Book Review | Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Format: eBook (owned)

Pages: 384

Categories: Historical Romance

Everything has a price…

Railway magnate Tom Severin is wealthy and powerful enough to satisfy any desire as soon as it arises. Anything—or anyone—is his for the asking. It should be simple to find the perfect wife—and from his first glimpse of Lady Cassandra Ravenel, he’s determined to have her. But the beautiful and quick-witted Cassandra is equally determined to marry for love—the one thing he can’t give.

Everything except her…

Severin is the most compelling and attractive man Cassandra has ever met, even if his heart is frozen. But she has no interest in living in the fast-paced world of a ruthless man who always plays to win.

When a newfound enemy nearly destroys Cassandra’s reputation, Severin seizes the opportunity he’s been waiting for. As always, he gets what he wants—or does he? There’s one lesson Tom Severin has yet to learn from his new bride:

Never underestimate a Ravenel.

The chase for Cassandra’s hand may be over. But the chase for her heart has only just begun…

Lisa Kleypas for me is one of my auto-buy author. Her books just does it for me when I need to escape and bask in a happily ever after.

Cassandra is the last Ravenel who needs to find her happily ever after and the man to offer it to her is a self-made man named Tom Severin. The two of them are total opposites though – he’s very pragmatic and intelligent. Cassandra is friendly, social and loves to read fiction novels.

Tom wants her because he’s bored with everything else but Cassandra wants more than just to be chased. She wants a happily ever after with a man who is different than the rest.

  • It’s a Lisa Kleypas book so it’s an automatic like from me! I don’t read many historical romance books anymore, but she’s a must read for me. I read it in one sitting.
  • Tom is not the usual alpha male type love interest. He’s a shrewd businessman but he’s also more comfortable with rules and how things work because he is an engineer! I think it’s funny how he didn’t understand fictional novels and the point of them! 😅 Tom had a rough childhood and though at times I thought he was oh so cold especially with Bazzle – I understood why. Personally I liked his style in the bedroom because he was so attentive and careful with Cassandra and that was so sweet.
  • Their romance is a slow burn. Tom wants to possess her like he can buy everything else, and he doesn’t do “love”. His claims heart is frozen but Cassandra is a flame and his undoing.
  • It gave me all the warm feelings I want in a romance book and it’s much needed during these stressful times.
  • Cassandra doesn’t stand out very much in personality but she’s the last Ravenel. She’s gorgeous, golden, sweet and warm. All she wants is a nice husband and to have her own family. She’s endowed with a voluptuous body and has to deal with how people perceive her because of her looks. With Tom, she’s patient.
  • I think I would have liked to learn or meet Tom’s family. But I wonder because they were mentioned and Lisa Kleypas does so good at writing romance series covering a whole family…will Tom’s family get their own series? Because I’d read it all.
  • I can’t say Tom chases Cassandra, like the title implies…he actually pushes her away! But in the end he can’t help himself and just has to be with her.
  • Trigger: sexual assault

Cassandra thawed Tom’s frozen heart and I loved watching it happen. There was no enemies to lovers tension between them, but there is friendship and attraction. I love how Cassandra would suggests books for him to read and he’d come back with a one sentence assessment of a book. He’s so straight-forward, but there is hope for him with Cassandra by his side haha. This story left me with warm happy feelings at the end and that’s exactly what I needed. Overall, I enjoyed this last edition to the Ravenel series very much.

Book Review: Brazen and the Beast

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Sarah MacLean

Format: eBook

Pages: 400

Publication Date: July 30, 2019

Categories: Historical Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Book Blurb:

The Lady’s Plan

When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly…until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun.

The Bastard’s Proposal

When he wakes in a carriage at Hattie’s feet, Whit, a king of Covent Garden known to all the world as Beast, can’t help but wonder about the strange woman who frees him—especially when he discovers she’s headed for a night of pleasure . . . on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires…for a price.

An Unexpected Passion

Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power . . . and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything . . . including their hearts.

MY REVIEW

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read this eArc.

Whenever I want to read a historical romance novel there are only a handful of authors I turn to, one of them being Sarah MacLean. Her books always come through for me, ticking every box I need in a historical romance: humor, delicious banter and sex, and of course, a happy ending.

