To Make A Match by Liana LeFey

http://amzn.to/29dVU3H
The spirited Lady Victoria Lennox longs for a husband, but she cannot wed until her prickly older sister, Amelia, becomes a wife—and Amelia seems intent on driving away all potential suitors. 

To avoid becoming a spinster, Victoria concocts a plan: a carefully arranged scandal will compel Amelia to marry. And to bait the trap, who better than the dashing Lord Julius Cavendish?

Yet Julius has little interest in stubborn Amelia. Victoria, on the other hand, he finds irresistible. Determined to make her his own, Julius adds a new twist to Victoria’s plan: his friend Lord Withington will act as Victoria’s decoy suitor, distracting Amelia from the very real courtship happening under her nose. All might be well, were not Withington immediately smitten with Amelia. He sees how tender and protective she is beneath the frosty facade.

As the perfect plan goes perfectly awry, each sister finds herself publicly betrothed to the wrong man. Can they undo the damage in time to make the perfect match?


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I adore historical romances and the plot of this particular book sounded fantastic. Giving a Georgian twist to The Taming of the Shrew sounded inspired and I was very excited to start reading.

It's apparently the third book in LeFey's Scandal in London series (after Countess So Shameless and To Wed in Scandal) but I found that this book stands alone so you don't need to have read the first two books to understand this particular offering.

Despite my early enthusiasm, for me, there were several things that made this book one that I wouldn't plan to read again. Firstly, were the characters. Our lead, Lady Victoria Lennox, is definitely the underdog of her family but she's a tiny, pretty thing who's full of energy. Despite this, I just didn't take to her. I'm not sure if I found her too immature but there was something that I just couldn't get 100% behind. She wasn't awful - I was just indifferent. Julius didn't inspire any great feelings in me, either, I'm afraid. Just not my type of hero. Victoria's sister, Amelia, was a wholly unlikeable character but at least she inspired some sort of stronger feelings in me.

The language used in the book felt, at times, a little flowery for my tastes. The dialogue was drawn out and quite stilted at times, with lots of 'he said', 'she asked', 'he repeated' etc. It just didn't seem to flow much.

Despite my love of the genre, this wasn't the book for me. I still got through it and if you're looking for something light and fluffy without much in the way of historical accuracy then you may enjoy it. It wasn't terrible just not my cup of tea.


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219 pages


* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *






Silent Revenge by Laura Landon

In just six days, Lady Jessica Stanton will turn twenty-five and inherit enough money to make her one of England’s wealthiest women. And when that happens, her stepbrother Colin will swoop in to take it all—along with her freedom. The only solution: find a husband strong enough to stand up to Colin. But even if she’s able to find someone able to protect her, what man will marry her once they discover her secret?

Not only is Simon Westland, Earl of Northcote, bankrupt, but the London gossip continues to speculate that he had a hand in the untimely death of his wastrel father. Now he is desperate to find a woman to keep him from losing everything. But what woman will want to marry a suspected murderer?

Thrown together by sheer necessity, Jessica and Simon agree that theirs will be a marriage of convenience. But no legal document can protect Jessica’s heart when she learns of Simon’s hidden motive for marrying her. For despite her best intentions, Jessica has fallen in love with her husband. And love is the last thing either of them wants—though it may be exactly what they both need. 


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I have only recently been introduced to Laura Landon novels and this one seems to fit the mould of the others I have read. It's fun, romantic and interesting but doesn't have the sparkle of some of the big names of historical romance.

In this book, Simon and Jessica are thrown together by necessity but soon find themselves tied together by feelings and ultimately love. With secrets on both sides, there's plenty of interest to keep the pace of this book moving along.

With that said, there were a few things that stopped this getting 5 stars. There were a few anachronisms and Americanisms dotted throughout the text which always jar and pull you from the story. There were also a couple of issues regarding Jessica's deafness as well as confusion over just how much of a social outcast Simon was - but these are minor things in what was, overall, an enjoyable read with likeable characters and plot. 4 stars.


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381 pages

* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *






Undone by the Duke by Michelle Willingham

http://amzn.to/29aCM99
Victoria has a secret...
Reclusive designer Victoria Andrews hasn't gone outside in five years, though she yearns to escape the prison of her house. She designs sensual lingerie for the most exclusive dressmaker in London, although she has never known a man's touch.
 A Duke in disguise...
Wounded and stranded in Scotland, Jonathan Nottoway, the Duke of Worthingstone, is avoiding the murderous scandal that darkened his family name. As his wounds heal, he spends several sensual nights with the beautiful seamstress who knows nothing of his true identity.


A passionate awakening
Can a woman trapped by her emotional scars be able to love a duke, when it means abandoning her safe world to embrace the life of a duchess?



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I have enjoyed many novels by Michelle Willingham but tend to favour her viking romances. Having said that, this book has definitely made me want to check out other books by her set in other time periods, especially the Regency.

The characters in this book are what makes it stand out. The secrets that they have aren't typical for a romance novel and while it might not be what I would normally pick, it really worked and kept me turning the pages. You are really rooting for both characters to find a way to be together and work everything out. There are also some nicely sexy scenes contained which always adds a little extra to the love and romance.

This is the first book in the Secrets in Silk series by Michelle Willingham and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The next is set to be released in September 2013 (Unraveled by the Rebel) and I will try to remember to check it out. 4 stars.


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350 pages


* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *






The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines

http://amzn.to/297JPhx
Sawyer Vincent is still heartbroken over his breakup with Ashton Grey - made worse because he lost her to his brother - but Lana McDaniel thinks she might just have a cure. Lana's lived in her cousin Ashton's shadow all her life, but now she's taking the lead and is determined to make Sawyer her man. But can she be sure that Sawyer's not just using her to get back at Ashton? And what if Sawyer sees through her new sexy version of herself and discovers the shy, geeky girl she used to be? THE VINCENT BROTHERS picks up where THE VINCENT BOYS left off - with twice the fun, twice the excitement and twice the sexy.


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I've never read the first book in this series (The Vincent Boys) where Ash and Beau get together so I had no prior expectations of the characters. Despite this, I don't think there's any real need to read the books in order although it's probably what the author intended.

This book is written in the first person and has alternating chapters with differing character viewpoints. I'm not normally a fan of this style of writing but it really does work in this instance. Abbi Glines' writing style is fun, engaging and it was an easy read because it kept you hooked.

The main reason that I didn't give this book 4 or even 5 stars was purely down to the fact that I'm clearly not the target audience. If I had been 10 years' younger, I would have devoured this book and headed straight out to buy the first one. But the characters have just finished high school and, as a result, I didn't identify with them. I found some of their actions a little immature and annoying rather than understanding their viewpoints.

It's just romantic enough and just sexy enough for the young adult market but this isn't the book for me. I still read and enjoyed it and would highly recommend it if you are the target audience. Only 3 stars from me but I'm still glad that I read it and happy that everyone got their happy ending.


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304 pages


* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *






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