I haven't read a Sarah MacLean novel in awhile and I will have to say this one is pretty adventurous. It felt like I could hav3.75 Stars, rounding up.
I haven't read a Sarah MacLean novel in awhile and I will have to say this one is pretty adventurous. It felt like I could have watched this as an Netflix movie. Adelaide is a thief and part of an underground network gang that her father runs. I really like Adelaide, I think she is strong, independent and kind of spunky. Henry is a Duke, my favorite and he doesn't really have a personality, but he's kind of just swept into Adelaide's world.
I liked the first half of the novel best, it's when Adelaide and Henry run into each other and begin their antics. I was interested in that whole, "on-the-run" kind of plot. It's when Adelaide and Henry start to get to know each other and about 30% of the novel is based on one night and one morning, it was a little drawn out and boring. Other than that, it was an okay read. I will read other books in the series. ...more
I needed an audio book to listen to while I deep clean the kitchen. I didn’t really have time to read reviews or really know anything about the book II needed an audio book to listen to while I deep clean the kitchen. I didn’t really have time to read reviews or really know anything about the book I picked. I did want to listen to a Mary Balogh read, but this one is a little older so I wasn’t surprised Only a Kiss wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be.
Overall, it’s an okay listen. It’s very descriptive, a little wordy and fairly repetitive but the angst is low and if you want a historical romance feel, then there’s that. I didn’t like the narrator because the voice is fairly mature, but she read well.
I didn’t feel the chemistry between the leads. I also thought Percy was kind of snobby and not likable at all. He’s bored because he is so rich, can’t really swoon over that right?
Imogen is likeable. She’s independent and has major guilt over the death of her husband.
Overall, if you pick up the audio version, it’s just noise in the background. ...more
I can’t believe I binged read Remember me in ONE sitting. This book was a random find at the library and I absolutelyCouldn't be more perfect, 5 stars
I can’t believe I binged read Remember me in ONE sitting. This book was a random find at the library and I absolutely devoured this read. I can’t explain it. I just simply loved the simple story line and the dynamics between the leads.
Lucas is the only heir to his ducal line and without his father, the grandfather is anxious for a great grandbaby to carry on the name. If I could describe Lucas in one word it would be very gentlemanly. I know that doesn’t tug on everyone’s heart strings, but I adore him.
I loved how filial Lucas was to his grand-parents. I love the way he treated Philippa and during his mistakes, he always said he was sorry. He’s the nice guy all women should marry.
Philippa is the pretty swan with a good head on her shoulders. As much as readers love a flawed FL, I really liked how everything was almost perfect for Philippa. She is pretty, has great family and is very lady like.
To me, the low angst read of the book and very nice storyline was the perfect read for me. Lucas and Phil don’t always see eye to eye, but there is ALWAYS conversation and resolvent in conflict. It was just a really healthy relationship they formed. I really enjoyed it.
I loved both families and I loved all the characters. It reminded me of Pride and Prejudice, reading who was married to who and who is son / daughter of who. I don’t know, but I got sucked into this fictional world and I wanted to learn more about the side characters.
This book isn’t for everyone. There’s a lot of verbiage, story building and character building. The steam level is VERY low and hardly to no angst. BUT that is totally my jam!...more
I rarely read books out of order, but after reading some reviews, book 2 takes place at the same time during book 3 and that kind of ki3.75 – 4 Stars.
I rarely read books out of order, but after reading some reviews, book 2 takes place at the same time during book 3 and that kind of killed it for me when I finished reading Not that Duke.
I highly suggest you read the second book in this series or that couple will be spoiled for you when you read this one. So thanks Eloisa James, I will not be continuing this series because of that.
This book was a random read from my library and I’m super glad I didn’t read the summary or I would never pick up the book. The angst level was mild to moderate. I prefer a very low angst level book, but that is hard to come by with Historical Romance novels.
If you like a love triangle with TWO Females and a male, well this book is for you. The book is split into 2 parts. The first part is where the Duke, Silvester wants to court and marry Jasmine, but she is not the FMC, but less than desirable Stella is.
Why is the red-head always the ugly one? I never understood that. Anyhow, I didn’t like Jasmine but the author kept on painting a pretty picture of her and now I know why, Jasmine is the FMC in book 2! It’s okay for Jasmine to dress slutty because she is pretty! It’s okay for Jasmine to get courted by a bunch of guys because she’s pretty. Do you see the picture here?
