Tag Archives: Michelle McLean

Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean – a Review

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Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean – a Review

 

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Description:
Bookish Arabella Bromley never gave a fig for society’s rules—until her sister ran off with a man below her station. Now Arabella is desperate to restore her family’s ruined reputation to favor amongst the ton. She’ll have to marry quickly and well. But in order to carry off her plan, Arabella needs a duke… and she has just the rakish fellow in mind.

The Duke of Whittsley has an ungentlemanly tendency to disregard the rules. Unfortunately, a sense of mischief doesn’t excuse a high-ranking noble from family duty—especially where it concerns producing a son. And that’s where he can’t quite resist Arabella’s distinctly outrageous plan: if he saves her family, she’ll give him an heir.

Now the deal’s been struck. They have one year to achieve their goals and ten iron-clad rules to keep them on track. Like long, scorching kisses and ensuring they’re both exquisitely satisfied. And the only thing that could ruin their plan is the one thing they never planned on: love.

 

 

Review :

Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean is a historical romantic novel. Arabella’s family is a bit of a quandary! The family name and reputation are in ruins! The shame that has been bestowed upon the family!! 

The older daughter has run off to be the man she loves, but that’s not the issue, the issue is the gentleman is below her station in life, basically a commoner and a lady shouldn’t be seen together let alone run off with him! And she wants her younger sister to have the excitement of balls and being called on, that won’t happen if society shuns her! So marrying someone of good standing seems like the only solution open to Arabella, and Silas Spencer is just the Duke she’s looking for…..

Arabella is such a character, being the middle child her life should have been simple! But that’s not the case. She has a wicked sense of humor and a very strong sense of right and wrong. Convincing the Duke to see her way of thinking did have me chuckling. 

The Duke of Whittsley Silas Spencer really doesn’t like the pomp and ceremony that society brings with it. He just wants to have fun, but being the last Duke in his line now brings a whole lot of responsibility, he needs an heir, but not necessarily a wife (and the heir really should be in wedlock!) so when Arabella approaches him with a preposterous and outlandish proposal the Duke isn’t sure what to think. I have to admit, I wasn’t a big fan of Silas at first, his attitude and manner was just a little off putting, but with time I grew to like the character. 

Setting rules in a relationship can only spell disaster, pretending that it’s only for connivence is only going to make for heartache. And both these characters are playing a dangerous game. There is a secret that Silas needs to keep undetected, there is also the fact that the more time they spend together the harder it is to follow those rules. 

Michelle McLean Is one of my favorite historical romance authors, her mixture of drama and humor has me one clicking her work. She writes about strong Independent women who know what to do in a crisis. Always well thought out and executed really well. Love the descriptions of the balls/gala that are planned. 

I loved the ending, it just worked. To see what I mean your going to have to read the book ?

Reviewed by Julie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean – a Review

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Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean – a Review

 

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Description :
Gray “Quick Shot” Woodson is the fastest gun west of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, he’s ready to hang up his hat. Sure, being notorious has its perks. But the nomadic lifestyle—and people always tryin’ to kill you—gets old real fast.

Now he just wants to find a place to retire so he can spend his days the way the good Lord intended. Staring at the sunset. And napping.

When his stubborn horse drags him into a hole-in-the-wall town called Desolation, something about the place calls to Gray, and he figures he might actually have a shot at a sleepy retirement. His optimism lasts about a minute and a half.

Soon he finds himself embroiled in a town vendetta and married to a woman named Mercy. Who, judging by her aggravating personality, doesn’t know the meaning of her own name. In fact, she’s downright impossible. But dang it if his wife isn’t irresistible. If only she’d stop trying to steal his guns to go after the bad guys herself. There goes his peace and quiet…

 

Review:

Hitched by a Gunslinger by Michelle McLean is a historical western romance. Had to laugh at our gunslinger he really was a lazy bum!! Any chance at a nap he took it ?

