Elizabeth Hoyt: To Beguile a Beast

Happy Wednesday and Happy Veterans' Day, readers!



good morning kitty by luciana on WeGIF

I don't like cats or kittens much, but the one above is so darling... I just had to share!

With that, I shall proceed to Ms. Hoyt's third book in the Legend of the Four Soldiers series,



To Beguile a Beast: B+
Helen Fitzwilliam & Sir Alistair Munroe
Legend of the Four Soldiers #3

CAN A WOUNDED BEAST . . .

Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he's kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.

TRUST A BEAUTY WITH A PAST . . .

Running from past mistakes has taken legendary beauty Helen Fitzwilliam from the luxury of the ton to a crumbling Scottish castle . . . and a job as a housekeeper. Yet Helen is determined to start a new life and she won't let dust-or a beast of a man-scare her away.

TO TAME HIS MOST SECRET DESIRES?

Beneath Helen's beautiful façade, Alistair finds a courageous and sensual woman. A woman who doesn't back away from his surliness-or his scars. But just as he begins to believe in true love, Helen's secret past threatens to tear them apart. Now both Beast and Beauty must fight for the one thing neither believed they could ever find--a happy ever after. (back of book)

This novel was unique in several aspects, which I greatly appreciated.

I like to think this novel is one of a higher level than the regular mass romances on the bookshelves, mainly because the both the hero and the heroine are not squeaky clean. Helen Fitzwilliam is a great beauty and surprise, paramour to a high-standing someone in the London ton. She has been with this man for so long, she has two children fathered by this less than spectacular gentleman.

Alistair Munroe, on the other hand, has holed himself up in his castle since returning from fighting in the Colonies. It was there that he was severely tortured. Not a whipped-back has-knife-wound kind of tortured, Munroe is missing an eye and two fingers from one hand, among other "disfigurements." If this story were to be paralleled to the story of Beauty & the Beast, I am fairly certain Alistair would fall under the Beast category (not the Beauty. I think that would be Ms. Helen Fitzwilliam).

Helen finds herself running for her life. She and her children end up on Munroe's doorstep (er.. castlestep) and announces herself his new housekeeper.

He, undoubtedly, is appalled by her bravado and is stunned by her beauty.
She is intimidated by his scars.

And there starts the story of how these two characters fall in love. Why is Helen running for her life? Glad you asked. Something about an overpossessive certain-somebody...

You also get to find out more about the mystery as to who betrayed the British during that war. It wasn't Alistair, as he was tortured the way he was... so who...?!

I felt the characters came to life in this story. While the whole Helen-in-grave-danger part wasn't particularly exciting nor interesting, seeing Alistair and Helen interact was fun. And... I don't see how a hero can be more tortured or "wounded" (physically and mentally) than our very own Alistair Munroe.

Bottom line: Recommended reading.

Side Question: So... does it make anyone else laugh that the men's woohoo is referred to as a "prick?" I understand that this might be culturally and historically accurate from the Regency era, but a prick? I almost prefer "throbbing manhood" to it... okay, not so much, but you get what I'm saying.

Nora Roberts: Sea Swept

Sea Swept: A

Anna Spinnelli & Cameron Quinn
Chesapeake Bay Series #1

Sea Swept tells the tale of three brothers--all former juvenile delinquents adopted by Raymond Quinn and his wife, Stella. Cameron, Ethan, and Philip are as different as can be, but they are bound by their love and respect for their adoptive father, who has recently passed away. On his deathbed he asks his sons to look after their most recent brother, 10-year-old Seth, who--if the rumors are to believed--just may be Ray's biological son. Of course, the brothers don't know anything about caring for the young boy, and if social worker Anna Spinelli has anything to say about it, they won't. However, the sparks that fly over the fate of Seth are nothing compared to the romantic sparks that fly between Anna and Cameron. (amazon)

I’m not a huge fan of Nora Roberts, but I admit to having a soft spot for her. She was my one of my very first romance authors (if not my first). The idea of happily-ever-afters and dashing heroes would forever bloom in my mind after reading several of her stories… However, I realized that there was so much more to the romance world, than Ms. Roberts, and I quickly found that her writing, as good as it is, is formulaic and was sometimes…boring.

So when I picked up Sea Swept several years ago, the first of the Chesapeake Bay series, I didn’t have too much hope. I was delightfully shocked when I started reading and was unable to put down the book!

I re-read the series and still love it.

The characterization of Anna and Cam is so complete, I feel like I know exactly who they are, how they would act, and what they would say. She might not have explicitly described it through words, but the unfolding of their story reveals who they are – and you can’t help but to fall in love with them.

Anna is a vivacious, loud, and dominating social worker. She meets Cameron Quinn when she is put on the case regarding Seth Quinn, a ten year old boy who has a long history behind him. He has some connection with Ray Quinn, Cameron’s father, but no one knows exactly what that connection is.

Cameron, a world renown boat racer, rushes home to St. Christopher when he hears word that his father, Ray, is dying from a car accident. Before he dies, he tells Cam and his two brothers to take care of Seth.

Seeing that Ray and Stella Quinn took in and raised three half-grown boys with ugly histories into men, Cameron, Ethan, and Phillip don’t question the situation, but change their lifestyles to help gain guardianship of Seth.

Giving up boat racing is something that is hard for Cam to do, but he realizes that the sacrifice is bearable with Anna and as he bonds with Seth, Cam sees in Seth the young boy that he used to be – the helpless boy who was beaten and neglected by a careless, alcoholic father.

Enter the quiet but perspicacious Ethan and the slick and charming Phillip, this story is a great introduction to the life of the Quinns, and what really happens when four males attempt to live together under one roof. Nora Roberts, who only has brothers and has two sons, has been around males all her life – and it shows in the Quinn brothers.

Ms. Roberts’ description of life on the shore, the small-town life, and the relationships – it all comes together in this poignant and thoughtful tale. The Quinn brothers’ journey of love is one that is wonderful to read.

One of my all-time favorite books (and series), this one is a grabber from the start.

Gaelen Foley: Princess

Princess: C

Princess Serafina & Darius Santiago
Ascension Trilogy #2

Imperious and beautiful, Princess Serafina has loved Darius Santiago, the king's most trusted warrior, since she was a child. But Darius was plucked from the gutter by the king to be trained as a spy, and although he loves Serafina beyond reason, he conceals his heart for he believes his background forbids a union between them. When Serafina is betrothed to a ruthless Russian aristocrat in a bargain that gains her tiny island kingdom protection from Bonaparte's armies, Darius intervenes to save her. His actions set in motion a sequence of events that will challenge the strength of their love and threaten their lives as well as the survival of the kingdom.

This energetic plot has the hero and heroine poised on the razor's edge of physical danger at the same time they're struggling to trust each other with the deepest secrets of their hearts. The supporting cast of secondary characters is excellent, especially the members of the heroine's family. Their normalcy provides a stark contrast to the hero, whose childhood of neglect and abuse has left scars and built emotional walls that only the heroine's love may heal. (amazon)

Princess Serefina has known Darius Santiago all her life…and has been in love with him most of the time. She knew that she would always be his when he risked his life to save her father’s life. However, she is in despair because Darius sees her as the young, spoiled daughter of his boss.

Darius Santiago is Ascension’s top and most trusted spy. As a young child, the King Lazar and Queen Allegra took him in and raised him; going out and completing dangerous missions is the only way for him to redeem himself and to show everyone that he is doing something worthwhile with his life. To his horror, he falls in love with Serafina, putting him in an awful position – there is no way he is worthy enough to marry Serafina. Darius is a “fabulous” tortured hero and the demons he faces are more than trivialities.

When Serafina is betrothed to a Russian count, Darius is furious. The King has arranged the marriage because of the fear of Napoleon – if Napoleon attacks, the Russians are the only ones with enough man-power to protect the small island of Ascension. However, Darius discovers some unpleasant discoveries about the Russian and Darius is dead set Serafina marrying him.

So he comes up with a plan to rescue Serafina from the marriage.

But before he leaves, he and Serafina admit their feelings to each other and cause a bunch of ruckus.

With the classis male I’m-not-good-enough-for-her syndrome and the classic female I-don’t-care-about-anyone-but-you counter-attack, this tale is full of hot scenes, of fluttery, flowery dialog, and of love.

I love the ending where Darius finally realizes his self-worth, when he finally stands up to King Lazar and I especially love it when Serafina walks into the room and shows Darius that she will always love him, no matter what. It is very sigh-worthy.

But as it is with most books, there were some things that did not click with me.

I did think “jailbait” while reading most of the book because Serafina is twenty and Darius is thirty-four. Plus, he’s known her since she was four. He’s literally seen her grow up. That’s kind of like… him being there, like her father was there. Fatherly figure? Icck! I know it was normal for young young girls to marry old old men, but something about it still gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Second, Ms. Foley is very flowery with her dialog. Some of the things that Darius is to have said to Serafina had me snorting. Men don’t really say things like that, especially not while doing the hanky panky. (…do they??)

