Recent Read

To Beguile A Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt

Why this one: I've really enjoyed all her previous books including the books by her alter ego Julia Harper so it was a given that I would read this one

Steam Level: Yepper - this is a hot one

Author Website Blurb:

CAN A WOUNDED BEAST . . .

Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he's kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.

TRUST A BEAUTY WITH A PAST . . .

Running from past mistakes has taken legendary beauty Helen Fitzwilliam from the luxury of the ton to a crumbling Scottish castle . . . and a job as a housekeeper. Yet Helen is determined to start a new life and she won't let dust-or a beast of a man-scare her away.

TO TAME HIS MOST SECRET DESIRES?

Beneath Helen's beautiful façade, Alistair finds a courageous and sensual woman. A woman who doesn't back away from his surliness-or his scars. But just as he begins to believe in true love, Helen's secret past threatens to tear them apart. Now both Beast and Beauty must fight for the one thing neither believed they could ever find--a happy ever after.

My Thoughts: Hmmmmm. This is the first historical I've read since another historical I read and I think maybe I should have read a few other genres in between to 'cleanse the pallet' so to speak. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book but it didn't come close moving me the way the other book did. Alister just didn't have the depth that Ian did and I didn't like Helen nearly as much as I liked Beth. I think if I hadn't read them so close together (I just finished a reread of the other book last week, To Beguile a Beast would have fared better.

I love a good Beauty and the Beast story and this one is good as that. Alister is gruff and grouchy teddy bear who is hiding away from society due to his scars. At first the last thing he wants around is a beautiful housekeeper, but ever so slowly he lets Helen and her children into his life and opens up to a less lonely and solitary life. There is a wonderful scene where he goes around waking everyone in the castle up early so he can take them all fishing.

Helen is a bit more problematic for me. She has lived the life of the mistress of the powerful Duke of Lester. Despite this interesting premise, I found her a bit bland. She didn't have the courage of another historical heroine I loved.

I wasn't all that impressed with the POV of Abigail her nine year old daughter either. I sound bitchy and heartless I'm sure, but I don't really care what a nine year old thinks and feels in a romance. I didn't think her POV really added anything to the story.

I feel bad because I'm sounding harsher than I usually do and this book doesn't really deserve my harshness. It's a good entry into the series and after reading the excerpt for the final book in this series, I'm really looking forward to this.

All in all, I recommend this book, but if you've read and been blown totally away by another recently published historical, I'd advise letting more time and more books lapse between that one and To Beguile a Beast. Then this one might not suffer as much next to it.

Grade: 4 out of 5

It should be a GOOD mail today!

I got an email this morning notifying me that two books have shipped and usually when that happens I get them that day.

The two books??


Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb and


To Seduce A Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt.








This would be opposed to yesterday when I got a bill from Rogers saying I owed them over $400.


Random Thoughts:

I was half way to work this morning when I realized I had done the unthinkable! I hadn’t put a book in my purse! Oh No!
Now I don’t always get a chance to read at work – the ideal was in the summer when I could eat outside and take my lunch at unusual hours as to avoid people J
But carrying a book in my purse is a comfort thing. One never knows when one might get caught in an elevator, stuck in a two hour traffic jam, decide to make a trip to the doctors office – whatever it might be.
So when I realized I didn’t have one, I had quite a dilemma on my hands. Did I turn around and go back home and grab one or continue on? I was already running late since I got held up due to an earlier accident so turning back wasn’t really an option. I was all set to have a day filled with semi-anxiety.
But! There is a happy ending to this. I also carry my lunch in a book bag and I’d thrown a TBR book in there some time ago. I remembered this just as I was pulling into the parking lot at work. ‘No book in purse’ anxiety crisis averted!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

Through talking books, Katie and I have discovered we have similar tastes in what we like and what we don't. We don't match entirely of course - I'm still shaking my head over the fact that she doesn't like Jo Goodman and she is much more of a BDB fan than I am. But overall we tend to agree more than we disagree.
(although at this point I have to say, recently a good friend sent me an autographed to me copy of Lover Eternal - Rhage's story which I loved and gave a 5 out of 5. It is now resting on my special books book shelf - but that doesn't have much to do with this - I just had to brag about it)
So when we were talking not long ago about a book we had both recently read, I said how much I enjoyed it and she said it didn't work for her at all I was a little surprised. And then I thought of a different kind of review. Then I thought it would be even more fun to exchange reviews and debate the book.
So with that in mind, here we go

