Book Review: My Dearest Duke (Seductive Scoundrels #13) by Collette Cameron

FIVE STARS

This was a stellar read. I loved everything about it. The story, the characters, the tight plot–it all just clicked.

Vanessa Becket is a single woman whose only family is a nefarious stepbrother. He’s stealing her blind and is using her jewelry to gamble in a local gambling hell. He’s in trouble and is willing to do just about anything to save himself. His last bit of theft did her in, though. He stole a brooch that was a family heirloom and she wanted it back. She goes to extremes to get it and unexpectedly runs into her deceased brother’s best friend, Kingston, while she’s seeking this piece of history.

Kingston. Be still my beating heart. He was Vanessa’s brother’s best friend and had been since they were children. They did everything together, including going to war. Gabriel (Vanessa’s brother) tragically lost his life, leaving Kingston with physical scars on his back and arms and a guilty conscience that was so strong, he never wanted to bed another woman. Ever. He never wanted to marry. He never wanted to have heirs. He was in line to inherit a duchy, but he was broke until the uncle died. Everything was in squalor, the people weren’t being taken care of, he had siblings to take care of, and no way to do it. He was going to auction himself to the highest bidder; a wealthy heiress who could finance all of this.

Vanessa is a wealthy heiress and since she and Kingston already knew each other and liked each other, marrying was the perfect plan. It would keep her wicked stepbrother at bay and help him finance his comeback.

But nothing is ever that easy. They not only liked each other, they were attracted to each other, then love came into play, making this an angsty kind of read as they tried to fight it.

This is a powerful story of love, loss, and forgiveness. It’s heartfelt and moving, earning it an easy five stars.

*I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily left a review

**This is part of a series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel

Book Review: Viking Betrayed (Viking Roots, #3) by Anna Markland

FIVE STARS

This book started on a sad note. I was teared up while Magnus buried his wife and his newborn son together, leaving him to raise his little daughters by himself. “By himself” meaning he was their father and still had the duties of a knight to take care of, which took him away from them, leaving them in the care of his mother, Cathryn and the rest of the family. But he did love them and tried to spend time with them. I think he was a good father, but he knew they needed a mother. He wasn’t actively looking for another wife when he met Judith, but he knew she was the one.

Judith is of Flemish aristocracy, bastard born, didn’t know her father, but her half-brother and the rest of the family acknowledged her and accepted her as part of the family. It was great until her brother married her off to a man whom she did not know and who was blatantly in love with another man, ironically named Father Innocence. She was devastated that her brother would do that to her and hoped he would change his mind.

Magnus is madly in love with her as she is with him, but she’s married to a gay man and her brother is starting a war that involves Magnus and the other Normans. Not only is her virtue in question, her loyalties are, too.

This book is filled with interesting history as well as a fiery love story. Magnus and Judith needed to be together, but everything was against them. I knew they were going to get their happily ever after. I just didn’t know how. Nothing in this story is predictable.

This is the conclusion of the Viking Roots series. It started with Bryck being a young man, full of fire and passion and his lady love, Cathryn. It came full circle with them being parents then grandparents and Bryck walking with a staff. Even characters age, unless you’re a cartoon character. This series could’ve gone on to be volumes long. They had an enormous family and the family was close and looked out for each other. I’m glad it isn’t longer. Bryck, Torstein, and Magnus (Bryck’s eldest son) were enough.

Would I read more of this saga should Ms. Markland decide to continue it? More than likely. I loved the history, the action, the high emotions, and the characters. Everything just clicked.

*This is part of a series and the books should be read in order

Book Review: Viking Defiant (Viking Roots #2) by Anna Markland

FIVE STARS

I was taken in by Torstein in the first book of this series. He was a slave to Bryck and never spoke unless he was spoken to, which was the Viking way. He was the strong, silent type although he wasn’t a big guy as far as Vikings go, but he was a hell of a warrior. To add to his intrigue, he was also Bryck’s nephew, even if Bryck didn’t realize it. No spoilers here. That was all in the first book Viking Bold.

It’s been an uphill battle for Torstein to be accepted as more than a thrall. He has to try harder,work harder, be better than everyone else. Some people accept him. Some people shun him, despite the fact that he is Bryck’s nephew and has Cathryn’s favor. Even Bryck has trouble accepting him. But the one he wants to favor him is of Viking nobility. He watches Sonja from a distance, knowing he can never have her because of his status, but that doesn’t stop him from falling in love with her.

Sonja kind of reminded me of a spoiled rich kid. Her parents indulged her and never told her no and chose the man they wanted her to marry. Needless to say, it wasn’t Torstein, but it was his best friend, Sven. She didn’t want to marry him. She was in love with Torstein.

Torstein’s and Sonja’s moments alone were fire and strengthened their feelings for each other, all while Sven is going through the motions of courting Sonja, creating a ton of angst for Torstein. He was jealous and I wondered just how far he would take that.

Ultimately, this is a beautiful story about acceptance, love, and friendship. I thought Torstein was more of a hero than Bryck, who spends a lot of time in this book, too, for good reasons. My heart went out to Torstein and there were a few times I just wanted to hug him and tell him everything is going to be okay.

I’m devouring this series and have already started the final book.

*This is part of a series and the books should be read in order

Book Review: Viking Bold (Viking Roots #1) by Anna Markland

FIVE STARS

I don’t have a lot of experience reading Viking tropes, but I needed to read at least one to get a feel for it and I chose this book. Not sorry. It was an incredible read.

Cathryn was left on the doorstep of an abbey when she was a newborn. Nobody knew her name nor where she’d come from. She was raised and educated in the convent, but hadn’t taken her final vows. She works as an illustrator, restoring worn text alongside a few monks, one of whom is there because his father put him there. He has zero interest in becoming a clergyman. He is one to watch. He and Torstein.

Bryck is a Viking, but he’s turned his back on pillaging and marauding. He just wants to grow his apple trees and live off the land. When their leader, Hrolf, decides that the whole lot of them need to claim some land in Francia, he is swept into becoming a warrior again. He doesn’t like it, but he has no choice. It’s while he’s out scouting that he encounters Cathryn and not under the best of circumstances, but it’s love at first sight for both of them.

There was plenty of action, adventure, and some feel-good moments between more characters than just Bryck and Cathryn that kept me turning the pages. There were some revelations that knocked my socks off and had me wanting more.

This was a fantastic read. The only thing I wish is there were more character descriptions. I never did get a clear picture of anybody other than Bryck, who was tall with blond hair and brown eyes. Hrolf was taller and bulkier than most with white hair and was too big to ride a horse. There were other sketchy descriptions of other characters, but it wasn’t enough.

Still a five star read for me.

I’m off to read the next book in the series.

Book Review: The Author (Spelling Love #1) by Lexy Timms

TWO STARS

The characters in this book were just irritating. Here’s Link, a hunky bartender at night and this renowned romance writer by day. Yeah, I get that he’s tall, dark, and handsome, but he’s also vain and a bit conceited. And what’s with the fake glasses? I really didn’t like him, but I liked the story he was writing about Gabriel and Jocelyn. I loved the idea that he was a male romance writer. In real life, we need more of them.

Annie. Oh my word, I wanted to shake her. She was so wishy-washy. She would say one thing and do something completely opposite. Her boss was sexually harassing her for THREE YEARS and she did nothing. NOTHING! She just kept showing up to work every day, let him blame her for everything, and did nothing to defend herself. For three freaking YEARS! Who does that? Maybe fifty years ago, she would’ve had to put up with it, but not now.

I hated the way she dragged Lincoln around and I hated the way he got so engrossed in her in just a week. This all happened in the course of one week. It seemed like it was much longer, but the story said they’d known each other for just a week. That’s a lot of activity for such a short time.

And Annie giggles. I. Hate. Giggling. It’s what children do; not grown women who are so put upon by a bad boss and want no relationships with any men because they’re so caught up in themselves that they think they aren’t girlfriend material. Whatever.

To add to my misery, there’s a cliffhanger that we are not warned about. I loathe cliffhangers and would’ve passed on this book had I known. Why not just wrap up this story and make the next book about the secondary characters, Kenny or Eileen or Kenny and Eileen?

Considering this book was a freebie, I guess I can’t complain too much. I was blindsided by the cliffhanger and that set me off, but if you don’t mind that and you like unpredictable characters, this book is right up your alley.