The Warrior by Claire Delacroix Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN: 0-466-61112-3 I found this book at one of those flea market type events. I love romance novels, and the back sounded so intriguing! I added it to my basket and it has since sat on my book shelf. Plus a bonus was it being a new author. As much as I love certain authors, it's always wonderful to stumble upon 'new' creators in a familiar genre. And this book... has had me going from one side of the spectrum to the other. When I started this novel I found myself going, "Okay, so my book review will start like this: 'I don't know who to recommend this book to because it's a lot... and really weird.'" But then I found myself reading for hours, wondering hopeful for what would come next, and I realized I was loving the story. The beginning's still weird, but let's jump into it! The story begins with Michael Lammergeier, returned to Scotland to claim back his family's lands. He is immediately confronted by an old crone who tells him of a prophecy and forces visions upon him.. in a kind of gross way. (Like I thought about stopping reading, but it was only the prologue so I kept on.) This leads to years of wondering about his own sanity and also delaying finding a bride. But that's alright because he is busy building a legacy and a name for himself. He becomes known as Hawk, a deadly rogue. And when he hears of a lord's daughter 18 years in age and unwed, he travels to see her for himself. Lady Aileen does not consider herself much of anything. Her interests as less than lady-like, as her step-mother points out often, and she is tall and plain. But when Hawk sees her he knows immediately he is going to marry her and devises a plan to see to it as quickly as possible. THIS IS THE OTHER PART OF THE STORY I DID NOT CARE FOR. It's honestly unappealing, and while I've seen 'similar' attempts to do a story this way I can tell it is not popular and for good cause. He tricks her father's priest into thinking that he had, um, 'assaulted' her, and thus he must wed them or leave her 'soiled' and ineligible for marriage. Obviously this didn't happen, it was just a ruse to marry her quickly and run away with her. But it certainly left a bad taste in my mouth. I also understand the historically accurate account of how this would have gone down, I mean the book takes place in 1409. But still, did not like that. BUT THE BOOK GETS BETTER I SWEAR. Consequently it gets better after this because they begin to form their bond. Aileen is honestly attracted to the Hawk as well though furious with his lack of courtship and trickery. He promises her that despite wedding vows he has no intention of forcing anything upon her and hoped to win her heart honestly. She is uncertain- and plans to leave if given the opportunity. However they have shared two passionate kisses but upon each one Aileen has suffered a vision so strong that she knows it to be a past life she has lived, not just a vision. Michael, terrified of this, rejects the notion and forbids talking about it. Even as his wife knows it is imperative they do. Her visions have told her as much. In past lives they have loved and lost the other. This lifetime she refuses to let the same occur. And I love this. I adore the thought that some souls are drawn together so fiercely because they had loved the other in past lives. Michael is also not done reclaiming his family's land, there is still a part of it that needs claimed and he believes that once this is taken care of all will be well and he can have a happy marriage. Aileen however believes that failure is certain to befall them if they continue to ignore the warnings they are being given. As the story progresses you fall in love with both characters, you hurt for their past lives, and you find yourself trying to figure out the mystery both of the past and their current situation. What had happened to cause this pain through all these lifetime, and what of the impending final battle? Were there not whispers of a traitor among them? It ends with an explosive battle or wits and brawn, everything is answered, and the characters all have some sort of a future laid out for them. The way it all ultimately came together, was truly different than any I had read before. It may have started off a bit distastefully, but the rest of the story was beautiful and a bit chilling. The intelligence of Aileen however stunned me through and through. She has easily become a favorite heroine in my opinion. In conclusion, this book should be recommend to a hopeless romantic. To someone who knows that history was not always pretty, and can handle the bad to see the beauty in the outcome. And this book should be for anyone who knows that a woman can both lead with grace and authority. Claire Delacroix may be a new name to me but she was first published in 1993, is an award winning author, has over 50 published books and novellas, and this particular novel was published in 2004 and is book three is a set of novels. I am intrigued and I do believe I have at least one other book on my shelf with her name, so I'll probably be reading that next. As always links to the authors pages can be found below. Read on my fellow bookworms, may we one day have Belle's library!
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Highland Redemption
By Lori Ann Bailey Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN:9781979589833 I'd like to start by saying that it was NOT planned, but the new book review is on a novel by the same author who wrote the LAST Romance Novel I reviewed. Despite it not being planned, it will be nice for readers to be able to see them next to the other on the site. And I have to say I am in love with Highland Redemption! Lori has clearly found her niche and her passion. Her first novel, Highland Deception, actually won a few awards for best first book and best historical, etc. You can see more on her website which I will link below as always. So once again, I would like to congratulate Lori Ann Bailey for her hard work and fantastic writing. Highland Redemption does connect to Highland Deception, which is one my favorite things in a book 'series'. The novel is about someone totally different but then a character makes a cameo and you sit there excitedly mind blown about how the two books are related. The main male character of the previous novel is the cousin of the male character in this novel, Brodie Cameron. Brodie lives a dangerous life, though few know of it, and under all that masculine discipline is a broken heart. But perhaps that's not where we should start? Perhaps we should start with his mission to discover if a certain clan was for or against the royalists (those who wish to keep Catholicism as the religion in Scotland). But his mission is quickly thrown off course when he witnesses a kidnapping and quickly rushes to her aid. Only to discover the very woman he rescues is the one he loved all those years ago. With this in mind, I should mention that I am a HUGE sucker for childhood romances. My husband and I were childhood sweethearts and we both knew we were going to end up together. It took longer than we would have thought, but every day I wake up grateful he's mine. Sooo, naturally the whole concept drew me in immediately. It didn't take any time for this book to hook me. Skye, his long lost love, is NOT happy to see him. In fact she swears that she hates him even as he makes her heart skip a beat. She has distrust and anger towards him and he has secrets he can't share. This creates a constant back and forth/cat and mouse environment. But instead of it just becoming cliche and annoying, Bailey had written in so many other plot twists and secrets that needed to be solved. So the layers of problems and secrets build as the story goes on, but as each one is sorted through another one still stands needing something to tie it all together. Honestly, this was such a captivating story. And, perhaps my memory is failing me with the time in-between books, but I did feel like this novel had far more 'adult' parts. This isn't a complaint mind you, simply stating that she really brought that part of the story into play with her heroes. I'm a long time reader of romance novels but even my cheeks blushed at some parts! From plot twists, to romance, to emotional heartaches, she wrote a little bit of everything into this story. I loved every bit of it! I truly hope that Bailey has more planned for us. I will be keeping an eye out for more from her. And should that moment arrive, I will be quick to pre-order it! Read on my fellow book worms, may we one day have Belle's library. Highland Deception
By Lori Ann Bailey Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-1-68281-280-8 To start with, I always try and give the readers some information about the book or author before I get going. In this case, I would really like to point out that Lori Ann Bailey is a newly published author. In fact, this is her first, of hopefully many, novels to be published! And with that being said I'd like to personally send a congratulations out to her. Now, in this review I would really like to address negative ‘reviews’ and concerns I’d seen voiced in regards to this novel as well as give you some information on this story and the characters within. As I said, I saw a few negative comments and ‘reviews’, which I hardly consider them reviews since many of them were from people who said point blank they didn’t even read the novel! YOU CANNOT REVIEW SOMETHING YOU HAVE NOT PUT ANY EFFORT INTO. It is not fair to the costumers or the person whose career you are attacking. So, for anyone who may have read other small reviews of this novel before reading mine, I want to address the biggest issue I saw which was people who said, "I love this genre. But I hate this, and this, and basically anything that's typical in these novels". First of all, that doesn't really make sense. You can’t love the genre, but hate things that are in almost every novel and practically an unwritten-law to the plot lines. You can say you’re tired of the same old, same old, and that’s fair. But then what happens is some people become so set in the thought that they already know how a novel's going to play out, and essentially cut off their nose to spite their face by not finding out for themselves. So, to address these negative 'romance novel cliches' YES, spoiler alert, Maggie, the heroine, is indeed a virgin. I know, how dare the author think that in the 1600's a Duke's daughter would remain chaste? [Obvious sarcasm there] BUT what you naysayers didn't take the time to find out, before you wrote this novel off, is Bailey actually took a deliciously sinful, joyful even, twist on the 'virgin' cliche. Maggie isn't slowly worn down over the course of a long book, persuaded to give in to Lachlan (the hunky hero), she makes the decision early on to basically give-as-good-as-you-get. In fact Lachlan had hardly even made a move, minus one glorious kiss, of course, when she came to that decision. And honestly, why not experience something so sinfully wonderful that women can go mad over it, and men are ever seeking it... at least before you swear off it for life? Because that is Maggie's very plan. To avoid an arranged marriage to a monster she runs away to become a nun and live out her days in peace. So while yes, there are some classic cliches that make the genre what it is, there are authors like Lori who take wonderful twists and revive it all together. She did a wonderful job with this story and I found her unique twists on the clichés absolutely exhilarating! Please, always take the time to find out for yourselves if a book is good or not. Reviewers, like myself, are supposed to be honest and informative, but we cannot be your sole decision. That's no better than judging a book by its cover, right? Furthermore, I did take a bit of time to get into the story. Now, let me explain, it is nothing against Lori’s writing style. I simply find that I take a few pages to grow accustomed to an author’s particular writing style. So while the first couple of pages went slowly for me, I soon realized that I was now 40 pages in and completely hooked! I mean, let me tell you, I cannot think of another romance novel where the characters get physical as quickly as they did in this! And no... not the way you think. See, Maggie makes a clever escape disguised as a boy, and if you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, you're bound to get brought into a fight where men with swords are concerned. This is how Maggie finds herself in the care of Lachlan Cameron, the chief of this clan. And see by this point in the novel I’m hooked. I want to know what’s going to happen next and there are already so many little mysteries being laid out for the reader to unravel! It’s also why the second time I picked up this book I read from page 33 all the way to the last page in one sitting!! And now that I am done trying to right some other ‘reviewer’s' wrongs let’s talk about these characters! I’ve already mentioned Maggie, a Duke’s daughter, promised to a man she calls a monster. She is educated, opinionated, skilled in herbs and healing, as well as can wield a mean bow! Turns out having brothers can be good for something, huh? Then there is Lachlan the chief of Clan Cameron, who undesirably ends up with runway Maggie after he, sort of, accidentally, hurt her. Unsure who she really is or why she is hiding something from him, he holds onto her whilst he tries to uncover her secrets. Could she be a spy sent to hurt his political plans or his clan? And worse than all that the last thing he needed was a raven haired beauty trying to tempt him when he had a clan to run, a traitor to bring to light to the Clan leaders, and a heart he dared never give to another woman after the deepest of betrayals befell him. Though, he’d be damned if he could get her off his mind. Determined to think nothing more of her than a mystery wrapped in curves he decides it wouldn’t be the end of the world to give in to her temptations and have a tryst with the bonny woman before him. But when her true identity comes out, will he be as calm as he first thought he’d be? Could he give more than just his body to this woman? And even if he does, will the will-be-nun accept it? And what of the traitor bringing harm to the Highlands, will the other clans stand by him, and can he keep innocent witnesses safe from the traitors evil clutches? It all happens so quickly you’ll certainly find yourself flipping through pages as quickly as I did. In conclusion, Lori Ann Bailey REALLY DID debut a fabulous novel. That, I notice, is listed as ‘book one’ so there is more to come! She snagged my attention with little mysterious, sinful new takes on old clichés, and a writing style that surely rivals all the reasons I love Hannah Howell. Maggie is a spitfire of a strong heroine! She truly has a spirit made of flames and a can-do-it-all attitude that is so wonderful to see! Not to mention sassy/witty couples who draw an unexpected laugh from the reader as you can just picture an over-protective boyfriend and a pouting strong willed woman arguing beneath a tree. I cannot wait to read the sequel, and hope that some of the ‘unanswered’ mysteries are unraveled as the next novel plays out! Go order a copy and find out what I'm talking about! And as always links to the author's goodreads, facebook, and website will be in buttons below. From This Moment On
By Lynn Kurland Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0425248461 This is the second romance novel book review I’ve done, in the first one I mentioned that not all romance novels revolve around sex. This I have found to be especially true with Lynn Kurland’s romance novels. She weaves these intricate tapestries of the characters and their time periods that absolutely enthralls her readers and when she does finally mention intimate relations, it is brief and classy. It does not take from the story in anyway, so if you are a person looking for a good love story, minus unnecessary erotic chapters, I highly recommend looking into her novels! Also worth mentioning, Kurland’s romance novels actually have a ‘family tree’ of sorts showing where the books line up. For instance, this novel is in the De Piaget family tree, and the first novel I read by her was ‘This Is All I ask Of You’ (A PHENOMENAL NOVEL!!!) and ‘From This Moment On’ actually takes place a few years after that one, and revolves around characters from that novel. Which, made it all the more exciting for me because I already loved that world. BUT if you were to pick this novel up and read it without ever having known about her ‘series’ you can do so and the story would still make sense. No worries! Now, that the background is laid out, let’s discuss ‘From This Moment On’. Our hero is Colin of Berkhamshire, a Lord, skilled swordsman, and a man with such a fierce reputation that only a fool would battle him, and no woman dares marry him. After all, they do call him the Butcher of Berkhamshire! Our heroine is a lady named Alienore of Solonge who has a bit of a Cinderella situation at home. Her father adores her, her step-mother abhors her, and to make it worse, she is to marry the very man all of Europe fears. With few options in her life Alienore flees for her freedom, infuriating The Butcher, and disappearing without a trace. Two years later it is believed that she is dead, or possibly became a nun, and Colin finds himself with another forced betrothal at the hands of his impatient father. This woman is so afraid of him that when she arrives at his home, she locks herself in a food cellar of sorts and refuses to come out to wed him. Leaving Colin to entertain himself with his true love, sword fighting, and working on training a particularly puny knight in his betroths army. Constantly questioning how this scrawny, far-too-femine lad became a knight, Colin vows to beef him up and teach him to be more manly. Much to the horror of the ‘lad’ who is really Alienore in disguise. Now, Alienore does make some allies during her daily-routine of praying Colin does not find her out, and they vow to keep her secret, but loose lips sink ships and the more people who know the worse things become. She quickly finds herself with far more fearsome enemies than The Butcher (if one could imagine that)! If her secret is revealed will Colin make good on his reputation and destroy her? And what of her evil step-mother, is she really that evil? Will Colin’s betrothed ever stop eating and face him? There are so many questions that start piling up, but the main one is: WHEN WILL COLIN SEE WHO HE’S REALLY TRAINING?! I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out in my head how it was going to go down. I mean, the story obviously won't end with him being in the dark forever, right? I will tell you that he does eventually begin to see that his knight is not a lad and goes a little easier on her, all while admiring not only her beautiful facial features, but also her courage to wield a sword. At this time things really start picking up, the villain(s) are starting to move and change their plans, Colin is putting more and more clues together, and it’s only a matter of time before something major happens in the story! But Lynn Kurland’s masterful writing keeps you on edge waiting for the next wave of things to come. Even when you think it’s safe to assume the happy ending has arrived THINK AGAIN! PLOT TWIST CENTRAL! I’m honestly afraid to give away too much about the actual story if I go on any further. So I will just say that the characters are a delight, there were several pages that shocked me [193, 295, and 355 to be exact], and the villainous plotter(s) are VERY determined to get what they want. It’s almost maddening! Plus the revealing of the true natures and hearts of our heroes as they slowly learn about the other, having never met before their betrothal, shows an important lesson- ‘reputations’can be as lethal as any rumor. Highland Sinner by Hannah Howell Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0-8217-8001-8 Being that this is the first romance novel I have ever written a review for I want to address the naysayers who think romance novels are just about sex. You are wrong. I have read many romance novels, and the best ones, have some sex, true, but are also filled with epic adventures, wonderful settings, and couples so well written that they draw you into the story until your very heart aches for them! Or perhaps that's just what a great author and a good story can do? Either way I stand by the Romance genre whole heatedly, and Hannah Howell is one of my favorite authors in this genre!
This novel is part of a series, but not in the sense that you have to read them in a particular order. But rather that there are other novels that include similar characters, the same family name, and perhaps more information to the secrets each book has a little of. The series can be best found under: The Highland Series (The Murrays). I have read many of Hannah Howell's novels, several within this series (without realizing it), and this one struck me as being particularly different. Not in a bad way either. Most of Hannah Howell's couples are hilariously witty with the other, their banter makes for hours of laughs. This however was softer with a darker story surrounding them. In comparison to other novels, this one was surprisingly more grim, a series of brutal graphic murders is taking place. Almost from the very beginning of the story you find yourself IN a crime scene frantically trying to figure out what is happening, at the same time as the main male character. These murders, as they always seem to, point directly at our hero and in the process of attempting to clear his name he realized he may not have that good of a name to clear after all. Blood may not hang on his name, but certainly a list of lovers too large for any man, can taint a 'good' name just as badly. While Howell paints a vivid murder mystery, still more mysteries lurk around other characters. Our heroin, for example, a town outcast and hated for sins she hasn't committed. But could she still be a witch? What of these rumors and her supposed abilities? And more so what of this child she raises, is it it hers? If not, who are the lad's parents? Simultaneously, the heroine does indeed have some abilities and does her best to aid our hero in proving he is not a murderous fiend. As the genre demands a romance begins to blossom between them, which only further serves to irritate whispers amongst the village claiming he's the killer as well as enrages the antagonist! Their future is already unsteady, after all, can she look past the sin the man is steeped in? Will either one of them survive this ordeal before the real killers are brought to justice? The clock ticks by, seconds from running out..... And that's where I'll leave that. Finally, this novel is not only rich in a wonderful murder mystery, and mini mysteries that may or may not tie into it, but also the wonderful characters with hearts of gold and those made of rotting hatred. With all the nail biting moments, witty barbs Hannah managed to get in there after all, and touching moments between family and potential lovers, this novel is a MUST read! |
Romance Novels
The big secret of many woman... and men! But why hide it? These stories are full of so much more than raunchy sex scenes and I for one LOVE them! Archives
May 2018
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