Confessions of a Viscount by Shirley Karr

The Naked Truth . . .

Alistair, Viscount Moncreiffe, must confess: He is thoroughly bored with the proper ladies of the ton. The rogue longs for an adventurous beauty who will make his world more . . . interesting. So Alistair is delighted when fiery, fearless Charlotte Parnell literally drops into his arms—and he's quick to tender a marriage proposal when they are discovered in this scandalous position.

Better a Spy Than a Bride . . .

Charlotte wishes to continue spying for the Crown alongside her brother, who thinks she should marry instead. Now she's determined to solve a most important and dangerous case before he does. But a misstep on a London rooftop has landed her in Viscount Moncreiffe's embrace—and she is intrigued by the handsome rake's offer of matrimony. With a fiancé by her side, she'll arouse fewer suspicions—and she'll end the engagement once her mission is completed. But will Alistair's disarming passion inspire Charlotte to uncover the most astonishing secret of all: the love hidden deep in her heart?

This is the third Shirley Karr book that I have read, the other two being What an Earl Wants and Kiss from a Rogue.

Once again, this was an enjoyable historical romance. We first met Alistair in Kiss from a Rogue, where he was featured as one of the friends of Tony Sinclair.
Alistair's prime method of enjoying himself seems to be to spend time watching the stars. Having slipped away during a ball to star gaze, he suddenly finds his arms full of the lovely Charlotte Parnell. Unfortunately, he is caught in this seemingly indecent position (although nothing had happened) by his father, and it seems there is no option but to become engaged.

For Charlotte, having a fiance should make it easier to be able to go out and about without nosy chaperones, especially when the said fiance is prepared to become involved in her adventures. For Charlotte is determined to prove to her spy brother and his boss that she has what it takes to become a top spy on her own merits. She has no intention of actually going through with the marriage to Alistair, so it is very inconvenient when she starts having feelings for him.

For the most part, this was a very entertaining tale, and interesting in that it was Charlotte who was the spy as opposed to Alistair. There were times when the speculation about who had the snuff box that she was supposed to be recovering got a bit much, because if the snuff box fell into the wrong hands then it could be diplomatically disastrous for both then English royals and those of a fictional country the name of which escapes me right now!

Alistair was lovely - a man who was prepared to stand by his woman, no matter what hare brained scheme she was involved in. Charlotte was pretty spunky, although at times she did do some silly things in the name of spying, but in the end I suppose that was supposed to be part of her charm.

I am now all caught up with the released by this author I think. If I see something about a new book from her, I will be at least interested enough to take a look at it!

Rating 3.5/5

Kiss From a Rogue by Shirley Karr

A woman of the night . . .

Her inherited estate is bankrupt, but Lady Sylvia Montgomery will never allow the townsfolk who depend on her to starve. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the plucky beauty reluctantly assumes the leadership of a smuggling operation—a mantle that fits her surprisingly well. However, the perilous enterprise may be more than one resourceful, genteel lady can manage alone. Luckily, help is on the way—in a most deliciously enticing masculine form!

A rogue in training . . .

Stripped of all familial responsibilities when his brother, the earl, returns from war, Anthony Sinclair has decided to become a rakehell. His pursuit of pleasure has led him to a village with a secret—and to an intoxicating lady involved in criminal activities. By rights, he should simply seduce the wench, have his way with her, then vanish. But the bewitching Sylvia has captured Tony's heart. And to win her love he will join her in turbulent and dangerously exciting waters where no true rake would ever venture.

I originally read Shirley Karr's What an Earl Wants when she was Author of the Month for one of the groups that I am in. When I noticed that this was at the library I thought I would give it another go, not realising that in effect it was a follow up from the first book. Tony Sinclair is the brother of the hero in What an Earl Wants.

I am tempted to say that there was nothing new in this book that I haven't read before, but then as I think about it a bit more there actually were some unique elements. Having said that all the parts that weren't completely original were very well written and overall the book was an entertaining read. Entertaining enough for me to want to read the next book which is another spinoff from this book I believe.

Sylvia was a bit of a doormat, but mostley because she loved the people who surroundered her and felt responsible for them and so would do absolutely anything to help them. The cast of secondary characters was quite large but they were all quite distinct characters who didn't merge into each other in the way that secondary characters sometimes do.

I really liked Tony. Then again...I am always quite partial to a good looking hero!!!

I originally finished this book on 5 December.

Rating 4/5

What an Earl Wants by Shirley Karr

Shirley Karr was author of the month in, I don't know, about July in my Historical Romance Chat yahoo group - I'm only a few months late! LOL!

What's a lord to do?

The devilishly attractive Earl of Sinclair is having trouble holding onto servants, what with so many of them pairing up and running off to be wed. Luckily, his able new secretary, J. Quincy, seems scrupulously loyal, and possesses the invaluable ability to flawlessly forge the master's signature. But imagine Sinclair's surprise when he discovers the "J" stands for "Josephine." His cherished employee is, in actuality, a quite delectable lady in disguise!

Jo desperately needs this position, and never actually lied about her gender—though she didn't expect Sinclair's keen eye to expose the truth so quickly. If the ton finds out, the scandal could be devastating. But Jo believes she can still be of service to the dashing lord. The greatest difficulty, however, will be keeping her mind on business with Sinclair standing so tantalizingly, intoxicatingly close. And what this earl wants, he usually gets!

I'm going to state straight up that I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5, but as I sit here thinking about what to write I can't help but think I have been a bit harsh, and yet.....not really.

The thing is that I have read most of this book, or more precisely the ideas in this book, more than once before and it didn't feel really fresh at all. There are some authors who can write cliches and they are still fresh as a daisy, and others where it doesn't. That's not to say that this book wasn't enjoyable, because it was. The relationship was satisfying enough. Maybe my issue was really about the pacing which was quite up and down. There were long parts of the books where the characters were gallivanting around the place, and then long stretches where there was little movement, because Sinclair had to recover from his injuries.

I don't think I really get the whole woman dressed as a man thing either - a gorgeous woman isn't recognisable at all when dressed as a man. Hmmm. The other thing was that Jo was one of those heroines who has given up all hope of a future because she is making sacrifices for her family. Yes, it undoubtedly happens, but it was laid on a little thick for my liking!

I didn't dislike this book at all really. There were some fun ideas in it, like the fact that the heroes staff kept on pairing up and leaving him. I liked it enough to have already got the author's next book out of the library...it just wasn't exceptional for me.