Darius (Lonely Lords #1) by Grace Burrowes Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 2013) Paperback, 384 pages | Historical Romance Darius begins with the eponymous main character in a meeting with the husband of the heroine. A bit of an awkward situation, one might think. One would be right. This is a story that could have been rife with the forced misunderstandings and petty arguments that romance is often ridiculed for. Instead, it was the lovely, slowly unfolding story of two people who have been dealt the wrong hands in life and made the best…
Double Enchantment (Relics of Merlin #2) by Kathryne Kennedy | Ebook, 352 pages Sourcebooks Casablanca (March 2013) Fantasy Romance Double Enchantment by Kathryne Kennedy is the second in the Relics of Merlin series, but is not related in any way to book one, and so could be read as a standalone. All that remains the same is the historical-based world in which the novel is set, of the magical nobility and shape-shifting baronets. As with historical fiction there are instances of extravagant balls and descriptions of various gowns, although this is not the…
Bite Me, Your Grace by Brooklyn Ann Sourcebooks Casablanca (Apr 2013) Paperback, 352 pages Historical Paranormal Romance Bite Me, Your Grace by Brooklyn Ann is the beginning of an exciting new vampire series set in Victorian London, with a headstrong protagonist and a vampire on a collision course for a high profile romance. Angelica Winthrop is a strong-willed, young woman who is suffering under the tyrannical rule of her matriarchal mother and the pressures of high society. She is expected to act appropriately at social functions and to find herself a…
Heart of Iron (London Steampunk #2) by Bec McMaster Sourcebooks Casablanca (May 2013) | Ebook, 448 pages Steampunk Romance Warning: contains spoilers for book one Heart of Iron starts a few years following the end of Heart of Steel with Honoria happily married to Blade, brother Charley safe in the care of the newlyweds and Lena living with their secret half brother Leo in the Echelon. Following a daring kiss by Lena at the end of book one Will moved out of the house he shared with Blade to avoid chance meetings with the enticing…
Embrace the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney (Connor Clan #2) Sourcebooks Casablanca (Nov 2011) Paperback, 400 pages Paranormal Romance Embrace The Highland Warrior is one of those books that took me ages to read. Admittedly, it’s because I was poorly, but at the same time it didn’t completely grip me and suck me in. But I did still really enjoy it. So, I’m going to put some of my issues with pace down to the fact I was ill, rather than because there was anything wrong with the writing. The second book…
Mistletoe Cowboy (Spikes & Spurs #5) by Carolyn Brown Sourcebooks Casablanca (Oct 2012) | Ebook, 352 pages Western Romance Carolyn (aka BCC), knowing my soft spot for sexy cowboys, asked me to read this as part of our SmeXmas event. One look at the cover and I was drooling like a kid with her nose pressed against the window outside a candy store. All the elements were for a really hot, sexy read. A hot stud of a cowboy and the firecracker granddaughter of the former owner, stuck in the cabin during…
Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish (Windham #4) by Grace Burrowes | Paperback, 404 pages Sourcebooks Casablanca (Oct 2011) Historical Romance Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes is a great historical romance for the holiday season, filled with lust, scandal and Christmas spirit. We begin with Wilhelm Charpentier, otherwise known as ‘Vim’, being unable to acquire a room in London and offered a room at Lady Sophia Windham’s ducal mansion. This initial meeting yields no indication of either individual’s social status, with Vim presuming that Sophie is merely a housekeeper, as the rest…
Darn Good Cowboy Christmas (Spikes & Spurs #3) by Carolyn Brown | Sourcebooks Casablanca (Oct 2011) Paperback, 378 pages | Western Romance Darn Good Cowboy Christmas contains two elements every woman should have in her books at least once a year – cowboys and Christmas! This was just my type of festive treat! Set in small town, ranching Texas, it’s the third book in Carolyn Brown’s Spikes and Spurs series. I’ve read books two and three, but not the first and I personally didn’t think that it mattered. Brown portrays a fun and cosy community…
A Lady and her Magic by Tammy Falkner (Faerie #1) Sourcebooks Casablanca (Sept 2012) Paperback, 351 pages Paranormal Romance A Lady and her Magic by Tammy Falkner is a historical romance with a twist, as the magical fae world and human world intertwine. Sophia Thorne is a faerie on a mission in the human world to protect a young girl. This girl is Lady Anne, the daughter of the notorious Duke of Robinsworth who is feared by society for supposedly killing his wife. It is Sophia’s mission to protect the child,…
Savage Hunter by Terry Spear (Heart of the Jaguar #1) Sourcebooks Casablanca (Oct 2012) Paperback, 341 pages Paranormal Romance Savage Hunter by Terry Spear is the first in a new series about shifters that can change at will into jaguars. This makes a change from the abundance of werewolf fiction, so I was ready to give this book a chance to make a good impression. It begins with a flashback to events a year prior to the novel, in which heroine, army captain Kathleen McKnight, is trapped in the Amazon rainforest…
Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk #1) by Bec McMaster Sourcebooks Casablanca (Sept 2012) | Ebook, 448 pages Steampunk Romance McMaster takes fairly standard romance, mixes in a little steampunk, a little paranormal and creates really great story. I was gripped by this novel from the first few pages and doing anything else went out of the window until I had finished. I think one of the reasons why I was so drawn into the story was that it was set in Whitechapel where I lived for almost 5 years. I enjoyed…
Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy (The Relics of Merlin #1) Sourcebooks Casablanca (Aug 2012) Ebook, 309 pages Historical Paranormal Romance Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy is a paranormal romance set towards the end of the 19th Century, (although historical influences don’t play a massive role in the plot!). To begin with we are given a short prelude about the Relics of Merlin, thirteen magical artifacts that contain the magic of Merlin himself. These relics are all that remains of his strongest power, as his magic has been filtered down through…
Chase Me by Tamara Hogan (Underbelly Chronicles #2) Sourcebooks Casablanca ( June 2012) Paperback, 331 pages Paranormal Romance I really wasn’t sure what I was going to think of Chase Me. Tamara Hogan is a new author for me, and upon reading the blurb I was, I have to say, rather dubious about reading the book. After all, I like paranormal romance, not sci-fi! Things from out of space just aren’t my thing. Far be it from me to not read a book just because of its cover however, so…
The Goblin King by Shona Husk (Shadowlands #1) Sourcebooks Casablanca (Oct 2011) Paperback, 317 pages Paranormal Romance Many years ago, Roan and his men were cursed by a Druid and they now live in the Shadowlands. They exist as men in the shadowlands, but goblins in the normal world. They were given hearts of gold and their souls are slowly being eroded away until they become full goblin. Consumed by their need for gold. Roan, The Goblin King can also be summoned to the normal world and can bestow wishes…
Hold Me If You Can by Stephanie Rowe (Soulfire #3) Sourcebooks Casablanca (Jan 2012) Paperback, 359 pages Paranormal Romance Natalie Fleming is a Sweet with a problem. Bitten by a Deedub when she was a small child her life has been a series of ups and downs ever since. She has gone through hell just trying to have a normal life and has even died in the process! Now she is back, and on the verge of opening her new chocolate store Scrumptious which will allow her to help people find…
