REVIEW: The Duke Diaries by Sophia Nash

The Duke Diaries (Royal Entourage #3)
by Sophia Nash

Avon (Feb 26, 2013)
Ebook, 384 pages
Historical Romance/Adult

Setting: Regency

Your heart will be set afire with The Duke Diaries, the third book in Sophia Nash’s Royal Entourage series set in Regency England.

After a wild, scandalous night, Rory Lennox, the Duke of Abshire, finds himself in the bed of his sworn enemy’s wholesome sister, Verity Fitzroy. To protect her honor and keep the peace, he agrees to marriage, but it’s an engagement neither is happy about—until unimaginable occurrences make them view the other in a new, passionate light.

RITA Award–winning author Sophia Nash is a master of the historical romance who has created unforgettable, compelling characters with powerful emotions and intense sensuality. Sparkling and smart, The Duke Diaries is a wickedly fun romp that will leave you breathless.

Thoughts
What a sweet, wonderful story this book had! It was definitely a worth read, truly a worth wait and I loved it! Duke Diaries will be my favourite in this series.

I read about Verity in previous book but it was a brief moment and I think I didn’t know that she was this awesome lady. What I meant was the moment I started this book, her rambling thoughts made me laughed. To Verity, those thoughts are annoying but to me, they’re funny! Even Rory found them refreshing and funny too.

Rory was a heartbreaking man to read about at first. He was a different kind of man compared to others in royal entourage. If previous dukes noticed their duchesses what beauty they were firsthand, this one took some time or I must say he didn’t look closer or blinded by resemblance of an old flame. That got me really sad for Verity, furious with Rory.

Verity and Rory had a bunch of overwhelming chemistry. It was a shown more on Verity’s of how much she cared the man. Even though she didn’t have him then, I could feel somehow, someday the two would be together. So, when they got together, no matter the awkward was between them, they were just meant to be together. Their conversations were intriguing. I enjoyed the most of it.

The second characters were amazing too. There was Catharine, Amelia, Mary, Amelia, the vicar, Phoebe, previously in second book Norwich and his wife, Esme, the kids, Candover, and of course Prinny. I liked Candover best. I felt bad for him. I bet he would be one of the tortured souls after what had happened. It was killing me to read his sad eyes, who sometimes lost in his daze world the moment he saw someone who lookalike to someone who was very dear to him. What a wrenching moment but still, brilliant.

I liked the gossip column. Very much. It felt like Gossip Girl but in regency time. Oh how I missed the TV show. By the way, Catharine reminded of Serena van der Woodsen in the sense of being so breathtakingly beautiful, reckless and broke a lot of men’s heart.

It looks like Prinny is serious with his intention to want all of his men in royal entourage to marry. And from what I read, it happened quiet fast, also at the same time with three dukes are now indulge in their happily ever afters and quiet content with the newfound love in their lives with their respective duchesses. I hope Candover would find his happy ending too. He deserves it after all.

Dear author, this time please do write faster. I can’t wait to pine for the next in Royal Entourage. I hope it will be something good to read just as this one and previous books!

Recommended.

Rating: 5 stars

Musing Mondays (28)

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

I bought a few books recently and they’re Lord of the Rings’ trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien and A Song of Ice and Fire’s series (minus A Feast For Crows) by George R.R. Martin. I chose these series because apart from them being famous, they’re classic fantasy books. And I really love reading classic, historical books.

The Book Haul

TGIF! What I haul for this week. Be warned with six-pack hunkies on cover book

• Lord of The Rings trilogy – J.R.R. Tolkien
• A Song of Ice and Fire series (minus A Feast for Crows) – George R.R. Martin
• The Madness Underneath – Maureen Johnson
• Thrown by a Curve – Jaci Burton
• All the Way – Jennifer Probst
• How To Misbehave – Ruthie Knox

REVIEW: Beauty Awakened by Gena Showalter

Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark #2)
by Gena Showalter

Harlequin (Feb 26, 2013)
Ebook, 384 pages
Paranormal Romance/Adult

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with another captivating Angels of the Dark tale, as a tormented warrior is brought to his knees by the most delicate of humans….

His name is Koldo. He is scarred, powerful, his control legendary–and he lives only for vengeance against the angel who viciously removed his wings. But if he yields to the forces of hatred, he will be eternally damned.

Nicola Lane was born with a defective heart, yet this fragile human shows surprising strength as demons stalk her every move, determined to end her. She is the key to Koldo’s deliverance…and his downfall. Though he fights duty, destiny and his first addictive taste of desire, his toughest battle will be the one for Nicola’s life–even if he has to sacrifice his own….

Thoughts
Admittedly, this one is quiet different than others written by Gena Showalter. I was so used to author’s wild, sexy, hot writing and so when I got my hand on this, I was quite shocked. It was tame and mild — I didn’t like it. Thank goodness for all the thrilling part that made me stay and couldn’t not going further.

Koldo is a quiet man, tortured soul and nobody knows more about him. One that filled with darkness but tried his hardest to be otherwise. Little he knew that with his constant being with Nicola, he was heading to one thing he yearned deeply when he was young. That would be Love. I must say that the two of them are one of the rare couples. They’re virgins and… they’re my first! Always with virgin ladies but the gents, have yet read virgin heroes, and let alone purest couples.

The only thing I can describe about Koldo is he’s serious but soft, very dangerous but can be gentle. Yes, that’s more like it. Nicola on the other hand, she’s spineless. Or was spineless before she turned into awesomeness. I was relieved she could kick some ass then because it was dreading to read helpless hopeless her. I was annoyed with her sometimes. Anyway, I liked climatic part where she did some gruesome awesome.

When I read this, I was hoping for a bit of Lords of the Underworld. Will the Ever Randy (I believe he’s one of the Riders of Apocalypse) and Kane (Keeper of Disaster). I miss the others, truly. I can’t wait to grab the next installment of LOTU.

Now, I wonder who’s story next after this one. My good instinct said it would be Thane. I will look forward to read it and I hope there would be no more mild and tame passion, please. I guess I need to lower my expectation for the next so I wouldn’t be so shocked like I had with this one.

Rating: 4 stars

REVIEW: The Duke’s Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley

The Duke’s Perfect Wife (Highland Pleasures #4)
by Jennifer Ashley

Berkley (Apr 3, 2012)
Ebook, 320 pages
Historical Romance/Adult

Setting: Victorian

Lady Eleanor Ramsay is the only one who knows the truth about Hart Mackenzie. Once his fiancee, she is the sole woman to whom he could ever pour out his heart.

Hart has it all–a dukedom, wealth, power, influence, whatever he desires. Every woman wants him–his seductive skills are legendary. But Hart has sacrificed much to keep his brothers safe, first from their brutal father, and then from the world. He’s also suffered loss–his wife, his infant son, and the woman he loved with all his heart though he realized it too late.

Now, Eleanor has reappeared on Hart’s doorstep, with scandalous nude photographs of Hart taken long ago. Intrigued by the challenge in her blue eyes–and aroused by her charming, no-nonsense determination–Hart wonders if his young love has come to ruin him . . . or save him.

Thoughts
Perhaps for others, the politic part might be not so much but to me, it was. It was understandable as Hart was a politician but aren’t this book supposed about romance between Hart and his Eleanor? I would prefer that most the times Hart busy with his politic career would be spent on winning Eleanor back to be his truly.

I was glad this one had a little bit of action pack. It was interesting to read that got me curious all the way. The romance between Hart and Eleanor was mild but I liked it best when both of them alone, taking pictures. I don’t know why but I found that whatever Eleanor did to make Hart smile and amazingly laughing, it was heartwarming. From Eleanor’s descriptions, I could almost imagine and see Hart’s expressions in photos.

