Friday Reads: My Hellion, My Heart by Amalie Howard and Angie Page: ARC Review!!!

Hello guys!

*once again dusts off blog*


I keep on trying to return to more regular blogging and I keep on failing... but I really don't want to give up on my blog!

I love books, I love sharing that love with the world and I love shouting about the books I love and helping authors get the word out there about their books, so how come I'm failing SO MUCH at blogging and reviewing??

Today I want to share my love for the latest installment on a historial romance series I've adored from two authors I love, Amalie Howard and Angie Page! Big shout out to my girl Alyssa of The Eater of Books for getting me into reading more romance and giving historical romance a try, btw! *waves at Alyssa*

I was so lucky to be approved for an early ARC on Netgalley for My Hellion, My Heart by the publisher, (THANK YOU!!!) but you guys can grab the book right now because it published this Monday, so GO GET IT!


My Hellion, My Heart by Amalie Howard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm what I'd call a recent convert of the historical romance genre, so I'm by no means an expert but I've so thoroughly adored this entire series!

I really loved the previous books in the series, and I thought that the previous book, My Darling, My Disaster, all about North and Lana would be my favourite because I adored both characters since they were first introduced, BUT I was wrong! From the moment I started this one, Irina and Henry became my absolute favourites!

We met Irina as Lana's spirited little sister and when we meet her at the beginning of the book a few years have passed, but she's lost none of her spirit! As a princess she's a darling of society but also considered a bit of a hellion. She's been avoiding London and its season but finally returns after being nudged there by her friend, to both be closer to her sister and secretly to see again her first love.

I simply loved the interactions between Irina and Henry, there was so much chemistry from the very first moment! I had been a bit concerned about the age difference and how it would play in their relationship, but I soon realized it was handled great, without adding creepiness to the initial interactions between them in the previous book.

Henry has gone through so much since the previous book... When we met him, he was in the service of the Crown and on dangerous missions, but now he's trying and somewhat failing to return to normal life and Society. He's clearly suffering from PTSD after having survived very dangerous missions and having been captured and tortured as a spy & prisioner of war. He also feels rather guilty about his intense attraction to Irina, since she had been his ward as a young girl.

I love how Irina decided to own her fears and fight them and not let Society dictate her actions, because as a princess she has so many eyes on her but she also has a freedom that not many people enjoyed. She decided that she would not fight her love and attraction to Henry, even if she felt it made vulnerable, and once she saw it was not entirely one-sided, she decided to fight and get Henry to accept it and stop fighting the attraction.

Amalie and Angie did an amazing job to show the vulnerabilities and strenghts of both characters and how they could understand and help each other, and not just their amazing chemistry (have I mention that the attraction and sexual chemistry was so well done and off the charts? because oh boy, it so was!).

There's a thread of mystery and intrigue all along the book but it explodes towards the end, with betrayal and danger in a way that I wasn't expecting and that added that "dammit, not that everything seemed to finally be going well!" sort of feeling and I'm so very happy with how it was resolved!

All in all, an amazing book that I've loved! I really hope that Amalie and Angie will co-write many more historical romance books because I will be devouring them all!! 4.5 to 5 stars for sure!


View all my reviews

Duels & Deception by Cindy Anstey Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway!!

Hello there guys!

The blog has been rather dead still as of late, but I'm finding that little by little my motivation for blogging seems to be returning, so hopefully I'll return to more regular blogging, even if it's just once a week!

Today I've very glad to be part of the Blog Tour for Duels and Deception, organized by the fantastic Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours!


Duels and Deception by Cindy Anstey
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 11th 2017
Genres: Historical, Romance, Young Adult

Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father’s choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going according to plan.

Until Lydia—and Robert along with her—is kidnapped. Someone is after her fortune and won’t hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert’s help, Lydia strives to keep her family’s good name intact and expose whoever is behind the devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is in fact what she truly wants…

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

About the author:

Whenever she is not sitting at the computer, throwing a ball in the backyard, gardening or reading, Cindy can be found–actually, not found–adventuring around the world with her hubby.

She has lived on three continents, had a monkey in her yard and a scorpion under her sink, dwelt among castles and canals, enjoyed the jazz of Beale St and attempted to speak French.

Cindy loves history, mystery and… a chocolate Labrador called Chester. Love, Lies and Spies is her debut novel.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

REVIEW

Delightful is the first word that came to mind while reading Duels & Deception, and it was the first word that came to mind while reading Cindy Anstey's debut (Love, Lies & Spies), and both books gave me the same feel of enjoyment and wittiness and effortless charm!

This is the story of Miss Lydia, a slightly unusual lady of gentle breeding, and how her carefully plotted plans get thrown a curve ball in more than one way, starting with a visit that she herself requested, from the law clerk that manages the family affairs.

Lydia is a lady with proper manners but also a very clear mind and strong character and she doesn't like being not in control of her affairs. I loved how she was not shown as too controlling without any warmth or feelings, just more focused on what she can control.

Robert Newton is a young man of good family, but given that he is the third son, he needs to find a way to make his future, and ends up as a law clerk, hopefully apprentice, in a law firm and one that manages Lydia's family affairs. He's focused on his career but also on doing his job well and once he meets Lydia, he finds himself with extra motivation to help the lady, even if he finds himself involved in very unexpected ways!

The story has quite a few secondary characters and storylines, Lydia's family and friends, Robert's friend (with his duel issues), Robert's boss and let's not forget Lydia's sort of future husband and none of them felt flat or lackluster. They added character and depth to the main story and a little extra oomph with more humour and/or risk, and they end up intertwining with the main story too!

I simply loved the interactions between Robert and Lydia and how they made the most out of even the oddest and less favorable situations, and they really had such a lovely & witty repertoire! Easy conversation and lovely banter!

I loved how the ending was resolved and how it went with both society standards (to a point) but also with the character's status and personalities, and it was an absolutely lovely HEA!

Charming, witty and above all, delightful! Highly recommended, best enjoyed on a lovely afternoon with a nice cup of tea! Very much deserved 4 stars!

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Rogue, My Ruin by Amalie Howard and Angie Morgan Blog Tour!!!

Hello there guys!

Today I'm very excited to be part of the Blog Tour for My Rogue, My Ruin by Amalie Howard & Angie Morgan, organized by InkSlinger PR!

About MY ROGUE, MY RUIN

“Smart and fast-paced with plenty of steam! This writing duo is a powerhouse of talent!” – New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan

He stole their riches, she stole his heart

The Marquess of Hawksfield’s lineage is impeccable and his title coveted, but Archer Croft is as far from his indulgent peers as he can get. His loathing for the beau monde has driven him to don a secret identity and risk everything in order to steal their riches and distribute them to the less fortunate.

Lady Briannon Findlay embraces her encounter with the Masked Marauder, a gentleman thief waylaying carriages from London to Essex. The marauder has stirred Brynn’s craving for adventure, and she discovers an attraction deeper than the charming thief’s mask.

Brynn is a revelation, matching Archer in intelligence, wit, and passion. Stubborn and sensuous in equal measure, she astonishes him at every turn, but when someone sinister impersonates Archer’s secret personality, and a murder is committed, Archer begins to think he doesn’t stand a fighting chance without her. 

Get your hands on MY ROGUE, MY RUIN now:

Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo

REVIEW

I love reading historical romance to break my usual YA marathons with something different, so when I heard that Amalie Howard & Angie Morgan (two YA writers that I love) were going to write historical romance together, I was so very excited and I'm happy to hear, the resulting product didn't disappoint!

I was quite intrigued from the very beginning, with the meet up of our characters in a rather unexpected way! I love how both Brynn and Archer are both rather unusual in their own ways, even if Briannon has to curb her self and her insticts because as a lady of the ton, she's not supposed to want anything different than snagging a duke. I love that she's got her rebellions and her strength despite having being a sickly child & still being smothered a bit by her mother and her protective brother.

Archer was unusual in his own way too, not only because he was raised with different values than the rest of the aristocracy and that shapes the way he acts, the alter ego he takes up at night, and the problem he find himself in with a blackmailer and an impostor, and if that was not enough, murder suspect!

The chemistry between Brynn and Archer was rather off the charts, but those two kept being on denial for such a long time and I really wanted to shake them and push them together!

I was completely surprised with the reveal of the bad guy and I really liked that there was more than just the romance in the book, with a murder mystery and the mystery of who is the impostor Masked Marauder that's making the stakes so much higher for Archer!

With a heroine that can shoot & ride and a hero that can sew and be rake at the same time, this was a fantastic fast read, even if it had a little bit more of emotional drama that I usually prefer!

Now I cannot wait till I get my hands on the next book in the series, since I got confirmation that will be about Gray and Lana!

Very much deserved 4 stars for My Rogue, My Ruin! I need all the Amalie & Angie historical romance, please and thank you!

GIVEAWAY

Amalie Howard and Angie Morgan have a couple of awesome items to giveaway! Check out the details on the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecoptergiveaway

About Amalie Howard

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.

She is the award-winning author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, and the sequel, Bloodcraft, was a national silver IPPY medalist. She is also the co-author of the adult historical romance series, THE LORDS OF ESSEX. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children.

Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Tumblr

 

About Angie Morgan:

Angie is the author of several critically acclaimed young adult and middle grade books written under two other names (Page Morgan and Angie Frazier), and is now thrilled to be taking a much-anticipated leap into the world of adult romance. My Rogue, My Ruin is the first of three books in her new Lords of Essex series, co-written with good friend and fellow author, Amalie Howard. Angie lives in New Hampshire with her husband, their three daughters, and a menagerie of pets.

Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram