What an Earl Wants by Kasey Michaels

Jessica Linden has had a rough five years with it ending in her husbands death.  Relived, she opens up a gaming hell to save up enough funds to open an inn and live quietly, determined to never marry again and be under a mans control.  When her father, with whom she is estranged, also dies she tries to get custody of her half brother and prepares to battle his guardian, Gideon Regrave, Earl of Saltwood.  Gideon is drawn to this fiery beauty and wants to know all her secrets and allows her to remeet her brother after so many years apart...and see what a silly fop he is now.  But more important than the custody battle, which is quickly set aside, is the quest for the truth about their late fathers and who they truly were and what they truly did.  As more and more is uncovered, Jessica and Gideon realize what a dangerous society they could be revealing.  Doing all they can to stay ahead of the game, they take measures to ensure the safety of all those possibly involved.  It quickly becomes clear, though, that this mysterious society is still alive and strong and still as dangerous as ever.  And what of the passion that burns between Jessica and Gideon?  Will Jessica be able to trust her life to another man and find happiness?

This is a book you want to sit down and just read without a lot of interruptions as there is so much information being given throughout the story.  I felt a little lost in the beginning as Jessica and Gideon meet right away and get right to the heart of the mystery aspect regarding the Society and there were a lot of names and places to sort through.  But I kept going, mainly because I loved the chemistry between our couple and I wanted to know all the secrets that I knew were going to come and with having read Kasey Michaels before, I knew that the twists would be coming and I was right.  As more and more is revealed about the Society, through some great secondary characters like the dowager Countess (she is an absolute hoot!), you are drawn deeper into a dark, twisted Society.  I really enjoyed watching Jessica and Gideons relationship grow from an almost protective attraction to a deep lasting love.  There is no major misunderstandings or mishaps...Jessica stands up for her feelings and Gideon respects that without being overbearing.  Jessica is strong, smart, brave and has a good sense of humor and is paired nicely with the protective, caring Gideon.  Gideon and his family, two brothers and a sister, may flaunt their scandalous past but when it comes to those they love, they are serious.  The mystery aspect surrounding the Society in this story is tied up but new threads are opened that will continue on in the next books and I'm anxious to see where they will lead.  So even though I felt a bit lost at times with all the information being revealed, once I was able to settle in and just read without my kids around, I really found myself sucked in and enjoying the tale.  Overall, a fast, twisting story with a smoldering romance that will leave you ready for more.  4 stars

eARC provided by Harlequin via netgalley

The Redgraves series
Three more titles to come. . .

Much Ado About Rogues by Kasey Michaels

'Black Jack' Blackthorn.  He has been very mysterious in the previous two books in this series so I was happy to finally have his story.  What exactly Jack does is a mystery to his two brothers but when Jack's mentor, who taught him all his tricks from killing to stealing, goes missing, the government assigns him one last task--to find him.  There is just one little problem with that--his mentors daughter.  His one true love, the woman he was forced to betray, Lady Tess.

Tess knows that once her father goes missing that the only man who will come to find him is Jack.  Jack--the man she loves and the man who she betrayed and is hiding a secret from.  However, when Jack appears to confront her about her father, it is her fathers secrets that almost shatter her.  Circumstances force our couple to engage on a journey to find Tess' father and along the way, secrets are reveled, passion is reignited and barriers surrounding their battered hearts are slowly beaten down.

 I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book.  On one hand I was anxious to read about this mysterious, private man and learn all his deep, dark secrets but as all the twists and turns were revealed, I wasn't sure if I liked them all.  It was very interesting to see this different side of Jack--a man deeply passionate about the women he loved and lost and his hope to reclaim that love for the future.  He tries to soften the reality of what Tess' father has done and he is there to help Tess overcome her sadness and rage.  We get to see a bit more of his brothers, especially Puck, and I was happy with the resolution of his personal family drama involving his mother and father.  Tess is strong and plucky and seems to handle all the unexpected drama fairly well.  Overall, I liked this book but I just don't think I was in the mood for the darkness of this book when I read it.  Ms Michaels again delivers a nasty villain and plenty of twists and turns that will leave your head spinning.  So, while not my favorite of this series this was still a solid conclusion to an interesting series.  3 1/2 stars

I received this eARC from the publisher via netgalley.com

Blackthorn Brothers
Could be read as a standalone but best enjoyed in the series

New Covers

Here are some new covers that I have noticed around cyberspace this week~

First up is the first cover for Elise Rome's debut series! I love this cover...the blue and the mask make it pop and look mysterious at the same time. No definite release date at this time but hopefully by the end of January she has said. Yay!

