...Devil in Winter Book Review...

Devil in Winter

By Lisa Kleypas

Series: Wallflowers #3

Published: January 2006

LP's Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: Historical Romance

Steaminess: 5/5

***Ravishing Rakes, Steamy Sex, and Salacious Scandal***

!!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

Basic Overview.

Four young ladies enter London society and band together to each find a husband. Has the third "Wallflower" now met her match?

A Devil's Bargain

Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition:marriage!

Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared,unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse.

But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will never become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts --- which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions ... or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.

My Review. 

Overall, I definitely enjoyed reading this book. There were some points where I didn't want to put the dang thing down and toward the end I definitely wanted more from Sebastian and Evie. Their relationship is intricate, exciting, and fun, Sebastian's wit is wonderfully amusing and fun and I like his complexity. There was great drama and twists, all which I felt were unique and a bit more gritty. Grit to me is more compelling, and entertaining to say the least. I've read a handful of Kleypas's stories and this is my favorite one so far.

What I liked.

The Rake. I loved Sebastian St. Vincent. You know that author did a great job when you despise or at least can smell the rat a mile away in one story, but they're compelling and accessible in another. I really appreciated how complex he is--his wit, his fears, his kindness beneath the surface, and his sympathy for Evie and her situation...all this while trying to be a heartless sex God was really an unexpected, but great experience. I immediately fell in love with him when he got Evie a foot warmer and took care of her before they were even married..Through his budding love for the wallflower, the way he steps up to take care of Jenner's club, the way he prepares for the funeral and cares for/protects Evie helped contribute to a great transformation and I love how seamlessly the author writes it. Sebastian may just be my most favorite rake yet!

The interwoven characters through Kleypas's series.

Unless you've read other Kleypas stories, you wouldn't know this, but she's apparently really great at building characters she can use later on. I really enjoy how the author interweaves all of her stories and characters, even when they're not part of the same series. For instance, Derek Craven is the main character in Dreaming of You, a earlier series written by Lisa Kleypas, and in his story, Ivo Jenner (Evie's father) is mentioned. While there is nothing hugely significant about any of this, I love the intricacy and cleverness that goes into her writing.

The unique character dynamic and story line. 

A gambling/bawdy house owner's daughter. A poor, desperate rake who will stoop to kidnapping his close friend's fiance. A test of character, sensuality, and  loyalty. Attempted murder. Distemper. Madness. Forgiveness. Death. Love. Passion. This story has everything. As always, Kleypas provides a unique story, this time delving deeper into the dark, dirty, and gritty side of London life. She explores the harsh reality of life during the 1800s--the dangers, poverty, illness, traveling conditions--I can tell she's not reluctant to explore new, uncharted waters.Props for that :)

What I didn't like.

I gave this book a 4/5 because for some reasons, I found myself getting into a lull every now and again. There were parts where I didn't want to put it down and then other parts when I started to lose interest. However, I truly did love the characters, and while the book didn't leave me with an "OMG, I can't believe it's over" feeling, I did genuinely enjoy the story.

My recommendation.

If you love hot romance, regency or historical romance, rakes and story lines that are a little different, I think you'll enjoy this book. If you prefer for laid back stories that take place in the country where characters have angry step mothers, too much pride, and jealous friends are the biggest obstacles you may not appreciate the commotion of this book, however, I suggest you at least give it a try.

...The Rose Garden Book Review...

The Rose Garden, Book Review (Published 2011)

By Susanna Kearsley

LP's Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: Historical Fantasy/Time Travel

Basic Overview: 

Eva Ward returns to the only place she truly belongs, the old house on the Cornish coast, seeking happiness in memories of childhood summers. There she finds mysterious voices and hidden pathways that sweep her not only into the past, but also into the arms of a man who is not of her time.
But Eva must confront her own ghosts, as well as those of long ago. As she begins to question her place in the present, she comes to realize that she too must decide where she really belongs.


***SPOILER ALERT AHEAD***
My Review. 

What I liked.
The Smuggling Trio. The men of the past, the smuggling trio, are what made the story for me--distant and dangerous at first glance, but truly lovable and endearing beneath the surface. Daniel Butler's reserve, dry humor, and capable persona is what I like to read in a leading man. He's intriguing, the type of guy you want to read more about and that you want to wrap you in his arms and tell you everything will be alright. Along side him is his brother, Jack Butler, who exudes a cocky charisma and unabashed stubbornness you instantly love. Fergal O'Cleary is the big brother you always want to have backing you, who keeps the family together, who's responsible loyal, intelligent, and funny. Overall, the trio is lovable in every way. Loyal to a fault, strong, and witty.

What I didn't like so much.
Eva's character. She isn't described at all so I didn't know who to picture as I'm reading. Plus, she seems young. Not creepy young, but unbelievable-young if Daniel is going to fall so deeply in love with her. Their connection wasn't believe to me.

The beginning. It took until chapter 8 to get into anything engaging that would hold my interest and make me want to read more. That being said, if it wasn't for my book club, I can't say I would have made it that far. I know there was a lot of ground to cover for set up, but I truly feel Kearsley could have done without most of it. The positive side to this is that the chapters weren't super long.

The Ending. Although it was satisfying, I would have liked a little more interaction between Eva and Daniel instead of being left with the allusion that they'd be together.

The Romance. I wanted things to get a bit more steamy with Daniel and Eva, but the tension and build up was great and the ending was satisfying, if not .

My Recommendation. Overall I really did enjoy this book. I think anyone who enjoys sweet romance and a lot of detail and back story would enjoy this novel. There's a bit of fantasy (time travel) for those who enjoy a magical element and once you get through the first quarter of the book there are plenty of twists to keep the reader engaged. If you like steamy romance, this is not the book for you.

...The Night Circus Review...

The Night Circus Book Review (Published 2011)
By Erin Morgenstern

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Book club

LP's Rating: 3/5 stars

Basic Overview:
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

My Review. Overall this book was a good read. It was full of mystery and enchantment and a love story I could really cheer for. There were characters I wanted to smack and others I wanted to squeeze for being so sweet, and I like that because I get more involved that way. Going back and forth between timelines was mostly confusing for me toward the end, when the two timelines were finally meshing. There were tons of questions throughout the book that kept me reading, which is good, and while I didn't find some of the resolutions super exciting, the ending was satisfying. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, and I found myself getting confused as to who was who, so pay attention to the names!

What I liked.
It was creative. I would love to see this book turned into a film with vivid colors, defying feats, and amazing costumes. I read this for book club and the story has given us so much to discuss from how we interpreted what was going on, the role each character would inevitably play, and so on. It was really interesting to hear other people's hypothesis halfway through the book and it helped me to go into the second half with other people's observations in mind. It was a great choice to read with the group.

Prose. It was beautifully written and easy enough to follow, as long as your imagination is WIDE OPEN and you allow for the impossible to become a reality in this story. The author write eloquently and purposefully, which helps with the flow and to pull the reader in.

Description. I felt like I could really see what was going on, that I could smell the candy, feel the fire, see Celia's dress changing color. The author did a great job of bringing the reader into her mind, showing us what she see, feeling what she's feeling for her characters, and that's not an easy task.

What I didn't like.
Too much description. Although I loved how vivid the circus was in my mind, I truly felt like there was so much description I was skimming through a lot of it from the middle of the book on. I don't like doing that because I know I risk missing something important, but there's just so much going on, so many questions I wanted answered, that reading four paragraphs describing a new tent or something to that nature was hard to justify.

The Ending. I'm torn because part of me wanted answers, and I got them, but I also feel like it wasn't very moving or satisfying. This books is filled with so much mystery, I really thought I would be like, "Holy Crap!" but I didn't get that as all the pieces came together.

My recommendation.
Book clubs should read this for sure. If you like magic and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the circus, you'll probably enjoy this. If you love imagery and vivid description, this a book for you. If you're reading it for the romance, there's not very much so this probably wouldn't be the book for you. I gave this book a 3/5 stars because as much as I enjoyed it, I also didn't feel super fulfilled at the end and since that's the lasting impression, I'm a tad torn on how to rate it.