The Masterful Mr. Montague by Stephanie Laurens

The Masterful Mr. Montague: A Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novel
By: Stephanie Laurens
Publisher: Avon
Published: April 29, 2014
Genre: Historical, Action/Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense
Length: Novel
Heat Level: Spicy
Reviewer: Suki
Date: January 24, 2015

 

Montague has devoted his life to managing the wealth of London's elite, but at a huge cost: a family of his own. Then the enticing Miss Violet Matcham seeks his help, and in the puzzle she presents him, he finds an intriguing new challenge professionally ... and personally.

Violet, devoted lady-companion to the aging Lady Halstead, turns to Montague to reassure her ladyship that her affairs are in order. But the famous Montague is not at all what she'd expected - this man is compelling, decisive, supportive, and strong - everything Violet needs in a champion, a position to which Montague rapidly lays claim.

But then Lady Halstead is murdered and Violet and Montague, aided by Barnaby Adair, Inspector Stokes, Penelope, and Griselda, race to expose a cunning and cold-blooded killer.who stalks closer and closer. Will Montague and Violet learn the shocking truth too late to seize their chance at enduring love?

First I want to say I am a huge Stephanie Laurens fan. Fell in love with the Cynsters years ago. That said, this is not your typical SL book. When I first started reading it I was confused, where was the love story with Montague and Violet? Wait, why are we in the bedroom of the other two characters, and in their head. None of this fit the usual style. If you have read SL’s books you have seen Penelope in a few other books and her story with Adair has already been told in the previous book, Where the Heart Leads, and although I love to catch up with past characters, I do not need to be in their bedroom again. We have seen it and been there; we know their love story...I digress. I was confused enough to finally go to Ms. Laurens website where it states The Masterful Mr. Montague is a mystery with romantic elements. AHHHHHH well that's a horse of a different color isn’t it. So now that I am not expecting the typical SL romance I can get down to the mystery. And this is a mystery, in fact it's one of many and it appears that they will now include this whole group solving them.

I have to say I didn’t guess who did it although there were times when I suspected. The story is good and I actually skimmed over the love scenes when they came (see above for why). My biggest complaint about the book is that the love story is shoved into the last few pages of the book and it is not given the time and the space these two characters deserve. I enjoyed these two very much and want to know more about them. Although I love the book, because the publisher is selling it as a romance I can't give it a 5, but because SL does explain on her website that it's a mystery with romantic themes it redeems the book back to a 4.

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Lady Starling's Stockings by Cerise DeLand

Lady Starling's Stockings
By: Cerise DeLand
Publisher: Self Published
Published: July 17, 2011
Genre: Historical, Erotic Romance, Suspense
Content: M/F, Oral Sex
Length: Novella
Heat Level: Spicy
Reviewer: Toni
Date: December 14, 2014

 

Regency Romance with Sizzle and Suspense!

A lady spy meets a rogue she's never forgotten. Together they unmask a traitor~and discover a love they've never dreamed of.

Lady Solange Starling has a special skill. But catching spies within her cousin’s embassy has never presented a challenge…until now.

One moonlit evening in a garden, Solange views a daring man she has not seen in years. A man she never forgot. A man, who even in his youth, carved his place in her life and her reverie.

Monsieur Noir, he calls himself. And so he is, a man living in shadows, dark and dangerous to her heart. As the two of them join together to weed out the nemesis who attempts to destroy their fight against Napoleon, Solange and Noir learn how rich grand passion can be.

Once more, they fight against cruel fate to give them what they most desire. Each other. Together in love and peace.

Childhood love that was never fulfilled finally gets a chance to blossom again.

Lady Starling has lived a very full and exciting life. Some good, but most of it has been bad. In a war torn France, she begins her terrifying journey as a youth sentenced to death and it never lets up. At thirty, she is a widow and a spy. She is working hard to bring Napoleon’s reign to an end. She is an accomplished woman and is well sought out, but she only has dreams of a man from her past. He’s a man that no other can compare to; her boyhood savior.

Monsieur Noir is a man who lost everything when Napoleon’s troops ravished his childhood home. Thrust into the role as protector at the young age of fourteen, he never surrendered and is now top in his field in the service to the crown as a spy. He’s been secretly in the shadows, but now it’s time to show himself to Lady Starling. Can she accept all he’s done in his life and the part he played in hers or will she reject him for leaving her alone?

What a nice change of pace; regency with a side of intrigue. I was engrossed from the first page to the last. Lady Starling was a very interesting heroine and not your normal wall flower. She wasn’t afraid to gather information and put herself out there for her country. She didn’t shy away from danger and is a perfect spy.

Noir was very mysterious. He was standoffish and secretive. I liked it. He didn’t let Starling run over him with her very strong personality and he kept her guessing. They made a great pair and their sexy time was amazing. I really loved that Starling wanted Noir and she didn’t let him back away from her like he tried to. But once she opened his flood gates, BAM, he was a force to be reckoned with. So very sexy!

Ms. DeLand wrote a very exciting tale and developed a marvelous novella. Lady Starling’s Stockings suspense wasn’t too confusing or drawn out, but it did have the right mix for its length. It wrapped up nicely, showing a beautiful future ahead for our hero and our heroine. I love it when a novella comes all together nicely and this one is a winner.

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Steaming by Vanessa Barger

Title:  Steaming

Author:    Vanessa Barger

Publisher:  Decadent Publishing Company, LLC  

Publication Date:    March 2011

ISBN:   9781936394920   

Genre YA Steampunk

Length:   42,000 words

Buy Link    

Author Website  

Heat Level:    1

Other: A few kisses

Reviewer:  Suki

My name is Cornelius Latimer, and I have fallen in love. The object of my affection isn’t tall and blonde with all the right curves. It isn’t even human. My love belches smoke and breathes fire. My world runs on steam and hard metal, and I am a master of both. My Uncle, Rufus Harrison, has funded my expeditions. He’s gifted me with a lab containing all the parts and space I could possibly need. For weeks I have been toiling over my journals, crafting my biggest and best creation yet. It’s heady, this feeling of power. But I made a fatal error. I told a friend about my machine. And now someone who should not know, does. I should tear everything apart, but I can’t.

Steaming from Vanessa Barger was a surprising page turner. I say surprising because it took me a while to get through the first few pages, honestly there was a moment when I didn’t think I could read more, not because it wasn’t well written, it just wasn’t my style of writing. But once I got about a chapter in, WOW the adventure begins and NEVER EVER stopped until the very end. Cornelius is naïve, young, insecure and a bit of a loner. He prefers his gadgets and inventions to the people of London.

UNTIL…until that fateful night at the ball when a beauty catches his eyes and he is smitten. But as you can imagine, things don’t go as planned. The Time Keeper is the perfect steampunk villain and tBea is the perfect Steampunk heroine/co hero.

I was genuinely drawn into the characters and the plot. I enjoyed entering the world Ms Barger created and couldn’t be more pleased that I didn’t let my initial feeling stop me from reading what was a very enjoyable read. The steampunk aspect wasn’t over played in the story,  many steampunk books forget that the plot must be there for the steampunk to work. This book set in nearly any time period would have worked, the story was that strong. The author left the door open for a sequel, one that I will buy on its release day.

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Rough, Tough and Tumble: When in Rome by Kate Hill

Title:  Rough, Tough and Tumble: When in Rome

Author:  Kate Hill

Publisher:  Changeling Press

Publication Date:  2011

ISBN:  978-1-60521-491-7

Genre:  Paranormal, Action/Adventure/Suspense

Length:  Novella

Buy Link

Author Website

Heat Level: Spicy erotic

Other: Menage, GLBT

Reviewer:  Starla Kaye

Date:  11-30-11

This was a time traveling adventure with lots of danger and plenty of heat. The characters were fairly well drawn for such a short story. It felt like this was part of a series, but I couldn’t determine that. Either way, the story was a great read.

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