ONLY WITH YOUR LOVE by Lisa Kleypas

PUBLISHER: Avon, October 1992
BODICE RIPPER? Yes, mild
MY GRADE: C

SYNOPSIS: The newlywed bride of a Creole aristocrat, Celia Vallerand prays for deliverance from the bloodthirsty brigands who abducted her from a New Orleans-bound schooner. Though she believes her beloved husband slain and despairs for her own life, the shy French beauty fears above all the dashing privateer who pays a king's ransom to claim her ... and boldly risks capture to possess her.

The most notorious pirate of the open seas, he is called "the Griffin"--a rugged and powerful renegade who arouses within Celia desires as dangerous as they are irresistible. But the magnificent adventurer is a man trapped in a perilous deception--and he guards a shocking secret that could deny him the love of the gossamer-haired enchantress who stirs his manly passions and enslaves his heart.

MY THOUGHTS: This takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States in 1817 ten years after the previous book in the series. The heroine, Celia, is twenty-four. She has blond hair and brown eyes. The hero is Justin Vallerand and he has dark hair and blue eyes and is twenty-five. His identical twin brother, Philippe, is her husband.
 
Sadly, I only liked the first quarter of the book, which was the first 100 pages. So many things, so much action, took place during the beginning that I felt like there was nothing left for the rest of the story. Once Celia moved in with her in-laws the book became very boring to me.
 
Her in-laws were the hero and heroine of the previous book, Only In Your Arms, which was rewritten as When Strangers Marry. Starting when Celia moved in with them, they were featured throughout the entire novel. I don't think that was fair to the readers. They had their own book and ended up with another one. I didn't care for it.
 
Justin wasn't as alpha as I'd have expected him to be, judging by his personality in the previous book. There was a 'forced seduction' scene with Celia early on but other than that I don't think his personality was all that bad. I'd have preferred for him to have been more aggressive in nature. Celia was a bit feisty and was a good match for him. Truth be told, I didn't care too much for either of them.
 
I thought there was too much hanging out at the plantation, since that's where most of the novel took place. I found it mostly boring and some things, like when someone was impersonating another, to be a bit silly and unoriginal. I consider this to be a very mild bodice ripper.

LORDS OF PASSION by Virginia Henley, Kate Pearce, Maggie Robinson (Anthology)

PUBLISHER: Brava, 12/2010
GENRE: Fiction/Historical Romance Anthology
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: B

FROM PUBLISHER: This dazzling new historical collection delivers a trio of heroes who are bold, dashing, and unforgettable in every way. . .

Beauty and the Brute by Virginia Henley

It's been three years since Lady Sarah Caversham set eyes on arrogant Charles Lennox--the husband her father chose for her to settle a gambling debt. Now Charles has returned, unaware that the innocent ingénue he wed is determined to turn their marriage of convenience into a blissfully passionate affair. . .

MY THOUGHTS: Story takes place in England in 1719. I'm not sure about the timespan. The heroine is Sarah, sixteen, blond and blue eyed. The hero is Charles, twenty-one, dark haired and brown eyed. They are forced to marry three years before, at the ages of thirteen and eighteen, and have been estranged for three years. Charles returns after being gone and is instantly attracted to his wife, who, apparently, looks much different than she did when last he saw her.

I didn't care for this story at all. I was bored the whole time. Charles and Sarah got along pretty well. I didn't feel much attraction on Sarah's part. She wants to get revenge on her husband for being rude to her when they first met by getting him to fall in love with her. When he does, she then tells him she wants to be a wife in name only, like before. They're estranged for a short while then get back together. Boring! The heroes sister, Anne, is featured throughout and ends up getting married. I couldn't have cared less about her. This is a short story and should have been about hero and heroine only. I wouldn't be interested in reading more about this couple or any of the secondary characters if they ever got their own books in the future. 

I grade this story a C/3 stars.

How to Seduce a Wife by Kate Pearce

Louisa March's new husband, Nicholas, is a perfect gentleman in bed--much to her disappointment. She longs for the kind of fevered passion found in her beloved romance novels. But when she dares him to seduce her properly, she discovers that Nicholas is more than ready to meet her challenge, over and over again. . .

MY THOUGHTS: This was my favorite of the three stories and was the most sexually graphic. It too was the shortest story. It takes place in England in 1816. It ties in to her Simply series. Unfortunately because it was so short it never really could get going. The couples ages weren't given but Nicholas is six years older than his wife. The hero and heroine aren't that compatable sexually. The hero, Nicholas March, sets out to seduce his wife, Louisa. They end up at the House of Pleasure, as featured in the Simply series, and reenact an abduction scene from a romance novel the heroine had been reading. The sex is very explicit and it loved it.  

