A Good Rogue Is Hard To Find by Kelly Bowen (Lords of Worth #2) - Review

William Somerhall, the Duke of Worth, needs to have an important conversation with his mother Eleanor, the Duchess of Worth. She is known to be rather eccentric but, he feels that she has gone too far.  Will arrives at the Dowager Duchess's home and finds it in complete disarray. Will sees his mother's  guests are departing a dinner party in a hurry, he stumbles on broken pieces of glass and porcelain in the entry way and there are chicken feathers everywhere! What is going on?

Kelly Bowen presents a new twist in the Robin Hood trope in A Good Rogue Is Hard a To Find. I adored this book because it's a different take on the popular Duke -themed historicals. The author effortlessly mixes great characters and settings, fabulous banter  and serious social undertones in her storyline. 

"Let me make myself clear.", Jenna stopped, forcing the Duke to stop with her.

"First of all,  you kissed me. Second, I kissed you back despite the fact that you are a Duke. 

This crusade as you like to call it, is the direct result of dukes. thoughtless ones. And uncaring earls. Selfish marquesses and inconsiderate viscounts." Her eyes grew serious. "So no, Will, I don't want you to further anything. I don't want you to interfere. I want you to stay out of my way."

Eleanor, the Dowager Duchess of Worth is an pivotal character in Ms. Bowen's first novel I've Got  My Duke  to Keep Me Warm. Eleanor and her companion Jenna Hughes make quite a team and I was thrilled to have them featured in book two of the series! Neither character is what they appear to be at first glance. The author adds details and provides insight into these multi-faced characters as the story progresses. I loved the laugh-out loud dialogue between the Duchess, Jenna and Will  when Will begins to ask questions about his mother's activities. The dialogue is cleverly written and adds so much to the storyline and confuses Will just enough!

After Will accompanies Jenna to the Seven Dials section of London on a mission of mercy, he begins to understand why his mother and Jenna are involved in their crusade to help the poor. The novel touches on the social hierarchy of the times by illustrating how the rich focused on their social status , their beautiful custom made clothing and their appearance versus paying their bills. The trip to London is a turning point for Will. He is falling in love with Jenna. Will needs to decide if he can trust his mother and Jenna. Can Will see the  social injustices the average person faces and will he choose to make  a difference in society? I adored this character and loved his exasperated interactions with his mother, her loyal staff and Jenna. 

The conclusion of A Good Rogue Is Hard To Find is the perfect blend of suspense and intrigue which kept me guessing until the last page. The plot is very original and well researched and reminded me of the Paul Newman and Robert Redford movie The Sting. Each of the main and secondary characters contributed to the story as Eleanor and Jenna's scheme begins to unfold. I was so invested in the storyline that I stayed up late to finish the book. Loved, loved the ending!


Looking forward to the third book in Kelly Bowan's series You're The Earl That I Want which will be available in August, 2015.

Reviewed By Susan Gorman

Book Provided by Fresh Fiction.

This review was published on June 19, 2015 on FreshFiction.com.

Photo by Carla Hellander

Tracy Deebs and Tera Lynn Childs’ POWERLESS spotlight!

Powerless
Authors: Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal)
Series: The Hero Agenda, Book #1

Summary

Kenna is tired of being "normal."

The only thing special about her is that she isn't special at all. Which is frustrating when you're constantly surrounded by superheroes. Her best friend, her ex-boyfriend, practically everyone she knows has some talent or power. Sure, Kenna's smart and independent, but as an ordinary girl in an extraordinary world, it's hard not to feel inferior.

So when three villains break into the lab where she interns, Kenna refuses to be a victim. She's not about to let criminals steal the research that will make her extraordinary too.

But in the heat of battle, secrets are spilled and one of the villains saves her life. Twice. Suddenly, everything Kenna thought she knew about good and evil, heroes and villains is upended. And to protect her life and those she loves, she must team up with her sworn enemies on a mission that will redefine what it means to be powerful and powerless...

Excerpt

“You never answered my question. What are you doing down here so late?”

