The Scoundrel and the Debutante by Julia London- The Cabot Sisters #3

When a man on a mission takes on a beautiful but unlikely ally, seduction and adventure are inevitable… 

The dust of the Cabot sisters' shocking plans to rescue their family from certain ruin may have settled, but Prudence Cabot is left standing in the rubble of scandal. Now regarded as an unsuitable bride, she's tainted among the ton. Yet this unwilling wallflower is ripe for her own adventure. And when an irresistibly sexy American stranger on a desperate mission enlists her help, she simply can't deny the temptation. 

The fate of Roan Matheson's family depends on how quickly he can find his runaway sister and persuade her to return to her betrothed. Scouring the rustic English countryside with the sensually wicked Prudence at his side—and in his bed—he's out of his element. But once Roan has a taste of the sizzling passion that can lead to forever, he must choose between his heart's obligations and its forbidden desires. 

Struggle, terrible struggle to carry out the first part of the book. 

Following the thoughts and decisions of Prudence  was slightly tough for me and really I don't feel much sympathy for her.

Roan was already my kind of hero from the very beginning. His being a "stranger", an American barbarian land in English land, was a lot of fun. 

Going forward I was able to enjoy a little bit more of their adventure, but it's not a pair that will remain unforgettable for me.

We want to talk about Roan's baby sister? Aurora? After everything her brother does fore her, the poor guy came at the end of the world to prevent her from ruining herself alone because of her spirit of adventure, I would call her a real witch. Hateful and mindless.

I'm a little confused due, because I liked the other two books in this series. I am very sorry and I am willing to put a little doubt my common sense, perhaps between me and this book was not love at first sight".

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the kind preview of the book.

RATING: 3 stars

TITLE: The Scoundrel and the Debutante

AUTHOR: Julia London

SERIES: The Cabot Sisters #3

PUBLISHER: Harlequin

Fatica, terribile fatica a portare avanti la prima parte del libro. 

Seguire i pensieri e le decisioni di Prudence mi è risultato un po' pesante e sinceramente non provavo per lei granché di simpatia.

Roan invece era già più nelle mie corde sin dall'inizio. Il suo essere "forestiero", un barbaro americano in terra inglese, è stato da subito molto divertente. 

Andando avanti sono riuscita a gustare un po' di più la loro avventura, ma non è una coppia che per me rimarrà indimenticabile.

Vogliamo parlare della cara sorellina di Roan? Aurora? Dopo quello che combina al fratello, che poveretto è venuto in capo al mondo per evitare che si rovinasse da sola seguendo il suo spirito di avventura, la definirei una vera strega. Odiosa e senza cervello.

E dire che gli altri due libri di questa serie mi erano piaciuti. Mi dispiace molto e sono disposta a mettere un po' in dubbio il mio buon senso, forse proprio tra me e questo libro "non era cosa", come si dice da noi.

Ringrazio Netgalley e per il libro

VOTO: 3 stelle

TITLE: The Scoundrel and the Debutante

AUTHOR: Julia London

SERIES: The Cabot Sisters

PUBLISHER: Harlequin

Cursed by Fire by Jacquelyn Frank- The Immortal Brothers #1

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes the scorching hot first book in a thrilling new series featuring four warrior brothers who have the power—and the curse—of immortality.

For centuries, Dethan has been trapped in a fiery inferno for defying the gods and snatching the power of immortality. Condemned to have his battle-hardened body licked by flames only to regenerate and be consumed all over again, Dethan has lost all hope—until the Goddess of Conflict appears. She will release him from torment—if he’ll use his power and strength as a warrior to raise an army and defeat a fierce enemy faction of gods.

Free to live as a man once again, Dethan meets Selinda—heir to the throne of Hexis—and his thoughts quickly turn from the conquest of cities to the conquest of this headstrong beauty. Betrothed to a cruel, calculating powermonger, Selinda needs a champion, and so Dethan enters into another bargain: If she will share her bed—and her body—with him, Dethan will save her city from destructive forces within and without. As the lovers ignite a searing passion, Dethan will risk all—even the wrath of the Goddess of Conflict—for a chance to make Selinda his forever.

First book in the new series "The Immortal Brothers" by Jacquelyn Frank.

I've always had a soft spot for the mythology, and this made me appreciate even more "Cursed by Fire". The author has created her mythical reality, where her Gods as usual are in constant struggle with each other, dividing into two factions, involving mortals and not in their machinations.

Dethan, the male protagonist, is no longer a mortal, He and his brothers went against the will of the Gods, deciding to "stealing" immortality by drinking from a sacred spring. And wrath it was by them, given that all the brothers were punished for eternity through various tortures.

Dethan was victim for hundreds of years of fire, burned alive, then heal due to his immortality, then return to suffer through the flames of fire.

Fortunately in this war the Gods need him, and free him to lead a mission to conquer the city in their name, so their cult  is spread among humans.

I loved a lot Dethan as a character, he was always a warrior, a fighter and thanks to his intelligence and resoluteness a formidable leader. But even with Selinda is no different.

He wants to conquer her, seduce her, make her his accomplice and set her free from the burden of having to be forced to suffer ill-treatment from her future bridegroom.  He offers an outrageous deal while leaving her the right to choose, to stand back. He sees beyond her disfigured appearance and what the woman lets see to everyone..

Selinda is much more courageous than she believes, desperate but still willing to risk for the sake of herself and her people.

The story told in the book intrigued me and I can't wait to read the second book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the book.

RATING: 3.5 stars

TITLE: Cursed by Fire

AUTHOR: Jacquelyn Frank

SERIES: The Immortal Brothers #1

PUBLISHER: Random House Publishing Group Ballantine

Primo libro della nuova serie "The Immortal Brothers" di Jacquelyn Frank.

Ho sempre avuto un debole per la mitologia, e questo mi ha fatto apprezzare ancora di più "Cursed by Fire". L'autrice ha creato una sua realtà mitologica, dove i suoi dei come al solito sono in lotta continua tra di loro, dividendosi in due fazioni, coinvolgendo mortali e non nelle loro macchinazioni.

Dethan, il protagonista maschile, non è più un mortale, lui e i suoi fratelli hanno sfidato l'ira degli dei, decidendo di "rubando" l'immortalità bevendo da una fonte sacra. E ira è stata, visto che tutti i fratelli sono stati puniti per l'eternità attraverso torture diverse.

Dethan è stato vittima per centinaia di anni del fuoco, arso vivo, per poi guarire grazie alla sua immortalità, per poi tornare a soffrire attraverso le fiamme del fuoco.

Per fortuna in questa guerra gli dei hanno bisogno di lui, e lo liberano per affidargli una missione: conquistare città nel loro nome, diffondere il loro culto tra gli umani.

Dethan mi è piaciuto tantissimo come personaggio, è stato da sempre un guerriero, un combattente e grazie alla sua intelligenza e risolutezza un comandante formidabile. Ma anche con Selinda non è da meno.

Vuole conquistarla, sedurre, rendere sua complice e renderla libera dal peso di dover essere obbligata a subire maltrattamenti dal suo futuro sposo. Le propone un accordo scandaloso, pur lasciandolo il diritto di scegliere, di tirarsi indietro. Vede al di là del suo aspetto deturpato e delle apparenze che la donna lascia vedere a tutti.

Selinda da parte sua è molto più coraggiosa di quanto possa credere, disperata ma comunque disposta a rischiare per il bene suo e della sua gente.

La storia raccontata nel libro mi ha intrigata e non vedo l'ora di leggere il secondo libro della serie.

Ringrazio Netgalley e la Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine per il libro.

VOTO: 3.5 stelle

Loving the Earl by Sharon Cullen- Secret & Seduction #2

Having vowed never to wed again, widowed viscountess Claire Hartford is about to do the unthinkable: travel unaccompanied across the continent in search of a lover. Her adventure begins sooner than expected, when she meets a magnificent cloaked stranger on her ship’s gangplank. He is Lord Blythe, a man whispered about in London’s ballrooms and drawing rooms, a scandalous rogue hell-bent on seduction.

Nathan Ferguson curses the day he agreed to look out for his best friend’s wayward sister. The charismatic earl is traveling to Paris to uncover the truth behind his father’s death, but his desire for Claire threatens to be his undoing. From France to Italy, on a journey of passionate discovery and danger, Nathan is honor-bound to protect her—from himself most of all. What can he offer Claire? Only love, as he sets out to prove to the woman of his dreams that she belongs to him—body, heart, and soul.

Loving the Earl is a book that I liked a lot,

Claire is perhaps a bit naive and inexperienced, with regard to aspects of life in the real world, while  she's traveling, but shows courage and stubbornness to follow her dream, her desire for freedom drives her to take the reins of her life and live an adventure that can help her to erase the memories of a terrible past, lived with a husband who abused her both physically and psychologically. Widowed no longer wants to live a life with limitations and restrictions imposed by others.

Nathan is an earl, but his reputation has been irreparably compromised, when in youth he had to save his family's finances with his luck and skills in gambling and playing cards, and he choosed to continued to built his fortune with it.

He promised to Claire's brother to keep an eye on her and make sure she gets safe in France, but he did not reckon with the stubbornness of women and her ability to get into trouble.

I found often funny the dialogues and situations in which are involved the two.

I loved Nathan especially for his ability to "read" Claire, understand that she's hiding something  that hurt her under the appearances and he care so much for her to discover the truth.

A beautiful book, the second in the series Secret & Seduction, but that you can read quietly as one-shot to enjoy the adventure of Nathan and Claire.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Loveswept for the book.

RATING: 5 stelle

TITTLE: Loving the Earl

AUTHOR: Sharon Cullen

SERIEs: Secret & Seduction # 2

PUBLISHER: Random House Publishing Group- Loveswept 

Loving the Earl è un libro che mi è piaciuto tantissimo,

Claire è forse un po' ingenua e inesperta, per quanto riguarda gli aspetti della vita del mondo reale mentre viaggia, ma dimostra coraggio e testardaggine per seguire il suo sogno, il suo desiderio di libertà la spinge a affrontare un'avventura che la possa aiutare a cancellare i ricordi di un passato orribile, vissuto insieme a un marito che abusava di lei sia fisicamente che psicologicamente. Rimasta vedova non vuole più vivere una vita con limiti e restrizioni imposte da altri.

Nathan è di origini nobili, ma la sua reputazione è stata irrimediabilmente compromessa da giovane, quando per salvare le finanze della famiglia è riuscito a salvare baracca e burattini grazie alla sua fortuna e abilità nel giocare a carte, e ha continuato la sua fortuna gestendo case da gioco.

Ha promesso al fratello di Claire di tenerla d'occhio e assicurarsi che arrivi sana e salva in Francia, ma non ha fatto i conti con la testardaggine della donna e la sua capacità di mettersi nei guai.

Una storia con una bella trama, raccontata con un ritmo che non lascia spazio alla noia mentre si legge e i dialoghi e le situazioni in cui si ritrovano coinvolti i due sono spesso divertenti.

Di Nathan mi è piaciuto soprattutto la sua capacità di "leggere" Claire, capire che nasconde qualcosa sotto le apparenze e tenga così tanto a lei da insistere per scoprire la verità.

Un bel libro, secondo della serie Secret & Seduction, ma che si può leggere tranquillamente come autoconclusivo per godersi l'avventura di Nathan e Claire.

Ringrazio Netgalley e la Random House Publishing Group- Loveswept  per il libro.

VOTO: 5 stelle

TITOLO: Loving the Earl

AUTRICE: Sharon Cullen

SERIE: Secret & Seduction # 2

EDITORE: Random House Publishing Group- Loveswept 

The Vampire Hunter by Michele Hauf- In the Company of Vampires #2

A vampire hunter finds himself powerless to resist a bewitching stranger's dangerous magic in Michele Hauf's latest romance 

In all his years of battling the undead, Kaz has never seen bloodlust like this. And as a Knight of the Stake, it's up to him to find out who's responsible for the mayhem sweeping the streets of Paris and put a stop to it. Kaz's task becomes infinitely more complicated when a very attractive witch wants to help. 

With her quirky charm and irresistibly kissable lips, Zoë just feels right to Kaz, the way no mortal woman ever has before. But as a sworn enemy of the supernatural, can he really trust a witch? Especially one with dangerous secrets of her own? 

Cute this second book In the Company of Vampires series by Michele Hauf, although I must say I didn't literally go crazy with it.

Maybe because there aren't big news in this world with paranormal creatures: vampires, witches, fairy anything but nice and humans, among which there is Kaz the protagonist who is a vampire hunter, he belongs to an Order dedicated to protecting humans.

Zoe is a witch, with the best intentions of this world, cute, an sweet, a real "natural" sexy enchantress, and without any spells, Kaz is irresistibly attracted by this woman. It is not just physical attraction between the two of them but perhaps the fact of not having to hide his dark side pushing Kaz to Zoe, who can understand the reality to which he belongs, since she also lives her life knowing about paranormal creatures.

