A Lady Of His Own by Stephanie Laurens



This is the third book in Stephanie Laurens Bastion Club series. Charles St. Austell has returned to his ancestral home to flee the matchmaking attempts of his family and to investigate some suspicious activities for his former commander which may be espionage. Charles is surprised to discover that Lady Penelope Selborne, the girl he had loved as a young man and who had spurned him after their one and only intimate encounter, is still unwed and a resident of the area. Seeing her again awakens the spark between them and Charles decides that since he is in the market for a wife, he might as well marry a woman he loves. Convincing Penny of this will be even more challenging than the mystery he came home to solve.

There is more going on in the story than what I was able to describe. That is frequently the case with this author's stories. They can be very complicated. As with the first two books in the series, the stories were interesting, but too long. I've also noticed that the characteristics of the main couples in these books don't vary much. The men are typical romantic heroes, nothing out of line there. It's the type of female that repeats throughout this series that is really starting to grate. These women are introduced as headstrong independent types who don't need a man in their lives... until they do. They lose their wits (to use the author's favorite word) everytime the man touches them and they make careless mistakes that frequently put them in a situation where they have to be rescued by the man. I like a little more common sense in my female characters.

BEST FEATURE: The plot. You really have to pay attention when reading this series because the villian is never obvious and there are a lot of things going on. It's exercise for the mind.

WORST FEATURE: The characters. They are starting to feel recycled. I need more variety.

PARENTAL WARNING: violence and sexual content explicit enough to be considered adult only 

RATING: 2, which ryhmes with deju vu.

The Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong

Chloe Saunders sees dead people. After a traumatic childhood incident involving a basement and a malicious ghost, she had repressed that ability as well as any memories associated with it. But when delayed puberty strikes a 15 year-old Chloe, her ability comes back with a vengeance. To those around her, it looks like she has suffered some kind of a mental breakdown. Her father and aunt decide to put Chloe in a group home called Lyle House for mentally ill children. It doesn't take long for Chloe to realize that Lyle House is not what it seems and that she and the other children have something in common, and its not mental illness.

Derek has superstrength and his foster brother, Simon, has magical abilities. Chloe's roommate, Liz, can throw objects with her mind when she's angry and Rae can start fires... not necessarily with matches. When Liz is taken away after an 'episode', the kids are told that she was transferred to a mental hospital, but Chloe knows this is not true since she has seen Liz's ghost. Derek, Simon, Chloe and Rae decide to escape, but an unexpected betrayal results in the girls being captured by the people who are really responsible for running Lyle House... the Edison Group.

Chloe learns that she is a necromancer. Not only can she see and communicate with the dead, but she can return them to their corpses. Simon is a warlock and spoiled brat Tori is a witch. Rae is a fire-starter and Derek... he's a werewolf. As shocking as this news is, the real revelation is that the Edison Group had genetically altered a test group of children including Chloe in an attempt to reduce their abilities and give them more control. The experiment backfired and the children who were altered have amped up powers that can become unpredicatable when they lose control of their emotions. Although the Edison Group had some success in correcting that problem in a few of the children, others such as Chloe are considered a lost cause, a mistake that the Edison Group would like to permanently erase.

Chloe and Tori escape and re-unite with Simon and Derek. Even with the help of a friend of the boys' father, they aren't going to be able to run from the Edison Group forever. They are going to have to master their abilities and take the fight to the Edison Group if they are to have any hope for survival.

I absolutely loved this series, not so much for the supernatural elements, but because of the growing romantic relationship between Derek and Chloe. Derek is introduced as a hygenically challenged oversized sullen teen boy. As I read the descriptions of him, I was thinking to myself 'eww'. As the story progresses, my opinion of him and Chloe's changes radically. He's the hero of this piece, no question. I'm glad I purchased all three books at the same time since this is just one story. I would not have wanted to wait for the next installment.

BEST FEATURE: Derek. I totally fell in love with this boy and I'm not afraid to admit it.

WORST FEATURE: Necromancy, really? All the other characters had cool abilities, but our heroine can raise the dead. Gross!

PARENTAL WARNING: minor violence, kissing only; appropriate for pre-teens and up

RATING: 4, it might not be for everyone, but anyone who likes young adult fiction, will like this.

