logo
Wrong email address or username
Wrong email address or username
Incorrect verification code
back to top
Search tags: Joanna-Bourne
Load new posts () and activity
Like Reblog Comment
show activity (+)
review 2020-02-21 16:42
Love the series
Beauty Like the Night (The Spymaster Series) - Joanna Bourne

She used light words that didn’t say what she was thinking. He was doing the same. They leaned on each other and everything important between them went unsaid.

 

While you absolutely could read this book without reading the rest in the series, you absolutely do not want to. The romance is a little weak, the mystery threads dominate and I had problems feeling like I "knew" Raoul. Do not look for really any movement in the romance front until after 50%.

 

“I understand. I’m not an innocent.”
“That’s not what I’m saying, Séverine. Not what I’m asking. I want to explain that this isn’t a game to me. I’m free. This is courtship.” He leaned to set his lips to her breast, through the fabric of her shift. “I thought you should know."
 
Now, just because I said the romance is weaker, it doesn't mean there isn't love in this story. Why I think you should read the preceding in the series is because Severine is the daughter (adopted) of the hero in "The Forbidden Rose" and sister-in-law to the hero in "The Black Hawk" and the love/relationship between the three is so worth reading. Also, Black Hawk has been my favorite of the series, so reading this, seemingly simple description of him:  Hawker sat at the head of the table, his feet propped on one chair, evening coat and cravat thrown over another. His shirt was open at the collar, his cuffs rolled back, and his waistcoat unbuttoned. had me wanting to read his book all over again. What disappointed the heck out of me was that the wives/heroines of these two men were off page the whole time and I missed out seeing them together again. 
 
Women saw that glint of reckless sensuality in him. The promise that he would not only please a woman in bed but make her laugh while he did it.
 
Severine's character did not disappoint and I loved her; I would be first in line for a novella about her time serving the Military Intelligence. The mystery plot of Raoul searching for his daughter, an amulet, and who/why killed his wife (a forced marriage, he hadn't even seen her in years) was really only interesting to me because of the strength of the characters (Severine, William Doyle, and Adrian Hawkhurst) and how real, nuanced, and wonderfully Bourne writes them. 
 
Bourne's writing style is one of my favorites, its immersing, emotional, and at turns beautiful. I'm just a little worried that reader's new to the series wouldn't have the background attachment to stay with this, because of the slow burn, not always the focus romance.
 
The series is great though, so if you want to fall in love with Severine like I did, definitely start from the beginning. This was a very quietly and understated emotional story, which worked for me at times and didn't at others. 
 
*In case any group members are reading, this series would be a great Buddy Read series ;)

 

Like Reblog Comment
show activity (+)
text 2020-02-17 20:39
Reading Update: Page 1
Beauty Like the Night (The Spymaster Series) - Joanna Bourne

As per my New Year’s resolution, I’ve accepted/requested less arcs this year (until I get my tbr more under control). I currently don’t have any historical rom arcs, so when I saw this book sitting at the top of tbr, I dove for it!

 

Enjoy your Monday, everyone :)

 

Beauty Like the Night by Joanna Bourne purchase link

 

Butterscotch Shortbread Cookies recipe

Loved these!

 

 

Like Reblog Comment
review 2018-02-05 00:00
The Spymaster's Lady
The Spymaster's Lady - Joanna Bourne It's clear the currently reading shelf in my world. This was like a 3.75

That...sounded bad. It's just that I mostly listened to the audio which was addicting for this book but I am terribly slow at.

There's some aspects that just didn't work crazily well for me. We knew Annique so well, but I felt less of a sense of Robert, even though frankly, I was pretty hot for him. I felt like certain plot points were so well developed and others weren't.

I was a little disappointed in how neat the ending becomes. I have lots of quotes but not a lot of time, so I'm not sure why I started this whole thing...There was some beautiful writing, but I'm not sure the whole captive to lovers while trying to kill each other and love each other thing worked for me.