Mercy needs help! After her father died (an accident they say! Mercy says Murder!) she’s had nothing but hassle from the local landowner, he wants her land and he’s offering money or marriage! Neither is on Mercy’s mind and certainly not him! She loved her father (even though he was a drunk and a gambler) and will farm this land one day with a husband she loves.

Gray just wants some peace and quiet.  Gunslingers don’t get either! Someone is always trying to prove something! Do when his horse decides to stop for a munch on an orchard, Gray has no choice but to wait as the horse has its fill! And from there he becomes embroiled in not only Mercy’s issues but the town as a whole!

Supporting characters like Sunshine was great, a nuisance but just what Gray needs to remind him that he’s human and needs a friend (even though he wants to shoot him most days!). Loved the horse and goat, proper characters that you’ll love ?

The town doesn’t take to him at firs, they only see the gunslinger, but as he grows on the town, they decide to make him sheriff!

This book is easily read in an afternoon, it’s a slow burn between Mercy and Gray. And it’s funny to see them try to grab a little alone time, and are constantly thwarted!

Can Mercy convince Gray to make a go of their marriage and a job as sheriff? And will the landowner get the hint that he’s not wanted by the town and by Mercy?

I love to see sunshine get a story and maybe a HEA for a certain doctor and madam ?

Love this authors writing, you can be assured of laughter, murder and a fun time ?

Reviewed by Julie

Copy provided by Publisher

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How To Forgive a Highlander by Michelle McLean – a Review

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How To Forgive a Highlander by Michelle McLean – a Review

 

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Description:
William MacGregor will lie, spy, and happily die to protect his clan from their greatest enemy. But when he kidnaps the wrong woman, he triggers the very events he’d been working so hard to prevent. And puts everyone in danger. Rose Thatcher will do anything to protect her lady and return them both safely to English soil. But the damn Highlander who snatched her off the docks has done nothing but get in her way. She’d love to ditch the bastard, but if they want to save their respective loved ones, they are going to have to stay together. Somewhere along the grueling journey to Scotland, their constant bickering turns into something more. Something worth fighting for. But how can an English lady’s maid, who longs for the safe, comfortable life she had in London, find love with a Highlander who can’t wait to wipe England’s dust off his feet? If they can’t defeat the enemy they accidentally led home, they might not live long enough to find out.

Each book in the MacGregor Lairds series is STANDALONE:
* How to Lose a Highlander
* How to Ensnare a Highlander
* How to Blackmail a Highlander
* How to Forgive a Highlander

 

 

Review:

I’d read the third book in The MacGregor Lairds Series by Michelle McLean (How to Blackmail a Highlander), and enjoyed it. So I started the kindle up and jumped in to read How to Forgive a Highlander…. 

William loves his clan, there is nothing he wouldn’t do to keep them all safe. So with that in mind, he plans to kidnap a lady, but grabs the wrong one, and so the plot goes from bad to worse, she is nothing but a pain in her arse, but he is drawn to her, and when they aren’t fighting, he is rather intrigued with her (even though she drives him mad!)

Rose is a lady’s maid (someone who dresses and accompanies a lady, like a companion but at the Ladies beck and call) and truly loves her charge, there isn’t much she wouldn’t do to protect her, and after she’s kidnapped, Rose is worried about her lady even more.

And this “man” has a lot to account for. How dare he do this, her temper gets her into trouble a few times, but when they aren’t taking shots at each other, she recognizes Will’s love for his clan and his good intentions. 

But what does this mean for our couple? William longs for Scotland, and Rose wants to return to London. Is this just a “Highland Fling” ? Or will they be able to compromise? 

How To Forgive a Highlander runs alongside book 3, it has almost the same timeline. It’s well written by McLean and very detailed. 

