A Lady Never Surrenders by Sabrina Jeffries

Last but not least
5 stars

Celia Sharpe is the last unmarried Sharpe grandchild and has only 2 months to find a husband or her Gran plans to cut all of them off. Setting her sights on three eligible bachelors she plans to get a proposal, show that she can get married, cry off and still get the inheritance for her siblings.

Bow Street Runner, Jackson Pinter, has been hired to investigate Celia’s three suitors. But with Celia bedevilling Jackson both day and night, the last thing he wants to do is help her find a husband. But with danger lurking and passions stirring it doesn’t take long to realise that’s because he wants her for himself.

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This is the final book in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series following The Truth About Lord Stoneville, A Hellion in her Bed, How to Woo a Reluctant Lady and To Wed A Wild Lord. It’s probably not essential that you read the books in order but I would strongly suggest that you do simply to get the back story and to get to know the characters.

I’ve been looking forward to Celia and Pinter’s story since the first book as I do love a couple that start off with an antagonistic relationship that turns to love. The book didn’t disappoint and the pair still had that passion and spark with each other even once the relationship progressed.

We really got to know Jackson and I felt both his desire for Celia and his anxiety over the barriers to their happily ever after. Celia, too, was a fine character that I liked and rooted for. She was impulsive, feisty but still had sense and intelligence.

I liked the fact that the other characters from the previous books appeared although I would have liked a bit more interactions between the couples. Gran was also on fine form with her meddling although if I’m honest she really irritated me with her unwillingness to unbend when Celia was so obviously unhappy.

As the last book in the series we finally find out the answer to the mystery of the parents’ death. This could easily have overwhelmed the romance but I’m happy to say that it sat alongside it nicely. I was slightly underwhelmed by the solving of the mystery but that’s probably just because it’s been built up over the course of five books. It couldn’t have gone any other way and I was still satisfied.

Despite the couple of niggles I’m still giving this book 5 stars as the writing is superb, the characters come to life and it’s a fantastic end to a series that I have really enjoyed. I’m glad to see that some of the secondary characters are to get their own stories so although the series ends, hopefully the characters that I’ve grown to love will appear again.

How to Woo A Reluctant Lady by Sabrina Jeffries

Excellent Regency romance

4 stars

Lady Minerva Sharpe needs to come up with the perfect plan to thwart her grandmother’s plans to cut off her grandchildren unless they marry. And getting herself engaged to a rogue sounds like the perfect plan.

Giles Masters is an extraordinary barrister and a delicious scoundrel – the perfect man to make Gran rescind her plans. But Giles has other reasons for saying yes to Minerva’s proposal. He wants her to stop using him as inspiration for her gothic novels, and, he wants to find a way to finally get into her heart.

This is the third book in Jeffries’ Hellions of Halstead Hall series coming after The Truth About Lord Stoneville and A Hellion in Her Bed. I suppose that you could read the books independently of each other or out of order but they do have a common storyline of the mystery of the Sharpe parents deaths and I feel these books would be better being read in sequence.

This was Minerva’s story and as set up in the last two books, her hero is the delightful rake, Giles Masters. Both characters were well rounded and had great depth – Minerva as the strong woman and Giles as the seducer and rogue. They worked together well and I liked the chemistry between the couple.

The mystery of the death of Minerva’s parents is still to be solved and I assume that it will get a step closer in the next book which will be Gabe’s story (the beginning of which was started in this book).

I enjoyed the story in this book although I would have liked to see a little bit more interaction between Oliver and Maria and Jarret and Annabel from the previous books. It wasn’t the best or most engaging book I’ve ever read but I enjoyed it and it really captured by attention. If you’re looking for a fun Regency romance or are reading the Hellions series then I would recommend this book to you. 4 stars.

A Hellion In Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries

A great addition to the series

4 stars

Determined to get out of his grandmother’s scheme to see him and his siblings married or disinherited, gambler Lord Jarret Sharpe agrees to run his family’s brewery for a year and stay as a bachelor. But that doesn’t mean that he can resist one last wager with the tempting Annabel Lake.

Annabel is determined to save her family’s own brewery so she makes a scandalous wager. If she wins then Jarret must help her save her brewery but if he wins she’ll agree to a night in his bed. The outcome sets off a chain of events that will reveal long kept secrets and destroy the best laid plans. But who will end up gambling with their heart?

This is the second book in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series and while you probably don’t have to read the first one (The Truth about Lord Stoneville) before reading this one, I do think it will help with the back story of the Sharpe family and the ongoing plot of their parents deaths if you read them in order. The book that follows on from this one is How to Woo a Reluctant Lady.

I love Sabrina Jeffries and while I really enjoyed this book and the romance, it didn’t knock my socks off like I wanted it to. Having said that, both Jarret and Annabel are great characters and I really enjoyed their scenes together and rooted for them to work things out. They had good chemistry and there were some nice sensual moments throughout the story. The plot was interesting and never got bogged down in brewing terminology. I would have preferred it if Annabel’s ‘secret’ hadn’t overshadowed the final parts of the book but I still got a good, romantic conclusion which is always a good thing.

If you’re a fan of Sabrina Jeffries, are reading the Hellions of Hallstead Hall series or just want to read an engaging and engrossing romantic story then I would definitely recommend this one to you.

The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries

Engaging and well-written romance

4 Stars

Nineteen years ago, Oliver Sharpe, the future Marquess of Stoneville’s life changed when his parents died in mysterious circumstances. To survive the resulting scandal, Oliver resigned to live his life as an unrepentant rakehell. That was until his grandmother threatened to cut him off unless he settled down and wed.

In an effort to thwart his Gran’s plans, Oliver aims to bring home a fake fiancé fresh from a brothel. His plans go awry when he instead finds Maria Butterworth, a spirited young American who has come to England to search for her own errant fiancé. She’s far from the perfect fiancé but Oliver soon begins to realise she might be perfect for him.

This is the first in Jeffries new Hellions of Halstead Hall series focussing on five hell-raising brothers and sisters with a terrible scandal hanging over their heads. This first book focuses on the eldest brother and heir, Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville who has appeared as a bit character in a few of Jeffries’ previous novels.

I really enjoyed this story and the interactions between Oliver and Maria. Oliver is my favourite type of hero – tortured, brooding and in desperate need of the love of a good woman. I also really liked Maria who was spirited and naïve without ever becoming a stereotype. Their interactions were typical of Jeffries – full of wit and spirit. I could have done with a bit more emotion in the story but I’m willing to admit that I might have set my expectations too high as I really enjoy Sabrina Jeffries’ books and was very much looking forward to this one.

The story was interesting, engaging and never did the underlying plot of the tragedy (a plotline I’m sure will run through the whole series) overshadow the romance.

Overall, if you’re looking for a well-written romance with endearing characters and a good, sound plot then you can’t go wrong with this engaging story. 4 stars.