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erinarkin20
I really enjoyed this book by Anna Bennett and it actually prompted me to go and get her backlist!
Hazel is the heroine and I loved her. She is smart, caring, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect the girls in her school. When she meets Gabriel, she isn't swayed in anyway to bend to his wants and by standing up to him, she forces him to realize things he most definitely didn't want to.
Gabriel is the hero and since becoming responsible for his teenaged niece, he has had nothing but headaches. When trying to enroll her into Hazel's school, he thinks by using his well known charm he will get what he wants but Hazel isn't bending. She will accept his niece only if he commits to coming to visit her every other week.
Ultimately they come to an agreement and Gabriel keeps up his end of the bargain. As these two characters become more drawn to one another, they begin to realize they are going to need to figure out what is truly important to them and what they are willing to sacrifice. I loved how these two came together and of course, there is an antagonist who I disliked greatly.
If you're looking for a new historical romance with well-developed characters and a good story that will keep you turning the pages, definitely pick this one up!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hazel is the heroine and I loved her. She is smart, caring, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect the girls in her school. When she meets Gabriel, she isn't swayed in anyway to bend to his wants and by standing up to him, she forces him to realize things he most definitely didn't want to.
Gabriel is the hero and since becoming responsible for his teenaged niece, he has had nothing but headaches. When trying to enroll her into Hazel's school, he thinks by using his well known charm he will get what he wants but Hazel isn't bending. She will accept his niece only if he commits to coming to visit her every other week.
Ultimately they come to an agreement and Gabriel keeps up his end of the bargain. As these two characters become more drawn to one another, they begin to realize they are going to need to figure out what is truly important to them and what they are willing to sacrifice. I loved how these two came together and of course, there is an antagonist who I disliked greatly.
If you're looking for a new historical romance with well-developed characters and a good story that will keep you turning the pages, definitely pick this one up!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Runaway Duchess is book 2 in the Duke Undone series but for the life of me I couldn't remember too much about Lavinia so I had to go back and skim. I think you could read this book as a standalone although there are parts of this book that do refer back to characters / situations from book 1. Nothing too big but just calling it out.
Lavinia is our main character and she is facing a situation she never thought she would need to worry about. Marriage to an old Lord to save her mother. I was definitely feeling for Lavinia at the beginning of this book regardless of any feelings I had toward her in book 1. She is basically sacrificed to a creepy old guy in marriage so that her mother can keep living the lifestyle she is used to and I really disliked her mother for this. With that said, Lavinia goes through with the wedding but immediately realizes she can't (and doesn't want to) be married to this man. When she finds herself at a train station separated from her new husband, she happens across a man who appears to be the solution she was looking for...all she needs to do is pretend to be someone else.
Neal Traymayne is a plant hunter and has been running a nursery for a while now. He has plans though to settle down with a like minded women and he thinks Muriel Pendrake is that women...even though he has never met her. When he crosses paths with Lavinia and mistakenly thinks she is Muriel, Lavinia jumps at this chance. Neal just can't figure out why she seems so different from her letters.
I found this story interesting and to be honest, I wasn't sure how Lavinia was going to pull this off but she did...for a little while. I enjoyed how the relationship built and when Neal eventually figured things out, he was a little vindictive (rightfully so) but he still showed some compassion for Lavinia and the situation she was in.
In the end, I enjoyed this story. There were times early on that I felt the story dragged a little bit but I have to admit that once Neal figured things out, the story picked up and I found myself turning the pages to see how this was going to work out. If you liked book 1 of this series, consider picking this one up too!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lavinia is our main character and she is facing a situation she never thought she would need to worry about. Marriage to an old Lord to save her mother. I was definitely feeling for Lavinia at the beginning of this book regardless of any feelings I had toward her in book 1. She is basically sacrificed to a creepy old guy in marriage so that her mother can keep living the lifestyle she is used to and I really disliked her mother for this. With that said, Lavinia goes through with the wedding but immediately realizes she can't (and doesn't want to) be married to this man. When she finds herself at a train station separated from her new husband, she happens across a man who appears to be the solution she was looking for...all she needs to do is pretend to be someone else.
Neal Traymayne is a plant hunter and has been running a nursery for a while now. He has plans though to settle down with a like minded women and he thinks Muriel Pendrake is that women...even though he has never met her. When he crosses paths with Lavinia and mistakenly thinks she is Muriel, Lavinia jumps at this chance. Neal just can't figure out why she seems so different from her letters.
I found this story interesting and to be honest, I wasn't sure how Lavinia was going to pull this off but she did...for a little while. I enjoyed how the relationship built and when Neal eventually figured things out, he was a little vindictive (rightfully so) but he still showed some compassion for Lavinia and the situation she was in.
In the end, I enjoyed this story. There were times early on that I felt the story dragged a little bit but I have to admit that once Neal figured things out, the story picked up and I found myself turning the pages to see how this was going to work out. If you liked book 1 of this series, consider picking this one up too!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Loved this - 4.5 stars.
The Falconer is one of those books that I just couldn’t seem to put down. From the very first page, Elizabeth May grabs the reader and hurls them into Aileana’s life with no chance of stepping back out of it until the book is done. This book is filled with action, danger, mystery and some kissing….all things I love. Hopefully my rambling makes sense and helps you see just how good this book was…if not, just trust me and go read it! I am going to spoiler tag this - I don't think I give anything away but just want to be careful.
I thought the characters were really well done in this story. Aileana is clearly saddened by her mother’s death but she also has some serious anger toward the fae. On top of that, her life has completely changed and instead of thinking of her future, all she can think about is hunting and getting her revenge. The fact that her father doesn’t appear to care about her at all, only about appearances and status is another issue Aileana is dealing with. When he does show up at the house, he either completely ignores her or he is telling her to do her duty and what she really wants to do with her life doesn’t matter.
Surrounding Aileana are a number of people that help move the story along and provide support for her along the way. Catherine is Aileana’s best friend who has stuck beside her through everything but still doesn’t know about the other part of her life. Catherine trusts her to tell her things when she needs to know them and doesn’t hold it against Aileana when she can’t tell her everything. Derrick is a pixie who lives in her closet and provides a level of protection to Aileana when needed. He has also been helping her track down information on the faery that killed her mother so that she can be prepared for when she comes back to Edinburgh.
Gavin is Catherine’s brother and has been away for 2 years but comes back with a secret of his own. Not only is he a Lord now, but he is also a seer which puts him in danger if he continues to hang around with Aileana. With the way things go the night of the assembly to welcome Gavin home, things are clearly going to change for both Gavin and Aileana.
Kiaran is a mystery. He is one of the strongest types of Fae, a Daoine Sith. Kiaran has plenty of secrets and although some are revealed by the end of the book, not all of them are and I don’t really know what to expect with him…probably very similar to Aileana. He definitely has a past and because of it, he has vowed to never kill humans. It is that vow that drives him to kill/hunt fae with Aileana, teach her how to survive, and also show her who she really is. His past has also given others reason to dislike him – Derrick would love to see him dead and Lonnrach (another faery) alludes to something as well.
The banter between Aileana and Kiaran was one of my favorite parts and I would think it goes without saying that the kissing was too. Throughout the whole story, Aileana struggles with identifying Kiaran as human and he continuously pushes her to realize he is not. Even with the constant reminder, their relationship shifts toward the end of the book and we finally see a crack in Kiaran’s armor and how he reacts to and/or interacts with Aileana. I loved it and it was clear he was trying to keep his distance but realized he couldn’t do what he needed to do without telling her the vow a sithiche makes when pledging himself to another.
Overall this was a great book and I loved how May integrated the Steampunk aspect into this story. It really allows the story to be a bit different but also helps Aileana become more than just a society girl who happens to fight evil fae. Yes, she has her purpose as a Falconer but she is also smart and an inventor – continually trying to come up with new ways to defeat them but also protect herself and those she cares about.
I am more than a little sad that I have to wait until 2015 to find out what happens next for these characters – especially since the ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger. The Falconer kept me turning the pages and if your heart can handle an ending that doesn’t quite give you the full story, definitely check this one out. This was a great book one in a series that I am looking forward to reading more about.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Chronicle Books for the review copy.
The Falconer is one of those books that I just couldn’t seem to put down. From the very first page, Elizabeth May grabs the reader and hurls them into Aileana’s life with no chance of stepping back out of it until the book is done. This book is filled with action, danger, mystery and some kissing….all things I love. Hopefully my rambling makes sense and helps you see just how good this book was…if not, just trust me and go read it! I am going to spoiler tag this - I don't think I give anything away but just want to be careful.
Spoiler
About a year ago, Aileana saw her mother get murdered by a Baobhan Sith (a type of faery). Since that evening, she has been tracking the faery that killed her mother in the hopes that she will get her revenge. Shortly after her mom’s death, another faery, Kiaran, enters her life and commits to training her so that Aileana can get her revenge. Almost every night, Aileana and Kiaran go out hunting and every day, Aileana has to play the role of dutiful daughter and pretend everything is fine. As the last in a line of women who hunt the evil fae who prey on humans (A Falconer), she lives a dangerous life and things are about to get worse according to those around her.I thought the characters were really well done in this story. Aileana is clearly saddened by her mother’s death but she also has some serious anger toward the fae. On top of that, her life has completely changed and instead of thinking of her future, all she can think about is hunting and getting her revenge. The fact that her father doesn’t appear to care about her at all, only about appearances and status is another issue Aileana is dealing with. When he does show up at the house, he either completely ignores her or he is telling her to do her duty and what she really wants to do with her life doesn’t matter.
Surrounding Aileana are a number of people that help move the story along and provide support for her along the way. Catherine is Aileana’s best friend who has stuck beside her through everything but still doesn’t know about the other part of her life. Catherine trusts her to tell her things when she needs to know them and doesn’t hold it against Aileana when she can’t tell her everything. Derrick is a pixie who lives in her closet and provides a level of protection to Aileana when needed. He has also been helping her track down information on the faery that killed her mother so that she can be prepared for when she comes back to Edinburgh.
Gavin is Catherine’s brother and has been away for 2 years but comes back with a secret of his own. Not only is he a Lord now, but he is also a seer which puts him in danger if he continues to hang around with Aileana. With the way things go the night of the assembly to welcome Gavin home, things are clearly going to change for both Gavin and Aileana.
Kiaran is a mystery. He is one of the strongest types of Fae, a Daoine Sith. Kiaran has plenty of secrets and although some are revealed by the end of the book, not all of them are and I don’t really know what to expect with him…probably very similar to Aileana. He definitely has a past and because of it, he has vowed to never kill humans. It is that vow that drives him to kill/hunt fae with Aileana, teach her how to survive, and also show her who she really is. His past has also given others reason to dislike him – Derrick would love to see him dead and Lonnrach (another faery) alludes to something as well.
The banter between Aileana and Kiaran was one of my favorite parts and I would think it goes without saying that the kissing was too. Throughout the whole story, Aileana struggles with identifying Kiaran as human and he continuously pushes her to realize he is not. Even with the constant reminder, their relationship shifts toward the end of the book and we finally see a crack in Kiaran’s armor and how he reacts to and/or interacts with Aileana. I loved it and it was clear he was trying to keep his distance but realized he couldn’t do what he needed to do without telling her the vow a sithiche makes when pledging himself to another.
Overall this was a great book and I loved how May integrated the Steampunk aspect into this story. It really allows the story to be a bit different but also helps Aileana become more than just a society girl who happens to fight evil fae. Yes, she has her purpose as a Falconer but she is also smart and an inventor – continually trying to come up with new ways to defeat them but also protect herself and those she cares about.
I am more than a little sad that I have to wait until 2015 to find out what happens next for these characters – especially since the ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger. The Falconer kept me turning the pages and if your heart can handle an ending that doesn’t quite give you the full story, definitely check this one out. This was a great book one in a series that I am looking forward to reading more about.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Chronicle Books for the review copy.
