Unfinished-The Blushing Bride by Judith Stacy

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge

Synopsis:

The last thing Jason Kruger needed was a city woman and her catalog of love!

He ran a lumber camp, not a lonely hearts club. But Amanda Pierce, matchmaker extraordinaire, offered wedded bliss to his crew ...and made him crave a life he never dreamed he'd desire!

How on earth had Amanda found herself at loggerheads with a high timber man wearing a mountain-size attitude? If Jason Kruger hadn't written requesting a mail-order bride, who had? And if he truly didn't want her in his life, why was he trying so hard not to get rid of her?

My Review:

short and sweet-the hero was a jerk and a bully and the heroine was way too flighty and "too stupid to live" for the storyline and the time period-not recommended. Quit it about 125 pages in. 1 star.

A Warrior's Heart by Margaret Moore

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge

Synopsis:
From the moment Emryss DeLanyea stole her away to his dark and misty valley filled with ancient magic, Lady Roanna Westercott felt safe for the first time in years. Though he bore the scars of battle, the Welshman seemd invincible. Little did Roanna know how much Emryss would come to depend upon her quiet strength.

Returning home from the Crusades with his body disfigured, Emryss had put aside all thoughts of women and love forever, until he met the Lady Roanna. The fragile woman had a will of iron, but was she strong enough to heal his warrior's heart?


My Review:
A Warrior's Heart is the first book in Margaret Moore's 15 book Warrior series. I liked that the hero, a former crusader who returns home badly injured and disfigured, is not a "pretty boy" but the heroine falls for him anyway. Similarly, the heroine is a "plain Jane", average-skinny and small busted, though the hero is very attracted to her. That's a nice dose of reality-we cannot all be "god or goddess gorgeous" but we all still find someone to love :)


I enjoyed the story quite a bit, until the last 50 pages, when the author has the heroine turn a bit "too stupid to live" but I can overlook that , especially since this was written in 1992, when TSTL heroines seemed to be in every romance novel-LOL.


If you like Medieval Romances with strong, dramatic and sometimes funny characters, I think you'll like this "old school" novel.
4 stars.

His Secondhand Wife by Cheryl St. John

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:
NOAH CUTTER WAS A MAN OF HIS WORD...

Scarred in body and soul, rancher Noah didn't consider himself fit company for anyone. But when his brother's philandering finally caught up with him, honor dictated that Noah claim his brother's widow as his own....

Standing on her doorstep, with his collar turned up and a rifle by his side, Noah was about the most intimidating man Katherine had ever seen. And though one man's false promises had already dashed her dreams, she instinctively trusted this stranger. Even more, Kate suspected she'd only be a fool this time if she didn't take a chance on Noah for the sake of herself...and her unborn child!


My Review:
My Shelfari friend, RS, gave this book 5 stars, so I thought I'd try it too. So glad I did. Perfect story. "Tortured or Scarred hero" is one of my favorite storylines and this is one of the best examples I've read. I love that Noah is a "good man", and not a former bad one injured in a fight, but instead through a accident. Book was very down to earth and real-wonderful hero and heroine, great secondary characters too. I plan to read more of this author's books in the future. Highly recommended-5 stars.

Out of The Dark by Sharon Sala

Read for:
ROR Spring Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge
Thriller and Suspense Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:
In the darkness of her memory terror lurks

Street artist Jade remembers little of her childhood except for the time she spent under the ruthless control of a cult leader, a time marked by terrible abuse and suffering. For the fifteen years since she escaped his grasp, she has survived by living on the streets and never putting down roots.

Ex-cop Luke Kelly knows his friend Sam Cochrane wants nothing more than to find his daughter, Jade, who was taken from him as a child. So Luke uses all his connections to make that happen, not knowing that by reuniting Jade with her father he is exposing her to a deadly peril.

In the healing embrace of her father's home, Jade -- with Luke's loving help -- begins to put fear behind her. But somewhere in the darkness, a man is prepared to kill rather than let Jade reveal the secrets of her childhood. And when her story makes the national news, that someone finally knows where to find her.


My review:
Another great Romantic Suspense by Sharon Sala. Be forewarned-story deals with emotional and painful subject matter like child abuse, cults and HIV. The heroine of the story has been severely abused most of her life and has also had to live on the streets in hiding from a cult leader. Story, as can be expected, is very emotional and painful. Do not read this one when you are feeling down in the dumps, wait till  you are in a better mind set to handle the subject matter.


4 stars.

The Runaways by Julia Herbert

The Runaways
Harlequin Masquerade #2
1977

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Synopsis:
She was abducted by Lucifer himself! Georgina White felt no safer now that Richard Barr had rescued her from the powerful Duke of Quinton. And, as they fled, she realized she was confused by her own mixed up emotions. She knew too that for the first time in her life, she had crossed swords with a man she could not rule. When she clutched him, pressing herself against his strong, muscled back, she felt a strange desire. But for what? Was it love? Perhaps she didn't want to rule him. Perhaps she wanted to be ruled.


My review:
I really enjoyed this short, "on the road fleeing from a villain" romance set in Georgian England. The heroine, is spoiled but grows up, and the hero is a good man, steadfast and realistic-a nice change of pace from the"reformed rakes" that is so prevalent in most newer romances. Richard Barr was a great, good leading man like Colonel Branden in Sense and Sensibility.
No love scenes but the story did not lack from it. If you like the vintage Regencies ala' Heyer and Chesney, you'll like this. 5 stars.

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe'

Read For:
Fantasy Challenge
RYOB Challenge
ROR Spring Challenge
Countdown Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge

Synopsis:
For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary....

Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner” who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the dra´kon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.

Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn’t expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?

From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.


My Review:
All in all, a really good book. I love that this paranormal is also a historical romance set in Georgian England. The characters were appealing and the love scenes were H-O-T :)
4 stars.

An Unquestionable Lady by Rosina Pyatt

Read For:
RYOB Challenge
1000 Regency Challenge
ROR Spring Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge

Synopsis:
GENTLEMAN OFFERS SECURITY AND SOCIAL POSITION IN RETURN FOR MARRIAGE WITH AN UNQUESTIONABLE LADY.
Too proud to apply to relatives or friends for help, Miss Claudia Talton was desperate enough to answer the advertisement. But why would an affluent and well-positioned gentleman need to go to such lengths to find a wife? Then she learned his name... Giles Verylan. Now she knew why he needed to advertise; no lady would dream of allying herself with such a rake. But the touch of his hand, the knowing smile, and the challenging gleam in his appraising eyes made her wonder if perhaps she was not a lady after all-at least in certain circumstances...

A SATISFACTORY ARRANGEMENT
Verylan looked over his prospective bride with clinical dispassion. Yes, she would do. Obviously a lady, and attractive-damned attractive-into the bargain... as well as sensible enough to appreciate the advantages of what he was offering. A marriage of convenience--his convenience--no more and no less. After providing him with an heir she would be free to live a life of luxury unencumbered by his attentions, which he would satisfy elsewhere. Miss Tallon was hardly in a position to expect a love match, and neither was he. The two of them were thus eminently suited to one another... if only Verylan knew how well!


My Review:
this Regency was very depressing, melodramatic and overdone, and the hero is a arrogant bore for most of the story-but for some strange reason I still enjoyed it. Classic "high angst" storyline-marriage of convenience. If you like "severely alpha males" you'll like this hero. 
Fairly steamy love scenes for a Regency as well. 4 stars

Blood Memories by Barb Hendee

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Fantasy Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:
 Eleisha Clevon has the face of a teen angel, but she is no angel. Unlike most vampires, she doesn’t like to kill, but self-preservation comes first. When an old friend destroys himself by walking into sunlight right in front of her, Eleisha is shocked. And what she finds afterwards points to how very sick of his existence her friend had become—piling drained corpses in the basement and keeping records of other vampires’ real names and addresses. That’s a problem. Because now, there are policemen on the case: two very special humans with some gifts of their own. They know who Eleisha is, and, even more dangerous, what she is.


My Review:
An interesting Urban Fantasy/Vampire Novel-about average, started out fairly slow but got better later in the book. My only pet peeve is upon getting to the end, it's one of these books that's an obvious "getting to know characters who will be in subsequent novels in a series" more than an actual story with a beginning, middle and most importantly, end. It was definately not a stand alone book, as the characters get a big upheaval in their way of life near the end of the book.


I'll try book two, Hunting Memories (after all, isn't that what I was just forced to buy to learn anything that happens to these characters?) but that does irk me. 3.5 stars.

The Bride Ship by Deborah Hale

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
RYOB 2010 Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:

A Ship Full Of Women Could Only Cause Trouble! 
Of that Governor Sir Robert Kerr was certain, just by considering their chaperon! Though a widow, Mrs. Jocelyn Finch was young, vivacious and utterly determined to have her own way – especially with him!
Challenging the governor of Haliax, Nova Scotia to a duel was obviously a poor way to introduce herself. but when Sir Robert accused Jocelyn and her charges of something less ladylike than husband-hunting, what else could she do? Besides, someone had to show this straitlaced, yet gloriously compelling figure of a man that there was more to life than doing one's duty!


My Review:
Another winner by Deborah Hale. I like that the heroine was more experienced and worldly than the hero-a former soldier who is very straight laced and uptight, till he meets Jocelyn. I always like the premise of a bride ship or group of women on their own (like in the great old Western Westward The Women)

The romance between the two is not the "love at first sight variety" but more of a friendship that builds over time. The love scenes are late in the book but are fairly racy when they arrive. I applaud the author for having the heroine be in a functional relationship previously and she also has a normal sexual appetite as well. It gets tiresome in romances that every heroine who's a widow has to be from a abusive relationship to be able to find love.


All in all, a great Harlequin Historical. 4.5 stars.

Newmarket Match by Anita Mills

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
1000 Regency Challenge
RYOB Challenge


Synopsis:

A SPORTING PROPOSITION

Miss Harriet Rowe felt she had little to offer her step-cousin, Lord Richard Stanton. The dashing viscount was the most handsome gentleman in London, with a bevy of beauties pining for his attention, while Harriet, a shy country miss, had only the stuffy Mr. Edwin Thornton as a suitor.

But Harriet did have one thing to give a man who already had her heart without knowing or caring. She had the money to lend him for a racehorse he desperately wanted but could not presently afford.

That made them partners in the pursuit of gold and glory on the racecourses of England. But it still left Harriet a mere spectator in the sport of love unless she kicked over the traces and made a reckless run for romance....

My Review:

A excellent old fashioned "high drama" Regency by Anita Mills. Filled with horse racing, hateful relations, "misunderstandings" tragic accidents, fun servants, and redemption. 4 stars!

The Wild Rose by Rebecca Ward

Wild Canadian lady meets a high-in-the-instep earl.

This is my second Rebecca Ward-she is quickly becoming one of my favorite Regency authors. 4 stars!

How To Tempt A Duke by Kasey Michaels

Read For:
Romance Reading Challenge
ROR Spring Challenge
RYOB Challenge




Synopsis:

He'd returned from war a duke. Now Rafael Daughtry was battling a force more terrifying than Napoleon's army - his family. Thankfully, his childhood friend Charlotte Seavers had agreed - reluctantly - to a bargain. While Rafe would provide her with the home she'd lost, Charlotte would provide him with a chaperone for his unruly twin sisters.

But who would chaperone Rafe? For the feisty young girl he remembered had blossomed into a sensual woman - a woman whose haunting beauty and deeply kept secrets drew him like no other. Charlotte had good reason to mistrust men - yet could Rafe's sizzling seduction convince her to give in to temptation?

3 stars.  Nothing in this story grabbed me-took me a week to finish. I'd say it's average at best.

Emily Goes To Exeter by Marion Chesney

Read For:
Romance Reading Challenge
RYOB Challenge
ROR Spring Challenge
What's In A Name Challenge


The Travelling Matchmaker Book 1

As always, Marion Chesney never fails to deliver. I love the premise of this series-a maid inherits a considerable sum from her mistress upon her death. The maid, who has grown up in service and who always dreamed of traveling, goes upon the stage coach to various places, meeting wonderful characters and in this book, solving a crime and matchmaking.

