FORBIDDEN by Jo Beverley

PUBLISHER: Zebra, June 2011
ORIGINAL PUB: Zebra, 1994
SETTING: England
HEROINE: Serena Riverton, 23
HERO: Francis Middlethorpe, 25
GRADE: C

SYNOPSIS: Finally freed from a cruel, depraved husband, Serena Riverton wants nothing more to do with men or marriage. Fate and her brothers give her no choice except to flee - into a storm, and into the arms of a stranger. Without friend or fortune, Serena seduces the handsome lord. But just one night together will start a sequence of events that threatens to destroy them both.

Francis, Lord Middlethorpe's life is planned and orderly, including marriage to Lady Anne Peckworth, a rich and suitable lady. But now he is haunted by memories of one passionate night with Serena, the wicked siren who tempted him with pleasures he had never known. Caught between duty and desire, he must choose between his reputation and a love like no other.

MY THOUGHTS: I didn't care for this novel at all. It was very slow moving. I was totally unsatisfied with this story and found it difficult to get though. I thought the heroine was very weak and whimpy and didn't have much of a personality. She seemed a bit beaten down and not at all interesting to read about. She'd survived being married to a sexually deviant husband and it seems to have taken a toll on her.

The hero, Francis, was a virgin and I found that a bit hard to understand. He didn't want prostitutes because they were dirty yet, without hesitation, he slept with Serena, believing her to be one. He was very beta and I didn't like that at all. Their relationship was underdeveloped. I don't like that they tried to make a marriage out of nothing at all. They didn't really even know each other yet here they are marrying. All of that happened a bit too early on.

There were three villains in the story, two of which were Serena's brothers. They're nasty and evil. One other villain was after Francis's mother. I liked her character but felt she wasn't in the story enough, which was odd considering she was part of the plot.

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

A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS by Amelia Grey

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks, July 2011
SETTING: England, 1800s
HEROINE: Gabriella Austerhill, 19
HERO: Judson 'Brent' Brentwood, 29
GRADE: C-

SYNOPSIS: As if from a dream, Lady Gabrielle walked from the mist and into Viscount Brentwood's arms. Within moments, he's embroiled in more scandal than he ever thought possible...

Beautiful, clever, and courageous, Lady Gabrielle needs Brent's help to get out of a seriously bad situation. But the more she gets to know him, the worse she feels about ruining his life...

Enter the unforgettable world of Amelia Grey's sparkling Regency London, where a single encounter may have devastating consequences for a gentleman and a lady...

MY THOUGHTS: Dreadful. I didn't enjoy anything about this story. Both hero and heroine were very bland. The heroine had no personality and was very passive. There were no sparks, no chemistry or anything between the two. There were a few subplots, one involving the heroine's younger sister, Rosabelle, and one involving the heroes younger twin brothers. Both of those were much more interesting than anything involving hero and heroine.

By far, the worst part of the book was the hero searching for his.......dog. Probably at least once every five pages his missing dog was discussed and this went on for the entire story and really annoyed me. I don't ever want a pet to be featured throughout a ROMANCE book.

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

SEA OF DESIRE by Christine Dorsey

PUBLISHEER: Zebra, 4/1993
GENRE: Historical Romance
SETTING: England & US, 1777
SERIES? Book 2
AUTHOR SITE: Link
MY GRADE: C

SYNOPSIS: The daughter of a debt-ridden English gambler, Lady Merideth Banistar was shocked to discover her father had been selling information to the American revolutionaries. But now he was dead, and his murderer--the notorious colonial privateer Jared Blackstone--dared to accuse her of harboring treasonous secrets! Worse, the seductive scoundrel had managed to escape his prison cell and spirit her aboard his France-bound ship--there to awaken her passion with his smoldering sea-green eyes...and caress her until she cried out for more of his arousing, consuming touch!

Hailing from a long line of lusty, seafaring men, Captain Jared Blackstone had spent most of his life roaming the storm-tossed waters of the world's vast oceans. But now a false murder charge hung over him--and only one woman could help the rugged patriot clear his name. With kisses of pure molten fire, he'd coax the name of the American traitor from her honeyed lips And, as his ship pitched and rolled beneath them, he'd freely roam Lady Merry's lush, captivating curves until she surrendered--over and over again--to the raging passion that ruled them both body and soul!

MY THOUGHTS: In a nutshell, the story is all about the hero, Jared, trying to find out who killed her father, Alfred, and who was after Meredith. That was the only interesting part and it's what kept me reading this. The murderer wasn't a surprise at all, as I'd suspected them since soon after they were introduced.

I've been on a bad reading streak lately. Most that I've read weren't very good. This one falls into that category. Boring best describes it. Both hero and heroine were alright characters. I don't believe their ages were given, which annoys me. They began a sexual relationship with each other even though they were suspicious of one another for most of the book. What doesn't make sense is Meredith having sex with Jared when she thinks he's responsible for her father's murder.

A DANGEROUS MAN by Rosemary Rogers

PUBLISHERE: Avon, 11/1996
GENRE: Historial Romance
SETTING: California, 1848
SERIES? No
MY GRADE: C

SYNOPSIS: Victoria Ryan tasted sweet freedom -- and love -- in Boston, far from the cast-iron code of behavior that shackles women in Alta, California. Now she has come home to find nothing has changed -- that she is to be married against her wishes by her father's decree. And she will share a hidden fortune with anyone who helps her escape.

Rugged and rough, Nick Kincade carefully guards his secrets as he lives by his own law. Yet the cold-as-steel ex-Texas Ranger is willing to escort the bewitching, headstrong lady back East. For the past has already linked Victoria's destiny with his. And anything can happen on the hard, twisting trail -- especially for two strong courageous hearts who are irresistibly drawn to adventure ... and to the searing, white-hot flame of perilous desire.

MY THOUGHTS: I was so uninterested in this story. Though it was released in 1996 it does read like one written at least ten years earlier and I mean that as a compliment. The story was even divided into five parts which was a common thing back then the 70s and 80s). I think the story spans about a year and most of the story takes place in California. At the beginning the story takes place in Boston, Massachusetts and Mexico. The majority of the story is Nick trying to hunt down the two men who raped and murdered Gisela Perez, a woman he had a sexual relationship with when he was in Mexico. I didn't care for any part of the story. Too much stuff was going on; Nick trying to find the murderers, her father, then uncle, wanting/forcing her to marry a man named Rafael, the government trying to find where her father hid money he'd earned by selling guns to 'foreign powers' and so on.

Tory was engaged to Peter Gideon in Boston, months before meeting Nick. We never met Peter. She's from California but has been living with her aunt and uncle in Boston for years. I feel a bit bad for her because when she wouldn't marry Rafael she felt she had to flee...and it was downhill for her from there. She and her maid were being chased by her brother and uncle Sebastian and then she met up with Nick, who helped her get away from them.

There's one part near the end where Tory is kidnapped and almost raped by two men. What annoys me about that is if they'd wanted to rape her they'd have done it when she was first kidnapped. Nick came along and saved the day.

Tory confesses her love for Nick at the end but I'm not buying it. They weren't together much throughout the entire novel and she couldn't stand him and all of a sudden she's in love? This is certainly no love match. They get married in the epilogue but I just don't see why they're married. They only spent a lot of time together while he was helping her escape. Their relationship is severely underdeveloped. I don't see Nick as a 'dangerous man' as the title says.

This was a huge disappointment and I can't recommend it to anyone. This isn't part of a series and the author has no website.

DEATH AND THE COURTESAN by Pamela Christie

PUBLISHER: Kensington, 6/2013
GENRE: Historical Mystery
SETTING: England, early 1800s
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: C

FROM PUBLISHER: Since the age of sixteen, Arabella Beaumont has been happily employed as a highly paid woman of pleasure. True, respectable ladies of the ton would never deign to call at Lustings, her delightful home. Then again, Arabella has no desire to make dreary small talk and sip tea when she could be enjoying the company of amusing, intelligent, and extremely generous gentlemen.

But while Arabella’s admirers are legion, she also has enemies. A paper knife stolen during one of her salons was discovered near the body of a former rival. Arabella was entertaining her wealthy benefactor on the night of the murder, but the engaged duke can’t provide the alibi she desperately needs. It falls to Arabella and her resourceful sister, Belinda, to clear her good—or at least innocent—name. Utilizing all the talents in her arsenal, the irrepressible Miss Beaumont will endeavor to catch the real culprit, before the hangman catches up to her…

MY THOUGHTS: Arabella is in her mid-twenties. We got no backstory on her at all which is a big mistake for an author to omit that information. I learned nothing about how she came to be a courtesan. Why someone set her up to be accused of murder is a mystery too. The story was silly and dull, PG-13 rated and just too plain and simple. I felt Arabella didn't take the murder accusation too seriously. Yes, she, with the help of a few people, tried to solve the mystery on her own and did solve it. That part was just not believable. How the real murderer came to be arrested was not believable either.

This seems like a short story that was written by a thirteen year old and I can't recommend it to anyone.

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

THE DEVIL'S LOVE by Lane Harris

PUBLISHER: Dell, 2/1981
SETTING: Caribbean & France, 1768
GENRE: Historical Romance
BODICE RIPPER? Yes
MY GRADE: C

SYNOPSIS: Untamed, unpredictable, utterly captivating, Christina was determined to live free as the wind--yet was fatally bound to the one man whose passion could imprison her forever.

A handsome privateer, the banished son of a Scottish earl, Kade roamed the seas, thriving on danger and the intrigue of a turbulent age. From her lush Caribbean paradise. Christina fled to the dazzling salons of Paris. But Kade had vowed to pursue her across the world... to make her see that at the end of her perilous journey lay the ecstasy they were powerless to resist and a glorious destiny forged by...The Devil's Love.

MY THOUGHTS: This story spans about three years. Christina Evrion is the heroine and is seventeen when it starts. She has blonde hair and light blue eyes. Kade Renault is the hero and his age wasn't given but I'm assuming he's in his thirties. There's usually a big age gap between hero and heroine in these old books. He has black hair and blue eyes.

Christina is a strange heroine. I think French is her native tongue. Until the end she never really even liked Kade and wanted a divorce. They'd met briefly once. Christina's father died and she couldn't inherit her money until she married. She had a terrible relationship with her stepmother, Hilda, and needed to get away from her and live on her own. Christina needed to marry to claim her inheritance so she asked Kade to marry her. She assumed he was going to die within a few days because he'd been captured by the Spanish. They married and much to her horror, he didn't die. She wanted to get a divorce but he didn't want to.

I liked Kade alright but Christina seemed slightly arrogant to me. When they were together I was just uninterested because nothing really happened between them. During the story they lived apart most of the time. He did cheat on her once with her childhood nemesis, Carlotta, while Christina was in France for over a year visiting relatives.

Really the only interesting part of the whole story took place during the last 100 pages or so when she was in France. Her male cousin, Dominique (curly blond hair and green eyes) is a very interesting character, in my opinion. He masquerades as a highwayman, robbing and murdering people. She's staying at his parents's home with him and his sisters. He becomes obsessed with her and ends up drugging and raping her. He also uses women terribly and when he gets yet another one, named Gabrielle, pregnant and wants nothing to do with her, she goes off the deep end and does something terrible...to them both.

The most boring part of the story is near the beginning over a chapter was devoted to how her Scottish father came to live in the Caribbean and how he met her deceased mother. I couldn't have cared less about their backstory.

There was some typical bodice ripper violence near the end when Kade traveled to France to be with Christina. He smacked her once and another time, spanked her. He's clearly physically and verbally abusive (calls her a cold bitch often) but I don't think the title suits him at all.

I'm disappointed with this book but did really like the last part and all the things involving Dominique. Sadly, this isn't a keeper.

I AM JENNIE by Jennie Ketcham, Former Adult Actor Penny Flame

Pub. Info: Gallery Books, 7/2012, Hardcover
Genre: Memoir/Autobiography
My Grade: A-

From Publisher: Drunk and high, holed up in a hotel room with a beautiful blonde she barely knew, Jennie Ketcham was thirty-six hours away from entering rehab. Her on-camera alter ego, Penny Flame, was a rising star. Her personal life, however, had been getting worse for years and finally hit an all-time low.

Guys are gonna want one thing from you. To Jennie’s young ears, her father’s advice meant one thing: You can use your sexuality to control men. Life was imploding around her: her parents’ divorce, their spiraling addictions, her deteriorating relationships with them. She lost her virginity at thirteen and began a game of initiating boys her age into manhood. For the fleeting moments she spent in bed with them, she got to be the center of attention.

Eventually, Jennie found porn—that enticing world of immediate gratification, endless drugs, and seemingly endless money—and became Penny Flame. Divorced from her feelings, tempted into a lifestyle she couldn’t afford, financially or emotionally, she entered Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew to boost her career. But when Dr. Drew and his staff insisted she go by her real name, the once indestructible walls she had built around herself began to burn down.

Two stories make up this direct and disarming memoir: that of a troubled girl desperately fleeing intimacy and herself, and that of a woman courageously breaking down emotional barriers to build a new life. Many will recognize Jennie’s struggles: confusing sex with self-worth, addiction with love, detachment with strength. Ultimately, I Am Jennie is a tale of a woman who considers herself a work in progress but who finally understands that the only person she can truly afford to be is herself.

MY THOUGHTS: I was excited to see that Jennie had written a book. I'd first heard of her when she was on VH1's Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew, then its spinoff, Sober House. I've since seen one of her films (great scene in Reform School Girls, by the way!).

I really appreciate when adult actors tell us their stories. I don't understand what lead Jennie into becoming a promiscuous teenager or drug abuser. I never felt like her home life was bad and would like to understand that better. I don't see how her parents unhappy marriage could have sent her down a dangerous path.

She never discussed when she realized she was bisexual, how she felt about it nor did she mention if she ever discussed with a therapist being raped on a train. She also didn't mention if she thought doing porn was having some impact on her drug use.

The best part of the book was near the end when she met with an ex-boyfriend to apologize to him for her behavior while they were dating. That part really touched me. The funniest part was when she was talking with fellow actor and agent (?) Ben English and answered him in a faux British accent to mimic his.

The comment from her father in the synopsis about guys only wanting one thing from her isn't in full context. He said it to her because she was dressed in a short skirt when she was twelve or thirteen. He was letting her know that if she dressed like that, boys would only want one thing.

She's very honest and explicit and seems to have a great personality. The book was an interesting read and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a interest in the adult films. I happen to enjoy watching porn (I have plenty of it) but I'm happy she got out of the industry since she felt it wasn't the place for her any longer. According to her blog, Becoming Jennie, she seems to be doing fine and I wish her the best.

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

THE OFFER by Catherine Coulter

PUBLISHER: Topaz, 1997
ORIGINAL PUB: Signet, 1981/88 under title An Honorable Offer
SETTING: England, 1814
GENRE: Historical Romance
BODICE RIPPER? No
MY GRADE: C

FROM PUBLISHER:  Lovely young Sabrina Eversleigh, granddaughter of the esteemed Earl of Monmouth first learned of the disreputable desires of men when her dissolute brother-in-law attempted to force himself upon her.

Thus when Sabrina met Phillip Mercerault, it came as no surprise to tier that this handsome, dashing Viscount kept a mistress in London and showed no shame about the many conquests and liaisons of his notorious love life.

Sabrina was sure that with so many women to serve his needs, Phillip would be quite satisfied to accept her wealth and leave her person alone if she became his wife. But two things Sabrina did not count on in her cold calculations: the heat of her own blood and the hunger of her heart...

MY THOUGHTS: This story started out pretty interesting. Sabrina is just eighteen. She has red hair and violet eyes. Her older sister, Elizabeth, twenty-three, is a jealous, nasty person, as is her twenty-seven year old husband, Trevor. Elizabeth is a bit controlled by him but because of her personality I can't feel sorry for her. She's a horrible person. She's so blinded by her jealousy of Sabrina that she truly doesn't care that she was almost raped by Trevor and insisted that Sabrina was lying.

After Sabrina and the hero, twenty-six year old Phillip, meet, the story got a bit boring and stayed that way until the end. I don't like or dislike Phillip. He's not alpha or beta, just somewhere inbetween. After they married he did continue to see his mistress but that didn't bother me. Something's lacking with this character that I just can't put my finger on. They got along really well for most of the story. There wasn't much conflict between them and that's something I need. I hate when hero and heroine get along too well. Boring.

One character that I did like was Sabrina's aunt, Lady Barresford. She's so unlikable. When Sabrina went to live with her and told about the attempted rape she called her a liar and said she tried to seduce Trevor. Such a nasty bitch, that woman is. She has no reason at all to think that of Sabrina. She even tried to get her hands of Sabrina's inheritance!

Teresa Elliott was a semi-interesting character. She's loved Phillip for a while and was really jealous and angry when he married Sabrina. I really though she was going to try and harm Sabrina but she never bothered her. To be honest, that's the main reason I finished reading this book.

I wasn't too happy with this story and even though Catherine is one of my top favorite authors, I won't be keeping this.

MISTRESS BY MISTAKE by Maggie Robinson

PUBLISHER: Brava, May 2010
SETTING: England, 1820
SERIES: Courtesan Court, #1
VIRGIN HEROINE? Yes
HEROINE: Charlotte Fallon, 30
HERO: Michael 'Bay' Bayard, 33
PURCHASE: link
GRADE: C

FROM PUBLISHER: Charlotte Fallon let her guarded virtue fall once -- and she's paid dearly for it ever since. She swore she'd never succumb to men's desires again. But even a village spinster's life miles from temptation can't save her from a sister with no shame whatsoever. Or a heart that longs for more, whatever the cost...

Sir Michael Bayard found more than he expected in his bed when he finally joined his new mistress. He'd fantasized about her dewy skin and luscious curves, assured her understanding that what passed between them was mere dalliance. But he didn't expect the innocence and heat of her response in his arms. Nor her surprisingly sharp tongue once she was out of them...

A few days of abandon cannot undo the hard-learned lessons of a lifetime. Nor can an honest passion burn away the restraints of society's judgments. Unless, of course, one believes in nonsense like true love...

MY THOUGHTS: I didn't care for this story. Too much humor ran throughout it. The lead characters never seemed to act serious. There was no depth to the story or characters. I found the beginning part of the plot a bit unbelievable. Charlotte wasn't responsible for the item her sister stole so Bay blackmailing her into staying and taking her sister Deborah's place was just crazy...and she had to have known it. She didn't come across as stupid so I don't know why she allowed herself to be blackmailed. I can only assume she wanted to take Deborah's place...and I can't say I blame her!

I really liked the female villain and thought her part could have been more eventful and should have lasted longer. The sex scenes seemed rushed and weren't graphic enough for me. I was expecting more in that category. Overall, I found the story and characters bland.

Maggie also writes under the name Margaret Rowe. You can visit her site here.

MISTRESS OF MY FATE by Hallie Rubenhold

PUBLISHER: Grand Central Publishing, 1/2013
ORIGINAL PUB: 2011 in the UK
GENRE: Historical Fiction
SETTING: England, late 1700s
AUTHOR SITE: Link
MY GRADE: A-

SYNOPSIS: Set during a period of revolution and turmoil, Mistress of My Fate is the first book in a trilogy about Henrietta Lightfoot, a young woman who was abandoned as a baby and raised alongside her cousins, noble children of a lord and lady. At just sixteen years old, circumstance and a passionate love affair tear Henrietta (Hetty) away from everything she knows, leading to a new life fending for herself on the streets of 18th century London as a courtesan, gambler, and spirited intellect of the city.

MY THOUGHTS:

Henrietta/Hetty: A lonely, naive teenager with only her cousin for a friend. She found herself in dire straits a few times and made some adult decisions because she felt she had no choice. She did the best she could.

Lady Catherine: Hetty's spoiled cousin. Not the nicest person to Hetty. I enjoy secondary characters like her a whole lot. I wish her character and her maids had been around longer. I just know she had some evil up her sleeve.

John St. John: Her mother's ex-lover. He's forty-four and she becomes his mistress at seventeen. I like him at first but he becomes so jealous that I start to get tired of him.

George Allenham: Hetty's love interest. I liked him at the beginning but as the story when on and he wasn't in it too much I began to dislike his character. I never understood why Hetty was so obsessed with being with him. I didn't think he was worth her time.

Philip Quindell: Hetty's 'protector'. He's about twenty-four, lovestruck/boderline obsessive and immature. I found him to be a bit annoying.

This was an enjoyable read told in first person narration. It spans about three years. Most of the story takes place in England and the last part, France.

My favorite part is when Hetty becomes St. John's mistress and devises a great plan to escape. I can't tell you anymore about it! My least favorite part is the last sixty-five pages or so. The story went in a different direction that I was expecting and it was a real letdown. I wish the last part could be rewritten, especially the ending.

This is one of just a few books that I've read lately that I really liked. I like historical fiction where the heroine is down on her luck or facing bad circumstances. There was something lacking in this. It needed more twists and turns, needed to be darker. It was a bit too mild. Accoring to the author's website, the next in the series, The French Lession, is to be darker. Yay!

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