1289. Guarding a Notorious Lady (Olivia Parker)

Synopsis:
A woman of pristine breeding, Lady Rosalind Devine is also an unrepentant meddler and snoop - which is why her brother refuses to leave her to her own devices while on his wedding trip. But Rosalind will not make things easy for any unseen, unwanted 'nursemaid' - and vows to use her considerable wiles to expose her mystery guardian.

Nicholas Kincaid, the Marquess of Winterbourne, agreed to secretly guard his friend's spoiled, stubborn sister, though her infuriating penchant for mischief is causing him to question his decision. Though bound by the rules of society - and friendship - Rosalind's spirit and sensuality have sparked a fierce desire in Nicholas to play a very different role in her life, one that entails passion, ecstasy . . . and unavoidable scandal.

My rating: 2 stars

My review: It's possible that my expectations for this book were too high. I LOVED Olivia Parker's previous book, "To Wed a Wicked Earl," and it would have been hard for any subsequent book to live up to that. I wanted to love this book but I couldn't get myself to care about these characters. Oh, well.

1274. Mine Till Midnight (Lisa Kleypas)

Synopsis:

When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.

Wealthy beyond most men's dreams, Cam has tired of society's petty restrictions and longs to return to his “uncivilized” Gypsy roots. When the delectable Amelia appeals to him for help, he intends to offer only friendship—but intentions are no match for the desire that blindsides them both. But can a man who spurns tradition be tempted into that most time-honored arrangement: marriage? Life in London society is about to get a whole lot hotter ....

My rating: 2 stars

1273. Dark Lover (J. R. Ward)

Synopsis:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

My rating: 2 stars

My review: Hackneyed writing, hackneyed story.

1270. Annabelle's Courtship (Lucy Monroe)

Synopsis:
Ian MacKay, Laird of Graenfrae, has no use for love or marriage. However, his stepfathers will mandates that marriage is what he must haveto an Englishwoman. A sensible man, Ian develops a list of requirements in a wife: Plain, moderately dowered, older and practical. He thinks he has found the perfect candidate in Lady Annabelle. Labeled The Ordinary her first season, Annabelle longs for a man who will see her as beautiful and love her as her father loved her mother. When she meets Ian, she thinks she has at last found that man. Until his proposal, in which he has the audacity to list his requirements. She refuses his proposal. He informs her that she will marry him at the end of the season. The battle of wills is on.

My rating: 2 stars

1266. Wine, Tarts and Sex (Susan Johnson)

Synopsis:
World-renowned chef Jake Chambers could have had any ingŽnue he wanted in California since the kitchen isn't the only room in the house where the hard-bodied hunk has special talents. Still, when he realized there might be more to life than glitz and silicone, he left for Minneapolis to buy a local joint and try to clear his head.

But even though he's no longer serving the glitterati, that doesn't mean he's about to compromise quality and serve a Minnesota wine. However, local vintner Liv Bell-with curves even more delicious than his tapas-has other plans once she lays eyes on this Adonis. Determined to promote her vineyard's juicy bounty, this sun-kissed goddess might just bring Jake around to at least tasting what she has to offer.

My rating: 2 stars

1265. The Charlemagne Pursuit (Steve Berry)

Synopsis:

Ex-agent Cotton Malone wants to know what really happened to his father, officially lost at sea when his submarine went down in the north Atlantic in 1971. But when he uses his government contacts to obtain the submarine's sealed file, he finds he is not the only person looking for answers.

Malone is in the line of fire when he is attacked in an attempt to take the file. He is pitched into a lethal power struggle between Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk, twin sisters whose twisted ambition takes sibling rivalry to new levels.

Malone and the twins embark on a dangerous adventure involving Nazi explorations in Antarctica, US government conspiracies, and a series of cryptic historical clues built into the legend of Charlemagne. Forced to choose a side when neither can win, Malone is determined to uncover the truth behind his father's death - but will he be able to escape his own?

My rating: 2 stars

1264. The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Sabrina Jeffries)

Synopsis:
Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has been London's most notorious rake for years. Fed up with his behavior, his grandmother threatens to disinherit him if he doesn't tame his wild ways and wed within the year. Outraged, Oliver decides to hire a woman from a brothel to pose as his fiancée to prove that he can't be forced into marriage. When he meets Maria Butterfield, a beautiful American woman who is searching for her fiancé in the most unlikely of places, he knows she's perfect for his ruse. But before long, Oliver finds himself willing to risk anything to make Maria his - even his heart, and the dark secret he hides inside it.

My rating: 2 stars

1259. Bending the Rules (Susan Andersen)

Synopsis:
Tall, dark and intense, Detective Jason de Sanges excites all kinds of fantasies in Poppy Calloway. But when she suggests the three teens caught spray-painting a Seattle neighborhood be given art-related community service and he just wants to see them pay - all bets are off.

With the men in his family always in and out of the slammer, Jase was raised in foster care. He knows what it takes to walk the line. And his number one self-imposed rule? Avoid his hunger for sexy, irresistible Poppy, who challenges him on everything. But it's a vow that's getting harder and harder to keep ....

My rating: 2 stars

1258. Taken By the Night (Kathryn Smith)

Synopsis:
I enjoy carnal pleasures like any mortal man, but six hundred years of existence have taught me loss. Best to stay away from people and save myself the heartache. Then I arrive at the notorious London brothel Maison Rouge, and my life, such as it is, will never be the same again.

Ivy Dearing, daughter of the infamous Madam, has requested my assistance. Two of her friends have been murdered, and she is determined to find their killer. I know better than to agree to help, yet Ivy is impossible to resist. No stranger to vampires, she has awakened desires within me that are as potent as my thirst for blood—desires that can only be satisfied by Ivy herself. But when there is another murder, it is all I can do to protect the woman I love from an evil more powerful than the undead . . .

My rating: 2 stars

1257. Cutting Loose (Susan Andersen)

Synopsis:
Jane thinks nothing can make her lose her cool

But the princess of propriety blows a gasket the night she meets the contractor restoring the Wolcott mansion. Devlin Kavanagh's rugged sex appeal may buckle her knees, but the man is out of control! Jane had to deal with theatrics growing up - she won't tolerate them in someone hired to work on the house she and her two best friends have just inherited.

Dev could renovate the mansion in his sleep. But ever since the prissy owner spotted him jet-lagged, exhausted and hit hard by a couple of welcome-home drinks, she's been on his case. Yet there's something about her. Jane hides behind conservative clothes and a frosty manner, but her seductive blue eyes and leopard-print heels hint at a woman just dying to cut loose!

My rating: 2 stars

1256. Hot Property (Carly Phillips)

Synopsis:
Just one short season ago, major league center fielder John Roper had it all: the looks - and personal life - of a sports hero and the public's adoration. But this hot property's lucky streak has run out. After a World Series disaster, fans diss him, shock jocks mock him and his dysfunctional family hassles him for money he really can't spare. Now it's up to him, and Hot Zone publicist Amy Stone, to get his life back on track.

Amy finds it's easier said than done. What with the constant intrusions of his nutty family, a crazed fan playing stalker, and Roper's refusal to put his own needs first, she's starting to think that life in the fast lane isn't all it's cracked up to be. But when the two retreat to a secluded lodge, the sexy center fielder throws Amy a curveball - one she never saw coming ....

My rating: 2 stars

1253. The Eduction of Little Tree (Forrest Carter)

Synopsis:
The super-seller memoir of a Cherokee boyhood in the 1930s. The most sensitive and evocative autobiographical account ever of the Cherokee way, as seen through the eyes of a young boy in the Appalachian Mountains.

My rating: 2 stars

My review: Another book I read in school and disliked.

1241. The Elusive Bride (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis:

Gareth Hamilton is stunned when he recognizes Emily Ensworth on his ship. The veil she wears is not enough to disguise her from him - or from the man hired to kill her. Whisking Emily to safety, Gareth realizes that the Black Cobra is on to them. In order to protect her, Gareth must let Emily in on the dangerous plot she is now intimately involved in. Emily Ensworth is no wilting flower. She knew the packet the dying soldier thrust upon her held vital information, and she has every intention of seeing it into safe hands. But she is also determined to bring the men trying to kill her to justice. Together, she and Gareth do their best to lure the Black Cobra and his men into the open. Putting their lives at risk draws Emily and Gareth ever closer together, the constant danger sparking a passion neither one can resist. But with threats lurking around every corner, Gareth and Emily must work harder than ever to make sure that their newfound love isn't snuffed out before it ever has a chance.

My rating: 2 stars

1237. Flowers from the Storm (Laura Kinsale)

Synopsis:

The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant -- and dangerous.

Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the "D of J" in scandal sheets. But sometimes the most womanizing rakehell can be irresistible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms.

Then one fateful day she receives the shocking news -- the duke is lost to the world. And Maddy knows it is her destiny to help him and her only chance to find the true man behind the wicked façade.

But she never dreamed her gentle, healing touch would alter his life and her own so completely -- and bind them together in need, desire ... and love.

My rating: 2 stars

My review: An unusual story which is well-written. Unfortunately, it's a bit too serious and angst-y for my taste. Also, I don't think that the Quaker aspect was necessary to the story.

1233. Sinjin (Julia Templeton)

Synopsis:

The oldest of the Rayborne brothers, Sinjin's insatiable appetite for sex has earned him the nickname 'Sin'. But his frequent visits to London's most infamous pleasure houses must now come to an end. For a rogue who's accustomed to indulging his every desire, one woman can never be enough ... until Sinjin locks eyes with Katelyn Davenport, and knows she is the one woman he can't get enough of...Betrothed to a much older man in payment for her late father's gambling debts, Katelyn dreads her wedding day - and her wedding night even more. When she meets Sinjin at a soiree intended to introduce him to the eligible young ladies of the ton, she envies the lucky woman who will ultimately become his bride. But when Sinjin seduces Katelyn, giving her just a taste of his legendary sensual skills, she can only imagine herself in his bed every night ....

My rating: 2 stars

My review: Where to start with this book? The ridiculous plot? I love romances and hot romances but the plot was too much even for me. The wooden writing? Or the hero's name Sinjin? Uh, no one is actually NAMED Sinjin; it's how one pronounces the name St. John. Or the fact that the hero and the heroine get it on, like, ten minutes after they meet?

1231. Slow Heat (Jill Shalvis)

Synopsis:

Baseball player Wade O'Riley's bad-boy image is about to be cleaned up by publicist Samantha McNead. But the sexual tension between them is about to drive Wade to his knees.

My rating: 2 stars

My review: Wooden writing.

1225. A Bride for His Convenience (Edith Layton)

Synopsis:

Devilishly handsome Lord Ian Sutcombe, the new Marquess Sutcombe, has inherited debt and a bankrupt ancestral Hall thanks to poor management made from his late father and an avaricious step-mother. He has no choice but to seek a marriage of convenience and sets his sight on Hannah Leeds, a newly wealthy merchant's daughter. The ambitious merchant is quite eager for his two other daughters to find titled husbands, and ensure his name will be forever linked with the nobility. Hannah, a very pretty country girl has no desire for the excessively pampered and cloistered lifestyle led by the aristocracy but was recently mysteriously jilted by the commoner she loved. Numbed by the rejection and pressured by her father, she resignedly agrees to marry Ian. They wed, and soon learn that passion and desire and a commonality of interests force them to know each other, yet their pride may prevent them from discovering a once-in-a-lifetime love.

My rating: 2 stars

1217. The Venetian Betrayal (Steve Berry)

Synopsis:

In 323 B.C.E, having conquered Persia, Alexander the Great set his sights on Arabia, then suddenly succumbed to a strange fever. Locating his final resting place - unknown to this day - remains a tantalizing goal for both archaeologists and treasure hunters. Now the quest for this coveted prize is about to heat up. And Cotton Malone - former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer - will be drawn into an intense geopolitical chess game.

After narrowly escaping incineration in a devastating fire that consumes a Danish museum, Cotton learns from his friend, the beguiling adventurer Cassiopeia Vitt, that the blaze was neither an accident nor an isolated incident. As part of campaign of arson intended to mask a far more diabolical design, buildings across Europe are being devoured by infernos of unnatural strength.

And from the ashes of the U.S.S.R., a new nation has arisen: Former Soviet republics have consolidated into the Central Asian Federation. At its helm is Supreme Minister Irina Zovastina, a cunning despot with a talent for politics, a taste for blood sport, and the single-minded desire to surpass Alexander the Great as history's ultimate conqueror.
Backed by a secret cabal of powerbrokers, the Federation has amassed a harrowing arsenal of biological weapons. Equipped with the hellish power to decimate other nations at will, only one thing keeps Zovastina from setting in motion her death march of domination: a miraculous healing serum, kept secret by an ancient puzzle and buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great - in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 1,500 years.

Together, Cotton and Cassiopeia must outrun and outthink the forces allied against them. Their perilous quest will take them to the shores of Denmark, deep into the venerated monuments of Venice, and finally high inside the desolate Pamir mountains of Central Asia to unravel a riddle whose solution could destroy or save millions of people - depending on who finds the lost tomb first.

My rating: 2 stars

1213. Master of Torment (Karin Tabke)

Synopsis:

Wulfson of Trevelyn, trusted knight of William the Conqueror, has never met a man he could not master. But in the tempestuous young widow Tarian of Trent, known as the Lady Warrior, Wulf may finally have met his match. Ordered by the king to curb an armed dispute between Tarian and her dead husband's uncle, Wulf captures the lady but falls captive himself to her seductive dark beauty.

To Lady Tarian's dismay, however, neither her fighting spirit nor her wiles are sufficient to bend Wulfson to her will. She vows she will not be the loser in their passionate battle, but her own desire for this overpowering stranger threatens her body, her life, and her very heart.

My rating: 2 stars

1204. A Tall Dark Cowboy (Mackenzie McKade)

Synopsis:

Just looking for a good time...

Waiting tables in a bar full of no-good cowboys isn't Lacy Mason's idea of fun. But between her daughter's illness, endless doctor bills, and her college tuition, she needs the money. What she could really use is a night of no-holds-barred passion and no-strings-attached sex. Too bad she has sworn off cowboys for life...

A guy walks into a bar...

Full-time executive and retired cowboy Wyatt Anderson is drawn to Lacy from the moment he sees her. But she's an enigma. Daring and assured one moment and hesitant the next, it's as if something haunts her. Only willing to give him one night, Lacy clings tightly to her secrets. Unfortunately for her, what Wyatt wants, Wyatt gets. And he definitely wants...

My rating: 2 stars