"Lord of Wicked Intentions" By: Lorraine Heath Review

Lord of Wicked Intentions

By: Lorraine Heath

Synopsis from Goodreads

Lord Rafe Eason may be of noble blood, but survival taught him to rely only on himself and to love no one. Yet when he sets his eyes on Miss Evelyn Chambers, and earl's illegitimate daughter, he is determined to have her, if only as his mistress. 

After her father's death, Evelyn Chambers never imagined she would be sold to the highest bidder, yet circumstances give her little choice except to accept the lord's indecent proposal. Rafe is wealthy, as well as ruthless. Yet his coldness belies deep passion and deeper secrets. If she must be his, Evelyn intends to lay bare everything the Lord of Pembrook is hiding. But dark discoveries threaten to destroy them both until unexpected love guides the last lost lord home.

My Thoughts

      I have loved the Lost Lord of Pembrook series from Lorraine Heath this past year. She started strongly with a wonderful back story of three young lordlings having to make their way in the world because of a despicable Uncle, and I can confidently say she finished strongly with the youngest and possibly the most sensitive brother, Rafe.

     Rafe was left behind more than a decade before when his Uncle seized the Dukedom from his father. The three boys deciding it would be best to separate and come together later when they were older, smarter and stronger. While his older brothers went into the military and on a ship, Rafe was left behind in a work house in truly appalling conditions. Never forgetting nor forgiving his brothers in adulthood.

     Rafe meets Evelyn (Eve) as her brother is trying to sell her off to be a mistress. She doesn’t understand this at all and thinks her brother is simply trying to arrange a good marriage for her. She’s quite surprised really when she is delivered to Rafe’s home and his intentions, while better than the others, are not quite honorable. Raised as an illegitimate daughter of a lord, Evelyn is lost and abandoned when her father dies leaving her in the hands of her despicable older brother.

      I really enjoyed both Rafe and Evelyn. Rafe wanted a normal life so bad, but events from his past seemingly prohibit him. When he brings Eve into his house, he’s surprised about how she affects him. She has a way different outlook on life, while having had a difficult past herself, she hasn’t let those events shadow her future. At times I wanted to yell at her perceived naivete, I think it helped highlight how different Rafe and she truly were and how far apart their worlds were located.

      Beyond having highly complex characters, the plot moved quickly. As I was reading I was surprised to find myself more than halfway through when it felt like I had just started. Lord of Wicked Intentions was an excellent finale to the series. Each book was strong in its own right and i loved how each brother had a distinct attitude and weren’t just cookie cutters. Can’t wait to see what comes next from Lorraine Heath!

Book Details

Publisher: Avon

Date of Publication: April 30, 2013

ISBN: 978-0062100030

# of Pages: 384

Source: Edelweiss - Advanced Reader Copy

Lost Lords of Pembrook

She Tempts the Duke

Lord of Temptation (My Review)

Deck the Halls with Love

Lord of Wicked Intentions

Challenges

#25 for the 2013 E-Book Challenge

#27 for the 2013 Women's Reading Challenge

#29 for the 100 Books in a Year Challenge

#29 for the 150+ Books in a Year Challenge

#5 for the 2013 Historical Reading Challenge

#25 for the 2013 Where are You Reading Challenge {London, England}

The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After By: Julia Quinn

The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After

By: Julia Quinn

Synopsis from Goodreads

For the first time in print, New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn presents a collection of "second epilogues" to her Bridgerton series, previously published as e-originals, plus a new bonus Bridgerton novella: Violet in Bloom," a short story in which we finally meet Edmund Bridgerton.

My Thoughts

    Quite simply put, The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After is a love letter to Julia Quinn fans. A collection of short epilogues that go along superbly with the Bridgerton series, this collection of novellas made me so very very happy. Its hard to say that each one was my favorite, but as I continued to read I couldn't seem to decide as they each got better and better.

     I have read the Bridgerton series many years ago, so to be honest, I don’t know if this book would appeal to those who haven’t. That said, I absolutely loved this collection and immediately fell head over heels into the world of the Bridgerton’s once again. The novel follows the progression of the books and bounces to different eras and characters of the series.

     Each short story is fun and can range from hilarious to heartbreaking to just plain lovely. My favorite Bridgerton books are the first few and I enjoyed seeing Anthony, Benedict, Colin, and Daphne since we don’t see them too terribly much in the later books. Anthony and Kate are entrenched in another game with the mallet of death that was pretty hilarious and coincidentally, I immediately went to buy The Viscount Who Loved Me for my Nook. I loved the epilogue where Eloise and Penelope finally talk about the revealing of Lady Whistledown, I’ve been waiting for THAT for what seems like forever.

     Heartbreaking and bittersweet, we finally see into the world of Violet, the Bridgerton’s mother. The story starts out with Violet trying to get back at that terrible Bridgerton boy for pouring flour all over her. When next we see Violet, she is again meeting Edmund Bridgerton but in a ballroom. He is charming, adorable, and we the reader immediately fall in love ourselves. Even knowing Edmund is going to ultimately pass on, I still shed tears and my heart cracked as Violet lost her one true love.

      Easily my favorite book of the year to date, I loved being swept back into the family Bridgerton. I think I might just reread the series and I think I will enjoy it now just as much as I did back then. Thank you ever so much Ms. Quinn, and Brava!

Book Details

Publisher: HarperCollins

# of Pages: 384

Date of Publication: April 2, 2013

ISBN: 978-0061233005

Source: Edelweiss Advanced Reading Copy

Challenges

#18 for the 2013 E-Book Challenge

#20 for the 2013 Women's Reading Challenge

#22 for the 100 Books in a Year Challenge

#3 for the 2013 Historical Reading Challenge

#22 for the 150+ Books in a Year Challenge

#19 for the 2013 Where are You Reading Challenge {England}

The Bridgerton Series

1. The Duke & I (Daphne Bridgerton & Simon Bassett)

2. The Viscount Who Loved Me (Kate Sheffield & Anthony Bridgerton)

3. An Offer from a Gentleman (Sophie Beckett & Benedict Bridgerton)

4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Penelope Featherington & Colin Bridgerton)

5. To Sir Phillip, With Love (Eloise Bridgerton & Phillip Crane)

6. When He Was Wicked (Francesca Bridgerton & Michael Stirling)

7. It’s In His Kiss (Hyacinth Bridgerton & Gareth St. Clair)

8. On the Way to the Wedding (Gregory Bridgerton & Lucinda Abernathy)

"Wild Burn" By: Edie Harris Review

Wild Burn

By: Edie Harris

Synopsis from Goodreads

Infamy weighs heavy on Delaney Crawford’s broad shoulders, first as a supposed Confederate turncoat, then as a relentless hunter of Cheyenne dog soldiers. Summoned to the small mining community of Red Creek, the exhausted, embittered Del is doing what he does best—ridding the town of its savage scourge—when one of his bullets misses the mark. 

Ex-nun Moira Tully has been working with John White Horse for months to integrate a band of peaceful Cheyenne with the local townsfolk. Now he’s hurt, and she’s been caught in the crossfire. There’s only one man to blame for her simmering anger and the inexplicable attraction that tilts her heart on its axis. Del. 

When Del is forced to acknowledge the truth that the Cheyenne are no threat, his task just gets more complicated: fighting a wild attraction that catches flame at the most inconvenient times, and figuring out the treacherous motives behind his hiring. 

But the most heart-wrenching challenge could be overcoming sordid pasts that won’t stay in the past—pasts that threaten to bury all hope of happily ever after.

My Thoughts

      Wild Burn is such an interesting mix of romance and adventure in the Wild West. Pairing a Confederate soldier hunting Cheyenne soldiers with an ex-nun from the East was a gamble that ultimately paid off.
      Moira Tully is an ex-nun living in Colorado teaching the children in the small town. She is attempting to create a rapport with the local Indian tribe. One day as she is out walking, she is actually shot, well zinged really, by Del. Del has been brought to the town by the Sheriff to deal with a supposed hostile Indian problem. He has served in the Confederate Army and now travels the midwest, dealing with such problems.
     I think the thing I liked most about the novel was the actual characters. Moira was so stubborn yet intelligent, I started seeing a little of myself in her. I loved how rambunctuious she was and absolutely unafraid to state her opinions. Del was a straight-talking, strong ex-soldier trying to find his way in the world.

“I dream about you every night. It's torture."
"Why torture?"
"Because I wake up knowing I didn't actually touch you.”

     As far as the story itself, I found myself getting a bit bored during different portions. It was slow in parts and it was hard to keep my interest level up. The same story could have been told in half the number of pages. An ok story with well-written characters, I think Wild Burn is part of a new series, so I’m interested to see what comes next.

Book Details

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

# of Pages: 283

Date of Publication: January 15, 2013

Source: Personal Purchase

Challenges

#9 for the 2013 E-Book Challenge
#9 for the 2013 Women's Reading Challenge
#9 for the 100 Books in a Year Challenge
#9 for the 150+ Books in a Year Challenge
#9 for the 2013 Where are You Reading Challenge {Denver, CO}
#1 for the 2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Hosted by: Historical Tapestry

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:

• everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog 
• add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post 
• any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,...)

During these following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels: 

• 20th century reader - 2 books
• Victorian reader - 5 books
• Renaissance Reader - 10 books
• Medieval - 15 books
• Ancient History -25+ books

The challenge runs from 1 January to 31 December 2013.

I will be reading up to the Ancient History Level (25+ books)

2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

1.  “Wild Burn” By: Edie Harris

2.

3.

4.

5. “Lord of Wicked Intentions” By: Lorraine Heath

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7.

8.

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10.