Category: Kimberly’s Review

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Kimberly’s review of Straight From The Heart by Janelle Taylor

TITLE: Straight From The Heart
AUTHOR: Janelle Taylor
PUBLICATION DATE:   07/31/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Two passionate novellas and the story of the author’s own happily-ever-after romance.STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART Kimberly Harden is a recently divorced mom just looking for a quiet weekend at a friend’s cabin, only to find that a mistake in arrangements has brought her husband’s divorce attorney there too. Sexy lawyer Stephen Wright was secretly on Kimberly’s side, and when a sudden flood strands them in the cabin together, he decides to prove that he has her best interests at heart.WINDS OF CHANGE The love between Dorry Sims and Luke James is strong enough to best the Wyoming wilderness where they’ve made their home. But a greedy neighbor wants their ranch and Dorry, too, and he’ll get rid of Luke anyway he can, including framing Luke for a crime Luke didn’t commit. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT Janelle Taylor shares the story of falling in love with her husband, Michael.

REVIEW:
This novella is cute. It is short with three stories and is a cute read. Cliche’ but cute.

STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART: This is a short story of about 65 pages. While enjoyable the story is very cliche’. The man and woman get stuck in a cabin together. Can’t stand each other in the beginning then fall in love. And unfortunately they spend way too long not liking each other and while there is a crackle to their relationship it just seems so dull. Maybe if the story had a bit more to it then it would have been better. I am just not sure.

WINDS OF CHANGE:  Again another short story about 30 pages. It is set in the western frontier and was hard to read. The ain’ts and haftas are just distracting. I was not impressed with the writing of this story.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: This is the real story of the author meeting her husband and is probably the best in this book. I hope they live happily ever after.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly’s review of Seven Years To Sin by Sylvia Day

TITLE: Seven Years To Sin
AUTHOR: Sylvia Day
PUBLICATION DATE:   08/28/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The longer the resistance…
Seven years ago, on the eve of her wedding, proper Lady Jessica Sheffield witnessed a licentious scene no innocent young miss could imagine. Shocked, yet strangely titillated, she’d held her silence regarding scandalous Alistair Caulfield, and walked down the aisle as expected. But through years of serene, unremarkable marriage, Caulfield’s image remained burned into her imagination, fueling very illicit dreams. . .
…the sweeter the reward
Alistair ran far from the temptation of the prim debutante with the fire of passion in her eyes— all the way to the West Indies. As a successful merchant, he has little in common with the rakehell youth she knew. But when newly widowed Jessica steps aboard his ship for a transatlantic passage, seven years’ worth of denied pleasures are held in check by nothing more than a few layers of silk—and the certainty that surrender will consume them both.

REVIEW:
While this book is written very well and has a really interesting story for some reason I just could not get into it. I kept trying and trying but nothing seemed to click. I never felt the connection of Alistair and Jessica. I actually felt more of a connection with her first husband.

Jessica never seemed to warm up and was just to proper. And Alistair seemed like a lovesick puppy for too long for me.

As I said this was written very well I just think it was something that did not click with me and this story. I do believe if you are a fan of historical romance this would be an interesting book to read for most people.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly’s review of The Uninvited by Heather Graham

TITLE: The Uninvited
AUTHOR: Heather Graham
PUBLICATION DATE:   08/28/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
1777: In the throes of the Revolutionary War, Landon Mansion is commandeered by British Lord “Butcher” Bedford. He stabs Lucy Tarleton—who spurned his king and his love—leaving her to die in her father’s arms.NOW: After the day’s final tour, docent Allison Leigh makes her rounds while locking up…and finds a colleague slumped over Bedford’s desk, impaled on his own replica bayonet.

Resident ghosts may be the stock-in-trade of stately Philadelphia homes, but Allison—a noted historian—is indignant at the prospect of “ghost hunters” investigating this apparent murder.

