Jaimey GrantRezensionen

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Gertrude tries so hard to be what Society expects of her…a Lady. But it seems no matter what she does it turns out wrong. Her illustrious graceless career peaks when she falls on Lord Chatterton, the catch of the Season. The ton makes fun of her, but Chatterton does not. He treats her like the Lady she truly is, grace or not, and Gertrude can’t figure out why. While waiting for the other shoe to drop, she falls in love with him. But that’s ok, because he’s already in love with her. With his mother, sister and all of Society against the match, do they stand a chance?

This is a fun, sweet, historical romance. Gertrude tends to be on the clumsy side, but Chatterton has a less obvious “flaw” that people rarely see because he’s taken great pains to hide it. Gertrude’s confusion over his attention is fun to witness as are the situations her clumsiness gets her into. I especially chortled at Gertrude’s opening fall in the beginning. Not because she fell and as he was helping her up she fell onto him, but what happened right after that. I will say no more. It’s a must read scene. *giggles* If you’re looking for a fun short read with great characters then look no further!

Okay, first let me explain my involvement with this project and then I'll get into my review. I watched these writers bust their asses on this project, from conception to publication. I offered my input when they were ironing out some kinks and witnessed their kickass marketing and enthusiasm. If every writer went into projects as this group of authors did, the number of exceptional books on the shelvs would skyrocket.

Now, my rating. I couldn't give this anthology five stars. Actually, my first rating after reading the finished product was a 3-3.5 star rating. A few stories were less than spectacular in my opinion. I was impressed with more than half of them, but in a few the writer in me noticed passive voice, telling, and weak characterization. But then....

My daughter, who is the target audience for Unlocked, asked if she could read it. I said sure. It took me about three or four days to get through Unlocked, Courtney read it in a day. She couldn't put it down. I asked her opinion of the stories, and she picked out one or two that she didn't like because they didn't have enough action. But, she still loved it. She raved about Symbiote, Unlocking William, The Bookseller, and Shoshanna. Those are her favorites, but she laughed through Crop Circles and thought The Key to a Good Education was 'interesting'. What does that have to do with anything? This book is written for a YA audience and the writers hit their target dead on.

So, I reflected on my own initial reaction and realized that I was a little biased. Various factors influenced my 3 star intention. I'd seen various drafts, and knew the authors among other things.

To be fair, this book is a four star book, five stars in my daughter's opinion. I recommend this for all readers. It's worth picking up and you will find a collection of stories that are both creative and memorable.

For a prequel I thought this was fantastic! The story sucked me into a fantasy world and a hidden mystery. The characters brought a lively atmosphere to the story. I feel like I am geared with enough information from this short story to continue onto the novel that will no doubt be a great read!

Duke Hartley Giles St. Clair or otherwise known as Lord Heartless is a phenomenal character that could give any rogue in any historcal romance a run for his money. His sarcastic wit and audacious manner are infectious. Leandra is an endearing character who is kind hearted and although occasionally feisty when necessary, balances the relationship which develops between her and Hart. Not only is there a romance but a conspiracy is brewing by the most unlikely characters. A large number of twists to the plot certainly keeps the reader hooked and a wonderful writing style that has me eager to read another book by this author. There were a few minor incidences that I felt were not explained as fully as they could have been as well as one particular situation which I also thought could have been explored and that would have made an interesting addition to the story. 4.5 stars

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maria's emotional turmoil really drew me into the story. It is difficult to turn a page and not feel her pain. Richard was harder for me to connect with yet he did gain some of my admiration towards the end. Overall an easy and quick read that will entertain while entangling one's heart and mind. 3.5 stars

A very young king, who has spent his life among rumors that his lineage may have descended from Dragons.
His very young friend, whose job is to guard the king.
An overbearing know-it-all sister who still treats him like a baby.
A sneaky voice in his head disclosing secrets to him that no one else would.
Add to it that the voice belongs to an evil dragon who loves to wreak havoc & thinks of human as cattle.
What do you think is going to happen!


Also posted here, on PBD blog
SW
Amazon

*Book source ~ Purchased at Amazon

Melly Miller and her six sisters are resurrectionists. Taking over the family business when their father died they provide bodies to Doctor Billings and his small anatomy school. When Melly delivers five bodies to Doc’s place one night she’s surprised to be met by Dr. David Melbourne. David has taken over Doc’s school and has no knowledge of the agreement between Melly and Doc. However, after some back and forth he agrees to the same terms and Melly’s income is safe. But life as a resurrectionist is dangerous. Will she live long enough to explore the attraction between herself and the good Doctor?

I read the first two installments in InD’tale Magazine and was hooked. However, I don’t have a lot of patience especially when it comes to serials, so I made the decision to wait until all the installments were out then I would pull up the issues and read them all in a row. I jiggled in my seat with joy when I found out Ms. Grant was going to publish the serial in a book and toss in a new short story to go with it. Can you say Woot!? So I waited most patiently (for me anyway) and then snapped it up as soon as it came out.

I have to admit that I have never read a story about body snatchers. Grave robbers. Resurrectionists. Especially done in a gothic historical setting. It was definitely different and intriguing. This short story is packed to the brim with wonderful characters, an interesting and enlightening look at the “seamier” side of 1800s London and a fledgling romance trying to take flight. An added bonus is the short story at the end. Twists and turns, joy and heartache, I experienced all the feelz and highly recommend it.

The Duke of Derringer has one week to find a wife or lose his inheritance and his means of finding his cousin. And he will find both at any cost, the later will be easier then the first for who will marry a man known as Heartless.

Leandra Harcourt was born to her father mistress and when her mother died who brought her home to live with him. When her father dies his wife and son kick her out with nothing. While asking for help at an inn where the owner is refusing, a man step forward to say he will assist her if she will agree to be his wife.

To see entire review please visit http://lauralusbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/heartless-regency-8-by-jaimey-gr...

*Book source ~ Free on Smashwords

Lady Katherine Henschel, Duchess of Jarvis, was back in London after two years of exile in Scotland. Exile for breaking the 11th Commandment of the ton; Thou shalt not get caught. And caught she was by her husband while she was in bed with Simon Delacourt. After Jarvis’ petition for divorce was not granted by Parliament, Katherine retreated to Scotland, still his wife, but shunned by Society. She would have stayed in Scotland except Jarvis died and she was required to present herself for the reading of the will. She hadn’t expected to see Simon there nor was she prepared for the generosity shown to her by her husband. She no longer need worry about how she and her daughter would live, but worrying about her reactions to Simon are another thing entirely. Why does she still burn for the man responsible for her fall? And will Simon confess what he knows about that fateful day even if it makes her hate him even more?

This is an awesome historical story with romance, fierce attraction and betrayal. The characters are very well-developed and the story moves along at a great clip. My only complaint is they seem to swing wildly from one emotion to another without much time to transition. I know this is a short story that was originally produced in separate monthly installments for InD’tale Magazine, so space was short, but I wish they didn’t hop around emotionally so much, like a leap frog. That’s my only complaint though. If you want a short historical tale with some meat to it then I recommend picking this one up.

I really enjoyed reading "Honor" by Jaimey Grant so I knew that I wanted to read this book. This is not necessarily a sequel to Honor but it does follow some characters from Honor. This shows what happens to Bri after Honor. I really loved Bri and wanted to know more about her past and to know what happened to her. Bri is finally found by Adam Prestwich and she is taken back home to the family she tried to escape from.

Not only do readers get to see Bri's past, readers also get a glimpse into Adam's past. You start to realize why he is so bitter. I felt so bad for him while reading this, but I loved what happened to both him and Bri in the end. I would recommend this book to those who enjoyed Honor, and also would recommend reading it after reading Honor.½

*Book source ~ Picked up for free on Amazon

Lady Malvina Brackney is in a pickle. She’s being blackmailed to do some dirty work for a nasty man in exchange for his not revealing her husband’s private journal. Gideon Mallory de Witt, otherwise known as Lord Holt, is sent by the Home Office to suss out if the widow is guilty of the same treason they suspect of her dead husband and to find proof if she is or isn’t. To complicate matters, Malvina has a 16-yr-old son Beowulf who is in danger of being harmed if she doesn’t cooperate with the blackmailer. Can Gideon get to the bottom of things and keep everyone safe? Will Malvina trust him to do what he does best?

This historical romance is well-written with great characters, but I found the romance hard to believe. Gideon and Malvina don’t trust each other yet suddenly Gideon is offering to marry her to keep her and her son safe and preserve her reputation and she is agreeing. Well, I can see why she’d agree. She’s stuck between a rock and a hard place and to keep them safe she would marry Gideon who has many secrets yet seems to be an ok guy. Still…I just couldn’t buy into it. I needed more than what was given. The ending left me a bit bewildered because I saw no reason for what happened.

All-in-all this is a solid historical romance if you can buy into Gideon’s insta-love.

*Book source ~ Picked up for free on Amazon

Hartley Giles St. Clair, the Duke of Derringer, has been plagued with problems, accidents and outright attempts on his life since he inherited the title of Duke at age seven. Now, an additional problem has cropped up in the form of a clause in his late father’s will, a clause that has gone unnoticed all these years (I’d fire that law firm). He has a week to marry or he loses his considerable inheritance. Since no one in London has any appeal to him he decides to travel to his estate and snag a bride nearby. On his way he stops at an inn when his carriage wheel breaks and that’s where he crosses paths with Leandra Harcourt, the beloved yet bastard daughter of the Earl of Harwood who is recently deceased. In dire straits after her stepmother throws her out, she accepts the Duke’s proposal and becomes his Duchess. However, their troubles continue. With someone out to get him, will Heartless survive to produce an heir?

With wonderful writing, fantastic characters and a twisty malevolent plot this should have been a 5-biter for me. However, while Leandra and Heartless were excellent characters when apart from each other, any time they interacted on page they became frustrating to read. Their wildly swinging emotions were confusing to me. Are they bipolar? I didn’t understand how they could go from happiness to rage to lust or whatever else emotion happened to pop up in just a few sentences. It was exhausting. I actually looked forward to them being apart so I could enjoy the book again. Also, I didn’t understand the huge time frame there at the end. I won’t give it away, but it didn’t seem to fit the plot very well.

All-in-all a wonderful read if you can survive the emotional roller coaster ride between the main characters.

3.5

*Book source ~ Many thanks to the author for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Miles and Darius (Dare) Prestwich are twins, sons of gentry if not title. Lady Guinevere (Gwen) and Lady Genevieve (Jenny) are twins, daughters of a Duke. Miles loves Gwen and the feeling is mutual even if they have not declared it to each other yet. Dare and Jenny fall into lust. Suddenly Jenny is no longer a virgin and Dare runs away. When Jenny discovers she’s pregnant, Miles steps in yet again to clean up his brother’s mess. But will that really solve anything?

Ok, I have no idea how to start with this historical romance. The good part is it is very well-written with great characters. Except for Dare. I cannot express how much I dislike this guy. A selfish immature asshole, he does whatever he wants whenever he wants with no thought for anyone but himself. Everything is a joke to him and he takes nothing seriously. He thoughtlessly creates chaos wherever he goes and it matters not to him who he disrupts or hurts in the process. He had no redeemable qualities in my eyes and the fact he uses charm to manipulate his way out of everything is beyond annoying. I would have loved this story if he wasn’t in it. But without him there is no story. If he had gained some humility he would have been much more likeable. Unfortunately, though his thoughts from his POV reveal he believes he is sorry for the messes he creates, his actions prove loud and clear he isn’t. Actions speak louder than words. I think Jenny is an idiot to love him, but you can’t help who you love.

So…if you are more flexible and forgiving than I am then Dare and this story will be fantastic for you.

4.5

*Book source ~ Picked up for free on Amazon

Richard, an impoverished Duke, marries Maria, the daughter of a Cit. She gains a title and a position in Society and he gains a vast amount of wealth. However, what she really wants is his love. Can wishes really come true in a practical arrangement?

This story is told in 10 small installments. The writing drew me in from the beginning. It is well-written with characters that are interesting. I especially enjoyed Maria with her strengths and vulnerabilities. She despairs over the fact Richard is still keeping a mistress and that it’s a well-known fact and gossiped about. She has no idea if he feels anything for her other than the fact she brought a shitload of money to the marriage and she tries to gather her courage to talk to him about it and his mistress, but well-bred ladies just don’t do that. I know that it’s just because of the time period she’s in, but I want to shake her and tell her to pull up her big girl knickers. lol I also want to shake Richard for being a stubborn idiot and for his stupid actions that hurt Maria. However, it all works out in the end.

All-in-all this is a wonderful short historical romance.

Loved it!
It was funny and emotional!

I have a confession to make. I am a secret romance novel reader. From time to time I've been known (but only to myself) to enjoy a good romance novel. I never review them and I never rate them, but now I have decided to change all that. I originally bought this and a few other books by Jaimey Grant a few years ago (It must have been right after I received my Kindle). Somehow I never put the books on my Kindle and I accidentally forgot about them.

I haven't really read much regency romance but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. I grew attached to the characters and really enjoyed and cheered for the relationship between Lord Connor and Lady Verena. I liked that their love was a struggle and not just her being swept off her feet. I didn't really see the twist towards the end coming until it was about to be revealed.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more by Jaimey Grant (I was excited to see that she writes more about other characters from this book).

"Unlocked" is the combined effort of various authors, and it is apparent in the book itself. The book is an amalgamation of emotions, it ranges from the inspiring to the grotesque and creepy - but all of the stories are actually quite interesting. Although not all stories may be likable by one person, the fact that this book offers so many unique stories, in so many unique voices, that all tie into a single theme makes this book well worth the read. It offers variety, it offers imagination, it offers inspiration and above all, it offers an excellent morale, that there's a "key" to it all - but I leave YOU to find out for yourself what that key is! An enjoyable read.

The story seduces the reader from the first page. A quick read that is easy to get absorbed in and a fun way to lose track of time. A clean romance that lets the imagination explore, which makes it more intimate than typical romance novels. I fell in love with the lead characters and if my eyes would have allowed, I would have read the entire book in a single sitting. This book is a romantic-period pleasure that will appeal to women, especially those who enjoy historical romance. Stylistically, it reminded me of Lauren Willig’s Carnation series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This is a perfect beach or travel book. My next trip, I’m downloading more titles by this author for my pool side escape.

FLAWS: The last half is a bit rushed and certain details, moments, and scenes would have benefitted if the pace slowed. For a moment, the reader may feel like they are getting a summary of events rather than an experience. The last quarter of the book is not as strong as the first half. Because of this, I wavered between 3 and 4 stars, but I really did enjoy the story, description and characters. So, I split the difference. What can I say? This delicious tale melted my icy heart just a touch.½

3.5 stars.
This book starts out very well. Up to about page 100 I thought it would be one of my best reads ever, and that is saying something because I read a lot. It is an entertaining book, but there are far too many secondary characters, many of whom are not even introduced as far as I could tell. New names crop up here and there; by the time I was three quarters of the way through I gave up caring who they were really and just carried on reading.
I liked the two main characters, The Duke of Derringer, and Leandra, for the most part. The only issue I had was that at times they both seem to be bipolar! Their behaviour is very inconsistent. This may be intentional, because The Duke had suffered a childhood trauma which could have left him unstable, and the circumstances surrounding Leandra's birth meant that she was always seen as an outsider in her family. However, I feel that the writer could have spent more time on character development of the main characters, rather than spending too much time on insignificant characters.
Jaimey Grant obviously has a talent for writing a gripping story and keeping the reader engaged, because the first half of the book is amazing. The second half needed work to make it believable. There were times I was left questioning how certain things had taken place e.g. how did the Captain of the Ship where Derringer was being held captive manage to send missives out to Leandra? How would they have got to her? This was not explained at all.
The book didn't really flow well in regard to continuation of certain threads in the book, for example, the letter that was found hidden in Derringer's mother's old notebook. I know the intention was that the reader should not find out this information until the end of the book, but the way in which it was written was a little annoying. As a reader I didn't like being kept dangling for too many chapters.
The ending was nice, but the run up to the ending was a bit rushed I think.
On the whole a good plot, nicely written, but I would personally have liked to see more of the main characters.
A note to the author: Sometimes what doesn't work too well as a novel would work beautifully as a film or a play. In this case, I could really see this book as a very powerful film, or maybe a play in the theatre. I would definitely go and see it!

Spellbound by Jaimey Grant is a captivating regency romance novel that sweeps the reader up into a tale of love and deception. This compelling drama involves a young actress named Raven who accepts a job to play the role of a rich duke's fiancée, all the while knowing that if her real identity is uncovered she will be executed. The duke's goal is to use Raven to assuage his family's relentless pursuit to see him wed to a wealthy heiress. At first, Raven takes to her role with cunning efficiency. But trouble starts to brew when she finds herself passionately falling in love with the duke--an event which will send her life spiraling out of control and tumbling towards disaster.

What I most admire about this novel is Grant's ability to bring her wonderful characters to life with an undeniable wit and pomp. The prose is fluid and the dialogue accurately conveyed, fully immersing the reader in the periodic English setting. Grant truly understands her genre and flourishes with every word she writes. For certain, I will seek out more books from this author fully anticipating another richly told romance teeming with charming characters and an involving plot.