Book Reviews by duelalias

This is amusing, romantic and sweet. Charles is a bold, charming and impulsive rake. Abigail is a determined and sassy woman who doesn't really like people. It is because she doesn't like people that she first runs into Charles. While at a ball, she decides to sneak off to the library, he assumes that she meeting the man he wants to talk to so he follows her. The other man is not there, so Charles talks to Abigail, and becomes fascinated by her. He fascinates her as well, but she's not interested in having anything to do with any man for any reason. Unfortunately for her, Charles is determined to get to know her better, especially if he can do it when she sneaks away from whatever amusement they're at. It's short sweet and entertaining. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booksprout. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

This is creepy, suspenseful, fascinating and entertaining. It's a cross between a romance novel and a Stephen King book. It would make an interesting movie. Cam is fierce, brave, protective and not easily shocked. Rachel is a vulnerable, naive, caring and sweet woman who has been mentally and physically abused her whole life. Her brother is an unfeeling jerk who likes to mess with her. He calls to remind her about their adoptive mother's funeral two hours before the funeral, claiming that he sent an email, then accused her of trying to steal his inheritance when she went. Right before he called she received a package, a locked box with no key. She happens to find a key in her room at her mother's house when she's there after the funeral. When she gets back home she uses the key to unlock the box, inside is a necklace. When she puts it on and closes her hand around the pendant, she finds herself in the past in Cam's bedroom. When Cam wakes up and finds her there, he ...

This is intense, heartbreaking, suspenseful, disturbing and graphic. Grace doesn't know why she needs the degradation she craves, she just does. She has been dealing with wanting to hurt herself and having nightmares she can't remember anything about since she was a teenager. She has been seeing the same therapist since she was 14, and just recently has been having flashbacks about being controlled. When she disappears after one of her episodes her sister hires a P.I. to find her. The P.I. gives the case to another P.I., Saint, who specializes in catching cheating wives by taking pictures of them while they are with him. His wife cheated on him so he decided that 1) he wasn't ever going to trust another female so 2) he only did one night stands and 3) he was starting his own business that would help men catch their wives cheating. When he found out about Grace's behavior he thought that he had found a soulmate, another person who used sex to satisfy a different need. Af...

This is dramatic, heartbreaking, romantic and gripping. Julian is an honorable, stubborn and oblivious man. Blaire is a determined, caring, brave and generous woman. When Blaire arrives back in London after going finishing school she's shocked and heartbroken to find Julian, the man she loves, is engaged to his deceased brother's intended. Julian has a good reason for considering marrying Daphne, he just can't tell anyone. After talking to Julian Blaire decides to leave London and go home. On her way she discovers Julian, Daphne and Daphne's mother have had a carriage accident, and Julian doesn't remember who he is. It becomes Blaire’s responsibility to care for Julian, much to the consternation of Daphne and her mother. And so begins the journey of she says, she knows. Poor Julian just gets more confused. A shocking revelation at the end of the book is both unexpected and sad. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This is my honest and volu...

This is romantic, amusing, sweet and entertaining. Theo is normally responsible, dependable and caring, but he has been neglecting his biggest responsibility, a ward he hasn't seen in 5 years. Lucy is strong, determined, outgoing and sweet. Left to her own devices she has slowly taken on the responsibility of running the manor, and she's not interested in ever leaving. As a child she'd had a crush on Theo, that changed when he came back. First she decided that he wasn't the man she remembered, then she fell in love. When Theo went back to the family seat, a place he hadn't been to since his wife died, the first thing he sees is an almost naked woman swimming in the pond. She gets out and he can't help looking at her, then he realizes who she is, and spends the next several weeks fighting the attraction. This book, as the others in the series, can be read alone, but is better when all are read in order because it builds up the suspense. I received a complimentar...

This is intense, tragic, suspenseful and heartwarming. Prudence thought that she was escaping from hell when, after she was caught kissing an Earl, they were forced to wed. But it turned out tat her father was not the only monster in the world, or the worst. She manages to get away one day and runs to an abbey. She planned to stay there, but the Reverend Mother sent her to her nephew until she found someplace more permanent. George had been helping his aunt for years, hiding women for a variety of reasons. The longer she stayed, the happier and freer she felt. George was kind, caring, gentle and protective, towards her and his ward. Unfortunately things don't go as planned. There are triggers for some, physical abuse is talked about and incest is hinted at but never outright stated. The storyline, other than those two factors, was intriguing and sweet. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Candid Book Reviews. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

This is amusing, unpredictable and sweet. James is a cheeky wise-ass, who acts out towards Kat because he likes her but doesn't want to. He's a fierce protector and likable character. Kat is feisty, explosive, confused and caring. Matt is a grade A jerk who strung Kat along until he could run away. When Matt comes back to the team he acts like he can tell Kat how to act and who she could date. That doesn't sit well with her or with James, so James increases his attention to Kat because he wants her to concentrate on him, not Matt. There's lots of drama and fireworks between the three of them, but in the end love prevails. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booksprout. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

This is a romantic, dramatic, heartbreaking and suspenseful story. Nate is kind, charming, chivalrous and protective. Eliza is vulnerable, strong, determined and brave. When Eliza's father demands that she marry his business partner, or he's going to beat her mother, she asks her in-laws to raise her daughter because she doesn't want to subject her to any abuse. They say no and spirit her away instead of giving in. Nate rescues her from a footpad by his home, even though it was the footpad who needed saving by the time he got there, and brings her there instead of letting them continue. A change of plan, a precocious child and new feelings for both Nate and Eliza complicates the issue, and a few twists force them to face the future. It's maddening reading about what Eliza's father does to her mother, but it's made such an impact on her life that it can't be glossed over. It's very interesting and suspenseful. I received a complimentary copy of this book...

This is amusing, sweet and romantic. Farrell is a quiet, shy guy who's mother is constantly trying to set him up with guys that she knows from her social circle, but Farrell finds them all boring. This time he tells her he's seeing someone, his name is Scott. Scott is the hot neighbor who just happens to be walking by the window when Farrell needs a name. So Farrell bucks up and asks Scott to be his pretend bf for the weekend, and offers him $10,000 to do it. Scott accepts, even though he's not gay, and he's married. Because his wife throws him out so he has no home, no job and no money. They go for the weekend and Scott gets more and more into it because Farrell's mother keeps throwing guys at him. I could not put this down, it was so good and so funny. The only disappointment was that we never find out why Scott got thrown out. This needs to be added to your TBR list. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booksprout. This is my honest and voluntary op...

This is a brilliant, heartwarming, intriguing, romantic and amusing. Callum is a determined, protective, caring, charming and strong family oriented man who has been responsible for his younger brothers since he was 18. Mathilda is a lot like Callum, with the exception of actually having her sister, something she has been trying to change. When they meet, Mathilda had just been proposed to by one of her father's partners, Dominic, a proposal designed to clean up his name and give her a home where her father might let her sister live. But there's an instant and intense attraction between them, so intense that Callum decides then and there that she's The One and tries to get her to at least meet with him before he leaves the country. Mathilda is confused by her feelings, thinking that she needs to marry Dominic, but being drawn to Callum. His pursuit is complicated by the fact that Callum had a lucrative contract with her father that Dominic ruined. Their story is sweet and r...

This is a captivating, romantic and interesting story. Garnet is charming, fierce, sweet, caring and protective. Jewel is determined, strong, brave, excitable and cheeky. Jewel and her brother Gray go on a trip to the highlands to explore the places that are important to their parents. On the way they stop at a cousin's house where they meet Garnet. Both Garnet and Jewel are fascinated by each other's names, and think it might be fate that they meet. When Jewel and Gray continue on the journey, Garnet joins them. Garnet and Jewel fall in love along the way, even with one thing after another threatening their future. This has such a great storyline and wonderful characters that I could not put it down. I received a copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily reviewing it.

The resort is finally finished and ready to open. Braden hires Jessica and Wyatt to plan the opening gala for Blue Star hoping they can work together to blend her upscale ideas with his small-town feeling. Blue Star's CEO, Dean, comes to town to oversee the final details, and his first night in town he gets picked up by a local, who turns out to be Wyatt. There is drama upon drama for them with a nasty rumor about how Wyatt got the job, Dean's grandmother close to death and Dean's job on the line. These guys are sweet and vulnerable and caring, and the storyline is intense. I received a copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily and honestly reviewing it.

This is sweet, romantic, suspenseful and thrilling. Audrina's grandfather filled her head and heart with stories of Scotland and told her to go to Skye someday. She kept putting it off because she worked too much, but planned to go. Colin had been in love with Maeve from the minute they met as children and planned to marry as soon as they could, but Maeve kept putting him off. She didn't want to have to submit to the English pig of an overlord on her wedding night. Colin finally convinced her to marry in secret, but they were found out and Audrina was taken by Cotswold for his claim to their wedding night. And she never seen again. Audrina went to a museum to see the Scottish treasures being shown and when a thief tried to take a kilt pin she chased him down and recovered it. All of a sudden she found herself in the past as Mauve. She and Colin didn't believe in the same version of her truth, but worked together get "their" past worked out. It's an intriguing ...

This is sweet, romantic and entertaining. Flynn is interesting, considerate and cheeky. Wes is sweet, caring and charming. When Wes has finally had enough of constantly being hit on by the boss's son he tells him that he has a boyfriend, a guy named Flynn. Flynn just happens to be the name of Wes's hot neighbor. Wes's cousin then jumps into to the conversation and tells Wes that he needs to bring Flynn to the family reunion. So Wes sucks it up and asks the neighbor to pretend that they're dating, Flynn says yes. Over the course of the weekend the two get close and get to know one another, and start to fall for each other. It's a funny, romantic and sweet weekend. I received a copy of this book from the author and am honestly and voluntarily reviewing it.

This is dramatic, romantic and suspenseful. Winterly is charming, chivalrous and sweet. Rosamonde is dutiful, stubborn and brave. When Richard arrives at his best friend Avery's home to find that Avery's sister is betrothed to a monster, he suddenly funds himself feeling protective and possessive of her. Both Avery and Winterly know that there was no way Rosamonde would willingly agree to marry Roth, and it takes Winterly and Avery insisting that Winterly would just kidnap her and bring her to Gretna Green to tell all. Then it's a battle of wills between Winterly and Roth. A surprise twist and shocking ending tie things up very neatly. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

This is heartwarming, sweet and interesting. Kade is responsible, chivalrous and caring. Flora is stubborn, impulsive, reckless and caring. Kade and Flora end up being snowed in together in his house after she shows up during storm needing shelter. They didn't like each other, but both knew it was necessary, realizing that they could end up being forced to marry, especially considering that Flora's father is the preacher. They get to know each other, and learn that their opinions of the other are far from who they actually are. When Kade begins to think that it wouldn't be terrible to be married to Flora, Flora is not interested at all. They end up having a romantic and sweet relationship. I received a copy of this book from Hidden Gems. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

This is steamy, dramatic and entertaining. Finn is vulnerable, determined, bold and stubborn. Houston is cocky, cheeky, a little sleazy and desperate. They had a brief relationship 3 years ago that ended when Houston left without a word to Finn. Now Finn finds that he's bought his childhood home to flip, a place that Finn's put his heart and soul into trying to buy back. So Finn decides that he's going to do whatever he can to interfere with and stall Houston and the investor from renovating and damaging the house. Finn also decides to give he and Houston another chance, or at least pretend to. Things go from bad to worse to intriguing, with the house, and with the relationship. I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.

OMG this is driving me crazy. Neither Cord nor  Morgan are very smart considering they are very bright people. Victor is still getting his way, Trevor is trying to open Morgan's eyes about him and Cord is back. Cord had himself a grand adventure while he was missing, and he came back ready to fight back and excited to see his wife, who is engaged to the enemy. I'm very curious as to why Morgan is controlled by the drug, yet it doesn't work the way it's supposed to. I just really want to see Victor and Juan go down, and Morgan and Cord get back together. I received a copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily and honestly reviewing it.

Wow, this was so good. It's romantic, steamy, entertaining and dramatic. The story pulls you in gradually, it gets more interesting as it goes and it gets more intense and intriguing. King is hard working, passionate and insecure. Bellarose is feisty, determined and unpretentious. King is hired to teach Bellarose how to be a rancher's wife for her tv show. There's a spark of interest between them that neither plans on exploring, but draws them together anyway. They end up in a steamy and romantic relationship, while each overcomes their insecurities and differences. This story is so good, and the characters are so personable, that I could have kept reading about them for another 100 pages. This is an author I love, but she has outdone herself with this, and everyone should add this to the top of their TBR list. I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This is romantic, intense, heartbreaking and sweet. Dante is the man his father made, a troublemaker, drag addict and straight. But he's not really any of those things. He's a bi-sexual, vulnerable and unhappy man who fell for a boy he met when he was 17. Sean is a broken hearted gay man who fell for the boy who gave him his first kiss. Lied to, manipulated and controlled, Dante tries to reach out to the boy with the grey eyes, but his father prevents it. 8 years go by and Dante finds himself burned out and needing some peace, so he goes to a very private retreat for musicians. Which happens to be owned by Sean's father, and run by Sean. It's not exactly a happy reunion, but eventually they get their past straightened out and have a happily ever after relationship. I received a copy of this book from Candid Book Reviews and am voluntarily and honestly reviewing it.

