Tag: Olivia Parker

Throwback Thursday Review: Guarding a Notorious Lady by Olivia Parker

Posted March 25, 2021 by Tracy in Reviews | 3 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Guarding a Notorious Lady by Olivia ParkerReviewer: Tracy
Guarding a Notorious Lady by Olivia Parker
Series: Devine and Friends #3
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: May 31, 2011
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Point-of-View: No
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Exquisite trouble...

A woman of pristine breeding, Lady Rosalind Devine is also an unrepentant meddler and snoop—which is why her brother refuses to leave her to her own devices while on his wedding trip. But Rosalind will not make things easy for any unseen, unwanted "nursemaid"—and vows to use her considerable wiles to expose her mystery guardian.
Nicholas Kincaid, the Marquess of Winterbourne, agreed to secretly guard his friend's spoiled, stubborn sister, though her infuriating penchant for mischief is causing him to question his decision. Though bound by the rules of society—and friendship—Rosalind's spirit and sensuality have sparked a fierce desire in Nicholas to play a very different role in her life, one that entails passion, ecstasy...and unavoidable scandal.

This review was originally posted on May 27, 2011.

Rosalind’s brother, Gabriel, is going on his wedding trip for three months. Gabriel knows that his sister is very sought after and that the minute he leaves town the men that have been after her beauty and money will come calling. All those men that Gabriel has been successful in keeping away will now pounce since he’s gone. So he decides to get someone to watch over Rosalind while he’s gone.

Rosalind is determined to find out who her guardian is so that she can either charm him into laying off his guard – or paying him off. But when she finds out that her guardian is Nicholas Kincaid, the man she’s been in love with for years, she realizes that her hopes of shaking the man are completely dashed.

For Nicholas the whole guarding of Rosalind is complete torture. He has to watch a woman that he’s been in love with for years – even though he won’t admit to himself that’s he’s in love with her – and it’s making him a crazy man. He tries to keep his distance but Rosalind draws him like a bee to honey. Even though he knows that at times he’s unnecessarily mean he can’t seem to be completely cruel when all he wants is to be near her.

Do you ever read that just hits all your buttons and you end up finishing it with a great big smile on your face? This was that type of book for me. I really liked book one in this series and book two was good too, although not as good as the first for me…but this one just worked for me in almost every way.

I loved Nicholas – he was gorgeous and strong but he could be gentle and humble as well and it made his character on the page just come alive that much more for me. Rosalind was so much more fun in this book than she seemed in other books because we got to know her better and we didn’t just see the face that she was showing to the world. She was only 24 but had been out for so many seasons. Sure she’d gotten marriage offers but she had been in love with Nicholas for years and wasn’t willing to marry anyone, including Nicholas unless she knew that the man truly loved her. Parker showed us Rosalind’s vulnerability and I really liked that about this book. The banter back and forth between the h/h was just fantastic and made me laugh on occasion.

Just a great love story that I will definitely be reading again in the future.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Devine & Friends

four-half-stars

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Review: Guarding a Notorious Lady by Olivia Parker.

Posted May 11, 2011 by Rowena in Reviews | 4 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins


Rowena’s review of Guarding a Notorious Lady by Olivia Parker.

Hero: Nicholas Kincaid
Heroine: Rosalind Devine

Exquisite trouble . . .

A woman of pristine breeding, Lady Rosalind Devine is also an unrepentant meddler and snoop— which is why her brother refuses to leave her to her own devices while on his wedding trip. But Rosalind will not make things easy for any unseen, unwanted “nursemaid”—and vows to use her considerable wiles to expose her mystery guardian.

Nicholas Kincaid, the Marquess of Winterbourne, agreed to secretly guard his friend’s spoiled, stubborn sister, though her infuriating penchant for mischief is causing him to question his decision. Though bound by the rules of society—and friendship— Rosalind’s spirit and sensuality have sparked a fierce desire in Nicholas to play a very different role in her life, one that entails passion, ecstasy . . . and unavoidable scandal.

First and foremost, I thought this book was too cute for words. I mean, I love the whole brother’s best friend falls for the sister love stories and this was definitely one of them. Rosalind has had more marriage offers than she knows what to do with but she’s refused every single one of them because she’s in love with someone who doesn’t know that she’s alive….

…at least as far as she’s concerned.

