Today we are pleased to have Susanna Ives join us for a round of Marry, Kiss or Kill! For this stop, we asked her to choose between Aladdin, Prince Adam from Beauty and the Beast, and Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid:
“Hmm, so I don’t remember much about Aladdin or the prince from The Little Mermaid. So I chose some different Disney princes.
I will marry Prince Adam. Granted he is little scary with all that untamed facial hair, and he has a foul temper, but after some deep, soul-searching therapy sessions and a few musical numbers, everything will work out fine.
I’ll kiss the Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty. After he fought those thick briars and that dragon, it’s the least I could do. But, honestly, I don’t know him well enough to consider making a permanent commitment.
Cinderella’s Prince Charming must go. The only contribution he makes to the entire Cinderella story is, “Hey girl, you look hot. Wanna dance?” And then he sends out his henchman with a shoe the next day to find her. What? He couldn’t go himself and identify her? He didn’t look at her face the entire time they were dancing? Hmmm, maybe he has a shoe fetish. Anyway, Cinderella should thank me. She is better off without him. She needs to get over her learned helplessness and take charge of her life. “
About the author:
Series: Wicked Little Secrets #2
Author: Susanna Ives
Published: March 3/15 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Length: 384pgs
Format: ecopy
Genre: historical romance
Shelf: review
Rating: ★★★★
Back Cover Blurb:
Handsome, silver-tongued politician Lord Randall doesn't get along with his bank partner, the financially brilliant but hopelessly frumpish Isabella St. Vincent. Ever since she was his childhood nemesis, he's tried—and failed—to get the better of her.
Make a perfectly wicked combination...
When both Randall's political career and their mutual bank interests are threatened by scandal, he has to admit he needs Isabella's help. They set off on a madcap scheme to set matters right. With her wits and his charm, what could possibly go wrong? Only a volatile mutual attraction that's catching them completely off guard...
Excerpt:
Wham! The carriage door flew open and a brown leather bag went flying past her, hitting the opposite wall. Randall leaped in just as the train lurched forward.“Good morning, love.”
“W-what are you doing?” she cried, the great plan that she’d spent the night weaving suddenly torn to shreds. “You’re supposed to be getting your black heart shackled to some beautiful nincompoop.”
“You didn’t really think I was going to let you go alone?”
“No, of course not,” she stammered, feeling stupid. Why was she so terrible at understanding subtle meanings? She took everyone at their literal word. She should have known better from that slippery snake of a man. After all, he was a politician, and a good one, in a profession not renowned for its honesty and forthrightness.
He sat himself down beside her, his woodsy scent clogging her nose and setting her nerves alight. She switched to the opposite seat. “And don’t sit next to me. I don’t want people to think we’re lovers.”
“We’re lovers?” He shot her a sly glance. “Did you get me foxed out of my poor wits, take advantage of me in my defenseless state, and then not have the courtesy to tell me? Did I enjoy it?”
She refused to dignify that bit of lunacy with a direct answer. “Your mother, Judith, everyone thinks that I l-love you. Oh, my throat hurts for uttering such moronic nonsense.”
He extended his legs, cupped his hands behind his head, and let a charming smile laze on his lips. His blue coat molded to his lean, flat belly and the contour of his sex bulged in his brown trousers. “Naturally they think that,” he said. “What’s not to love?”
She averted her eyes, determined not to look at his male part. However, the generous, manly swell in the fabric was now emblazoned on her brain. “I really don’t have the time to discuss all the things that I don’t love about you. The list is quite long, and I’m a bit upset. I didn’t get any sleep, and now you are here to complicate everything. I just…just want to read.” She unfurled her journal and bowed her head, hoping he would take that as a cue to be quiet.
She gently rocked in her seat, as if it were a comforting cradle, trying to keep her curious eyes from roving back to his lap as she read and reread the first paragraph in an article about interest rates in the banks of Holland. She had almost made it to the second paragraph when she felt his shoulder rub against hers.
“Just relax,” he said, settling next to her. “We’re not lovers. I detest you as much as you detest me.”
“I don’t detest you,” she corrected. “I just don’t like you some—well, most of the time.”
“I certainly despise you, no question about that. Now that we have our mutual dislike for each other clarified, I think we should play a little game.”
She looked at him askew. “The our bank fails, we lose all our money, and our names and reputations are ruined game? I hear that it’s great fun until they cart us off to the poorhouse.”
“No, it’s the let’s-invent-false-identities-so-as-not-to-cast-suspicion game.”
“Oh.” It made sense. She hated when Randall made sense.
My Review:
The characters in this novel were well developed and enjoyable. This main couple easily carried the story forward. I fell in love with them both. For a romance novel they were surprisingly in-depth, both in character and emotion. They were easily believable, yet stood out as larger than life without being over the top. Their contrasting personalities lead to many a comical moment. The supporting cast definitely rounded out the story nicely, being unique individuals in their own rights.
This was definitely an enjoyable novel. Ives paints a vivid and at times comical story that takes her readers back in time. I’ll definitely be delving further into the novels written by this author.
Be sure to enter the tour wide giveaway!
The book I'm most looking forward to reading this spring is "Ready to Reach" by Inglath Cooper.
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