“An Unexpected Encounter (Half Moon House)” by Deb Marlow (currently part of the “Encounters With A Rogue” Set)

Note: “An Unexpected Encounter (Half Moon House)” is currently on sale as part of the “Encounters With A Rogue” two story set for $0.99 for a limited time. If you miss the sale or the set becomes unavailable you can still purchase  “An Unexpected Encounter (Half Moon House)” separately as a stand alone.

 

“An Unexpected Encounter (Half Moon House)” by Deb Marlowe:

 

Though I’m Still Kind of New to the “Half Moon House” books by Deb Marlowe, I Love Hestia!

 

The first book I read, written by Deb Marlowe was “A Waltz In The Park” (Book 2 in this set) as part of the “Encounter At Hyde Park” Collection and just had to know how Hestia got started, (more on that tomorrow, as I need to reread it to do a proper review). I had to go hunt down more of Deb’s books and found  “The Love List (Half Moon House Book 1)” (released 13 Nov 2013)(link included in case you are like me and need to know how something got started), and I became more in love with Hestia and what she stands for, but more importantly what she does to help women that find themselves in situations that they need a helping hand up. I love how in “An Expected Encounter“, Hestia still gives a helping hand, but not just to a woman who needed a hand up, but to everyone involved, particularly at the end (if I’d been physically capable, I would have been jumping for joy.)

I had a very difficult time putting “An Expected Encounter” down, though I really should have waited to start it when I woke up this morning, as I had kept myself up for 24 hours, starting and finishing the book I reviewed yesterday, but just couldn’t wait to start it. I did have to put it down though, but the first thing I did after I awoke this morning was finish the story. The ending was a great way to start my day.

“An Expected Encounter” is very well written and as I discovered when I realized the second book in the set sounded familiar (I read that one a little over 3 years ago), and found the book blurb on Amazon, “An Expected Encounter” ties into the “A Waltz in The Park”, but you will have to read them both to see how.

“An Expected Encounter” works well as a stand alone book and reading it out of any particular order should not be an issue. I usually try to read things in order, but I was introduced to Deb’s books out of order and I’ve just gone with when I get them I read them (as close to as when I got them as possible)

There is one part of the book that has a bit of sexual activity, while not described in an unnecessary (like we don’t have an imagination) way there is still enough there that I have to give this one a hard PG or a soft R.

My Rating:  (using my Purple Butterfly System)

I give “An Expected Encounter” 5 Purple Butterflies.

Coming Tomorrow:

Book 2 of “Encounters With A Rogue:”  “A Waltz in the Park” (A Half Moon House Novella)” Released 24 Feb 2015

“The Gambler Wagers Her Baron (Craven House Book 4)”: by Christina McKnight

*NOTE: “The Gambler Wagers Her Baron (Craven House Book 4)” was released on 26 June 2018! Get your copy at the following locations:

Amazon – https://amzn.to/2Kp6Zya

iBooks – https://apple.co/2rJokuH

B&N – https://bit.ly/2jYC14B

Kobo – https://bit.ly/2GlW0mz

When happily ever after is the name of the game, gamblers must risk it all in this emotional conclusion to Christina McKnight’s bestselling Craven House series

This Review is of the 4th and Last Book in the ”Craven House Series” by Christina McKnight

 

“The Gambler Wagers Her Baron” by Christina McKnight

Dealing With The Loss of A Loved One

While this is Payton’s, the youngest daughter, story, one of the things that I love about this particular book is that Christina McKnight is able to show many of the sides of grief over the loss of a family member and how different people in the same family and other families process that grief and how we can all help each other through the difficult time that follows trying to process the loss and how try to move on afterwards.

 

“The Gambler Wagers Her Baron” is very well written, and I literally only put it down to eat, though my intent after I ate was to finish the chapter I was reading at the time and go to sleep because I had been awake 21 hours at that point. Next thing I knew it was 3 1/2 hours later and I’d finished the book. It really is that good.

“The Gambler Wagers Her Baron” works well as a stand alone book as well as being the end of the series, and if you read the series out of order, it really shouldn’t be an issue, unless you are like me and just MUST read things in order.

 

My Rating:  (using the new Purple Butterfly System)

I give “The Gambler Wagers Her Baron” 5 Purple Butterflies.

 In Reviewing My Reviews, I Missed Some:

“The Thief Steals Her Earl (Craven House Book One)“

For more information about Judith’s Story, and the Kindle Edition is $0.99 click Here, but hurry as this price won’t last long.

“The Mistress Enchants Her Marquis (Craven House Book 2)”

For more information about Samantha’s Story click Here

“The Madame Catches Her Duke (Craven House Book 3)

I have not read this one yet so I cannot honestly rate it yet, however you can find more information about this book Here.

Story #6: “A Lady Hoyden’s Secret” by Dawn Brower, From: “It Started With A Whisper”-A Historical Romance Collection. (Released June 5, 2018)*

*NOTE: “A Lady Hoyden’s Secret (Bluestockings Defying Rogues Book 2)” was released as a stand alone June 5, 2018. The “It Started with a Whisper” Collection is no longer available.

 

Story #6: “A Lady Hoyden’s Secret” by Dawn Brower

Mystery Person:

The Mystery of Lady X is finally solved in this story. Now I understand how they seem to be everywhere! You’ll have to read the book to find out who it is and figure out how they do it. Most definitely worth a couple of hours to read it.

The Story:

“A Lady Hoyden’s Secret” is a traditional Historical Romance, in a sense. What I love about this particular story is that the woman is smart enough to figure out how to achieve something that many women in that era could not. She was determined to be dependent on no one, and was definitely able to accomplish that.

I would rate this story a G, and definitely is not boring. This novella is definitely a quick read, and also difficult to put down.

Stand Alone? Or No?:

While “A Lady Hoyden’s Secret” is the sixth story of the “It Started With A Whisper” Romance Collection, I do believe that this could well be a stand alone book. (And as I said above in my note it is available now.)

My Rating:  (using the new Purple Butterfly System)

I give “A Lady Hoyden’s Secret” 5 Purple Butterflies.

Coming up next: “The Gambler Wager Her Baron” by Christina McKnight

Released 26 Jun 2018 and available at the following locations:

Amazon – https://amzn.to/2Kp6Zya

iBooks – https://apple.co/2rJokuH

B&N – https://bit.ly/2jYC14B

Kobo – https://bit.ly/2GlW0mz

When happily ever after is the name of the game, gamblers must risk it all in this emotional conclusion to Christina McKnight’s bestselling Craven House series

Story #5: “How To Land An Earl in Ten Days”by Ava Stone From: “It Started With A Whisper”-A Historical Romance Collection. (Released May 18, 2018)*

*NOTE: “How to Land an Earl in Ten Days:Heart of an Heiress” (Regency Hearts Book #3) was released as a stand alone May 8, 2018. The “It Started with a Whisper” Collection is no longer available.

Story #5: “How to Land an Earl in Ten Days” by Ava Stone

Mystery Person:

Lady X is still a mystery. She seems to have access to gain knowledge from the infamous Betting Book at White’s, appears to be everywhere, however, in this story she was rather quiet after her initial announcement, and no one seemed to be concerned as to her identity, so there are no clues in this story, unfortunately. Maybe in the next one?

The Story:

“How to Land an Earl in Ten Days” had more of the traditional Historical Romance style to it, but the way Ava Stone brings the characters to life you can’t help but feel like you are there in White’s with the gentlemen as they place their wager, or at the fair wanting or not wanting to ride the “Wheel of Pleasure”, and one part of the story had me crying with the character. I was definitely feeling her pain and frustration.

I would rate this story a soft PG, but only because of a couple wordings and one scene, and definitely is not boring. This novella is definitely a quick read, and also difficult to put down.

Stand Alone? Or No?:

While “How to Land an Earl in Ten Days” is the fifth story of the “It Started With A Whisper” Romance Collection, I do believe that this could well be a stand alone book. (And as I said above in my note it is available now.)

My Rating:  (using the new Purple Butterfly System)

I give “How to Land an Earl in Ten Days” 5 Purple Butterflies.

Note: One more to go in this boxed set.

Story #3: “The Lady Loves A Scandal” by Christina McKnight From: “It Started With A Whisper”-A Historical Romance Collection. (Released Jan 23, 2018)

Be sure to see my “Note From T” in my blog two days ago.

Story #3: “The Lady Loves A Scandal” by Christina McKnight

Mystery Person:

Of course, the identity of the Mystery Person, known only as Lady X, is still a mystery. There were absolutely NO clues in this story as to their identity.

The Story:

Christina McKnight is also one of my most favorite authors. She also never fails to pull me into the story immediately and in “The Lady Loves A Scandal” not only did Christina draw me in immediately, but she also did what few authors have ever been able to do. She had me crying with Lady Sybil. I mean real crying with real tears on my part. I felt her pain and her turmoil that strongly through the entire story.

This story is definitely rated G, (thankfully), and definitely not boring. This novella is definitely a quick read, and difficult to put down.

Stand Alone? Or No?:

While “The Lady Loves A Scandal” is the third story of the “It Started With A Whisper” Romance Collection, I do believe that this could well be a stand alone book.

My Rating:  (using the new Purple Butterfly System)

I give “The Lady Loves A Scandal” 5 Purple Butterflies.

p.s.

After reviewing each individual story I will do a review of the entire collection as a set. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be doing that when I started, however, I feel this collection deserves an over all review as well.

 

Story #1: “One Moonlit Tryst” by Amanda Mariel From: “It Started With A Whisper”-A Historical Romance Collection. (Released Jan 23, 2018)

A Note From T:

Normally these collections are previously published novellas, grouped together. “It Started With A Whisper” is “(ALL NEW MATERIAL)” according to Amazon.com. I didn’t realize until I was gathering information for this review, and because it is all new material, normally I would read them all and then give my review on the entire collection.

I’m not going to do that this time. My reasoning is:

1. When I read too many books, (yes I know, no such thing as too many books), back to back I get my facts mixed up. By reviewing each story in the series separately I will avoid mixing facts.
2. In as much as the series appears to have one mysterious person in common, reviewing each separately will help me to review the mysterious character.
3. I want to be able to recommend each as a stand alone, if applicable. By reviewing them separately I will be able to tell you if the story could be a stand alone novella.

Story #1: “One Moonlit Tryst” by Amanda Mariel

Mystery Person:

When I started reading this story I had a million personal things going on, and at first I had trouble devoting my attention to the story. This, however was NOT the fault of the author or the story. The second the entry from “the gossip column” showed up on my Kindle I knew the story was going to be intriguing, and I was already hooked. I don’t know why, exactly, I like these stories (with the gossip of the day at the beginning of each chapter)…but I have to say this one really has me intrigued and I’m trying to figure out who the heck the mysterious person is. Normally I have a clue at the beginning. I got all the way through this one and still don’t know who it is.

The Story:

One of the problems with reading (and probably writing) a particular genre is the stories have a tendency to blend in to one another (hence my Note #1 above). What fascinates me is that Amanda Mariel can still draw me in and get me wrapped up in the feeling of her characters and their adventures. I was totally able to identify with everything that Tabitha was feeling.

Also, since I seem to have started rating books based on particular content, this story is definitely rated G, (thankfully), and definitely not boring. Once I was able to put the world on hold for a bit, I couldn’t put this story down until I finished it.

Stand Alone? Or No?:

While “One Moonlit Tryst” is the opening story of the “It Started With A Whisper” Romance Collection, I do believe that this could well be a stand alone book.

My Rating:  (using the Amazon Star Method {I really need to come up with my own…hmmm}

I give “One Moonlit Tryst” 5 Stars.

RATING SYSTEM UPDATE:

I just came up with my own rating system using Purple (my favorite color) Butterflies (because they go on a migratory adventures) . Works the same way as stars but with Purple Butterflies.

I give “One Moonlit Tryst” 5 Purple Butterflies.

A Review of “Historical Hellions” In The Order of the Box Set, Review #3: “Secrets In Scarlet” by Erica Monroe

I’m really behind on my reading as I’ve had a lot going on.

“Secrets In Scarlet” by Erica Monroe was originally published 09 Sep 2014, then republished 23 Sep 2014 by Quillfire Publishing as a standalone, the second installment of Erica Monroe’s Rookery Rogues Series. You can read the synopsis here.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed “Secrets In Scarlet”! It has all of the elements that I love to read: Mystery, Detective work, Historical Significance, Adventure. The only thing missing was Science Fiction, but that in no way took away my enjoyment of this story. And while it did contain some sexual scenes here and there, they were not drawn out, as they were with the first book in this boxed set (which apparently is no longer available, my apologies to the authors).

Another thing I particularly liked is found at the end of the book, where Erica takes the time to explain some of the historical aspects of the book, or where she had to deviate from them for the purpose of the story. It’s particularly good for those readers who 1) want to know more about some things that are mentioned in the story and 2) for those history buffs that prefer their Historical Romances to be true to life. Definitely a win/win.