Shadow Dance by Julie Garwood

The wedding between Jordan Buchanan's brother and her best friend, Kate MacKenna, is more than the union of two people that she loves, it's the joining of two families that have had a Hatfield and McCoy-sized feud going back centuries to their native Scotland. Jordan had been completely unaware of this old rivalry until she bumped into an eccentric professor at the wedding. He had been researching the relationship between the two clans and didn't hesitate to express his unflattering opinions of the Buchanans. Normally, Jordan would have put that unpleasant encounter behind her, but when Noah Clayborne, a close family friend and FBI agent, pokes fun at her tame life, she contacts the professor and makes arrangements to visit him in the small town of Serenity, Texas to view his research.

A trip to small town Texas to view historical research does not sound like high adventure, but this is a book written by Julie Garwood. The professor ends up dead (no loss there) and his body is discovered in Jordan's trunk. With the killer trying to frame Jordan for murder, bodies piling up and a crooked cop, she will need Noah's help getting her out of a mess that, in a way, he was responsible for getting her into. Even though Jordan and Noah think they are immune to each other's charms, they quickly realize that they want to be more than friends. Those who have read Shadow Music and Ransom will recognize some of the historical references which is a fun way to tie these characters together with others from past books. The suspense and the romance are both good, making for an enjoyable read.

BEST FEATURE: The small town of Serenity and its quirky residents. The book's best scenes take place there.

WORST FEATURE: I appreciate the author's attempt to show Jordan's intelligence by writing her as a computer genius, but somehow that just felt false to me. A minor complaint.

PARENTAL WARNING: violence and sexual content that isn't overly explicit.

RATING: 3, No less than I expect from this author.



Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

In this book, Maggie Stiefvater takes the werewolf myth and gives it the Twilight treatment. When Grace was a little girl, she was attacked by a pack of wolves. They were going to kill her, but one wolf, the one with the yellow eyes, stopped them. Now Grace is a teenager. Instead of being afraid of the wolves that roam the woods near her home, she is fascinated by them... especially the one with the yellow eyes. Sam was bit by a wolf when he was a little boy. Now he doesn't know what he is. When the weather is warm, he's human. When it's cold, he changes into a wolf. Regardless of the form he's in, he always has yellow eyes. And those eyes are always looking for Grace. He is as fascinated by her as she is by him. When the wolves attack a boy from Grace's school, the town decides to destroy the wolves. Sam is shot trying to escape and the pain forces him back into human form despite the cold. He is rescued by Grace and it doesn't take her long to make the connection between the wolf with the yellow eyes and the young man with the yellow eyes that she found bleeding in her backyard. There is no question that they are destined to be together, but fate is trying to force them apart. Why didn't Grace change when she was bitten and is that the answer to how they can be together?

Sam would probably be considered more of a shape-shifter than a werewolf if you want to get technical. I love the cool twist where the temperature is the cause of the change instead of a full moon or anger management issues. A unique story within a classic theme. Nicely done.

BEST FEATURE: Temperature as the shifting catalyst. A unique idea which the author cleverly drives home by putting the temperature at the beginning of each chapter.

WORST FEATURE: Throwing the parents under the bus. In this book, parents are either self-obsessed, homicidal or absent altogether. Ouch!

PARENTAL WARNING: minor sexual content and some violence; appropriate for teens

RATING: 4.5, this one scores major points for creativity and entertainment. It would also make a great movie. Watch your back Twilight!

A Gentleman's Honor by Stephanie Laurens

This is the second book in Stephanie Lauren's Bastion Club series. Anthony Blake, Viscount Torrington, who rated a brief mention in Captain Jack's Woman, finds himself falling for a widow who has been accused of murder. He believes in her innocence, but it quickly becomes clear that the real killer is attempting to frame her for the crime. What Anthony does not realize, is that the widow, Mrs. Alicia Carrington, has never been married and was being blackmailed by the victim. By pretending to be a widow, Alicia can sponsor her younger sister, Adriana, in her debut with the ton. Their hope is that Adriana will make a good match and keep their financially strapped family afloat. Can she trust Anthony with her secret and her heart?