I liked both of them, but for me wasn't a love "at first read", I began to appreciate them in the long run. Perhaps it contributed to make me less excited about reading the book that I already understood from the beginning what's going on from the start of their story. Then I missed a bit of pathos in following the events of their adventure.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the book.

RATING: 2.5 stars

TITLE: The Vampire Hunter

AUTHOR: Michele Hauf

SERIES: In the Company of Vampires # 2

PUBLISHER: Harlequin

Carino questo secondo libro della serie In the Company of Vampires di Michele Hauf, anche se devo dire non mi ha fatto letteralmente impazzire.

Sarà che non ci sono grosse novità in questa sua realtà paranormal: vampiri, streghe, fairy tutt'altro che carini e gentili e umani, tra i quali c'è Kaz il protagonista che è un cacciatore di vampiri, appartenente a un Ordine che si dedica a proteggere gli umani.

Zoe è invece una strega, con le migliori intenzioni di questo mondo, carina, gentile, sezy, una vera ammaliatrice "naturale", e senza che lei debba fare nessun incantesimo, Kaz è attratto irresistibilmente da questa donna. Non è solo attrazione fisica tra i due, ma forse il fatto di non dover nascondere il suo lato oscuro spinge Kaz verso Zoe, che può riuscire a comprendere la realtà di cui fa parte, visto che anche lei vive la sua vita tra creature paranormali.

Mi sono piaciuti entrambi, ma non è scoccato nei loro confronti un amore a prima vista, diciamo che ho cominciato ad apprezzarli alla lunga. Ha, forse, contribuito, a rendermi meno entusiasta nella lettura del libro il fatto che già avevo capito dall'inizio dove si sarebbe andati a parare con la loro storia. Quindi mi è mancata un po' di pathos nel seguire gli eventi della loro avventura.

Ringrazio Netgalley e la hHarlequin per il libro.

VOTO: 2.5 stelle

TITOLO: The Vampire Hunter

AUTRICE: Michele Hauf

SERIE: In the Company of Vampires #2

EDITORE: Harlequin

Rock Hard by Nalini Singh

La mia recensione in italiano del libro la trovate pubblicata sul sito di Romanticamente Fantasy Sito

http://www.romanticamentefantasy.it/anteprima-recensione-per-gli-inediti-italia-rock-hard-di-nalini-singh-rock-kiss-2/

"Rock Hard" is a little different from the two previous books, in the new contemporary romance series "Rock Kiss".

Neither of the two main characters is a member of the rock band, but Charlotte is Molly's best friend that we met in "Rock Addiction", first book of the series. Her presence in that book, though short, had left its mark and I was hoping so much that it was given a bit of space, to Charlie and her T-Rex, or Gabriel her despot boss. From there the nickname Charlie kindly give it to him when she speaks of the man with Molly.

T-Rex is really ok for him as nickname and I am in love with this couple and their history.

Charlotte is a girl who does everything to blend into the environment, rather than give into the eye and she doesn’t want to attract the attention of others, especially of men, I think she would arrive at the point of dressing up with the wallpaper if it were possible. It’s not just plain shyness, but the result of a bad experience in the past that has left indelible marks in her life. She has to come to terms with her fears and her panic attacks, by approaching them boldly from day to day, to try to live a life as normal as possible, but Gabriel has no intention to let her hide like a scared mouse. He saw the glimpses of a different woman behind the facade that Charlotte shows to everyone, and he is intrigued and decided to come into the open, because he wants that woman at his side, although his instinct makes him understand immediately that the source of the girl's behavior is due not only to her character, but is tied to something bad that happened in the past.

It was the perseverance and stubbornness of Gabriel that conquered me, the great attention he shows to Charlotte, the way he teases her, how he puts her under pressure to pull out her claws at him, and show that underneath the surface there is a determined and intelligent woman, a survivor who can handle a bad-tempered and dominant T-Rex, putting him back in his place.

Charlie is adorable, and despite all her problems is really tough, a person who has been the rock that helped Molly to endure her terrible and painful adolescence. Charlotte is a true fighter, willing to expose herself to defend those she loves.

Gabriel is the only one that manages to make lose her control, her apparent calm, a weapon that she has always helped to face her fears and manage them. She can’t think too much and to filter her reactions and emotions with Gabriel and she reacts impulsively.

