Robyn DeHart

Robyn DeHart's latest installment in The Legend Hunters series fully lives up to the great start the first book, Seduce Me brought. Full of passion, intrigue, and a good deal of suspense, DESIRE ME, is a great pick for anyone looking for a great romance.This book begins in 1873 with our hero, Maxwell Barrett in his teenage years. Determined to prove himself and his theories, he sets out to find the fabled map of Atlantis. If he can prove the existence of this mysterious city, he will be able show more to prove that he's not just some crazy loon, but rather a person worthy of recognition. I have to say that the prologue, with young Max, was one of my favorite aspects of the book. This is a fairly simple section of the book, only spanning a few hours in Max's life. Still, it is so packed with action and suspense that by the end of it there was no question that I would be reading the rest of the book. Ms. DeHart is not an author that strings you along for a while, making you sit and wait for the action to pick up. No, rather, she gives it to you right from the beginning. She hooks the reader and quickly gets our adrenaline pumping as we wait to see if our hero of the book is going to live or die. Seriously - the prologue was fabulous.I'm sure we've all read a book before where the prologue or first chapter totally hook the reader. It's full of action or mystery and there is just no question that you'd read the rest of the book. Then you turn to the next chapter...and it all just falls flat. So much energy was put into perfecting that first hook that the rest of the story seems to suffer. Well, I'm thrilled to tell you that DESIRE ME is not one of these books. Ms. DeHart pulls us into the action from the start and continues the wild pace of her adventure through to the last page.As the story progresses, we learn more about Max and get to meet the heroine of our book. There is a bit of mysticism surrounding Sabine as she discovers that she is a descendant of Atlantis. Along with her aunts, she is charged with protecting its secrets, but when a prophecy and a darker evil arises that threatens to destroy all they've worked for, Sabine has to fight to discover the city first. Teaming up with Max in a sometimes uneasy alliance, the two race to find Atlantis before the force that is leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake.Max and Sabine's relationship was wonderfully passionate and created a good deal of food for thought. While the two have an obvious spark between them, what will happen if they find Atlantis? Will their growing romance get in the way of unraveling the mysteries of Max's map? Will they both end up dead before either their mission or romance come to fruition?DESIRE ME is perfect for any reader looking for a hint of magic combined with a beautiful romance and spine tingling suspense. My only suggestion would be to make sure that you're sitting in a comfortable spot because, as I learned, you'll most likely end up sitting on the edge of your seat throughout the book and that can have dire consequences for your tailbone. show less

After finding her fiance in a compromising position with another woman, the scholarly Vanessa Pembrooke abandons her wedding plans and heads to Scotland in search of proof that the Loch Ness monster once existed. After a precarious situation at a local pub, Vanessa suddenly finds herself "accidentally" married to Graeme Langford, Duke of Rothmore.

Graeme is a member of The Men of Solomon's, a secret group of treasure hunters who study myths and legends. Graeme's quest is to find The Stone of show more Destiny, and Vanessa is thrilled to discover her new husband shares her love of adventure. Hot on their tail is a dastardly treasure hunter called The Raven who has his sight set on acquiring the precious stone himself - at any cost.

Treasure Me was an exciting Victorian-era adventure with plenty of action, danger and a bit of romance along the way. Vanessa was truly the star of the book. She was smart, skilled and independent. She was a scientist and a scholar, determined to be taken seriously in a man's world. You have to respect a woman who sees calling off her wedding over a cheating fiance as more free time to search for fossils! The story's main focus was on the quest to locate The Stone of Destiny, and Vanessa and Graeme's romance was somewhat overshadowed. Still, there was a strong connection between the two characters, and it only grew stronger.

A fast-paced plot and interesting characters blended with Scottish legends made Treasure Me an enchanting tale. This is the final book in Robyn DeHart's Legend Hunters trilogy, though it can be read stand-alone. I have not read the first two books yet, and I never felt lost. Of course, because I enjoyed this one so much, I have some catching up to do with the rest of the series! show less

I was exploring the Regency genre when I stumbled upon the "Rogue of My Heart" anthology. Before diving into a new genre, I often pick an anthology as it allows me to get to know several authors at once. If one author's style doesn't resonate, I can move on to the next story. However, with this anthology, every author gained my love.

The title of the anthology was most intriguing—"Rogue," implying scandalous behavior—and it certainly delivered with all the wicked women who refused to show more follow social norms. Each story portrays the female characters as intelligent women who shape their own futures without depending on men. They go after what they want with determination and wit.

Here's a quick review of each story:

"A Marriage Most Convenient" by Robynn DeHart: I loved the suspenseful tale of the thief Jack of Hearts, who steals a kiss from his sister's best friend. The blend of romance and intrigue kept me hooked.