I also found at the end of the book the titles of the remaining Rookery Rogue Series and I now have to go back and read the first, (I really do not like reading stories out of their series order, however, I don’t think it will be a problem as far as confusing me as to what is going on, but will clarify some things mentioned in “Secrets In Scarlet”, though while intertwined (I am guessing here) into Poppy and Thaddeus’s story, really didn’t make me crazy as happens most of the time when I start a series out of order. This is a great thing, especially in this case).

Using the Amazon star rating I give this book in the box set (and the stand alone) five stars!!!!

Other books in the series include:

A Dangerous Invitation (The Rookery Rogues Book 1) (Kate and Daniel’s Story)

Secrets in Scarlet (The Rookery Rogues Book 2) (Poppy and Thaddeus’s Story)

Beauty and the Rake (Abigail and Michael’s Story)

Stealing the Rogue’s Heart (Mina and Charlie’s Story)

The Lady Rebels (Sally and Matthew’s Story) Coming May 2018

There are more books in this boxed set that will be read and reviewed, but I have to deviate for two books…stay tuned.

A Review of “Historical Hellions” In The Order of the Box Set, Review #1 “The Pursuit of Pleasure” by Elizabeth Essex

 

Elizabeth Essex is a new to me author, and I’m not sure that I will be reading anymore of her books. She is a great writer, but I really have problems with “The Pursuit of Pleasure, (Dartmouth Brides, #1), originally published in 2010 as a stand alone book, the first in a series of three books.

The story had me from the beginning, until the lengthy pages of sex. These scenes were way too drawn out, leaving nothing to feed or encourage the imagination. My first problem was I kept thinking, “If I wanted porn, I would have gone to the porn store and bought some”. I put this book down a lot, so I ended up being late for the early review (which was suppose to be done before April 11th of this year). The only reason I kept picking it back up was because I was interested in the actual story line. I also hate to not finish a book I’ve started, especially for a review. I feel like I skipped a great deal of the book just to get out of the porn scenes, so I could get on with the story. I finished the book disappointed because the actual story wasn’t developed more.

My second problem with this book is that it had a VERY FAMILIAR feel to it. As most of my readers are aware, Karen Hawkins is my all time favorite Historical and Contemporary Romance Writer, and I don’t usually compare Karen’s work to other authors as they all have their own merits. The more the scant details of the story finally unfolded, I was struck with “This story is pretty much the exact same story that Karen wrote”. Specifically, “Her Master and Commander”, originally published in 2006, and read by me way back in 2012.

I also have to add, Karen developed the story much much better, and when I finished “Her Master and Commander” I was not left disappointed at all.

I realize that sometimes there will be overlap on particular “events” in Historical Romance, and I’m not accusing of Ms. Essex of plagiarism…it just bothered me that “The Pursuit of Pleasure” was too much like “Her Master and Commander”, with only slight differences (if my memory serves), but not developed enough.

Using the Amazon star rating I can only give this book in the box set (and the stand alone) one star.

“Christmas in Duke Street” – A Review

“Christmas in Duke Street” is an anthology of four stories released on October 15, 2015:

“The Rake Who Loved Christmas” by Miranda Neville
“A Seduction in Winter” by Carolyn Jewel
“A Prince in Her Stocking” by Shana Galen and
“The Appeal of Christmas” by Grace Burrowes

One of the things that I love about anthologies over boxed set books is that they have a recurring theme or place. “Christmas in Duke Street” has both…Christmas being the theme and a very special book store as the place.
The bookstore’s real name is “Duke Street Books”, but as we learn in “The Rake Who Loved Christmas”, someone “with a bellyfull of wine and a pail of red paint embellished the sign” so it is now called by most everyone “On The Shelf” as it is stocked with “volumes of particular interest to ladies” and is referred to by one patron as “infested with spinsters”. Now this is not to be confused with “The Duke Street Bookshop” , the other “shop with the smae name on the (other) Duke Street near the northeast corner of Grosvenor Square” Where our outcast Prince from “A Prince in Her Stocking” finds the treasure he’s been searching the wrong bookstore for.
The flow of the first three stories is easy, intriguing, adventurous, and engrossing…the fourth story doesn’t have the same flow as closely with the other three, but instead has a flow of it’s own. In all, our heroes and heroines discover things about themselves that they hadn’t realized before, find love where they least expected it to be and have a Merry Christmas.

Available at:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016G1IEK4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1
Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-in-duke-street-grace-burrowes/1122823162?ean=9781517708672&quickview=true
books-a-million: http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=6103818900124&query=Christmas+in+duke+street&where=All