Recommendation of the Week: 05/23/10 - 05/30/10

'In Bed With The Duke' by Christina Dodd

"Demure lady's companion Emma Chegwidden never defies society’s rules. Until the night she runs straight into the arms of the mysterious and menacing Reaper . . . a man who rides the night-shadowed countryside and conceals his identity behind a mask. His goal is justice . . . or is it vengeance? Only one thing is certain: nothing will stop him from his dark purpose.

Michael Durant, long-lost heir to the duke of Nevitt, has a score to settle. Cynical, dangerous and ruthless, Michael is the last man on earth that sensible Emma should defy. But some challenges are too tempting to resist . . . and some passions too fierce to ignore. Soon Michael discovers in Emma the woman he has always longed for . . . a woman whose beauty and courage reach through to his tortured soul . . . and he will defy anything, even fate itself, to claim her . . . "Source

 Read an excerpt: here

This is your Recommendation for the week of May 23rd, 2010 thru May 30th, 2010

Until Next Post<3...

'Lord Of Sin' by Madeline Hunter -Review-

   This seductive, Scottish-themed tale delivers the goods. Romance, mystery, betrayal, forbidden and 'indecent' paintings not fit for females with weak sensibilities; prepare for it all. Fiery Bride Cameron is in for the distraction of a lifetime in our hero, Ewan MacLean. Their story is touching and develops steadily as action and conflict invade the background. Let our Lord of Sin take you on a journey through lies and deceit and unadulterated-passion.

Read an excerpt: here

   Deathbed promises to an Earl that ensures his heir will follows his predecessor's instructions is one thing; Having said Earl and his heir AND the back-up heir die, all in rapid succession, and abruptly becoming the one to shoulder all the responsibility is another. Ewan MacLean wasn't prepared nor expecting to come into an Earldom; he was much happier floating through life on his allowance and hosting some of the most notorious orgies London has ever seen. Words like 'duty', 'obligation' and 'responsibility' never resonated anywhere with him; but all three and then some are thrust upon him in a sick turn of events that finds Ewan MacLean the current Earl of Lyndale. Now the promise to make sure long-ago affairs are made amends for falls into Ewan's pesky and long lists of 'duties'.
   Bride Cameron is in way too deep. The sole protector of her 3 younger sisters, all of whom attract unwanted attention from the wrong sort, has Bride stepping up since the age of twelve to keep their heads above water. Their deceased father, Angus Cameron, was an engraver, whom made some of the most exquisite prints of famous works of art. His legacy will keep bread on the table and a roof over his daughters heads; but luxury is never in abundance. When Bride calls out Jamie MacKay to a duel, for trying to seduce her youngest sister, Mary; it is Ewan who rides up and puts a halt everything. He has come to Scotland to fulfill the promise he made to his Uncle, the old Earl; that Angus Cameron and his family, who were wronged by him, are to be taken care of as a way to make amends.Finding only 4 daughters near destitution, Ewan decides to stay with the family for a little while to determine if they need his assistance; which they (or at least Bride) fervently refuses.
   To try and satisfy Ewan's curiosity about her family's means, Bride shows him her fathers legacy; which consists of some rare prints (some a little risque'). Though not thoroughly pacified, it is Ewan's lust for the head strong Bride that starts to become insatiable. At first Bride shys away from Ewan's amorous attentions; but when he finally coaxes her surrender, it is he who backs out at the last minuet (having an attack of the conscious). He leaves shortly after that; getting acquiescence to puts together a settlement that will ensure the sister's welfare.
   When the owner of the lands the Cameron sister's property is located on, decides to evict them, they are forced to leave their Scottish glen and seek out Ewan's hospitality until the funds of the settlement are transferred over. But it is not only hospitality they seek when they go to London. Counterfeit bank notes are in circulation, and the plates used to make them, which were stolen from the Cameron sisters a year ago, will be traced back to them unless they find out who took them and get them back. Solicited by a friend involved with the case, Ewan, being a connoisseur and expert of fine prints, is enlisted to aid the efforts in finding the culprits behind the counterfeit bank notes and putting them behind bars; he never expects to find one piece of the puzzle living under his own roof.
   His attraction to Bride only intensifies as the days go by, and he even proposes marriage. Although Bride would like nothing more than to become Ewan's bride, her involuntary involvement with the counterfeit bank notes and the possible criminal charges that she intends to shoulder in order to save her sisters, has her decline Ewan's offer. At first Ewan doesn't understand, but as the secrets are revealed, the Lord of Sin has to decide whom will pay for their sin; and who will get the chance to love for a lifetime.

Rating: 3 1/2 Aww's

My Favorite Part of the Book: Is when the Cameron sisters have to travel to London and ask for Ewan's hospitality until their living situation stabilizes. Ewan walks into his make-shift, erotic gallery; fully equipped with an indoor swing for god only know what; and finds the sisters waiting for him. He is reluctant to have them stay in his home, but Bride refuses to allow him to accumulate even more financial burden by getting them rooms at a hotel. She uses reverse psychology to strong-arm Ewan's reluctance by saying to her sisters. "One of us will have to sell herself tonight, to earn the funds for lodging. Do I have a volunteer, or should we pull straw". She wasn't being serious, but after a few pages of doom and gloom (where will they live, how will they find the counterfeiters), it was a little unexpected and hilarious to have that line just thrown in there. Ewan couldn't refuse and I couldn't stop LOL-ing.

   There were things I liked and disliked about this book. Books with investigation-aspects to them, tend to be a little on the boring side to me. There is a need to impart certain facts on the reader so that they can follow the plot, but said facts and they way they are introduce can become tedious. Hunter did a great job with mixing action to the info drops so we wouldn't be too weighed down. Also, a degree of expertise was imparted in this book, with the mentioning of famous painters, works of art, and the detailed explanation into the mechanics of engraving. Ms.Hunter has a phD in Art History, so she is defiantly flexing her expertise muscles in this book, although I wasn't overly interested in it.While character reactions to certain scenarios felt a little unbelievable, the romance element and conflict elements in this book are good and I say 'Lord of Sin' is worth a read!

* Check out the next book, 'Lady of Sin'. This series is a spin-off of Hunter's 'Seducer Series' which comes highly recommended.

Read an excerpt from 'Lady of Sin': here

*Also, if you'd like more from Madeline Hunter, check out 'Ravishing in Red', which is the 1st book in the 'Rarest Blooms' series. It's Audrianna's story./ My Review of 'Ravishing in Red' can be found: here

'His Captive Lady' by Anne Gracie -Review-

   SPECTACULAR! And I am not just saying that! (I rarely do). Every once and a while, a book comes along that just takes you away from it all; and before you know it, your on page 323, and its all over. But when it does end, there's this odd lull you often find yourself in after reading a great novel, when you acknowledged that, indeed, its was a great novel! I am not partial with my 5 "Aww's" ratings (I admit to trying to find reasons not to award this book my highest esteem), but 'His Captive Lady' took me hostage and deserves to be up there with some of my favorites!