I have a lot of problems with this author's writing style, the book's too long, the frequent use of semi-colons, and a limited vocabulary. If I never see the word 'wits' used in a sentence again, it will be too soon. The things I do like about the Bastion Club series so far are the characters and the stories. That is why I'm determined to finish this series... eventually.

BEST FEATURE: The fake widow. Way to scam the ton, Alicia!

WORST FEATURE: The writing style, again. It made a chore out of an otherwise good book.

PARENTAL WARNING: minor violence, but sexual content explicit enough to be considered adult only.


RATING: 3, it may be 100 pages too long, but it's still a good story.



  

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer



The characters from Life As We Knew It and The Dead And The Gone collide in this continuation of Susan Beth Pfeffer's story of survival after the moon is knocked closer to Earth by an asteroid. The story is being told again in journal format by 17 year-old Miranda Evans. The Evans family has survived the worst of the winter even though many of their neighbors did not. It has been almost a year since the disaster and a new normal has come to exist. Government supplied rations are being doled out to the remaining residents of the town and the weather has gotten warm enough for them to scavenge for supplies from the empty homes and even go fishing. Older brother, Matthew, has met a girl, fallen in love, and brought her home to be part of the family much to his mother's disapproval. Providing for a family of four was hard enough and now there is another mouth to feed. Imagine the reaction when Miranda's father shows up on her doorstep which his new wife and their baby and three strangers. Two of the strangers are Alex and Julie Morales from The Dead And The Gone. Since the story is being told from Miranda's perspective, very little detail is provided on how Alex and his sister ended up with her father. Miranda is relieved that her father has survived, but the complications behind feeding and housing so many people causes some resentment at first.

Eventually, this group of survivors becomes every bit as much of a family as any blood relations. The baby gives them hope of a future... although no one would dare to guess what that future would look like. Since Alex and Julie are close in age to Miranda and her younger brother, they inevitably pair off. This outcome would seem forced except for the new reality where meeting someone of the opposite sex and of a similar age is now an opportunity that should not be passed up. That old saying that there are more fish in the sea... yeah, not so much. However, Alex's determination to take his sister and leave the group could force Miranda to choose between him and her family. The survivors' struggles never seem to end and by the end of this book, you will be wondering if the dead might actually be the lucky ones.

BEST FEATURE: The continuation of a good story.

WORST FEATURE: The romance between Miranda and Alex. Don't get me wrong. I liked the idea of those two characters as a couple, but I like more romance with my apocalypse. There just wasn't enough there.

PARENTAL WARNING: no real sex or violence to speak of, but death is a constant theme; appropriate for teens

RATING: 4, a good ending for a great story.

The Dead & The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This book is a follow-up to Life As We Knew It (see previous review), but instead of being a prequel or a sequel, it takes place at the same time. This story focuses on 17 year old Alex Morales who lives in New York City with his family. Busy with work and school, Alex is unaware that an asteroid is going to hit the moon until it happens. Alex's parents are missing and presumed dead so he is left with the care of his two teenage sisters. Parenting siblings would be difficult enough in normal times, but when every day is a fight for survival, one mistake could be fatal.

This book is even darker than the first one and really highlights the differences between the classes. The rich and powerful are being evacuated to "safe towns" while everyone else is being left to fend for themselves. Alex is also a more compelling character since he had already had a harder life than Miranda of Life As We Knew It before the disaster occurred. This author has opened a door which allows her to explore this devastating event through the eyes of numerous different characters. She has at least one guaranteed reader if she does.

BEST FEATURE: The choice to tell another version of the same story. It's an exciting concept and I want more.

WORST FEATURE: Alex's oldest sister, Brianna. This character seemed too unrealistic for this story... the one piece that really didn't seem to fit.

PARENTAL WARNING: no real sex or violence to speak of, but death is a constant theme; appropriate for teens


RATING:  4 - This is an absorbing series.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Do you slow down to look at an accident as you drive by? Do you watch The Weather Channel with excitement as a large hurricane bears down on a coast... and get disappointed if it loses steam before it hits? Are you a fan of disaster movies? Were you bummed when they cancelled Jericho? Did you stock up on canned goods for New Years 2000? If you can answer yes to any of the above, I have the series for you.

Miranda Evans is 16 years old. She's a normal teen looking forward to summer and getting her drivers license. Nothing much exciting happens in her Pennsylvania hometown so everyone is excited about the asteroid that is supposed to hit the moon. Teachers are giving moon-related homework and most of the town is planning to be outside to watch it happen. The astronomers are saying it's no big deal. Asteroids hit the moon all the time. Except this time... something went wrong. The impact forced the moon even closer to the Earth and all hell broke loose... tidal waves, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions.

The book is written in journal style by Miranda and reminds me very strongly of Anne Frank. Although this is a fictional story, you can't help but see the similarities of two naive girls fighting for survival as the world falls apart around them. It also makes you think long and hard about the what-if's. Could this really happen and, if so, would I be prepared? Also food for thought... the harsh reality of the survival of the fittest, the have's versus the have-not's, family before strangers, where is the safest state to live, and is it ok to steal to survive? Who knew the moon could be this important? I know I'll never look at it the same way again.

BEST FEATURE: The plot. It sucked me in so hard I actually contemplated stocking some extra canned goods in the basement. You never know.

WORST FEATURE: Miranda's annoying habit of reporting what each meal was. When starvation is a real threat, food is obviously going to be an obession. Although mentioning it helped contribute to the realism, there could have been less of it.

PARENTAL WARNING: no real sex or violence to speak of, but death is a constant theme; appropriate for teens

RATING: 4 - Totally addictive.

The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens

The first book in a series, this story introduces seven of London's most eligible bachelors (all former spies recently returned from the war) who form the Bastion Club. The purpose of this gentlemen's club is to provide a refuge from society and support for their search for acceptable brides on their own terms.

Tristan Wemyss, Earl of Trentham, has a more urgent need to marry than his comrades. If he doesn't marry within a year from when he inherited his title, he will keep the title, estates and numerous elderly dependents, but without the wealth to maintain them. Although he could care less about the title and its associated perks, Tristan's genuine affection for his relatives leaves him no choice but to honor the stipulations of his inheritance. As luck would have it, Tristan quickly discovers an appealing candidate living next door to the Bastion Club's headquarters where he is overseeing its renovation.

Leonora Carling is intelligent and independent. Past disappointments have taught her how to manage on her own. She wouldn't know how to ask for help even if it occurred to her to ask for it. That all changes after a series of attempted break-ins at her home cause her to seek assistance from Tristan. He is more than happy to help since he doesn't like the idea of Leonora being in danger and it offers him an opportunity to press his suit for her hand. Leonora may be stubborn, but Tristan excels at getting what he wants.

I like this book a lot better than the other one I've read by this author (Captain Jack's Woman). If you can get past the way too convenient plot device of seven men inheriting titles after the untimely demise of the title holders and/or their heirs, this is a promising series. When I compare it to the other book, the plot is better and the characters are more likeable. The writing style is still pretty jerky which is annoying, but sticking with it to the end was worth it.

BEST FEATURE: The mystery behind the break-ins. Who was the thief and what was he trying to steal from Leonora's house? The answer was never really obvious.

WORST FEATURE: The writing style. There were too many half and incomplete sentences which made reading difficult. Examples include:
- She hauled her gaze back up to his eyes. Blushed.
- Faint light from the distant hallway reached him as he closed the door, turned, straightened.
- Knew absolutely that it was only partially due to surprise. Sensed his own response to that fact. Ruthlessly reined it in.

PARENTAL WARNING: minor violence, but sexual content explicit enough to be considered adult only.



RATING: 3 - A solid start for a romance series.

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

Beatrix is the youngest and quirkiest of the Hathaway siblings. Most of the time she prefers the company of animals to that of people. That might explain her unmarried state even though she's in her mid-twenties. She knows she should marry, but since all of her siblings married for love, Beatrix can't bring herself to settle for just anyone. When Beatrix's friend, Prudence, refuses to write back to a suitor who is a soldier away at war, she takes pity on the man and writes the letter for Prudence. When the soldier writes back, Beatrix continues the correspondence using Prudence's name and falls hopelessly in love with him in the process.

Captain Christopher Phelan was a shallow rake when he left for war, but the experiences of death and suffering have changed him. He knows that he would not have made it through the war without the letters from his beloved Prudence. When Christopher returns home as a hero and starts making plans to marry Prudence, he is disturbed by his reactions to his neighbor, Beatrix Hathaway. He used to think she was odd, but now there is a strange attraction. And for some reason, Prudence does not seem to remember what she wrote him in her letters. Chistopher is in love with the woman who wrote the letters, but he's no longer sure who that is.

