Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Pemberley House, #2 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Ward Knightley Heroine: Em Woodson Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: April 30, 2019 Started On: January 18, 2024 Finished On: January 19, 2024
A modern twist on Emma by Jane Austen, If I Loved You Less brings together two people who have always been in each other’s orbit but never imagined the quiet, familiar thread between them could ignite into something far more intense.
26 year old Em Woodson, is a vibrant, compassionate, and fiercely loyal daughter to her dependent father, and quite used to managing everyone’s lives—except her own. In contrast, 39 year old Ward Knightley, her longtime neighbor and her father’s close friend, has always been the calm in the storm—blunt, steady, and somewhat aloof and a rather critical presence in her life at times. But everything shifts when the low thrum of awareness between them begins to rise into something neither can ignore.
Neither Em no Ward start off pining for each other—this is no case of unrequited love on either side. Rather, it is a slow build-up of awareness between the two that seemingly springs out of nowhere, forcing them to confront their burgeoning feelings for one another. Em, who has sworn off marriage because it is not for the likes of her, but still hangs a wedding dress in her room, and Ward who has never thought beyond his failed marriage to moving onto greener pastures—neither is ready for the avalanche of feelings that catches them unawares.
While Ward is older, controlled, and more mature when it comes to Em, who at certain times comes off as rather bratty in my opinion—beneath that restraint is a man who has been waiting, even if he did not know it. He does not fall in love with Em because she has been in his life since childhood, but rather because of the woman she became: generous and thoughtful—even though at times, her meddling nature does more harm than good. Even if Em feels as if he does nothing but criticize her for her life choices, in truth, Ward has admired her long before desire entered the equation.
Em, for her part, is one of those heroines who gets under your skin without even trying. She’s loving but not naïve, self-aware but not jaded. Though she tells herself that she is not spoiled, there is a part of her that is, and seeks to get away with what she wants—the way she wants it. She may have never broken free of her family’s grasp, but she has carved out a life full of purpose for herself as much as she can under the circumstances. Her relationship with Ward feels like a natural extension of who she is—it grows organically from admiration, banter, comfort… and then something hotter and far more dangerous.
The real tension when it comes to how Em and Ward’s relationship evolves lies in the emotional shift—the moment they start to see each other differently for the first time. Neither of them pursues the other outright; instead, the tension builds through shared moments, moments in which they are caught unawares, which blooms slowly and then there is no forcing back the tidal wave that hits. It’s restrained, but thrilling—and somehow more electrifying for that matter.
I enjoyed the second installment in the Pemberly House series on so many levels. I loved both Em and Ward individually and together — how they both just fit right in with each other as if they had been waiting to call each other their home. I loved that both Em and Ward got the emotional space and attention they deserved. Their connection wasn’t a lightning bolt—it was the kind of slow ignition that feels inevitable and completely right.
Ward was definitely the highlight of the story. He was a man who had put his romantic life to sleep and suddenly found it stirred awake by a woman who had always been there. I loved that Ms. Adams did not try to fix Em’s family situation to make her more “available.” Instead, Ward fit himself into her world, accepting and embracing what mattered to her, and offering his love without conditions.
And the heat? Subtle, steady, and so well-done. That quiet, simmering sexual tension was better than many full-blown steamy scenes—it pulsed under every conversation, every look. And when it finally boiled over? Perfection.
Recommended for: Readers who love slow-burns that truly burn, age-gap romance done with emotional depth and maturity, and heroes who fall in love with the woman as she is, not as he wants her to be.
Final Verdict: Simmering tension, emotional richness, and a quietly magnetic hero who didn’t know what he was missing until she lit the spark. Ward makes this one unforgettable.
Favorite Quotes
He dropped his hand. “Why do you try to lie to me? I’ve known you since you were in diapers.” She scowled since she hated being reminded of that fact. “Your being thirteen years more ancient than me doesn’t mean you can read my mind. There are things about me that you’ll never know.” He stared at her, and there was something full and deep and slightly conflicted in the gaze. Something that left her breathless. “What don’t I know?” he asked in a low, rough voice.
Instead of turning the knob, he stood like a statue for several seconds. “Ward?” Em prompted, confused by his behavior. “I don’t always find fault with you,” he said, not turning around. “I think you’re amazing. The most amazing person I’ve ever known. And nothing is ever going to make me feel differently.” Em’s mouth dropped open, and she stared at his stiff back. She couldn’t make her voice work, and she had no idea what to say anyway. After another moment, Ward opened the door, stepped into the hall, and closed it behind him—leaving Em alone with a flurry of emotions that weren’t anything like she used to feel for Ward. At all.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Kindled,#4 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Zed Heroine: Esther Hamilton Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: December 29, 2022 Started On: January 07, 2024 Finished On: January 10, 2024
First published in December of 2022, Hero, the fourth installment of the Kindled series by Claire Kent was a delightful read for me in many ways. Ms. Kent has a remarkable ability to bring together characters that have nothing going for them initially, who would probably not have gotten together if life had not thrown a major apocalyptic disaster upon them, and making it all work splendidly.
Esther Hamilton is 18 years old when the catastrophic event of the asteroid impact occurs, altering life as people knew it on Earth. Esther was a freshman in college at the time, whose ambitious aspiration was to become an astronaut. When the apocalypse forces her into survival mode to take refuge with family in a remote cabin, that is when she meets 24 year old Zed, her step-uncle at the time.
Years later, things have changed to the point where Zed is now single father to Rina, his five year old daughter. Esther, who originally viewed Zed as someone with no ambition and aimless in life, finds herself part of a family unit that comprises of the three of them, working hard to survive the hard realities of life.
Esther suffers from deep rooted anxiety that gnaws at her, at how little control she has over the elements and their shared life. In the midst of it, learning to recognize and appreciate the changes that transforms Zed into someone she could not care for initially into someone she is fiercely attracted to, is jarring enough as it is. While initially this connection is reluctant and driven by circumstance, over time, it grows into one that is more complex and multi-layered.
I truly loved Zed and admired his growth as a character. He was an unserious man (as most men tend to be at a certain age), but as the story evolved and along came responsibilities in the form of his daughter and of course Esther, he reveals the layers to his character, transforming into a dependable and caring figure. In my opinion, Zed was love!
At the same time, Esther was a character that truly resonated with me; her independence, resilience, and determination to survive despite the hardships and all odds made me fall for her and root for her. Esther is a complex heroine (as Ms. Kent’s heroines in this series tend to be), and her inner conflicts and shock at the realization that she fancies none other than Zed and the possibility that he fancies her back is one more problem for her to agonize over.
It is even initially the way Zed’s care for Esther’s well-being goes beyond obligation, offering her comfort during moments of intense anxiety that comes with the high uncertainties in her life that makes this story give you the fuzzy feels. Their first impulsive sexual encounter breaks another barrier between them, which helps Esther to see Zed in a whole new light as Zed becomes more attuned to her needs and emotions. It is also Zed that calls Esther out for hiding her emotions, giving the reader insight into how well he actually knows Esther inside and out.
Recommended for readers who love survivalist themed romances. This series is a must-read!
Final Verdict: Disaster has a way of bringing out the hero in you; Zed’s transformation into a man who Esther could wholeheartedly desire, love, and depend on makes for great reading.
Favorite Quotes
Literally nothing else has a chance to exist in my mind. It’s entirely filled with vivid, intense images of me and Zed fucking. My body reacts to it. My heart rate picks up again but for a different reason now. All the energy from my earlier panic has transformed into something entirely different. It’s too much. I can’t control it. It’s like a foreign entity has taken possession of my body. And it’s that power—not me, it can’t be me—that’s reaching up to grab the sides of Zed’s head and pulling him down into a hard kiss.
I can’t believe we’re doing this. Having sex in the middle of the night. With each other. “What are we doing?” I toss my head back and forth on the mattress, trying to make myself think clear thoughts. “This isn’t right.” “Stop worrying about everything,” he mutters through a clenched jaw. It looks like he’s exerting great effort, and it’s the hottest thing. “Stop thinking for one fucking minute.” A wave of sensation slams into me then, and I follow his advice and push all my worries and mental stewing aside. Right now I need this.
Maybe it’s the helpless sound I make, but Zed is suddenly on fire. He makes a growling sound and palms my ass with one hand, lifting me up against the door in a quick, carnal move. I wrap my legs around him, partly because I need it for stability and partly because I want to feel the thick form of him between my thighs. His tongue is deep in my mouth, and he starts making a humping motion against me. It’s ridiculously hot. I squirm and gasp and try to squeeze him between my legs. “Damn,” he rasps at last. “You’re driving me out of my mind.”
“Esther.” I make a sobbing sound and lean forward so I can bite the curve of his shoulder, using it to smother the helpless sounds I’m making. He’s taking me hard and fast now, and my vision is blurring over. I squeeze him with my legs and dig my nails into his back and bite down hard on his shoulder as the pressure finally releases in intense waves of sensation. I come hard and messy all over him, around him, and he fucks me through it until he’s finally falling out of rhythm. “Sweet Jesus.” He swallows over the words as he pulls his cock out of me in a quick move and lets me down so my feet hit the floor. His face twists as he comes in several spurts against my chest and belly.
He reaches out to take me by the waist and pull me so I’m standing between his legs. He’s gazing up at me, his blue eyes hot. Strangely hungry. “Too lazy to even get up off your ass to do it right,” I say dryly. He chokes on a laugh. “Oh, I’m gonna do you right. You can count on it.” Before I can come up with an appropriate rejoinder, he’s swung me down onto the bed. I’m on my back, my upper body and butt on the mattress, but my legs hanging clumsily over the side. He moves over me. Kisses me deep and hard.
I feel completely out of control, and it’s a new, heady feeling for me. I clutch handfuls of the bedding beneath me, and bite my bottom lip over the helpless moans I’m making. “That’s right,” Zed mutters, his eyes raking up and down my body from my face to the place where his cock is moving in and out of me. “You’re doing so good. You’re taking it so good. Just let go. You can let go.”
He goes at it harder this time, holding on to fistfuls of my ass flesh so he can get good leverage to push. It’s aching but in a way I like. I need. I hear the shameless sounds I’m making and can’t believe they’re coming from me. I sound like an animal. So does he. We grunt and push and slap our flesh together until I’m coming again with a scream I barely manage to hide in the pillow.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Single Series: Standalone Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Josh Bennett Heroine: Leslie Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: July 20, 2014 Started On: January 05, 2024 Finished On: January 07, 2024
I went on a Claire Kent reading binge phase towards late 2023 which sort of fizzled out early 2024. It was wonderful while it lasted, and I believe I will still pick up some of her older science fiction novels at some point when I once again hit a reading slump or get in the mood for a pick-me-up romance which I know Ms. Kent will definitely deliver.
No Regrets is an apt title for the story that unfolds between 38 year old paralegal Leslie who grapples with her grief over losing Polly, her dog of eight years, and Josh Bennett, 34 year old veterinarian, who is new to Leslie’s town. Leslie made a vow to herself on her last birthday that she would live with no regrets, and nothing has changed in the past eleven months until tragedy comes calling.
Leslie and Josh’s first encounter takes place under emotionally charged circumstances, when Leslie is struggling to get her aging and very ill dog out of her car into the clinic. Josh who has recently joined as a partner to the clinic assists her, ends up making an impression on Leslie through his kindness and sensitivity in dealing with everything.
When Josh seeks her out to spend some time with Leslie knowing that she is going through an emotionally taxing time, one thing leads to another and before they know it, their mutual attraction ends in a no-strings-attached, one-night stand. From the start, Josh makes it clear that he is not looking for any long-term commitment, and Leslie, though she is not looking for meaningless hookups, says yes believing that it would be just a one time thing.
After the initial hookup which neither believed would amount to much, Leslie and Josh reconnect by chance at a bar and gradually establish a pseudo-relationship that is purely no strings attached. While Josh continues to stress that is not looking for a happily ever after, Leslie though hesitant at first, considers the proposition as part of resolution to live without regrets.
While Josh and Leslie continue on this path and enjoy each other’s company, the emotional intimacy between them develops and strengthens, where Josh starts showing glimpses of vulnerability and Leslie starting to want more than just casual intimacy. It takes a lot for Josh to finally reconcile with his past and work for something long lasting with Leslie, upon his realization that short-term and casual does not fit the path that he and Leslie have walked on.
I liked both Leslie and Josh. Leslie for her strength and vulnerability, her determination to live without regrets (which did not amount to much at first – something we can all relate to), her humor and self-awareness, and her ability to see through Josh. When it comes to Josh, it is his empathy and kindness, his complexity, his quiet strength, and towards the end, his transformation from an emotionally closed off man to someone who is more open to pursuing love and where it takes him that made him endearing.
In signature Kent style, Leslie and Josh share undeniable chemistry rendering their moments from lighthearted banter to intense intimacy, both electric and captivating. The push and pull dynamic between the two due to the differences in terms of their expectations creates the needed angst for the story and I loved all of it.
Recommended for fans of contemporary romance who love a reluctant hero and his journey towards emotional fulfillment.
Final Verdict: No Regrets by Claire Kent is a beautifully crafted romance that explores grief, healing, and the transformative power of love, with characters whose emotional depth and sizzling chemistry captivate from start to finish.
Favorite Quotes
He gently slid the neckline of my top to the side to expose my shoulder. He smiled. “I see more freckles.” Then he leaned down and gently nipped me, right on the hollow of my throat. I gasped at the shocking jolt of pleasure. I’d never experienced anything like it—so completely out of the blue. Then he was kissing me, and there was no way I could resist kissing him back. The bar was dim and not very crowded, but the other customers hardly crossed my mind as the kiss deepened. It had been a long time since I’d been kissed, and he was somehow stronger and more passionate and more skillful and just more than the other men I’d been with. It felt like he was everywhere. Filling all of me.
He bit down on the sensitive flesh of my throat, and I felt the sharpest jolt of pleasure I’d ever experienced in my life. I cried out wordlessly in response, my pelvis jutting out in sudden need for stimulation. My arousal had intensified so quickly—and with so little conscious thought—that I was losing my sense of balance and coordination. I wasn’t sure I could stay on my feet, had Josh not trapped me between the sink counter and his body. My eyes blurred over until the small, dingy bathroom faded into nonexistence. All I was aware of was Josh, in all his intensity, physicality, and hot, hot power.
His cock drove its way into my pussy, his upper body pressing against my chest as he sunk all the way inside. I bit down on his shoulder—my teeth against his t-shirt—as I felt his solid substance stretch and fill me. He didn’t give me a chance to get used to the tight penetration. With a guttural sound and a jerk of his neck, he started to thrust. Fast, short, and sloppy.
Two hours later, I was in his small, barely furnished apartment. We’d gotten takeout to eat from a place halfway down the block. After we’d eaten, I’d taken a shower first, and now he was taking a shower. He was very easy to hang out with. No demands. No deep feelings. No awkwardness. Just interesting conversation and sex.
“Fuck,” Josh said, lifting his face to capture my mouth again. His voice was thick and hoarse, the sexiest thing I’d ever heard—but somehow aching like I did. His hips jerked against my pelvis, and his body grew tighter and tighter as the frantic motion of our bodies intensified. My head fell back as pleasure welled up inside me, Tears streamed down my face when my spine arched involuntarily. “Oh, God.” Josh kissed me one more time with clumsy, unfocused passion. Tremors had started to run through his body as he tried to rein in his release. Then I came, clutching him, riding out the waves of pleasure as his control broke and he fell into climax too.
He leaned in closer so his mouth was next to my ear. His murmur had gotten thicker, sexier. “You turn me on just standing there. I want to fuck you again. I want to make you come harder than you’ve ever come before. But that’s all it would be. If you want hot sex with no-strings, then I’m your man. But if you want something serious, then you should just walk away.”
“You’re sure? About the no-strings thing?” “Yeah. I’m sure. As long as you were serious about making me come harder than I’ve ever come before.” I couldn’t believe I’d actually said that out loud. Someone else must have said that. He smiled. Hotly. Smugly. “I was serious.” “You were talking pretty dirty in there,” I said, feeling less uncertain as an uncharacteristic wildness seemed to possess me. “Do you always talk that way?” He lifted a hand to stroke this thumb over my cheekbone, the way he’d done a few weeks ago when he was talking about my freckles. Then he leaned down, like he would kiss me. But he said in my ear instead, “I can talk as dirty as you want.”
He made a guttural sound in his throat as he finally got up from his chair. He moved over me, his hands sliding over my body, drawing my arms out from where they were crossed. Then he adjusted me until he was seated on the couch and I was straddling his lap. He stared up at me for a moment—desire and need and heat shuddering in the air between us—and then he kissed me hard, deep.
“Very good. You feel so good. Your pussy is hot and tight and so wet.” He sucked in a shuddering breath as my channel squeezed around him instinctively. “Yes,” he hissed. “Just like that. You like it when I fuck you like this, don’t you?” The coarse language from him sent jolts of desire to my center. He was hitting my g-spot on each thrust, and the shudders of pleasure made me want to scream. I whimpered and bit down on my lower lip, my whole body slammed with carnal heat.
“Oh Josh!” The words were choked on a harsh inhale. The smolder in his eyes turned into a blaze—like nothing I’d seen from him before. He made another guttural sound and shifted his grip on my wrists to one hand, stretching my arms straight above my head. “Don’t move them from right here,” he said. I kept my arms in place as he unfastened his pants and rolled on a condom. When he’d done so, he lined his cock up and thrust into me with one hard stroke.
His weight was resting on me now more fully, pushing me into the mattress, but I loved the feel of his hot, sweaty heaviness. His thrusts became shorter and faster, and I rocked my pelvis up against his motion—my clit getting good friction from his pubic bone. “God, it’s so good,” I gasped, as I felt another orgasm building up at my center. “Fuck, yeah.” Josh was panting hotly against the skin of my neck, holding enough of his weight on his elbows to keep me from smothering beneath him. “So good.”
He made a choked sound and slid himself very slowly—torturously slow—inside me. I was gasping and flushed all over as I tried to soften my body against his, wrap myself around him. “Oh, fuck, Leslie.” His head had lowered slightly, and he was breathing erratically. “Sometimes I think…” “You think what?” I grabbed his shirt with both hands and hung on. “Oh, fuck. It’s just too good.” I didn’t know if that was what he’d originally intended to say, but it sounded pretty good to me, and I wasn’t in a fit condition to sort out anything else.
“Leslie.” My name was no more than an inhale as he moved against me in a jerky push of his hips. Then he was kissing me, and it was deep and hungry and needy. And it was exactly what I wanted. Exactly what I felt too. The kiss went on a long time, until he’d turned me over onto my back, and we were rocking in a sensual rhythm together.
“Josh,” I kept saying, arching up every time his touch triggered a ripple of pleasure. “Fuck, Leslie,” he mumbled against my skin. “You feel so good. I need you so much. Like this. Just like this.” And I arched up at that too—because his words triggered more pleasure than his touch.
