OUAA Presents~Susan Ward's When The Perfect Comes Blog Tour & Giveaway!

Thank you for taking a look at my stop on Susan Ward's When The Perfect Comes Blog Tour & Giveaway presented by Once Upon An Alpha.

Title: When Perfect Comes
Author: Susan Ward
Genre: Historical Romance
GoodReads

Blurb:
Lady Meredith Ann Merrick does not want to be tamed by a man.

Varian Morgan is a man no woman can resist.

Thrown together on a ship, will Varian’s charms conquer Meredith’s love of freedom?

Meredith is born at time when women have but two choices: marry or face social ruin. Determined to master her own fate when her father concocts a devious plan to force her into marriage; she takes matters into her own hands. She embarks on a foolhardy adventure to free herself from an impending marriage contract, only to find herself trapped by the mysterious and beguiling Varian Morgan.

Varian Morgan is a man of myth and legend. Known as much for his exploits with women, as for his for his piracy on the high seas; a vexing young girl, taken hostage in Cornwall, is no challenge for his prowess. When it becomes clear that she is hiding something from him, it only makes him more determined to ignore his desires and withhold from her the pleasures of his bed.

Trapped on a ship of men, the last thing Meredith anticipated was days at the mercy of a vile pirate crew and nights yearning for its captain.

When fierce arguments give way to fiery passion, is desire enough to make a girl determined to remain free of men, be willing captive in the bed of a sinister pirate, who is a master of seduction?

Buy Link:

Amazon: When The Perfect Comes (The Deverell Series Book 1)

Author Bio:

I'm addicted to writing. I've written 26 romance novels in 25 years, but I just started releasing them in May 2014 because frankly there are some things inside them I wasn't sure I wanted my daughters to read. The nest is empty, my girls all grown, so now I'm letting loose.

I believe in the adage; Don't judge a book by it's cover! Definitely the case with The Girl on the Half Shell. Perfect looking lives are not perfect. We all have our own challenges to overcome! It's a theme in the books I've written and I cover a wide range of contemporary issues in stories ranging from raw and steamy, to gut wrenching, to happy happily ever after.

My first release The Girl on the Half Shell is my most intense novel, the first in the Half Shell Series and the one I had to wait until I had no kids at home to release.

My Perfect Forever Series is definitely happy happily ever after! The first in this line of books was released June 2014 with The Signature.

My soon to be released first novella of the Encounters books, are short, steamy, and fun reads.

And in September I'm starting to release my first in The Deverell Series with When the Perfect Comes, a fast paced, plot twisting historical!

I've been in love with the Romance novel since I read my first Kathleen Woodiwiss book, and it seems to me that beyond a steamy fun read, a good romance novel is so much more: it's women empowering women. We share. We learn.

So about me? I'm as eclectic as my books. A mom. A business owner. A writer of romance. An advocate for clean air and the environment. A wife and an animal lover. The best way to explain me is that once in a talent contest I played classical piano followed by a chopsticks duet with my toes. That pretty much sums up how I've lived my life!

Author Links:

Facebook   

Twitter    

Website   

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MFH Presents! Margaret Mallory's Captured by the Laird Release Day Blitz!

Title –  Captured by a Laird
Author –  Margaret Mallory
Series – The Douglas Legacy #1
Genre –  Historical Romance/ Highland Romance
Publisher– Amazon
Publication Date – September 15, 2014
Length (Pages/# Words) - 319

THE DOUGLAS LEGACY

The Douglas sisters, beauties all, are valuable pawns in their family's bitter struggle to control the Scottish Crown. But when powerful enemies threaten, each Douglas lass will find she must face them alone.

Blurb:

Haunted by his father's violent death, David Hume, the new laird of Wedderburn, sets out to make his name so feared that no one will dare harm his family again. The treacherous ally who played on his father's weakness is dead and beyond David's vengeance, but his castle and young widow are ripe for the taking. The moment David lays eyes on the dark-haired beauty defending her wee daughters, however, he knows this frail-looking lass is the one person who could bring him to his knees.

Wed at thirteen to a man who tried daily to break her spirit, Lady Alison Douglas is looking forward to a long widowhood. But when the fearsome warrior known as the Beast of Wedderburn storms her gates, she finds herself, once again, forced to wed a stranger. Alison is only a pawn to serve his vengeance, so why does this dark warrior arouse such fiery passion and an unwelcome longing in her heart?

With death and danger looming, these two wounded souls must learn to trust each other . . . for only love can save them.

Buy Links:

Amazon US: CAPTURED BY A LAIRD (THE DOUGLAS LEGACY)

Amazon CA

Amazon UK

iTunes

Kobo

Goodreads

Shelfari

EXCERPT 
David strode through the battle raging between his men and the castle defenders in the courtyard and headed straight for the keep, intent on his goal.

The castle would fall quickly. The defenders lacked leadership and were in disarray. His only concern was whether the castle had a secret tunnel for escape. During the siege, he had spread his men out through the fields surrounding the fortress to keep watch. But he had concentrated his forces for the attack and most were now inside the castle. If there was a tunnel, he must secure the widow and her daughters before they had a chance to escape. He did not relish the idea of having to chase them down through the fields with dogs.

The defenders had foolishly waited too long to withdraw to the keep, and most were caught in the courtyard when David’s men burst through the gate. He barely spared them a glance as he ran up the steps of the keep.

With several of his warriors at his back, he burst through the doors brandishing his sword. He paused inside the entrance to hall. Women and children were screaming, and the few Blackadder warriors who had made it inside were overturning tables in a useless attempt to set up a defense.

“If ye hope for mercy, drop your weapons,” David shouted, making his voice heard above the chaos.

He locked gazes with the men who hesitated to obey his order until every weapon clanked to the floor, then he swept his gaze over the women. Their clothing confirmed what he’d known the moment he entered the hall. Blackadder’s widow was not in the room.

“Where is she?” he demanded of the closest Blackadder man.

“Who, m’lord?” the man said, shifting his gaze to the side.

“Your mistress!” David picked him up by the front of his tunic and leaned in close. “Tell me now.”

“In her bedchamber,” the man squeaked, pointing to an arched doorway. “’Tis up the stairs.”

David caught a sudden whiff of urine and dropped the man to the floor in disgust. The wretch had wet himself.

“Take him to the dungeon,” he ordered. The coward had given up his mistress far too easily.

David started up the wheeled stairs to the upper floors with his sword at the ready. He expected to encounter Blackadder warriors, protecting the lady of the castle. But there were none on the stairs and none guarding the door on the first floor.

Damn it. She must have escaped. He gritted his teeth as he envisioned the lady’s guards leading her through the tunnel.

He was about to open the chamber door to make sure it was empty when Brian, one of his best men, came down the stairs.

“Laird, I checked all the chambers while ye were in the hall,” he said.

David’s jaw ached from clenching it.

“There’s one door on the floor just above us that wouldn’t open with the latch,” Brian said. “Shall I break it down?”

David waved him aside and pulled the ax from his belt as he raced up the stairs.

“Open it!” he shouted and pounded on the door.

He did not wait. She could be escaping through a secret door this very moment. Three hard whacks with his ax, and the door split. He kicked it until it swung open, then stepped through.

At his first sight of the woman, his feet became fixed to the floor. He felt strange, and his vision was distorted, as if as if he had swallowed a magical potion that narrowed his sight. He could see nothing in the room but her.

She was extraordinarily lovely, with violet eyes, pale skin, and shining black hair. But there was something about her, something beyond her beauty, that held him captive. She was young, much younger than he expected, and her features and form were delicate, in marked contrast to the violent emotion in her eyes.

David knew to the depths of his soul that a brute like him should not be the man to claim this fragile flower, even while the word mine beat in his head like a drum. He had no notion of how long he stood staring at her before he became aware that she held a sword. It was longer still before he noticed the two wee lasses peeking out from behind her like frightened kittens.

Anger boiled up in his chest. Every Blackadder man in the castle who could still draw breath should have been here, standing between him and their lady. Instead, she faced him alone with a sword she could barely lift with both hands.

It was a brave, but ridiculous gesture.

There was no defense against him.

MARGARET MALLORY surprised her friends & family by abandoning her legal career to write tales of romance & adventure. At long last, she can satisfy her passion for justice by punishing the bad & rewarding the worthy--in the pages of her novels. 

Margaret lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, goofy dog & crabby cat. With her two children off to college, Margaret spends most of her time working on her next Scottish historical romance. Visit her website for Book Group Discussion Questions, photos of Scotland, excerpts, & other info. Margaret loves to hear from readers!

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS 
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE 
WEBSITE / BLOG 
FACEBOOK 
TWITTER 
GOOGLE+ 
GOODREADS 
SHELFARI 


Celebrate the Captured by A Laird Release Party tonight, September 15 7-10PM EST on Facebook

~~Review for The Viscount's Pleasure House by Suzi Love~~

Title: The Viscount's Pleasure House

Author: Suzi Love

Publisher: Crimson Romance

Genre: Historical Romance

Publication date: October 3, 2012

ISBN: 9781440560477

ASIN: B00G8I7Q5A

Length: 239 pages

Book Series and number: N/A

Rating: 4 1/2

Heat Rating: Scorching

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Reviewed for For Whom The Books Toll

4 1/2, Scorching

Lady Chrissie Wellsby and her two country friends research dozens of rogues before selecting the notorious Viscount Hawkesbury, owner of London’s most exclusive and expensive brothel, to educate them in erotic seduction. The ladies abandon respectability and coerce Justin Tremayne into letting them visit The Pleasure House and to teaching them the sensual tricks mistresses and prostitutes use to entertain men.

Though Justin believes three naive ladies will see the debauched romps in his themed rooms, cover their eyes and ears, and run back to their sheltered lives, he underestimates the desperation of abandoned women who imagine a wider knowledge of sex will keep the men in their lives at home, in their own beds. But despite watching several of their friends, men and women, perform raunchy acts at his brothel, the ladies insist on participating in the last of Justin’s infamous Sultan’s galas, held in numerous silk tents and outdoor bathing areas on his estate.

Justin concedes to Chrissie’s demands only to gain information about his long-lost mother and sisters, but the world-weary viscount falls head over heels in love with his emotionally bruised pupil. He yearns for a wife, children, and an uncomplicated wife, but can he convinced Chrissie to take a chance and marry again? Because Justin never wants to leave her bed.

My Review:

It's been four years since he was forced to leave England or suffer the consequences of an angry father, Justin Tremayne learns a lot about the erotic arts and how to satisfy women. And Justin is great at it, he's been servicing women and making tons of money. Now is the time to return home and put that money toward what Justin really wants.

After talking to a great deal of rakes, Lady Chrissie Wellsby decides to contact the Viscount Hawksbury to assist herself and her two best friends Gillian and Anna in learning about what men like in bed. And just to make sure Justin will say yes, Lady

Chrissie tells him she has some information about his mother and sisters.

Not sure he can trust Lady Chrissie to have the information he needs to find his family, Justin hesitates. After seeing his friend Edward, who is Gillian's husband, in a local pub totally wasted, Justin helps his friend sober up and has a heart to heart talk with him. Justin, now armed with a little insight into the whys of the three women, he agrees to take them to his brothel. Hoping that the genteel ladies will run from the brothel at the first room, Justin is taken aback when the ladies insist on continuing their education.

Justin wants nothing more than to find his mother and sisters, and start his own family. There is something about Lady Chrissie that inflames him, and causes him to want to make her his private student...forever.

The Viscount's Pleasure House by Suzi Love is such a delightful read with an unexpected outcome. Ms. Love does a wonderful job making Justin such a tortured hero. It was a nice surprise to find out that he acts the playboy perfectly, but deep down, Justin is a good man. He just has a difficult time showing it because it's not really expected of him. There were times I had to laugh out loud at some of the antics he and his friends engaged in.

