Untouched Mistress by Margaret McPhee

Read For:

ROR Fall Reading Challenge

RYOB Challenge

A To Z Challenge

Read Your Name Challenge

Synopsis:

Guy Tregellas, Viscount Varington, has a rakish reputation, and when he discovers a beautiful woman washed up on a beach he is more than intrigued. He doesn't believe her claims that she is a respectable widow and is determined to seduce the truth out of her! Helena McGregor must escape Scotland to anonymity in London. For the past five years she has lived a shameful life, not of her choosing. But she needs the help of her disturbingly handsome rescuer as danger catches up with them…

My Review:

A wonderful fast, Regency Romance. In this semi sequal to the author's The Wicked Earl, in Untouched Mistress, we have Lucien's brother Guy's story. The story begins when Guy finds a unconscious woman washed up on the beach. The woman, Helena, is terrified of something and is adament about running away and hiding in London. Guy offers to bring her and there the adventure begins.

Guy and Helena are both "tortured heros" in their own way, but refreshingly, in this case, it's Helena who has truly faced some unspeakable cruelty in her life. She fears and distrusts men, and Guy find's that even though he desires Helena, he must move slowly and in doing so, falls in love with her.

The villain in this book is really a baddie.His evilness makes for a thrilling,drama filled book. The story is more about love than passion, though there are a few love scenes. A great story about overcoming abuse too.

4 stars.

Lady Savage by Donna Simpson

Read For:

Summer Reading Challenge

RYOB Challenge

2nds Challenge

A to Z Reading Challenge

Read Your Name Challenge

Synopsis:

For Savina Roxeter, the voyage from Jamaica to England is the beginning of her future: a return to London to marry her intended, the estimable Lord Gaston-Reade, and the very proper business of household and heirs under the watchful eye of the ton's elite. But when a wild storm blows the ship off course, Savina, her father, her fiance, and his secretary, Anthony Heywood, among others, are stranded on a Caribbean island as primitive and unpeopled as it is beautiful. Suddenly, it is survival that matters rather than Almack's vouchers or the fashionable cut of a coat. And it is Anthony who astounds Savina with his skill, his resourcefulness, and an elemental strength that makes her breathless with desire. In London, a match between a lady and a man who works for his living would be unthinkable. But in this verdant paradise, they are equals in every way...

My Review:

Another solid story from Regency Author Donna Simpson. Unlike most Regencies set in the opulence and glittering ballrooms of Regency England, in Lady Savage the story is set in Jamica but mostly on a primitive Island that a dozen genteel English find themselves on after their ship is commandered by the Americans. The heroine, Savina, is a forward thinking woman who unfortunately finds herself pressured into a betrothal with a very old fashioned, arrogant Earl. While on their deserted Island, Savina realizes the error in choosing the Earl as well as her newfound feelings of affection and respect for the Earl's secretary, Anthony.

The story is fast paced and the groups trials to survive on the island are very much "Survivor-Regency era". Lady Savage is a good choice for those who are sick of Alpha males as Anthony is very much a calm, reasonable and clever "beta male".

The love scenes are there, but tame.

All in all, a quick, good book. 4 stars.

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

All Together Dead
Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Mystery #7
Rating 4.5 stars

Read For:
42 Challenge
What An Animal Reading Challenge
Read Your Name Challenge
Spring 09 Challenge


Synopsis:
Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has her hands full dealing with every sort of undead and paranormal creature imaginable. And after being betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Sookie must not only deal with a new man in her life-the shapeshifter Quinn-but also contend with the long-planned vampire summit.

The summit is a tense situation. The vampire queen of Louisiana is in a precarious position, her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans. And there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she'll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

My Review:
All Together Dead, to me, started out a bit slow. I don't particularly like the Quinn character so that may have been the problem. Fortunately about 80 pages in, when Sookie and Eric meet again, the books action ramps up and it's a great book after that.

Another fantastic book in the series! 4.5 stars.

Rebel Lady by Dawn Lindsey

Rebel Lady
Dawn Lindsey
Regency Romance
Rating 3.75 stars

Read For:
RYOB Challenge
Spring 09 Challenge
Read Your Name Challenge
Romance Reading Challenge 2009 Challenge



Synopsis: The Insufferable Englishman

Sir Sebastian Hilliard was everything that beautiful, young, Scotch noblewoman Skye Crawford detested in an Englishman. He had wealth and power, and the arrogance to use them to get what he wanted. He had good looks and charm, and the ability to use them as well.

What he wanted now was to put Skye's brave brother in prison for defying British might, and hold her in bondage in his London mansion as his ward. Spirited Skye's personal war of independence had begun--against this lord who assumed he merely had come to conquer, and against the tremors of surrender in her own treacherous heart…

My Review: Rebel Lady is a relatively good "old school" Regency Romance. The story revolves around a young Scottish woman, Skye, and her older brother Colin. Colin has committed low level treason by helping the Jacobite cause, and is in hiding. Skye's guardian, whom she's never met, is an Englishman, Sir Sebastian, who is a distant cousin, and a loyal English man and works for the British home office. After hearing of his rebellious Scots relatives antics, Sebastian decides he must go to Scotland and bring Skye back to London before she get's charged with treason herself.
There begins a high drama, high action Regency. The story was overall well written but low on Romance. Skye is also an extremely annoying heroine who is stubborn and naive all the way to the end of the story. Her stupidity almost gets both her and Sebastian killed several times. All that being said, the story carries along enough to make Rebel Lady worth reading for any Regency fan looking for a different storyline.

An Eligible Connection by Elsie Lee

An Eligible Connection
Elsie Lee
Regency Romance
220 pages
rating 4 stars

Read For:
RYOB Challenge
New Author Challenge
Read Your Name Challenge
Romance Reading Challenge 2009




Synopsis: AN ELIGIBLE CONNECTION 1974 ISBN:0440128218 Society called it The Season, she called it a slave auction and refused to be sold...She never had vapors, never played the coquette like her ravishing sister Almina, "The Dark Incomparable" of London's haut ton. Fanny Cherill's flame-colored hair was a hopeless liability, her cheeky wit and daring thoroughly unladylike. But everything changed on the night handsome Lord Waterbury stole into her boudoir to capture her heart--and her reputation!

My Review:
this was my first book by this author. I wondered why Elsie Lee's Regencies are on so many's Regency fans wish list and now I know why. This author is great. She really knows how to write the flavor, the language, slang and feeling of the period. An Eligible Connection is the story of Fanny, who at 16 has been taken away from her governess and country home to live in London with her family. Her older sister, who is Fanny's opposite-dark haired, beautiful-an "Incomparable" for two seasons.
Fanny's family basically ignores her, leaving her alone with the servants nearly every day. One night alone, because of a small house fire, Fanny meets the hero, Charles, after she screams for help and he climbs into her bedroom to save her. Charles, thinking the petite redhead is much younger than she is (he thinks she's about 12), he's instantly captivated by her spunk and zest for life. He offers to take her about town, to a balloon ascension and the zoo, still thinking she's just a lonely child stuck in London without friends. This is where the adventure starts.

For those who love a fun Regency ala Georgette Heyer or Marion Chesney, I think you'll enjoy this book.
4 stars.

Read Your Name Challenge!

I joined this challenge for the new year. Maybe, you'd like to join too? Click to join

THE INFO:
the challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name. That means:

1. Using your first name, or blogger name, or your pets name, or even your favorite literary character's name; whichever you like, choose books with first title letters that spell out your name. (Audio books and eBooks are also okay.) Such as my name: Victoria. the first book's title would start with the letter V, then the next book title begins with I, etc. Make sense? (I hope so!) :p
2. Bloggers and non-bloggers alike are free to join. If you do not have a blog and would like to post your reviews/titles that spelled your name somewhere, you may do so here at the group blog. Just send me an e-mail (phantombibliophile [at] gmail [dot] com), or leave a comment letting me know you'd like to use this blog.

3. If you have your own blog, come back here every month and leave a comment containing the link to your challenge page containing the books you've read or each review you've written for books that count for this challenge. (Crossovers with other challenges are okay.) I will make a new post for this on the first of every month.

4. The challenge runs from Jan. 1st 2009, to Dec. 31st 2009. You may join at any time.

5. Last but not least, be sure to sign up using Mister Linky Below! & Leave a comment with what name you're going to use, and the name itself of course! Oh, and don't forget to link back to the challenge from your blog (if you have one of course) to show you're participating!

L-Lady Savage by Donna Simpson-4 stars
A-All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
U-Untouched Mistress by Margaret McPhee-4 stars
R-Rebel Lady by Dawn Lindsey-3.75 stars
A-An Eligible Connection by Elsie Lee-4 stars