Tag: Pocket Books Romance

Review: When the Rogue Returns by Sabrina Jeffries

Posted January 17, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 4 Comments

It had been a decade since Victor Cale, first cousin to the Duke of Lyons, had seen his wife. After some royal jewelry went missing from the jeweler’s shop where they worked, Isabel Mertens disappeared. When Victor gets word of a woman who fits his wife’s description, he sets out to confront her. But he discovers that nothing is as it seems—and revenge is never as sweet as true love.

Isabella was just 18 years old when she married Victor Cale. She truly loved him and wanted to save him from her sister and her husband who were planning on stealing jewels and then taking a fake jewelry piece she had made and putting it in its place. Isa tried to fake illness in order to stop the robbery but when she woke in the morning her sister stated that it had been done. Her sister, Jacoba, stated that Victor had ended up helping them with the theft and that he had left for Antwerp to try and hawk them and that he would meet them in Paris. Isa waited and waited but Victor never showed. She finally takes a job and heads to Scotland with an assumed name.

Ten years later Victor is working for The Duke’s Men, really named Manton Investigations. His first job sends him to Scotland to look into a woman named Sophie Franke. She is spending time with a Baron and the Baron’s mother wants the scoop on this older woman (she’s all of 28!) Victor heads to Edinburgh and finds his wife, Isa. She wants nothing to do with a man who stole jewels and he wants nothing to do with a woman who played a part in stealing jewels. There are a ton of misconceptions flying around, all perpetrated by Jacoba and her husband. Victor and Isa find that they still love each other and eventually find out the truth about what happened 10 years ago but is it enough to let them heal after so many years of distrust?

Sabrina Jeffries does it again. She brings another fab story to us and weaves an intricate tale into it all. I loved the ins and outs of the whole jewelry heist and getting to the bottom of it all. I felt that Jeffries did a wonderful job of leading us to doubt Victor and that was part of what I loved about the book. You just wanted to trust but you weren’t sure if you could.

Sophie/Isa was an incredibly strong woman and I really liked her character. Her intelligence and courage in the face of everything she went through was highly admirable. She made a life for herself starting from nothing and that’s not easy – especially back then.

Victor, the poor man, what just confused. He’s thought for so long that Isa had everything to do with the jewelry heist but he still loved his wife and truly didn’t want to believe that she could have done such a thing. Yeah, he acted like an ass at first but after what he went through after the theft it was understandable.

Overall it was an exciting story and one that I had to pick up and read whenever I could. I didn’t want to put it down but life kept getting in the way! lol I definitely recommend this one go in your TBR pile.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Sabrina Jeffries

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Review: Ten Reasons to Stay by Sabrina Jeffries

Posted May 5, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

In “Ten Reasons to Stay,” previously published in the anthology The School for Heiresses, lessons go far beyond etiquette and needlepoint. Eliza Crenshawe’s lesson is to look before she leaps. But when she discovers that her new guardian plans to marry her off without so much as a Season, she forgets all that. She flees—on a horse she unwittingly steals (oops!)—from Colin Hunt, a newly minted earl who wants nothing more than for her to go home…or stay forever.

It’s the Earl of Monteith’s first night back in England after leaving the country of his mother, India, that he’s lived in for many years. He’s not sure how he feels about being back in England as he knows that people will judge him for his mixed heritage. He’s contemplating this while looking out on his land when he sees someone sneaking into his stables. He follows and discovers a horse thief who is actually a woman.

He hauls her into his home and then listens to what he can only believe is a complete fabrication. The woman, Eliza, tells him that she is “borrowing” the horse to get to the nearest town with the mail coach so that she can head back to her school to seek help from her uncle. Her uncle, who used to be nice and gentle, is her guardian now that her father has passed and he’s planning on marrying her off to some old man who she doesn’t know. The earl, Colin, doesn’t believe a word of it but it doesn’t stop him from being attracted to the woman. He ends up putting her into his dressing room as it’s the only place with no doors or windows that she can sneak out of and plans to find out the real story in the morning.

Eliza is at her wits end because she fears that Colin will find out the that she’s telling the truth but send her off with her uncle anyway. During the night, however, she tries to use her feminine wiles to get him to do her bidding. It doesn’t work out the way she hopes but it does end up making both parties involved have deeper feelings for the other.

This was a cute little story. It had a good premise and some fun and interesting moments.
 
It was pretty short though and I think that that caused a problem for me when the h/h fell in love so very quickly. The heroine was thinking she was “desperately” in love with the hero after having known him for all of about 12 hours. The hero fell hard and fast too which didn’t exactly seem to fit with his character. I think had this been even 50 more pages the love would have been a bit more believable.

