Born of Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Oh no! It looks like this is the last of my archived posts- well, I’m glad we’re ending on a good note. This Throwback Thursday is for the second in the amazing series, The League, seriously- so good!

This is possibly my favorite series to date.  Born of Fire is the sequel to Born of Night (which is my highest rated novel to date) and this one was just as good, if not better than the first one.  I probably enjoyed this one more because the heroine was kick ass which lead to some interesting times between her and the hero of the story. This was the type of book that I got angry when I had to go and do something else, and it was always in my purse in case I had a few minutes of waiting time that I could find out what happened next.  I’m very excited for the next one in the series Born of Ice.

Book Blurb:

    In a universe where assassins make the law, everyone lives in fear– except for Syn.  born of an illicit scandal that once rocked a dynasty he always knew how to survive on the bloodthirsty streets.  But that was then, and the future is now…
He takes no prisoners.  Syn was raised as a techthief until his livelihood uncovered a truth that could end his life.  He tried to destory the evidence and has been on the run ever since.  Now trained as an assassin, he allows no one to theaten him.  Ever.  He is the darkness that swallows his enemies whole.
She offers no escape.  Shahara Dagan is the best bounty hunter in the universe.  when Syn comes back on the radar, she’s the only one who can bring him to justice.  There’s only one problem: Syn is a close family friend who’s helped out the Dagans countless times.  But if she saves him, both of their lives will be on the line.  Is Syn’s protection worth the risk?  The only hope Shahara has is to find the evidence he buried long ago.  Now it’s kill or be killed– and they, the predators, have just become the hunted.

Rachel’s Rating: 23

Plot: 8
Strong Beginning: 3
Keeps You Hooked: 3
Predictability: 2

Characters: 8
Believability: 2
Intriguing Leads: 3
Secondary Characters: 3

Steaminess: 7
Mood: 3
Hotness: 2
Number of Times: 2

One Night of Sin by Gaelen Foley

It’s Throwback Thursday! It looks like I didn’t have much to say when I first wrote about this book.  But that’s okay! One Night of Sin is the sixth book of the Knight Miscellany series which focuses around the Knight family siblings.

An amazing tale full of dangerous secrets, Russian Princes, English rogues and spirited ladies.

Book Blurb:
“Lord Alec Knight, the most daring and handsome rogue in all fo London, is a smooth-talking aristocrat with an abundance of high-society lady admirers.  With his irresistible wit, lucky hand at the gaming tables, and enticing charisma, he can have any woman he wants.  But when the only girl he would have considered marrying ties the knot with someone else, Alec realizes he doesn’t want to be with just any lady– he wants to find the love of his life.
The beautiful and boldly spirited Miss Becky Ward takes his life by storm after he rescues her from peril.  Alec soon learns that Becky is on the run, having uncovered a menacing secret about her cousin, the murderous Prince Mikhail Kurkov.  In the midst of danger, Alec and Becky find themselves deeply drawn to each other.  After the two spend an all-consuming night of sin, Becky’s knight in shining armor vows on his honor to protect her until the end.  But before long, Alec is protecting her with more than honor– and it seems the once untamed rake of London just may have found what he has been searching for all along… true love.”

Rachel’s Rating: 22

Plot: 8
Strong Beginning: 3
Keeps You Hooked: 3
Predictability:   2

Characters: 8
Believability: 2
Intriguing Leads: 3
Secondary Characters: 3

Steaminess: 6
Mood: 2
Hotness: 2
Number of Times: 2

Sins of Midnight by Kimberly Logan

It’s time for another Throwback Thursday and this looks like a steamy, steamy one! Looks like this is part of a series, The Daventry Sisters.  Looks like I actually started with the first first book in the series this time!

Sins of Midnight is a pretty good read.  Lady Jillian is a quick-tongued lady who works with London’s police force to discover the truth behind a recent string of murders, and in doing so finds more than she was looking for.

Rachel’s Rating: 19.5

Plot: 6
Strong Beginning: 1
Keeps You Hooked: 2
Predictability:   2

Characters: 7.5
Believability: 2
Intriguing Leads: 2.5
Secondary Characters: 3

Steaminess: 8
Mood: 3
Hotness: 3
Number of Times: 2

 

 

Book Blurb:

    “My unladylike association with the Bow Street Runners has made me fair game for London’s loose-tongued rumormongers, but I, Lady Jillian Davertry, promise to behave– at least until my sister’s coming-out season has concluded.  But my vow will not keep me from solving the mystery that overshadows my life– nor, I reluctantly admit, will it keep my heart from racing madly in the presence of Connor Monroe.

    I cannot ignore Connor’s request for assistance in solving a mystery of his own.  But the hungry fire of his gaze and the heat of his touch suggest the irresistibly handsome rogue wants so much more… I know I’m entering dangerous ground, but I’m tempted by his sinful kiss”

 

Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas

In this Throwback Thursday I’m bringing back a Lisa Kleypas novel.

