Audiobook Review: The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe, Narrated by Carmen Rose

I’ve had a copy of “The Courtesan Duchess” to hear for a while now, it was only after reading “Magnate” by Joanna Shupe that I was intrigued with her writing and interested to see how Shupe would unravel this story. It sounded unique and intriguing.

Our heroine, Julia, the Duchess of Colton, is an abandoned wife. Her husband, Nick never wanted to marry and did it only out guilt and family duty. Julia has been on her own since her wedding day. Because of that she has been a prey to the man in Nick’s family that are all to happy that Nick has left England and that he has washed his hands of his estate and his wife. Julia’s situation becomes very pressed and the only thing she can think of is to seduce her husband under the guise of a courtesan. With the help of her friend and Aunt, she travels to Venice to seduce her husband-the Depraved Duke.

Julia pays for the professional services of one of London’s most notorious courtesans in an effort to get pregnant and gain an heir so her problems will all be solved. Nick has left her and has done nothing to reach out to her. Nick is instantly intrigued by Julia and they begin a love affair. He does not suspect that she is really his wife. Nick soon realizes that the women he thought to be a talented courtesan is really his wife and he immediately travels back to London to confront her. He soon realizes that she is with child. Nick, who never had any familial love or warmth from his parents immediately suspects that Julia was already pregnant and trying pass over her child as his. Their reunion is definitely not a happy one. I have to say that all this happens in only in the beginning of the book. Nick and Julia have many obstacles to overcome before they can even begin to understand each other.

Ok, so Shupe is fantastic! I really enjoy her unique storylines and I never knew where her story was going to take me. I liked Julia but Nick I had a harder time with! He was so stubborn and closed-off for the idea of ever finding happiness. Julia and Nick have many more obstacles to overcome aside from their own feelings for each other, there are scheming family members, attempts on their lives, just to name a few. Although Nick was very frustrating I really wanted them to finally find their happy ending. I was intrigued with the plot and I enjoyed them as a couple. I can’t wait to jump into the “The Harlot Countess.” The narrator, Carmen Rose, had her work cut out for her. There were many emotional scenes and complex characters and I thought she did them all justice in bringing them to life. I really enjoyed this story.

**Audiobook provided by Publisher**

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Feature: Beauty and the Highland Beast by Lecia Cornwall

Powerful and dangerous highlander Dair Sinclair was once the favored son of his clan, The Sinclairs of Carraig Brigh. With Dair at the helm, Sinclair ships circled the globe bringing home incredible fortune. Until one deadly mission when Dair is captured, tortured and is unable to save his young cousin. He returns home breaking under the weight of his guilt and becomes known as the Madman of Carraig Brigh.

When a pagan healer predicts that only a virgin bride can heal his son’s body and mind, Dair’s father sets off to find the perfect wife for his son. At the castle of the fearsome McLeods, he meets lovely and kind Fia MacLeod.

Although Dair does his best to frighten Fia, she sees the man underneath the damage and uses her charm and special gifts to heal his mind and heart. Will Dair let Fia love him or is he cursed with madness forever?

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ARC Review: Rake's Redemption by Chantal Fernando

I have read every book and the one novella in this 5 book series about the Wind Dragon Motorcycle Club and their women. I loved the first two books but I was disappointed with the third book and with the one novella. I'm familiar with Rake's character from the other books though and there was no way I was going to pass up the chance to get his story. I'm glad I didn't because this book was absolutely a return to everything I love about this series.

If you've read any of the other books in the series you know that Rake is a seriously kinky bossy alpha male who likes to tie up his women. And yes I mean that plural because he often had more than one at a time tied up. There had been hints that he had some great love in his past and that things went seriously left. In this book we meet her, Bailey, and she has a son. In a departure from books with this theme, Bailey's son was not Rake's but was the happy result of a very unhappy spiral she fell into after her first breakup with Rake/Adam.

I really liked Bailey. The thing that drove her and Adam apart was also proof of how much she loved Adam and how much she wanted to protect him. Her wanting to protect the man she loved- who totally did not deserve it, combined with her toughness and love for her son made her one of my favorite of the women from this series. I also liked that Bailey pretty quickly embraced the MC life instead of being like some of the heroines in these books and acting like she was too good for it.

I already love the Wind Dragons. They are a bunch of bossy alpha males who do whatever they have to do to protect their women and I'm sooo here for it. Rake was no exception. He was a grade A jackass to Bailey but it was clear he had some inner turmoil to deal with. Even when he still wanted to hate Bailey, Adam's protective instincts were on 10. I think that's what really got me about this book, none of the love was lost between Adam and Bailey. Even though crazy bad things happened, the love remained untarnished. It survived everything which gave the book a really hopeful tone.

So yeah get this book and enjoy all the things that make this series generally great.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Man Candy by Melanie Harlow

I have loved every single book that I have read from Melanie Harlow, so I couldn't wait for Man Candy when I first heard about it! I really enjoyed this one from start to finish, and Melanie Harlow just proved once again what a talented writer she is. This book was so good and I couldn't put it down!

Jaime doesn't believe in love and she doesn't do relationships. But with her brother's best friend Quinn back in town and living in the duplex below hers, she finds it impossible to resist him. Though the sex is hot and she is happy to be friends with benefits, Quinn has other ideas and is determined to show her that they could be so much more.

I really loved Quinn! He was impossible to resist! Quinn is super sexy, confident, and really funny. It was different to see the guy be the one that wanted more, while Jaime was the one looking for casual. I liked that Quinn wasn't afraid of commitment, and I loved seeing him try to win Jaime over and show her that they could have so much more between them. He was so fun and playful, and I really loved how witty he was. I will admit that I did have a bit of a hard time relating to Jaime. I liked her, yet she was just so different from the type of person I am that it made it hard for me to understand her at times. I really liked her with Quinn though and I thought that he was exactly what she needed. These two had so much chemistry between them and it was as hot as I have come to expect from a Melanie Harlow novel. She always brings the heat, and these two were no exception. 

Overall, another great book from Melanie Harlow and I have never been disappointed yet with anything by her. This one was funny and entertaining, and sexy as well. I always just have a great time reading whatever she writes, and I love how her stories have everything you could want in a great romance novel. She never fails to entertain me, and her books are always worth the read. Man Candy happens to be one of my favorite tropes with it being a brother's best friend novel, but I loved that this also had some things that aren't common in romance to switch it up a bit. I highly recommend this one if you are looking for something that will drawn you in from the first page and keep you entertained the whole way through. If you are already a fan of Melanie's you will love this one, and if you are new to her this is a great place to start!

**ARC Provided by Social Butterfly PR**

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Guest Post with Author Jenna Sutton and Giveaway

Meet Jenna Sutton author of Hanging By a Thread.

Jenna Sutton is a former award-winning journalist who traded fact for fiction when she began writing novels. Surprisingly, the research she conducted for her articles provided a lot of inspiration for her books.

Jenna is the author of the Riley O’Brien & Co. romances including All the Right Places and Coming Apart at the Seams. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Texas Christian University and a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.

Jenna and her husband live in a 103-year-old house in Texas affectionately known as “The Money Pit”. You can find out more about her and her books by visiting www.jennasutton.com.

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