The Marriage Contract (Marriage #3) by Cathy Maxwell

Summary from GoodReads

Journey with Cathy Maxwell to nineteenth-century Scotland…a land of romance and dreams. There, away from the stifling ballrooms and idle gossip of London, a debutante hopes to find a life she could only have imagined…and a noble Highlander discovers that the truest love of all awaits him in the form of an unexpected bride-to-be…

He was a man exiled from society — handsome, unpredictable, and proud. Dark rumors surrounded his name. But Anne Burnett had signed a marriage contract binding her to Aiden Black, the Earl of Tiebauld. And although she’d never met him, she’s determined to keep her word and make theirs a marriage in truth. Because a well-bred lady with little fortune to recommend her has no choice. From the moment she arrived, Anne fell in love with Kelwin Castle and its roguishly handsome laird. By day, he instills a fierce loyalty in his people with his masterful ways…and by night, he tempts Anne to surrender her innocence to him. But while he is willing to offer his body. Aiden refuses to give Anne his heart…making her wonder what prevents him from truly claiming her as his wife.

Review

Talk about inta-love at its worst! Anne is in love with Aiden after mere days. Days, you should know, that Aiden spent coming up with tasks to force his unwanted-bride back to England. He had her mucking stalls with his favorite prostitute for Pete’s sake! And apparently Anne is so beaten down she’ll accept this man as her love? Seriously?

There is so little interaction between the main characters, I think Anne falls in love out of the delirium of exhaustion. The only conversations they have revolve around the “tests” a.k.a “torture” Aiden creates. She falls dead asleep every night without kisses or conversation from the hubby. Yet, I swear to the romance gods, they fall deeply, madly, and passionately in love within 14 days.

And for all the rush when it came to emotional attachment, sex itself was (pardon the pun) frustratingly put off. The smuggler scene (which reminds Anne of her father) was a HUGE set back just as the couple was beginning to build a tenuous bond. The fact that they get over this set back just as quickly, culminating in what I’d like to call The Great Afternoon Delight session, is ridiculous. The Great Afternoon Delight includes more sex with a recent virgin than in ANY OTHER romance I’ve EVER read. And I read a lot people. After waiting 3/4 of the book for a physical commitment to underscore all that insta-love I was blown away by too much sex. Loud, obvious sex in the middle of a drama filled crisis situation where everyone can hear them. Odd. And kinda Eww.

I so wanted this story to work! Regency England and Jacobite Scotland together in one tale?! Sign me up! Too bad this was such a fail. The love happened way too fast. Felt like there were 3 days between when Anne and Aiden were total strangers to completely in love. We won’t even touch their alternate lifestyle choices…Aiden’s love of dressing the part of medieval Scottish Laird was just odd. The story left me feeling as though everything was unfounded. There was no base through the action of the story or a physical connection. Left the story feeling hollow and confused.

Rating: 2/5 Don’t be lured by the promise of a duo of mouth-watering romance eras…the story falls beyond flat. 

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A Scandalous Marriage (Marriage #2) by Cathy Maxwell

BookTalk

Leah Carrollton just wanted to find love. As a great beauty in a family struggling to maintain their ton-ish lifestyle. A bank account was more important than the love Leah sought. But a love affair found her anyway. Two love affairs to be exact.

Leah’s first love was star-crossed. Falling for Viscount Huxhold, Devon Marshall, was unfortunate. A grudge lasting a generation means that any hope Devon and Leah had for a traditional Happily Ever After was lost from the start.

After losing her great love. Leah rebounds with a less than honorable man. One who leaves her with a baby on the way. But fate expects more from Leah and Devon. Their stars and paths are to cross yet again. And the troubles they incurred during their separation may be the very things that save their love…

Review

I enjoyed this one so much more than the first. Thought starting with the baby’s delivery then flashing back to the start of Leah and Devon’s love then coming back to the delivery was really different. Really cool. I got to know the characters in a way I wasn’t expecting. Their backstory helped explain motivations and feelings…and kept the delivery from seeming too random.

Though it must be noted that no one recovers from giving birth as quickly as Leah does. Seriously?! the day after a traumatic (and premature!) birth and we’ve got our heroine throwing the baby in a drawer (yep. a dresser drawer. padded with blankets. duh.) and riding a coach to London. Leah even feels the stirring of desire for Devon. You have to ignore a lot of logic to bridge the unrealistic-ness of this situation. But if you can get past it watching Devon and Leah rebuild their love is rewarding.