Sigh.... I love this cover. The green. The handsome guy. Very pretty and a clever way to make the long title fit nicely. Look for book book five in the Lords of Vice series, All Afternoon with a Scandalous Marquess on July 31st.

I love purple so this is another winner of a cover for me! I have read a couple of Sherry Thomas' books and they were just ok for me but I am excited for her new trilogy coming up and hope to see if my tastes have improved :) Look for Ravishing the Heiress around July 3rd.

Almost a Scandal is the start of a series called Reckless Brides from Elizabeth Essex. I can't find much information about the book or the series but I am intrigued just based on the cover alone. This one also releases July 31st.

Now I know I just said I love purple and I do love the purple of this cover but the rest is just sort of ho-hum for me. I feel like the female is a bit too made up for my tastes and I'm not particularly found of the bodice of the dress. Picky picky I know! (Oh, but I do like that the male is wearing black instead of the usual white) That being said, I can't wait to read Much Ado About Rogues as it is the Blackthorn Brothers' story! I am so intrigued to see what Black Jack has been up too :) Look for this March 20th.

Last up is the cover and stepback for book three in the Donovan series from Jennifer Haymore. I'm pretty excited for this one as well as Meg is believed dead in the first book so that should make things interesting :) This one is out August 1st.

So, what about you? Any of these covers catch your eye and you can't wait to dive into?

Mid-End of November Releases

Upcoming November 15th releases



November 22nd



November 29th



Overall, I think its nice to seem them all spread out a bit.  Its much easier to convince myself to buy one book a week instead of three or four on one day :)  Any in particular that you are looking forward to?  I have had the pleasure of already reading Pride and Passion, A Midsummer Night's Sin, and Brazen but I have my eye on Desired as I have had a few friends recommend it highly.  Also looking forward to the latest in Sabrina Jeffries fun series about brothers and sisters who must all marry within a year to claim their inheritance.  A Scottish Love got a good review from RT Magazine so I hope to try Karen Ranney with this one.
Hang on to those wallets friends because December is looking to be a huge debt maker with lots and lots of great releases coming out!  Wish for gift cards from good old Saint Nick!

A Midsummer Night's Sin by Kasey Michaels

Regina Hackett believes she is on the way to yet another recital with her cousin Miranda so she can be shown off to her best advantage as her fathers only goal for her is to marry no less than an earl for him.  But when Miranda springs the idea of attending a masquerade ball, Regina is reluctantly talked into switching plans.  After all, the freedom to just dance and be herself for just a bit of time is to hard to resist as she is tired of always being perfect for fear of her fathers wrath.  While at the ball, she dances one magical dance with a dashing man and then takes a moonlight stroll and shares a forbidden kiss.  But as the man whispers in French of all the naughty things he would like to do with her, her sanity returns and she quickly flees...only to find Miranda missing and in that quick moment, her life is changed forever.

Robin Blackthorn, better known as Puck, thinks he is out in the gardens sharing a passionate embrace with a lady of the night and is aghast when he realizes that the beauty he is with is an innocent.  He decides to quickly forget her but when he learns that her cousin is missing and then proceeds to find signs of a struggle, he is drawn back to Regina.  He knows that they can truly never be together, he is a bastard son of an earl and can not marry the daughter of wealthy merchant who is basically shopping Regina around for his own good.  But he can not turn away from the situation involving Regina, especially as quite a few petite, blond young ladies have been disappearing off the streets.  He believes these woman are being sold and reassures Regina that they will find Miranda unharmed as she is a virgin and therefore much more valuable.  Together, they set out to find Miranda and must overcome many hurdles to the heart and to the body.

