Heat Level – Blaze

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!

Heating up the Holidays

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Heating Up the Holidays 3-Story Bundle

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Blaze/Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Novella
Published: 10/28/13
Reviewed by Anne
303 pages
 
Snowfall by Mary Ann Rivers (A) – First off, we start with Jenny, a microbiologist.  That’s right, a story featuring a female scientist!  Woo hoo!  Her love interest is the physical therapist she’s working with – and the conflict of interest there is very well handled.  The story is primarily about her personal journey to accept some changes in her life, and the love story is wrapped into that.  So good.  Mary Anne Rivers also wrote The Story Guy, which is one of my favorite reads of the year.  She is a new favorite of mine.  Fair warning – she writes in first person POV, from the heroine’s side only.  And it works.  Very well!  I highly recommend this story.
 
After Midnight by Serena Bell (A) – Miles is in a funk at a New Year’s Eve party.  He’s been (falsely) accused of embezzling from a charity he runs and was subsequently dumped by his fiancée.  Then he sees Nora dancing across the room.  She is happy and full of life.  They make eye contact and she surprises him by coming over to see him. The story of where things go from there is very good!  Well written with touches of humor that made me smile.  I haven’t read Serena Bell before but she going on my good list now!
 
Play With Me by Lisa Renee Jones (DNF) – So, I went into this one a bit hesitant because I associate with more suspenseful reads.  It had a strong start and I liked the heroine, but things started getting icky for me.  First our “hero” reminds one of his employees that she is “only cranky once a month.”  That was almost the end for me, but I think I was hoping our strong heroine would put him in his place.  But before we know it she’s essentially held prisoner for an entire day having her phone and computer and all contact with the outside world removed and no explanation given other than “there’s been a breach in security and we have to follow protocol.”  When our hero finally takes time to come tell her what’s going on, she quits (yay her!) only to be seduced by the mere touch of his hand shackling her wrist.  Umm.  No.
 
Despite not finishing the Lisa Renee Jones story, I’d still recommend this book based on the strength of the other two stories.  This may turn out to be a favorite year after year for me!  How about you?  Do you have a favorite holiday romance?

Twilight With The Infamous Earl by Alexandra Hawkins

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Twilight with the Infamous Earl (Lords of Vice, #7)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Lords of Vice #7
Genre-Regency Historical
Reviewed by Kay
304 pages

Lord Chillingsworth aka Frost is a scoundrel of the highest order. A fighter, gambler and a man-whore. His seduction skills are almost legendary as his friendship with his friends. The infamous Lords of Vice, well former Lords of Vice. He is the only unmarried one now and some of his friends are also fathers. This fact still boggles Frost’s mind. In this story someone is trying to take away the Lords club, Nox. Frost and his cohorts know who it is but don’t take the man seriously at first. There’s something else that has Frost’s attention.

Emily Cavell is on a mission. Her mission is to destroy a man named Frost. Her sister whispered his name as she lay dying at her own hands. Emily makes her sister a promise to avenge her heartbreak against the man who seduced and ruined her. See, this is Emily’s Season as she is almost on the shelf at age twenty. While her family searches for her a husband, she searches for Frost. After a chance meeting with Lord Chillingsworth (she doesn’t know that he’s Frost) she finds herself attracted to Chilllingsworth.

There was a little mystery to this novel and I enjoyed it. I read a few online reviews before starting this that were less than favorable. Honestly, I don’t agree with those reviews. This was a good book and a nice finish to the series. Frost was his usual self and Emily a great opposite for him. Scenes with the other Lords and their families were entertaining. You also got a little more of Frost’s backstory, which was nice since he’s always been so aloof. I have so enjoyed this series and it has always been an auto-buy for me. I will miss it and hope to have the time to someday re-read it. If you want a steamy historical series, this is it for you.