Vanessa Kelly - Mastering the Marquess (ARC review)

Book will be released April 2009

Meredith Burnley is faced with a dire situation. Her uncle is threatening to put her beloved half sister Annabel in a madhouse and marry her of to her cousin. Meredith sees but on option and that is to seek help from Annabel’s family in London.
The only way to get Annabel out of the clutches of her uncle is marriage. So with the support of Lady Stanton, Annabel’s grandmother, and her nephew Lord Silverton Annabel is being introduced into the Ton. Marrying Silverton is a perfect solution. But Meredith never imagined falling in love with the handsome marquess. Since she is nothing more than a merchant’s daughter, her infatuation seems hopeless, whatever Silverton may say… She will never stand in the way of her sister’s safety and after all, who would accept her as marchioness…

This is the debut of Vanessa Kelly and what a debut it is.

Silverton is a charming, arrogant and amusing. I found myself liking him from the moment I met him. He’s caring. For his family, but also for Meredith and Annabel. His interaction with Robert is hilarious and loving. I love how he counters Meredith’s every objection, knowing she’ll only dig up more…

Meredith is a very down to earth woman. She knows she’ll never be accepted by the Ton and doesn’t make a fuss about it. She only wants what is best for Annabel, even if that means getting over her crush with Silverton. But when the crush develops into an all consuming love and Annabel has set her eye on someone else, it gets harder to deny the fierce attraction between them.

Vanessa Kelly’ debut is a sizzling, humorous and sensual story that places you alongside the main characters. She describes the persons, environment and habits in a way you feel you are right there with them.

There is passion in it, but also lots of humor. The way Robert and Silverton interact, but also when fe Silverton asks Meredith to use his first name.
Her secondary characters are wonderful. Robert and Annabel, but also Trask and Sophia. I look forward to reading more about them…

Mastering the Marquess is passionate and emotional, humorous and sensual. With her debut novel Vanessa Kelly starts with a bang! I kept turning the pages, laughing and rolling my eyes at Meredith’s antics.

I can highly recommend this book and spring 2010 is marked already, since then we’ll get the Earl of Trask and Sophia’s story…

New discovery: Vanessa kelly

When I was researching I found this new author Vanessa Kelly.
Her debut Mastering the Marquess is planned for April 2009 and sounds very promising!



Country spinster Meredith Burnley will do anything to save her half-sister Annabel, including risking her own life and sacrificing her only chance for happiness. When Annabel’s guardian threatens to lock her up in a lunatic asylum, Meredith vows to find a husband to protect the girl, and the arrogant and powerful Marquess of Silverton seems like the perfect man to keep Annabel safe.
The ton’s most popular rake, Silverton hides a growing disgust with his inability to feel any emotion for the beautiful girls thrown his way. But he needs to marry, and Annabel will serve his purposes. Silverton is stunned, however, by his fierce attraction to the unfashionable Meredith, whose quiet ways conceal a passionate and sensual nature. He’s determined to claim her, in spite of his promise to woo her sister.

Meredith knows she must never betray Annabel, or succumb to the charms of the sophisticated Marquess of Silverton. Her willpower, though, is no match for his skillful and relentless seduction, or the temptation of forbidden love. But her surrender to passion soon puts Meredith and Annabel in danger, and only Silverton can rescue them. The arrogant Marquess must be willing to risk everything--especially his heart--or lose Meredith, and his last chance for love.

You can read an excerpt HERE

Elizabeth Hoyt - The Raven Prince

When widowed Anna comes home after a shopping trip and nearly ridden down by a brutal man on a horseback, she must face the fact that their finances are in very dire straits… Being a woman without male family she doesn’t have much options. But luck is smiling her way, because the Earl of Swartingham is in need of a secretary. After making his previous flee, he demands a new one, the next day..
At first he isn’t thrilled about the idea of having Anna as his secretary, soon those feelings are replaced with something more passionate. Being scarred after smallpox, he’s sure Anna is disgusted by his body as so many women before her. But Anna is experiencing everything but repulsion. So when she finds out he’s heading to London to satisfy his baser needs, she intervenes to make sure she’s the one to fulfill his passionate desires…
After reading several reviews I was very anxious to read this one. But my high hopes weren’t completely satisfied…
Even though the plot is very interesting, it just doesn’t completely live up to my expectations. I never found Edward that brutish or bad tempered. So the previous secretaries must have be real chickens… I loved the scenes in the brothel, but it also gave me a bad feeling… I was hoping in a way he’d find out.
Anna is a very nice woman. Not bothering with rules when she needs to make money, determined to put aside her previous restricting life when a woman in need has to rely on her, even though a honorable woman like Anna mustn’t be seen with a whore.
I can’t say I didn’t like this book. It’s just when you expect a lot, you are left behind with a bad feeling when the expectations aren’t met. I never found myself drawn into the book. Enthralled by Edward and Anna.
I really hope to get some other readers reacting about how they felt about this book…

Delilah Marvelle - Mistress of pleasure

Maybelle is horrified by her grandmothers idea of teaching gentlemen the art of seduction. Her grandmother is a former courtesan, so living a scandalous life has always been Maybelle way of life. But teaching men how to pleasure their women is a brigde too far in Maybelle’s eyes.
But Maybelle is also curious about what drew her grandmother to that way of life, so tired of her virginity she decides to get rid of it and have one tryst with a gentleman. At a soiree she meets the Duke of Rutherford. Captivated by the mysterious woman he follows her into the garden and soon they find themselves in a very compromising position. When Edmund realizes he has deflowered a virgin he is flabbergasted and Maybelle takes the opportunity to flee.
When her grandmother has a mild stroke and is forced to keep the bed, Maybelle sees no other option but to open the school herself, teaching 5 gentlemen the art of seduction. Edmund is among them. After their encounter he wants Maybelle to become his wife (with a little persuation and blackmailing of his mother) but Maybelle refuses, so this is his way to gain entrance into her life.

Mistress of pleasure is a sizzling debut, with a high level of passion en seduction.
Edmund is trying to leave his father’s scandal behind and Maybelle isn’t really being part of that plan. But the attraction between them is instantaneous and intense. So using the school to seduce it’s teacher seems the best option for Edmund.
Maybelle wants a quiet life without much scandal. Her grandmother isn’t helping with her new school, but the love Maybelle has for her grandmother makes her take the position of a teacher when needed.
I truly liked this story. It’s well paced with a high level of erotic scenes, but a story to match it. Since it’s the first novel of this writer, I’ll look forward to the next one about one of the other students. They are all very fascinating in their own unique way and I’m sure Delilah Marvell will give them a heroine to match their needs.