The Scottish Duke by Karen Ranney
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (268 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Though raised as a gentleman’s daughter, Lorna Gordon is obliged to take a position as an upstairs maid at Blackhall Castle when her father dies. Alex Russell, the Duke of Kinross, is the most tempting man she’s ever seen—and completely unattainable—until, at a fancy dress ball, Lorna disguises herself as Marie Antoinette and pursues an illicit tryst…with scandalous consequences.

Months after his mysterious seductress disappears, Alex encounters her again. Far from the schemer the distrustful duke assumed her to be, Lorna is fiercely independent and resourceful. She’s the one woman capable of piercing his defenses. But when danger threatens Lorna, Alex must prove himself not just the lover of her fantasies, but the man who will fight to protect her.

One time is all it takes and the rest is history.

Lorna’s obsession and unusual upbringing allowed her to make a daring choice: meet Alex, the Duke of Kinross, incognito, the result of which tested her mettle and set her on a path she could never have envisioned even in her wildest dreams. The one thing I’m so glad about is that there were no hysterical screams of witchcraft because of her talent with plants. I was vastly relieved by that.
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Alex is the typical tormented hero who was cuckolded once and swore never to leave himself vulnerable again to a woman. Never say never. The poor guy had a serious chip on his shoulder, yet he’s a decent man with a marshmallow heart surrounded by briars and moats and brick. His desperation to protect that vulnerable part of him was almost his undoing. What he did to make up for it truly redeemed him in my eyes and I accepted him as a worthy hero for Lorna.

Redemption comes in many forms and what shocked me was the redemption of one of the secondary characters. I was ready to thoroughly write the person off, but Ms. Ranney had different plans. The end result was an ‘awww’ moment. After reading that, I agree with Lorna – everyone should get a second chance.

However, there are some instances where second chances should not be allowed, at all, ever. That became apparent too. It created a believable conflict, even if I figured out who did it, and why. I was annoyed actually as to how forgiving Alex was to this person for most of the book, yet he was so harsh to Lorna. That bothered me. This other person was so poisonous, annoying and irritating, I just wanted to shove them out a window to see if they could fly.

The best parts are when Lorna and Alex are on the same page. The least stressful moments were the happiest; when the hero and heroine explore and allow themselves to enjoy the passion that is like an inferno between them. When they smile at each other and are in perfect accord, it was sublime. I was thrilled when that occurred more and more towards the end of the novel. At that point, they were slowly coming to the realization that they were falling in love. It was so beautiful. And yet, that was when the author struck and shook it all up like earthquake. Talk about pages flipping in a fury!

Nan is my favorite secondary character but it’s a tough call because I really adored Alex’s mom, too. They both were assets to the story and made the book better. The love of friendship is strong and special between them and the Ms. Ranney caputured it beautifully.

All in all, The Scottish Duke is a delightful romance story. I liked Alex’s and Lorna’s personalities. Their dialogue, both spoken and internal, was well done and helped me understand their motivations and challenges. I liked the pace of the novel and I was intrigued with Alex’s passion with soot. It was a clever idea to use it to solve a mystery. I just had no idea that it would lead to more than one thread of conflict. That was very cool.

Even though I think readers will figure out the antagonists of the novel, I do believe they’ll be surprised as I was as to what eventually happens to them. I enjoyed reading this book and I think many other historical romance fans will too. It has a lot to recommend it.

The Viscount and the Vixen by Lorraine Heath
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (298 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Love begets madness. Viscount Locksley watched it happen to his father after his cherished wife’s death. But when his sire arranges to marry flame-haired fortune hunter Portia Gadstone, Locke is compelled to take drastic measures to stop the stunning beauty from taking advantage of the marquess. A marriage of mutual pleasure could be convenient, indeed… as long as inconvenient feelings don’t interfere.

Desperation forced Portia to agree to marry a madman. The arrangement will offer the protection she needs. Or so she believes until the marquess’s distractingly handsome son peruses the fine print… and takes his father’s place!

Now the sedate—and, more importantly, secure—union Portia planned has been tossed in favor of one simmering with wicked temptation and potential heartbreak. Because as she begins to fall for her devilishly seductive husband, her dark secrets surface and threaten to ruin them both—unless Locke is willing to risk all and open his heart to love.

It is important to note that kamagra is a drug that should not be brought over 5mg cialis price the counter. The reason for the cheap rate of the medicine is that it increases the limit of ejaculation because when a male discharges the fluid then all the desires gets reduced. order viagra usa The consumption of the capsules for at least 4 months to take your sexual pleasure beyond your expectations. levitra sale But pregnant ladies should not cost viagra take this drug as the ingredients are same, the dosage is also almost the same. This novel is light on plot conflict but huge on heart, emotion and a wonderful romance.

What I mean about a light plot conflict is that there are no evil villains and nefarious intrigues, rather, The Viscount and the Vixen has a heroine who is faced with a dilemma that causes her to embark on a courageous and possible dangerous path that could be her salvation or her downfall. It’s a secret that could destroy everything she’s trying to build and the secret could rob her of the very thing she thought she’d never have – love. Ms. Heath presents readers with a strong female heroine that is absolutely perfect for the hero, even though it takes him a while to admit to it.

This is a character driven romance; it’s engaging, entertaining and simply told. The author created two people who had to grow, be nurtured and learn to trust beyond their initial impressions of each other. That journey was made even more interesting by the fact that Killian could not seem to keep his hands off of Portia. I thoroughly enjoyed the healthy and robust talk about sex that had either Killian or Portia blushing, sometimes at the same time. The fact that Killian’s father was unabashed about it as well made for many grins and giggles especially with Locke’s (a/k/a Killian) reaction to realizing his parent enjoyed a healthy bedroom romp when he was a younger man as well. In fact, as adorable as it was, it was also bittersweet. A reader will understand why that is, and why even getting to talk about it is actually very special and sweet.

Of course, the secret comes out, and although part of the reaction was typical, Ms. Heath added her own twist to solving it that was both gratifying, well written and satisfactory. Dare I say, it was even swoon-worthy.

A truly delightful part of their relationship was the seduction. Killian didn’t stand a chance. Their antics are spicy, sensual, passionate and, although the hero denied it in the beginning, loving. Of course it was adventurous too, and quite a few scenes made me smile. Portia has quite the wit, even at times you’d least expect.

My emotions really got a work out when it came to Killian’s father. He was actually a smart man who dearly loved his family. I needed a few tissues when it came to him. Even now, when I think of that scene, I sniffle and have to grab another tissue. When it comes to matters of the heart and reaching out and touching a reader’s feelings, Ms. Heath outdid herself in a beautiful way.

I have no qualms in highly recommending this novel to fellow historical romance fans. The romance story within its pages is solid, well told and progresses at a nice clip. It ended up being a feel good type of book that I am always glad to read but don’t often find. This story didn’t cause me any stress or worry, and any conflict did not plague the characters overlong. It’s well balanced and charming and the happy ever after is well rounded, complete and included everything I look for to make me satisfied. The Viscount and the Vixen made me a happy reader.

A Date at the Altar by Cathy Maxwell
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (211 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Will the third time be the charm? A duke can’t marry just anyone. His wife must be of good family, be fertile, be young. Struggling playwright Sarah Pettijohn is absolutely the last woman Gavin Whitridge, Duke of Baynton, would ever fall in love with.

She is an actress, born on the wrong side of the blanket, and always challenges his ducal authority. She never hesitates to tell him what she thinks.

However, there is something about her that stirs his blood . . . which makes her perfect for a bargain he has in mind: In exchange for backing her play, he wants Sarah to teach him about love.
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And he, in turn, has a few things to teach her about men . . .

This is quite the fascinating historical romance. Of course there is a wonderful and well written romance to enjoy, but it’s the surprising betrayals that affect both Sarah, the heroine, and Gavin, the Duke of Baynton that truly set this novel apart.

I liked how the author set up the scene in the first chapter – both main characters had their reasons for being in the same place but they are as far removed in goals as one could be. And yet, that one event set the stage for all the intrigue and conflict that would later occur. The breadth and scope of it isn’t even hinted at but once Ms. Maxell set the wheels in motion, the story takes off and I was thoroughly entertained.

I think my favorite aspect of the book is the fact that both Sarah and Gavin were at odds with each other. There’s a strong attraction between the two and it certainly complicated things, but only in the best ways possible. Watching them fall in love with each other was a spectator sport that completely entertained, probably because of the intense lust and sensual buildup as their prickly relationship continued. It started off on rocky footing, and the author introduced so many reasons to feel sympathy for both Sarah and Gavin. Some were downright sad, yet, Sarah is a plucky heroine with a ton of pride, and Gavin is no slouch either. There are sparks, misunderstandings, and when they succumb to their passions, it’s made all the better because Ms. Maxwell’s talent does those scenes justice. I swear, they took turns seducing the other even while trying to resist one another. I can’t help but smile because they think they can ignore true love.

Then of course there’s the conflict. Wow, powerful stuff. I felt so bad for Gavin because as shocks go, it’s a doozy. Gavin’s dealing with it proved without a shadow of a doubt that he meets the criteria of ‘hero’.

Another really good part was Gavin’s relatives. I don’t want to give anything away, but they play an important part in the story. Dame Imogene and his mom are the greatest. I love a happy ending.

A Date at the Alter is historical romance at its best. There is so much depth to the characters that their feelings of fear, anger, uncertainty, lust and passion come to life within the pages, making Sarah and Gavin easy characters to care for and fall in love with. The dialogue is key to understanding their points of view and sometimes it’s even fun and clever. This is a novel worth spending time with and I highly recommend it. Then again, this book has that classic Maxwell touch; what’s not to like?