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nurdburd13 Love Is Blind by Lynsay Sands Oct 2, 2007 10:03 AM Love Is Blind by Lynsay Sands http://www.amazon.com/Love-Blind-Leisure-Historical-Romance/dp/0843955007/ref=sr_1_22/104-8064493-6784748?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191339466&sr=8-22 From Booklist Poor Clarissa Crambray. An "unfortunate incident" plunged her into scandal when she was only 12, and now that she is grown, her ill-natured stepmother parades her around town in search of a husband, forbidding her to wear her glasses and thus ensuring an unending succession of embarrassing moments when she steps on toes, uses gentlemen's laps for a tea table, and sets wigs on fire. Clarissa's only pleasure comes from clandestine meetings with Adrian Montfort, the Earl of Mowbray, who has shunned society since his return from the Napoleonic Wars disfigured by scars. When the two marry and Clarissa acquires another pair of spectacles, however, new problems crop up related to Adrian's self-consciousness about his appearance. Sands' sexy historical romances always give good value, dealing with social issues as well as detailing lusty encounters, and her latest will be received eagerly by her loyal fans and will undoubtedly win her new readers who enjoy Regency settings. Lynne Welch Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved I really liked this book. Sands isn't one of "my" authors but I picked this up after reading a lot of good reviews. It is funny, romantic & sweet w/ a bit of mystery. Clarissa is having a hard time upon entering society. Her stepmother, Lydia, will not allow her spectacles because she says they make Clarissa ugly & so, Clarissa keeps having accidents. One of the first scenes concludes w/ her setting a suitor's wig on fire. In another accident, which we do not see, Clarissa burns the hero's cousin's piffle. I had to include that just because Sands used "piffle." I giggled like a 12 year old. Sorry. :) There is also a fall down some stairs, a fall in front of a carriage & a bump on the head which results in Clarissa floating in a fountain. Adrian is a wounded x-soldier w/ a facial scar. Upon returning from the war & showing himself at Court he was laughed at & caused fainting spells & screams of horror from the more "delicate" ladies. One horrid woman slept w/ him just because she like sleeping w/ freaks bc, "they are so eager to please." He introduces himself (gasp!) to Clarissa because he knows she cannot see him & thinks she won't be scared of his scar for that reason. Little does he know that Clarissa is near-sighted and sees his face clearly from the first meeting. Well, they stand up together & dance more sets than they should. They fall in love & despite Lydia's scheming to keep them apart they end up getting married (& quickly due to a house fire & a clandestine meeting). Soon Adrian starts to believe that someone is trying to harm Clarissa due to her past. To make a long story short, here's a summary: Clarissa was 12 or 14 (I can't recall) & visiting a relative. Her mother was ill. A servant came to fetch Clarissa home saying her mother needed her. The relative, without thinking, let her go. Clarissa ends up in the center of a nefarious plot where a man is trying to marry her to get her inheritance. He DOES marry her but does not consummate the marriage. He accomplished all of this without resistance from Clarissa by saying that her father was deep in debt & by marrying she could get her money & help her father. Well, the father's servants catch up to them, the marriage is annulled, Clarissa is whisked away to the country. But, you know Society & they will gossip. *SPOILER* (sort or) It turns out someone is trying to do Clarissa harm. Clarissa figures it out before her husband does & convinces the person to let Clarissa help them start over. It's pretty easy to figure out who it is so, I won't say anymore on that. The only thing that really bothered me was Clarissa called Adrian "husband" all the time. That may have been common practice then but it bugged the crap outta me. Clarissa is also not one of those head-strong, fly by the seat of their pants, independent heroines you get so often in historical romance. To me, she fits more closely to what women may have really been like. She is clever, she is occasionally witty, she is genuine, she is slightly submissive to her elders & the men in her life, she is sweet. Adrian is really just your typical hero: he's been spurned & hurt but is needled by his mother into re-entering Society; he's sarcastic at times, dislikes going to balls, etc. You know the type. But he comes to love Clarissa so that you can't help but like him. Oh, the bedroom scenes are quite delicious & Clarissa, though thoroughly innocent & having a hard time of it at first due to Lydia's bitchiness, does not hesitate to through herself into their love-making. She even tries to learn a thing or two to please Adrian. Well, that was a bit lengthy. It was good book. I laughed & had to fan my face at least once. What more can you ask for? Enjoy!
nurdburd13 Twilight by Stephanie Meyer Sep 19, 2007 11:03 AM This book has been reviewed eleventy four times. But it's just so WIN! I just went over booksandshoes review. I'd been meaning to add it to my Romance Novel group so, no time like the present & all that jazz. Here's what Amazon.com had to say: Amazon.com "Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 'Be very still,' he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat." As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship. Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward's sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst. The precision and delicacy of Meyer's writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell Here's what I have to say: OH.MY.GOD. I could not stop w/ this book. I would like to thank the Gods Of Reading that I only picked this book up when the second (New Moon) was already out & the third (Eclipse) was due out very soon. Otherwise I would have been mad w/ anticipation. Bella is wonderful. She's quirky, she doesn't know she's cute, she is intelligent and she loves Edward so very much. Edward...oh, Edward. What can I say? If you've read the book then you KNOW. hahaha. The only thing that is even a small downer (according to those who decide such things, lol) is the intensity or dependency of their relationship. For those of you or for those young'ens who have a hard time separating fact from fiction, you might see Edward & Bella as a negative thing. Their desire to be together so much and later what some would call their dependency on each other. Especially Bella. In the following books it is hard to watch her be so depressed. However, I choose not to look at it that way. It never even occurred to me that it could be viewed that way until I read th review of someone who obviously was a evil book hater. I'm kidding. I can see where they were coming from. I think that Edward & Bella are a lovely pair & wonderfully romantic. I CANNOT WAIT until the fourth book. w00t!
