Hotties Of The Week….Wicked and Wild Welshmen!

With it being St. Davids Day on Wednesday, I thought what a better way to start celebrating all things Welsh then a very special “Hotties Of the Week” (I couldn’t wait until Wednesday to post. I think you will understand 😉) – So sit back and enjoy these Wicked and Wild Welshmen.

As always my lovies…Enjoy!

Ioan Gruffudd

Matthew Rhys

Christian Bale

Taron Egerton

Steve Jones

Luke Evans

Do you know any more Wicked and Wild Welsh Hotties? If you do I would love to know about them…

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Review ~ Sinful Scottish Laird (The Highland Grooms #2) by Julia London

A young widow puts her sexy suitors to the test in New York Times bestselling author Julia London’s scintillating return to the idyllic Scottish Highlands.

Widowed and forced to remarry in three years’ time or forfeit her son’s inheritance, Daisy Bristol, Lady Chatwick, has plenty of suitors vying for her hand and her fortune. But a letter from a long-lost love sends Daisy and her young son to her Scottish Highland estate to buy time for his return. Along the way she encounters the powerful Cailean Mackenzie, laird of Arrandale and a notorious smuggler, and she is utterly and unwillingly bewitched.

Cailean has no use for any Sassenach in his glen. But Daisy’s brazen, flirtatious nature and alluring beauty intrigue him. When her first love appears unexpectedly at her estate, Cailean knows that a passionate woman like Daisy cannot marry this man. And to prevent the union, Cailean must put his own life at risk to win her heart.

Brief  Preview

Daisy is heading to Scotland to get a bit breathing space from her suffocating london life, she has got a deadline hanging over her head that could be disastrous for both her and her son. Her late husband drew up a legal document that states Daisy must marry within three years or her son will lose his birth right, and to make sure that she obliges his last wishes, her late husband has got a bishop in to work as a match maker for her. But Daisy has only one person in her mind tat she wants to marry – her childhood sweetheart; Robert Spivey, Captain in the Royal Navy. So she does the only thing she can, she flees london and waits for her long-lost love to turn up.

As Daisy and her little group are making their way north they have an accident, while she is waiting to get moving again they have drawn the attention of a gang of rugged highlanders. Daisy is immediately drawn to their leader – a big and brawny, blue-eyed Scot, what Daisy doesn’t know is that the ruggedly handsome Highlander that tried to help her is actually the broody and cynical Cailean Mackenzie; Laird of Arrandale.

Cailean is highly suspicious of the bonny English woman who has arrived in his Highlands, especially when he get’s wind that the beautiful Daisy’s sweetheart is non other than the Navy Captain that is trying to bring down Cailean and his smuggling ring. Is Daisy in Scotland to spy on the Mackenzie’s and help Captain Spivey capture Cailean?

My View

Cailean is at first very suspicious of Daisy and I can really understand his apprehensiveness of her sudden appearance in Scotland, she is English and it is a time of social unrest between Scotland and England they is a lot of tension and fear. And there is the fact that the man she has decided to marry – her long-lost sweetheart – is Cailean’s clan’s enemy. He is afraid that she is going to cause him and his family trouble and afraid that now she and the Captain are around that someone is going to be seriously hurt or worse. Cailean is an amazing character, smuggling Laird, who is fiercely protective and independent. He is a real cynic, no matter how much he trie’s to see the good in people, you just know that deep down he still doubts.

Daisy is a rather naive and confused young woman – no matter how experienced and exotic she act’s. She has got a lot on her shoulder’s; she has got the dreaded legally binding last will and testament from her late husband, stating she has to marry or her son, Ellis will lose everything. A matchmaking bishop to contend with, a run down highland house to repair, a son to raise. And now a handsome Highlander has appeared and turned her head. No wonder she is confused!

She is all appearances our Daisy, she tries to show that she is a strong, independent woman who is in charge of her own life, but yet, for me she doesn’t quite achieve it. To me she comes across as vulnerable and bullied young woman – she is a sweet and very loving character and I do like her immensly, but I think she only really shines when she is with Cailean. He has a way of bringing her and Ellis out of their shells.

“Daisy?” he said and took a cautious step forward.
“Cailean.” Her voice shook when she said it, and so did she. She suddenly broke into a run.
Whatever Cailean was holding shattered on the floor when she leaped for him. He caught her in his arms, his mouth landing on hers as he twirled her around. “ Are you barmy?” he asked, roughly pushing loose tresses of hair from her face. “What are you doing here?”
“In the Highlands, if you want something, you reach for it.”
“Mi Diah,” he muttered, and kissed her again….

Daisy and Cailean are a such a lovely couple, they are like two peas in a pod and there is times when you wish someone would bang their heads together and see what is in front of them. whereas Robert Spivay is a very old school villain, he is slippery and a bit too smarmy for my liking. He is one of those kind of villains that can be all sweetness and nice in a very malicious way, he definitely has a way of making your skin prickle. Spivay has a grudge against Cailean. He thinks Cailean and all highlanders are braggarts. Untrustworthy. Thief’s, liars and cheats, he see’s our Cailean as the worst sort, handsome, intelligent and titled, that in Spivey’s book is a terrible combination add that to the fact that Cailean is a notorious smuggler and all Spivey wants to do is make an example of our rugged Laird.
This is a proper Historical Romance, the plot is engaging the characters are – as we have come to expect from Julia – loving, fun and likable. They stick with you long after the last page. This is beautifully written, sexy and atmospheric and highly recommended and a series that I am looking forward to seeing where it is going to go and especially looking foward to seeing what Ms London does with Cailean’s brother; the cocky and piratical Rabbie Mackenzie.
The Sinful Scottish Laird is book 2 in the Highland Grooms Series and is released on 28th February 2017 buying link’s below

Amazon.co.uk 

Barnes and Noble

Mills and Boon

For more information about this book and Julia London then drop by her website

This was an ARC copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Review ~ Duke Of Pleasure (Maiden Lane Book 11) by Elizabeth Hoyt

In The Arms Of Danger…

Bold. Brave. Brutally handsome. Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is the King’s secret weapon. Sent to defeat the notorious Lords of Chaos, he is ambushed in a London alley – and rescued by an unlikely alley: a masked stranger with the unmistakable curves of a woman.

In The Heat Of Desire…

Cocky. Clever. Courageously independent. Alf has survived on the perilous streets of St. Giles by disguising her sex. By day she is a boy, dealing in information and secrets. By night she’s the notorious Ghost of St. Giles, a masked vigilante. But as she saves Hugh from assassins, she finds herself succumbing to temptation.

One Kiss Will Change their Lives For Ever…

When Hugh hires Alf to investigate the Lords of Chaos, her worlds collide. Once Hugh realises that the boy and the Ghost are the same, will Alf find the courage to become the woman she needs to be – before the Lords of Chaos destroy them both?

My View

We start the newest episode of the fabulous Maiden Lane Series with our hero being ambushed by assassins in a dark and dangerous London alley, Hugh is out numbered and fighting for his very life when his rescuer, literally drops out of the blue in the form of the notorious Ghost of St. Giles – but there is something very different about this Ghost and that is that this Ghost is a woman.

Hugh is intrigued by the Ghost and by the woman who wears the mask, who is she? and what has made her choose the life as the Ghost? Hugh knows that he can’t lose his head over who the fascinating woman is as he has got a serious job to do. Hugh has been charged with bringing down the evil and sadistic Lords of Chaos; an underground secret society made up of powerful men who think nothing of rape, murder and child abuse. Hugh has got to use every bit of cunning and intelligence he possesses to bring an end to this nefarious group, he knows that wrong false move and he and those that he loves could be in very serious danger. So he employs the St. Giles street urchin and trader of information – Alf.

Alf has lived her entire life on the street’s, she has made her life in trading secrets and information and she has done it all in the alias of a boy. She knows that becoming attached to and relying on a single person could get her killed so she tries to detach herself from her feelings and get’s on with the job. By day dressed as an urchin, by night dressed as the Ghost. There is just one thing that Alf didn’t count on. Hugh Fitzroy; Duke of Kyle!

Hugh and Alf start working side by side to gain the knowledge they need to bring down the Lords of Chaos, but he soon realises who and what Alf is and before either know it they have both fallen head over heels for one and other, but can there ever be a happy ending for the roguish Duke and the young girl who dresses as a boy?

Hugh looked at the Ghost, “Let him go.” The Ghost lifted her sword and the tough was running away almost before she cleared his neck.

Hugh watched her sheathe her swords. He touched his finger to her chin, feeling soft skin, and tipped up her face. He couldn’t tell the color of her eyes in the dark and behind the ugly half mask, but he saw the glint of moonlight in their depths.

“Who are you,” he whispered, that strange wildness still in his veins.

She didn’t answer.

So he did what he had wanted to do since he’d first seen her tonight, there on the rooftop of St. Giles; he bent and covered her mouth with his. Her lips were soft, so soft and she tasted of wine and honey….

Anyone who has read my reviews will know how much I am in love with “Charming” Mickey O’Connor from Scandalous Desires, but even I will admit that Hugh Fitzroy has worked his roguish charm on me. He is sinfully handsome, charming and commanding – I see him as a mixture of Heathcliffe and a Musketeer. He is a complicated man with the world on his broad shoulders, he is terribly scarred from his previous unhappy marriage and he is full of guilt over abandoning his young sons to go to war. He is actually a very vulnerable man beneath all that aristocratic arrogance and military honour and It is that side of him that really appeals to me. He isn’t your stereotypical aristocrat, being son of the King and an actress he has the rare insight into both lives, he understands the working class and he does try to help when he can and because of his royal blood he has the means to do just that.

As soon as you meet Alf you know instantly that there is something really special about this woman, she is an outstanding character. She is brave, clever and so independent she’s not one to stand on her laurels she says what she thinks and does what she wants, if she sees some sort of injustice she will go out of her way to try to correct it. The relationship between her and Hugh is steamy right from the first page, the atmosphere just crackles when ever they are both in the same scene, you just know what ever they go through that this pair is going to go far – that is when they finally allow them selves to be happy.

He felt as if he’d been knifed in the gut.

Her gaze were on his as she descended the stairs slowly, her gaze wild and shy and so very brave. He held out his hand as she slippered foot touched the marble hallway.

She placed her hand in his.

“Well?” Iris whispered next to him. “Will she do? Is she adequate to your needs, my dear Hugh?”

He kept his gaze on Alf’s as he raised her hand to his lip’s, he saw her eye’s widen as he murmured, “She’s perfect.”

This really is perfection, but then again I expected no less from Elizabeth Hoyt. Duke of Pleasure is fast paced, witty and sexy, the characters are mesmerizing and lovable. This is yet again, another hit and proof that this series is cut above the rest. There is so much to keep you hooked the new characters that Hoyt keeps introducing keeps it fresh and addictive, you never know where you are heading and who is going to turn up and sweep you off your feet next

I am personally looking forward to the next installment; Duke of Desire, there is something very dark and exotic and intriguing about Raphael de Chartes, Duke of Dyemore and I think that we are going to be in for another thrilling adventure with him.

 

Review ~ Duke Of Sin (Maiden Lane Book 10) by Elizabeth Hoyt

A Man Of Sin. . .

Devastatingly Handsome. Vain. Unscrupulous. Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, is the man London whispers about in boudoirs and back alleys. A notorious rake and blackmailer, Montgomery has returned from exile, intent on seeking revenge on those who have wronged him. But what he finds in his own bedroom may lay waste to all his plans.

A Woman Of Honour. . .

Born a bastard, housekeeper Bridget Crumb is clever, bold and fiercely loyal. When her aristocratic mother becomes the target of extortion, Bridget joins the Duke of Montgomery’s household to search for the incriminating evidence – and uncovers something far more dangerous.

A Secret that Threatens To Destroy The Both. . .

Astonished by the deceptively prim – and surprising witty – domestic spy in his chambers, Montgomery is intrigued. And try as she might, Bridget can’t resist the slyly charming duke. Now as the two begin their treacherous game of cat and mouse, they soon realise that they both have secrets – and neither may be as nefarious – or as innocent – as they appear. . .

My View

I wrote this review a while ago and I am ashamed to say that because of other commitments I just haven’t had the chance to post it, but as the saying goe’s all good things come to those who wait – I have been so looking forward to finding out what Hoyt would do with the sinful, vain and sadistic Valentine Napier. He was an intriguing character from the first time we met him, and you did wonder if Hoyt could redeem such a bad boy.

Bridget Crumb has taken the role as Housekeeper in the household of sinful, egotistical and sadistic Valentine Napier, she has only take on the role for one reason and one reason only – to find the what the dastardly Duke has on her mother, to stop his blackmailing scheme and get out to get on with her life. Simple! The Duke is presently out of the country after being banished from society so she has nothing to worry about, she can snoop around all she wishes. . .or can she? One night she is searching the Duke rooms and out of nowhere he hears a sadistic voice asking her what she is doing and lo and behold there in the same room is the Duke himself. He is back – but did he leave in the first place.

Valentine as reasons of his own to why he never left the country and that is what he can get and who he can blackmail and our Val has his eyes set very firmly on one thing – A Wife! But Montgomery doesn’t believe in going about things the regular way, courting and so forth. No! he fully intends to blackmail and manipulate his way to what he wants and he wants the most sought after heiress in the country and he will do anything to get her. The only problem is his prim, proper and irritatingly fascinating housekeeper, keeps butting in to his affairs and trying to find his secrets.

They are both stuck in a rut they both want to know the others secret and yet they have both got so much to hide, but they soon learn that as more and more of their personal lives and personal secrets is revealed that they both could be in very serious danger – not just by what is revealed but in danger of their feelings for each other.

She’d well and truly provoked him this time. She’d lost him a wife for the second time – first by preventing his blackmailing Miss Royale and now by actually freeing the heiress. It was almost as if Serephine had something against the matrimonial state. Bust worse – much, much worse – she’d run away herself.

That was unpardonable, unforgivable, unjustifiable.

Hit him, shame him, spit at him – anything but turn her back on him. She couldn’t simply quit their game. That, that was not allowed.

And when he’d realized that she was out there on the stormy might, more alone save an aristocratic lady and a goddamned pony. . .

He growled beneath hi s breath.

She stilled against him, like a rabbit under a hound’s jaws, her heart beating rapidly, and he was glad. She ought to be afraid of him. he was a very bad man and she was completely under his power. He could do anything to her.

Anything at all, really.

Time she learned that.

I do have to say – What a bad boy! What you thought of Val from previous encounters with him is nothing compared to getting to know him as a person. He is every bit as vain, nefarious and in some ways down right evil as we thought him to be, but that does tend to draw you towards him like moth’s to flame but once you get to know the real Valentine, and to understand him, his rakish and evil ways become more understandable in certain contexts and we begin to understand this flawed and in some ways very vulnerable and fragile man. It is not surprising at that the prim and proper Bridget falls for him.

It all starts off like a mad game between Bridget and Valentine, each always trying to out smart and out man the other, but when you are playing a game of cat and mouse with the worlds most manipulative man then you have got to have your wit’s about you and that is exactly what Bridget has.

Hoyt really has really done a great job with Bridget, she is just perfect for the volatile Valentine, she has a head on her shoulders, she is brave, intelligent with just as sharp of mind and with that can so easily match the Dukes. From the first page I was engrossed in their fiery, explosive and very, very erotic relationship and as we would come to expect from Montgomery – the most vile and sadistic man in London – when he is seducing Bridget it get’s very, very hot. But we also get to see his serious and more human side especially where Bridget is concerned, he is fiercely protective of her and true to Montgomery form quite possessive too. You see Val going to the end of the earth for her, diving headfirst into the debauched and darkest sphears for her.

It is pure brilliance on Hoyts part as she takes a man like Valentine Napier and makes him go the full circle, from the man we all thought him to be, to the man that we never knew he could be. I have never been shy about saying that my whole time favorite Maiden Lane character is Charming Mickey, but even I must bow down to the magnificent Valentine.

“But you can, Valentine.” She touched a finger to his cheek and then showed it to him.

He blinked.

Her finger was wet. His eyes were wet.

She smiled at him, his burning Seraphine, and it was as if the night sky were ablaze. “You love me”

“I love you,” he said in wonder, and felt his chest fill with warmth. ” I love you.”

“And I love you,” she whispered, her hands cupping his face.

So he kissed her until she was limp and pliable and very hot against him, and then he purred into her ear, ” Does that mean you’ll become my duchess, darling Bridget Crumb?”

And when she sighed back, ” Oh, yes, Val,” he picked her up and carried her off to have his wicked, wicked way with her.

What makes the Maiden Lane series so good, is not only the fabulous characters but also the wonderful stories and Duke of Sin is no different, this has all the makings of a Hoyt great. There is blackmail, murder, kidnap, assassination attempts and a secret gang of debauched aristocratic lunatic’s hiding in the shadows – in fact there is more mystery then an episode of Ms Marple – but it all add’s up to a brilliant read

This is such a brilliant addition to the Maiden Lane. This series just keep’s getting better and better when we start wailing that the end is nigh Hoyt throws another fabulous character at us, and branch of the Maiden Lane story opens up for us to devour in one sitting.

Duke of sin is definitely up there with my all time favorites, it is intelligently written, witty and so sexy with the most debauched but yet lovable man who I have come across in a long time. This isn’t a mear five-star book, in my view this is off the chart.

So Good and well worth the wait as always with A Maiden Lane Novel, it is always much recommended and it just gets better just one last thing to say – Roll on Kyle….

 

Review : The Star Of Versailles by Catherine Curzon & Willow Winsham

As the Reign of Terror tears Paris apart, a dandy and a spy are thrown
together on a desperate race through France.

In the darkest days of the Reign of Terror, rumors grow of the Star of
Versailles, the most exquisite treasure ever owned by the doomed Marie
Antoinette. For Vincent Tessier, the notorious Butcher of Orléans, this
potent symbol of the ancien régime has become an obsession and he’ll stop at nothing to possess it.

When Alexandre Gaudet arrives in France to find his missing sister and
nephew, the last thing he expects is to fall into Tessier’s hands. With
Gaudet tortured and left for dead, salvation stumbles accidentally, if
rather decorously, into his path.

For Viscount William Knowles, life as a spy isn’t the escape he had hoped
for. Yet a long-held secret won’t let him rest, and the fires of Revolution
seem like the easiest way to hide from a past that torments him at every
turn.

Adrift in a world where love, family and honor are currencies to be traded,the world-weary Viscount Knowles and the scandalous Monsieur Gaudet have no choice but to try to get along if they want to survive. With Tessier in pursuit, they search for the clues that will lead them to the greatest treasure in revolutionary France—the Star of Versailles.

My View

Paris is in up roar as the Reign of Terror is here, people are dying by the minute and those that have been spared or have escaped are terrified for what could happen next. The feared “National Razor” is working over time and the evil Robespierre is raining terror down on all in his path. Alexandre Gaudet is a foppish playwriter, who has returned from England back to Paris to find his sister and his nephew, who have had to go on the run as the reign of terror hit Paris hard. They are running for their very lives as it is said that they know the where about of the Star of Versailles, the beautiful and rare diamond that once belong to the ill-fated Marie-Antionette. The evil Tessier or “Butcher of Orleans” is on their trail and he will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Star.

Gaudet is captured by Tessier and after being severely tortured he is facing the dreaded “Razor” but luck is on Gaudet’s side as he is sent to be interrogated by Yves Morel one of the most vile and murderous men in Paris, but this “Morel” is actually British spy William Knowles. Brooding and secretive William save’s Gaudet’s life and with just one clue to where Gaudet’s family and possibly the Star of Versailles is, our unlikely duo set off on what will become a deadly game of cat and mouse in a dangerous and bloody time.

Catherine and Willow have a gift of creating interesting and realistic character’s that just stick with you long after the last page, whether that be the lead character’s William and Gaudet or the secondary ones such as the brilliant spymaster Dee or untrustworthy Sylvie. But the real star’s of the show has to be – apart from Gaudet’s too cute Poodle; Papillion – the boy’s themselves. They are the most unusual pair that I have come across for ages, Gaudet is flamboyant and egotistical and just hilarious whereas William is quiet and brooding and serious. They really are chalk and cheese, but yet they work.

And with Alexandre Gaudet in his crimson coat, laughing with that shriek and carrying a white poodle, we can not hope to be invisible.

“Do you ride?” William asked Gaudet, hoping the answer would be yes. “Horses will carry us to the coast, if so.”

“At Versailles, I was feted for my equestrian skills. I do not ride, I excel.” Gaudet preened his hair for a moment. “And you shall see only my fine derrier, disappearing into the distance.”

“That is a delight,” he told Gaudet with a sniff, “that I shall manage to live without.”

“I will have you know that the fineness of my bottom has been discussed in parliament.”

“Well,” William stated, “they do tend to struggle to find matters of interest.”

It is a different take on the tried and tested Historical Romance, but I have to say that the ladies’ have successfully created a loving and tender story that is full of emotion. They have got William’s confusion over his sexuality down to a tee, it’s beautifully done and very sensitive. The way that William struggle’s with his growing feeling’s for Gaudet is so heartbreaking really, you are just willing him to cast off his doubt’s and take the plunge because as eccentric as Gaudet is, he is a good and caring man. He can see what William is going through and ever so slowly he tries’ to draw the real William out.

Catherine and Willow’s work as cowriter’s is just getting better and better, I really enjoyed The Crown Spire but this one; The Star of Versailles llase it just shines. One of the many thing’s I love about Historical Romance is the history part, I like delving into and learning about the era and The Star Versallaise has beautifully interwoven fact and fiction, it’s imaginative and cleverly written that it take’s us on a thrilling romp through a brutal and deadly era, you get a real sense of how awful that period was.

Catherine and Willows work is strong and entertaining, I can’t wait to see what these two talented ladies have in store for us next. The Star Versailles is a pure joy to read and highly recommended, a definite must read for all Historical Romance fan’s.

This was an ARC version from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

Rogue Knight (Medieval Warriors #2) by Regan Walker ~ Review

Medieval Warriors #2

York, England 1069… three years after the Norman Conquest. The North of England seethes with discontent under the heavy hand of William the Conqueror, who unleashes his fury on the rebels who dare to defy him. Amid the ensuing devastation, love blooms in the heart of a gallant Norman knight for a Yorkshire widow.

Angry at the cruelty she has witnessed at the Normans’ hands, Emma of York is torn between her loyalty to her noble Danish father, a leader of the rebels, and her growing passion for an honorable French knight.

Loyal to King William, Sir Geoffroi de Tournai has no idea Emma hides a secret that could mean death for him and his fellow knights.

War erupts, tearing asunder the tentative love growing between them, leaving each the enemy of the other. Will Sir Geoffroi, convinced Emma has betrayed him, defy his king to save her?

My View

This is the first book I have read by Regan Walker and I have to say that I loved it, Rogue Knight has the perfect amount of romance, adventure and history. I have really grown to love Medieval era Historical Romance, I find that when done right they are educational as well as exciting and romantic, and Rogue Knight is spot on.

Sir Geoffroi de Tournai is a Norman Knight who is sent to York by his leader; The Red Wolf to aid William the Conqueror with the uprising or the native Northumbrian rebels, amongst enemies, death and destructed he meets a beautiful, intelligent and brave young woman; Emma of York. Geoffroi is captivated by the innocent young women, she isn’t like anything he has ever met before and soon their wariness of each other blossoms into and sweet romance. There is just one flaw; Emma isn’t just a young widow trying to get on with her life she is in actual fact the daughter of a Thegn, who is the leader of the rebels. The very person that Geoffroi has been sent to York to defeat.

Before we they know it the Norman Knights are soon under siege by the Northumbrian rebels; led by Emma’s father and the harsh and brutal Danish, Vikings and York turns into a battle ground. Emma is torn she is concerned for her father; a Rebel and the man she loves; a Norman, two of the most important men in her life are fighting on opposites sides and Emma knows only too well that this fight could be a fight to the death. Will Emma and Geoffoi get their HEA that they both deserve?

Just as he was about to cross the bridge, his eye was drawn to a cloaked figure moving through the crowd and a huge dark grey dog striding a pace. the gown showing beneath the cloak told him it was a woman.

A sudden gust of wind threw back her hood to reveal flaxen hair and a nearly,  perfect face marred only by a scowl directed at him and his Knights. the image of a Valkyrie arose in his mind, a handmaiden of the Norse god Odin tasked with choosing which warriors would live and which would die. . .

. . .Captivated y the strength of the woman exuded, he paused to watch her and the hound.

I really like Geoffroi, he is a wonderful hero, I think anyone who reads my reviews knows of my love of the more military hero, so obviously I was drawn to Geoffroi. To Geoffroi life is in black and white, right and wrong, he’s got a brilliant calm, kind and reassuring character. It is so refreshing to have a hero that isn’t complex and complicated, who hasn’t a hidden agenda; Geoffroi is exactly what you see, there are so falsehoods with him, he is a proper understated hero. Geoffroi is exactly like a lot of military men today, modest to a fault, claims he is “only” do his job and very humble towards his achievements and I love his easy-going and protective nature – plus there is the fact that he is devilishly handsome, has the broadest shoulders. After all who doesn’t like a pair of broad, powerful shoulders? 😉

Rogue Knight is book two in The Medieval Warriors series, even though I haven’t – as of yet – read book one that doesn’t take anything away from this story. I found that I didn’t need to read book one first to know who was who and what was going on, because I read it as a stand alone, you learn about each character and their past’s as though you have met them for them first time – as I did. That to me is the trait of a very talented author, and Regan Walker is that, her writing is flawless and intelligent.

Emma turned her gaze to the blond knight. “You have come to my aid once again. Why, I cannot imagine.”

“Can you not?” he whispered. His blue eyes teased but she detected a seriousness there that belied his laughter in his eyes.

“if your interest is in me, sir Knight, it is misplaced.”

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles, sending a shiver coursing through her, making her breast tingle.””We will see, my lady.”

She turned her eyes from his intense regard and pulled back her hand. “No matter, I am in your dept once again. Thank you.”

“I will always come to your aid,” he said. . .

I have said this before about Historical book’s, I really like background and detail of the era and I love those historical fact’s that bring the story’s to life and make them real, and I have to say that Rogue Knight has all that. The history and knowledge just jumps off the page and you become immersed in the medieval life. Regan Walker has done a fabulous job at mixing historical fact with the fictional love story.

I cannot recommend Rogue Knight enough, anyone who loves medieval romance will adore this. I don’t have a bad word to say about it, this is just about as perfect as you can get with a Historical Romance. The Medieval warriors Series is up there with my all time favorites series, and it is one that I am looking forward to reading more of and Regan Walker has definitely been added to my “Go To Authors List”.

Just wonderful!

This was a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret At Arnford Hall by Mollie Blake ~ Review

A Cheshire Love Story

He lived in a nightmare. His son brought him daylight. Can this woman be his breaking dawn?

