MacLean on me

Sarah MacLean is one of those authors I like because she uses puns in her titles like a pro. There’s really nothing like a good book with a funny side which makes it altogether more interesting to read.

MacLean has several book series I read, followed and finished. The latest series is called Bareknuckle Bastards. I already devoured book one titled “Wicked and the Wallflower“. I liked the premise of three illegitimate sons and one true heiress, all fighting for what they desire. I’m already looking forward to book two.

Other notable series are:

• Love by Numbers-This series hooked me right from the start. I do have a weakness to love stories which include a list, numbers and references to Shakespeare. My fave was Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing A Lord. I have a thing for the bookish sexy guy.
• The Rules of Scoundrels-This series centered on a gaming hell called Fallen Angel. You should read Love by Numbers first before embarking on this series. My fave was A Rogue by Any Other Name (it’s a no-brainer).
• Scandal & Scoundrel-I began this series because book one was titled “The Rogue Not Taken”. Once again, rogue and poetry. Best mix. I also read book two and I’m looking forward to book three.

Although MacLean hasn’t written a lot of books, she still stole my heart with her vibrant characters and interesting plot twists.

Until next time!

 

 

Too good to Kleypas up

Admittedly, Lisa Kleypas is one of my new fave authors. My current top fave is Julia Quinn and Ms. Kleypas would be third on the list. Second place goes to Ms. Michaels, fourth place would be Ms. Hoyt and fifth place goes to Ms. Banks.

I have read a lot of Kleypas novels and novellas. Much like the other authors I favor, her book series are a must-read.

The Wallflowers-There are six books in this series and  I have read four of them. I haven’t gotten to reading the Book 0.5 titled Again the Magic but have jumped right into Books 1 to 4. I really liked how Kleypas made each wallflower endearing and sweet in unique ways.

The Hathaways-This series involved five siblings who had to suffer a tragedy in their loving family. Each sibling is given a story that allows them to shine through as strong and wonderful human beings. I especially liked Seduce Me at Sunrise because the heroine here is so fragile yet so resilient.

The Ravenels-This series is one I am most looking forward to. I liked the mystery surrounding the Ravenel family and how they struggle to find their place in society. The emotional turmoil and profound romance in their stories keep me begging for more. Hello, Stranger will soon be a stranger no longer.

The Stokehursts-This has only two books and I have read only the first book which was Midnight Angel. It was alright. I’m curious to know how the second book will go but I’m not that hopeful as to whether I’ll like it or not. The reviews on this series were not kind.

Ms. Kleypas has other book series which I have yet to sample but for now, I am content with what I have read of her works, so far.

Until my next post!

 

Banks at First Sight

I’m not much for contemporary romance because the setting is almost as unrealistic as they come (for me, that is). However, Maya Banks captured my attention with her book series called Breathless Trilogy. Thus, I’m hooked on Banks and could not wait to read her other novels.

Here are my current top picks:

• Breathless Trilogy – Among the three books in this series, I loved the story between Jace and Bethany. I think how Banks made an awkward scenario became acceptable was quite brilliant. There were also a lot of surprise scenes in Rush (book 1) that totally caught me off guard.
• Colters’ Legacy– Another eye-opener for me was the menage stories in this series. I actually liked how each love story unfolded. There was drama, intrigue and high passion that can only be generated from having not one or two men in your life but three. My fave is still the first book in this series.
• Montgomerys & Armstrongs – Finally, historical romances from Banks. I read the first two books in this series and the third one will be out in December 2018. I liked the complex relationships built within the clans. I liked the first book the most because the heroine was deaf. It was quite interesting.
• McCabe Trilogy – Another series on historical romance which I finished in less than three days. Each story intertwines with the others and also intertwined with my heart. I think I should give online dating another chance and start looking up Scottish lairds.
• KGI Series– This series is based on a private company that specializes on rescue missions and the like. I only read one book in this series but I know that I will continue to read more. Action and romance is definitely a good combination.

Banks has definitely more to offer but for now, I think I’m still not yet over my historical romance phase. For sure, I’ll write more about contemporary romances and will have Banks on my top authors’ list.

There’s a Sylvia Day to every cloud

The next book I’ll be devouring from Ms. Day.

Here’s one author whom I haven’t read that much however, it’s not because her stories aren’t great, it’s actually quite riveting. My first Sylvia Day novel was Bared to You under her Crossfire Series. I liked the characters and the storyline however, I found it quite dark and deep as it progresses. Although I didn’t continue to read the rest of the novels in the series, I know I’ll be reading them in the future. Just not right now.

Still, due to her exquisite writing, I looked up other novels under this author, specifically in the historical romance genre.

• The Georgian Series-As noted in Day’s website, the books can be stand alone or you can read it in order. After finishing the series, I found myself enamored with Christopher St. John and Lady Winter’s story since I liked how Lady Winter (or Maria) was not your simpering wallflower or innocent debutante. She’s very modern and she knows what she wants. Other characters in the series were also featured and my fave was Simon Quinn.
• Bad Boys, Ahoy! or Scandalous Liaisons-There are three stories in this anthology. Stolen Pleasures which is about a stowaway bride, Lucien’s Gamble which has a masquerading heroine and Her Mad Grace which is about secret identities. My fave in this series would be Lucien and his crossdressing lover, Julienne.

Day has a lot of contemporary romances (and even fantasy and futuristic ones) yet I continue to veer towards her historical titles. Here are the ones I have read and loved:

• Seven Years to Sin-Lust makes the heart grow fonder in seven years. Still one of my top picks.
• Pride and Pleasure– An heiress in distress.
• The Stranger I Married-A marriage of convenience that becomes a true marriage.
• Catching Caroline-A better and shorter version of The Vampire Diaries (spoiler: no diaries included).
• Wish List-A Secret Santa who will make your wish come true!