nurdburd13 Beware A Scots Revenge: The School For Heiresses Series by Sabrina Jeffries Jul 31, 2007 1:27 PM This book was...well, it had naughty sex scenes with some pretty naughty language. The heroine, Lady Venetia Campbell, was strong. I liked her quite a bit. She never really went all blubbery & whiny. Everyone who knows her seems to like her. Usually when the heroine is that likable it sort of puts me off. Not so in this case. Venetia was just plain convincing. Smart, funny, hard worker & truly caring. Bravo to Ms. Jeffries on this character. Sir Lachlan Ross, our hero, was a sexy, rough & tumble, true to form Highlander. He cared deeply about his clan, mother & the land. That alone gave him a gold star in my book. Lachlan was also stubborn, resolute & driven. Like I said, GOLD STAR *sing song voice,* (I just have a thing for stubborn heros who come around in the end). He worked hard to get what he believed was owed him & was able to see right from wrong in the end. I wonder if I could arrange for him to kidnap me? hehe... ^.^ The attraction these two had was fiery hot & it's also instantaneous. Like I said in the beginning, the sex scenes are naughty, naughty...heck, there's even a bondage episode where Venetia ties Lachlan up! Told you she was a smart girl. ;) There is no real villain. The worst bad guy is McKinley but Venetia gets rid of him easily. All of the truths come rushing out at the end but I find that typical for most romance novels even if this one does seem a little too rushed. Everything works out prettily in the end of course; maybe it's a little too neat...But, it's a good book. If you like Highlanders, sexy / tough men & intelligent women not to mention hot love scenes you should definitely give this one a try. PS - Lady Ross might be my favorite character. She was just great. That's about sums her up.
nurdburd13 The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn Jul 19, 2007 10:55 AM 2 March 1810 . . . Today, I fell in love. At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever. But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers . . .
nurdburd13 Finished Pleasure for Pleasure (spoiler) Jul 19, 2007 9:15 AM So, I finished Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James some time ago. I ended up liking it but not crazy about it. Mayne & Sylvie obviously end up splitting. He tries to kiss or something & she smacks his face and returns his ring. Josie witnesses all of it from the loft where she is hiding after she was attacked by Thurman. Some little drama follows after Josie is discovered by the stable boy on how to get her home w/o being seen. They get her there & she won't tell them who attacked her. Finally she does tell Tess (i'm pretty sure it was Tess) & about that time Mayne swoops in & offers to marry her bc he thinks she is ruined when in reality she was only kissed & groped. She doesn't have the heart to tell him the facts for a while. Um...let's see...they end up being absolutely scorching in the sack. I can give James props for that. She definitely can right a love scene. Lol. Josie is blunt & honest about how it feels exactly & waists no time whatsoever in instructing Mayne where it feels the best in following encounters. That was amusing. There is one little surprise at the end I won't give away. I was surprised from one person's involvement but not the others. That's all I'll say. Oh...Griselda & Darlington thankfully got married. They were precious together. Loved their courtship/affair. Hellgate is so easy to guess that I'm not even going there. So, all in all it was an enjoyable if plodding book. To me there was never any huge drama though some might find that a welcome relief. Yes, Josie is attacked by Thurman but she handles it so well that I really didn't focus on it. Maybe James used it as an easy way to get Mayne & Josie together? I truly enjoyed Josie. I could relate to her & her feelings towards her body; the way she felt to be surrounded by beautiful, "thin" women that she thought men wanted. About Thurman...Ardmore & Felton (Tess's & Annabel's husbands) dealt w/ him. I wish they hadn't ruined his entire family in the process. I think that Thurman's parents were going to be ok in the country & that Thurman was really the one that was hit the worst but still. I did appreciate him being sent away on a ship as labor. Hehe. I always enjoy the bad guy getting his. I suppose I can recommend it. You'll find James' wit in Griselda & Darlington. The heat is there w/ Mayne & Josie if you'll only hang in there. There is a good little surprise. No suspense but in this one I could over look it. Thurman gets his...I guess if all that sounds ok, read away! lol. I'm really not very good at this reviewing thing. :) Up next will be Beware A Scots Revenge by Sabrina Jeffries & The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. However, first I must finish Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and Harry Potter. I will probably write some about Twilight. I am in love w/ that book. :LOVE:

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Love Is Blind by Lynsay Sands Love Is Blind by Lynsay Sands
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Beware A Scots Revenge: The School For Heiresses Series by Sabrina Jeffries Beware A Scots Revenge: The School For Heiresses Series by Sabrina Jeffries
The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn

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