Flawless indeed! This was everything I needed and wanted. Hilarious, smart, witty, sweet, emotional, sexy, yummy,As the book title itself says: [image]
Flawless indeed! This was everything I needed and wanted. Hilarious, smart, witty, sweet, emotional, sexy, yummy, angsty, steamy, fluffy good times. I can't even label this as light fluff. The hero is a professional bull rider. Need I say more? This is my first Elsie Silver book and it won't be my last. Her writing and characters are stunning. So much heart and depth. If grumpy alpha heroes with soft vulnerable underbellies and filthy mouths and filthier imaginations are your thing, give this a go. Rhett and Summer were insanely sweet and the sex scenes were fucking hot as hell. ❤️...more
(This review has been sitting in my drafts for a month. Excuse the excessive word vomit.)
4.75 stars [image] This was a rollercoaster of emotions, highs (This review has been sitting in my drafts for a month. Excuse the excessive word vomit.)
4.75 stars [image] This was a rollercoaster of emotions, highs and lows and everything in between. I'm a little conflicted on the rating. This was almost perfect but the constant up and down and the last leg of it annoyed me a little too much and another example of why some books absolutely do not need to be nearly 600 pages. Lucy Score's writing is insanely good and so addictive and this is probably one of the best enemies to lovers office romance CR books I've read. "Maleficent" Ally and "Charming" Dominic butting heads was the absolute highlight for me (seriously points to Score for the clever snarky nicknames that morph into endearments ...more
Really sexy, hot, and sweet. Easily my favorite of this trilogy so far and much better than Book 1. I would very much bend over for Professo4.75 stars
Really sexy, hot, and sweet. Easily my favorite of this trilogy so far and much better than Book 1. I would very much bend over for Professor Dawson while he whispers dirty things in my ear. Good gawd. ...more
I was in a shit mood after a shit night’s sleep. Both of which I blamed on Naomi “Flowers in her Fucking Hair” Witt.
Adorable, funny, engag
I was in a shit mood after a shit night’s sleep. Both of which I blamed on Naomi “Flowers in her Fucking Hair” Witt.
Adorable, funny, engaging CR read that reminded me a lot of Susan Elizabeth Phillips in her prime. The grouchy asshole hero with a soft protective underbelly, the runaway bride heroine ending up stuck in a small town and saddled with a 10 year old niece she didn't even know existed. Naomi the good twin and Knox the grouchy next door neighbor with the permanent scowl just made for a recipe of yummy fun. I just adored these two butting heads and seeing a giant man in both presence and personality crumble to his knees for the heroine with a "fancy vocabulary". The grumpy "Viking" and sunshine "Daisy" made for a great team.
If you are a fan of SEP, I recommend this. It had that old school CR vibe that I love in both emotions and angst and conflict. My only hang up for why this didn't reach that 5 star status is I wish the second half lived up to the excitement and pacing as the first half. The breakup and aftermath just dragged on for a little too long for my liking. Also kind of bummed and irked that the hero's brother Nash is getting paired up with his brother's ex. ...more
Leave it to a novella to get me out of my 2 month reading slump. I had no idea this was even a novella until I opened it on my kindle. But this was 56 Leave it to a novella to get me out of my 2 month reading slump. I had no idea this was even a novella until I opened it on my kindle. But this was 56 pages of delight and everything I've been looking for lately. Mary Jo Putney did a wonderful job with her own spin on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. I thought both hero and heroine were unique with so much heart and depth. A recluse hero who has an aviary and takes in stray animals who are disfigured or deemed "ugly". MY HEART YOU GUYS. (view spoiler)[ My very first hero who is bald! I thought that was an interesting bold twist on a disfigured "Beast" hero. (hide spoiler)]. The angst ugh! *chef's kiss* I adored James and Ariel so so much and I really wish this was longer. Like 20 pages longer, or 50 or 100. Whichever. I just wanted more time with them and that's a high compliment to the story. When you are sad it's over you know it's a good one. Read it!...more
Mythical Zootopia meets Erotica. That's pretty much the best way I can describe this. A bull fucking a human is not something I usually go f4.5 stars
Mythical Zootopia meets Erotica. That's pretty much the best way I can describe this. A bull fucking a human is not something I usually go for but it oddly worked here. This was honestly very sweet, cute and surprisingly hot? I feel weird even saying that. lol I really didn't think the author could pull it off but pull it off she did. I could not put this down. There's definitely some kinks here, some that even maybe went over my head (I'm new at this monster romance thing) but it was hot. Our heroine loves her some thick fat cock. ...more
I put my hands at the side of her face, pushing back her hair so I can see her eyes clearly. “There ye are, darlin’.” “Here I am,” she says, s
I put my hands at the side of her face, pushing back her hair so I can see her eyes clearly. “There ye are, darlin’.” “Here I am,” she says, smiling sweetly at me.
