Christmas Minis { Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt } & { The Lady in Red by Kelly Bowen }

Yall know I love me some Christmas books. And Christmas-ish novellas. <3 So I had to pick these two up since I love the series they come from. And they were a good time.


Once Upon a Christmas Eve (Maiden Lane #12.6) by Elizabeth Hoyt

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Christmas and Elizabeth Hoyt. I was in!

4 stars-- Duke of Desire (Maiden Lane #12) by Elizabeth Hoyt

Compelling, dark, passionate. Hoyt holds no punches with Duke of Desire and her edgy Maiden Lane series.

The Gist: Mistaken identity, kidnapping, winding up the center of a debauched orgy filled with evil men of the ton who prey on women and young boys. Yes, Iris has had better days.

As has her rescuer who she kinda maybe shoots accidentally on purpose. Woosh.

4 stars-- Once Upon a Maiden Lane (Maiden Lane #12.5) by Elizabeth Hoyt

I needed a little romance this morning.

And Henry? Oh, Henry was ready to step up give me a little shiver.

Basically, Henry's spent his whole life knowing he'd marry a family friend--their parents arranged it. But, suddenly, he's found himself engaged to someone else. Someone who's feeling a little insecure about how little time they've had to learn one another.

4 stars-- Duke of Pleasure (Maiden Lane #11) by Elizabeth Hoyt

Dark, sexy, and thrilling! Duke of Pleasure was everything I've come to know and love about Hoyt's romances. Passion, danger, and characters that'll leave you addicted.

So, basically, Hugh has made some enemies while trying to take down a secret society. Which kinda led to an ambush in a dark alley and kinda being saved by a mysterious masked...woman. Who vanishes just as quickly as she appears. Yeah, that'll catch a man's attention for sure. Her joining in on the hunt for the villains? Yeah...he's hooked.

3.5 stars-- Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane #10) by Elizabeth Hoyt

Hoyt never disappoints when it comes to bringing a dark, edgy and unique romance to the pages. It might not always be your particular flavor but it's still intriguing and pulls you along in it's grasp from start to finish.

So the quick of it is that The Duke of Montgomery is pretty much a blackmailer. And his new housekeeper? Well she's there for one simple reason...to find the papers he's holding over the head of someone close to her. Alas, she gets caught and so begins a very strange game of cat and mouse as they try to figure out why the other is so dang appealing--and each keep their secrets...secret.

#AFTH2014--Interview w/ Elizabeth Hoyt-- tea, cake, puppies and...poisoning wells?! + giveaway

And today we've got Elizabeth Hoyt! Yall she's amazing. Writes just stunning historical romances with a dark edge to them. It's so easy to get lost in her books. It's crazy. We're chatting about her latest Darling Beast (Beauty and the Beast storyline) and whew yeah I was feeling this book all over the place. The review is up HERE if you'd like to check it out. Yall give our visit a look-see then be sure to leave Elizabeth some comment love!  ~Anna

Good morning Elizabeth! Lovely to see you. Come on in. I've set up tea and cakes to have while we visit and dish about Darling Beast. I just loved these two.*settles down and pours a cup of steaming tea* Alright, now, for those who haven't met these two yet what would you tell them about Apollo and Lily to get them good and intrigued?

Thank you for the tea and cakes, Anna! I do like a nice cuppa. ;-) 

Let’s see…Apollo is an aristocrat, a viscount, but he’s in hiding at Harte’s Folly, a ruined pleasure garden, since escaping the horrors of Bedlam. Apollo was in Bedlam because everyone thought he’d committed an atrocious murder. Before he escaped he was beaten and as a result is now mute.

Lily is a down on her luck actress who has moved temporarily into the ruined theater at Harte’s Folly. When her son, Indio, tells her that there’s a monster in the garden she doesn’t believe him…until she finds the big, mute man herself. 

Lord of Darkness (Maiden Lane #5) by Elizabeth Hoyt

He lives in the shadows. As the mysterious masked avenger known as the Ghost of St. Giles, Godric St. John's only goal is to protect the innocent of London. Until the night he confronts a fearless young lady pointing a pistol at his head—and realizes she is his wife.

Lady Margaret Reading has vowed to kill the Ghost of St. Giles—the man who murdered her one true love. Returning to London, and to the man she hasn't seen since their wedding day, Margaret does not recognize the man behind the mask. Fierce, commanding, and dangerous, the notorious Ghost of St. Giles is everything she feared he would be—and so much more.

When passion flares, these two intimate strangers can't keep from revealing more of themselves than they had ever planned. But when Margaret learns the truth—that the Ghost is her husband—the game is up and the players must surrender...to the temptation that could destroy them both.

Type: Historical Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Oooo so, so, so many things I liked about this one. It was my first time reading Hoyt and, yeah, she's got a new fan. She had me right from the start with a bit of action and what turned out to be a marriage of connivence which, hello, one of my favorite set ups! The hitch in this one? Well, they're "married" but they haven't laid eyes on each other in the 2 years since their wedding day until one night on a dark road the chit holds him up at gun point. Talk about a dramatic reunion! lol