Tag Archives: Lauren Smith

Tempting Prince Charming by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Tempting Prince Charming by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
This prince charming has the world at his fingertips.

Anything real estate mogul Thad Worthington wants, he gets—except true love.

Until one cold night when he meets a woman with a warm heart.

But his would-be princess has no desire to risk her heart for a second chance at a fairy tale, not when she’s already widowed and a single mother.

After one scorching kiss that leaves him changed forever, Thad won’t let his princess run from him.

When her wicked stepmother threatens to ruin this fairy tale, Thad is left holding a glass slipper and searching for the woman he can’t live without.

 

Review:

Tempting Prince Charming by Lauren Smith is a modern version of Cinderella, but definitely not a bedtime story for kids. 

Thad has it all, money, charm and looks that will get him anything he wants (and a few things he doesn’t) ? a head for business and a body that looks in a suit. But sometimes he just wants to lose himself, be just an average Joe. And singing is his one escape, that and playing his guitar. But he only plays for himself……

Veronica loves her little coffee shop, it’s her rock in a stormy sea of grief. It helped her find her feet after she lost her husband and Lyra’s father (Lyra is her daughter) Parker. But it hurts to think of him, but tonight after a customer of the coffee shop sang in their open mic night, it brought the hurt to the surface, love is not an option for her, it hurts too damn much!!

I loved this story, it was a simple story, but beautifully written. I’ve read a few of Lauren’s books and I’ve never been disappointed. 

Thad sees something in Veronica that he’s not seen before, an honesty and vulnerability that makes me want to discover more. 

I did have to chuckle at the description of Thad, all I could see was Chris Hemsworth (in his Thor costume?) but the visual only enhanced my enjoyment of this book. Veronica made my heart ache, a widow dealing with loss, a young daughter and a job. Her determination to keep Thad at arms length made sense, but everyone needs a little love. 

The secondary characters were great, Zelda who worked in the coffee shop had a wicked sense of humour. Thad’s friend Jared was just great. And Lyra was just so cute, asking Alexa for a daddy.  

A man finding a love that he didn’t ever think he would find, someone that would like him as he is and not for the money he has!! But convincing Veronica is not going to be easy. He understands about loss, but he wants to love her like she deserves. 

A woman who can’t bear the thought of losing someone she lives ever again. It’s better to keep your heart hidden, not out in the open where it can get smashed! But we have a fly in the ointment…. Veronica’s stepmother, she wants both her stepdaughter and Lyra out of the house/coffee shop, she’s going up sell it from under Veronica. They have never got on, she is the quintessential wicked stepmother!! And when Veronica finds out who the buyer is….. 

This was the second book in her Ever After series, but you don’t need to read the first one. This stands on its glass slipper with no help whatsoever. 

And one final word…… I WANT TO GO TO DISNEY ?

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for review

 

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The Duke’s Dove by Lauren Smith – a Review

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The Duke’s Dove by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
A duke with a broken heart discovers he has one last chance to win back the woman he loves on Christmas Eve…

Nathan Powell, the Duke of Hastings broke the heart of the only woman he ever loved when he ended their engagement in order to save her family. He demanded one promise of her…that she marry another man and live a happy life. Now he’s desperate to avoid marriage to someone else at all costs. When his younger brother tricks him into attending a Christmas Ball, he discovers his beloved Thea will be there.

Thea Swann has plenty of problems, with six unmarried younger sisters to keep in line, she doesn’t worry that she’ll run into the reclusive duke that stole her heart eight years ago. But when she comes face to face with Nathan, and he begs her for just one dance…she wonders, will he steal one last dance, one last kiss before walking away forever and taking her broken heart with him?

 

 

Review:

The Duke’s Dove by Lauren Smith is a lovely novella for Christmas! What a perfect love story for the Christmas season.

