historical

The Raider by Monica McCarty

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
The Devil’s Enforcer and the English “Princess”.
The Raider (Highland Guard, #8)

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Highland Guard #8
Genre-Historical Scottish Romance
Reviewed by Kay
432 pages
Robbie Boyd is a member of Bruce’s Phantoms, fighting for the Highland Guard. He’s a lethal weapon whether he has a sword or just his bare hands. The bloody and on going fight with the English to control Scotland has hardened him. He fights for what’s right and to avenge the death of his family at the hands of the English. He tries to kidnap his worst foe’s heir and ends up with his sister also.

Rosalin is the sister of Boyd’s greatest enemy. She’s unspeakably beautiful and innocent. She shares a close bond with her brother. She knows about the war between England and Scotland. She’s grown up hearing about the barbaric Scots. Robbie Boyd in particular. As a young girl, she freed Boyd and his friends after their capture because she sensed something in Robbie. And in that moment, she fell in love with him.

This novel is about two polar opposites, first love and the need for honor and revenge. Can the princess tame the Highlander? Can he see past his need for revenge? Does love conquer all?

Monica McCarty is back on top with this novel. Lately, she’s been hit or miss with this series for me, but this book was….wow. Great characters, great story, smokin’ hot sex and a happily ever after. Oh, and Highlanders, yum! I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Lord of Wicked Intentions (The Lost Lords of Pembrook, #3)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Lost Lords of Pembrook #3
Genre-Regency Historical
Reviewed by Kay
370 pages

Rafe Easton is one of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke. They were hunted to be killed as boys so they didn’t inherit the title that was theirs. The boys split up at very young ages with the promise to come back when they were older, to reclaim all they had to give up. Rafe was the youngest brother and went to work in the workhouses. His existence was horrific at best. Beaten regularly. As he got older he became of debt collector for a very dangerous man. He then became the owner of all that this man had. His life only cost him his soul and his heart.

Evelyn Chambers was the illegitimate daughter of an earl. After her mother’s death she came to live with her father and her half brother. Her life was sheltered and pampered but never public. After her father’s death, she is offered up to a group a gentlemen. She would go to the highest bidder. At the time, she thought her brother was trying to get her a husband.

Rafe sees Evelyn and knows he can’t let her to to one of those men in attendance at the get together. He offers for with the intent of her becoming his mistress. Evelyn is horrified at her circumstances but she possess no skills to speak of. She knows what this means. She has to become a mistress to man that doesn’t even seem to like her.

I loved the premise of this book and was pleased with the outcome. What I didn’t like was that I found parts of it very slow and boring. The parts that were good were very good but the others were tedious. I was looking forward to this read because historicals are always palate cleansers for me. There were emotional scenes but Rafe just left me cold. All in all, I enjoyed this series and look forward to Lorraine Heath’s next series.

                     


Twice the Temptation by Beverley Kendall

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Twice the Temptation (The Temptresses #1)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Temptresses #1
Genre-Regency Historical
Reviewed by Kay
364 pages

Catherine is an English woman with questionable breeding lines. Her half brother is an entitled man so she and her twin sister were somewhat welcomed by the Ton. She tries to be a proper woman, kind of. She’s in love with Lucas Beaumont, an American who is a friend of her sister’s At the beginning of the story, Lucas has to go home to America to handle some family issues. She’s dejected and heart broken because she thinks that means Lucas doesn’t feel about her the same way she does him.

She and her two friends devise a scheme to help other young women who are about to enter marriage to test the fidelity of their betrotheds. They are actually very good at it with good results, depending on how you view it. All three woman are beautifully and elegant, so the men of the Ton fall for them time after time. Lucas unexpectedly returns to England to claim Catherine as his own. She then finds out that he proposed to her sister years earlier. Being an identical twin and people viewing them as interchangeable has made Catherine weary.

This was a cute premise and a good story. It dragged on because of the stupidity of both leads. I understood both of their hang ups. My big problem was Lucas. He was a royal ass to her one time. The made love and then he simply walked away. He knew he was walking away even though he made love to her. He even said afterwards that he made love to her knowing it was over and then told her to let him know if there were any consequences to their actions! This made my blood boil! He loved her and treated her this way!

I love Beverley Kendall’s historicals and will continue to read her but this hero was an asshat!