Once Upon a Moonlit Night (Maiden Lane 10.5) by Elizabeth Hoyt

 

So excited to be part of the Launch Day Blitz for Elizabeth Hoyt’s e-novella, Once Upon a Moonlight Night! NOTE: This review will contain some spoilers for Duke of Sin, Maiden Lane #10 (previously reviewed here), as the heroine of this novella was one of Val’s blackmail victims in that book. And if you haven’t read it yet, enter the giveaway for a SIGNED copy of DUKE OF SIN here!

Once Upon a Moonlit Night Front Cover (Grand Central Publishing)

THE PLOT: After Hippolyta Royale escapes from the Duke of Montgomery’s captivity with Bridget’s help, she doesn’t exactly look like the greatest heiress in England. She’s been kept in a stone cell, and she’s running wildly looking for help when stumbles upon Matthew Mortimer’s carriage. Matthew has just inherited the earldom of Paxton, and he believes the woman who stopped his carriage is mad, or at the very least lying. He’s sure she’s either a beggar or maybe even a prostitute. Her claims to be wealthy are obviously nonsense since she looks like she’s been living in a stable. But he agrees to take her to the next town. Eventually his protective nature takes over, and while he may not believe her, he does find that, cleaned up, she’s pretty darned attractive.

But remember, even if Matthew realizes that Hippolyta is telling the truth, and she’s the perfect match for an impoverished earl…there’s a reason Val was blackmailing her into marriage. Will that ultimately ruin their chance for happiness?

MY TWO CENTS: This novella may not be as long as a regular novel, but it finishes up a piece of the story that began in Sweetest Scoundrel…and it’s also insanely steamy. Part of that is because Matthew has no reason to believe Hippolyta is a highborn lady, so he says any number of outrageous things to her. His refusal to believe she’s who she says she is gives them time to get to know each other, as Hippolyta is freed from her “heiress” persona. She’s also freed for a while from the fear of society discovering the truth about her.

COVER NOTES: Wow! this color combo is a little out of the ordinary, but sure to grab attention! The fabric of the gown is crazy rich, and Hippolyta’s coloring looks appropriate. I LOVE these tropical colors.

BOTTOM LINE: If you’ve been reading the Maiden Lane series, you can’t miss this entry. (If you haven’t been reading it, why the heck not???)

TEACUP RATING: Four-and-a-half out of five teacups.

ON SALE DATE: Available now in e-book formats!

Buy the Book!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/25YAAUD

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NEXT UP IN THE SERIES: Duke of Pleasure, book 11 in the series, will be published November 29, 2016. This entry stars Hugh Fitzroy from Duke of Sin, and Alf, the girl dressed as a boy for a few books now. (How Eponine is she?)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elizabeth Hoyt is the New York Times bestselling author of over seventeen lush historical romances including the Maiden Lane series. Publishers Weekly has called her writing “mesmerizing.” She also pens deliciously fun contemporary romances under the name Julia Harper. Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with three untrained dogs, a garden in constant need of weeding, and the long-suffering Mr. Hoyt.

 Social Media Links:

http://www.ElizabethHoyt.com

Twitter @elizabethhoyt

Facebook.com/ElizabethHoytBooks

Add Once Upon a Moonlit Night to your shelf on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1S30uww

 

Note: Review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane #10) by Elizabeth Hoyt

Has anyone read the previous few Maiden Lane books and wondered how Elizabeth Hoyt was possibly going to rehabilitate Valentine Napier, Duke of Montgomery, from a villain to a hero for his book, Duke of Sin? The short answer…which delights me to no end…is: she didn’t.

Duke of Sin Front Cover (Grand Central Publishing)

THE PLOT: If you’ve read Dearest Rogue and Sweetest Scoundrel, you already know that Val is a blackmailing, kidnapping, completely immoral excuse for a duke. Okay, he cares about his half-sister, Eve, and once saved her from the Lords of Chaos, their father’s evil aristocratic secret society/rapey hunting club. But Val’s relationship to Eve is about as close to humanity as he gets. He’s even blackmailing THE KING to be permitted back in London, for crying out loud.

Val’s housekeeper, Bridget Crumb, knows pretty much all of what he gets up to. She’s actually positioned in his home to search for the various pieces of blackmail material he keeps around, such as family portraits and old letters, and take them back to diffuse his plots. She puts up with his wild behavior, but it’s hard for a practical housekeeper to take him seriously when most of the time he’s lounging around nude, talking about his sexual prowess, and acting completely insouciant about his nefarious activities.

Bridget starts to become more attached to Val as a person when he’s poisoned and she has to help him fight for his life. She learns some unfortunate things about his childhood and begins to act as his conscience. After all, he WAS raised by monsters and never learned right from wrong. But Val has no intention of changing. And Bridget might love him in spite of that…or because of it?

MY TWO CENTS: So you guys all know Tom Hiddleston, right? The actor also known as Hiddles? I hope so. I hope you’ve seen Marvel’s “The Avengers,” because the non-hero of the 10th Maiden Lane novel is totally based on Tom Hiddleston (confirmed by the author on her Facebook page). If you already love Loki in “The Avengers,” you don’t even need her confirmation. You will realize that Tom was the inspiration for this character as you read. You will hear Valentine Napier’s speeches as recited by Loki, and that is no joke. It doesn’t just work; it’s perfect.

I’m betting Val looks just like this when he’s facing down his poisoner…

…and this when he’s teasing Bridget…

…only, you know, blond. Like Tom happens to be in real life.

I was concerned that by the end, Val would be a sappy romance hero who found his true love. HA! HUGE kudos to Hoyt for keeping Val in character all the way through, down to punishing his enemies through their children in a way that will make you laugh out loud.

Bridget is a match for him because she’s his perfect foil. There’s no delicate, ladylike swooning here. She’s so matter-of-fact in the face of all his drama. Lucky for us readers, she can’t actually make him behave, and doesn’t try too hard. Bridget is also interesting for her ties to other Maiden Lane characters. You’ll be wanting to re-read book one, Wicked Intentions, right after you finish this or maybe while you’re still reading it, so make sure you have it handy.

BOTTOM LINE: This duke lives up to his title! I know it’s a romance, but Val’s antics are front and center. He’s entertaining as hell. Read him as Loki and ENJOY.

TEACUP RATING: Four-and-a-half out of five teacups.

ON SALE DATE: Available May 31, 2016, in paperback and eformats.

NEXT UP IN THE SERIES: Once Upon a Moonlit Night, a novella about Hippolyta, is coming July 5. Alf’s book, Duke of Pleasure, will be available November 29, 2016.

Note: Review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dearest Rogue (Maiden Lane #8) by Elizabeth Hoyt

Oh my gosh, how much do I love this cover! First, the female model looks realistically like she could be blind, as is the character she’s portraying. Then you add in those amazing spring colors (both mentioned in the book, bonus), her sweet expression, that gorgeous dress that I wish I could wear only because I’ve never HAD to, and of course the nicely chiseled jaw of the only partially unclothed hero. All this succeeds in making me want to be Phoebe Batten…which is okay. Because the whole point of this book is: having a disability doesn’t mean you don’t get a chance to live.

Dearest Rogue Front Cover (Grand Central/Hachette)

THE PLOT: When Maiden Lane readers first met Phoebe in Book #2, Notorious Pleasures, the younger sister of the Duke of Wakefield was 17 years old and already going blind. Now at age 21, Phoebe has completely lost her sight and is protected by former dragoons officer Captain James Travillion. James left the army because of an accident that damaged his leg, leaving him with a partial disability as well (Book 6, Duke of Midnight).

Phoebe is clearly struggling against her family’s attempts to keep her safe, which also leave her feeling caged. She can’t go anywhere without James. She can’t go out in society unless it’s with people her family knows. Of course, to make things worse, someone is absolutely determined to kidnap her. After a few attempts plus a rescue, James whisks her off to his family home in Cornwall until her family can figure out who is behind the kidnappings and why.

Meanwhile, Phoebe has just started to become interested in her bodyguard, not knowing that he loves her completely. But James believes their different social statuses are a permanent barrier. She’s the sister of a duke, and there’s a reason he ran away from Cornwall and joined the army.

MY TWO CENTS: Anyone who has a family member with a disability will completely relate to this book’s love story. While James is there to protect Phoebe, he loves her enough to let her live, and possibly fall down and hurt herself, rather than sit quietly in complete safety. (On a personal aside, my younger brother has Down Syndrome, and my family has always fought to make sure he has a life and not just air to breathe and food to eat.) Someone with a disability deserves the same freedoms everyone else enjoys unthinkingly. James understands this about Phoebe, more than her brother Maximus does. This aspect of the book gives it a special place in my heart.

It’s also different in that romance novels don’t usually feature blind heroines and heroes who can’t run. Thank you, Elizabeth Hoyt, for variety! This romance is both tender and fiery. It may seem very different from the other “Maiden Lane” novels, given that much of it takes place in Cornwall, but the author anchors it well by using previous and future series characters.

It’s too bad that the Makepeace family members only have cameos in this entry,  but the next book, Sweetest Scoundrel, belongs to Asa Makepeace.

BOTTOM LINE: Readers have been waiting for these characters’ book, and they won’t be disappointed. This one book made me want to go back and reread the whole series.

TEACUP RATING: Four-and-a-half out of five teacups.

ON SALE DATE: Available now in paperback and eformats.

Darling Beast (Maiden Lane #7) by Elizabeth Hoyt

What sets Elizabeth Hoyt’s “Maiden Lane” series apart from other romances? First, there’s the setting. In a genre often focused on polite Regency drawing rooms, the slums of St. Giles in 1740s London is an entirely different feel: gritty, dirty, desperate, and dangerous. Then there are the love scenes, which are unusually explicit, earthy, and carnal. What I enjoy most, though, is the way Ms. Hoyt forms her couples. She takes two completely disparate people who in no way should be together and makes it obvious that they not only do belong together, they are also the only right match for the other.

Darling Beast Front Cover (Hachette/Grand Central Publishing)

THE PLOT: Lily Stump is an out-of-work actress and single mother with a seven-year-old son. They’re living in the damaged theater of a pleasure garden that had been destroyed by a fire. Lily’s son tells her that there is a monster living out in the gardens. The “monster” turns out to be a hulking brute of a man who cannot speak. At first Lily believes the man, whom they nickname “Caliban,” has intellectual disabilities, but then she begins to realize it’s all an act.

Apollo Greaves (first introduced in Book #6, Duke of Midnight) is a viscount who escaped from Bedlam after being incarcerated for four years. And if you know anything about Bedlam in the 1700s, you can imagine it was no picnic. He was imprisoned for murdering three of his friends…a crime which, of course, he didn’t commit. He’s in hiding, restoring the pleasure garden for his friend Asa Makepeace (brother to several other Maiden Lane characters). Apollo is mute thanks to a severe beating received from Bedlam guards and its resulting psychological damage.

How will Lily react when she finds out she and her son have befriended a convicted murderer? How do these two misfits come together? Will Apollo ever be able to prove his innocence? And even if everything else works out, how can a future earl lower himself to marry an actress?

MY TWO CENTS: Nothing makes a better romance than two damaged individuals who heal each other. (Might this be a recurring theme throughout the third trio of Maiden Lane books?) Apollo is vulnerable, yet his strength becomes apparent as he interacts with other characters: friends, foes, and sometimes foes who become friends. Lily is spunky, smart, and talented, but she also has reasons to be cautious of strong men. I loved her unconditional love for her son and her need to protect him no matter what the cost. I adored the way various characters eventually ended up fighting for Apollo. I was so engrossed in this book that when I realized I was 3/4 of the way through it, I was unhappy that I was almost finished.

I will say that I missed the Ghost of St. Giles. Without giving away spoilers for the previous books, the Ghost has been such a bedrock of the series that it’s hard not to feel his loss. Other established characters do appear, most notably Apollo’s twin and her husband (Duke of Midnight), Lady Hero (Notorious Pleasures), Lady Phoebe Batten, and Captain James Trevillion.

I’m intrigued by several new characters introduced in this book, especially one in particular. I know the next book, Dearest Rogue, is about Phoebe and Trevillion, and I’m assuming that Book 9 is Asa’s book, but I’m seeing potential for at least two more books after that. One character especially has my fingers crossed, but I don’t want to elaborate because of spoilers. Let’s just say this character is definitely not standard hero material and is vastly entertaining.

Side note: The many scenes involving the reconstruction of the garden remind me of an Ewan McGregor movie called The Serpent’s Kiss. The movie takes place during the Restoration period, and it’s about a private estate’s garden and not a pleasure garden, but I get a similar feel from it. If you’ve never seen it, check it out.

Finally, for Elizabeth’s Facebook followers: perhaps Daffodil will remind others of a certain Miss Puppy Pie.

BOTTOM LINE: I continue to love this world Elizabeth Hoyt has created and thoroughly enjoyed this strong new entry in the series. Established Maiden Lane fans will devour it with great satisfaction. If you haven’t read the previous books and want to jump in, I strongly suggest you at least check out Duke of Midnight to really get all of Apollo’s story. If you prefer tasteful, formulaic romance offerings with little violence and more genteel sex scenes, then Darling Beast (and the rest of this series) may not be for you.

TEACUP RATING: Darling Beast gets 5 out of 5 teacups from me. (I still enjoyed my favorite Maiden Lane, Thief of Shadows, a teensy bit more; I’d give that one 5+ teacups.)

ON SALE DATE: Darling Beast will be available in mass market paperback and e-formats on October 14, 2014.

Note: Review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.