But I don’t know what to do with those Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs.

Writing was decent, but the whole story felt very rushed and choppy, and was, overall, very cheesy. This is an older category romance, which I don't normally read, so maybe this is typical of other books in the 'Silhouette Desire' line. This is the first book I've read by this author, and since I have many of her books on by TBR because of Kindle freebies - I will give her another shot. My guess is this book is just not her best sample. The story was full of silly misunderstandings, and stubborn and childish behavior from both hero and heroine.

This book was ok. Writing was excellent, as is typical of this author. The story was not for me, though. I didn't find Thomas to be very heroic. I didn't entirely like the way the two characters came together - Thomas having taken many of the peasants before falling in lust with Lyssa. It gave me the impression that he was dazzled more by her beauty and title than anything else, and I felt it was a rather low thing for him to do. Wasn't really buying the love. Also, it was just kind of boring.

Like its predecessor, Heaven's Fire is a 5 stars, without question. I loved both Falcon's Fire and Heaven's Fire so much, that I can't even really separate them and think of them as two different books.

My Review for Falcon's Fire: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/168207580

In Heaven's Fire, we get to hear Rainulf's story. Rainulf is the elder half-brother of the heroine in the first book. He is a brilliant scholar, teacher, and former soldier of the Crusades. He is also a Priest whose faith has been badly shaken, and he questions the validity of the Church and of God (as I stated in my review of the first one, these are most definitely NOT inspirational books, but they do have a lot of religious themes as the Church was a significant institution during the time period that these stories take place).

At the beginning of the book he finds out that the Church has released him from his Priesthood. He is teaching at a new school in Oxford, which Rainulf believes has the potential to be a great university one day (teehee). The Bishop also has set his sights on Rainulf to be the Chancellor of Oxford, which is a post he desperately craves. He was a celibate Priest for eleven years, and although he has been recently released from his vows, he still intends to remain celibate so as to be awarded the prestigious post of Chancellor.

Constance of Cuxham has spent the majority of her young life trading her body for protection... specifically protection from Sir Roger Foliot, a sadistically evil knight who brutalizes all who are under him, especially women. And Sir Roger is obsessed with Constance. She has managed to stay protected from his wrath because she married an old man when she was quite young (and Sir Roger fears the fires of hell, and would not violate another man's wife). Then after she is widowed she takes up with Father Osred, an elderly priest, and lives as his mistress and housekeeper in exchange for his protection from Sir Roger. She is tired of being used, and longs for freedom. Years later, when a small pox epidemic kills the old Priest, Constance is once again left open for Sir Roger's taking.

Rainulf is asked to go into Cuxham to deliver Last Rites to those who've been stricken with small pox, as Rainulf has had the disease and is therefore immune. He finds Constance digging a grave for Father Osred. She is also stricken with fever, and Rainulf sees her through the night. He feels an instant connection to the young widow, and also notices that she has a great talent for copying text and illuminating. After he leaves Cuxham, however, Rainulf receives news that Constance has died, and he feels a profound sense of loss that he cannot explain.

Constance hasn't died. She has faked her own death, and has escaped Cuxham. She goes into hiding from Sir Roger, and makes her way to Oxford to seek out the young priest who helped her. She now calls herself Corliss, and is very convincingly disguised as a boy. Rainulf, relieved to see her alive, finds himself unable to let her go. He takes her into his home to protect her, but if she is discovered to be a woman by the people of Oxford, Rainfulf's reputation would be ruined, and Constance would leave herself open to being kidnapped by the man Sir Roger has sent to find her.

As they spend more time together, Constance and Rainulf are drawn to one another forcefully and undeniably. Their attraction and growing love is so powerful, that the reader can actually feel the distress and the sheer emotion flowing from these two characters. Patricia Ryan seems to love writing stories where the characters desperately try to resist one another for a long time, creating a tension so thick that by the time they give in and release the tension, it's a veritable explosion. And this book was the most explosive so far.

By the time these two characters give into their passion, they are completely in love and have longed for one another so much, that their coming together is one of the most intense I've ever read in any romance novel. Their first love scene is one that I may go back a reread several times. Seriously, seriously hot. Not only was it hot, but the reader also had the emotional involvement as well. These are two characters who have essentially given up on falling in love, and are surprised to find in one another everything they have ever wanted. Once they figure out how they feel about one another, the expression of that love is so beautiful and moving.

In addition, reading about Rainulf's personal journey towards finding himself and what he wants was interesting to read. He is a fabulous teacher, and although Corliss/Constance can see that it is his passion, Rainulf seems blind to this notion. She helps him find himself, which only adds to the genuineness of their feelings for one another.

This could be read as a standalone, but both of the Fairfax books were so good, that I would recommend reading them together and in order.

What are you waiting for? Just read it! You won't regret it!

I really loved this book. However, I would have preferred if it hadn't been in Jared's first person narrative. I felt the story could have been greatly enhanced with Matt's internal perspective, as well.

This was truly an emotionally charged book. I loved that the two heroes enjoyed each other so much as friends before they ever enjoyed each other as lovers. By the time they fell in love, they just made perfect sense. Getting to see Matt's reluctant but courageous acceptance of himself was touching. And I loved that, although Jared was initially the one who accepted that he was gay, in the end it was Matt's strength and courage that really grounded them as a couple. They supported one another, and the genuineness of their feelings jumped off of the pages.

I am definitely going to read the other books in this series.

This book is different... in a good way.

Maggie Mayfield is a widow living a predictable, albeit relatively boring, life as a drama teacher in a small Texas town. Hope, Texas has little one could call remarkable...isolated in the Texas desert, only one highway goes in or out of the town. The biggest excitement in the town comes every Spring when the school children put on their annual play in the old opera house. The town's only claim to fame is that they produced one of Hollywood's biggest comedic stars - Johnnie Irish. Which is precisely why the town opts to ask Johnnie to appear in their Homecoming Parade. And this is how Maggie meets the notorious playboy celebrity.

Johnnie is screwed up, and he just doesn't care. His only joy comes from being in front of an audience and making them laugh. Beyond that, his life is a whirlwind of pain and shame. The extent of abuse he suffered as a child is revealed slowly over the course of this story, helping the reader to understand, and yet still be baffled by, some of the decisions Johnnie Irish makes. He is not a traditional romance hero by any means, and many of his and the heroine's behaviors are frustrating. Watching these two come together was interesting, to say the least. But they were also tender, and the reader comes to see Johnnie for who he really is. The most refreshing part of the story, the thing that makes it most worth it, is the way Theresa Weir tells it. Her writing style is brilliant, shifting from comedy to tear-inducing drama with ease. The writes the way people think, and when she's writing from a character's POV, the reader really feels like their in the character's head, thinking and feeling from their experiences.

This is a vintage contemporary from 1993, and its nineties-ness is very apparent. It is also a book where the characters are separated for long periods of time without contact.

I enjoyed this book very much, and I really liked the characters. But there were some things I couldn't get past, and which prevented me from giving it a whole 5 stars.

One: That Johnnie didn't ever send Maggie anything in terms of monetary support after he finds out she lied about the paternity of their child. I wasn't mad at Johnnie so much for leaving (he is a bit of an anti-hero, after all), but as a wealthy celebrity, I do not like that he seemed to abandon the situation altogether.

Two: The fact that Maggie never told Johnnie she was pregnant. The author's explanation (that Maggie didn't want Johnnie to think she was trying to trap him) didn't seem plausible to me, considering the fact that Maggie had always made it clear to Johnnie that she didn't want to marry him... barely even liked him. The reason wasn't sound enough for me. I get mad when heroine's hide babies, especially when they have the intent of NEVER telling the father.

Was a great read... if ANYTHING it was a great read solely because of Theresa Weir's amazing ability to tell a story.

I am so in love with this story. I do so love reading romances that involve genuine, real love between two honest and mature people who beat seemingly insurmountable odds in order to stay together. I also adore 'forbidden love' romances, especially when it involves lovers who are separated by social class.

This book is the kind that leaves me feeling very warm and fuzzy and happy inside, and I'm so glad I found it. Will and Anna were so likeable and their stories were so interesting. From the moment they found one another I just wanted them to be together. The challenges they faced did not stem from silly misunderstandings or stubbornness. Instead the author placed obstacles in their path that were realistic, and these characters handled them and overcame them realistically.