Overall, this was a good story that moved quickly along.  I guessed the mystery aspect early on but the how and why still alluded me and had me flipping the pages.  Kasey Michaels seems to have a knack for writing some creepy characters and this time it is Reginas absolutely dreadful father.  Shudder.  Crazy man.  If you read the previous book in this series, The Taming of the Rake, you know we met Puck in that story and he was just a delight and I am happy to say his own story was a delight as well.  Puck is just the sort of man we all wished we knew and loved.  He's handsome with his slightly too long hair and mesmerizing eyes,  he's funny and charming, but he is also strong, protective and steadfast.  Together with Regina, who is also strong, stubborn and steadfast, they are good pairing.  Regina is resigned to her fate laid out by her father, but she wants to remember one night of true passion with a man she desires and Puck tries to resist but sigh, they never can resist to long.  But once again, the other brother almost stole the show (Puck almost stole Beaus story for me) and we learned and saw a bit more of the middle bastard brother, Black Jack, and I can not wait for his story now!  If you enjoy a romance with a darker side story but still reads easily with a strong cast of characters that find a way to emerge from near tragedy, this is a great one to check out.  4 stars

I received this ebook from the publisher via netgalley.com

Blackthorn Brothers series
Can be read out of order but probably best enjoyed read in order of series
Out now
Much Ado About Rogues   Release date Feb 2012

The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels

Thanks to his somewhat fickle, Shakespeare loving mother, Oliver Le Beau Blackthorn and his two brothers, are bastard sons of a earl but raised with every convenience expected as heirs except for acceptance into society.  So when a young, silly in love, Beau decides to propose to the beautiful Lady Madelyn, daughter of an earl, he dressed to impress and expects a delightful 'yes!'.  Oh but what follows is cruel and beyond hurtful to both his pride and body and changes Beau from a happy, not to many cares young man into a grown man intent of revenge on Lady Madelyns spiteful brother, Thomas.  He gives not much more than a passing thought to the young lady there who teased him and offered an apology, until she turns up on his doorstep seven years later.

Lady Chelsea, Madelyns younger sister, is in dire straits.  Her now God-fearing brother Thomas has decided to marry his sister to his esteemed, but always wet mouthed (shudder) Reverend Francis Flotley.  Naturally, this causes much alarm to Chelsea as she can plainly see that the reverend is just using Thomas for his money and refuses to marry the awful man.  As she knows some of what Beau has been up to these past seven years, she decides to bring forth her proposition of them marrying as it would benefit them both.  She would not have to marry the reverend and in return she will not tell her brother what Beau has been doing to his business earnings.  When Chelsea arrives with this plan, in broad daylight and with no chaperone, even in his slightly drunken haze, he agrees knowing that it could mean his death from Thomas, who surely will challenge him.

What follows is a slightly mad-cap of comedies along the way to Gretna Green.  We get the lovely addition of Olivers (as Chelsea calls him) brother, Puck who is quite of bit of fun and had me laughing quite a bit.  We get to watch Oliver and Chelsea try to ignore their growing attraction and eventual fire they create together.  Now, Chelsea is bossy and unpredictable, a mix of intelligence and naivete and this can get a bit annoying at times but I thought her overall determination and humor helped balance her out a bit.  She has no problems telling Oliver what she thinks and how their plans should go about and Oliver didn't seem to have much of a spine and always listened (though her plans were normally on par for the situation).   One of my favorite lines from the book that seems to sum up their relationship is this:  "God make have taken a rib from Adam to give to Eve but, one way or another, Eve had been bashing Adam over the head with it ever since."  Always makes me chuckle.

Overall, this was my first Kasey Michaels book and while I didn't love the main characters at times, I still rather enjoyed it.  The secondary characters add some fun, drama and general creepiness and bitchiness (in the form of the now not-so-lovely Madelyn).  I can not wait to read Pucks book, A Midsummer Night's Sin, and in the future the other brother, Black Jack, book.  This isn't a serious book, but rather a book full of eyebrow raising moments and twists and turns that leads to a satisfactory ending for not just Oliver and Chelsea but also for Chelsea and her brother and  the starting incident.  4 stars

I received this ebook from the publisher via netgalley.com