This one was a gripping one. Great revisits with characters from other books, plus some characters ending up with unexpected pairings. It all worked wThis one was a gripping one. Great revisits with characters from other books, plus some characters ending up with unexpected pairings. It all worked well. This is definitely a series best read in order, for maximum enjoyment. ...more
A gripping and exciting romantic suspense novel, and a worthy entry into this long series. I really enjoyed this one. I just had to skim through the sA gripping and exciting romantic suspense novel, and a worthy entry into this long series. I really enjoyed this one. I just had to skim through the scenes with the serial killer. They were too graphic and confronting for me. (You can tell I'm not a fan of the TV series Criminal Minds LOL). But yes, he did get got in the end, so that was quite satisfying.
I recommend reading this series in order because familiar characters from earlier books pop up all the time, and it adds to the enjoyment when you know their history. ...more
Sam and Alyssa's story. Another gripping read in this romance/suspense series. On my second read I'm finding I understand who is who in the big cast ofSam and Alyssa's story. Another gripping read in this romance/suspense series. On my second read I'm finding I understand who is who in the big cast of characters a lot better than the first time around. Each book builds on the previous one and develops the characters better.
This one finally sees the frustrating and interrupted relationship between Sam and Alyssa finally reach a satisfying conclusion (or beginning LOL). There is also further development in the relationship between Max and Gina. And even the previously unlikeable Mary Ann does some growing up and gets her happy ending.
The suspense plot works well, and the final face-off scene with the terrorists is worthy of a big budget action movie....more
I really enjoyed this one. This series is quite addictive, and this particular one is a non-stop ride!
It had a bit of everything - romance, drama, suI really enjoyed this one. This series is quite addictive, and this particular one is a non-stop ride!
It had a bit of everything - romance, drama, suspense, some hot sexy moments, a beautiful back story about a WWII double agent and her romance with a much older Austrian prince and suspected Nazi, hot navy SEALS (as usual LOL!), a side story about a man living in hiding on a remote Indonesian island and his intense affair with an older woman (a missionary), drug lords, mercenaries, a kidnapping and ransom, escaping in the jungle, blowing things up, hints about the ongoing thread of Alyssa and her doomed romance with navy SEAL Sam (their story will finally be told in book 6 :)
Whew! All that, and yet somehow Brockmann ties all of the threads together and it works. The MCs, Ken and Van, are just beautiful together. And on the last page you are left with a tear in your eye. Quite moving....more
Mike Muldoon and Joan DaCosta's story. Reread July 2022: I enjoyed the book much more this second time around. The plot of this one is a little complicMike Muldoon and Joan DaCosta's story. Reread July 2022: I enjoyed the book much more this second time around. The plot of this one is a little complicated. I think the first time around I raced through it and struggled a bit when I got too sidetracked by some of the red herrings. This time I understood what was happening much better.
As with previous books in the series, there is the main couple, but there are also other secondary couples, and the writer jumps between their stories. Once you get used to the style of writing, it adds a richness to the story rather than just reading all about one couple. I really felt for Vince and Charlotte and their wonderful romance that began during the dark days of WWII. It was a bit sad that it took so many years before they fully communicated about some of the events of that time.
I did get a little tired of Sam and Mary-Anne's storyline in this book. Their marriage was a mistake and a disaster, even though Sam had been trying to do the honourable thing by marrying Mary-Anne. Sadly it took way too long for both of them to be able to admit that they would be better off apart. For me, there was a bit too much page time spent on the fairly unlikeable and insecure Mary-Anne and her issues.