Read an excerpt: here

   On a quaint stretch of English countryside, our hero, Harry Morant, never expects to be captivated into willingly handing over his coveted fur-lined gloves and large-brimmed hat in the middle of a rain storm. But said articles of clothing are exactly what he forks over when he spies the alluring Lady Helen Freymore on the back of a cart, braving the elements ill-prepared. She doesn't even murmur a single word when this stranger canters up to her on his horse and places his hat on her head. As luck would turn out, the dizzying encounter is cut short when a fork in the road takes our hero and heroine down separate paths (but not for long).
   Back from war for good now, Harry plans to make good on the dream he and his buddy, Ethan, had held on to. Equestrian enthusiasts, Harry and Ethan want to breed and sell racehorses. Harry follows a lead on some property that has long been neglected; its perfect for his plans, having previously been a breeder's domain, and he never expects to find the lady who had been haunting his dreams for what feels like forever, delivering a colt in the property's stables.
   The property use to belong to Helen's mother, and consequently went to her father; whom was suppose to have put the deed in Helen's name, but gambled it away before his death (without doing as he said he would). Now destitute and with no further bright-ideas, Helen, or Nell as she likes to be called, will have to settle for earning wages somehow. She doesn't immediately leave the premises, so when the solicitor spots her after delivering the colt (with Harry's assistance, of course) , he is irate and starts to get very nasty. Harry takes up her case and eventually quiets the old man by telling him that, despite the poor condition of the main house, he is willing to make an offer on the property. As the solicitor squares everything away, Nell make her way to her bedroom one last time to freshen up and pack her belonging. On the spur of the moment, seeing that Nell may not fare as well as she believes, Harry proposes she stay on as a horse trainer (since she's so good with them) and when she refuses, he then offers her marriage.
   Nell shares a passionate kiss with Harry, but inevitable, declines his hand and goes on her way. Harry believes he will never see her again; so when his grandmother convinces him to accompany her to Bath, it is the hands of fate which have put his elusive Miss Freymore in his line-of-vision once more. He is determined to speak with her again, and after seeing the way her employer (a widowed 40 something) degrades her, her welfare becomes a matter of great importance to him. He proposes marriage again, when he enlists the help of his grandmother to steal away a few moments with Nell. Again she refuses, but he can tell that it isn't necessarily him shes adverse to, but some unexplainable need to get to London to find someone. Another heated encounter at the Pump Room leads to Nell getting fired; but not before Harry causes scandal and heaves Nell across his shoulder and bodily removes her from that mean witch's employ (and into his life for good).
   Initial dismayed, Nell is furious with Harry, but soon warms up to the idea. But there is the whole matter of getting to London and finding what she was willing to sacrifice dignity to find. Nell ends up telling her secret to Harry, whom doesn't hesitate to reassure her that he will do everything in his power to help her.
   Shocking twist and turns find our couple in every nook and cranny in London; determined to find what they are looking for. Little do they know, it's unyielding and unconditional love that awaits them as well!

Rating: 5 Aww's

My Favorite Part in the Book: (There's so many to choose from!) One would have to be the scene at Bath when Harry and Nell are caught in the backroom where they were meeting in private. Nell's employer proceeds to berate her and resorts to dirty name calling. When Harry informs the witch not to address his fiance' in that way, the employer proceeds to call Harry 'nothing more than a bastard' (He is the natural son of an Earl, and was born in wed-lock; albeit with a different 'father', but still, everyone refers to him as no more than a by-blow). Nell takes exception to that comment and comes to Harry's defense. She smacks that hoe! (sorry, I had to say it). But anyway, it was a weirdly sweet scene; I especially love how Nell wouldn't tolerate a bad word against Harry, and how he tossed her over his shoulder and staked his claim loud and clear to everyone who cared!

   Once again, I couldn't find too much wrong with this book. It was marvelously entertaining, and heartfelt all in the same token. If ever there were a book that defined what Romance was, I'd say this book would be in the running of physical examples. It was tactfully done; with few 'carnal' scenes, but enough to whet the appetite of all those readers looking for the usual something steamy in a HR novel. It was a book about Love, plain and simple, in many of it's different forms; self-sacrifice , justice for another, life and death, unwavering devotion.. 5 Aww's is right, now go out and fall in love as I did!

*Check out the 1st and preceding novel in the series. 'The Stolen Princess', Gabe's story

* And also check out the book that proceeds this one. 'To Catch A Bride', Rafe's Story/ My Review of 'To Catch A Bride' can be found: here

Recommendation of the Week: 05/16/10 - 05/23/10

'Duke of Scandal' by Adele Ashworth

"The scandalously handsome Samson Carlisle is not the deceiving nobleman Lady Olivia was searching for...but he's the lover she fervently desires.

A lady's heart is a tempting plaything for the DUKE OF SCANDAL

He stands apart from other men--a dark, tall, breathtaking figure of seductive masculinity. With a smile, he can topple the defenses of even the most proper maiden.
And with a single whisper, she will be his.

A wife in name only, Lady Olivia Shea has returned to London in a rage, determined to confront her new husband, who vanished months ago with her inheritance on their wedding night. Yet this hauntingly familiar man who stands before her--this face and form she adores--is not her deceiving Edmund but the blackguard's twin brother, Samson Carlisle, Duke of Durham. Samson knows of his sibling's penchant for perfidy and he graciously offers to help the exquisite Olivia locate the missing rogue and recover her stolen fortune.

But Olivia fears that accompanying this mysterious, dangerous, eminently desirable man would be courting the most devastating sort of scandal--especially since it is now Samson's arms she aches to feel surrounding her, and his kiss she longs to taste .. ."Source

- This was the first Adele Ashworth book I ever read and I was IMPRESSED! With praise from Lisa Kleypas on the front cover, I knew I had to give her a read. I thought the plot would loses me, but it didn't. It was really great and in my eyes, a must read.

This is your Recommendation for the week of May 16th, 2010 thur May 23rd, 2010

Until Next Post<3...

'What A Lady Wants' by Victoria Alexander -Review-

   Delightful, Witty and Romantic.'What A Lady Wants' gives us readers a little bit of everything. It's a quintessential and classic novel that speaks to the love-lorn optimistic in you. Once again, a little thought-y for my taste, but there was a variety of action that made this book resonate somewhere for me.

Read an excerpt: here

   One down, three to go! Our four gentlemanly tontine participants have recently lost one from their ranks; but our heroine, Lady Felicity Melville, is determined to knock off at least one more number from the 'to-go' tally. Ever since he climbed over her garden wall, fleeing the wrath of his dalliance's husband, Nigel Cavendish never expected to find himself 'trapped' in someone else's web. Fate's. Felicity, an avid and amateur astronomer, wishes upon a star for a man who will free her from the tedium of a dull existence and give her a life filled with adventure. She's on her sixth and final season (actually its her fifth, due to the grand tour she took the previous year to obtain some worldly 'polish') and therefore, she's a little bit desperate. As she is staring out at the heavens after making her wish, she sees Nigel and instead of shrinking away from potential danger, she ends up having a conversation with him and helping him with his escape route.
   The Notorious Nigel Cavendish is surprised to learn, while at a ball, that the 'little girl' he thinks helped him the night he fled from Lord Pomfrey's wrath, was actually a grown-up, English rose. He asks one of his friends, whom is acquainted with Felicity, to introduce them. He's only interested in staving off his curiosity; or at least that is what he tells himself. The two meet and dance for a little while, but pretenses are soon done away with and they get into a discussion of the rights and wrongs of Cavendish's actions. They part ways, but the encounter lingers in Nigel's mind.
   After the ball, Felicity is convinced that Nigel is the man for her and starts to take action. She enlists the help of his twin sister, The Countess of Windham; Madeline. They arrange it so Felicity is present at all of the functions Nigel is to go to. Felicity plays it cool and resists the urge to seek Nigel out, which will pique his interest and have him coming to her. At a garden party, he does exactly that and accuses Felicity of following him; but she turns the tables on him and accuses him of the same thing. They share some playful banter, some of which include Felicity shocking Nigel into next week, and an irresistible bond continues to be forged.
   When a mishap involving her little sons, water over-flowing, boats and frogs, force Nigel's sister , Madeline to move their joint early birthday party to Cavendish house instead of at her place; she tells Nigel to stay at her residence and direct any guest who didn't receive the note explaining where the party was moved to to the correct destination. Felicity shows up and Nigel can't stop himself from asking her to keep him company while he waits his hour to see if other guest will arrive. They talk, dance in an empty ballroom, and out of nowhere, Felicity drops the bomb that she intends to marry him. Nigel doesn't know how to handle the news, but that's the least of his worries when, during a card game, he wagers a painting at Cavendish house that doesn't belong to him to Lady Felicity and losses. She says she may give it back, but he will have to call on her (numerous times) and convince her to. He doesn't want his family to find out why the painting is missing and doesn't want to play Felicity's game, so he climbs up her balcony in the dead of night to steal it back.
   Felicity notes Nigel's determination to avoid her and resigns herself to never marrying him. She tells him so, and Nigel, feeling like a cad, asks for a farewell kiss. During the kiss, a gun Felicity was holding goes off and produces a commotion that shocks Nigel into losing his balance and falling over the balcony; and Felicity's parents storm into her room. To avoid scandal, the two must wed; but this isn't how Felicity wanted Nigel. They get married and while they enjoy the marriage bed, Nigel announces that he intends to live his life exactly how he had before he got married (excluding female companionship). Felicity one-up's him by announcing she will follow his lead (and that the exclusion of female companionship isn't necessary). A battle of the will's erupts, and it will take their combined efforts to work through their differences and get what each really want. Love.

