Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Book Review: The Duke and The Domina : Grayson : The Ruination of Grayson Danforth by Jenn LeBlanc



Available now!

He's poor. She's rich. 
He's a sub. She's a switch. 
It's not love. 
It's a marriage of kink-venience.

Grayson Locke Danforth, in his wildest of dreams, never expected two things. 

The first was to be recalled from India by Queen Victoria where he worked for the quiet purposes of the crown. He must now become the Duke of Warrick after the tragic deaths of his father and brothers. However, tragedy is entirely in the eyes of the beholder, and Grayson doesn’t want the title, or to return to what remains of his family. Grayson wants to remain invisible, an outcast, a man in exile for the way his body and mind behave and the secrets he needs to keep.

The second thing he never expected was to be forced into marriage to a woman from the twenty-first century. 

Lulu is no mere woman, however. She’s a switch who works as a professional Dominatrix—at least, she did. When she wakes up in a strange house, a strange world, a strange body, she isn't quite sure what to think and is certain she’s dreaming. She has less than a day to gain her bearings and make a decision that will dictate the rest of her life in this world—whether or not to marry this beautiful stranger. 

As Lulu and Grayson attempt to begin a life together, she discovers the true reason why this man is a stranger to his family. She can only hope she can persuade Grayson to accept who she is, and who he was born to be, before he forces her out of his life in order to maintain his well-kept secrets. 

Trust doesn’t come easily to either of them, but it’s the only thing they have. 

Grayson will have to give in to his need to submit in order to get his wife to open up and allow him to possess her fully in return. 

It’s a cautious dance between two people who have never known how to trust, or love.


THE BOOKS IN THE LORDS OF TIME SERIES: 

THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE : BOOK ONE in the Lords of Time Series

THE DUKE AND THE DOMINA : BOOK TWO in the Lords of Time Series

THE DUKE AND THE BARON : a Lords of Time companion novel



As you can see above there are two full books in this series. Both have illustrated versions and i have to say it is worth reading the illustrated versions but if that's not your think you can buy it without them as well. In The Duke and the Domina we see a few familiar characters from previous books. I find a lot of comfort in that. Grayson was introduced in book one and i loved him but there was a bit of mystery around him. Lulu is his fate and she is a 21st century girl who wakes up with a headache in a new world than the the one she has always known. This is partly a time travel book in that Lulu travels  back to the 1800's  London from current day in the United States. She wakes up in the arms of Grayson Locke Danforth or The Warrick. What i liked about this book is the chance to see characters from the previous book. There were many i grew to love. Grayson being one of them. He finds himself a solitary person by choice. He lets his friends and cousins in as much as he can but none are really close. He thinks he's different and he is from what is the norm of the time. When Lulu comes into his life there is something about her that calls to him yet scares him. She will either be everything he needs or the end of him. It's kind of a toss up for a while. Each has personal issues they have to deal with if they want to find happiness and love. I really enjoyed their journey getting there. Jenn LeBlanc is a excellent photographer and you can see her work on many book covers including her own. She's gone one step further with her books and has illustrated them through her own pictures. It's just one more personal touch added to a really great story. If you are a fan of Victorian romance and don't mind a erotic twist or two this is a great series. I have found myself deep into these books where it's easy to lose yourself.  Time well spent.

Read more about Jenn Le Blance and her books and photos on her website where you can also find various links to her her books as well. www.jennleblanc.com

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

ARC Book review:Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold #19) by Susan Mallery



Available Sept. 29th 2015

eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley


To bridal boutique owner Madeline Krug, organizing a Christmas wedding sounds like a joy—until she finds out she'll be working closely with the gorgeous brother of the bride, movie star Jonny Blaze. How will a small-town girl like her keep from falling for the world's sexiest guy? Especially with mistletoe lurking around every corner! 

Jonny came to Fool's Gold looking for normal, not for love. Happily-ever-after only happens in the movies. Still, nothing about this quirky town is quite what he expected, and "ordinary" Madeline is the most extraordinary woman he's ever met. Refreshingly honest, disarmingly sweet. Achingly beautiful. 
Planning the perfect wedding leads to candlelit dinners and strolls through snow-covered streets. And Madeline finds Jonny in real life even more captivating than her celebrity crush. But will the action star be brave enough to risk his heart and step into the role of a lifetime? 