Despite that I liked the story and of course I always enjoy Sabrina Jeffries’ writing. If you don’t mind your characters falling in love very quickly and want a fun read then this one is definitely for you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Sabrina Jeffries

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Review: Son of the Morning by Linda Howard

Posted March 6, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 7 Comments

A scholar specializing in ancient manuscripts, Grace St. John never imagined that a cache of old documents she discovered was the missing link to a lost Celtic treasure. But as soon as she deciphers the legend of the Knights of the Templar—long fabled to hold the key to unlimited power—Grace becomes the target of a ruthless killer bent on abusing the coveted force. Determined to stop him, Grace needs the help of a warrior bound by duty to uphold the Templar’s secret for all eternity. But to find him—and to save herself—she must go back in time…to fourteenth-century Scotland…and to Black Niall, a fierce man of dark fury and raw, unbridled desire…

Grace is having problems with her modem (it’s 1996 so think dial up. 🙂 ) so she heads over to a friends house to have it looked at. When she’s returning to her house she sees someone in the window that is neither her husband nor brother and when she gets closer she hears her boss, Parrish Sawyer, talking to her family. It seems he’s looking for her and the papers she’s been translating but instead of asking for them he’s threatening her husband and brother. What Grace witnesses next is earth shattering. Her husband and brother are murdered before her eyes and they make it look like she killed them in a jealous rage. Grace is then on the run to try and save herself as she knows that if Parrish finds her and the papers she’ll be dead too.

Grace is basically a paper pusher so being a fugitive is something she never thought would happen to her. She’s pretty clever though and between her intelligence and probably sheer dumb luck she manages to avoid being captured by Parrish’s goons. She takes the time to research the papers as well as take care of herself and learn to fight if need be. What she concentrates on most is Niall of Scotland. He was a Knight of the Templar and even though most were slain he remained and was Guardian of the Treasure. He’s mentioned in the paper many times and Grace feels a pull to him that she can’t explain. She dreams about him and when she does it’s like she’s with him in person and that it’s real – but it can’t be as he’s 675 years in the past. When she dreams of Niall, most of the time, it’s a sexual situation and she feels horrible when she wakes up because she feels as if she’s betrayed her husband.

As the months go on Grace realizes that the Foundation that she worked for, that is run by Parrish, is evil. They want the Treasure and will stop at nothing to get it. When Grace comes across a formula in the papers that states how to travel through time she realizes that she needs to go back to speak with Niall so that he can stop Parrish.

I have to admit that while I’ve loved the Linda Howard books that I’ve read so far I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this one. Linda Howard does time travel? Medieval Knights? Really? I have to say I had my doubts but I was, however, proven So. Very. Wrong. Seriously wrong. This book is all that and a bag of chips.

In this story Howard manages to combine a contemporary murder mystery and time travel romance all in one and does it in a way that entrances the reader. I was 100% into the book the entire time I was reading. I even texted Holly (she’s the one I borrowed the book from) and told her I hated her because I wanted to skip work so that I could go home and read! lol (FYI – I didn’t leave work) This is just one of those books that you don’t want to put down.

Grace was not one of those average women who is secretly a kick-ass heroine. She was a pretty average woman who was intelligent enough to learn how to protect herself out of desperation. She obviously didn’t want Parrish and his men to catch her and she certainly didn’t want the cops getting a hold of her so she learned what she needed to in order to survive. Howard does an incredible job of showing us Grace’s emotions and her despair over losing her husband and brother. My heart ached for Grace and all she had lost.

The romance in this story is very unusual as both Grace and Niall are experiencing each other in a way that they think is all fantasy. Neither of them realize that it’s happening to the other…until Grace decides to time travel. Niall is exactly what she dreamed but he thinks she’s a spy for a enemy clan and though he’s drawn to her he won’t get any closer. Niall’s a huge, mean ass warrior who is rarely bested but with Grace, even when he was pissed at her, he’s gentle and loving. I loved seeing the two of them together even with the secrets between them.

I could go on and on about the story but I have to stop myself from telling you everything! Let me just say that if you haven’t read this book you should. It’s a wonderful story that is well written (do we expect anything else from Howard?) and incredibly compelling. Just an excellent read.  I will go out to buy my own copy as soon as I can because this is a book that I will definitely be rereading.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Linda Howard

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TBR Challenge Review: Heart of Fire by Linda Howard

Posted November 16, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 5 Comments

The “suggested” TBR Challenge book for this month called for me to read “other genre besides romance.” When I went to look at the monthly listings on Wendy’s blog I just sat and stared at it for a bit and then said, “Well that’s just mean.” Lol I don’t have any books that aren’t romance on my shelves. Yes, I could have gone out and purchased a book that wasn’t romance but this challenge, for me at least, is all about getting the books on my shelves read. Instead I picked a book that came highly recommended by Holly and Rowena over at The Book Binge. When we were all at Holly’s house in September for a get together Rowena had brought the book to swap. When I mentioned that it sounded good and that I might take it they pounced! (I kid you not, they really did) They said that it was a fantastic book and that the hero of the story, Ben Lewis, was well worth reading about. Well, I definitely had to check this out for myself.

