THE DUKE DIARIES by Sophia Nash

The Royal Entourage Series, Book Three

Avon Books

February 26^th, 2013

978-0-06-202234-9

Historical Romance

Mass Market Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher

 

When Lady Verity Fitzroy wakens after a party, she finds herself in bed with her brother’s enemy, Rory Lennox, the Duke of Abshire. Forced into marriage to keep a scandal away with Rory, Verity finds herself torn between falling in love and keeping her secret from being discovered by him. Rory Lennox never intended to awaken in the bed of Verity. Determined to keep her honor intact and to keep peace, he offers her marriage but Rory finds that Verity isn’t the soft spoken women he remembers. Instead she is a spitfire and Rory is challenged to see what lies under that proper demeanor. But Rory is in for a shock when he finds out who and what are causing the troubles Verity is facing. For this rake, falling in love was never in the cards for him and it will take all his strength and cunning to save her even as he steals her heart in the process.

THE DUKE DIARIES is a wonderful story, full of intriguing characters, a fast paced storyline and a romance that is doomed unless a certain duke faces his fears. Oh man, I opened this book thinking I might have to start from the beginning of the series yet once I started reading, I could not put it down. It had mystery, romance, intriguing characters and more all within the pages and Ms. Nash creates such compelling characters, I couldn’t help but root for Rory and Verity the minute they stepped onto the pages together. The author does a great job in creating a story that can be read as a stand alone if you haven’t read the other books in the series yet and you don’t feel lost, trying to figure out plot points among other things either which was a great relief to me since I hate starting in the middle of a series. Though I have to say this made me want to read books one and two now after I finished THE DUKE DIARIES.

Meet Rory Lennox. He is the new Duke of Abshire and has no clue how he got into Verity’s bed when he is awoken by her brother demanding he marry his sister and then to face his former best friend out in the field for satisfaction. But Verity isn’t the dutiful girl Rory remembers as she refuses his proposal and vows to marry for love, not because honor or scandal. I really enjoyed Rory. He was a strong hero who knew his worth and even though he is a war hero, he prefers to not tell everyone his brave actions during war. I found him to be charming and multi-dimensional character, one who had me eager for more as I flipped the pages. Verity is his perfect partner. Honest, determined and more, she is a woman who knows what she wants and has a secret she is determined to keep no matter the cost. These two are a perfect pairing in my opinion. Both give the other something they need and watching them fall in love within the pages had me smiling as well as swooning at times. All the characters in THE DUKE DIARIES are wonderfully well written, enjoyable and quite intriguing, even the secondary characters. I laughed, groaned and more when I read this latest story by Ms. Nash and I got to admit, these characters stole my heart.

THE DUKE DIARIES is a fun, well written story of love, mystery, passion and more that a reader with be enchanted after they flip the first page. If you are looking for that one book to enjoy, then I urge you to check out THE DUKE DIARIES and the Royal Entourage series. It is one series where you can’t help but want that happy ever after. Now I need to go check on books one and two as well as the rest of the series books to see what happens next.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

BETWEEN THE DUKE AND DEEP BLUE SEA by Sophia Nash

Publisher: Avon Books
Date published: February 28th, 2012
ISBN 9780062022325
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Publisher


A bachelor party turns into something not even the Duke of Kress, Alexander Barclay anticipated. Now in disgrace and ordered to find a bride, Alex is trying to figure out how to do that in the wilds of the country when he literally stumbles across lovely Roxanne Vanderhaven hanging from a cliff. It seems Roxanne’s husband thought to get rid of her by having her fall off a cliff and it is only the timely arrival of Alex that saves her. Now Alex and Roxanne will have to figure out why her husband wanted to kill her and try not to fall in love. Piece of cake, right?

I love the introduction to ‘Dukes of the Royal Entourage’ series in BETWEEN THE DUKE AND DEEP BLUE SEA. It takes the movie Hangover, gives it a fresh twist and delivers a fun time for the reader. Ms. Nash is a talented author who kept me highly entertained while I read the first book in the series and I fell for Alex completely. He is half-French and a total rascal but with a heart of gold that I adored. He is the perfect counterpart to Roxanne who has done her duty, married well and is completely confused by why her husband wants her dead. These two had sparks fly the minute they stepped into the room together. I loved how Roxanne was determined to get back at her despicable husband yet couldn’t help but fall for Alex’s charm as she sees the man beneath the rogue mask he wears. There is humor, simmering sexual tension between Alex and Roxanne and a bit of a mystery surrounding Roxanne’s husband’s desire to get rid of her. The characters are well written, multi-dimensional and very enjoyable, even the secondary ones. The author does a great job in creating unique distinct personalities for all the Dukes in the inner circle and I am quite curious about them all after meeting them here. The writing is tight, action packed and the story flows nicely. Ms. Nash definitely knows how to hook her readers within a chapter. I was eager to see what would happen next in between laughter over the antics of Alex and the other Dukes to glaring at Roxanne’s husband.

Sophia Nash’s BETWEEN THE DUKE AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA is a fun, entertaining story that delivers lots of wonderful fun for the reader to enjoy. Each page is like a moving picture as lush setting delivers you to Cornwall and the characters deliver some wonderful scenes that had me chuckling at times. I cannot wait to see who is next in the series to find a bride. If you are looking for a story that has humor, romance and more then Sophia Nash’s ‘Dukes of the Royal Entourage’ Series is one you need to pick up today.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of the book.

SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS BRIDE by Sophia Nash

A Widows Club Series Book 4
Publisher: Avon Books
Date published: February 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-149330-0
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained via Publisher


Elizabeth Ashburton has three secrets. One- she isn’t a widow; two-she isn’t as prim and proper as she is believed to be and three-she will risk everything for love.

