After dark with a Scoundrel by Alexandra Hawkins

Synopsis: With no family except her older brother, it was no wonder that the other members of her brother’s club had adopted Lady Regan as their own sister. When she was younger they’d each taught her an unladylike skill but as her body developed there was one ‘brother’ in particular that took notice, and she took notice of him! No one knew more than Regan that the Lords of Vice were renowned for their womanizing ways and Mordare, a.k.a Dare, was a true member. He could not help being attracted to Regan, though he tried to stay away from her for that very reason, knowing Frost especially would take exception. When he was alone with her, he stole a kiss and wouldn’t you know, that was the moment her brother enters the room.

Regan is banished to a finishing for five years and her relationship with her brother becomes strained over her decision. When her time is served, she defiantly emerges in London with a mission to seduce Dare, the only man whom she thought of since that day. It seems easy since he is residing with her brother for the while and its obvious he still desired her as much as she desired him except…his heart could never be hers. He was devastated when his first love wed his older brother instead and has not been able to stop loving her even though he hated himself and her for it. She always wants his attention to help control her husband and to entice him into seduction. Regan cannot compete with her…

Rating: 3/5

Comments: I think the ending was somewhat abrupt with lots of unanswered questions like what happens to his niece and his new elevation in society.  The interactions between the two special women in his life were well played and I would never have suspected who the murderer was. Loved the jealousy tween Dare and anyone who took an interest in Regan. I also thought Frost knew exactly what he was about by keeping them together. Can’t wait for his story.

The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanne Bourne

Synopsis: British Spymaster Robert Grey has been scouring France for six months for the elusive spy he believes betrayed and murdered his team. Imagine his surprise when he is imprisoned with his quarry! Her handler demands she reveal the location of Napoleon’s invasion plans and does not credence her ignorance, he is a merciless interrogator who has already tortured his English captives, but she is sly and immediately prepares her escape. Grey was not letting the Fox Cub escape him and sets himself to seduce her into taking him with her. He intends to follow her to get the location of the plans for he is confident she has them and then he would exact revenge on her.

Annique Villiers, widely praised in international spy circles as the Fox Cub, is on a mission. She has tired of the spy game and wishes to disappear into the night but first she must decide whether to give Napoleon’s plans to the English or to her compatriots. A month ago she would not have even contemplated the decision, such was her loyalty to France, but Napoleon had massacred unnecessarily of late and her conscience bothered her. She has decided to head to England where her old spy mentor and ambassador to France resides hoping to unburden herself. Unfortunately her ex-handler does not want her to reveal his dark secrets and is prepared to murder her before she reaches him. She also has to contend with the foolish English men she rescued who believe they could keep her. Grey was a sly one to get beneath her skin but nothing could turn her from her duty not even her current blind state. Besides they were born enemies, nothing could come of it…

Rating: 5/5

Comments: This was a re-read and it was just as good. I loved the strong independent Annique. Female spies are my second weakness. Even in blindness she was capable of leading them all to safety. It was amusing when she got her sight back and Grey rescued her but she didn’t know it was Grey because he’d changed his accent. Also interesting when she discovered the grumpy head of section was her true grandfather and that her parents had been double agents from the start and had used her thusly without her knowledge. Overall a good read and wouldn’t mind re-reading. Nice to see the other characters too like Hawker.

One Night is Never Enough by Anne Mallory

Synopsis: The Merrick name is whispered in all corners of London and is synonymous with gambling, wealth and Territory. The brothers of light and dark…Roman the more angelic of the two always gets his way and he wants Charlotte Chatsworth. Her father owes him a lot of money but it is in a game of chance that one night with her is offered as a stake and he had to cheat to get his hand. Unfortunately the wrong person noticed.

