Tag: Jove

Lightning Review: Beyond Innocence by Emma Holly

Posted June 12, 2023 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Lightning Review: Beyond Innocence by Emma HollyReviewer: Holly
Beyond Innocence by Emma Holly
Series: Beyond Duet #1
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 1, 2001
Format: eBook
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 295
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Emma Holly turns up the heat in this sinfully sensuous story of a family plagued by scandal—and a shy young woman who discovers a passion beyond her wildest dreams...
When her beloved father passes away, Florence Fairleigh finds herself alone in the world. All she wants is a man who will treat her kindly and support her financially—and she's come to London to find him.
Edward Burbrooke thinks marriage is the only way to save his brother, Freddie—and their family—from scandalous ruin. As head of the family, Edward has vowed to find Freddie a bride—and fast.
Thrown together by Edward, Florence and Freddie make a perfect pair—until Edward realizes he has feelings for his brother's betrothed. The sight of her nubile young body makes his blood burn with lust. The sound of her voice makes his heart warm with love. And the sweet taste of her kiss makes him wonder if he isn't making a terrible mistake.

My book club chose Beyond Innocence last year. I’m certain I’ve read Emma Holly before, but I can’t recall what titles or remember any details, so I’m going to say this is a new-to-me author. I haven’t been much for historicals lately, but this one really drew me in. I liked Florence from the start. She’s a practical sort, determined to find a husband so she can live a comfortable life. I liked that she recognized her circumstances and decided to do something about them. I did not love that she was such a perfect innocent. She was a total Disney princess..she even had an affinity for cats and babies. Like…they rushed her whenever she went outside (no joke).

I did not love that the family tried to dupe her into marrying Freddie. It was really frustrating and felt a little squicky (are we still using that word?).

Anyway, aside from that, I enjoyed the story. I really enjoyed Freddie, and his struggle to find his place in a world not accepting of who he was.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Beyond Duet

three-half-stars


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Throwback Thursday Review: Key of Valor by Nora Roberts

Posted July 23, 2020 by Rowena in Features, Reviews | 8 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Key of Valor by Nora RobertsReviewer: Rowena
Key of Valor (Key Trilogy, #3) by Nora Roberts
Series: Key Trilogy #3
Also in this series: Key of Light (Key Trilogy, #1), Key of Knowledge (Key Trilogy, #2)
Publisher: Penguin, Jove
Publication Date: May 1st, 2004
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy
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Series Rating: five-stars

What happens when the very gods depend on mortals for help?

That's what three very different young women find out when they are invited to Warrior's Peak.

Light and knowledge have succeeded in their quest, and two of the keys have been found. Both Malory and Dana had taken their turns. The final, and last, test goes to Zoe McCourt - valor.

Now it was her burden, her risk. Her chance. She had to be brave enough, smart enough, strong enough, or everything they'd done before her would be for nothing.

Zoe has the courage to raise her young son alone, and to face all the adversity life has thrown at them. But will she have the courage to face a foe determined to do anything to stop the third key from being found - even destroying everything - and everyone - she loves?

*** Every Thursday, we’ll be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books. Enjoy! ***

This review was originally posted on May 14, 2007.

I think this one is my favorite of all the Key books.

I really think so.

I fell right in love with Brad and was frustrated right along with him where Zoe was concerned. I fell in love with Simon right alongside Brad and before the story began, I was already in love with Brad.

He’s just one of those heroes that you want for your very own. He’s one of those heroes that you want to fight your demons and hold you close at night. The kind that will make quick work of anyone that would try to hurt you. He’s the kind of hero that is quiet and intense and just all around the bomb.

I loved his wealth of love that he had for both Zoe and Simon. Almost right from the very beginning, he had that thing for Zoe. And I loved how he explained his feelings to her. He knew that she was unsure of if he loved her face from the painting or if he truly did love her. And the way he explained it all to her was just oh so sweet and made my insides tingle with delight. I loved the way he was with Simon and I loved the way Simon loved him as a friend and then as a Dad.

The only thing that would have made this book even better for me was if NR would have brought James back into the picture so that Zoe could have told him what a weenie he was for not standing by her when he got her pregnant. I wanted James to see what he missed out on and how great a son Simon was and the woman that Zoe grew up to be without his help. I wanted him to see it and regret that he never stood by her. I wanted him to see her happy with Brad and I wanted Brad to be smug about it all…but well, that’s just what I wanted to see but I was content with what NR wrote in for us to read.

