A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran

I've always had a soft spot for Cinderella-esque types of stories and Meredith Duran's latest installment is just that! We have our heroine from the East End of London, Nell, and our hero who is a peer from the ton, Simon. You ask how they're supposed to be connected to each other? Well, Nell hapens to be the lost/missing daughter of Lord Rushden, Lady Cornelia. And Simon happens to be their heir to Rushden's title... What a small world huh! The story starts out pretty slow, but it soon picks up when Nell's "fake" mother dies and she decides to go for revenge against Rushden. Little did she know that her father had already passed away and the current Lord Rushden is actually Simon.

I absolutely love this book and the characters that are in it! Simon and Nell are perfect for one another and their chemistry was just wonderful. Nell was extremely wary of Simon in the beginning and believed that he was crazy! There was plot, romance, a pretty nasty villain, and last but not least, and very satisfying conclusion to it all! What more can you want? Simon and Nell's relationship was very real and there was no doubt that they both really love one another. I hated the villain but thankfully, he got the ending that he deserved. Overall, this book is definitely a keeper and if you're ever in the lookout for a mistaken identity, Cinderella type of book where a poor girl meets an earl kind of book.... than this is the one for you. 5/5 stars!

Rating: ★★★★★

Lessons in Indiscretion by Karen Erickson

For a very quick book, I actually enjoyed this one very much. The chemistry between Garrett and Julia was hot! Although one small complaint about this book would be that it way too short! If only the author had lengthen the story and gave the couple the development that they deserved, it could have been a great historical/erotica romance novel. It's not to say that i did not "love" this book. I really liked it and Julie kind of broke my heart too because she firmly believed that she wasn't good enough for Garrett. Their romance was actually hard to believe at first... but I had to give credit to Julia/Garrett for the fact that she had known him since he was 14 years old. They had time for their relationship to grow? I'm not sure, but either way, it worked. Even if she was five years older than him.

Anywho, very intriguing quick read and I would actually be interested in reading more from this author. The scenes between the hero and heroine was extremely well-done and I loved the sensuality of it. Not to mention that Garrett talks pretty dirty... for someone from the peer. Overall, 4/5 stars!

Rating: ★★★★☆

Unlocked by Courtney Milan

What a breathtaking and beautiful love story between two people who have been through so much pain just because of one stupid mistake made by a young Evan, the Earl of Westfeld. For ten long years, Lady Elaine has been the laughing stock of the ton due to the cruel remarks made by Evan and his cousin, Diana, Lady Cosgrove. It not only destroyed her self-confidence but also the love that could have been as well. The reason why this whole scenario is just so heartbreaking is because there was a reason behind Evan's cruel remarks. He believed that as long as she noticed him and remembered who he was, Elaine would eventually reciprocate his feelings for her. It was a love gone wroung... because instead of what he had planned to have happened, he caused Elaine many years of unhappiness and unforgiveness towards him.

Wow! What a great book by Courtney Milan. I absolutely adore both Evan and Elaine because he has truly regretted what he did to her all those years before. After ten years of "escaping" the mess that he had created, he returns to find that everything has changed... and some things have not. It was really hard to forgive Evan/Westfeld, but he eventually became my favorite character. I hated Diana/Lady Cosgrove because while Evan was gone, she made Elaine's life as well as her mother's miserable. Nine months later, Elaine and Evan ended up as friends. And within these last nine months? Elaine is slowly falling inn love with Evan without even realizing it. There is no question whether or not Evan loves her because he really does. He loves her and that makes it all the more sad. Elaine has never truly trusted him because of what he did to her back then. Aah, what a wonderful love story right?! The ending was spectacular and it was very well deserved!

If you're looking for a love story of heartbreak, regrets, and forgiveness... look for further! This is the book for you. Courtney Milan has done it again and I can't wait for her next book, Unclaimed. Overall, this little gem is definitely a 5/5 stars from me.

Rating: ★★★★★

Bad Girl By Night by Lacey Alexander

Holy smoked tamales! This book defines the words hot, sexy, and just "delicious" wrapped up in one awesome package. I truly had a fun time reading this book and I'm pretty sure those who have read it did so as well! You'll love it if you're a fan of Toni Blake, that's for sure. I adore Carly Winters and I really liked Jake Lockhart... until he made that idiotic move by breaking up with Carly. I still don't get his reason! Anyway, if you're looking for a small-town sexy and sweet erotica/contemporary romance book, this is the one for you!

The romance between Carly and Jake pretty much started out with a bang, literally. In all seriousness, Carly has been living two lives; one as herself and the other as Desiree, who is both sexy and confident-- something Carly is not. Everything changes when she finds out that the man that she had a one night stand and menage with... was no other but Jake! On the other hand, Jake is shocked to see "Desiree" in an entirely different attitude and outfit in this small town that he just moved into. Her name is in fact not Desiree... but Carly?! Wow, what a shocker huh. Well, they both start pretty rock because Carly always avoids him because she thinks that he will blurt out her secret to the entire town. Fortunately, that turned out to be untrue and their attraction for one another is undeniable.

And while everything may 'seem' perfect, it was in fact not. Jake and Carly have both had a pretty rough and bad childhood. One of which is Carly being molested by her father and messing up her entire sexual-adult life and the other is Jake being molested by a violator when he was a child as well. Overall? I thought this was definitely an extremely satisfying with some very hot scenes between Jake and Carly. They were meant for one another! I definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves this genre. 5/5 stars!

Rating: ★★★★★

Tender Mercies by Kitty Thomas

I was truly reluctant to read this book because of all the things that I've heard beforehand about this author. I was prety much forced to read this book because I was loaning it and it was going to expire soon. Oh well, it was still a fascinating yet horrifying read. I mean really, what kind of idiot was Grace? No offense to her. Was she really stupid enough to sign away her rights as a person and into a slave for this monster? For eight months, she'd endured his pain, torture, and rape... I wanted to kill that bastard for what he did to her. It's like kidnapping, ugh. Oh god, and even though Asher was a lot better than Lucas, I still wanted to hit him. LOL! And this is why I am not exactly a fan of BDSM.

The premise of the story was pretty amusing yet interesting all wrapped up in one package. I mean, it's an island with rich kinky men who get slaves. Would I want to go on it? Hell no! Grace was tricked into getting on that island... and while I may say that she was stupid in doing so, I can't really blame her. I just hate the fact that she had no rights and her "master" could do anything to her except kill her? I also hated how Asher used the words slut and whore to Grace? Yes, I get offended easily. But Grace claims that it was used in an affectionate way... so I don't even know. At least he was nice and kind to her! Unlike that bastard Lucas who abused and violated her in the most disgusting of ways.

Overall, for my first book by Kitty Thomas, I am pretty impressed. She delved into some serious issues and while I wanted to vomit just thinking about it, I do have to give her some mad props. Well done, Ms. Thomas! 4/5 stars.

Rating: ★★★★☆