“It’s like watching the sun come out from behind the clouds,” he murmured. “What is?” “You. When you let yourself out, when all the passion inside you bursts out from your quiet composure. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It’s like when your hair suddenly flames out in red when the light hits it. That’s you. All of you. Flaming out. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Playing for Love, #4 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Patrick Fitzgerald Heroine: Cheryl Karalis-Walker Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: December 05, 2023 Started On: December 16, 2023 Finished On: December 23, 2023
Back into It by Eve Dangerfield, first published in December 2023, is the fourth installment in her Playing for Love series. I dived straight into book four and found myself right at home, never feeling as if I should have read the series in order. I am a sucker for a friends-to-lovers romance, my most favorite theme in the world of romance. However, it is rare to come across a good friends-to-lovers romance nowadays, and Ms. Dangerfield being one of my go-to authors in contemporary romance, I did not hesitate to grab myself a copy.
Told from dual perspectives of the main protagonists, Back into It brings to readers the story of 32 year old Cheryl Karalis-Walker, a social media consultant whose work is cut out for her when it comes to her personal life. While she is intelligent, witty, and smart, she does not see herself as someone worthy of a long-term love or relationship, which makes her shy away from any such prospects, especially with her closest male friend Patrick.
23 year old Patrick Fitzgerald is a professional Australian Football League player, who is passionate, headstrong, and deeply in love with Cheryl. Despite their friendship and being in love with her, he maintains close ties with Cheryl, and struggles with her resistance to view him as an ideal partner for life.
While Patrick is comfortable with his feelings, it is Cheryl who has a hard time reconciling with the age difference between them, having always stuck to older men when it comes to her relationships. Being labeled as a cougar is not something Cheryl looks forward to, and society’s judgmental nature when it comes to an older woman dating a younger man, especially in light of Patrick’s rising fame as a professional athlete makes her more hesitant to take that step.
Cheryl also battles with a complicated past, including a challenging childhood and fraught relationships. An absentee father and an ailing mother had forced Cheryl to grow up way before she had to, and being the primary caregiver to her mother adds onto her emotional baggage. As a result, Cheryl has emotional walls that are practically impenetrable, and even as she and Patrick grows closer over time, she dares not give in.
Patrick is an adorable hero in many ways. His unwavering devotion to Cheryl is the kind you witness, not through empty words, but because of his actions. He stands up for her, prioritizes her well-being over his own needs, and never ever questions his belief that they belong together, which helps Cheryl to overcome her fears.
Patrick is also one of the most patient heroes I have come across. Cheryl certainly resists hard, whenever she feels as if she is going to be overcome with feelings for Patrick. Fleeing for cover is in her nature, a protective mechanism, and it is Patrick who understands this instinct in her and allows her to be, rather than pressure her into accepting him.
At the same time, Patrick also challenges Cheryl’s misgivings about the age difference and societal judgments and refuses to let her use that as a primary excuse to keep him at bay, when he knows in his heart that theirs would be a love ever so grand.
While Cheryl at first was a character that I did not respect much, I found myself falling in love with her as I saw deep into her psyche and understood where she was coming from. To see her growth from someone who shied away from commitments and slept around, to someone who saw in Patrick what it would mean to be loved by someone who truly sees you – that in essence was why I fell in love with her.
Cheryl is also someone who is strong and determined, with an inner core of vulnerability; I could totally see why Patrick fell in love with over their shared hobbies such as hiking, watching horror movies, and getting brunch together. I also loved how honest she is with herself, about how she enjoys being desired by men and how she goes out of her way to ensure that she looks good when she wants to. She does not shy away from the concept that she likes it, and that I felt was refreshing for a change.
Patrick is a hero easy to love. His devotion, playful and yet grounded nature, maturity beyond his years, protective nature without it being toxic, his patience and persistence – all scored big with me. While there is incredible chemistry between the two, I did feel a bit cheated out on the sexy times that Ms. Dangerfield does so well in most of her books. This was a story heavier on emotional and personal growth than it was on the sensuality aspect and I guess it did work for the story line.
Recommended for those who love an emotionally well-balanced story, featuring a skittish heroine and a hero whose patience alone makes you fall head over heels for him.
Final Verdict: Back into It by Eve Dangerfield delivers a heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance with emotionally rich characters for fans of deeply layered love stories.
Favorite Quotes
With eyes like flint, Patrick pinned her hands. He rocked to one side to expose her bare thighs and then his hand was up her skirt. Cheryl made a noise like she had a puncture. “We’ll do this slow,” he said, eyes still on hers. “But you’re gonna come for me. It’s been too long.”
He licked her gently. She tasted clean and soft and salty-sweet. He kept going, moving experimentally, trying to find what would make her feel good. When he pressed his tongue to her clit she made a noise like she’d started crying again. He pulled back. “You okay?” “Yes. No. It’s too much. Too good. It feels like…” “What?” When she spoke, it was so quiet it was barely sound. “… like you love me.”
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Single Series: Nameless Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Seth Thomas Heroine: Erin Marshall Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Published On: February 08, 2014 Started On: December 04, 2023 Finished On: December 15, 2023
The Nameless book series by Claire Kent is told in three separate installments (though I read it all together from the boxed set), and I was hooked right from the very start. Published in February of 2014, this series makes me so glad to have rediscovered the name under which Zannie Adams is writing (the pen name under which she does not write any longer, the reason why I lost her for a couple of years), because this is as good contemporary romance gets in my opinion!
Seth Thomas, once a troubled and sullen youth who was raised by a distant grandfather, is now a successful and ruthless lawyer, viewed by many as an unrepentant womanizer. Known as the “bulldozer”, he is a man who effortlessly commands attention with his confidence and charisma, but deep inside hides the emotional scars from his upbringing.
Erin Marshall is a judicial assistant in her hometown, who transforms from a shy bookworm to a strong, independent woman following a failed marriage. The scars left over makes her value her independence something fierce, and as a result, has a cynical view of romance in general.
Erin and Seth first crosses paths when Seth is forced to move to Erin’s hometown to live with his distant relative Mac. Erin being the bookworm she is, spends countless hours at the library, where she comes across Seth, a solitary figure browsing books on various topics. A distant memory of a shared encounter is all that remains as both move into adulthood and it is Mac’s funeral years later, that brings these two back together.
The indomitable Seth is caught in a moment of emotional weakness, and it is that opening which allows both Erin and Seth to come together in intense passion that neither can deny. Weeks later, it is a shocking discovery that leads Erin to seek out Seth – that she is now carrying his child.
Erin and Seth takes on a pragmatic approach to the pregnancy, where Erin cautions that all she wants from him is to be as involved as he wants to be – and that marriage and a lifetime of togetherness is not what she seeks. However, given the strong sexual chemistry between the two, their physical relationship serves to be one of the key reasons why the two come together, leading to moments of emotional vulnerability.
Given Erin’s past and her wariness when it comes to losing control, the conflict that arises from Seth’s tendency to go into alpha mode is jarring for both of them. While Seth grapples with his desire to be more involved without fully committing emotionally, Erin finds herself becoming warier when Seth starts becoming more dependable.
With both Seth and Erin carrying their individual emotional trauma, the healing that they both undergo comes from within and through their shared experiences. The unexpected pregnancy serves as the catalyst for their relationship to move beyond a memorable one-night stand. As both of them spend more time together, each finds in the other, sides to their character which they never would have witnessed otherwise, allowing them to see beyond their initial impressions of each other. While Erin is a tougher nut to crack than Seth at some points, it is Seth’s gentle and protective side that proves to be the healing that Erin needs, to finally let go of the shackles that has bound her since she walked away from her marriage.
To say that I loved this story would be an understatement. I loved both Erin and Seth in equal doses. Erin’s journey from the shy, bookish girl to an assertive, independent woman made me like her in spades. Her past trauma while it makes her cautious to a fault, is one that women can relate to, especially given her determination to protect her independence. We have all seen how emotionally scarring relationships can make a woman lose her sense of worth. Being able to rise above all of that is no easy feat and that made me root for her big time. Erin is also witty and unflinchingly honest, making her a heroine who is both grounded and self-aware, my favorite kind if you ask me.
Seth *breathes deeply* is a hero who is intriguing, commanding, and compelling in a way that makes the female reader sit up and take notice. As romance readers, we all love the emotionally distant hero who guards his heart possessively. It is not just Seth’s childhood that makes him wary, but his adult relationships as well which had soured him of any notions of happily ever afters. Seth is sexy to a fault, delivering one of the best sex scenes I have had the fortune to read in a while.
Together, Seth and Erin a dynamite – in bed and out of it. They have a way of challenging each other’s world views, with Erin challenging Seth to confront his emotional walls and Seth encouraging Erin to trust and rely on someone without losing her sense of independence. Their witty banter adds onto the spice levels of this romance, and Ms. Kent delivers a hefty dose of the panty melting variety of sex scenes, which I definitely could not get enough of. I believe that Erin and Seth resonated so deeply with me because they are both imperfect, realistic, and deeply human. The challenges that both of them go through, as individuals and together – made this a romance worth sinking into.
I especially loved getting to see Seth and Erin through different stages of their lives from when Erin develops a teeny tiny crush on the teenager Seth, to an adulthood reunion, a pregnancy discovery, and transitioning into parenthood. Towards the last installment, getting to see Erin and Seth close to their fifties, navigating life together and still so into each other was beautiful in a way that is indescribable. The entire story being told in the third person from Erin’s perspective makes it just better! In my opinion Seth, is the ultimate book boyfriend.
If you are looking for a transformative experience in a contemporary romance, look no further – Seth and Erin’s journey resonates in every way that matters. Definitely recommended!
Final Verdict: Combining fiery chemistry, poignant emotional depth, and exquisite storytelling, Nameless by Claire Kent is a must-read for fans of sensual contemporary romance!
Favorite Quotes
Leaning her face forward, she pressed her lips into his. He was warm and solid beneath her, and he made a little grunt in his throat. He tasted and smelled like Scotch, and also something fainter, more masculine. When she relaxed her mouth on his, he murmured against her lips, “What was that?” “That,” she pronounced, pleased she was thinking so clearly, “was a kiss.”
