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3.5 stars. This rating and review is ONLY for “Mrs. Sartin’s Secretary” by Wendy LaCapra. If I read the other stories later, I’ll try to review them. Of course, the rating may change too.
****

Mrs. Sartin’s Secretary by Wendy LaCapra

When I read book 1 of Wendy LaCapra’s Lords of Chance series titled Scandal in Spades last year, I was blown away not only by Wendy’s beautiful writing but also the story and its protagonists. The H and h shared amazing chemistry that was palpable right from the moment they met. It was a straight winner so I was eagerly waiting for book 2...which turned out to be Heart’s Desire.

While I waited, I heard about Wendy writing a short story in between these two books, somehow connecting to book 2 through its hero, Lord Markham or Heart. But why is Markham called ‘Heart’? I talked about it a bit more elaborately in my review of book 1. In a nutshell, the other heroes of this series formed a group of sort where Markham joins later, and they called each other by sobriquets taken from the cards. The hero of book 1, the Marquess of Bromton Giles went by as Spades. Two of his close friends that will have the next books in the series, Lord Farring and Lord Rayne, are known as Club and Diamond. In that order.

In book 1 I had the hint that Markham, the youngest of them all, was a bit of a rake, hence he was the Hearts. It was said that he never left his lovers wanting. Just how much of a rake, you get a glimpse of it in this really short story here. From the beginning though, I had issues. I had a difficult time connecting this story with the series. For one, Mrs. Sartin or her secretary, the two protagonists were never even introduced in book 1 so I had no earthly idea who they were and why they even had a story to begin with?! Well apart from the fact that it becomes clear very early on that Mrs. Sartin is Markham’s lover. (note here that Mrs. Sartin may well have been briefly introduced in book 1 but I don’t remember her at all so my point stands)

In the end though, Wendy’s note explains that we’ll be seeing more of Mrs. Sartin in Markham’s book, Heart’s Desire. She wanted the lonely widow to have a story so she gave her one.

Fair enough.

First book in a new series. Different from other PNR or U/F I’ve read in the sense of how the main character comes to live among humans. The gist of it all is that Vex and his friend Lucian are banished from their world for violating some rules and they are unceremoniously sent to earth. Decades later, they decide to set up their own tattoo parlor with the help of Sevin, a shifter they have come to care for and love as a son, all while Vex is still hoping to be sent back to his own world.

I loved the trio’s relationship. They acted like a family through and through. Vex was the tall, dark, and brooding of the three; Lucian had a much more calmer personality; and Sevin while still young was sweet and flirty.

Alea is a funny, witty fairy with her own ambitions and plans. As much as Vex tries to deny the attraction that started between them pretty much from the moment they met, it really doesn’t take much for him to give in into her desire for her. Even so, their relationship blazed at the right pace, not once feeling phony or forced. Their funny and witty banter had me laughing plenty of times.

Romance aside, there was a good solid plot that kept the story moving along. That said, I felt there were a few things in the story that needed to be addressed but instead we just skipped over them. There is also the ending of the story which I thought had lots of things going on instead of just Alea and Vex as the main focus, but that’s probably more of a personal preference.

**I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.** 

Wowza! Jackson was just W-O-W! He was such an adorable dork with the right amount of sexiness and lots of sweet appeal. Honestly, what I loved the most about him was that he didn’t behave like an overbearing alpha and was always happy to be there for those that trusted him. The story itself was intense, exciting, and gripping. Although this is the 3rd book in the series and it’s set parallel to the first two, it can still be read as a standalone. Be warned though, you’re going to want to read the first two once you get to know Jax. 
So, despite his kinks and voyeurism, Jax has some personal issues that prevent him from truly loving someone. It isn’t until he meets strong, determined Katya, a woman with her own dark past, that he allows himself to develop feelings for someone. 
Katya is my kind of heroine: self-reliant, clever, and compassionate. Of course she could also be stubborn but overall she was understanding and was able to keep a level head at the most critical times.
In short, Jax and Katya are now in my top 5 favorite couples, and I totally recommend this book.

*** I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher ***

What an adorable, sensitive, dork Knox turned out to be! I’ve read all three books in the series and I can’t really say he’s my favorite but he is definitely the sweetheart of the three!

In this third and final installment we get to know more about Knox and how he ended up at the house with the other kids. His backstory was not as tragic as the other’s however I think it made him more endearing and sweet. The romantic story actually takes place parallel to the two previous books so I definitely recommend reading them before jumping to this one.

I’m not really sure how to feel about Jade. There were some issues with her character that just didn’t click with me. Some of the things she did and said felt out of sync with the woman she was supposed to be. Nevertheless, the attachment she and Knox formed felt genuine and honest, so even if it all started as insta-lust, by the end of the book I could definitely tell there would be much love and respect between them.

***** This book contains what I consider a very graphic description of non-consensual sex, which in my book means rape, so heads up. *****

I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.

Neil is sent on a new mission: bring Lady Juliana back home after she’s spent months away taking care of orphan children. What was supposed to be an in-and-out kind of mission turned out to be the life changing event that neither Neil nor Lady Juliana had planned on. 

The story was a riot and a half. Neil is the kind of man that may seem reserved but in reality is pretty laid-back. I liked that he knew what to do, when to do it, and best way to go about facing a new challenge. Even though Juliana was pretty inexperienced in everything she set her mind to, she was no simpleton and faced everything with as much mettle as she could muster.

The plot itself was unpredictable and unique. I mean, I don't think I've read about ladies accepting rats for pets of their children (ee-ew, eewww, EEEWWWW!). The children were sweet and good-natured, even those that rebelled and may had caused some trouble because of their circumstances showed great character. I for one don't like reading much about children but when they are written with as much heart and wit then I will take them any time! Juliana and Neil simmered in passion for each other but didn't take their relationship to the next level until they knew for sure that's what they both wanted. And when it happened it was sublime, real, and oh, so sweet. I always complain about authors creating this far-fetched, earth-shattering event when the couple makes love for the first time because although nice to read, is it really like that in real life? I thought the author did a great job here giving me a more realistic, couple-in-love moment. 
I also loved that all the survivors made an appearance. We dug farther into the lives of some of them and we get to see more of Ewan, my boyfriend from the first book-- I mean the hero from the first book in the series. The story had a villain that didn't get to play much of a villain however his presence gave the survivors plenty to do and caused Juliana lots of headaches and heartaches. If anything I would have liked Juliana's growth to be more palpable but it was more on paper than in her character. All in all it was a great read that left me wanting more. 

** I was gifted a copy of this book and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher. **