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Lily Loring is the more impetuous, daring, and tomboyish sister in direct contrast to her tall, elegant sisters Arabella and Roslyn and decides that marriage isn’t for her. She wants to be an independent woman, and now that her former guardian Marcus has relinquished control over her and given her an income she wants to live life the way she wants.

While at Arabella’s wedding ball she meets Heath Griffin, the Marquess of Claybourne, and instantly they feel a mutual attraction for each other. Lily is wary of her feelings as she doesn’t trust men in general, witnessing her father’s infidelities against her mother and seeing how much pain it put her, and the family, through. She doesn’t understand how Heath could be attracted to her as she is adamant in her refusal of him despite her own attraction for him. This doesn’t deter Heath as he finds she is a challenge and is different than any other woman he’s met and he is intrigued by her bold and outspoken ways, very different from the rest of the aristocratic ladies of the ton. In desperation, Lily flees her former guardian’s country estate for London and takes refuge in a boardinghouse for courtesans, but the Marquess of Claybourne follows her.

I found this book refreshing and a light romance. I liked how the hero wanted and pursued the heroine from the very start. He doesn’t have a fear of commitment, and although he was something of a rake before he met Lily, his realization that she’s different and he may want more from her doesn’t scare or frustrate him. He’s not too much of an alpha hero, although he is strong and doesn’t back down. Not to mention he is determined in his pursuit of Lily, yet he is always honorable to her. He makes it plain from the start he is not trying to ruin her reputation, but he wants to do it the “right” way and court her to get to know her better to see if they could be compatible for marriage.

It was a relief to read a hero that wasn’t feeling forced and prodded to accept the heroine. In this book, the hero has to try to woo the heroine and make her want him. The heroine is the one that doesn’t want a commitment with the hero. There were a few times where I grew frustrated with Lily and thought to myself, “Girl, just give in!”, but it was amusing to read the banter between Lily and Heath and to see how futile her attempts at resisting her attraction to him were. I especially enjoyed the little “game” they decided to play, a little competition that Lily allowed in which Heath was given opportunity to use his charm to win her over to him.

A very entertaining regency romance book!

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The third book in the courtship war series pairs up the youngest Loring sister Lily (an anti-marriage minded & free spirited independent) with the charming & lovable Heath.

Although well written, I had several problems with this book. First the unbelievable; I can ALMOST accept the fact that Lily is so dead set against marriage due to her parents disastrous union. Obviously she has some deep seeded scars. So what would it take to convince her (or any woman skeptical for that matter) to wed? Seeing her two sisters find true love and happiness? CHECK. Have a handsome & rich man pursue you with honorable intentions? CHECK. Being extremely attracted to said man? CHECK. Have said man declare he loves you and finds you extremely attractive? CHECK. Be in love with or as close as you have been to said man? CHECK. Have said man declare that he would be faithful? CHECK. And, AND have said man declare that you wants you just the way you are? CHECK. Oh, and he has a title to boot! CHECK. Well, thats just not good enough for Lily! Because the crazy woman still says no.

I really loved Heath and admired him for his unrelenting pursuit and putting up with Lily. And its only because of him that I gave the book three stars. Lily, on the other hand, rather quickly becomes annoying and childish. Frankly, if I were Heath, I would have thrown in the towel long ago. If for anything, then for pride’s sake. The man had to practically grovel. And while its nice to see an hard/aggressive hero grovel after some heinous treatment of the heroine, its depressing to see a NICE hero do the same for no apparent reason.

And once *AGAIN* another author seems to take historical conventions and throw them out the window! I’m sorry but if your family is trying to REBUILD their reputation then you DO NOT go to stay at courtesan’s house. You DO NOT give etiquette lessons to prostitutes. You DO NOT attend a masked ball designed for these women to find protectors. And if you were found out? You would be ruined and your family tainted. The end!

So, though I really loved Heath and the writing is pretty good, I can’t recommend this book. The heroine is too irritating and the believability is beyond what I can accept for this time period. I would recommend the second book in the series instead. Both the H/H are lovable and plot is more plausible.