I like Stella a lot. She’s a strong lead and I LOVED that she didn’t want to settle. I have a love / hate relationship with the Duke. He’s very transparent so that’s good, but so transparent that he likes Jasmine!
I liked the second part of the book more. I felt like Stella was finding her voice and not letting everyone step on her. I found the Duke still annoying, but he was slowly redeeming himself.
Overall, the flow of the book was good and I read the story in a few days. I just didn’t like the overall plot. ...more
I wanted to read a classic smutty historical romance. I usually read reviews prior to picking something up but I was looking for those old no3.5 stars
I wanted to read a classic smutty historical romance. I usually read reviews prior to picking something up but I was looking for those old novels, our parents use to read, like smut from the 70's kind of vibe. I thought I would get that from Celeste Bradley.
I do like the premise of the book, you have the innocent FL with a ML that has a bunch of scars. Isn't that endearing? She has to earn her divorce and with the exchanges of favors.
I don't like the writing style at all. This book would have been better had it been an audio listen, but to read all of the wordy text and pages and pages of descriptive writing, I was going insane. I would say the book is about 30% dialogue and 70% verbose, overly wordy writing. Just NOT my style of read.
I haven't read a Maya Banks book in forever and I forgot how smutty her books can be. If you are in that mood then this historical roman4 Smutty Stars
I haven't read a Maya Banks book in forever and I forgot how smutty her books can be. If you are in that mood then this historical romance book will check all the boxes for you.
He's the damsel in distress and it was different to read the roles reverse. Although the Hero was betrothed to another, even though it's an arrange marriage, if you aren't good with "cheating" you might want to stay away from this book.
The narrator was really good and I liked her voice transitions. She does have a deeper voice than what I prefer, but it kind of worked with the character. ...more
This book isn’t for everyone. The writing is really dry and the narrator reads it dry but for some reason it worked for me. I know. Crazy?
The audio wThis book isn’t for everyone. The writing is really dry and the narrator reads it dry but for some reason it worked for me. I know. Crazy?
The audio was great for me while I worked because it was really slow and dry and I was able to follow along as I did my job.
The main heroine is really tough and when she cut her leg to use her blood I was all in. The hero is kind interesting. He’s caring but kind of a Buffon? So the star of the book is the heroine.
The accent was really hard to listen to and this is coming from someone who loves accents. I’ve never heard such a thick Scottish accent. But soon enough I was able to grasp the words and didn’t think anything of it. I just wasn’t able to speed up the volume like I usually do when I listen to books.
Again. This is not for everyone but it passed the time for me. ...more
It was okay. This was my first book by this author and like I said, meh.
I didn’t like the book but I didn’t hate the book. I basically had it in the It was okay. This was my first book by this author and like I said, meh.
I didn’t like the book but I didn’t hate the book. I basically had it in the background while I worked. I thought the narrator had a pleasant voice and there isn’t anything I could complain about but she isn’t a favorite narrator for me.
One word to describe this book was the fact it was boring. The pace was very slow and there wasn’t enough chemistry between the Heroine and Hero to really root for them.
I liked the overall concept of the book. She pretends to be a widow so she can gamble and have enough money to land a decent husband. I would think an independent woman like her wouldn’t want a husband considering back in the day all of her money would be considered his but that’s me thinking out loud.
The hero bets a week with her and wins. Good concept right? Nothing really grand happens and I appreciate a low angst read bc that is more my jam but I just thought the pacing wasn’t good.
The reviews are pretty much spot on with The Duke is Mine. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. I think the narrator enhanced my reading a l3 Stars
The reviews are pretty much spot on with The Duke is Mine. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. I think the narrator enhanced my reading a lot and if you could do a version I would do the audio version. I really liked the narrator.
Overall, it was an okay book to have in the background. I usually wouldn’t pick up this type of book, but I didn’t know about the premise but the read itself didn’t bother me.
She’s betrothed to another man, while a Duke pursues her. So if you have an issue with cheating, I wouldn’t recommend this read. I mean, you don’t like the guy she is betrothed to, but that storyline can irk some people.