Seth, looking slick and professional, stood up to greet her. He gave her a cool smile, shook her hand with a courteous, “Good afternoon,” and then gestured her into a leather chair next to the desk. This was the Seth she’d expected today—not the warmly clever, rumpled man she’d fucked several weeks ago. Erin sat down. Took a few deep breaths to dispel the nausea. Summoned up her courage and hoped she wouldn’t start babbling. “So,” he said slowly, giving her a sharp look and leaning back in his chair, “I can’t figure out what you’re after. A job?” He looked so confident, so smug, that Erin’s sense of irony kicked in. The edge of amusement did a lot to calm her nerves, so her voice was clear and crisp as she replied, “Actually, no. I’m very happy with my job and have no desire to work in a law firm. Although I certainly appreciate your unyielding belief in your own importance.”
His gaze crawled up from her thighs to her hips to her belly to her breasts. When he finally reached her face, she saw that his expression was oddly hungry. The wild primitive glint she’d caught earlier in the hall had returned, and it both exhilarated her and made her a little anxious. “Are you sure it can be this simple?” she asked. “This whole thing is complicated enough without making it any worse.” His hands slid up to comb her hair back from her face. “It’s just sex. We’ve had it before. You aren’t secretly in love with me, are you?” “God, no. You?” “Not even close.”
Erin couldn’t seem to stop. She barely even recognized that she was clawing at his shoulders and making the most ridiculous sounds of effort and pleasure she’d ever heard herself make. Barely noticed that she was sweating now and that the flesh of her ass and her breasts were jiggling wildly with their motion. Just needed to feel more of him. Just needed to release this excruciating tension again. “Fuck, Erin,” Seth rasped, his eyes open now and staring down at her body. “Fuck, Erin, you’re incredible. But you’re killing me.” His jaw clenched tightly, and he released an agonized groan as he pumped. “Slow down or I’ll lose it.” “Can’t,” she choked. “Can’t. Need more, Seth. More.”
Feeling both her confidence and her enthusiasm return immediately, Erin adjusted herself more comfortably beside him and pulled him into another kiss. He sat on the side of the bed now, and she had her legs drawn up under her body. But they managed to share a very effective kiss, and Erin didn’t pull away from him, even when he released her lips. She ran one hand down his firm chest to his flat belly and then to the bulge of his erection once more. As she cupped it lightly, she trailed kisses across his jaw line. To his high cheekbone. And finally to his ear. She fluttered her tongue. Seth bucked his pelvis up involuntarily into her hand.
He pulled off his loosened bow tie and started to work on his shirt. Erin watched and tried to be patient, but her entire body now felt on the verge of eruption. Her breasts tingled torturously, so she cupped them with her hands and tried to chaff her tight nipples through the thin fabric of her chemise. The stimulation caused her to arch her back a little, and, when she focused once more on Seth, she saw that he’d stopped midway through taking off his shirt and was staring at her dazedly. The look in his eyes sent another jolt of sensation down to the throbbing ache between her legs. So, as he watched, she slid her hand from her breast, past the curve of her belly, then dipped it under the fluttering skirt of her chemise until she could slip it in between her legs. She wasn’t wearing panties, so nothing was in her way. Seth’s entire body looked painfully tense as he watched her stroking herself. Finally, he rasped, “Getting a head start?”
Erin looked at him over her shoulder. “I don’t mind,” she said. “I’ve never been a fan of excessive control.” “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” He shifted slightly and his hand settled on her belly. “But the lack of control would be counterproductive in this particular instance. We’re supposed to be taking care of your needs, aren’t we?” “Yes,” Erin allowed, feeling strangely shy for some unaccountable reason. “But maybe we can tackle your needs at the same time.” His hand slid up over her breasts and then to her face, and he pushed some of the damp hair off her cheeks. “Very kind of you, but my needs aren’t something you want to fully tackle.”
Seeing and hearing him so uncontrolled was almost as thrilling as her own pleasure. Erin reached behind her thighs until her hand found and closed around his balls. “Fuck,” he grunted, as she squeezed once very lightly. He was pushing more than thrusting now, and Erin knew he was right on the edge. So she squeezed again, harder this time. He froze. Then his whole body throbbed, from his cock to his hands on her flesh. He choked on an incoherent sound as he fell into release.
Her body was tensing up in preparation for climax, but she turned her head as far back as she could. “Seth. Seth…” She tried to put into words what she wanted. Couldn’t. Couldn’t possibly. She was feeling too much. Too deep, too tight, too full, too stretched. Too much. “Erin.” Seth pulled up his shoulders until his weight rested on his bent elbow. From this position, he leaned over to where she was trying to look over her shoulder at him. He was able to capture her lips in a kiss. It wasn’t a skillful or a controlled kiss. Erin was far beyond concentrating, and she couldn’t do more than press her lips against his and gasp into his mouth. His lips clung to hers hungrily, though, when her pleasure finally peaked. And he was still kissing her when she shook through her orgasm.
For a moment, she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes: something deep and molten and unspeakable. Then she couldn’t see anything at all. Because he was kissing her, and her eyes had fallen closed. Her breasts pressed into the hard line of his chest, and her hands wound around his neck before she could begin to stop them. Her tongue darted out to meet his, and her mouth became urgent and hungry.
Yeah,” she gasped, realizing he was on the verge of coming but was trying to fight against it. “Yeah, Seth. You come too.” At her words, he stared up at her face—just a few inches from his—and their eyes met. His eyes were wild, feral, almost pained in their need. But he held her gaze as he let out a muted roar and jerked his pelvis up into her a few more times. He came, and she saw the transformation on his face, in his eyes. The tension breaking and a flood of raw pleasure overwhelming him. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced, and the pleasure Erin felt from watching him almost rivaled the lingering feel of her own orgasm.
When Erin looked up blurrily, trying to focus through the rising haze of her deepening pleasure, she saw more in his expression than she’d ever seen before. There seemed to be everything there—a rich, overwhelming flood of feeling—all of it visible, tangible in his gaze. All of the feelings he always suppressed, that he hid behind his cool control. More than he’d ever admitted to. More than she’d ever dreamed possible. All of it—there—in his eyes. Erin closed her own eyes against it, the depth and magnitude of the emotion terrifying her. She wondered how she’d ever thought this man was cold and unfeeling. Wondered if anyone else had ever seen what she’d just seen in Seth—all the raw, naked power of it.
With a thick, helpless groan, he opened his eyes and started moving again. The thick silence of his breathing built into rough, animalistic grunts in time with his rhythm. Erin felt like the whole world was shaking with their motion. She felt helpless, out of control. Until the rough friction of his drives inside her and the jostling of her breasts, ass, and clit coalesced into a new kind of orgasm: one deeper, more intense, not far removed from pain. Matching the rich, swelling ache in her heart.
“Love,” Erin cried out, feeling hot and wild and erotic and free and at the same time strangely secure. Her hips pumped desperately, trying to intensify the friction, and she huffed out a series of sounds to their rhythm, sounding like, “Uh huh.” “Erin,” Seth rasped, the one word a hoarse guttural. His head tossed with a jerk as he tried to hold himself back. Obviously lost the effort as he finally released a hoarse, desperate moan. He pushed into her a few final times, his thrusts hard, choppy, and forceful. “Love…you,” he grunted, before he came with a long shuddering breath.
When his chest was bare, she caressed the hard, smooth lines of his shoulders and ribs. Then reached down to the button of his jeans. With a little fumbling and adjusting from both of them, his hard cock was free and accessible. She rolled her thumb over the tip, making him grunt and buck up into her hand. “Erin.” She gazed down at his tense face and sprawled body. Felt a surge of love, power, and possessiveness overwhelm her.
All of the gathered urgency at her center pushed her to ride him for real, to claim the aching orgasm that was waiting for her. But she kept her motion slow, minimal, increasing their need and extending their pleasure. “Erin,” Seth choked, one of his arms reaching out to fumble for purchase on the cushion beside him, as he visibly struggled to suppress his drive to thrust, to claim her, to fuck her. His face twisted, and his pelvis almost squirmed beneath her rocking. “Fuck, Erin.” “Yeah,” Erin breathed, searching out his lips in a hungry, clumsy kiss. Her tongue dipped into his mouth, stroking into it in a rhythmic, instinctive pattern. Seth grunted, as he buried the fingers of one hand in her hair.
With a desperate sound, she found Seth’s mouth again. Needed to feel him. Love him. Be as close as she could possibly make him. She was kissing him hungrily, frantically, when her orgasm finally broke. She didn’t pull away from his mouth as her body started to convulse. She heard Seth make a helpless, choking sound into her mouth as Erin whimpered with the waves of pleasure. But she kept her arms around him. Kept kissing him. And was still kissing him when she felt him come too. His hips pushed up into her clenching muscles, and his arms tightened around her so suddenly she grunted in surprise. Then she felt the tension in his body release itself. Heard him moan—long, low, and guttural. Felt the pulsing of his cock against the tight clasp of her body. Felt him come in short spasms inside her.
Arching his neck in effort, Seth stared down at her twisting body and contorted face. “Erin,” he said thickly, squeezing the flesh of her hips in his hands as he rocked into her. “Erin, baby, can you come?” “Think so.” She shamelessly shook her body to get the kind of friction she needed. “Just stay…right there.” He did. He didn’t thrust. Just held his cock in position and kept pushing in tight rhythm against her g-spot. He was coiled so tensely he was shuddering with the pressure, but he managed to hold them in position as the rich pleasure gathered between her legs.
“Erin,” Seth muttered, his eyes almost agonized as he held onto his control. “Beautiful. Beautiful. Missed you so much.” She released a few loud sobs—the flooding of her heart mingling with the intense physical sensations—then she cried out a frantic, “Seth! Seth!” She felt the pleasure finally erupt inside her, sending out waves and spasms of overwhelming sensation.