This really should be a 3 stars given how things faltered in the last leg of it for me with some questionable moments but I'm rounding it up because the writing is good and the characters were wonderful. The romance is very dear. This is my first Karina Halle book and it certainly won't be my last. I already have A Nordic King on my TBR, I didn't even realize this was written by the same author. The whole traveling across the Atlantic to find yourself was right up my alley and Dublin, Ireland no less.
This had a lot of things going for it that made it hard for me to put down. The heroine Valerie is a curvy size 12 and not ashamed of it. She has a limp from a childhood accident where she had to learn to walk again and has raised scars all over her legs because of the countless surgeries. Valerie ends up joining her 2 hilariously fun sisters on a trip to Ireland on a spur of the moment after an awful break up with her fiance in New York and getting laid off from her journalism job right before New Years. Her NYE resolution is to say "yes to new adventures" and it certainly pays off when she gathers up the courage to go up to a towering gorgeous brooding stranger sitting alone at a pub. Who happens to be a famous Irish athlete, Padraig McCarthy. What starts off as two lost souls finding comfort in each other on a night of adventure turns into an offer of fake engagement to convince his ailing father back home in Shambles that he has found love and will be ok after he's gone. This book kept surprising me and in good ways. This is why I tend to not re-read blurbs before I start a book from my TBR because I like to go in and be surprised and it paid off here.
While dealing with dark themes this very much had a lovely humorous feel to it as well. Padraig and his Nan Agnes who runs their family's B&B are hilarious together with her blunt tongue and wooden spoon waving. I loved her! And their permanent B&B resident "Mr. Major" who lives in the hotel and can't hear shit. lol The Irish humor is great and didn't feel artificial or stereotypical (but I'm not Irish so I could be entirely wrong). Whenever Padraig would start with the "darlin" endearment my knees would turn to jelly. Padraig is a big old yummy teddy bear and book boyfriend material. I loved that he loved Val's curves. A 6'4 Irishman built like a tank and knows how to use his big dick. I wasn't expecting how naughty he was with that filthy mouth of his. It's always the quiet ones. lmao. ...more
What I loved: -Set in the Highlands with a small town vibe. -Two adorable little kids Edilah and Lewis who are scene stealers. Little Eidila4.5 stars
What I loved: -Set in the Highlands with a small town vibe. -Two adorable little kids Edilah and Lewis who are scene stealers. Little Eidilah is a hoot. -Yummy gruff Scottish widower who is a wonderful papa bear and uses the endearment mo leannan with the heroine. Ugh so sexy. -The age gap. The slow burn. The sexual tension. The angst. The heavy backstories. -Grumpy/Sunshine trope. Yes please. -A heroine who loves her Historical Romance books and the hero indulges her by acting out a sex scene (it was fucking hot and so sweet how curious he was). -Free spirited "reckless" heroine who everyone around her misjudged, mislabeled and underestimated proving everyone wrong. Underdog character tropes likes this are catnip for me. I just love it so much. Regan finding her voice and finally knowing her worth was great to see. -Regan and Robyn's sisterly bond. Loved how protective and loving these two were of each other. -The family dynamic in the Adair family and how close knit and protective they are. -I liked that the big age difference was used as a source of contention. It felt very realistic considering the hero is a 38 year old with 2 kids and the heroine is 25. Asking a younger woman who is not native to Scotland to give up her whole life in the States and become a stepmother is a lot to ask. Yeah it got frustrating how hard headed the hero was but it made for some great angst.
