Sandra Schwab (1)Rezensionen

An interesting collection of historical romances.

Earl: ''I hate you.''
Earl: *being an absolute shit to everybody*

Stable-master: *mysterious smile*

Earl: ''I made a horrible mistake.''
Earl: *Takes long walks in the snow, as you do when discovering you made a mistake*

Stable-master: *mysterious smile with a dimple*

Earl: ''Let's try to drink away the feelings!''

Stable-master: ''Right I had enough, let's bone.''

Earl and Stable-master: *Lived happily ever after.*

Read this all in one sitting and throughly enjoyed it.
Con's moods dragged on a bit longer than necessary especially when he was still being an arse after he'd learnt the truth.
I'd have preferred alternate povs just to get to know Bryn better.
And that cover, just no.

Read this all in one sitting and throughly enjoyed it.
Con's moods dragged on a bit longer than necessary especially when he was still being an arse after he'd learnt the truth.
I'd have preferred alternate povs just to get to know Bryn better.
And that cover, just no.

My first book by this author. Its quite a short book full of feelings of betrayal and angst, and a spiteful mother(in-law).

M/M romance of the new Earl and his stablemaster. They have not seen each other in 7 years as the new Earl was banished from his home by his father for the relationship between the two men. The old Earl is dead and the new Earl finally comes home. He is angry and bitter and wrong in his thoughts.

I liked Bryn, the stablemaster. Con, the Earl, I had problems with. He was a brooder. Too much of the story was Con's brooding and kicking himself for what he believed. He did not believe that the people who lived on his estate and the servants in his employ were happy to see him. Once Bryn was able to get Con to see it differently then the story lightened up and got better. Unfortunately, there was not much story left by then. I would rather have seen more Bryn and Con loving then Con angry and punishing.

If I was given one word to describe ‘Springtime Pleasures’ I would choose ‘cute’, but I’m so glad not to have to choose only one word because this is one of those books that will have you smile long after you’re done reading it.

You’ll find many anachronisms [the author admits to them herself]; the plot is predictable and you’ll need to suspend belief on more than one occasion, but none of those mattered as I kept reading and chuckling, from page to page.

Our heroine Charlie is everything that the ‘ton’ despises, but that doesn’t deter our heroine much because she always took to heart what Miss Pinkerton’s Academy for Young Ladies has thought her through the years. She always had faith that the spirit of St. Cuthbert would carry the day.

The hero of this story was a young man who took his station in life seriously and who had to live with a consequence of a family tragedy that touched him deeply.

The author wrote a sweet, lighthearted and very romantic tale. The low-key yet convincing sensual scenes were tasteful and very well done. Without being overly graphic, you could still see and feel the intense and complex emotions of our couple.

What I loved the most about this read were the letters of ...Thanks for popping over to b2b to finish my review...

http://bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/springtime-pleasures-by-sandra...

Melanie for b2b

*Book provided by the author.

Eagle’s Honor: Ravished by Sandra Schwab is a 2016 publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I never pass up the chance to read a historical romance set in ancient times, especially these days when these types of novels are far and few between.

Set in AD 190, Livia, the daughter of a Roman officer, loses her entire family to a cruel illness. She is sent to live with her aunt in the bustling city of Rome, where she is exposed to opulence and open sensuality. Her aunt’s boredom prompts her to buy a barbarian slave for her own amusement, something that shocks Livia, but this Germanic warrior only has eyes for her.

Adelar has been enslaved after a vicious Roman attack, but when he sees a chance to escape, he doesn’t hesitate, his only regret being he must leave the sweet Livia, his little sparrow behind.

But, when Livia finds herself kidnapped after a battle, taken to the forts outside of Rome as a prisoner to a tribe whose language she can’t understand, the last person she ever expected to see was her Barbarian, her aunt’s escaped slave.

While she is considered the enemy among his tribe, Adelar will brook no violence against his little sparrow, nor allow her to be used as a pawn. But, he tries to resist his feelings for her, knowing it will only complicate matters. The longer he waits to make a decision about what to do with her, the harder it becomes to let her go.

But, it is only a matter of time before Livia will become a bargaining chip between her uncle, who is most certainly looking for her, and Adelar and his tribe. Her only hope being that there will not be a bloody battle between them.

I love forbidden love, where a couple is divided by class or duty or conflict, but still manage to find a way to be together. Those types of stories make for the most romantic and epic love stories, and the most satisfying.

I loved Livia because she was a humble, loyal, and honest, but was not biddable or a doormat, she had courage and fought for the love she knew was right.

