I enjoyed the author's first book CAPTAIN OF ALL PLEASURES and looked forward to reading this story. For some reason her hero, Grant Sutherland kept bringing to mind Damien Knight (without the shell-shock) from Gaelen Foley's LORD OF ICE (one of my fave books) in that both were stiff, formal men ruled by a strict code of honor. Honor that is sorely tested by an unconventional, high spirited young woman - in this case castaway Victoria Dearbourne.

Second son Grant Sutherland has been a sea captain as well as acting as a stand-in for his elder brother Derek, the Earl of Stanhope, managing his estates for four years until his brother took up his responsibilities. That experience has made Grant yearn for lands of his own, so when the elderly and heir-less Earl of Belmont offers his estate in payment for Grant leading an expedition to locate his long lost granddaughter, Grant accepts his offer. Victoria, her parents and governess Camellia Scott were lost eight years ago in a shipwreck in the South Pacific. Grant is determined to find her and bring her home and claim his reward in due time. When he finally finds her, she is determined not to be caught (she doesn't know his true motives, now does she?) and, until she can figure it out, she leads him on a merry chase across the island eluding and frustrating him.

Tori and her companion Cammie have survived by their wits for years and they do not trust this invasion of men into their isolated world. Men have come to the island before after all, and not with the most honorable intentions. While trying to decide whether to trust these newcomers or not, Tori sends them on a wild goose chase all over the island until Sutherland finally finds her and convinces her to come home with him. On the journey home, Grant fights his attraction to her in the face of her determination to woo him! But he's not made of stone and so he eventually gives in to his attraction to her considerable charms. But Tori is having some difficulty adjusting to the restrictive life of a proper young Englishwoman and soon learns that she is not the biddable, proper kind of woman that Grant plans to take to wife. She feels utterly betrayed and decides to move on with her life without Grant. And eventhough all his friends and family think he is an idiot, he sticks to his conviction that Tori is not right for him. But when the truth finally sinks in, can he win her back?

A nice story of opposites attracting and of a hero who has to finally set aside some long-held beliefs for love. And Cammie has her own story line that will satisfy readers after all her suffering and adjustment to a proper life in England. Nicole and Derek from COAP return in supporting roles here and wayward cousin Ian Traywick is introduced and will surely star in the author's next story. An enjoyable read that I recommend to those looking for a good adventure story and for a couple that really has to work to be together. Can't wait for Ian's story!

Having read the two prior novellas introducing the Morgan brothers I was looking forward to reading about eldest Tag who has reluctantly inherited everything when their abusive father dies. As those who've read Jace's and Austin's stories know, the four Morgan brothers had a difficult time growing up and all left home as soon as they could, never looking back. But eldest Tag has been given the task of settling the estate, though all he really wants to do is get back to the dig in Mexico on which he is an anthropologist. But he discovers something he never expected in that his father had, in his last few years, purchased property in Scotland and had carried on a long distance correspondence with the property manager, one Maura Sinclair. Tag reads the letters and becomes intrigued with this Maura and her obvious admiration and respect for his father (is this the same man he grew up with?). He's fascinated by her and so the next thing he knows he's traveled to the Highlands in the dead of winter intent on meeting Maura and investigating the property.

Maura was born and raised in Ballantrae Castle and, though it's practically falling down around her ears, she's determined to stay and refurbish it. But her American partner, Taggart Morgan has died and his steady stream of cash has dried up. She's tried bank loans and been turned down and now must face contacting Morgan's heirs to plead for their help. But first she must survive being stranded in a snowstorm with an American stranger on a snowy Highland mountain road. They engage in an uncharacteristic (for both of them), no names exchanged, passionate one night stand that neither can forget. What a shock when her stranger arrives at Ballantrae claiming to be the new owner!

But from there the story sort of lost me a bit. I have to agree with Janine Allen's review in that from here on out it's just a steady stream of inner thoughts and reflections, sexual encounters, and not a whole lot else. There's no real action or serious conflict here nor is there much growth in either of these two people. Ok maybe Tag learns to lighten up a bit, but that's about all. And I'm not sure I bought into their immediate connection after one night of hot sex. Especially when she was on the rebound from just catching her boyfriend in her bed with her best friend! And maybe I missed it, but I don't think there was ever any real understanding of why his father bought the place to begin with, why he seemed to be a different man at the end nor did it seem that Tag finally made peace with him in the end. Anyway an okay, if a bit lackluster story with an angst-ridden hero, a likable heroine and some really nice sex scenes.

I very much enjoyed Lori Wilde's prior Warner release LICENSE TO THRILL (I also recommend her Blaze story PACKED WITH PLEASURE), and while I enjoyed this one, it wasn't quite as terrific as LTT. I found the first few chapters on the slow side, and it took me some time to warm up to Maddie and David (was this a sly wink to the old TV show MOONLIGHTING about bickering but attracted PI's with the same names?). But after about the third or fourth chapter the pace picked up, the chemistry started to build and the adventure took off.

Maddie Cooper has always felt responsible for her twin sister Cassie - especially since a childhood incident nearly left Cassie dead. Maddie has always seen herself as the responsible, levelheaded twin who needs to look out for her flighty, spontaneous twin - much to Cassie's annoyance! In order to prove herself to her overprotective twin, Cassie agrees to assist FBI agent David Marshall in his investigation of her new boyfriend, who, David informs her, is an art thief that David has been after for years. Her job at a museum and relationship with Peyton Shriver will allow David to set him up and finally put him behind bars.

David is driven to catch his thief and will do anything to win - even involve a civilian against his superior's orders. Hey, whatever guilt he may feel will be absolved once Shriver is in prison, right? But when Cassie and Shriver disappear, David is confronted by a furious Maddie who demands to be included in all aspects of the investigation over his strenuous objections and to his extreme annoyance. When it is discovered that their prey have traveled to the Grand Caymans, Maddie insists on accompanying David and so begins a whirlwind, crazy adventure that takes them to Paris, Madrid, Monaco and Venice.

Along the way, Maddie and David bicker, thwart each other and eventually begin to fall for one another. Finally Maddie and David become lovers and partners in this chase with David determined to get his man and Maddie determined to prove her sister's innocence in any of this (innocence she knows David doubts). Is Cassie an innocent hostage or is she a partner in crime? Can two people at such cross-purposes find happiness together - if they survive their adventures?

A fun, light, perfect for summer read. Though it did have a slow start, once the action picked up I enjoyed watching Maddie and David try to outwit each other and try to fight their mutual attraction. Their romance is tumultuous, sexy and in the end, very romantic. If you like a story that may not be totally realistic, but will take you on a wild and crazy ride, this may be for you! I highly recommend it! And BTW, we haven't heard the last of Cassie as she will be getting her own story, surely another wild adventure!

Having read the two prior novellas introducing the Morgan brothers I was looking forward to reading about eldest Tag who's reluctantly inherited everything when their abusive father dies. As those who've read Jace's and Austin's stories know, the four Morgan brothers had a difficult time growing up and all left home as soon as they could, never looking back. But eldest Tag has been given the task of settling the estate, though all he really wants to do is get back to the dig in Mexico on which he is an anthropologist. But he discovers something he never expected in that his father had, in his last few years, purchased property in Scotland and had carried on a long distance correspondence with the property manager, one Maura Sinclair. Tag reads the letters and becomes intrigued with this Maura and her obvious admiration and respect for his father (is this the same man he grew up with?). He's fascinated by her and so the next thing he knows he's traveled to the Highlands in the dead of winter intent on meeting Maura and checking out the property.

Maura was born and raised in Ballantrae castle and, though it's practically falling down around her ears, she's determined to stay and refurbish it. But her American partner, Taggart Morgan has died and his steady stream of cash has dried up. She's tried bank loans and been turned down and now must face contacting Morgan's heirs to plead for their help. But first she must survive being stranded in a snowstorm with an American stranger on a snowy Highland mountain road. They engage in an uncharacteristic, no names exchanged, passionate one night stand that neither can forget. What a shock when the next day her stranger arrives at Ballantrae claiming to be the new owner!

But from there the story sort of lost me a bit. I have to agree with Janine Allen's review in that from here on out it's just a steady stream of inner thoughts and reflections, sexual encounters and not a whole lot else. There's no real action or serious conflict here nor is there much growth in either of these two people. Ok maybe Tag learns to lighten up a bit, but that's about all. And I'm not sure I bought into their immediate connection after one night of hot sex. Especially when she was on the rebound from just catching her boyfriend in her bed with her best friend! And maybe I missed it, but I don't think there was ever any real understanding of why his father bought the place to begin with, why he seemed to be a different man in his last few years, nor did it seem that Tag finally made peace with him in the end. Anyway an okay, if a bit lackluster story with an angst-ridden hero, a likable heroine and some really nice sex scenes.

