Highland Awakening by Jennifer Haymore

Highland Awakening by Jennifer Haymore
This is book 2 in the Highland Knights series, but it also connects to the House of Trent series.
Lady Esme Hawkins has many secrets, including the fact that she writes racy romance novels. Trying to get information for her newest novel, she visits a notorious bordello where she meets Camden McLeod.
Camden, a Highland Knight, was on a job protecting another, when he meets Esme. Instantly intrigued, he can't help but kiss her.  When he learns that Esme is actually the sister of the Duke of Trent, he knows that he must change some aspects of his current life. He also needs to get rid of Esme's pesky fiancee. 
Can Camden get Esme to see that they are meant for each other before she marries another?
I've been waiting for Esme's story for a long time and Haymore did not disappoint!! I also loved that she tied one of my favorite series (House of Trent) in with the Highland Knights series. It was like visiting with old friends.
I really liked that once Camden decided what he wanted, he went after it. He didn't always do it in the right way, which almost cost him Esme, but I love his determination to have her in his life.
I loved seeing this other side to Esme. We knew that there was more to her than what we had seen in the other House of Trent books, so it was nice to 'meet' the real Esme!
I'm excited to to read the next book in the Highland Knights series, Highland Temptation, which stars Colin Stirling. It comes out in August, 2016.

You can purchase this book at the following retailers:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | All Romance eBooks | Google Books

Thanks go out to Random House via NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

Captured by a Celtic Warrior by Kennedy, Knight, Sinclair, and Haymore

Captured by a Celtic Warrior by Kris Kennedy, Eliza Knight, Vonda Sinclair, and Jennifer Haymore.
A slight of hand...
catching a traitor...
a case of mistaken identity...
and thwarting a power hungry noble.
This anthology follows how a dagger is passed down through the generations and how others wished to posses  it for over 600 years.
I really liked this compilation of stories because they are all connected through the dagger. Anthologies often follow a common theme, but are not really tied together like this one is. That is a plus for me. Knowing that all the stories were tied to the dagger, had me excited to continue to each of the following stories, just to see what would happen to it.
Most of the authors were new to me, so it was nice to get to know their style of writing and find some new authors that I want to read. That is always a plus!
Jennifer's story, Her Wicked Highlander) is book 2.5 in her Highland Knights series. The others seemed like they might also be a part of series by that author, but I couldn't find any information on it...
I'm hoping that Kennedy, Knight, Sinclair and Haymore decide to do this again as I really enjoyed reading all four stories.

You can purchase this book at the following locations:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | Kobo | iBooks

Thanks go out to CrushStar Multimedia via NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

An Affair in Autumn by Jennifer Haymore

An Affair in Autumn by Jennifer Haymore
This is book 4 in the A Year Without a Duke series, a multi-author series.
Markus Hawkins is bound for America in search of the new Duke of Beckworth. After telling Caroline Addison about his trip (Caroline, Markus and the new Duke had been childhood friends), he never imagined that she would also buy passage on the same ship. 
After Caroline's marriage, her friendship with Markus had deteriorated, but she wan't going to let that stop her from finding the new duke. But spending time with Markus again, brings forth all the feelings she has kept to herself over the years.
What happens when they both realize that the feelings they have for each other is much more than the childhood friendship they shared?
This is the fourth book of five that tells the story of the residents of the Duke of Beckworth's estate. Having read all 5 of them, I would definitely recommend reading them all together, although they could each be read as stand alone.
I really liked this story. You've got two former friends that haven't seen each other in years because of something that one of them thought about the other (don't want to give too much away!). During their voyage to America, you get to see Caroline and Markus get to know one another as adults who have a little bit of life under their belts.  This was very enjoyable read!

You can purchase this book at the following retailers:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | All Romance

Thanks go out to the author for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

Highland Heat by Jennifer Haymore

Highland Heat by Jennifer Haymore
This is book 2 in the Highland Knight series.
Following her sister to Waterloo, Lady Grace Carrington helps a wounded soldier after the battle. Even after getting him the medical treatment he needs, she can't seem to keep herself away from him, especially after the kiss they share. But knowing their class difference makes it impossible for them to explore their feelings, they walk away from each other.
Duncan MacKenzie is saved from the battlefield by an angel. After one taste of her, he doesn't think he can let her go. Knowing that it is for the best, he tries to forget about Grace. But the fates conspire to bring them together and they can't fight their attraction to one another any longer.
Can their love for each other survive the many obstacles ahead?
I enjoyed this story. As happens in love stories that cross class bounties, the H/H have that struggle on top of everything else they go through to get their HEA. With Duncan also a member of the Highland Knights, there was also mission of go on.
It was just the right amount of love story, angst, and mystery to satisfy any reader!

