Revenge Wears Rubies

Revenge Wears Rubies by Renee Bernard



Publisher: Berkley Sensation



March 2010



ISBN: 978-0-425-23337-5



Pages: 309







London 1859



Galen Hawke is determined to get revenge for his friend who recently died. He feels that his friend’s fiancée, Haley should be mourning his friend not celebrating her recent engagement to another man. Galen is determined to make her pay for her lack of fidelity. Galen plans to get Haley to fall in love with him so that once she is completely his he can destroy her. Though sometimes the best laid plans don’t work out the way they are supposed to.



Haley Moreland is marrying a man that she has no feelings for but he can save her family from financial ruin. Haley knows she should be grateful for this chance to save her family but all she really feels is dread of the upcoming wedding. Then Haley meets Galen and sees a chance to have more than a loveless marriage. If she can trust him he has the finances and connections that could save her family and also give her a chance to find the love she so desperately wants. Of course if she can’t believe his promises she can at least get a taste of a passion she has never had or will ever have in her arranged marriage.



What starts out as revenge is quickly complicated by Galen getting caught in a trap of his own making. Now Galen is starting to find out things about Haley that is starting to change his mind about her but will he be about to get out of the mess he has created or will everything crash down around him. Only time will tell if he will be able to fix the mess he has made and still be able to get what he is fast discovering is the only thing he truly wants, Haley.





This story is one that once you start you won’t want to stop until the very end. This is a story that will surprise the reader with how it draws the reader into the story and will have the reader cheering for the characters as they both try to get what they want. This story will draw on the emotions of the reader so much so that having a box of Kleenex close at hand will be a must. This is one book that will not disappoint any reader that picks it up to read it.





I give this one 5 red roses

Favourite books 4

Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey



Publisher: Avon



December 1990



ISBN: 978-0-380-75302-4



Pages: 426





1818 London, England & Bridgeport, Connecticut



Georgina “Georgie” Anderson is desperate to leave England far behind and get back home to Connecticut. After the heartbreak she has received she has decided to hate all things English. That would go much better if she doesn’t have to disguise herself and work her way home as a cabin boy to the captain of an English gentleman’s ship. Now having to work for an English captain she is starting to change her views especially as things start to heat up. Now Georgie is going to have to decide just what she really wants. Though she is changing how she feels about all things English, her family will be another matter. She isn’t sure that she can ever get them to give the English a chance or at least one particular English man a chance.



James Malory is an English lord and ex-pirate. Now that he has decided to settle down back in England he has to tie up some loose ends so that he can stay at home. What he never expects is to find his new cabin boy to turn into a beautiful free-spirited woman that is a match for him. James has sworn off marriage but with Georgie he is starting to rethink how he feels about many things in his life.



Now James and Georgie are going to have to overcome some misunderstandings if they want a chance to have a life together and to take care of the obstacles in their path. First Georgie is going to have to find a way for her family and James to meet each other half way if she is to have any chance at the happiness she desperately wants with James. Only time will tell if she will get what she wants, time and knocking together some heads.







This story will have the reader laughing out loud at the antics of the characters. With all the misunderstanding between the characters it will have the reader enjoying the lengths the characters have to go to get over the problems they have managed to create between themselves. Once they clear up one mess they promptly get into another one. This story will have the reader hating to put down the book because they will want to see what happens next. This is a fast paced book that will keep the reader captivated until the very last page.





I give this one 5 red roses

Sweet Persuasion

Sweet Persuasion by Maya Banks



Publisher: Heat



June 2009



ISBN: 978-0-425-22770-1



Pages: 345







Houston, present day





Serena James has owned and run her own business, Fantasy Incorporated for the last five years. She has made sure that her client’s fantasies come true. While she loves to bring happiness to her client’s she knows there is something missing in her life. She has never tried to live out her own fantasies. That is about to change.



Damon Roche has the ability to give Serena what she is searching for. She wants a man that is strong enough to make her do whatever he wants. Once Damon heard what the fantasy was and who it is that wanted the fantasy he decided that he would be the one to grant Serena her wish. Damon is finding out that while Serena is looking for temporary he is starting to think about making their arrangement permanent.



Now Damon is going to have to convince Serena to give them a chance so that they will have a chance at a future together. Serena is realizing that she is feeling a lot more for Damon than she thought or that she thinks is good for her. Serena is already dreading the time when their agreement comes to an end. What she doesn’t know is that Damon wants more than just their agreement first stated. Now they are going to have to figure out if what they feel for each other is real or just a fantasy. The only way they are going to find out for sure is if they give themselves the chance but will they have the courage to grab what they want?







This is another great story in a series. This book is hard to put down once you start reading it. It pulls at your emotions as Damon and Serena try to find the courage to hang on to what they have found together. It also brings back some of the characters that the read met in the first book of the series so you have a chance to see what is happening with them since the last book. The author really brings the character to life with all the imperfections that people have. The author will also have the reader hoping that the characters are able to work through their differences to find their happy ending.







I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

I'll Be Slaying You

I’ll Be Slaying You by Cynthia Eden



Publisher: Brava



July 2010



ISBN: 978-0-7582-3430-8



Pages: 275







Baton Rouge, present day





Sandra “Dee” Daniels works for Night Watch, which is a group of bounty hunters that go after the supernatural beings that need to be brought in but the normal humans are unable to handle. Dee’s specialty is hunting vampires and she has made sure that she is their worst nightmare. She may be small but she has what it takes to bring down the supernaturals that she hunts. Now she is on the biggest hunt of her life, a Born Master is in town and when they are around things go downhill fast. To keep everyone safe she is going to have to bring the Born down but that isn’t going to be as easy as she would like.



Simon Chase has a haunted past that makes him the perfect partner for Dee, in more ways than just hunting vampires. Simon also has some secrets that he is going to have to be very careful with because if Dee finds out he just might lose the best thing that has ever happened to him. He also knows a secret about Dee that will turn Dee’s life upside down, but he has to make sure that Dee stays alive long enough to be able to handle the secret.



With a Born hot on their trail, trying to make sure Simon and Dee are stopped before they can stop the Born things are going to get hot really fast. Only time will tell if they are going to still be standing once the dust settles around them. Will they be able to stand together and stop the Born or will their secrets tear them apart before they have a chance at the promising future that they have had just a glimpse of.





This story has all the action and romance you could wish for. The world building is completely believable even with all the vampires, shifter, witches and demon that abound in this book. It will have the reader rooting for the hero and heroine as they fight the evil in their town so that the evil doesn’t win and that the good guys do. This is another book in a series that will have the reader impatiently awaiting the next book.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Favourite Books 3

Stolen Ecstasy by Hannah Howell



Publisher: Leisure



June 1991



Pages: 427







Colorado 1870



Leanne Summers was kicked out of her house in the middle of the night but a woman she always believed to be her mother only to find out the woman wasn’t. Now trying to get some help from the sheriff has landed her in the middle of more trouble than she might be able to handle. Deciding to try and stop a bank robbery Leanne suddenly finds herself on the run with the bungling bandits and a price on her head. She also finds herself attracted to the leader of the robbers.



Hunter Walsh wasn’t what Leanne thought he was. He is much more than the leader of a band of robbers. Hunter is trying to clear his name for a crime he did not commit. Now he finds everything a lot more complicated when he rescues Leanne from jail so that she doesn’t talk to the wrong people. Now Hunter is trying to keep himself and Leanne alive and that is a lot harder than he would like. Keeping ahead of the law and bounty hunters is not easy but getting caught is not an option.



With her name in shreds after traveling with robbers for weeks Leanne finds the only choice she has is to marry Hunter. Unfortunately that is not as easy as she would like. Hunter’s mother is not inclined to let the marriage happen. When a misunderstanding leads to a life and death race to save Leanne’s life, Hunter finds that he will do anything to keep Leanne at his side no matter what. First Hunter is going to have make it to Leanne to keep her alive and then convince her that what she thought was the truth was nothing more than his mother’s lies. Only time will tell if he will make it to Leanne in time to save her.







This story has a lot of humor and action that keeps the plot moving at a swift pace. This is a hard book to put down once the read starts reading it. This author has delivered her usual spunky heroine with great sarcastic wit. This is another great book by this author.







I give this one 5 red roses

Masked By Moonlight

Masked by Moonlight by Nancy Gideon



Publisher: Pocket Books



June 2010



ISBN: 978-1-4391-4963-8



Pages: 375







Charlotte Caissie is a homicide detective with the New Orleans Police Department. She has been trying to bring down the biggest crime boss in New Orleans, Jimmy Legere, for a very long time. She knows Jimmy was behind the murder of her father. What she never counted on was how she is coming to feel for Max.



Max Savoie is the right hand man of Jimmy. Max is completely loyal to Jimmy since Jimmy rescued him from the swamps as a child. Max has also always been unemotional and completely focused on whatever he does. When Max first sets eyes on Charlotte his loyalties are tested. She has awakened his emotions and things are going be getting very complicated very quickly.



Now with their attraction to each other testing their loyalties Max and Charlotte are going to have to find a way to work through everything or else it just might mean a death sentence for them both. They are going to have to tread carefully if they are going to survive what is coming their way and if they are going to have a chance at what they both want. Both their worlds are about to be turned upside down and only time will tell if they will make it through all that is headed their way.