For me Karen Hawkins is a consistently 3 star author and her stories are always light, amusing, sensual romps with pretty yummy heroes. But I have to say I had a hard time liking Devon. Here's a guy who stumbles onto our heroine (he thinks she's a maid) and pulls her into his bed intent on seduction. But when he learns that she is, in fact, the sister of his host and supposed good friend, it doesn't stop him from continuing to pursue her for a strictly sexual and entirely temporary liaison! Some friend. Bad enough he's the type to tup the help, but the sister of a friend as well? I guess the fact that she is the illegitimate half-sister of his friend makes her fair game?!

Anyway, this story just didn't work for me. Devon, predictably fleeing from the curse of the Talisman Ring, travels to Scotland to visit his friend Viscount Strathmore but of course on the way discovers the ring in his carriage. So in order to avoid the curse (legend says the bearer will meet his true love) he decides to avoid any and all women he is usually attracted to. Kat MacDonald, Strathmore's half-sister lives and works (on her stained glass?!) in her house in the woods with her seven "giants" (a lame play on the Snow White theme). She's not his usual type (delicate, elegant, fashionable) in that she is lush, buxom, independent and she's also been around the block with men like Devon. So he decides she's perfect and he will beat the curse by seducing her. Nice guy, huh? Honestly, though he's charming and sexy, I also found him incredibly selfish and shallow!

Kat has met the likes of Devon St John before and it only brought her humiliation and heartbreak and her family scandal when she fell for a rake whose intentions were never honorable (hmmm, sounds a lot like Devon!). She has no intention of doing so again, but, of course, Devon is dogged in his pursuit and she all too quickly succumbs. How disappointing - I had higher hopes for Kat. And while her brother pretty much knows what's going on, he just lets it - what's up with that? I'm glad that there's only one more book to this series as I think it's getting pretty tired. The secondary storyline about Strathmore's marital problems didn't engage me at all and I really didn't see the point of her "seven giants", as they added nothing to the story. Anyway I would only recommend this for hardcore fans and those, like me, who feel compelled to read all the books in the series (though I sometimes wonder why!).

I'd never read anything by this author before, but the excellent reviews this book kept getting (both here at Amazon and on other review sites) made me want to read it. And I'm glad I did! Though I don't usually read Americana/Western stories, the setting is post-civil war St Louis.

Chase Hardesty is a riverboat pilot who dreams of one day becoming captain of his own boat. It looks like his dream is about to come true when his employer offers him a deal: the captaincy of his newest, top of the line riverboat if Chase will marry his stepdaughter, Ann. Chase is stunned, confused and very tempted to accept. He agrees to meet Ann and discovers that she is obviously pregnant. She begs Chase not to agree to her stepfather's plan and Chase agrees. But later he has a change of heart and so Ann and Chase marry (much to Ann's displeasure).

Ann has been betrayed by men before (including her stepfather and his malevolent son), but had thought that Chase was different. Now married to him, she is reluctant to trust him or confide in him. Given the circumstances, Chase cannot blame her, but feels deep down that he made the right decision for both of them. He is determined to take care of Ann and raise her child as his own (he himself was adopted and raised in a large and loving family). He feels that he cannot yet ask Ann about her pregnancy or who the father is, and on a certain level he feels that it is irrelevant. She's his wife and the child she is carrying will be his. Rather than stay in St Louis under her hated stepfather's roof, she stows away on his boat on a trip upriver. Chase initially intends to send her back to St Louis ASAP, but as the trip progresses, they begin to open up to one another and a tender friendship begins to grow between them.

But on the trip, Chase notices some suspicious behavior on the part of some of his crew and ultimately discovers that someone is using his boat to run guns to the Indians. And while Chase struggles to find out who is responsible, he finds himself implicated and tangled in a web he could not foresee. But Ann has come to know (and love) Chase and staunchly defends her husband. Will Chase and Ann be able to prove Chase's innocence (and who is really behind it all)? Can they live happily ever after once Ann's secrets are revealed? You'll hope so!

I do have a few very minor criticisms. Chase is not the sharpest guy around, but in a way, this is realistic as he was raised on the frontier without a formal education (though he works hard to read and educate himself). And the reader will likely figure out who is the father of Ann's child fairly early on, but it takes Chase almost the entire book (though in fairness, as I mentioned, I don't think it really mattered to him). And it may take some time to warm up to Ann in the beginning, though one can certainly sympathize with her plight. I had no such problem with Chase. He's sweet, kind and earnest, if a bit naive, and I really liked him a lot. An enjoyable read and highly recommended.

