Mastering A Sinner by Kate Pearce

Hey everyone,

So I seem to be on a bit of a historical romance kick because I have another regency romance I want to review. Unlike my other ones, however, this is high on sexual content so if that isn't you're thing or you're under eighteen look away now! So this week I'll be reviewing Mastering A Sinner by Kate Pearce, an erotic BDSM historical romance based around the Sinners Club.

The book:

Bound by sensual secrets and illicit fantasies, the select members of the Sinners Club are privy to carnal pleasures too shocking to share...

Alistair Maclean enjoys his work as secretary at the Sinners Club until the women at the Club demand a secretary of their own. Suddenly Alistair finds himself at the mercy of a wanton beauty who demands Alistair submit to her in ways he's only ever dreamed about...

Diana, Lady Theale, has secrets from her past she must protect. But that doesn't stop her from enjoying passion in the present. She needs Alistair's help to untangle the mystery of her parentage, but she also needs his body to satisfy her darkly erotic desires...

My thoughts:

This book will not be everyone. Some people will read it and hate it. Others probably wouldn't even consider reading. The reason for this is simple, despite the fact the romances featuring BDSM have become huge since Fifty Shades, people still feel uncomfortable reading books where the woman is the dominant and the male is the submissive.

"I will expect you to be naked and on your knees.” 

He looked over his shoulder at her. “Go to the devil, Lady Theale.”

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn

Hello everyone,

Julia Quinn was the first romance author I ever read and since then she has been an auto-buy for me. I own all her published books and have re-read them multiple times; for this reason I had to review her new book The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy.

The book:

Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride. . . 

He knows he can't be too picky, but when he sees Iris Smythe-Smith hiding behind her cello at her family's infamous musicale, he thinks he might have struck gold. She's the type of girl you don't notice until the second-or third-look, but there's something about her, something simmering under the surface, and he knows she's the one.

Iris Smythe-Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she can’t quite believe it’s all true. And when his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she can’t help thinking that he’s hiding something... even as her heart tells her to say yes.

My thoughts:

This is a hard review for me to write, partly because I don't want to say what I feel I should say. Okay I'll just get it over with by saying it up front, this book was alright. It was a light-hearted regency romp, but until about the half-way mark I honestly didn't care what happened to the two main-characters. Therefore for me this was a book in two parts. The London period and the Yorkshire period; because of this reason I'm going to talk about them separately.

The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl by Gina Lamm

Hey everyone,

If any of you read my recent post about the difference between Canadian and British bookshops then you will also know I was recently in a bookshop and as such I brought some books. More particularly a book called The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl by Gina Lamm. I'll admit this book as been out for roughly two years now and is therefore not current, however, the reason I want to review it for you guys is purely personal. This is potentially the first book I have brought in nearly year were I haven't read lots of reviews before hand, I didn't look it up on Goodreads or Amazon to see the average star rating. I brought purely based on the blurb and the cover. Therefore, to me at least, this felt like doing the lucky dip of romance books. I had no re-conceived ideas about it and for that reason I've chosen to review it for you lot today. Enjoy!

The book:

The Stakes have never been higher...

An avid gamer, Jamie Marten loves to escape into online adventure. But when she falls through an antique mirror into a lavish bedchamber - 200 years in the past! - she realizes she may have escaped a little too far.

Micah Axelby, Earl of Dunnington, has just kicked one mistress out of his bed and isn't looking to fill it with another - least of all this sassy, nearly naked woman who claims to be from the future. Yet something about her is undeniably enticing...

Jamie and Micah are worlds apart. He's a peer of the realm. She can barely make rent. He's horse-drawn. She's Wi-Fi. But in the game of love, these two will risk everything to win.

My thoughts:

To me this book promised so much and the combination of a historcal setting and a geeky heroine was one I couldn't resist. I love geeky-nerdy heroines and heroes and the idea of someone with that personality being set back to a time pre-technology was too intriguing to resist. Also the cover is pretty nice so when I sure it in the shop I just had to buy it.

In many ways the book delivered. Jamie was a great heroine (although a little naive/stupid at times), honestly it like she had never even heard of the regency period. Of course they are more conservative and more strict about social morals. Surely that is just common knowledge... don't people get taught that in schools? I know I did, then again I've been reading historical romances since the age of thirteen and a natural love of history so I might have a higher than average knowledge of the regency  period.