Katiebabs and KristieJ- Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: May 2008
ISBN-13: 9780446406918
Series: The Legend of the Four Soldiers, #1

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The Reviews

Kristie J

It’s no secret I loved Elizabeth Hoyt’s first three books. Also I think I may have mentioned that I came close to stalker-like when I ran into her in an elevator – thankfully I managed to restrain myself to save total and complete embarrassment.

I also thoroughly enjoyed her first effort with contemporaries in Hot by alter ego Julia Harper.

So when I started reading To Taste Temptation, I fully expected to love it. And guess what? I did. It's another winner for me for Elizabeth Hoyt.

But wait – this isn’t much of a review so I’ll continue. This is the first book in a series, The Legend of the Four Soldiers. The first soldier, Samuel Hartley is a self made man from the Colonies who fought in the war. He is haunted by what happened there and has come to England with his younger sister to track down a traitor. His next door neighbour and sister to his commanding officer is Lady Emeline Gordon, a titled lady who tutors young women in all the fine arts of the upper class.

Samuel is delightful! He’s brash, he’s honest and he really doesn’t give a damn what society thinks of his odd ways. He is Very Strongly Attracted to Emeline and pursues her relentlessly.

Emeline, for her part is Very Strongly Attracted to Samuel, but she’s a snob, she’s elitist, she’s prickly as a pear and I thought she was a hoot. I don’t think she will be everyone’s favourite heroine – in fact I can see many not liking her, but I did. She’s a product of her times and her upbringing.

I love seeing Samuel get her going and getting her mad as a wet hen. He takes great delight in doing that too. They are thrown into each other’s company quite a bit when he hires her to help with his sister Rebecca.

He finally wears down her resistance and when he does – wow – the steam level left my windows fogged up. Of course afterwards, Emeline being Emeline claims that’s it – their brief affair is over. But Samuel isn’t good at taking no for an answer and relentlessly pursues her until she give in again – and then again in a country house party.

Now at this point sadly the book gets a bit of a down grading. You see, Emeline is practically engaged to her brother’s best friend – a man she loves but only as a friend of her brother’s. At this point, she runs away from Samuel and she and Vale, her brothers friend formally announce their engagement. From this point on, I admit, I would have liked to smack her a good one. Vale and Samuel had established a friendship and of course that went very quickly down the drain. Her stubbornness caused a great deal of pain for Samuel who I really enjoyed. Then later they have a final ‘one for the road’ so to speak and I thought another harder slap was in order.

But, things got straightened out – this is a romance of course and I happily finished the book.

There was also an interesting secondary story between Rebecca and O’Hare, one of the footmen employed by Samuel. I don’t know if Ms. Hoyt has something planned for them or not – but I kind of hope so.

There was another interesting thing of note about this book. In her previous trilogy, Ms. Hoyt told a series of fairy tales. She does the same thing with this book at the beginning of each chapter. Normally I tend to skip over the italicized writing at the beginning of chapters, but here as well as her other three books, I found the tale enchanting.

Final grade - 4 out of 5 stars

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katiebabs

When I heard Elizabeth Hoyt was releasing a new book, I did a little jig and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Ever since she has come on the historical romance scene, I have been a huge fan and is one of those authors you can always count on. But unfortunately, with To Taste Temptation, this is not the case. To be blunt, this book was a huge disappointment for me and is my first of the year so far. This came very close to a DNF and it took a lot for me to finish. Maybe I kept soldiering on because of the sex scenes, which Elizabeth can still write very well. Everything in To Taste Temptation was stale and a bit cliché from the plot, which was yet another murder mystery investigation by some American hunk, to perhaps the British heroine who is so uptight and cold that I really couldn't see the chemistry between the two. I have the feeling that To Taste Temptation perhaps was an old manuscript from years ago that Elizabeth worked and pushed to the side to go onto more creative things.

Emeline Gordon is the woman to go to if you daughter or sister needs help being accepted by the Ton. She helps these young ladies dress, walk and act a certain way so they can find the husband that is suited for them. The one thing about Emeline that is positive is that she is a widow and has experience with sex. At least she is not those types of virgin widows who haven't had sex until the hero comes along. She is the perfect persona of womanhood, or so we are told. But her precious stoicism is about to come crashing down because of the brash American who wears Indian leggings comes into her life.

Samuel Hartley is wild, because hey, he is from the wilds of America. He wears moccasins and leggings and is dark and dreamy. Emeline notices Samuel because of his dangerous mouth and she knows he has no manners because well, he is an American and wears strange footwear. She will have nothing to do with him, but will continue to silently drool because he is quite handsome. Samuel comes to Emeline and wants her to help his younger sister, Rebecca, become a superstar in London society. Samuel has urges for Emeline and his strange pants tend to become tighter around a certain part of his body because she smells like lemons. Yes, Samuel likes the way Emeline smells. Other than that he is not too keen on Em.

But Samuel is not totally honest with Em. He is using her for a cover. He is trying to find the person responsible for betraying his troupe during a battle during the war which became a massacre and killed many of his men. Samuel was the Corporal in charge and it is his duty and because of his guilt that he must find this person and bring him to justice! So, Samuel finds some buddies who fought side by side with him and they trek through London because the fiend must be there. But when Samuel is not busy being a detective or running through town in his moccasins, he is busy kissing Em which leads to some heavy foreplay between the two. I did say before that Elizabeth can sure write some nice steamy love scenes and there is one where Em and Sam are caught behind a curtain and can't leave because if they are caught, the tongues will wag. So one thing leads to another and some major loving commences behind the dust curtains. Honestly, this scene had a strange sense of déjà vu for me as if I read it before… *coughSecretsofaSummerNightbyLisaKleypascough* *doublecoughPassionbyLisaValdezdoublecough*

Other than more creative sex between Sam and Em and the mystery that will be solved in under 400 pages, I seriously can't think of anything else to recommend. Perhaps my expectations were too high for an author who has delivered extraordinary work in the past?

Final Grade 2 out of 5 stars

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Debate

KristieJ: OK first off - lets start with something we do agree with. She sure can write some hawt and steamy love scenes can't she?

KatieBabs: That is what kept me reading. Hoyt can sure write steamy sex. But again I had a problem with the chemistry. One minute Emeline is giving Samuel the cold shoulder, next she is about to be taken on the study floor.

KristieJ: I found it interesting that you mentioned Passion by Lisa Valdez cause I thought the same thing when I read it. Although I liked Ms. Hoyt's behind the curtain scene better

KatieBabs: That was my favorite scene in the whole book

KristieJ : I found her hot and cold nature interesting. I think she was fighting herself - as to what she really was as opposed to what society told her she should be

KatieBabs: Eh. I felt Emeline was too much of a cliché of many heroines I have read in the past. I am all for opposites attracting, but Em was just too cold for no reason

KristieJ: She shouldn't be so attracted to a rough Colonial - but she was. I do admit though she was a tad too cold, but then Samuel seemed to delight in ruffling her feathers

KatieBabs: How many times have we read about a British lady at odds with her feelings for the untamed American hero? I did like Samuel a lot. I felt he deserved a better woman

KristieJ: LOL for me not that many. I haven't been reading as many historicals these days as I used to

KatieBabs: This is going to sound harsh, but I kept thinking of Avonization when I was reading very much a paint by numbers read and Hoyt is so much more than that

KristieJ: Really? Interesting. I didn't get that and I am a huge opponent of Avonization. But then you read a lot of Avon books and I read next to none. There are only about 2 or 3 established authors who write historicals that I read. I've given up on many of them. Lisa Kleypas is the only one I read religiously

KatieBabs: Maybe my expectations are too high after reading Kleypas, Bourne and now Meredith Duran? To Taste Temptation was missing something to keep my interest. I also felt Hoyt was trying to make Samuel more tortured than he should be

KristieJ: I thought he was a pretty jovial guy. He had a good sense of humour and he laughed a lot. He did have a rather tragic time of it before, but overall I didn't find him too tortured - not in the sense that he was moody and sour anyway.

KatieBabs: Not moody, but guilt ridden.

KristieJ: LOL - aren't most heroes in one way or another? That's what makes them so darned attractive

KatieBabs: seems to be. Not sure which ones I find more appealing. But imagine if you had a moody, sour, guilt ridden hero who is good in bed?

KatieBabs: *THUMP*

KristieJ: ROTFL - it always comes back to that doesn't it? Are you thinking perhaps Guy of Gisbourne?

KatieBabs: oh Guy, yes.... Mister chesty moody sex on a stick

KristieJ: We aren't going to go there in case I can't hear you

KatieBabs: *looks innocently at Kristie*

KristieJ: Did you read the fairy tale that started off each chapter? And if so - what did you think of it?

KatieBabs: I do like the fairy tale idea.

KristieJ: I think it's kind of cool that she carries them through all her books - since romance books are kind of like fairy tales for adults

KatieBabs: I will say that even though To Taste Temptation wasn't a book for me, I am interested to see where she goes with the next three books planned

KristieJ: I really liked this one. It had me on the edge of my seat - but I didn't really see how it tied in with the story the way they did in her previous trilogy

KatieBabs: I wonder if Vale will get his own book.

KristieJ: I'm thinking he will. Along with her friend - forget her name. I also wonder what she has planned with Elizabeth and the footman if anything.

KatieBabs: I believe there are 4 soldiers who get their own stories, like the four on the fairy tale she has

KatieBabs: Samuel's sister Rebecca and her footman?

KristieJ: why do I keep thinking Elizabeth?? Oh right! That's the author's name

KatieBabs: Also I didn't understand the deal with Emeline's friend who wears brown and wants to be and look dull.

KristieJ: So - even though this one is a thumbs down for you, will you try her next book?

KristieJ: I'm sure we will find out *g*

KatieBabs: I will give her next book a go, but if it is like To Taste Temptation...

KristieJ: It's sad isn't it - saying goodbye to a former well loved author. I've done that more times than I care to remember. Gaelen Foley, Liz Carlyle, Mary Balogh to name a few

KatieBabs: Sorry, I give To Taste Temptation a big thumbs down and donate it to the library.

KristieJ): And I give it a thumbs up - with a couple of reservations about the heroine.

Question of the Day

To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt

Despite what it says on the sidebar, this is the book I'm currently reading - and enjoying very much by the way.

But.... why did the publisher decide to change the cover? The cover of the book I'm reading is the one on the left, but I much prefer the cover on the right. I wish they had stuck with that one instead.
Although I see the authors name is much bigger on the left one - which is nice for Elizabeth Hoyt. But I prefer the couple rather than just the heroine. And I like the title's font much better on the one on the right too.
What about you? Which one do you like better?
Now the inside is pretty nice *g* on my copy. If my scanner wasn't currently on the fritz and I didn't have to get ready for work I'd try scanning it.
But it would call for me to think - and I'm saving that function for work.

Recent Reads

The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

Why this one: I adored her first two

Level of Heat: Ohhhhhhhhhh yeeeaaaaaaa

Amazon blurb: Lucy Craddock-Hayes thought the man lying in the ditch was dead, but he survived the assault. With the help of her servant, Lucy brings the gentleman home, and learns that he is Viscount Simon Iddesleigh. As Simon slowly recuperates, he finds himself falling in love with sharp-witted and surprisingly sharp-tongued Lucy, but he also knows that the longer he stays, the more likely it is that his quest for vengeance will endanger Lucy and her family. Delectably clever writing, deliciously complex characters, and a delightfully sexy romance between two perfectly matched protagonists are the key ingredients in the third book in Hoyt's superbly crafted, loosely connected Georgian-era Princes trilogy.

My thoughts: The first time I met Elizabeth Hoyt, was in the elevator. I gushed, I followed her way past my floor in full gushing mode. I made an idiot of myself and gave my roomies lots of laughs. If I had read The Serpent Prince before I ran into her in Dallas I probably would have followed her off the elevator, down the hall, into her room and just sat on the bed and not wanted to leave, I loved this book that much.

