Lisa Kleypas - Devil in Spring (Ravenel #3)

An eccentric wallflower 

Most debutantes dream of finding a husband. Lady Pandora Ravenel has different plans. The ambitious young beauty would much rather stay at home and plot out her new board game business than take part in the London Season. But one night at a glittering society ball, she's ensnared in a scandal with a wickedly handsome stranger.

A cynical rake 

After years of evading marital traps with ease, Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, has finally been caught by a rebellious girl who couldn't be less suitable. In fact, she wants nothing to do with him. But Gabriel finds the high-spirited Pandora irresistible. He'll do whatever it takes to possess her, even if their marriage of convenience turns out to be the devil's own bargain. 

A perilous plot 

After succumbing to Gabriel's skilled and sensuous persuasion, Pandora agrees to become his bride. But soon she discovers that her entrepreneurial endeavors have accidentally involved her in a dangerous conspiracy--and only her husband can keep her safe. As Gabriel protects her from their unknown adversaries, they realize their devil's bargain may just turn out to be a match made in heaven . .

Sparrowgal's rating: 7/10 (B)

Sparrowgal's thoughts - Spoiler alert!

Having read the other books in the series, perhaps I was expecting too much of this book. This is the third book in the Ravenel series, about Pandora, the more boisterous of the Ravenel twins.

Pandora is a thoroughly modern female, who is intent on making a board game and be successful. She is not interested in marriage but is forced to have a season, which, due to an unfortunate circumstance, she is forced to marry.

It's all rather amusing - typical Pandora is reaching for an object and gets stuck in a settee by her dress and needs assistance extracting herself. She is helped by Gabriel, Lord St Vincent (who is the oldest son of the Sebastian and Evie from Devil in Winter).

I couldn't quite see the chemistry between them. Neither wanted to marry, and Pandora was very vocal and all her delightful quirks (outspoken, making up words, well read) and demanded a whole lot of conditions in the marriage. Gabriel seemed rather indulgent, with his only vice being that he kept a mistress with whom he quite rapidly forgot once he was in Pandora's company. The two families hit it off rather well when the Ravenels were invited to Duke of Kingstons' residence (Sebastian is now Duke) for a week of getting to know one another, that they quite liked the articulate and outrageous Pandora.

To me though, Pandora is rather childish for her age. She lacks the worldliness or pragmatism of Helen from Marrying Winterborne. Even when she is injured, she doesn't seem to understand the implications of what has occurred and it doesn't even seem to fill her with any formand I couldn't feel very atttached to Gabriel despite him being a lovely gentleman. I think I enjoyed the cameo appearances from characters from other books in the series more than I liked their romance myself, but it was by no means a bad read. Just not as engaging or appealing to my taste in books as the others in the series.

It was nice to have a small introduction at the beginning with Sebastian and Evie so you know that it is part of that series, but I am glad they were not involved in the book too much, as it would have detracted from the Pandora and Gabriel's story.

It seemed a whirlwind to go from engaged to being in love for one week, and I have to applaud Gabriel for being a modern husband for the times

The sensual scenes were typical Kleypas - tasteful but not over the top and not repetitive.

Overall worth a read, but I probably wouldn't read it again.

Lisa Kleypas - Marrying Winterborne (Ravenels #2)

A ruthless tycoon 

Savage ambition has brought common-born Rhys Winterborne vast wealth and success. In business and beyond, Rhys gets exactly what he wants. And from the moment he meets the shy, aristocratic Lady Helen Ravenel, he is determined to possess her. If he must take her virtue to ensure she marries him, so much the better . . .

A sheltered beauty 

Helen has had little contact with the glittering, cynical world of London society. Yet Rhys's determined seduction awakens an intense mutual passion. Helen's gentle upbringing belies a stubborn conviction that only she can tame her unruly husband. As Rhys's enemies conspire against them, Helen must trust him with her darkest secret. The risks are unthinkable . . . the reward, a lifetime of incomparable bliss. And it all begins with-- Marrying Mr. Winterborne

Sparrowgal's rating: 9.5/10

Sparrowgal's thoughts - Spoiler alert!

This book flows straight on from the first book in the series, Cold Hearted Rake. I really enjoyed the first book that I couldn't wait to read the second book and I enjoyed this book even MORE than the first book!

Admittedly I wasn't impressed with quiet, mousy Helen, who was the sweet unassuming and timid seeming sister of the Ravenels. She was so unlike her hot tempered siblings that it didn't surprise me that the twist in the book turned out to be that she was born out of an affair that her mother had with Rhys Winterborne's enemy, Albion Vance. Rhys was a bastard in the first book as well, threatening to compromise Kathleen, so I was highly unimpressed with him thinking how am I going to like this guy.

However, my opinion of her rapidly changed. She realises her own timidness is her weakness and she quietly confronts Rhys after their engagement is broken in the first book and wants it to be reinstated, and asks him to ruin her, because he her quietness was her disgust at his lowborn status and she was anxious because she didn't know how to let him know how she felt. After their first time together, their love for one another was sealed, and it is evident throughout the whole book.

The twist comes when Helen finds a letter hidden in some books that her mother wrote to her lover, saying that Helen was his daughter, and not the daughter of the Ravenel Earl. Helen is horrified and wants to tell Rhys but keeps it till later, until she suddenly finds out that Kathleen's English "foster parents'" nephew is in fact her father, who is also the man who caused the death of one of Rhys' close friends - Vance had an affair with the wife of Rhys' friend, and she died in childbirth, and his friend committed suicide. Rhys has told her that any child of that man is a devil so she is afraid to lose him when he finds out the truth about her birth.

Albion Vance is a snake who tries to blackmail Helen, threatening to expose her as his daughter and thus ruining the marriage between her and Rhys. Helen holds her own, and using her wiles finds out that her half sister, born out of an affair Vance had with Rhys' friend's wife, was being fostered. When she locates the carer, she finds that the little child has been put into one of the harshest orphanages in London, and she takes her new friend Garrett (London's only female surgeon, who helped Rhys after a building fell on him!) with her and takes the child as her own.

She runs away with the child to escape Vance, but Rhys catches up to her and is furious until she tells him the truth and of course, he still loves her and he adopts the child as his own.

I loved how Helen's nature showed how much she cared for everyone around her. She was a genuinely sweet woman! Rhys was very generous and loving towards Helen, and her family after he made up with Devon Ravenel.

I liked that Rhys made his fortune for hard work and cleverness, and how he loved Helen throughout the whole book. Helen's quiet assertiveness was endearing! The story also introduced Garrett and Ethan Ransom - who appear as the characters in the 4th book in the series.

This is a book I could easily read again!

Lisa Kleypas - Cold Hearted Rake (Ravenel #1)

A twist of fate
Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities...and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house - along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.  

A clash of wills 
 Kathleen knows better than to trust a ruthless scoundrel like Devon. But the fiery attraction between them is impossible to deny - and from the first moment Devon holds her in his arms, he vows to do whatever it takes to possess her. As Kathleen finds herself yielding to his skillfully erotic seduction, only one question remains: Can she keep from surrendering her heart to the most dangerous man she's ever known?

Sparrowgal's rating: 9.5/10

Sparrowgal's Thoughts: Spoiler alert!

This is the first book in the Ravenel series - I actually read the 4th book first (unknowingly, as I didn't realise it was part of a series) and loved it so much I came back to get the first book.

Devon Ravenel was a carefree, young bachelor who led a middle class life (ie not part of the upper crust of society) and never expected to get a big windfall. The Ravenel family is known for it's violent tempers and he comes into his earldom after a distant cousin falls off his horse after a temper tantrum dies unexpectedly. He is now the owner of a debt ridden estate with a widow and 3 female cousins under his care, that he couldn't give a whit about.

Until he meets Kathleen.

Kathleen is a fiery, sharp-tongued woman who had a very sheltered upbringing. The two don't hit it off straight away - they hate each other at first sight, though Devon finds her attractive - and the rest of the book is about them overcoming their dislike and coming together.

Kathleen is not much older than her sisters in law, and yet has a motherly role to them.

Some of the best parts of the book are where Devon does heroic things - like saving commoners after a train crash where he himself was injured - and Kathleen realises that she does care for him after all. Cliche? Yes. But I loved it.

It also introduces the protagonist of the next book in the series, Rhys Winterbourne, who is Ravenel's friend.

I loved the wit and words in this book, as well as the down to earth nature of Devon and his brother West. They worked hard to make their estate work and earn money, and I was happy to see everything working out for them. The romance is endearing, the plot engaging the characters lovable and the sex scenes steamy enough but not taking over the whole book. I highly recommend this series.