Adelar is proud, fierce, brave, and a mighty warrior, but was also sweet, tender, and passionate. I did get frustrated with him a time or two, but of course Livia puts him in his place, but good!

This story is highly sensual, very sexy, but also emotional, with lots of true romance, mixed with intrigue and suspense, all presented in a well-balanced fashion.

4 stars½

At the age of 27 and having no marriage prospects, the heroine has resigned herself to being the burden spinster sister to a penniless Baron. The, she receives a most unlikely gift. Her recently deceased father has left her a castle. With a rather unhealthy love for fairy tales, she jumps at the opportunity. Even though it means she must marry the son of the previous owner, how bad could it be? After a long journey into the wilds of Germany, she finally sees her inheritance and the man who's to be her husband. She is devastated to discover he's no prince charming. He's a beast. He's callous, short tempered and is an ass to her at every opportunity. As a young man, he betrayed his country to join England in the war and as such he lost his leg, his pride and brought shame to his family. Now this chit had come to take the only thing he had left, his home. So he does everything he can to chase her away but she's stubborn and courageous and he's frustrated with how those attributes attract him to her. Then his brother shows up. Opposite to him in everyway, the heroine takes an instant liking to the more charming brother. Light when the hero is dark, charming where the hero is mean and antisocial. He's the obvious choice as a husband. But quite quickly, she begins to see a darker side to him. He has a violent temper, threatening to his her when she doesn't play along with his games. But the things that disgusts her most is his treatment of his old brother. Ridiculing and taunting him with the fact that he's sleeping with his ex fiancé. So just like that, the heroine realizes just who is the real beast. She sides with the hero, marrying him. They start to develop a tentative relationship. The hero has brief moments when he's actually kind or touches her with tendencies. But just as quickly he'll return to being cold and dismissive. Finally, it's the heroine who takes it upon herself to seduce her husband. Though she scares and unsure, his degrading self confidence convinces her that he's just as scared as she is, maybe more. So she is determined to fight for him and when he's injured an d it looks like foul play, the heroine becomes the hero, the knight of their fairy-tale and a wolf protecting her mate. This book never gets old. Every time I read it stills manages to touch me and thrill me. The hero whom is tormented by what he thinks destroyed his family, feels so much regret that the woman he loves much suffer being married to a cripple. He's gruff and snappy and I loved that that never changes. Instead, the heroine just learns to ignore it, knowing she loves him and he loves her. She calls him her wolf. There is a paranormal aspect laced throughout the book in the form of a guardian spirit who does everything it can to protect the master and help the beast find happiness with his beauty. Such a lovely book.

I have to agree with Carole R who has been reviewing Schwab's books on my blog (and her own) that these books are dang cute. So freaking cute. You just get happy by reading :)

It's a short novella. Florence, our heroine goes to Scotland with her dad to watch quite the show. There she meets Robert and with a glance, and with a laugh and smirk they start to talk to each other. And then talk some more. It's not insta love. They just really find each other's company pleasant. She is witty, he is funny, she is smart, he is an artist. And they decide to give this a chance, because you never know if you do not decide to get to know one another better.

So...cute? Yes. They way they talked, that was it. They just talked and laughed but it was so natural. They were quite adorable together, and they will fit each other well.

I'd totally read more. Light, fun and most of all cute!

Eagle's Honor: Banished by Sandra Schwab is a 2015 publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Roman Centurions! What a nice change of pace from the usual historical romances being published ad nauseam these days.

Marcus, a Centurion, is returning home for his brother's wedding. But, he stops over and visits with Titus, an old friend, to catch up on things. While there, he is presented with a beautiful slave dancer named Lia, provided to him by Titus for his pleasure. Initially, he balks at what the lady is freely offering, but she finally convinces him to seek out a private place, when to her amazement he turns the tables on her as SHE is the one being pleasured, something unheard of for women in general, but especially to slaves.... and the fun is only getting started because Marcus soon finds his mind and heart are always with Lia. But, they can never have a legitimate future together because she is a slave and their relationship would bring dishonor to Marcus' family. Is their love doomed or can the lovers find a way to be together?

The author has obviously done a some research adding authenticity to the atmosphere and creating a vivid backdrop in which the story unfolds.

Marcus had my heart going pitter patter! He's sexy, and honorable, willing to sacrifice all for the woman he loves.

Lia, is a person who has never dared to hope for a better life, was afraid to believe Marcus was really in love with her, and was also willing to take any chance necessary in order to be with her man.

It may take a miracle for the lovers to find their way to one another, but where there is a will there is a way. Taking great and dangerous chances the couple are determined to have their HEA!

This is a short read, but has many elements such as intrigue and adventure that rounds out the exotic, sensual, erotic, but deeply romantic tale. The story is one of forbidden love that leads to a diabolical plot designed to keep the couple apart, but you know, love somehow finds a way to triumph in the end.

I highly recommend this one! 4.5 rounded to 5

Amelia Bourne had finally stretched the patience of her family beyond it's elastic limit when she turned her uncle's house blue. Now they've decided that they're going to bind her magic and have her married off as soon as possible. Sebastian 'Fox' Stapleton is attracted to her, but is it real or is it magic?

She also has to battle evil magic, something or someone is trying to wreak havoc and she doesn't really have much of an imput. Can she overcome the obstacles in her life and can she find love?

It's a romance, you can guess the outcome but the path is fun.

This book was just too creepy and you know how squeamish I am. Lily is forced by her very insane evil step-mother to pick out a prisoner (an English prisoner of war) in a French jail to take him home as some kind of sexual slave. Chains and torture were involved and I had a hard time with it. (Grade: C)

I have to say I absolutely loved this book! It is a very different type of paranormal romance, not what you would expect. Fenris is a very tortured soul and believes he does not deserve to be loved because of his past and what happened to him physically so, he pushes people away by being mean and cold-hearted. Celia believes in fairytales and believes that she can break through Fenris's stone-cold heart and bring out the true man inside. This book shows you that you don't have to be perfect or "whole" to be loved and accepted. I would recommend this book to anyone who believes that true love can conquer all and that anyone can find happiness.

***SPOILERS BELOW***
I have to say that I really liked how Germany was the main setting in the story. Hearing someone talk about the Rhein River and talking a bit of german in the story brought back great memories of when I went to Germany in 2005 (I also saw the Rhein River).

4.5 stars

I've had this one in my TBR pile for a while, having bought it based on high recommendations from friends. I wasn't disappointed.

After the death of her father, Lillian is left at the mercy of her cruel, controlling stepmother Camille. For her coming-of-age, Camille takes Lillian to the prison, where she chooses a man for her. Lillian's forced to watch and then participate in his torture, culminating in branding him with a lily to show that he's hers. The man is Troy, and he's Earl of Ravenhurst, though they never know his name.

Lillian does what she can to ease and minimize his suffering, but she's as much a prisoner as he is. Feeling responsible, when she finally escapes, she takes Troy with her and leaves him alongside the road with her mother's locket for funds.

A year later, they're both in England, and Troy is appalled to discover that the woman his young cousin wants to marry is the woman who branded him. He'll do anything to save his cousin from her--including marrying her himself.

The story is intense and dark, as Troy struggles with his hate and anger, and Lillian with her guilt and fear. Their characterizations are very believable, particularly in how they remember what happened and in how they react and show (or don't show) their emotions.

The only reason I'm not giving this one 5 stars is that Camille is just a little bit too over-the-top evil. She's explained a bit better at the end, but if she'd been more understandable throughout, I'd have compared this to Kinsale. It did serve a purpose, though--Camille being Evil (with a capital E) put the story firmly in fantasy-land, so it wasn't as frightening a story as it would have been had I felt she was real.½

My family and friends coming to this site are saying, "What, it's not bad enough you read romance novels; must you review them too?" Mais oui!

This book was fairly enjoyable. It contained several bits that made me laugh out loud (and were intended to); unfortunately, it also contained many irritating anachronisms and clumsily negligent writing - he's German, she's English, and which one of them is fluent in the other's language is never established. Extremely irritating, particularly when compared with Joanna Bourne, who is fantastic on language shifts. (Yes, there's a cunning linguist joke to be made in there, I know.)

Very dark and very intense.

This book also had an unusual setting - a dark mysterious castle in the Black Forest of Germany. I'm not sure of the time period but it seemed like maybe 1820's or so. I cut my eyeteeth on dark gothics like Jane Eyre when I was a teenager and this book reminded me so much of them. The hero is dark and tortured and is hiding some secrets. The heroine is convinced someone is trying to kill her. Some spooky weird things happen and the hero is so enigmatic that I almost believed he was behind them. Anyway it was great fun.½

This is my second by Ms Schwab. Her books have a very gothic feel to them and "Bewitched" is no exception.

Amelia is a witch...just not a very good one. After one final spell gone awry, her family finally gives up, binds her magic, and sends her to London to be married off. Unfortunately for her, she still ends up tangling with a very bad sorcerer...and her only resort is to use blood magic...which just may end up killing her.

"Fox" Stapleton doesn't believe in magic. Logical, sensible thought is the way to succeed in this world. But when he finds out what Amelia is, will he appreciate the risks she's willing to take to save he and his family?

Quick, fun read.