"Passion's Lasting Promise" by Amanda Mariel: This story was beautifully nostalgic, set in an enchanting castle where the lore of the old castle intertwines with the character in regency years. However, I felt the story would have been stronger without the last chapter.

"A Lady's Guide to Marriage" by Tabetha Waite: A touching later-in-life second-chance romance that features a couple after 25 years of marriage. It offers a unique perspective on lasting love and the obstacles that arise with increased time together.

"I Kissed an Earl" by Mary Farmer: This story features a pair made in hell with Lucifer himself playing as their matchmaker. The chemistry and conflict between the characters was delightfully engaging.

"Tempting the Scoundrel" by Tracy Sumner: Though less scandalous, this innocent love story served as a perfect introduction to the anthology. It was tender and heartwarming.

"Loving My Wicked Rogue" by Dawn Brower: While I didn't appreciate the actions of the MMC, I loved his character arc. There was a lot of doubt in FMC and I loved it. MMC's journey, and the understanding that his actions have consequences, added depth and complexity to the story.

Overall, this anthology is a delightful read, full of mischief. It's a perfect for a summer escape. However, it does come with some content warnings: pregnancy, death, and childbirth, which might be sensitive for some readers.

"Rogue of My Heart" is an amazing collection of six stories from talented authors that explore themes of rogues, mischief, and scandalous behavior. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating Regency romance experience. show less

Amelia Watersfield is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. It's 1892 and the stories are presently being serialized in newspapers throughout London. Swept up in the craze, Amelia founds, with her three friends, the Lady's Amateur Sleuth Society. They don’t really do much. But they love the Sherlock Holmes stories, the fantasy and thrill of mystery and detection. Fiction blurs with fact when a real life crime occurs in Amelia's own home. Her father’s favorite ancient artifact, a bust of Nefertiti show more that also has sentimental value, is stolen. The father is devastated by the loss. He's one of those doddering, senile parents that are practically a prerequisite in romances, but actually Amelia’s relationship with her father, in which she takes care of him more than the other way around, doesn’t seem too forced or annoying.

And I actually like Amelia herself. She's a very sunny, bright, happy person, but I don't want to strangle her after the first page. For all her youthful cheerfulness, she’s just barely saved from being a one dimensional Pollyanna by the genuine friendships and relationships that surround her – such as her love for her father and her three friends of the Lady’s Amateur Sleuth Society. They each represent a set character type, but their friendship still manages to be compelling. Though it is very hard for me to accept that Amelia’s a 24 year old spinster. More like a silly, but endearingly so, teenager or something. Even though her naïveté is shown up repeatedly throughout the book, even though her optimism and blind faith in the goodness of others does get her in trouble a couple of times, she’s not exactly stupid. She always tries to learn from her mistakes, so A for effort I guess. And she actually proves herself very intelligent and useful when it comes to trying to solve the case of the missing Nefertiti bust.

Enter Colin Brindley, the private inspector called in to help recover the artifact. He’s a stiff upper lip, repressed sort, lonely and gruff, and doesn’t think much of the case itself. Formerly of Scotland Yard, he’s trying to strike out and found his own investigative agency. He’s also something of a scientist in that he’s got some “research” going on, trying to devise a better way of more accurately identifying criminals – what will one day be known as fingerprinting. He condescends to Amelia and the case at first, but he can’t afford to turn away clients at this stage, so he resigns himself to going through the motions of what he perceives as a farce. He certainly doesn’t want Amelia’s help, but she’s nothing if not determined, and it’s fun to see how she gradually works him over to her side and gets what she wants. She’s a bit star struck by the good detective, who, in her eyes, seems like her hero Sherlock come to life.

Things progress beyond first impressions and infatuation, fortunately, and Amelia and Colin’s relationship is interesting to follow in this respect. Colin has some baggage – he’s scared of his feelings and all that rot, afraid of being a legitimate Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde and going crazy with his passions if he lets himself feel anything at all. It sounds a bit extreme and melodramatic, and it is, but he's so befuddled and distressed with regards to his growing obsession with Amelia, and strives so valiantly but helplessly to fight his feelings for her, that I'm completely won over by him. He's a unique character in his own right, and he and Amelia are very cute together. And Amelia, for her part, is also very cute in how excited she is be involved in a real live detective mystery. They have chemistry, communicate well together, and make a good team, each complimenting the other nicely. I would have liked the book even better if Colin’s baggage had been handled with a little more finesse. The resolution to his issues with his hang-ups was too swift and pat, and the whole fear of his feelings thing seemed very simplistic, even dumbed down. Besides this issue, though, A Study in Scandal was enjoyable, and even had me laughing at some parts. A very quick, light read. show less