Defy Not the Heart

Defy Not the Heart (Shefford's Knights #1) By: Johanna Lindsey
"Reina seethes with rage over her fate: taken captive by the knight Ranulf -- a golden giant of a man -- who has pledged to deliver her to the nuptial bed of the despised Lord Rothwell. She will never accept such bondage -- and Reina offers herself to her kidnapper instead, offering to make Ranulf a great lord...if he agrees to wed her.But the brave knight desires much more than a marriage of convenience from this proud, headstrong lady who treats him with scorn yet makes his blood run hotter than liquid fire. She must come to him of her own free will -- or Ranulf will take her. For the passion that consumes them both cannot long be denied -- even though gravest peril surely awaits them on the heart's trail to a destines and turbulent love" --Description from Goodreads
Another Johanna Lindsey novel! This one much, much better than the last I read, Let Love Find You. This book was really refreshing for many reasons, starting with the fact that it's set in 1192. It was so nice to read a historical romance novel without any talk of a season or the ton. Once in a while it might be nice, but most of the time it's just like, We get it. The young lady about to come out into society needs an awesome set of new clothes, a sponsor, chaperons  and to avoid scandal at all costs. Gets pretty boring. This book has none of that. Yes, Reina needs a husband. Not because she doesn't want end up an old maid, but to stop people from trying to take Clydon. So when Ranulf (a super hot Knight) kidnaps her to take her to someone just like that, Reina chooses him to marry instead. Ranulf has money and the man power to offer Clydon the protection it needs. Something else that was refreshing about this book was the love scenes. I hate when a couple hates each other, or is just totally indifferent, and then they have sex and it's like "You're the love of my life! I knew it all along!" In this book Reina and Ranulf don't do that. At all. They have sex to consummate the marriage, yeah, but it doesn't change the way they feel about each other instantly. It's awkward and realistic. Probably exactly what you would expect from two random people having sex for the first time. It only starts to get good when they start to actually care about each other. I think that's awesome. While all of this is great, my absolute favorite part of this book is the way Ranulf's character matures so well. The way he changes in response to the way Reina makes him feel is adorable. I felt like a total weirdo reading this book between classes, because I was just sitting their with this huge grin on my face when he would do something so caring. The only problem (and really, It's minor) is the way Reina's supposed to be punished by Ranulf when she disobeys him. But the book was set 821 years ago, so I guess that's what you get. So I TOTALLY recommend this book. Try it out and let me know what you think! Or maybe leave a comment with a book recommendation :) My Rating:

Let Love Find You

Let Love Find You (#4 In the Reid Family Series) By: Johanna Lindsey
"London society has its very own Cupid. Renowned horse breeder and occasional matchmaker Devin Baldwin pairs eligible young ladies with suitable gentlemen based on his theory of animal magnetism. Unafraid of ruffling the ton’s feathers, this darkly handsome Cupid doles out tips for bettering one’s chances of meeting a mate that are as pointed as the love legend’s sharpest arrows! Lovely Amanda Locke, the daughter of a duke, is everything a nobleman could desire, yet she enters her third Season still searching for a match. Gossipmongers’ tongues are wagging, and her mystified family is considering drastic measures to find her a husband. But the insufferable advice of this Cupid fellow is the last thing Amanda wants. When an earl passionate about horses becomes the target of her husband hunt, Amanda knows it’s time to overcome her fear of riding. With her sister-in-law Ophelia hastening the romance along by arranging riding lessons, Amanda is soon taking instruction from infuriating Devin Baldwin. Astonishingly, in her daily encounters with Devin—who treats her as an ordinary young woman, not a prize to be won at the marriage mart—Amanda experiences passion for the first time. Now, her search for a match takes her in an unexpected direction as she finds herself falling in love with Cupid himself."  -- Description from Goodreads
Okay, I love romance novels and I love Johanna Lindsey. Once I got out of school for winter break I got about twenty of her books from the library, and just read them like the world really was going to end before 2013. Thankfully, it didn’t, and I got through almost all of her books. I love the Malory family series, so I was really excited to start the Reid series. Another wonderful family I can’t get enough of? Not so much. This is the fourth in the Reid Family series (the second I’ve read), and, while I didn’t hate it, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Complaint #1: So. Much. Dialogue. Seriously. Have you ever had a conversation with someone where they just have this endless monologue to explain every detail of their past? Or even the past few days since you've last seen them? Yeah, no one has. It makes this book so annoying and unbelievable. Instead of taking the time to realistically develop a relationship between Amanda and Devin, Lindsey decides to fill the book with boring chatter about stuff that doesn't matter at all. I just read pages upon pages of dialogue that bored me almost to the point of not finishing the book. Complaint #2: I wasn't left wanting more. You know when you get a crush on someone, and you go out of your way to make sure you get to see them at least a little whenever you can? This usually translates into books, too. I start to fall for the hero, and keep reading getting so excited anytime the couple gets together. However, I really didn't like Amanda, and therefore didn't care if she ended up with Devin. He was so nice and smart, and she was came off as a total brat. Plus they went from being disgusted with each other to being in love in no time at all. Not falling in lust. In love. I couldn't buy it. Overall, I give this book three stars. For effort. I certainly will keep reading Johanna Lindsey, but hopefully won't get the impression once more that she's just trying to reach a word count in her book. My Rating: