ARC REVIEW A Duke Changes Everything by Christy Carlyle

The Duke's Den #1, Great story, great characters, great setup for the series. Nick Lyons was born the second son of a Duke but his father hated him never believed that he was legitimate; it wasn't true but his father made his life hell. It got so bad His mother had to run away with him to keep him safe. Now Nick is a self made man co-owner of a gaming hall and much to his dismay he's the new Duke of Tremayne. Thomasina  "Mina" Thorne was raised like a lady she on the other hand had other plans. Raised by her father the Steward to Enderley Castle and was taught everything she needed to know to run the land; her father also instilled in her an unwavering sense of loyalty to the land and its people so much so that when he died she seamlessly stepped into his role. Nick hates Enderley Castle it's filled with nothing but bad memories he plans to liquidate its assets and lease the house to the highest bidder but then he meets Mina Thorne.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I loved all the internal conflict that both Nick and Mina deal with. Nick with his memories of the house and Mina with her sense of duty to the house despite her own dreams and then them dealing with their feelings for each other and their very different stations.      

ARC REVIEW The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne

Victorian Rebels #6, First time reading this author for me and I'm jumping in at book 6, which was fine really even with all the mentioning of previous character and some of their involvement in this book this could be read as a stand alone. Rook is a feared pirate hunted by the Royal Navy, among others, but before he was a pirate he was Ash a young man who was found left for dead in a mass grave with no memory of who he was. He was nursed back to health by a girl, Lorelai. Lorelai was raised without her mother by a weak willed father and an abusive brother who crippled her by breaking her ankle as a child; the only thing that kept her going was her rescued animals and that one summer she spent with Ash. When Ash left he told he nothing would keep him from returning but as the years past she lost hope of ever seeing Ash again.

Lorelai's brother lost all the family's money the only thing he could use as collateral was Lorelai. Now Lorelai is getting ready for her wedding to a disgusting old man and only her sister-in-law, Veronica, to help. But as they arrive at the church her brother is killed in front of her and thenVeronica and her are kidnapped by pirates. It doesn't take long for Lorelai to realise that Rook, the most wanted man in the Country, is none other than her Ash. He's not the same Ash she once knew, this Ash is harder, mean, and rough around the edges and the first thing he does when he gets he on his ship is marry her. Despite her attraction to the man in front of her she is terrified of him and angry at him for being gone for twenty years and just assumes he can sweep in and take her away. Rook's love for Lorelai turned into obsession she was his guiding force, his north star, his hope and he spent the last twenty years dreaming about her and trying to find his way back to her. But in doing so along the way he was forced to act in ways that changed him. Now standing in front of his Lorelai he is having a hard time reconciling the fact that she may no longer want him.

Overall, this was a terrific pirate adventure, and no swashbuckling journey would be complete without buried treasure, mutiny, tattoos, and in Rook's case finally gaining back his lost memories, gasp! This book definitely makes me want to go and read the first five books in the series. Kerrigan Byrne is a fantastic story teller she gets you so aggravated with the characters and so engulfed in the story you lose track of time. I loved Lorelai and Ash they had such a hard road for them to go on but one so worth it in the end. A beautiful Romance and an exciting story.         

ARC REVIEW Taming a Duke's Reckless Heart by Tammy Andresen

A massive shame on me, I forgot to put this in my calendar and forgot to post a review for it and that's bad because this really is a great book. It reminded me of Julie Garwood and Eloisa James. The story is wonderful and I love Tammy Andresen's narrative, the characters were all very enjoyable and likable. It was a really really good read.

Piper Baker and her mother are on their last penny, her mother is ill and desperate enough to marry a man because he can support her. All the while her mother is pushing her to make a good match, not for love but for support. On their way to the dock to board a ship bound for New York they are attacked by thieves, luckily for them Barrett Maddox is on his way to his boat as well and manages to scare off the thieves. Being a gentleman Barrett can not in good conscience let these two women travel alone. He takes them to his ship and transports them safely to their destination. On the way he makes a promise to Piper's mother that he will help her find a suitable match. But the more Piper's mother reminds him that he is suppose to find a match for Piper the more it pushes him toward her.

Piper fell in love with Barrett right way their time together on the ship made her feel special, but Barrett being male is a little bit obtuse. He doesn't realize his feelings for her are as strong as they are until he starts introducing her to eligible bachelors, then he scares them off. Piper is confused because the he says he's helping but then he sabotages his own efforts to marry her off.

Overall, I really loved this book.    

REVIEW Christmas Delights by Heather Hiestand

I love the Redcake series and I have been waiting (not so) patiently for Lewis' story!!! Lewis the brilliant inventor who finally gets his own story after being spurned in the very first book of the series. I don't know what I was thinking when I grabbed this from NetGalley I thought it was just going to be a novella, boy was I wrong. A wonderful tear jerking full length novel probably my favorite so far, o.k. so maybe it's a tie with the last one. Virginal widow, a house party for Twelve Nights, a duo of absentminded inventors, one matchmaking mama determined to match all the young couples at her party and a Christmas fairy tale fill this book to the brim with humor, romance, and heartbreak.

Lady Victoria Allen-Hill was widowed before she could become a wife in true fashion and she would like nothing better than to shed her virginal status before choosing to remarry again. He father on the other hand needs someone to take over his factories when he is ready to retires and wants Victoria to remarry as soon as possible, and the house party is the perfect place to find her match. Victoria's father seems ruthless to get what he wants and even stoops to threatening to send her young cousin who has been in her care off to boarding school, but it also shows a softer side of him as he himself finds a potential love match at the house party.

Lewis Noble is only at the house party to help out the Earl of Bullen who is also an inventor and is currently working on a submarine. He was not expecting to find a woman like Victoria at the house party and he finds it very irksome the she is one of the most sought after ladies at the party. Lewis wants Victoria to himself but doesn't want to bend his goals to suit her, he thinks she is just trying to please her father and find a husband to work under her father until he retires, Lewis has had enough with working beneath other men and refuses to let it happen even for Victoria. He doesn't realized the truth of the matter until it's to late. Victoria who just wanted a brief affair now finds herself more in love with Lewis than she ever thought possible but can't give in to him because she needs her cousin to stay with her. Victoria's cousin, Penelope, has had a hard time of things left almost abandoned and put in to Victoria's care by a philandering father when her mother finally goes unstable and shows incapable of taking care of a nine year-old girl. Victoria in between her lustful encounters with Lewis and debating with her father she tells her young cousin a tale of woe about a proud princess and the twelve trials she must endue to find her missing fiancee. The tale weaves in and out of the book, it's the only weird part of the book because some of it is just glossed over and some parts heavily detailed.

The story of Lewis and Victoria goes from hot and heavy to ice cold (figuratively and literally as Lewis gets trapped in the submarine when it sprung a leak and almost froze). Lewis pushes Victoria away because he is stubborn and he thinks he is still in love with Alys, but when he sees Alys again he realizes his mistake, but it is to late Victoria has already accepted someones proposal when it became blatantly obvious Lewis would not. This story really tugged my heart strings because of Lewis being a fool!        




Also Goodreads.com has a giveaway for one autographed copy,

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/114917-christmas-delights