Jillian HunterCritiques

The writing was awful, at times I didn't know who was speaking, or the author was commenting on things that were unclear...but it was a good idea for a plot. I've seen this done SO much better by other authors, however.

A charming romance, with a little mystery. The two stories, one of children playing and then, their adult romance make for wonderful comparisons. The children make a stronger, better impression than the adult version, which sometimes seems a bit contrived. Both of the main characters, Kit and Violet, are wonderfully drawn, seem like flesh-and-blood, but a bit too perfect to type, they both need a quirk or two, to feel real.

The plot is excellent, the fencing descriptions exuberant.

This was a little on the weak side, but wasn't painful to get through or anything. I liked the hero well enough, but the heroine was a bit of a ninny. And, generally, the plot ranged from whimsical to outright ridiculous. The hero's world of characters reminded me of Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare, but the humor was carried off better in that one, IMO. This was a pretty quick read though, and I was willing to go along with the unlikeliness for the most part.

This was a decent 2nd-chance romance. Hit it off as children and didn't find each other again for years. The issues keeping them apart at that time were a bit hokey feeling, so I probably enjoyed the first half more than the second. It was fine though.

england, erotica, romance, situational-humor, verbal-humor

If you like a romance between two strong willed people that starts with a major misconception and has you laughing your sox off between erotic scenes you'll absolutely looooove this book!

Bookbox; partially into the Boscastle family series, but read ok as a standalone. Prim and proper young widow Emma Boscastle is being assaulted by her suitor, so Adrian steps in and gets coshed over the head with a chair for his efforts. During his recovery, he's hovered over by Emma, and falls in love with her. But should she take up with "the wolf", a mercenary and estranged son of the Duke?

Harriet Gardner was on a fast track to the gaol when a rich noblewoman took pity on her and brought her to her finishing school instead. Years of hard study later, Harriet has a genteel accent and accomplishments, and expects to spend the rest of her life as a school teacher. But after she snaps at Lady Powlis, she is unexpectedly offered the position of companion to her ladyship, who is bored and looking for amusement. From there Harriet becomes entangled in the Boscastle family shenanigans, from morbid young Edlyn to the stormy duke.

I quite liked this! The author has a better handle on the period than most, from Harriet's amazement at the waste of beeswax candles to the lurid cartoon broadsheets. Not all the scenes take place amidst the ton--London is portrayed not as a whirlwind of fancy balls, but as hierarchies of class that interlock but rarely meaningfully interact. I could see why both Harriet and Griffin were attracted to each other, and I liked the way their power imbalance colored their romance. Also, there's an actual plot! Ye gods, I didn't know regency romances were allowed to have actual excitement in them.

Good book. James and Ivy had met briefly five years earlier at the first ball she attended. James was a soldier, headed off to war the next day. They shared a kiss that neither has ever forgotten. Life intervened and they hadn't seen each other since.

Now, Ivy and her sisters live in seclusion at Fenwick Manor. The night of the ball her father was accused of cheating at cards and was killed in a duel. Since then, Ivy and her sisters have been scrimping and saving to pay off his debts. They have finally succeeded in that, but if they are going to keep their home they need some income. Ivy decides that she will find a position as a governess.

James recently returned from the war with a career ending injury. After his father's death it's up to him to fulfill his ducal duties. He's not quite ready to marry and have kids, so he decides to invite a potential mistress to his home and live it up for a few weeks first. On his way to his estate, he passes Fenwick and decides he wants to buy it, whether the owner wants to sell or not. His encounter in the garden is pretty amusing. When he arrives at his home, he discovers his niece and nephew in residence. His brother is still at war and the children's mother has run off with her lover. He doesn't want to change his plans with his mistress, so he decides to hire a governess. His first interview is with Ivy who he recognizes and decides to hire.