The book dragged a bit and there really wasn’t any romance, except for the fact the Duke was smitten with the Olivia and really wanted her, for what reason, I don’t know. I would say the author does a job on setting up the story and adding additional scenes and facts for fillers.
Do I need to know Olivia’s history with her betrothal? Not really. I don’t think there was any relationship building in this book. But like I said, it was something to have on the background while I mindless work at my job.
P.S. This is suppose to be a tale of "prince and the pea" ... that's a laughable joke. I had no idea. That's kind of sad, since I already finished it and didn't even realize it. ...more
I like to read old historical romances just to see how much of the author’s writing style has changed, also usuall3 A decent start to the series stars
I like to read old historical romances just to see how much of the author’s writing style has changed, also usually the older stuff is steamer.
I thought Night to Surrender was okay. I found it a touch too long and I didn’t care for the characters.
I really wanted to like the Heroine, Susanna but she was a little too strong for my opinion. She was mama bear like times ten. I wanted Victor to bring her down a bit, but she instead brought him up because he was self conscience about his bad leg.
Overall, the concept of the series is interesting. Kind of like the Wallflower series, it’s about a group of misfits ladies. So I will continue with the next book. ...more
Chasing Cassandra is exactly what I needed during this bleak time. It was uplifting, funny, adorable, swee6 This is everything I wanted and more stars
Chasing Cassandra is exactly what I needed during this bleak time. It was uplifting, funny, adorable, sweet and best of all… really steamy! I love the tension.
Mary Jane Wells is my number one favorite narrator with an accent. I could listen to her 24-7. Her acting ability is amazing, I love her accent and voice transitions. I only wished she did more books! The audio version 100% elevated this read for me and I couldn’t have it any other way.
By far this is my favorite Ravenel read. You don’t usually have to read the books in order, but all the couples are coupled off and Cassandra is the last to be wed. So, it was nice hearing the brother in law, cousins and sister talk since I have already read their stories.
What I loved best about this book was that is a historical romance novel with everything I look for in a historical romance novel. I love the light-no fuss storyline. I love that it’s steamy (it’s very hard to find that now) and both characters, Cassandra and Tom were amazing.
I love how kind, adorable and sweet Cassandra was (even though the girl on the cover is a model) Cassandra is a plump thing very conscience of her figure and wants to find love.
Tom is quirky and you could say he seems to be on the spectrum, well, his personality is detached, but it really worked in the read. I found him funny to listen to and I was just rooting for him to land the girl.
I do like it when the Hero chases after the Heroine and I do love that he became smitten with her within first sight.
I really liked reading the parts of Tom and Cassandra getting to know each other. I liked how different they were but how much they worked being together. Gah, when I finished the book I wanted to read it again!
Basil the little boy was my favorite character too.
Lisa Kleypas knocked it out of the park with this one. But this is no surprise on my part. ...more
I really like Lisa Kleypas older stuff, here’s a secret, it’s dirtier.
I have enjoyed the Bow Street Runner series. I t4.5 An Oldie but a goodie Stars
I really like Lisa Kleypas older stuff, here’s a secret, it’s dirtier.
I have enjoyed the Bow Street Runner series. I think if you read most of the historical fiction stuff and you are looking for a classic, you can’t go wrong with these.
I enjoyed listening to Nick and Charlotte’s issues. I liked how Nick was slightly damaged, but he was tough and very masculine. I like that Charlotte is on the run and she refuses to marry the man her parents promised to marry her because the suitor is crazy.
So, there was a little damsel in distress storyline with a little smut and alpha Hero, it’s what I cool a good recipe for fun time listening. ...more
I don’t usually read books out of order but you take what you get from the audio section from my library.
Despite the reviews and the fact, I3.75 Stars
I don’t usually read books out of order but you take what you get from the audio section from my library.
Despite the reviews and the fact, I rated this one around 3 stars, it was a decent read. I’m not sure if it is because of my mood, but the audio version did help. I liked the narrator and although her voice is deep, I really like her male voice so there you go.
First comes scandal isn’t your typical historical romance read. I would put the “romance” part of the book in the back burner. The author does a lot of character and story set-up. For me, I didn’t mind this. I was interested in Georgiana and Nicholas’ backstory and character.
