How To Seduce a Scoundrel by Vicky Dreiling review & Giveaway

Title: How To Seduce a Scoundrel
Author: Vicky Dreiling
ISBN: 978-0-446-56538-7
Publisher: Forever Romance
Format: Mass-Market Paperback
$7.99
How I read it: Mass-Market Paperback from the Publisher

Rating:


Miss Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother's best friend-for whom she's long nursed a secret tendre-agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz. But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for Marc Darcett, Earl of Hawkfield, to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear. Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any self-respecting, recently discarded young miss with a wicked sense of humor would do. She secretly pens a lady's guide to enticing unrepentant rakes . . . and it becomes the hottest scandal sheet in London.

Every honorable rake knows that friends' sisters are forbidden. But suddenly Julienne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can't resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter and his nights dreaming of kissing her senseless. He's always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match?
(from the publishers)


My Thoughts:
I have been waiting for this book ever since reading HOW TO MARRY A DUKE. You could see this book coming while reading the first and I have to say it is even better than I imagined it would be.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL. The plot was fast-paced, the characters were well rounded, and I found myself halfway through the book before I realized I had read so much.

Trust me, BUY THIS BOOK, you will not regret it!

Five Fun Facts

1. The Rules and He’s Just Not That into You inspired Vicky to write HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL.

2. Vicky writes to music and created a playlist for HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL. Readers can listen to the songs on her website. The theme song for the book is Better Man (Pearl Jam).

3. Lady Julianne, the spunky heroine of HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL, finds inspiration in Anne Boleyn, who was said to be only moderately attractive but managed to charm everyone at court with her wit and vivacity.

4. A giant statue of Napoleon at Apsley House, the Duke of Wellington’s residence, was the inspiration for the hideous statue of Apollo in the opening scene.

5. One scene involving a decanter of wine and a thumping door is based on something that Vicky overheard. She plans to include a spoiler on her website that details the hilarious incident.


http://www.vickydreiling.com/

I have three copies to giveaway on July 30
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Scarlet Nights by Scarlet Nights

Title: Scarlet Nights
Author: Jude Deveraux
ISBN: 978-1-4391-0799-7
Publisher: Pocket Books
$7.99
Format: Mass-Market ARC
Rating: 4 Cups



Engaged to the charming and seductive Greg Anders, Sara Shaw is happily anticipating her wedding in Edilean, Virginia. The date has been set, the flowers ordered, even her heirloom dress is ready. But just three weeks before the wedding, Greg gets a telephone call during the night and leaves without explanation. Two days later, a man climbs up through a trapdoor in the floor of Sara’s apartment, claiming that he is the brother of her best friend and that he’s moving in. While Mike Newland is indeed telling the truth about his identity, his reason for being there reaches far deeper. He’s an undercover detective, and his assignment is to use Sara to track down a woman who is one of the most notorious criminals in the United States—and also happens to be the mother of the man Sara plans to marry.

Mike thinks the job will be easy—if he can figure out how to make a “good” girl like Sara trust him, that is. But Mike has no idea what this mission has in store for him. He’s worked hard to keep private his connections to Edilean, which date back to his grandmother’s time there in 1941. But as Mike and Sara get to know each other, he can’t help but share secrets about himself that he’s told no one else. And in return, Sara opens up to Mike about things she could never reveal to Greg. As the pair work together to solve two mysteries, their growing love begins to heal each of them in ways they never could have imagined.
(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

I have to say I truly liked this book. I had previously read and loved Scent of Jasmine and I failed to realize that it was part of The Edilean Series. When I started this book, I have to say I enjoyed it even more so than Scent of Jasmine. The characters were well put together, the plot was well paced, and I could not put this book down.

Undercover with the intentions of catching a family of criminals, Mike Newland never imagined that he would developed feelings for the woman he was sent to protect. Although he has never had been involved in a case where he knew a bit about the woman he was sent to seduce. After hearing about Sara from his sister who married one of Sara’s cousins, he goes into this case knowing a bit (a small bit) about her. In some ways I believe that led to his attraction to her.

Sara had her own problems, for starters she was being unknowingly duped by her fiancé. Now, she has to deal with Mike. The only thing she knows about is that he is her best friends mysterious brother who is asking her to trust him with her life. When Mike decides to be honest with her about certain aspects of the case, she begins to let her guard down a bit.

Throughout the book you see witty banter between Mike and Sara as well as harrowing situations. There is danger and romance, but the main focus seems to be the relationship between Mike and Sara.
*On a side-note, I have to say that the way the complication of this series is a bit out of whack. One book is set it the present while the next is in the past. I would have liked to have seen a bit of unity in the progression of the novels. In my opinion, this series should have been released in two parts, a historic set dealing with early Edilean and then a secondary series dealing with a contemporary Edilean.

Black Ties and Lullabies by Jane Graves

Title: Black Ties and Lullabies
Author: Jane Graves
ISBN: 978-0-44656847-0
Publisher: Forever Romance
Release Date: July 2011
Format: Mass-Market Paperback
$7.99/$8.99 CAN.
How I Read It: Mass-Market ARC from the publisher
Rating: 5 Cups



A good girl can be bad for one night...

Bernadette Hogan doesn't make mistakes. Not when it comes to caring for her mother, and not at her job protecting Texas's most eligible--and infuriating--bachelor. Maybe that's why she's overcome with guilt after one tiny indiscretion: a passionate fling with her boss that's left her confused, intrigued...and pregnant.

but can a bad boy be good for a lifetime?

To self-made millionaire Jeremy Bridges, women are like fine wine: if held for too long, they sour. But one wild night with Bernadette changed all that. She makes him laugh, she makes him think, and soon she's going to make him a father. For the first time, Jeremy wants to be a one-woman man. So how can he convince the fiercely independent Bernadette he's ready to change from partying playboy to dependable dad--and become the loving husband she deserves?
(from the publisher)


My Review:

Three Sentence Summary:

Bernadette Hogan and Jeremy Bridges are like chalk and cheese, yet one night of angry passion changes their life forever. Now what was once an employee/employer relationship becomes a bit more complicated when Bernie discovers that she is carrying Jeremy’s child. Can Jeremy prove that he is ready and will to give up his bad boy ways and become a father?

Main Characters:

Bernadette Hogan: Bernie comes across as a no-nonsense kind of woman. She knows that she cannot make mistakes, especially since she has to look after her mother. She also comes across as tough, yet we see her layers peel away as the story progresses. As a bodyguard for Jeremy Bridges, she watches as he lives the high life, attends glitzy charity events, and pulling birds as he pleases. When he fails to listen to Bernie’s advice regarding a crazy blond, things soon escalate beyond control.

Jeremy Bridges: CEO of Sybersence Systems Jeremy is indeed living the good life. Glitzy parties, limousines, any woman. To top it all off he has the one thing that matters the most-control. He seems to be doing rather well for himself, although he fails to realize that in the process he comes across as a shallow control freak. Although after the saferoom incident, he learns what happens when you lose control.

As I said before these two characters are like chalk and cheese, you would never envision the two of romantically involved for fear of one of them killing the other. Each of them knows the buttons to push to make the other go over the top, and they push those buttons daily. Both like to be in control and they have their own reason for that, but as the old saying goes too many chefs in the kitchen spoil the broth, ultimately they need to figure out how they are going to work together to raise the child Bernie is carrying. Let me just say that this is not going to be an easy task to accomplish.

Secondary Characters:

There are several characters that pop up throughout the novel but I have to say that there are a few who act like the voice of reason throughout the novel.

Phil-Jeremy’s best friend and financial advisor who steers Jeremy through his “how can I be a dad when I have had such a terrible example” stage.

Teresa- Bernie’s friend who shows her that mothering is not as bad as one might expect.

Max- New bodyguard to Jeremy and one of Bernie’s oldest friends. He has Bernie’s best interest at heart and that does not bode well for Jeremy, although it does make for some interesting reading.

Then we have Eleanor, Bernie’s mother. Like most mothers, she knows what her daughter needs/wants before her daughter does. We see her helping led Bernie in the right way. Although we also see Bernie taking of her due to the dieses Eleanor has.


My Thoughts:

I loved this book. I devoured this book in one setting and now I am on the prowl for Jane Graves’ other novels. Often I find that contemporary romances fail to capture my attention because they are often flat, but BLACK TIES & LULLABIES was one of my absolute favorites of the year. The characters were well rounded and believable. I was drawn to the situation at hand and was eager to see how it was going to be concluded. The way the plot unfolded was phenomenal. While the number of twists were limited, a few spanners were thrown into the works every now and again. I also enjoyed the way Jane Graves revealed her characters to the reader. She only allowed certain bit and bobs of information out at a time so it would be a buildup of facts rather than a downpour, and I have to say that made me want to read it even more.

Would I read this book again? Definitely!

About the author:

Jane Graves is the author of seventeen contemporary romance novels. She is a seven-time finalist for Romance Writers of America's Rita Award, the industry's highest honor, and is the recipient of two National Readers' Choice Awards, the Booksellers' Best Award, and the Golden Quill, among others. Jane lives in the Dallas area with her husband of twenty-eight years and a very sweet kitty who kindly keeps her lap warm while she writes.

You can visit Jane's website at www.janegraves.com , or write to her at jane@janegraves.com. She'd love to hear from you!