Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea by Sophia Nash

Setting: Regency

Summary:

Six Regency heroes—One royal hangover

An infamous night has been lost to memory. The scandalous Dukes of the Royal Entourage must make amends. The first step is a heroic rescue.

One of England’s most disreputable peers, Alexander Barclay, Duke of Kress, has stumbled upon a perfect opportunity for redemption. Having been exiled to Cornwall by the Prince Regent himself, Barclay discovers lovely Roxanne Vanderhaven clinging to the edge of a cliff, stranded there by her murderous blackguard of a husband . . . just waiting to be rescued.

Back on solid ground, Roxanne is desperate for a new life— once she’s retaliated for her husband’s despicable actions. Surprisingly, she finds herself drawn to her unlikely champion, certainly the last man in England she could count on. Yet, the infamous Duke of Kress isn’t quite the scoundrel he seems . . .

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Review:

The Hangover set in the Regency? Sounds like one hell of a ride doesn’t it? Sophia begins her exciting new series with the story of Alex, the duke whose smuggled alcohol caused the biggest royal scandal of the era! Alex also ends up losing his fortune and as a result is commanded by the Prince Regent to seek out a rich respectable heiress in order to make amends.

Enter Roxanne Vanderhaven, a married woman with no fortune at all whose husband tries to kill her by leaving her dangling on the side of a cliff. Clearly, these two have a long way to go before they find their happily ever after! But it’s well worth a read as you’ll discover in this lighthearted, witty tale of two people who never expected to find love.

Sophia Nash is a new author for me and one I can now say will become one of my must-reads. She has this great sense of comedic timing and the dialogue in the book is full of witty, tongue in cheek humor. It was also fast-paced and very engaging. However, some readers may find the plot a bit far-fetched if traditional Regencies are more your thing.

I will say though that I wish there had been more focus on Alex and Roxanne’s blooming relationship then the drama surrounding the murderous husband. I felt the characters weren’t fleshed out enough and seemed like your typical HR hero prototypes. I did like Roxanne a lot though and found her witty comments one of the highlights of the novel.

Other than that, the book thrived on the witty dialogue and the fresh, albeit slightly improbable plot line. If you like your romances less traditional and more adventurous than you’ll love this.

This is a great light read that will definitely brighten up your day!

Sensuality rating-Hot

Verdict: Fun and witty read! Recommended!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase

Setting: Regency 1831

*Book 5 in Carsington Brothers series*

Summary:

After surviving the perils of Egypt, Peregrine Dalmay, Earl of Lisle is back in London, facing the most dire threat of all: his irrational family….and Miss Olivia Wingate-Carsington. A descendent of notorious—but very aristocratic—swindlers, the delectable redhead has the ability to completely unhinge him, and a long history of dragging him into her scandalous schemes.

Olivia may be Society’s darling, but she’s aware a respectable future looms menacingly. And so when Lisle is forced to go on a family mission, she sees this as the perfect chance for one last adventure—even if it is with the one man in the world she can’t wrap around her finger: but really, she only wants to help…

Which is why Lisle and Olivia find themselves in a gloomy Scottish castle inhabited by spiteful ghosts and craven murderers…and a shocking secret: the greatest peril of all may be burning within their own stubborn hearts.

Review:

After loving Loretta’s Silk is For Seduction, I thought I would go back and read one of her other earlier novels. What better than Last Night’s Scandal, which had a great name, gorgeous cover and an interesting premise to boot? Two best friends embarking on a journey to solve a mystery in an ancient Scottish castle, while slowly falling in love? Yes please!

I thought this was a very well-written, hilarious fast-paced cute romance that made for a great and entertaining read.

At the start of the book, we learn that our hero and heroine have been best friends for years, and they are complete opposites. He’s stiff, proper, and logical. She’s dramatic, impulsive, and scandalous. When they meet for the first time in 5 years, both have changed. He’s been away in Egypt and has grown into a strong, tall manly man; she’s become one of the belles of the ton, surrounded by millions of admirers. Naturally they try to fight this sudden attraction but ultimately, this is a story about two people who were always meant to be together, finally realizing they were made for each other.

I didn’t like the heroine-at least not at first. She knew her own power and used/misled the men around her, breaking millions of engagements for (as far as I could understand) simply because she got ‘bored.’ Then she proceeds to tease the hero simply because she knows she can, but eventually she does grow on you and you see she isn’t some heartless minx.

I hadn’t read any of the previous books and found it slightly hard at first to understand all the relationships between the characters and the references made to prior events. I also felt that if I had, the romance would have felt more cemented. Their romance seemed to start way before this book.

However the book still managed to succeed in its own right, even if it could have done with more recap on former events to help set the scene. It would have been nice if we could have read more about the good times they had together as children, as this book is about their changing feelings.

Still, the writing was lovely, the plot was hilarious, there were some great side characters (I loved the naughty, bawdy chaperones and their great one liners!) and the hero’s parents were magnificent with all their dramatics. The ‘mystery’ of the castle was a great way to get the hero and heroine together and was very intriguing.

All in all, if you like a good opposites attract story with a bit of a mystery, lots of humor, and a fun plot, you’ll want to pick this one up.

Sensuality Rating: Hot (Love scenes are long and explicit)

Verdict: Funny, witty and sexy-what more could you want?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars