Category / Historical

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Not Quite A Husband by Sherry Thomas

Format: E-book
Read with: MS Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Bantam Books
Series: Standalone
Hero: Leo Marsden
Heroine: Bryony Asquith
Published on: May 19, 2009
Started On: August 23, 2009
Finished On: August 28, 2009

I have never before read a story by Sherry Thomas and this one proved to be a delightful find with the sensations that coursed through all of me when I lost myself in Leo and Bryony’s story. I decided to give this delectable read a try, or rather grabbed the chance to read this book upon reading a thread on Amazon’s Romance Discussion forum which helps me to separate out my books into the “must-read, read-if-you’ve-got-nothing-else & do-not-read” piles.

This book proved to be worth my while and then some and I was instantly hooked to Sherry Thomas’ style of writing and her vivid characterization which you can’t help but fall head over heels in love with.

One of the most interesting factors in this story is the fact that Leo is younger than Bryony. This story is told from the viewpoints of both Leo and Bryony and is gut and heart wrenching tale with obviously a happy ending that put a smile to my face when I went to sleep tonight.

This story begins where others usually end with the story of how Leo and Bryony gets married up to the point of annulment of their marriage. Bryony, a surgeon by profession which was hardly in fashion during the Victorian era for a woman, leaves England and goes traveling halfway around the world to soothe her broken spirit and to get away from all the gossip that surrounds her in London. Thinking that Leo never did love her when in fact the truth is from the beginning of his life Leo had in fact being fascinated with Bryony and loved her and never had a clue why his Bryony remains so cold and aloof towards him during their short-lived marriage, ends up in a remote little village in India where Leo finds her to inform her that her father with whom Bryony has always had a strained relationship with, is on the deathbed and needs her back home.

The journey that these two take across the tiny villages scattered across India wrought with danger, and the ultimate realizations and truths about their marriage and enlightening insights into both Bryony and Leos past weaves a breathtaking tale of romance, love and passion that is guaranteed to keep any true romantic hooked from the beginning to end. I have to warn all the ladies though — Leo is lethal, he will stake and claim your heart from the very beginning of the story and never let go!

Highly recommended for all historical romance lovers out there. This is a MUST read!

Looking forward to many more great tales by Sherry Thomas.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble 

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Then Came You By Lisa Kleypas

Format: Paperbackthencame you
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Avon Romance
Series: Gamblers, Book 1
Hero: Alex, Lord Raiford
Heroine: Lily Lawson
Published on: June 1, 1993
Started On: August 17, 2009
Finished On: August 22, 2009

My first book from Lisa Kleypas was the second and last book in the Gamblers Series where I fell in love with Lisa Kleypas’ style of writing and her vivid characters that are quite different from most of the characters portrayed in historical romances. Even when I was reading book 2 of the series i.e. Dreaming of You (let me take a breather here to remember Derek Craven *sighs*), I was curious to read the story of Alex and Lily who play minor secondary roles in the story. So here I go!!

Lily Lawson, portrayed as a woman who can live up to anything in a man’s world (she hunts as good as any lord/marquess or whatever & gambles  better than most men) and basically gets away with being notorious because she is such a daredevil. But behind this facade lies endless heartache and pain. Betrayed by the man she was betrothed to at the altar, fleeing to Italy with her eccentric aunt to Italy, finding a man who Lily thinks is the one and surrendering to one night’s passion which is not so passionate for her in the end leaving her pregnant. No one back in England except Derek Craving who secretly yearns for Lily but wants better things for her than he could ever be and shares as close relationship with a woman as he ever would, knows that Lily had Nicole out of wedlock and that her child at the age of 2 years was kidnapped by her father who fled to London with Nicole upon facing various criminal charges. Lily who is left off with a comfortable inheritance by her aunt, spends most of it trying to get her daughter back from her father by paying him off in huge lump sums until finally she is left destitute.

Enter Alex, Lord Raiford’s world. Grieving for his American fiance who had died in a tragic hunting accident and betrothed to Penelope Lawson, Lily’s younger sister for all the wrong reasons  that she would never make him vulnerable enough to hurt him like the death of his previous fiance did portrays Alex as a deeply private man who is immensely wealthy.

The story that unfolds is at times hilarious and heart wrenching too. Penelope who is in love with Zachary, who has a lesser title to present than Alex, desperately seeks the help of Lily to prevent Alex and Penelope from getting married. Lily intervenes, turns Alex’s world upside down, and eventually detains Alex long enough at her home by tying him down to her bed to allow Zachary and Penelope to elope together. Alex who had been keeping the feelings that Lily evokes in him in check, lets them loose and hunts Lily down, wagers 5000 pounds for one night with her and wins Lily over.

