Surrender to Me, by Sophie Jordan

If you like your English romance mixed with a little bit of Texas, then this is the book for you!

Surrender to Me is the story of Astrid, the Duchess of Derring, was abandoned by her husband in order for him to escape forgery charges the the hangman's noose. He leaves her penniless, and Astrid scrimps and saves to keep her home and respectability while resisting the nefarious offers that come to her from less honorable gentlemen of the ton. Astrid is cool and collected; a proper Duchess, with a cold heart years in the making. When she finds out her husband is in the country, and planning to wed under an assumed name, she makes plans to journey to Scotland to stop his wedding.

Of course, it's not that easy. As Astrid's coach is attached by rough Scottish highwaymen, Griffin Shaw saves the day. Having come to Scotland based on the near-death ramblings of his thought to be mother, he journeys from Texas and his life there to find what his true heritage is. Griffin rescues the carriage, after taking a blow to the head, and Astrid and her maid lug him into the carriage so they may find a doctor to tend him. Astrid is immediately attracted to Griffin, and he knows it.

I always love a good plot, especially one that comes full circle as this one does. Astrid finds her husband, but someone else has plans to stop the wedding before she can talk sense into him. As Astrid leaves his room, a widow, she is seen and Griffin knows she must leave the area in order to escape the authorities who are looking for her. Along the way they Astrid is taken hostage by a Scottish clan, rescued by Griffin, and are forbidden to leave the castle where they are "guests". They escape only to come across another clan, this one the people Griffin was looking for. During this, Astrid and Griffin come to realize they care for each other more than either will let on.

I dearly love Sophie Jordan's books; I can never put one down! She writes her characters so intricately you know their inner thoughts before you read them on paper. You become involved emotionally and hate and love them at the same time! Definitely one to pick up!

An Improper Suitor, by Monica Fairview

A young lady in possession of her own fortune, and raised by a Grandmother with friends such as Mary Wollstonecraft, has no inclination or desire to marry, despite society's views on the subject. But when said Grandmother has a change of heart, and places an ultimatum at your door; find a husband within 3 months or she will marry you off to a rake, one tends to pay more attention to her marriage prospects. Such is the case with Julia Swifton.

Julia's mother died when she was very young of a trifling illness, or a broken heart, whichever you prefer. Her father, a rake of the first order, abandoned them and set out to live his life on the continent, making Julia reject the idea of marrying anyone, especially a rake like her father. So, with her Grandmother's ultimatum at her door, she sets out to find a husband of the scholarly type, for who should a bluestocking want if not a scholarly gentleman? If only it was that easy. Julia is quite literally abducted into the path of Lord Thorwynn, the man her Grandmother has threatened her with, in her attempts to rescue a lady on a bolted horse.

Lord Thorwynn is a former military man, back from battle with no desire to enter into society and its matchmaking Mamas. His chance meeting with Julia brings back a foe from his military days, Neave, and he's after Julia and her money. Thorwynn cannot rest until he can prove once and for all to the ton that Neave is not to be trusted, even risking his reputation along with Julia's in the process.

The romance between Julia and Thorwynn is slow to evolve, with many missteps and returned engagements rings along the way, but that only adds to the fun of the novel. It makes for a lovely story, especially with the addition of Julia's eccentric family and Thornwynn's hypochondriac mother. There is much humor throughout the book that makes it a joy to read.

Tall, Dark, and Kilted by Allie MacKay

Why don't I quit while I'm ahead?

It should be enough for me to love Outlander, Dragonfly, etc. etc., and then to just leave well enough alone.  No. I have to gravitate toward any book with the word "kilt" or "Highlander" in it and expect to be completely, gloriously happy. Not gonna happen, I fear.

Tall, Dark and Kilted started off well enough. After all, the name itself was sufficient to inspire me to plunk down $6.99 US at the local drugstore. Of course, I should know by now that you can't judge a book by its title, but I was willing to take a chance on the plaided six pack displayed on its cover.

Sir Hardwick de Studley of Seagrave (yes, you read that correctly) is a ghost plagued by an ancient curse. Many years before the start of the story, he denied hospitality to a traveling minstrel who just happened to be a wizard.  In return for his rudeness, Hardwick (ahem) is placed under a nasty little spell.  His punishment? I'm so glad you asked. He has been cursed to pleasure a different woman every night with no relief for his own (ahem, again) condition. Right. Let's move on.

Hardwick strikes a deal with "The Dark One" whereby he may be released from his curse and finally have the eternal rest he so obviously deserves if he can, for one entire year, not become sexually aroused. (Still with me ?) Of course, old Hardwick thinks this will be easy considering how he has spent the last 255,500 nights. That's a lot of pleasuring, folks and our exhausted Highlander is more than willing to give it a go. He chooses a quiet retreat in the Highlands to wait out his proving period.

Enter our other protagonist, Cilla Swanner. Cilla has been having a hard time herself. Dumped by her fiance and ruined financially by said fiance's new girlfriend, she's looking for an escape and finds it in her uncle's ancient castle turned rest home in the Scottish Highlands.  But she's in for quite a shock when she meets Hardwick.

The plot goes on from there and centers around the growing attraction between de Studley and Cilla. Of course she is just the woman to tempt him and ruin his chances of breaking the curse and most of the story revolves around Hardwick's growing attraction for her as he struggles with his self-imposed celebacy.  Cilla, on the other hand, is trying to accept the fact that she is being actively pursued by a 700 year-old ghost who looks damn hot in a kilt.

The premise had definite promise and I enjoyed the beginning of the book more than the end. I had some trouble following the paranormal descriptions and lost my way several times as new barricades to this unusual couple's happiness kept unexpectedly cropping up.  I did like the author's characterizations of the supporting players, particular Hardwick's ghoulish friend Bran of Barra and Cilla's somewhat psychic Aunt Birdie.

Overall, however, it doesn't really live up to the cover art. And frankly, that was a disappointment.

It's time to stop the insanity; I'm reading Shakespeare next.

The Edge of Desire, by Stephanie Laurens

Is it altogether possible that an historical romance can have too much of a good thing? I can say, unequivocally, yes, it can. And that does not make for a good book.  In Stephanie Laurens' latest novel in the Bastion Club series, Christian Allardyce,  Lord Dearne, and Lady Letitia Randall, nee Vaux,  mix it up quite a bit on their way to a reconciliation.  Usually, I don't complain about such things, but if there is one problem I have with this author's writing style, it's the fact that she must have an open thesaurus on her desk for every sentence.  Laurens re-states the same sentence using different words so many times, that the book is probably twice as long as it should be.  The love scenes have a certain descriptive repetitiveness to them which had me fast forwarding. In fact, the entire book had me wishing for the last chapter.

The story revolves around Christian and Letitia's long ago love affair.  Christian leaves her  to work as a sort of early MI6 agent and Letitia, while promising to wait for his return, is forced into marriage with a man who can save her family's fortunes. Fast forward 12 years, and her husband, a Mr. Randall, is found murdered in his study. Letitia calls on Christian for help. So what if  they haven't spoken in 12 years and they are both  still hurt and angry  from what each see as abandonment by the other. Who else should Letitia call on, if we are to have a story, hmm?

While the story is a good one, as these plots go, there are times that you just shake your head at Letitia's stubborness and downright volatility.  Laurens puts this down to Letitia being a "Vaux," like that should explain everything.  The name "Vaux" was mentioned so many times, that by the end of the novel, I was totally immune to it. Please.  Who cares?  Letitia is high maintenance. Say it once since that's what you really mean,  and leave it at that.

Anyway, the best part of the novel comes at the end, when the identity of Dalziel, the ring leader of this merry band of ex-spies who titled themselves the Bastion Club, is revealed. He gets his own book next Fall. I'm hoping that by then I will have forgotten how much I dislike this author's writing style. After all, Dalziel's story should be the most interesting, and the culmination of the Bastion Club series. The characters in this series should not be faulted for their creator's writing peccadilloes. Each and every one of the Bastion Boys are definitely worth a look.

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer

Anyone who's past their teenage years can identify with and remember the feeling that comes with first love. It overwhelms you just when your romantic dreams are most active and your hormones are least able to handle it. And you remember it for the rest of your life. Your mortal life, that is.

It was in this frame of mind that I picked up my daughter's copy of Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer.  The story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, on the surface, is just such a story about teenage love.  However, it takes about two minutes to realize that there is something very different about the Cullen kids. Putting aside their alabaster skin, graceful poise, perfect hair and strangely colored eyes that can be a walking advertisement for Freshlook Colorblends contacts, they are normal seventeen year old teens.  Not convinced? You shouldn't be. Something very strange is lurking in Forks, Washington, and it's centered on the Cullen family.

Bella is a pretty  teenager prone to some awkward occurrences, like hitting classmates with badminton rackets and tripping over her own feet. She  comes to live with her father, Charlie, the Chief of Police, in Forks, where the perennial gray skies and rain  make the town an attractive spot for the local undead. Bella is irresistibly drawn to Edward Cullen,  another Forks teenager  (on the surface). It's her deep attraction to him and his to her, that gets them into trouble. And then miraculously, gets them out of it.

