A Little Mischief by Amelia Grey (Terra's Review)

How can a lady avoid a scandal...

Just as Miss Isabella Winslowe is finally achieving comfortable respectability, the fascinating and decidedly unrespectable Earl of Colebrooke inconveniently appears...

When a gentleman is so determined to flirt...

The darkly handsome Daniel Colebrooke is intrigued and alarmed when an alluring young lady arrives at his door in need of assistance. In a moment of impetuosity, Daniel decides he must keep a close watch on Isabella, and what better way than to strike up a not–so–innocent flirtation...

Together they'll cook up more than a little mischief when a disappearing dead body and a lascivious scandal spins their reckless game entirely out of control.

(Terra's Thoughts)  This little who-dun-it romance is quite adorable.  Part mystery tangled in the web of romance with some spunk and sass that will have you snickering as you try to figure out who did what, when and where.  Oh and where did the body go?

Lady Isabella Winslowe is quite the treat amongst the ton and is thought to be a bit on the strange side.  A lovely flower who has decided that being a wall flower is not for her and her fellow awkward ladies, Isabella starts a Ladies Reading Society.  It's what she does behind closed doors with these awkward ladies that has the bookies at White's Gentleman's Club placing wagers.

Daniel Colebrooke, the seventh Earl of Colebrooke has returned to London to not only find himself a wife that will serve as his broodmare but also a husband for his dear sister.  He's handsome as sin and the most sot after man in all of the ton.  Caring and daring are just a few of his finer traits but stubbornness and his lack of want for female opinions is just a bit of what gets our delightful Earl in a bit of a muck.

The pace of this story is quite nice with its encounters of kisses in secluded places, comic games of switch-er-o with a less desirable gentlemen of questionable means and stubborn opinionated hard headed nobles of both sexes.

I found this to be quite charming with it's tit for tat and satisfying ending.

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1402239807

ISBN-13: 978-1402239809

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe (Terra's Review)

“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.”

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

(Terra's Review)  This book was initially set to release in August 2012 but looks like it has changed to April of 2013 and I really feel for those of you who must wait.  This book is nothing less than exceptional.  A paranormal romance in Young Adult format that is sure to please even the pickiest of readers.  I really cannot tell you how much I adored this story and hope to see more like this from such a talented author.

Lora Jones has been through the worst sort of horrors that could possibly befall a child.  Orphaned, cast aside for only God knows why, she is tortured in ways that today's society would cringe at but yesteryear's society deemed necessary. 

She is a plain child but one who hears voices and hears songs that no one else can hear.  She ends up in an institution where the unspeakable happens and she's very lucky to be one of those who survived the ordeal.  Or is she?

Now sent on to a finishing school for the elite only because the school must accept one charity case to meet the requirements of it's sponsor, Lora (Eleanor) gets a new lease on life which will take her to places no even the most insane could ever think of.

This is a story of fate.  Of a prophecy told to the Heaven's that must be fulfilled and a love triangle that could make or break what has been long for told.  A story during a challenging time during World War I that can only make you thankful that you were not there and to pity those who were.  A story that will bring tears to your eyes only to send a wee smile to your lips before it reawakens the tears of sadness once again and leave you  satisfied but longing for what has been, is and what is to come.

Hardcover: 352 pages

Publisher: Bantam (April 2, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0345531701

ISBN-13: 978-0345531704

A Scandalous Scot by Karen Ranney (Terra's Review)

One scandal was never enough . . .

After four long years, Morgan MacCraig has finally returned to the Highlands of his birth . . . with his honor in shreds. After a scandal, all he wants now is solace-yet peace is impossible to find with the castle's outspoken new maid trying his patience, challenging his manhood . . . and winning his love, body and soul.

Jean MacDonald wants to leave her past behind and start anew, but Ballindair Castle, a Scottish estate rumored to be haunted, hasn't been the safe haven she envisioned. Ballindair's ancestral ghosts aren't as fascinating as Morgan, the most magnificent man she's ever seen. Though their passion triggers a fresh scandal that could force them to wed, Jean must first share the secrets of her own past-secrets that could force them apart, or be the beginning of a love and redemption unlike anything they've ever known.

(Terra's Thoughts)  This story is a hoot right from the beginning with a maid that just happens to be in the wrong place at the right time doing the most embarrassing things.  A well paced story with plenty of imagination, steamy kisses, Scottish pride and a wonderful romance that will have you dabbing the corners of your eyes with tissues.

Poor Jean MacDonald sure does have the worst of luck.  A plain looking thing next to her stunningly beautiful sister that would keep her unnoticed except for her inquisitive nature and wire tipped tongue.  Well that and her knack at embarrassing herself in front of her betters.

Morgan MacCraig is a stunning hunk of a man and Laird to Ballindair Castle.  Having returned from London after a scandal between him and his ex-wife, Morgan just wants to be left alone and enjoy the peace and quite of his Scottish estates.  Unfortunately for Morgan his guilty conscience gets the better of him and his much wanted peace and quite elude him at every opportunity.

I absolutely loved this one by Karen Ranney.  This is an author who I have read a few times and always have enjoyed what I've devoured.