Nathan Powell, Duke of Hastings was in love eight years ago. However, he wasn’t quite the Duke then. His father said no when he told him he wanted to marry Theodosia Swann. His father threatened to ruin Mr. Swann and his family if he wasn’t obeyed. So, Nathan had to break his own heart as well as that of the only love he’d known.

Eight years later, he planned to attend a ball at the home of an old friend. He didn’t do social things much, but it was almost Christmas and he couldn’t turn down the invitation. He’d make Thea promise him years ago that she’d forget him and find love again, living a happy life he couldn’t give her. He assumed she’d kept her promise, and she was too lovely not to, or so he thought.

When the inevitable happened and they met again, it was as if time had stood still. He loved her so much and couldn’t help himself.

Pick up a copy of this lovely read and enjoy yourself immensely. What a wonderful story to cuddle up with for an evening. Author Lauren Smith has done it again, just in time for the holidays.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy supplied for review

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Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
She’s an heiress who needs a husband fast…he’s the brooding, handsome footmen who comes to her rescue…

Lady Venetia Dunham has plenty of money and freedom, until her father dies, leaving her and her feisty grandmother at the hands of her less than noble cousin when he becomes the new earl. Her cousin makes his wishes clear. She will marry a man of his choosing, a man who will split her fortune with her cousin.

Determined to avoid that fate, Venetia and her grandmother flee to a country house party hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Devon where Venetia stumbles into the arms of Adrian Montague, a handsome footman with a tragic past.

When Venetia sprains her ankle, she and Adrian are closeted together for a week. The attraction between them is undeniable and forbidden. Their passion could wreck Adrian’s life if they were discovered together. When love blooms between them, it comes at a great cost, and Venetia must choose to follow society’s laws or her own heart.

 

 

Review:

Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith is the 6th book in her House of Devon series. Footman Adrian Montague is going about his daily chores, if he’d known how the day would end, he might have been better prepared. 

Socialite Venetia Dunham is not going to marry some horrid man her cousin has acquired for her! It was bad enough she lost her family home in the country, she’ll be damned if she’ll lose her inheritance to marriage!  She needs to escape or marry a man of her choosing…..

A forbidden love, ladies don’t usually meet and marry the servants, but nothing about this arrangement is orthodox. 

Adrian is technically the son of a lord (but if your father ruins the reputation of your mother and refuses to marry her, then your illegitimate) but as his father refuses to acknowledge Adrian, he has had to make his own way in the world. 

Venetia is quite the spitfire, she knows what she wants and with the help of her beloved Gran, she sets out to do it. 

This short story is part of a series (House of Devon) written by other authors. But you definitely don’t have to read them all. 

I think it was almost love at first sight for Adrian, and when asked to be Venetia’s companion for the week, he jumps at the chance (yes a little unconventional, but it’s a writers prerogative). They form a friendship that turns into love. She wants to know all the secrets concerning a man, she wishes to know their touch and kisses, and she wants Adrian to help her!  But it’s a secret, because if found out Adrian would be given the sack from his job and Venetia would be a social outcast!! But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to hide their feeling for one another. 

And what of her cousin? Has he forgotten that she is to marry his friend? Or will he leave her to live the quiet life in the country? So can Adrian and Venetia find happiness, or will it be just a brief fling?  

If your looking for a short historical read, then you’ll not go wrong in picking this one up. 

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for Review.

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British Black Sheep by Lauren Smith – a Review

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British Black Sheep by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
He is exactly the kind of man Brie Honeyweather swore never to love…or lust after ever again: a sexy, arrogant, British bad boy in a designer suit.Alec is the last person Brie wants to be stuck on an international flight to London with, but hey…at least they’re in first class.

When their flight has to make an emergency landing in a snowstorm just before Christmas, Brie and Alec are thrown together in a single bedroom in a tiny English village. As the snowstorm rages outside, things get intense and emotions and lust run hot. Alec reminds Brie just how much she misses being with a man and how easy it is to fall head over heels too fast.

