Book Review: A Rogue's Pleasure

Author: Hope Tarr
Title: A Rogue's Pleasure
Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: August 16, 2010
Rating: 5 stars
Book Blurb: Miss Chelsea Bellamy is desperate!


Her beloved brother is being held for ransom! Impoverished after the deaths of her parents, Chelsea doesn't have five shillings, never mind the five hundred pounds the kidnappers are demanding. With no one to turn to, she resorts to highway robbery to raise the sum.

Lord Anthony Grenville is bored

Viscount Montrose's coach is overtaken by a highwayman—who turns out to be no man at all! Anthony hasn't been this intrigued by anything, or anyone, since his return from the war. And when he catches the flame-haired thief breaking into his London house to further fill her coffers, he comes up with a plan to rescue her brother—and resolves to seduce her into his bed!

Their passion is mutual

Chelsea accepts Anthony's aid, but she'll never become his mistress—even if the thought of it fills her veins with liquid fire...

Review: When it comes to historical fiction, you can't go wrong with Hope Tarr. Her characters always find their way into the reader's heart, and Chelsea and Anthony are no exception.

Chelsea is a strong heroine though at times she doesn't use the brain that it is quite obvious she has. When faced with the problem of her brother's kidnapping, she turns to thievery to raise the funds for his safe return.

Not very bright, but then again, if she hadn't done that she wouldn't have met Lord Melrose, and he's a hero you can't help but love.

He's a total rogue, willing to offer her carte blanche because he is to marry the Lady Pheobe in a month's time, actually on the date she was to turn over the money to the kidnappers.

Chelsea robs him, is caught by him and he decides to help her and her butler (the former highwayman) to find the men who kidnapped her brother. From there, love blossoms, but Chelsea is too scared and proud to admit it, especially as Anthony is betrothed and only wants her as his mistress.

Probably the most memorable character, is actually One Eyed Jack, the former highwayman. His protectiveness of her is wonderful and funny, especially when he discovers that she's been with Anthony. He really is the string that binds the two of them together.

They have a lot to get through before they can be together too and its the getting there that's the fun. Plus some of the secondary characters get a happy ending too, which makes this a fantastic book from start to finish, but those of you familiar with Hope's books, know that her books are all fantastic, and this is no different.

Book Review: The Tutor

Author: Hope Tarr
Title: The Tutor
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Publish Date: July 2010
Rating: 5 Stars
Book Blurb: Lady Bea Lindsey is desperate. She's newly engaged to a very nice but dull gentleman and is fully aware that if she wants any joy in her marriage bed, she'll have to call the shots. But first she needs to be taught. And who better to instruct her than irresistibly sexy rogue Ralph Sylvester?

Ralph is surprised by Bea's request, but he can't turn down the woman he's lusted after for the past nine months. He agrees on one condition. For the next seven days and nights, Bea must relinquish total control to him. No pleasure will be off-limits, no act of lovemaking forbidden, no desire too shocking.

It's every man's fantasy. Until the student surpasses the teacher…

Review: Hope starts this Blaze Historical out slowly, but that isn't a problem, it allows you to get to know Lady Bea, Ralph, Kate, and Rourke. However once things get started between Bea and Ralph, well, things get so steamy that you may have to jump into a tub of ice water to cool off.

Yeah it is that steamy. It is sexier than most of the contemporary Blaze books I've read, and I read a lot of Blaze books. In parts I felt that this book might have been better suited to the Spice line, not that I'm complaining. All the sex scenes were well written.

All four characters that figured into this story were well developed and likable, even Mr. Billingsby, who you really don't get to know outside of the fact that he was a rather poor lover. By the end of the book, you feel sorry for the poor guy and you wish that Hope would devote a book on him, so that he could find his match. After how he was treated without being able to redeem himself, was kind of cruel. However I liked that he graciously accepted Bea's rejection of his suit rather than turn into a cad.

What I really liked about The Tutor was the relationship that existed between Bea and Ralph before she asks him to tutor her. It wasn't like she picked Ralph to be a stud. She liked him and wanted him but felt that anything between them was doomed to failure.

If you are looking for a steamy historical beach read, this is it!

Another Book To Look Forward To

One of my favorite Blaze author's Hope Tarr is going to have a book out in July. That's just in time for my birthday! Woo hoo!

Its another Historical for the Blaze line which makes me doubly excited. I love historical romances and with the red hot spice of the Blaze line it makes things twice as nice.

If you want to read an excerpt from The Tutor, you can click the link here and go to Hope's site and read more.

There have been a lot of great Blaze novels lately but this book really has me excited.