“Seth. Oh God, again.” Her body seemed to have lost its connection with her mind, and—despite the blurred chaos of her thoughts—her body still knew what it wanted. “Yes,” Seth bit out, clearly on the edge of his control. “Yes. One more, baby. Come for me once more.” She was going to. It was happening even now. Erin sobbed with pleasure and effort and need, and she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle the overwhelming sensations. Her breasts were swinging wildly with their primitive motion, and she’d tossed her head so much that her damp hair was covering her face. As the final orgasm build up inside her, she kept choking out sounds that were louder and louder. Tried to stifle the noise. Couldn’t. Felt the world start to shudder all around her. Then she fell over the edge, her body jerking in clumsy desperation as she tried to hold herself upright on trembling limbs.
Just as she was on the edge, not quite coming but too far to draw it back, Seth raised his head from between her legs. Before she could react, he’d moved over her, burying his hard cock inside her and rearing up above her on straightened arms. The sight of his strong body, intense, hungry expression, and familiar face all combined with the sudden sensation of being filled and stretched by his cock. The orgasm that had already formed erupted with shattering intensity.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Standalone Publisher: Harlequin Presents Hero: Nikolai Drakos Heroine: Prunella Palmer Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: May 19, 2016 Started On: November 14, 2023 Finished On: November 18, 2023
Bought for the Greek’s Revenge by Lynne Graham plunges readers into the chaotic world of the main protagonists— a passionate whirlwind of revenge, redemption, and sizzling high-octane chemistry. The story centers around Greek tycoon Nikolai Drakos and his ruthless pursuit of Ella Palmer (Prunella Palmer) for his revenge. Published in May 2016, this is everything fans of Ms. Graham expects from a romance penned by her—fierce, dramatic, and simmering with emotional and sexual tension.
Nikolai is a man on a mission, bent on avenging himself against his archenemy, whom he despises with every fiber of his being. It is the unassuming Ella who inadvertently becomes the pawn in his game of retribution and gets caught in the crosshairs as Nikolai attempts to get to his enemy through her. Nikolai, relentless in his pursuit, buys out Ella’s family debts, coercing her compliance with an offer she can hardly refuse—her family’s financial freedom in exchange for becoming his mistress.
Ella’s predicament is impossible, but she bravely steps into Nikolai’s world, initially agreeing to his terms with little choice. Her character, an alluring mix if innocence and tenderness, has a powerful impact on Nikolai, who soon finds his motivations shifting in unexpected ways. As the story progresses, Nikolai’s hardened exterior cracks, revealing a man who, despite his ruthless ambition, feels a growing protectiveness and attraction toward her. What starts as a vengeful transaction morphs into something altogether different, as Nikolai realizes that the ultimate victory might not be revenge, but claiming Ella as his bride.
Nikolai is the type of hero that Ms. Graham crafts so perfectly. His dark past—marked by neglect and a childhood burdened with emotional scars—makes him both aloof, powerful, and yet deeply wounded, with the untimely loss of his sister having left its mark on him. Ella on the other hand has her own insecurities to contend with, having being engaged once to a man whose rejection of her has left deeply ingrained scars on her psyche.
It is amidst all this that Ms. Graham masterfully crafts a romance that is as complex as it is intense. The relationship between Nikolai and Ella grows with each encounter brimming with heat and emotions, with neither character losing the very qualities that draws readers to them in the first place. Nikolai’s transformation—from a man bent on vengeance to one who learns to love—gives the story depth, as his icy demeanor softens, and the vulnerability he allows Ella to see speaks for itself.
I loved the modern twists and how Ms. Graham balanced intense passion with deep-seated emotional growth. I loved Nikolai and Ella individually and together, and that is in essence half the job done when crafting a romance novel.
For fans of Lynne Graham, Bought for the Greek’s Revenge delivers all the elements of a classic Mills & Boon novel with an extra dose of fire and emotional punch. Nikolai’s relentless passion and Ella’s quiet strength creates a dynamic that keeps the pages turning.
Recommended for fans of Harlequin romances and especially fans of Ms. Graham.
Final Verdict: Bought for the Greek’s Revenge is a must-read for lovers of high-stakes, emotionally charged romance with a fiercely possessive hero and a heroine who finds her own strength amidst the storm.
Favorite Quotes
‘It would take an avalanche to crush your ego, wouldn’t it?’ ‘If I was modest you would walk all over me with pleasure.’ Nikolai was entranced by the glorious green of her eyes against the smooth, fine grain of her porcelain skin. ‘But that’s not what you want from me, is it? You’d much prefer me to take your choices away and give you the excuse to be with me.’
‘I really hate being shouted at,’ Nikolai confided a split second before his hard, sensual mouth claimed hers. And for that same split second it was as though Ella’s world stopped turning and she was jolted off course, sent breathless and spinning into the unknown. Heat surged up through her like an invasive weapon. He eased her out from under him but kept her trapped in his arms. Irritation flamed through her because inexplicably she had liked his crushing weight on hers. Her fists struck at shirt-clad shoulders as unyielding as rock. The tip of his tongue flicked inside her mouth and she shivered violently, the clenching at her secret core almost painful in its intensity. He nipped at her lower lip, sucked and soothed it with his tongue. She wanted more, she wanted more so badly it hurt to be denied and the rushing tide of that hunger shocked her back into her mind again.
Nikolai bent his head and kissed her. It was a slow claiming as the tip of his tongue traced the lush fullness of her lower lip and then delved gently between. A breathy little gasp erupted from her parted lips and she stepped closer. His arms snapped round her and it was the work of a moment for him to swing round and press her back against the car, his sensual mouth driving down hard on hers, his lean, powerful body crushing her against the unyielding metal. Her every skin cell seemed to erupt into life as heat raced through her bloodstream and a bolt of naked yearning surged from low in her pelvis. His mouth was all she cared about. She couldn’t get enough of him, was convinced she would never get enough of him. She gloried in the thrust of his arousal against her, the knowledge that Nikolai Drakos wanted her and couldn’t hide the fact.
A kind of frenzy gripped her muscles and she shook, feeling ecstasy within her grasp and snatching at it. And it ran over and through her, a rolling white-hot wave of convulsive delight and fulfilment that left her drained and limp. Ella was convinced that she would never move again, and then Nikolai moved when she didn’t want him to and she rolled over and rested her head on his chest instead, her arm wrapping round his narrow waist. He dropped a kiss on her damp brow. ‘Thank you,’ he rasped breathlessly. ‘That was amazing.’
‘Stop talking,’ Ella told him. ‘Being thrown on the bed works for me. Seeing you a little out of control is more real than some plan of slow seduction.’ ‘Blame yourself. You’ve been wrecking my plans all day,’ Nikolai asserted, swiping the package off the dressing table and returning to the bed. ‘First you blew my mind on the flight and then you flaunted your gorgeous self in boots and stockings and a garter and I was lost…’ ‘Is that a complaint?’ ‘No.’ A wicked charismatic grin slashed his lean, darkly handsome features. ‘That was an “any time you want me, I’m yours” speech,’ he teased. ‘You can be yourself with me, you know,’ she whispered feelingly. ‘Just do what you feel like.’
He eased over her, rearranged her to his satisfaction, slowly surged in and she shut her eyes tight, every nerve screaming for the satisfaction only he could give. Inch by agonising inch he entered her and when he was finally fully seated she loosed a sound of pleasure she couldn’t hold back. She could feel how damp, how ready she was and his sheer strength as he lifted her up to him, muscles bulging in his forearms, left her weak with longing. He slid back and then plunged, his speed picking up. Excitement detonated inside her and she wrapped her legs round him. As she bucked he pinned her to the mattress and thrust into her fiercely with a primal grunt of pleasure. It went on and on and on until she was sobbing with excitement and the band of tension at the centre of her body was tightening and tightening. Release came in a rush of feral fire, lighting up every nerve and skin cell, and she cried out, her nails raking down his back in an ecstasy of pleasure.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Single Series: On Dublin Street, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Braden Carmichael Heroine: Jocelyn Butler Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Published On: August 31, 2012 Started On: November 09, 2023 Finished On: November 10, 2023
“No human relation gives possession in another – every two souls are absolutely different. In friendship or in love, the two side by side raise hands together to find what one cannot reach alone.” ~ Khalil Gibran
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young is a scorching, emotional rollercoaster that pulls no punches. This book is the very definition of a “hot emotional mess,” brimming with heartache, hope, and sizzling tension. The romance here is intense and heart-wrenching, but it does not feel rushed or superficial. Ms. Young manages to capture the complexity of love and healing in a way that is raw, real, and undeniably moving which made this the five-star read it was.
On Dublin Street is evocative and character-driven in a way that perfectly captures the push and pull factor when it comes to personal demons, passion, and vulnerability between the main protagonists. Set in the heart of Edinburgh, the story centers on Jocelyn Butler, a guarded 22-year-old American woman who moves to Scotland to bury her past and escape the loss and pain that haunts her. But the past, as always, has a way of catching up, especially when Jocelyn meets the irresistible Braden Carmichael, a 30-year-old alpha hero whose magnetic presence draws her in despite her best efforts.
Braden is the kind of male protagonist that epitomizes the confident, sexy, bold, and determined hero. His deep attraction to Jocelyn from the start is undeniable and he refuses to accept her “no-strings” policy, igniting a power struggle between his relentless pursuit and the walls of iron that she has painstakingly built around her. Braden’s patient determination and unwavering pursuit set the pages ablaze, making him the kind of hero who is impossible not to fall for. He’s hot, hot, and hot; that classic mix of charm, intensity, and unexpected vulnerability, making me fall for him, hook, line, and sinker.