The attraction is still there, but they initially plan to ignore it, even though a shared kiss is inflammatory. Ivy needs the money and James still wants his time to play. But resistance is futile and James soon decides that Ivy would be the perfect wife for him. He just needs to woo her to his way of thinking. The chemistry between them is hot, and they discover that they can't keep their hands off each other. Another man shows up, wanting to court Ivy, which gives James more motivation to claim Ivy as quickly as he can.

The other man, Oliver, actually has more on his mind than winning Ivy. She is just the means to an end. He has heard that there is a treasure hidden at Fenwick and he wants it. Though he is pursuing Ivy, he also wonders if he'd do better to go after one of the other sisters instead. Though his reasons for being there aren't the best, he does have some redeeming qualities. There's also a surprise connection to the prospective mistress. In the end, Oliver ends up on the right side of the issues. I have a feeling he'll be playing a larger role in a future book.

I liked seeing the relationship develop between Ivy and James, though I sometimes felt that he was relying too much on the physical to win her. I enjoyed his protectiveness as the strange happenings at Fenwick Manor became more dangerous. I also liked the way Ivy took care of James when his war injury flared up. The epilogue was great and shows good promise for their future.

The mystery of the Fenwick treasure ran throughout the book. Oliver certainly created some real problems for them with his pursuit of it. I didn't feel like there was a real resolution with it, so I expect that it will show up again in later books.

Emma Boscasle runs an academy for gentlewomen. Adrian Ruxley is widely known as a rogue, but will not stand by whilst Emma is accosted!

This was a really fun book to read, with a very unusual hero. Samuel is a duke with something of a wicked personal reputation, a radical political reputation, and a secret known to very few. He is the anonymous author of a series of gothic novels that have as many detractors as fans. One of his biggest fans is Lily Boscastle.

Both of them attend a literary masquerade ball, where they have a brief encounter and an instant connection. Samuel is instantly smitten by Lily's beauty and wit, and leaves the ball determined to pay court to her. But Lily's engagement to another man is due to be announced the next day, so he leaves London to return to his home in Dartmoor and continue with his writing. Being the romantic that he is, he leaves instructions for her to be watched over in case she ever needs his help.

Lily is intrigued by the man she met at the ball. He's one of the few men she's met who admits to reading novels. She gives in to the desire for a kiss from him, even though she knows she's promised to another. It's an eye opening occurrence that she does her best to forget over the next couple weeks, as plans are made for her wedding. Lily calls off her engagement shortly before the wedding when she witnesses her fiance kill a man, then attempt to cover it up. No one will believe her about what she has seen, and blames her for the scandal of her engagement's end.

Desperate to get away from London and the gossip, Lily applies for a job as a housekeeper at a remote estate. She has no idea that it is Samuel's home until she gets there. Once there she is committed to the job for at least a year. His house and his staff are unlike anything she expected and soon she's trying to find out just what is going on.

I loved the growth of their relationship. Samuel is in love from the beginning and willing to do whatever necessary to win his fair lady. He goes a little overboard at first, trying a scenario from one of his books, but that doesn't go over very well. Lily has been burned by her love of novels, as everyone blames that love for her actions regarding her engagement, so she tries to remain practical rather than romanced. Samuel's willingness to believe her story goes a long way toward softening her attitude. Samuel guards his secret until he's sure that he can trust her with it, but then does his big reveal in novel worthy manner. Knowing his secret and hearing his intentions toward her opens her heart to him even more. I loved their interactions, from their love scenes to the conversations about his book and the trouble he is having with the end of it.

It was interesting to see how Samuel seemed to be in a constant battle with the various parts of himself. His two main characters seemed to be differing sides of his personality and he couldn't decide which he really wanted to be. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him work out the various scenes, and loved the way his staff was so involved with him. When Lily's past makes an unwelcome appearance, everything comes together for him to save the day.

I really enjoyed the ending and seeing their fairy tale come true. It was nice to see that Lily was vindicated in the eyes of her family. I loved the epilogue and seeing the literary process still continued with just as much exuberance as before.