What should have been an amazing one-nightstand turns into a week-long secret romance at Alec’s family estate when Brie realizes her new boss is Alec’s mother, a British countess. While Brie tries to focus on writing a Christmas book with the countess, all she can think about is getting back into bed with Alec.

She shouldn’t fall for the arrogant brit, especially when their lives are oceans apart and neither of them wants a serious relationship. But Christmas magic has a way of working miracles. Maybe Santa will bring her a happy ending after all…

 

 

Review:

British Black Sheep by Lauren Smith is a Hero Club novel. Brie is a ghostwriter, she’s been doing it for about four years, she loves it, speaking to people and capturing stories and biographies. And when a famous authors asks her to help on a Christmas story, Brie is there. Well, almost there, she has to get on a plane first….. 

Alec is on his way home, burnt out and exhausted with his job. He lives his job, 24/7 being an investment banker gives him the thrills and excitement he craves. The money’s not bad either. And when a delightful young woman scolds him on the plane, Alec has found his entertainment for the long flight home. Teasing her is going to be a lot of fun. 

Being forced to land before scheduled to was unsettling. But to share a room with Alec is mind blowing…. She’s suppose to be unpacking at the beautiful Manor House and writing with the countess, instead she’s stuck with the arrogant if not handsome Brit!!! 

Both Alec and Brie are attracted to one another, they give in and have no regrets. Finding out that they will both be under the same roof at the countess’s home is fun for Alec, but mortifying for Brie! And when she finds out he’s her son!! Well Brie just wants to go home!

Alec then sets about chasing and persuading Brie to have fun with him whilst she’s here. Brie agreed but as long as it remains a secret between them. And when she goes home, that’s it. Alec is up first that, a bit of fun over Christmas, then back to work. No strings, just how he likes it. But just like string, they get tangled up like Christmas lights. It’s not easy trying to keep emotions out of this, it’s only suppose to be fun! 

Brie is going back home soon, and Alec needs to go back to London. I have to admit, reading a Christmas book in the middle of summer was different. I’ve read a few of this author’s books. And I’ve always enjoyed them. This one was no different. 

Definitely a feel good Christmas story?

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for review

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Never Tempt a Scot by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Never Tempt a Scot by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
Scottish rogue Brodie Kincade has never met a woman he couldn’t seduce, but he’s about to meet his match in sweet-tempered but often overlooked Lydia Hunt, a young Englishwoman he mistakes for her scheming sister who hopes to snatch him up for a husband.

Quiet, sweet-tempered Lydia Hunt knows she’s not her father’s favorite daughter. That honor belongs to her prettier younger sister, Portia, who has a talent for getting into trouble. When Lydia discovers that her father and sister have had a very angry Scottish rogue kidnapped in order to convince him to marry Portia, Lydia knows she must help the man escape. Yet she never imagined that the devastatingly handsome Scotsman would mistake her for Portia and abduct her as revenge and flee to Scotland.

Brodie Kincade is a heartbreaker who has vowed never to marry after a traumatic childhood that left him afraid of becoming like his father. When he’s kidnapped by a pretty young Englishwoman with marriage on her mind, he turns the tables on his captor and absconds with her to Scotland, planning to ruin her reputation as revenge. But the beautiful, thoughtful, and irresistible lass he finds in his company seems very different from the brassy girl who kidnapped him. Soon, he’s risking his heart as he begins to wonder if he’s kidnapped the wrong woman . . .

 

 

 

Review:

Never Tempt a Scot is the latest in the series The League of Rogues by author extraordinaire, Lauren Smith. This is the story of highlander Brodie Kincade and Ms. Lydia Hunt. It’s a well-paced adventurous story involving kidnapping, elopements, double romance, and much more.

I count Lauren Smith among my favorite authors. Her series The League of Rogues is also a favorite on my reading lists. Her ability to spin a wonderful story with twists and turns is second to none. This lovely healing story is not an exception to that ability.

