The Convict's Bounty Bride - Review-

Lena Dowling offers us a unique romance story about a man who allowed himself to be sent to an Australian prison colony in return for money and a bride.

James Hunter knew what he wanted and needed to get ahead.  He just never realized that both what he wanted, needed and bargained for could be found in the same woman.  Lady Thea Willers is a headstrong, opinionated woman who hates the idea of marriage, loves to ride astride a horse and wants a job with her father at the bank.  She has no place in her life for a man and especially not the man that she was basically sold too.  In return for keeping her brother out of jail her father bargained her!

Lena Dowling takes on a fast romantic story with all of the elements.  I say fast since this is a Novella and only about 65 pages.  It is a quick and easy read for those without a lot of time.  It give you everything a full romance gives you but in less book space.

The only downside to this book is that it is so short you really don't get many of the details you crave.  Everything happens too fast to be fully satisfying.  However, I know this is the risk that you run anytime you read any Novella.  I would love to read some of Dowlings full sized books to get a real understanding of her abilities as an author. 

One More Kiss -Review-

One more kiss by Mary Blayney takes the classic romance story and perfects it.  This story is about a handsome yet misunderstood rake with a long history of being involved in scandalous behavior, and a young wealthy woman just coming into her own.  Thrown in twins, a rivalry, a gambling issue, a dog, a murder, and a house party and you have the recipe for a very entertaining book. 

Blayney took the extra steps to ensure that she had a thoroughly entertaining romance story.  While the subjects of this book may be based in a cliché the results are not.  Lord Jess is not what you would expect from a rake and Beatrice is almost as far from a perfect lady as one can get.

There was a bonus in the story, not only one love story occurred but you ended up with four.  With only two of them brought into focus.  While I normally don't like this because I don't like feeling lost or a lot of view point jumping, Blayney managed to do this in a way where it was sweet instead of annoying. 

If you are looking for a good historical romance story than I strongly suggest that you give One More Kiss a try. I found this story completely entertaining and I was very sorry to see it end.