You can get this book at the following retailers:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | All Romance eBooks | Google Books

Thanks go out to Random House via NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

Scandalous Summer Nights an Anthology

Scandalous Summer Nights by Grace Callaway, Sabrina Darby, Jennifer Haymore, Sue London, Kate McKinley, Sandy Raven and Vivienne Westlake. This anthology includes seven series-opening novellas. The Widow Vanishes by Grace Callaway
Annabel Foster has just found out that her husband has passed away and left her in debt to a man no one is willing to cross. After trying to earn the money respectfully, she is forced to sell her body. Her first night turns out unexpectedly. William McLeod has been given his choice of women for the night in reward for a job well done. Little did he know that the woman he choice would change his life forever. This was a nice quick read. This is an introduction to her new Heart of Enquiry series, but had a few characters from her Mayhem in Mayfair series too. The story has me hunting down the Mayhem in Mayfair series to read!
Scandal Before Sunrise by Sabrina Darby
Abigail Billings had been one of the wild girls before disappearing from the ton for three years. Now she is back and looking for a respectable husband before everyone learns that there is no longer any money with her father's title.  Unfortunately,  the man that interests her is not interested in marriage but wants an affair instead. Elliot Jones has just returned from fighting for England and is ready to have some fun. His friends talk about bad girl Abigail and she has peaked his interests. But when he finally meets her, she is no longer that fun lovin' girl his friends talked about.   Can Elliot find that fun lovin' girl behind the woman that wants a respectable marriage? A great story with a mischievous girl trying to do right. This novella definitely peaked my interest for reading the rest of the books in the Weekly Scandal series. I'm hoping the series includes Elliot's friends from this novella!
A Highlander's Heart by Jennifer Haymore
Claire Campbell is determined to fix her marriage, but to do that she must find her husband who is in the middle of fighting a war.  Finding her husband wounded on the battlefield at Waterloo, Claire is determined to see him regain his health. Rob Campbell thinks it's an angel approaching him on the battlefield, but when she gets closer he realizes that it is his wife whom he is estranged.    Can these two mind their marriage in the middle of this horrible war? Haymore does an excellent job of setting up her new series. We are introduced to the male leads and given enough of a back story on each to peak our interest.  Her new Highland Knights series is definitely on my TBR list!!
Lord Lucifer's Disciple by Sue London Elisa Jarvis know that all her husband prospects are just after her dowry, plus they are all boring! That is until she meets a mysterious foreigner at a masked ball. John Howards has always been awkward during social functions, so when he finally agrees to attend his cousin's masked ball he pretends to be his foreign friend. It gives him the courage to do things he would never dream of as himself. What will Elisa do when she unmasks her foreign friend? This was my first story by Sue London and I really enjoyed it.  So much so that I need to hunt down all her Haberdasher books to read the stories of all the secondary characters I meet in this one.  How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days by Kate McKinley
Pippa Welby can't imagine why the man that gave her the cut direct is asking her to marry him. He has even given her an invitation to her own engagement ball that is to happen in 10 days. Pippa has been looked down on by the peerage her whole life because of her heritage and there is no way she is going to marry into it.

Lucas Alexander, the Duke of Arlington, is smitten with Pippa the first time he sees her. So taken with her, he was at a loss for words and walks away from her. Finding out that her father owns the largest coal mine in the area is just the icing on the cake.

What happens when what starts out as a seduction of convience turns into true passion? Can Pippa forgive Lucas when she finds out why he really wants to marry her?