Madeline Krug has had a celebrity crush on Jonny Blaze for ages. Now he's moved to Fool's Gold. At least he's going to be around til his next movie starts filming. While he's in town he needs help planning his baby sister's wedding. Madeline gets asked to help by the mayor and she can't say no even if she's not sure she can handle being around super star Jonny without making a fool of herself. Jonny is is looking for normal away from the media and the more he gets to know Madeline the more he feels a connection.  I really enjoyed this book. Considering it's just September i wasn't sure i could get into the Christmas spirit to enjoy the book. Somehow Susan Mallery made it happen for me though.  Jonny but he won me over fast. especially the way he handle the two elderly trouble makers in Fool's Gold. You'll have to read it to see what I'm talking about but it's going to be worth it. There are of course little surprises woven into the story through previous characters. A well rounded story that will definitely leave you with a smile on your face.


Find out more about the this book and Fool's Gold series here www.susanmallery.com

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

ARC Book review: Ryker (Cold Fury Hockey #4) by Sawyer Bennett


Available Sept. 8th 2015
eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley

The stakes have never been higher for Carolina Cold Fury goalie Ryker Evans. With his contract running out, he’s got a year left to prove he’s still at the top of his game. And since his wife left him, Ryker has been balancing life as a pro-hockey star and a single parent to two daughters. Management is waiting for him to screw up. The fans are ready to pounce. Everybody’s taking dirty shots—except for the fiery redhead whose faith in Ryker gives him a fresh start.

As the league’s only female general manager, Gray Brannon has learned not to mix business with pleasure. And yet even this tough, talented career woman can’t help breaking her own rules as she gives Ryker everything she’s got. She hopes their hot streak will last forever, but with Ryker’s conniving ex plotting to reclaim her man, the pressure’s on Gray to step up and save a tender new love before it’s too late.

I really enjoyed this book. Ryker is this amazing, amazing guy. When his wife cheated on him with a teammate he got traded to the Cold Fury and met Gray Brannon. Gray is the manager of the Cold Fury and is responsible for bringing Ryker on board. She is also the leagues only female general manager. He's taking care of his two young daughters while trying to keep his game winning streak going. Sparks fly between Ryker and Gray and while it's sizzling hot the pair have a problem. She's kind of his boss in a way so that's a conflict of interest and might get one or both of them fired. Ryker is this guy wanting to do the right thing for his young girls who are just adorable and he and Gray struggle with a relationship they are forced to keep a secret. It's not easy and it can't last this way for long. Struggling to figure out if Gray should resign or Ryker retire. It seems one of those two things have to happen. Slowly the secret of their relationship is coming out as more and more people know the decision on what to do about it creeps closer. While the sex scenes in this book are sizzling hot it's everything about Ryker and Gray outside of the bedroom that works for me. 
Can't wait to see what's next!

Find out more about this series and Sawyer Bennett here www.sawyerbennett.com

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

ARC Book review: Maid for a Magnate (Dynasties: The Montoros #5) by Jules Bennett


Available Sept 1st 2015
eARC Provided by author through Harlequin.

Now that he's shunned the princess, will he marry the maid? 

After narrowly escaping a royal marriage of convenience orchestrated by his meddling father, businessman Will Rowling is going after what he wants. And make no mistake, he wants Cat Iberra his father's maid, and the woman who got away when they were young. All it takes is a stolen kiss to get the seduction started.

But Cat's reluctant about the reunion. Fool her once, shame on Will, but fool her twice well, maybe she's in the mood to be fooled. But will a family secret scuttle her second chance with the man who won't let go of her heart? 


I am coming into this series cold not having read the previous books this one is linked to. It can be read as a stand a lone in my opinion but like most series would be even better read in order. Cat is not new to the charms of Will Rowling. She fell for him 4 years ago and he broke her heart when he picked money and his father over her. Little did she know Will was protecting her from his father. It's taken him four long painstaking years to get some revenge on his father for his controlling ways and for making him hurt Cat. Now Will is working at hard to get Cat to see he has changed. That she means something to him. Without reading the last book you can still get the gist of what happened previously as it is brought up once or twice. I love that Will and his twin brother James who apparently had not been close in a while find their way back to a great brother bond. Cat is this strong women who instead of sulking when Will dumped her decided to get a life for herself and has been diligently working for that for the last four years. Now her life is thrown into turmoil again by the same man. She just has to decide if he's worth trusting again. For 192 pages this book packs a lot of story into a small amount of pages. Enjoyable and engaging from beginning to end!

Find out more about Jules Bennett here www.julesbennett.com