Book two of the Bareknuckle Bastards series definitely came through on all the things I love in a romance novel. And I love, love, love Hattie.

Lady Henrietta Sedley, or Hattie has concluded that her twenty-ninth birthday be christened the Year of Hattie. She has plans to accomplish and no one will get in her way of them. Well, at least that’s what she thinks. A dangerous and gorgeous man by the name of Beast, puts a wrench in her plans – but I blame her brother for that.

Hattie is funny, smart, brave, ambitious and determined. Her best friend Nora who is basically a sister to her helps her along the way with her plans. I love their friendship and glad Hattie had someone believing in her dreams. As for Beast, who is Saviour Whittington or Whit for short, he has a harsh past which makes it difficult for him to believe he deserves love. Least of all Hattie’s love. But these two are a perfect match. He admires her mind and ambition. She loves that he believes in her.

I really enjoyed their banter and there are some very sexy scenes between them. Hattie managed to accomplish all her goals in the end, bravo for her. She did it all with class and sass!

This is a wonderful second installment to the Bareknuckle Bastards and am looking forward to the next one!

Get it here: Amazon

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Book Review: Some Like It Scandalous (The Gilded Age Girls Club #2)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Maya Rodale

Format: E-book

Pages: 368

Publication Date: June 18, 2019

Categories: Romance, Historical, Enemies to Lovers

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Book Blurb:

They are sworn enemies… 

Theodore Prescott the Third, one of Manhattan’s Rogues of Millionaire Row, has really done it this time. The only way to survive his most recent, unspeakably outrageous scandal is marry someone respectable. Someone sensible. Someone like Daisy Swan. Of all the girls in Gilded Age Manhattan, it had to be her.

Pretending to be lovers… 

Daisy Swan has plans and they do not involve a loveless marriage with anyone. But when a devastating family secret threatens to destroy her standing in society, suddenly a fake engagement with Theo is just the thing to make all her dreams come true.

And now it’s time to kiss and make up… 

Daisy Swan aspires to sell cosmetics that she has created, but this brainy scientist needs a smooth talking charmer’s flair for words and eye for beauty to make it a success. Before long, Daisy and Theo are trading kisses. And secrets. And discovering that despite appearances, they might be the perfect couple after all.

MY REVIEW

Thank you to HarperCollins Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

I enjoy Maya Rodale’s novels but never got a chance to read her Gilded Age Girls Club series until now. And though this is the second book in the series, it read fabulously as a standalone.

Daisy Swan is a high society young lady in New York City who garnered the nickname Ugly Duck Daisy in her adolescent years. The person who gave her that name is none other than Theodore Prescott the Third. Daisy grows up without much change to her looks but she’s got a mind for chemistry and plans to run a business some day selling face cream. Theo grows up to run circles around New York City creating scandals wherever he goes.

Her mother wants her to marry, and his father wants him to marry. So of course they get thrown into a farce of an engagement. They don’t like each other and now are forced to marry. It’s a common trope in a historical romance novel, which I usually enjoy, but there is a really interesting element in this story, the focus on women’s history in the Gilded Age.

This story is set in a time when women aren’t allowed to dine in a restaurant without a man accompanying them. Women are expected to marry but Daisy wants her life to be different. She creates a face cream for women but not even her high society friends would be caught dead buying something so vulgar. Cream for their faces? Oh the horror! Oh we’ve come a long way in cosmetics, haven’t we? Daisy’s friends that are featured in this book are strong women and that was my favorite part of this book. It reminded me how much I take for granted the things I’m allowed to do in this day and age. Who knew lipstick was such a dangerous statement back then!

Now this is still a romance novel and it’s a delicious part of the story. They are enemies due to some adolescent bullying, but Theo realizes how foolish he was when he gets to know adult Daisy. She’s a bright, no-nonsense woman who he really is intrigued by. Theo has a reputation for a being handsome playboy, and that’s all he things he’s good for. But he helps Daisy with her business plans and it becomes a partnership, with sparks. He encourages Daisy to push the boundaries and he’s a great business partner. The sex is steamy and the love is sweet. They make a great team.

This was a really quick, enjoyable read. It’s a story that is a fun balance of romance and women’s history. I look forward to reading the other books in this series and meeting more strong women from the Gilded Age.

Get it here: Amazon

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