Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes (Terra's Review)

All she wants is peace and anonymity...
Lady Sophie Windham has maneuvered a few days to herself at the ducal mansion in London before she must join her family for Christmas in Kent. Suddenly trapped by a London snowstorm, she finds herself with an abandoned baby and only the assistance of a kind, handsome stranger standing between her and complete disaster.

But Sophie's holiday is about to heat up...
With his estate in ruins, Vim Charpentier sees little to feel festive about this Christmas. His growing attraction for Sophie Windham is the only thing that warms his spirits-but when Sophie's brothers whisk her away, Vim's most painful holiday memories are reawakened.

It seems Sophie's been keeping secrets, and now it will take much more than a mistletoe kiss to make her deepest wishes come true...

(Terra's Thoughts) Christmas miracles do happen to those who are good. This delightful story deals with true love in it's purest and most innocent form. If you are looking for a story of slap and tickle sexual encounters then look else where. Yes there is the occasional sex here but the main emphasis is on True Love! Quite refreshing if you ask me.

Lady Sophia Windham finally has some time alone or so she thinks. The family has removed to Kent for the Holiday Season with the promise from Sophia that she will come along at a later time with her three stubborn, nosy and bossy brothers.

Our Sophie is a rare beauty with courage, dependability and a strength that takes a snow storm for her family to realize that she is the pillar on which all her siblings lean on in times of need. How could Lady Sophia possibly find anything but quiet in a house devoid of servants and family in the biggest snowstorm of the era?

Vim Charpentier is a tall handsome devil that has finally caved in and is returning to his family seat in Kent after a long absence. Dreading the holiday season and his family has gone on long enough and as Vim arrives in London his luck seems to go on it's usual route downward as he is trapped by the biggest storm to hit London in some time. Little does he know that the fates will throw a wee bairn and a lovely lady right in his path to show him that the bah humbug of his ways must change if he is to follow his heart.

Grace Burrowes has given us the most romantic story of Christmas miracles, wishes to come true as the love and purity of the deepest part of our souls pulsates its way into our hearts.

This is not a action packed story but a touching story that takes time to peel back all its layers and reveal the hidden delights of true humanity. There is enough sexual content to appease the appetite and more than enough Christmas cheer and wishes come true to sate even the most bah humbug of hearts.

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402261543
ISBN-13: 978-1402261541

The Goblin King by Shona Husk (Terra's Review)

Cursed by a Druid millennia ago, Roan lives a bleak existence in the Shadowlands, desperately trying to retain his soul and not succumb to the goblin horde. When a beautiful human summons him to grant a wish, he sees a glimmer of hope. But will she ever agree to be his queen?

(Terra's Thoughts) Oh this was ever so wonderful. A grim story that we should make our bodies quake in fear during the throws of our nightmares but with a sexual spin that will make you wonder if all the fairy tales from our youths have been exaggerated.

The first thing that comes to my mind with this hero is David Bowie. Hey I watched Labyrinth millions of times with my kids when they were younger and I always have loved Bowie and his other worldliness. Who else could pull off the role of the Goblin King? Hmm....Gerald Butler, Mel Gibson are just a few I would say.

Eliza our heroine is a tall blond beauty who is supposed to be getting married soon but is quite the reluctant bride until she finds out what a schmuck her bridegroom is. Already having a brief history with the Goblin King she should know better than to summon him but in her lost despair she calls out to the one with whom she could lose everything, including her life.

Roan is tall, dark and handsome with an evil that nearly swallows him. Gliding from shadow to shadow under a dire curse, Roan waits for the greyness of his life to engulf him in blackness so deep that he can only hope that death will take him before the evil does. Once a proud Celtic warrior King now reduced to living in a cave roaming the Shadowlands with little to no hope. A Goblin King in a mans body with only a thread of sanity holding him glued to a darker dimension.

A story made of nightmares with hideous creatures burned into our minds and memories from childhood. Creatures that steal little children and eat them if they are bad. Evil creatures that have no sense, honor or knowledge other than to eat and obsessively hoard that which they hold so dear, gold!

Can our hero escape a fate so terrible before he succumbs to it's life force as so many of his brothers have done? Can there be a cure for a curse that was put on him and his unjustly? Can there be an end to a curse that has consumed him for nearly two thousand years other than death? One can only hope.

I have to say I was very leery of this book by it's cover image and title but I should know better than to judge a book this way. The storyline grabbed me right from the first paragraph and held me in it's spell through the last words. My guesses on the ending were all wrong and what a lovely surprise that was in and of itself. It's nice to be surprised every now and then. I absolutely love what Shona Husk has done with this storyline and hope to see many more wonders from her.

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402259859
ISBN-13: 978-1402259852

A Dash of Scandal by Amelia Grey (Terra's Review)

When Millicent comes to the aid of her injured aunt, she never imagined her "help" would require her to do all of the legwork her aunt can't do– attend society's most fashionable events in order to help write her aunt's gossip column!

But the devastatingly handsome Chandler Preswick, Earl of Dunraven, is on to her when he sees Millicent writing notes on her dance card. Outraged, he believes she's connected to the mysterious "Mad Ton Thief " and vows to expose her. Millicent must stop him before they are both plunged into scandal. If only he weren't so irresistibly attractive...

(Terra's Thoughts) This was so adorably cute and unpredictable. Our characters lead us on a merry chase as they not only try to get to know each other or not to but also try to find out who in all of London is a thief that steals right under their preferable noses.