Brodie Kincade is one of the Kincade brothers from a previous episode. Their father was a brutal man who beat his children and said awful things to his wife. The wife died and the children were left to be raised by their brutal father. Most of the children have scars both physical and mental. He has three brothers I believe, and a sister. His oldest brother inherited the family title when their father passed away. However, all but Brodie and Aiden have married successfully and have loving relationships. Brodie fears he’s more like his father than the others and that he can never marry and subject a woman to that life. He just doesn’t trust himself.

Lydia Hunt is the older sister of Portia Hunt. Lydia notices Brodie at a ball, as well as her sister, and thinks he’s wildly handsome. Portia is young, totally reckless, and impatient. She incredibly spoiled by their widower father. Portia connives to have her father kidnap Brodie Kincade by telling him she’s with child (a lie) and that she’s in love with Brodie. In truth, she’s only briefly spoken to him, but being the spoiled child, she thinks every man is in love with her. The father and Portia hire men to drug and abduct Brodie and store him in a bedroom of their house. When Portia and the father are out at dinner, Lydia finds out what they’ve done and goes up to cut Brodie loose. He, mistakes her for Portia and kidnaps her at knifepoint and takes her away for revenge. She tries to tell him she’s not Portia, but he was too drunk and then drugged to remember clearly.

Okay, that’s the basic setup. I won’t do any further spoilers. This is just too wonderful of an adventure and romance. You really must read this for yourself. The conversations are wonderful, the suspense and surprises are aplenty. There’s so much more to this story, but it’s something you will enjoy reading more than being told about it. There are more tales in this one than the two people falling in love….just read it.

Author Lauren Smith is a master at weaving wonderful stories and this one full of twists and turns. Grab a copy, but don’t forget the tissues!

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy supplied for Review

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Boudreaux’s Lady by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Boudreaux’s Lady by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
Danger makes the heart grow fonder…
Miss Philippa Wilson makes the best of a bad situation. Her lot in life isn’t what she’d choose, but being an upstairs maid for a wealthy baron is better than living on the streets. Little does she know her lackluster days are about to become decidedly more interesting…and dangerous. When a madman wants Philippa dead, it’s going to take more than the plan of her good-hearted employer to save her and find out why she’s being targeted. It’s going to take a hero…or maybe a rogue.
Beauregard Boudreaux is a notorious rogue, living uneventful days and terribly scandalous nights with little thought to settling down. He needs nothing more than a strong drink, a beautiful mistress, and a spirited card game to be happy…When he intervenes to rescue a friend’s upstairs maid from a killer, he’s drawn into a game of cat and mouse with the maid used as bait to draw out the killer. But the more time Beau spends with Philippa as her protector, the more he has an irresistible attraction to this mysterious woman. He also can’t shake the feeling that he’s seen her somewhere before.
But Beau has lost too much in life to risk being hurt again. He can’t let himself fall in love, not even with the temptation Philippa presents to him.
And bloody hell, she is oh-so tempting…

 

 

Review:

Boudreaux’s Lady is a historical romance novel. If you are familiar with Lauren Smith’s League of Rogues Series, you will recognize many of the characters in this new novel. This is a wonderfully thrilling novel with mystery, danger, suspense and of course, sizzling romance.

The main characters of the story are Beauregard Boudreaux and Phillipa Wilson (Selkirk).

This novel begins with a prologue set in London in October of 1806. Lady Albina Selkirk, wife of Cornelius Selkirk, the Earl of Monmouth has given birth to twins. A boy and a girl. The first born was a son, but he was stillborn. The girl was born second and healthy. Lord Monmouth was furious that his only son and heir was stillborn. He cursed at his wife as she lay bleeding out, dying. He instructed the midwife, Lucy, to take the girl to the miller’s cottage (the Wilsons) and make a deal to swap her for their son. He would give them much money to start over and he would raise their son as his heir, but they must all keep silent about it, forever. If they would not take his offer, he would kill the girl child.

The story picks up twenty years later at a ball where the Duke of St. Albans watched his grandson, Roderick, dancing.  He spoke to his good friend and almost neighbor Beau Boudreaux. The duke remarked on how the boy did not favor either him or his father, the Earl of Monmouth. But he loved the boy anyway. He was a good man with a kind heart. Beau and the duke were good friends since Beau was a boy and his mother had moved them here after his father had (a marquess) been killed by a firing squad in France, for his political beliefs. Beau thought of the duke as a surrogate father. The duke told Beau was the anniversary of his daughter’s death during childbirth and showed Beau her portrait in his hall. She was the most beautiful woman Beau had ever laid eyes on.

This setup is a little long, but I’m attempting to let you know what the story entails. I am, of course, leaving out the juicy details and conversations. I don’t do spoilers and you wouldn’t want me to spoil this marvelous tale. The author has done a marvelous job of showing the characters and gently letting you get to know them and their motives.

Our second main character, Philippa, is introduced now. She’s a maid in the household of Lord Lennox and his wife Rosalind (League of Rogues). While making up rooms upstairs, she hears someone arrive to see Lord Lennox. It was Lord Monmouth. Something about his voice chilled her and she became curious. Watching from the staircase as he waited, he became aware and looked up. His face paled and he muttered “No, you can’t be… Not here. It’s not possible.” He suddenly rushed up the staircase and grabbed by the throat and began choking her…

And that’s as far as I go with the setup! Except, she first meets Beau when he helps Lennox try to rescue her after Monmouth has someone kidnap her to kill her. Yes, this is an exciting thriller from start to finish. I haven’t given you much of the details that are included…because I don’t want to spoil it. Grab yourself a copy and make sure you have time to read. You won’t want to put this one down! I couldn’t!

Congratulations to author Lauren Smith on a brilliant novel.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy supplied for review

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Devil at the Gates by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Devil at the Gates by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
One dark night she meets her fate in the arms of shadowy duke…
Fleeing a cruel stepfather, Harriet Russell escapes into a stormy night, relying only on the mercy of servants to help her. Her coach overturns, leaving her and her driver injured. Seeking help from whoever lives nearby, she stumbles between a set of gates guarded by fierce demonic gargoyle statues. As she enters the shadowy, haunted lands belonging to the Duke of Frostmore, she’s afraid of meeting with him, but she must in order to help her driver. Harriet comes face to face with the duke, she understands why he’s called the Devil of Dover, with his fierce sensual magnetism and his frightening temper. He’s beautiful, tempting and dangerous…

He made a mistake once by falling in love and death followed…
After the tragic deaths of his wife and brother, Redmond Barrington, the Duke of Frostmore, wants to be left alone and has barred all strangers from his lands. When an injured young woman begs for help, he finds himself reconsidering his vow of solitude as Christmas draws near. Harriet is as unwilling to trust in love as he is. What begins with a terrifying tension between them soon becomes something else entirely, a sensual passion that frightens him with its intensity. The more time he spends with her, the more Redmond wonders if fate might give him a second chance to chase away the ghosts of his past.

 

 

Review:

Devil at the Gates by Lauren Smith originally started out in a box set, but the author has now released it on its own.  Devil at the Gates is a short story set in the late 1700’s.

The Duke of Frostmore, also known as the Dark Duke, or the Devil of Dover. Redmond “Red” Barrington wasn’t always like the title he was now known as. He’d been a better man, but after finding his new wife in bed with his brother, Redmond had stepped off the cliff and into hell. His heart black and cold, vowing never to love again…..

Harriet needed to escape, as her stepfather had plans for her, and they weren’t very nice ones. Escaping without her beloved mother was hard, but she was dying and Harriet   couldn’t risk her. So with the aid of the housekeeper and her coachman she makes a bid for freedom…..