What I didn't love: -The heroine Regan's severe insecurity and low self esteem issues to the point she crumbles into a puddle of tears whenever she's upset or hurt was a problem for me. Because it happens a lot. I have no issue with insecure characters but when it happens so much in the story over and over again then I take issue. I really wish Regan took her sister's words to heart about seeking therapy. It was really unsettling and unhealthy how this woman latched onto things and would lash out whenever things didn't go her way to the point she came off a little unreasonable and at worst selfish at times. Ex: 1. Her reaction to the picture of Thane's late wife by his bedside. 2. How she lashed out at him for saying no to sex after she told him about her sexual assault. 3. How territorial she got over the kids when Thane wanted to breakup are a few moments that come to mind. They aren't your kids boo boo, you are the nanny. [image] She was not good at processing things which is fine but I needed more emotional growth and self-awareness. I give her credit for realizing how unreasonable she is but it wasn't enough. Her constant pattern of realizing she made a mistake but keep doing the same thing with the same results was disappointing and tiring the longer it continued and hurt the overall rating for me. Your hero having to constantly appease the crying heroine cause she wants sex is kinda off putting to say the least. It made me uncomfortable to be honest. I understand Young wanted to show how insecure Regan is but she came off emotionally manipulative at times. I liked her but she really frustrated me.
-Regan's mother is a fucking awful human being who should be shoved into a box and carted to Hades. Seriously. Slut shaming your daughter in front of everyone during a family dinner is not love or "wounded pride", it's abuse. Full stop. Wounded pride over what exactly? That's your child. Why this woman was forgiven or excused for her behavior is absolutely insane to me. I'm not sure what Samantha Young was trying to show with this but it left a seriously bad taste in my mouth. Calling your daughter a slut is not simply being "harsh" with your words. Harsh? Give me a fucking break. I needed somebody besides Regan herself to tell this woman off. Regan deserves a better mother and a forced apology and puppy dog eyes wasn't enough for this reader.
-Similar to my first point, didn't love how desperate and pushy Regan was for Thane's love. I'm never a fan of "I know you want me" cringey line especially in this kind context when it's a parent and a nanny situation. It's bad optics for me. I needed the heroine to respect the hero's boundaries a little more especially considering he's her boss and not get upset when she wouldn't get her way. I also would have loved to actually see her try to move on for a bit instead of that nonsense party drama near the end, it felt like unnecessary padding with that stupid clingy actress. Also, jealous growly Thane is a sight to behold thank you very much.
-The stalker showdown. (view spoiler)[ I got the heightened drama I wanted for sure and it gave me the last minute suspense I was hoping to get in the last 10%. But it played out like bad corny fanfic for me. The villain's whole "plan" to lure the heroine out felt so farfetched and nonsensical considering he had to fly across a damn ocean and evade the police to track her down. Regan rescuing herself was great but Austin felt very much like a cartoon villain for me. (hide spoiler)]
Seriously, this was very close to a 5 star for me but I kept wishing certain things played out a little differently. But overall, really great read. It takes a lot to surprise me at this point and this book definitely kept throwing surprises at me, in a good way. I loved how emotionally cutting and deep this felt. Young's writing felt so layered and meaningful. From Thane's trauma over losing his wife and their marital issues to Regan fighting her own personal demons but never losing her sweetness and fearlessness. Thane and Regan and those adorable babies made it hard to put my kindle down. While I wish I read Book 1 first this won't be my last Adair Family book. I hope Samantha Young gives us more beyond Mac's story. I would also love to get the middle brother's story, bad boy movie star Brandon. You cannot tell me he's the Scottish version of Chris Evans and just leave it there. ...more
I wonder if I had read this before Hook Line & Sinker would my feelings be a little different. I knew this might be a mistake to read so close after fI wonder if I had read this before Hook Line & Sinker would my feelings be a little different. I knew this might be a mistake to read so close after finishing Bailey's newest release considering the very similar tropes used but since I was on the waitlist for this for 3 months from my library I couldn't pass it up when my hold came up. I ended up enjoying this but some things I didn't necessarily love. The heroine's childhood crush/hero worship for the hero for one. I usually don't mind unrequited love between friends but the baby sister factor bugged me considering how young and naive Georgie acted and adamant she's been in love with him since she was 13. I kept wishing there wasn't an established history between Georgie and Travis while reading this. I don't know why but I didn't like it. I felt Georgie was too stuck in her adolescent past with how she viewed Travis, how she dressed, how she viewed the world, etc. She's definitely quirky and cute but at times it felt childishly awkward and clueless rather than charming. The other issue I had was Georgie's profession of a clown took some getting used to. She's a professional Clown for kids at birthday parties. Maybe it's an untapped phobia of mine I wasn't aware of but clowns are not cute, funny or sexy to me. No Ma'am. Especially when the hero is flirting with her and wanting to kiss her while she's in her Bozo get up, wig, nose and makeup and all. The visual in my head wasn't cute and the second hand embarrassment was real. If that makes me a Clown snob so bet it. But I did love how she loved kids and so comfortable around them. I also wished Georgie worked up the courage herself to stand up to her family who never take her seriously. What kind of family talks to a 23 year old like she's still 12? I hated her brother and the whole "let the grownups talk" bullshit from her father. The fact that the moment to set them straight was given to Travis so it justified Georgie's hero worship spoke volumes. I wasn't a fan of her family at all but Georgie seemed to enable the behavior from them and the whole town treating her like a child and I found it frustrating and so passive. Also, you dress like you are still stuck in high school and are a clown for a living and wonder why nobody takes you seriously?
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Honestly the clown thing was weird for me because it stemmed from "laugh at my own expense since nobody treats me like an adult". She couldn't seem to give herself enough credit for anything she does.
Ironically this book gave me everything I wanted in the steam department that I was hoping to get in HL&S but the couple and emotional beats were stronger in HLS than this one. Bailey really knows how to make your eyes go cross with the dirty talk and this was definitely 5 out of 5 in the steam department. But even so, some of the things Travis would say came off a little lopsided for me. “Punching that V card” and “introduce you to G-d” made me wince. It just gave me dated 90’s CR macho hero vibes. Travis gave Susan Elizabeth Phillips' macho alphas a run for their money. And good lord the man has a filthy mouth. Yeah it was a bit much at times but I loved it as well. :P But the great thing about it was he was a total macho alpha but he wasn't mean. I was expecting to hate Travis but I didn't since he was so obsessed and smitten by Georgie and not wanting to let her go. So I was kinda pleasantly surprised the conflict at the end wasn't him fucking up intentionally to push her away but a simple misunderstanding. Cause there's nothing I love more than a panicked hero having to be physically held back when he thinks he lost the heroine. Ugh YES. Which is why I couldn't bring myself to rate this lower. While I didn't love this couple, it was still very enjoyable. It was sweet and the sex was steamy hot. ...more
I won’t mince words: it offends me that you are so committed to your first impression of me, while my impression of you has not stopped evolvi
I won’t mince words: it offends me that you are so committed to your first impression of me, while my impression of you has not stopped evolving.
Really cute modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice with a colorful mix of characters to make up Liz Bennett's found family. Vanessa King did a great job putting her own spin on the classic story while keeping the bones of the much beloved source material. Darcy's letter? *clutches heart* Yes. This is set in the Burlesque world and as much as I loved that I do wish the last 20% wasn't heavily focused on all the club drama and ins and outs of interior design and what not. P&P is obviously a slow burn much as it is here, but I felt at times the romance took a bit of a back seat to Bennet's BFF Jane's love woes and their burlesque club drama. It does get a bit long winded in some parts with the meticulous detailing in stage performances and the heroine juggling between her day job, burlesque shows on the weekends and her passion for interior design. You can really feel the author's own heart and passion in the writing with her background in the Burlesque world and it shows here. The writing is very strong with the feminist theme that is very loud (which does tip to the preachy side at times for me personally). King's hand at cheeky humor is charming and hilarious without trying hard. For her debut novel this is impressive.
“So this is your opinion of me?” he says, the words coated with bitterness. We are so, so close. His focus lands on my lips. My face is on fire. “Forgive me, then,” he says, eyes still low on my face. “For wasting so much of your time.”
This pretty much follows the original plot and even nice nods in the dialogue as well which had me grinning ear to ear. This is a nice easy read with no deviation or ugly surprises for those who are diehard P&P fans. This was a really fun romp and I recommend it!
His name stirs the anxious new breed of butterflies twitching in my midsection. Darcy hornimus, if I had to classify them.
I trace the five letters above his signature. I’ve been wrong about so much. And I couldn’t be happier about it.