Beatrix was my least favorite Hathaway, but this book changed that. I think this might be the best Lisa Kleypas book I've read to date. Kleypas writes the best quips of any writer I've ever read and older brother Leo's dialogue was especially entertaining. Of course, he usually runs away with his scenes. The part that really nailed it for me was the letters between Beatrix and Christopher. The progression of their feelings felt just right and who doesn't like the notion that someone could fall in love with who you are, sight unseen.

BEST FEATURE: The letters between Beatrix and Christopher.

WORST FEATURE: The simplification of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Don't get me wrong, I applaud the author's use of this plot device since it would have been unrealistic for a soldier to come back unchanged after experiencing war. It's also a timely topic given Iraq and Afghanistan. The problem was that the book seemed to imply that the love of friends and family could quickly resolve the symptoms. But that's the good and the bad of a romance novel, love and happy endings are not always compatible with reality.

PARENTAL WARNING: Minor violence and sexual content that isn't overly explicit.

MY RATING: 5 - If you're a fan of romance novels than you need to read the Hathaway series.

Captain Jack's Woman by Stephanie Laurens

Kathryn "Kit" Cranmer was raised to be a lady, but her rebellious streak and habit of dressing like a young man frequently land her in situations no well-bred lady should ever be in. Such as leading a gang of smugglers, just to name one example. Her success as a smuggler results in Kit crossing paths with the leader of a rival smuggling gang, Captain Jack.

Captain Jack is actually Jonathon, Lord Hendon... the High Commissioner appointed to stop the smuggling activity in the area. Since spies are one of the things being smuggled in and out of the country, Jack allows the illegal activity to continue so that they can trail the spies back to their source. In order to accomplish this, Jack needs total control of the smuggling in the area which means that he either needs to put a stop to Kit's gang or incorporate them into his own group. A power struggle is inevitable between these two strong personalities and, when Jack discovers that Kit the lad is actually Kit the young woman, he'll end up pursuing more than just spies.

This is the first book that I have read by Ms. Laurens and I wasn't overly impressed. The story is interesting and there are numerous sex scenes that practically scorch the pages they're written on, but the book is too long and the main characters were annoying. Jack is a bit of a sexist brute, but you could write that off as being historically accurate. It's Kit's character that ruins this book for me. She is spoiled and self-absorbed and her inability to maintain a coherent thought when Jack is touching her should be insulting to females everywhere. I have never hated a female literary character this much. Even Scarlett O'Hara had some redeeming qualities.

BEST FEATURE: The sex scenes. They were explicit enough and frequent enough to meet my romance requirements.

WORST FEATURE: Kit. Here's hoping that this character does not resurface in any other books I decide to read by this author.

PARENTAL WARNING: minor violence, but sexual content explicit enough to be considered adult only.

RATING: 2 - For die-hard romance lovers and Stephanie Laurens fans only. A friend recommended this author so I will be checking out the Bastion Club series next to see if I like them better.

Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

This is the third book in a series that started with The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. This series does not follow a family so much as it follows a character from the prior book. In this case, the book follows Sebastian Grey who was the cousin of the romantic hero in the second book. Sebastian is handsome, charming, well-liked and the presumptive heir of an earl. If Sebastian's uncle, the current Earl of Newbury, has anything to say about it, he will never inherit the title, however.

After the unexpected death of his only son, the earl has been trying to find a new bride in order to produce another heir. The earl thinks he's found the perfect bride in Annabel Winslow, what with her wide hips and large family. It also does not hurt that her family is low on funds and getting desperate. Annabel does not want to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather and who probably had relations with her grandmother. Things get even more complicated when Sebastian and Annabel meet and become attracted to each other before they learn each other's identity. It's one thing to spurn an earl for another man and something else entirely when the other man is the earl's much-despised nephew. Sebastian does not care if he ever becomes an earl, but in the tug-of-war over Annabel, he intends to be the winner.