Rating: 3 1/2 Aww's

My Favorite Part in the Book: Is when Madeline has to move the birthday party to Cavendish House and leaves Nigel at her residences to shepherd any mislead guest to the right destination. It's a sweet and shocking scene. The band is also unaware of the change in location, so when they arrive, Nigel pays them to play a waltz. The moment is so beautiful and genuine, you can't help but fall in love with the book right then and there. It takes on even more complexity when Felicity blurts out that she intends to marry Nigel. I knew Nigel would find out about her intentions in the end, but never expected it like this.

   'What A Lady Wants' was a really nice book. There was drama and conflict and your heart just sunk at the turning points of the book. It wasn't as steamy, love-making wise, as we are use to, and some character reactions was a little off to me, but the romance was there. Felicity's struggles to get the man she believes is her true love really speaks to me. We've all had that one guy in our lives, whom we thought was the perfect one for us, but they were a little slow in getting to that same revelation. The dialogue was as expected, being a Victoria Alexander novel, and the book didn't disappoint. Give it a read, I am sure you'll like it too!

*Check out the next book in the 'Last Man Standing' series, 'Secrets of a Proper Lady'.

Read an excerpt of 'Secrets of a Proper Lady': here

'A Little Bit Wicked' by Victoria Alexander -Review-

   Lovely! This book really tugs at the heart strings. The beginning is steamy and entertaining and the plot steadily grows as you move forward through the book. It may have been a bit 'thoughty' for my personal taste, but it entertained and because of this book, I will never be able to look at a billiards table the same again.

Read an excerpt: here

    This is book one of the 'Last Man Standing' series by Victoria Alexander. The premise is simple; a group of four gentleman friends set a wager that one of them will remain unwed the longest whilst the others fall victim to matrimony. The prize is paltry; a mere four shillings (and a good bottle of cognac), but its really the symbolic nature of the bet that entices our gentlemen. Among their ranks, we have the ever-dashing Gideon Pearsall, Viscount Warton. Gideon has been betrayed by 'love' in the past and has been at odds with the concept ever since.
   When the beautiful Judith Chester catches his eye at a gathering, his first instinct is that she must be bedded. Judith Chester has been widowed for almost a decade; and in her time, has only dallied with 3 gentleman. Her reputation proceeds her, but she doesn't give the injustice much thought. When Gideon seeks her out after she makes a hasty escape while in attendance at a 'night of entertainments';which can be described as slow, polite torture; Judith doesn't put up pretenses and all but tells him to jump into her bed.
   A hot introduction to their 'arrangement', in the form of a 'dinner date' sets up our hero and heroine down a path of undeniable passion. Right off the bat, Judith lays down some 'rules'; pure enjoyment of one anothers company, no affections, and once one is ready to end the arrangement, it will be without recrimination.
   The 'rules' last for about 2 chapters and then dilemma starts to brew. Gideon makes Judith feel things she's never felt (even with her husband), and Judith's honorable tendencies and kindness of heart beings to wear down Gideon's resolve. Both fear (and are warned by numerous outsiders) that the speed with which their 'relationship' has taken off are signs that something much more deeper is starting to form. Love scorched Gideon's past with unpleasant memories, and love steadily started to become a buffer for Judith's abusive marriage; it also becomes the catalyst in the defense against the undeniable feelings between the two.
   Some blasts from the past threaten the happiness of the two and the ultimate decision must be made. Do you steer clear of the ledge, neither forfeiting your heart nor your pride , or do you do something 'a little bit wicked' and leap head first?

Rating: 3 1/2 Aww's

My Favorite Part of the Book: Is the scene where Judith is having a conversation with 1 of her 3 'past-adventures' and he is warning her that the party she is present at is being attended by all 3 of her 'adventurers'. It was a simple ploy, constructed by the old flame from Gideon's past whom wanted him back. She ends the conversation by impulsively and passion-lessly kissing said gentlemen in thanks for some kind words when Gideon walks in. I love this scene because not only does Gideon keep his cool and ascertains the situation 'isn't as it appears' , he and Judith share one of the hottest scenes in the book. Once again, no billiards for me!

Overall I enjoyed the book. Miss Alexander has a wit and an ability to produce stellar dialogue that can hold together even the most trivial of novels. As I said in my review of another one of her books; 'The Virgin's Secret' , her repartee is sharp; although, in this book it wasn't enough to solidify a higher rating. I am a fan of action and drama and high conflict; so when this book is really centered around inner-conflict; battling ones resolve, and the constant volleying of emotions and thoughts, it grew a bit tedious. I favored the word 'thought-y' earlier and I think that was accurate. It wasn't a smash hit, but with sinfully steaming scenes and always entertaining banter, 'A Little Bit Wicked' has a lot of merit and will bridge you through any rainy day!

*Check out the next book in the 'Last Man Standing' series. In my opinion , the most cynical of the 4 gentlemen; 'What A Lady Wants', Nigel's Story./ My Review of this book can be found: here

Read an excerpt from 'What A Lady Wants': here

I do it all for you (and the love of a good book)

   Just a tiny disclaimer: Yes, that IS a hello kitty comforter on my bed. LOL!
   Just giving you guys a look at what I've got going on on the book front. About half of these have been read/reviewed, but I still have to finish the lot before I can return them to the library and get a fresh 'stack'.
   I refer to the following term a lot, but for an accurate definition:

Reading Queue (Ree-Ding-Kuew): A line-up of recently 'check-out' books from the library (or newly purchased books) that are meticulously arranged and placed atop an extra television (which is much larger than the one I use now, but I am too lazy to buy a universal remote to get this one working again; it's called convenience!) in the order I wish to read them.

I useually take home a stack of books, checking-out around 4-8 at a time. Since I have this neat, little blog, I'll probably be reviewing every book I aquire.
I love the idea of a reading queue because it lays out exactly what and when I should read something from my always stocked 'tv top bookshelf'. It's set up in a way that's probably confuseing to others, but mysteriously practical to me.

There is a rhyme to my reason. I am just weirdly efficent like this.


Until Next Post<3...

'Some Like It Wild' by Teresa Medeiros -Review-

   Upon turning the last page of this book, I muttered to myself, "Well Medeiros, you did it". She made a fan out of me. This is the first Medeiros novel for me, and I am impressed. I always say finding a new author feels like Christmas; That now there's a whole career's worth of novels yet to be read/ yet to come. 
   The pacing was splendid and the repartee was on point! I just simply liked, enjoyed and appreciated this book.

Read an excerpt: here

   The story starts off with our heroine, Pamela Darby, and her sister Sophie traveling through the Scottish Highlands unaccompanied (save, an elderly driver and his rusty, old musket) and precariously close to financial ruin. The Darby sisters recently lost their mother, an actress, in a horrific theater fire and their last hope of avoiding the work house (or the whore house) is a deceitful little scheme they hope to carry out by enlisting the help of "some strapping Scots lad with more brawn than brains". Back in England, the present Duke of Warrick has been searching for his long-lost son for years; ever since his wife, his son's mother, ran off to parts unknown with the infant after discovering the Duke in their marriage bed with another woman. It has long been agreed  that the Duchess ran off to France with the child, but Pamela knows differently. Her mother, Marianne, was a childhood friend of the Duchess, and upon her death had a solicitor pass along an old letter of hers from the Duchess explaining where she'd planned to run off too (Scotland). With that piece of evidence, Pamela will be able to pull off her farce, but she must first acquire the puppet before pulling the strings.
   Along the road in the middle of the night, the Darby sisters are accosted by a notorious Highwayman, whose got a sizable price on his head. Deserved or undeserved, as the notoriety surrounding him is, Connor Kincaid is still a dangerous man whom should never be trifled with. He subdues the elderly driver and instructs the occupants of the carriage to "Stand and Deliver" (I love that classic line). Pamela decides to take on the highwaymen in the hopes that her sister can flee for safety. After telling Connor what she thinks of his 'unoriginal dialogue', Pamela proceeds to flirt with danger as she goes on a stand of morals and debates the highwayman's rants of English injustice. She further presses her luck as she is saved from his tantalizing kiss by her sister's pink parasol and proceeds to take the highwayman captive. She intends to use him as her long-lost Duke's heir; and as she turns the tables on him, she never expects to have them turn back on her.
   The elderly driver makes a run for it and it is the consensus that the party should leave while they can to avoid the authorities and take shelter somewhere until daybreak. Knowing the lands, Connor offers to lead them to the perfect hide-a-way. He directs them to the ruins of an old castle, and purposely to the lair of highwaymen he runs with. Upon swaying the numbers in his favor, Connor promises the women that no harm will come their way and agrees to speaks with Pamela privately about her previous plans for him. Pamela succeeds in convincing Connor to go along with the charade (after much bickering and reminding of irresistible perks) and the trio (plus Connor's right hand man, Brodie) set off for England.
   Upon strong arming their way into the gravely ill Duke of Warrick's sitting room, Pamela's plan goes off without a hitch. Unless you define a reckless ploy by Connor; telling the Duke that Pamela is his fiancee'; a hitch. It was the first thing Connor could think of doing to keep Pamela in his life when she was attempting to collect her reward and disappear. Soon the idea begins to take on merit.
   The Duke's sister, Astrid, and her 'whelp' of a son, Crispin, don't make the 'transition' for Connor any easier, but he has better ideas to keep his mind on.
   Some shocking revelations are made; including a discover that turns Connor on his head and leaves Pamela at a difficult impasse. At first she chooses to abandon love for some greater good no one can really find practical, and then she decides to take a chance on happiness with Connor. Before she can inform Connor of her change of heart, she is abducted and her life is put in danger.
   Connor makes the decision to sacrifice his own life for his love (Pamela), but after a few action-packed chapters, all is resolved and love is once again free to be as wild as it wants to be!

Rating: 4 Aww's

My Favorite Part of the Book: Is when Connor sets up a make-shift dress shop in the ballroom to have a new wardrobe made for Pamela. She had been crying and avoiding everyone all day and Connor thought it was because of the night before when they had engaged in some 'intimate' activities. The truth was that Pamela and her sister were facing poverty after their mothers death and it is an on-going fact of note that the Darby sisters aren't dressed in the first state of fashion.In the beginning of the story, Connor commands Pamela to hand over her drawers and determines by their current state that she is poor and thus, not worth the trouble of robbing. At this point in the story, when Connor commissions the wardrobe, the Duke recognizes Connor as his son and all the funds are open to him. I just thought it was a cute, high-handed way of telling Pamela he cared for her.

The cover of the book doesn't lie. Some do, indeed, like it wild, and Medeiros delivers. I don't usually fancy Highland tales, but this one was a keeper. USA Today got it right when they said "[Medeiros] will make you laugh and cry". This sweet and endearing novel is the first of hopefully many TM's for me.

*Check out the first book in this duet series, 'Some Like It Wicked', which is Connor's sister Catriona's story.

Read an excerpt from 'Some Like It Wicked': here