Reviewed by Julie B

Copy provided by Publisher

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How to Blackmail a Highlander by Michelle McLean – a Review

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How to Blackmail a Highlander by Michelle McLean – a Review

 

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Description:
Lady Alice Chivers is done being controlled by her family. On the run from an arranged marriage, she needs a strong Highlandery to escape. Only Philip MacGregor insists on sending her back to her pampered life, so she’ll just have to blackmail him instead. But now they find themselves in an accidental marriage, and soon they’re both playing a role that feels like it was meant to be real. Philip is cautious, in control, and in way over his head with his unexpected wife. She’s intense, spontaneous, and can’t follow an order to save her life. And he might be falling completely in love with her. However, her distractions endanger the lives of those he loves. Now he must somehow undo the damage that has been done, before his friends pay with their lives.

 

 

Review: 

How to Blackmail a Highlander by Michelle McLean is the 3rd book in her The MacGregor Lairds.  I’ve read a few by this author, and I’ve always enjoyed her work.

Philip doesn’t want a wife, and having a silly thing try to force him into marriage will only get you back to your pampered life really quick. And when said woman tries to blackmail him into marrying him, then he really isn’t a happy man !!

His “new wife” is a constant hassle !! She’s isn’t very obedient and is constantly giving poor Philip a headache !! But as time goes on, and he spends more time with his wayward wife, he begins to see her in a different light. And when an incident occurs, Philip will have to rectify it quick before it puts other people he cares about in harms way …… 

Alice is not going to end up in an arranged marriage! And certainly not to a man twice her age, and his three previous wives, they didn’t survive that long wedded to him, so she had no intention of being his fourth wife. Her salvation comes from a letter her best friend sends her, it comes at just the right time, and the man bringing the letter, could help her too, after asking for his help, Philip turns her down !! So she’s just going to have to resort to blackmail !! 

Alice has me laughing at a few of her antics, Philip is a man who likes his control, and Alice likes to throw it all up in the air and see where it lands. 

To find out if they remain married, you’ll have to read it yourself ?

Reviewed by Julie B

Copy provided by Publisher

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Michelle McLean – A Bandit’s Broken Heart – Guest Post & Review

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Michelle McLean – A Bandit’s Broken Heart – Guest Post & Review

 

A Bandit's Broken HeartLinks to order A Bandit’s Broken Heart:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Description:
A woman with a past…

Widowed mother, Brynne Richardson, gave up her bandit activities when she left California to make a fresh start with her young daughter in Boston. Working for a handsome doctor fulfils her need to be useful and independent, but he creates another yearning she can’t deny. 

A man with a purpose…

Dr. Richard Oliver assumes Brynne is just another debutante hunting for a rich husband, until she intrigues him with her steady hand for stitches…and guns. He can’t put her out of his mind, but the young widow has mysteries he’s determined to unravel. 

A love in danger…

When smugglers raid the much-needed supplies from the clinic, Brynne must resurrect her bandit persona for the good of the sick and the poor. Her secret life threatens to destroy everything she’s worked so hard to protect…her life, her family…and her heart.

Review:

Over the past few months I have read so many different genres, that  I need to thanks Barb and Sandy for asking me to come and review on this great page.
Anyway my review …….

I was a little hesitant to take on this book, but I  had to trust in Barb’s knowledge.
It was a great read. A Bandit’s Broken Heart by Michelle McLean is the second book in the McLean’s Blood Blade Sister’s Series. I don’t think you need to read the first book, but it does give a little insight into Brynne’s character. 

We meet Richard for the first time in this story. I really liked it.

This is one of those books that draws you in from the very beginning. The action starts from page one, and doesn’t let go until the very end. Even then, you want to keep on reading. McLean has penned such a bittersweet story set in the heart of Boston during a time when gunslingers and bounty hunters roamed the wilds in search of ways to make their lives a better place.

I loved Brynne from the very beginning, and found her to be a touching soul whose only wish is to do good in the world she lives in. Yet not everything falls into place for her. She has her up’s and down’s just like any other person, and makes do with the little she has with her. Her fighting spirit was a joy to read, and even when she was constantly ignored by societies ladies, Brynne kept her cool and carried on her own business. 

Richard is a doctor who is constantly being harassed by the ladies of Boston, they want him to marry their daughters, and so he has to daily has to fight off the ladies and their mothers. But upon meeting Brynne, he sees past the starch and social niceties, and decides to chase this intriguing woman.

