Portrait of a Forbidden Lady - Kathleen ... I received an eARC, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Lady Georgiana Cressington has had a hard life in how her father used her and now that she is a widow her father has set her up for another one of his heartless games.
Georgiana is back at her childhood home after leaving years ago. There she meets Sir Robert Garreck again. Georgiana and Robert were in love years and years ago. But they were driven apart by a bitter betrayal.
I have read a few of Kathleen Bittner Roth books and I will say you get a really good book that you have a hard time putting down.

Josette - Kathleen Bittner Roth I am almost ashamed to say that this is my first book by Kathleen Bittner Roth. I hate that I am so late to the game in finding her books and how great an author she is. This is book three in her series "When Hearts Dare". For me this was a stand alone book and since I am reading the books out of order I did not find a problem with it.
This book in nearly 500 pages long too..so it is a book you will feel that you are getting your money worth for.
The story is set in the United Sates in New Orleans where both the hero and heroine have issue that they are trying to overcome. Our hero is Cameron who I think tries to be a strait lace / manners and live by the town rules. Our heroine is Josette a Cajun-born widow who has a lot of surprises ...twist and turn through out this book . I liked the secondary characters / her brothers in this book and hope too that we will be seeing more of them. I am glad to have this book and hope that you too find it to your liking also.

3.5 Stars

Marguerite and Suri Thurston are daughters of a duke. However, Suri is the illegitimate daughter of an Indian woman. Suri’s mom died in childbirth and her father rescued her and brought her home to his wife. The author describes the girls as having a very close relationship. However, Marguerite quickly told strangers Suri’s story of being illegitimate and left to die. That didn’t sound like Marguerite was such a great sister to me. I couldn’t imagine having the circumstances of my birth discussed with anyone and everyone. The adventure begins when Suri and Marguerite receive their first kiss from the same man, Lord John Fairfax. The kiss between John and Suri was electric or “wicked” and serves as the reason for the book title.

The kiss left a lasting impact on both of them for the 10 years they were apart. John and Suri were reunited while Suri was visiting Marguerite in India. This is where the story becomes suspenseful and dark. Suri’s character became very driven to achieve her own goals even at the expense of others. She was overly dramatic. Her selfish theatrics really made the rest of the book difficult to read. It seemed like everyone in the book had to cater to Suri’s whims. Even when it was explained to her that people could die so she could have her wish she disregarded their warnings and moved on with her desires. I was stunned at the casualties that mounted because of her actions. I never became vested in any of the other characters either. Marguerite seemed to be nice/nasty. John had a lot of issues from his family and past relationships. The other background characters added depth to the novel. However, none of the other characters really stood out.

The storyline was incredibly busy with betrayal, greed, sibling rivalry, espionage, and a governmental uprising. I can say that there was never a dull moment in the book, and I read it in one day. I felt like I had to stick with it until I finished it. I think the casualties and suffering of the child made the book seem dark. I like suspense, but this particular book went a little further than my comfort zone.

Reviewed by Michelle for Cocktails and Books

Miss Suri Thurston knows the pain of abandonment. Intent on confronting the grandmother who tossed her to the lions, she travels from England to her birthplace in India. Her plans run afoul when she encounters the man who, ten years prior, left a mark on her soul with one stolen kiss. But he is a duke, and far beyond the reach of even her dreams.

The Duke of Ravenswood, secret head of the British Foreign Service, has no time for relationships. His one goal is to locate and eliminate key insurgents involved in an uprising against the British East India Company before it's too late. But when Suri appears in Delhi, his resolve is tested as he finds his heart forever bound to her by the one haunting kiss they shared once upon a time.

With Suri's vengeful Indian family looking for her death, and insurgents intent on mutiny tearing their world apart, can their love rise above the scandal of the marriage they both desperately want?

 

One question that had me stumped throughout the whole book: Why is there a ship on the cover? This is not a story about shipping, ocean travel or pirates. This is a very different sort of story and not a typical Historical Romance. Suri is the product of her father’s affair with an Indian woman who was killed by her family for giving birth to Suri. Suri was left to be eaten by lions (a baby eaten by lions – how barbaric!) by her mother’s family but rescued and raised by her father and his wife who accepted her as her own. Suri was never treated differently than her half-sister and brothers, but she always knew she was half-caste and that while her family might not treat her differently, society will.

 

Suri has a burning desire to better understand her origins, so she travels to India where her half-sister now resides to connect with her lost family. She doesn’t realize that there could be any danger in this exotic country. Ironically, Lord John Fairfax, the Duke of Ravenswood she met a decade earlier in her family’s stable who gave her and her sister quite a lesson in the art of kissing, happens to be in India and a contemporary of her sister’s husband. He seems weirdly flamboyant with a pet cheetah, yes I said cheetah, and an extravagant lifestyle. They both have not really gotten over that one kiss, strange but true, even though John is widowed (sad story). Their reconnection is met with her reluctance at first since she is trying to reunite with her family secretly, but she needs the duke’s protection and he is willing to give it.

 

I eat up books that are set in exotic locations and this time period where England and India were at odds creates a suspenseful backdrop to this story. I felt the danger they were in and the fear and confusion they felt when things went down. I was saddened by some of the collateral damage and surprised by some of the turncoats that were revealed. I honestly didn’t see the outcomes which is always good – I like to be outwitted and surprised. It felt like two different books – the last third of the book was so different from the first two thirds and I didn’t know how it would turn out.

 

I liked Suri and John for the most part, but they also had some qualities I didn’t like. I thought Suri was more naïve than necessary. She wore her half-caste heritage as a badge, yet had been raised to know no different. John seemed very typical of a policeman/spy/mercenary type that one reads about so often – autocratic, tough guy, “my way or the highway” almost. But he also showed a vulnerability that made him more real. They spent so little time together and I suppose the saying “Distance makes the heart grow fonder” is true in this case. The secondary characters were interesting, especially Trent…I cannot wait to hear his story.

 

Overall, a good read and I recommend it reading it!

 

I received this book from the publisher and I happily provide my honest review.

Although I have yet to read an entangled book which I didn't love, this one was exceptional. I loved it and I think it is a must read for historical romance lovers. All the characters and places are beautifully described. Plot is great and well executed. Most of the story depicts Indian setting and I loved the historical aspect of it too.
Suri is a half-caste girl who has always found herself out of place in English environment. When she gets a chance to visit her sister in India she decided to find her mother's family and get some closure. But things didn't go the way she had hoped.
First she learned that a Duke's brother who had kissed her ten years ago, and she had been unable to stop think about, was in India as well. Then she also met her mother's family but found herself in the middle of a conspiracy against British.
Duke of Ravenswood remembered Suri as well. He had often thought about her and when he saw her again in India things get heated again. He desired her with a passion and can't help but feel jealous of Ravi-ji, an Indian who seemed to be attracted to Suri as well.
Things get complicated when Suri is invited to an Indian wedding. Will they be able to get out of India alive and what happens even if they did?
The story is intriguing and readers will find themselves enthralled by the way things enfold throughout.