This is a story that will keep you enthralled in the storyline until the very end. It is also the first book in a continuing trilogy involving the main characters in all three books. So the reader will have to keep in mind that some of the story lines will not be completely finished in the first book. This is one book that will have the reader eagerly awaiting the next book in the trilogy. The characters are well developed and complicated and very believable. It is interesting to see how they overcome the obstacles in their paths to get to what they truly want in their lives. The secondary characters also help move the story line along quickly and make the story much more engrossing.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Favourite Books 2

Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward



Publisher: Signet Eclipse



March 2006



ISBN: 0-451-21804-3



Pages: 441







Caldwell, NY



Rhage is the strongest fighter and the most voracious lover of the whole Brotherhood. He also has to deal with a curse placed on him by the Scribe Virgin on a daily basis, which isn’t easy. Rhage lives in fear of hurting those around him and is constantly trying to control his inner dragon. As part of the Brotherhood he is an asset in the fight against the lessers. Now Rhage has found something that he never thought he would have a chance to be able to have. Finding Mary has changed his life completely but the only way they will have a chance is only if he can keep her safe from their enemies and from himself.



Mary Luce has had many hardships in her life and has managed to survive them all. Mary has managed to get herself thrown into the vampire world by accident. Now she has to depend on Rhage to keep her safe in this new world that she never dreamed was real. Mary knows all about curses having to deal a life threatening one of her own. With all the hardships she has endured, Mary has lost her faith in miracles a long time ago.



Mary was never looking for love. She is not sure how to handle her intense attraction to Rhage especially when it turns emotional. Now it is looking like Rhage shares her feelings but life around them is turning dangerous when their enemies start getting a little too close for comfort. Rhage is determined to make Mary his alone and Mary is discovering a will to fight for a life with Rhage. Only time will tell if they are going to get what they both want more than anything in life.





This story continues in the story line set in the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This series continues to get better and better. As this book unfolds you get a better understanding of the world of the Brotherhood. This is one vampire series not to be missed. You get a better view of the whole world of the Brotherhood and you learn more about the brothers in the Brotherhood.







I give this one 5 red roses

The Curse of Beauty

The Curse of Beauty by Anne Ireland



Publisher: Amira Press



ISBN:



Date:



Pages 29









Angelina has just become a widow, since she had been married to a man that she didn’t truly love or want to marry this is somewhat of a relief or it would be if she would have had a better settlement. Now her father has found yet another husband for her. It might not be so bad if it wasn’t for what she has come to see as her dream lover. Now she wonders if she will ever have a chance at happiness.



Raphael has been searching for Angelina for a very long time. She is the answer to a curse that he has been placed under. Now he just has to convince her that there is only one way to free him from this curse. Only time will tell if they will be able to remove the curse at all.



Traveling to Northern England to meet and marry her second husband Angelina has to wonder about the path her life has taken. Angelina is starting to think that she just might be able to find the happiness she has been searching for. Raphael and Angelina just might be able to get what they have both been searching for if they work together.





This story is a great take on vampires and has a great twist to the myth of them. This is a quick story to read and makes for a great mini-escape while taking you back in history. This is one you don’t want to put down until the very end. This is definitely worth reading.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Favourite Books

Now and then we shall feature a book from earlier years that we love. this is the first of our featured books.


Dark Lover by J.R. Ward



Publisher: Signet Eclipse



September 2005



ISBN: 0-451-21695-4



Pages: 393







Caldwell, NY





Wrath is the last of the purebred Vampires around. He is also the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. One of his best fighters, a warrior that was killed by a slayer which gives Wrath another reason to go after them with a vengeance since they also killed his parents centuries ago. Now that Beth has been orphaned, by the death of the warrior, Wrath is going to have to teach her what she is going to have to know to be able to go through the changes she is about to go through. Never having liked humans this is not going to be easy for either one of them.



Beth Randall doesn’t know the full truth about who and what she is. She is about to get a crash course on what her life is going to be like from now on. Now if Beth could just get past the stories Wrath is telling her about the brotherhood and about her need for blood things would probably get easier. At least a lot less frightening.



Wrath is discovering an attraction that he never thought would be possible, especially for a half-breed. Beth is changing his outlook on a great many things. Wrath is going to have to decide if his dislike of humans is going to stand in his way of getting the one thing he has ever truly wanted in his life. Beth is not sure exactly what is going on but one thing she is fast discovering is that her attraction to Wrath is proving to more powerful than her skepticism of all that he is telling her about a world she never knew existed. She just might have to take a leap of faith to get what she is finding that she really wants.





This story takes the world of vampires and really shakes things up. This one also takes all the stereo typically views and throws them out the window to build a completely different world that breathes new life into a storyline that has been done before. This is one that is very hard to put down. It takes you into the world of vampire and their fight for survival and has you hoping that the vampires will be able to take care of the enemies, the lessers. This is a great beginning to a fantastic series.