Zoe and her hesitation sort of got on my nerves but not enough for it to ruin the book for me. I really enjoyed this series and I really enjoyed reading this book in particular. I loved seeing Zoe come into her own and see the goodness that other people see in herself and I loved how she was finally able to accept Brad and his love. It got annoying how many times Brad had to jump through hurdles to please her but she always put Simon first and I couldn’t be mad about any of that since she was only trying to protect what was hers.

So all in all, this series was a sure winner for me and this book was a pleasant ending to another fantastic series done by NR.

Great, great books!

Grade: 5 out of 5


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Throwback Thursday Review: Key of Knowledge by Nora Roberts

Posted July 16, 2020 by Rowena in Features, Reviews | 2 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Key of Knowledge by Nora RobertsReviewer: Rowena
Key of Knowledge (Key Trilogy, #2) by Nora Roberts
Series: Key Trilogy #2
Also in this series: Key of Light (Key Trilogy, #1), Key of Valor (Key Trilogy, #3)
Publisher: Penguin, Jove
Publication Date: November 25th 2003
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy
Pages: 338
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

You are the Key. The lock awaits.

What happens when the very gods depend on mortals for help? That's what three very different young women find out when they are invited to Warrior's Peak.

To librarian Dana Steele, books and the knowledge they hold are the key to contentment. But now that search for knowledge must include the second key needed to release three souls held captive by an evil god. In each generation three are chosen who have the power to release them - if they dare accept a challenge that could promise them great riches but also grave danger...

And now it is Dana's turn.

She won't be alone, for she's formed fast friendships with two very different women. But she can't allow herself to be distracted by the return of the man who broke her heart so long ago, for a danger beyond anyone's imagination is determined to keep her from completing her quest.

*** Every Thursday, we’ll be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books. Enjoy! ***

This review was originally posted on May 13, 2007.

Book Two in this trilogy follows Dana Steele through her journey of finding the key of knowledge that will free the second daught of the glass. It follows her while she finds her destiny and deals with her past, her present and prepares for her future.

Dana is straight up and takes no bullshit from anyone. Most especially her exboyfriend, Jordan Hawke. The man who walked away from her and what they shared in the two years that they were together with no backward glance.

His up and leaving left her very bitter with him and men in general. She doesn’t trust him farther than she can throw him which isn’t at all. And with him back home and mixed up in this key business right along with her makes her madder than all get out. She hates that he’s back and in her life again because the last time he was in her in life and in her heart, he crushed it. She doesn’t trust herself to keep things light and friendly with him and she gets all pissed off when she finds out that in order for her to find the key that she needs to find, she needs to make things right with Jordan because Jordan is part of her quest in finding the key.

Dana needs Jordan in order to find her key and she needs to get to the bottom of why he left and see things from his perspective in order for her heart to survive another encounter with Jordan Hawke, who is the only man that she has ever loved.

This book was the bomb.

I’m serious, there wasn’t much I didn’t like about this story, I loved Dana’s hardheadedness where Jordan was concerned and I understood it. It did get on my nerves a bit but more over, I just plain understood why she was with the way she was with him but she wasn’t playing stupid over why she was acting unreasonable where he was concerned. She didn’t deny that she was still in love with him which made her the way she was around him, all surly and bullheaded.

I loved Jordan and all of his issues, his sense of humor and just everything about him. Jordan was a fantastic hero and I hella enjoyed reading about him trying to make things right with Dana. I loved reading his reasons for leaving and I loved reading how he wooed Dana back into his corner, I loved that he didn’t try to breeze right over what he did to her before but really wanted her to understand and forgive him for what happened between them before.

I loved his writing, I loved his role in all of this, I just plain loved Jordan Hawke. He was my most favorite thing about this book, maybe this series. He was my favorite hero in Key of Light and I really enjoyed him in this story but I have a feeling that Brad is going to be my favorite hero in this series…there’ s just something about Brad that I’m looking forward to reading in his book.

I loved how Dana and Jordan fought to overcome the evil bastard in this series, I loved how they fought together and their love was what got them through, corny as all get out but I was diggin’ it.

This book was another definite winner from Nora Roberts, although I’m having a hard time believing that Nora Roberts will write something that I don’t like. I just like her writing style, it’s the bomb diggity for me! She knows just how to rock her stories to get the most out of them and make me love the characters, the storylines and just everything about them!

