Friday, June 1, 2012

Review of Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue



Book #2 of the Daughters of the Glen Series
You can see my review of the first book - Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband


Synopsis: "SARAH DOUGLAS is a successful thirty-eight year old romance novelist with big problems. She's come to Scotland on a three month working vacation hoping to recapture her muse - who's deserted her - and resolve the issue of her strange 'feelings' - the ones which allow her to sense the emotions of everyone she touches.

From the moment she arrives, however, her problems only intensify. She's being stalked, but by whom? Is he real or only a figment of her imagination? What about the darkly handsome owner of the cottage she's leasing? How is she ever going to deal with her growing attraction to a man ten years her junior? She knows from bitter experience men - particularly men who look like Ian - aren't interested in women like her.


IAN MCCULLOUGH is neck-deep in troubles of his own. As a half-mortal descendent of Faeries, he's a Guardian, sworn to protect both the mortals of this world and the Portals leading to the Faerie Realm. After six hundred years, he's confident he knows what to expect in just about every situation and exactly how to handle it. But he never counted on a woman like Sarah showing up in his life; a woman who intrigues and charms him. A woman who turns out to be of Faerie descent herself, although she has no idea of her heritage and no belief in any Otherworld beings.


When he's assigned to protect her, Ian finds the job is tougher than he could possibly have imagined. Oh, he can handle the stalker and the ex-husband and even the renegade Faeries trying to kidnap her for their own purpose. It's falling in love and forsaking his status as Guardian, a position he swore to honor at his father's deathbed, he's having trouble with.


Both Sarah and Ian struggle to battle the demons of self-doubt and their individual pasts. In the process they learn that healing will take the strongest magic of all, the true love that occurs only between two souls fated to be together."



My Review: Wow! So I thought I loved the first book of the Daughters of the Glen series, but my oh my that has been surpassed! It was actually a little nice that it didn't just pick up where the first book left off. You are introduced to a whole new set of characters, at first I didn't think I liked the idea but I fell in love with Sarah and Ian even more than Cate and Connor (who by the way did make an appearance). I do have to say though it was a little odd going from the first book which was a time travel/historical/fantasy romance to this one which was a modern time & fantasy romance, not at all what I was expecting but I think Melissa Mayhue is doing a great job of keeping things fresh and giving us new things to dig our toes into. Anywho back to this book, I loved the characters, Sarah was a little weak and fragile compared to my normal favorite female characters but it really suited her and the story. Melissa really knows how to create a hunky male character for us to drool over, Ian is fantastic!! Not to mention the sub-characters, Danny, Nessa, and Will make an adorable family (honestly who would love that little boy?!) as well as the Fae characters, and Henry, I loved them all! I also like how we finally got to see how this book was tied to the first when we see not only Cate and Connor but also Pol. The story takes so many twists and turns, you think you know what will happen next but you are never quite sure. Another great book and I can't wait to start the next one in the series!


My Rating: Loved this second book in the series! A great story line and fantastic characters! I have to give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!


Note: There are a few intimate scenes but they could be skimmed over and they are not very explicit (so I didn't feel it needed an after dark review).

Thursday, May 31, 2012

After Dark Review of Twice Tempted by a Rogue

I have added After Dark Reviews to my blog as a way of notifying you of a review of a book with Adult themes and scenes. From now on I will keep my reviews of all books I read that have explicit scenes in them for late night posts for those of you who prefer to avoid them or easy to find for those of you who seek them out ;)



Book #2 of the Stud Club Series
See my review of book one - One Dance with a Duke


Synopsis: "The daring members of the Stud Club are reckless gamblers and no strangers to risk—until love raises the stakes in Twice Tempted by a Rogue.

Luck is a double-edged sword for brooding war hero Rhys St. Maur. His death wish went unanswered on the battlefield, while fate allowed the murder of his good friend in the elite gentlemen’s society known as the Stud Club. Out of options, Rhys returns to his ancestral home on the moors of Devonshire, expecting anything but a chance at redemption in the arms of a beautiful innkeeper who dares him to take on the demons of his past—and the sweet temptation of a woman’s love.

Meredith Maddox believes in hard work, not fate, and romance isn’t part of her plan. But when Rhys returns, battle-scarred, world-weary, and more dangerously attractive than ever, the lovely widow is torn between determination and desire. As a deep mystery and dangerous smugglers threaten much more than their passionate reckoning, Meredith discovers that she must trust everything to a wager her heart placed long ago."


My Review: So I really loved the mystery that surrounded Rhys in the first Stud Club book and am so glad this one featured his story! Both main characters have so much of a back story and so much personality that they pull you right into the story and the little town. Meredith is such a strong woman and I love how she follows her head more than her heart. The sub-characters definitely take a back seat (except for a few), as well as the rest of the Stud Club characters, which is kind of a shame but it allows you to fully engulf yourself in the dynamics of the relationship between Rhys and Meredith.


My Rating: While I did fall madly in love with Rhys and really enjoyed Meredith, it wasn't a top book for me. It was a good, fun read, don't get me wrong but it wasn't as much as I wanted. I give it a rating of Three Paws.

Note: Very risque! Gets pretty hot & steamy!


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

After Dark Review of Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue

I have added After Dark Reviews to my blog as a way of notifying you of a review of a book with Adult themes and scenes. From now on I will keep my reviews of all books I read that have explicit scenes in them for late night posts for those of you who prefer to avoid them or easy to find for those of you who seek them out ;)




Synopsis: "SCOTLAND, 1272. Connor MacKiernan, a descendant of the Fae Prince, is a warrior who lives only for honor and duty. Though he's vowed never to marry, that's exactly what he must do to save his sister. Enter a little Faerie magic, and the search for a bride is on.
DENVER, 2007. Caitlyn Coryell is having a really bad day -- she just discovered her fiance with another woman Imagine her surprise when she puts on some sexy lingerie and an antique pendant and Connor appears in her bedroom, begging for her help. He offers a simple yet outrageous adventure: travel to his time, marry him, and return home.

But nothing's simple when Cate is trapped in the thirteenth century. The wedding's delayed, someone's trying to kill her, and in the middle of all this, she realizes she's falling in love with a man who can only be her husband for thirty nights."


My Review: I love this book, I read it a few years ago and enjoyed it so much I had to go buy the rest of the series. I just re-read it to get ready for the rest of the Daughters of the Glen books. The characters are great and you can help but fall in love with them. I am really interested in what Cate's family does, hope that is included in the rest of the series. So as you can tell even the sub-characters are great. The only thing that is stretching it a little is the fact that everyone seems to adjust to the time changes a little too easily, but its a minor thing when the rest of the story is moving along so well. I loved the ending as well, kind of surprises you a bit.


My Rating:  I so enjoyed this book, it was very hard not to take it to work and hide it under my desk. Its a great start to the series and I can't wait to read the rest of the books! I give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!


Note: There is some explicit sex scenes in the book but can easily be skimmed over for those who prefer to avoid them.