Married by Morning got a pretty solid “meh” from me at the end.  While its definitely not the worst romance novel reviewed for the site, it was nothing to write home about.  And it looks like I read these books out of order.  But that’s okay.  Married by Morning is actually the 4th book in the series.  I think I will have to go back and read them in order now.  Just so that you don’t make the same mistake that I did, here is the book order for the Hathaways Series by Lisa Kleypas.

1. Mine till Midnight
2. Seduce me at Sunrise
3. Tempt me at Twilight
4. Married by Morning
5. Love in the Afternoon

Rachel’s Rating: 17

Plot: 6
Strong Beginning:2
Keeps You Hooked: 2
Predictability: 2

Characters: 5
Believability: 2
Intriguing Leads: 2
Secondary Characters:1

Steaminess: 6
Mood: 2
Hotness: 2
Number of Times: 2

 

Book Blurb:

“He is everything she wants to avoid… For two years, Catherine Marks has been a paid companion to the Hathaway sisters– a pleasant position, with one caveat.   Her charges’ older brother, Leo Hathaway, is thoroughly exasperating.  Cat can hardly believe that their constant arguing could mask a mutual attraction.  But when one quarrel ends in a sudden kiss, Cat is shocked at her powerful response– and even more so when Leo proposes a dangerous liason. 

She is not at all what she seems… Leo must marry and produce an heir withing a year to save his family home.  Catherine’s respectable demeanor hides a secret that would utterly destroy her.  But to Leo, Cat is intriguing and infernally tempting, even to a man resolved never to love again.  The danger Cat tried to outrun is about to separate them forever– unless two wary lovers can find a way to banish the shadows and give in to their desires…”

Devil in the Dark by Evelyn Rogers

H’okay, so, I have no freaking idea about this week’s Throwback Thursday… The book blurb gives me nothing to go on and it’s not triggering anything in my memory. Clearly this is was not a very memorable read…

Rachel’s Rating: 17

Plot: 7
Strong Beginning: 3
Keeps You Hooked: 2
Predictability: 2

Characters: 5
Believability: 2
Intriguing Leads: 2
Secondary Characters:1

Steaminess: 5
Mood: 2
Hotness: 1
Number of Times: 2

Book Blurb:

He rode out of the Yorkshire mist, a dark figure on a dark horse. Was he a living man or a nightmare vision, conjured up by her fearful imagination and her uncertain future?

Voices swirled in her head:

      They say he’s more than human,

      A man’s life is in danger when he’s around…

      And a woman’s virtue.

Repelled yet fascinated, Lucinda found herself swept into a whirlwind courtship. Yet even as his lips set fire to her heart, she could not forget his words of warning on the night they met:

      Tread softly. Heed little that you see and hear.

      Then leave. For God’s sake leave.

Whether he was the lover of her dreams or the embodiment of all she feared, she sensed he would always be her… Devil in the Dark.

Once Upon A Time by Marylyle Rogers

Here comes another Throwback Thursday! This book is a historical fantasy- I feel like you don’t get too many of those! Please excuse the horribly distorted image- apparently this isn’t a very popular book and we only have one, very old, edition to go off of.

Rachel’s Rating: 16

Plot: 6
Strong Beginning: 2
Keeps You Hooked: 2
Predictability: 2

Characters: 4
Believability: 1
Intriguing Leads: 2
Secondary Characters:1

Steaminess: 6
Mood: 2
Hotness: 2
Number of Times: 2

Book Blurb:

“A lovely lady fell asleep in a charmed ring of flowers and dreamed of Comlan, king of the fairy realm. She spent a few magical hours by his side, enjoying the company of the handsome king whose golden hair and green eyes could turn the head of any mortal maid… and whose charming attentions captured her heart.

But the year is 1850, and Amy Danton knows better than to believe in fairy tales.  However wonderful Comlan seems, he is nothing but a figment of her imagination, a dream to bel eft behind in Ireland when she goes to London to prepare for the marriage her parents have arranged. but any mortal suitor pales in comparison to the unearthly delight of Comlan.

Then, across a crowded ballroom, she sees the man of her dreams.  Their eyes meet, and she dares to hope that her fairy tale will end happily ever after… until she learns why Comlan has come to her world, and of the very mortal danger that threatens their enchanted love”

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

I dove straight into the second of the Bridgertons series as soon as I got it. I loved the first in the series, The Duke and I, that much!

Miss Quinn did not disappoint in her second novel, this story centered around the eldest of the Bridgertons, Anthony. It was wonderful being able to dive back into the familiar family, the banter between siblings, and see who would be the next to join this amazing family.

Unfortunately, some very familiar themes popped up that made the sequel not quite as novel as the first. It seems that Anthony, as Simon had previously, made a vow or resolution of some kind that, of course, the heroine must set him straight on. There are other overlaps as well, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers, because despite the similarities and the “equation style” writing, it’s a decent read.

Have you read both? Which did you prefer?

Rachel’s Rating: 18

Plot: 5
Strong Beginning: 1
Keeps You Hooked: 2
Predictability: 2

Characters: 6
Believability: 2
Intriguing Leads: 2
Secondary Characters: 2

Steaminess: 4
Mood: 2
Hotness: 1
Number of Times: 1

Other: 3

 

Book Blurb
1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, this author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London’s most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry.