One thing I didn’t really care about in this story was Jordan’s nickname for Dana, which was Stretch. That’s no fault of the author though since it only reminds me of a harsh nickname that a woman that I know was called when she was younger. They called her Stretch for an entirely different reason that Jordan called Dana that and so everytime Jordan called her Stretch, I cringed because I kept thinking about poor Amy.

But aside from that, the book was fantastic!

Grade: 4.75 out of 5

four-half-stars


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Throwback Thursday Review: Key of Light by Nora Roberts

Posted July 9, 2020 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Key of Light by Nora RobertsReviewer: Rowena
Key of Light (Key Trilogy, #1) by Nora Roberts
Series: Key Trilogy #1
Also in this series: Key of Knowledge (Key Trilogy, #2), Key of Valor (Key Trilogy, #3)
Publisher: Penguin, Jove
Publication Date: October 28th 2003
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy
Pages: 334
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

The pleasure of your company is desired for cocktails and conversation. 8 pm, 4th September. Warrior's Peak.

When Malory Price is issued with the above invitation she is naturally suspicious, especially as Warrior's Peak is a local mansion straight out of a Hollywood movie. But with her overdraft at crisis limit and on the verge of losing her job at a local art gallery, she has little to lose by attending the event.

Only Malory is about to get more than she bargained for. At Warrior's Peak she finds that she and two other women are the only guests of their mysterious hosts. They are told an amazing story of magic, gods and goddesses; and of three demi-goddesses who have been cast into an eternal sleep, their mortal souls placed under lock and key. And in every generation, three women are born who alone have the power to free them - if they are prepared to accept the challenge.

Three women. Three keys to find. If one fails, they all lose. If they succeed - money, power and a new destiny awaits. It will take more than intellect, more than determination. They will have to open their hearts, their minds, and believe that everything is possible.

*** Every Thursday, we’ll be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books. Enjoy! ***

This review was originally posted on May 8, 2007.

Over the weekend, I forgot my Rock Star book at work and was too lazy to go all the way back to the office (once I got home and noticed my book wasn’t in my bag anymore) to get it so over the weekend I started and finished two books and this was the second book that I finished.

Book One of the Key Trilogy was a good opening for this series. It sparked my interest with the adventure that is presented to these three totally different and totally normal women. It showed a great deal of promise in the overall story and also with the secondary romances that followed.

I loved that all three of the women who were chosen were all so normal, not prissy perfect like regular heroines, they weren’t virginal, they weren’t mega rich and all that, they were your everyday average American women. They lived paycheck to paycheck, they were sometimes overdrawn in the bank, they were….normal.

Another thing I loved about this book is the same thing I loved in The Circle Trilogy, there’s a bigger story being told besides the romance story in these books and in this story, the start of all the other romances in the rest of the series. I love how Nora Roberts can make all of these thing fit perfectly in with everything else that is going on. She never loses me with all of the information pouring through the pages and I always lose myself in her books and in her characters’ lives and just in the story period.

I loved Flynn. I loved Malory and I loved their story. I loved how Malory took things into her own hands and went after the things she wanted, she was open and honest, even when she wasn’t ready, I loved how she threw everything at Flynn and told him to just deal with it.

And he did. I love that Flynn dealt with everything that Malory threw at him and just handled it. I loved that he didn’t shy away from her, even when he was so unsure of them as a couple, of himself as her partner and just handled everything thrown at him, (you know because on top of this new romance with Malory, he had this key thing to deal with as well). He was a strong man and he was a good man, one that loved his sister and loved his life, even though he didn’t think he did. He also loved the woman of his dreams with all that he had and what romantic at heart wouldn’t appreciate that?

Malory was a great heroine. She was smart, beautiful and funny. She was very organized and she had a lot going for her, even after she was canned at her dream job, she reacted like any normal woman would, she cried, she was a jerk to everyone around her and then she let her friends take care of her until she was ready to get back on her feet again and when she did get back on her feet, she was unstoppable.

She was all things I admire in a heroine and I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I enjoyed the cast of characters that we met in this story, from Dana’s sparkling personality and Zoe’s creative spirit to Jordan’s funny self and his deep blue eyes and Brad’s richy rich handsome and rugged blonde self who had the ability to handle anything given him whether it was a board meeting in a stunning suit or wearing jeans and a shirt and climbing on top of walls to watch the house that he was so obsessed with as a child with his friends. The entire cast was a delight to read and oh dang, how could I forget to mention Rowena and Pitte? Dude, I love that Rowena was so beautiful and in love and just graceful and all things other women envied….hehe, you go girl! =)

Dana’s turn is next (I cheated and looked) and I am very much looking forward to getting to know Jordan Hawke a lot more….this is a great story to read when you’re in the mood for mystery and a little bit of romance thrown in. Good times, I promise, good times.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

four-half-stars


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Throwback Thursday Review: Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan

Posted September 26, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 4 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Hidden Currents by Christine FeehanReviewer: Casee
Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan
Series: Drake Sisters #7
Also in this series: Turbulent Sea, Hidden Currents, Magic in the Wind, The Twilight Before Christmas, Oceans of Fire, Dangerous Tides, Safe Harbor, Turbulent Sea, Hidden Currents, Dangerous Tides
Publisher: Jove
Publication Date: June 30, 2009
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 441
Add It: Goodreads
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five-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

From afar, Sheriff Jackson Deveau has always loved Elle Drake, the youngest telepath of seven sisters. After a long time away she’s finally returning home to the small coastal village of Sea Haven. But someone has been following Elle, someone who doesn’t want her to make it back. And when Elle fails to arrive, her disappearance strikes fear in the hearts of everyone who loves her. Now it’s left to Jackson to uncover the mystery of Elle’s vanishing, and rescue her from an unseen danger. But Sea Haven is no longer safe for anyone, and it’ll take the powers of all the Drake sisters and their men to survive the coming storm.

*** Every Thursday, we’ll be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books. Enjoy! ***

This review was originally posted on June 6, 2009.

This is the book that I’ve really been looking forward to the last few years. In the last two books, Elle Drake became even more enigmatic that she was in the first four books. The connection that she has with Jackson Deveau also becomes more perplexing and left me wanting their story, like, now. Not to say that Elle’s character hasn’t been interesting from the beginning. She always has been. As the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter, her legacy is to carry on the Drake line with seven daughters of her own. That is no little thing to have hanging over you your whole life.

Elle has stayed away from Sea Haven, but knows that she’s eventually have to return and face her destiny as the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter. What is expected of her has always weighed heavily on her shoulders, but no more than it does when she realizes that Jackson is “The One” for her. Jackson is everything she doesn’t want in a mate. An overbearing, arrogant, alpha male that she feels wants her to be someone she’s not.

Since the moment Jackson first heard her voice when he was being held prisoner by terrorists, he knew she was the one that could pull him out of the darkness. He travels to Sea Haven at the request of his friend, Jonas Harrington, knowing that Elle lives there. When he finally comes face-to-face with her, he is poleaxed. At the same time, he’s deathly afraid of what is now expected of him. Over the years, he does his best to protect her, but Elle is nothing if not stubborn.

Elle has always been confident of her ability to take care of herself. When she finds herself in serious trouble, she reaches out to the person she knows will be there; Jackson. Her hope for help is short lived. The man that Elle has been tracking for an undercover assignment has taken an unnatural interest in her. He takes her to his island, against her will. What she endures over the following weeks is almost too much to bear. Not only that, but all the gifts she’s had her whole life are unavailable to her. The only thing that is keeping her alive is Jackson’s voice whispering in her head.

Jackson is frantic when Elle is taken. He goes crazy when he finally psychically locates Elle and realizes what is being done to her. I have to say, that I was almost shocked at the depth of the torture that Elle went through. I think Christine Feehan really pushed the envelope with this one. It was definitely unexpected, but it really worked.

When Jackson finally finds Elle and takes her home, Elle knows that Stavros won’t let her go as easily as that. After years of independence, Elle is now so dependent on Jackson that she barely recognizes herself. She refuses to let her sisters come to her, for fear that they will sense what she went through; what she feels she let happen.

I believe that Christine Feehan did a credible job of writing of Elle’s recovery. When Holly and I discussed this, she said that it seemed like Elle recovered almost too fast. I didn’t see it that way. These are the Drake’s after all and they have an amazing way of coming to the aid of the sister in need. Not only that, but Jackson is almost feral in his desire to protect Elle. I think Jackson, even more than any of her sisters helped her on the road to recovery; the road to rediscovering her trust and confidence in herself.

The obsession that Stavros has for Elle is most definitely unnatural. Psychic himself, he is confident that he will find the woman he knew as Sheena. Stavros is one crazy mo-fo, that’s for sure. It takes all seven sisters and their husbands/finances to take this crazy bastard down. I loved how the book ended. It was somehow perfect. The only thing I didn’t really like was that instead of finishing the series on a good note, CF left it open to continue. Or continue on into another new series.

That aside, I still have to give this a…

4.75 out of 5.

Drake Sisters

five-stars


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