Third, Serafina grows in the story, but I still thought that she was a spoiled, pampered princess. She acted like she was a child for most of the book and when she commits the unthinkable (because she doesn’t want to lose Darius), I was grimacing. But! the internal struggles of both Serafina and Darius are believable and intricate – they deal with their problems separately, then finally deal with it together.

Fun read – A good sequel to The Pirate Prince, I would probably continue reading the last of the series, Prince Charming.

Note: I didn’t realize that we were introduced to Darius in the first of the trilogy. He is the boy that Lazar brought home, which means that the current King and Queen were the hero and heroine of the first book…

I read The Pirate Prince well over a year ago, so I don’t remember much of it. But those of you who like to read series in order, definitely read The Pirate Prince first!

Amanda Quick: Ravished

Ravished: B

There was no doubt about it. What Miss Harriet Pomeroy needed was a man. Someone powerful and clever who could help her rout the unscrupulous thieves who were using her beloved caves to hide their loot. But when Harriet summoned Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. John, to her aid, she could not know that she was summoning the devil himself…

Dubbed the Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and lecherous past, Gideon was strong and fierce and notoriously menacing. Yet Harriet could not find it in her heart to fear him. For in his tawny gaze she sensed a savage pain she longed to sooth…and a searing passion she yearned to answer. Now, caught up in the beast’s clutches, Harriet must find a way to win his heart – and evade the deadly trap of a scheming villain who would see them parted for all time.

After the last Amanda Quick/ Jayne Ann Krentz disaster, The Paid Companion, I swore off her books for all eternity. But this book was highly recommended to me, so I found it in my large heart to give the author another shot.

I surprisingly enjoyed the book. I found it a little similar to Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase – because of the internally tortured, self-despising hero. However, I liked it more than Chase’s book for no other reason than the fact that it “clicked” to me more than the other.

I liked Harriet even though I didn’t care for her passion about fossils and the caves. I liked that she was logical and wasn’t a whimpering too-stupid-to-live heroine (aka Ava Gardner from The Hazards of Hunting a Duke). She was surprisingly all right with the fact that she married after she was found to be in a compromising situation with Gideon. And she was all right with the fact that Gideon didn’t love her – but that they were decent companions – and when she realized that there was a chance she could change Gideon, she strived to do so patiently.

I liked how Gideon was gentle and kind with Harriet, even while trying to get her to do what he wanted her to. And I liked how they were witty with each other.

And while I didn’t care for the looters and the thieves, Quick was able to weave it into the story without me being bored.

Quite a typical story, nothing extra fancy or original, but a nice treat nonetheless.

Penelope Williamson: Keeper of the Dream

Keeper of the Dream: A


Published in 1995, Keeper of the Dream by Penelope Williamson is a hard book to find. However, the search is well worth the results! It is an epic tale between the Norman warrior Raine and Welsh princess Arianna set in 1157.

Raine takes over Arianna's home and wants to become lord over it - something that is very significant to him because he is the bastard son of an earl. Arianna comes from a loved Welsh family and is a seer - someone who can look into the future and/or the past.

It is decided by the King Henry that Raine, aka the Black Dragon, and Arianna are to wed in order to keep the two feuding countries at peace. And it is through this marriage that Arianna and Raine discover a powerful and everlasting love, one that stands through the trials of time.

Williamson's book has all the elements of a good romance: a tortured but determined hero who is self-made, a sassy and bold but compassionate heroine, and a love that is determined to prevail.

An excellent read and an even better love story, this saga-esque six-hundred page whomper will leave you satisfied, yet wanting more.

Loretta Chase: Lord of Scoundrels

Lord of Scoundrels: B-


One determined lady... tough-minded Jessica Trent's sole intention is to free her nitwit brother from the destructive influence of Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain. She never expects to desire the arrogant, amoral cad. And when Dain's reciprocal passion places them in a scandalously compromising and public position, Jessica is left with no choice but to seek satisfaction...


Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase was the #1 book of All About Romance's Top-100 poll, submitted by readers. Having yet to read the book that I've heard so much commotion and love for, I was intrigued and borrowed a copy.

The heroine, Jessica Trent, is a very intelligent, witty, and understanding woman who wants to save her brother from making a fool out of himself by acting like Lord Dain. To her surprise, she finds herself immensely attracted to Sebastian, a very wealthy but cynical and self-hating man.

The story is nothing new and original, however, Chase's writing style is a little more complicated than that of other authors'. She also finds a way for Dain to come to love and accept himself at the end of the story, which was also nice.

However, I didn't see what the particular fuss was all about. While there was nothing wrong with the book, there was nothing that was immensely grabbing or captivating therefore, it wouldn't be a keeper for me.