Tag Archives: Wendy LaCapra

Diamond in the Rogue by Wendy LaCapra – a Review

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Diamond in the Rogue by Wendy LaCapra – a Review

 

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Description:
In an act of revenge, Lord Rayne kissed Lady Julia and was sent packing to America. But now he’s back to settle his affairs and give away his sister in marriage, until he meets up with the alluring yet innocent Lady Julia again. He doesn’t regret their first kiss, but he was never good enough for her.

Lady Julia had two years to forget the moody and mercurial Earl of Rayne. But one look, and she knows they’re meant to be together. Be damned with his and her brother’s objections, she’ll just jump on the back of Rayne’s departing carriage and compromise them both thoroughly.
Only, Julia never expected her forbidding Lord to be so good at resisting temptation…

 

Review:

Diamond in the Rogue by Wendy LaCapra is a Lord of Chance novel. If you’re familiar with the series, you will recognize some of the characters featured in this novel.  The gist of this is that there are several members of the male aristocracy of the times that were great friends. They were young, rich, and visited the gambling dens so often they were each given the nickname of a suit of cards. Brompton was christened Spades; Farring was Clubs, Markham was Hearts, and Rayne was called Diamonds. The backstories on these fellows is usually interesting and complicated. As the title suggests, this novel is the story of Graham Laithe, Earl of Rayne and Julia Stanley, Lord Brompton’s sister.

A fierce misunderstanding caused a serious rift among the friends. Lord Rayne was told to stay away from Lady Julia by not only her brother, but their friend Lord Markham as well. Only Lord Farring still believed in Rayne, his other friends no longer welcomed him. After the argument that caused the rift, Rayne had sailed for American and remained there trying to remake his character as he thought he needed for several years. He’d only recently returned to see to his sister’s marriage to his ex-friend Markham. He was planning to sell his estate and return to his solitary life in New York.

Lady Julia had gone a coming out, but never really tried to find a match because she still wanted Rayne. She watches him almost as much as he watches her. Lord Farring knows she still wants Rayne and he thinks his friend is making bad decisions and about to ruin his life. He and Julia begin to put together a plan to abduct Rayne and make him face his feelings and try to begin again. Julia isn’t sure Rayne really wants her, but Farring convinces her he’s hiding from feelings he’s afraid of.

Okay. That’s the basic setup of the novel. I won’t do spoilers. I like discovering novels and characters for myself and I think most of us do too. The premise is almost madness and yet interestingly managed. The arguments are wild and witty. The romance is splendidly erotic and yet sweet. This is a wonderful addition to the series and I just love to see how these damaged, but wonderful people can overcome all they’ve been through and find a happy life.

Grab yourself a good drink and maybe a snack, sit down for a great ride! Congratulations to author LaCapra on another wonderful story.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Heart’s Desire by Wendy LaCapra – Review

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Heart’s Desire by Wendy LaCapra – Review

 

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Description:
Lady Clarissa has decided to live life on her terms. After the end of a ten-year betrothal, she wants nothing to do with marriage or the men of the ton. Least of all her friend’s brother, the very charming Lord Markham, or Hearts, as many ladies call the oh-so-handsome earl.

Markham pursues relationships with no ties that bind. Acting the rake leaves everyone satisfied…until he overhears a wager that could lead to Clarissa’s ruin. He can’t help but step in and claim she’s his intended bride.

Clarissa is appalled. She did not need to be saved. Reluctantly, she agrees to the fake courtship, if only to experience what the rakish Markham can offer. But when lust becomes love, Clarissa must make up her own terms and bet it all on Hearts.

 

 

Review  

Heart’s Desire is the second book in the Lords of Chance series by author Wendy LaCapra.  It’s the story of Percival Stanley, the fifth Earl of Markham and Lady Clarissa Laithe, sister to Lord Rayne (a former friend of Percival’s).

Author LaCapra has woven a deep and enlightening story of perceptions. All people have perceptions of what their actions are, sometimes true and sometimes not as noble as they thought. Sometimes, situations are not what we thought, only what we perceived. All these things, especially in the society of the time period, are put together in very interesting and unique ways to bring the reader a rich experience and a very fun read.

I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, so read the description to get the basic idea of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the way it was presented. I think you’ll find it a wonderful read, full of fun, doubts and excitement.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy provided by Publisher

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Duchess Decadence by Wendy LaCapra – a Review

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Duchess Decadence by Wendy LaCapra – a Review

 

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Description:
Thea Worthington, Duchess of Wynchester divides her time between social engagements and playing her luck against fickle fortune. Yet every gamble is only a bluff—a means to hide from the pain deep within her, and the loss of a babe she never held in her arms. Now Thea’s luck is about to run out. Her estranged husband has returned and seeks a reunion…

Plagued with guilt over what happened to his wife three years ago, the Duke of Wynchester has kept his distance. The duke is resolved to piece his family back together, especially now that he’s discovered his beloved brother—long thought dead—still lives. But Thea’s lovely, porcelain facade is on the verge of cracking…spurred on by the duke’s brother’s secretive, malevolent animosity.

With everything riding on her future, Thea plays a daring game of chance for love and her marriage…and this time, the dice are most certainly rigged.


Review;

Duchess Decadence by Wendy LaCapra is book three of her Furies Series. This is the first book by Wendy LaCapra that I’ve read, and I wish I had read the first two books in this series before having read Duchess Decadence. There were times I felt a little lost regarding characters and back stories as I read this one. Right off the mark it’s made clear that Thea and Wyn have a history together, as well as a history with her Furies. From what I learned reading this book, the Furies are comprised of a group of women who to me seemed a head of their time. They weren’t the type of women to sit back and be dictated to by their husbands and men in general. They preferred to make their own ways, own decisions and pretty much do what they wanted whenever they wanted. I like these Furies.

As I said, there is much back story that I lacked having not read the entire series, so I tried to piece things together as best I could. Wendy did a good job at filling in the blanks for me as the story went along, but in my opinion I highly recommend that this series be read in order. I feel events, relationships and general storyline are tied together and carried on from book to book, and would’ve made more sense to me had I read the previous two books. However, that being said, I just plugged along and found the more I read, the more I enjoyed Thea and Wyn’s story. Their story is one of heartache, love lost, tragedy, angst, and second chances. Thea was a breath of fresh air in comparison to Wyn’s stuffy uptight personality. Wyn perfectly excuded the typical male of that time period where women are concerned. He constantly saw Thea as some delicate wall flower that could break at any moment if handled wrong, or worse, turn into some kind of hussy if exposed to too much ‘intimate relations’. No wonder poor Thea thought Wyn to be cold and without feeling in the beginning of their relationship. Wyn made me chuckle a few times as well was wanting to cuff him upside the head and tell him to wake up and really see his Thea Marie. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Thea would turn sly and flirty and ask Wyn to misbehave for her. I could see the look of shock on his face perfectly in my mind’s eye and chuckled every time. I really enjoyed their scenes together and getting to know this couple.

Ms. LaCapra has a writing style that’s easy to read, and has the story flowing effortlessly from one scene to the other. Her characters were well developed, and I could easily see and feel the tight bond of friendship the Furies have for one another. As well, the angst and feeling of time and love lost is real and palpable between Thea and Wyn. Ms. LaCapra seems to have a talent for bringing such feelings to the forefront and letting them pour off the pages as the story unfolds. The overall story and plot line are entertaining and have a little bit of suspense and danger surrounding our couple thanks to Wyn’s no longer dead brother Eustace. Now there’s a character I didn’t like from the get go. He gave me the creeps from his first moment on the scene, and I knew he was up to no good. How his brother Wyn was blind to this side of his brother is beyond me, but thankfully by books end Wyn grows a brain a figures things out. Yay for Wyn!!

In the end I did enjoy Duchess Decadence and getting to meet Thea and Wyn, along with her fellow Furies. I only wish I had met them sooner and read the first two books in this series. I may just have to go backwards now and read the first two books. I can plainly see why The Furies series is a hit for Wendy LaCapra. Looking forward to more from this author.

Until next time, Happy Reading everyone.

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

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