Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard by Vanessa Kelly

The Secrets of Seducing a Royal Bodyguard by Vanessa Kelly.
This is book one of the Renegade Royals series. You can read about the preview novella, Lost in a Royal Kiss, HERE.
Lady Vivien Shaw has been kidnapped and it is the job of Aden St. George to rescue her. Unfortunately, his job doesn't end there. Since they don't know who is behind the kidnapping, Aden must go into society to protect Vivien until they find the culprit. But Aden hasn't been mingling with the ton in over 10 years, ever since he started working as a spy for the British government.
Vivien is grateful for the help that Aden provides, but as he spends more and more time with her he comes closer to discovering her secrets (who might be behind the kidnapping and why). Those secrets could jeopardize members of her family.
Aden hates going to ton parties and mingling with a group of people that made his mother's life miserable after her affair with the Prince Regent and his subsequent birth. But he has a job to do, one that is getting harder and harder to do when he knows that Vivien is keeping things from him.
Eventually, Vivien's secrets come out and Aden takes them into hiding to protect her, while others are finding evidence to convict the kidnapper. While in hiding Vivien and Aden become much closer. But Aden is convienced that he doesn't deserve the love of someone like Vivien. Can she convience him otherwise? Will the kidnapper be brought to justice?
I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the banter between Vivien and Aden.  Their attraction started from their first meeting and just sizzled throughout the whole book. I loved seeing what type of man Dominic had become as well as a quick peak at Linnet and Anthony (from Lost in a Royal Kiss). 
The only thing that felt was lacking was more information about the relationship between Aden and his mother. The story talks about how they had such a close relationship when he was little and how all that changed. I would have loved to have read a scene in which they have a heart to heart and his mother explains why she suddenly stopped being the loving and caring mother he had started growing up with.
We are introduced to Griffin Steele (cousin to Aden), whom is the hero of the next book in the series titled Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom.  I've already fallen in love with him and can't wait to read his story which is expected to come out on April 1, 2014 (happy birthday to me!!)

You can get this book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Thanks go out to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

One Rogue Too Many by Samantha Grace

Lady Gabrielle has been in love with Anthony Keaton, the Earl of Ellis practically her whole life.  She believes that they will finally have a chance to get together, but Anthony hasn't made it back to town when he said he would. With her family pressuring her to wed, Gabrielle looks else where.
Anthony is so excited to be back in town and ready to get is betrothal to Gabrielle settled. Unfortunately, as soon as he arrives in town he hears that Baron Sebastian Thorne is courting her.  Having competed against Thorne for most of his life, Anthony thinks that his pursuit of Gabrielle is just a game to him. It's not a game to Thorne. He needs that reputation boost that marriage to Gabrielle will give him to get his sister accepted in society.  
Both men are are determined to win Gabrielle's hand in marriage. Will Gabrielle choose the man she has loved for most of her life or the man that won't break her heart over and over again?

The Temptation of Lady Serena by Ella Quinn.

The Temptation of Lady Serena by Ella Quinn.
This is book 3 in The Marriage Game series.
Lady Serena Weir must go to London for her first Season. Her brother has finally returned home and has a new bride.  Having lived a quiet life in the Scottish Borderlands, Serena is a little out of her depth. Luckily, she has her aunt and cousin to guide her along.
Robert, Viscount Beaumont, is determined not to marry for love after a disastrous first love.  Unfortunately for him, he is captivated by Serena at first glance and she will only marry for love.
Knowing this, Robert compromises Serena forcing her to accept his suit. What he doesn't know is that their friends and family will side with Serena to get him to see the error of his ways.
Can Robert get Serena to marry him without his love or will Serena convience Robert that what he feels for is love?
I had such high hopes for this story! I'd gotten to know Robert in the other two stories in the series and was looking forward to seeing him have his HEA. Unfortunately, the writing was awful.  It was so hard for me to get through this novel.  I mentioned in my review of The Secret Life of Anna Marsh that some of the writing was off and hoped that with each novel it would improve.  Unfortunately, with each novel the writing seems to be regressing.  I will say that the writing in the second half of the book did get better, but I had to keep pushing myself to get through the first half.
Having said all that, I did enjoy the story line. Quinn added a bit of a mystery to the novel as well as a second love story. We were also able to visit the characters from the previous two books and have a peek into their lives. As hard as it was for me to get through is book, I do look forward to the next story in the series. There is a preview at the end of the book to wet your appetite. 

You can get this book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Thanks go to NetGalley and eKensington for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan

Violet Waterfield, the Countess of Cambury and Sebastian Malheur has been friends since they were children. They would do anything for each other, including fooling the ton into believing that the work Sebastian is doing in genetics is his work when in fact it is really Violet's.
Unfortunately, Sebastian is done living a life that is a lie. He can't pretend that the work he presents is his any longer. When he tells Violet how he feels, they end up in a heated argument that leave both of them hurt.
Weeks later they come together for a friend's wedding and both apologize. Soon Sebastian confesses that he is in love with Violet, a fact that she finds hard to believe. Should she admit that she thinks she feels the same way?
Violet hold back her feels as she truly doesn't believe that Sebastian's feelings are true. She has been hurt in the past and doesn't not trust that she will not be hurt by his feeling when he realizes they are just a passing fancy.
Will Sebastian's love for Violet win her over? Will Violet let her guard down to have the love she deserves?

The Duke's Match Girl by Lila DiPasqua

Seven years ago, Leopold d'Ermart, the Duke of Mont-Marly broke Suzanne Matchet's heart and she has done her best to forget him. But suddenly he is back and doing everything he can to win her heart.
Leo and Suzanne grew up the best of friends, but one Christmas Eve everything changed.  They had one magical night and then Leo crushed that dream. Unfortunately, Leo knew that he was already pledged to wed another. He didn't want her to be heartbroken when he left, so he tried to make her hate him.
Seven years have passed and suddenly Leo is back in Suzanne's life.  He has always been in love with his childhood friend and now that he is free, nothing will stop him from having her. 
Leo has sent his man of business to see if Suzanne will come and make perfume for his sisters as a Christmas gift. She turned down his offer, so he goes to her.  Even in person, Leo can not convince Suzanne to travel back to her childhood home for the Christmas season. He proceeds to use all his wealth and power to try and convince her to come back with him.
Will Leo be able to convince Suzanne to come back home with him? Will Suzanne risk her heart to be with the love of her life again?

Much Ado About Dutton by Claudia Dain

Much Ado About Dutton by Claudia Dain. It is part of the More Courtesan Chronicles series which comes after the Courtesan Chronicles series.
Two years ago, Lord Dutton made it clear to widow Anne Warren that he wanted her.  Unfortunately, Dutton only decided this after learning that Anne's mother had been a courtesan and she made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with him and soon marries a proper gentleman.  Dutton drowns his sorrows in a liquor bottle.
Two years have passed and Dutton is sober and Anne is a widow again.  Dutton is determined to get Anne into his bed where Anne is now willing to be, but on her terms.  Will they be able to agree to the terms of their relationship?
After getting any book from NetGalley, I go to the author page to see if it is a part of a series. After seeing how closely related these books were, I made my way through the series to get ready for this book. Some books in a series can be read on their own without any confusion of the story line. I don't believe that this is case with this series.  The whole series (except this one which jumps ahead 2 yrs.) takes place in about 4 weeks of time. There are so many different characters in the series, that had I not read all of the previous books, I would have been thoroughly confused (even having read them all, it was at times confusing to keep all the characters straight in my head).
Having said all of that, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and this particular story. The series follows Lady Dalby (Sophia), a former courtesan, who plays matchmaker throughout the course of the books. Most of the characters show up throughout the whole series, so we are able to see glimpses of their lives too. 
We are introduced to  Lord Dutton and Anne Warren in the first book (The Courtesan's Daughter) and their story carries on throughout the rest of the series coming to a conclusion with this one.  We know from reading the other books that Anne is attracted to Dutton, but needs to make a good marriage because of her background. After her husband dies, she knows that she can now go to Dutton on an even playing field. She is no longer the daughter of a courtesan, but Lady Staverton. Anne turns the tables on Dutton and makes him dance to her tune. 
Thank goodness this series is continuing. The next book in the series is Taming Miss Grey which is about Sophia's niece. There is a scene in Much Ado About Dutton that leads us to the stories of the Ardenzy twins. You can find there stories HERE on Amazon (only $0.99). I'll be reading those tonight!
I've given this story a four out of five only for the fact that is was really hard to keep everyone straight in my mind.  I LOVE this series, but it would have been a bit more enjoyable had I not had to keep so many characters straight in my head!

You can purchase this book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 
Thanks go out to NetGalley and Aspendawn Books for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

Cynders and Ashe by Elizabeth Boyle

 Cynders & Ashe by Elizabeth Boyle.

This is a short story (less than 10,000 words) that was originally published in The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance.

Five years ago, Ella Cynders was the companion to a young lady bent on following her heart. While her employer was eloping, Ella had to stand in her place at the masked ball where Viscount Ashe was looking for a wife.

While there, Ella and the Viscount find a passion that is unforgettable. Unfortunately, Ella is forced to leave the ball before the unmasking.

Viscount Ashe has spend the last five years looking for the love of his life. If he doesn't find her, he will have to choose another.  Will he find her at this year's ball?

Ella finally has a way to get into the Ashe ball again. Will she find the man who stole her heart?

For such a short story, it was a good read. Although this is a typical Cinderella story, Boyle has put a nice twist to it. I would have loved more to the story, but knew it would be short going into it.

You can get this book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.