Showing posts with label historical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical. Show all posts

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Review: An American Duchess by Sharron Page

20579284An American Duchess

Sharron Page
Paperback, 384 pages

Published September 30th 2014 by Harlequin HQN







It's 1922, and New York heiress Zoe Gifford longs for the freedoms promised by the Jazz Age. Headstrong and brazen, but bound by her father's will to marry before she can access his fortune, Zoe arranges for a brief marriage to Sebastian Hazelton, whose aristocratic British family sorely needs a benefactor.

Once in England, her foolproof plan to wed, inherit and divorce proves more complicated than Zoe had anticipated. Nigel Hazelton, Duke of Langford and Sebastian's older brother, is as austere and imposing as the family's ancestral estate. Still reeling from the Great War, Nigel is now staging a one-man battle against a rapidly changing world—and the outspoken Zoe represents everything he's fighting against.

When circumstances compel Zoe to marry Nigel rather than Sebastian, their heated quarrelling begets passion of another sort. But with Nigel unwilling to change with the times, will Zoe be forced to choose between her husband and her dreams?



review


3.5 Stars


Zoe, a new world heiress, is a girl ahead of her time.  She is not what you would call a proper girl. Her skirts are short, she can fly a plane and is willing to take on the world with her head held high. Zoe is a girl who can turn a world of black and white into color with just her presence.  Zoe has loose lips, is sassy and has a hard head. She knows what she wants, she's gonna go after it and the girl is going to get it. Having fun while she does it. She's a modern girl, and a modern world, during the 1920s.


Duty, honor and tradition are etched into who Nigel, the Duke of Langford is. Serving his country and crown by fighting in war, Nigel was left with both mentally and physically scars that go as deep as his soul. A man who wants thing to be as they have been, gets shaken to his core when a lively American throws the modern world into his life. Overwhelmed with emotions, the past, and what the future could be.  Sometimes a Duke has to do things that you would a Duke doesn't normally do.

A fun and feisty Romance set in the 1920s. Combining an old world England with the jazzy times of America.  Zoe and Nigel could not be more different, the banter of the two will make you smile and want to smack them both. A good story with a very Downton Abby feel with a lot more pizzazz and jazz.



deana



Monday, April 7, 2014

King of the Unblessed by Michelle Pillow

king

King of the Unblessed
Realm Immortal, Book 1
Audiobook Review
Michelle M. Pillow

Immortality has a way of changing fate.
The choice is simple: go with him or die.
Merrick, dark elfin King of Valdis, had once been heir to all that was good--happiness and pleasure his domain. Now, trapped as the ruler of mischief, king of necessary evil, he stands on a precipice of choice. On one side, his estranged brother, now ruler of what should have been Merrick's, and on the other, King Lucien of the Damned. Both would sway him. Damnation is winning.
Lady Juliana of Bellemare is from a human family, protected by the Blessed, coveted by the Damned. Betrothed to an old friend of her father's, Juliana is resigned to living out her days close to her childhood home, longing for an adventure, never dreaming she'd get what she wished for. When her fiancé is murdered and the children of Bellemare are stolen, Juliana is sent on a quest in a strange realm where appearances are deceiving.
Merrick brings more adventure and passion than any woman could want. Can she withstand the temptations of the Unblessed king? The spell she weaves over him is more than he can resist and, desperate to be the one to rule her, Merrick offers her a choice; either come with him until he tires of her...or die.
Warning: This book contains hot sex, violence, trickster goblins, overly helpful sprights, a king of necessary evil who lives to get his way and a woman who would dare to deny him.
Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, and violence.

 

review4 of 5 Stars

Ms. Pillow recreated what I call the adult version of Labyrinth with KING OF THE UNBLESSED! I don’t know how she did it, but she even came up with a sexier “goblin king” than David Bowie! Yes, I believe I blushed more than once.

 
Lady Juliana of Bellemare, wants nothing more than a grand adventure before she is to be married. When one lives in the land of the Fae, one must be careful of what they wish for. She is a bit naive and does not know the really know what the world hold. As there were times I really wanted to grab a hold of the girl and shake her and say get it together chicka! I truly loved Juliana. She was a woman thinking outside the box and wanted what she wanted. In many ways she did get them!

 
Merrick, the King of the Unblessed, is dark, sexy and powerful. OMG, the long blond hair, I just wanted to run my finger through it. He is one of those Alpha’s alphas! He wants something and he gets it no matter what. But God, those eyes that make you want to melt. Kings have to do what kings have to do! I so fell in love with him!!

 
Merrick gave Juliana the adventure she wanted. Along with magic, deception, a bunch of magical creates to guide her along the way and passion beyond what Juliana could have imagined, she unknowing walks right in to the Unblessed Kings waiting hands. Merrick’s own deception turns on him, when he realized Juliana just might be more to him than her though she should be.

 
I want to start out by saying I am not much of a Historical romance reader. It's not that I don't like that aspect of romance, I have a tendency to get lost in it, but do I love the way they speak. I am however a huge paranormal romance fan. KING OF THE UNBLESSED was a surprisingly exciting read for me. Not only was it paranormal and fantasy together and had this wonderful historical setting that just blew me away. Mega props to Ms. Pillow for this awesome world building in the series. Yes I am a huge fan of world building. Not only is this Merrick and Juliana story, but you can see so many other story lines that could very well be a good book coming in this series!!

I listen to the audio version of this book. I have to be honest I had a little trouble with the narrator. Please do not give me wrong, Ross Pendleton, did an excellent job narrating. I had a hard time getting used his style. Upon the second listen of the book I was very much able to enjoy the wonderful enchanting tale that was told.
If you want to get lost is a fairytale that will heat up the pages as you are turning them, I suggest you go with the KING OF THE UNBLESSED.

deana