Really enjoyed this and it would have been a 5 star (I had the glowing review written in my head) if it wasn't for that abrupt underwhelming 4.5 stars
Really enjoyed this and it would have been a 5 star (I had the glowing review written in my head) if it wasn't for that abrupt underwhelming ending. Mind you I don't normally deduct stars just for an ending especially when I'm enjoying a book a lot--actually yes I do, I take that back lol-- but the ending here fell short. I really thought the hero should have been the one to make the final *grand gesture* and apology, not the heroine. Or at least both apologizing not just her. Let me be clear since my rambling is gonna make it seem like he did something catastrophic that needed epic groveling, no. It's a fight with heated words but it's a very vulnerable emotional moment where the hero Rafe's deep trauma and how he copes with it is revealed. He doesn't handle it well when she catches him and shows his claws so to speak to push her away. But the fact that he didn't even utter an "I'm sorry" after the fact when they reconcile was kind of lame and OOC for him. There are very few times where I would say this and at the risk of sounding presumptuous to even imply I know better than the author (I don't) but I feel like JA played that last beat wrong with who needed to do the groveling. Through the whole story we see Ella opening up to Rafe and making headway in facing her fears and deep anxiety issues while Rafe bottles up his trauma and not wanting to open up to her. So yes, Rafe needed to pull up his big boy pants and realize it was his turn to face his fears and let Ella in. Having your heroine who has done most of the emotional leg work in the relationship apologize made no sense to me. I did not see Ella "running scared" during their fight, at least that's not how it translated in that scene for me. She stood her ground and tried to get him let her in and wanted to help him until Rafe bulldozed right over her to get her to leave. That to me is not running scared or giving up at all. Rafe was the one who gave up by pushing her away. Like...how else was that break up scene supposed to be interpreted? And I was especially annoyed that we had another character have to tell the heroine how she messed up and reacted wrong (in case the readers were not picking up on it ...more
This was cute, not as strong as the first book but still enjoyed it. I loved Hannah and Fox and thought they were adorable. The vulnerabilit3.75 stars
This was cute, not as strong as the first book but still enjoyed it. I loved Hannah and Fox and thought they were adorable. The vulnerability and yearning from a jaded hero like Fox was really sweet to see and kind of surprising. I just loved how crazy he was about Hannah and trying to tamp it down. I mean buying the record player cause he misses her? Stop it. My heart. I loved the opening scene of the text messages between these two, you really get a good feel of how their friendship slowly built up into something more from the first book. So the pining really held weight in this book. Just wish we got a little more time with them together together. Which is where I felt this book fell short on, the hero and heroine getting to enjoy each other while dealing with angst/conflict like we got to see happen in Book 1. Here it was all about slow build up, tension, bottled up feelings, assumptions and holding entirely back for the majority of the story. The constant friend zoning was hard. Feelings are shared overtime which was great but acting on them takes a long while. Why I'm struggling to rate this is because while my investment in this couple was 100% there, the story they got left me wanting overall.
This started off really strong but for some reason Bailey decided to rely heavily on the internal conflict of the hero's insecurities as the driving force for holding back for far too long. It started to get repetitive how hard and how much Fox was beating himself up over his playboy reputation and how nobody took him seriously and how he doesn't deserve to be with Hannah. There's a loooot of repetition going on in here. So much so it got in the way of my enjoyment TBH. He cared way too much about what other people thought about him that it got a bit frustrating the longer it went on. Because all it took was for him to tell people to fuck off and mind their own business to solve that--seriously just one conversation was all it took--but instead we get 300 pages of him laughing it off, swallowing it and being insecure to the point he wants to break things off with Hannah the minute someone questions his intentions. I just seriously didn't understand why he couldn't just TELL everyone to mind their own business and he didn't like the ribbing and objectifying? Like.......why? Cause I'm pretty sure they would have listened and respected his wishes (spoiler alert: they did). You're a grown man of 31 you can't tell your crewmen you don't like the wise cracking about your sex life? I love Fox and his internal struggles made me want to give him a big hug but even so, I needed him to pull up his big boy pants and just speak up. Also, for an insatiable playboy who went through women like napkins why in the world did we only get 2 rushed sex scenes in this???? I don't mean to sound greedy but this felt like a lot more telling than showing. I appreciated the slow burn but good lord compared to Piper and Brendan's book, Fox felt very PG in comparison which felt like a huge missed opportunity. (view spoiler)[For their first sex scene to happen in a car felt kind of underwhelming and really rushed for this reader. I wanted more than that given how long it took to get there. (hide spoiler)] I understand wanting your couple to connect emotionally and trust each other first but couldn't they do that while being intimate as well? I didn't understand why it needed to be all held back for so long. Especially when it was alluded that all the fun naughty bits happened off the page. <_< Really Bailey? How rude. Hmmph. I cannot tell you how much that drives me insane. There's nothing I hate more than having your characters summarize the sexy naughty times that happened off the page especially given all the build up and sexual tension readers have to sit through. Like...seriously? It's pointless.
But aside from my hang ups, this was cute. That epilogue was really adorable and perfect wrap up to this duology. I was grinning from ear to ear. I'm gonna miss the Bellinger sisters and their yummy men. I'll definitely be trying some of Tessa Bailey's backlist. Her knack at humor is just flawless and love her style of dirty talk.
ETA: Ok that bonus chapter Tessa sent out in her Newsletter? ...more
This was adorable. I honestly was worried a bit because the first 30% didn't look promising but in Elisa Braden fashion she spun her magic and [image]
This was adorable. I honestly was worried a bit because the first 30% didn't look promising but in Elisa Braden fashion she spun her magic and suddenly the story and characters became so dear. Worth the hype and so happy I have another Elisa Braden book to add to my favorites. While Jane and Harrison are still my top favorite, these two certainly were a delight as well. You would think such extreme opposites like Benedict and Charlotte would never work on paper but yet Braden really knows how to make opposites connect, attract and fit in ways that makes you never question it. Both become so needed and integral to each other, it was really sweet to see that slow unfurling. The hesitant friendship, the trust, the vulnerability, the yearning. My Achilles heel is lonely characters finding their home in someone. When two lonely souls find their person and comfort in each other it's so satisfying to see. That cerebral connection of I see you, I understand you is probably the most gratifying part and what this author is so so good at.
Charlotte Lancaster, the transplanted tall American heiress with gangly arms and interest in business wanting to just fit in somewhere and be loved and accepted was so sweet and heartbreaking. I loved her intelligence, her wit, her kindness, her openness and honesty. She suffers no fools and has a blunt tongue which made for some hilarious moments. She's had no luck for 5 years on the marriage market in England and been ostracized for her towering height, ginger coloring and blunt American ways and she's prone to clumsy mishaps that gave her an embarrassing nickname among the snobby ton (I actually found her clumsiness charming). Benedict Chatham for his part is every bit the roguish playboy rake who has done many questionable not nice things and coping by self-medicating with alcohol for years. Someone correct me on this but I believe he was also involved in that ugly prank against the heroine Jane in Book 2 The Truth About Cads and Dukes no? So his reputation is very sullied. His childhood was heartbreakingly awful and that mother of his is a real piece of work. As much as I hate the much abused "no one ever loved me" character hang up, here I really felt and understood the hero's loneliness and yearning for the heroine to love him and not leave him. His fear of rejection carried weight and hangs over him like a cloud. To see a cynical rake just want his wife to love him and actively try to make her happy was really sweet and endearing. Braden did a great job showing this anti-hero come into his own and transform from a destructive, emaciated, alcoholic rogue to a healthy man of the land learning new things about himself along the way. I loved that we got the hero and heroine working side by side in restoring his family's country estate which is in near ruins. It tickled me how Charlotte tackled it with gusto and excited about learning new farming techniques and repairs and wanting to share her knowledge with the hero. These two were very much a pleasant surprise for me.
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This is a Rake vs Wallflower trope but also so much more. The special moments sprinkled throughout and discovery of feelings along the way is why Braden's writing is so addictive and magical. I've never loved the meaning behind a silver flask more and it's just those kind of special details I look for and devour in my reads. It reminded me of Lisa Kleypas's hand with the sentimental meaning behind objects that plays a role in the romance. The way those moments build up to be revealed near the end? It's just *chef's kiss*....more
His forehead met the cool surface, the torment of longing and sorrow and regret devouring him until he wanted to
*5 Can we do it again?! Stars*
His forehead met the cool surface, the torment of longing and sorrow and regret devouring him until he wanted to tear his entire house to pieces. “Jane,” he whispered, the word almost a prayer. My Jane. My love.
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Why is it that whenever I hated a book I have no problem blabbering away and dissecting the book to bits but when I loved a book I'm tongue tied? What is this ceaseless curse?
This was my first Elisa Braden book and it certainly will not be my last. No sirree. This gave me all the feels and hit all my happy buttons. It was a slow start as the first 50 pages was a struggle to get through. I just didn't care about the wager/prank fiasco and how easily the naive heroine was duped into it by the hero's younger rakehell brother Colin, who she seemed to befriend overnight and out of nowhere. That and the jumping around in timeline and fast forwarding at the beginning was so jarring and very distracting. For a minute I was worried Colin was the hero, I'm so glad he wasn't. But once the hero Harrison, The Duke of Blackmore, stepped in and offers a MOC to the almost ruined heroine, all bets were off.
When he closed the door, she looked up. And then she smiled. Dark eyes sparkling, dimples emerging, her face went from plain to riveting in a flash. “Oh, your grace, you have no idea of the treasures you possess.” On the contrary, he could think of at least one.
I just loved everything about the dynamics between our shy bookish heroine Jane and a stoic austere Duke who are forced together in a marriage of convenience and watching their walls and preconceived judgements slowly crumble. It. was. delicious. Braden did a fantastic job of building up that tension and sexual awareness slowly between the two. It felt like tea kettle slowly coming to a boil until the top popped off. Seeing the progression between these two from hate to curiosity to wonderment is a sight to behold. Braden did a great job delivering all the little nuances and tics in showing an emotionally closed off cold man fighting his attraction and feelings to the point he breaks and becoming mush for his sunshine wife.
It was very much giving this energy:
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If you know, you know.
Harrison is everything starchy, jaw flexing, nose flaring, fist clenching that brooding hero dreams are made of. I just gobble up details like that. Harrison didn't grow up in a loving environment with an abusive father who tried to sap all kindness and weakness out of him as a child, so he's not used to softness and demonstrative touches until Jane comes into his life. It may sound cliche as character flaws go but the push and pull was wonderfully done. He thinks it's ungentlemanly and not proper to want to ravish his wife outside the bedroom and talk dirty to her like he's secretly dying to do and Jane keeps pushing his buttons and limits at every turn. It was the greatest thing.
When he broke the silence, his voice was dusky and low. “Your hands are exquisite. Do you know?” Her breathing quickened, her pulse following suit. “Are they?” He nodded. “I dream of them often.” “What do you dream?” “Your touch upon me.” “I dream of that, too.”
This had the perfect balance of sensual sexy times and slow burn yearning angst. And I appreciated how for once a "plump" heroine in a HR was actually full figured who enjoyed food but it wasn't fetishcized or made into a big deal. Oh she's definitely ostracized by the ton and labeled "plain" but Harrison sees beyond that and hates when people call her plain. Seeing five foot bookish wallflower have to marry the austere, stiff lipped control freak hero was the perfect formula for me. Because it created situations that I personally love and just die for. The forced proximity for one, sharing one bed and waking up tangled up in each other, arguing that leads to explosive sex on a desk in the library. That's like catnip for me. Harrison is very much cold and severe but goes all soft and protective of Jane and Jane only and it just did things for me.
“And you enjoy spending time with her.” His eyes riveted to their spot, where she had laid her head on his thigh, stroked his cheek with her soft, white hand. “Yes. She is so beautiful, Henry,” he said absently. “Her laugh has a charming little catch just at the top. It makes you glad you are close enough to hear it. And when she smiles, her cheeks form these tiny dimples. Playful little things.” ..... “Her voice …” He paused to take a breath, his longing intensified by every word. “It changes like the pattern of light on water. When she is happy, the rasp is slight. When she is vexed with me, it deepens like a pup grumbling about being awakened from a nap.” When she was aroused, it stroked over him like roughened silk, soothing and enflaming at once, but he could not tell Dunston such a thing.