I grade this story an A/5 stars.

Not Quite a Courtesan by Maggie Robinson

Sensible bluestocking Prudence Thorn has been too busy keeping her cousin Sophy out of trouble to experience any adventures of her own. But when Sophy begs Prudence's help in saving her marriage, Pru encounters handsome, worldly Darius Shaw. And under Darius's skilled tutelage, Pru learns just how delightful a little scandal can be. . .

MY THOUGHTS: This story was pretty enjoyable and explicit. I liked the hero and heroine and thought they made a good pair. At the end, I didn't like that after knowing each other only four days they decided to marry in six months. 

I grade this an A-/4.75 stars.

A SENSE OF SIN by Elizabeth Essex

PUBLISHER: Brava, 4/2011
GENRE: Fiction/Historical Romance
SETTING: England, 1794
SERIES: Darthmouth Brides, #2
MY GRADE: B

FROM PUBLISHER: He Could Be Her Ruin - After a shocking letter and then a mysterious warning about the dangers of unworthy men, Celia Burke is on edge. With her precarious position in society, the merest look could tear her reputation to tatters. And the roguish viscount pursuing her seems interested in far more than just a look...

She Could Be His Salvation - Rupert 'Del' Delacorte, Viscount Darling, believes the ravishing Miss Celia Burke played some part in his beloved sister's death. Looking for revenge, he swears he'll seduce and ruin her - without actually touching her. Yet to win Celia's trust and ignite her passions, Delacorte must open his hardened heart to her - and in the process, risk falling for the very woman he hoped to destroy...

MY THOUGHTS: The hero is Del, twenty-six. He's got blond hair and blue eyes. The heroine is twenty year old Celia, who has dark hair and brown eyes. She's studying botany secretly but her father knows about it. She went to school with Del's younger sister, Emily, until Emily's suicide a year and a before.

I liked the plot of the hero, Del, wanting to get revenge on the heroine, Celia for something he thinks she's done. What I don't like about it is him believing Celia has played a part in his sister's suicide when there's really no reason to believe that. Without giving too much away, there was a rumor going around that involved Celia and Emily. Celia and Del are both being blackmailed by the same person, they find out later.

I doesn't make sense to have Del wanting to get revenge on someone he claims to hate by seducing her. If you hate someone why would you, how could you, want to have sex with them?

When it's revealed who the blackmailer(s) is, I was real disappointed. I thought the author could have been a bit more creative with that. I had trouble understanding why Celia was considering paying off the blackmailer(s) when she hadn't done anything wrong.

I could feel Del's attraction for Celia but I couldn't detect any attraction from her for Del. There love wasn't believable to me at all. Their rushed marriage wasn't either. Their characters were underdeveloped, as were everyone's. We got a tiny bit of backstory for Del but nothing for Celia.

The ending was very, and I mean very abrupt. It came so quick I was left a bit stunned. I actually had to go back and read the previous page to see if I'd missed something. I thought I'd accidentally skipped a few pages. 

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in this novel. I liked the revenge plot but it seemed to turn into a non revenge plot as soon as the lead couple met. It was like the author changed her mind and decided to drop the revenge plot.

Comment about the cover. I really like her blue dress. I'm pretty sure though that the hero on the cover has dark hair when Del had blond.

I received this in exchange for an honest review.

THE VALCOURT HEIRESS by Catherine Coulter

PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam Sons, 10/2010
GENRE: Fiction/Historical Romance
SETTING: England, 1278
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: D

FROM PUBLISHER: Twenty-four year old Lord Garron of Kersey is on his way home to succeed his late brother, Arthur, as the Earl of Wareham. But on arrival, Garron discovers his home, Wareham Castle, has been nearly destroyed by The Black Demon and his band of bad bad soldiers looking for Arthur's cache of silver coins which remain hidden. The handful of servants who've survived includes a young girl named Merry, supposedly the castle priest's bastard, who is as clever and enterprising as Garron.

Garron is told this Black Demon destroyed Wareham because no one would tell him where Arthur had hidden stolen silver coins. Equally puzzling is the too-smart bastard Merry -- as well bred, literate and brave as any man he's ever known. Indeed, she galvanizes his people to action before he can even ask her assistance. She's a natural leader and a skilled healer, but Merry has secrets of her own...secrets that could endanger Garron and his people. He knows she's hiding something, knows she could bring more bad things down on his head, but he likes her and her fast mind and her ready wit. But can he survive the truth?

MY THOUGHTS: The heroine is blue eyed, red haired, 18 year old Marianna 'Merry' de Lucede Mornay. The hero is Lord Garron of Kersey. He has black hair and blue eyes. The whole plot of this book is Garron trying to get his brothers silver coins back.

This book was terrible. There was some magic running throughout it that I didn't care for, as I'm not a fan of the paranormal. None of the characters were interesting. Merry's mother is a terrible person. Basically, she was trying to sell Merry to someone she didn't want to marry in exchange for the silver coins that were stolen. She needed the money to buy more things to create spells with. Toward the end there was some silly stuff involving a secret sibling thrown in. Pointless. I never saw any love between hero and heroine either.

NEVER KISS A STRANGER by Heather Grothaus

PUBLISHER: Zebra, 1/2011
GENRE: Historical romance
MY GRADE: C

SYNOPSIS: Nowhere in medieval England are three women so powerful -- or adored -- as the heiresses of Fallstowe Castle: Sybilla, the ruthless beauty, Cecily, the pure-hearted innocent... And Alys, the youngest sister, whose wild spirit has yet to be matched...

Lady Alys thinks everyone knows the legend: If a man and a woman meet at midnight within the ancient Foxe Ring ruins, they are as good as married. But when she finds a captivating stranger lurking there in the middle of the night, she discovers the one man who is unaware.

It's a deadly pursuit that brings Piers Mallory to the Fallstowe lands. But now that fate has attached the alluring, and curiously insistent, Alys to his side, it may work to his advantage to play by her rules, at least for a time. Yet the danger Piers courts is no game -- and the passion he and Alys share is all too real...

MY THOUGHTS:  The story takes place in England in 1276. I think the story only spans about a month or so. The heroine is eighteen year old Alys Foxe. She’s got pale blond hair and brown eyes. She’s the youngest of three sisters. Her parents are deceased and her older sister, Sybilla, runs everything. Alys runs away because Sybilla is making her marry someone whom she doesn’t want to marry.

The hero is thirty year old Piers Mallory. He’s poor and on a mission: to claim his birthright from the King. He comes across Alys sleeping at something called Foxe Ring. It’s a stone ring outside that is supposedly where you go to meet your future spouse. Alys becomes convinced that they’re now husband and wife. I found that to be very annoying.

At the beginning, Alys is given a monkey, whom she names Layla. The vicious monkey is on almost every page of the story. I didn’t care for that at all. That too was very annoying. I don’t believe a romance book should feature a pet. The monkey was very distracting and pointless, really.

Piers suffers a terrible attack by two people who are very close to him. I like those characters because I feel all books, even romance, need a villain or two. I think they add to any story. I don’t think the ones in this story were given enough time to develop their characters. There wasn’t enough character development with both hero and heroine either. Piers lost his mother when he was just six. We don’t really know anything of his life before he met the heroine. Same goes with Alys. What was her life like, especially with no parents? We learned nothing about their pasts.

Almost from the start she claimed she loved Piers and not long after he claimed he loved her too. That was way too rushed, came too fast. They don’t really even know each other. They were sort of thrown together and they didn’t have anyone but each other during a stressful, scary time. Their feelings for one another grew faster than most, I guess, because of it.

I also didn’t like the ‘wood’ people, who live in trees, literally. I thought that was bizarre and unbelievable, more like something you’d read in a Grimm’s fairy tale. I guess it was a bit creative but a little too out-of-the-box for me.

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

A LASTING SPLENDOR by Elizabeth Bright

PUBLISHER: Paradise Press, 1/1981
GENRE: Fiction/Historical Romance
SETTING: England, 1910
TIMESPAN: Three months
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: C

FROM PUBLISHER: HER IMPERIAL BEAUTY STUNNED EDWARDIAN ENGLAND!

But Sylvia was no match for her scheming mother who plotted to use Sylvia's sensual green-eyed charms to her own devious ends.

Angry and rebellious, Sylvia disguised herself as her own maid and offered her love to a gentle stranger, the dark and handsome Parliamentarian Arthur Wicklow.

Caught in her own tale of deceptions, Sylvia threw herself into court society -- determined to forget the quiet young politician in a heady whirl of amorous escapades...

But Arthur had opened a new world of honor and duty and passion to a woman who, once awakened, could never forget...