The Christmas Widow by Jillian Eaton

Hey everyone,

In keeping with the festive season, today I’m reviewing The Christmas Widow by Jillian Eaton, a sweet historical romance novella set during Christmas. So without further ado I give you...

The book:

Known as “Mad Lady Bea” by the townspeople of Blooming Glen, Lady Beatrice Tumbley has not left her estate since the tragic death of her husband on Christmas Eve. Terrified of the outside world and the dangers lurking within it, she lives in complete seclusion, determined never to love again. 

Until one cold, snowy night a handsome stranger comes knocking… and shows Beatrice her heart is not quite as frozen as she believes it to be.

My thoughts:

I want that dress. It is so pretty that I don’t even care that I have absolutely no where to wear it. I could dance around the house and pretend I was a princess from the olden days... Anyway enough with my insanity and on with the actual review for The Christmas Widow by Jillian Eaton.

To Please a Lady by Lori Brighton

Hey everyone,

The book:

Eleanor wanted a night of passion. James just wanted to survive. Instead, they found an unexpected and forbidden love that threatens all they hold dear.

With her stunning beauty and impeccable reputation, Lady Eleanor Beckett is a society darling to emulate, respected by everyone in the ton. But Eleanor’s seemingly perfect life is marred by a dark secret. Determined to know happiness and passion just once, she travels in disguise to a place she’s heard whispers about for years: the infamous Lavender Hills Estate, a brothel that caters to women. There, she meets the surprisingly kind, strikingly handsome, and completely inappropriate James McKinnon, a man who may be just what she needs to melt the ice surrounding her broken heart.

Despite their stations, Eleanor and James can’t extinguish the passion they’ve ignited. Will they be able to break through the confines of London society, or will their forbidden love and complicated pasts destroy everything they care about—including each other?

My Thoughts:

I feel like the book gods and goddesses (no sexism here thank you very much) have been blessing me lately as I’ve been on a roll of amazing books from a range of romance sub-genres and To Please a Lady was no exception! This is the third book in Lori Brighton’s Seduction trilogy and reintroduces the reader to the world of Lavender Hills, a brothel that caterers the wealthy women of the Ton. Although our hero is a male prostitute this is not an erotic historical romance, but instead a beautiful love story about two damaged people. Neither have perfect lives and both are scarred by their pasts. Lori Brighton did a great job of making me care about Eleanor and James, both individually and as a couple. This is a story about escaping your past, about the healing power of love and being able to embrace your future.

Springtime Pleasures by Sandra Schwab

Hello readers,

Today I’m going to be doing a review of the book I’ve been loving the most this week. Before we get started on that, however, I wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who read my first post. I was seriously amazed by how many of you did and it gave me warm happy feelings so thank you!

The Book:

Caught between duty ...

George Augustus Griffin, Viscount Chanderley has to marry - fast: His father has ordered him to find a suitable wife this very season. Alas, the only woman Griff has eyes for is the very unsuitable Miss Carlotta Stanton, who is not only unbecomingly tall but also wears the ugliest spectacles in all of England. Still, Griff is utterly bewitched by her intense green eyes. Yet however much he feels drawn to her joie de vivre, duty and honor demand that he stay far away from Miss Stanton.

... and desire

Dubbed "the Giantess" because of her unfortunate height, Charlie Stanton finds the London season far less glamorous than she had thought it would be - not the least because she is consigned a place among the wallflowers. But then she becomes acquainted with the very dashing Lord Chanderley, whose life is overshadowed by a terrible tragedy in his past. Ever ready to help others, Charlie is determined to rid him of his Sad Melancholia - even if it means taking on wild boars and highwaymen. However, the biggest challenge might be the elusive viscount himself and his belief that he is beyond all redemption.

My thoughts:

I loved this book! Now I might be a little bias because after discovering Sandra Schwab a little over a month ago I have become a tiny teeny weeny bit obsessed and may have brought her entire back catalogue on Amazon... you know it is a perfectly normal reaction when finding a new author. Having said that Springtime Pleasures is my new favourite romance by her: it had everything I was looking for in a regency romance. It was humorous, it was heartfelt and it had some truly horrible relations. They are basically a requirement of any historical romance.