One Night To Be Sinful by Samantha Garver (paperback)

Calvin Garret, a Marquis, is asked by his best friend Thomas to pose as a butler in his sister's household. Thomas is worried about the strange accidents at his sister's country estate and needs to resort to subterfuge to gain on knowledge on the incidents.

As a true friend, Calvin Garrett never anticipated what he would undertake in the name of loyalty to Thomas, Lord Wolcott. Calvin was raised on the streets, and he doesn't take orders from anyone. But he agreed because Thomas was one of the few nobles to accept him as he was when he inherited the title. Posing as a butler, he appears at the door of Wolcott's fiercely independent sister, Lady Abigail. He hoped playing servant to an unconventional woman would be a short-lived task. But when he meets his stunning new mistress, the scheme he had in mind takes a turn for the tempting. Calvin is quite unprepared for the effect Lady Abigail has on him.


Lady Abigail returned to her childhood home to heal after a carriage accident three years ago left her with a bad limp and a slightly disfigure leg.
Although her fiancée jilted her after the accident, and society turned away from her as she got older, was unmarried, and had what they considered a defect.
She has never considered herself and invalid, and she refuses to let her injury hinder her life. Abby created a life for herself in the country, where she doesn’t have to answer to anyone.

When they meet, they are both surprised at the reaction to one another.
Calvin isn't like the other men. He looks at her as a woman; there is no pity in his eyes.

I enjoyed this book very much. Calvin and Abby are great characters and the supporting characters are fun and had richness to the story. Calvin has not always been wealthy, he has lived a hard life when a twist of fate he became a Marquis. But, that did not change him, he is not afraid of hard work, that’s why him posing as a butler worked for me. He feels a connection with Abby because she is attracted to him for himself not for his wealth or position.

This is a story of two people that look beyond the surface to the inner beauty of their soul, to a passion and love that lasts for a lifetime.

Some parts of this book made me wonder if this was part of a series. Abby is part of a large group of friends, and one in particular has me wondering if there was a story before this one…I would have love to read about them…but it seems that this is her debut novel…After searching the web, I was not able to find her webpage, too bad because I would have really loved to e-mail her and ask!

Publisher Zebra 2005

Lone Rider by Lauren Bach (paperback)

Jewelry designer Tess Marsh runs out of gas on a dark and deserted stretch of Montana highway. She finds herself rescued by exactly the kind of man all mothers warn their daughters about - the leather-clad, darkly handsome bad boy riding a Harley. There is just something very sexy about a guy who rides a bike.

Tess has no intention of accepting Dallas Haynes' offer of help - he could be a rapist or a serial killer for all she knows. But when an unsavory gang of fellow bikers roar over the hill a few minutes later, Dallas suddenly appears the lesser of two evils and Tess agrees to let him claim her as 'his woman', if only to save her from being raped and quite possibly murdered.

When they enter the gang's hideout, Dallas pleads with Tess to trust him in spite of her current predicament apparently caused by him.

For the next few weeks Tess is held hostage by Dallas and his murderous gang of bikers, and finds herself either loathing or wildly attracted to him. During her tension-filled captivity, she remains unaware that Dallas is deep undercover, an FBI agent on special assignment inside the biker gang to get the goods on a bigger fish, a South American drug lord.
For Dallas, this is a nightmare scenario. He has worked for over two years to successfully infiltrate this gang. The presence of an innocent civilian is a complication he doesn’t need. The only way he can figure to keep her safe is to keep her chained to his bed. His growing feelings for her will have to be ignored.

Weeks later, there is a FBI raid on the compound and Tess learns that Dallas is Federal agent Grey Thomas who has worked undercover for two years seeking evidence to incarcerate these criminals. Tess is subpoenaed to testify at the trials, but someone wants her dead before she gives testimony. Grey is determined to keep her safe.

There is just something very sexy about a guy who rides a bike.
This was my first book by Lauren Bach. Romantic suspense is a tricky genre for me because I tend to like those suspense books that have a good balance between the suspense and romance. Lone Rider had the perfect blend. There are two scenes where Tess is locked in a kitchen cupboard that are absolutely chilling.

The end was what I expected; it is after all a romance. However, a few questions were left unanswered in my mind after finishing this book. What happened to Tess’s business? We never really know about Tess or Grey’s life, just small glimpses of it. Their parents are mentioned, but we never get to see them. No how the relationship was between Tess and her parents, I would have thought that her father would show up to give her some kind of support, even at the trial.

