Review: Great Way To Try Out Some Authors
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 13, 2014
Wow... this is an interesting collection.  There are pretty angsty books in the middle, with broken alpha males, some crazy villains, and lots of hard-hitting emotional stuff.  If you're in the mood for complexity and a heavier focus on the crazy schemes of villains who want to keep two lovers apart, then those will fulfill that.  They're bookended but much lighter books (Thank goodness, because after the angst of the middle two, I desperately needed something cheerier and less emotionally heavy!) that are both really well done and pretty entertaining.  If you're looking to get to know some of these authors, this is a GREAT collection at a GREAT price, figure out what kind of writing most appeals to you and look up the rest of their works!1.  Unforgettable Rogue  - 4 stars -  I really liked this book.Alex was wonderfully strong, not to mention incredibly easy to relate to.  Bryce, on the other hand, made me want to kick him on a regular basis for being a bonedheaded idiot.  I know the story line needed the misinterpretations of each other's words/actions, but he was almost deliberately obtuse at times, more so than he needed to be.  It was extremely frustrating and eventually verged on annoying. What made it bearable was the fact that he'd obviously been emotionally abused by his father and then his insecurities and issues had been made worse by the war and his injuries.Fortunately, Bryce's thickheadedness is eventually of less importance than the events swirling around the characters.  There's more than just Alex and Bryce's story, there's also what's going on with her almost-husband (before Bryce revealed at the wedding that he wasn't dead), Bryce's niece Claudia who is a complete minx (and utterly delightful), and the rest of Bryce's family.  There's humor, heartache and machinations aplenty!2. A Lady By Chance - 3 stars - Too much unnecessary dramaI got a bit annoyed by this particular book.  Maybe my patience was already low from all the misunderstandings in Unforgettable Rogue, but I found the constant miscommunication and secrets in this book even more irksome.  Mostly because a lot of them seemed completely unnecessary and I was already tired of that.And I didn't like Anna or Haverstock as much as I like Alex and Bryce.  Haverstock in particular is just such a jerk sometimes.  And Anna occasionally behaves with remarkable stupidity, although that's fairly understandable because she's trusting people whom she believes to be trustworthy, but it's still annoying.  I think I just wanted her to be more clever than that.  Wow.  I'm only harping on the things I didn't like.  But there was plenty TO like, there really was - good writing, great flow, and you're happy when the characters finally get their HEA, it just seems to take awhile to get there.3. Salt Bride - 3 stars -  GOODNESSWow... if I thought there was crazy drama in the previous two books... Jane and Lord Salt are forced to marry and the situation is exceedingly complex.  Not only that, but it's even more complicated than either of them realize.  There's a wicked villainess in the form of Lady St. John, and some wonderful side characters in the form of Sir Anthony and Jane's brother Tom.Lady St. Salt was almost too crazily bad to be believed, Lord Salt almost too obtuse to be attractive, and Jane too weak/passive/good to be tolerated.  On the other hand, the writing was SO good that I got caught up in the story anyway, even though it was almost too angsty to be enjoyable.  I ended up deciding against getting the next book, Salt Redux, partly because I'm perfectly happy with the way this one ended and partly because I just don't think I can handle it at this point.  I'm sick of Lady St. John and I don't want to read about her anymore.  I like that Jane and Lord Salt got their HEA at the end of this book, and I don't need to read Salt Redux to find out what happens with the other characters, since it's also just going to bring back more drama into their lives.4. Scandalous Virtue - 5 starsBrenda Hiatt is one of my favorite authors so I'd already read this one, but it's a great way to end this little collection.  Unlike some of the previous brides, Nessa really IS a bit scandalous and she's also fabulous.  Her parents were super into propriety, so was her (late) husband, and so is her sister... even though she's now living with her sister, Lady Creamcroft, she's determined to grab life by the short hairs and really LIVE.  After the angst of the middle two books, this is MUCH more light-hearted, although just as complex.  No villains here, just a hero and a heroine at cross purposes who find themselves incredibly attracted to each other.Nessa wants some adventure and romance and never to marry again, Jack NEEDS a respectable wife and to turn over a new leaf, and watching the sparks fly is just fantastic.And because the entire collection was only 99 cents, it didn't bother me that I'd already bought one of the books before.  It was fun to read some new authors, even if they were a little heavy for me,