Elizabeth has never been married and frankly, she thinks she never will. Being forced into a marriage with the man who ruined her father is not in her cards so she pretends to be a bereaved widow. When she meets Rowland Manning, she finds a man who will stir her passions and deliver her from a fate worse than death. Can Elizabeth steal Rowland’s heart before her jilted suitor turns her life into chaos? Will Rowland be able to forgive the woman he adores for the perfidy she has played upon him?

SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS BRIDE is a wonderfully told story that will leave you wanting more. With tight writing, fast paced storyline and some intriguing characters, Ms. Nash delivers a high octane ride from start to finish in her latest historical romance. There is something for everyone-mystery, passion and romance all wrapped up with a bow in SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS BRIDE.

Meet Elizabeth Ashburton, a young lady determined to get out of an arranged marriage to a man she hates with a passion. Pretending to be a widow, she finds love with the one man she is fated for- Rowland Manning, a powerful albeit illegitimate son of an Earl and a known rake. Rowland Manning is a product of his upbringing, a complex yet harsh man who finds the lush beauty of Elizabeth absolutely desirable. These two fairly lit the pages on fire while I was reading this. I loved Rowland as he was such a bad boy, it had me wondering if he would ever be reformed. I also like Elizabeth as she was his perfect match. She was feisty, sensual and determined to live her life her way and frankly, she was a refreshing breath of air in this story. Add in some wonderful secondary characters that keep the story flowing smoothly and you have the makings of an engrossing story that will leave you breathless.

I haven’t read the other three books in this series and I am off to check them out as Rowland in SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS BRIDE is the villain in a past book (Love With A Perfect Scoundrel). Ms. Nash is a wonderfully talented author who completely draws her readers into her web and spins a story so engrossing, they forget everything around them. With the right amount of sexual tension, mystery and romance aided by intriguing cast of characters, Ms. Nash delivers a story that will leave you wanting more when the last page is read. If you haven’t read any of the Widows Club Series books, I hope you can check them out soon. I look forward to more in the future from this talented writer.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

FOUR DUKES & A DEVIL by Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash & Tracy Anne Warren

Publisher: Avon
Date published: June 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-178736-2
Historical/Paranormal/Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Obtained via: Publisher
Reviewed by Dawn




FOUR DUKES & a DEVIL is five short stories that will have you believing in love all over again as these five couples find themselves snared in love’s crosshairs.

First up was THE IRISH DUKE by Cathy Maxwell which tells the tale of a spinster woman determined to ruin any Irish Duke’s chances of catching a bride…except she never imagines getting snared herself.

First off, I have to admit this story did not endear me at all to the characters. The main heroine, Susan, came off as whiny, childish and annoying to me. I wasn’t sure why this character didn’t do it for me-maybe it might have been the mood I was in or something. The writing was ok, nothing popped out for me to get excited about nor did the storyline capture my attention. It was just an ok story and had me skimming pages to get to the next one.

Next up was THE DUKE WHO CAME FOR DINNER by Elaine Fox. This is about a woman who is determined to get away and let herself finally come out of her shell. Add in a dog named Duke, a ghost who is a matchmaker and Mr. Right to the mix and you have the makings of one wild romance.

This was definitely one of my favorites in the anthology. A contemporary romance, Ms. Fox delivers a story that will leave you smiling when the last page is read. You have humor, romance and wit sprinkled throughout the story and this is an author who keeps you highly entertained from start to finish. I highly enjoyed this one.

Up next was DEVIL TO PAY by Jeaniene Frost. Elise is a vampire who is determined to be alone and lives by herself, with no contact with the outside world. When she rescues a man who is trying to kill himself, she finds herself drawn into the world once again as she tries to help Blake deal with the demon inside him.

I have to admit, I had to read this anthology just for this author. Ms. Frost is a wonderful storyteller and you really get into the characters of each of her books. This story is a fast paced wonder as Elise finds herself living again as she helps Blake try to deal with his problem, namely the demon living inside him. Elise is a wonder. She comes out of her shell to take care of Blake and that endeared me to her. A strong female character, she called to me and I was rooting for her to finally see happiness with Blake in the end. Overall, it was a nice adventure and a treat to read.

Next up was Sophia Nash’s CATCH OF THE CENTURY. This tells the tale of the ton’s latest eligible bachelor finding love with a feisty vixen who snares his heart even as she drives him to the brink of madness.

This was a minor character from one of this author’s series and though I haven’t read that series, this was an ok read as well. At times I wanted to shake Victoria, the heroine but she does grow on you eventually. The chemistry between John and Victoria was a bit predictable and had characters popping up from previous series that had me scratching my head in confusion for a bit. Overall, it was just an ok story and felt it could have needed a little more growth to completely keep my attention.

Finally, the last story was Tracy Anne Warren’s CHARMED BY HER SMILE. India Byron is determined to escape a suitor who is besotted with her. When London’s most scandalous rake steals a kiss, she begins to fall for the older man even as the suitor becomes more enamored with India. Can India and Quentin find a way to be true to their hearts in the end?

This final story was a bit better than the other historical/regency romances. I found the writing to be tight, storyline moving smoothly and though a bit predictable, an enjoyable romance. The hero is a bit older than the heroine and it was a nice aspect of the storyline. The heroine, India, was at times feisty yet innocent as she fell for Quentin, Duke of Weybridge. Both characters were well rounded and well written; another gem in this anthology.

FOUR DUKES & A DEVIL had a few lovely stories to enjoy but also a few misses as well. A few of the stories were really good and had me racing to check out the author’s backlist while a few others were flat to me. You will enjoy this if you enjoy historical/Regency romances. This was a sweet and tasty anthology to whittle the hours away while out on the hammock this spring.



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