Yes, in the middle of my Spartacus binge, I managed to read some romance books and this was a fun batch!
Gena Showalter, The Darkest Night - EEEEEEEEE! So good! The first in the Lords of the Underworld series, our heroine Ashlyn has been born with a special ability to be able to hear all the conversations that ever took place in any place she is at. This ability is slowly driving her mad, until her paths cross with Maddox,my book boyfriend, one of the members of the Lords of the Underworld. Long ago, the Lords were warriors who stole Pandora's box and unwittingly released demons into the world. They were punished by each having to house a particular demon inside them, which does not sound like much fun. It is very little fun for Maddox, who houses the demon of Violence, and has to work very hard not to let him take over. That's the least of his problems, however, as he is also punished by having to be stabbed to death repeatedly every night and carted off to hell for torture only to wake up alive in his bed every morning (long story why but poor hot dude doesn't deserve it). Short version = his life super sucks. Anyway, Ashlyn and Maddox meet and are madly drawn to each other, but there are his curses, her voices, and an evil organization that wants the Lords destroyed and Ashlyn captured. Angst hot sex scenes angst h/c extravaganza angst longing angst lovers dying for each other delicious angst!
Gena Showalter, The Darkest Kiss - this one was kinda blah tbh. I liked Lucien, the Lord of Death and Anya, the Minor Goddess of Anarchy (LOL - she reminds me of Buffy's Anya, I wonder if it's an homage) but I never really got invested in them or the story. I was all about Reyes/Danika (luckily the third book is theirs and I am about to binge) and Paris (thank God I read Paris' book out of order because otherwise I'd be tearing my hair out. That angst was soooooooooo good!)
Sarah MacLean, One Good Earl Deserves a Lover - despite the appallingly punning title and a heroine who starts out the very definition of TSTL (she seeks out the hero because she is going to be arrange-married in two weeks, doesn't have enough sex information, and ask him for tutoring - only in theory of sex, not practicing. WTF!!!!!), this was rather cute. The hero is a rare combo of both tortured and fuctional/nice, the heroine recovers from her idiotic bizarreness quickly, and they are rather desperately sweet together. I prefer the first book in the series, A Rogue By Any Other Name though. And I am dying for the third book in the series.
Mary Jo Putney, No Longer a Gentleman - I am currently reading it and love love love love this one as it's pretty much one giant h/c fic, and you know my tastes! Our hero is an English aristocrat who has spent the last decade mouldering in solitary confinement in a French dungeon (he slept with the wrong woman as a young idiot and paid a really steep price). But now the agent-extraordinaire, Cassandra Renard, has come to rescue him. Now they must both get to England while being chased by evil evil evvvvvvvilllll French dude. Greydon Sommers used to be the proverbial golden boy - charming, popular, good-looking - everything came easily to him. The man Cassandra finds is borderline feral, terrified of crowds, and desperate. Can you see how this appeals to me? Yeah, I bet you could. I confess I am all about the hero in this one - it took me a while to warm up to the heroine (though I did end up liking her immensely) but I loved the hero from page 1. I was looking forward to his reunion with his friends and family as much as I did to the romance.
Gena Showalter, The Darkest Night - EEEEEEEEE! So good! The first in the Lords of the Underworld series, our heroine Ashlyn has been born with a special ability to be able to hear all the conversations that ever took place in any place she is at. This ability is slowly driving her mad, until her paths cross with Maddox,
Gena Showalter, The Darkest Kiss - this one was kinda blah tbh. I liked Lucien, the Lord of Death and Anya, the Minor Goddess of Anarchy (LOL - she reminds me of Buffy's Anya, I wonder if it's an homage) but I never really got invested in them or the story. I was all about Reyes/Danika (luckily the third book is theirs and I am about to binge) and Paris (thank God I read Paris' book out of order because otherwise I'd be tearing my hair out. That angst was soooooooooo good!)
Sarah MacLean, One Good Earl Deserves a Lover - despite the appallingly punning title and a heroine who starts out the very definition of TSTL (she seeks out the hero because she is going to be arrange-married in two weeks, doesn't have enough sex information, and ask him for tutoring - only in theory of sex, not practicing. WTF!!!!!), this was rather cute. The hero is a rare combo of both tortured and fuctional/nice, the heroine recovers from her idiotic bizarreness quickly, and they are rather desperately sweet together. I prefer the first book in the series, A Rogue By Any Other Name though. And I am dying for the third book in the series.
Mary Jo Putney, No Longer a Gentleman - I am currently reading it and love love love love this one as it's pretty much one giant h/c fic, and you know my tastes! Our hero is an English aristocrat who has spent the last decade mouldering in solitary confinement in a French dungeon (he slept with the wrong woman as a young idiot and paid a really steep price). But now the agent-extraordinaire, Cassandra Renard, has come to rescue him. Now they must both get to England while being chased by evil evil evvvvvvvilllll French dude. Greydon Sommers used to be the proverbial golden boy - charming, popular, good-looking - everything came easily to him. The man Cassandra finds is borderline feral, terrified of crowds, and desperate. Can you see how this appeals to me? Yeah, I bet you could. I confess I am all about the hero in this one - it took me a while to warm up to the heroine (though I did end up liking her immensely) but I loved the hero from page 1. I was looking forward to his reunion with his friends and family as much as I did to the romance.