Lady Chrissie was also a refreshing heroine, not the average Lady of the ton, but a woman with needs and wants who wasn't afraid to go after it. I liked Lady Chrissie very much, she seemed shy and strong at the same time.

The secondary characters were well written and added emotion and dimension to the book. Gillian and Edward were a fun and exciting part of The Viscount's Pleasure House. Anna was sweet and naive, which made her endearing to the reader.

Ms. Love created a lot of great sexual tension between Justin and Lady Chrissie and Gillian and Edward. I thoroughly enjoyed The Viscount's Pleasure House and would strongly recommend the book to everyone who not only like historical romance, but just a great romance book.

* Since I've reviewed this book, it's now part of a series, Irresistible Aristocrats Book 1 and has a new cover.

Buy Link:

Amazon: The Viscount's Pleasure House (Irresistible Aristocrats Book 1)

My Family's Heart Presents- D.D. Chant's The Vow Cover Reveal!

Welcome to For Whom The Books Toll. Today I'm hosting D.D. Chant's The Vow Cover Reveal presented by My Family's Heart.

Title: The Vow
Author: D.D. Chant
Series: The Lady Quill Chronicles book 2
Genre: Historical Romance


 BOOK SYNOPSIS
My next story begins with Velrek, where Lord Rafe and Lady Adele's arrival was cause for much celebration and rejoicing.
However Finan of Gourney, Rafe's foster brother and the captain of Valreks army, could not help a lingering feeling of worry.
Were Rafe and Adele truly safe from Lord Kyule's hate?
Adding to Finan's problems was the unsettling presence of Rafe's sister, Lady Esme. Used to keeping his distance from the woman of Valrek, Finan found that he could no longer escape as before.
As danger and treachery enveloped Valrek, Finan and Esme found themselves drawn together to fight the shadowy assailant that threatened the lives of those they loved.
What secrets would they unearth in their search for the enemy that taunted them?
Would they find that their stories were more closely linked than either of them ever knew?
Allow me please to answer these questions...

Title: The Promise
Author: D.D. Chant
Series: The Lady Quill Chronicles book 1
Genre: Historical Romance


Blurb:
Dear Reader,
I wish to tell you a tale that began with a promise destined to change the lives of many.
When only a child, Lady Adele of Berron lost her family during a dreadful battle and was betrothed to a stranger.
Lord Rafe of Valrek, only a boy himself when the battle of Calis raged, grew to be a feared warrior and trusted advisor to his King. But sadness filled his past and Adele served only to remind him of all he had lost.
However the promise that bound these two together caused great anger to some.
What, Dear Reader, happened in those days of treachery and darkness? Incline your ear that I may whisper the secrets that you so desire to hear......

Lady Quill

Hi everyone! 
My name is Dee Dee, I’m twenty six and I live in a beautiful part of Devon, England with my family. I have a younger sister, Amy who is a brilliant guitar player, some chickens, duck, geese, pheasants, a cat (that adopted us when we moved in!!!) and some Koi.

Broken City is actually my second novel. My first, as my Aunt so delicately put it, was crazy but in my defence I was only sixteen at the time. On the plus side I learnt a lot (or so I hope) and two years later ‘Broken City’ was finished. Due to the support I have received from everyone I have just finished the next book in the Broken City series! 

I have another book ‘The Promise’, which is set in Saxon England it’s the beginning of a series and I have just released my third book 'Fracture' which is set in the distant future and is also the start of a series.

I really hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them.

I love reading and have a kindle: I read almost anything with adventure and romance in it! I also like to cook and wear impractical high heels!!! And as you might have noticed I have a horrible addiction to exclamation marks!!!

Website: http://www.buymybook.biz/

~~Author Wednesdays-Sylvia McDaniel~~

                                © Astine | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images  

It's Author Wednesday at For Whom The Books Toll. I'd like to welcome Sylvia McDaniel to my blog. Thanks for being here today Sylvia.

Sylvia has a new series and it looks fantabulous.  Check out Book 1:

Title: Desperate

Author: Sylvia McDaniel

Series: A Lipstick and Lead Novel # 1

Publish Date: May 23, 2014

Length: 110

Genre: Historical Romance

Blurb:

With the death of their father, the McKenzie sisters, Meg, Annabelle and Ruby find themselves penniless and need a way to earn their keep. They try the normal ways for women to earn a living in a small western town and Meg even asks Sheriff Zach Gillespie to marry her. But when that doesn’t work, they have no choice but to take up their father’s profession, bounty hunting.

They quickly put their feminine wiles and Six Shooters to work to earn their way in the old west. Tough, resilient and badass to the core, they soon learn that they don’t need a man to protect them even if that man is the handsome sheriff who has stolen Meg’s heart. Kick off this adventure with Desperate the first installment of this new historic western series, Lipstick and Lead.

Buy Link:

Amazon:  Desperate: Lipstick and Lead


Excerpt:
1876
Chapter One

“I don’t believe you. My sister was not charging boys to kiss her.” Meg McKenzie said, standing in the field of her small east Texas family farm. Her sister’s school teacher stood in front of her, arms folded, the school marms temper barely held in check.

At nineteen, Meg felt too young to be the responsible parent of a fifteen year-old.  And Ruby was definitely more than one person could handle.

 “I’m sorry, Meg. I know you’ve had to raise this child without much help from your father, but I can’t have her coming back to my class. She’s a distraction in the classroom,” the young woman told Meg, her parasol shielding her from the sun.

They stood out in the pasture where Meg had been hoeing the spring garden, preparing it for spring planting. Her working pants were coated with mud, she smelled of manure and her hands were calloused and rough from time spent working the land.

Meg dreamed of being a woman who had few responsibilities and wasn’t accountable for the care of the farm and her two sisters.  She didn’t want to be a parent. She longed to wear skirts, go to dances and flirt with young men. She wanted to feel young, not like her life was half over, before it had even begun. 

And Ruby seemed to stay in trouble.  “My sister may not have had a mother to raise her properly, but she’s been taught that girls don’t chase boys.”

Staring at the school marms clothes, Meg recognized her poke bonnet and how she wore a bustle beneath her skirt. From the last catalogue her Papa had brought home, it was the latest fashion. 

“She wasn’t chasing them, Meg. She was charging them a nickel a piece to kiss her,” Miss Andrews said, her parasol held tightly in her gloved hands. The old maid had driven out here in her buggy, her fourth visit this school year.

Meg couldn’t help herself, she laughed. Not even Ruby would be foolish enough to do something so naughty. “I don’t believe you.”

Miss Andrews placed her hands on her hips and almost snarled at Meg. “I would never have found out about it, if the line hadn’t gone clear around the building. I caught her in the act of kissing Jimmy Brown.”

Sylvia McDaniel is a best-selling, award-winning author of historical romance and contemporary romance novels.  Known for her sweet, funny, family-oriented romances,  Sylvia is the author of The Burnett Brides, a western historical western series, The Cuvier Widows, a Louisiana historical series, and several short contemporary romances.

Former President of the Dallas Area Romance Authors, a member of the Romance Writers of America®, and a member of Novelists Inc, her novel, A Hero’s Heart was a 1996 Golden Heart Finalist. Several other books have placed or won in the San Antonio Romance Authors Contest, LERA Contest, and she was a Golden Network Finalist.

Married for nearly twenty years to her best friend, they have two dachshunds that are beyond spoiled and a good-looking, grown son who thinks there’s no place like home. She loves gardening, shopping, knitting and football (Cowboys and Bronco’s fan), but not necessarily in that order.

Currently she’s written sixteen novels and is hard at work on number seventeen. Look for her the first Tuesday of every month at the Plotting Princesses blogspot.

Be sure to sign up for her newsletter to learn about new releases, contests and every month a new subscriber is entered into a drawing for a free book.

She can be found online at: www.sylviamcdaniel.com or on Facebook. You can write to Sylvia at P.O. Box 2542, Coppell, TX 75019.

Contact Sylvia:

http://www.sylviamcdaniel.com/

https://twitter.com/SylviaJMcDaniel

https://www.facebook.com/SylviaMcDanielAuthor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150774.Sylvia_McDaniel?from_search=true

I hope you enjoyed learning more about Sylvia and her new series. 

Please stop by next Wednesday when Cari Silverwood will be here!!!

~~Sarah Ballance's An Unexpected Sin Blog Tour & Giveaway~~

Welcome to my stop on Sarah Ballance's An Unexpected Sin Blog Tour & Giveaway! Sarah is here talking a little bit about the series.


Why Salem?
I’ll be the first to admit a book set during the Salem witch trials doesn’t exactly scream romance. For that matter, the setting doesn’t even whimper romance—at least not at first glance. I mean, there were hangings and rotting jail cells and constant fear—not just of the evil that supposedly lurked among the people of Salem, but of being accused of so-called affliction and being sent to die. This fear was tangible. It lived and breathed among these people as if it were one of their own, and I admit my initial draw to Salem had a whole lot to do with its dark history.

But then came the challenge.

This wasn’t just a terrible period that tends to get a lot of play on the History Channel each October. It was a time in which people (or the lucky ones who survived) lived. They loved, they lost, they feared, and they had stories. Looking back, it was a relatively brief, terrifying period, but for those who lived it, it was so much more. Not just death, but life. And through the pages of my Sins of Salem series, I hope to connect you to what’s largely been left out of the history books.

To the romance.

For more on the Sins of Salem series, please click here.   http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/my-novels/by-series/sins-of-salem/

Title: An Unexpected Sin (Sins of Salem #2)
Author: Sarah Ballance
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Sold by: Macmillan
Release Date: April 14, 2014
ISBN 13: 978-1-62266-547-1
Available format(s): ebook

Blurb:
AN UNEXPECTED SIN (A Sins of Salem Novel)

Colonial Salem

The moment the stranger's dark eyes meet hers, Anne Scudder's world is immediately overthrown by chaos. That single flare of desire is immediate, driving away all notions of propriety. Instead, Anne is consumed with sinful thoughts - ones that no unmarried girl should ever have for a man who isn't her husband...

But Josiah Cromwell is no stranger.

It's been six years since Josiah stole kisses from Anne, his best friend's younger sister. Six years since Josiah left after his best friend's death, burdened by the knowledge that he was responsible for destroying Anne's family. Now he's returned to claim the woman he can't live without. But even as their desire threatens to consume them both - body and soul - the dark workings of suspicion and witchcraft are afoot.

Because in Salem, too much passion can lead a woman to ruin... and condemned to death.

Find it @:

Amazon US: An Unexpected Sin (Entangled Scandalous)
Amazon CA
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Google Books
iTunes
Kobo



EXCERPT:
She raked his hair. Clutched desperately at his back. Found it was she who moved against him, for he had eased his grip in favor of taking fierce hold of her breasts. In the dark and through her clothes, he put his mouth over first one, then the other. Desire toppled her sensibilities until she was left arching her back, every part of her begging to be closer. Begging for the kind of fulfillment she knew in her heart only he could deliver.

Begging until he broke free.

Breathing heavily, he bathed her in the lopsided, boyish grin she had long adored. “Your father will see me to the gallows for this,” he said in his low, husky voice.

Though the logic of his words found her, she wanted not for sensibilities. She wanted Josiah. “My father sleeps upstairs.”

Josiah took a deep breath. “It is not often I wish to be a lesser man,” he said, “but a lesser man has a certain advantage when a beautiful woman comes to him in the dark of the night.”

A beautiful woman. Anne had never imagined such a description could belong to her. “You could never be a lesser man.”

“Rest assured, if you return to my room in the dark of the night, I will be nothing more.”

Though his tone was light, she did not miss its undercurrent. His serious nature made his words all the more thrilling, for they left little doubt as to what he wanted—or how badly he wanted it. She could not keep the smile from her voice as she asked, “Are you saying I need only walk from the room for a minute’s time to make a lesser man of you?”

“I would like to think myself more honorable, but I make no promises in my current state.”

“Perhaps we should test that supposition.”

He grinned and leaned in, kissing her softly. “As much as I ache to know every inch of you,” he said, “it is not my desire to make off with your honor like a thief in the night.”

She splayed her fingers across his warm, bare chest and took a deep breath of courage. “You have long stolen my heart. My honor will not be far behind.”

Read the entire first chapter for FREE at Entangled Publishing. (No registration or cartwheels required.)  http://www.entangledpublishing.com/an-unexpected-sin/

Sarah Ballance is a multi-published author of contemporary, historical, and supernatural romance and romantic suspense. She's been married to her own romantic hero for what he calls a "long, long time" (and no, he'll never hear the end of saying that). Together they have six children ... and clearly too much time on their hands. She currently writes for Entangled and has upcoming releases from both Entangled and Samhain Publishing.

The Giveaway:

To enter the $50 giveaway please click here.

~~Review for The Sheik Retold by Victoria Vane & E.M. Hull~~

Title: The Sheik Retold

Author: Victoria Vane and E.M. Hull

Publisher: Vane Publishing LLC

Genre: Historical Romance

Publication date: August 13, 2013

ISBN: 9781492169956

Length: 275 pgs

Book Series and number: N/A

Rating: 4 1/2

Heat Rating: Spicy

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Reviewed for For Whom The Books Toll

4 1/2, spicy

The Desert was Never Hotter!
A haughty young heiress for whom the world is a playground... A savage son of the Sahara who knows no law but his own...When pride and passion vie for supremacy, blistering desert days are nothing compared to sizzling Sahara nights...

"There will be inquiries." I choked out. "I am not such a nonentity that nothing will be done when I am missed. You will pay dearly for what you have done."
"Pay?" His amused look sent a cold feeling of dread through me. "I have already paid... in gold that matches your hair, my gazelle. Besides," he continued, "the French have no jurisdiction over me. There is no law here above my own."
My trepidation was growing by the minute. "Why have you done this? Why have you brought me here?"
"Why?" He repeated with a slow and heated appraisal that made me acutely, almost painfully, conscious of my sex. "Bon Dieu! Are you not woman enough to know?"

Pride and passion vie for supremacy between a haughty young heiress and a savage son of the Sahara in this fresh new telling of E.M. Hull's romance classic.

I was captivated by Victoria Vane's The Sheik Retold. The story is full of surprises that keep the reader turning the pages. I had an extremely hard time putting the book down.

Diana Mayo was raised by her brother, Aubrey and has had her way most of her life. Doing what she wants when she wants and not answering to anyone. Diana enjoys dressing like a man it gives her more freedom. While on a trip with her brother, Diana makes arrangements to travel across the desert with a guide a small caravan. Despite warnings from several people Diana proceeds with her trek and the caravan is attacked and she is kidnapped by a mysterious sheik.

Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan sees a beautiful woman one night at a gala and decides he wants her for himself regardless of any consequences. He answers to no one but himself.

At first I believed Diana to be a very spoiled brat who always got what she wanted and didn't know how to take no for an answer. After her kidnapping, I saw her strength, determination, pride and passion. I think Diana did have a difficult time in understanding her desires and how her beauty affected others. Diana's character did a lot of growing up during this book.

Ahmed Ben Hassan is arrogant, stubborn, compelling, all alpha male and an extreme bad boy. He is dark and brooding, brutal and rules his people with an iron fist. His tribe is loyal to their sheik. I had a hard time getting know what made Ahmed tick. He was a man who lived in harsh conditions and had to be unbend able to survive the extremes of desert life.

Ms. Vane has done an excellent job in writing two very strong characters who clash and make sparks fly throughout the story. There were times I wanted to shake both Ahmed and Diana and say listen to each other and quit being so bull headed.

I really enjoyed Ms. Vane's version of The Sheik and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to everyone.

Amazon   The Sheik Retold
Paperback  The Sheik Retold