MY THOUGHTS: The heroine is twenty year old Sylvia Hartley. She has honey colored hair and green eyes. She lives at home with her mother and stepfather. She’s out riding her horse when the horse throws her. The hero sees it happen and carries her into his cottage. That’s how they meet.

The hero is twenty-nine year old virgin Arthur Wicklow. He’s got brown hair and brown eyes. He’s described as being unattractive, very tall and very skinny. He’s a member of Parliament. He’s instantly smitten with Sylvia. They end up having sex in his cottage during that first meeting. Sylvia lies and gives him a false name, the name of her maid. They go their separate ways after that but Arthur never forgets her.

Sylvia is bored with life and is unsure what to do with it. She’s got a terrible relationship with her mother, Lady Constance. Her mother introduces her to Philip Waring. She wants Sylvia to have sex with him, for no apparent reason. Sylvia does, eventually. She ends up meeting another man, Charles. He stutters really bad. They end up deciding to get married but she changes her mind when she realizes he’s so against her being a suffragette or associating with them. She’s gotten involved in women’s rights since meeting with her old friend Kitty. Personally, I could have done without all the suffragette stuff. I didn’t find it interesting at all and wanted it to go away.

Arthur helps Sylvia out toward the end of the story. Some bad things happen to Sylvia’s ex-maid, Meg and her husband Brian. Arthur tells Sylvia that he loves her and she tells him the same. I don’t belive it at all. The barely know each other. During the drama with Meg and Brian, we get to see how cold and nasty both of Sylvia’s parents are. It’s hard to believe they could act that way. I don’t believe, in real life, someone would say the things that they did.

I didn’t really enjoy this story. Ignore the cover; I don’t think it’s a romance story at all. There wasn’t a bit of romance in it. I was excited to read it but was let down.

Elizabeth’s book list.

THE PERFECT MISTRESS by Victoria Alexander

PUBLISHER: Zebra, 1/2011
GENRE: Historical romance
MY GRADE: C

SYNOPSIS: Widowed Julia, Lady Winterset, inherited a shocking book that every gentleman in London wants. For a charismatic businessman, it could be a chance to build an empire. For a dashing novelist, it could guarantee fame. But to a certain proud, domineering earl, it means everything..

Harrison Landingham, Earl of Mountdale, cannot let the obstinate Julia release her shameless memoir, as it would ruin his family’s name. The only way to stop her may be equally sordid, but far more pleasurable. Landingham’s rivals are intent on seducing the captivating woman to acquire her book; and he is not the sort of fellow to back away from a competition where the stakes are high. The winner of this game will claim both the scandalous memoirs, and her heart.”

MY THOUGHTS: Widowed Lady Julia Winterset is in posession of her late great-grandmother’s memoir. She’s looking for a publisher who’ll publish it. She’s in desperate need of funds and that’s how she meets the hero, Harrison Landingham, Lord Mountdale. He’s trying to buy the memoir from her because it contains scandalous information about his father.

That pretty much sums up the whole story. I’m sorry to say I didn’t like this novel at all. I found it to be very tedious and long-winded. I felt indifferent toward all the characters, including hero and heroine. I especially didn’t care for the heroes ex sister-in-law, Veronica. She was in this story way too much for my liking. I suspect she’ll get her own story, if she hasn’t already. I didn’t see this as a love story in any way, shape or form. Julia and Harrison’s love didn’t seem genuine to me at all. I didn’t feel any chemistry between them.

I also didn’t like the touch of paranormal that ran throughout the entire book, right up until the last page. The heroine’s great-grandmother, Hermione, writer of the memoir, who has been dead for years, would show up and have chats with her. I don’t like or read paranormals and didn’t appreciate that being in a historical romance novel.

The only thing I did like about this novel were the scandalous memoir excerpts that were at the end of some chapters. Those, I did find interesting.

I received this from the publisher in 2011 in exchange for an honest review.

PLEASURE ME by Monica Burns

This Monica Burns novel is published by Berkley and is due to be released on March 1, 2011.

FROM PUBLISHER: Youth and beauty are a courtesan’s greatest assets. At forty-one, Lady Ruth Attwood appears to have lost both, as her latest lover just abandoned her for a younger mistress. Struggling with the knowledge that she’s no longer considered desirable, she’s uncertain whether to be offended or flattered when a younger man makes her an unusual offer. In need of funds, she agrees. But then she does the unthinkable. She falls in love.