What was great about this read was how much I enjoyed these characters as people. Getting to know Leah better in this novel makes such a difference…and sheds so much light on her, shall we say, sluttiness of the last novel. I actually liked her. And Devon is simply the sweetest. Even if it took them FOREVER to say the L-word. That confession was pretty obvious way before the characters admitted their feelings.

Again, the second in this series keeps the ‘drama’ to a minimum…at least in the main character’s relationships. This semi-drama-free relationship was one of the things I most like about the first book, Married in Haste. No grand displays followed by white knights to be found here. Just major issues sorted out by realistic people.

Finally, the epilogue to this book was better than the first in the series. It completed Leah and Devon’s story, giving a Happily Ever After that is the sweetest I’ve read in awhile. Well done Maxwell.

Rating: 3.5/5 A swift, sweet novel worth the hour or two of escape it provides.

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Married in Haste (Marriage #1) by Cathy Maxwell

BookTalk

The Earl of Merton can have his choice of debutantes. Sweeping in from his family home in Wales, Brenn is on the hunt for a wife.

Tess Hamlin is the belle of the Ton. She’s held the supreme position of Queen Bee for years now…so many years in fact, she’s running out of suitable men to turn down.

On the surface Brenn and Tess are perfect for each other. He is her fresh meat, and she is his wealthy wife. But neither comes to this marriage without a secret motivation. Neither is what they appear. So when the truths are revealed will the love they’ve built be enough to weather the results of their secrets…

Review

I liked that in Brenn and Tess’s relationship nothing was too “dramatic” – no one flounced off, slammed a door, left in the dead of night – even in situations where other romances would have gone there. We’ve all seen the third act escape…where one or both of the characters runs away for some flimsy reason that a simple, honest discussion would have cleared up. And while all that drama can be fun. It was refreshing to read a romance that didn’t depend on a dramatic crisis to prove character love. The key to this was that these characters kept fairly open hearts and minds through out the story. Not that they always did it for love (sometimes they were agreeable for their own gain) but they seemed to work together with understanding.

However, now that I’ve just complimented such a perfect couple, I’ll say I disliked how long Brenn and Tess kept their secrets. So many times one or the other could have unburdened themselves. Shared the secret weighing on their mind and the relationship. Maybe it would have given a bit of dramatic depth to the story to reveal…without having to involve the cliche ‘foot-stomp’.

Also, Tess’s brother was hard to swallow.He was the genesis of such a common trope – The ‘used’ daughter/sister. Tess is somehow to pay for her brother’s exorbitant debt and lifestyle.  The brother gets off without a smidge of change or shame. At least Maxwell openly states how women are used…helps watching yet another female romance character fall into the sacrificial lamp role. But seriously, Tess’s brother was a little too extreme for me to feel that Tess’s sacrifice was worth it…even if she did end up with a good man.

The ending was quick and the epilogue was long. I think the beginning of this story deserved a more fleshed out ending and a shorter ‘tacked on’ epilogue. ‘Cause that extra bit was practically another story in and of itself!

Rating: 3/5 This one had potential had the author not relied so heavily on tropes and kept her character’s secrets this one would have been stronger. 

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The silver solution was a little…”duh”…wondered that Maxwell never let the ‘battery’ investment pay off as batteries do in fact exist – and it would have been a major windfall. Could have added some historical significance to the tale.

Loved, loved the bit about Brenn wooing Tess in Wales. Again we had a situation of the townspeople falling hard and fast for Tess (uhm, totally unrealistic!). But the flowers…the priest…really really sweet. It was stuff like this that kept me reading!

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Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins

BookTalk

Parker Wells is loaded. Girl’s rich like Midas and raising her son in the family compound. But Parker isn’t just some spoiled rich girl. She’s focused on raising her son along with her son’s father…who just so happens to be married to Parker’s BFF. She has a bestselling series of children’s books featuring a band of  rollerskating angels named The Holly Rollers. And those perky pipsqueeks are about to debut in their first full lengh feature film!

Life is really comfortable for Parker…sure there’s no man turning on “Lady Land” but a girl can be happy with a beautiful child and full life.

That is until Parker’s Dad…and all of his assets (including Parker’s trust fund and home) are seized by the government. Parker is now homeless, and almost penniless looking at a pretty bleak future. Her only hope is renovating and selling a forgotten Aunt’s coastal home in rural Maine. Pumped up with hope, a new puppy, and a hot, but annoying minion of her father’s tagging along Parker may be able to change her life around…And she may find that her new life is worth far more than the wealthy one she lost…

Review

I loved this book. Can I just leave my review at that?

Just say: “Read It”

Tell you to find a comfie couch, cup of coffee, glass of wine and read, read, read

Offer the advice to “Save this one for when you really need a great dose of chick lit”

…For when you want to find a funny and surprisingly strong heroine make the most out of life

When you want to see a fiesty relationship spring from a misunderstood past…

When you want to kick back with some lemonade and imagine watching the hero nail some shingles to your beach cottage…shirtless…

I Change my Mind. Wait till the summer to read this one. Save it for a beach chair and some waves, a deck and a cold beer, a pool float and some SPF.

Enjoy watching characters from Higgins previous books (Catch of the Day and The Next Best Thing) find more Happily Ever After.

Laugh about all the references to “Lady Land”

Just read this one…You’ll thank me, because like I said after I read Until There Was You, Higgins only gets better and better with each book released.

4/5 For an almost perfect Chick Lit read. 

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Breakaway (Blades #11) by Deirdre Martin

BookTalk

Erin O’Brien and Rory Brady were childhood sweethearts and in their small town of Balleycraig they were famous for their long distance love. Years of teenage romance fueled by summers spent lounging under an old tree in an Irish field seemed to be enough to keep these love birds strong for the winters spent in separate countries; as Rory had moved to the US in his early teens. When Rory’s illustrious hockey career began it appeared as if all the couples dreams would come true.

Until Rory dumped Erin.

And Rory became the official sh*t of Balleycraig. Now years later Rory is back sure that all he’ll have to do is show up and smile to win back the heart of his childhood love…Rory may have to think again. He’ll need time, perseverance and a bit of Irish luck to right his past wrongs. Because the Erin he left all those years ago isn’t the same woman he’s returning to…

Review

My biggest issue with this book is that Rory never got a swift kick in the balls. Emotionally or physically. He got off the hook too easily. All was forgiven without too much hassle. Almost like his mere presence was enough to soothe his past wrongs. As a reader it wasn’t enough for me. Apparently I’ve got more chutzpah than our beloved Erin O’Brien.

I will bow down to the fact that this plot is probably more realistic. Erin is obviously still in love with Rory, and to be honest the fact that he’s back does more to melt her than anything else. But it still doesn’t stop me from wishing for more. In real life fate rarely gives us the perfect words or situation for retribution. But isn’t that why I’m reading romance novels? People rarely have multiple-orgasmic sex with a professional athlete in the back of a Range Rover on a beautiful day in Ireland. Mostly because it’s constantly raining. If Martin can give me a sunny day in the Irish Isles she can give me a perfectly structured moment of understanding for Rory…Or at least one well tongued criticism that makes him see the light.

I liked Erin well enough. I thought that her issues with her mom were tidied up a bit quickly in the end. But ultimately I was simply bored by the book. It dragged.

Rating: 1/5 One egotistical Hockey Player plus One small town Irish Lass equals One bored reader…

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Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss (Pregnancy and Passion #3) by Maya Banks

The ladies over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books have got me thinking…I’ve been a bad romance reader. I’ve shunned, out of prejudice, a major section of the romance publishing industry.

The Harlequin Novel.

I figured if those intelligent ladies over at Smart Bitches found them worthy of a read or two (if only to pick apart where the whole thing went wrong) I too could give these reads a second chance. And thus, my experiment was born.

I’ve started with Maya Banks’s Pregnancy and Passion series (mostly born of a love for the first book’s title).

So Without Further Ado…

Third in the Pregnancy and Passion Series is:

Wanted by her Lost Love

BookTalk

Ashley lives a life of privilege. A world that allows her to be her own woman – even if that’s a slightly scatter-brained animal activist. A woman whose actions have her father convinced she can’t stand on her own two feet.

Devon Carter is a man on a mission. He’s bound and determined to be a leader in the business world and is willing to give his life (or at least his hand in marriage) to achieve his goals. When Ashley’s father offers the proposition: Marry my daughter and you can take over my company, Devon’s desires are put to the test.

Can he really marry a woman in the name of business?

Can he keep up the charade of marriage with a woman who has no idea the love of her life is a sham?