Ivy kisses a man at her first masquerade ball, but that night her world falls apart as her father is killed in a duel when he is caught cheating at cards. The father's death leaves the 4 sisters in dire financial straits leading Ivy to take a governess position at the neighboring manor.
James, Duke of Ellsworth, has made plans for his latest mistress to come visit him after recovering from a war injury. However, upon his arrival home, he finds that his sister-in-law has abandoned his niece and nephew on his doorstep. If he wants his plans for some R & R to move forward, he will need a governess quickly.
In formulaic fashion, Ivy and James find themselves drawn to one another but must overcome multiple challenges for both to recognize the true depth of their passion.

LOVED it

This book was pretty good. Other than the lack of realism in a duke marrying a girl from the ghetto (come on, please, Cinderella stories are nice, but PLEASE), it was well written and enjoyable. I'd read more books by this author in a pinch.

This book is one of the Boscastle Series, but I'm not sure which one. "The Sinful Nights of a Nobleman" is the story of Lord Devon Boscastle, a handsome rake, and Miss Jocelyn Lydbury. Jocelyn has a previous acquaintance with Devon, and still harbors some feelings from that past (which we are not told about in any detail - I'm assuming possibly it's in one of the other books?). They meet again at a rather risque party, and due to some devious planning by the villain, they end up compromised and forced to marry.

This is one of the most emotionless romance novels I've ever read. There is no chemistry between the hero and heroine, and the book is badly written so that everything feels kind of fakey and leading towards the sex scenes. The underlying plot device is cheesy, and you really never feel anything for either character.

Don't waste your time.

Good romance with a touch of suspense added to liven things up. Emily had disguised herself as a fortune-telling gypsy in an attempt to catch the interest of a man she was interested in. Instead, she found herself entangled with Damien, who was undercover trying to discover and shut down a group of anarchists. She ends up compromised and in the crosshairs of the conspirators, who worry what she might have heard.

Damien is intent on his mission, with no plans to marry in the near future, but he won't let Emily suffer because of him. He steps up to marry her, in spite of the kink it puts in his plans. He finds it distressingly easy to play the part of the besotted fiance, and worries that his fascination will distract him from what he has to do. He is determined to stop the anarchists and keep Emily safe. I really liked the fact that Damien showed no resentment about having to marry Emily. In fact, he was quite comfortable with the idea and expected that they would have a real marriage right from the start. He may be a dangerous, confident operative but he is also astounded by Emily's ability to take everything in stride. I really liked the fact that he didn't treat her like an idiot but showed a lot of respect for her intelligence.

Emily has been a magnet for trouble most of her life. She has a tendency to get herself into awkward situations, but this time she's in real trouble. At first she's angry that Damien has spoiled her plans, but the effect he has on her soon drives those plans right out of her mind. She's smart enough to know that Damien is her best bet at staying alive, but thinking about the danger she's in is difficult when all she can think of is her upcoming marriage. She realized pretty quickly that what she felt for the other man was nothing when compared to what she feels for Damien. I liked the fact that she started the marriage with the full intention of making it work. I really enjoyed seeing her fully embrace everything that Damien was exposing her to.

The suspense itself started out strong, with Damien's undercover attempt to ferret out who the leader of the anarchists was. His fears for Emily and Iris seemed well-founded when the conspirators were so determined to track them down and kill them. I enjoyed the efforts that Damien and Emily, as well as Iris and Winthrop made to investigate at the house party, but they seemed pretty laid back for the importance of the mission. The final confrontation felt almost anti-climactic with its lack of intensity. I will admit that the leader was someone I did not suspect, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Good story of childhood friends reunited and the love that grows between them. Violet is an orphan being raised by her aunt and uncle. They are overprotective but loving. One day she sees Kit in the churchyard practicing swordfighting and is drawn to him. She is quite naive and doesn't understand anything about his background and current circumstances of living in the local workhouse, but she offers her friendship anyway. She, Kit and two other friends have a wonderful summer of adventures, until Kit disappears. Violet misses her friend, but goes on to follow her aunt's dictates and devote herself to becoming a lady.

