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Who’s That Earl
RECOMMENDED: Who’s That Earl? by Susanna Craig is 99c! Catherine wrote a Lightning Review for this and gave it a B:
In fact, Who’s That Earl manages the feat of being low-tension and low-conflict while still having plenty of story and heart to keep you reading. If you are looking for something to read that is charming and relaxing and fun and won’t stress you out too much, this is the book for you.
Miss Jane Quayle excels at invention. How else could the sheltered daughter of an English gentleman create lurid gothic novels so infamous someone wants their author silenced forever? Fortunately, Jane has taken steps to protect herself, first by assuming a pen name, and second, by taking up residence at remote Dunnock Castle, surrounded by rugged scenery that might have been ripped from the pages of one of her books. Her true identity remains a secret, until one dark and stormy night…
After years of spying for the British army, Thomas Sutherland doubts the Highlands will ever feel like home again. Nevertheless, thanks to a quirk of Scottish inheritance law, he’s now the Earl of Magnus, complete with a crumbling castle currently inhabited by a notorious novelist. When the writer turns out to be the woman Thomas once wooed, suspicions rise even as mutual sparks reignite. As danger closes in, can Jane and Thomas overcome their pasts to forge a future together?
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The Firebird
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley is $2.99 at most vendors and $2.51 at Amazon! During our RITA® Reader Challenge reviewer Malin gave it a B+, saying, “It’s a big book, which takes its time to reveal all its secrets.” I remember Aarya is also a Kearsley fan.
Two Women.
One Mysterious Relic.
Separated By Centuries.Nicola Marter was born with a gift so rare and dangerous, she kept it buried deep. When she encounters a desperate woman trying to sell a small wooden carving called “The Firebird,” claiming it belonged to Russia’s Empress Catherine, it’s a problem. There’s no proof.
But Nicola’s held the object. She knows the woman is telling the truth.
Beloved by readers as varied and adventurous as her novels, you will never forget spending time in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Susanna Kearsley’s world.
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Rake I’d Like to F…
Rake I’d Like to F… is 99c! This is an anthology that was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet. First there was Duke I’d Like to F… (I think) and this is the second anthology. Lots of good authors here! For those who read both, do you think one collection is better than the other?
He’s a legend in the raking . . .
The Last Crimes of Peregrine Hind – Sierra Simone
Peregrine Hind, known to all as the bloodiest highwayman ever to bedevil the road, seeks only one thing—revenge against the Dartham family. And so when a robbery sends the second Dartham son and notorious rakehell Alexander Dartham tumbling to Peregrine’s feet, it seems like fate has given Peregrine his vengeance at last. Except then Alexander offers him a desperate bargain: to kidnap him instead, so Peregrine can harvest a generous ransom from Alexander’s family first. Peregrine agrees, but he’s in no way prepared for a captive like Alexander, who insists only on the softest beds and the finest wines…and who enjoys being tied up a little too much…
Two Rakes for Mrs. Sparkwell – Eva Leigh
The last thing Mrs. Vivian Sparkwell wants is to tie her life to another stifling husband. But thanks to the surprise terms of her last marriage contract, if she refuses any reasonable offer to wed again, she loses her widow’s portion. What she needs is a thorough and public ruining to make her would-be suitors cry off. Who better to provide the necessary scandal than notorious rake Rushton Cantley? Yet when Rush proposes that his friend, gaming hell bruiser Jack Morgan, join in on the ruination, Vivian can’t decide if she’s shocked—or aroused. How far is too far when infamy is on the line?
A Rake, His Patron, & Their Muse – Nicola Davidson
London playwright and notorious rake Lennox Townsend is renowned for bold melodrama and bolder pleasures. When he loses interest in both, his shy yet devoted patron Lord Jonathan Grant escorts him to a country boarding house managed by repressed widow, Mrs. Viola Prescott. The trio soon surrender to sizzling—and forbidden—passion, made sweeter as each share their deepest secrets and find acceptance of their true self. Yet cold reality is ever ready to intrude, and they know happiness is fleeting. Or is it?
Monsieur X – Adriana Herrera
Joseph Cantor Marshall never imagined reaching the pinnacle of artistic success would be so… uninspiring. Desperate for a spark of excitement he attends the notorious masked soirée at the most exclusive sex club in Paris. The moment he walks in he’s entranced by the mysterious X, the embodiment of the painter’s darkest fantasies. But X is as slippery as he is tempting, and soon Marshall’s days and nights are consumed by growing desire for his elusive lover. Will falling for X prove to be Marshall’s undoing or his greatest masterpiece?
Sold to the Duke – Joanna Shupe
Though she once lived a life of privilege, Lady Eliza is now destitute and desperate to care for her ill sister. She decides to sell the one thing of value she has left: her virginity. At the auction, a shocked Duke of Blackwood recognizes Eliza and refuses to allow her to fall into the clutches of a depraved bidder. But his role of noble rescuer is upended when the proud beauty insists on giving him his money’s worth…
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How to Bang a Billionaire
How to Bang a Billionaire by Alexis Hall is 99c! This is book one in the Arden St. Ives series and is a M/M BDSM romance. I know Hall is an auto-buy author, but I haven’t heard much about this series. Any thoughts in the comments would be great!
Rules are made to be broken . . .
If England had yearbooks, I’d probably be “Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire.” So far, I haven’t. I’ve no idea what I’m doing at Oxford, no idea what I’m going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he’s brilliant, beautiful . . . oh yeah, and a billionaire.
It’s impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he’ll be through with me.
I’m good at doing what I’m told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian’s shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it’s him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn’t have the power to give me.
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More Alexis Hall: Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake is on sale on Amazon US and UK for 2.99. No cheap cake for Australians, though.
The Arden St. Ives trilogy (BANG is the first of three books) is basically a 50 SHADES OF GRAY retelling with much better writing and with Anastasia replaced by the sexually-experienced gay man with a sharp wit and vast pop-culture sensibility. Christian/Caspian remains the same enigmatic, brooding billionaire with a “troubled” past that he attempts to exorcise with bdsm. (Was so happy in the final book when Arden tells him he needs a gay-friendly/kink-friendly therapist.) I will caution those who are familiar with Hall primarily through his “semi-closed-door” books like BOYFRIEND MATERIAL that the Arden St. Ives trilogy is sexually explicit and has included a triggery backstory. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
All of these landed at about a B for me!
Snagged Rake… and went looking for Duke… Which is apparently only available in a dead tree version, probably POD, judging from the cost. B&N does have a pre-order link for an e-book version of Villain I’d Like to F… due out in the fall.
I like Alexis Hall but I tried to read this one and quit early because of major alpha-hole vibes – does it get better, or should those of us who can’t stand alpha-holes steer clear?
@drewbird: I think Caspian becomes more understandable as the books progress, but he’s definitely the “trouble billionaire” of dark romance. As I noted in my comment above, Arden makes it clear to him (at the end of the trilogy) that Caspian needs therapy to address his unresolved issues.
Do I really want to read a book that ends with one of the main characters being told he needs therapy or just skip that step and go into (long neglected and much needed) therapy myself?
Great minds need to know…
The female MC of FIREBIRD’s contemporary storyline is one of the weakest female characters I’ve ever read—little to no personality or agency. So disappointing. I’d consider rereading just the historical parts, but definitely not the full book. Not the first time I’ve noticed Kearsley‘s writing being misogynistic, either.
@drewbird spoiler alert(?): I’ve read that the apparent love interest for the first half, if not longer, gets replaced 🙂
Read HOW TO BANG A BILLIONAIRE for Arden, with your tongue firmly in your cheek. Caspian doesn’t deserve Ardy, really, but this is (Hall’s word,) a BILLDOMSROMAN. Seriously, if you can handle a wee bit of alphahole, Ardy is well worth the read.
I feel a teeny bit embarrassed posting this, but also compelled to in case it helps anyone else make a decision about reading a BDSM romance. I’d never read one until I was on an Alexis Hall spree and came to For Real. I wasn’t sure I should read it because I don’t like images of pain (like in movies, I’m always hiding my eyes and telling my boyfriend “tell me when it’s over”). But I was also curious and thought maybe it would be different if it was consensual. I told myself I’d give the book a try and stop if it was upsetting me.
The short version is that the story was so good, I didn’t put it down, but it was way too intense for me. I got all the images of creative ways to cause pain stuck in my head for weeks after finishing it, leaving me randomly wincing when I’d remember one. I have no idea how For Real compares to How to Bang a Billionaire, or to any other BDSM romance novels, but if anyone else is triggered by this kind of imagery, you may want to approach with care. (It seems so obvious now, LOL.)
Caspian was too big an a-hole for me to stomach in the next book,so I stopped and decided to HFN at the end of book 1 was it for me. After reading the synopsis for the rest of the trilogy, I was ok with stopping. Caspian would have a lot to makeup for, imo. Of course, I’m not a lover of high angst, so it really is a matter of personal taste and preference. The quality of the writing is very good.
I have bought both of these anthologies and let me just say well worth my money. Looking forward to the next one in the Fall 2022. Villan I’d Like to F.
I loved the Arden St. Ives trilogy but only because I read the whole thing. Had I stopped with book one I would’ve missed the best parts (including Caspian getting his head forcibly pulled at least part of the way out of his ass by Ardy). There’s a lot wrong with Caspian, but that’s kind of the point. Arden is also a bit messy. For me it was the wealth of literary (it ain’t all 50 Shades) allusion and Arden’s growth that make it a go-back-to trilogy.
@JaneB You don’t need to be embarrassed to post that! We come to the comments for info. I really appreciate you saying something because it sounds like this particular book/series is not my speed either, and I like the author so probably would’ve bought it and had the same experience you had. But now I don’t have to. Thanks!