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As much as I enjoyed the sexual intimacy and how Harrison loses control whenever Jane is around I'm glad that it wasn't just about that and resolved some other issues and story beats left unanswered. Like Jane finally learning to take charge of her own household and take on Duchess duties which at first overwhelmed her. And Harrison's unresolved issues and estrangement with his own brother, Colin. The one thing I will say I did feel could have been handled better was Lady Mary Thorpe and her awful mother. Those two overstayed their welcome as houseguests for far too long and seemed to delight in insulting and being difficult with Jane at every turn. Mary Thorpe happens to be Harrison's best friend Lord Dunston's sister and is the very same lady who had her sights set on the Duke before he married Jane. So yes, it's sticky, awkward, and awful. Why Harrison never even noticed how rude they were to his wife for weeks on end I found kind of ridiculous. This is the same man who notices if someone sneezes in his wife's direction, he's like a bloodhound when it comes to Jane and her discomforts. He reads her really well so this felt frustrating considering how long they were staying at his home. Just as ridiculous as his own sister and Jane's best friend Victoria not telling her brother when she found out. That drove me up the wall considering the only person to give them the blistering set down was Victoria in the end, not Jane herself or even Harrison. I wanted Harrison to tell them to "fuck off and get out of my house", but that's just me. The fact that nobody told him how they behaved did bother me. But other than that one hang up, I loved this to bits and will definitely be reading more by this author. I already have a few of the books from this series on my TBR so clearly I have heard good things about her and now I can see why.
Eventually, she laid her head on his thigh, looking up at his beautiful jaw. Surprisingly, while he absently took her hand in his and kissed it, he kept reading about Gulliver and the presumptuous little Lilliputians. The muscles in his face relaxed, his deep voice growing more nimble over the words.
“Plain implies she is ordinary. Unexceptional. Those words are the opposite of Jane.”
All disappeared. There was only her. Jane. His apple-scented temptress wearing a crimson dress. His book-obsessed, bespectacled, anything-but-plain Jane. The one who made the entire world disappear, who made him forget why he could not have her precisely as he wanted—with nothing between them. Completely, utterly his.
Finally a book I own that actually turned out to be good. Yay! Feels good. This was fun and had all the elements that reminded me of old school HR thaFinally a book I own that actually turned out to be good. Yay! Feels good. This was fun and had all the elements that reminded me of old school HR that I miss. This was sweet but also a mess of drama. I grew up on soaps and watching Turkish dramas the last few years so this was delicious. The brooding starchy hero Edward pining and lusting after his brother's country girl sheltered fiance Florence made for some great angst. Edward's younger brother Freddie is a closeted gay man and recently was caught with his pants down with a footman so Edward is trying to scramble to protect his brother's reputation and fight down rumors with the help of his aunt Hypolita by finding his brother a bride and fast. What starts off as deceiving a naive woman who came to London looking for marriage turns into something more when the hero sets eyes on her.
What really helped here is that the hero really truly does have his brother's best interest and happiness in mind even though he goes about it the wrong way. The author does a good job actually showing that conflict of his love and devotion he has for his brother while being drawn to his brother's fiance and trying to fight it. It's not just empty talk. Edward has spent his whole life protecting his brother from their cruel father and pretty much taking on a father figure role for Freddie. So his goal is to find him a suitable bride so he can settle down and have kids. Was it frustrating given how long it goes on for? Yes. Did I want to throttle him for digging his heels in even when Freddie and Florence were given outs to call off the engagement? Absolutely. But what also helped for me was Florence being allowed to react to the lies when the truth finally comes out about Freddie's sexuality and lying to her. The fallout is what elevated this story for me. Actions need reactions especially when it involves deceit like this, no matter how well intentioned. I needed that to happen and was worried it would be quickly brushed under the rug because she builds a relationship not only with the brothers but their aunt as well so the betrayal is three fold here.
There's also the scorned ex-mistress in this and for those wanting to know yes there is a sex scene in the beginning between the hero and his mistress but he's thinking of the heroine while doing it. And yes he breaks up with his mistress after that so there's no cheating here FYI. The sex scenes in this book are steamy and naughty and yes a bit outrageous with the purple prose at times but I enjoyed it for the most part given the sexual tension that builds up throughout the book. I just love when a rakish instaitable hero is brought to his knees over the heroine and the situation feels hopeless. It's fun times. Seeing Florence come into her own and stand up for herself was also nice. Yes she's shy and sheltered but she's no wilting flower which was great. Telling Edward and his family to fuck off and leaving after the fallout was a great example of the character growth this heroine goes through. Him and his family actively have to work at winning back her trust and forgiveness. Good times. I was so proud of Florence for standing her ground.
So overall, I had a fun time and recommend this one just for the angst alone and great chemistry. It's high in drama and lucious in the sexual tension and pining....more
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