Erica Monroe

This is the third book in the collection of stories about The Haunting of Castle Keyvnor. The first story in the book is by Erica Monroe. Lady Claire Deering and Theodore (Teddy) Lockwood, Earl of Ashbrooke have been lifelong friends – both of whom are in love with the other but afraid to say so for fear of ruining the friendship. Claire won’t allow anything between them because she is afraid she has inherited the madness of her mother and aunt. Teddy was born a spare and didn’t feel he had much to offer until he suddenly became the earl. Teddy is a bit of a nerd. He’s bookish and always looking for answers in books. When Claire and Teddy find out that her family isn’t mad but cursed, they must both put aside their preconceived notions of the rational and believable and accept the possibility of other forces of nature. One of the most beautiful scenes in this story is when Teddy and Claire make love for the first time, 2 virgins who had saved themselves for the other.
The second story is by Jerrica Knight-Catania – a favorite of mine. This is a delightful tale of love at first sight. Chadwick Kendall is at the Castle because his father received a notice about the reading. Unfortunately, his father, Baron Dinedor, is on his death bed. He asks his son Chad to go, knowing that he might not last until his son returns. When Chad arrives and gets out of the carriage, he looks up and sees a beautiful woman with red hair. At the same time, Lady Samantha Priske, who is out walking on the turret walk looks down and sees a handsome man. All she can think is that she hopes he’s not her cousin. These two don’t need ghosts to bring them together – the attraction is immediate. There is only one problem, Sam’s parents would never allow her to marry a mere Mister and Mr. Chad Kendall did not let anyone know that he is soon to be a Baron. Even being without a title does not stop Sam from allowing Chad to make love to her. The next morning he is gone. It has nothing to do with her but he sees the ghost of his dead mother and she encourages him to go home to be with his father. Will Sam ever see him again? Will they find their Happily Ever After? You’ll have to read the story to find out the rest but it is a delightful story to read.
Renee Bernard rounds out this collection with a story of a witch and an engineer who have opposite beliefs except when it comes to falling in love. Blade Hambly is heir to the Earl of Hambly (the one who just inherited). He is on his way to the Castle for the reading of the will but something’s not right. As he gets out of the carriage in town, he collapse with Scarlet Fever. Luckily for him, Elethea Fairfax, the doctor’s daughter just happened to be at the inn and takes over his care immediately. Besides being the doctor’s daughter, she is also the daughter and grand-daughter of a witch and she understands the use of herbal remedies. She send for her father but works all night to reduce the fever. As the dawn breaks so does his fever but her father shows up to take credit for the cure. Because Blake was out of it while he was feverish he thinks he dreamed of his angel. But when she stops by to check on him (against her father’s wishes) he knows she is real. Can two people who are from such different classes really fall in love and make it work? Can Blade really accept the fact that there is magic in the world? Can anyone really believe that someone is named Blade –just kidding on this one)? This story was the perfect ending to the trio of stories. With the love between them, the curse is lifted and everyone can live and love happily ever after.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
… (lisätietoja)

Charmed at Christmas is the first in the continuing series of Castle Keyvnor Christmas books. I love the way that 12 authors have come together to create 4 fun books with overlapping characters and locations all focusing on falling in love at Christmas. In this book, 3 of my favorite authors do the holiday justice.
Deb Marlowe continues her theme of pixies and fairies that she started in the first series with Lord Locryn and the Pixie’s Kiss. Not even an accidental curse by a pixie’s kiss or a meddling Cornish chough can keep Locryn and Gwen from finding each other after meeting 8 years earlier. This story works in both the human story and the pixie story and both find the Happily Ever After that they deserve.
Erica Monroe presents a much darker and sadder story in The Determined Duchess. Felicity Fields has lost the one person who she loved and who loved her unconditionally when her aunt dies. She feels alone in the world and thinks that her only solution is to try to create a Philosopher’s Stone to bring her aunt back to life. When her cousin Nicholas (now a Duke) shows up offering/ threatening to bring her to London for a season, she is terrified. They had spent summers together as children but she hadn’t seen him in 6 years. Nicholas’s attraction to her helps him understand her solitary life and instead of chiding her for her experiments he attempts to understand and help her. This story was filled with so much sadness that it makes the ending even happier.
The final story in this collection is A Duke By Any Other Name by Claire Delacroix. In this story, Claire tells the delightful tale of a handsome Scottish Duke who disguises himself as a fop to find a jewel thief who had ruined his sister’s reputation. Alexander, the Duke of Inverfyre travels to the Castle Keyvnor area with a plan to catch a thief. Little did he know that he would meet a woman who would see through his disguise and help him catch the thief. She also managed to catch a husband. The descriptions of the Duke and his outfits and padded belly were hilarious. The attraction between Alexander and Daphne was immediate and the Happily Ever After was well worth the read.
I received an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.… (lisätietoja)