What drew me into this story and had me finishing it in two days, which is unusual for me as I usually do not read anything that even hints of horror, is the author's way of handling Edward's "affliction."  He seems almost normal, although highly sensitive,  for a seventeen year old who has lived eighty some odd years and has to quench his occasional "thirst" on some very interesting liquid.  He's kind, he's loving and affectionate and he loves Bella with all his heart, and will do anything to protect her, as will the rest of his adopted undead family. It's so endearing that you may actually forget the  premise of the book. Briefly.  After all, who wouldn't want to be loved like that? At any age??  Bella's casual acceptance of who or what Edward is and her willingness to be with him despite the fact her very life is dependent on his self control, adds to the appeal and the suspense There are other forces that these two need to be wary of. Edward is the least of Bella's concerns, and she tries many times to assure him that she knows he would never hurt her.

I loved this book. It wasn't the vampire elements (although the author managed to make even the lessons in vampire lore very interesting)  that got me. It was the innocence of first love between Bella and Edward.  That, combined with what Edward is, made this a page turner. I recommend this one and will be reading the sequels, as soon as I put a bandaid over the marks on my neck.

Duchess by Night, by Eloisa James

The Desperate Duchesses series continues with Duchess by Night, the story of Harriet, the widowed Duchess of Berrow. When I started this series, I was sucked in by Jemma, the Duchess of Beaumont and her story, but James has never seemed to get around to the most intriguing Duchess. However, Harriet doesn't disappoint by any means.

Harriet has a long and complicated back story, including the suicide of her husband, Benjamin, the Duke of Berrow, over a lost game of chess. Throughout the Duchess series, chess is a continual theme, but not so much in this installment. Harriet has made herself into a dowdy widow at only 27, and she is convinced there is no happiness left in her life, and her only distraction is helping preside over the local court while the judge drinks himself into a drunken stupor. Harriet realizes she needs some excitement in her life, so along with Isidore, the Duchess of Cosway, and the Duke of Villiers, she joins them at a house party given by the scandalous Lord Strange....dressed as a man!

Lord Strange is literally the richest man in England, and holds continuous house parties where actors, actresses, dancers and singers from his Covent Garden theater come to practice their shows, along with some other entertainments. In the midst of all this, Lord Strange is raising his highly intelligent daughter, Eugenia, while hosting scholars and the kingdom's most powerful politicians.  Lord Strange is....well, strange.  He his fascinated with engineering and has a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa attached to his house.  As a favor to the Duke of Villiers, he agrees to take "Harry" under his wing and teach him how to be a man, despite is weird attraction to the "boy" and his feminine looks.  His lessons include riding very early in the morning, rare beef and beer for breakfast, and fencing lessons afterwards.  Needless to say, a duchess is not used to such activity, and poor Harriet does her best to keep up, while finding a freedom she has never known before, and has always desired.  Strange does figure out she is a woman, beginning an affair that painfully ends when Strange learns she is a duchess, and believes she is toying with him, as aristocrats sometimes do with the lesser classes.  All ends well, don't worry, but I won't go into detail here.

While not my favorite Duchess book, this one does have its moments.  Harriet's transformation into a confident woman is funny and sad at times, and Lord Strange's change from eccentric to responsible father is touching as well.  This is a light-hearted book, and a nice, quick read.

If you are interested in the Duchess series, the next installment, When the Duke Returns, hits stores November 25.

A Kiss to Remember, by Teresa Medeiros

A beautiful girl stumbles upon a handsome man, lying unconscious in a forest.  She needs to get married within the month, he doesn't remember his name or where he comes from.  What's a girl to do?  Keep him!

So starts this book by Teresa Medeiros, one of my favorite romance authors. And she is my favorite because she writes a really good story that's infused with humor; the combination of which is irresistible.

Laura Fairleigh and her two siblings are the wards of Lady Eleanor Harlow, brought to Arden Manor after a fire kills their parents.  Lady Eleanor takes them in in part to assuage the guilt and yearning for her son, Sterling  Harlow.  Little Sterling  was bartered by his father to his great-Uncle, Granville Harlow, the previous Duke of Devonbrooke,  in order to become his heir.  For years, Lady Eleanor pines for the son she lost. But that son,  now the Duke of Devonbrooke, and a returned war hero, disregards her pleading letters. That is until Laura writes with the news of his mother's death.  That sarcastic missive brings a furious Sterling to Arden Manor, where he meets with his unfortunate accident in the woods. Upon finding him, she somehow  persuades the amnesiac that she is his fiancee and he has just returned, injured, from the Napoleanic wars.  Before the newly christened "Nicholas" knows what hit him, the banns are read, and he's married to Laura.  And that's just when his memory returns. And the fun starts.

Emotions run from desperation to love to redemption, and Sterling finally finds the ability to forgive the past and move on, with Laura's help.  The book is a quick read and the "romance" part of this romance novel is well represented if you get my meaning.

There's a wonderful side story involving Lady Diana, Sterling's cousin and Thane, Lord Gillingham, who is Sterling's best friend. These two alone warrant their own story. And I can see a sequel in Laura's sister, Lottie, and brother, George.

I recommend this book for a quick and enjoyable read.