Jocelyn, or Joss, is a mess in her own right, struggling with PTSD after a traumatic event shattered her world years prior, leaving her walls sky-high and nearly impenetrable. The layers to Joss’s pain and her self-imposed isolation feel intensely real, making her a character who is easy to empathize with, even when she is frustratingly stubborn. Her journey towards healing is not glossed over or magically “fixed” by love; instead, Ms. Young’s sensitive approach sees Joss beginning therapy, a much-needed lifeline that helps her face the pain she has carried alone for so long. The story line does not treat her PTSD lightly, making her growth both believable and meaningful, especially as her connection with Braden deepens.
As their relationship develops, so too does the tension between them. The chemistry between Jocelyn and Braden is nothing short of electric, with each encounter intensifying their connection and blurring the lines of the boundaries Jocelyn tries so hard to keep intact. The Carmichaels—Braden and his family—break through Joss’s defenses in a way nothing else has in the past eight years. Braden’s relentless support and fierce love become the balm she didn’t know she needed, while the warmth of his family helps her feel something akin to the home she lost years back.
On Dubling Street does a marvelous job of drawing readers in, as the debut book in the series. Ms. Young’s prose is smooth, witty, and deeply emotional, pulling readers into the heart of Edinburgh with vibrant scene-setting and a keen eye for the subtleties of human connection. The supporting characters add richness to the narrative, providing moments of humor, insight, and warmth that enhances the main story line without detracting from Jocelyn and Braden’s journey
Ms. Young’s writing has an addictive quality that makes you feel as if you are hurtling towards an emotional wreckage from which you will never emerge the same. The romance is steeped in passion, pain, and powerful moments that left me breathless and definitely wanting more. This isn’t just a romance; it is a story about healing, letting go, and the bravery it takes to trust someone with your heart, especially as you continue to struggle with the demons of your past.
On Dublin Street is for those who love an emotional journey with complex characters, scorching hot chemistry, and a romance that is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. This book is an unforgettable experience that will make you laugh, cry, and feel as if you have lived every moment with Joss and Braden.
Definitely recommended. Ms. Young’s remarkable talent shines through with the turn of every page!
Final Verdict: A scorching, beautifully messy journey of love and healing, On Dublin Street pulls you in with its raw emotion, unforgettable characters, and searing chemistry giving readers a most satisfying read.
Favorite Quotes
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Jocelyn. It was just a compliment.” No it wasn’t. You’re playing games with me. And if we’re going to be around each other all the time, I want it to stop. “Was it? Do you talk to everyone the way you talk to me?” “And what way is that?” “Like you’ve seen me naked.” Grinning, Braden’s eyes glittered with heat. “No. But then I haven’t seen everyone naked.” Frustrated, I shook my head. “You know what I mean.” I almost jumped at the warm whisper of his breath on my ear as he leaned down to murmur quietly into it, “I like the reaction I get out of you.”
His eyes narrowed. “I said, I don’t like to share.” I thought of Vicky. “That’s not what I’ve heard.” “Let me rephrase.” He took a seething step toward me. “When it comes to you… I don’t like to share.” There was no time to process that. One minute I was staring incredulously up at him, the next the soda can was hitting the floor and my ass was on the desk as Braden collided with me. The heat and strength of him overwhelmed me as his large hand gripped the back of my neck and his other tugged my left thigh up, allowing him to push in between my legs and position me over the desk. His mouth crashed down on mine and the desire my body had been harboring for him for weeks took control of me. I clung to him, my hands digging into his back, my legs climbing his hips as my lips parted on an exhalation of relief that allowed his tongue inside my mouth to tease mine. The smell of him, the taste of whisky on his tongue, the feel of his warm hands gripping me tight it… it all overpowered me and I made this throaty sound I couldn’t control.
“I’m having a problem with a few suppliers on this development and it put us back a few weeks. I don’t know when I’ll be free this week, but I guarantee the moment I get some time, I’m coming to see you.” “Braden, don’t do that.” “After last night, there’s no denying the promise of what’s between us. I’m not backing off, so rather than coming up with a new defense – which I’m sure I’d find highly entertaining – just give in, babe. You know you’re going to eventually.” “Have I mentioned how annoying and arrogant you are?” “I can still smell and taste you, Jocelyn. And I’m still fucking hard.” My stomach flipped and I squeezed my legs together. “God, Braden…” I breathed without thinking. “I can’t wait to hear you say that while I’m inside you. See you, babe.” And after that parting line, he hung up. I groaned, my head falling back against the tub. I was so screwed.
He shook his head, enjoying himself. “You’ve got great legs, Jocelyn. An amazing smile when you use it on occasion. And fantastic tits. And yeah, I usually date blondes. But you’re a blonde. I think.” He laughed when my glower turned full on glare. “Doesn’t matter about the color. You never wear it down, and I can’t get the thought of you beneath me, and that hair spread out across my pillow while I move inside you, out of my head.” Oh. God. “But I think mostly it’s your eyes. I want something from them no one else gets from them.” “And what’s that?” I asked, my voice low, almost hoarse. His words had affected me as deeply as any aphrodisiac. “Soft.” His own voice had deepened with the highly sexual atmosphere. “Soft the way only a woman’s can be after she’s come for me.”
“Then I guess we’re good to go.” The words were barely out of my mouth before Braden was standing above me, his large hand reaching out for mine, his face determined, serious. His eyes blazing. “What? Now?” I squeaked, totally unprepared. He cocked an eyebrow. “You want to wait?” “I just… I thought I’d have time to get ready.” “Get ready?” “You know… perfume, nice lingerie…” With a grunt of amusement, Braden took hold of my wrist and hauled me out of my chair. My small body slammed into his and his arms came instantly around me, holding me to him. A hand slid down my hip and around to my butt. He squeezed it lightly and pressed me against him, his erection hard against my belly. I stifled a moan, tilting my head back to meet his eyes. They glittered down at me. “Babe, nice lingerie is for seducing a man. I’m already fucking seduced.”
His eyes drifted from my chest to my face and suddenly he looked a little angry. I stiffened in surprise. “Do you know what it’s been like for me since that day in the flat? Sitting across from you in bars, at dinner, knowing that underneath all the attitude is every man’s fucking fantasy.” Oh, he was good. His eyes narrowed as he reached for the buttons and zip on his suit pants. The zip slid down loudly. “I’m going to make you pay for making me wait to have you.”
“Braden,” I growled impatiently. This only made him laugh. “What, babe?” “If you don’t hurry up, I’m backing out.” “Well we can’t have that.” He thrust hard inside me and I whimpered, stiffening at the flinch of discomfort I felt as my body struggled to accept his size. Braden’s whole body tensed, his eyes dark on me. “Are you okay?” I nodded, exhaling as my body relaxed around him. His grip on my wrists loosened, but he didn’t let me go. Instead he nudged forward tentatively, his jaw locking, his eyes closing as if he was in pain. “Jesus, Jocelyn,” he breathed hoarsely. “You’re so fucking tight.”
He lifted his head, his hand gliding between my legs. Pleasure shot through me as two fingers slipped inside me. “So wet,” he murmured, eyes bright. “Tomorrow after family dinner you’re coming back to my place and I’m going to fuck you in every room, in every way I can.” My eyes flew to his, my chest rising and falling rapidly at his words. “I’m going to make you scream there since you can’t here,” he promised softly, realizing this was also a reminder to be quiet since Ellie was down the hall. “But right now, I’m going to enjoy watching you bite your lip.” And I did. He pushed inside of me and I swallowed a cry by biting my lip, holding on for dear life as his earlier, slow gentleness disappeared, his groans and grunts against my neck sexy as hell as he pounded me into orgasm.
I shivered as Braden continued to caress me, his fingers sliding down the crease of my backside and then entering me from behind. I moaned, arching back into him as he pulled his fingers out and then slid them back in. “Braden.” He withdrew only to clasp me by the hips and press me back against him, his erection digging into my backside since I still had on the heels. “That’s all it takes to make me hard,” he told me softly, his lips brushing my ear. “You: saying my name.”
That’s when his slow, torturous control really snapped. I was tugged towards him as he moved back towards the door where a high side cabinet was positioned against the wall, and then I was spun around, pushed none-too-gently into it, his front at my back. My breath was coming out in frantic puffs now as I gripped hold of the unit. Braden’s hands came around to squeeze my breasts, forcing my body back into his as his tongue flicked my ear. “I’m going to take you like this. It’s going to be hard, Jocelyn, hard and rough. You ready?” I nodded, my heart spluttering a little. My panties were gone, whipped down my legs and I stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. The heat of him at my back, the sound of the zipper on his pants sliding down, sent a bolt of pure lust through my sex and my nails dug into the cabinet with anticipation.
With an animalistic growl I didn’t even know I was capable of, I threw my body towards his, my hands out as I shoved at him with enough might to make him stumble. Suddenly it was all there in my gut, the last six months of emotional upheaval, the dramatic changes he’d brought into my life—the uncertainty, the jealousy, the heartache. “I hate you!” I yelled, the words tumbling out of my mouth with a mind of their own. I spun away from him. “I was fine until you!” My eyes started to sting as I stared back at his stony face. “Why?” My voice broke, as the tears spilled down my cheeks. “I was fine. I was safe and I was fine. I’m broken, Braden. Stop trying to fix me and just let me be broken!” He shook his head slowly, his own eyes bright, and I stood frozen as he came to me. I closed my eyes at his touch, his hands wrapping around my arms to tug me close to him. “You are not broken.” My eyelashes fluttered open and I stared up into his beautiful face, his anguished beautiful face. “Yes I am.” He gave me an angry shake now. “No, you’re not.” He leaned his face into mine and I found myself caught in his pale blue eyes, mesmerized by the glitter of silver striations in them. “Jocelyn, you’re not broken, baby,” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes pleading with me. “You’ve got a few cracks in you, but we all have some.”
