3.5 stars but I really thought this one's gonna make at least 4 stars. The story was rather interesting with the usual paranormal activities that were creepy and intriguing at the same time. And I really liked the H, who was a secondary character in book 1; a friend of the H there. I didn't like him in book 1 much but in his own book, I got to know him better so all in all, I thought this one's gonna be better.

However, the h of the story completely ruined it for me. She was an idiot, extremely stubborn and super irresponsible. If someone said 'don't do this, it's dangerous', she'd simply ignore that warning and do exactly that; all because she fancied herself a 'journalist', a detective too, by the looks of it. *eyeroll* I lost count of just how many times she had put herself in danger throughout the book and in the process, put the H in danger too cause he was always rescuing her. -_- Even though she'd later acknowledge some of her blunders, I don't think she learned much from any of it. Either way, by 70% I began losing interest and didn't care how it ended. I wished I could replace the h with someone smarter, more responsible. No idea what the H saw in her anyway! Meh.

I had high hopes for this series. Too bad. *sigh*

This book had a good storyline (Gothic toned with paranormal happenings - a combo I generally love!). I also liked the writing style, however too much melodrama between the characters ruined it for me. There were times I wasn't sure whether I should SMH or roll my eyes. *sigh*

Historical Romance Novels taking place at a University or College. Professor (not just scholar) or student leads.

 

This was difficult list to put together. Thank so much for everyone who pitched in to help!

 

Here is what we found!

 

1. Miss Grimsley's Oxford Career by Carla Kelly

2. Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas 

3. Outrageously Yours by Allison Chase

4. The Mermaid by Betina Krahn 

5. The Songbird's Seduction by Connie Brockway 

6. The Awakening byJude Deveraux 

7. The Lawyer's Luck  by Piper Huguley

8. The Jewel by Beth Williamson 

9. Prudence and the Professor by Sibelle Stone

10. The Professor and the Bootlegger by Margaret Lake

 

I would love your additions. 

 

When a theme in a particular sub genre of romance is not robust, it really just mean one thing to me--Romance Writers get Writing! The combination of historical romance the the University setting overused. There are rich stories hiding in here. 

 

Here are some historic Universities and their founding dates. What great settings! There are many more. I am getting deja vu. I swear I wrote this post but I don't care. LOL. 

 

1. University of Bologna 1088 

 

 

2. University of Oxford 1096

 

 

3. University of Cambridge 1209 

 

 

4. University of Salamanca 1218 

 

 

5. University of St. Andrews 1413

 

 

6. Cairo University 1908

 

 

7. University of King's College 1789 

 

 

8.  Harvard University 1636 

 

 

9.  Howard University 1867

 

 

10. Mount Holyoke College 1837

 

 

 

It took me a while to get into this book at first but I think that had more to do with me being distracted by another book that I was reading because when I finally gave this book my full attention, I couldn't put it down. This is the first book in Allison Chase's new series, Her Majesty's Secret Servants and I must say that I enjoyed the book quite a bit. There was plenty in the story to keep readers interested and I for one ate it all up. The mystery, the characters and the romance all made for one enjoyable story that leaves you wanting more....in the way of more books for the other sisters.This story is about four sisters who are orphaned and childhood friends of the newly crowned Queen of England, Victoria. As soon as Victoria is crowned Queen, she can no longer keep the same friends that she had before and though it saddens her, her friendship is kept strong by the conviction within the sisters. They all loved Victoria and had remained faithful to her in every regard. I adored the sisters and only wish that they all had more page time. This book was the oldest of the bunches book, Laurel.Victoria needs to find out if her cousin, George is committing treason and she needs someone to get close to him and find out what he's doing and she sends her secret friend and secret servant, Laurel in to find out for her and it is while Laurel is trying to find out George's plans and what he's up to that we get her story of the man that she can't get out of her mind, Aidan. Aidan and Laurel met for the first time when he came into the town in which she lives and saves her from being trampled to death by a crushing crowd. He risks the wrath of the policemen that day to save Laurel and with a swift kiss that stays with Laurel, he takes off before the police could get to him.Laurel remembers that day and keeps the memory alive by daydreaming about Aidan for months afterward. She never thinks to see him again so she's surprised to find him again once she's settled in Bath, trying to uncover the plans of the Queen's cousin. She's on a mission and she can't keep to her mission because she keeps getting sidetracked by the handsome and very dashing, Aidan Phillips.Aidan on the other hand is hired by the Home Office to keep an eye on George, to make sure that he keeps his nose clean of treason and though he doesn't know exactly what George is up to, he's suspicious and hopeful that it isn't going to land him in any hot water.Over time, Laurel and Aidan band together to try to piece together different mysteries. One is the mystery behind an elixir that is being pushed on the rich people of England and the other is the mystery surrounding the death of Laurel's parents. It was intriguing to see so many different story lines unfold over the course of this book. What I liked about this book is the way that Aidan and Laurel fell slowly in love. It may have seemed fast and rash but I didn't ever feel that their romance was rushed. I enjoyed watching Aidan go from being mildly infatuated and lustful toward Laurel and then seeing him make that final leap toward love for her. He was a fantastic hero, one that I enjoyed getting to know over the course of this book.Laurel was a great heroine as well. She wasn't perfect and there were times when I wanted to wack her a good one but her heart was always in the right place and I was never thoroughly exasperated by her. She was a good sister to her sisters and she was a great friend to the Queen. She had a way about being around people that made it perfectly clear why people were drawn toward her. You wanted to be her friend because she was so nice.The romance between Aidan and Laurel was sweet and while Aidan wasn't the perfect hero because of some of the things he did, I still enjoyed this book. It was a nice way to spend a few hours and I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical romances. This book has a mystery that will keep you guessing until the last moment and a romance that is just sweet enough and just cute enough to keep you reading. I enjoyed this book and can't wait for Ivy's book. Woo hoo!

Well, the book was not bad. On the other hand, it was not especially good either; like the GR rating says, it was ok.

The hero and heroine are forced to marry; he needs her money, she needs respectability after a nude portait of hers is publicly unveiled in an exhibition. Soon however they discover that they're really attracted to each other. Could this marriage work after all? Perhaps, but the hero's sense of guilt over his brother's death won't let him rest until he can clear the mysteries surrounding it. Needless to say he feels inadequate for her love so he pushes her away, only to realize that he can't resist her completely and draws her in his arms and submit to his feelings for her at some othet time. The heroine isn't sure if she can trust him or not, this brooding, dark stranger she's married but whose touch she craves. Sounds cliche? You're dead on it! And so it goes on, they're attracted, they make love, the next day he won't even talk to her but later he will be kind and thoughtful and then push her again... You get the picture.

The focus on the second half of the book is mainly in the mystery anyway. The Cornwall setting, the storms, the caves in the cliffs, the hidden rooms, the mysterious housekeeper, all make it a rather gothic setting that fans of the genre will probably appreciate. To be honest, I couldn't guess the 'who-dunnit' thing and it came as a complete surprise when the mystery was finally solved. Still, the fact that it took me about a month to get this finished, speaks volumes by itself:)