I loved Mike with his 'model SEAL' good looks, bravery and charisma, his quirks (such as his reluctance to use bad language), and his hidden insecurities that made him feel like a believable person. He and Joan were lovely together. Altogether I really enjoyed the reread. IMO this is the best SEAL romance/suspense series out there....more
John Nilsson and Meg Review May 2020: 2.5 to 3 stars. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the others I've read recently in this series (Books #1 aJohn Nilsson and Meg Review May 2020: 2.5 to 3 stars. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the others I've read recently in this series (Books #1 and #3). I rarely enjoy books or films based around kidnapping and hostage situations, so I guess it's no surprise this one didn't grab me that much. I also didn't find the romantic WWII back story in this one as convincing/moving as in the other books for some reason. Somehow I just didn't really connect with it. I admit, I did a little bit of skimming here and there to keep this book moving for me :(
I will read more in the series, though. Brockmann writes really good heroes and heroines, although these two weren't my fav couple of the ones I've read. I did enjoy the secondary romance of Lys and Sam. Obviously more to come on that one :)...more
Reread Jul 2022. A very enjoyable suspense/romance read in Brockmann's trademark style. Fast-paced and dramatic, with believable characters and powerfReread Jul 2022. A very enjoyable suspense/romance read in Brockmann's trademark style. Fast-paced and dramatic, with believable characters and powerful romance elements. There are several storylines running at once, including a touching backstory set during WW11. Occasionally it's a little disconcerting to jump from one storyline suddenly into another, but overall it all made sense.
IMO this is a series best read in order. Alongside the main romance between Stan and Teri, there are quite a few secondary characters who reappear in some of the other books. You get to know and understand the characters as the series proceeds. The groundwork for some of the future relationships is also laid in earlier books, including this one - e.g. for Sam and Lys as well as Max and Gina....more
This one was OK. It kinda sagged in the middle for me and I took a break before going back and finishing. I was getting nearer the end and things wereThis one was OK. It kinda sagged in the middle for me and I took a break before going back and finishing. I was getting nearer the end and things were wrapping up but I still had 15% or 20% to go (on my kindle) and I kept thinking, what can happen now? Where is the plot going? When all of a sudden at 89% I hit the epilogue and the book finished at 91%. That was confusing. The rest of the book was previews for other books. Hmmm. I wish I'd known that. I might have made more of an effort to push through to the end earlier.
This series for me is not Ms Balogh's best. This book suffered from way too many secondary characters, which is an annoying feature of the whole series, actually. Yeah, I know it's a big complicated family, but I've read most of the books and still get confused about who is who. IMO it would have been better to concentrate each book more clearly on the MCs and just leave out a lot of the others. Yeah, they played their part, but it could have been done more neatly IMO. Who cares who was sitting in the drawing room with whom and how they were connected?
The plot of this one was basically good and it all hung together. Unfortunately I just didn't really connect to the main characters. With many Balogh books I adore the characters and really get drawn into their lives, but for some reason in this series that's not really happening for me. I felt as if I "should" have liked Gil, the serious ex-soldier with his grim demeanour but softer side. Perhaps it was his bitterness and the continual harping on his 'guttersnipe' background that spoiled his appeal for me. Not sure. I just didn't feel the love in this book.
Will and Shannon. I really liked this one. One of the best of this strong series. Captain Will Halsted is gorgeous, and he's a great match for the feiWill and Shannon. I really liked this one. One of the best of this strong series. Captain Will Halsted is gorgeous, and he's a great match for the feisty Shannon. I was a little disappointed in the way things panned out in the end for Will, but it did resolve the book neatly. Overall, a very enjoyable reread....more
This was a lovely story for the final book in the Hathaways series. Beatrix, the youngest Hathaway sibling and now the only unmarried one, is a charmiThis was a lovely story for the final book in the Hathaways series. Beatrix, the youngest Hathaway sibling and now the only unmarried one, is a charmingly unique and slightly eccentric individual. Her older siblings fear she will never meet the right man who will tolerate her idiosyncrasies and love her enough to marry her.
Christopher Phelan, the younger son of a neighbour, was formerly a bit immature and selfish as he charmed his way through the ton and into various ladies' beds. He became a soldier, and ends up serving on the front in the Crimean War, where the tragic brutality of war is brought home to him. He is an honourable man, and serves bravely and heroically. War matures and changes him, but it also leaves him morose and scarred - with what we today call ptsd.
While in the Crimea, Christopher writes to a female acquaintance, Prudence, to take his mind off the horror of his situation. Prudence is a fairly shallow young girl who could not even be bothered writing back. But she shows the letter to her friend Beatrix Hathaway. Beatrix is touched by Christopher's lonely missive, and offers to write back to him in Prudence's stead. But she agrees to sign it as 'Prudence', not 'Beatrix'....... And so begins a charming and quite moving correspondence between Christopher and Beatrix, with Christopher believing it is Prudence. I'm not usually a fan of the epistolary trope, but in this case it's absolutely lovely. The two of them fall in love via their deeply felt letters, and keep writing until Beatrix realises what has happened and decides she can't keep up the falsity any more, and abruptly ends the letter-writing.
