TLC Book Tours Book Review: A Reckless Promise

About A Reckless Promise

Series: The Little Season (Book 3)

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: HQN Books (July 26, 2016)

London’s Little Season has never been so scandalous 

It’s the kind of vow often made on the battlefield. Darby Travers, Viscount Nailbourne, never imagines he’ll have to honor it. Yet here she is on his doorstep—his late comrade’s young daughter, and Darby’s new ward. Worse, she comes with the most overprotective, mistrustful, bothersome chaperone—the child’s aunt, Sadie Grace Boxer. Darby is quite sure that behind her lovely facade, the woman is guarding a secret.

Sadie Grace faced many trials working in her brother’s surgery, but none prepared her for the world she’s thrust into with his passing. Navigating the ton, with its endless ball gowns and parade of parties, is difficult enough, but hiding the truth about her niece while the sophisticated Viscount watches her every move proves nearly impossible—particularly when his searing gaze tempts her to bare all. But when her family’s past catches up with her, she’ll have to trust in Darby…no matter the cost to her heart.

“The story is filled with delightful characters and witty repartee”–Publishers Weeklyon A Scandalous Proposal

RT Book Reviews (Jan print edition): “Michaels, known for her comedic Regency-set romances, outdoes herself… For lighthearted fun, you can’t do better than this.”–RT Book Reviews on An Improper Arrangement

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: I've been reading a lot of regency romance novels lately. I think I'm on a roll. Some of them have been good and others ho hum, but this one was really great. I think that's because this was a Kasey Michaels novel and she always brings it.

Darby is an imperfect hero, having lost an eye in the fight with Napoleon. Sadie is the sister to one of his comrades and she shows up when he died with her brother's young daughter, Marley. There are so many secrets involving this little girl, and it takes awhile for Sadie to give up her part in the story and even longer to find out why Marley needs to be kept safe.

This is the third book in the Little Season series, but one that you can read without the the others, though it really worth it to read the others, because they are great too. You get so many fabulous characters from the other books too, that make this story fabulous.

There's a subplot involving Clarice that is both heartbreaking and hilarious, involving a visiting family from Virginia who are part of her past and a horse.

Darby is the dark brooding hero. (A bit like Heathcliff) At least that's how it seems at first, but as the book progresses, you can tell he's anything but. He's truly a fun hero that you love almost instantly and he truly loves Sadie. I really wanted them to get married before the very end of the book.

I loved everything about this book, romance, intrigue and even humor.  I only had one gripe with the book, I wanted more near the end. It came together a little quickly and would have liked to have some more with one of Marley's family members. (I don't want to give anything away)

If you are a lover of regency romance, you can't miss A Reckless Promise or any of the other books in the Little Season series.

Rating: 5 flowers:

Book Review: An Improper Arrangement

Author: Kasey Michaels
Title: An Improper Arrangement
Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: 12/29/15
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Gabriel Sinclair has returned from battle as reluctant heir to a dukedom. As if his new responsibilities weren't enough, Gabriel's aunt enlists him to sponsor a young heiress through London's Little Season. Yet Miss Thea Neville is hardly the tedious obligation he expected. She's exotic and enchanting—and utterly unaware of the secret poised to destroy her family's reputation.

After ten years in America, Thea is ready to do her duty and marry well. Deportment lessons, modistes, balls—the ton is a minefield she could scarcely navigate without Gabriel's help. By rights, she should accept the first bachelor who offers for her. Instead, she's succumbing to a dangerous attraction to her wickedly handsome chaperone —one that could unhinge her plans in the most delicious way.

Review: I've read loads of Kasey Michaels novels. I particularly love her regency romances, and I've read a lot of her early ones from the 80s.

An Improper Arrangement is the first book in The Little Season series. I have mixed feelings about this book. When I started this book I really flew through the first 100 pages, that's where the problem lie. The characters are absolutely fun and lovable. I adored Gabe and Thea and the Duke and Duchess and all the birds. The problem is the plot just didn't go anywhere for a very long time.

I felt that this book would have been better if it went back to the way regency romances were written in the 80s and 90s. They were a much shorter format and I think this plot would have worked better if it could have been cut back 200 pages.      

The plotline involving Thea and the Earl went nowhere through most of the story, and even her relationship with Gabe didn't totally come to fruition until the book was more than halfway over. So it really did plod along for awhile. That's not to say that there wasn't witty dialogue and funny scenes along the way, but  I think the story would have been more cohesive if it would have moved along a little quicker.

This book took me almost a week to read and it is only 380 pages. That is much too much time for a book of that length to me. There were times when I was going to put it down, but  I really felt invested in Gabe and Thea's story (And I really did like them) to give up on them.   I may continue with this series if the plot intrigues me.

Rating: 3 flowers

      

Book Review: What An Earl Wants

Author Kasey Michaels
Title: What An Earl Wants
Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: Nov 20, 2012
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley 
Book Blurb: Gideon Redgrave, eldest child of the late Earl of Saltwood, refuses to be humbled by the scandal that once tore his family apart. He's built his life in London society around one rule: trust no one. So the last thing he wants is to play guardian and role model to a headstrong boy…or to engage in a battle of wills with the boy's spirited half sister, who is fighting Gideon for custody.

Beautiful and bold, young widow Jessica Linden proves to be a formidable and passionate adversary. But the more they lock horns, the more Gideon realizes he'd prefer to have Jessica on his side…and in his arms. Especially now that a new threat—sprung from his father's supposedly defunct secret society—is poised to destroy the Redgraves once and for all.

Review: Kasey Michaels' opens her series with the Redgraves with a real winner. This is one of the few regency romances that I've read that didn't leave me frustrated with one or more of the characters. Jessica is a smart no nonsense heroine, who believe it or not doesn't do anything stupid that jeopardizes her life in the whole book!

Wow!

I thought that was a requirement of regency romance. All heroines must be kidnapped or nearly killed by a dastardly villain in the last 40 pages.

And there's a real intrigue in this story. Gideon's grandfather had started a hellfire club, that his son continued. The point of the club involves all sorts of naughty things as well as a plot to remove the monarchy!

Jessica and Gideon uncover all of this as a result of her wanting to gain custody of her half-brother Adam, who is really a halfwit!

Somehow the custody battle between the two takes a back burner to the intrigue, and Jess and Giddy's relationship blossoms. Even though these two find it hard to say, I love you, their relationship grows, and wonder of wonders, there's really no conflict between the two.

How did that happen?

The story really involves the two of them sleuthing out the deaths of some of the Society members including her father and step mother. The intrigue definitely keeps the pages turning, mostly because of Trixie, Gideon's grandmother.

OMG, she is the best character ever.

It isn't often you have a 70 year old lady send a note around to her grandson, because she was sleeping with a man, and he happened to expire during the act!

Yes!

So funny!

I have to say, I loved all the Redgraves, and though I am heartily sick of every historical romance being part of some series or another, this is one I will definitely follow, especially if the next book is as good as this one!

My only gripe is the ending. It lacked a little resolution. I would have liked something to have been resolved at the end of this book except for the fact the Society wasn't going to go after her brother.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: The Dangerous Debutante

The Dangerous Debutante is book two in Michaels Romney Marsh Trilogy. This story centers around Morgan Becket and Ethan Tanner the Earl of Aylesford.

Morgan meets Ethan on her way to her brother's home in London. The two have more chemistry than any couple has a right two and they enjoy stirring up trouble with the ton, even though Morgan only stays in London for about a week, mostly because her brother Chance and his with Julia are at their wits end trying to figure out how to deal with her and her lust for Ethan. The two are very much alike as Morgan often says "Like recognizes like."

The book's strong point revolves around Morgan and Ethan's characters. Its not often that two characters connect from the beginning. The only tension between them is sexual.

The only thing that bothered me was how Morgan's family wasn't developed nearly enough. We know that there's something mysterious about them, but everything is cloaked in mystery. If you haven't read the first book in the series (and I hadn't) you are left wondering what is going on with the Becket's.