So what am I looking forward to reading next? It’s definitely the rest of the Crossfire Series. I’m intrigued to find out how Gideon and Eva will end up together. The entire series is a bit reminiscent of Fifty Shades of Grey however, the writing is definitely way better. The plot is more defined and the twists in the story makes you eager for more.

Adios, for now!

It’s getting Hoyt and hotter!

I’m excited to read this because, well, the title has the word “Rogue” in it. 🙂

One of the authors I love to troll would be Elizabeth Hoyt. I scour bookshelves for her books even if I already read them. Hoyt has a lot to offer and I personally liked her series because she includes snippets of fairy tales in her chapters.

Maiden Lane Series-I think this is one of the longest running series I have read so far. There are currently 12 books and 3 novellas in it. I have read all the novellas but only 7 out of the 12 novels. The stories are set in Maiden Lane, St. Giles. It is reputed to be a seedy and dangerous place to be however, the heroes and heroines more or less, hails from the place of have met there. Their stories are tangled in a web excruciatingly well made by Hoyt. My current pick for this series would be the Thief of Shadows. I liked the name of the hero (Winter) and I also liked how he was a virgin (I’m a sucker for stories where the man remained chaste until he fell in love).

Legend of the Four Soldiers-Another set of stories with a dash of fairy tale, the 4 books in this series tells of soldiers who went to war and how they picked up their lives after the war has ended. I liked how each story was interconnected with each other and it’s always nice to encounter previous characters in the other books. My fave was To Beguile A Beast because I was always partial to the theme wherein the Beauty tames the Beast (or the other way around).

The Princes Trilogy-This series also had fairy tales in the novels. I was hooked with each book and even the novella included in the series. I especially liked the story of The Leopard Prince although the fairy tale in The Serpent Prince was more to my liking.

Summer will soon be over and this means that work is right around the corner. Oh dear. I do hope that I can still read and blog. Until my next post!

I Tessa Dare You!

Oooh, the story is quite interesting. Reminiscent of a Dear John letter or an open letter to your ex.

Tessa Dare is one of the many authors who creates characters that are relatable and lovable. I had a great time reading her novels and was on some kind of a read-a-thon after reading one of her books.

Here are her wonderful series:

Castles Ever After-This series centers on castles. Not really. Well, it involved castles and its owners. There are 4 books in the series and my favorite would be When a Scot Ties the Knot (book 3). The story is about a lady who makes up a fiancé (a Scot in the army) to avoid getting betrothed. Find out what happens when the name she made up actually belongs to a real Scot!

Spindle Cove-That one place you’ll find me had I become a character in one of Dare’s novels. The series has 4 books with the 5th book as a crossover novel in the Castles Ever After series. It also has 3 novellas with the one I haven’t read yet displayed on this blog post. Among all the Spindle ladies, I really liked Minerva Highwood. I liked how she wanted something more than marriage and a family. She yearned to be recognized for her own intellectual and scientific contributions.

The Stud Club Trilogy-A magnificent horse. 10 tokens. One tragic death that ties three heroes and their loves. For this series, I especially liked Julian Bellamy‘s story where his blind loyalty and friendship to his friend Leo Chatwick led to his consuming need to solve the mystery of his friend’s death. However, I would like to point out that the heroine in book 2 is named Meredith. 🙂

The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy-For this series, its title takes from a book which was passed on to three women that somehow influenced their romances. My fave is Goddess of the Hunt (book 1) because I really liked a stiff and formal hero who loses control over the heroine and becomes passionate and dashing. Sigh. However, there’s this new novel under the series which I haven’t read yet but I downloaded the pdf file so I can read it soon. Thanks, Ms.Dare!

Tessa Dare also has a new book series titled Girl Meets Duke. However, I haven’t read any of the two books under it. You can check out the latest on the series here.

 

Simply Jess Michaels

Next on my reading list.

I don’t remember which of her books I started reading first but I was definitely hooked not soon after. Jess Michaels writes beautifully and her characters are quite endearing. I am a book addict when it comes to her, especially on her book series (and she has a lot!).

The 1797 Club– I read 6 of the 10 books in this series. As with any series (tv or otherwise), you should start with book 1. This club of ten dukes became friends when they were in school. It gets a bit confusing on who’s who but Michaels finds a way to reintroduce the characters to refresh your memory as the series progresses. I’m currently on the look out for The Duke of Hearts so I can pick up where I left off.

The Pleasure Wars-This series is about a family feud that spanned several generations, much like Romeo and Juliet. Themes like revenge, betrayal and of course, passion, is present. I finished this series and thoroughly liked how the family war was resolved.

Mistress Matchmaker-The three books in this series features Vivien Manning as the Mistress Matchmaker. She matches the heroines to the heroes in the first two books. Her story is the final book in this series. I liked the second book the most in this series after reading all of them.

The Notorious Flynns-I only read 3 out of the 5 books in this series and I didn’t get to read them in order. Still, the story was easy to follow. So far, The Scoundrel’s Lover is still my fave in the Flynn family series.

The Wicked Woodleys-I read the last 2 installments of the Woodley family and it only made me excited to read the first 4 books. Michaels also included MM Romance in this series (which I really liked!).

Seasons-I finished reading this series which highlights the four seasons and how each romance began in them. My fave story is about Lucien and his ex, Elise.

The Ladies Book of Pleasures-I haven’t began reading this series but I am looking forward to it. There are 3 books in this series and the series title (also a book) seems to be the catalyst for each romance.

Michaels also writes as Jenna Petersen but I haven’t read any of her stories under this pen name.