I really liked the plot in this story and Sebastian's character stole all of his scenes in the last book so I had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, the book fell a little flat. Even though it was still a good read and it reveals a secret about Sebastian that I was not expecting, something was missing. Sebastian was an outstanding supporting character, but when the spotlight was on him alone, he didn't shine nearly as brightly.

BEST FEATURE: Sebastian's secret and no, I'm not going to tell you what it is.

WORST FEATURE: The incredible shrinking Sebastian. He wasn't half the man he was in the book that introduced him. What a pity.

PARENTAL WARNING: sexual content that is not overly explicit.

MY RATING: 3 - The Bridgerton Series is a tough act to follow.

Married By Morning by Lisa Kleypas

Married By Morning is the 4th book in the Hathaway series which itself is a companion for Lisa Kleypas' wallflower series. With three of the five Hathaways happily married, it's older brother Leo's turn. After losing his fiance to a fever when he was younger, Leo swore he would never fall in love again and marriage to have an heir was not high on his list either.

However, there are a couple of obstacles in the way of Leo's permanent bachelorhood. Due to a bizarre twist in his inheritance, Leo has to marry and produce a son within five years of inheriting his title or the manor house that he and his family had lovingly remodeled into a home would revert back to his predecessor's widow and daughter. That would leave them the manor house that was originally part of the estate. Uninhabitable would be an understatement. But the biggest obstacle is his younger sister's companion, Catherine Marks. Leo and Catherine have fought like cat and dog since the day they met, but lately, there has also been a growing attraction that has been difficult for both of them to deny. Leo does not want to give in to it because he's afraid to love again and Catherine is afraid that a secret from her past will damage the Hathaway family. Will love overcome their fears?

This is another favorite series of mine. Lisa Kleypas writes some of the best Romance dialogue. I was really looking forward to this book because the antagonizing banter between Leo and Catherine was always one of the highlights in the other books they appeared in. Although I knew this day was coming, it was a little sad to see the verbal battles slowly being replaced by romantic interludes. All good things must come to an end I guess... even this series. There is only one Hathaway sibling left so savor this family while you can.

BEST FEATURE: The dialogue between Leo and Catherine... especially before they admitted to themselves that they were in love.

WORST FEATURE: The premise behind Leo having to get married to save the family home. It was complicated and confusing and, since it was not the reason Leo wanted to marry Catherine, it was ultimately unnecessary. This plot device only works when the couple marries for convenience and then discovers they love each other.

PARENTAL WARNING: sexual content explicit enough to be considered adult only.

MY RATING: 4 - Another great book in a must-read Romance series.

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

**SPOILER ALERT** DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOKS 3 & 4.


The fifth book in The Vampire Academy series begins where the last book left off. Rose is back at St. Vladimir's Academy to complete the trials for becoming a guardian. Although she managed to escape Dimitri, her former lover and now enemy, he has stayed in contact via letters threatening that when Rose graduates and leaves the academy's protective wards, he will hunt her down and kill her. Dimitri has reached the conclusion that they can't be together as he had hoped, but despite Dimitri's death threats and her feelings for new boyfriend Adrian, Rose still has hope. A slim beyond-a-longshot hope. Rose has heard that the brother of the man she put in prison is a spirit user who has brought a Strigoi back to life. She intends to find this man and learn the secret of restoring a Strigoi to life so she can do it to Dimitri, no matter how many lines she has to cross. Rose's best friend, Lissa, has agreed to help even though she has a few concerns of her own.

This book is about Rose's obsessive journey to do the impossible. This girl needs to get herself some impulse control. I won't ruin it by telling you if her plan succeeds, but I will say that, in the end, she ends up in the world's biggest mess. Now I can't wait for the next book to find out what happens. Things do not look good for our heroine.

BEST FEATURE: The ending. Talk about cliffhangers. The wait for the next book is going to be excruciating. Release date December 7, 2010 people!

WORST FEATURE: The agony of the love triangle. Most of the time, I have a clear favorite. Since I can't choose between Dimitri and Adrian, I don't know how Rose will manage it.

PARENTAL WARNING: Violence and minor sexual content; appropriate for teens.

MY RATING: 4.5 - The hits just keep on coming.