But Nicholas knows she’s alive and really, each year Rosalind kills him a little more with how tempting she is to him. He can’t go after her because she’s his friend’s sister and because he owes the Gabriel a favor, he agrees to watch over Rosalind while Gabriel goes on his honeymoon. Nicholas is a country boy at heart and going to the city isn’t something he’s looking forward to but when Rosalind and her meddling heart gets into trouble at every turn, it is Nicholas who comes to her rescue time and time again.

Watching the two of these guys come together in love was just so much fun. Parker did a wonderful job of drawing their romance out and I ate it all up. From Nicholas being continually exasperated with Rosalind and Rosalind being just as exasperated and confused with Nicholas, it all made for some entertaining reading time. I adored each and every single scene that these two were in because they literally lit up the pages.

This book was so much fun and I cannot wait to read more from this author. She is fast becoming one of my go to authors and she can’t write books fast enough to please me. I enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a fabulous historical romance with a swoonworthy hero and a heroine that is too fun for words.

Grade: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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What I Read Last Week

Posted March 22, 2010 by Tracy in Features | 14 Comments

Well is was another quiet week at Casa Tracy.  For some reason this time change has been kicking my butt and I can’t seem to get my ass out of bed in the morning.  Other than that not much to report. 🙂  On to the reading…
First up was Angel’s Evolution by T.A. Chase.  This was a book that I read for both my m/m challenge and my DIK challenge as it was one of Kris’s picks.  I’ll post my review on Wednesday.
Next up was a yaoi manga called Chocolate Surprise by Lily Hoshino.  I didn’t really care for this one at all.  The graphics were just ok for me and the stories, well, were kind of frenetic. 2 out of 5
My next read was A Certain Wolfish Charm by Lydia Dare.  I read this one for The Book Binge.  It was a historical paranormal book about a Duke who is a shapeshifter and the woman that he ends up marrying – his young cousins aunt.  I had a few issues with the book but overall I liked it.  I’ll let you know when my review posts. 3.75 out of 5
I read Downtime by Tamara Allen because I’m in the m/m romance group on goodreads and this was their book of the month.  I am so damned glad I read it.  Downtime tells the story of Morgan Nash who is an FBI agent in the middle of a stakeout when he gets transported to the 19th century – 1888 to be exact.  Ezra and his friends Henry and Derry were playing around with a book and instead of summoning a demon – which they really didn’t think they’d do – they got Morgan.  It takes Morgan some time to figure out that he’s no longer in the 21st century and he’s determined to get back to his time now.  But the next day when they all return to the museum to send him back the book of incantations is missing.  Morgan ends up spending 2-3 weeks in 1888 looking for the book, trying to discover the identity of Jack the Ripper and falling in love.  He and Ezra are amazing together and I adored watching them fall for each other.  The other thing I liked about the book is its consistency. There were no great highs and lows but a constant flow of a wonderful story.  I never wanted to put the book down and was even crying by the end.  So good!  I’m so glad that this book was chosen for the monthly read as I probably wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise.  (The cover doesn’t appeal to me at all as the characters look much older than they are in the book)  5 out of 5
Next was a story by Savanna Stuart called Unleashed Temptation – book 1 in the Miami Scorcher series. Another shifter story about a woman, Carly, who has moved to Miami to have a change of pace and get away from her cheating ex-boyfriend.  She takes a job as an accountant at an auto shop and falls hard for the owner, Nick.  Of course the owner is a shifter and knows that she’s his mate but he tries to go slowly so that she doesn’t get scared off.  But there is an Immortal who wants her for his own and Nick’s not about to let Carly get harmed.  A cute story with shifters, a possessive alpha male and a woman who knows what she wants.  Very nice.  4 out of 5 
Last but not least was To Wed A Wicked Earl by Olivia Parker.  This covered my Tracy’s TBR challenge read for the week and probably my FTSP too (although there’s only 2 books in the series so far).  This is Charlotte’s story.  She befriends a total rake, the Earl of Rothbury, so that they can help each other.  But Rothbury has been in love with Charlotte for years and feels that he’s too soiled for her.  He really believes he’s not good enough because of his family background.  It’s a light read and a cute one.  I did have some issues with Rothbury’s character and his self-esteem issues that he only seemed to have with Charlotte.  I really would have liked to have delved further into his past and childhood to get a better view of who he was but it seemed that part was skimmed over.  I thought that Charlotte and Rothbury were very cute together though and it definitely made me laugh in a few places.  3.75 out of 5 

I am such a doob!  I completely forgot to put in her the other yaoi manga that I read this week.  Duh.  And I just did it last night. lol  I swear my mind is going fast.  Anyway…I read volumes 3, 4 & 5 of Totally Captivated by Hajin Yoo and loved them.  I was disappointed that I didn’t have volumes 5 & 6 handy but I ordered them today so I’ll get to read them in a couple of days.    The story follows Ewon who is working for a very young and handsome loan shark.  Mookyul has got his eye on Ewon though and wants him for himself – but Ewon isn’t really into Mookyul…but he could be talked into it. 🙂 All volumes 4 to 4.5 out of 5  Oh – and I would swear on a stack of Bibles that my volume 4 doesn’t have that cover but that’s the only one I could find so maybe I’m delirious! lol  I’ll have to double check when I get home tonight.

UPDATE: I was totally correct!  My volume 4 has a completely different cover – here – I took a picture:

Isn’t that freaky? Why couldn’t I find this cover anywhere on the web – including Amazon where I bought it?  Twilight Zone shit, right there.

I’m sorry I haven’t been good about letting you all know when my Book Binge reviews post.  Here, I’ll play catch up:
Happy Reading!

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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

Posted August 24, 2009 by Tracy in Features | 12 Comments

by Emma Holly, GA Aiken, Jaci Burton, Jet Mykles, Olivia Parker, Sarah Mayberry

I can’t believe that the “summer” is over for my kids! Back in school and they seemed to like their teachers ok so that’s good. No complaints so far. 🙂

I took the kids out to shop and had to buy a pair of shoes for my youngest – her foot has grown so she needed new tennis shoes. While there my oldest decided to get her foot measured too – just for fun. Turns out her foot has grown 3 sizes in 2 months! She’s a ladies size 7 for crying out loud (yes, she’s only 11.5). Don’t ask me how she wore her size 4 shoes to school for 3 days – she said they didn’t hurt but still! Crazy. She’s like a big footed rabbit or a kangaroo! lol

I’ve been horrible with my blog lately. I know the only reviews I’ve been posting are for another site and that sucks. I will try to be better in the future.

My diet’s going ok – I’ve lost 2 pounds so far. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Right?? lol (Patience is a virtue, Tracy!)

I also bought a new bookcase to put in my office! My books were starting to take over and I finally decided on one. It’s stinking adorable! Not huge but just big enough for what I need. After I get it (I had to order it online) I’ll take a picture and show you.

Ok – what I read this week – some pretty good books!

First up was the second book in the Fitz Clare Chronicles trilogy by Emma Holly, Breaking Midnight. After finishing Kissing Midnight last week I wanted to jump right in and read more. I’ll let you know when my review posts on The Book Binge.

Next up was At The Bride Hunt Ball by Olivia Parker. This was a very sweet historical about a Duke who has decided not to marry, ever, so he decides to hold a week long party at his estate to find a bride for his brother who will be his heir. Seven women are chosen to attend and at the end of the week the “winner” who will then be engaged will be announced at The Bride Hunt Ball. One of the women who gets chosen does NOT want to be there and makes it loudly known to the Duke that she is against what he’s doing. Of course they start to have feelings for each other and the romance is on. I very much enjoyed the book. I think some people would say it was too sweet but I didn’t think so at all. I have to say I was left with some questions at the end of the book but luckily Parker’s second (and follow up book) is releasing on Tuesday so hopefully some of my questions will be answered. 4 out of 5

Riding on Instinct by Jaci Burton was my next read. This is book 3 in the Wild Riders series. I thought it was a good installment. We got to know the characters and their backgrounds well which was nice. 3.75 out of 5

Next up was Heaven Sent 3: Hell by Jet Mykles. What a great story. After reading the first two books I got the impression that Brent was a hidden gem but needed a strong personality in his life. Hell definitely provided that strength. I just loved Hell in all his lavender goodness. Good book. 4.25 out of 5

I continued with the Heaven Sent series by Jet Mykles by reading the 4th book Faith. Another good addition to the rockers stories. At times Darien seemed like a great big puppy to me and I thought he fell a little quickly for Chris but it was still good. 4 out of 5

My Tracy’s TBR Challenge Read for the week was About A Dragon by G.A. Aiken. This is book 2 in the Dragon Kin series and I really liked it! This was about Briec the Mighty aka to the heroine of the book Briec the Arrogant. He was certainly arrogant! Briec saves Talaith from being hanged by her village and decides that he’s going to keep her. Talaith wants nothing to do with Briec and needs to be moving on. Briec knows that Talaith is hiding something but he has no idea what. This book has love, romance, friendship, humor, sibling interaction, battles and lots of arguments – something for everyone! lol I’m almost happy that I waited to read this since the next book, What A Dragon Should Know, comes out on Sept. 1. This way I don’t have to wait too long to read the next book! 🙂 4.25 out of 5


Last but not least was Amorous Liaisons by Sarah Mayberry. Renee was nice enough to send it to me and I decided to read it for the Year of the Category Challenge this month. I’ll post my review later this week.

Happy Reading!

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Guest Review: At The Bride Hunt Ball by Olivia Parker

Posted July 1, 2008 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 5 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Book Cover Daphne‘s review of The Bride Hunt Ball, debut novel by Avon author, Olivia Parker.

To Snare a Bride . . .

To Gabriel Devine, Duke of Wolverest, the bonds of marriage are nothing more than shackles. But if he’s to remain a lifelong bachelor, that leaves only his younger brother to carry on the family name. Inviting the ton’s most eligible ladies to an elegant ball, Gabriel is certain any one of them would be all too eager to become the next duchess and provide an heir—leaving Gabriel to continue his ecstatic pursuit of pleasure.

To Catch a Rogue . . .

Her social-climbing stepmother would give anything to have Madelyn Haywood betrothed to a future duke. But Madelyn believes the brothers Devine to be nothing more than heartless rogues—especially Gabriel, whose rakish reputation precedes him. He is nothing more than a slave to passion, and she will not be conquered by his caresses­—and yet his wicked ways tempt her so . . .

I enjoyed this book for several reasons: 1) The storyline was pretty unique, sort of like a historical version of ABC’s The Bachelor. 2) The intro to the book isn’t long and dragging – Chapter One starts off with the hero and heroine already meeting. 3) There was enough side story with secondary characters to allow for possible future books in a series. 4) No big rollercoaster of drama and mixed emotions. 5) I love Gabriel.

What’s cool about the storyline is that the main hero, Gabriel, is not the “bachelor” in this hunt. It’s his younger brother, Lord Tristan. Had Gabriel been the main prize all the women were competing for, I think the story would’ve been more dull and predictable. Madelyn is the only woman who initially isn’t vying for Lord Tristan’s attention. Her main purpose for staying in the contest is to protect her friend Charlotte from potential heartbreak should she face elimination. Because Madelyn is not focused on the game, she often snoops around the castle or breaks away from the group, which in turn gives her many chance encounters with the Duke.

The chemistry between Madelyn and Gabriel is adorable. Madelyn is pretty naive and clumsy, so her first encounters with the Duke are coupled with embarrassing moments. She doesn’t realize Gabriel is the Duke, so she addresses him as Mr. Devine (causing a gasp! from the ton), and she falls into a pond in front of everyone. The others believe Madelyn is hopeless, while Gabriel finds her refreshing and delightful. Instead of fainting at her mishaps, Madelyn just “rolls with the punches.” I really liked that about her.

With each encounter, their passion grows, and the build up to their lovemaking is well worth it. Even when Gabriel just whispers in Madelyn’s ear, or when he gives her a light caress to her arm, I feel like it has the same effect as other hot steamy love scenes.

There’s only a few negatives I can think of for this book. The first is that I can imagine several readers thinking Madelyn is annoying. Probably because she’s always mischievous and getting into sticky situations. I personally didn’t think she was annoying. I did however find it odd that she tried so hard to keep Charlotte away from the Devine men, but ended up falling in love with one herself. And even after she realized she was falling for Gabriel, she still scolded Charlotte for wanting Gabriel’s brother. Second, I started to think it was a little silly that at every scene Madelyn wandered off, oh what do you know, she runs into the Duke. Highly unlikely in real life I think, especially if you’re in a castle. But there is actually a good explanation for that, you’ll have to read to find out.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves historicals. Gabriel’s reactions are adorable, from beginning to the very end. It’s a light, fast read that really just made me feel happy and giddy.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Check out more from Daphne at Daphne’s Adventures.

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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