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Avon (June 26, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0062027794

ISBN-13: 978-0062027795

Along Came a Duke by Elizabeth Boyle (Terra's Review)

“A young lady with a fortune is subject to all sorts of untoward attentions by the worst sort of vagrants.” Aunt Allegra

A lesson Tabitha Timmons, a penniless spinster, has never needed to heed. That is, until she is left a vast fortune payable only upon her marriage to the very respectable Mr. Barkworth—a match that offers little chance of discovering exactly what her aunt means by "untoward attentions."

But the same can't be said when the Duke of Preston happens along Tabitha's path. He spies a rebellious streak in her that matches his own and he makes it his mission to save her from such a passionless match, interfering in her life at every turn. All too soon, Preston—whose very name spells ruin—has Tabitha caught between the good fortune that guarantees her security, and his kiss, which promises an entirely different kind of happily-ever-after.

(Terra's Thoughts)  This was a delightful tale of a country lass that comes into a fortune if the right provisions are met and a scandalous Duke that suddenly feels the need to protect an innocent against London and all of it's money hungry scavengers and unruly sorts.  Question is though, who is Tabita Timmons in more danger from, the rake she knows or her own family and friends who are supposed to have the best intentions for her?

This story is a bit like a Cinderella story where a country bumpkin that is unloved by her nasty relatives who work her to the bone.  A country bumpkin that suddenly comes into a fortune and needs a Knight in Shinning Armor if there was ever a need for one.  Luckily for our young lady she is quite resourceful and spirited even though the daughter of a vicar.

I really liked the story for it's steamy kisses, even paced action and well written story line.

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Avon (May 29, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0062089064

ISBN-13: 978-0062089069

Enchanting The Lady by Kathryne Kennedy (Terra's Review)

His Magic Condems Him...

In a Victorian England with a rigid hierarchy of magic, lion shapeshifter Sir Terence Blackwell is at the bottom of the rung of society. Only Lady Felicity Seymour, who has no magic, no inheritance, and no prospects, may be willing to judge the man strictly on his own merits...

Until She Reveals His True Power...

When family pressures push Lady Felicity into a terrible fate, she has only Sir Terence to turn to. Together, the two outcasts become embroiled in the dark depths beneath society's facade. And what they discover about each other is the only thing that's real...

(Terra's Thoughts) 
Oh my Kathryne Kennedy has totally enchanted us with this book. It's like reading an adult version of Beauty and the Beast with a bit more spunk. You will figure out what is partially going on from early on but don't let that stop you cause there are some elements of surprise and more than a fair share of steamy kisses and erotic dreams that wrap this story up nicely.

Lady Felicity is more than stunning but sees herself as plain and ordinary. She has been sheltered all her life from society and now finds herself thrust into the middle of it all to face a test of magical abilities that will prove once and for all if she is the new Duchess. Will her magic help her or hurt her is the question?

Sir Terence Blackwell is a golden haired beauty of male perfection but his station in life is one of the lower classes of the gentry. Still he is a protector of the realm and the current Prince which affords him some bit of luxuries that other's of his kind are not so fortunate to be able to experience.

This story really is charming, funny, sad, a bit nerve wracking but full of tenderness and true love that will make you cross your fingers for a happily ever after. Oh and don't think there aren't any monsters here because all enchanting tales have some evil to behold.

Of all of Kathryne Kennedy's books to date this is the one I love the most. The cover promises you a fairytale story and that's just what you will get. Dragons, shape-shifters with magic galore.

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 140226982X

ISBN-13: 978-1402269820

A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious by Mary Wine (Terra's Review)

Beneath the Surface of Victorian Life Lies a Very Different World...

Hated and feared by the upper classes, the Illuminists guard their secrets with their lives. Janette Aston's insatiable quest for answers brings her to their locked golden doors, where she encounters the most formidable man she's ever met.

Darius Lawley's job is to eliminate would–be infiltrators, but even he may be no match for Janette's cunning and charm...

(Terra's Thoughts) 
I honestly loved this book and cannot wait for the next installment in the series. A wee bit long on character development but you really do need this in order to get the just about what the series will pertain to. It took me twenty four hours to go from beginning to end as this is a page turner.

Janette Aston has been brought up as a Lady with the prospect of marrying up into the right type of class. Inquisitive beyond the bounds of proprietary, oh heck beyond the bounds of even the most normal of women, Janette soon finds herself going topsy turvey from one type of life to another completely foreign and forbidden.

Darius Lawley is handsome and the best of the best in his job field but not for long. One wisp of a girl makes Darius clumsy and inexplicability vulnerable to the charms of the fairer sex. Sworn off women since his heart was broken oh so many years ago can Darius close himself off now or will he find his heart snatched right out from under him?

The story starts off as a page turner and ends as a page turner with longing hopes of much more to come. I love the time period and the mind frame of the characters as it gives us a break from the same ole, same ole Victorian romance. You just need a little spice once in awhile to jazz things up a bit and this new Steam Punk is most certainly it.

This is one book that you can judge by it's cover. It's enticing and reeks of the unknown while showing off a bit of skin to let you know that it will be steamy inside.

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1402264801

ISBN-13: 978-1402264801