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Standalone Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Elijah Alexander Hawkins Heroine: Dorothy Mayhem Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: September 25, 2019 Started On: November 05, 2023 Finished On: November 08, 2023
In Perfectly Adequate, true to the sensation that Jewel E. Ann is as an author, has crafted a novel that is as unconventional as it is heartwarming. The story delves into the complexities surrounding a female protagonist who is neurodivergent and the flood of emotions that only an author like Ms. Ann can subject her readers to.
Elijah Alexander Hawkins (Eli), a 38-year-old pediatric oncologist, finds his life upended with the sudden departure of his high school sweetheart, wife, and mother to his son. Eli’s unresolved feelings towards Julie even months after their divorce continues to haunt him. It does not help being witness to Julie’s drastic transformation and constantly being subjected to her presence as they both work at the same hospital.
30 year old nursing student, Dorothy Mayhem would be the most unlikely of prospects when it comes to catching the attention of someone like Dr. Eli, a legend who is well respected amongst his peers. Dorothy knows that she is different from the rest, though she tries hard to be “normal”, as much as it takes a toll on her. Her sense of curiosity, her unique perspective on matters, and straightforward nature brings Eli out of the funk he has been riding since the divorce.
It is Dorothy’s life that is the most fascinating aspect of the novel, and writing this must have been as challenging as it was reading this novel in my opinion. For Dorothy, the way her mind works is what is normal for her. Organized and passionate about her work, with aspirations to join the plastics field, her admiration for Dr. Julie adds an intriguing layer to the story as she navigates her newfound relationship with Eli. Her methodical approach to life and using journals to manage her emotions and daily challenges speak volumes.
The relationship that buds to life between Eli and Dorothy is at times awkward, humorous, and passionate. While Dorothy knows not to be cautious and reserved as is Eli, her forthrightness and unfiltered honesty continues to astound and rouse Eli from the stupor he was in until Dorothy filled his life with much needed color. Their bond as it deepens, is difficult to discern from Dorothy’s perspective, even though the story is told from dual points of view in first person.
When ultimately push comes to shove and Eli is forced to choose between his ex-wife whose departure from his life had nearly destroyed him, and Dorothy, the woman who confuses, exasperates, and makes him want in a way that is foreign to him, it is perhaps the most difficult call in his life that he has to make, adding the angst factor to this story.
There is much to reflect upon when it comes to this novel. Most of Ms. Ann’s novels that I have read to-date have a way of forcing me to think and go to places where I might not even have thought of going. While I myself is familiar with depression and its impact on one’s life, Ms. Ann explores what it is like to lose own self in this destructive spiral, giving voice to millions who battle through this condition. While some fight to claw their way back out of it just to feel human, rest tend to give in. Mark my words, none of the two paths is easy by any means – humans were not created for isolation, nor were we created to get lost in the labyrinth of our minds, but that is often what depression feels like, and the more chronic the condition, the harder it becomes to feel a sense of normalcy and emotions on the spectrum that most of us take for granted.
When Eli finds out the reality behind Julie’s departure and how she struggled to find her own self-worth in this destructive cycle, it all made sense. Post-partum depression is something that the world is coming to increasingly come to accept, but it is still an excruciating journey for the person who suffers through it, and perhaps that is Julie’s story as well.
While Julie and Eli’s history goes way back, from being high school sweethearts to marriage and parents to an adorable son, does not mean that they are set for life. Marriage is a relationship that continually evolves and shifts as we navigate through life, growing both individually and together. It is our ability to adapt to those changes and grow together that often is the key to a long-lived marriage, and ofttimes that may not mean that two people are happy together.
Julie’s departure from Eli’s life perhaps was a signal to that effect; while her depression had to do with a lot more, perhaps it was the jolt that was needed to shake things up, to show to both of them that while their past would remain a significant part of who they are, that there was no going back. Or perhaps, it is also indicative of how in the throes of depression, we tend to draw in on ourselves and lose sight of those who hold us most dear, who can actually help us pull through – which perhaps is the most destructive effect of the disease because when you finally come out of the haze, you realize that you have effectively destroyed life as you knew it, and that there is no going back.
It was also quite something to see things from Dorothy’s perspective. To see her take on the role of being Eli’s lover while neither of them are able to give voice to the ties that were deepening between them, to Dorothy’s sensory experiences and sexual assertiveness, the narrative set forth does show to readers the continued struggles that someone like Dorothy undergoes in navigating what we call life. It is perhaps only someone like Eli who has a heart that can take more than most, empathetic, and has the ability love without reservations that can accept all that is Dorothy – maddening, fierce, independent, and fully his in every sense, minus the lines of grey that made Eli question his own self worth when it came to Julie.
Recommended for those who appreciate a story that challenges conventional romance tropes and dives deep into the complexities of human connections; Perfectly Adequate is THE novel that you need to read.
Final Verdict: Perfectly Adequate is a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, throwing readers into frustration & heartwarming moments, ultimately leaving us with a sense of acceptance and hope that is unwavering.
Favorite Quotes
“Is that code for I’m talking too much?” He chuckles. “No. It’s not code for anything. Talk all you want, just don’t tell me everything I was going to ask you before I get a chance to ask it.” “Dorothy …” He scratches his chin. “You are … unexpected. Like balloons, flowers, and winning lottery tickets.”
Dr. Hawkins presses his hand to my neck and slides it up to cup my jaw, taking the kiss to the next level with a little tongue. French kissing isn’t usually my thing. Too much saliva. But he’s not salivating like a dog, or suffering from a painful case of dry mouth, so the kiss is acceptable. Such a Goldilocks moment. Dr. Elijah Hawkins is my just right.
“Eventually,” she whispers, brushing the pad of her thumb along my eyebrow. I squint. Her lips form a faint smile. “Eventually I’ll be okay. And so will you.” A goodbye. This is goodbye. A redo because the one in my office was horrible. But nonetheless, it’s goodbye. I don’t know if saying goodbye to Dorothy Mayhem can ever be anything but horrible. I nod because all words remain congested in my throat.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Historical Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: The Seducers, #3 Publisher: Crooked Sixpence Press Hero: Brian Dinwiddy (Hugo Buckingham) Heroine: Martha Jane Pringle Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: May 29, 2021 Started On: November 02, 2023 Finished On: November 04, 2023
“Good afternoon, Mistress Pringle.” His lids lowered and the smile that curved his thin lips made something low in her belly—something beneath her belly, truth be told—tighten, sending sparks of pleasure shooting through her body. His nostrils flared as he watched her, almost as if he were scenting something. Martha suddenly knew—she just knew—that he was aware of what his suggestive, naughty looks did to a woman. Did to her.
Hugo and the Maiden by S.M. LaViolette, the third installment in The Seducers series, is a story I pinned a lot of high hopes on given the nature of the male protagonist in the story. Irrespective of whether those expectations were met, it was still a compelling and provocative romance, as is the norm by almost any novel that Minerva Spencer aka Ms. LaViolette brings to her readers. Featuring Hugo Buckingham as the hero and Martha Jane Pringle as the heroine, this novel delves into the gritty realities of 19th-century London and the isolated life far removed in the island of Stroma, the harsh lived realities of life for most, and to some extent, class difference.
Hugo, a bisexual courtesan, is a hero with a colorful past and a wealth of scars that he hides behind the facade that he presents to the rest of the world. He is an ambitious man, made so by the abject poverty that he had been subjected to when he had been sold by his father at the age of fourteen. His current status as the co-owner of London’s most expensive brothel marks a hard-won success that is abruptly shattered when he is betrayed by his business partner. Hugo finds himself aboard a ship as a convict, bound to the desolate island of Stroma, where his life takes a 180-degree turn.
On the island, Hugo meets the virginal daughter of the island’s vicar, Martha Jane Pringle bringing him face to face with the woman who would be his undoing. The island’s harsh climate and its isolation from the rest of the world provides a stark contrast to Hugo’ previous life, where material wealth had put Hugo in the midst of opulence, his heart never full for his need of material wants and desires, even as his heart and soul had become encrusted in reinforced steel over time.
Martha, with her no-nonsense attitude, compassionate nature, and plain looks is the direct opposite of Hugo in every sense and not the kind of woman who would make Hugo sit up and take notice. However, none of that stops Martha’s dormant senses from awakening in Hugo’s presence, and Hugo from sensing his own vulnerabilities in the face of Martha, to his annoyance. Martha, who is on the verge of being betrothed to a man who brings her no joy, finds herself enamored by Hugo, even as she fights the attraction with every weapon in her arsenal, until she realizes that there is no stopping the tide when it comes to what fate has in store for her.
Their relationship as it develops therefore, is not an easy one. Hugo who at first, tries to use his skills as a seducer to his advantage to get off the godforsaken island, finds himself in the position of feeling ashamed for the very first time in his adult life, as a result of which, his innate kindness and the reluctant hero that resides in him starts to emerge. Martha who understand Hugo perhaps better than he does himself, finds in Hugo a man worthy of her unending love, and the weight of that love is what Hugo shies away from, a man who has never understood what it is like to be accepted for who he is.
As the story moves deeper into exploring the complexities of Hugo, who is a fascinating character of contrasts, his struggles to open up emotionally to Martha was indicative of his deep vulnerabilities that he hides so well. Martha, who is the beacon of strength, love, acceptance, and kindness is the balm to every ache in Hugo’s soul, and when Hugo and Martha finally accept that there is no stopping the tide of desire and want between them, it opens up Martha to a world of sensuality and desire that allows her to finally break free from the shackles that has bound her.
While I expected this to be a five-star read because of Hugo, him being the kind of hero that would give a romance its weight in gold, I found that the story failed to fully explore the potential of Hugo. I understood why for a character like Hugo, who switches his roles so effectively when it comes to sex that is meaningless, it had to be different with Martha. But at the same time, I wanted Hugo to embrace the full extent of his reserves of sensuality with Martha and for their union to reach new heights in passion which would have given greater meaning to their bond.