A fabulous lost Amazon city once inhabited by women warriors and containing a rare red diamond: it sounded like myth, but archeologist Jillian Sherwood believed it was real, and she was willing to put up with anything to find it — even Ben Lewis. Ruffian, knock-about, and number one river guide in Brazil, Ben was all man — over six feet of rock-hard muscles that rippled under his khakis, with lazy blue eyes that taunted her from his tanned face. Jillian watched him come to a fast boil when she refused to reveal their exact destination upriver in the uncharted rain forests — and resolved to stand her ground. Neither of them could foresee what the days ahead promised: an odyssey into the fiery heart of passion and betrayal, and a danger that would force them to cast their fates together, immersed in the eternal, unsolved mysteries of love….

Jillian Sherwood is an archeologist. She’s fantastic at what she does but she never gets to go on any major digs with the foundation that she works for. Why is that? Because of her deceased father. Her father, Cyrus Sherwood, was a brilliant man who never discounted any legend or myth as ridiculous because it wasn’t proven right or wrong. The problem was that everyone in the field called him Crackpot Sherwood because he was constantly seeking the truth and never finding it. On one such a mission he died. On that mission Cyrus was searching for the Lost City of Anzar – possibly the home of the Amazons.

Jillian is frustrated and pissed off at her bosses and wants to look for some solace in her fathers papers. As she does so she finds something amazing – and that’s her father’s proof that the Lost City of Anzar does exist and that he had found the way there – he had just died before he could get physical evidence. Jillian and her brother Rick, along with a seedy man named Kates, who finances the trip, head to Brazil to find a guide to take them in to the depths of the jungle.

What they find is Ben Lewis. He is known as the best guide around but he’s not all that appealing to any of them. He looks like a lackadaisical drunk but underneath the façade is a shrewd, intelligent man. He also loooooves women. He loves having sex and he appreciated the female body. Reading this description he doesn’t sound all that likable but he just had this innate charm that you couldn’t help wanting to know more about. He, of course, is not thrilled that Jillian is going on the trip but since she’s the only one who knows where they’re going (the directions to the Lost City were written in code by her father and she’s the only living being that can decipher it) he is forced to accept her presence. He thinks that he’ll be able to seduce her even if she isn’t really his type but his plans are soon thwarted by Jillian herself.

The trip to the City is fraught with unexpected events and even death but they actually find Anzar and Jillian is thrilled! She can’t believe that the City is real and it looks like this was in fact the home of the Amazons! Incredible! But there’s more brewing here than meets the eye. Kates had hired a man to come on the trip who is known to Ben as a hired killer. Kates and Jillian’s brother Rick believe that there is a red diamond in the City that will bring them great wealth. Kates however, plans on killing off everyone and taking the diamond for himself. When things come to a head in the City, Ben and Jillian escape but who did they leave behind that’s alive and who exactly is chasing them?

Prior to reading this book I’d only read 2 Linda Howard novels and let me tell you that this one, by far, is my favorite of the 3. When I opened the book I was completely caught up in the story. There was really not a lot of background story that I had to mess with prior to getting to the “now” story. All of that background info was told throughout the story and woven in perfectly.

Jillian is a brilliant woman. She’s good at what she does – you can just tell from the get-go and she’s smart enough to figure out Ben Lewis from day 1. Yes, he’s oh-so hot and yes, he can be charming but she’s just not interested in him or his tries at seduction. I loved Jillian. Her attitude towards just about everything was so interesting that I couldn’t help wanting to read more about her.

Ben finds Jillian mildly attractive at first but after a while he’s wowed by her personality, her strength, her vitality and it makes her beautiful to him. While he wants at first to get Jillian in the sack, after a while it’s a moral imperative to him to be with her and not just for a quick roll in the hay – for a damned long time. Jillian is HIS and he’s not letting her go any time soon. God, Ben is just such a man! He’s got some strange ideas about how things work but in his life that IS how things work so he’s just going with what he knows. He’s put down a time or two but it works more as a building block for him than anything else. When Ben finally does get Jillian to capitulate it is incredible. The two of them together is beyond amazing and I loved reading every word. Now Ben and his questionable morals did throw me for a loop there near the end of the book but I had great hopes for him and he showed me that he was indeed the man that I thought he was. (That’s a good thing)

The other part of the story – besides the romance (yes there was one) – was done quite well. The secondary characters in this book, both the good guys and the bad guys, are not quite as well fleshed out as Jillian and Ben but still very vibrant within the story. I have to say I was more than pleased with how it all came together in the end. When I’m sitting and reading a book and I have to force my self to relax and not tense up while reading – it’s a good thing!

I guess I have to say to Holly and Rowena: Yes, you were right. (That hurt less than I thought it would. Lol) This was a wonderful book and it’s definitely one that will go on my keeper shelf to be re-read again and again.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Linda Howard
Pocket Books Romance

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