4 stars!

The Prisoner by Cheryl Reavis

Read For:

ROR Spring Challenge

Royal Romance Challenge

Harlequin Challenge

Romance Challenge

RYOB Challenge

Synopsis:

On the Run

Union Captain John Howe escaped a living hell when he tunneled his way out of a Confederate prison camp, though his ordeal was far from over. Now he was saddled with his own prisoner, the sad, stubborn Amanda Douglas, on a journey that would change their lives forever . . . .

Even her previous Spartan existence had not prepared Amanda for the dangerous trek she was now making-entirely against her will. But when John gazed at her through his beautiful, haunted eyes, bright with fever, she was lost. Could a privileged Yankee son and a poor, proud Rebel girl keep their love safe from the rest of the world?

My Review:

I chose this book from my mammoth TBR pile because I needed an "unread" genre and I do not normally like romances set in Civil War era. This book was so good I may change that :)

I enjoyed how the author was sympathetic to both character "sides" and chose to write the story more on the horrors of war than showing one side as "right or wrong" over the other. The story was well researched, dramatic and very stirring. Definitely more love than passion, and if you read the story you'll understand why.

I enjoyed John and Amanda's story and will be searching out other of this authors books at the used book store.

4.5 stars

Finished-Readers Of Romance Spring 2010 Challenge

FINISHED!

Spring '10 Challenge~~~ The Best of...

Spring '10 Challenge March 1- May 31

The Challenge list was compiled by using your favorites from the previous challenges. Thank you for giving us your input!!!

RULES:
1. Select ANY number of books to read that fit the category.
2. Post your list on the discussion board and blog (Name’s Winter 09 Challenge List)
3. If you need title suggestions please use the Discussion titled WINTER TITLE SUGGESTIONS if you don't see it please search (to try and minimize number of discussions)
4. Once you have read a book please find the corresponding discussion by searching you can search by 09 Winter # and use the number that corresponds with the list. (one will be created for each number on December 1, again, to try and minimize number of discussions) and post the book and title you read and rating, and review.
5. It is not required, but if you could post your review on the blog that would be great.
6. Reviews on the blog please include labels list the rating, author, and # of challenge only.
7. Audio books are okay
8. Rereads are okay
9. You can change your list at anytime

THE CHALLENGE:

1. Read book with a one word title-DONE-Bittersweet by Anita Mills-0 stars (didn't finish/like)

2. Read a new (to you) author-DONE-Blood Memories by Barb Hendee-3.5 stars

3. Read a book from a genre you have not read/rarely read-DONE-The Prisoner by Cheryl Reavis-4.5 stars

4. Reader’s Choice-DONE-How To Tempt A Duke by Kasey Michaels-3 stars

5. A book that has been in your TBR pile for a long time-DONE-The Bride Ship by Deborah Hale-4.5 stars.

6. Read a Western (united States)- historical or contemporary-DONE-The Blushing Bride by Judith Stacy-1 star (read 125 pages)

7. Read a book with a Sports Theme-DONE-Newmarket Match by Anita Mills-4 stars.

8. Read a Beta/Unlikely Hero-DONE-THe Wild Rose by Rebecca Ward-4 stars.

9. Read a book from the backlist of an author you enjoy!-DONE-Out Of The Dark by Sharon Sala-4 stars

10. Read a book that is a Cabin/Road Romance http://www.likesbooks.com/cabinroad.html-DONE-The Runaways by Julia Herbert-5 stars

11. Select a book that has been marked favorite or 5 stars from another group member's shelf-DONE-His Secondhand Wife by Cheryl St. John-5 stars

12. Read a book that was read by another member in Any of the previous challenges-DONE-The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe'-4 stars

13. Read a book with a Name in the Title-DONE-Emily Goes To Exeter by Marion Chesney-4 stars.

14. Read a book that has love, kiss or heart in the title-DONE-A Warrior's Heart by Margaret Moore-4 stars

15. Read a book that has an arranged marriage or Marriage of Convenience-DONE-An Unquestionable Lady by Rosina Pyatt-4 stars