When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer

Title: When Harry Met Molly

Author: Kieran Kramer

Series: The Impossible Bachelors #1

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Release Date: 2010, November 2

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages, EBOOK

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

Synopsis:

Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he's named by the Prince regent as one of society's 'Impossible bachelors', Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: the bachelor whose mistress wins the title of 'Most Delectable Companion' gets to remain unmarried. Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status...until his latest lightskirt abandons him. Enter Lady Molly Fairbanks. Harry's childhood friend - actually, 'foe' is more like it - is the most unlikely companion of all. She's attractive but hot-headed, and in no mood for games. Besides, what could the self-indulgent Harry possibly know about what makes a woman delectable? It's time for Molly to teach him a lesson once and for all...but will it lead to happily ever after?

The "Short Story:"

A cute light and fluffy read.  It has it's flaws but still a very good read.

The "Long Story:"

The prologue starts with a young Molly declaring her love for her sister's fiance' in a poem at a Christmas gathering, while also outing her sister for kissing her fiance's younger brother Harry.  The events that happen next set the tone for most of the book, where Harry and Molly pretty much HATE each other as a result of those events.

Then the Prince Regent decides one drunken night that Harry and the other 3 Impossible Bachelors should marry.  But to make things interesting he comes up with a competition.  Pitting the Impossible Bachelors and their mistresses against one another. The winner of the competition will get to remain a bachelor and will be FREE from all the matchmaking mothers, families and debutantes trying to nag him into marrying for 1 year.  But the loser of the competition will have to propose marriage to a woman chosen for him within 2 months.  Naturally, you can't take this story too seriously...hence the book being a "light fluffy" read.  The competition for this year is VERY simple.  The bachelor with the "Most Delectable Companion" or if your reading between the lines....the man with the best mistress wins.

While on his way to the competition Harry's mistress takes off and abandons him.  I chuckled my way through that scene.  As a result of circumstances Molly ends up being Harry's false mistress for the week.  Molly has to not only pretend to be Harry's mistress but also pretend that she ACTUALLY LIKES Harry (Oh the HORROR!).  From what you've read of this review so far you would think that Molly is nothing but a bitch, but that is so VERY much not the case.  See Molly is young and impulsive and she's spent 5 years at a school where she was forced to peel potatoes everyday and where they tried to teach her to be a lady in addition to trying to break her spirit.  In the beginning the competition is difficult for Molly because she is so very much out of her element but slowly but surely she starts winning over everyone including Harry.

I love all the secondary characters too!  My personal favorites were Hildur and Bunny.  Hildur was the "Dark Horse" of the competition being from Iceland and not speaking/understanding much English.

I've always had a soft spot for "hate turns to love" stories.  And at the beginning of this book and through a good chunk of it they really did HATE each other.  And the whole thing is all because of a silly little poem that Molly had written many years ago. I chuckled my way through a good chunk of this book, which I really enjoyed since I've been reading some pretty serious romances recently.

The love scenes in this book were also rather inventive as well.  The more time that Harry and Molly spent together the harder it was for Harry to keep his hands to himself and he spent a good chunk of the competition trying to protect Molly from becoming a "ruined woman" at the hands of his fellow competitors as well as himself. You'll have to read the book to find out more about these inventive scenes!

5/5

The Impossible Bachelors:

When Harry Met Molly 11/2/2010
Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right 11/30/2010
Cloudy With A Chance of Marriage 4/26/2011

A Dead Man's Debt By Grace Elliot

Title:  A Dead Man's Debt
Author: Grace Elliot
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: N/A
Publication Date: October 10, 2010
Format: E-Book
Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

A Dead Man's Debt - a story of blackmail, duty and an unexpected love.

After publicly humiliating a suitor, Miss Celeste Armitage is sent from the Ton in disgrace and resolves never to marry. But when she finds a sketch book of nude studies and discovers the artist is her hostess's eldest son, Lord Ranulf Charing, she finds herself dangerously attracted to exactly the sort of rogue she is sworn to avoid.
Nothing is as it seems. Lord Ranulf's life is a facade and he is being blackmailed over his late brother's debts. But just as the darkly restless Ranulf unexpectedly learns to love, the vengeful fury of his nemesis unleashed. In order to protect Celeste, Lord Ranulf faces a stark choice between duty and true love...
However Ranulf has underestimated Miss Armitage's stubborn resolve to clear his name, and in so doing places the woman he loves in mortal danger....

Review:

I found this historical romance to be a refreshing change of pace from all the YA I've been reading lately.  I haven't read many books that center around the Regency era but I did really enjoy this book.  I think for me the best part of the book was the "roller coaster" of emotions as well as twists and turns that took place through out the book.  Usually, I'm not one for "roller coasters" but I found this particular one to be of my liking, especially since it helped keep the book at a fast pace.

Our heroine Celeste, is sent away by her family after she refuses a suitor.  She's sent to live with Lady Sophia Cadnum at the Hazeldene House, where she is quite content to be Lady Sophia's companion if it means that she never has to marry.   Celeste don't want to be tied to a man and become his property...she's not interested in that in the least.  I saw Celeste as an independent woman for the time we are talking about.  But then Celeste meets Lady Sophia's son Lord Ranulf Charing and that's when the "roller coaster" ride really begins.

Lord Ranulf is known for being a seducer of women, a "one night Romeo" if you will.  But that's before he meets Celeste.  Once he meets Celeste things start to change.  He feels that Celeste challenges him and NO woman has ever challenged him before.  The more time that he spends in her company the more his feelings start to change.

But unfortunately there are many challenges that they must over come in order to get their chance at HEA. Oh, you know the basic stuff....He has to convince her that he's someone she'd want to be married to, she has to loosen up on the reigns when it comes to her opinion of love and marriage, then there's the blast from his past.

Overall, I thought that the book was EXCELLENT.  I thought that the characters were extremely well written and complementary to one another.  Writing wise I found the book to be crafted in a way that made you want to keep reading.  For me personally, I HAD to know what was going to happen next.  I would highly recommend this debut author to anyone who enjoys historical romance.  I will definitely be checking out more of Grace Elliot's books in the future!

 RATING:

5/5

Seduced by Destiny by Kira Morgan *link to giveaway

Title: Seduced By Destiny
Author: Kira Morgan
Series:
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Source: Sent book from publisher as part of the From Scotland With Love Tour

Synopsis:

SWORN TO REVENGE

All her life, Josselin Ancrum has been trained for combat, hoping to exact vengeance for her heroic mother, who was killed fighting the English. When asked to spy for the Scottish Queen, Jossy joyfully accepts. But when a handsome stranger rescues her from sudden danger, his charm distracts her from her mission.

SHROUDED BY SECRECY

On the surface, Drew MacAdam may appear to be nothing more than a carefree champion, but his heart harbors a dark secret: This Highland hero is actually a skilled English soldier with a hatred for war and for the Scottish. Yet from the moment he meets the feisty Jossy, he's captured by her fiercely loyal heart. He's determined the honey-haired lass will be his ultimate prize - until the tragedy of their entwined legacies is revealed. Are these star-crossed lovers to be divided by their pasts? Or will they be...

Seduced by Destiny

Review:

I randomly found the posting for this tour in one of the groups that I follow on the Book Blogs ning and I signed up immediately.  Kira Morgan is a new to me author and I'm very happy to say that I really enjoy her writing. :)

Seduced By Destiny takes place in Scotland in 1561 and is written in a manner that there are all sorts of twists and turns.  On top of all the twists and turns throw in romance, some history on the game of golf, some pretty witty banter, some spying as well as many other elements and you get a pretty fast paced read.

Our heroine, Josselin (Jossy), is a Scottish lass who was raised by three combat warriors after her mother was brutally killed during a battle with the English.  Jossy is not only beautiful and smart...she has a hatred for the English.  Now this is were things start to get real interesting....

Our hero, Andrew (Drew) is an English soldier who hates war, hates the Scottish BUT is pretending that he is indeed a Scottish Highlander.  With a pretty wicked golf game.  Drew was raised by his three uncles after his father killed himself.  His father could not live with the fact that he had killed a woman in men's clothing on the battlefield.

When Jossy and Drew meet the sparks start to fly.  They are both easily attracted to one another, but with all the dark secrets that they have between them will there attraction and growing love survive the dangers that await them?

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romances or stories with Scotland as the backdrop.  The only quirk that I really had with the book was that I thought that after the prologue it kind of leveled off for a little bit.  But that's really all I had issues with.

RATING:

4.5/5

 

For a chance to win 1 of 2 copies of Seduced by Destiny click here.

Highland Master by Amanda Scott *link to giveaway

Title: Highland Master
Author: Amanda Scott
Series:
Publication Date: March 3, 2011
Source:  Received from publisher as part of the From Scotland With Love Tour

Synopsis:


When eighteen-year-old Lady Catriona Mackintosh discovers a wounded man in the forest near her Highland home, little does she know that he has sworn a sacred oath to kill her father and other members of the powerful Highland confederation known as Clan Chattan. Nor does she realize that she has met her soul mate. Independent, competent, intelligent, fiercely proud of her heritage, determined always to live near her own family, and known to her family as the "wee wildcat" because of her quick temper, Catriona is the daughter of a Highland chieftain and granddaughter of the even more powerful Chief (or Captain) of Clan Chattan. But her life changes forever when she persuades Sir Finlagh Cameron to return with her to her home to recover from his wounds.

Sir Finlagh "Fin" Cameron is on a mission for the heir to Scotland's throne, who has sent him to the Highlands to persuade the Chief of Clan Chattan to arrange a secret meeting for him with two other great lords (the Lord of the Isles and the Lord of the North). Until Fin meets Catriona, however, he has no idea that her father was the Clan Chattan war leader who led them in the battle that wiped out many of Clan Cameron's best warriors, including Fin's own father. The sole survivor of that battle, Fin accepted a bequest of vengeance from his dying father, providing him with a dilemma to face as he begins to fall in love with Catriona. He is not the only one enticed by her charms, either. There are two other contenders, one of whom is his own master, the heir to Scotland's throne. With royal mischief afoot, if Catriona and Fin are ever to find happiness, they must first avoid disaster that could change Scotland's history, and find ways to be open and honest with each other.

Review:

I found this tour randomly on the Book Blogs ning and I immediately signed up.  Who doesn't enjoy a Highland Hottie every now and then?  Amanda Scott is another new to me author and I will be reading more of her books in the future after reading this book.  It was a delightful read and I'm really glad that I found this tour!

At the beginning of the book Sir Finlagh Cameron swears to his father that he will avenge his death against the Clan Chattan's war leader.  Many years later, Fin has been attacked by an unknown would be assailant with an arrow and is saved by lovely and very spirited Lady Catriona.  It doesn't take long for Fin to figure out that her father is the man that he's sworn to kill.  But at the same time he is trying to tackle his growing desire for Catriona, which makes it very difficult to concentrate on his original mission.

For the most part I thought that Fin wasn't as angsty as he could have been...Which was a good thing.  He is experiencing all sorts of internal conflicts through a fair piece of the book...Mainly his vow to his father, his growing respect for Catriona's father (the man he's supposed to kill), and his growing love for Catriona herself. I thought that Fin was written as a very mature warrior who realizes that he has to let go of his past in order to have a future.  I thought that this was pretty refreshing considering I've read a couple of books lately where the hero is VERY wishy washy towards the heroine.  I think the best part for me was that Fin realized early on in the book that he was falling in love with Catriona and pretty much focused on her. Cat is very young and very headstrong. 

The second best part of the book for me was how the author made me feel like I was actually in the ancient Highlands while I was reading the book.  I really like a book that is able to transport me out of reality. This book is NOT a light "fluffy" read by any means.  There are plenty of politics, intrigue and twists and turns to add a level of complexity to the story as well. My main quirk with the book was I thought that the romance between our two main characters was pretty slow moving for a portion of the book but at the same time realistic.  Overall, this was a very enjoyable read.

RATING:

4.5/5

For a chance to win 1 of 2 copies of Highland Master click here