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Heath Griffin, Marquess of Claybourne, is known as a rake and a seducer among the ladies of the ton. Heath’s reputation as a lover of women precedes him, and he never thought that he would voluntarily sit down before he met Lily. He finds himself captivated by her independent nature, sharp tongue, and quick wit. Heath quickly decides he’d like to court Lily, only to learn that she’s gone into hiding to avoid his attention. When he finds her, Heath decides to court the lady–willing or no–and make her his bride.

To Seduce a Bride is the third book in Nicole Jordan’s Courtship Wars series, following To Pleasure a Lady (Courtship Wars, Book 1) and To Bed a Beauty (Courtship Wars, Book 2). It is also by far the worst book in the series. Lily is an exasperating heroine, and while I wouldn’t go as far as labeling her too stupid to live, she was most definitely too exasperating to enjoy. From the very beginning she was against marriage. I can understand that. In the Regency era, marriage was the equivalent to signing your life away for a woman, and I can understand her wanting the choice to be her own. But after Heath proved himself countless times, risked his neck for her, helped her friends, and did anything she asked of him, and she still refused to believe that he could be in love with her I almost wished that she were real so that I could slap some sense into her. From the beginning of this series Lily has been set up as the most independent Loring sister, the one who lamented the loss of her sisters and vowed never to marry herself. So I can respect the fact that she remained consistent. But I can’t respect the fact that she wanted to have her cake and eat it too while leaving this gallant, chivalrous suitor with what amounted to a few crumbs of her leftovers. I didn’t like her and because of that it was like pulling teeth to make myself finish this book.

The Courtship Wars series was, until this point, okay. The other two books were good, not great, but they were satisfying enough as a whole. This book put me in a bad mood with its infuriating heroine and I think I might have to read some old school Julie Garwood or Johanna Lindsey to pull myself out of the funk that I’m in. Take my advice and steer clear of this last book in the series, which does more to hurt the trilogy than to help it.

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Also, I felt this book was a rehash of the last two books. It’s the same plot re-written for the third time. I suppose that’s what I am having the most difficulty with. All three noblemen speak the same, calling their ladies the same endearments such as sweeting. Now I like the term, but it’s good only one time. Each of the three male characters should have been developed to be distinct.

Also, when reading this trilogy I had the feeling I was reading a mix of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Even some of Jane’s famous phrases were used, and that’s ok. They were common terms for that time period, but the rest of the book seems more like a modern piece set in the early 19th century.

All in all, the trilogy is a quick read, has good love scenes, except they resemble each other from book to book, especially the taking of the heroine’s virginity, and you will like the hero very much. It is because of the hero that this book gets 3 stars. I really liked them. If my review were based on the heroine, it would have been only one.

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Worst of all, the characters are flat, one-dimensional, and irritating. The story never comes alive because the characters aren’t vivid and real. Or even likable. Caden knows that Sydney is his mate but he not only doesn’t want a mate, he doesn’t want to be drug into any part of the magic kingdom. And who can blame him? In Black’s world a wizard and witch mate and if they lose their mate they can’t function at all. They must have sex with each other to get energy. Without it they die. So Caden runs around dithering all the time because he is transitioning so needs to have lots of sex with Sydney but he can’t kiss her or he’ll mate with her but he wants to kiss her but he can’t, but he really really wants to…..Yes, it’s just that irritating. And so is he. He comes off as weak, fearful, and pathetic.

Sydney is even worse. She is the Queen of Too Stupid To Live. Everyone keeps telling her that she is in danger but all she cares about is getting the story so she can be a big success. Even after she finds out that magic is real and is told that nothing she has seen can be revealed to the human world or she puts all magickind in jeopardy she doesn’t care. She just wants the story and that Pulitzer no matter what. She bulls her way into one danger after another because she refuses to listen to anyone. About anything. I found myself wishing someone would kill her because she really deserved it.

There was a lot of wand waving and teleporting and battles that no one really won. There was a magic book that you could write your sexual fantasy in and it would come true in a couple of days. Unfortunately the bad guy wants to write the end of the world in it but that’s another story. This should have been a good book. It wasn’t. Included was a chapter of the next book in the series. I won’t be reading it.