I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Blown Away

Blown Away by Sharon Sala



Publisher: Mira



June 2010



ISBN: 978-0-7783-2785-1



Pages: 361







Cari North is a mystery writer that never expected her life to turn into one. Taking a walk one day turns her life into a nightmare when she stubbles upon her ex-fiancée digging a grave in the woods. Trying to get to safety and just when she thinks she has, Cari’s life takes an even worse turn when a tornado tears into her family home and kills her whole family and almost kills her. Now trying to get away from her ex she takes on the identity of her cousin who was killed in the tornado. Now all she has to do is find some place she will be safe so that she can figure out what to do.



Mike Boudreaux is told his assistant is in the hospital but when he gets there he finds a woman that looks almost identical but he knows is not his assistant. Now he has to figure out who she is and what she is up too. When Mike hears Cari’s story he decides to help her but what starts out as helping the relative of his best friend and assistant quickly turns into something much more.



Mike will do anything for the woman he is quickly falling for so that she doesn’t end up in the hands of a murderer. Mike and Cari are racing against time to find what they need to prove what Cari saw and also keep her alive long enough to get the information to the correct authorities. Only time will tell if they are going to be successful or if the murderer is going to win this game of cat and mouse.





This is a story that has some really great twists in the plot line. The story is very believable and rich in detail. This is also the first book in a trilogy that has you wondering what will happen in the next book and eagerly looking forward to reading that one also. This is a suspense story that will pull you in until the very end.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Relentless

Relentless By Lauren Dane



Publisher: Heat



May 2009



ISBN: 978-0-4725-22760-2



Pages: 339







Futuristic, Federation Universes





Abbie Haws is trying to give the unranked citizens a voice. She is fighting to change things from what they have been for millennia and that is never easy. Abbie has been fighting all her life and very driven to succeed in whatever she does. Being that driven hasn’t made room in her life for love. That is about to change and in a way that catches her completely by surprise.



Roman Lyons is head of House Lyons the most powerful house of the ranked people. His family is also one of the fifteen Families that have held the rule of the Federation Universes since the first settlers came through the portal from Earth. Trying to keep things running smoothly he agrees to speak with Abbie Haws to see what she is after and see how he can take care of the problem. What he doesn’t expect is his overwhelming attraction to Abbie. Now a complicated situation just got a lot more complicated.



Now while they try to help the people of their world they are trying to handle a tryst that neither one saw coming. As they work together in the conference room and get to know each other in the bedroom they both show the different sides of their lives and world so that each has a new perspective on the difference of the Ranked and Unranked. Now Roman and Abbie’s lives are even more complicated and neither one is sure where this is headed or if it is going to have a happy ending. Only time is going to be able to tell them if they are going to find the happiness they both want or if this is going to be ending badly.





This story is very good and the future world building is very believable. The author has brought her world alive for the reader and she keeps the story realistic. This is turning into a great series and will have the reader eagerly looking forward to the next book in this series. This story really wrenches the readers’ emotions as the reader is hoping for things to work out for the main characters. The secondary characters are also well developed and add a great deal to the story. This one is you won’t want to miss.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

One Dance With A Duke

One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare



Publisher: Ballantine Books



May 2010



ISBN: 978-0-345-51885-9



Pages: 384







London, June 1817



Spencer Dumarque, Duke of Morland is a member of an exclusive club by the name of the Stud Club. The only way to get into the club is to be very lucky. Spencer is also known as the Duke of Midnight because at every gala he attends he claims a waltz with one lady and only one lady. So far no one has managed to claim more than one dance with him and no one has caught his attention. That is about to change.



Lady Amelia d’Orsay is desperate to save her brother from his latest folly. Out of that desperation she steals a dance with Spencer and manages to get much more from him than she was planning. Amelia has managed to do what none of the other ladies have managed and that is to catch Spencer’s attention and his heart. Amelia is only trying to get Spencer to forgive her reckless brother’s debt to Spencer. What starts out as a simple request ends up having far reaching consequences.



What started out as an act of desperation just might end up being a love that will last a life time. Only time will tell if Spencer and Amelia will be able to turn the passion they find in each other into the love they have both been searching for. They are going to have to get past many misunderstanding to get where they want to be and only if they learn to trust and talk together will they be able to do that.







This is a wonderful story that is full of emotion. This one will pull you in and get you rooting for both the hero and heroine hoping that they can get past their misunderstandings and turn what they have into something worth fighting for. This also has some twists that keep the story line moving along briskly so that you hate to put done the book until the very end. The secondary characters really help make the story a much more rounded story that will have you wanting to read the next book in this trilogy. This story shows a lot of promise for the trilogy.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses.