Bella and the Beast is part of a sweet and fun fairy tale retelling series "Cinderella Sisterhood" and I have enjoyed (for the most part ) each installment in the series. These books aren't going to work for everyone, but they REALLY work for me. There is just something about these books and the couples I have read so far that I am totally on board with. This book features the retelling (which is pretty obvious) Beauty and the Beast and adds in a twist of a mystery, Boss and Employee trope/and a bit of Enemies to Lovers with some sexy sensuality, a grumpy hero, a fun heroine and a treasure to find.
Clarissa, is our fairy godmother of the series, and when she hears word of a certain young lady returning to England, her matchmaking mind goes at warp speed and starts to make her plans.
Isabella (Bella) grew up traveling along with her father and her twin siblings. Her mother died when she was young, but now her father has just passed away with his last words being "Find Aylwin and the Pharoahs Treasure". So she goes back to England, to the only home that she and her siblings have....a small cottage and goes out in search for a job. But with her middle eastern clothing, she is having a hard time being accepted anyone. But when she comes home, she sees a stranger in her home, drinking tea with her siblings who isn't fazed by their eccentrics. She claims she can help her find a job, if she wears certain "slippers" and seek out the job as Aylwin's assistant.
Miles Grayson, is busy studying his artifacts and doesn't like to be bothered by anyone, most especially a young lady that may be beautiful, but she is entering his private domain, where he wants to be left alone, only to be somehow convinced to take her on as his assistant in cataloguing the artifacts. And what is worse is that she is the daughter of the man he suspects killed his father in Egypt.
Miles and Bella have a history of when they were children, and their fathers worked together and Miles might have found the six year old girl annoying at times to a thirteen old boy, but he saved her life. As Bella starts to work with the artifacts and slowly gets to know Miles, she start to remember flashes of her life with her father in Egypt, and most especially her interaction with Miles. But Bella has a job to do, to find the treasure that will keep her siblings fed with a roof over their heads. But when she goes in search for clues in his "forbidden" wing he comes upon her and his words come back to her and she knows she is in trouble but she is also thrilled by his touch and his kiss. But there is a problem, no matter how hot their chemistry, or how emotions are starting to get in the way of their professional relationship, Bella doesn't believe she is good for a Duke. She may have Aristocracy blood running through her veins, but she has lived out of England most of her life and wouldn't know the first thing about being a duchess. But right when she begins to feel like she is finding a place, her life is threatened and by someone she would never expect because searching for a lost treasure has its consequences...
Bella and the Beast was such a whirlwind of a romance and I really enjoyed this book SO much and I am relieved that I finally grabbed it up because it was REALLY good. I loved the group of themes we have introduced and these characters were delightful. I did find the hero slightly darker than the other books that I have read from Drake, but considering he is the big bad beast of a man, it is to be expected. The dynamics of these characters are "opposites attract" and holds so true for Miles and Bella. Miles is a grouch, grumpy, rough around the edges, impatient and likes his solitude. Bella is happy and cheerful, nothing gets her down, she is responsible but also spirited and quick witted. She keeps Miles on his toes and is definitely a "glass half full" type of gal. She even has a tattoo...which was so cool. You rarely see that in historical romance. We get some fun moments with Bella's siblings, and boy I loved these twins. They were so funny and totally fit the bill for teenagers just wanting to spread their wings. At we get some great moments with Bella and Miles cousin and his wife (who are horrible) but Bella totally puts them in their place and I LOVED that. Seeing this heroine be so quick witted and defending Miles was pure delight.
Bella darling, I want you so very much. You're a fever in my blood.
I really liked how this story played out in the end, and boy the romance was really great too. I adored the way their chemistry builds between them and man this book got me so hot and bothered at times without even meaning to. The hero is very dark and sensual and yeah his whole " you dare come to my wing which is forbidden, I will taste you" got shivers up and down my spine but in a good way. I did find the sexy times to be really sensual and a bit more steamier than I was expecting from this author, but I really enjoyed the writing style in bring the powerful chemistry to the pages. There aren't many sexy moments, but the ones that are in the book are very well written.
The treasure can remain hidden....as long as I have you
Overall I found Bella and the Beast to be a KEEPER....this story had me on my toes, it kept me interested, the romance was sexy and the plot was killer and plus you get to solve a mystery....can you get it right? A PURE DELIGHT IN REAWAKENING A FAIRY TALE!!
Felicia Campbell, has just found out her guardian and uncle has betrothed her to marry a man thrice her age and has been known to be abusive to his past wives. Felicia lost her parents when she was young, and she and her cousin became as close as brother and sister. But he is in London, so she must find a way to escape and get to London. So Felicia creates a plot to escape with her brothers fiancee aiding her, and as she is escaping her uncle's men, she is captured by their families enemy, the Maclean's. Felicia knows that she will have to lie about her true identity. Rory doesn't want to be Laird, he just wants to go back to his ship and be on the sea. Rory has lost two wives and a unborn child, and knows that his clan is cursed, so he plans to never marry. But then a couple of his men kidnap a lovely lass who stirs his blood. At first he is outraged at his men's audacity to set him up with his next wife, but he refuses to give in. As the days go by, and one thing leads to another, he starts to realize that what he and Felicia have is not something you just give up on. But will he be able to put the past behind him and start fresh with Felicia and a love so powerful it could break the curse upon his clan?
Beloved Impostor is the first in the Beloved Trilogy by Patricia Potter. Now I have known about this author for years, but have never really had her books on my TBR until the past month or so. So when I went to my local library, quite a few of her books were present, so I decided to try this series out. I do love a sexy highlander, especially if its set in the medieval time period. I had no clue what to expect from Patricia Potter but after reading Beloved Impostor all I have to say is AMAZING!!!! I can't believe it took me so long to read this book. Lately I have felt like I have been in a rut of sorts, in the past month or so there have only been a few books I have been able to read get fully 100% into. So when I started reading Beloved Impostor I was hooked, line and sinker. I was amazed by how much I was enjoying this story, in fact it will be going on my top favorites, because I was impatient to get through work today so I could get back to it ASAP!!!
This story begins with seeing Felicia and her creativity and charming wit, and her rebellious nature that is contagious. The emotions from Felicia were so vividly portrayed by the author, I couldn't help but find myself into the story from the first line. I was anxious to see how Felicia would get a happy ending. From the beginning you are enchanted by Felicia and her endearing personality that gets you practically addicted. Even though she is a very strong willed heroine, she also is fun and easy to relate with. I never felt like she was a super feisty heroine that just drives the reader crazy. Instead you, the reader, you feel as if you could be best friends. Now Rory, oh Rory, I completely fell in love when he entered the scene. He isn't your typical Alpha male, in fact at times he was a mix between Alpha and Beta at times. Which was very refreshing since especially lately I have been overdosing on Alpha males. Now don't get me wrong, I love them, but sometimes its good to have a more gentle like hero. Rory is a tortured hero, who has suffered more than most. Having been married twice, but loved his first wife deeply, and it was heartbreaking seeing his side of things. You just want to hug him from the moment you see how much he is still suffering. I almost wanted to jump into the story and make him smile. Rory is pretty mad at his men for kidnapping a innocent woman, and even though he is attracted to her, he doesn't want to pull her into his world of grief and turmoil. He is so protective of her, before they even share their first kiss. His character is very deep enriched in the story and before long you feel as if you have known him all of your life. It has been a while since I have met such a intense and memorable character that just captivates your heart.
The story is very solid, and the plot is never ending, at first you wonder how Rory and Felicia go from strangers to lovers. There is quite a bit of conflict involved, and not just Rory's past. Felicia has a betrothed who isn't just going to give her up, and they are both from waring clans where marriage would be impossible. The author here has done her homework of the time period, and you see how she places events in history into play just a bit. Not overly much, just enough to add some spices to enhance the story even more. I felt one of the strongest points of this story was the intense emotion that was constantly displayed. I definitely went from laughing my head off, to crying me eyes out I was so emotionally in tuned to the characters, that I couldn't stop myself. The side characters were fun to get to know, and boy did I love both families. I can hardly wait to read more from Rory's family, boy they are such delightful men...I am beyond eager to get my hands on their stories!!! Should be delicious fun!! :)
Overall a fully satisfying romantic romp that takes you back in time to Scotland, where clans were waring with each other, and passion was boundless. A story that will draw your attention completely, and impossible to put down unless its your house burning down or some earthquake. Be warned this story will knock your socks off, and in ways you never imagined. A captivating story that touches the heart and sears the soul. Masterful storytelling to enthrall the reader in such a way you won't be able to breathe until the last page!! UNFORGETTABLE!!!