Christine Feehan - Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters #7)

From afar, Sheriff Jackson Deveau has always loved Elle Drake, the youngest telepath of seven sisters. After a long time away she’s finally returning home to the small coastal village of Sea Haven. But someone has been following Elle, someone who doesn’t want her to make it back. And when Elle fails to arrive, her disappearance strikes fear in the hearts of everyone who loves her. Now it’s left to Jackson to uncover the mystery of Elle’s vanishing, and rescue her from an unseen danger. But Sea Haven is no longer safe for anyone, and it’ll take the powers of all the Drake sisters and their men to survive the coming storm.

Sparrowgal's rating - 8/10

Sparrowgal's thoughts - Spoiler Alert

The final book in the Drake Sister series, I would have to say that it was a very controversial book. There were some shocking moments of cruelty which a lot of readers were saying was unnecessary to the book but I think it added a lot of depth and understanding to the horrifying psyche of torture that people endure. I suppose that it had ever occurred to me how sexual torture would work and the psychology behind it, but after reading this, I did.

It wasn't a large part of the book though.  Elle, the youngest and most powerful of the Drake sisters, the sister destined to pass on the Drake legacy to her seven children was working undercover trying to crack a human trafficking ring, and instead is captured and tortured by a rich mandate who also has his own psychic gifts.  People found it a bit implausible that someone of Elle's power could be so easily subdued but you could see that it was her overconfidence in her abilities that led to her capture, because once her powers were subdued, she was helpless as any other prisoner.

Jackson was tortured once, horribly so, and it was Elle who got him to live through those awful days when he wanted to die.  Now that the same has happened to her, it is only natural that the only person who would understand is Jackson. In a previous Feehan novel (from the Ghostwalkers series - Deadly Game) the hero was also tortured horribly but the reality of it seems so much more clear here in Hidden Currents.

Elle's emotional recovery through love was surprisingly fast, and a lot of criticism from other readers was over how quickly she overcame her fear of intimacy with Jackson.  However, with pyschic connections perhaps the healing is much faster because barriers were open and communication was frank and she could see how much Jackson loved her and wasn't pushing her into anything intimate, yet letting her come into it all on her own.

As with all Feehan's novels the sex scenes are frequent and steamy, but I think the lower rating I've given this book came from the ease at which she defeated her enemy, given the huge power he had over her. It seemed very tidy and easy, and I think perhaps more climax to the final battle would have made this a better book overall.

Elle and Jackson are a well suited couple, and they compliment one anther seamlessly.  That might be because we see them interacting in all the previous books and so we have come to know their characters a lot better.

Despite the 8/10 score I would still score this as one of my favourites in the Drake series.

Julia Quinn - Just like Heaven

HONORIA SMYTHE-SMITH IS:

A) a really bad violinist 

B) still miffed at being nicknamed “Bug” as a child 

C) NOT in love with her older brother’s best friend 

D) all of the above 

MARCUS HOLROYD IS: 

A) the Earl of Chatteris 

B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles 

C) NOT in love with his best friend’s younger sister 

D) all of the above 

TOGETHER THEY: 

A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake 

B) survive a deadly fever AND world’s worst musical performance 

C) fall quite desperately in love It’s Julia Quinn at her best, so you KNOW the answer is… 

D) all of the above

Sparrowgal's rating - 9.5/10

Sparrowgal's thoughts - Spoiler Alert!

I absolutely ADORE stories where the hero of the story is not an overconfident rake who is wooed into love by an inexperienced debutante whose innocence beguiles him to be a better man....

Marcus Holroyd is a quiet boy who eventually inherits the title of Earl of Chatteris.  As an only child he befriends the more outspoken and popular Daniel Smythe-Smith, who would grow to inherit the title of Earl of Winstead.  I remember the Smythe-Smiths from some of the Bridgerton stories, holding their dreadful musicales yet people would continue to attend.

Honoria is Daniel's younger sister, and is yet unwed after multiple seasons.  Daniel had run to Italy in disgrace after a botched duel where his opponent was left severely injured and lame.  Daniel had asked Marcus to look out for his sister, and Marcus may have scared off a couple of unsuitable suitors.

The two had known each other since childhood and had a sibling type relationship, which blossomed into something more as Marcus became ill after an accident that was Honoria's fault.  This aspect of the story reminded me of Romancing Mr Bridgerton, which was my favourite book in the Bridgerton series.

