The Importance of Being Wicked - Book Review

In the second appearance of Viscount Stillwell, Win has lost part of his beloved Fairbrough Hall.  A fire has taken from him a lot of history and important items. However everything else is safe.  The story opens with the thought that "It could have been worse".  However now he has to repair the damage done to his home in time for the ball that will be happening at the end of June.  This leads him the firm of Garret and Tempest, which is owned by a Widow Lady Miranda Garrett.

The Good:

This book picks up where the Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements leaves off.  We finally get to hear everything that happens to Win our beloved lord with horrible luck with women.  As he and Miranda start a love affair, secrets could be the thing to pull them apart.  There are a lot of elements of humor in this book as well as some heart tugging moments. If you had read the prequel to this then you are most familiar with Lord Stillwell and his luck.  It was great to finally see something start to work out for him.

The indifferent:

While I really did enjoy this book it followed the standard romance formula.  Girl and boy meet, they don't like each other, they start to like each other about half way through the book they have sex.  Then Girl or Boy does something stupid and they part for a while only to be reunited and married at the end.  However, while it follows the exact romance outline it was still a very enjoyable read.

The Bad:

Not everything done by the Characters makes sense to me.  The things that Miranda's brother does are still a little off feeling and I am surprised that almost no one but Lord Stillwell picked up on Miranda's personality.

Overall:

This was a great conclusion to Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements it was defiantly worth a read.  In the Victoria Alexander way, she once again managed to make a normal romance story spark with passion.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

The Demon Lover - Book Review

The story starts with our heroin Callie Mcfay looking for a job at Fairwick College.   She has her life figured out.  She has loving boyfriend who will be joining her soon on the east coast, her career as a published author has allowed her some freedom and soon she will be teaching in New York City.  That is until she lays her eyes on the Honeysuckle house and decides to stay at Fairwick.  From then on things start to change, her dreams are invaded by an incubus there is something wrong with the dean of the school, she has to put up with a royal pain in the butt, and almost none of the other teachers are what they seem, and what is up with eastern European professors? 

Juliet Dark takes us on a fantastic journey though the good and the bad of the magical world, Callie goes through many trials that include learning about herself and a world that no one thought real, she deals with prejudice, loss, pain, fear, anger and clingy students. 

The good:

This book is full of amazing starts to the stories including long standing curses, quirky roommates and everything else that can go on with College life.  Add in the fact that witches and the Fay are real and that Callie may play a larger part than what she thought and you end up with a fantastic first story.  This story has it all, more than one mystery, romance, adventure, and pity for the most unlikely caricatures. 

There is a lot of sex used in this story but it furthers the story, it is not used gratuitously, each scene has a point and a reason.  I love that since it makes everything work.

The Indifferent:

Since there is an incubus involved there are a whole lot of steamy scenes.  I really enjoyed them but others may not.  While the scenes are not overly graphic or long this book is not recommended for someone 15 or below, at least in my opinion.

The Bad:

The only bad I could find in this story was that it ended where it did.  I love some of the characters and hope that the second book brings them back into Callie's life.  Yes this story really is "to be continued".

Overall:

If you are looking for a steamy novel that is filled with wonder, mystery and romance than this would be a great pick.  I personally give it five Stars for an original story line and a fantastic character list.  Juliet Dark brings this story to life in a way that I really enjoyed.  

If you are interested in this story it should be available at your local book store.  Or if you wish to get it online it is The Demon Lover. 

The Reluctant Countess

The description of the book reads

Regal, poised, and elegant, Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is everything that a highborn lady should be. But Sophie is hiding a past that is far from royal. When Patrick, Earl of Coulter, realizes that her story doesn’t add up, he resolves to find out the truth of what Sophie and her sister-in-law are concealing. Although Sophie has every reason to avoid him, the handsome and charismatic Patrick awakens something wicked deep within her soul . . . a powerful need that Sophie must stifle in order to protect her place in society.

Despite Sophie’s humble background, the raven-haired beauty has won Patrick’s heart. But what Sophie needs now is an ally. Viscount Myles Dumbly, the disgruntled former heir of Monmouth, is determined to expose Sophie as a fraud to recapture his lost inheritance. Soon Patrick is drawn into a fight for both their lives. Somehow he must find a way not only to rescue Sophie from poverty once and for all, but to keep her in his arms forever.

I found the book to be rather fun.  Sophie is everything that a lady should be, except she really has a secret that she is hiding.  This leads Viscount Myles Dumbly to decide that something is wrong with her and he is going to find out what it is.  This leads the two on a merry and sexually charged chase.

The Good:

This book has everything one would expect out of a Historical romance, a dashing lord, a beautiful woman, a secret and a blooming love that will not be ignored.
The character development makes sense and it has set the author up for further books. 
Each person is believable with both positives and a mixture of faults.

The indifferent:

There are some really great sex scenes, however, there is nothing new and in some cases they could have been cut down a little.  However, if you are looking for a steamy romance book then this is a good choice.

The Bad:

While there is a great set up we receive gratification almost too quickly. Normally one would have to wait until around halfway through a book before things really start to heat up.  That is not the case with this book.  Things start heating up much quicker than that. 

Overall:

Wendy Vella gives us a great book and a good example of historical romance, with very few historical inaccuracies that I could find. (Though I am not an expert) I recommend this book to those who like this style of romance. 

Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements

With it still being Book Review Wednesday for me, I figured I would post this review now instead instead of waiting for next week.  Two book reviews in one day!

I was allowed to review Vitoria Alexander's Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements.  The book is short only about 60 or so pages on my Nook.  The book covers Lord Stillwell and his engagements to three different women and how it they work out for him.  Each section is short and it starts within a week or so of the wedding.  While I would not put this under romance since there is almost no romantic scenes in the book.  I did find it very funny.

The Good:

This book is funny, and I really start to feel for Viscount Winfield Elliott and his inability to find the perfect bride.  He tries three different types of women, the amazingly beautiful, fun and fancy free sort, the lovely, smart but completely reserved type and then someone in the middle.  The description lists them as thus
"Miss Felicia Whitingdon, for instance, has youth, beauty, style, grace—and a handsome fortune. Lady Lucille Eustice is a widow of impeccable social standing, and a balm to my soul. Then there is Miss Caroline Hibbitt, sweet and charming in every way." While there is a happy ending I won't tell you for whom. 

The indifferent:

The first part of the book left me confused.  It starts with a letter to Viscount Elliott’s cousin and you have no idea what is going on.  There is no slow introduction into the story it starts immediately.
Also each story is very short and there is almost no background on the Viscount or the ladies who he plans to marry. 

The Bad:

If you are looking for a good romance than this is not your book, While it is listed as romance it is more humor and a set up book for a future book to come.  I see some of these characters being used in future books.  The book being short does not allow a reader to feel satisfied, it is more like a “to be continued” episode.

I look forward to seeing what Author Victoria Alexander has for us in the future.