Beneath The Truth is the final installment in the “Beneath” series which is the longest series Meghan March has written. And it was such a feeling of bittersweet knowing this is the last book but pretty much all of Meghan March’s books are interconnected which I do like that she implements that in her works. In this story, we have Hennesey’s book. We saw him in a couple previous books, where he ended up learning about the betrayal of someone close to him and ended up leaving the police force because he is a man of honor and integrity. But now he is returned when his father is killed. I really found this story to be engaging and thrilling in many ways and so much mystery is involved here that I was gravitated towards. The romance itself was sweet and sexy. Seeing these two who have always wanted each other, but have never embraced each other. I adored the heroine who is a secret hacker, a fun twist. Overall I found this book to be such a delight here.
Beneath The Chains is the third book in March's Beneath series and this is where we get Lord's story. We were able to see him briefly in the previous book which featured his brother's story. But in this book we get Lord and boy he was yummy in all the delicious ways that March delivers in her stories. And it starts out with such strength and zest.
Right now, this moment, I had no cares. I was living in the now and enjoying it—because of him.
Beneath The Chains begins with our heroine Elle, who may seem on the surface as if she has plenty of wealth and prestige but beneath it she has scars that dig deep, scars she doesn't let anyone see. She is on the hunt for something precious that belonged to her father that was lost. And she knows if it will turn up it will be at the pawn shop that Lord owns and runs. When she walks in, Lord is tossing out his employee who has been stealing from him. So she demands a job and Lord quite puzzled at her determination, reluctantly lets her have the job even though he has doubts because he knows that she will be one hell of a distraction for him. But soon their relationship that begins with heat and sizzling sex turns into something deeper and with a killer on the loose and it all surrounding them ....the villain is closer to them than they think
Sometimes you had to let yourself break before you could start picking up the pieces.
Beneath The Chains is just a fantastic read and even though it does start out slow (as I have noticed with this series of March's) it definitely picks up especially once you become more invested in the characters and see the hidden depths behind them. And quite frankly I adored both of these characters. They were so delicious together and I really enjoyed seeing them delve into each other and discover the secrets and hidden pleasures in their relationship. And I love these men that March writes, because once they find their woman, they stand by her no matter what and I adored that in Lord especially after we see what Elle has been dealing with and love his unwavering support of her.
Wouldn’t have mattered what I was doing. You need me, I’ll be there
Overall I found Beneath These Chains to be a sensual filled world with chills and gems of hidden delights that March delivers!!
Duncan, gets caught by the king's soldiers and finds himself chained to her side. He knows that they will be killed very soon. Chained to her side, he admires this woman's courage and tenacity. When they manage to escape the soldiers, just barely, they are on the run, trying to hide from the soldiers that hunt them. Duncan has a important mission, and being chained to Mercy is a challenge, but a delightful one. He finds himself captivated by her beauty and strength of spirit. Mercy is running from a past that has haunted her. She feels a deep connection to Duncan, a attraction that she can't deny. Even though a part of her knows, they could never have a future together, all she wants is to embrace the precious time they have left.Having read the three other books in the Warrior King series, I very much was looking forward to reading Duncan's story. I think from the first few pages of the story, I was captivated by these two characters, I couldn't help but like them from the start. Duncan, is part of the four brothers where one of them will become the true King. It starts out with Duncan and Mercy being chained from the first page. Then after that, the real adventure begins. I have to say both of them handled being chained together very well. Mercy, is a very strong young woman, and can be just as fierce as Duncan. (Which was very enjoyable to see them together). I loved the way the story was written with creative scenes that could make one laugh numerous times. The love story that develops was a sweet and passionate one. The sex scenes were very hot and sexy. I really liked the way the plot unravels in such a way that captivates the reader and keeps you fully entertained until the end. I found Bound To A Warrior a delectable read, and one I had a hard time putting down. One that will be capture your heart!!Quotes I Enjoyed
"He surprised himself when without forethought, he slipped his arm around her waist and drew her up against him, settling his mouth close to hers. "Love ," He whispered "Love lasts forever." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Long, lazy kissses, soft, exploring touches and endless hours of lovemaking. Damn he was in trouble. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Look at all that food, Duncan," Mercy said and eagerly licked her lips. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "And here I thought you only had a taste for me," Her warm cheek stung his cool one as she pressed it against his. "I'm saving the tastiest, most delicious for last." "Now you're really tempting me," he warned