Agent Tyler Montague knows his hauntings and his history. But while Allison is skeptical of the newcomer, a second mysterious murder occurs. Has “Butcher” Bedford resurfaced? Or is there another malevolent force at work in Landon Mansion? Wary, yet deeply attracted, Allison has to trust in Tyler and work with him to discover just what uninvited guest—dead or alive—has taken over the house.

Or their lives could become history!

 

REVIEW:
4 ½ Stars. I have always enjoyed Heather Graham’s ghost stories and this one is no exception. Actually I think it is the best one she has written lately, even though I love all of them. I am hearing this is the last of Graham’s Krewe of Hunters series. No one writes a ghost story like Graham does. Besides the ghosts who take on a life of their own (pun intended) the fact that Graham writes with so much history is what astounds me. By the time the reader is done with the book they actually want to travel to the city to take in the sites and read a book about the history of the area. There is no better travel agent then Graham when she writes a novel.

I really enjoyed the story of Allison and Tyler. They are written with such chemistry right from the start. While there is no real hostility when they first met, as I read in the last Graham book, there was just a underlying uncertainty about the other person and I think that comes off better when you read it. I loved the ghost Julian in the story as well. The history of the house and Philadelphia is also really  interesting.

If you love a ghost story with a bit of suspense than Graham should be your first choice of authors. And as always with her books I never figure out who did it.

*Note: The ARC I received was slightly different from this description. The house was named the Tarleton-Dandrige House not the Landon Mansion and the “Butcher” Bedford was actually named Brian “Beast” Bradley. I am unsure if the characters were changed or the synopsis is incorrect.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts
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Kimberly’s review of Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood

TITLE: Sweet Talk
AUTHOR: Julie Garwood
PUBLICATION DATE:   08/07/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When FBI agent Grayson Kincaid first encounters Olivia MacKenzie, she makes quite an impression. The beautiful, tough, young attorney has stumbled into the middle of an FBI sting operation and has reduced it to chaos. Months of surveillance and careful planning down the drain, Kincaid’s partner is furious and lets Olivia know that she’s ticked off the wrong guy. After all, he’s FBI. Olivia isn’t intimidated by his partner’s bullying because she’s something even scarier…she’s IRS. And working for the IRS isn’t for the faint of heart. She’s on the trail of an elaborate Ponzi scheme, one that threatens to ruin the lives of naive and unsuspecting victims, and one she has personal reasons to be angry about. But after she asks questions of the wrong people, her life is suddenly endangered. She’s accustomed to fighting for the underdog but being vulnerable herself is a very different story. Smart enough to know when to call for reinforcements, she contacts Grayson Kincaid. Together they make an excellent team to fight corruption but Olivia is also fighting the immediate and intense attraction she feels for Agent Kincaid, and that may be a battle she is bound to lose.

REVIEW:
If Julie Garwood released a new book every day I still do not believe I would get tired of reading her books. I have enjoyed all of Garwood’s works from her romantic suspense to her historicals and this book is no exception. Garwood has a way of pulling you in right from the first paragraph and you never want to leave the world that she has weaved.

I really enjoyed Olivia. She is strong and independent. She has been through a life that most of us cannot even imagine and has come out stronger and wiser for it. I love that she becomes an advocate for what she never had and is willing to do what ever needs to be done to protect “her kids” and yet her greatest indulgences are popsicles and a little white dress. Grayson is perfect. He is sexy, protective and even cooks and cleans up. What more could a woman want in a man? I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. I hope Garwood has ideas for books for these characters (Do I see a Collins/Ronan book in the works? hint hint) and I can’t wait to read about Samantha and Jane as well. And Henry, adorable Henry, can he just morph into a 25 year old so we can read his story too?

Garwood is one of my favorite authors and this book is right up there with all her others. Garwood has never written a book that is not worth reading and once you start you can not stop reading her books. While I miss the Buchanan series and hope she works back into that group since there are still siblings we need to see married off. I have enjoyed the new works she has had lately just as much as that series. The one thing wrong with this book? It ended and now I have to wait a year (or so) for the next one to come out.