Millicent has arrived from the country to aid her ailing Aunt with a most secret mission. Auntie tells her she is not to bring notice to herself but to mingle with the ton during their every evening parties gathering every juicy bit of gossip that's to be had. Poor Millicent has two itty bitty problems though. One, she's quite beautiful and catches the every without trying and two, she has a terrible memory so writing notes to herself is a must but how to do this without notice is quite challenging.

The Earl of Dunraven is a wicked rake and one of the trio of bad boys that the ton loves to wag their tongues about. He is the Adonis of London at the moment and loves a challenge so when Millicent slides by him trying to make herself look shy, demur and unattractive our beloved Earl finds himself a wonderful challenge. But oh how is our Earl to find himself a thief when a raving beauty keeps churning his mind like a vat of butter?

The author has given us a delicious scandal, intriguing thief, raving beauty and wicked Earl. The story is light but with an action packed base that will surly keep you sitting on the edge of your seat salivating for more and more of what's to come.

The best part is an innocent heroine who is put in the most wonderful pickles and watching intently to see how she will wiggle out of each and every one. This is one of those lovely instances where the author has literally thrown our lovely mouse into a nest of vipers. Oh dear, oh dear, how will she survive?

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402239793
ISBN-13: 978-1402239793

Pride & Passion by Charlotte Featherstone (Terra's Review)

They each have their secrets. But what they share is Passion

Lucy Ashton had long ago given up her quest for true love. In the rarified society of Victorian England, Lucy plays the game--flirting, dancing and dabbling in the newly fashionable spiritualism. Even marrying when--and who--she's supposed to. If the stuffy Duke of Sussex cannot spark the passion she craves, he can at least give her a family, a home of her own,and a place to belong. But when her polite marriage reveals a caring and sensual man, Lucy begins to wonder if she can indeed have it all.

But Lord Sussex is not the man the London ton has come to admire. And Lucy has some ghosts of her own, as well. Thus, when a blackmail scheme turns to threats of danger, the newfound peace of the Sussex marriage is cast upon the rocks. Passion has a price, Lucy learns. And not all ghosts stay buried.

(Terra's Review) This is one of those stories that will make you froth at the mouth like a rabid dog. It's action packed, luscious, deliciously intimate and just such a wondrous shivering treat that you won't be able to set it down for the life of you. This is the second book of the series and in my very high opinion it is a must have series. OMG!!!

Lucy Ashton is in love with a dead man. She witnessed the fire but can't bring her mind to the finality and reality of the fact that the man she loved was consumed in this horrendous accident. She is in love with the man who was a killer amongst other things. A man that no decent lady of the ton should ever be involved with. But will the man she loves stay dead? Do ghosts exist and can she face a reality that this man is not whom he says he is even with faced with undeniable truths?

Lord Sussex is tall and handsome but to the woman he loves he is anything but. He is a man of perfection, rigid and passionless and doesn't have a romantic bone in his body if what is whispering on the wind of the waggling tongues of the ton can make one believe. Ah and this irks him like nothing else he's ever heard. Will it irk him enough to show his true colors to the woman he loves or will he continue with the mask of what the ton believes.

This is a high action story and is second book of the series. Charlotte Featherstone is a wonderfully fantastic storyteller that will make you swoon with delight and moon for more. I really am at a loss as to what to say because this book and series soooooooooo speaks for itself from page one to the last word.

I feel this is a story that has a bit of Indiana Jones pumped up with electric sexuality that you can't help but feel the sparks of eroticism with mere little words. I think the word Delicious is just too mild for this sparkling treat.

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN Books (November 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373776179
ISBN-13: 978-0373776177

Unleashed by Sara Humphreys (Terra's Review)

What if you suddenly discovered your own powers were beyond anything you'd ever imagined...

Samantha Logan's childhood home had always been a haven, but everything changed while she was away. She has a gorgeous new neighbor, Malcolm, who introduces her to the amazing world of the dream-walking, shapeshifting Amoveo clans...but what leaves her reeling with disbelief is when he tells her she's one of them...

And shock turns to terror as Samantha falls prey to the deadly enemy determined to destroy the Amoveo, and the only chance she has to come into her true powers is to trust in Malcolm to show her the way...

(Terra's Thoughts) This story got better as you read further. A bit slow in the beginning but that is only due to needing to set up the background of our characters. History is a must where our hero and heroine are concerned.

Samantha returns home to her grandmother following a strange and compelling set of dreams that seem to pull at her like a magnet. Her mother and father died when she was young so she really doesn't know anything of her heritage and that will become quite a problem as the story unfolds and gets more involved.

Not quite fully human and not quite fully animal thus fitting into the hybrid, halfbreed category is what makes her dangerous to some and a great hope to others. The question lingers, "Will the unknown save her or destroy her and all those who have placed a great hope on her?"

Malcolm is Amoveo. Half human, half animal total male and beyond handsome will make him irresistible to almost all females. Malcolm has found his soul mate but how to get her to him and how to tell her of the real him is going to require a ton of patience. Not only that but he must try and convince her that she is also as he is but not quite so. This will become a difficulty that will show patience is a virtue and can sometimes become deadly.

Our author has done a good job at giving us some much needed background in order to see where this story comes from and where it will be going. It just takes a bit to get to the better more action packed parts. Don't give up on this one as it does have fantastic potential that will hopefully pour into the next two installments. I was a bit reserved but really did like it in the end.

The story is quite believable with sizzling sexual chemistry that is sure to please all. I really can't wait to see where we go to next.

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402258437
ISBN-13: 978-1402258435