Unwrapping: LORD OF TEMPTATION by Lorraine Heath - a Guest Review by Stephanie Tracy

My darling friend, Stephanie Tracy of THE TUDOR ENTHUSIAST asked me the other day if I'd ever read any books by Lorraine Heath. My response was yes, in fact, I've got a print copy of LORD OF TEMPTATION in my bookshelf waiting patiently to be read. I then asked if she enjoyed Ms. Heath's books. She surely does. So I asked her if she'd like to review one for us. Guess which one she chose?

Stephanie is a delightful young lady who blogs about fascinating items pertaining to the Tudors. She loves the history, the Tudor family, and THE TUDORS television series. She recently spent time at Oxford - yes, that Oxford in England - studying and was very sad to leave there but has high hopes of returning one day. If you'd like to learn more things about the Tudors than you ever thought were known, please feel free to stop by Stephanie's beautiful website and browse a bit. You'll be as enchanted as I am with the amount of information you'll find there. I'm sure she'd love to have you follow her on Facebook and Twitter as well. Stephanie is a wonderful, intelligent, young woman with a fresh outlook on everything and a wonderful friend. I hope you enjoy her review of LORD OF TEMPTATION by Lorraine Heath - it's exceptional.

Stephanie owns her copy of LORD OF TEMPTATION by Lorraine Heath, and is presenting an honest and unscripted review without compensation.

Blurb for LORD OF TEMPTATION:

Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped--to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle--awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Once upon a time, he was Lord Tristan Easton--now he is Crimson Jack, a notorious privateer beholden to none, whose only mistress is the sea. But all that will change when exquisite Lady Anne Hayworth hires his protection on a trip into danger and seduction. . .

Desperation brought Anne to the bronzed, blue-eyed buccaneer. But after the Captain demands a kiss as his payment, desire will keep her at his side. She has never known temptation like this--but to protect her heart, she knows she must leave him behind. Yet Tristan cannot easily forget the beauty--and when they meet again in a London ballroom, he vows he won't lose her a second time, as fiery passion reignited takes them into uncharted waters that could lead the second lost lord home. . .

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First of all, I’d like to say that I have never read a novel by Lorraine Heath that I didn’t absolutely love. She was actually the author of the first romance novel I ever read, so she holds a very special place in my heart!

 

LORD OF TEMPTATION is no exception to my love for Heath’s books. This book was, in a word, delicious. I could probably gush about it for hours, but I’ll try to keep it under control for this review. Seriously, if you haven’t bought it yet, do it now. Here’s why…

 

This story follows Lady Anne Hayworth, a proper English noblewoman who has been brought up to follow the rules of society, make a good marriage to a wealthy lord, and live the quiet, privileged life that other women are accustomed to. This all seems like a fine idea to Anne, until her beloved fiancé, Walter, dies while fighting abroad. She can’t move on – though her father and brothers are trying to force her into another season so that she can snag a new fiancé. Anne needs to put the ghost of her past away before she can do that, so she makes secret arrangements to visit Walter’s grave.

 

Cue the sexy, rugged, and roguish Captain Crimson Jack – a lord in disguise, he loves and lives for the sea, and he is the person Anne turns to in her hour of need. However, it’s not only a trip with her across the English Channel that Crimson Jack is after. Immediately, he is beguiled by the beautiful lady, and he wants her more than he has ever wanted another woman. Anne also cannot deny her fascination with the captain, and she soon finds herself caught up in a very improper affair with the most unlikely of love interests.

 

This story continues so much farther than the sea, though. Although that is where the romance starts (and I’m a sucker for romances on a ship with a sexy privateer), the complications of their dangerous affair spill over into Anne’s family life, and they certainly make matters of her upcoming betrothal to Lord Chetwyn interesting.

 

I absolutely ADORED the characterization in this novel. As if the plot isn’t fascinating enough, the characters really made this a novel I won’t soon forget. Captain Jack Crimson (who is really Lord Tristan Easton in disguise) is the ultimate bad boy – scarred from his difficult past, attached to the wild, unpredictable life at sea, he is rugged, mysterious, and as untamed as the waters he sails on. Lady Anne is also a great female lead. She is no damsel in distress – she is strong-willed, hardheaded, and unafraid of a little breaking of the rules to get what she wants. She’s feisty, and that’s something that I appreciate in a historical romance. These characters just mesh so well. You can practically feel the heat radiating off the pages – their relationship is hot.

 

There is literally nothing that I didn’t like about this novel. Seriously, I wouldn’t change a thing. There was just the right amount of passion and steam, while maintaining the sweet, romantic charm that means so much in a romance novel. The storyline was compelling enough to avoid being too predictable, and the ending left me very satisfied and happy for the characters.

 

I would recommend LORD OF TEMPTATION to absolutely EVERY romance novel enthusiast out there! If you love roguish, sexy bad boys, and strong, independent ladies, this book won’t let you down. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

 

With that, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the novel, and one of the best examples of Lorraine Heath’s extraordinarily romantic style.

“The sea is his home…and what sort of life would that be for a lady?”

“If it includes love, I should think it would be a very wonderful life, indeed.”

 

- Lorraine Heath, LORD OF TEMPTATION

 

Thank you for a truly wonderful review, Stephanie!  Happy Reading Everyone!

 

LORD OF TEMPTATION, a Lost Lords of Pembrook novel by Lorraine Heath, Avon Romance, available now in print and ebook formats.

                                                                                              

Unwrapping: Guest Review of A KISS AT MIDNIGHT by Eloisa James

I'm delighted to have a Guest Reviewer today. My Guest is Stephanie Tracy of THE TUDOR ENTHUSIAST, a wonderful website and blog dedicated to all things TUDOR and one you should all check out especially if you follow The Tudor Series. I'm going to turn over today's post to young Stephanie because she told me that she was reading A KISS AT MIDNIGHT by Eloisa James and loving it - so I asked her if she'd like to review it for me and she graciously agreed. I hope you enjoy her review and visit her wonderful and amazing website, THE TUDOR ENTHUSIAST, she's running a contest there to celebrate her 1st anniversary. Congratulations Stephanie and thank you for a lovely review of A KISS AT MIDNIGHT by Eloisa James.

Blurb for A KISS AT MIDNIGHT:

Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales... or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince... and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancé, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble...

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune...

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

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After reading Eloisa James’ “How Beauty Tamed the Beast” (which is actually #2 in her Fairy Tales series – whoops!), I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the first novel in the series, “A Kiss at Midnight” – James’ Cinderella-inspired Victorian romance. I had been [so] completely captured by her witty and romantic writing style when reading the first book, that I just knew this one was going to be a treat also. I think it took me about three days to read – I couldn’t keep my nose out of it, even while at work!

By the end of the book I was really having trouble putting it down, but if I’m being completely honest, the beginning did not hold me the same way. The character development took a while and was a bit slow, but once I got over that hump (about halfway through) it was a fast-paced, sweet, emotional journey of two characters who are both struggling in their own ways.

Katherine Daltry is the ‘Cinderella’ character in the story, and without giving anything away, I have to say I’m impressed with the way James tied in the whole evil stepmother/stepsisters storyline – very clever and appropriate for the time-period. Kate is not quite as ‘tortured’ as the classic Cinderella we all know and love, but she still fits the mold quite well. Her main struggle throughout the story is a lack of self-confidence. She is not conventionally beautiful, she is too thin, and feels like she will always be overshadowed by the beautiful, desirable women of high society.

The Prince, on the other hand, named Gabriel, has no lack of self-confidence. In fact, he is the pompous, arrogant, painfully handsome Prince that Kate has always imagined – and she is not impressed by him. Gabriel doesn’t seem to be struggling at all when we first meet him, but he eventually discovers that he is bound by the expectations and obligations for a Prince, when he really wants to be free to love whomever he wishes. With an impending betrothal to a Russian Princess (the perfect wife for him), he feels for the first time the pang of forbidden love when he meets Kate – a woman who couldn’t be farther from the ideal match for himself.

As I said, the beginning is a bit slow-going, so if I had to pick something that I didn’t like about the book, that would be it. Although Eloisa James’ writing style is consistently clever and witty, this first part of the book just lingers a bit too long. Once the introductions are over and the reader gets a good feel for the characters, the book really takes off – and THEN it gets fun! The passion between Gabriel and Kate is wonderful! You can feel their attraction to each other and the bits of romantic conversation, sweet kisses, and secret meetings are enough to make the reader subconsciously smile while reading. I have to admit that there were a few instances while reading when I actually said “Aww” out loud! Gabriel, while at first being the self-righteous Prince who is anything but Charming, soon turns into a sweet and sexy romantic lead that even the reader will fall in love with –  if I can fall in love with the male lead in a romance novel, I know it was a good book.

Overall, I think I would still have to say I like the overall storyline and characters in “How Beauty Tamed the Beast” better, but I will still highly recommend this book to any lover of romance fiction and fairy tale love stories. Being a huge Disney fan myself, I pounced on these books, and plan to inhale the rest of James’ Fairy Tale series as I can. If you’re a fan of classic happily-ever-afters and books that put that warm, happy feeling in your heart, you’ll enjoy this one.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

         My name is Stephanie Tracy - I am a twenty year-old college student at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. I've grown up right outside of Washington D.C., and I've always been a huge fan of the history surrounding where I live. Currently, I am finishing up my sophomore year at GMU - I am working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, and I also have a History minor (just for fun). I can't quite remember what triggered my undying love for the Tudor period, but when I think back on it, I believe it started when I was about 15 - at the same time the movie "The Other Boleyn Girl" came out in theaters. Although I had heard of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII before, I knew very little about their time period, but I remember walking away from that movie completely in love (and in tears). It was around then that I started picking up Tudor-era novels - starting with Philippa Gregory's, of course. (Thank you, Philippa!) As soon as I finished her Tudor series, I moved onto other well-known historical fiction novelists, such as Jean Plaidy, Kate Emerson, Diane Haeger, and Robin Maxwell...and the love grew! Soon, I was learning so much about the people and events through these novels, that I moved onto nonfiction - the potentially boring and difficult-to-read stuff - and my interest only grew more! I would like to thank Alison Weir and Elizabeth Norton for providing me with such great details and facts about the Tudors, and I think it would be impossible to grow bored while reading their books. However, books and movies could only last so long, and once I was finished with them I found myself still thirsting for more. So, I did what any self-proclaiming history nerd would do - I started spending my free time researching the Tudors. Every chance I got, I would sit down at the computer and google a name - then read virtually everything I could find until I felt I had a good grasp on the person, place, or event. Pretty soon, it became something I could talk about all the time (to anyone who would listen), and my friends and family would sometimes humor me with questions and discussions about the Tudors. This love for the Tudor Dynasty has only grown more and more for the past 5 (or so) years, and I don't see it ending any time soon! In fact, I've begun entertaining the idea of pursuing a career involving history - maybe as a professor, author, or historian. The possibilities are endless when you love this stuff as much as I do! I took that first step in July of last year when I thought I might like to manage a blog...and that blog became a website! I'm having a fantastic time with it.
         Right now, I'm preparing to study abroad at the University of Oxford for my junior year of college - starting in late August. I will be there for eight months studying the Tudors - taking part in independent research tutorials such as "The Tudor and Early Stuart Dynasty," "The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn," "The Six Wives of Henry VIII," and "The Tower of London During Tudor Times." Since I wrote and created all of these tutorials, I cannot wait to get started, as well as to travel around the country and see as many Tudor sites as possible! I will certainly be blogging about my experiences while I am there!

        I am also in the planning stages of my (hopeful) first Tudor novel - I'll share more details of that as it progresses!
        So, while my knowledge and love for the Tudors grows, I will continue to share it. I will keep posting interesting links or news that I find on the homepage of my website, and of course, I will always blog about whatever comes to my mind!

A note from Amy:  I'd like to thank Stephanie, again, for a lovely review of A KISS AT MIDNIGHT by Eloisa James and wish her the best of luck and enjoyment of her time at Oxford. I hope you all enjoyed Stephanie's review and appreciate her enthusiasm. I know I do.

Happy Reading Everyone!!

A KISS AT MIDNIGHT by Eloisa James, Harper Collins, available now in various print formats, ebook and audio formats - release date was July 27, 2010.