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Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare

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ISBN: 978-0-345-50686-3

Publisher: Ballentine/DelRay

Tomboy Lucy Waltham has imagined herself in love with her older brother’s friend, Sir Toby ,since she was 11 years old and he crowned her “Diana, Goddess of the Hunt” with a crown of ivy.  Like many younger sisters, she bidded her time until she was older and the object of her affections would take her seriously.  Our story starts 8 years later when Lucy is all grown and her brother and his friends arrive for their annual hunt.  For the first time, Sir Toby is interested in another woman.  The gossip is, that Sir Toby is going to ask this other woman to marry him.  Lucy feels she has no option but to seduce him before he becomes engaged. She has a instructional book, but no practical knowledge. So she turns to her brother’s friend, Jeremy Trescott, Earl of Kendall, to practice kissing and other seduction techniques.

Jeremy has always treasured his visits to Waltham Manor and his time with his friends.  He has grown up in a home where his parents show no love for him or each other and because of this he has shut his emotions off.  The only person who has been able to get a rise out of him over the years has been Lucy.  Imagine his surprise when he opens his bedroom door one evening to a kiss from Lucy followed by the request to help her practice seduction techniques.

The story that follows leaps from the pages.  The characters are wonderfully written.  I can absolutely imagine Lucy as a tag along little sister, trying desperately to be taken seriously.  This book is  a “fall in love with brother’s best friend” story, but no where is it mundane or seemingly following a formula.

I found the following review on Amazon and it sums up my feelings of this book. “Every year there seems to be one debut author who bursts upon the scene and absolutely knocks my socks off with her superb writing skill.  This year, that author is Tessa Dare.  …Dare showcases her command of the English language with exquisite prose that sings across the pages with a lyrical quality that is a joy to read.  Her characters are so vividly drawn that they practically leap from the pages and her story unerringly hits all the right notes.”

Tessa Dare is a relatively new author, with Goddess of the Hunt being her first book.  It was well received and reviewed: “A daring debut….Dare is on the path to stardom.” Romantic Times

“Debut author Tessa Dare bursts upon the scene with a high-energy and high-drama romance.  She tells the story with provocative words and feverish action.  Her cast of secondary characters is unforgettable and set the stage for  the next book in this back-to-back series.” Fresh Fiction

“Highly original…Tessa Dare is an author to watch!” Romance Reader’s Connection

“It’s been a long while since I’ve enjoyed a debut novel as much as Goddess of the Hunt. With a cast of refreshingly realistic characters, a spicy love story, an irreverent sense of humor, and some truly funny dialogue, this is a book certain to cheer up jaded readers of historical romance.”  The Romance Reader

I also, am looking forward to reading not only the next books in this series, but some of the other books she has written.  She is currently on my ‘must buy’ list!

An Unwilling Bride by Jo Beverley

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We start the second book in the “Company of Rogues” series with Beth Armitage – a woman who is content with her life as a school teacher – finding out that the life as she knows it will change.  It seems that 20 years ago the current wife of the Duke of Belcraven had an affair with an old flame while her husband was away.  The result was a son – a third son – Lord Arden.  When his two other sons die tragically, the Duke finds himself in the position of having another man’s son as his heir. To add to the mix, it seems that the Duke, himself, also has an illegitimate child – a daughter – Beth Armitage – who he now will force to marry his remaining son, so that the “Belcraven blood line” will continue.

This sets the scene for the development of the rocky relationship of “Lord Arden – a full blooded aristocratic male who is finding out for the first time that he is illegitimate and Beth Armitage – an early feminist with republican inclinations”! (as it is phrased on the book summary)  As you can well imagine, this book in the series explores the area of women’s rights with Beth being a fiery follower of Mary Woolstencroft.  An Unwilling Bride was the winner of: the RWA RITA award for Best Regency, the Golden Leaf Award  for Best Historical and Romantic Times Best Regency Romance.

I found this book in the series to be very enjoyable!  I didn’t really like Lucien, Lord Arden.  At one point he actually backhands Beth.  He is a pretty unlikeable character for most of the book.  Even in future books, he comes off as stiff and unlikeable.  I like to think about him having the label of “No Fun Zone”!  I felt a great deal of empathy for Beth.  It seems that women in Regency England REALLY need woman’s rights!  Although I am aware that this is a fictional book, it make me thankful for the rights that I have!

That being said, experience tells me that a Jo Beverley novel is not a nice and easy read.  I may not like Lucien or how he orders Beth around, but I can appreciate how Jo Beverley takes some very unlikeable characters and weaves an incredibly wonderful story around them.  The Company of Rogues aspect adds a nice background to Lucien’s earlier years, provides a support system for him and also helps us understand him a bit better.  Definitely a rewarding read!

The Romance Reader says: “the first four-fifths of An Unwilling Bride is delightful, and historical romance readers who haven’t sampled Jo Beverley’s work would do well to pick this one up.”

Review of book 1 here.

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

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ISBN: 0380815575

Publisher: Avon

Book 2 in the Bridgerton Series (see Book 1 here) tells the story of Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sheffield.  We find Anthony at the beginning of the book deciding it is time that he, at the ripe old age of 29, marry and sire some heirs.  Since he has decided that he has no intention of falling in love with his wife he is rather methodical about his choice of a wife.  Anthony  became Viscount after his father died at the age of 38 from a bee sting. Anthony feels that he will probably die the same way, and at about the same age as his father and he doesn’t want to leave a wife desperately grieving his death.  His choice of a wife, Edwina Sheffield, is someone he feels he will never fall in love with and therefore some one who will not be too devastated when he dies.  When Katherine (Edwina’s older half-sister) learns of Anthony’s pursuit she is determined to interfere.  Anthony has a reputatation as a rake and she doesn’t want her younger, more innocent sister to become a victim of Anthony’s rakish ways.  Anthony decides to seduce Kate to scare her off, but to his dismay, finds that Katherine may be the one to bring him to his knees when it comes to love!  Although Anthony is becoming more attracted to Kate as each day passes, he holds true to his decision to marry Edwina.  That is until he and Kate are caught in a compromising position by the biggest gossip in London.  He was trying to suck out the venom after Kate was stung by a bee.  If the scene wasn’t so heart wrenching, it would have been hysterical!  Kate and Anthony help each other resolve their outstanding fears and love conquers all in traditional Regency romance fashion.

This is a beautifully written book that deals with the character’s traumatic issues in a very sensitive fashion.  Certainly one of the better ones of this series.

Publisher’s Weekly describes this story by saying: “Her prose is spry and assured, and she excels at creating indelible characters.” I have to agree with this sentiment! Her characters feel real to me.  I find myself speeding though the pages cheering for certain characters.

The Romance Reader says “…whenever I dive into one of her romances, I’m usually rewarded with dialogue that sparkles, heroines who are sassy and intelligent, and heroes who are genuinely heroic, not to mention kind-hearted. So I’m happy to report that on these counts The Viscount Who Loved Me succeeds beautifully.”

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books says:  “Quinn novels for me are like comforting stories I’ve read a million times and liked, but I go in knowing that the comforting elements will be redealt into original patterns that I haven’t seen before.”

Although I know that one of the things I like about romance novels is that they always have a happy ending, I certainly enjoy the at time raucous ride through the story!  I laugh out loud, I shed tears, and I treasure every minute!