Review: Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal by Grace Burrowes

On 03/05/2012 By MikaelaIn Uncategorized

The Particulars: Historical Romance, Sourcebooks, available in print and as e-book

The Source: Pre-ordered at Allromance

The Grade: B

The Blurb

Maggie Windham, oldest of the Windham sisters and a by-blow from His Grace’s pre-marital wild oats, finds herself in desperate needs of an investigator to help her retrieve a missing reticule. Benjamin Hazlit knows the Windham family secrets, and can be trusted to keep them to himself, so Maggie turns to Benjamin, though it means ignoring his too-broad shoulders, his too-knowing smile… and his too-skilled kisses.

As Benjamin starts the search for Maggie’s missing purse, he realizes two things: First, whatever was in that purse, its loss has Maggie not just rattled, but terrified. Second, Benjamin will go to any lengths to see Maggie’s peace of mind restored, even if it means he must keep himself in very close proximity to the shy, secretive lady who says she wants nothing to do with him.

The Review:

After the disappointment I felt over Lady Sophia’s Christmas Gift, I hesitated but I decided to purchase it. In fact, I did more than purchase it. I decided to use one of Allromance ebooks 10th for free discounts, and pre-ordered it. And l am glad it did.

This book reminded me why Grace Burrowes is on my auto buy list. It has everything I want in a good novel. Both Benjamin and Maggie are fascinating characters. None of them are intrested in waltzing around in ball rooms.

One thing that I like is that the fact that Maggie is on the shelf. She have fought for her independence, and won it. It was fascinating to see how the wall of isolation she had built around her to keep her secrets hidden came crumbling down when Benjamin started to poke his nose into her life.

Benjamin is the perfect compliment for Maggie. He is curious, strong and trustworth. It was touching to watch how he gradually coaxed out Maggie her secrets.

But what I liked the most were how tightly intervoven Benjamin’s search for Maggie’s purse and their romance was. Often, the mystery plot feels tacked on but not in this case. No, in this novel Benjamin’s search is what propels the novel forward.

I also liked that the romance developed gradaully through the book, and that even when they have revealed the secrets to each other their path isn’t easy.

The end was touching on so many levels, and changed a lot of the family dynamics within the Windham family.

So what I didn’t like.

I had a lot of trouble with believing that Benjamin could keep the fact that he was titled a secret from a big part of the Ton. Yes, he might be from Cumbria but still. I thought there were some sort of calendar that listed all eligible Lords? Or maybe I am mixing things up.

Desperately Wanting Wednesday: Indie Publisher Titles

On 02/05/2012 By MikaelaIn Uncategorized

For the love of Jazz by Shiloh Walker:

Someone wants a secret to stay buried—even if it means murder.
Since waking up in a hospital at age eighteen, accused of driving the car that killed his best friend, Jazz McNeil has lived with a guilty heart. Now, more than a decade later, he has returned to his hometown to raise his daughter and to uncover the truth about what happened that fateful summer. And gaze into the eyes of the girl whose life he shattered.
Though Anne-Marie Kincaid was told that Jazz was responsible for her brother’s death all those years ago, she has never quite believed it. The facts don’t quite fit; they never did. All she knows is, she still feels loved and safe when she’s with Jazz, and that he misses her brother just as much as she.

Urban Fantasy reading challenge:Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane:

On 02/05/201212/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, reviews

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Orbit, available in Print and as e-book

The Source: Purchased at Bokus during a sale

The Grade: D+

The Blurb:

THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah

The Review:

I have been on the edge on buying this book since it was released, but when I found it on Sale in february I decided to buy it.

This is a book that you either love or hate. I wanted to love it, since it has a lot of the elements that I love in Urban Fantasy.

The world was dark, and gritty. There were several things that fascinated me. One thing were the magic system. I am not sure if I have seen a magic system like it before. I loved the way it used European folklore to banish Ghosts.

Another thing that intrigued me was the ghosts, and how their existens were the base of the Church, and employed the Debunkers and Liasons.

The plot were filled with unexpected twists. One thing that I liked were that the motives stemmed from pure and simple greed. From Bump’s wish to open the airfield, to Chess wish to buy more drugs. The stakes kept growing, and I kept reading to see how the mystery was solved. And the end took me by surpise, yet it made sense.

The characters were deliciously flawed. I loved that they showed how different Chess lives were. The upside life were she was a Church Debunker and interacted with Church Elders, Goodys and suburban families. Then there were the Downside life, were she interacted with Terrible, Bump, and street urchins.

So what I didn’t like.

I didn’t like Chess. Everything Chess does, she does to earn money to purchase drugs. I’ll be honest, this book was very close to becoming an DNF for me, but curiosity made me read on..