Erica Monroe is such a fun and happy person when you meet her. It's hard to imagine such a dark book coming from her. Unlike other Historical Romances taking place in ballrooms and Hyde Park.
If that is the kind of story you are looking for this isn't the book for you.

This story takes place in the underworld of London. It is in the seedier side of town, St Giles, Seven Dials, the Rookeries - all the places where danger is as common as sunshine. The streets are filled with whorehouses and gin mills. As Ms Monroe has written it you can almost smell the stink of the streets.

This book is filled with thieves, pick pockets, murderers and body snatchers/ resurrectionists. In the midst of all this darkness Kate Morgan and Daniel O'Reilly try to overcome their past. She was the daughter of a merchant and he worked for her father. They were betrothed until he was accused of murdering a fellow employee. He escaped and it has been 3 years since they have seem each other. Kate's father died soon afterwards leaving her penniless and on the streets where she supports herself as a fence for stolen goods.

When Daniel returns to clear his name and find the love of his life, Kate must choose between her former love or her belief in her father's innocence. In the 3 years since he has been gone, Daniel has overcome his addition to gin.

This is a long, hard book to read but if you can make it through it is well worth the time.… (lisätietoja)

This collection of stories focuses on a gossip column written by the elusive Lady X. She knows everything that is going on and doesn’t hesitate to write about it. This book contains stories by 6 of my favorite authors. Each story focuses on how the gossip column can separate or bring people together.
Amanda Mariel’s One Moonlit Tryst starts as a bet between two men and ends with them both falling in love. A fun and delightful bit of fluff.
Deb Marlowe ties her Love Me, Lord Tender into her Half Moon series with an heiress who helps the underprivileged children of London while trying to see if the man she loves will lover her even without a large dowry. While he needs an heiress to save his foundering estate he must decide whether to choose love over money. As usual, Deb Marlowe’s characters choose love over money.
In The Lady Loves a Scandal Christina McKnight tells the story of a woman who’s love leaves town the night before he signs the betrothal documents. Now, one year later, he has returned – will she spurn him or is their love as strong as ever. It all depends on why he disappeared in the first place, but can he tell her his secret?
Erica Monroe writes a delicious murder investigation in The Scandalous Widow. Gabriel missed his chance years earlier when his friend an Earl married a woman that Gabriel was in love with. Now with the Earl dead, Gabriel (a detective) helps the countess to prove that her brother-in-law, the new Earl, is the murderer.
Ava Stone’s How to Land an Earl in Ten Days starts with a bet that Lord Darling can get a woman to fall for him in ten days or less. What can you expect from someone who is called DARLING. Ava Stone provides a fun story with some politics and danger thrown in. Little does Lord Darling realize that instead of a bet, he won true love.
To finish off the collection, Dawn Brower gives new meaning to the phrase that “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”. In A Lady Hoyden’s Secret we finally find out who is behind Lady X’s column and why she began writing in the first place. Helena was already planning to write a gossip column to giver herself some cash and independence but when Lord Dashville is forced to dance with her she uses him as inspiration for her column. Years later, he has grown up and matured (with some thanks to Lady X’s writing) and he finds himself in love with Helena. Will he want to marry her if he knows her secret?
… (lisätietoja)