Nicholas is strongly urged to marry Georgiana because she is compromised, but it wasn’t her fault! They are childhood friends so it’s a friends to lover’s type of read. Nicholas is studying to be a doctor and so he’s not the typical rouge cad, he’s just a guy that likes to study and doesn’t want to be tied down. BUT he is willing to do it for honor.
There really wasn’t any chemistry nor spark to Nicholas and Georgiana’s story for me, but it was a very realistic and sort of static relationship. To me, it all seemed very professional and low angst (which I like).
Overall, it’s a read not for everyone, but I didn’t mind listening to it. ...more
I think the downfall for me was the audio version of this book, which is hard for me say because I did like the voice and narration 2 Not for me Stars
I think the downfall for me was the audio version of this book, which is hard for me say because I did like the voice and narration and acting. What I didn’t like was that the Scottish accent was SO THICK, it was really hard for me to understand and this is coming from someone who LOVES to listen narration with accents.
I felt like the pace of this book was way off. There was too much secondary character development. I didn’t feel like there was any direction or plot, it was almost as if the author was just typing to type. It didn’t help that I could only understand half of the book because of the thick Sottish accent.
I didn’t see any chemistry between Amelia and Niall and what he found that was so great with Amelia. It just wasn’t for me and I’m not sure if the author’s writing style was for me too. ...more
I’m pretty sure I read this book but since I didn’t write a review I went ahead and got the audio version via audio escape. See how important3.5 Stars
I’m pretty sure I read this book but since I didn’t write a review I went ahead and got the audio version via audio escape. See how important it is to write your reviews right after you finish a book?
I thought It’s in His Kiss was okay. I didn’t have high expectations since I already read it and so it was nice to have background noise. I actually liked that it was a male narrator. I’m a sucker for the British accent.
I was really looking forward to Hyacinth’s book because she’s the book worm that likes to write. Her and Gareth get together to translate one of Gareth’s family member’s diary. They have this cute friendship and I don’t really see the chemistry between them, but I do like the banter. Gareth kind of finds Hyacinth a little annoying and so I see it like he sees her like a little sister.
I did like to see Hyacinth’s mom, Violet, on Violet’s perspective when her husband died. That was a touching moment, only because I am mom.
I was looking for a new historical romance author and I’m not sure Elizabeth Boyle is it, but I won’t hold this first book against her.
I rea3ish Stars
I was looking for a new historical romance author and I’m not sure Elizabeth Boyle is it, but I won’t hold this first book against her.
I read the summary and was interested in the storyline. Overall the storyline was pretty good and the book had low angst which is my jam.
However, the biggest issue I have with this book is the pace. It’s 100% slow and very long. I was just reading pages and pages of inner monologue which almost made the book impossible to read.
I hope her more recent books are faster to read through.
Alexander doesn’t want a wife and he’s tired of women throwing themselves at him so he invents a wife. The catch, his made-up wife actually shows up! Cute story right? I’m not sure if I like a Heroine has a “con artist” but I enjoyed the story.
I wouldn’t call this a steamy book which totally surprised me because usually older “vintage” Historical romance reads are pretty steamy, but this was pretty tame.
Julia Quinn is one of those authors I try to read all of her books. You start the first book of the series and then you sort of just get 3.5 – 4 Stars
Julia Quinn is one of those authors I try to read all of her books. You start the first book of the series and then you sort of just get sucked in. I’ve read all the books from the Bridgertons series and I like that one better. I find it a little more well-rounded and steamer!
I don’t need my historical romances smutty, but this one was really tame. I’m not sure I could consider it a slow burn because in my opinion there wasn’t any lead up. What I did like about the book was that it was light, easy to listen to and I really like the narrator.
I usually light high-pitched, girlie narrators, but she did a really good job in voice transitions so it worked for me.
Honoria is your typical historical romance Heroine. She’s innocent, young and has a crush on her brother’s friend.
Marcus is an Earl and Honoria is his brother’s little sister.
Like the plot right?
I liked that Honoria and Marcus are overall friends it was nice to see Honoria taking care of Marcus when he got sick. That was probably my favorite part of the book.
There was little to no angst in the book and I LOVED that. I love my light audio books and that probably saved the book for me.
I will of course finish out the series, it’s just a matter the time frame. ...more
4 A Little too Angsty Stars (A hear me roar-women book who like to promote reading)
I haven’t read a Jojo Moyes book since Me Before You and only becau4 A Little too Angsty Stars (A hear me roar-women book who like to promote reading)
I haven’t read a Jojo Moyes book since Me Before You and only because her other books had really bad reviews. I was interested in The Giver of Stars only because there had been some controversy on this book (she was accused of stealing the storyline). I haven’t read the other book but I find it hard that the storyline was stolen. I mean, it has to be word for word, but again I haven’t read the other book.
There are aspects of the book I liked and there were aspects of the book that I didn’t. I gave it 4 stars in the end because I felt like it was written fairly well
The stuff I liked ….
1.) The narrator completely made the book for me. If I could rate Julia Whelan 5 million stars I would. Personally I like youthful voices, BUT her voice transitions are so amazing, I was just shocked in all the voices she did. Her accents are spot on, she does a southern drawl, an American and British accent. All were top-notch. I loved her pace as well.
2.) I loved that it was a historical fiction read. I’m use to Jojo Moyes contemporary works so it’s nice to see something “different” and that it’s set in the depression era in one of the poorest places in the world and in a small town.
3.) I love the “women” power storyline and the librarian storyline. It’s very in now with the me-too movement. I like that even though this is a historical fiction read, a lot of the issues arise in the book can be related to today issues.
The stuff I had issues with…
1.) I thought the book was written well, but I felt like the pace was off just a touch. I felt like there were 3 parts to the book. I really enjoyed the first part, I was irritated with the 2nd part and I was basically over with the 3rd part. I thought the last 3rd of the book took too much chunk of the story and was dragged out.
2.) This was 100% a Debbie downer book. I like to read light-hearted books via audio because I find that the “negative” ones put me in a really bad mood. It was just so much down on the main guy kind of read. I mean, no matter what the good guys do, the bad guys win.
3.) It’s related to the above that the “villain(s)” win too much in the book. It was to the point of angst where I couldn’t stand it and I wanted to throw the book to the wall and I did take a day break from the book because I just couldn’t deal with it anymore.
Overall … here are some points to know when you go into this book …
The book isn’t about one main person / couple There are several ladies that are the main people and honestly it was a bit overwhelming and I found it hard to navigate who was who.
This is NOT a romance book As much as there are relationships that do form in the book, it wasn’t the main part of the story. The main part is about the poor city, and how the women were treated back in the day.
This is a VERY angst-filled book A lot of issues occur in the book and it will drive you crazy. If that is your jam, then this book is for you.
So with all that said, I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, but there are a select few that I could say would like this book. I know I will recommend this book to my mother-in-law because it’s 100% for her. ...more
I was hesitant to continue the series, only because the reviews of this one wasn’t so great as the first one, but to my surprise I liked it. I’4 Stars
I was hesitant to continue the series, only because the reviews of this one wasn’t so great as the first one, but to my surprise I liked it. I’m usually not fond of the rich Heroine and poor Hero trope, but the Hero, Harry was such a strong character I started to like the storyline.
Harry works on Georgina’s (George) land. George is rich on her own because of an inheritance, I didn’t think women could own their own money but what do I know. I like the banter between Harry and George and although the book was steamy and a little kinky, I found this to be a slow burn novel and I liked that.
I really enjoyed the side story of who was killing the sheep and why were they trying to frame Harry? So the added mystery was a bonus for me.
Overall, I like the series so far and I don’t have any expectations for the last book, only that it doesn’t suck. ...more
I love Lisa Kleypas and I love doing her books in audio format, but I’m not sure about this one. Derek was in the previous book and I didn’t li4 Stars
I love Lisa Kleypas and I love doing her books in audio format, but I’m not sure about this one. Derek was in the previous book and I didn’t like his voice. I get it, he’s low-born and he’s trying really hard to sound rich. It reminds me of something like My Fair Lady. He tries very hard to speak like a gentleman. I just didn’t like the female’s narrator’s voice of this.
BUT besides that, I like Lisa’s older books, they are steamy! I wish traditionally published authors wrote more like the “old” ways and make it smutty, but alas they don’t do that anymore.
Derek is so tortured and I’m not too fond of the Heroine chasing after the Hero but she’s a strong lady too.
Anyhow… working my way through Lisa’s books and I think I’m almost caught up. ...more
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