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Midnight's Wild Passion

My Reckless Surrender by Anna Campbell

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Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today is a review for a book that I LOVED!!!  I loved it so much that I’m giving away my copy to someone who will hopefully love it as much as I did!  Be sure to fill out the form at the end of this post to be entered.  Hopefully you also noticed that I’m doing a survey of book bloggers.  If you are a book blogger and fill out my survey I’ll give you extra entries into this giveaway!

Several months ago I won a book from Anna Campbell (Midnight Wild Passion) and was totally amazed that I hadn’t stumbled upon her books before.  This is the second book that I have read from her, and I have a third on my TBR pile. Midnight’s Wild Passion is the first book that I read by Ms. Campbell.  Feel free to check out my thoughts on the first book and stay tuned for the third book, Captive of Sin (doesn’t that sound simply delicious?)

Enjoy!

My Reckless Surrender by Anna Campbell
ISBN: 0061684317
Publisher: Avon Historicals
Release: May 25, 2010
Source: I won a copy of this book in a giveaway

sugarbeat's books romance novels romance book reviews interviews contemporary historical eroticaHeadlong into sin…
A well-practiced rake, weary of easy conquests and empty pleasures, Tarquin Vale, Earl of Ashcroft, knows women – and his every instinct warns him to beware of this one.  Diana Carrick’s brazen overtones have thrown the haunted, sinfully handsome lord completely off his guard.  Why, the exquisite temptress stated outright that she wishes to be his lover.  But it is neither Diana’s boldness nor her beauty that ingrigues him so – it is the innocence he senses behind her worldly mask.

Intent upon the seduction that will finally free her, Diana has set her sights on the notorious Ashcroft – never dreaming that there is much more to the enigmatic rogue than sin and deviltry.  His kiss is bewitching, his caress intoxicating – and even the dangerous secret Diana must protect cannot shield her from Ashcroft’s dark allure.

Unwittingly yet most willingly, they are playing with fire.  Now the fuse has been lit and there is no escape…except surrender.

Imagine Tarquin Vale’s surprise when a woman shows up unannounced at his town home and announces she wants to be his mistress!  Even a practiced rake like Tarquin is taken aback!  The veiled woman in widow’s weeds has an air of innocence that he can sense, and her story doesn’t hold water.  The hair on the back of his neck is on end, and he sends her on her way, quite rudely.  Although Diana is upset at the lack of success at her first meeting with Tarquin, the presence of Lord Burnley waiting for her when she returns cements her desire to succeed at her mission.

A totally intriguing start to a story!  It is interesting to start a story, and be struggling to figure out the hidden details right from the story.  Everyone has secrets!  Lord Tarquin isn’t who he seems.  Why is Diana really trying to seduce Tarquin.  Why is Lord Burnley pushing so hard?  I’m the impatient sort at times, but I resisted flipping ahead some pages to get the answers to my questions!  The answers gradually became clear, as the relationship between Diana and Tarquin scorched up the pages!

This is the second book that I have read by Anna Campbell and I am just as impressed by this book as I was by Midnight’s Wild Passion.  The characters are absolutely outstanding!  The characters of Diana and Tarquin are great of course – their interaction sparkling and incredibly hot – but they are simply the tip of the iceberg!  Diana’s father is a wonderful character.  So determined to keep her on the straight and narrow, and so disappointed when he feels that she has fallen off the path.  The character of Lord Burnley is SOOOO evil!  He is written so vividly that you want to reach through the pages, grab him by his scrawny little neck and shake him.
The action of this book proceeds at a calm, deliberate rate – it’s only the reader who is rushing through the pages trying to put all the pieces together and hope that good triumphs over evil!  I had great trouble putting this book down for normal activities like sleep and work.  I highly, highly recommend this book and this author!  So far she has hit two out of the ball park, and I have a third sitting mocking me from my bedside table 🙂

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Midnight’s Wild Passion by Anna Campbell

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Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel

Today is a review of a book that caught me by surprise!  I won a copy of Midnight’s Wild Passion by Anna Campbell in a giveaway some time ago.  When it arrived it got added to my massive TBR pile where it sat for a while.  Finally I got to it and immediately was sucked into to the story!  Just look at that cover – gorgeous!  On with the review!

Midnight’s Wild Passion by Anna Campbell
ISBN: 978-0-06-168430-2
Release: 2011
Publisher: Avon Historical
Source: I won a copy of this book in a giveaway

 London’s most notorious seducer, Nicholas Challoner lives solely for revenge…

The Dashing licentious Marquess of Ranelaw can never forgive Godfrey Demarest for ruining his sister – now the time has come to repay the villain in the same coin.  But one formidably intriguing impediment stand in the way of Nicholas’s vengence: Miss Antonia Smith, companion to his foe’s unsuspecting daughter.

Having herself been deceived and disgraced by a rogue – banished by her privileged family as a result and forced to live a lie – Antonia vows to protect her charge fromt he same cruel fate.  She recognizes Ranelaw for the shameless blackguard he is and will devote every ounce of her intelligence and resolve to thwarting him.

Yet Antonia has always had a fatal weakness for rakes…..

Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw,  is a rake that is determined right a wrong that was done to his sister.  It is his been a bee in his bonnet for years, and finally he now sees a way to take his revenge.  The spoiling of Nicholas’s sister Eloise by Godfrey Demarest so many years ago resulted in her banishment to a convent; something he has never forgotten.  Something that he will make Cassandra, Lord Demarest’s daughter pay for now.  He has the skills to charm her into her ruination, if only he can get past her chaperone.

Antonia Smith was once taken advantage of by a rake.  She believed his stories and ran away with him.  It wasn’t until the damage was done did she find out that he was already married and in no position to marry her.  Antonia’s father found her, brought her back to England and then banished her from her family and friends.  She luckily was identified by Godfrey Demarest and hired to be a companion for his young daughter.  Years have passed, but Antonia is not about to allow Cassandra to be ruined by a rake.

The interesting thing is that Antonia still has a weakness for rakes and has problems resisting Nicholas’s advances.  Nicholas, although he is determined to take revenge for his sister’s ruination, had trouble keeping his mind on the job of attracting Cassandra – he seems to be more and more taken by Antonia.  There are too many things not known about Cassandra.  Why does she dress the way she does?  Why does she go to great lengths to disguise her beauty?  Why is he so drawn to a companion when he could have any woman in England?

This is the first book that I have read by Anna Campbell.  I won this book in a giveaway.  Just look at that cover – isn’t it beautiful?  Yet again, I was sucked in by a great cover, but this time, this stunning cover contains an outstanding book!  Although I’m new to Ms. Campbell’s work, this won’t be the only book of her’s that I’ll be reading.  Another of her books is already on it’s way to me!  I’m really not sure why I haven’t stumbled upon any of these books yet, but now that I have, Ms. Campbell is on my must buy list!

This is a delightful story.  It is full of  highly flawed characters.  It is about how their flaws bring them together to heal them in a way.  The writing is compelling.  This story grabs hold and insists that the reader keeps reading.  I found it a difficult book to put down and was reading into the wee hours to finish.  The story is steamy – the chemistry between Nicholas and Antonia sizzles.  The story telling has the reader laughing, gasping, quickly reading and flipping pages through the tense parts and certainly reaching for kleenex at parts.

I highly recommend this book and I look forward to anything else that Anna Campbell writes!

Amazon Purchase Link for Midnight’s Wild Passion