Category: Yearly Favorites

The Laird’s Christmas Kiss by Anna Campbell

On By TracyIn Christmas, Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Yearly FavoritesLeave a comment

The Laird’s Christmas Kiss (The Lairds Most Likely, #2)The Laird’s Christmas Kiss by Anna Campbell
Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Lairds Most Likely, #2

Release Date: October 27, 2018

In this installment of the Lairds Most Likely Series, rakish Brody Girvan, Laird of Invermackie meets his match in the shy, bookish Elspeth Douglas, sister of his friend Hamish.

Elspeth Douglas is with her family at Achnasheen with Fergus and Marina for the Christmas holidays. Brody is also there, but this year will be different, Elspeth has decided that the handsome laird will never be interested in her and is determined to end her silly girlish infatuation once and for all.

Brody has grown tired of his libertine lifestyle and has come to Achnasheen to spend the holiday with his cousin and his new wife, see them so in love just reiterates his discontent. When he meets Elspeth in the breakfast room, she ignores him – WHAT? Lassies NEVER ignore him, why that intrigues him, he doesn’t know, but he wonders how he missed really seeing her in all the years they have known each other. He flirts with her and invites her to go for a ride, but they are interrupted by her cousin Diarmid before she answers. Later Elspeth has a conversation with Marina that ends with an offer to give Elspeth a makeover. The results are amazing – gone is the little brown mouse, now she is dressed to emphasize her lush figure and her gorgeous hair. Everyone notices, especially Brody.

For days Brody has been consumed with thoughts of Elspeth, he even asked her brother for permission to court her. He is not sure what he feels for her, but it is like nothing he has ever known before and he can’t imagine marrying anyone else. But his reputation will cause problems, with Elspeth and their family and friends. When they are caught in a heated kiss and he proposes, she turns him down flat – even at the risk of being disowned by her mother.

Can Brody prove to Elspeth that his proposal was more than duty? That she is the light of his dark life and without her, nothing seems to matter? Or will her insecurities blind her to his love?

I absolutely loved this novella, it was well written, paced nicely, gave glimpses of Fergus and Marina’s HEA, had witty banter, steamy love scenes, great secondary characters and a sigh worthy declaration. It is the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand alone title.

Ten Kisses to Scandal by Vivienne Lorret

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Yearly Favorites4 Comments
Ten Kisses to Scandal (Misadventures in Matchmaking, #2)

Ten Kisses to Scandal by Vivienne Lorret

Barbara rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Misadventures In Matchmaking #2
Publication Date: 12/24/18
Number of Pages: 384

This is a mesmerizing read that kept me smiling, giggling and laughing as I saw these two lovely people wend their way to their HEA. It sucked me in from the first page and just wouldn’t let me go. The writing is outstanding, the plot unique and interesting, and the characters just couldn’t get any better. This might very well be my favorite book of 2018.

Briar Bourne’s life has been both coddled and traumatic. Her father left them and started a new family when she was very young and her mother mourned herself to death after that. Briar and her two sisters (Jacinda – book one and Ainsley – book three) then went to live with their doting Uncle Ernest where they proceeded to ‘protect’ Briar from any of the unpleasant details. Basically, they shielded her from life – even into her adulthood. Briar very much wants to be an active contributor to the matrimonial agency her uncle has opened, but she feels she’s been relegated to doing nothing but pouring tea and filing papers. Well, if they won’t give her a chance, she’ll just make her own chance by finding matches for her very best friend, Temperance and her brother, Daniel.

Nicholas, the Earl of Edgemont is an unrepentant rake, but he is NOT a libertine and he lives by his own code of honor. Nicholas is disillusioned with life and, with very good reason, has an exceedingly poor opinion of marriage and women, but he is very caring and loyal to his family – he will do anything to protect them. What he has done may find him estranged from them for the rest of his life if they ever find out. With his cousin Daniel suffering from a debilitating case of melancholia because of his broken betrothal, Nicholas will do whatever he can to bring him out of it and get him back into life again – maybe even with a new prospective bride.

Nicholas is intrigued with Briar from the first moment he meets her, but she is forbidden to him – she is a virginal debutante. However, as they come into each other’s orbit more and more often, the attraction grows. If she is going to be a successful matchmaker, she needs to become more astute at reading and understanding body language and what goes on between men and women. Who better to teach her what she needs to know that Nicholas. When they strike a bargain – he teaches her in return for a small payment. Her rule is no hands – his rule is – don’t fall in love with him.

You’ll find yourself smiling, giggling and outright laughing throughout most of the book as you are reading Briar’s outrageous scenarios and inner dialogue. She certainly manages to throw our hero off center with some of those scenarios she describes to him. I love that she can leave him absolutely speechless.

Lorret did an excellent job with the character development – especially the two main characters. Briar is twenty, very naïve and protected from life, but her outlook is bright, light, open and hopeful. She can always find something good about a person or situation. Authors usually write that Pollyanna(ish) type of character as much too saccharine and usually too reckless and TSTL. That isn’t the case here. Lorret managed to merge the Pollyanna qualities with a smart, humorous, self-contained, well-centered young lady that you can’t help falling in love with – and neither could our hero – no matter how hard he tries not to. With Nicholas, she didn’t make him come to heel too quickly or give up his deeply held aversion to marriage too easily. She also showed the very caring man he was to his family – and his deep remorse and anguish when he thinks all is lost. The author just did an excellent job.

The only thing I wondered about was Briar’s father’s other family. They are talked about – the brother is even featured somewhat, but we don’t really learn much of the dynamics of that second family and Briar never seemed to make contact or get to know the brother. Certainly, nothing to ding the book about, but just makes me curious. Like – how did that brother come to have possession of the properties, etc.? Maybe we’ll learn more in the third book.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Definitely an enjoyable read!

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