desires of a perfect lady.

A Secret list of the Desires of Lady Olivia Rathbourne
1) Disregard convention
2) Follow my heart
3) Bed the Earl of Wyldewood

A decade ago, Olivia had expected to marry the Earl of Wyldewood, only to have happiness stolen from her before his ring could be placed upon her finger. Now, he stands before her, as proud and arrogant and handsome as ever, vowing to rescue her. Well, he’s got some nerve turning up after all these years. Where was he when she needed him?

As for the Earl, scandal has never touched him nor has impropriety ever besmirched his name. But his penchant for doing the expected does have his family calling him, well, dull. Isn’t it time to flaunt society’s conventions and do what he’s always wanted? And first on his list: Olivia in his bed—with or without a wedding.
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Another historical, yippee! This time will be better, I promise. I truly am sorry about that last one. All I can do is apologize!

This is not my first Victoria Alexander, and it won't be my last. It doesn't surpass my favorite Alexander (A Visit from Sir Nicholas), but it's still good. I picked it up in a UBS a couple days ago and used it to jump back into reading. (I am so very behind my reading goal on GoodReads it's embarrassing, really.)

What the blurb doesn't tell you is that Olivia has to turn to Sterling to help fulfill the requirements of her late husband's will. The best parts between the two of them happen on their adventure. Alexander turns Sterling into this fantastic man on the trip and I absolutely loved him. And Olivia wasn't too bad either. In Desires..., I liked the whole cast of characters - from Sterling's mother and the brief glimpses of his brothers (I've got to get my hands on their stories) to Josiah, the solicitor who joined Olivia and Sterling on their trip.

With this one under my belt, I shall now tackle my ever-growing TBR pile. Look for a bit more variety in the upcoming reviews, my friends.

a season of seduction.

A Season of Seduction by Jennifer Haymore

Although the widowed Lady Rebecca has sworn off marriage, men are another matter. London's cold winter nights have her dreaming of warmer pursuits-like finding a lover to satisfy her hungry heart. Someone handsome, discreet, and most importantly as uninterested in marriage as she is. Someone like Jack Fulton.

A known adventurer and playboy, Jack seems like the perfect choice. There's just one problem: Jack isn't interested in an affair. He needs the beautiful, mysterious Lady Rebecca to be his wife. And he doesn't have much time to persuade her. A secret from Jack's past is about to surface, and by Christmas Day he'll be either married to Rebecca or dead.
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Apparently, this was not posted, because the review was written. And now, I don't remember the story! Don't you hate when that happens? You know what that means, right? I'm going to be quite quick about this. Not only do I not remember the specifics, but I'm not entirely sure where the book is right now. Eek.

Hm. What I do remember is that I enjoyed reading this. I have the hardest time finding good historical romance these days and decided to give this author a try. Oddly enough, the other new historical author I read is also named Jennifer (Ashley). Here, Rebecca is attempting an affair, while Jack is planning to marry her. He ensures that her family finds them in a compromising position and spends the next few weeks courting her and trying to convince her to marry him. Obviously, she finds out the true meaning behind the courtship and flees. I do remember really liking the characters and the feeling in the book. I've also felt like historicals have more depth of feeling than some of the other romance subgenres.

Though it was released as a holiday title, don't let that scare you off (I read it in April, I think). Or you can wait til the holidays come back around again. I do so love holiday themed romances.

lady isabella's scandalous marriage.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage is the second in Jennifer Ashley's Highland Pleasures series, this one focusing on Mac Mackenzie. Those who read the previous novel in the series, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, are familiar with Isabella and Mac and their separation. For those that did not have the pleasure of reading it, Ashley does a great job of including enough information about the first book without retelling the entire story.

Isabella and Mac have been separated for three years, though both are still in love with each other. I won't go into details and tell too much of what's going on, but Mac is persuaded by Ian to try harder to get his wife back. What I really liked about this was that Isabella didn't cave in as soon as Mac made an effort to put their marriage to rights. Throughout the book, both characters actually talked about the issues in their relationship. Furthermore, Ashley includes flashbacks so that the reader knows what transpired between them, helping to form a better image of the couple.

The strength of this series, in my opinion, is the characters more than the plot. So far, there is not one of the Mackenzies that I do not like. I thought it was great how they all continued to care about and support Isabella despite her estrangement from Mac.

This novel also introduced the heroine for the next book, Ainsley Douglas. And now, I cannot wait for the next installment, The Many Sins of Cameron Mackenzie.