And in truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better…
—Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1814

But this time, the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry—he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams…

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands—and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself…

Sweet Temptation by Maya Banks

Ooooh, this was the first Maya Banks novel that I read. I had no clue what I was in for, but it was a good read! Looks like this was actually the 4th book in the series Sweet, but you’d never know it as they’re all stand alone novels.

Woooh, boy!  Was this a steamy book or what?  This is the first novel that I read that falls under the “erotica” category, and it did not leave me disappointed.  Although, I must admit that certain parts did make me uncomfortable, (some of the subject matter is not my cup-o-tea) which at times made me want to put the book down. However, the book had a very interesting plot and I had to see where it was going to.  Want a hot and steamy book with a decent plot?  Check this one out.

Rachel’s Rating: 20

Plot: 6
Strong Beginning: 2
Keeps You Hooked: 2
Predictability: 2

Characters: 5
Believability: 2
Intriguing Leads: 2
Secondary Characters:1

Steaminess: 9
Mood: 3
Hotness: 3
Number of Times: 3

 

Book Blurb:

“He was a by-the-book cop who broke all the rules in the bedroom…

Micah Hudson has painful secrets he’s tried hard to run from.  He has new friends and a new life, but he’s about to be confronted with the one person who reminds him of all he’s tried to forget– angelina, the sister of his oldest friend, David.  She knows everything about Micah’s past, including how he and David fell in love with the same woman, and how they decided that the best way to prevent her from tearing them apart was to share her.  But then a terrible accident left Micha alone…

She was willing to do anythign to make her see the woman she’d become…

Micah lost the two people who meant the most to him.  Angelina lost her only family.  And she’s kept her deepest secret close to her heart: her love for Micah.  No longer willing to wait, she decides it’s time to go after him and bring him to his knees.  She knows his secrets, his desires, his kinks and fetishes, and she’ll use whatever it takes to reel him in.  Beneath Micah’s easygoing exterior lies a man with dark needs and passions.  She can give him what he wants… but will he decide she’s what he needs?”

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Good Morning! Phew, it has been a minute since I’ve been able to do a post because, we’re moving! This past month has involved three out of state trips, looking at a gazillion and one houses and the general chaos of a short notice move. I’m so excited, but severely stressed out of my little mind. I’m hoping to catch up on all the novels I’ve read over the past month and get them posted trop vite!

I found The Duke and I by Julie Quinn at my local “friends of” library store. Do you have one of these? They’re the BEST. Books start at like 50 cents. It’s fabulous! I like purchasing these books cause they help me out with my Instagram feed, have you checked it out? What? You haven’t? Well, what are you waiting for? My username is RomanceAndWine 🙂

The Duke and I was a break from the drudge that I had been reading. Seriously, so many horrible romance novels get published. But, this novel contained super interesting characters, the interactions between the siblings are HILARIOUS. And the lead character wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. She actually did something that I absolutely, morally despised. YAY for non-perfect characters! It was great being able to understand exactly why she did what she did, and see the consequences unfold. Life ain’t always pretty, folks!

I enjoyed this one so much that I made my way back up to the library and grabbed the next few books in the series, The Bridgertons!

Have you read this book? What did you think of “the event”? Did it make you love the book more, or make you hate it?

Rachel’s Rating: 20

Plot: 5
Strong Beginning: 2
Keeps You Hooked: 2
Predictability: 1

Characters: 7
Believability: 2
Intriguing Leads: 2
Secondary Characters: 3

Steaminess: 5
Mood: 2
Hotness: 2
Number of Times: 1

Other: 3

 

Book Blurb:
Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?

—Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1813

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister, the lovely—and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy sutiors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her… but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke… for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love…

The Highlander’s Touch by Karen Marie Moning

Well, well, well, look what the past dragged in for this Throwback Thursday… The Highlander’s Touch is book 3 of the Highlander series, and it appears that I recently read book one of the series, Beyond the Highland Mist.  It seems that this one scored better in plot and characters than the first book did….

The Highlander’s Touch by Karen Marie Moning will have you rooted in one spot from start to finish. Moning weaves a wonderful tale full of magic, fighting, well built Scotsmen and lusty moments. Be prepared with a beverage and snack of choice when you pick up this novel, because you won’t be putting it down once you start!!

Rachel’s Rating: 22

Plot: 8
Strong Beginning: 3
Keeps You Hooked: 3
Predictability: 2

Characters: 8
Believability: 3
Intriguing Leads: 3
Secondary Characters: 2

Steaminess: 6
Mood: 3
Hotness: 2
Number of Times: 1

 

Book Blurb:

    When Lisa felt the earth move under her feet, the fiercely independent 21st-century woman never dreamed she was falling…into another century.  But the powerful, naked warrior who stood glaring down at her wass only too real… and too dangerously arousing.  Irresistibly handsome he might be, but Lisa had no intention of remaining in this savage land torn by treachery and war.  How could she know that her seductive captor had other plans for her… plans that would save her from a tragic fate?  Or that this man who had long ago forsaken love would defy time itself to claim her for his own…