down on their luck after the loss of the family estate to a fire. Nineteen year old Elektra Worthington, the middle daughter, feels that it is her responsibility to return the family to social and economic prominence by marrying into money.

In preparation for her coming out season in London Society, Elektra has used her considerable manipulative talents to secure invitations to all of the finest events and acquire an appropriate wardrobe.  All that’s left is to choose an appropriate target.

“Here’s a juicy tidbit from your very own Voice of Society,” began the gossip column in the local daily news.  “Now returning triumphantly from a wealth- building sojourn in the Bahamas, Lord Aaron Arbogast, who will soon assume the title of the Earl of Arbodean, has a secret motive – he has, in fact, come home to find himself a proper English countess!”

Lord Aaron Arbogast.  She wrote his name on her list of possible conquests, underlining it, not once, but twice.  In the delightful comedy of errors that follows, the unsuspecting Lord Aaron, who has secrets of his own, finds himself the victim of Elektra’s schemes to get his attention.  In an act of desperation, she even kidnaps him.  

It is very easy to like Elektra and Lord Aaron as the author sends them through a story filled with several humorous twists and turns.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quick, quirky escape, and while having read the first two Worthington books would definitely be a plus, you can certainly enjoy With this Ring as a stand-alone delight.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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