Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: 1804 Salzburg

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: N/A

Format: Digital (so far, there is no print edition available)

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Carina Press via NetGalley

My Grade: B+

Song of Seduction by Carrie Lofty is an unusual and beautifully written historical romance.

Arie De Voss is a celebrated Dutch musician who won international acclaim for his symphony, Love and Freedom. Since then, Arie has composed many pieces of music but struggles to complete his long-awaited second symphony. Arie is moody and irritable and his lies and deceit weigh heavily upon him. For Arie is a fake. His famous symphony was actually composed by his late mentor, and Arie claimed it as his own.

Mathilda Heidel is a widow who resides in Salzburg with her newly married friend and her husband. Due to her shady past, Mathilda craves respectability. Consequently, she hides her talent for playing the violin as it is unseemly for a woman to play an instrument too well. When she meets her idol, Arie De Voss, at a party, her natural reticence deserts her and she finds herself asking him to give her violin lessons.

Arie is astounded at Mathilda’s natural talent and encourages her to perform in public. In return, she becomes his muse, and later his lover. Inspired by Mathilda, Arie starts composing again. However, their happiness is threatened by his secret. Arie fears he will lose everything if it should ever come to light, and Mathilda can’t bear the thought of living a lie.

Song of Seduction is a beautiful book. Arie and Mathilda fall in love through their mutual love of music. Although I know very little about classical music, the author does a good job of describing the music without bogging the story down with unnecessary detail. I also liked the glimpses of real life composers, such as Hadyn.

Arie and Mathilda’s story is compelling. I enjoyed the unusual setting and the original premise of this book, and I hope Carrie Lofty intends to write more historical romances set in Salzburg.

Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: England 1841

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: Mild

Format: Digital

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley

My Grade: B

Trial by Desire is Courtney Milan’s second full-length novel. Although I loved her Christmas novella, I still haven’t read Proof by Seduction. I definitely need to remedy that.

Kate and Ned Carhart have a marriage of convenience – at least they do as far as he is concerned. Despite the circumstances of their wedding, Kate still hopes to make theirs a love match. Consequently, she is shocked when Ned announces his intention to travel to China to oversee the Carhart business interests in the East India Company.

Three years later, Kate is not impressed when her errant husband makes a sudden reappearance at a less than opportune moment. She has assisted her best friend, Laura, in escaping her abusive husband. Kate helps Laura and her baby find a safe place to stay. Unfortunately for Laura, the law is strongly on the side of the husband in cases of spousal abuse, and she feels her only option is to flee with her child.

To Kate’s alarm, Laura’s husband, Alex, shows up at her home on the same day that Ned returns from his travels. Alex wastes no time in threatening Kate. He suspects she helped Laura run away and accuses her of kidnapping his wife and son. Ned is Alex’s childhood friend and he can’t imagine Alex would have hurt Laura. However, he slowly comes to realise that his friend is not the man he thought him to be.

In Trial by Desire, Kate and Ned must learn to love and trust one another against a background of intrigue. It’s a fast-paced tale beautifully told. I loved the legal details as I know next to nothing about how the legal system worked in 19th Century England.

Ned is an unusual hero. A while ago, I blogged about the dearth of romance heroes and heroines who suffer from depression. Ned is one, and I thought his battle with his inner demons was a strong point in the story. Kate is an equally strong character – or at least she has become one over the three years of her husband’s absence.

Courtney Milan has taken a conventional setting and given it an unusual twist. For fans of historical romance which is a little bit different, Trial by Desire is a good read.

Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: 19th Century England

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Hot

Violence: Mild

Format: Digital

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley

My Grade: B-

Breathless is the third book in Anne Stuart’s House of Rohan trilogy.

Lucien de Malheur – known as the Scorpion – blames the Rohan family for his half-sister’s death. He is determined to take his revenge on them and targets their sister, Caroline Rohan, as his victim. He arranges for Caroline to be seduced and abandoned, thus ruining her in the eyes of society. To his consternation, Caroline is determined to make the best of her circumstances and relishes in the freedom of a life free from the constraints of societal rules.

Deciding to take Caroline’s destruction into his own hands, Lucien arranges for her to have a carriage accident from which he “rescues” her. They strike up a friendship and Lucien eventually kidnaps her, intending to force Caroline to marry him. He inadvertently kidnaps her friend, Jane Pagett, as well as Caroline, and Jane eventually starts a romance with Lucien’s associate, Jacob Donnelly, a master thief.

While I preferred Breathless to Reckless, I have some of the same criticisms of this book as I had of its predecessor. All the books in the Rohan trilogy feature Dark Heroes and it became a bit samey. I thought Lucien was more convincingly evil than the heroes in Ruthless and Reckless, but this also made his last-minute declaration of love harder to swallow.

I didn’t understand Caroline’s attraction to Lucien. He arranged for her to be ruined, plotted against her family, and put her life in danger. By the end of the book, I felt she deserved him, if only because she was determined to have him and didn’t seem to care as much as she should have over his misdeeds.

Despite my quibbles, Breathless is a fast-paced read which kept me turning the pages until the very end. The wonderful secondary romance between Jane and Jacob the Jewel Thief made this book worth reading.

Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: 758 AD China – Tang Dynasty

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Hot

Violence: Mild

Format: Digital

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley

My Grade: A-

Butterfly Swords is Jeannie Lin’s debut historical romance and it has already garnered some impressive buzz. I admit that I started this book with a certain amount of trepidation as my expectations were so high. I’m delighted to report that the book is amazing!

On the way to her arranged marriage to a neighbouring warlord, Ai Li discovers a plot against her family. Desperate to return home and warn her father, she arranges her escape disguised as a boy. Unfortunately, her plans go awry when her party is attacked by bandits. Ai Li is a trained warrior and puts up an excellent fight with the aid of her butterfly swords. However, she cannot defeat the bandits on her own, and is assisted at the last minute by a mysterious blue-eyed barbarian named Ryam.

Ryam belongs to a group of barbarian soldiers who are loyal to the dispossessed ruler of China and her Western husband. Ryam was injured in a battle and lost his way. His aim is to return to Gansu where his party is located. When he meets Ai Li, however, his plans change. He’s determined to escort her back to Changan and the safety of her family, even though this will bring him deeper into enemy territory.

Ai Li and Ryam’s journey is fraught with danger. Ai Li’s betrothed, Li Tao, sends his soldiers after them and they endure several narrow escapes before they finally reach Changan. As Ai Li soon discovers, the danger does not end there. She is shocked when her parents refuse to listen to her and insist she return to Li Tao and marry him. She realises that the values she was taught to uphold as a child no longer exist in this new Empire. With her grandmother’s help, she escapes Changan and follows Ryam in the direction of her childhood home and her youngest brother, the one member of her family she still trusts.

Butterfly Swords is a fast-paced romantic adventure set against the opulent background of Tang Dynasty China. The descriptions of the landscape are breathtaking, and the fight scenes are extremely well done.

Ai Li is a worthy heroine. She is a trained fighter, but she never forgets her inferior strength as a woman. She doesn’t rush into battle heedlessly. Ai Li struggles to reconcile her upbringing with what her family has become. She has been taught to obey her parents, but feels unable to do so in the circumstances in which she finds herself. This is not a decision she takes lightly.

Ryam is an unusual hero. As a white man in China, he is regarded as a barbarian. As a professional soldier, he feels unworthy of a woman like Ai Li, despite his strong attraction towards her. Nevertheless, they are destined to be together and Ryam is determined to do everything within his power to protect her.

When I finished Butterfly Swords, I immediately checked Jeannie Lin’s website to find out when her next book will be released. I was very pleased when I read the blurb of The Dragon and the Pearl and discovered who will be the hero and the heroine in the next book. However, I would recommend that readers who prefer to avoid spoilers don’t do so before they finish Butterfly Swords.

If you are a reader who longs for more variety in the settings of historical romances published today, Butterfly Swords is an excellent read.

Note: Butterfly Swords will be published by Harlequin Historical in October 2010. It is already available for purchase at the eHarlequin website. To tie in with the release of this book, Jeannie Lin wrote a novella for Harlequin Historical Undone called The Taming of Mei Lin. This novella can be purchased as an ebook.

Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: 1804 England

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Hot

Violence: Mild

Format: Digital

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley

My Grade: C+

Reckless is the second book in Anne Stuart’s House of Rohan trilogy.

Following the death of his older brother, Adrian Alistair Rohan lost himself in a life of debauchery. Encouraged by his cousin Etienne, he is now a dedicated member of the depraved Heavenly Host. His only interest lies in seducing and discarding beautiful women. He’s never failed in his conquests until he meets the straightlaced Charlotte Spenser.

Charlotte is a lonely spinster. She lives with her widowed cousin, Lady Whitmore, and dreams of the handsome but despicable Adrian Rohan. When her cousin suggests the attend a meeting of the Heavenly Host, Charlotte pretends to be scandalised but is secretly thrilled. Naturally, she meets Adrian at the party and they embark upon a passionate affair.

Charlotte and Adrian’s relationship takes an unexpected turn when they realise their lives are in danger. Suddenly, Adrian is faced with the realisation that he is falling in love and that Charlotte may be the woman who finally manages to tame him.

I have mixed feelings about Reckless. There is a nice subplot involving a romance between Charlotte’s cousin and a reformed bad boy turned cleric. I also enjoyed the matchmaking efforts of Monty, their dying friend, who is determined to see them all happily settled before he dies.

Less successful was the suspense element in this story. It was very similar to that in Ruthless, the first book in the House of Rohan series, and it failed to engage my interest. In addition, the development of Adrian and Charlotte’s romance reminded me too much of the first book.

While Reckless is a decent historical romance, the similarities to Ruthless were tedious at times. Adrian and Charlotte worked well as a couple, but I found the secondary romance more interesting than theirs.

For fans of dark romance, Anne Stuart’s new trilogy has much to recommend it. I’m just hoping that the third book follows a slightly different path to the first two in the series.

Genre: Inspirational Historical Romance

Setting: 1939, Germany

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Kisses

Violence: N/A

Format: Digital

Why I Read It: Wendy the Super Librarian featured it on her blog recently & I was intrigued by the unusual setting.

My Grade: B

Dangerous Allies has one of the best opening scenes I’ve read in a long time. The heroine is an actress. In the first chapter, she’s playing Juliet on stage. Information about who and what she sees from the stage is given to the reader through introspection. It sounds strange, but it works.

Katarina Elensky is one of the most successful actresses of the Third Reich. She’s also one of Britain’s most accomplished spies. Her latest mission pairs her with the charismatic Friedrich Reiter, supposedly a wealthy businessman, but actually a double agent. They need to work together to find plans for a secret weapon which the Germans intend to use to destroy British ships.

Katia has a personal reason for wanting to fight the Nazis: her mother, Elena, is part Jewish. Katia is afraid for her safety, especially as Elena’s method of protecting herself and her daughter is to hide in plain sight. She hopes marriage to an influential Nazi will protect them should their lineage come to light.

Friedrich Reiter is actually an American Navy officer named Jack Anderson. He supplies intelligence to the British by posing as an SS officer. It’s a dangerous game, but Jack plays it well. He’s not pleased to be partnered with Katia. He prefers to work alone and has no desire to protect a spoiled actress. But he soon realises that he’s underestimated Katia.

I enjoyed Dangerous Allies. The author creates a credible sense of place and the pervading fear under which many lived during the Third Reich. Katia and Jack are interesting characters and ideally matched. I found the ending of the book a bit abrupt, but I understand why the book had to end where it did. Note: there is an epilogue, so the reader does learn what happened to Katia and Jack in the future.

This is the first book I’ve read in Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical line. As this is an inspirational romance, there are a few Bible quotations, and both Katia and Jack struggle to reconcile their faith in God with the horrors which surround them. Their beliefs are an integral part of the story, but I didn’t find the book overly preachy.

The author of Dangerous Allies, Renee Ryan, is writing a series of romances set during World War II. I definitely plan to read them.

Genre: Historical Romance

POV: 3rd Person (both heroine and hero)

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: N/A

Format: Print

My Grade: A-

First Comes Marriage was the first book by Mary Balogh that I’d read in several years. It was a delightful reintroduction to the joys of her rich prose and attention to historical detail. This is very much a character-driven story with little action. It’s the sort of book I might have tossed aside in the wrong mood, yet I savoured it in the right one. Both the hero and the heroine were wonderful characters and I enjoyed spending 300-plus pages in their company.

Vanessa Dew, neé Huxtable, is a widow residing with her late husband’s family in the small country village of Throckbridge. It is the sort of village in which nothing much ever happens, yet the villagers have a way of ensuring their own entertainment through dances and other festivities.

Although Vanessa mourns her late husband, she is content living with her in-laws and is in close proximity to her own family. The Huxtables live in a small but cosy cottage. Upon their father’s death, the eldest sister, Margaret, took over the responsibility for the household and her younger siblings. Katherine is twenty and unmarried; Stephen is seventeen and studying hard with a view to attending university. In order to make this happen, Margaret is obliged to scrimp and save at every turn. She has put her own dreams of a husband and children on hold until her younger siblings are all established.

The peace and tranquillity of life in Throckbridge is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of Viscount Moreland and his friend. No one knows why such illustrious persons have deigned to visit Throckbridge, but Sir Hedley Dew, Vanessa’s father-in-law, wastes no time in procuring their agreement to attend the Valentine’s Dance.

Elliot shudders at the thought of attending the dance but realises it provides him with the ideal opportunity of observing the Huxtable family. Elliot is the reluctant guardian of the new Earl of Merton. His search for the legal heir to the title led him to Throckbridge and young Stephen Huxtable.

Blissfully unaware of the impending change in their circumstances, the Huxtables and Vanessa are delighted to attend the dance. Everyone is excited by the viscount’s presence, but Vanessa takes an immediate dislike to him. She observes his haughty demeanour and condescension to her beloved father-in-law. When Sir Hedley manoeuvres the viscount into asking Vanessa to dance, neither she nor he are in the least bit pleased.

When the Huxtables learn of the dramatic change in their circumstances, they are both shocked and excited. After an emotional farewell, they leave Throckbridge for Merton Hall. Vanessa decides to accompany them, at least for the time being. Elliot know he needs to introduce them to London society but there is very little time to bring them up to scratch. Added to his woes, is the knowledge that he has to find a suitable matron to ease their way into society.

Elliot needs an heir. He decides one of the Huxtable women will do as well as any other for a wife, and would solve the problem of finding a suitable lady to introduce them to the ton. Initially, he settles on Margaret as she is the eldest of the sisters. When Vanessa realises Elliot means to offer for Margaret, she’s alarmed. She’s aware that Margaret is still holding out hope of a marriage with her childhood love, Crispin Dew. So as to prevent Margaret from accepting Elliot’s proposal out of a sense of obligation, Vanessa proposes to him herself. To both her surprise and his, Elliot agrees to the match.

First Comes Marriage is a marvellous marriage-of-convenience story in which the hero and heroine slowly but surely fall in love. There are no superfluous suspense subplots. Although some of the secondary characters will feature in their own books later in the series, the focus is very much on Elliot and Vanessa’s story.

Elliot is a diligent landlord and is very aware of his obligations. He’s learned to restrain his more adventurous impulses. Vanessa’s sense of fun acts as a perfect foil to his more serious demeanour. She makes him laugh and see the lighter side of life. In turn, Elliot provides Vanessa with the friendship and passion she’s been lacking since her first husband’s death.

Of the three books in the Huxtable series that I’ve read so far, First Comes Marriage is by far the strongest. I loved the slowly developing romance between Elliot and Vanessa. They are characters I grew to care about and that, for me, is the highest compliment a reader can bestow on a book.

Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: Regency England

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: Mild

Format: Print (this book is sadly out-of-print but you can get affordable used copies)

Why I Read It: I adore Jo Goodman’s writing & I’ve been hoarding my used copies of her Compass Club series

My Grade: B+

This review was written for Keishon’s monthly TBR Challenge.

Let Me Be the One is the first book in Jo Goodman’s Compass Club series. The premise of the series is as follows: four friends attending an elite English boarding school form their own club to defend themselves from the bullies. They call themselves The Compass Club and are known by their nicknames North, South, East and West. Their bond lasts into adulthood. This is North’s story.

Brendan David Hampton, Earl of Northam, promises his mentor, Colonel Blackwood, that he’ll check up the welfare of his niece, Elizabeth Penrose. Blackwood is concerned at his niece’s unusual living arrangements, and suspects that she’s hiding something from him.

When North is invited to a house party hosted by the Battenburn’s, the married couple with whom Libby lives, it provides him with the ideal opportunity to fulfil his promise to the Colonel, plus continue his covert investigation into a serious of thefts carried out by the so-called Gentleman Thief.

Libby Penrose is reserved to the point of rudeness. She’s unnerved by North’s apparent interest in her, yet cannot deny her attraction to him. Libby harbours too many secrets to risk intimacy with anyone, least of all the handsome, charismatic Earl of Northam. However, he contrives to spend as much time with her as possible, and she’s sorely tempted to succumb to temptation.

When North is wrongly accused of being the Gentleman Thief, Libby saves him by claiming he spent the previous night with her. This scandal obliges them to marry as soon as possible. Although they are physically attracted to one another, and soon grow to love one another, Libby’s secrets are an impediment to their future happiness.

The premise of Let Me Be the One contains several elements I try to avoid when choosing an historical romance: friends who form a club; spies; jewellery thieves. In the hands of a lesser writer, this could have been just another run-of-the-mill Regency-set historical. Through deft characterization and excellent pacing, Jo Goodman makes this a compelling read.

Jo Goodman’s style is not for everyone, but I love her slow reveals. This story unfolds gradually, but by the end, the reader has all the information they need about the characters’ backstory and motivations.

I almost gave Let Me the One an ‘A’ grade but a couple of things Libby did towards the end of the book irritated me. However, it is still a very enjoyable book and one which kept me up well past my bedtime.

Other Reviews of Let Me Be the One:

Romance Rookie – A

The Romance Reader – 4 out of 5 hearts

Mrs Giggles – 50 out of 100

Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: Scotland, 1793

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: Hero is a hangman, so, yes!

Format: Digital (reissue of a 2002 print release)

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Carina Press via NetGalley

Why I Read It: I liked the idea of a hangman hero and a courtesan heroine

My Grade: C

My Lord Jack by Hope Tarr has a great premise, but unfortunately, the book didn’t work as well for me as I would have liked.

Claudia Valemont is a French courtesan who fled Paris in the bloody aftermath of the Revolution. Her mother was guillotined, as was her noble protector. Claudia does not wish to meet a similar fate. In desperation, she travels to Scotland in search of the aristocrat who fathered her.

Jack Campbell also bears the stigma of illegitimacy. Although his mother eventually married a local man, Jack was always labelled a bastard by his stepfather and the locals. At the age of ten, he witnessed his mother’s brutal rape and murder. After her killer was sentenced to death by hanging, Jack decided he’d found his vocation and trained to be the local hangman.

When the coach in which Claudia is travelling loses a wheel, she’s forced to spend the night in a small Scottish village. Desperate to reach her father’s residence as soon as possible, she foolishly attempts to steal a horse and is caught in the act. Claudia is sentenced to death by hanging, and Jack is the man assigned to the job. The timely intervention of some testimony which throws doubt on her intentions to steel leads the local magistrate to reduce her sentence to a period of indentured servitude. Much to his chagrin, Jack is to oversee Claudia’s sentence.

Due in part to his profession, and in part to the circumstances of his birth, Jack has taken a vow of celibacy. Being forced to live under the same roof as Claudia makes him question this decision, and it’s not long before they become lovers.

Jack’s evil step-brother is among the several villains of the piece. He has always hated Jack and is determined to cause trouble for him and Claudia. With so many people actively working against them, Jack and Claudia have to struggle to find happiness together.

Despite the interesting premise, there are several elements in this book which didn’t work for me. I never fully understood Jack’s self-imposed celibacy, especially when it didn’t take him long to succumb to Claudia’s charms. Apart from this niggle, I thought he made a convincing hero, and I liked his character.

Unfortunately, Claudia irritated me from start to finish. Her reckless endangerment of herself and others made me want to shake her on several occasions. Her tendency to run from safety into certain danger soon got old. She is the typical flighty French heroine of older historical romances.

Finally, the Scottish dialect pulled me out of the story and detracted from the author’s smooth prose style. I realise that this book was originally released at the time when the use of Scottish dialect in historical romances was very popular. Unfortunately, this style rarely works for me.

I struggled to grade this book. Although it didn’t appeal to me, I think readers who enjoy historical romances with big, brawny Scotsmen in the vein of Karen Marie Moning’s Highlanders would like this story. Claudia reminded me of Annique in Joanna Bourne’s The Spymaster’s Daughter, a book which I disliked but most readers loved. In other words, there are a lot of popular romance tropes in this story, but they’re not ones which usually work for me.

Ultimately, though, I have to grade a book according to my personal enjoyment level. While it might appeal to other readers more than it did to me, I give it a C.

Other Reviews of My Lord Jack:

Not Another Romance Blog – 3.5 out of 5 smooches

All About Romance – C

Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: Restoration England

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: N/A

Format: Digital

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley

My Grade: B

Libertine’s Kiss is the first book I’ve read by Judith James. Based on the excellent first half of the book, I thought this might make it onto my Best of 2010 list, but I had a few quibbles with the second half of the story. Nevertheless, this is a solid romance which is reminiscent of the sweeping historical romances of the 1980′s and 1990′s, and I intend to read more by this author.

The story opens during the bitter civil war between Cromwell and the dispossessed King Charles II. Set against this background of danger and intrigue, Elizabeth Walters is a Puritan widow living on her late husband’s small estate with a few loyal retainers.

When an injured Cavalier shows up on her doorstep, she recognises him as her neighbour and childhood friend, William de Veres. Will shows no sign of recognising her. She tends to his injuries, and the two share a forbidden night of passion. When Cromwell’s troops discover Lizzy aided a Cavalier, her lands are confiscated and she and her servants are left destitute.

A few years later, the Civil War is at an end and King Charles II has successfully claimed his throne. In the hope of regaining her lands, Lizzy travels to London to seek an audience with the king. Her shabby appearance lead the king’s men to dismiss her without hearing her plea. As luck would have it, William de Veres comes to her rescue.

Will is shocked when he realises that the Puritan widow about whom he has spent the past few years fantasising and his childhood friend, Lizzy, are one and the same. Determined to honour his debt to her for saving his life, he persuades the king to consider Lizzy’s petition. King Charles is lazy and manipulative, and far more concerned with his own pleasure than with that of his subjects. He agrees to hear Lizzy’s petition at some unnamed date in the future and commands her to remain at court until he deigns to do so.

Lizzy is shocked by the licentious behaviour practised by the king and his courtiers, especially as it appears that Will is among the worst of them. Against her better judgement, she enters into an affair with Will, which soon blossoms into love. However, Lizzy is not prepared to accept anything less than absolute fidelity, and Will isn’t sure if he can fulfil such a promise.

The first half of Libertine’s Kiss was excellent, but the pace sagged somewhat during Lizzy’s sojourn at court. Thankfully, it picked up again towards the end. I thought Will’s characterization was particularly well done. I’m always amused when self-described rakes in historical romances undergo an instant transformation when they meet the heroine. That is not the case in this book. As the title indicates, Will is a libertine, and an alcoholic. He is filled with self-loathing and he needs to start his journey to overcome this before he can commit to a life with Lizzy.

Lizzy is another strong character. I felt she was truer to her times than many heroines in historical romances. She is irritated that her fortunes rest on the whim of a fickle monarch, but she accepts that men dictate politics. What she is not prepared to tolerate is another marriage in which her needs are not met.

Libertine’s Kiss paints a convincing picture of life in England during the Restoration. I can imagine that not every reader will find Will’s ultimate redemption credible as he is very much at the beginning of his journey at the end of this story. However, it worked for me. I’m looking forward to reading future books by Judith James.

Note: Libertine’s Kiss will be released on 01 August 2010 by HQN books.