(E) Mastering the Marquess by Lavinia Kent

Louisa, Lady Brookingston, has a secret.  Despite being happily married to the love of her life for six years, she remains a virgin.  A war injury prevented her husband from fulfilling his martial duties before he passed away.  When she decides to remarry, she knows she cannot dishonor his memory by entering into a marriage as a virgin.  And she knows of only one woman who can help her:  Madame Rouge.  A woman owning a house of "ill reput", she is compassionate about Louisa's situation and feels she has the perfect man for her.

Geoffrey, the Marquess of Swanton, is in need of a wife.  He knows he needs an heir to carry on the family line but his sexual appetite prevents him from going after any woman.  He craves control; the control he receives at Madame Rouge's establishment.  When she comes to him to explain she is in need of a man to show a widow about carnal passion, he is intrigued.

After a night of passion, both players are drawn towards each other; both wanting to know who was with whom.  As a stipulation of Louisa's, neither know the identity of the other.  Until Geoffrey spots Louisa from across a crowded ballroom.  His body knows hers, his lone colorful memory is that of her beautiful hair.  Can he convince her that he is the man for her and that he is just the man she needs?

I absolutely adored this novel.  This is historical erotica at its finest.  Yes, the sex scene where Geoffrey unleashes Louisa's passions goes on for page after page, you never once feel that it is being drawn out.  You watch as Louisa's inner woman comes out after being a perfect housewife to her husband.  You watch as Geoffrey becomes enamored with Louisa and desperately wants to find out her true identity.  Underneath it all, this story is about each person's search for themselves.  Louisa struggles with this newfound sexual awakening; Geoffrey struggles with his desire for control and his "by day" gentlemanly appearance.  I loved taking this story with them and watching as both of them came to terms with both sides of their lives - together.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

(R) His Every Need by Terri L. Austin

Allie Campbell is willing to do anything to help her family.  After having to take over the reins of her family when her mother passes away, she learns her father has managed to lose their house as well.  When Allie learns the name of the man whom her father as gotten a loan, and managed to default on, is Brit tycoon Trevor Blake, she goes to see him.  She agrees to move in and become his mistress in exchange for forgiving her father's debts.  Even though her father is oblivious to the problems within the family, her younger sister is running with the wrong crowd, and the youngest sister is withdrawing into herself, Allie still decides this is the best she can do to save her family.

While Trevor never really intended to follow through with this ridiculous scheme, things don't exactly go as planned (do they ever?).  His parents show up and, with them, chaos.  He is closed off from them, causing him to do the same to Allie.  As he begins to find solace with her, not only physically but emotionally, he starts to develop real feelings for Allie.  But when he pushes her away and pushes too far, he loses Allie.  But can he get her back?

Is it possible to give a book more than five stars?  If so, this book would be at the top of the list to deserve those extra stars.  I LOVED this book!  When I first read the synopsis, I immediately thought it would be more Fifty Shades than romantic tale.  Boy was I surprised.  Trevor doesn't immediately get into bed with Allie, despite their agreement.  And the way their chemistry grows with the turn of every page and how they each handle the same situations when they are thrust together is a wonderful change of pace.  I love how both of their families add a further dimension to the story.  Trevor hates his family but Allie loves them (as so will the readers - eventually); Allie wants to save her family and Trevor wants her to see they need to save themselves.  Its a wonderful story, full of surprises and love.  This author is moving up on my list of favorites and I cannot wait to see even more of Allie and Trevor in the future!

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

(E) His to Possess by Opal Carew

Jessica wants to start over - new job in a new city - to escape the broken heart she left in her hometown.  She never expected that a brief encounter, and a ride to a career fair, would lead to a one night stand with a hot billionaire.  When she receives a job offer weeks later, she is shocked to learn that her new boss is the same man she slept with.  Worried about mixing business with pleasure, she is relieved when he tells her that their relationship will be dictated by her and he will abide by her wishes.

Dane Rainer wants Jessica back in his bed, despite what he tells her.  Although he is a man of his word, neither of them can deny the attraction they hold for each other.  Knowing Jessica is still broken hearted over the man she left behind, they agree to move forward on a purely physical relationship.  But when Jessica's ex walks in, everyone is shocked to see that Jessica's "Storm" is actually Dane's prodigal brother, Rave.

This book held SUCH promise for me!  The beginning was phenomenal.  Filled with hot sex and great dialogue, I was eager to see how the author would sort out the love triangle between Jessica and the two brothers.  Both men want Jessica happy more than anything else, despite the fact that they both admit they are in love with her.  Dane, wanting to repair the relationship with his brother, pushes Jessica away and back into the arms of his brother.  However, he realizes that his own happiness is just as important as his relationship with his brother.

And then the book goes downhill for me.  Maybe it was because I felt like the book couldn't find its identity.  Its marketed as a D/s book but with only one line at the beginning of the book and two sexual scenes where being tied up (amongst other things in the later scene!) is used.  I felt like it was just a run-of-the-mill erotica book with some bondage thrown in.  Dane's line of wanting Jessica to be in a full-on Dom/sub relationship really held no bearing in the book.  I kept waiting for further scenes to increase in the Dominating aspect of sex but it was never there.  Until the end, where things just got plain WEIRD.

Maybe it was because they were brothers.  Maybe it was because suddenly, Jessica is into full on Dom gear with swings and being strapped into a leather contraption.  I don't know.  But when Dane and Rave both have M/F/M sex with Jessica, I was just confused.  Like I said, maybe it was because they were brothers and that just seems sick to me (I have nothing against M/F/M in books - I'd just like to point that out).

And then there was the actual ending.  Rave has spent all this time saying he's in love with Jessica and then suddenly he's not.  He has this sudden epiphany that he was, what?  In love with being in love?  Get serious.  Rave was supposed to be this bad boy who fell in love - not some softie who just shakes his head and lets Jessica go.

This book held such promise for me!  The beginning was great.  But the end... it just fell way too short for me.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

(E) The Education of Victoria by Angela Meadows

An open letter to the author...

I would first like to direct your attention to the definition of the word, plot (as defined by dictionary.com):  "Also called a storyline.  The plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story."

Now, I have read a great many books in my time and there are only two books that, until now, I have not finished once I began.  The first was Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge and the other was Consequences by Aleatha Romig.  You now have the distinction of being added to that list.  Why, you may ask?  I refer you back to my opening statement, the definition of the word "plot" - of which your book does NOT have one!

If I wanted to spend my time reading about nothing but sex, give me something that makes me want to push forward in the book; that makes me want to turn each and every page.  Give me characters that I relate to and that I want to see succeed.  Even Fifty Shades of Grey had a plot, despite the countless pages of sex that was within it.  We wanted to see how Ana and Christian achieved being in a relationship together despite his massive faults.  We wanted to see the characters grow because we knew that underneath it all, they loved each other.  Your characters were just a bunch of silly young girls who had a bunch of random sex with each other (by the way, I get the whole "you need to figure out how to please yourself before you please a man" part but why throw in all the F/F sex if they're figuring out how to please a man?).  You didn't give us a likable character in Victoria, who seemed nothing but a silly, air-headed aristocratic daughter who wanted things handed to her.  You didn't even give us a love interest for crying out loud!!

I even skipped to the end of the book, hoping against hope that there was something that would keep me reading.  "Just maybe she'll have achieved something - a love interest perhaps or even finding a dark secret about the school that she and the other girls need to figure out."  But, alas, I did not.  Next time you write a book, give us characters we want to cheer for and give us an actual PLOT to keep us interested.

Thank you.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.