Ten years later she is engaged to a local businessman who appreciates her ladylike behavior and looks forward to her ability to help his business. He's not terribly exciting as a fiance, but her aunt approved of him. Then, while attending a ball that also has a fencing demonstration as entertainment, she sees the sword master everyone is talking about and recognizes him as her old friend. They dance together and attraction flares between them. But Violet is engaged to someone else and while Kit feels bad at the idea of taking another man's woman, his feelings won't be denied.

I liked both Violet and Kit. I liked the fact that Kit's background never mattered to Violet, that she saw him for the boy, then man, that he was. Even though she's engaged to Godfrey, her feelings for Kit are strong and she knows that she can't go through with marrying Godfrey. She just has to find a way to break things off with him and tell her aunt that she doesn't want the man her aunt picked out for her. I liked the way that she was concerned for her aunt's feelings but wasn't going to let them stop her from being with Kit. There are some very good scenes where they meet up and catch up on what has happened in their lives, and feel their desire for each other increase.

Kit was taken from the workhouse and sold to a man who adopted him and treated him as his own son. That man trained Kit as a sword master, and Kit has spent the last few years teaching people the art of the sword. He is also an honorable man who places great importance on doing the right thing. He is stunned to see Violet at the ball where the members of his fencing academy are performing. After the dance they share together he realizes that he has loved her for years and wants her to be his. His honor makes it difficult for him to reconcile taking Violet away from her fiance but she is his. It doesn't help that her fiance is also one of his students. I enjoyed seeing Kit doing the work he loves and how it shows the type of man he has become.

I loved seeing Violet and Kit together as they admit their feelings for each other and try to find a way to get their lives together. I also enjoyed seeing how their friends also tried to throw them together. The secondary characters were also well done. I liked the way the marchioness and Violet became friends so quickly, and how her past helped Violet see that there was no shame in her feelings for Kit. I also liked seeing Winnifred the governess and how she and Kit had remained in contact. She had also done a lot of changing in the last ten years and I loved seeing those changes. One of the best characters was Violet's aunt Francesca. Her protectiveness of Violet was ultimately explained. I enjoyed seeing the way she herself changed over the course of the book, as she learned more about the man she had approved and then saw Violet with Kit. Violet's fiance Godfrey was rather stuffy and definitely a snob. He didn't really care about Violet herself, just saw her as another tool for his business plans. I had started to feel a little sorry for him until his actions at the end, then I was happy to see him lose out.

I liked seeing Kit and Violet get their happy ending. There wasn't too much working against them getting together, so it wasn't too hard for them to overcome. I enjoyed seeing two characters who were closer to ordinary people rather than being of the aristocracy. It made a nice change.

The other two friends from Violet's childhood foursome were also there as adults. I liked Eldebert and the way he had matured into a good man. It was nice seeing him looking out for Violet, especially at the end. Ambrose had been a real pain when they were kids and he wasn't much better as an adult. I didn't like his initial plans for the house party he was giving and had high hopes that something would change his mind. There was also a fencing student of Kit's that had other plans for Kit than learning from him. I felt like that confrontation could have been more intense, but it was okay.

THE COUNTESS CONFESSIONS by Jillian Hunter is an exciting Historical Romance 1820 London. A Boscastle Affairs Novel (Book 2), but can be read as a stand alone. See,"The Mistress Memoirs". A sizzling, charming tale of the Scandalous Boscastle Family.

Emily Rowland, only wanted to the the attention of the man she loved from afar for years, but what is got was entangled in a scheme against the Crown and married to another man altogether.

Damien Boscastle, the Earl of Shalcross, is a spy on a mission when he encounters Emily and her maid, what follows is a series of misfortune that ends up with the two married. After a whirlwind courtship, Emily ends up married to a man who has declared he wants no children. Which Emily desperately wants. But he does want to train her in the pleasures of passion. But first, they must stay alive long enough to have a future.

Filled with witty banter, passion, secrets, danger, deceit, treason, betrayal, and love. Did I mention passion? The chemistry between Emily and Damien is sizzling, and passionate. An wickedly, passionate tale of treason and romance. For an exquisite romp though England, you must pick up "The Countess Confessions" you won't regret your choice. A must read! Well done!!

Received for an honest review from the publisher.

RATING: 4.5

HEAT RATING: HOT

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More½

This book was pretty good. Other than the lack of realism in a duke marrying a girl from the ghetto (come on, please, Cinderella stories are nice, but PLEASE), it was well written and enjoyable. I'd read more books by this author in a pinch.

Rated as 1 star because I couldn't find an option for negative stars. Why do I do this to myself? In this case it was because of the word "wicked". I knew he'd get reformed or something boring in the end, but I thought it could be fun in the meantime.

But it was not to be.

Look, when you see the words "wicked duke" in the title of a book (even a romance that has to obey certain conventions) doesn't it make you think that this duke must have done (at least in some far-distant past) something wicked, amoral, or at least perhaps not completely Done? Even if he doesn't eat virgins for breakfast or steal candy from babies, at least he must snap at his servants and lance cruelly witty rejoinders at Our Heroine.

The eponymous duke in this novel, however, has done nothing worse than be in the vicinity of his brother's accidental death and thus reaps the faintest of suspicion by some people who don't matter in any scheme of things that it was murder. Oh, and be shy of how every woman in the world jumps him at the first opportunity. Also he's a good uncle, a devoted nephew, and a perfect lover and gentleman.

Dear Author: I do not think this word means what you think it means.

What I loved- This book had intriguing characters. I absolutely fell in love with Samuel. Heck, I would marry him in a heartbeat. I was enchanted by a man who writes stories of adventure and love. His romantic nature made me swoon for him like a fairy tale character. Samuel is a hero who goes far out of his way for love. I didn’t want to put this book down. I couldn’t wait for the characters to get together and have their Happily Ever After.

What I didn’t like- I didn’t think I was going to like this book when I first started it. The beginning was too confusing for me and it took me a bit t get my bearings. Also, there are many things that happen to the characters in this book that are improbable. While that can be said for many books, I didn’t feel that this one sufficiently suspended disbelief. Many of the character actions felt forced, especially in the beginning of the book. After I was past the beginning of this book I really loved it and was more forgiving of the few improbable things that happened later in the story.

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kind of fun, but predictable

Reviewed by Valerie
book provided by library

Cover/title: Beautiful and caught my attention right away.
Review: I haven’t read the other book in this series but I will now. I loved this book. It was great the way the characters interacted with each other! I was pulled in right away knowing that they were childhood friends and could just feel the tension build...

When they were younger, Violet watched him from a distance as he fought imaginary foes in a graveyard. Then, they became friends and frolicked and played before real life took him away from her. Now, she’s engaged and he’s back in the picture...what’s a girl to do? He takes her breath away and she knows that she’s been groomed her entire life to do what is right and proper but he’s just so tempting! Kit can’t believe his good fortune, it’s her, the one he always wanted to impress and protect but what’s he supposed to do – challenge her fiancée to a duel and kill him?

How these two danced around each other and society’s expectations was a joy to read. Violet’s Aunt, who raised her, surprises Violet by revealing more about her past than she had ever been told but she wasn’t the only surprise in this story. An old friend has sinister plans for the two lovebirds as well as an unknown enemy lurking in the shadows. The perfect blend of suspense, romance, and mystery!

Advice: Perfect reading for a long winter’s night!
Quote: He hesitated. “If there is ever anything you need, you have only to ask.” Page 143

It's always a pleasure to reunite with the Boscastles and this book is no exception. I have found the conflicts of her prior Boscastle stories more compelling, but I enjoyed this one all the same.

Steamy! And just enough danger and suspense. I loved this book!

Engaging, steamy story. I loved it. It's a keeper.½