What happens if Devon falls for Ashley?

What happens if she learns the truth?…

Review

This was probably the best paced plot in the series (Enticed by His Forgotten Lover, Wanted by Her Lost Love). Real time actually passed – 2 whole months! Plus, the pregnancy wasn’t ‘automatic’ in this installment. Ashley and Devon got to know each other and progress their relationship from a start to a more, shall we say, complicated point before a pregnancy was introduced. This was different from the first two books in the series where the story (for the reader at least) started with an advanced pregnancy.

Without the emotional ramifications that a pregnancy brings the reader gets to see Devon slowly, even subtly, falling for the ‘real’ Ash. Devon’s huge defense are the physical signs of love: chest tightening, pleasant ache in the chest, being surprised that he actually WANTED to marry her. Apparently for Devon it could be love or a heart attack. Because we all know that physically apparent signs of love resonate in the chest…it would be awful weird if they happened in the foot, or maybe even the brain – where Devon might be forced to logically acknowledge his feelings – though this might be too much to ask from a man whose instigation for marriage springs from a business contract.

Anyway, shocker of shocker Ash finds out about the business contract that led to her marriage proposal and Ash decides not to run or fold like a house of cards. Nope. Ash chooses the martyr route. And while parts of that are super sad – she feels as though she needs to change herself – it also makes her realize that in the end she needs to stay true to herself.

Ultimately, I thought this one was a good effort. Devon doesn’t come off as an ass (huge accomplishment of the author) and even though I think he could have smoothed over the situation a little earlier than he did…He also takes the fall for the heartless start of the relationship. Which was necessary for his character. The ending was pat for how complex Banks allowed the rest of the book to get. So easy it’s a little vomit-in-the-mouth sweetly perfect. The characters deserved more…

3/5: Best of the series so far, but the characters deserved an ending the included more emotional depth – or at least a heart-to-heart. 

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Library Musings…Trashy Books get Trashier

I’m heading into uncharted territory here.

Yes. The perceived Trashiest of the Trashy reads.

We all know I’m a huge fan of the romance genre and I had thought my reading palate was fairly diverse. Bring me your Urban Paranormal Vampire Kings, Your haunted Medieval Scotsman, Rugged Cowboys, Rakish Regency Dukes, and the Modern Men at all socioeconomic levels…fisherman to billionaire their sexy six-packs are all welcome in my reads.

But the more fond I became of the uber-intelligent Smart Bitches Trashy Books blog the more open my eyes became in regards to my ‘trashy’ reads. These women look at the romance genre from a literary criticism point of view as well as a simple pleasure read. I hate to admit that I almost enjoy their posts more when they don’t like the read. The way they break it down is hilarious.

But back to my point. I noticed a plethora of Harlequin Silhouette Desires books in their review base. You know those red-spined books that are aplenty in your local grocery store? The ones you cleaned out of your mother’s bookshelves (grandma for me!). Those trope filled, quick and dirty reads that we’ve all tried at some point. I realized that I was kinda prejudiced against them. I don’t think I’d picked one up since age 14 instead running toward the more mass-market best sellers…the romance books that looked more like ‘real’ literature to me.

I know.

“For shame!” I thought.

I’m a defender of romance. A white knight of the virgin/rake pairing. I’m willing to suspend reality to follow just about any love story. But a nagging feeling told me I had turned my back on a huge selection of the genre. I needed to return to my teen-reads and revisit a Harlequin. When I saw the title “Enticed by his Forgotten Lover“, part of a Pregnancy and Passion series, I thought: “This is it, it doesn’t get more Harlequin-esque than that”

And so I began. I’m 3 books in already and not sure what I think. Later today I’ll post my review of Enticed by his Forgotten Lover so you can see how this little experiment is going. Get excited…if you haven’t already gathered this little nugget is about a case of amnesia and seduction by a pregnant lady. True, at times it’s slightly more subtle than that…but I suppose you’ll have to tune in later to see what I really think!

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Loving the Highlander (Highlander #2) by Janet Chapman

BookTalk

Sadie Quill is a woman driven by the ghosts of her past. Sadie ties the loss of her sister and father to a house fire she believes she started by leaving a candle unattended in the family study. Sadie was rescued from that fire but not without the pain of a lost sister and burn scars to physically remind her of something she’ll never allow herself to forget. Now she’s on a mission to build a national park in their honor…and find the gold mine her father searched for until his death.

Morgan MacKeage is just an ancient Scotsman trying to make his way in a modern time. Unable to let go of a fierce possessive streak and a penchant for naked swimming. This goes far in explaining why Sadie Quill, during a business hike, felt the need to take a few photos of Morgan MacKeage in all his glory…and why Morgan MacKeage then felt the need to chase Sadie down, pin her to the ground, and kiss the living daylights out of her.

So begins the story of a man who just wants his woman…and a woman who needs to let go of her walls to find a love she never thought she’d have.

Review

I had high hopes for this book in the beginning. I liked the idea of Sadie Quill’s character. A woman who was not only decently haunted but also physically scared. Sadie is very conscious of her scars. A beautiful woman naturally she now has scars covering her entire back and one arm. Because they extend to her hand some are always visible.

I liked that Chapman created a character who was haunted by something realistic (the deaths of her sister and father) and also a woman who was dealing with a real physical flaw…Not just clumsy-ness or a slightly more endowed waistline like most other ‘slightly-flawed’ romance heroines.

Then it all just went paranormal; ‘magical’ if you will. You know the Highlander series is going to be about time-travel, quick marriages, and lots of magic sprinkled in its pages. But Chapman went and messed with the scars. Used magic on them and then took magic away from them. Stop here if you plan on reading this one…because the next paragraph is going to get spoiler-y…

I thought that when Chapman took away Sadie’s scars with healing magic it was a cop-out. I wanted Sadie to have to deal with this physical manifestation of her issues. To realize that she was beautiful and desirable with or without this flaw. To find the self-worth she had been lacking for so long. I thought that was going to be the point of the scars. Morgan’s love was just going to reinforce…push her toward the edge of seeing herself in a new light.

Nope. Magic Morgan accidentally ‘heals’ said scars and then even wishes himself that Sadie had fallen in love with him pre-healing so she’d know he loved her with or without them. Now, here’s where I’m going to get a bit edgy. First, Morgan’s a bit of a wank for thinking he wished she had her scars. I mean, doesn’t the girl deserve the perfect skin magic accidentally gave her? Especially if he only wants her to have them to prove what a good man he truly is.

Except…

I kinda wanted her to still have the scars too. It felt too easy that she could give it all up. Hide her past trauma so easily…never having to deal with it emotionally. So what is an author to do? Apparently create a situation where Sadie has to give some magic back (yep, you can do that with magic…just trade it off) to save Morgan but in exchange those scars are coming back.

Bam. Take that Sadie. Coming off the euphoria of losing the scars. You almost lose the new hubby and then gain those emotionally charged scars back. Talk about getting hit hard. I think the book would have been stronger had Sadie simply had to deal with her baggage based completely in reality. In order to accept the rushed marriage, magical elements, and a burl of wood that heals when hit with water…I need my characters emotions to be based in reality. Insta-love aside, I need all baggage to be handled with care and realism.

Rating: 2/5 The way the scars were handled bothered me too much.

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Charming the Highlander (Highlander #1) by Janet Chapman

Summary from GoodReads: Because they make this book sound far more tempting than I was in the mood to!

A feisty beauty tempted by a bold Highlander’s touch…When a plane crash strands brilliant scientist Grace Sutter on an icy mountaintop in Maine, she finds herself alone in the wilderness with the only other surviving passenger — Greylen MacKeage,a sexy, medieval warrior who’s been tossed through time to find the woman he’s destined to love. Forced together to survive the harsh, wintry landscape, neither expects the fierce passion that flares between them. But Grace is not used to letting her heart take control, and Greylen will settle for nothing less than her heart’s surrender….

Review

This romance happened sooo quick. Like 6 days start to finish. Granted the whole shebang starts off with a tragic death, instant attraction, babies, and a dramatic plane crash…that’s like 6 years of action tucked into less than a week of time…guess they didn’t need day seven, but hey, don’t we all need a day of rest?

Though it was fast I found myself very wrapped up in the action. I liked the survival aspects of it all. It was a lot of emotion very quickly, but this served to enhance (or excuse) the insta-love. I mean if a huge Scottish warrior saves you and your 4 week old nephew from certain death in a plane crash, then from being frozen on a mountain top in Maine, I might fall a little in love too. Especially if his kisses were as good as Grace claims.

