Satyr’s Son by Lucinda Brant

Satyr's Son (Roxton Family Saga, #5 )Satyr’s Son by Lucinda Brant

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Roxton Family Saga Book #5 (Audiobook)
Publication Date: 12/6/17

Alex Wyndham’s voice is like liquid chocolate oozing down your throat – smooth, lush, decadently appealing and sensual. His portrayal of the different characters is flawlessly done and it makes you feel as if you are eavesdropping on the lives and conversations of everyone in the book. He flows flawlessly from character to character, accent to accent and gender to gender. You feel the emotions of each character.

This book was so good that I didn’t want it to end – but all of Lucinda Brandt’s books are that way for me. I kept wanting to pause the playback of the book because I wanted to prolong the enjoyment and at the same time I wanted to speed up the playback because I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. So, this is quite a wrap-up for the Roxton series and I will miss these old friends.

Lord Henri-Antoine (Henry) Hesham is the second son of the fifth Duke of Roxton and brother to the sixth. He is rich beyond belief and has been coddled and spoiled all of his life. Not only does he have the looks and temperament of his father, he has the same reputation for debauchery as well. He goes from bed to bed – even going so far as to ‘share’ the mistress of one of his friends. He’s also very, very private because he has an illness that is much misunderstood and maligned during that time. Beneath all of that debauchery hides the heart of a romantic who is sweet, generous, caring and loving. It is so much fun to watch Lisa as she peels the layers back to reveal the real man who lies beneath the façade.

Lisa Crisp was orphaned at age nine and became dependent on relatives who didn’t want her (the Warners). She wasn’t exactly abused, she was just ignored – she was like the furniture, just there. She was given the opportunity to attend a boarding school for young ladies where she befriends ‘Teddy’, a member of the Cavendish/Roxton family. They were best friends until Lisa was sent down in disgrace. She lost touch with Teddy until, out of the blue, she receives an invitation to attend Teddy’s wedding and it is made plain to Lisa’s relatives that it is unacceptable for Lisa to refuse the invitation.

Lisa is calm, intelligent, trustworthy and beloved by the patients, the ‘poor sick’, at Dr. Warner’s clinic. She even volunteers as an amanuensis for those ‘poor sick’ enabling them to send letters home. Her work at the clinic enabled her to recognize that Henry was having a seizure when she first saw him. She secured and treated him while protecting his privacy – all without having any idea who he was. She actually goes through a fair portion of the book without knowing who he is. Because of his dress, speech, and mannerisms, she knows he is of the aristocracy, but doesn’t have a name to go with it.

Henry’s best friend is getting married – to Teddy – so he and Lisa find themselves at the same two-week wedding get-together. Lisa and Henry find themselves more and more attracted to each other. It is fun to watch Henry open up and blossom and Lisa come to realize that she is a worthy individual. Then, throw in a couple of shrewish ‘friends’ from school and another ‘friend’ bent on revenge and you find a lot of wrenches in the works. Can Lisa and Henry overcome the obstacles thrown in their way? Will Henry’s family accept a union between them? You’ll just have to read this lovely book to find out.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

The Lord Meets His Lady by Gina Conkle

The Lord Meets His Lady (Midnight Meetings, #3)The Lord Meets His Lady by Gina Conkle

Series: Midnight Meetings, #3

Release Date: December 5, 2017

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am torn about this review – I liked the idea of the book, but the execution didn’t work for me.

Genevieve Turner is a woman on the run, she has set out under an assumed name to take a position as a housekeeper. She desperately wants to start anew and hopes this position will be the first step in her new independent life.

Lord Marcus Bowles is a man with no direction, after causing one too many scandals, his brother, the Marquess Northampton, has sent Marcus to the country to sober up and lay low until North can find a suitable bride. Marcus agrees to go, but is counting the days until he can return to London and his aimless, pleasure seeking life.

These two meet when Gen’s carriage is broken down and Marcus mistakenly assumes they are being held up by a highwayman. Gen immediately recognizes Marcus from her former life at the Golden Goose and asks him not to reveal her true identity. Intrigued, Marcus agrees.

Days later he shows up at the house she is working in, turns out her employer is Sam, one of his best friends. Sam wants Marcus to work with him in a business venture and Marcus agrees, if Sam will let Gen come work for him. Sam explains the arrangement to Gen, who agrees to work for Marcus.

Gen and Marcus then proceed to set his house to rights and Marcus tries to lure Gen to his bed. Gen is no stranger to a man’s bed, but she wants a new life and sex is not part of their arrangement.

When Gen’s past comes calling, Marcus steps up and marries her to protect her. But Gen assumes it will be a sham marriage and doesn’t want to get too close to Marcus. By this time, Marcus knows he has deeper feelings for Gen and is content to have her as his wife. They become intimate, but Gen refuses to let there be anything more between them than a physical relationship.

The “Wolf” is not done with Gen yet and Marcus stands to lose everything to keep her safe. And Gen realizes that she loves Marcus and is willing to sacrifice her newfound independence to see him happy.

The story is well written albeit a bit wordy and the pace of the story is bogged down by the wordiness making it a slow read. I liked all the characters, including Wolf (the villain), there are some steamy love scenes, some sweet moments, some amusing moments and finally a HEA.

What I didn’t like was the incorrect use of formal address – this is the one thing that annoys me more than anything else in historical romance – I can overlook a lot, but not that. Marcus is the son of a Marquess, so he has an honorific title of Lord Marcus, when he marries Gen, she becomes Lady Marcus – but for this entire book Marcus is called Lord Bowles and after they are married she is being called Lady Bowles and that made me want to bang my head against the wall. So that, along with the slow pace of the story, made this a 3 star read for me.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*