The rest of the story involves what happens when Christopher eventually returns to England, and slowly realises the real Prudence did not actually write those wonderful letters. But who did?? And how can he find her???
I really liked this book. You could see Christopher's personal growth as time went on. At first he finds the whole Hathaway family slightly alarming and overwhelming, but as he gets to know them better, he begins to appreciate them and in fact to fit in beautifully.
Beatrix, with her solitary nature, her intense love of the natural world and her menagerie of rescued animals, is just delightful. She sees beneath the surface of things and people, and is able to quietly support Christopher when he finds things overwhelming him. In fact the two of them are beautiful together, and Ms Kleypas has done another fine and thoughtful job in developing realistic and believable characters and situations. A very enjoyable conclusion to this delightful series.
Reread Jun 2019 with HRBC BOTM - Mistaken Identity trope. ...more
A very enjoyable book that is split into two halves. The first half takes place in 1850s India, during the dramatic and dangerous period when native IA very enjoyable book that is split into two halves. The first half takes place in 1850s India, during the dramatic and dangerous period when native Indians were rebelling against the harshness of the British regime. Emmaline is a young and naive Englishwoman, whose journey out to join her English military fiancé in India takes a dramatic turn. In India she also meets (and falls for) her fiancé's cousin Julian, a future duke, who is torn between two worlds, as he is one quarter native Indian. This first half of the book is emotional, eventful and has some scenes of violence that reflect the ugly history of the period.
In the second half, the scene moves to London four years later, and we see Julian and Emma's second chance romance blossom amidst, again, dramatic and emotional events. There is a lovely HEA, and the bad guy gets his just desserts.
This book is not your typical cookie-cutter HR. It is powerful and emotional, which seem to be hallmarks of Duran's writing. The history and settings are credible, and the storyline is interesting and well-developed. Overall, well worth your time.
Historical Romance Book Club BOTM for September 2022, 'Second Chance' trope....more
A lovely read. I love the strict, stern, dour Colonel Lord Aiden Bedwyn, who rarely smiles and has followed the path of duty for all of his adult lifeA lovely read. I love the strict, stern, dour Colonel Lord Aiden Bedwyn, who rarely smiles and has followed the path of duty for all of his adult life. And Eve with her 'bleeding heart' and her genuine kindness towards the lame ducks of the world.
Aiden marries Eve out of his strong sense of honour and duty, and his promise to a dying soldier to protect his sister. Neither of them expect to fall in love. It's done beautifully. Both of them had someone else they were expecting to marry, and this causes some jealousy and mild complications. But as time goes on, they both become more invested in their relationship till finally they acknowledge they have fallen in love with each other.
Aiden's relationship with Eve allows him to crack the emotionless shell he has kept around himself to do his job as a cavalry officer in the grim Napoleonic wars. He had expected to stay in the army, and eventually rise up even further, perhaps to a generalship. But falling in love makes him more human, and brings him back to a sense of his real self, a self he has not been in touch with since he was a very young man. It's nicely done. Balogh is very good at writing this kind of deep emotional growth in her characters.
Eve has some growing up to do, too, as she finally accepts that the (other) man she thought she was once in love with is someone she has grown beyond, and she moves into a real and fulfilling relationship with Aiden.
Having already read this series a couple of times (last time about two years ago, according to GR), I know a bit about other members of the Bedwyn family, including the wonderful Wulfric, the duke and head of the family. This book gives some enjoyable glimpses of Wulf. He and Aiden were very close as boys, but have been cool and at odds for some time. We also see the example of Aiden's relationship with Eve, and Eve's own personal integrity and strength, make Wulf start to question his own life choices and the cool remote detachment with which he seems to conduct his life. I'm already looking forward to rereading Wulf's book, Slightly Dangerous, the final and IMO the best book.
This book is set just after Napoleon was defeated and there were huge victory celebrations in London. This is nicely done. The historical moments form a background to the story, but are lightly drawn and referenced.
Overall, it's a warm and satisfying read, and a wonderful introduction to the Bedwyns. I plan to reread the six books, and perhaps I will also reread the prequel, A Summer to Remember.