Those bright blue eyes sear into me as he takes a step back. “I have to go.”

His sudden evasiveness makes me suspicious, so when he starts to move past me, I sidestep into his path. “Excuse me,” I say, “but this is a secure level. Are you even authorized to be down here?”

“My dad,” he says, scowling at me. “He’s a security guard.”

A security guard? The facility might be so big that I can’t keep track of everyone who works in every lab, but I know all the guards by name. Especially the night guards, since I’m usually the last one here.

Travis and Luther are on duty tonight. Travis and his wife just had their first baby, a girl named Tia. Luther is old enough to be my great-grandfather and he never married.

I take half a step back as my suspicions turn to concern. “Who’s your dad?” I demand.

This guy definitely has the look of a villain.

What if he really is one?

He glances nervously over his shoulder. “He’s—”

I shake my head and start to walk away before he can finish the lie.

He reaches for me, but I shrug him off. My heart is beating way too fast. This could go way bad, way quick.

“Please, just listen.” He waits until I’m looking him in the eye before he continues. “You know me,” he says, his voice taking on this weird, hypnotic tone. “We’ve met before.”

His eyes start to burn brighter and brighter. Oh crap. He must be a villain, and one with a psy power. The vilest kind. Fear and anger collide inside me as I wonder what to do about him trying to mess with my head. How to play this? I can’t exactly tell him I’m—

Suddenly, the floor beneath my feet shudders violently, knocking me off balance. I lurch forward into Dark-and-Scowly’s arms. He catches me, grabs my upper arms, just as a concussion wave of air and sound hits us.

That sounded—and felt—like a bomb went off in the lab. If we weren’t a hundred feet underground and shielded by every protection science and superheroes can create, I’d think the supervillain Quake had struck. But that’s impossible.

Then again, impossible doesn’t always apply in the superhero world. After all, impossible didn’t keep Dark-and-Scowly from being where he doesn’t belong.

Suddenly, every alarm in the facility blares. I freak. The lab! All that research—Mom’s and mine—is priceless. The superhero blood samples alone are more valuable than anything else in the building.

Panic overrides judgment and I push away, but his grip only tightens. The jerk. A little super strength would be really useful right now.

“You can’t go in there.”

“Who are you?” I demand, struggling to get out of his grasp. If he really is a villain, I don’t want him near me or this lab. Not with what villains are capable of. “What have you done?”

He doesn’t answer. More pissed than ever, I fake left and pull right. He follows my fake-out, and as his hair swings with the momentum, I see the mark I’d been looking for earlier. Not under his right ear like the superheroes. Under his left.

Shit.

“You’re a villain.”

Goodreads Link

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Indie Bound

Author Biographies

One fateful summer, Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs embarked on a nine hour (each way!) road trip to Santa Fe that ended with a flaming samurai, an enduring friendship, and the kernel of an idea that would eventually become Powerless. On their own, they have written YA tales about mermaids (Forgive My Fins, Tempest Rising), mythology (Doomed, Oh. My Gods., Sweet Venom), smooching (International Kissing Club), and fae princes (When Magic Sleeps). Between them, they have three boys (all Tracy), three dogs (mostly TLC), and almost fifty published books. Find TLC and the #TeamHillain headquarters at teralynnchilds.com. Check out Tracy and the #TeamVero lair at tracydeebs.com. Hang out with all the heroes, villains, ordinaries, and none-of-the-aboves at heroagenda.com.

Social Networking Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Rafflecopter Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Direct Link

Stay With Me -- More of Me (The Montgomery Brothers) by Samantha Chase

I am enjoying reading each book in the Montgomery series by author Samantha Chase. This is a perfect series to read at the beach or on summer vacation. Each book contains well paced storylines interesting characters and fabulous dialogue. William Montgomery is the central character in all of the Montgomery books. He has a new passion-- finding spouses for his sons, nephews and nieces! His matchmaking skills are tested in Stay With Me and More of Me!