First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh

GENRE: REGENCY ROMANCE

First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh is the first book in a new series which focuses on the four Huxtable siblings... Margaret, Vanessa, Katherine and Stephen. Orphaned after the death of their vicar father, they have been living a quiet life in a small village. Their lives change significantly when Elliott Wallace, Viscount Lyngate, arrives to give the Huxtable Family shocking news. Due to the recent death of a distant family member, the teenage Stephen has become the next Earl of Merton. Loath to allow their brother to be taken off to a new home and educated in society without them, all three sisters agree to go with him.

Elliott is not happy about this development since he is already the guardian of the underage Stephen and responsible for teaching him how to manage his properties and educating him as a gentleman. Now he will have to introduce Stephen's sisters into society as well. None of Elliott's female relatives are available to help the sisters so the ideal solution is for Elliott to marry and have his wife perform that duty. And if his wife happens to be one of the sisters, all the better. That only leaves two left to marry off. It's not like he has any romantic notions about marriage, he knows he needs to marry and produce an heir. Elliott decides to offer for the eldest sister, Margaret, since she is beautiful and has been taking care of her younger siblings since the death of her father. The second eldest sister, Vanessa, has a different plan, however. Vanessa knows that Margaret is in love with someone else, but duty to her family would compel her to accept Elliott's proposal anyway. Although considered plain, Vanessa has a vivacious personality and is a widow. She also doesn't have any romantic notions about her future prospects so she persuades Elliott to marry her instead. Somewhere along the way, their marriage of convenience becomes an enduring romance, something neither one of the them could have anticipated.

The great thing about Ms. Balogh's books is that they all tend to be related. There are clear series dealing with specific families, but the series are frequently tied together by guest appearances from characters in other books. In essence, all of her books are part of one large series... and there are alot of books in that series. The other thing I like about this author is her ability to take a simple relationship story and make it interesting. There isn't alot of action or intrigue in her books, and yet every one of hers that I have read is a total page turner. I have no idea how she does it, I just enjoy the ride.

BEST FEATURE: The plain girl gets the gorgeous guy. The idea that a girl can use her personality to overcome an imperfect appearance has always been a popular concept with me. Fans of this type of story should also check out the Lifetime TV series, Drop Dead Diva.

WORST FEATURE: The behind the scenes development of the male lead. This book tells the story from both Vanessa's and Elliott's perspectives, but I felt that only Vanessa's emotional development was shown in its entirety. Elliott got to the same place in the end, but I don't feel that how he got there was fully explored.

PARENTAL WARNING: no violence and sexual content that isn't overly explicit.

MY RATING: 4 - Mary Balogh is one of the best Regency Romance authors out there and this book is just more proof of that... not that she needed it.

Upcoming book releases - Julia Quinn

Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
Release date: May 25, 2010
Sebastian Grey's story, a character last seen in What Happens in London

Upcoming book releases - Sherrilyn Kenyon

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release date: August 3, 2010
Continuation of the Dark Hunter series

Upcoming book releases - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infinity: Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release date: May 25, 2010
Prequel to the Dark Hunter series

Amazon description:
At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.


Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.
But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.
As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

Upcoming book releases - Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Release date: May 18, 2010
Book 5 of the Vampire Academy series

Amazon description:
After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.
She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

Upcoming book releases - Johanna Lindsey

That Perfect Someone by Johanna Lindsey
Release date: June 15, 2010
Continuation of the Malory family series

Amazon description:
Nine years ago, Richard Allen fled England and his controlling father. Determined to live his own life, he took to the sea and settled in the Caribbean, joining a band of treasure-hunting pirates and adopting the persona of a carefree, seductive Frenchman named Jean Paul to guard the secrets of his past. When he slips back into England to carry out an urgent task, Richard becomes infatuated with a married woman, Georgina Malory. But his reckless attempt to woo Georgina at a masked ball turns out to be the worst mistake of his life because it brings him face to face with another beautiful woman.
Thrilled that her solicitors have finally come up with a way to free her from her betrothal contract to the Earl of Manford’s son who abandoned her years ago, heiress Julia Miller is ready for the marriage mart and hopes to find that perfect someone at her friend Georgina’s ball. Charmed by a masked Frenchman who gives her her first kiss, she can’t help but pursue this mysterious man—until she makes a shocking discovery. Now, to avoid falling into a ruthless nobleman’s trap, Julia must enter a risky, intimate charade with a man she never believed she could love.