Simon is just not that nice a guy in some ways. He is bent on revenge for the murder of his brother and nothing is going to stop him. He makes a great anti-hero. There is something you don’t like about him, yet he is so compelling, so riveting, you just have this attraction to his character. You don’t see this kind of character all that often so when you do – Wowzers – he makes an impression. And what really sold me on Simon and on this book, was how he was completely wrecked for the heroine. I’ve mentioned before how I love this in a romance book; when the hero is so gone for the heroine. Simon says that Lucy is his salvation and you really get the feeling that she is. This otherwise urbane, dissolute, revenge seeking anti-hero really needs the heroine to keep going.

And Lucy is also a great heroine. Not quite as memorable as Simon, but I think she was a great match for him. Although somewhat innocent, she still has a lot of sense to her. And I love how Ms. Hoyt captures the atmosphere of the time. I love a good Georgian setting and this is a Very Good One.

I know this is going to be a book I read over and over. I’ve already placed it on my Top 100 of all time Romance books

Grade: 5 out of 5

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

Why this one: heh, heh – I don’t think this needs any splainin’ It’s Lisa Kleypas.

Level of Heat: She’s had hotter, but this one is just fine

Amazon Blurb: When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.

Wealthy beyond most men’s dreams, Cam has tired of society’s petty restrictions and longs to return to his “uncivilized” Gypsy roots. When the delectable Amelia appeals to him for help, he intends to offer only friendship—but intentions are no match for the desire that blindsides them both. But can a man who spurns tradition be tempted into that most time-honored arrangement: marriage? Life in London society is about to get a whole lot hotter….

My Thoughts: Cam Rohan blazed onto the scene in The Devil in Winter. It didn’t take much for him to captivate all of us and I think many of us were counting the time until this one came out. I had an ARC but I didn’t want to read it too far ahead of everyone else. But with it’s eminent release I decided the time was right. Now I’m not even nearly the first to post their thoughts on this book.

First up – it didn’t knock Dreaming of You off it’s pedestal but then it would take an EXTREMELY rare book to do that. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this one.

I think Amelia made a fine heroine for Cam after we all thought that he was going to end up with Daisy. I much prefer Amelia. I enjoyed how she was the spine in her family and took care of all of them after the death of her family.

And Cam – oh he was delish! I’ve read a number of books with heroes of Gypsy heritage and he is right up there now on the top of the list – well, he shares it with Nicolas from MJP’s Thunder and Roses. I loved how he so quickly became so protective of Amelia and her family.

To me this seemed a bit different than Lisa Kleypas’ other series. I’m not sure how to put it, but it seemed more like a first chapter of a continuing story and I almost expected the words “To Be Continued” to be on the final page. I found that very intriguing and smart.

I can’t say a whole lot more other than I love, just love her books, her writing and her personally and this book only adds to the love.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

'til later

Recent Read

The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

Release Date: April, 2007

Type: Historical

Hotness Level: Hot

Chapters Outline:

Wealthy Lady Georgina Maitland doesn't want a husband, though she could use a good steward to run her estates. One look at Harry Pye, and Georgina knows she's not just dealing with a servant, but a man. Harry has known many aristocrats-including one particular nobleman who is his sworn enemy. But Harry has never met a beautiful lady so independent, uninhibited, and eager to be in his arms. Still, it's impossible to conduct a discreet liaison when poisoned sheep, murdered villagers, and an enraged magistrate have the county in an uproar.

Why this one: I just adored The Raven Prince, the story, her writing, and was eager to read her next one.

My thoughts: While this one didn't capture me quite as much as TRP, it was still a very good and enjoyable book. When I saw the premise of The Leopard Prince at the end of TRP, I thought the idea of a class struggle very intriguing, a bit different from your run of the mill historical. Purists (of which I'm certainly not one) might find this a bit hard to buy, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Georgina was a real treat. She didn't much care what society thought. She wanted Harry and she went for him. She is by turns innocent, charming, determined and sweet. Harry is - well - earthy. He truly is of a different class. No nice speeches from him. He made a wonderfully refreshing change from all the dukes and earls etc.
There is a bit of a mystery in this one - who is killing all the sheep. We know it's not Harry although he stand accused, but the real culprit I found a bit of a surprise. It wasn't who I thought it would be.
I also really enjoyed the second cast of characters. Ms. Hoyt has a way of making them quite vivid even though they don't play leading roles. She did this remarably well in The Raven Prince too.
Although maybe classified as second in a series, there is very little connection to The Raven Prince. The hero in that one only makes a very brief appearance at the end. So this one works quite well as a stand-alone.
And as for the title; this is a fairy tale Georgina tells Harry in bits throughout the book. And some of the telling is in very interesting stages!
I rated The Raven Prince a 5, but this one comes remarkably close

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

'til later

Keeper! - A Really Good Recent Read

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

A big thank you to Rosario for her most excellent review of this book. I had seen some buzz on it before and I read Jane’s review at Dear Author and was intrigued enough to pick it up when I first saw it on the shelves. But there it sat on the TBR pile and probably would have for a while until something in Rosario’s review made me decide not to wait to read this one.
I’ve become somewhat disenchanted with historicals lately. I’m still buying them, especially if it’s a favoured author, but many of them are languishing in the TBR pile. But this one blew all dissatisfaction away in a wonderfully fresh breeze. It’s no wonder that at Amazon there are 22 reviews and the average is 5 stars. If you read Rosario & Jane’s reviews you can pretty much pick up what the book is about so instead I’ll just say why this one worked so very well for me.

Edward-He is just so adorable! He reminds me of one of my favourite hero’s; Dain from Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels. He’s rude, he’s short tempered, he throws things. But underneath all his outward bluster, he’s just a very lonely, very scarred hero. I just adored him.

Anna – What a wonderful heroine she is. She’s a widow whose husband cheated on her thus making her very leery of trusting men. She’s lived by the rules all her life but when she meets Edward, she’s like a butterfly coming out of her cocoon. She enjoys talking back to him and isn’t intimidated by his bluster at all, in fact she likes it.
Both Edward and Anna are described as not very attractive. Edward is covered in pox scars and Anna apparently suits her last name Wren and isn’t very noticeable – except for her sexy lips. But as the story progresses, both Edward and Anna come to see the other as extremely attractive and with very good writing, so do we, the readers.

The secondary characters – from Anna’s understanding mother-in-law to Pearl and Coral, the two sisters who are both in the prostitution trade, to Felix Hopple, the steward with his flamboyant waistcoats to Davis the cantankerous old valet; they all come to life in a way secondary character seldom do. Ms. Hoyt has a way of breathing life into them and while they don’t take centre stage, they do all have their own distinct personalities.
The love scenes in this book also work very well. All too often I find myself skimming them just because they aren’t really that well-written, but with these ones I read every word.
Another thing I appreciated about this one is the setting. It takes place during the Georgian time frame rather than Regency or Victorian. Since I have this thing for tricorn hats and men with their hair tied back in queues, (goes back to my Paul Revere and the Raider days), this one was very fine to picture while reading.
I even read the sweet fairy tale that started each chapter. Usually I skip that kind of thing, but this kept my interest all the way through. And it was neat reading Ms. Hoyt’s reply to Jane on Rosario’s comments as to the significance of the tale.
My sons came over yesterday to watch football and rather than watch it with them, I kept picking up this book and reading it because I couldn’t bear to put it down. And horrible as it sounds – while not exactly glad when they left, it did give me the chance to really read it without the distraction of watching the Broncos go down to defeat. Even the very last page – what to expect in a romance hero from Edward’s perspective was a hoot.
This one has restored my faith in the historical once more. It’s a delightful, smile on your face, tender, sweet, sexy book and it gets a big thumbs up from me! As others have said, it’s amazing that this is her first book – it reads like it was written by a seasoned author. I know I’m parroting so many others but this book is enchanting, and after reading the excerpt, I along with many others will be eagerly looking forward to the next one – The Leopard Prince.

Grade: 5 out of 5

'til later