Harriet goes to the Dark Duke’s home to ask for his aid, her carriage has over overturned and the driver is badly injured. it’s not a good idea, in fact it’s a dangerous idea, but what choice has Harriet got? She won’t go home, not whilst that man is there. She needs the Dark Duke’s help. An agreement is made, she will stay until she is well, and her coachman’s leg has mended. Then he will help her reconnect with her mother’s family.

Yes it has the predictable ending, and the journey getting there was a little rough. Red didn’t want anyone in his home or heart, but Harriet managed both. She stirs feelings in him that he thought were long dead. But he won’t love again, that hurt the last time he did it.

Once Harriet got to know Red a little better, saw past the bluster and anger, saw the man still hurting after seven lonely years. But she won’t trust him, he may give her back to her stepfather, or worse, take her himself. She must remain on guard at all times.

It’s a nice little read. I know it was intended as a Christmas read, but I didn’t get it then ?, but it’s nicely written, and can be read in a few hours.

Reviewed by Julie B

Copy supplied for review

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His Little Vixen by Lauren Smith – a Review

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His Little Vixen by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
Sadie Harris doesn’t like immortals. After vampires leave her an orphan, she’s raised by her grandmother at the edge of a werewolf pack’s territory. As a fox shifter she knows the rules about werewolves: Stay clear of the boundaries, never go out after dark during the full moon and take a vacation far, far away when she goes into her shifter mating heat or else she’ll attract literal “big bad wolves.” But when her flight gets cancelled and her mating heat is coming – so are the wolves. The last thing she expects is to get rescued by a tall, dark and gorgeous man…er…vampire. What’s a vixen to do?

Seamus Gallagher might be immortal but his life is full of mortal problems: he’s been framed for the murder of the woman his two best friends loved; he’s on a mission to find and kill his sire; and, he has no idea what to do with the feisty red-headed vixen he just rescued from a vicious werewolf pack. He doesn’t have time to babysit a skittish shifter who hates vampires, but when he looks at her, Seamus sees trouble. Sexy, sweet, and irresistible trouble.

 

 

Review:

His Little Vixen by Lauren Smith is a novella and the 2nd book in her Love Bites series.   I did not read the first book in the series, but this read very well as a standalone.   His Little Vixen was a fantastic story that held my attention from start to finish, and I could not put it down. 

We meet our hero, Seamus Gallagher at the start, when hundreds of years in the past, he and his sister lay dying from famine.  A beautiful woman appears and saves both Seamus and his sister.  But there was a price, she is a vampire and offers him immortality, as well as saving his sister’s mortal life; little did Seamus know he would be turned.  Now in the present, Seamus as managed over the years to live a decent life (for a vampire) and has escaped his sire, who after many years is still looking for him.  In the middle of the night, Seamus is traveling on his motorcycle and hits a fox, who had run in front of him.

Sadie Harris, our heroine, is a fox shifter, who is in her heat, and running away from a wolf pack who wants her and could kill her.   In her desperation, she runs in her fox form and gets injured by a motorcycle.   Sadie meet Seamus; a vampire and fox shifter, normal enemies.  But they turned into a fantastic couple that I immediately fell in love with.   Seamus helps Sadie recover and at the same time protect her from the wolves searching for her.  In a short time, Sadie will learn more about vampires, especially the good ones like Seamus.  Their attraction to each other was a surprise, but their chemistry together sizzled.  As they travel to meet Seamus’s old friends for help in fighting the wolves, they will discover they are mated.  I totally loved them together.

What follows is an exciting, action filled adventure, with a sexy romance and a wonderful couple.  The last third of the book was very intense, as the bad wolves and vampires attacked Seamus, Sadie, and their friends, in a battle that had us fearing for their lives.  Lauren Smith also gives us some wonderful secondary characters, that I hope we learn more about in future books.  His Little Vixen was a wonderful well written story, and I look forward to more from Lauren Smith.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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