Day: January 8, 2015

Guest Review: The Accidental Abduction by Darcie Wilde

Posted January 8, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: The Accidental Abduction by Darcie WildeReviewer: Tracy
The Accidental Abduction by Darcie Wilde
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014
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three-half-stars

Harold Rayburn is about to be taken for the ride of his life…

After having his proposal rejected by a beautiful but flighty woman, Harry vows he is done with unpredictable and impetuous women for good. Until beautiful and fierce Leannah Wakefield barrels into his life, inadvertently kidnapping him while on a wild carriage ride and leaving him all too eager to get back in the saddle…

Leannah would sacrifice everything to protect her family. So upon hearing of her sister’s intended elopement, she races across London to stop the ill-advised ceremony before it can happen. However, when her mad journey picks her up an unlikely stowaway, one who ignites her desire beyond all reason, she’s the one who ends up hastily wedding a handsome and secretive stranger.But as Leannah and Harry immediately encounter opposition, jealousy, and suspicion of their hurried nuptials, they begin to doubt that their unquenchable passion can truly lead to a happy marriage—especially when both the bride and groom have devastating secrets to hide…

Tracy’s review of The Accidental Abduction by Darcie Wilde

Harry is devastated when he asks the woman he thinks he’s in love with to marry him – and she laughs in his face. He just wants to be alone and after a talk with his sister he heads to his club. He gets his drink on in a big way and when he leaves the club he’s not really firing on all cylinders. When he sees a carriage flying down the street and realizes a woman’s driving he believes she’s lost control. Despite his drunkenness he manages to clamor onto the carriage and attempts to save the woman. He soon realizes that she’s not lost control but is very much in control of her team. Eventually, however, one of the horses throws a shoe and the mad dash comes to an end. This is when Harry gets to see his “captor” for the first time and he’s entranced. He soon finds out that the woman is trying to go after her younger sister who she believes has headed off to Gretna Green with the wrong man and she intended to stop them. Harry feels horrible about her predicament and he can’t exactly leave her in the middle of the night on a dark road so he ends up walking to team to The Three Swans – an inn right by the London gates.

When they arrive they find that they were expected – only it wasn’t really them, it was Leannah’s sister, Genevieve, who is expected. Despite their traumatic beginning Harry and Leannah start talking and realize that there’s an incredible attraction between them. Neither want to give it up so after lots of events that happen at The Three Swans the end up getting married!

Their both thrilled but Harry’s parents definitely aren’t and think he’s a dupe. Leannah finds herself falling for Harry but she realizes that once he hears about all of her family and their background that things will end. She just wanted something of her own to love and Harry seems to be it.

I’ve got to hand it to Ms. Wilde – this is certainly not your average way to fall into a hasty marriage. I really appreciated her imagination with the whole beginning and how Leannah and Harry meet. I can’t say I blame Harry’s parents for having some misgivings but I do believe they were a bit too harsh without having all of the facts. Harry believed in Leannah and their relationship until almost everyone he knew started bad-mouthing her. Then he couldn’t help but start to doubt his own decision making. I got that but I just wanted him to actually talk to her and ask her rather than keep it all inside. Typical man. lol

Leannah was so used to taking care of everyone in her family that she’d never really taken anything for herself. When she meets Harry it’s a whirlwind start to their relationship but one she covets. Despite that she knows that all good things must come to an end. That’s how she’s lived her life and she expects nothing more than for it all to fail which ends up being a self fulfilling prophecy.

I did wonder why Leannah never was bothered by the fact that Harry was so soon off a marriage proposal. Did you never think she was “rebound woman?” I would have thought that that would be an issue but it was only an issue with her family, in the end.

I very much liked the writing in the book but I can’t say that I always liked the story itself. It’s filled with secrets and whispers and evasions that did annoy me at times, I must admit. I just wanted everyone to be truthful! There were also two villains involved in the book but they played a minor role in the book. I think it was meant to have more of an impact but for me it really didn’t.

Overall a good read but definitely a different type of romance, imho.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This title is available from Berkley Sensation. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

three-half-stars

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Best of 2014: The Authors

Posted January 8, 2015 by Rowena in Features | 5 Comments

best of 2014_authors

Rowena: I realized that while I was picking my favorite authors of the year that I read a LOT of contemporary books. Contemporary romance, YA, NA – I read a whole lot of all of that. So one of my goals in the new year is to read more genres outside of my comfort zone. I’m pretty sure that I’m missing out on a whole lot of goodies.

  1. Mhairi McFarlane. I read three books by McFarlane this year and I’m really impressed. I really enjoyed all of her books and am looking forward to reading more from her in the new year.

  2. Kristen Callihan. I’ve only read one book by this author but it was so damn good that I’m anxious for more. I feel like singing So Anxious by Genuwine to all of her books.

  3. Sarina Bowen. I went through every single book in The Ivy Years series just a couple of weeks ago and I’m still not over them. I loved that series and in turn, came to really love the author. I can’t wait for more from this series and from this author.

  4. Jill Shalvis. Jill Shalvis is like a staple on my favorite authors. She writes like crazy and entertains me with every single book. I adore her books and I was so sad to say goodbye to the Lucky Harbor series. I’m looking forward to what’s next though.

  5. Christina Lee. Christina Lee is one of the newer to me authors that I came to love in 2014. She continually impresses me with each of her books and I’m still sighing all over the damn place at Nate and Jessie’s first love scene in Promise Me This. Dammmmnnnn Nate. I can’t wait to see what she brings in 2015.

Honorable Mentions: Julie James, Stephanie Perkins, Jen Frederick. I have read and loved books by each of these authors this year and I’m pretty stoked to read more from them in the new year. I couldn’t find a picture of Jen Frederick online but it’s all good…she gave us Bo Randolph. swoon

Holly: Like Rowena, I also read a lot of contemporary romance. I finally started to burn out on them toward the end of the year, so I’ll be focusing more on PNR in early 2015.

  1. Kristen Ashley. I don’t love every single book I read by Ashley, but I get sucked into them regardless. She was the author I re-read the most in 2014.

  2. Lauren Dane. She’s one of the few authors I pick up knowing I’ll love her book no matter what. Some I love more than others, but I can’t think of a Dane novel I haven’t liked.

  3. Patricia Briggs. I came late to Briggs’ novels, but I adore her Alpha and Omega and Mercy Thompson books.

  4. Nalini Singh. I was already a huge fan of Singh’s paranormals, but her switch back to contemporary romance reminded me what a well-rounded author she is.

5. Christina Lee. Lee was a new find for me in 2013 and she’s consistently put out fabulous, emotionally engaging reads.

Honorable mentions go to: Jill Shalvis , Meljean Brook and Thea Harrison. All three are auto-buy authors for me who never fail to deliver.

Authors I’m going to be keeping an eye on in 2015 include: Sarina Bowen, Colleen Hoover, Kat Latham and Jen Frederick. I read books I enjoyed by all three authors (Bowen even made it into my top books of 2014).

Who were your favorite authors of 2014? Did you find any new authors to love?

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Review: The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn

Posted January 8, 2015 by Rowena in Reviews | 5 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy
Rowena’s review of The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (Smythe-Smith Quartet #4) by Julia Quinn.

Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride. He knows he can’t be too picky, but when he sees Iris Smythe-Smith hiding behind her cello at her family’s infamous musicale, he thinks he might have struck gold. She’s the type of girl you don’t notice until the second—or third—look, but there’s something about her, something simmering under the surface, and he knows she’s the one.

Iris Smythe–Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she can’t quite believe it’s all true. When his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she can’t help thinking that he’s hiding something . . . even as her heart tells her to say yes.

I was so happy to find out that this was Iris’ book. From the very beginning, she was my favorite Smythe-Smith cousin. In each and every single book before this one, she cracked me up. I knew that Julia Quinn would deliver another fabulous historical romance with this one and I’m happy to say that I was right.

Iris Smythe-Smith has a duty to her family to play her cello in the annual Smythe-Smith musicale each season because she is unwed and she plays each and every season even though she hates it. She hates it because unlike a lot of people in her family, she knows that the musicale every season is terrible. Anyone with working ears can tell you just how terrible they are. But this season is different. It’s different because this season, Sir Richard Kenworthy attends the musicale and notices her.

He pursues her. And after a whirlwind romance, he proposes marriage and Iris is blown away.

She’s not the kind of lady who inspires whirlwind romances but she can’t deny that Sir Richard intrigues her. She also can’t deny that given a little more time, she would have said yes to his marriage proposal. But Sir Richard is in a hurry to get married and we spend a huge chunk of the beginning of the book, wondering why he’s in such a rush to find a bride.

Well, Iris finds out why he needed to get married as quickly as possible and I had an inkling right before it was revealed, what his reasons were and that wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was his plan. His plan for Iris. I was kind of blown away by that. My heart broke for Iris and even though I knew that Richard had fallen in love with Iris over the course of their courtship and marriage, his plan really tripped me up.

I felt Iris’ pain throughout this story and my heart went out to her. I thought Quinn did a great job of telling this story and bringing feelings out of the reader that they weren’t quite expecting. Richard had a lot of making up to Iris to do and by the end of the book, like Iris, I had forgiven him. It helped that I knew just how deep his feelings for Iris were. I enjoyed seeing the two of them fall in love with each other. Even though things happened quickly, the romance between Richard and Iris felt real, and true.

Richard’s sister, the older one is the one that got on my hot damn nerves. I got that she was going through some pretty heavy things but the way that she treated those that loved her and wanted to help her made me want to punch her in the throat. The younger sister came off as a brat at first but I ended up really liking her.

It was a treat to see Iris’ cousin’s and the play had me cracking up as only the Smythe-Smith family could make me. It wasn’t an easy story to get through at some parts but I still really enjoyed the book as a whole and thought that it was a great ending to a fabulous series. I definitely recommend.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Reading Order:

This book is available from Avon. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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