MY UNFAIR LADY by Kathryne Kennedy

Publisher Sourcebooks
Publication Date: December 2009
ISBN: 978-1402229909
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained: Via Publisher (Author request)



A man of honor, a woman of her word, a relationship doomed from the start, or is it?

Summer Wine Lee has met the man of her dreams. At least she is fairly certain he is. Summer’s great love, Monte, is related to the indomitable Mrs. Aster of New York high society she will do all she must to be his bride and the lady he wants on his arm.

Byron, Duke of Manchester has found his perfect niche in life, or so it would seem. He visits the haunts of the upper class and providers unending entertainment for Prince Albert. Known for his biting wit and sharp tongue, he is a sought after guest and at the same time a feared visitor.

Summer journeys to England to improve her chances with Monte because, after all, despite the couple being pledged to each other, without Mrs. Aster’s approval the match will never be. In at attempt to become a special lady in the society maven’s eyes, Summer retains Monte to teach her all she will need to know along with having an audience with the Queen. After all, what better way to impress the veritable mainstay of New York style than to have met the Queen.

Byron accepts the position of making a lady out of Summer. Well he really doesn’t seriously care one way or the other. Rather he sees her as a font of entertainment with which to regale the Prince for days on end. Tales of Summer’s missteps will provide ample fodder to have himself invited to all manner of parties. What he doesn’t plan on is falling in love with Summer. Summer, however, holds fast to her believe that Monte is the one and only man for her.

I became a fan of Kathryn Kennedy with her Relics of Merlin series. In the pages of those books she created a magical world, parallel to ours. With fun twists on known locales such as Mayfair becoming Mayfairy she transported her readers to the highways and byways of a enchanted time and place. MY UNFAIR LADY is a straight historical romance that is equally as enthralling. There was so much to like in this story I hardly know where to begin. As I came across each scene that made the story special I thought “I have to include this”, “I have to include that.”

The changes both within and without Summer are completely believable. They aren’t rushed or out of the norm in any way. The scene where she realizes she truly likes herself the way she is is well done. Byron is the kind of hero you fall in love with. While he strives to hide behind a cold and cruel façade, the reader sees into his heart. But he is not your “typical” romance novel hero. He’s not tall and an unforgettable presence. Rather he is shorter in stature than most of the men around him. He is still handsome and built quite nicely. Ms. Kennedy wrote him so well that the compelling man inside comes through with dramatic clarity. I found myself falling in love with Byron early on and wanted to shake Summer more than once for turning away from him.

Yet that was the dilemma. Summer made a promise to another man. One she would keep no matter what. Byron made a bargain and would do everything possible to keep that bargain. Byron set his path on making Summer the lady Monte would marry. By achieving their goals and holding to their sense of honesty they may lose the chance for the love of a life time.

I still hope the Relics of Merlin series will continue and at the same time I hope Ms. Kennedy continues to write her absorbing historical romances.


THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF THIS BOOK. THIS IS AN OBJECTIVE UNBIASED REVIEW

ENCHANTING THE BEAST *Relics of Merlin Series Book 3* by Kathryne Kennedy

Publisher: Love Spell/ Dorchester Publishing
Date published: April 2009
ISBN: 978-0-505-52764-6
Paranormal Romance
Mass Marekt Paperback
Obtained via: Publisher
Reviewed by Dawn


Grimspell Castle is a dreary place full of secrets and it is said to be haunted. Lady Philomena is a ghost hunter and is not afraid of restless spirits. What she finds when she gets to Grimspell Castle is more than even she bargained, for its imposing owner, Sir Nichodemus Woulfson captivates her even as her senses are telling her that Nico is hiding something; something that may harm Philomena and others. A murderer is on the loose and Philomena is about to find that the darkness that surrounds Grimspell Castle might be more than she bargains for.

ENCHANTING THE BEAST is a unique story in of itself, as it centers around Victorian England where magic is the norm. Ms. Kennedy delivers a spell binding story with her third book in her Relics of Merlin Series. Magic, romance and adventure take center stage as the story introduces you to Lady Philomena Radcliff who is unique in society. Never married and at forty years, she is considered firmly on the shelf. With her ability to talk to ghosts, Phil is working as a ghost hunter and settling restless spirits down. When she meets Sir Nicodemus, she finds this younger man intriguing even as her senses tell her that he is hiding something from her. As she tries to find a way to calm the dark spirits around Grimspell Castle, a murderer is on the loose, one that alarms even Philomena herself. Is Nicodemus the murderer? I loved Philomena and Nicodemu’s relationship and how Ms. Kennedy was able to parlay an “Older Woman-Younger Man” in ENCHANTING THE BEAST. It felt like a breath of fresh air to read in this genre and Ms. Kennedy does a marvelous job keeping the sexual tension on simmer for the reader to enjoy. With a fast paced storyline, tight writing and intriguing characters, this author keeps the reader glued to the edge of their seat as they get drawn into the world of Grimspell Castle.

ENCHANTING THE BEAST is a wonderful blend of magic, adventure and mystery that will keep the reader entertained from start to finish. If you enjoy a different kind of paranormal romance, then grab ENCHANTING THE BEAST and find yourself transported to a time where magical beings are the norm and romance is alive. I look forward t o reading the others in this series. Ms. Kenney is now on my “to buy” list in the future.

THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF THIS BOOK. THIS IS AN OBJECTIVE UNBIASED REVIEW.

DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT: RELICS OF MERLIN by Kathryn Kennedy

Publisher Love Spell
Date published September 2008
ISBN 978-0505527639
Paranormal Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina




Foregoing yet again one of society’s entertainments, Lady Jasmina weaves a simple spell to create a double of herself. She’s done it many times before, usually when on a similar mission as the one she’s about to begin. You see, her mother has a habit of “borrowing” other people’s jewellery. Not that she borrows it with their knowledge. In fact, most of us would consider it stealing. Be that as it may, on this one particular evening something with her spell goes not quite right due to the addition of one of Merlin’s Relics. Magical in nature, the relics are perhaps the only things truly feared by Prince Albert and his entourage—they are the very things that can bring the kingdom crashing down around their ears. While Jasmina goes off on her latest errand to return an object to its rightful owner, her double takes off on her own adventure.

As with virtually all shapeshifters, Sir Sterling Thorn is scorned by the rest of society. Despite how magnificent he is in his wereform, that of a splendid black stallion, Sterling is all but ignored. When he meets Jaz, however, nothing can keep him from his goal of bedding and wedding the beauty. Not even the fact that she is an illusion created by magic. Despite his attachment to Jaz, who disappears from him hours after he has wed her, his first concern is to find his missing sister, Angel. While his smarmy brother Cecil insists Angel has run off with an unsavoury sort, Sterling refuses to believe she would have done such a thing. When Sterling sights the woman he believes to be his wife in the Prince’s Hall, he finds himself quickly put down by the real woman. On the other hand, despite her best intentions, Jasmina cannot help but feel attracted to the potently attractive were-stallion. Together they must work to find the missing relic, Angel and Jasmina’s wayward double.

Kathryn Kennedy creates an amazing world that lives beyond the veil of our own. It is a world inhabited by charming, sexy and devious magical beings not all that different from ourselves. Her imagination is a gift and a sensual banquet for her readers. I’m not a huge fan of shapeshifters or fantasy, but I would read anything of Ms. Kennedy’s in a heartbeat, she tells that good of a story. The world she creates in her Relics of Merlin series is one I wish truly existed and I could live there.

There are a few threads that I wondered about and felt somewhat unsatisfied when they did not play out. There seemed to be a bit made of Jasmina agreeing not to marry, but nothing was said as to why or how she felt when the promise was broken. Nor does her father remind her of her promise when she embarks on the path to marital bliss. The gnomes, Nuisance and Trouble were an intricate part of the story, but they annoyed me. More than entertain, they distracted me from the story. Every time they popped up they pulled me out of the story, making me want to skim until their scenes were over. If they were meant to annoy the reader as much as Jasmina, they achieved their goal for this reviewer.

I fell in love with Sir Artemis. The were-lion was totally hot, even hotter than Sterling and he sizzled off the pages! Sterling was, in some ways, that girlhood attraction to horses as powerfully beautiful animals carried into adulthood. His innate sexuality is felt from the moment readers meet him and carries through to the very end.

I can’t wait to see where Ms. Kennedy takes us with the next relic. I for one cannot wait to find my way back into the mystical streets of her Victorian world.