Review: When She Was Wicked by Anne Barton

Some rules simply beg to be broken...

A dressmaker in London's busiest shop, Miss Anabelle Honeycote overhears the ton's steamiest secrets—and (occasionally) uses them to her advantage. It isn't something she's proud of, but the reluctant blackmailer needs the money to care for her gravely ill mother. To make up for her misdeeds, Anabelle keeps to a firm set of rules:

• Never request payment from someone who cannot afford it.

• Never reveal the secrets of a paying client.

• Never enter into any form of social interaction with a client.

Her list keeps her (somewhat) honest—until she encounters Owen Sherbourne, the Duke of Huntford. Not only does Owen nip Anabelle's extortion plans in the bud, the devilishly handsome Duke soon has the sexy seamstress dreaming of more than silks and satins. With Owen, Anabelle enjoys pleasures she never imagined . . . until a scandal from the past resurfaces. Now her rules could mean his family's ruin. Owen's searing kisses carry the promise of passion, but how will he react when Anabelle's most devastating secret is finally revealed?

Mass Market Paperback, 379 pages

Published January 29th 2013 by Forever

Goodreads | The Book Depository

My Thought:

It's my very first of Anne Barton. And, well, it's her novel debut. :D

I got this book as a birthday gift from one of my book best friends. She knew I love anything related to Wicked things. Besides, since I loved When He Was Wicked from Julia Quinn, which the one I had was the red cover version, she thought this novel would be a great pair for that one. :D

While I found Michael Sterling from When He Was Wicked was indeed very wicked, I can't say the same for Annabelle, who I found was not wicked enough, at least to fill my expectation. But perhaps it's due to her lack of experience, compared to Michael Sterling.

The story line was not exactly that great. Things happened too fast in the beginning. How could Owen easily offered Annabelle to live in his house after what she did was unbelievable. I can understand if he's attracted a lot to her, people do silly things when in love/lust. But it wasn't even described very clearly. Also how she easily agreed and got comfortable in his house. 

Somehow, I kept on reading and pretty enjoyed it. I even felt sympathy when Annabelle was forced to leave by Miss Starling threat. But after that, the climax was a bit disappointing. Especially when Rose finally spoke for the first time after two years. When Owen finally proposed to Annabelle, I didn't find it romantic or heart-moving. It felt just ... flat.

Overall, it's a good start for a novel debut. I really hope Anne Barton do a lot better for the second novel. I also hope there would be story about Olivia, Averill, and Rose. ^^

What I Loved about this novel:

- The Cover! It's beautiful.

- The vocabulary explanation under the chapter number, which related to sewing stuff, also a certain action or situation which lead to the beginning of the scene. It's a great way to begin the chapter.

Review: The Lass Wore Black by Karen Ranney

Release Date: 29 January 2013
Publisher: AVON BOOKS
Format: Paperback
Source: My own copy
Buy It: The Book Depository or Amazon
Add It: Goodreads

He was her Highland lover, but would he be her savior?

Catriona Cameron was once famed for her seductive beauty and charm. Now she saw no one, hiding from the world...and no one dared break through her self-imposed exile.

No one, that is, until Mark Thorburn burst into her home, and Catriona's darkened world began to have color again. Thorburn, secretly the heir to an Earldom, claimed he was a footman. But Catriona didn't care about the scandal their passion could cause...for this very touch sparked her back to a life of sensuality, one she thought she'd never have again.

Little does she know that Mark is part of a masquerade. One that will end when they become the target of a madman set on revenge. Mark realizes he will have to do more than win her love...he will have to save her life as well.

* * * * *

My very first of Karen Ranney, and I liked it, a lot.

At first I didn't really like Catriona. She's indeed spoiled, self-destruct  and selfish. But I guess that's her flaws and it made her more real. After all that she's been through, it kinda made sense that she's bitter than before. I liked this dialogue between Sarah, Mark's assistant, and Catriona.

"Pain does something to a body. I've seen enough of Dr. Thorburn's patients. Some of them, pain makes angles. Some of them, it makes into devils. Which one were you?"

"I'm afraid I was a devil," she said softly.

Sarah nodded. "I'm thinking I'd be the same."

I realized that I might be just like her, or worse. Who knows? But it's a good thing that she learned the lesson. That's another lesson I learned from this novel. You can be a bitch nobody like. But you can change it. Either they'd like it or not, it doesn't really matters. What matters the most is that you change yourself to be better. And it'd make you feel good inside.

I liked Mark, a lot... I liked the idea that even though he can't save them all, his patients, the poor people he met and care, he never gave up to do his best. I liked the face that he kept pursuing his dream to be a doctor although his father and bothers despised him. It's a good thing he's close enough to grandfather.

This novel was almost like any other historical romance. Not that difference, but I always like novels where the heroines or heroes has some flaws. Aren't we all?

Also, there are so many things I learned after reading this novel. It's not something new, but it's a reminder.

1st lesson:

Since I'm a student, there were great sentences (or dialogues) from this book that  taught/reminded me of things related to my study:
- A wise man observes.
- "The patient will always know more than we do," Dr. Cameron had once said. "They don't know that they know, but listen to their complaints. That will tell you as much as your examination."
- Dr. Cameron had also insisted that he write out his notes within minutes of visiting a patient. "Don't wait until the next day. You won't remember the details that can make the difference between life and death. Write down the patient's color, his demeanor, whether he talks about other things or only his health. Is his aspect good, or do lines form on his face? Are his pupils expanded? Is the sclera white or gray? Are there dark circles beneath his eyes? Is his breath foul? Your words might prove invaluable to a physician who comes after you." <--- Ha! This is the opposite of me. I procrastinate very often. It's a BIG reminder for me.

2nd lesson:

Most of the time we think that our life was harder than everyone. But there's always anyone else who's more suffered. Always see things from the bright side. 

3rd lesson:

Be more grateful. You should be grateful and more grateful.

4th lesson:

You can't save all of those people who need help. But you can at least touch one life.

How could they help each one of them?

When she'd said as much to Dina, the older woman only smiled. "We can't, my dear. But we can touch one life, and then another. We can bring some beauty and joy to some, if only for a moment."

It kinda reminded me to what one of my lecturer had once said: "Be the light in a darkness."

In the end, I can't tell you about the characters, the plot, the flow of the story ... I didn't really think it's that different. But the lessons I've learned that made me love this book.

And it turned out that her previous book, A Scandalous Scot, is about Jean, Catriona' sister. Guess I should read it too.

Review: Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne

Hailed as "one of the best writers in the business" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, multi-award-winning author Maggie Osborne delivers hilarious and heartrending tales of resilient women full of grit, pride, and dignity who shine through hard times. Now meet the most irresistible and independent heroine of them all, a woman called Low Down, who never had anything good happen to her until the day she asked for the one thing that only a man could give her. . . .

As scruffy and rootless as the other prospectors searching for gold in the Rockies, Low Down wanted nothing in return for nursing a raggedy bunch through the pox. But when pressed to reveal her heart's wish, she admits, "I want a baby." Not a husband, not a forced marriage to the proud man who drew the scratched marble and became honor bound to marry her. To be sure, Max McCord was easy on the eyes, but he loved another woman and dreamed of a different life. Yet they agreed to a temporary marriage that could end only in disaster. But can this strange twist of fate lead to the silver lining that both have been searching for?
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

• Published: 01 Jan 2000 by Ivy Books
• Format: Paperback, 352 pages
• 
  

First time I knew about this book was from one of my book best friend, and got curious about it because of her funny silly review at Goodreads (it's in Indonesian). And I was quite lucky when I found the book even in used condition, since I couldn't find a new one. It's been on my shelf for months but now I had a reason to read it to complete the reading challenge on January, one held by Reading-Romances. The January theme is marriage of convenience, one of my favorite theme.

Anyway, after reading my friend's review, I kinda hoped to read something funny. Well, it's not that funny, but, that's alright, it's quite entertaining. I must confessed, I didn't really enjoy it at first, not as much as I hoped. Because it turned out that it's a little painful to imagine what Max and Low Down (or Louise) had faced. It sure hurt when you have to face the reality that your husband looked so angry because he's been the one who had to marry you. Especially the way Max acted on their first night. Oh, how cold! Not to mention other times when he kept thinking about Philadelphia. Therefore, Low Down had my sympathy. But of course, I couldn't blame Max for feeling and/or acting the way he did.

What I think of this book, is that this one was the comforting kind. Or according to my friend said once, the domestic type. And I do love reading something that realistic, yet comforting.
It's true that I didn't like Max (a lot) at first, that I felt sorry for Philadelphia (no woman deserved to experience it), or that I kinda despised Max's mother for suggesting such thing, or even Wally's character. I even thought what my friend saw from this book. But just like these people in this book who's experiencing things and started to change, my perspective changed, too.
The only constant thing was my feeling toward Louise/Low Down. I loved and admired her character! Poor Louise. She made me want to hug her, and tell her that despite of her many faults, she's lovable, that she's not alone. Somehow her character inspired me.
Another thing I loved was how things between Max and Louise was settled and growing gradually. I also loved the speech Livvy gave to Max when she talked about Louise's character. 
The only disappointment I felt about this book was the ending, when Louise agreed to postponed what she wanted to tell Max because he asked her to wait until they got home. Ugh! 

If you expect something big, hot, or full of surprise, I don't think you'll get it. I do believe that some people will think it's boring. But hey, despite I love reading one hot-fast paced novel, I really think I need to read this sweet, comforting kind of novel, too.