I was also impressed with the depth of the author's research into the historical aspects of The Peninsular War. I appreciate when an author takes the time to include real historical details as often as possible, and to take creative license when it is appropriate.

This reminds me of another book I read a while back: [b:Ship of Dreams|10806315|Ship of Dreams|Brenda Hiatt|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512Lxd7qD5L._SL75_.jpg|669042], which also involves lovers separated by social class who beat the odds, and also which surrounds the details of a real historical event. If you liked The Sergeant's Lady for the same reasons I noted above, you will probably also like Ship of Dreams.

This book was well-written and exciting, that's for sure. Very descriptive and graphic with the violence that is characteristic of the Old West. Was a bit long and too drawn out in parts. And while I genuinely liked the heroine, I didn't LOVE the hero. He was just O.K. I felt he was a bit 2-dimensional. We rarely saw things from his perspective. This was a very heroine-centered book, and I tend to prefer somewhat equal time from both characters' points of view.

But generally a great read, and would highly recommend if you're looking for a very suspenseful 'old west' romance.

My favorite Hathaway novel yet! I adore Leo. What a fabulous character. The relationship between Cat and Leo was so potent and explosive (in a good way) they nearly leaped off of the page. This chemistry was, of course, helped along by the build-up within the last two novels. Great story.

I am a huge fan of historical romances, but this book just didn't engage me. The description sounded promising, but after making into the first few chapters of the book I realized I didn't really like either of the main characters. They never seemed quite realistic to me, and other than their connection through the heroine's brother and nephew, I never understood why they loved each other. The plot had a bit too many perfect coincidences that were not integrated in such a way as to make it seem plausible.

Furthermore, the villain's name was "Rood Kruel." Really?? .... REALLY?
After that I had a hard time taking it seriously.

This was just kind of 'meh.' I liked the hero and heroine, but I don't feel as though their relationship was fully developed. Also, I don't feel like some character traits were fully explored. For example, I felt that the hero's past and his strong desire home and family wasn't fully explored, and it could have made for some very emotional scenes and powerful plot twists. All in all, wasn't really feeling it.

Did not finish. Terribly written and very preachy. Was a story that 'told' rather than 'showed.'

I liked it... just didn't love it. I never really connected with the characters, and the story really dragged at various points throughout the book.

Hmmm... what can I say? I was unimpressed. I never connected with the characters at all. All I could think by the end was how battered and bruised poor Duncan's chin probably was (I don't even want to count how many times Madelyne bumped or knocked the poor guy's chin with her head!).

I listened to this on audio, and it's always difficult for me to tell whether that affected my liking for a book. Although, I have been able to connect with other characters in audiobooks, so I hesitate to attribute my response to this book to that fact.

I loved the story idea, I just didn't care for Garwood's style. Also, I'm not sure if this is realistic or not, but I could alllllmooost sense a 1980's flavor to the interactions between the characters... which put me off a bit.

Overall, it's difficult to say why for certain, except that I just didn't care much for it.

This book was very enjoyable. It started out very strong, but fell off the arc in the last third. It got to where it was a bit too over-the-top with perfect circumstances. It was very predictable. I thought the hero's angst was a bit overplayed, and his transformation was almost too stark. Going from a complete hard-hearted rake to a fool in love in too little time.

But otherwise, I really liked it. The writing was good and the sexual tension was palpable. I loved the premise and the characters, and I'll definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series. I do love a good family saga.

I enjoyed this book, but I primarily enjoyed it for the murder mystery, which was really interesteing and well-written. The romance between Nate and Meg was just so-so. The characterizations of the people in town were also excellent. You really got the sense of knowing the dynamic of this small Alaskan town, and it made me want to visit a place like it. I think what really made this book for me, though, was listening to Gary Littman read it on the audiobook version. What an entertaining reader. He does all the tones, accents and voice inflections perfectly as one would imagine the character saying them. He narrates perfectly and in a way that really places the listener into the book.

This book was so beautiful, I actually cried. It is a romance, but not your typical.