Hart was hinting he is a man with dangerous desire. At one part when Eleanor asked him to tell her everything, I was certain he said it didn’t involve with any pain whatsoever, just wanting to earn one’s trust. In Eleanor’s case, her trust but in my opinion, he just wants to dominate, alpha guy that he is. However, it was otherwise in Ian’s story (Book 1). Anyway, whatever as long as Hart’s finally found his happiness and no more political shit.

Oh, one more thing, aren’t Fellows should be in family portrait too? Why couldn’t he get his full story instead of short one (Book 5.5)? Even though he’s an illegitimate, he’s a Mackenzie too, by blood. So not fair.

Ainsley’s brother Elliot McBride sounds interesting. The excerpt was so fine I just couldn’t wait to grab it sooner.

Rating: 4 stars

Books To Pine For

Books To Pine For — inspired by The Story Siren.

Thrown by a Curve (Play by Play #5)
by Jaci Burton
Release Date: March 5th 2013

Sports medicine specialist Alicia Riley has the job of her dreams, until she’s assigned to star pitcher Garrett Scott. Undergoing shoulder rehab, it’s make it or break it time for Garrett, and he needs to focus to get back on the mound in time for opening day. But close proximity and combustible chemistry is a dangerous combination, and both Alicia and Garrett have a lot to lose if this doesn’t work.

Broken at Love (Whitman University #1)
by Lyla Payne
Release Date: March 12th 2013

When a knee injury ends twenty-year-old Quinn Rowland’s pro tennis career, he’s not only dumped by his hot Russian girlfriend but ordered to attend college by his disinterested billionaire father. A rich kid who’s not used to being disappointed by life, Quinn and his sociopathic half-brother Sebastian create a frat house game intended to treat girls how they see them—as simple game pieces to be manipulated for their pleasure.

College sophomore Emilie Swanson knows Quinn’s reputation—after all, he did send one of her sorority sisters into therapy earlier in the semester—but the game and his charm bring them closer together and soon she starts to believe there’s more to Quinn than people think.

But what if the more is something darker than a game of toying with emotions and breaking hearts?

Quinn and Emilie might be falling for each other, but there are secrets he’s not ready to tell—and lifestyle changes he’s reluctant to make. She willingly stepped on the court, but if Emilie finds out she started out as nothing as a pawn in Quinn and Sebastian’s twisted game, she might never forgive him.

To his surprise, Quinn finds that he might finally care about someone more than he cares about himself…even if that means letting Emilie walk away for good.

Highlander Most Wanted (Montgomerys and Armstrongs #2)
by Maya Banks
Release Date: March 19th 2013
Publisher: Ballantine Books

In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love.

Genevieve McInnes is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.

Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.

Caribbean Casanova (Under the Caribbean Sun #2)
by Jenna Bayley-Burke
Release Date: March 26th 2013
Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Holly Hansen has sacrificed too much to let anything-”especially” a man-get in the way of making her clothing line a success. When she arrives on the island of Anguilla, she zeroes in on the biggest threat to her make-or-break photo shoot. At six-and-a-half foot of sculpted Dutch muscle, Harmannus Prinsen is every inch the womanizer of Caribbean legend, but he will “not” be seducing any of her models. She knows exactly how to make sure of it. Make the girls think he’s taken.

Harm is stunned when the curvaceous beauty greets him with a mind-numbing kiss. She’s the embodiment of every pin-up portrait he collected as a teen, with a sassy tongue and a body that begs for his touch. Sure, he’ll pretend to be her date…but only if they “really” date.

Despite her best efforts to remain immune to his charms, Holly finds herself falling for the man behind the myth. She begins to wonder which island she belongs on…Manhattan or Anguilla.

The Book Haul

TGIF people! I hauled three books this week. *satisfy grin*

• Lord of Darkness (Maiden Lane #5) by Elizabeth Hoyt
• Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark #2) by Gena Showalter
• The Duke Diaries (Royal Entourage #3) by Sophia Nash