I also found that while the story excels in character development and themes explored, some plot resolutions were a bit too convenient. The story’s pacing occasionally stumbled, particularly when it comes to the resolution of Hugo’s past and his abrupt realization of love for Martha which I wanted more out of.
One of the best aspects of the novel was its rich tapestry of secondary characters, from the adorable Celubion to the antagonistic Robert Clark, each adding depth to the narrative. Martha’s father, the vicar, embodies kindness and moral steadfastness, and becomes pivotal in shaping Hugo’s journey towards redemption and finding in Martha the salvation he had been searching for, even without realizing it himself.
Recommended for fans of Ms. LaViolette, fans of historical romances, and fans of richly textured romances that navigates the complexities of love and redemption in all its glory.
Final Verdict: Fans of historical romance will find much to admire in LaViolette’s nuanced characterization and the evocative setting explored in Hugo and the Maiden, making this a page-turner.
Favorite Quotes
His stern expression shifted into a sweet, gentle smile that Martha wouldn’t have believed his wicked lips capable of forming. “A kiss for luck.” And then he lowered his mouth over hers and physical sensation swamped her. His lips were warm and firm; his scent was an earthy mix of male sweat and fresh air; and his body felt huge and hard against hers. The tip of his tongue, soft and slick, flicked over her tightly pursed lips and she relaxed under the gentle caress. He made a low rumbling sound in his chest and then pulled away. Martha swayed toward him, her body following his.
“Martha,” he whispered, giving a slight, wondering shake of his head. “You need to understand what you will be getting. What you saw me doing that night? Fisting myself? That’s me, Martha. I’m crass and earthy and I like being that way. I’m not a gentleman—I’m not … couth. I don’t like furtive trysting in the dark—I like fucking in all its forms.” She gasped. Hugo nodded, as though she’d said something. “And I like saying the word fuck—and cruder words besides. I won’t be the kind of husband to visit you weekly and mount you in darkness. I want to know every part of your body, intimately, and I want you to learn all about mine.”
Martha had been dreaming of touching him for weeks—never had she expected the astounding silky softness of his skin. Or the heat of him. He closed his hand around hers and gave a low growl of approval. “Just like that, darling—tight.” He released her hand and palmed her mound, gently squeezing her sex. “Mine.” He pushed two fingers inside her, working her with languid pumps. “All mine.”
“Tell me you want it,” he asked as he withdrew slowly, inch by inch. “Beg for it.” “Please, Hugo, I want—” Her words were the proverbial match to a fuse. “Take it,” he grated, slamming into her hard enough to move her up the bed. Martha groaned. “More, please.” “Take it all,” he growled, giving her his full length with each savage stroke.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Historical Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: The Bellamy Sisters, #2 Publisher: Crooked Sixpence Press Hero: Sylvester Derrick Heroine: Hyacinth Mary Bellamy Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: February 28, 2023 Started On: October 22, 2023 Finished On: October 25, 2023
“Your mouth has been tormenting me and giving me… ideas.” Hy wanted to beg him to describe those ideas, but she couldn’t make herself speak. “I want to do unspeakable things to you… Hy.”
In Hyacinth, S.M. LaViolette crafts a deeply engaging tale set against the opulent and yet at times suffocating backdrop of London’s high society. The novel revolves around 36 year old Sylvester Derrick, the eighth Duke of Chatham, a man whose rugged exterior and cynical demeanor mask the scars of a tumultuous past. Haunted by the loss of his wife Mariah a decade prior, Sylvester is a complex hero—embittered by life’s harsh realities and yet unexpectedly stirred by the unusual 22 year old Hyacinth Mary Bellamy.
Hyacinth, or Hy, is anything but ordinary. As the second daughter of the Earl of Addiscombe, her striking orange hair and spectacles sets her apart from her conventionally beautiful siblings. But it is her bold choice to cross-dress as “Hiram” for nightly escapades that truly makes her character stand out, first out of a need for independence and later to alleviate her family’s financial burdens.
The novel deftly explores the stark contrast between Sylvester’s aristocratic world and the darker, illicit corners of the city that Hy and Sylvester converge. Their interactions are fraught with a simmering tension, as Sylvester, oblivious to Hy’s true identity, is drawn to her intelligence and charm, unknowingly flirting with the very essence of what he has long denied: love and vulnerability.
Ms. LaViolette masterfully intertwines themes of loss and regret, allowing Sylvester’s emotional scars to surface as he grapples with his burgeoning feelings for Hy. Hy is a wonderfully crafted neuro-divergent heroine, whose mind works distinctively differently from her peers. The scars that she carries, especially due to her mother who had found her tiresome in the extreme is one that makes your heart break for the younger version of Hy. It is also this very essence of her character which allows her to compete with men at high stake games of gambling at which she excels.
The gradual build-up of romantic tension between Hy and Sylvester evolves beyond mere physical attraction, culminating in a profound connection that highlights the strength of two seemingly disparate souls coming together. Their conversations reveal insecurities and desires, rendering their relationship not just a romantic entanglement, but a journey of self-discovery for both. It also leads Sylvester to gradually reevaluate his life, bringing him to conclusions about his past actions that does not sit very well with him and makes him understand how they could have hurt the very people who are important to him.
I loved both Sylvester and Hy. Sylvester because he was unabashedly male in a way that was breathtaking. Bored with his lot in life as it happens to most amongst the peerage with their excesses, Sylvester finally finds the solace and excitement that he seeks in Hy. It is only someone like Hy, who can stir his heart, body, and mind that would do for Sylvester and that is exactly what happens.
As mentioned earlier, Hy is an unusual heroine in many aspects. Her sense of curiosity and her lack of self-consciousness are perhaps the most alluring. It is most often our self-consciousness regarding what society demands and expects from us, that makes women hesitate most often when seeking our rightful place in society. While Hy knows her own mind and is fully cognizant of what she wants, a long-term relationship and marriage, especially to a Duke is not something she believes she is suited for. But of course, Sylvester is more than well suited and able to change her mind, with persuasive reasoning that proves to be Hy’s undoing.
Ms. LaViolette is an amazing writer and every single book she has penned to-date serves as a testament to that fact. The writing in this book too, is lush and evocative, painting vivid scenes that lives rent free in my head. One other factor when it comes to Ms. LaViolette’s writing is how rich her vocabulary is, and I always end up noting down a ton of words which I look up and learn from. This story is special for one other reason; the fact that Ms. LaViolette herself is touch averse as is Hy, and I believe her own experiences too have helped shape this book into what it is.
Hyacinth is a novel that ends up being more than just a romance; it is a profound exploration of identity, duty, and the transformative power of love. Sylvester and Hy are two halves of one soul, each challenging and complementing the other in ways that resonates deeply with the reader. Ms. LaViolette’s skillful storytelling and rich characterization makes this novel standout, making this a great second installment to The Bellamy Sisters series.
Recommended for fans of historical romances and for those who enjoy emotional depth and nuanced character dynamics in their romances.
Final Verdict: Hyacinth is a story that offers a refreshing perspective on the complexities of the human heart and mind, with characters that are deeply flawed and all too real!
Favorite Quotes
Ever so gently she caressed the thick fan of lashes that rested against his cheeks before lightly grazing the bony hardness of his nose, the velvety softness of his eyebrow, and the pulsing blue veins beneath the thin skin of his temples, not stopping until her fingers carded the fine, soft hairs near his ears. She was interested to discover that the gray hairs were slightly rougher than the glossy brown ones. Hy saved the scar until last, careful not to touch the baby-soft skin too roughly. She tried to imagine what he must have looked like before the injury but found that she could not picture him without the scar. It seemed so much a part of who he was. Had it changed him as much inside as it had externally? How could you ever ask a person such an intimate question?
“My God you feel good.” His eyes closed as he took a moment to allow her to adjust, the pulse at the base of his throat throbbing so hard she couldn’t resist tonguing it. He groaned as she licked him again and again. Hy lowered her mouth over the thin skin and sucked. He gave a low chuckle. “Are you going to leave your mark on me?” She nodded, using her teeth to graze the skin. When she pulled away, she smiled at the purpled, swollen skin. “Proud of yourself?” “Yes.”
He hissed, his jaws clenching and nostrils flaring as his eyes lowered to her lips. “I’ve dreamed about your mouth,” he said, his voice hoarse with desire. Hy lowered her head until she could reach the slit in his crown with her tongue. His body shook as she probed the tiny opening with the pointed tip of her tongue, teasing him until several vulgar, desperate words slipped from his lips. Not until he whispered, “Please,” one more time did she take the fat head in her mouth and commence to wreck him.
Sylvester flung open the door to the connecting room and then grabbed Hy, who was in the process of shrugging out of her coat, by the upper arms and pinned her against the wall. He claimed her mouth like a starving man falling on a banquet, more than a little pleased when she responded with equal hunger. She shoved her fingers into his hair, knocking off his hat and tightened her hands into fists. “Mmmm,” he groaned, relishing the oddly pleasurable pain as she flexed her fingers, tugging hard enough to pull out more than a few hairs. “I thought the evening would never end,” he said when he came up for air. “I noticed your playing was off tonight, Your Grace. Were you distracted by something?” He nipped her lower lip. “You find that amusing, do you?” She gave a throaty chuckle as Sylvester bit her chin.
Sylvester studied her from beneath lowered lashes, a sudden ball of anxiety pulsing in his belly. She was clever, resourceful, loyal, sensual, adventurous—and more. She was perfect for him—not just the perfect lover or companion, but the perfect person to share the rest of his life. Perfect except for one, single, insurmountable obstacle: she was a stablemaster’s niece.
A Maldivian's Passion for Romance 