Taming Lily who has never wanted to bow to a man and let him lead her life ever before finds herself enchanted when instead of offering her to be Alex’s mistress as she thought he would, finds herself married to him. Lily afraid that the news of illegitimate daughter would drive Alex and his love away keeps it a secret from him until he finds his wife and her daughter’s notorious father in a supposedly compromising position which finally propels Lily to spill the beans.

Though I didn’t love this story as much as I did Derek’s story, this one still had its moments of passion, laughter and love all packed into one.

Purchase Links: Amazon | ReaderStore | Kobo | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Seduce Me At Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas

Format: Paperback
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Series: The Hathaways, Book 2
Hero: Kev Merripen
Heroine: Winnifred Hathaway
First Published on: September 30, 2008
Started On: August 16, 2009
Finished On: August 16, 2009

I sort of hit a reading frenzy and addiction for another Lisa Kleypas novel that needed a quick fix. Since I had ordered a couple of her books from Barnes & Noble a few months ago, I found myself with this heart touching novel from her that I couldn’t put down until I had read each and every bit of Kev and Win’s story.

Kev Merripen is half gypsy, half Irish, who as a kid led a  brutal life, where he had to fight, and I mean literally fight for survival. His uncle who was his guardian, made him fight with kids his own age to earn money. Never knowing any love while growing up, Kev was found by Win’s father lying on the road with serious injuries left to die. Thus begins this heart wrenching tale of two people who from the very start had eyes literally for one another only.

Win’s family being a pretty eccentric family with 5 siblings who weren’t materiallistically rich by any means, was the first time that Kev experienced life with a family that wanted him and cared for him. Even from the beginning a special bond forms between Win and Kev. Tragedy strucks Win’s happy family when her father dies of a heart attack followed closely by the death of their mother who just gave up  the will to live after her husband died. The story doesn’t just focus on Win and Kev, but rather on tids and bits of Win’s whole family mainly Amelia and her husband Cam (who later turns out to be Kev’s younger brother), Leo (whose girl friend dies after succumbing to scarlet fever), Beartix and Poppy. (I would really love to read their individual stories as I am sure it would make an engrossing read!)

Win too gets the scarlet fever and later develops a condition of the lungs that hinders her from participating in any strenous physical activity. Determined to get better in order to be a proper wife to Kev (even though he would rather die than admit he wanted Win to be his wife because he felt so unworthy of her), Win journeys to France with her brother Leo and returns back after two years with her doctor (Dr. Harrow) in tow.

Thus begins the battle between Win and Kev. Win who tries to convince Kev that he is the only one that she has ever wanted, and Kev trying to convince Win that she deserved much better than what he had to offer. Kev makes for a strong, brooding and enigmatic hero that any heroine would swoon over. I feel that Kleypas did justice with the heroine as well. She is beautiful and strong and makes a worthy opponent in the battle to let Kev find that he really did belong with Win no matter what.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Stranger in My Arms by Lisa Kleypas

Format: Paperback
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Hunter Hawksworth
Heroine: Lara Hawksworth
First Published on: July 1, 1998
Started On: July 2009
Finished On: August 16, 2009

Historical romances aren’t my favorite kind of romance. The elaborate descriptions of the amount of clothing a ‘lady’ has to put on to feel suffocated (enough to make the reader stop reading and come up for air) and the so called ‘ton’ which every historical author raves about in their books just doesn’t do it for me most of the times. However, as there are exceptions to every rule man-made or otherwise, I do enjoy historical romances by certain authors such as Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood and Lisa Kleypas.

Stranger in my arms starts off when Lara Hawksworth gets the news that her husband who was believed to  have been killed on a shipwreck almost a year ago was back from the dead. Unable to believe that her husband (Hunter), with whom she had never enjoyed being married to is back, but duty bound to check out whether the news could be true finds Lara with a man who has an uncanny resemblance to Hunter. But this version of her husband seems to be kinder, more attentive, more loving and oh so deliciously sensual that Lara cannot truly believe that this man could be her husband. However, slowly ‘Hunter’ seduces his ‘miss goody-two-shoes’ wife which seduces the reader along on this wicked ride. In the end, this new ‘Hunter’ turns out to be the half-brother of the actual Hunter Hawksworth, whom Lara finally saves from being sent to the gallows for deceiving the entire family about his identity.

I loved reading every bit about this new Hunter. He was deliciously sinful, the kind of hero that you can really dream about (yeah that’s the whole reason why we ladies tend to read romance  novels). I sometimes found myself irritated with Lara though for being such a goody-two-shoes at times that she just tended to get on my nerves during the first half of the novel.

I recommend this for all Lisa Kleypas book lovers.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Half.com | Abebooks

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