I enjoyed a lot reading their verbal clashes and another thing that I liked a lot in Gabriel is that he doesn’t shelter Charlotte under a bell jar, for fear of scare her because of his "physicality" and the attraction he feels for her, and certainly a former rugby player in the "physicality" thing does not fail. He’s willing to give her all the time she needs, but he is deeply convinced that she can handle herself and the strong physical attraction they feel for each other and then, however, and he teases her in all the way.This is important for Charlotte: being treated like a woman, to feel emotions so strong and intense that push her to face her fears.

In their story it isn’t all roses and flowers, sometimes they make one step forward and two back, but it's a wonderful love story, so beautiful, as she only Nalini Singh knows how to write, creating characters so wonderful.

The parts of the book that I preferred were those in which Gabriel and Charlotte joined his family playing rugby "in the family", these are scenes full of magic, where the author gives her best, funny moments, sometimes full of tenderness and while I was reading it I felt a great desire of belonging.

Needless to say that T-Rex is my "new book-boyfriend"!

Thanks to Netgalley and TKA Distribution for the book

RATING: 4 stars

TITLE: Rock Hard

AUTHOR: Nalini Singh

SERIES: Rock Kiss#2

 

Demonic Dora- The Demon Diaries by Claire Chilton

She's finally managed to summon her first demon...

Dora Carridine is trying to summon a demon, but she's not very good at Latin and nothing ever works out the way she plans.

Her life is fraught with weekly exorcisms and having to watch her father’s fire and brimstone TV show every Sunday. So, when Dora finally succeeds in summoning an incompetent demon lord, she’s absolutely delighted when all hell breaks loose.

She thought summoning a sexy demon lord would be the answer to all of her problems, but her problems are only just beginning when her zealot parents try to burn her at the stake, and Dora is left with only one option—to escape and follow her demon straight into Hell.

Very cute and funny this book, that I just need something like this to detach a little from my usual readings that perhaps begin to be a little too repetitive.

First of all is a young-adult, but so unique in its kind of way, which was a real surprise.

Claire Chilton wrote a horror-comedy, very pretty in which Dora find herself involved in paradoxical situations and surreal, but very hilarous, as are the exchanges of ideas between Dora, wanna-be witch and her parents, twov very religious believers, fanatics who have repeatedly subjected her to attempted exorcisms. Priceless irony and sarcasm in Dora's responses to her two "oldest".

By mistake in one of her attempts to perform a spell, finally she manages to summon a demon and from there begins her adventure in hell, In the true sense of the word, since see's forced to flee from home and accept the protection of "her" demon, which more or less is a teenager too,so to speak.

Cute, funny and unusual, the pages are literally flew away, and even if the comparison is not quite correct, it reminded me a bit of some dynamics in the Addams Family, which I have always adored.

I can't wait to continue the series, saw that Demonic Cora ends with a cliffhanger.

Thannks to Netgalley and Ragz Books for the book.

RATING: 4 Stars

TITLE: Demonic Dora
AUTHOR: Claire Chilton
SERIES: The Demon Diaries #1
PUBLISHER: Ragz Books








Molto carino e divertente questo libro, che mi ci voleva proprio per staccare un po' dalle mie solite letture che forse cominciano a essere un po' troppo ripetitive.
Prima di tutto è uno young-adult, ma così unico nel suo genere, che è stata una vera sorpresa.
Claire Chilton ha scritto una horror-comedy, molto carina nella quale Dora si trova di fronte a situazioni paradossali e surreali, ma molto divertenti, così come sono gli scambi di idee tra Dora, aspirante strega e i suoi genitori, fanatici credenti religiosi, che l'hanno ripetutamente sottoposta a tentati esorcismi. Impagabile l'ironia e il sarcasmo nelle risposte di Dora ai suoi due "vecchi".
Per errore in uno dei suoi tentativi di realizzare un incantesimo, finalmente riesce a invocare un demone e da lì comincia la sua avventura all'inferno, nel vero senso della parola, visto che si vede costretta a fuggire di casa e ad accettare la protezione del "suo" demone, che più o meno è un suo coetaneo, per così dire.
Carino, insolito e divertente, le pagine sono letteralmente volate via, e anche se il paragone non è proprio corretto, mi ricordava un po' alcune dinamiche presenti nella Famiglia Addams, che io ho sempre adorato.
non vedo l'ora di continuare la serie, visto che Demonic Cora termina con un piccolo cliffhanger.
Ringrazio Netgalley e la Ragz Books per il libro.


VOTO: 4 Stelle


TITOLO: Demonic Dora
AUTRICE: Claire Chilton
SERIE: The Demon Diaries #1
EDITORE: Ragz Books