Gabriel Black didn’t give a damn about the world. Until, that is, his seven-year-old son enters his life for the first time. The young boy brings daylight into the darkness of Gabriel’s world. But a single parent needs a distraction. And this single parent has no limits when it comes to getting what he wants…

She’s built a new life for herself on the ruins of the old, but this man can destroy everything she’s worked so hard to gain…

Grace McGuire lives with a dark secret–one that, if revealed, will destroy her new life. Then her world collides with that of forceful Gabriel Black, a multi-millionaire with a secret of his own, a secret Grace is determined to uncover for her sanity and all she holds dear

My View

I haven’t read a contemporary for ages, and I don’t usually go for erotic contemporary, after reading books such as Fifty shades of Grey and The House of decadence, they did put me off this genre and I do tend to keep away from them. But, as I have said before I am willing to give most books a shot so I read this one with open eyes and I was pleasantly surprised by The Secrets of Arnford Hall.

Gabriel Black is a powerful, multi-billionaire, CEO of his family run company Black Enterprises, Black Construction and Black Holding Ltd. He is a cold, manipulative and controlling man who lives in a world of darkness and sin. He uses and abuses the people around him to get what he want’s, he has an over zealous thirst for sex and he’s not too bothered about who he sleeps with – or for that matter how. Gabriel lives by one rule; It’s Gabriel’s Black’s way, or no way; and expects those around him to obay by that rule too. Outward appearances he is a powerful man who has everything and anything he want’s, does what he want’s, privately though Gabriel feels dead inside, he has too many dark secrets to protect.

Al that changes when Gabriel gets word that his ex has suddenly died and he has got soul custody of a son that he has never even met, he doesn’t know how to be a father, he doesn’t even know if he is capable of the kindness and love that is expected of him for raising a young, grieving boy. To make his life even more complicated along comes beautiful and equally secretive primary school teacher Grace McGuire, Gabriel is instantly drawn to Grace, he has seen something he wants and being Gabriel Black he will do anything in his power to get it, even if that means blackmail and manipulation.

Once Gabriel has blackmailed Grace into making a deal with the devil, he unwilling starts to care for vulnerable Grace, he is amazed at how strong-willed she is even when he is treating her abysmally, forcing her to participate in his dark sex fantasies and sinful games, he is in awe of her.

At first I thought Gabriel was a proper villain, he had all the traits of an overbearing, egotistical brute who thinks of nothing but himself and his own pleasures, but I will admit that as the story went along you start seeing more of a different side to the powerful CEO. His cold mask starts to drop and you get to see the scarred and tortured man beneath and it is that man who I was drawn to. Not the billionaire but the man. The man beneath the Armani suit is intelligent, vulnerable and protective, once he starts to show his kind side he really is quite charming it’s just a shame that you don’t get to see that side too often.

I don’t like how he treats Grace especially when they first meet, how he manipulates and blackmails her into their little deadly game. It is borderline abusive especially with his sex games, that didn’t sit well with me and it is quite uncomfortable reading. But he does start to treat her better as their complicated relationship grows into something sweet and tender, the more real and warm Gabriel becomes.

The amount of the erotic sex scenes is enough to make any one blush, and for me there was a little too much of it, and it does take something away from the story which is a shame because the story line is very charming. Gabriel learning how to be a father and bonding with his son; John is lovely, then we have his estranged brother and sister Elloise and Julian who have both got their flaws and each have their own secrets, watching the three siblings reunite is yet another branch of this sweet story.

In all I am in two minds about The Secrets at Arnford Hall, on one hand there is a genuine family/relationships orientated theme and that is the side of the story that had me hooked but the amount of abusive eroticism made me uneasy and that is what lets this well crafted story down. Because over all it is a well thought out, well crafted and very intelligently written book.

I would recommend this, it will attract all those who like the Fifty Shades genre and any one that likes Christian Grey will adore Gabriel Black.

The Secrets at Arnford Hall is released on 4th February, This was an ARC version from the author in exchange for an honest review.