Despite his reputation as a man’s man, Baron Garrick Stratfield has never been with a woman. His physical impairment is such that he knows not even a whore will touch him, and he needs a mistress who’s willing to be kept without sharing his bed. But passion is just a delicious kiss away because his new mistress is wreaking havoc with his senses. Worse yet, someone is not only out to ruin his reputation, but frame him for murder.

MY THOUGHTS: The hero is twenty-nine years old. He’s hiding, what he believes, is a terrible personal defect. Only a couple of people know about it and he’s determined to not let any woman find out what it is. Garrick is a bit emotionally crippled by it. His uncle is partly to blame for Garrick’s insecurities. They have a terrible relationship with each other, always have.

Ruth, the heroine, is really hung up on the fact that she’s forty-one and is about to ‘retire’ from being a courtesan when she meets Garrick. They become friends before they’re lovers. They have running an orphanage in common and the orphanage plays a big roll in the story.

I was very disappointed in this novel. It wasn’t really about anything except Ruth thinking she’s too old for Garrick, who is twelve years younger than her. She made such a big deal about it, as did others. Garrick’s secret is a bit unique for a romance book but took over the whole storyline, along with Ruth’s age.

There are a couple spicy sex scenes that don’t disappoint but it wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of a plotline. I rate this novel 3 stars/C.

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

DEADLY VOWS by Brenda Joyce with Book Trailer

PUBLISHER: HQN, 2/2011
SETTING: New York, 1902
GENRE: Historical Romantic Suspense
SERIES: Francesca Cahill, book 9
MY GRADE: A

FROM PUBLISHER: On the morning of her wedding to Calder Hart, amateur sleuth Francesca Cahill is lured away to a private viewing of a portrait that could destroy her entire family: the nude Hart commissioned of her. Her desperate quest to recover the scandalous portrait leads her into a dangerous trap with no way to escape—until it’s too late. And when Francesca finally arrives at the church, it’s vacant. She has unintentionally jilted Hart at the altar.

When Hart tells her their estrangement is for the best, Francesca is devastated. With a blackmailer intent on destroying her reputation, Francesca turns to Rick Bragg, the city’s powerful police commissioner. Together they scour the sordid streets of lower Manhattan, following a deliberately laid trail of clues in a race against the clock. And once it becomes clear that Bragg’s marriage is failing, Francesca must war with her feelings for him, battle Hart’s jealousy and escape a killer—all as she fights to win Hart back. But sometimes, passion just cannot be denied…

MY THOUGHTS: This story takes place about three weeks after the previous novel, Deadly Kisses, ends. It’s June 1902, twenty-one year old Fran and Calder’s wedding day and Francesca receives shocking information. That information leads Francesca on the hunt for the missing portrait. For Francesca it’s a race against time to find the person(s) responsible for trying to ruin her. It’s very hard to not give spoilers so I’ll just say that I was very entertained by all the characters and couldn’t wait to find out who was behind the theft. What I liked best about this particular book is that Francesca is the one smack-dab in the middle of her own mystery. There is another crime to solve within this story too and Francesca and the gang do not disappoint!

In this novel, Calder’s violent temper comes out. He’s also more jealous and insecure than ever. I don’t like his personality in this novel.

Poor Leigh Anne, Rick’s wife, continues to decline emotionally and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens with her in future novels.

Bartolla Benevente shows us, in more ways than one, even more of her awful true colors and the answer as to whether she’s pregnant by Fran’s brother Evan or not is revealed.

Things heat up between Evan and Maggie Kennedy and I really like where the author may be going with that. I do love the Kennedy clan. Unfortunately for them, something terrible lurks ahead. Will Francesca be able to help?

Are there wedding bells for Fran and Calder? Do they finally consummate their relationship? You’ll have to read it and see.

It was a very satisfying read and was worth the almost five year wait between this and the previous one. I so hope that there are more to come in this series.

The books in this series are:

1 Deadly Love 2001-01
2 Deadly Pleasure 2002-03
3 Deadly Affairs 2002-04
4 Deadly Desire 2002-05
5 Deadly Caress 2003-04
6 Deadly Promise 2003-11
7 Deadly Illusions 2005-02
8 Deadly Kisses 2006-02
9 Deadly Vows 2011-03

Brenda’s complete booklist can be found here. You can visit her site too.

