The Duke and the Virgin by Dominique Eastwick

The Duke and the Virgin
By: Dominique Eastwick
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Published: April 4, 2014
Genre: Historical, Romance
Length:  Short Story
Heat Level: Spicy
Reviewer: Toni
Date: April 26, 2014

In a time when women have few options for their futures, bluestocking wallflower Llysa Hamilton has aged out of the marriage mart. With offers for her hand unlikely, she enlists Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service to find the perfect man for one passionate night.

Wolfe Thane, Duke of Foxhaven, has never lacked for anything, but he’s bored with his entitled life. Winning a 1Night Stand voucher in a poker game appears to offer a perfect, commitment-free opportunity to add spice to his sex life.

Hiding behind a mask during her date with the duke offers Llysa anonymity and courage. Wolfe has never met a woman as intriguing and disingenuous.

Can true love be unmasked in just one night or will it be destined to stay on the shelf?

Oh my!! The Duke and the Virgin is why I love 1NS. When I was done; I smiled with contentment, released a pleased sigh and my heart and soul was filled with warmth. Loved this story!!

Instant attraction for two hearts who didn’t expect much from their encounter; one was bored with life and the other wanted to rid herself of the mystery of what it meant to be a woman. What they found was amazing.

1NS stories somehow feel complete. Yes, not every one of them accomplishes that, but most of them do. The Duke and the Virgin does more than that. Even though the story can be read in less than an hour, you are left totally satisfied. You know they have their happy ending. Darn it yes, I would be first in line to read the continuation of their lives, but it’s not necessary. These are soul mates that Madame Eve has brought together. Absolutely perfect!

The story is much too short to go into detail about the book. Boy and girl set up a one night stand. They meet and feel a spark. Boy takes girls virginity (not really a spoiler given the title of the book) and she steals his heart. Wait…I can’t go on, it would give the ending away and it’s very sweet. JUST READ IT!!

Got an hour, pick up this book. Your heart will thank you.

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The Chosen by Theresa Meyers

The Chosen
By: Theresa Meyers 
Publisher:  Zebra
Published:  March 5, 2013
Genre: Historical, Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance 
Length: Novel 
Heat Level:  Spicy
Reviewer:  Toni
Date:  April 26, 2014

 

The Chosen: a prophecy older than dirt and more dangerous than death. Even as they perfected steam-powered gadgetry and rounded up varmints from Hell, the Jackson brothers didn’t believe in it. But when the chips are down, three brothers named for weapons aren’t going out without a fight…

A Walk On The Wild Side

Attorney by day, demon-hunter by night, Remington Jackson is used to being on the sunny side of the law, even in the Wild West. But it’s showdown time, and Remy and his brothers are getting desperate. They don’t have the relic they need to slam the door shut on evil—so Remy is going to have to find and steal part of it.

Enter China McGee, shapeshifter, thief, beauty, and current prisoner. When Remy offers her freedom in exchange for a little light-fingered help, she’s pretty sure she’s going to end the association with a good old-fashioned seductive double cross. But there’s something about fighting through a jungle full of Mayan ruins that makes you want to settle down together. China could change. Remy might be special. But none of that matters if the devil takes them all…

First things first…The cover totally represents the characters and a scene in a book. It’s so nice to have a cover that actually depicts the characters right down to what they wear and the color of their hair.

With the close of The Chosen, The Legend Chronicles, is a wrap. From the first page to the last, there was action, suspense and romance. I do have to say that I’m glad it is complete.

I liked The Chosen. The story as a whole finished the trilogy nicely. Closure is very good. There were some issues for me, but they were likely personal. I am just not sure of the whole steampunk genre. It doesn’t do anything for me. I thought it would, but nope - nadda.

This story takes us on the journey of the final brother, Remington. He is the middle son. He is studious and a thinker. He is also on the fence about fighting the Darkin. He has found a nice balance between his law practice and his occasional hunting. He is teamed up with an old flame of his younger brother, Colt. Their first encounter is of him posing as her lawyer to get her out of jail. From then on, the action is pretty much nonstop.

China is hell in pants and boots. She has held a torch for the youngest Jackson son for a very long time. Yet, he abandoned her to rot in a jail cell. She begins to question her choices in life from the very moment she meets Remington. Torn between two worlds, she is uncertain who to trust and what truths to tell. She has her own personal journey; one that will take her to hell and back again.

The three stories ran concurrent to each other; for that alone, I would recommend reading the trilogy all at once. Yes, you will have areas that will be repeated from a separate point of view, but I think I would have appreciated the adventure more than I did. I would have had “aha” moments that would have clarified the scene, rather than, dang that seems a bit familiar, and it bugs me.

During the final chapters of The Chosen, the brothers (The Chosen) are reunited to take on the final evil. Can they fulfill the prophesy and save the world? You know what you will have to do to find out. One thing I really enjoyed about the book was that Ms. Meyers does a fine job writing in real life events and it really shows she did her research. At the end, she states the events and how they related to the book.

I also appreciated that she included a short story about a fun character in the book. While I was excited about the short, it fell short for me. We know the ultimate ending, so the huge gap from the ending of the short to the actual outcome of events was missing. It was the main reason I was excited to read it; to find out how the end really happened. Opportunity lost in my opinion.

So all in all, The Legend Chronicles was a decent series. I think fans of steampunk will appreciate the stories more than I did and I would happily recommend them to them.

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