It's interesting the difference in reviews for this book. The "professional" review sites love it: Romantic Times 4  stars, All About Romance gave it an A (Desert Island Keeper), A Romance Review 5 stars, Romance Reviews Today Perfect 10 and The Romance Reader 5 stars. But the actual reader reviews are split between "love it" and "disappointed". I'm struggling with how I felt about the book myself. I wasn't disappointed or let down per se, but I wasn't blown away or completely delighted by it either (like I really wanted to be!). I enjoyed it, but it really was pretty much PRIDE AND PREJUDICE revisited as many of the reviews state. Cold, aloof aristocratic gentleman meets unconventional, free-spirited, poor country gentry lass - and is appalled by her! Like most of the readers of this series I've been a bit in love with, and certainly fascinated by Wulfric Bedwyn from his first appearance in A SUMMER TO REMEMBER and all through the "Slightly" series and wondered what kind of woman would thaw his seemingly cold heart.

As the story opens, Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle finds himself uncharacteristically accepting an invitation to a two-week long house party in the country. Having seen all his siblings happily married and settled in life he finds himself adrift and lonely since the death of his mistress several months past. His intuition tells him that this party is a mistake and once he meets unrefined widow Mrs. Christine Derrick, his suspicions are confirmed. She is forever getting herself into unladylike and embarrassing situations and he finds himself constantly coming to her rescue to save her from herself. After each encounter he reminds himself that "Mrs. Derrick simply does not know how to behave" but he finds himself increasingly and reluctantly fascinated by her. They have an uncharacteristic, passionate yet at the same time strangely cold encounter during a ball after which, Wulf asks her to become his mistress. Of course she refuses and their already strained and tumultuous relationship becomes even more so. They part and return to their separate lives but both find it hard forgetting the other.

Wulf finally cracks and invites her family to come to spend the Easter holiday at his family seat, Lindsey Hall - much to his sibling's shock and amusement! There he attempts to get to know her better and for her to get to know him. To see if there is really something strong and lasting between them or if this is simply a bizarre, passing fascination. So, will these opposites find that they have more in common than they thought?

Bottom line, I enjoyed the story, but it did feel familiar. My biggest criticism is that I didn't feel that I knew Wulf all that much better by the end of the story. And I did find some of Christine's antics as embarrassing as Wulf did. I also did not find as much chemistry between Wulf and Christine as I would have liked. But it did do a nice job of wrapping up the series as we again visit with the full Bedwyn clan along with their various spouses and offspring. This is not a great book, especially given the hype (not to mention the cynical and greedy issuing of this in hardcover first!), but it was enjoyable for me and I still recommend it, though looking back, I wish I'd waited for the paperback.

This is my second book by this author, my first being the enjoyable HE SAID NO which came out in February. This is actually the fourth in the Gentleman's Club series which started with short story LOVE LETTERS (from anthology CUPID CALLING), then continued in HE SAID YES and concluding with HE SAID NEVER coming this fall. The series follows five titled friends in 1860's England and their various adventures in love.

William Fitch Minstead, the Earl of Ackerman has just received some shocking news. He apparently fathered a child he never knew about, the result of an affair 10 years before when he was a young military man about to ship out to the Crimea. The feisty yet alluring Miss Hilary Compton who has been acting as the child's guardian since the death of her mother delivers the news. Fitch decides to meet and see this little girl for himself and travels to Miss Compton's home in Nottingham to see her for himself. One look at little Lizzie confirms his parentage, as she is the image of his late mother. Fitch is determined to be a part of his daughter's life and proposes a surprising arrangement: that he and Miss Compton marry so that Fitch can then adopt Lizzie as his daughter. But Fitch makes it clear he wants more than the usual marriage of convenience. He expects her to be his wife in every way, including providing him with an heir.

When Hilary undertook her mission to inform the earl of his child, she had fully expected him to be a rake and a scoundrel uninterested in his child. Instead, she finds him to be kind, warm, witty and all too willing to have Lizzie in his life. She has noted the attraction that swirls between them and wonders if a real marriage is possible. She agrees to his proposal and soon finds herself in London, the new countess of Ackerman! But as the days and weeks pass, her early optimism for a happy marriage begins to dim as Fitch persists in keeping a part of himself from her. She knows his withdrawal has something to do with his war experiences, but he adamantly refuses to discuss it with her. Her attempts to get closer to him just seem to make things worse until she begins to wonder if he wanted a real wife afterall. Or did he just marry her to get his daughter and the rest was all talk? As for Fitch, he wonders why Hilary can't just leave well enough alone. She's got his protection, his name and his daughter - what more can she possibly want from him?

I really enjoyed this story and I liked Fitch a lot! His relationship with his daughter was very cute and sweet and his relationship with Hilary was sensual and poignant. I liked Hilary, but felt she pushed Fitch too hard too fast to share things with her he felt he could not. But all in all a nice story that I recommend to others. I'm looking forward to the next book which will be the rascally Viscount Rathbone's story.

OK, there are some pretty unbelievable aspects to this book, but if you can get past those, you'll find a really enjoyable read. Not as LOL funny as her prior books KNOCK ME OFF MY FEET and TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, this is really more sweet and poignant and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Charlotte Tasker is a widow of eighteen months trying to keep her little family together without their much-loved dad. Her two children, Matt and Henrietta ("Hank") are dealing with their dad's death in very different ways. Charlotte loved her husband, but their sex life was never "all that". Charlotte has never forgotten the man she had an anonymous tryst with 13 years ago before marrying and it was the best sex of her life. In her loneliness, she still fantasizes about her dark stranger all these years later.

Joe Bellacera never forgot the sweet and passionate redhead he foolishly let walk away from him 13 years ago. He searched for her in vain and life moved on. Now he is a DEA agent with a price on his head. Until he can testify against a dangerous drug lord who has offered one million dollars for Joe's head, he will have to lay low in middle America under an assumed name and pretending to be a mystery writer. He finds himself in suburban Minton, Ohio but when he gets a good look at the woman living right next door he is stunned to see "the one that got away"!

Joe tries desperately to stay away from her and her kids fearing that getting involved with them will endanger them - he's still haunted by the murders of his partner and his partner's wife and young son. But staying away is easier said than done and Joe is unable resist seeking out Charlotte and enjoying spending time with her kids. They're everything he wants in his life and he decides to take a chance and grab for happiness. But will they be safe with Joe in their life?

I just adored Joe! He was so sweet and funny and kind. Ms Donovan really has a flair for creating characters that are believable and that you can imagine coming across in real life. The kids were also terrific characters, especially the adorably irrepressible Hank. The only thing I did not care for was her "erotic poetry" - I found it awful, cringe inducing and after the first one or two I stopped reading them - ugh! But Charlotte and Joe are a really great couple and, add in the kids and you get a really sweet family. Another recommended read from Susan Donovan. Can't wait for the next one!

Ms Holly has recently been reissuing several of her earlier erotic stories, beginning with the terrific PERSONAL ASSETS. I decided to check out this story as well, but I must say that I did not enjoy this one nearly as much as I did PA. I'm no puritan, but I think casual sex can be taken too far! One of the things I liked best about PERSONAL ASSETS was the relationship within each of the couples and the fact that there were feelings involved along with the sex. But here I found next to no romance - just lots of gratuitous, incredibly casual sex under the guise of a woman "exploring her sexuality".

The book started out great! Jaded Storm Dupre is a hot, sexy LA-based chef looking for a fresh start and new challenges. A help-wanted ad for a chef to work in a small Cape Cod inn grabs his attention and soon he has uprooted his life and moved across the country intent on eventually buying out the inn's owner. She is Abby Coates who is hanging onto the inn by a thread. She hopes that the additional business a hotshot new chef will bring in will allow her to get the inn back on firm financial footing. Abby has just ended her relationship with a longtime boyfriend with whom she had a less than satisfactory sex life. Of course she and Storm are immediately attracted and she finds that sex with Storm has opened her eyes to lots of possibilities. Unfortunately, from there things went downhill for me, as Abby proceeds to have sex with just about everyone in town! Meanwhile the love-em-and-leave-em Storm begins to fall hard for her.

But I have to say that toward the end I really disliked Abby (...)! On the flip side, I began to like Storm more and more. I would have liked this book much more if it had concentrated on Abby and Storm as a couple rather than Abby's sexual exploits. And in the end, I have to say that I had no faith that their relationship would survive. But that's just me. For those who like erotica for it's own sake, this story may work. It didn't for me.