Hey there – my guest review for Gorgeous As Sin by Susan Johnson has been posted at The Book Binge.
Fitz Monckton, Duke of Groveland, has never encountered a woman he can’t seduce—until he clashes with the beautiful Rosalind St. Vincent, whose bookshop sits in the way of Fitz’s lucrative development deal. If money won’t entice Rosalind to sell her shop, Fitz must tempt her in other ways—hopefully mutually pleasurable, and profitable to them both.
Reviewer: Tracy 
Fitz Monckton, Duke of Groveland, has never encountered a woman he can’t seduce—until he clashes with the beautiful Rosalind St. Vincent, whose bookshop sits in the way of Fitz’s lucrative development deal. If money won’t entice Rosalind to sell her shop, Fitz must tempt her in other ways—hopefully mutually pleasurable, and profitable to them both.
It’s 1891 and the Duke of Groveland is looking to develop some townhouses. The problem is that there’s one woman, who owns a bookstore that is stopping him. His barrister, as well as many others, have tried to pay the woman, Rosalind St. Vincent, off but she’s just not budging. The Duke decides that since he’s such a ladies man that he can get her to take the money and run. The problem: even he can’t make her move, even for an unheard of amount of money.
Rosalind had opened the bookstore and she’s quite happy with both her sales, her customers and most of all her location. Despite the fact that the Duke has offered her an amazing amount of money, and she’s in debt and would like to travel, she turns his offer down.
With a pretty simple premise this book wasn’t one I could really get into and it just didn’t do it for me. The Duke was a pompous ass and to me never really redeemed himself. Rosalind I understood a little better because she was standing up for what she believed in, her bookstore, and not giving in.
The problems for me began early in the book with the Groveland and Rosalind meeting one morning and hating each other and then by that night sleeping together. Only to wake up the next morning and hate each other again. Ugh. Don’t get me wrong, I understand lust just as well as the next person but I thought it detracted from Rosalind’s stand on her belief’s to do that. Later in the book there’s another scene involving the Duke (don’t want to give anything away) that really ticked me off and that just kind of sealed the deal on whether he was good enough to be hero material. IMHO – he didn’t make the grade.
Now that being said the writing of this book was pretty good but the story was lacking for me.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Happy Sunday (night)!
I kept meaning to post this earlier today but real life got in the way. My oldest has her state project due tomorrow and we were putting the finishing touches on her display board and her speech. Hopefully she’ll ace this one…I think she will.
The hubby’s b-day gathering with my family was fun. Everyone was late so we were starving by the time everyone got here. I swear I need to tell my family to arrive at least a 1/2 hour earlier than everyone else. Of course when they’re the only one’s attending… What’s a body to do?
And I just opened my email and got one from Kelley Armstrong! Holy shit if that’s not enough to put icing on the cake of a great weekend, I don’t know what is! lol She was just letting me know I’d won one of her books on DIK but dang – that’s very cool! If you didn’t get a chance to read her posts this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday you should – they were great.
I didn’t post it last week cuz there was so much going on but if you want to read my review on Bound and Determined by Shayla Black you can do so here.
Ok – so I didn’t feel like I read that much this week but when I stopped and looked at the list I guess I did. 5 were short stories so they don’t really count as 5 – just 1 novella, really. lol
So my first read of the week was Coyote’s Mate by Lora Leigh. Book 112 in the Breed series…ok, not that many but the latest. I liked the story but yet I didn’t. It hurt my heart. Truly it did. I thought that the heroine held onto her anger way too long but she finally let it go and saved herself nicely. Then the hero did something uber retarded…and frankly the way his character was written he should have friggin known better. He knew the score on soooooo many things – things other didn’t – in fact he made it his job to know. The fact that he pulled this thing and supposedly didn’t know what would happen was too unlikely for me – and I’m a damned forgiving reader. It made it just an ok read for me in the end. I still liked the series though and I’m looking forward to Cabal’s book.
Next up was The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer for my re-read challenge. I’ll post my review on Tuesday. Oh and I’m only 2 weeks into the TBR challenge that I gave myself and I’ve fucked up already. This one has been on my shelf for so long I’m counting this as my re-read and my TBR. Yeah, I suck! lol (the book is so old I couldn’t even find a decent picture for it!)
Next were 4 short stories by Amber Kell…the Moon Pack Series – Attracting Anthony, Baiting Ben, Courting Calvin and & Denying Dare (all m/m stories). I read about these at Kris ‘n’ Good Books and since I like novellas and shorts I picked them up and read them quite quickly. While they weren’t the best shifter stories I’ve read…since out of the 4 shorts only 2 people actually shift, but they were cute. I had some issues with editing and words left out & giggling men (which is never my favorite) but other than that they were ok.
When I was buying the Moon Pack series from All Romance ebooks I got a free short called Friends with Benefits by Cat Johnson. A very short story about a couple who’ve known each other since 8th grade and just recently have become friends with benefits. However when one of them sleeps with someone else (they weren’t exclusive) then the female of the pair starts to look at her feelings about the relationship. Cute short read. Heroine a tad annoying but she was ok.
Gorgeous as Sin by Susan Johnson I read for The Book Binge. I’ll let you know when my review is posted.
Last but not least was Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr. Good book. For the most part I really liked it. It was a little syrupy in parts but overall a good story with a lot going on…which is one of the things I love about the series. I have to admit that when I closed the book I said “awwwww” lol
I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Happy Reading!
Everyone please welcome Katiebabs from Ramblings on Romance to the blog.
insert applause here
I must admit that I have never been a big fan of Susan Johnson’s books. I found her historical romances to be closet bodice rippers with heroes that were a bit too much, too alpha, too stubborn and just plain cruel. When Susan jumped into writing contemporary romance, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided to read Hot Property, which is about a former CIA agent who happens to be a tortured soul, and the woman he longs to protect. I am a sucker for these types of stories. Unfortunately Hot Property was such a disappointment, especially when the jackass hero does something so horrible in my eyes; he tries to kill the heroine during sex. Can we say major trust issue and perhaps the need for some form of therapy? And I couldn’t stand how the TSTL heroine basically forgives him because she wants to get off by his intense and forceful sex that gives her the “Big O”. Some may find enjoyment in reading this book, but as for myself I am placing Hot Property as one my worst reads of 2008.
The heroine Zoe Chandler has rented a cabin by the lake where she is busy at work writing a tell all book where she has exposed some shady dealings with some high-class art collectors. The Willerbys’, the subject of her book, would like nothing better to make this problem go away. Zoe is playing hard to get, so after trying to pay her off countless times, which she says “no dice” to, Papa Willerby will send some of his men to talk some sense into her.
The jackass hero, Nick Mirovic used to work for the CIA as an interpreter, but ever since one of the CIA agents he worked with found enjoyment in killing the men he interrogated, Nick decided to get out. And now since evil CIA baddie is up for CIA director, he is pulling out all the stops so nothing gets in his way of gaining the position, even if that means taking Nick out for good. Nick is on edge and always looking over his shoulder, because he thinks someone is going to come out of the woods and kill him. The poor guy needs a Zanex or some form of medication. He doesn’t trust anyone and that includes his new next-door neighbor, Zoe. Zoe decides Nick would be the best bodyguard even though he told he to get lost and is a bit broody. But that doesn’t stop her from asking for his protection against the two goons Willerby sent. Nick of course thinks this may be a set up by evil CIA baddie because Zoe’s story seems too convenient. He tricks himself into believing that Zoe is a mole even though he would like nothing more than having her horizontal on his bed. Zoe welcomes Nick’s touch because, well, she is alone in the woods with no other man around and I don’t think Grizzly Adams will cut it. So, what if Nick wants to handcuff her to his bed because of his trust issues. Suddenly these two are all over each other, having sex every which way, even as they go on the run because the evil CIA baddie has found them.
Hot Property should have been a hot and heavy thriller because of the amount of lust and sex both Nick and Zoe have for each other. It falls flat mainly because of my dislike for Nick who doesn’t trust Zoe has far as he can throw her. But he still doesn’t mind getting down her pants every chance he can get. Remember the scene where I mentioned Nick tries to kill Zoe during sex? When the so-called hero is in the middle of having sex with the heroine and begins to strangle her because he thinks she is about to kill him, well that makes me wonder if these two have any chance of a future with one another. I also have an issue with the way Zoe acted after being strangled and almost passed out from lack of air. I would have ran for the nearest exit or gave Nick a good kick in the balls, but no, Zoe forgives and forgets and let’s Nick finish what he had started. I simple couldn’t find any valid reason why Nick and Zoe were so attracted to each other because there was no trust between them. Because Nick constantly thought Zoe was a mole from his enemy who is out to kill him, any possible love that could grow between them was not believable in the least. Perhaps I am an old-fashioned type of girl, but I find myself wanting a more compassionate hero and one that will not try and kill his own true love while they are in the middle of making love because he is afraid she may stab him in the back.
Hot Property is a major pass. Overall grade is a D-
Katiebabs
Because she knows her fans may have questions, Sybil is asking for help from Susan Johnson fans.
So hit me. Put your questions for Susan Johnson in the comments here. I can’t promise I will have time to ask them all or that she will even answer but I am more than happy to try.
Head on over to The Good, The Bad and The Unread and let Sybil know if there’s something you’d like her to ask Susan Johnson.
You have until tonight, so don’t delay!