To be continued, if I feel like it.
Like Reblog Comment
review 2016-07-10 01:06
Mostly a winner
Gambled Away: A Historical Romance Anthology - Isabel Cooper,Jeannie Lin,Rose Lerner,Joanna Bourne,Molly O'Keefe

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

All or Nothing by Rose Lerner

This was easily my favorite short story in this anthology and not just because it had a Jewish character and a bi character. There is just something about Rose Lerner’s story-telling style that manages to sweep you off your feet and make you so invested in a story that not even extreme tiredness can stop you from finishing. Her stories are always engaging and rarely ever have dull moments. All or Nothing tells the story of struggling architect Simon Radcliffe-Gould who is starting to feel burned out because he really cannot seem to make a living off of his chosen career. He wins a bet that allows him to ‘have’ Maggie da Silva for the time period in which her best friend (and sexual partner) is gone taking care of business and instead of taking advantage, he basically takes her to his ex flame’s house party so he doesn’t have to deal with him and his advances. Basically, a slow burn kind of romance happens between Maggie and Simon as they learn more about each other and sparks fly. YAY.

The Liar’s Dice by Jeannie Lin

This short story was really fucking great. It wasn’t my favorite but it came really really close. It isn’t as romance oriented, focuses more on the mystery aspect, is set in China (AND NOT IN the UK/US where most HRs seem to be set) and has a wonderful, dark atmosphere. The subtle romance is just enough to get my heart beating and I REALLY REALLY want an entire novel with the two main characters of this short story. I need to know all the things about them. Either way, I know I have a new author to add to my TBR list.

Raising The Stakes by Isabel Cooper

I don’t really know how I felt about Raising the Stakes. I don’t usually mind magic in my HRs but the magical elements in this short don’t really work for me. Sam, the mc, is pretty darn awesome and badass in that she is a con artist but Talathan--who is fae (I think???)--does not work for me at all as a character. I have 0 emotional attachment to him and therefore care nothing about his presence and contribution to the story. I do think that is just a ‘me’ thing though.

Redeemed by Molly O’Keefe

If you like tortured heros and heroines, this short will 100% be for you. The best part about this short story is that just because the characters are ‘tortured’ doesn’t mean they are angsty. O’Keefe does a great job of characterizing them through and outside their torturedness. They have legit reasons to be the way they are given the horrors they have lived through but they also exist outside of those bad things. They can both be charming, sweet, courageous and awesome. The best thing about this short story is that even though is technically a short story, it is well plotted and well thought out. It functions like an entire novel instead of just a short novella that leaves you wanting more. Basically Redeemed is another winner for this anthology.

Gideon and the Den of Thieves by Joanna Bourne

In theory, I like a lot about this short story but really, I struggled with it because it almost seemed too lengthy. This short story is exciting, features a rescue and lots of other fun things but I literally did not connect with the MC and the love interest. They seemed very bland and more like plot devices than actual characters. It makes sense because the plot of this short is great but the characters made it so that I couldn’t actually enjoy this short in the ways I wanted to. That isn’t to see that all the characters sucked but the two that I should have liked, I couldn’t and that made it really hard to enjoy this story.


Overall, with me more than liking ⅗ of the short stories in this anthologies, I can safely say that Gambled Away is a winner. It features diversity of characters and locations and very well worth the read if you love your Historical Romance as much as I do!

Note that I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Like Reblog Comment
show activity (+)
review 2015-07-25 18:18
better than i thought it would be
The Spymaster's Lady - Joanna Bourne

The cover of this book makes me giggle, as I stated earlier, it kind of looks like his pecs have a six pack, but I think it's because it appears that he's missing nipples (that shirt is open wide enough that there should be some nip).

 

Chapter one of this book put me off, so I was pleasantly surprised when I started somewhat enjoying the read.

 

What really intrigued me was one of the characters being (temporarily) blind - I liked the idea of a rather capable and deadly woman not being able to see and still hand you your ass.

 

I think that historical romance spy novels aren't really my thing after reading this, may give another a chance at some point, but not actively looking for it.

More posts
Your Dashboard view:
Need help?