I loved Baby, he was the sweetest addition to the cast of characters. Watching all those Scottish warriors fall for him was one of my favorite parts of the novel. My only hesitation was that I couldn’t quite connect with Grace’s inability to tell Michael that he was Baby’s true father. I thought it was pretty obvious from the start that not only was Michael a good man (Grace was concerned about this) he was hurt and lonely after losing the woman he loved. Baby would have gone a long way toward easing this man’s pain from the very beginning.

This is a quick formula read. If you’re in the mood the instant attraction, fast plot, and dramatic situations this read will drag you in pretty quick. Just don’t be surprised when it’s all over faster than a Kardashian marriage…In both situations the key is to enjoy the absurdity and remember that you’re enjoying characters that never exist in real life.

Bring on the massive, time-traveling, Scottish warriors, lol.

Rating: 3/5 Leave your critic and logic behind; it’s a bit of fluff (and Scottish muscle!) to fill a wintry afternoon. 

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Tempting Tuesdays…Ch. 13-15 + Epilogue

Tempting Tuesdays is a read-along of Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill, and hosted by Jenny of Supernatural Snark, Tina of Tina’s Book Reviews, Rummanah of Books in the Spotlight, and Missy at The Unread Reader. And we all know how much I love a good Read-Along…and a good Vampire Urban Romance. It’s the perfect way to start the New Year!

Feel free to follow along or join in at any time. Follow the schedule below:

January 3rd – Chapters 1-4 (Jenny at Supernatural Snark)
January 10th – Chapters 5-8 (Tina at Tina’s Book Reviews)
January 17th – Chapters 9-12 (Rummanah at Books in the Spotlight)
January 24th – Chapters 13-15 + epilogue (Missie at The Unread Reader)
January 31st – Special guest post by Chloe Neill and our grand prize giveaway!

Without Further Ado…My Answers

Questions for Chapters 13-15 + epilogue

1. Chapter 13 opens with Merit describing her new job routine as House Sentinel. Considering that every job Cadogan House is important in helping to make the house run efficiently, which job do you think you’d like to have (guard, cook, social director, gardener, etc.) and why?

Hmm, I think I’d stay on as house librarian. The advantage of immortality is years and years of history and book collecting. I’d stay on to digitize all the old stuff and help house members access the info they need. A useful career pre- and post- bite 😉

Hmm…Just imagining the collection they’d have for me to work with…yum…

2. In the supernatural world of Chicagoland Vampires, politics seem to play an important role in the way the Houses are run. Now that you’ve been introduced to the Rogues, do you think it’s better for vampires to be a part of a House or to live outside of one.

Well, in reality Merit points out for us that the Rogues are truly their own house…Ultimatly I think in the Chicagoland society you have more political power if you’re part of a house. I was most surprised to learn that after becoming an initiate of a house you could switch to another…Thought that whole connection with your creator would keep you tied to one for life err, death.

I think that the real rogues are going to be the faction that turns against humanity. Even the Rogues band together and work with/hide from the humans. The vampires that declare open war on the species are really going to be the anarchists of the group!

3. After Morgan openly asks to court Merit, she feels betrayed when Ethan commands her to accept for the show of alliance it could bring to Cadogan House. Do you think her reaction was warranted?

YES!

I wasn’t a huge “Ethan is a douche” supporter until that moment. Dude has no soul. Literally. Hated him in that moment.

4. When Ethan meets with the perpetrator of the murders, were you surprised to discover who it was? If you suspected someone, were your suspensions correct? What did you think of the perpetrator’s motive? 

I think in my previous post I thought something was fishy with Celia. She was definitely set up to be the villain of this tale. But I agree that the ending really didn’t add up. I think there should have been more plot devices to point us in the right direction. Either that or a better motivation for Celia. I think had we gotten to know her better, to feel her bitterness, it would have made more sense. As it stands now, it all seemed to come out of no where…

5. What was your favorite/least favorite parts of Some Girls Bite?

I liked the tension of Ethan and Merit’s relationship. And I liked the supporting characters. I feel like I was let down by actual character development and the final ending to the relationship/mystery components of the plot. I would have liked to have seen something completely developed in the first book…even if more changes happened in the rest of the series.

6. What do you think is coming up next for Merit, Sentinel of Cadogan House? Will you continue reading this series, and if so, what do you hope to see happen in the next book?

To be honest I don’t know that I’ll continue with this series. I was a bit let down by the final plot choices. Can I have a vote? Anyone got a good reason why I should sally forth?

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