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

DEADLY ILLUSIONS by Brenda Joyce

PUBLISHER: Mira, 2/2005
GENRE: Fiction/Historical Romantic Suspense
SETTING: New York, USA 1902
SERIES: Francesca Cahill, #7
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: A

FROM PUBLISHER: Despite the misgivings of her fiancé, Calder Hart, Francesca cannot turn away from a threat that is terrorizing the tenement neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. A madman has attacked three women, but while the first two victims survived, the third is dead, raising the stakes. All the victims are impoverished but beautiful Irishwomen—and Francesca fears that Maggie Kennedy and Gwen O'Neil, two friends who live nearby, could be next.

Soon she is working with her former love, police commissioner Rick Bragg—Calder's half brother and worst rival. But even as Calder's jealous passions leave his relationship with Francesca teetering on the brink, Francesca is frantically on the killer's trail, certain The Slasher will strike again—afraid she will be too late.

SPOILER SUMMARY: Francesca is twenty years old, has blond hair and blue eyes. She comes from a wealthy family. The hero is Rick Bragg. He is the oldest son of Rathe Bragg, who has his own story in the novel Violet Fire. Rick is twenty-seven or eight. He has dark golden hair and golden eyes and is a little over six feet tall. He is part Apache and gets his coloring from his father, Rathe, who’s father Derek is half Apache.

It’s April 1902 in New York. This story, like all the others in this series, revolve around Francesca Cahill helping police commissioner Rick Bragg solve some murders that are being committed by the Slasher. I won’t get into any of that or tell who the Slasher is. I’ll just say it’s not someone you’d really suspect. This review will focus mainly on the relationships between the main and secondary characters and what has transpired since the previous novel.

In this installment, Rick’s estranged wife, Leigh Anne, is recovering from a bad carriage accident which has left her paralyzed from the waist down. She really regrets showing back up after being estranged from Rick for a few years. She was jealous and came back into his life.

Fran’s brother Evan’s mistress, red-haired Bartolla Benevente, tells him that she’s pregnant. Evan is really unhappy about it but plans to elope with her anyway. He’s addicted to gambling and has been disowned by his father for being in debt heavily.

In the previous book, Calder Hart, twenty-six, with dark hair and blue eyes, Francesca’s fiance and half brother to Rick Bragg, got Fran to pose nude for a painting. The painter was Fran’s friend Sarah Channing, cousin to Bartolla. In this book Francesca is there when Sarah reveals the painting to Calder. He loves it and plans to display it privately in their home after they’re married.
Francesca’s father has never liked Calder. He senses some tension between them at a party and notices that Calder is talking with another woman. He calls off their engagement. There’s drama but Calder and Fran discuss it and plan to stay engaged.

Calder Harts ex-mistress Daisy is causing problems between them. She’s very hurt and jealous that he’s left her for Francesca and is having trouble dealing with it. She shows up at the funeral of one of the Slashers murder victims just to start trouble with Francesca. Calder can see that Fran is upset and she tells him Daisy was there causing trouble. Calder threatens take care of Daisy. Coincidentally in the next book in the series, Deadly Kisses, Daisy gets murdered. Did Calder do it?

Right near the end of the story, Fran’s nude portrait gets stolen. That is my favorite part of the novel. We don’t find out in the next book who stole it but I’m hoping that mystery is solved in the newest book, Deadly Vows, book nine, which is to be released soon. When Rick finds out that Calder was behind Fran posing nude, he tells Calder that he taints everything he touches and that he’ll never be good enough for her. I felt bad for Calder because that’s exactly how he feels.

MY THOUGHTS: What I like best about this series is that Rick Bragg is the son of one of heroes from a previous series of hers. This series started with a love triangle between Francesca, Rick and his half brother Calder but that gets resolved a few book into the series.
Rick and Calder have the same father, Rathe. Calder came to live with them when his own mother died. Calder has always been jealous of Rick for no reason. He’s always felt left out and inferior.

I really like Fran’s sidekick, Joel. He’s only eleven years old. His mother, Maggie, is featured throughout the entire series, as is Joel and his siblings. In this book, Maggie and her kids stay at Calder’s house because she lives near where the women were murdered and she’s scared. I really like that family and hope Joel gets his own series in the future. If he did, it would have to be set ahead ten or more years, as Joel is so young now.

This is the reading order of this series. And yes, they should be read in order because only a few weeks go by between each novel.

1 Deadly Love 2001-01
2 Deadly Pleasure 2002-03
3 Deadly Affairs 2002-04
4 Deadly Desire 2002-05
5 Deadly Caress 2003-04
6 Deadly Promise 2003-11
7 Deadly Illusions 2005-02
8 Deadly Kisses 2006-02
9 Deadly Vows 2011-03