The smuggling was probably my favourite part, there was a little action, and it was all kept fast and real. The way Brynne assumed command made a refreshing change, I know she was a previous Blood Blade “Bandit”, but sometimes the author tends to give the lead to whatever man is in the scene.

The secondary characters were strong in their own rights, but no too overpowering, and I look forward to the sisters catching up with the scoundrel who stole sister Lucy’s heart and their niece !!!

A Bandit’s Broken Heart is a great addition to the Blood Blade Sisters series. I aim to catch up on book one soon enough, and look forward to more when the time comes.

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Guest Post-White and Green

There is something about a tortured character that just makes the reader in me sit up and cheer. A character facing a mountain of obstacles keeps me turning the pages. Will she prevail? Will she defeat the bad guy and get her man? I have to know. Sure, I feel bad these poor characters are so picked on. I’m often sobbing into the pages right along with them. But it keeps me reading.

As a writer, I try to create the same conflict. If I’m crying over my poor characters while I’m writing, chances are good that my readers will too. My sister is one of my favorite guinea pigs and nothing makes me happier than sending her chapters and having her call me in a panic, threatening me with a very painful death if whatever just occurred in my book isn’t rectified immeditately 🙂

Is it nice to torture my characters? Well, no 🙂 But it does tend to be the drama, the conflict, that drives a story…and you just can’t get that if your characters get everything they want and are happy all the time.

Brynne Richardson Forrester, the main character in my newest release A Bandit’s Broken Heart (Blood Blade Sisters 2) has already been through a lot. Her husband is murdered in book 1 and she moves to a new city in book 2 in the hopes that she can start a new life and escape the pain of losing the only man she’s ever loved. Things don’t work out quite as she’d like.

But there is hope, most especially in the form of the handsome Dr. Richard Oliver. She has a happily ever after on the horizon, but she’ll have to go through a great deal more to get there.

Ernest Hemingway, in a book of advice to writers, said that a writer should…“find what gave you emotion; what the action was that gave you excitement.”

I LOVE that quote. And it made me think, “What is it that gave me emotion? What gave me excitement?” Sure, I am happy when a character gets the guy at the end, or finds the treasure, or gets to live in the big pretty castle and lives happily ever after. But that isn’t what keeps me reading the story. What keeps me reading, what gives me goosebumps and makes my heart pound, is when the heroine cradles her dying husband in her arms…when she is on the back of a thundering horse, shooting a gun over her shoulder at the villain chasing her….when she made some stupid mistake and screwed up the good thing she had going….THAT kind of stuff makes me want to turn the page.

Did the husband really die? Will she get away? (Or will the retort of the gun knock her on her butt?…because that is always fun) 😀 Will she be able to fix her mistake and get the good thing going again, or has she just completely screwed up her life?

So, this is what I try to do to my characters. I want to give the reader a reason to turn the page, by giving my characters a reason to keep going, giving them something to fix, to resolve, to get over and move past. Death, pain, despair, torture, emotion, threat, danger….these all get the blood pumping, the tears pouring…and make that happy ending all the happier for the mess they had to go through to get there.

 

About The Author Black and Yellow

Michelle McLean author picMichelle is the author of historical and paranormal romances, including TO TRUST A THIEF (Entangled Scandalous Jan 2013), a historical trilogy, BLOOD BLADE SISTERS (Entangled Scandalous 2013), and a zombie infested romance WISH UPON A ZOMBIE (Entangled Ever After 2013). She is also the author of the educational non-fiction book HOMEWORK HELPERS: ESSAYS AND TERM PAPERS.

Michelle has a B.S. in History, a M.A. in English, and tends to be a bit of an overly organized mess with an insatiable love of books and more weird quirks than you can shake a stick at.

If she’s not editing, reading or chasing her kids around, she can usually be found in a quiet corner working on her next book. Michelle resides in PA with her husband and two young children, an insanely hyper dog, and two very spoiled cats.

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