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Wizard chief Bram Rion directs Caden to learn anyway he can what nosy tabloid reporter Sydney Blair of Out of This World knows about the magical species. He assumes very little, but Caden is stunned when he observes Sydney receive as a “gift” the stolen Doomsday Diary that used by the wrong people like Mathias will destroy the Brethren. Caden knows he must retrieve the diary, but also believes the current owner is his probable soul mate.

The latest Doomsday Brethren romantic urban fantasy (see TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS) is a great entry due to Caden’s predicament; handled deftly by Shayla Black. He understands the mission, but also wonders what will happen to any potential relationship with his mate when he steals the tome because he will do his job as the alternative is worse. Either way he feels personally doomed. With a strong female lead, a despondent brother, a bossy head wizard and a diabolical villain to round out Caden’s feeling of hopelessness, fans will relish this strong thriller as the prodigal wizard returns home to face danger from without, from within and mostly from his soulmate.

Harriet Klausner

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Seduce Me In Shadow is the 2nd book in the bold new series of the Doomsday Brethren, but it can be easily read by itself. Let me start by saying this is a fantastic series that you DO NOT want to MISS!! I think the best part of this series is that it also includes several side stories that include an incredible cast that are captivating to read. I can only hope this author plans to continue her series past 3 books!! But although this is a complicated series, Seduce Me in Shadow can actually be read easily by itself. (Although I would highly recommend reading Tempt Me with Darkness first to make the experience more satisfying.)

In Seduce Me In Shadows we meet Caden and Sydney.

Caden has hated magic ever since he was young and in rebellion left to America. But now he’s back in England on a mission to save his brother Lucan. Lucan is part of a powerful and elite group of magical men called the Doomsday Brethren with a mission to save the world. Lucan’s mate is a witch who was kidnapped violently. Without her to stabilize him, Lucan is slowly going insane. Despondent and desperate Caden finally catches a break when he discovers a tabloid that is printing stories exposing the Doomsday Brethren and their magical world to humans. He wonders if the informant is a lead to Lucan’s mate, Anka. Either way Caden knows he must investigate if only to quell the dangerous leak from spreading. To infiltrate the tabloid he poses as a photographer. However he doesn’t count on being attracted to Sydney Blair, the reporter and main lead to Anka. Even as Caden tries to persuade Sydney to tell him her source she befuddles his mind and shatters his already shaky control. Something he doesn’t need as he realizes he is undergoing the traumatic change into a wizard. (The same transformation where all wizards also undergo a frenzied sexual marathon!)

Sydney Blair knows she is onto a powerful story. And the tempting and sexy Caden doesn’t fool her. She knows he is after her source but she isn’t about to jeopardize her informant and compromise her budding career. But magical and mysterious things occur when she is around Caden and soon she finds her fantastic story might be not only be true but that knowing the truth may lead to her death.

Who are the real allies? The plot twists and turns as new and unexpected revelations unfold. Shayla Black is not afraid to go against normal stereotypes in her story line which makes it: grittier, real and very compelling. We see the darker side of our heroes and what their vulnerabilities can make them do. I also enjoyed the clever interplay between all the characters. I especially loved the section where Caden is trying to seduce Sydney without actually seducing her to find her informant. In this scene, Sydney tries to drive Caden crazy and lose his cool control. Go, Sydney!

Shayla Black is an extremely strong writer, while writing secondary characters most authors often loose the intensity and focus of the story. But in this case the secondary characters drove the story enriching it to even higher levels of tension. I really felt the characters had known each other for a long time and had an intricate history that I wanted to unravel. In fact, I found I enjoyed the complex cast of secondary characters even more intriguing than the main ones! I am particularly interested in Bram and his mysterious mate who disappeared and is slowly driving him insane. The incredible love triangle between: Shock , Lucan and Anka. And the unrelieved sexual tension between Sabelle and Ice. I felt deeply attached to her characters even the villains. Shalya Black leaves tantalizing glimpses that kept me in delicious suspense as I eagerly await her next installment!

Shayla Black’s combination of intricate storytelling adds to the drama and tension of this dazzling series. And will make you long for the next book as soon as you finish the prior one. I cannot stress how amazing this book is, so do not miss it!

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club