Even with a few holes in the plot, I enjoy reading this book. I also picked up “Slow Hands” by his author, I hope it will be just a good a read as this one was.

Publisher: Warner Books, 2001


Authors page

The Veil of Night by Lydia Joyce (paperback)

Digging through my TBR pile, I pulled out Lydia Joyce's debut gothic novel from April 2005....Yep, I'm well behind in my reading !! LOL



Lady Victoria Wakefield is not entirely sure why she answers Lord Raeburn's summons to his home, Raeburn Court. Yes, her brother Jack owes him money, but she is almost past caring about that. His summons is rude and arrogant, and Raeburn has a wild and strange reputation. When she arrives, Raeburn makes an insulting offer: he will temporarily forgive debt (until Jack inherits the family fortune). In return, he wants Victoria to live with him for a week, and serve his every need. Victoria surprises them both by accepting the offer.

She is a 32-year-old spinster with little to lose. She holds herself apart from society, wears unflattering clothing, and aspires to little more than the running of her family estate.

Byron didn't really expect Victoria to accept the offer, but after she does, he looks at her with new eyes - and can't help finding her oddly attractive. He plans to spend the week figuring out what makes Victoria tick. Why isn't she married? Why does she dress in such an odd fashion? Though his own life is shrouded in mystery, he plans to reveal little of it in return.

After their first explosive sexual encounter, Victoria and Raeburn find themselves even more drawn to each other. They enter a pattern of awkwardness by day, hot sex by night. Though Victoria finds herself revealing her past and her feelings to Raeburn, he finds himself unable to reciprocate when she continually asks him why he avoids the light. Tragedy strikes during a picnic on a cloudy day, and both are injured. This separates them for a time, and eats into their cherished week together - but it also shows them how dependent they are upon each other. Will Victoria be able to leave when her week is over? Will Raeburn ever be able to be honest about his unusual affliction?

This plot is one that I have read many times before: the gothic atmosphere of darkness and mystery, the aging spinster, the reclusive nobleman. A man seeking revenge against her brother blackmails a woman into having a sexual affair. Of course, they'll fall in love, after fighting to quell their growing vulnerability to each other. The suspense is in how they find their way from sex to love. Secrets are revealed, emotional barriers are breached, and layers of character are peeled away in a long, slow, emotional striptease.

Victoria is a beautifully complicated version of a staple romance character: a wanton in old maid clothing, hiding her true nature to protect her heart. She plays along with the role of indignant blackmail victim, but it's not as if she'd be left destitute if she refused Byron's shocking proposal. She enters in to the bargain willingly, sacrificing pride for the chance to explore her sexuality after years of self-imposed repression.

Byron’s secret was what I thought it would be, and the lengths that he goes to hide it seem extreme at times, but I could also see why he was afraid to tell her.
He witnessed what his secret did to his friendship with his best friend, and he also had many disappointments in his life that made him afraid to share his secret with her. He is afraid of the pain of rejection.

There is a lot that is original and fresh here. Victoria and Byron are ‘typical’ certainly - but their characterization is vivid, detailed, and believable. Victoria’s behavior makes sense when her past is revealed and the revelation is handled in a pitch-perfect way.

The does an excellent job of capturing the dichotomy of their sexual attraction and interpersonal awkwardness. They are strangers thrust into an intimate situation, and it makes for interesting reading.

The main reason that most of the book works so well for me is the writing itself, which is beautiful and far above the norm - particularly for a first-time author. The prose is lyrical, and the thoughts of the characters are expressed in a mature and insightful way. Often there is more thought than dialogue, and it works well here because the characters both have thoughts worth listening to.

I enjoyed this read, the big problem I had with this book was the use of ‘thoo’ for ‘you’…or ‘thy’ for ‘your’…“thoo must..” “thoo are..” The servants of the hero use these words—this pronunciation may be part of Yorkshire speech patterns but it was annoying in print.

Publisher: Signet


Authors page

Breakfast in bed !

Trust and Treason (e-book)

Robert is a tortured man filled with the need for vengeance. In order to obtain the means to destroy the man responsible for the death of his beloved wife and only child, he agrees to marry Elizabeth Rothwell, his enemy’s beautiful niece.

Young and naïve, Elizabeth Rothwell always dreamed that she would marry for love and live the rest of her life in Thornhill Castle. When she and her sister are out gathering herbs one day, Elizabeth is captured by a group of Scottish warriors. She fights the leader and even lightly wounds him. Bound and gagged, she is returned back to Thornhill Castle only to discover that her captor, Robert MacDiarmid, is her intended husband.

Elizabeth could not believe she was to marry this Scottish barbarian. She had called him that and worst. He called her a witch and told her she was no lady. Even worth, she later learns that he was her childhood friend’s husband, and he is still in love with his dead wife.

Although Elizabeth fears she will never be able to compete with the memories of Robert’s past, she is determined to try, and surrenders herself completely. The powerful warrior, with his gentle caresses and breath-stealing kisses, awakens in her an explosive passion, and earns her heart. She tells him she loves him, but he is unable to say it to her in return. Elizabeth believes that it’s just a matter of time before he tells her he loves her too.

Elizabeth is put to the test when Robert’s plot to free Scotland from English rule unfolds. When Robert is sentenced to death for treason, Elizabeth is faced with a choice. Does she dismiss everything that’s happened between them and believe that she was nothing more to Robert than a political pawn? Or, should she trust once more in her feelings, forgive Robert’s act of treason, and fight to save the man she loves?


Filled with romance and intrigue, Trust and Treason was just what I was looking to read when I picked up this book.

I found Elizabeth to be a strong character, even thou she was raised by nuns, and was innocent, with Robert she is a passionate woman. She is easily manipulated and deceived, which makes her vulnerable and easily hurt.

Robert on the other hand is a man filled with self-imposed guilt, and he must come to terms with his need for revenge and his guilt, before he can give himself to Elizabeth completely.

Whether in bed or having a disagreement, passion explodes between these two. The love scenes are beautiful written without being explicit. The dialogue is well written and quite funny at times. The secondary characters are richly detailed and play an important role in this story.

All around this was a very satisfying read for me.


Available from Linden Bay Romance

Author's page

Castoffs by Angela Fiddler (m/m erotic e-book)

Blurb from publisher

Janus has a pretty good life, for a vampire. In the vast, interlocking system of vampire hierarchies and allegiances, his responsibilities are more like guidelines and his master is nothing if not indulgent. Life can be brutal, but the sex is great. When he finds Lyall, a young, brash vampire who seems to know more about the workings of their world than he ought, Janus thinks it should have been a matter of see, want, get.

However, it's never that easy. Asking permission leads to murder and betrayal. Janus's pretty good life doesn't so much dissolve as it explodes into a pile of dust.

Passion, power, betrayal, blood. He’s been a faithful lieutenant for over a century, but now Janus’s loyalty may cost him his life, and Lyall is the only one he can trust.

Don't you just love this blurb? I did. And the cover is awesome.
Being a lover of vampire stories this one sounded great, with all the elements that I enjoy reading about.

The author has a wonderful imagination in the telling of this intriguing vampire tale immersed in the underground urban vampire lifestyle. The suspense kept me reading to find out what would happen next. Yet, there was something missing. I liked Janus and Lyall, they where great character, I just didn't feel the chemistry between them.

Available from Loose-Id

Authors page

Tech Support by Jet Mykles (m/m erotic e-book)

I'm a big fan of Jet Mykles. Her paranormal series 'Dark Elves' hooked me. I'm way behind on her books, but when I won a copy of this book, I had to drop everything and read it!

Aaron is a whiz with computers but horrible with people. Painfully shy, it’s sometimes all he can do to communicate when he is face to face with anyone. The fact that he has unusually red hair and gorgeous green eyes only makes it worse because people don’t want him to hide.

Then he’s called upon to troubleshoot a problem with the laptop of Yoshiki Fukui, a big shot executive with his company. Ki is brash, outgoing, and painfully handsome and just being in his presence makes Aaron all jittery.

When Ki asks Aaron to help him set up a state-of-the-art entertainment system in his new house, Aaron can’t resist the lure. Little does he suspect that Ki’s got more than just technical help in mind.

This book does not disappoint. Aaron and Ki are great together from their first meeting. Complete opposites, they compliment each other beautifully. When a misunderstanding at a party at Ki's house happens, Aaron is heartbroken. He shuts Ki off and does not let him explain. However, Kid does not let that stop him. He wants Aaron and won't let him shut him out for long.

Jet Mykles is a talented writer. With humorous dialogue, captivating characters, and hot love scenes, this book was terrific.

Available from Loose-Id

Author's page