Both characters were endearing - Honoria describing Marcus as "shy" when he was ill as she chatted to him fitted him perfectly.  I think I just love scenes where someone is ill and has to be cared for - a lot of my favourite stories seem to have this theme.

Honoria as a heroine was such a sweet, caring and generous person, dedicated to her family.  I think some might have found her bland, but I really liked her. The musicale was a big feature of the story, as I expected it would and Colin Bridgerton and even Gregory Bridgerton were mentioned, much to my delight.

Steamy sex scenes are not something to be found in this book - there is only one scene, but the rest of the book was such a great read for me I may have read this book... 4 or 5 times already.  And I really love how they both love their sweets and cakes!

Julia Quinn - The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After

ONCE UPON A TIME, A HISTORICAL ROMANCE AUTHOR CREATED A FAMILY… 

But not just any family. Eight brothers and sisters, assorted in-laws, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, (not to mention an overweight corgi), plus an irrepressible matriarch who’s a match for any of them… These are the Bridgertons: less a family than a force of nature. Through eight bestselling novels, readers laughed, cried, and fell in love. But they wanted more. 

And so the readers asked the author… What happened next? Does Simon ever read his father’s letters? Do Francesca and Michael become parents? Who would win in a Pall Mall grudge match? Does “The End” really have to be the end? 

Now, with The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After, Julia Quinn delivers eight sexy, funny, and heartwarming “2nd epilogues,” plus a bonus story about none other than the wise and witty Violet Bridgerton herself. So get to know the Bridgertons all over again—because Happily Ever After is a whole lot of fun.

Sparrowgal's rating - 8/10

Sparrowgal's thoughts - Spoiler Alert!

This book is probably best read AFTER you have finished with Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series (and each book is delightfully different from each other) as it is a whole bunch of epilogues that slot in nicely with each stories.  Naturally I like some stories better than others - Francesca's story about being unable to have a child; Gregory's story where he nearly loses Lucy; Hyacinth's story with the lost jewels.  Violet's story at the end was a lovely touch and I wish she had a book all on her own, rather than just a short story.  Highly recommended for all Bridgerton fans, but not a book to be read on its own without the knowledge of the other books.

Anna Campbell - Midnight's Wild Passion

London's most notorious seducer, Nicholas Challoner lives solely for revenge . . . The dashing, licentious Marquess of Ranelaw can never forgive Godfrey Demarest for ruining his sister—now the time has come to repay the villain in the same coin. But one formidably intriguing impediment stands in the way of Nicholas's vengeance: Miss Antonia Smith, companion to his foe's unsuspecting daughter. Having herself been deceived and disgraced by a rogue—banished by her privileged family as a result and forced to live a lie—Antonia vows to protect her charge from the same cruel fate. She recognizes Ranelaw for the shameless blackguard he is and will devote every ounce of her intelligence and resolve to thwarting him. Yet Antonia has always had a fatal weakness for rakes...

Sparrowgal's rating - 8.5/10

Sparrowgal's thoughts - Spoiler Alert!

This was my first Anna Campbell book, and it was a great introduction!  The book had some good reviews so I decided to start with this.  And that she was Australian was cool to boot!

The plot is one of the standard historical romance themes - reknowned rake hellbent on revenge falls in love. The heroine is a disgraced lady of blue blood hiding after a mistake in her youth.  Only at the end are they united as one of them lays on their deathbed and vows of love are exchanged.

The witty dialogue between the two characters endears you to Antonia.  Her ascerbic sharp tongue, and her hiding her beauty underneath unflattering clothes (which of course is recognised by a well known womaniser such as Nicholas) makes you wonder at what travesty she had in her past that has pushed her to this.  I like the older heroine, and Antonia at 27 is considered old by regency standards, but is a perfectly acceptable marrying age.

One thing that irritated me about this book is her constantly melting in his embrace as she is trying to avoid him.  That only happens in the earlier part of the book though, and her surrender to allowing herself two nights of passion are both believable and poignant, and the scenes between them are not always sexually charged - there is a moment in the book where she is exhausted from nursing her cousin (for whom she chaperones) and he shows his softer, caring side (as all great heroes do).  Her cousin turns out to be very astute, which I very much liked.

I read this book till the wee hours of the morning, as I could not put it down, which means that I will be looking forward to reading more Anna Campbell in the future!