Tag: Lily Maxton

Guest Review: The Affair by Lily Maxton

Posted April 29, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: The Affair by Lily MaxtonReviewer: Tracy
The Affair by Lily Maxton
Series: Sisters of Scandal #1
Publisher: Macmillan, Entangled Scandalous
Publication Date: April 14th 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

London, 1817.

When a beautiful stranger ducks into his bookshop during a rainstorm, Cale Cameron, well-known rake, is instantly attracted to her.

Elizabeth, Lady Thornhill, is restless and hungers for something she cannot name. Society would never accept a countess and a mere bookseller, so they agree to a one-week affair to indulge their desire. As their passion ignites and their connection grows, Elizabeth threatens the one thing Cale has protected above all else—his heart. Letting her go is the only solution, and the one thing he is not prepared to do.

Elizabeth is a widow who lives with her parents. Her parents are all about making yet another good marriage for her so that her sisters will have good prospects as well, once they head into the marriage mart. She’s also there because there wasn’t much money from her deceased husband’s estate to live on. Now she’s out of mourning and she’s so excited to be wearing colors again! It’s a bit freeing for her and once she leaves there she decides to send the carriage home and walk. That would have been a great idea if it hadn’t started pouring rain. She ducks into a shop and ends up bumping into a man. The offers tea and though Elizabeth is leery she accepts. Once she’s got tea in hand she starts to talk to this man who seems a bit forward. She finds out that he is Cale Cameron who is the owner of the bookshop she’s in and she also knows his reputation as a rake. Even though she’s intrigued by him she doesn’t let him know this and bickers with him.

After she leaves the shop neither one of them can stop thinking about the other. Cale finds her at a ball and they talk. He invites her to a dinner that he’s hosting of authors and he also invites her into his bed. Elizabeth is shocked but again, intrigued. She’s curious but she’s not sure sleeping with him is the best idea. She’s being courted by her dead husband’s cousin who inherited the Thornhill title. Does she play it safe and accept Thornhill’s proposal or does she take a chance on a rake?

This was a quick read that was fun and sexy. Cale and Elizabeth were great together and I loved reading them banter back and forth.

The first meeting between the two was a bit odd, I must say, as I didn’t really feel like they were getting along at all but then Elizabeth couldn’t stop thinking about him. After they talked at the ball I saw the sexual tension and the invisible pull between them and understood the attraction. Cale really saw Elizabeth for the intelligent woman she was and didn’t see her just as a wife and mother. He was a kind man and showed Elizabeth that kindness.

Unfortunately the story was too short as I would have liked to have kept reading about these characters. Despite that I was charmed by the story and found myself smiling by the end.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

three-half-stars


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What I Read Last Week

Posted April 15, 2014 by Tracy in Features | 0 Comments

Hello folks!

How the heck are ya?

I’m doing well. It’s Holy Week and since I work at a church that means that I’m working my tail off to get everything done in time. Because of that I’m going to be VERY brief in my post today and basically tell you what I read and their ratings. 

The Devil’s Triangle (re-read) by Toni De Palma.   I started off the week with a re-read. This is a YA book that I read for The Book Binge a year or so ago, I think, and it was just as good the second time around.  The story is about The story is about a guy who dies and is sent back to earth to help a girl named Grace. He’s given a month but he’s not sure what he’s supposed to do about Grace because he’s given no information. The story has heaven, the devil, his minions and romance all wrapped in one story.  Really good.  You can read my original review here on Book Binge. 4.5 out of 5

The Devil’s Temptation by Toni De Palma. This story is a continuation of the previous book.  We have Grace and Cooper (who is now alive and well) about 8 months after the last book ended.  This one didn’t work for me as well as it had the devil working against the couple (again) and they weren’t really coing out on top.  You can read my full review here on Book Binge. 3.5 out of 5 

Always on My Mind by Bella Andre was Lori’s story.  She’s disillusioned after a break up and is wondering why she dances in the first place.  She drives randomly and ends up taking a job as a ranch hand (with no experience). The guy does everything in his power to get her to leave but she’s stubborn.  Of course they fall in love but the getting there was oh, so good. 🙂  You can read my review here. 4 out of 5

The Affair by Lily Maxton is about a widow who is finally out of mourning and is feeling a bit free only her parents treat her like she’s a walking scandal.  She meets a bookstore owner and they have an affair but he doesn’t believe that he’s good enough for her.  The story was pretty darned good and I enjoyed it.  3.75 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

The Eternal Highlander by Hannah Howell & Lynsay Sands.  Cathal McNachton and Connal MacAdie are highlanders but also vampires.  Cathal decides that they need to seek human brides so that they can try to dilute the vamp blood.  Not everyone is thrilled with this idea – especially the pureblood vamps.  The stories are Cathal’s and how he meets his bride and how Connall meets his. Both stories were good and I really enjoyed them.  4 out of 5

Grimm Consequences by Kate SeRine is a novella in the Transplanted Tales series.  The story takes place early in Nate and Red’s relationship and has to do with Nate staying with Red.  It was a good one.  You can read my review here4 out of 5

All I Want by Lynsay Sands. The story is about a girl, Prudence, and she’s out to save her family.  All her mother wants for Christmas is for her father to stop gambling and drinking before he puts them in the poor house and debtors prison.  Prudence sets out to keep him away from the club he gambles at and ends up falling for the owner of the club.  Prudence was a bit of a crazy woman and ends up doing some pretty stupid things but it was a cute story nonetheless.  3.5 out of 5

Prisoner 374215 by Angel Martinez.  This is a free story that was written for the m/m Goodreads group and is all based on a picture. Prisoner 374215 is constantly tortured and treated horribly in prison. He’s a shell of what he used to be.  He does have one guard that he’s not afraid of and eventually he learns more about him.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this short story but it was really good and I’m so glad I read it. 4 out of 5

Island Peril by Jill Sorenson is a novella in the Aftershock series.  The story has Ella and Paul on the run from drug runners when they were just out for a day of exploration in the Channel Islands.  Another good one from Sorenson!  I’ll post my review soon. 3.75 out of 5

The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding by Stacy Reid.  An unexpected pleasure. This had a girl holding a duke at gunpoint insisting that he allow her to marry her brother who supposedly seduced her.  He refuses as the brother’s already married now but he marries her and tension and pleasure commence.  Though I wanted to slap both main characters at some point in the story I really liked it. lol  4 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

All Roar and No Bite by Celia Kyle is the second book in the Grayslake series.  Lauren is trying to help her best friend who is married to the mayor but he’s an abusive asshole.  She meets Van who is a werebear but also a sheriff.  He wants her but she’s not sure she’s ok with the whole bear shifter thing as it freaks her out.  I liked both Van and Lauren in this book.  I was so happy that we finally got a heroine who wasn’t all gung ho to jump in bed after she found out the man she lusted after was a shapeshifter!  It’s about time! lol  It all worked out and it was a fun getting there. 🙂 3.5 out of 5



My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Betting the Rainbow by Jodi Thomas
Can’t Stop Believing by Jodi Thomas
Between the Devil and Ian Eversea by Julie Anne Long
Stranded with a Hero by Karen Erickson, Coleen Kwan, Cindi Madsen and Roxanne Snopek

Happy Reading!


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