Review: Devil in Tartan (Highland Grooms #4) by Julia London

Devil in Tartan

Author: Julia London
Publisher: HQN Books
Series: Highland Grooms #4
Pages: Mass Market Paperback, 379 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: February 20th 2018

Summary:

Peril and passion on enemy seas…

Lottie Livingstone bears the weight of an island on her shoulders. Under threat of losing their home, she and her clan take to the seas to sell a shipload of illegal whiskey. When an attack leaves them vulnerable, she transforms from a maiden daughter to a clever warrior. For survival, she orchestrates the siege of a rival’s ship and now holds the devilish Scottish captain Aulay Mackenzie under her command.

Tied, captive and forced to watch a stunning siren commandeer the Mackenzie ship, Aulay burns with the desire to seize control—of the ship and Lottie. He has resigned himself to a life of solitude on the open seas, but her beauty tantalizes him like nothing has before. As authorities and enemies close in, he is torn between surrendering her to justice and defending her from assailants. He’ll lose her forever, unless he’s willing to sacrifice the unimaginable…

Review:

I am rather sorry that I didn't particularly enjoy this installment of the series. And while there are good parts, I have quite a bit of issue with others.


This is the fourth in a series I have come to enjoy and like. I love Julia London's writing style.
However, sometimes the brogue was a bit distracting. I am not sure if I am ever going to like people writing out accents in dialogues. For me, it's about readability rather than authenticity. Also, I keep thinking if they all speak to the same way, why highlight it?
I should mention that if I would have listened to the audiobook, I would have loved the fact that the dialogues were written in Scottish brogue.

The storyline was entertaining. I enjoyed the ups and downs of this adventure. Maybe we should call it a misadventure?
Now the romance is a whole other cattle of fish. I mean, it's not really terrible I guess. But I just didn't get where they were coming from. I get there was sexual attraction. But how on earth did this shift from it to the big L?
I just don't get it. It's way to insta for me. It just doesn't work for me.
Then add to it that some of it was just too generic and we have a big no-no for me.

At least I felt like that until Auley declared his feelings. And let's just say someone might have or might not have been all gooey. He had me at my inner sea turned over ...

The character building left me divided. I love the supporting cast. Most of them anyway. I am not a huge fan of the villains. They feel a bit generic. The rest of the support cast is vivid, unique and interesting. A great backdrop for the MCs
I adore Auley. I loved him from the get-go. I could relate to him ( hello! middle child over here!)
I got his worries, his thought process, I got it all except how or why he fell for Lottie. Except for the superficial that is.
Lottie, well, let's just say she grew on me. I didn't care much for her for most of the book. I found her really immature and fullish most of it. I guess she is quite young, but some of the things she did were annoyingly childish.
Then I found the way Aulay saw her didn't really correlate with the way I see her. And somehow that made it worse, it felt inconsistent. She did towards the end grow on me, not as much as her merry band or Aulay, but still enough.

All in all, this isn't bad. It's entertaining, but not captivating. Great storyline, fab support cast but the romance wasn't for me.

Rating: 




Reviewed by Den

Review: Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt

Once Upon a Christmas Eve

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Publisher: Forever Yours
Series: Maiden Lane #12.6
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: December 5th 2017

Summary:

Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday—and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met.

Sarah St. John really rather loathes rakes. The self-satisfied smirks. The sly predatory gazes. Oh, and the constant witty banter rife with double meaning. But in the spirit of the season, she'll welcome this admittedly handsome viscount into her home. But as the snowstorm rages, the Yule log crackles, and the tension rises, Sarah and Adam find themselves locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. If love is the true meaning of Christmas, it's the one gift this mismatched pair can't wait to unwrap

Review:

A nice little novella that fits well into the series. It does also work as a standalone, though I personally probably enjoyed this more because I read the series.
It's the perfect cute and fluffy to get some historical holiday cheer with some smut. It's rather short, too short for my taste. Which while we at it is my biggest issue with this.
I liked this a lot. But then it was over.
Way too fast.
Literally just got into the characters, queue smut scene and boom! HEA.
I was left wanting more. Lots more.
What we got, however, is a lovely little novella featuring Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, who made an appearance in the series before this, getting his HEA.
I am not complaining about what's there rather what is not there.
While there is some interesting character building, which is a feat considering how short this is, the plot feels rushed, especially at the end.
The moment when Adam has his epiphany (which could have been a bit stalkerish creepy as well btw) was a bit... well... too sudden.
So loved the storyline, but it was too rushed. Enjoyed the characters, but was left wanting more.
Cute little novella, which leaves me hoping that Hoyt is going to write another novel for the series.


Rating: 

ARC Review: The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

The Duchess Deal

Author: Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon
Series: Girl Meets Duke #1
Pages: Kindle Edition, 384 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date:& August 22nd 2017

Summary:

hen girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules…

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…

Review:

And this ladies and gentleman. This right here is why I read historical romances.
So if you wanna try the genre. Read it. If you like the genre. Read it.
Well, basically just READ IT.

END of REVIEW

okay, just kidding. About the end of the review. Not about the reading part. Because The Duchess Deal is .. well nothing short of amazing.
Right from the beginning I got sucked in and I barely could put my kindle down in between. I wasn't really planning to just read for most of my Saturday afternoon. No, I was going to start this because I felt like some Tessa Dare. Something swoony and well written, and adult. (I've been reading YA for the week). My plans were to read a little, finish some work and do some social stuff... and well I read. The fact that I was expected to have supper in between and talk to my husband was a tad exasperating, because hello? how disruptive is that? I was right in the middle of .. of.. well, swooning for Ash.
Let me stop fangirling and get to the crux of the matter.
As I said this is really well crafted.
The writing style is classic Dare. So it has beautiful descriptions and fun banter, hot smut scenes and amazing quirky characters. On top of that, it feels authentic. It feels like it could have happened.

The storyline felt a bit like a mash-up of Beauty & the Beast, Notting Hill and Love Actually. Well, basically if their parents had a love child. Or is it their grandparents? Who knows And actually it doesn't matter. It has the best parts of all three but it feel less fairytale or make believe than any of them. It also seems to have more depth. It definitely is more adult ('cause there is smut, very hot & sensual smut) I didn't want it to end, at all. And I hope there will be a book for each and everyone of the fabulous quirky girlfriends Emma made on the way. And maybe a book for a grownup Menace? Well, I just want more!

The character building is what makes this such an amazing read however. I adored each and every character. I felt for Ash, adore his weird little hobbies and his Robin-Hood streak (or is it more Batman and Robin?) I love how Dare shows how calculating he thinks he is, his insecurities and yet how wonderful he truly is, despite being lost somewhat and grumpy.
Emma is your big hearted do-gooder at first glance. But she is also brave and yet very insecure and lonely. Just like Ash the more I read the more I got her and I rooted for her. I feel like I got to know them both and I understand them. More than that... I could identify with both of them. And let's face it, I have no big ugly scars nor do I have a terrible father. Yet I saw bits of myself in both of them.
The support cast is quite extensive and each character is unique and well written. They don't feel like support but rather like full parts. As I said I hope Dare will write books about them, because not only did I get to know them quite well, I adore them and I want to revisit them all.

I think in the end we all read novels, because we do live through the characters. We discover new worlds through them, explore new settings.. but in only the best books to we identify with the characters, we see pieces of ourselves in them. This is one of those books for me.
Which is why I can only recommend for you to go read it.


Rating: 

Review: The Striker by Monica McCarty

The Striker

Author: Monica McCarty
Series: Highland Guard #10
Pages: Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: November 24th 2015

Summary:

Six years ago, Eoin "Striker” MacLean endured the greatest betrayal of his life, a disaster that led Robert the Bruce to a crushing defeat and left Eoin without the spirited woman who ruled his heart. Eoin knew that falling in love with his sworn enemy’s daughter was risky, dividing him between a possessive desire for beautiful Margaret MacDowell and an undying loyalty to his king. He promised Bruce that he would keep his fiery bride in the dark about the elite Highland Guard, but he could not predict the dire consequences his secret would have on his young marriage. Nor could he foresee how surrendering to temptation could cripple Bruce’s cause, forcing Eoin to blame his wife—and himself for trusting her.

Now, as Bruce prepares to challenge the resistance’s remaining strongholds, Eoin finally has his chance for revenge against the woman he once loved so fiercely and her entire clan. But when ferociously independent Margaret reveals a surprise that unites her with Eoin, neither of them will let their love go down without a fight

Review:

Another great installment by McCarty. I should say, that I thought this would be the end of the series- but after finishing The Striker I discovered to my utter delight, that there will be at least two more novels to come!

I am still a bit shocked at how much I like this series. I mean, I am miss-why-read-those-highlander-novels-cause-they-are-so-far-off-reality-they-might-as-well-be-called-fantasy-without-worldbuilding.
Then I stumbled over the Highland Guard Series and ate humble pie.
So I thought, I was so wrong, I've read quite a few books in this genre, but somehow, so far at least, they all a tad disappointing. First they all seem to have no clue about the Scottish climate.  NO ONE runs around the highlands in thin frocks people! It's mission impossible.. and why does the sun always shine in those novels? Which alternative universe are they talking about.... But I am getting off track.



My point is that after reading The Striker two things became really clear to me:

McCarthy does describe the Scotland I know- and love. And she does a really amazing job at it. I feel like I've revisited my former home, when I come up for air in between reading. Her descriptions are accurate, realistic and capture the beauty of Scotland amazingly. Which speaks for her amazing skill as a writer but I keep wondering how much time McCarthy has spent in the Highlands. Her descriptions of places ( that I know really well) are just amazing. I simply don't have another word. They are evocative and exact. I am sadly not good with words so I fail at describing the incredible beauty that McCarthy creates with hers.

The historical setting is brilliant. I love the authors notes at the end of each book. And while I am quite knowledgeable in this particular part of history, I am always amazed by McCarthy's research. Even more by how she takes historical facts and creates characters that seem real.  Again a tribute to McCarthy's great skill at her craft. This novel is cleverly interwoven in the historical setting, pivoting  around the battle of Loch Ryan.



The story line goes over several years. I actually love how there was a back and forth. Slowly we could reconstruct the events- some of which we already knew from previous books in the series, but revisiting them from a different POV and with additional details.
This is definitely a second chances romance. It all starts with total insta-lust. And ooooh all the sizzles, I tell you the chemistry between Eoin and Margaret is palatable- and that keeps up until the end of the book.  Which leads me to the smut. Just as always McCarty does not dissapoint when it comes to the smexy stuff.  It's hot hot hot.
And then the two MCs behave totally annoyingly stubborn and immature and all goes to hell. My heart was breaking for most of the book.  This is not a sweet little insta to HEA ending novel. No, this is heart wrenching, sad and utterly infuriating. In all the best ways. In one word: It's intense. Very intense. I felt every turn of their journey. I wanted to console them and shake them - actually smack them most of the time. And I totally enjoyed the ride. Just be warned it's not your easy going and sweet romance story line
I honestly did question their love. It was all a bit too insta for my taste. I kept thinking this is all just lust- they completely mistaking sexual attraction with love. And to McCarty's credit they do question it themselves. Though I do believe they end up caring for each other now after finishing it, I found myself doubting them until the epilogue really.



I think Eoin and Margaret are two of the most flawed characters ever written in a Highland romance, ever! And I totally adore that. They behave like utter idiots at times, but I understood where they were coming from. I like both of them and believed their mistakes were at times to do with immaturity.  I also believed when they reformed some of their faults. Both, Margaret and Eoin feel like real people, probably exactly because they are flawed. They are also complex and interesting - and I like them both, I could identify with both of them.
Just like the previous novels, this one is character driven as well. And in my opinion it's intensity (and stupidity) is bearable because of the character growth the two MCs go through. And just like always I really enjoyed revisiting the other members of the crew. They all feel so real. It's amazing to see the characters from a different POV in each book. I love how one sees a different side of them, but how familiar they have all become.

So another AMAZING installment to my favorite Highlander series. And as I said the good news there will be at least two more books. In fact I already read The Rock- and well, let me just say it is good...(I shall post my review next week) and I am waiting to get my hands on The Ghost, desperately, while hoping that there will be MORE.

Until then: Get your hands on The Striker, find a quiet corner and go to the Highlands for a few hours. You won't regret it. I promise.

Rating: 

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Bracelet of Bones by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Bracelet of Bones


Author: Kevin Crossley-Holland
Publisher: Quercus
Series: Viking Sagas #1
Pages: Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: March 11, 2014

Summary:

Crossley-Holland, a winner of the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the Smarties Prize Bronze Medal, and the Tir Nan-Og Award, and numerous other distinctions, has written an absorbing fantasy novel for young adults with a formidable heroine. The Guardian praised Bracelet of Bones as “superb” Crossley-Holland writes “with a poet’s eye and love of words, painting a vivid picture of the world his characters move through, whether it’s the morning mist on the river or the smoke from a funeral pyre.”

One morning Solveig wakes to find her father, Viking mercenary Halfdan, has broken his promise to her by leaving to join the Viking Guard in Constantinople, without her. Deciding to follow him, Solveig sets off in a tiny boat and into an epic adventure, encountering Swedish traders, a ghost-ship and a Russian king, braving arrow-storms and witnessing a living sacrifice. Through it all, Solveig’s belief in her father is unwavering. Will she ever reach Constantinople? And will her father be there? An imaginative and poignant novel that explores friendship and betrayal, the father-daughter relationship, the clash of religions and the journey from childhood to adulthood, Bracelet of Bones is a vivid adventure not to be missed.

Review:

I am not quite sure what's going on with me lately, but I keep on  having completely wrong exceptions of books. The Bracelet of Bones is no exception. Although I did read the blurb before requested the ARC, for some reason I kinda had in the back of my mind that this was a fantasy. Ok, so admittedly knowing my memory for names is bad at best, I should have known that I wouldn't necessary connect the right name with the right blurb. But see books come with covers, so I remembered the pretty cover was a story about a girl from Norway, during Viking times. Which it is! Since it was quite clear from the beginning that this is what Bracelet of Bones is about, I was sure I am reading a fantasy book. When I was about a third in, I had the suspicion that I might be wrong and read the blurb. So long story short. This is not a fantasy but a historical novel.

It's an epic story about friendships, clash of religions, coming of age and fathers-and-daughters. The best part about this is definitely the way the story is told.  Crossley-Holland knows how to tell an epic story. Though this isn't told over thousands of pages, no it's in a average sized book. Still in this relatively short span, Crossley-Holland brings across many subject and brings many thoughts to mind.
While this is a great journey, with many adventures, the novel is somewhat slow paced, not boring, but more reflective. So very much my kinda thing; I was enchanted by the prose and enjoyed the story, but mostly loved the thoughtful and subtle aspects of the novel.

The plot is interesting, but possibly my least favorite bit of the story. The entire way it was written, while I thoroughly enjoyed it, made this somewhat slow. Let me warn you this is not a sugar-glossed version of the past, no it's rather realistic. So it's not only not your HEA but be prepared for heartbreak and sorrow, but also for loss. The plot lets you quiver between despair and hope, which I guess is to a great credit to the writing of Crossley-Holland. But also no doubt due to the wonderful character building.

At the beginning of the book is an inventory of character names and who they were. It's several pages long and holds many unfamiliar names. Can you imagine how worried I was? See me, mrs. crapy-name-memory, staring at the list in utter despair? Well, though at time I had to concentrate on who was who, not once did I go back to check who I was dealing with. So yes, there are a rather big amount of characters all with not exactly familiar names, but the character building is so well done, I feel like I know them. I know who is who- and most importantly I connected with them. And yes, I said them, because I connected with every one of them. This is told from Solveigh's POV, but I got to know most of the characters, the left impressions on me, and though I saw them through Solveigh's eyes, I cared for them (even the slightly more unpleasant ones) and felt like I knew who they were.

The world building is absolutely amazing. I know quite a bit about ancient history. I also am quite clued up on the Norse gods and their mythology.  And I have traveled through some of the area's this is set. So I was pleasantly surprised to find things, I didn't know. In fact after finishing the novel, I dashed to our library checking out dates, names of hero's and brushing up on my history of that time. Then I hit google. Honestly Crossley-Holland did an amazing job at bringing the time to life.

A beautiful book, that inspires thought, bring the past to life and is full of subtle wisdom.



Rating: 

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Review: Lawless & The Devile of Euston Square by William Sutton

Lawless & The Devile of Euston Square by William Sutton

Publisher: Exhibit A
Pages: 528 Pages (Paperback)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Release Date: July 30, 2013
Summary:

Murder. Vice. Pollution. Delays on the Tube. Some things never change…

London 1859-62. A time of great exhibitions, foreign conquests and underground trains. But the era of Victorian marvels is also the time of the Great Stink. With cholera and depravity never far from the headlines, it’s not only the sewers that smell bad.
Novice detective, Campbell Lawless, stumbles onto the trail of Berwick Skelton, an elusive revolutionary, seemingly determined to bring London to its knees through a series of devilish acts of terrorism.

But cast into a lethal, intoxicating world of music hall hoofers, industrial sabotage and royal scandal, will Lawless survive long enough to capture this underworld nemesis, before he unleashes his final vengeance on a society he wants wiped from the face of the Earth?

Lawless & The Devil of Euston Square is the first of a series of historical thrillers by William Sutton set during the mid-nineteenth century, featuring Metropolitan policeman, Campbell Lawless, aka the Watchman, on his rise through the ranks and his initiation as a spy.

Before Holmes, there was Lawless…

Before Campbell Lawless, the London streets weren’t safe to walk…

Rating: DNF

Review: 

I very very rarely don't finish a book
But after 4tries I still couldn't get into it!

So this will be a really short review.
The biggest issue for me was definitely the writing style. It's just really not to my liking. But on top of that the whole thing was extremely long wound and had so many details added it became rather complicated to keep the storyline in mind.
I do get what the author was trying to do. The fact that he tried to recreate that world and tried to portrait the society at that time. But somehow it got lost in too much and it felt like he was trying to hard.
Still there are aspects I did like, the whole entrepreneurial view of London at that point. The fact that the world was vastly changing thanks to visionary inventor and investors.
I was looking forward to something in the lines of Sherlock Holmes. I love novels written in that era. But this was nothing like a Holmes story and I felt I was drowned by too much world building.

I am not rating this, since I never got past the halfway mark. I found the different slangs impossible to understand. which made this beyond difficult to read. Add to that, the slow plot and that I didn't like the writing style. And this  was mission impossible for me


ARC was provided by Publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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ARC Review: Peregrine Harker & The Black Death by Luck Hollands

Peregrin Harker & The Black Death by Luke Hollands

Publisher: Sparkling Books Ltd
Pages: 192 Pages (Paperback)
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: June 3, 2013
Summary:

Peregrine Harker is about to learn you're never too young to die.

London 1908: A secret society stalks the murky streets, a deadly assassin lurks in the shadows and a series of unexplained deaths are linked by a mystery symbol…

When boy-detective Peregrine Harker stumbles across a gruesome murder he sparks a chain of events that drag him on a rip-roaring journey through a world of spluttering gas lamps, thick fog, deadly secrets and dastardly villains.

Every step of Peregrine’s white-knuckle adventure brings him closer to the vile heart of a terrifying mystery – the true story behind the Brotherhood of the Black Death.

Rating:


Review: 

This is a book for the boys. At least that's what I concluded at the end.
To be honest I just couldn't get into this one. At first I thought it might be my mood, so I read something else in between.. and when I came back to it, I still felt the same. So I kinda struggled through it.
See this is not really bad actually. Just not my cup of tea. The writing is kinda classic boy's adventure/fantasy. And I thought I liked those. But maybe not so much?
It's a bit silly and funny, fast paced and has every typical element a ya mystery/historical fiction usually boasts. All is there the undercover agent, bombs, fights, the big showdown and THE girl. Still I was always left feeling like something was missing.
I think my biggest issues were that Peregrine sounded way older- more like 30 or 40 at times not like a fifteen year old guy and I was hoping that there would be more plot or character development as it went on. But that never really happened. In fact both plot and characters felt more and more generic.

This felt more like one of those action spy movies to me and while I do watch those ones in a while, I think I don't wanna read books like that. Saying that though I also have to say that I am sure that many others will enjoy this more than me. As I say right in the beginning it think this one is one for the boys. The 15year old ones that secretly dream of being a undercover agent on dangerous missions and getting the girl at the end.



ARC was provided by Publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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