REVIEW: Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare

Tessa Dare is a master at writing scenes that would cause you to have a permanent grin, leave you breathless with excitement, make your heart melt, and definitely leave you craving for more. Beauty and The Blacksmith is no exception, as it is chock-full of moments that left me sighing, chortling, fanning myself (oh, so hot!) and clutching my heart, all at once.

We first met Diana and Aaron in the first book of the Spindle Cove series, A Night To Surrender, and it’s such a treat to finally get to know these two amazing individuals on a much deeper level. Aaron is an exceptional man; it’s difficult not to fall for this loyal, hardworking, kindhearted and passionate person. Diana is equally outstanding; a woman, who has so much to give, firmly resolved to live her life and be happy. These two complement each other, and every so often, I hear myself sighing because of how perfectly they fit. They don’t always have perfect moments, goodness knows how many times I died laughing because of one mishap or another, but in each moment, even the ones that left a twinge in my heart, it was very clear how much love these two have for each other. 

It was such a joy to see more of the crazy cast of characters in Spindle Cove (reading this seriously felt like coming home). Loved reading more of Charlotte, that very spirited and unrestrained youngest Miss Highwood. She is such a force to reckon with. Love, love, love her. Very touching, that moment with Aaron.

Watch out for the revelations, pay attention to the powerful words and savor the expressiveness in each statement. So beautiful. Beauty and the Blacksmith is such a decidedly sweet and deliciously sizzling story. Definitely a must read!

REVIEW: A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

goodreads

Series: Spindle Cove (#3)

Genre: historical romance
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A temporary engagement, a lifetime in the making...

After years of fending for herself, Kate Taylor found friendship and acceptance in Spindle Cove--but she never stopped yearning for love. The very last place she'd look for it is in the arms of Corporal Thorne. The militia commander is as stone cold as he is brutally handsome. But when mysterious strangers come searching for Kate, Thorne steps forward as her fiance. He claims to have only Kate's safety in mind. So why is there smoldering passion in his kiss?

Long ago, Samuel Thorne devoted his life to guarding Kate’s happiness. He wants what's best for her, and he knows it's not marriage to a man like him. To outlast their temporary engagement, he must keep his hands off her tempting body and lock her warm smiles out of his withered heart. It's the toughest battle of this hardened warrior's life...and the first he seems destined to lose.

Please note: I was fortunate to have been granted access to an e-arc of ALBM in Edelweiss by HarperCollins. The book's expected publication: August 28th 2012.


Absolutely LOVED A Lady by Midnight!

Since this book is not officially out yet, I'm going to try my best to keep this review spoiler free.

REVIEW: The Runaway Countess by Leigh LaValle

Genre: historical romance
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary can be found in Diana's review here.

Review:
Sizzling hot from start to finish!

I can hardly think after all the emotions. The feelings. Oh, how these feelings and thoughts are still resonating within me even after hours I had put my tablet down. And it was a struggle to put it down. I kept going back, wanting to re-read my favorite parts and just soak in these moments LaValle created.

LaValle's voice is very distinct and I'm kind of in love with the way she can string words together and create these profound sentences that unravel in such a moving way. Her voice. Her characters. Her characters' voices.

Both Lord Radford and Mazie are incredibly well developed. The way they speak, their personalities, so defined and complex. Love how they are so very telling in how they express themselves by their actions and words and words they choose not to say.

The chemistry between Lord Radford and Mazie is undeniable and present and so very real, it hurts in the most delicious way.

One thing that I absolutely loved about Radford and Mazie is that neither lost themselves, they stayed true to their character from start to finish! None of the OOC business to suit the plot. Mazie and Radford were all about learning who they were and learning to trust in that, whatever they were to be and become.

[SPOILERS under the cut!]