This is romantic, amusing and interesting. The storyline is great. Lark's favorite book series is about a highlander and his lady, she's been waiting for the fourth and last book. Dag is the author of those books, but the public doesn't know that because he writes under a woman's name. Lark has sworn off men and she's not giving in, even to a man determined to get a date. But she does give in, and they are hot and intense together, until he is devastated by a family member. Dag is a nice guy, he's generous and caring, but he hides everything about himself, that makes him a liar. Lark has a hard enough life without having to deal with liars. I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.

These are wonderful, sweet and romantic stories. The heroes are all charming, likable and sweet. The heroines are all strong, independent and caring. Ambrose and Laurence are my favorite heroes and Amelia is my favorite heroine. The storylines are interesting, romantic and heartwarming. This is a must read to add to your TBR list. I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This is a heartwarming, romantic and sweet. Banks is a man who is dedicated to his town, his family and his ranch, so much so that he doesn't have time in his life for anything or anyone else. Until Norah shows up in town, and he can't resist the pull of attraction. Norah is tough and resilient, especially after her boyfriend abandons her when he finds out that she's pregnant. Norah is welcomed to town by Banks and his entire family, and slowly falls in love with everything about Banks and the town. It's not all smooth sailing, Banks can be his own worst enemy, and there's the baby's father to deal with. This is the first of the series that I have read and I can't wait to read the rest. I received a copy of this book from Booksprouts and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This is suspenseful, disturbing and sad. Cord sets out to find out once and for all if Juan is responsible for her taking the missing nuclear waste. Unfortunately that leaves Morgan at home alone and vulnerable. Cassie goes after Cord, Victor goes after Morgan and Mark starts to fall for Morgan. There are so many lies told and so much betrayal, poor Morgan gets bombarded from all sides and unfortunately is dumb enough to believe the lies so easily. Cord tries to play hero, but it tragically backfires on him. Cassie gets ticked off when she realizes that she can't get Cord and goes a litte crazy. Things get so confused and out of hand that you can't tell who is a good guy, and who isn't. I'm still not thrilled about being left hanging, but it does makes​ sense at the end. I can't wait to read the next book. I received a copy of this from Booksprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This is a fast paced, interesting and dramatic story. Rolf is the last chance that Merlin has, he must win the heart of his true love to save Merlin. The problem for Rolf is that his true love is betrothed to someone else. Rolf must fight the Duke of Sutherland in order for his love, Melissa, to be free and end the curse. The storyline is intense, suspenseful and intriguing. I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This is romantic, heartwarming and sweet. Lance is in town to present his ideas for decorating the resort. He's engaging, likable, sympathetic and caring. Quinn is a single father who has lived almost his entire life on the island, and has been solely focused on raising his son for the last 6 years. He's frazzled, stubborn and vulnerable. They meet when Quinn rolls through a stop sign and his Lance's car. Then gets out and yells at Lance for not stopping when he saw him. There's an instant attraction between them, but Lance isn't looking to start something when he won't be in town long, and Quinn isn't looking for anything because he's too busy. But they end up trying to have at least a fling, and fall in love, and Lance also falls for Quinn's son. It's a beautiful story of love, trust and healing. I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This is romantic, amusing, unpredictable and thrilling. Sidney decides that she will conduct an experiment aimed at exposing just how far gentlemen will go, no matter their rank, to ruin a lady for sport. Sophia, her best friend, offers to help Sidney with her research. The first of the 3 men is Lord Sheffield, a duke. Sheffield is a pompous, smug, determined and unscrupulous a** who is only in the game to compete with his friend. The second man is Lord Wildeburg, is the Marquess, and the friend Sheffield is competing against. Wilde is a rake of the worst sort, he uses his charm and good looks to seduce whoever he wants, with no remorse. The third man is Lord Beckwith, an Earl and a friend. Things won't be as easy as Sidney thinks they will be, because the men all react off of each other and each becomes determined to win her, when only one actually wants to marry her. There are games played, reputations disparaged and lies told. The courtships range from sweet to overbearing, and ...