Due January 25, 2011
I am now officially dying for this book! A gorgeous cover, a too-sexy stepback, an intriguing trailer–This has all the makings of HR stardom! Check out the newest trailer for this much anticipated release! Can we say steamy?! 😀 Look for the third and final trailer coming soon!
And in case you missed it, here is the first trailer again:
Setting: Regency
Summary:
A reclusive widow known for her scientific scholarship, Lady Ciara Sheffield is shadowed by rumors that she poisoned her husband . . . A rakehell rogue notorious for his devil-may-care antics, Lucas Bingham, the Earl of Hadley is not accused of murdering anything—save for the rules of Polite Society. The only thing they have in common is seeing their names featured in the lurid gossip columns of London’s newspapers.
Until an ancient manuscript draws them together.
Ciara needs a titled fiancé to quell the slanderous speculations which may send her to the gallows. Lucas needs brilliant scholar to help his elderly uncle decipher the secrets of the mysterious manuscript. So when her friends urge her to accept the earl’s proposal of a temporary alliance, Ciara decides that she had no choice but to make a deal with the Devil.
And so begins a seductive dance of sinful pleasures and hidden desires as the two of them waltz through the mansions of Mayfair. Lies, intrigue, treachery, sex. They find themselves facing slanderous whispers, unscrupulous relatives—not to speak of their own simmering passions, which quickly ignite into dangerous flames. It’s a potent mix and the result may be explosive—and perhaps deadly—if they don’t watch their step.
Review:
Sexy, sweet, romantic, witty and hilarious, this is one book not to be missed! It was a great and refreshing change from all the usual sex-obsessed romance novels. I appreciated the fact that the hero and the heroine didn’t feel the need to jump into bed right away which afforded the reader (me!) to enjoy great witty banter and hot sexual tension. 😛
Both the hero and heroine were awesome lovable characters. I liked Ciara right away, mainly because she was so easy to relate to, dealing with horrible rumors. She was also a strong character, who was willing to do whatever it took to protect her son. I liked how she didn’t succumb right away to the charms of the devilish Lord Hadley, like other heroines seemed to do. It fit well with her rational, serious, focused-on-her-work persona and was a nice change. Sometimes I find myself rolling my eyes at how quickly heroines who say they will never fall for the charms of Mr so-and-so end up in bed with him not too long after.
I knew Lord Hadley, despite all the rumors to the contrary, was a an good man almost right away. We hear about his exploits in the paper Ciara reads at the beginning of the book but later when we first meet him, we see that Hadley is a man who is already wondering at his shallow existence, proving that there is more to him than meets the eye. I loved how the author gradually revealed the deeper layers of the man until I along with the heroine was totally in love with him!
This story was also the perfect opposites attract story. Being a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice, the whole we’re-opposites-and-that-means-we-can-teach-each other-things is completely up my alley. Relationships are about learning new things from your partner while staying true to yourself.
The charcters were complete opposites at first but then gradually we can see how perfect they are for each other.
The pacing of the romance was perfect and I loved watching them fall in love before anything too scandalous happened 😉
Another great thing about this book was the conversations. I loved how witty they were and laughed more than once at the cleverness of the dialogue. Very Austen-esque.
The extra characters were wonderful and really fleshed out. I could completely imagine them saying what they said and acting how they did. The scenes were touching and realistic and I absolutely loved the scenes with Ciara’s son and Lord Hadley.
The only thing that may have kept it a bit down for me was that it wasn’t very adventurous in terms of plot. It was a great fresh telling of the opposites attract story and I suppose this is my veteran romance reader self talking but I would have preferred if the story had happened on more of a larger scale.
I still can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Sensuality Level: Warm (Few love scenes but GREAT tension and chemistry)
Verdict: Very witty and romantic-This is one for the hopeless romantic in all of us! Buy it for a great, feel-good read 🙂
Rating: 4 and a half out of 5 stars
Setting: 1818, Regency
*Book 1 in Burgundy Club series*
Summary: The Marquis of Chase is not a reputable man.
He is notorious for his wretched morals and is never received in respectable houses. The ladies of the ton would never allow him in their drawing rooms . . . though they were more than willing to welcome him into their bedchambers. Ejected from his father’s house at the age of sixteen, he now lives a life of wanton pleasure.
So what could the Marquis of Chase possibly want with Juliana Merton, a lovely, perfectly upstanding shopkeeper with a mysterious past?
A moment’s indiscretion?
A night’s passion?
Or a lifetime of love?
Even the wildest rakes have their weaknesses . . .
Click cover for more info
Review:
The main reason I bought this book was because I loved Miranda’a previous novel and though I had my doubts as to the content of the story, (the back cover wasn’t the most informative blurb), I bought it anyway because I had some faith in her story-telling ability.
I’m glad I did. What seemed to be a typical rake/wallflower type story was so much more. It was a romance with a huge mystery element in there. The Marquis of Chase is a man who wants to be recognized by his family who unfairly accused him of a crime and then threw him out of the house. So to do that, he tries to get a hold of the Burgundy Hours, a very important manuscript and for that, he acquires the help of Juliana Merton, recent widow and bookseller. Juliana’s husband was murdered and that’s part of the mystery.
I really enjoyed the book as it was more than just a romance-in fact, if I were to categorize it, I would call it a mystery romance. Both characters had secrets of their own and part of the intrigue of the book was finding out what the were and how they would deal with it. It kept me hooked to the pages and I liked how there wasn’t a big misunderstanding plot device as sometimes that can get annoying. The two had a good reason why they couldn’t be together and I loved seeing them work past that. I also loved how all the pieces of the puzzle came together and found it very clever. It wasn’t what I expected at all!
Cain is a great hero and just an all round wonderful guy. One of my favourite parts of the book was when he bought dinner for Juliana, a mark of his thoughtfulness. I loved also how he was determined to see the two of them married and how he supported Juliana and protected her. I could really see how she would fall in love with him 😉
On the other hand, I couldn’t really feel the same for Juliana. She was a great heroine but I didn’t really see anything particularly special about her that Cain would fall madly in love with her. The reason could have been better portrayed or spelt out. I also disagreed with how easily she fell into bed with Cain and thought it a little too fast.
Their romance was sweet and developed well though.
Miranda Neville also has a great way of adding history to a romance which is perfect cause most of the time historical romances don’t really focus on the historical background as compared to the romance and passion. Neville’s first book focused on cooking and food of that time period (and was amazing read) and this one focused on book auctioning and bibliophilia which I didn’t know was such a big thing at that time. So, a great romance and a history lesson? Me likeee!
Sensuality Level: Warm (The love scenes were not long and weren’t explicit)
Verdict: Strong mystery romance from a great writer. Every historical romance fan should pick this one up!
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