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Kimberly’s review of The Booby Trap by Anne Browning Walker

TITLE: The Booby Trap
AUTHOR: Anne Browning Walker
PUBLICATION DATE:   06/01/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Welcome to The Booby Trap, a seedy bar where waitresses’ skirts are high, necklines are low and customers show up for the eye candy.

When brainy, beautiful, Harvard Ph.D. candidate Bambi Benson wants to study the women of the the Booby Trap for her dissertation, she goes undercover and joins them. All is going well for Bambi until handsome local celebrity Trip Whitley enters the scene.

Hoping to shock his high-society family by dating a bimbo, Trip offers to pay Bambi to pretend to be his girlfriend. She accepts his offer and bides her time, waiting for the right moment to reveal her true identity and teach Trip not to judge based on appearances.

After a series of dates carefully orchestrated for their publicity value, Bambi’s trap is set. But there’s one problem: the predator might have fallen in love with her prey.

REVIEW:
This was a great read. It was funny and touching at the same time. I enjoyed the characters of both Bambi and Trip very much. The story was very well written and really had me wanting to read more and more.

I loved the fact that Bambi was going to teach Trip a lesson about assuming how someone is based on looks and a job but she had done the exact same thing with Trip. I would have enjoyed reading more about their dates since they were just brushed over in some ways. I do wish the author had maybe shown a little more romance, not chemistry but romance, between the characters but this really was a adorable book to read.

According to the back of the story this is the authors first novel and I must say I think she has a bright future in front of her and I can not wait to read another book by her.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts
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Kimberly’s review of The Bloodgate Warrior by Joely Sue Burkhart

TITLE: The Bloodgate Warrior
AUTHOR: Joely Sue Burkhart
PUBLICATION DATE:   08/06/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
As the Mayan hero Técun lay dying, a sorceress cast a spell tying her bloodline to him, so that one day he could return and avenge their people…
Following a near-death experience, Cassandra Gonzales is haunted by erotic dreams of a mysterious man. As the dreams intensify, she is compelled to travel to Guatemala in search of him. There she learns that her blood has opened a gate—and she is the only one who can bring the great warrior back from the afterlife.
Once faced with Técun in the flesh, Cassie fears the need he stirs within her. She aches to submit to the pleasure he promises, but first she must learn to trust in him, and in her own desires. Their time for sensual exploration is brief—Técun’s killer has escaped, intent on sacrificing Cassie and wreaking havoc on the world. Now, only Cassie’s complete and willing surrender to Técun will give him the power to defeat the demon once and for all…

REVIEW:
First let me say I have not read a lot of time travel books so I am not sure if this is common for most of this genre but it seemed so unbelievable. I know that time travel does not really happen but when I read a book I want to believe it can come true. I was unsure if I could buy the whole going all the way to a different country to find a man who is only in my dreams just to have him come through some gate in a cave but when the zombie came out I was beyond enjoying this book.

I was not too thrilled with the writing style of the book. First it was written in the first person which really did not seem to fit the story somehow. Also it seemed that Tecun was using Cassie more than was there for her. They did not have a connection at all. In one of the chapters one of the characters says “It’s like a bad B-movie” and I have to say I felt like the whole book was like that. But if you like B-movies, time travel, warriors and zombies this might just be the book for you.

Disclaimer:
The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I received this book free from the author.

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Kimberly’s review of Eliza’s Awakening by Zaide Bishop

TITLE: Eliza’s Awakening
AUTHOR: Zaide Bishop
PUBLICATION DATE:   07/23/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
It is the eve of the Longest Night. Eliza Baker and the rest of Lord Jayden’s servants excitedly prepare for the lavish festival as their masters enjoy a head start on the debauchery that awaits. Eliza’s madly in love with Kell, a sweet, deliciously sexy guard. Kell returns her feelings, but is striving to make himself a worthy man before he asks Eliza’s father for permission to court her.

To keep the Demon of Winter at bay, an offering must be made during the festival. As the event begins, Lord Kempsly informs Kell that he’s offering a special sacrifice this year, and Kell must escort the girl who will offer up her maidenhood for the enjoyment of the crowd. Another guest will select the maiden, and Kell realizes to his dismay the guest is Lord Rakin, a rich and handsome rogue who has his eye on Eliza. But little do any of the men suspect the burgeoning desire the ceremony is awakening in Eliza.

REVIEW:
This is a short story (about 35 reading pages) of historical erotica. It is set at a party to bring in the new season and they plan to make a virgin sacrifice of her maidenhead not her life. If you enjoy erotica about exhibitionism and voyeurism then you will enjoy this story. There is a nice back story of characters. If you like short stories of erotica you will enjoy this book.

4 Hearts
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Kimberly’s review of A Fool’s Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery

TITLE: A Fool’s Gold Christmas
AUTHOR: Susan Mallery
PUBLICATION DATE:   09/25/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The unrelenting cheer in Fool’s Gold, California, is bringing out the humbug in dancer Evie Stryker. She learned early on that Christmas miracles don’t happen, at least not for her. And this year seems like no exception. An injury has forced her to return to the family fold, no matter that they’re estranged. She won’t add to the awkward scenario by being seduced by the bad-boy charms of her brother’s best friend, the last man she should ever want to date. Even when she’s recruited to stage the Fool’s Gold winter festival, she vows to do as promised, then move forward with her life anywhere but here.Jaded lawyer Dante Jefferson is getting used to the backwater town he now reluctantly calls home, but the pounding of little dancers’ feet above his temporary office is more than any man should have to take! When he confronts their gorgeous teacher, he’s unprepared for the attraction that sears him down to the soul. Evie is his best friend’s sister — off-limits unless he’s willing to risk his heart. Dante has always believed that love is the most dangerous force in the universe, but that was before he had to reckon with the magic of a certain small town, where miracles do seem to happen….

REVIEW:
There is no place I would rather spend Christmas than Fool’s Gold. With the beautiful backdrop of the California mountains Christmas comes alive in the latest of the Fool’s Gold series from Susan Mallery. Fool’s Gold is the type of town we all wish we belong to with people willing to help and a place where a newcomer can feel at home. But when Evie is brought to the town by her family after breaking her leg she feels more like an outsider than part of the family. The only place she feels at home in on the dance floor so when asked to teacher the children the winter dance she agrees even as she plans her escape from the town after the holidays.

Dante has also been brought to Fool’s Gold against his will by his business partner Rafe (Summer Days #7). With the past that Dante has the best thing he can do with the ladies is love ‘em and leave ‘em and he has gotten good at just that. But when Evie and her troupe dance into Dante’s life will he recognize a good thing and will either of them be willing to overcome the past to believe in love and learn that Fool’s Gold really can be home? Both are unaware that the lure of Fool’s Gold is not only in the spirit of the season but the spirit and heart of the town.

I could not put this book down. This is the 10th in the series and I have loved everyone of them but there is just something extra special about Fool’s Gold at Christmas time. I wanted to walk the streets, see the decorations of the town and watch the performance on Christmas Eve. I wanted to drink peppermint martinis at Evie’s house with the girls and wanted to walk up to Dante and hug him after smacking him upside the head. Mallery has a way of transporting you to the town of Fool’s Gold and as a reader you can feel the love she has for her (unfortunately) imagined town which makes the reader love it to. Pick up “A Fool’s Gold Christmas”, make a cup of hot chocolate, snuggle up on the couch and I promise you in a few hours when you finally set the book down you will be ready to start decorating your house for the holidays.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly’s review of The Guest Book by MaryBeth Whalen

The Guest Book
AUTHOR: Mary Beth Whalen
PUBLICATION DATE:   07/03/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When Macy Dillon was five years old her father encouraged her to draw a picture in the guestbook of a Carolina beach house. The next year, Macy returned to discover a drawing by an unidentified little boy on the facing page. Over the next eleven years the children continue to exchange drawings … until tragedy ends visits to the beach house altogether. During her final trip to Sunset, Macy asks her anonymous friend to draw her one last picture and tells him where to hide the guest book in hopes that one day she will return to find it—and him. Twenty-five years after that first picture, Macy is back at Sunset Beach—this time toting a broken family and a hurting heart. One night, alone by the ocean, Macy asks God to help her find the boy she never forgot, the one whose beautiful pictures touched something deep inside of her. Will she ever find him? And if she does, will the guestbook unite them or merely be the relic of a lost childhood?

REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It does fall under Christian romance so there is quite a bit about God and returning to Him after a time when Macy let herself stop believing.

This is a very melancholy book. The character is still in, I think, a depression from the last few years of her life. Her father passed away and she got pregnant by a boyfriend who then ran off and she has raised her daughter on her own. Macy’s brother Max is going through a depression as well but has turned to drinking and maybe even her mother is too since she has kept a shrine to her late husband for 10 years. Most of the book is spent with Macy looking back at her father and the time they spent at the beach when she was young. And while she wonders who the artist is that has left her the pictures for years the story feels more like a homage to the father she misses. I wonder if the author recently lost someone herself to feel this melancholy and put it in writing. But what is interesting is the book is not a downer. The memories that Macy has are good memories, most of the time, so you do not feel like she has been in a deep depression just a functioning one.

I do not want to give the wrong impression. This is a REALLY good book but it is not all love and sex. It feels more like what a real person goes through after a rough time. Wanting to come around and change her life. All the characters are very interesting in the book from Brenda (mom), the neighbor (Buzz), the three men who enter her life and especially Max her brother. I really enjoyed the playfulness of Max especially when he is around Emma (Macy’s daughter). The author really writes Emma’s part well. Emma is supposed to be 5 years old and she acts it. So many times authors put in a child about this age and the child either speaks like a 2 year old or like a 10 year old. You really feel that the author has had these conversations with a 5 year old and wrote them down.

While, like I said, there is quite a bit of God and religion in the book (including a handsome pastor) it is not shoved down your throat. This is a wonderful Christian story of a woman who is ready to turn her life around and is just trying to figure it out and hoping to get led in the direction she is supposed to go. I do, however, wish we had an epilogue to this book (you will understand when you read it).

NOTE: After reading the extra note about the sculpture used in the story I went all through the internet looking for a picture. Even going to the website of the city it is located in and when one was not there I actually sent them an email telling them that they needed one because the book was coming out. I finally found it on a Pinterest site made up by the author. http://pinterest.com/marybeth6/the-guest-book-a-novel/

4 Hearts
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Kimberly’s review of Lord Atwood’s Lovers by Eva Clancy

Lord Atwood’s Lovers
AUTHOR: Eva Clancy
PUBLICATION DATE:   06/01/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
To the rest of the ton, Lord and Lady Atwood seem to have the perfect marriage. They wed for love and their marriage bed doesn’t lack for passion—but Imogen is haunted by the memory of her first marriage…while Charles harbors secret thoughts and desires he’s been unable to confess to his wife.

Then Charles’s ex-lover, Alexander Lambert, arrives in town, throwing Charles into a tailspin—and awakening a surprising attraction in Imogen. Now, both have to face the possibility that they may need more than just each other to be truly complete.

REVIEW:
I think this was trying to be a story of erotica but it just didn’t work. While the background story was interesting there was not enough of it. And there was not enough of the sex scenes to have it fall under the erotica heading. Surprisingly though the story might have made a really good novella since there could have been more put into the characters story but it felt like the story was being rushed to get to where Alex is brought into the story but yet when he finally is brought it there is nothing interesting that happens. It could have been written so we see more of how Charles enjoys watching Imogene flirt with other men and more about the nightmares she has. Then we could have maybe met Alex with more of a storyline like maybe Alex and Imogene flirt at first without Charles knowing or something… I do not know I just know that there was not enough to this story in any way shape or form which is too bad because the premise was really good.