Since birth Charlotte was groomed to secure a wealthy gentleman of good birth to clear her father’s debts. She was willing to sacrifice herself to better her sister’s prospects but her father was very particular and had turned down many suitors for her coveted hand. Duty made her fulfill his marker and she was surprised the notorious rake only wanted  to play chess. Unfortunately when she lost that chess game she had her own mark to fulfill- time spent with Roman. In Society she was praised for her good manners by the highest sticklers, but she truly felt like the ice queen she was called behind her back. Roman made her feel more human. He was her drug, and every encounter meant she fell deeper under his spell and she was smart enough to realize he’d planned it like that. Despite this, she must convince him to keep her as the silly man had yet to realize she was his.

Rating: 3/5

Comments: Classic good girl bad boy story but the other book about the brother was sooo much better. I’m gonna do a re-read of that one. A lot of the action was done off-book so like the part where he made an example of his enemy to make sure she was safe was spoken in passing. The parts that showed he was not his usual sharp self around her was so sweet. From reading the brother’s book first I expected Roman to be more involved with the staff than he was portrayed. Generally the book was a good read.

Healing the Highlander by Melissa Mayhue

Synopsis: Leah McQuarrie travelled through time to escape the faeries who’d imprisoned her and avoid being treated as chattel but such is the attitude of the 14^th century. She must accept her forced marriage or be held responsible for her ‘grandfather’s’ imprisonment and subsequent death. There was one last hope. She’d hoped never to use it but there was no choice, she had to find the MacKiernans of Dun Ard and convince them to fight for the sake of their tenuous family bond, her family’s future depended on it, if it weren’t for that fact she would have nothing to do with the descendants of faeries.

Drew MacKiernan hated faeries but when he realized Leah’s power to heal, he made it his mission to trick her into healing his weakening leg. When his clan refused her request for aid, he joins with her to fight the English invaders if only to protect his cure.  As he got to know and respect her, he realized he would rather die than let her heal him for to do so would harm her. He would protect her from anyone including himself.

Rating: 3/5

Comments: Well written and entertaining.Of course I liked the use of magic. The times when she tried to hide her power and when he tried to hide his disability from his family were amusing. I especially liked when she healed her cousin and when she tricked him to heal him.

Rules of Engagement by Suzanne Enoch

Synopsis: Flirting with an admiral’s daughter resulted in Captain Bradshaw being sent across the globe on a mission to babysit a scholarly explorer, his daughter and a bevy of travelling noblemen and women. It mattered not to Bradshaw as the sea was his life and he liked nothing better than to sail unfettered. His only concern was that he’d lost his taste for bloodshed- a terrifying prospect as he ventures further into uncivilized lands where the law of nature orders you to fight or die and one French pirate in particular holds a grudge.

Miss Zephyr Ponsley had her reservations about a uniformed escort joining the expedition sure the leader was an illiterate barbarian. It was a reluctant surprise that the man was a gentleman of wit that matched her barb for barb and humor for humor. Their forced vicinity opened each to possibilities outside of their comfort zones. Through her he could see himself retiring his sea legs and settling down. Zephyr had not been in polite society since her mid teens and was unaware how to proceed with her sudden attraction except to temper it with rules that Shaw was more than happy to follow if the prize was her in his life forever.

Rating: 3/5

Comments: They were at loggerheads from the start and unwilling to open up at first to their mutual attractions. She tried fitting in by borrowing a rule book on proper behavior and then forcing him to follow them. There were many close calls where he was forced to use his wit instead of fight and it was endearing how he planted the doctor a facer when he propositioned her.

The Mage by Jean Johnson

Synopsis: Morganen, the last son of destiny to be married and thus fulfill the prophesy discovers his perfect mate is not the 21^st century girl from another world he’d come to love but the missing ruler of his country thousands of years ago. Hope cares for him but he feels deceived. There is also the question of her claim on the land. The main- landers would do anything to thwart Nightfall from becoming an independent country even use Fate’s previous post despite her wish to be a mere chocolateir. The two destined lovers must work with the rest of the family to find a way to stop Katan and move beyond the deceit to complete their role in the prophesy. Luckily Hope learned a few tricks about relationships from her stay on earth…

Rating: 2/5

Comments: The final novel in the Sons of Destiny series. It was as convoluted and involved on the other ‘sons’ lives as usual for a family feel of a book. It was certainly better than Flame but nothing special to speak of.