Month: November 2017

In The Scandalous Flirt, it all began with just one kiss.

About The Scandalous Flirt

Aurora Paxton was once the belle of the ball, the most sought-after debutante of the season—until a scandalous mistake ruined her. Shunned by her family, Rory was banished to the country to live in disgrace. Now she’s been summoned back to London by her stepmother, who is being blackmailed by the least likely person Rory can imagine: Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell.

Lucas is someone Rory’s known for years—a man as devastatingly handsome as he is coldly disapproving of her. What in the world could he want from her or her family? Rory intends to find out as soon as she comes face to face with her old foe. What she never expects, however, is that the icy aristocrat has a soft spot for her—and a secret plan to redeem her status. Could it be that Lucas has been in love with Rory all along. . .and has finally found a way to win her heart?

My Thoughts

The Scandalous Flirt is a fun, humourous historical romance set in England. Our main character, Aurora, is a young girl with a kind, bright and fun-loving heart. She was easily tricked by what she thought was true love. Instead of everyone punishing him, she carried all of the blame. While this happened so often during this time, your heart aches for her. She was a young, trusting girl who was taken advantage of and yet she carried all the punishment for something that was not even a crime.

Lucas is a young man who wants to portray the ideal image of an aristocrat. He wants the perfect house, perfect wife with no blemishes to his name – even if this means living a dull, boring life. He was initially attracted to Aurora but the scandal behind her name made him ignore his feelings.

When blackmail affects her family, Aurora returns to the city to help her Stepmother (a woman who treated her so cruelly). This brings her into the social scene and becoming the talk of society once again. Lucas can’t help but feel attraction for her again, something he is not very good at showing! While Aurora initially feels negatively towards him, she quickly learns that she needs his help in order to save her family honour.

They work together to solve the mystery and you are left with a most surprising ending! This is a fun, lighthearted romance that is perfect for a rainy day or a day at the beach. It is well written and thought out and I enjoyed watching their romance unfold.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Olivia Drake is the author of 8 books including the Cinderella Sisterhood series: IF THE SLIPPER FITS, STROKE OF MIDNIGHT, ABDUCTED BY A PRINCE, BELLA AND THE BEAST, and HIS WICKED WISH. Another book in the series will be out in 2017. She also has written 24 romance novels under the name Barbara Dawson Smith. Her books have won the Golden Heart Award, Best Historical Romantic Suspense, Best Regency Historical, and the prestigious Rita Award from Romance Writers of America. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and a pair of feisty cats. Her two daughters have flown the nest, but they still come back whenever they want a home-cooked meal.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

In The Bride Who Got Lucky, he would do anything for her, even marry her!

About The Bride Who Got Lucky

The son of a cold-hearted duke, Nicholas St. Mauer isn’t one to involve himself in society…or open his own heart to anyone. But driven by honor, the reclusive Earl of Somerton feels obliged to keep a watchful eye on Lady Emma Cavensham. She possesses a penchant for passions unbecoming a woman who finds Nick in constant peril of losing his well-structured solitude. She even dared kiss Nick once—an utterly unladylike, and delightful, lapse.

Emma can’t deny the appeal of the earl’s attention, and occasional affection, but she has no need for a man. There are worse fates than spinsterhood, as Emma knows too well. She still mourns the loss of her dear friend Lena, and is determined to prove Lena’s husband responsible for her death before he lures another innocent woman into a brutal marriage. But as Emma pursues her prey, a compromising moment upends all her plans. Now, with gossip swirling and her reputation in tatters, Nick may be the only man brave enough to join in Emma’s cause. . .and fight for her heart.

My Thoughts

I fell in love with this beautiful historical romance with two main characters that you have never quite seen the likes of before.

Emma is not like the other young women in her time. She is fiercely independent and feels no need for marriage. She loves her life the way it is, with no man telling her what she can or can not do nor controlling her finances. Her views are cemented when her closest friend passes away – which she does not feel was due to natural causes. Instead she feels the death lays at the hands of her best friend’s husband. In a time when women were viewed as property and allowed to be beaten as punishment, she may just be right. Emma carries guilt over not protecting her friend and vows to uncover the secrets and bring justice for her.

Nick is a young man whose childhood has influenced his adulthood. His Father was cold and cruel and is a man who Nick refuses to be like. His Father cuts him off from the family wealth and Nick’s main goal in life is to gain more wealth than his Father.

These two very opposite and independent individuals are drawn together over the death of Lena, Emma’s best friend. There is a lot of attraction between the two of them but neither can really let go of their own goals – Nick to gain wealth and Emma to bring justice, equality and fairness to all women.

This is a beautiful romance novel that is very well written. I loved the very different plot with our female character being so different than many characters during this time period. She draws attention to the plight of women and really helps drive home how far we have come as women in equality. This is a definite must read!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the boot heel of Missouri. She credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily ever after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs. She loves to hear from readers. Janna is the author of The Cavensham Heiresses books (The Bad Luck Bride, The Bride Who Got Lucky).

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Hills of DC is a new one-of-a-kind autobiography about DC’s renowned Capitol Hill neighborhood, its criminal justice system and its infamous prison complex in Lorton, Virginia.

About The Hills of DC: Nathaniel McQueen-El

Nathaniel McQueen-El’s autobiography, The Hills of DC, examines the life of a desperate, impoverished child who turned to a life of crime to help his mother and family live from day-to-day. Ultimately, he survived, not without hell to pay, by embracing his spirituality. It’s a looking-glass for all to see, as a deterrent, the unpromising, ill-fated lifestyle of a criminal.

To survive the mean streets of Washington, DC, during the Civil Rights era, Nathaniel McQueen-El was compelled to make hard choices at an early age. The premature deaths of his grandparents catapulted his family into financial crisis, and he turned to a life of crime. He hit bottom after the deaths of his mother and best friend, which sent him into a tailspin, using heroin and cocaine. It was then that he faced the horrors of adult prison life, confronting racism, violence, corruption and mismanagement. But no matter how murky the waters, God was always clearly in sight at all times for him to lean upon—the eternal crutch enabled the author to eventually walk upright as a moral human being.

The Hills of DC isn’t just another memoir—it brings the reader face-to-face with characters who are real, whose crimes are a matter of public record, and its profound insight clearly distinguishes and previews what crime has in store for those who turn to this lifestyle. More importantly, this book is a vivid tale of survival, endurance, hope, and the guidance of God in a life full of tragedy and mistakes. It’s a compelling read, uniquely crafted for all readers, and educational and historical from cover to cover.

My Thoughts

The Hills of DC is an extremely powerful book that opens up your eyes. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect when I began to read this autobiography but there was something in its description that grabbed my attention and I knew that this was one of those must read books. It did not disappoint and at times left my mind boggled that this was a true story, that he had really gone through all of these experiences as such a young man.

We dive into the life of Naeball (Nathaniel McQueen-El) during his early childhood on the streets of Capitol Hill. We are given a look into the intimate details of his life – his grandparents passing, his Father not being present to help with finances, his Mother who does everything she can but still struggles to financially support her family. What really touched me was the love of family. Nathaniel loves his family more than anything else and puts family above all else. Like so many of us, the thought of a family member suffering is not something he can sit by and watch. He turns to the streets to help support his family and he does so not for glory but for love.

This sets him down a path of crime and we watch as he is in and out of youth detention centres. His Mother’s death spirals him out of control and your heart aches for him. We are with him as he finds but can not allow love for himself, we are with him as he enters into prison life and constantly has to fight for survival, as he struggles with drugs (not only for himself but for those he loves) and we are with him as he finds faith and finally a greater purpose.

This book touches on so many topics of great importance. We have poverty and the cycle it has on families and children. We see how it affects children and how even today, so many people still do not have the means to support themselves. Poverty is still not addressed enough, we are not doing enough to help lift up the most vulnerable members of our community in a way that helps and does not demoralize them. We deal head on with racism and how Naeball was treated for just the colour of his skin both in prison and outside in society. The hate that some people hold for others because of the colour of their skin is disgusting and the extreme ways that they feel it is okay to speak and treat another person hurts.

One of the hardest parts of the book and you will find it throughout is the condition of the prisons. I can’t understand how any person could be treated so horribly and in such a manner. Their living conditions were unsanitary at the best of times, they were mentally and emotionally beaten (not to mention physically), they were not given enough to eat and so on. I found myself constantly checking the dates of the book because I found it hard to believe that this was in the last hundred years and we could be treating people like this. How could a prison be so mismanaged and people so uncared for?

Through all of this, Nathaniel found a way to believe again, to find hope and trust in a higher God. He found peace with his past and was able to move forward in a positive light. We see him grow throughout the book and the ending fills you with hope. He endured so much but never lost sight of his faith and belief in himself.

This powerful book will fill you with compassion and hope, you understand more of what this man went through and can truly appreciate and understand his actions. We watch him grow in his faith and understanding of the world around him, we are with him as he endures what seems like a constant struggle for life and keep rooting for him until the very end. This is a definite must read book for young adults and adults a like. There is swearing and scenes of sexuality but the message of the book is so important and that makes it a must read novel.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

In Enchanted by the Highlander, love has a very different ending in mind for two individuals who are so very different.

About Enchanted by the Highlander

Gillian MacLeod is shy and quiet, the least likely of all her sisters to seek out excitement and adventure. But on a moonlit night at a masquerade ball, Gillian steals a kiss from a mysterious stranger, knowing she’ll never see him again.

John Erly, disowned by his noble English father, started a new life in Scotland. Most people are suspicious of the foreign mercenary and he does everything is his power to avoid romantic entanglements. But he can’t forget the bewitching beauty who kissed him in the dark, and stole his heart, even though he has no idea who she might be.

A year later, John is given the duty of escorting Gillian to her wedding and immediately recognizes her as the temptress he’s dreamed of for months. There’s not much he can do when she’s promised to another man, but fate intervenes and this time, passion—and adventure—can’t be denied. Honor demands he stay away from the MacLeod’s enchanting daughter, but love has a very different ending in mind.

My Thoughts

Enchanted by the Highlander is a sweet romance novel that was fun to read. In this novel, we have Gillian who is thought of as shy and quiet, someone who always has to have someone else make a decision for her. But the truth of the matter is, she is full of ideas and thoughts but no one stops to listen to her. Many times she tries to voice her opinion but her family ignores her. They talk right over her without realizing she has a bright, kind and brave heart that is aching to be released.

Enter John, a disgraced English noble (which is why I found the title odd as he isn’t quite a Highlander). He escapes to the highlands with a Scottish noble after saving his life. He meets Gillian but doesn’t really see her for who she is, he only sees the beautiful but painfully quiet girl on the outside.

A chance and brave encounter, leave Gillian longing for more and John not quite sure who his mystery lady is! After being separated for over a year, these two must decide whether they can break apart from the roles their family have placed on their heads and embrace a future together or to deny feelings and live apart.

This book was a light, romantic and fun read from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every moment.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Lecia Cornwall lives and writes in Calgary, Canada in the beautiful foothills of the Canadian Rockies, with five cats, two teenagers, a crazy chocolate lab, and one very patient husband. She’s hard at work on her next book. Come visit Lecia at www.leciacornwall.com, or drop her a line at leciacornwall@shaw.ca.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.