Review: SEDUCING THE GOVERNESS by Margo Maguire

Historical Romance (Regency)
Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins
384 Pages

Release: February 22, 2011

The death of her mother reveals many things to Mercy Franklin. First, her parents aren't who she thought they were. Second, that she must now obtain a job to survive. Finding a position as a governess seems to be the answer to her prayers.

Nash, the new Earl of Ashby is in his current position due to the bad luck that seems to plague his family with misfortune. As he tries to correct the shambles he finds himself in, he is enchanted by his niece's lovely governess.

As his niece blossoms under the care of her new governess, Nash finds himself admiring Mercy for more than her nurturing skills. But what kind of future can a governess and Earl hold together? Will they let temptation get the best of them?

*****

SEDUCING THE GOVERNESS is one those books that, while I enjoyed it, there was just something that stopped me from loving it. I was interested in Mercy and Nash's developing romance, but I never felt a strong emotional connection that kept me engaged. I found myself more interested in finding the truth behind Nash's brothers' deaths, and frustrated that it took him so long to make the necessary links.


Also, I wanted to see more of Captain Gavin Briggs, he's one of those characters that even though he had a small role in the story, he just kept drawing my attention. I really hope he is the hero in Christina's story, especially since I was so drawn to him. Because of that I can guarantee I will be picking up Margo Maguire's next book.

Rating: 3/ 5

 

Author's Website

Purchase: Nook / Books On Board / Kindle

Review: AFTERTIME by Sophie Littlefield

Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic

Luna Books, a division of Harlequin Enterprises

384 Pages

Release: March 1, 2011

In post-apocalyptic California, people are struggling with day to day survival. Bio-warfare decimated the landscape, killing off plants and animals, only the hardiest survived. Then came the blue-leaf fever, it didn't kill every one affected, yet those who survived became flesh-eaters, zombies, or more commonly referred to as Beaters.

Cass Dollar can't remember the last 2 months of her life, but that is not a terrible thing, the last she does remember is being taken away by a group of Beaters. The scars on her body tell a story that even she finds hard to believe. She has recovered from the disease, fortunately with no recollection of what she did or became. Now she has one focus, to find her daughter Ruthie

With the help of the mysterious man everyone calls Smoke, Cass hopes to find Ruthie. Knowing it would be a difficult road, she never envisions the obstacles thrown in the way of their quest. Nor is she prepared for the feelings Smoke has awakened in her .

*****

When I flipped to the last page of AFTERTIME my initial reaction was: WHAT?!? THIS is the END?!? Noooooo, I wanted MORE! I wasn't ready to let Cass, Smoke and Ruthie go yet. I felt as if I was just getting to know them. Lord knows, we barely scratched the surface of Smoke. He is so mysterious, alpha, heroic, kind and SUPER hot! This was a gripping and emotional tale of survival that will keep any reader on their toes, because you just never know what is going to happen when you turn the page.

Cass had lead a pretty lousy life in the Before, one that she strongly regrets. You can feel her yearning to be a better person. Her daughter Ruthie is the reason she keeps going on, yet as the story moved on, I understood that she was starting to care for Smoke, and wanted to be a better person for him also.

Ahh, Smoke is still a delicious mystery. I'm not really sure why he was so eager to leave with Cass and why he never wavered in his faith of her. Of course I'm happy he made the decisions he did. There were a few brief explanations, but he really stuck his neck out for a complete stranger.

AFTERTIME is the first book of a new series I canNOT wait to continue. There were a few spots in the beginning of the book that seemed a bit discombobulated, but that didn't last long, and in all honesty, it worked with the story because Cass was just coming out of her illness and was trying to work things out in her confused brain.

Rating: 5 / 5

Author's website

Purchase: Nook  /  Kindle  /  Harlequin (Luna)

*I originally posted this review at http://enchantingreviews.blogspot.com/ *

Go Pack Go!!!! Higher Education Presents: Feelin So Fly Like a Cheesehead (Official Mus...

What I read in January ...

I had a great reading month, but I also had the first week of January off of work, so that helped A LOT - oh and so did my binge of HP's (note: none of the HP's were newly published, I've had them sitting around a while, and I picked most of them up at garage sales)! I also seemed to read a lot of books by author's named Sara(h). LOL :)


01) UNDERTOW - Cherry Adair (A) (Suspense, treasure hunters)
02) BOUGHT BY THE GREEK TYCOON - Jacqueline Baird (B) (Harlequin Presents)
03) MARRIAGE AT A DISTANCE - Sara Craven (C) (Harlequin Presents)
04) CHILDREN OF SCARABAEUS - Sara Creasy (A) (SciFi)
05) HONOR'S SPLENDOUR - Julie Garwood (A) (Historical)
06) THE ITALIAN BILLIONAIRE'S PREGNANT BRIDE - Lynne Graham (B) (Harlequin Presents)
07) THE CONTAXIS BABY - Lynne Graham (A) (Harlequin Presents)
08) VISIONS OF MAGIC - Regan Hastings (B) (Paranormal)
09) THE ITALIAN'S CHOSEN WIFE - Kate Hewitt (B) (Harlequin Presents)
10) A LOT LIKE LOVE - Julie James (A) (Contemporary)
11) HOW TO WOO A RELUCTANT LADY - Sabrina Jeffries (A) (Regency)
12) PREGNANT BY THE GREEK TYCOON - Kim Lawrence (C) (Harlequin Presents)
13) AFTERTIME - Sophie Littlefield (A) (Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic/SciFi)
14) REAPER'S JUSTICE - Sarah McCarty (B) (Historical, Werewolves, Western)
15) SALE OR RETURN BRIDE - Sarah Morgan (A) (Harlequin Presents)
16) LADY BE GOOD - Susan Elizabeth Phillips (A) (Contemporary)
17) THE COUNTESS - Lynsay Sands (B) (Historical,UK... ok, I just have to say that this book seemed to have a "Scooby-Doo" feel about the whole story, which was fun, but kinda took me out of it, as I kept waiting for the villian to say "...and I would have succeeded if it weren't for you meddling kids", I was rather disappointed when it wasn't said. LOL)