Tag: The Redgraves Series

Guest Review: What A Gentleman Desires by Kasey Michaels

Posted October 17, 2013 by Judith in Reviews | 0 Comments

What a Gentleman DesiresJudith’s review of What a Gentleman Desires (The Redgraves, #3) by Kasey Michaels

Plagued by the scandal that once destroyed his father and now threatens his family, Valentine Redgrave dreams of dark justice. Brother to the Earl of Saltwood, with secret ties to the Crown, he won’t rest until he infiltrates and annihilates England’s most notorious hellfire club. To cross its elite members is to court destruction, yet he’s never craved a challenge more. Until he encounters enigmatic governess Daisy Marchant, who behind a plain-Jane guise harbors a private agenda and appeals to his every weakness and desire.

Valentine’s hunt for revenge is Daisy’s key to finding her sister, who may be lost in the clutches of a deadly Society. But his seductive charm unlocks passion that can undo them both. Now, the only way to escape death and rescue their families is to trust each other in love and loyalty even as they tread deeper into danger.

Having read the three previous novels in this series, I was delighted to receive this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.  I have been looking forward to reading Valentine Redgrave’s story as the youngest brother, a man deemed frivolous and without a serious bone in his body.  Yet underneath all the superfluous fluff of his appearance and his lifestyle, Valentine is a man on a mission, one who is serious about overthrowing the Society begun by his grandfather, perpetrated by his father, and who has been resurrected in order to compromise important and powerful people in England’s government.

The other main character, Daisy Marchant, is a woman who is also living in disguise, so to speak.  She has successfully lived “under the radar” as she keeps her focus of finding her sister who she believes has fallen victim to member(s) of the Society.  It is Valentine who comes to recognize her beauty and her inner strength and as their attraction for one another grows into a hot kind of love that they don’t work very hard to resist, each realizes that the other is indispensible for achieving their mutual and individual goals.

This is another fine read from an exceptional author.  The tension and suspense in this book is every bit equal to those previous novels in this series.  That’s not ever an easy quality to maintain.  The family is as fascinating as ever with the intrepid grandmother–stepping out and flying high as she pursues her wild and wolley life among English aristocrats even as she finds the man who can finally tame her hurting heart.  There are some secrets that even she is loathe to reveal but Valentine and Daisy are as committed to ending the curse of the  Society as any of the family and they don’t allow anything to stand in their way.   There are a number of occasions in the book that can be styled as “nail biters” and these are balanced by some sizzling love scenes between Valentine and Daisy.  It is a book that speaks openly of betrayal and disappointment as often as it celebrates renewal and second chances.  All the characters are written with a deft hand and I think each is the kind of character that will resonate in some way with most readers.  I have no doubt that all of us will be cheering for Daisy as she never gives up the search for her missing sister.

Ms Michaels has given all of us another fine romance set in a historical context that she has carefully kept as authentic as possible.  It is educational in many ways and often reads like an enlightened history text without the dryness, of course.  She is careful to balance the internal monologue with the external dialogue, a feat that I personally appreciate.  And most of all, however she did it, she kept my interest from start to finish.  It is a book that deserves to be read and appreciated and enjoyed.  I think all historical romance fans will find this a very readable and enjoyable novel.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5

The Series:
Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place

This title is available from Harlequin HQN Books. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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Guest Review: What A Lady Needs by Kasey Michaels

Posted April 26, 2013 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith’s review of What A Lady Needs  (The Redgraves #2) by Kasey Michaels

From USA Today bestselling author Kasey Michaels comes the second book in her captivating series about the Redgraves—four siblings celebrated for their legacy of scandal and seduction…

Lady Katherine Redgrave has one mission—to find her deceased father’s journals, which may hold the key to a traitorous conspiracy that puts Kate’s family in danger. Kate vows to let no obstacle stand in her way . . . but when she meets Simon Ravenbill, Marquis of Singleton, her attention is diverted as the sinfully handsome nobleman tempts her beyond reason.

Simon has a mission of his own: to uncover the truth about the secret society he believes murdered his brother. All he needs is to get to the Redgrave journals before Kate does. The solution is simple—he’ll romance the fiery beauty in hopes of distracting her from her quest, all while covertly searching for the diaries himself. Yet what begins as a charade soon becomes an all-consuming desire . . . one that could lead them down the most dangerous path of all.

 
It’s probably not as popular today as it once was, but celebrating family heritage, knowing the roots of one’s heritage and those who have come before — all that was really important when I was growing up.  My Kentucky grandmother always counseled me to ” . . . never forget who your people are.”  And I took that seriously.  In the years I was teaching school, I was appalled at how few of my students really know anything at all about their family, where they came from, their ethnic heritage, their countries of origin, etc.  That was always important to me and still is.  And in this second novel in this historical series, it’s vitally important to the main characters whose fathers were drawn into a society that capitalized on pandering to the darkest desires of its members, all in the pursuit of pleasure, of extreme hedonism, and in achieving their greatest ambitions of power wealth.  Now the hero and heroine are thrown together as each search for the journals that were required of all members and which have been hidden by one of its past leaders.  Members are dying, making it even harder to follow leads and make sense out of clues.  Add in the intrepid grandmother, wife of the founder of this society, and you have a cast of characters, some of whom are left from novel one, that will make this a truly fine mystery all mixed up with a sizzling romance.
I also find it fascinating at how those who are bent on expressing their sexuality in spite of the iron-clad social boundaries and the prohibitions against involvement sexually by young ladies of good reputation with men who society allows to live openly and freely as rakes.  Perhaps the the lure of historical romance as most of us are intrigued at how inventive and creative some of these characters are at getting around society’s rules while engaging in some pretty raw and raucous affairs of heart and body.  Yet there is a sense of honor about these characters here–wanting to put away the threat to one’s family while recognizing that one’s love interest  could make for additional problems.  It’s all snarled up together and makes for really fun reading.  I have to admit that the grandmother is one of my favorite characters, “sticking it to” polite society in general and yet who is so deeply lonely, fearful of allowing her life to become entangled long-term after being scalded by the blatant disregard of her husband and son.  It’s all that is truly fine in historical romance fiction and a book that  I really loved reading.
I recommend that you read both the books in this series and appreciate the fine writing of an author who seems to know how to put a good story together and base it in the realities of this historical period.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

The Series:

Book Cover Book Cover

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Harlequin HQN. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.


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