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Kimberly’s review of Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

 Immortal Rider
AUTHOR: Larissa Ione
PUBLICATION DATE:   12/01/11
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Sexy, powerful, and immortal, Limos is on a crash course with destiny. She’s been marked as Satan’s bride and her jealous fiancé wants her all to himself. The only way this Horseman can keep herself—and everyone else—safe is to keep her distance. But not even Limos can save herself from the secrets she’s kept . . . or resist the seductive allure of one very brave human.

Arik Wagner knows the saying “love hurts” better than most, yet he never thought stealing a kiss from Limos would land him in Hell. Literally. It takes all his military training to survive the demon torture, but once he’s topside, Arik realizes that the agony has just begun. With the Apocalypse looming and Satan demanding his bride, will Arik and Limos surrender to the desire smoldering between them? Or will giving in to their passion unleash hell on earth?

REVIEW:
I honestly have never read a Larissa Ione book that I have not enjoyed and this is no exception. This is the second in the Lords of Deliverance series. Ione is one of the best when it comes to Paranormal Romance.

I would not suggest reading this book without first reading the Eternal Rider (the first in the series) as there is a lot of references to the first book and the background story of Reseph is continued in this book and while you can probably pick up the gist of the story if you did not read the first one I am not sure why you would not want to since Ione is the Queen of this genre.

I was a little taken back at the way Ione had Limos become more reserved then she was in the first book. She was written as a bad-ass in the first book but she falls for Arik and becomes a little bit of a lovesick puppy then the doberman she was in Eternal Rider. That being said she can still kick butt better than most. I enjoyed the fact that the storyline of Lethal Rider (#3/Than’s story) was begun in this book. I can not wait to start the next book.

If you enjoy this genre then you can not miss this series and don’t miss the series that started it all “Demonica”.

4 Hearts
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Kimberly’s review of One Naughty Night by Laurel McKee

One Naughty Night
AUTHOR: Laurel McKee
PUBLICATION DATE:   05/22/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A hundred years has passed since the bitter rivalry between the St. Claires and the Huntingtons began. But in London, the feud goes on…

Under the cover of night, nothing is forbidden.

Lily St. Claire will do anything for the family that saved her from the streets. With their support, the young widow has become the hostess of The Devil’s Fancy, London’s most exclusive gaming den. She’s determined to restore the St. Claire family fortune, lost a century before to the despised Huntington clan. But a ghost from her past may be her ultimate undoing…

Lord Aidan Huntington is handsome and wealthy, with a taste for adventure and a reputation for wickedness. A gambler and a rake, Aidan can’t resist a seductive woman with secrets—but one naughty night with Lily leaves him wanting more. As Lily is drawn into London’s dark underworld by an old enemy, Aidan will risk everything to save the woman who has awakened his deepest desires.

REVIEW:
What an intriguing story. There is so much happening in this book and yet it seemed like I could not get enough of it. I can not wait for the next one to come out!

Aidan and Lily are fascinating characters and written really well. The reader is pulled into their story almost from page one. Lily’s background is so filled with adventure it is hard to believe one person could live that life yet the way it is written you do not feel overwhelmed by it. And Aidan is perfect. He is sexual, powerful and wicked. Yet he has another side that Lily (and the reader) get to see as a man who is protective, loving and talented. They complement each other perfectly and the rest of the characters are wonderful in the background of Lily and Aidan’s story.

This is considered historical romance but could also be listed as erotica. While the scenes are extremely sexual they are not overpowering and do not make you feel like the rest of the book was written around the sex scenes. This is a true romantic suspense in a historical setting.

So much happens in this book that it is hard to discuss without giving something away but I most certainly think anyone would enjoy this read and finish the book waiting breathlessly for the next in the series… I know I am!

4 Hearts