Stay With Me is a very emotional, compelling story of love and forgiveness. It's my personal favorite in the series (so far). I adored the hero workaholic Mackenzie Montgomery and his heroine Gina Micelli. Their story is a twist on the opposites attract trope.

Gina travels to North Carolina to visit with her terminally ill father Arthur Micelli who is William Montgomery's best friend. Gina settles in in the Montgomery guesthouse to be near the hospital.

Before heading out of town, William gives his oldest son Mac an ultimatum. He is to leave the office by 5pm or take an extended leave of absence. William asks Mac to check in on Gina while he is away. Mac shows up at the guesthouse with pizza and beer and forgets all about work when he sees Gina by the pool in her bikini!

Samantha Chase takes a potentially heartbreaking situation and provides the characters with a positive life lesson. Gina is given a huge gift by her father; the opportunity for happiness. During their conversations at the hospital, Arthur encourages Gina to figure out what she wants to do--not what others expect her to do. This part of the book was very emotional and well - written. The honest Father- Daughter discussions brought tears to my eyes. Loved the conversations between Gina and Mac. They took time to listen and appreciate each other and became friends over hamburgers, French fries and shakes. Mac is impacted by this lesson as well. He realizes that he is looking forward to spending time with Gina and his family and learns that there is more to life than Montgomery Industries.

The last few chapters of this full length novel are well-paced and superbly crafted. I was invested in the characters and their story and finished the book in an afternoon. The conflict, characters, dialogue and storyline were spot on. Enjoyed how Mac's parents and brothers and their brides were woven into the story as it added to the continuity of the series, I found the ending rewarding and absolutely loved Mac's grand gesture!! He remembered! (With a little help!)

William Montgomery asks his nephew Ryder Montgomery to meet with wedding planner Casey Peterson in More of Me. I enjoyed this classic second chance at romance. It's a fun story filled with passion and fabulous characters and is a perfect beach read!

Ryder meets former girlfriend Casey while jogging on the beach. He is unaware that his uncle has suggested that Ryder step in due to a family crisis and decide on his cousins wedding venue. Ryder feels guilty because he ended things with Casey badly when they broke up twelve years ago. He's very attracted to Casey and decides to use this opportunity to win back Casey's heart.

Samantha Chase infuses More of Me with a lot of great dialogue and quirky characters. I loved the fact that when Ryder saw Casey with her partner's baby, he mistakenly assumed it was Casey's child. Ryder stressed over this for a few days. And Casey let him stew! My favorite scene in the novel occurred when Casey and Ryder were observing a wedding venue. Two elderly guests, Minnie and Izzy, find Ryder and Casey hiding by the a big potted plant and accuse the couple of hanky panky at their nieces wedding and suggest that they get a room! Ryder explains that there is no hanky panky going on-it's all about business and mentions that Casey is married. The aunts take Casey's side in the situation when she explains her side if the story. The aunts invite the couple to sit at their table at the wedding reception. The conversations between the aunts (there are a total of five), Casey and Ryder are loud out loud funny.

More of Me is an enjoyable, light read told with lots of style and humor. I love a great second chance at love story. Enjoyed how the couple talked through (with the Aunts help!) what happened when Ryder left Casey. I felt it was important that Casey admitted she was hurt and wasn't sure if she could trust Ryder. I appreciated that couple needed to learn to trust each other and that it would take time and effort to succeed. Loved, loved the ending of the novel as it provided a few surprises for Ryder and Casey and it introduces the reader to the Montgomery cousins.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman
Book provided by Samantha Chase
Book, poster and book marks provided by Samantha Chase.

Contest Question:

What is your favorite type of romance novel?? Second chance at love, Opposites attract, Friends to lovers or Instant attraction?

For a chance to win a copy of Stay with Me and More of Me, a poster and bookmarks, please provide both your answer and email address below in the comments section.

The winner will be drawn on Saturday, June 6 , 2015 and contacted by Susan Gorman.

Lady Celeste would like to thank Samantha Chase for providing the gifts for our contest!