It was a very enjoyable read. It's often hard for authors to write novellas without the story feeling rushed. McKinley does an excellent job of keeping the pace of the story without leaving out any details. Lucas was definitely an alpha male, but also showed that he had a softer side to him. Pippa, as a headstrong young miss, was not going to let Lucas walk all over her. They were perfect for each other!
Miss Amelia Lands a Duke by Sandy Raven Amelia Manners-Sutton is the companion for her aunt, whom is not very nice, but she took Amelia in when she didn't have any where else to go. Since her aunt doesn't want Amelia to ruin anything for her at the house party, Amelia is left to her own devices and finds herself wondering the gardens where she meets a man named "Sir." She is intrigued by him, but it is not until she is almost caught in the library with him that things get interesting. Marcus Halden, the Duke of Caversham, is just looking for some peace and quiet when she encounters "Miss." He is also intrigued and when she is about to speak and alert her aunt to their presence in the library he kisses her. What will happen when they are caught in a compromising position? There was just something about this one that I didn't like. I think part of it is the age difference in the H/H. He was old enough to be her father and I just don't want to read about that in one of my romances.  The other was the editing of the piece, which I hope was fixed before publication.... Lady Northham's Wicked Surrender by Vivienne Westlake Rowena, Countess of Northham, is in the home of her former suitor when she learns that he will be arriving soon.  She was jilted by the man and doesn't know how she will act when she sees him again. Simon, Lord Rutherford, is on his way back to claim his former love.  She rejected him once, but he has hopes that she is ready to be his forever. What happens when they learn what they thought happened, was all lies? I really enjoyed this very short story and am looking forward to reading more by this author. Over all I really enjoyed this set of stories and have found several new authors that I will be putting on my TBR list. I would definitely pick this one up for your keeper shelf!!

You can get this book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and All Romance E-Books.

The Scoundrel's Seduction by Jennifer Haymore

The Scoundrel's Seduction by Jennifer Haymore.
This is book 3 in the House of Trent series.
When Sam Hawkins assassinates a traitor, he never imagined the traitor's wife would witness it.  Knowing he can't leave a witness to turn him in, he takes her with him.
Elise, Lady Dunthorpe, can't believe that her husband was just murdered in front of her and the killer is making her go with him. Not knowing who he is and why he killed her husband, Elise does everything in her power to get away from him.
Realizing that she is not going to get away from Sam, Elise makes the best of her situation. And when someone tries to kill her, Elise must put her life in the hands of her husband's killer. But as they spend more time to together, Elise realizes there is more to Sam than she first realized.  
As they run from her would-be killer, Elise and Sam fight their growing attraction to each other. How can Elise be falling for her husband's killer?
I knew when Haymore wrote Sam's story it would be a good one. I was definitely not disappointed!
Haymore does an excellent job of pealing away the layers of her characters which definitely draws the reader into the story. Sam was such an enigma in the other stories, I was excited to learn what made him into the man he was. Haymore paired Sam with Elise, who had just as many secrets. As their relationship grew, they both revealed more of their past which in turn made them grow closer together. They were the perfect match!
The story of the missing Dowager Duchess of Trent, which ran through the other two stories, continues with this story and adds an added element of mystery. We get to see Sam's siblings again, which is always a treat. I hope that Haymore will be continuing this series as I would love to read their stories.

You can get this book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Books-A-Million.

Thanks go to Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

 

The Rogue's Proposal by Jennifer Haymore

Lord Lukas Hawkins is hunting for his missing mother. His information has led him to hunt for Roger Morton. Emma Anderson is also hunting for Roger Morton. She believes that he has stolen all of her family's money and killed her husband.

Emma proposes that they hunt for Morton together. She has more knowledge of the man, so Lukas agrees.  Their journey takes them across England and Emma soon realizes that there is more to Lukas than his reputation as a rogue.

The hunt for Morton brings them back to London where things escalate with the search and between Emma and Lukas.  Can Emma get over her fear of Lukas being like her dead husband and will Lukas believe that he is good enough for Emma?

The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore

The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore.

This is book one in the House of Trent Series.

Sarah Osborne has been in love with Simon Hawkins, the duke of Trent, since she met him. Being the gardener's daughter, Sarah knows that nothing could ever come from it.

A forbidden kiss leaves Simon wanting more, but his strict moral code keeps him from pressing Sarah for more. When the Duchess of Trent goes missing, Sarah is promoted to lady's companion. Simon wants someone to help his sister while they are in London investigating his mother's disappearance.

Simon knows that it is time to get married and produce the needed heir, but he can't stop thinking about Sarah. Unfortunately, he needs the proper bride and soon becomes betrothed.

Between the blackmail, the missing Duchess and all the secrets being kept, will Simon and Sarah find happiness?

I LOVED this book.  Simon tried so hard to keep his family from scandal, but it seemed to just come knocking at his door. I loved that he finally did something for himself and not to save the family name.  I found myself laughing out loud and loving every minute of the love story.  I have definitely fallen in love with the Trent family and can't wait for the remaining stories in the series.  Next in line is Lukas, the family bad boy! I can't wait to see who tames him.

You can get this book at Amazon,  Barnes and Noble,  iBooks, and Kobo.