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224. Romancing the Duke

Tessa Dare

Izzy is left by her father helpless and penniless. She is exploring her options when she receives a letter inviting her to Gostley castle. She goes to the ghastly castle only to discover that it had been left to her by one of her father's friends. The only problem is that the castle is occupied by the Duke of Rothbury, who doesn't think he sold the castle. So they be stubborn and share the castle. Izzy, in the meanwhile agrees to be his secretary to read his correspondence. Amid all the correspondence, one kiss leads to another and they go where all the couples in romance novels go.

This story was going so good. The characters were great. Izzy' s refreshing character made all the difference. Ransom's insecurities were endearing. Abigail didn't really have a part, but she didn't sound dumb so that was good. Duncan's story about the Duke of Mothfairy was amazing. The romance had a depth to it and everything was going well until the end. The thing with the solicitors and the interrogation was funny. It seemed not to belong in the same book at all. It should have been a serious interrogation and the solicitors should have been exposed for their frauds. Why was it rushed? And so poorly done? It was a brilliant historical romance if I don't think about the last chapter. But alas! There was the last chapter that ruined it all.

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223. The Duchess Deal

Tessa Dare

Quotes- Yes, she was his. But bits of him were hers now, too. No matter how deeply he kissed her, he would never get them back.

But you’re here now, inside. Emma, you’re the very life of me.”

She could scarcely speak. “That was quite nicely said.”

“You think so?”

“Did you practice it on the way here?”

His chin pulled back in a gesture of offense. “No.”

“I wouldn’t think less of you for it.”

“Then yes, I did. But that doesn’t make it any less sincere.”

Review-

The Duke of Ashbury was injured in the battle of Waterloo. He bears scars on his face which make him quite unsightly. So, his betrothed breaks the engagement giving him some deep complexes about his appearance. But his cousin is irresponsible so he needs to produce an heir. For that, he needs a wife. The moment he thinks it, he is visited by a woman in a wedding dress. That woman happens to be Emma, the seamstress who stitched his ex's dress. She wants payment for her labor. Ash offers her marriage instead. She rejects and leaves. He follows her the next day and she finally agrees, who wouldn't want to be married to a Duke afterall. They get married the next week. But Ash has some rules, he wants an heir after which Emma can have her own house. He for its attraction and affection. In return, Emma demands his presence for dinner everyday. They muddle along, fighting attraction along the way. Meanwhile, their staff is plotting to make them fall in love. It was a lovely story that kept me entertained. The characters in the book are well written. The hero is a bit naive, but lovable. The model on the cover should have been scarred too. That's it.

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222. The Devil You Know

Liz Carlyle

Freddie is overwrought because of Johnny who says he can't marry her because his father wants him to marry his cousin. That is how Bentley finds her. Freddie thinks she will forever be alone, so she deserves a proper kiss and a night of passion. Bentley hell-bent Rutledge is the perfect man to give rise things to her. After their night together, Bentley escapes to his home and is waiting for one of Freddie's relatives to call him out. He waits in vain. Because Freddie becomes pregnant and tells her cousins that she won't marry Bentley because he would make a bad husband. Bentley on the other hand is furious to know that Freddie is marrying someone else.

According to him, Freddie belongs to him. He has to fight for it, prepare a wedding in a day but he does it. He marries Freddie any gives their marriage six months. If either of them is disappointed after that interval, they will go their separate ways.

The marriage brings trouble in its wake. They share passion but Freddie feels she is is an outsider in Bentley's life. He hides things from her, didn't share anything with her and leaves her bed every night. They both learn the meaning of marriage and love together.

It was a good book with a singular storyline. The non sexual scenes between Freddie and Bentley were equally good as the sexual ones and helped establishling the romance.

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221. Until You

Judith McNaught

In the first chapter itself, Sheridan's ward runs off and she is left with the daunting task of informing her betrothed that she has lost his fiancee. Stephen is consumed with guilt because Burleton is run off with his carriage. Burleton was drunk and appeared in front of Stephen's carriage in the fog. He goes to the ducks to inform Burleton's fiance of his demise. At the docks, he sees Sheridan and assumes her to be Charise Lancelot. He informs her of Burleton's death but before she can say anything, she is hit with a cargo net and hurts her head. When she wakes up after three days, Stephen and Sheridan find that she has lost her memory. To prevent her from being overwrought, Stephen pretends to be her fiance and calls her Lancelot with her being none the wiser. Fighting with his attraction towards her, Stephen plots with his family to introduce her to the society and find her a husband. The same day, a letter arrives from America, carrying the news of death of Mr. Lancelot, Charise's father. He decides that since Sherry has no one else left in the world but him, it's only fair he marries her. The day they are to be married, the real Charise Lancelot appears. Looking at her brings Sherry's memory back. She runs away because she thinks Stephen will not believe her and because he never loved her. Stephen waits for her return, for her explanation; but when she doesn't, he decides to hate her after all. His sister-in-law decides to play Cupid and arranges a meeting for them. They meet, have sex and part angrily. But Stephen can't forget her and convinces himself that she actually loved him and was speaking the truth. He arranges another wedding and proposes, she accepts.

It had more happening in the first fifty pages than the rest of the book. The part after they are separated is dragged. The climax was not very convincing, bit it was okay. Stephen's feelings towards Sherry and mine toward him were all messed up by the end. But it was an okay 3/5 kinda book.

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I have developed a love for silk and lavish gowns and it's all because of historical romance covers. I want a picture like that

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220. The Day of The Duchess

Sarah McLean

It has a story to it. The way it switches between the past and present is smooth and curious. The first conversation between Malcolm and Seraphina is great. The part in the parliament was far fetched both times, in the beginning and towards the end. Sometimes I did feel they making a mountain out of a molehill. But the female characters kept me hooked. All the sisters, the dangerous daughters were well written. Even the suitesses had a character which is rare in an Avon book. Caleb was a great character with a lot of potential and I would like to read his story whenever it comes out. One thing that kept nagging was the fact that Malcolm compromised Sera because he thought she wouldn't be able to say no afterwards. She did it so it became impossible for her to say no. So, when they were discovered and forced to marry, it was rather hypocritical of him to act righteous and year Sera like he did. And there is no reference to that in the book after that. Other than that it was a pretty good historical romance.

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219. Still Me

“Joshua William Ryan the Third.”

“You really have to have made up that name.”

They both turned to look at me.

“Nobody outside soap operas can actually be called that,” I said, and then realized I had meant to think it rather than say it aloud.

“Okay. Well. You can call me Josh,” he said equably.

“Louisa Clark,” I said, then added, “The First.”

His eyes narrowed just a little.

“Mrs. Leonard Gopnik. The Second,” said Agnes. “But then you probably knew that.”

It is because of these funny bits and the liveliness of Lou's character that I like Jojo Moyes so much. 'Me Before You' was amazing. It infiltrated my reading lists and forever sits in my favorite list. So, when I realised it had sequels, I felt cheated. Why didn't I know about it. So I read 'After You' and 'Still Me' in a day. It was worth it. With my period cramps, o wasn't well enough to do anything else but read. So I read. With tea and chocolate breaks, but Louisa Clark had me in her grip. I wanted to know, but not finish the book. What would I do after I finish it. The crisis would be great. But I must know what happens to her. Life is not fair.

“Louisa Elizabeth Clark.” I peered over the counter. “Though I never use the Elizabeth bit. Because my mum realized after they named me that that would make me Lou Lizzy. And if you say that really fast it sounds like lunacy. Though my dad says that’s kind of fitting. Not that I’m a lunatic. I mean, you wouldn’t want lunatics in your country. Hah!”

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218. After You

Jojo Moyes

After I read 'Me Before You', I watched the movie. It was amazing too. But when I read 'After You', I kept imagining Emilia Clarke as Louisa Clark. I had loved her character, so obviously I felt cheated when I realised Will had a daughter he never told Louisa about. How could he? I felt all her worries. The other great part was the 'moving on' group and Jake's stories. Poor Sam, he was a victim of misunderstandings and Lou's overactive imagination. The way Josue comes out of her shell was brilliant. There were many great angles to the story, but it was not 'Me Before You' and hence I will not remember it for yours. I don't think it was even necessary to milk Lou's character so much.

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217. Magpie Murders

Anthony Horowitz

This book is celebration of crime/ mystery genre. Maybe because I hadn't read a mystery in a long time or this was just good, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It contains a novel within a novel. Susan is an editor, when she is given Alan's manuscript, she doesn't think anything is amiss. She is familiar with Atticus, Alan's detective who is solving his last case. Soon, Susan is convinced that there is a hidden story in the manuscript and she becomes sure of it when Alan is discovered dead. She thinks Alan was murdered, and goes searching for the missing chapters for they may contain the name of the killer.

It was a pleasant surprise and a page turning read.

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215. Ruthless Reunion

Elizabeth power

Alex meets Sanchia again in a court house. But Sanchia refuses to recognise him. Alex refuses to believe that she has lost her memory of last three years. He agrees to help regain her memory back, but he has an ulterior motive.

It was surprising. It had a storyline to which it stuck, which was nice. One of the better Harlequins.

Forgettability- 3/10

Short read

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214. The Beauty Of Discomfort

Amanda Lang

It is a book underlining the fact that comfort kills or stalls success. And it really does underline and highlight with lots of repetition. It doesn't bring anything new to the table. The examples are okay.

Forgettability- 3/10

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213. Imagine Me Gone

Adam Haslett

This book depicts how a family's lives can be changed if someone suffers from depression. It was not a book, it was a journey that I followed with the characters. The kind of book that alters your reading experience so much that you compare a multitude of your future treads to it. And the one book you will recommend to a lot of people. The way it shows the world from each character's point of view, you get to know them a lot better. You know their fears and vices. And that makes the storytelling all the more involving.

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212. When a Scot Ties The Knot

Tessa Dare

The beginning of this book was entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Madeline invented a fiance and wrote letters to him. It was looking upward and then Mackenzie entered the book and it hit a plateau. His character was less entertaining than the aunt and the aunt barely spoke five sentences. His seduction was below par, his romance was absent. This was one of the few books in which I liked the heroine more than the hero. She was fun. Her lobsters were interesting. But it was stretched like a chewing gum towards the end. There was no angst, no hurdles to overcome. She kept saying no, he kept seducing her. And she said yes at the end.

The end.

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211. Fangirl

Rainbow Rowell

It was a story, just a story. I don't think about it. Infact, I often forget ever reading it. There was no bigger picture, no lessons to be learned and no questions to be answered. The characters didn't have much going for them. I skipped pages. It seemed stretched at some parts. This will be last (and first) Rainbow Rowell book.

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210. Put Up Your Duke

Megan Frampton

Nicholas is enjoying himself at a house of I'll repute when he is informed that due to a cascade of events, he has become a Duke. He is most surprised and even more astonished to learn that he has also inherited a bride. Isabella is none too pleased to be that brie. But all her life, she has been trained to be a Duchess. Hence begins a husband's seduction of his wife. It has its funny parts with great chemistry between the characters and that was all possible with good characters. We get to know Nicholas, about his love for sex and unwillingness to marry. We get to know Isabella through her opposing views on matrimony and her inner battles.

It's worth a read.

Forgettable

Short (not very) read.

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209. The Birds

Daphne du Maurier

Read in under 1hr

Pages- 31

A gem of a book. Set in Cornwall, after the serving world war, the story is about a farmhand any his family who are under attack by birds. The next day, the whole town is engulfed. By the end, whole of England is involved. The story is a clever metaphorical representation of the aerial attack on Britain during WW2.

Forgettability- 7/10

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208. Everything I Never Told You

Celeste NG

A book so beautiful, I wasnt able to put it down. I read it in one sitting, in about two and a half hours. It was so heartfelt that I lived each of the character's lives. I felt Marilyn. How she had to give up her dreams for circumstances she didn't envision. I felt James, how he was always trying to fit in. I felt Hanna, how she is overlooked and ignored. I wanted to hug her so many times throughout the book. I felt Lydia, how she is weighed down by expectations. I felt Nath, how he is carrying the burden of understanding. It is a beautifully written book. I enjoyed it thoroughly and will remember it for a long long time.