Jennifer St. Giles

A sweet twist on the Grinch scenario. Gordon bottles up his anger and resentment along with loneliness and pain to the point where his bitterness overshadows everything that has importance in his life. Holly is the optimist that turns his life upside down and pulls him kicking and screaming into the magical season of hope, charity and faith. Maybe even love. I am not normally a fan of stories with Grinch or Scrooge like characters but there was something so compelling about Gordon that I show more couldn't look away. Deck the Hearts exposes what an open heart and open mind can do for the soul and the difference one action can make in the lives of others. show less

4.5 stars

Wow. I picked this one up cold, having no expectations whatsoever. Okay, that's not true. There's a half-nekkid man on the cover and a wolf in the background--that along with the title made me think "werewolf romance"--just a wild guess.

In fact, that's one of my few quibbles with this story--it's a bit of false advertising. Yes, the hero does shapeshift, but that's not the main point of the story. Or rather, it's not your typical werewolf story, which is what I was show more expecting.

Instead, it's more comparable to Angela Knight's Mageverse. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Erin Morgan is confused, frightened, and on the run after discovering that the doctor she worked for, who she thought was working on an innovative cancer cure, is actually a murderer. Then her car is hit by a creature that's subsequently attacked and driven off by a wolf. She crashes, passes out, and when she wakes up, there's a naked man on the hood of her car.

Jared is the Shadowman who, in wolf form, protected her from the Tsara that attacked her. Unfortunately, in defending her, he was bit himself, and the poison from the Tsara's bite will spread until he becomes Tsara himself, dependent on the blood of humans, especially a particular kind of human--the Elan, like Erin.

Erin's torn between two goals: help Jared, who's injured and apparently feverish, and expose Dr. Cinatas. Jared's goal is to protect Erin, not only from the Tsara, but from himself and what he's becoming. Unfortunately, touching Erin is the only thing that eases his pain, even while his desire for her blood grows stronger.

Which brings me to my second quibble, and only major one: I got confused. Which is no doubt evident in my attempt to summarize. To be fair, I probably shouldn't have read this when I did--I was exhausted. The night after I finished it, I slept 11 hours straight. So a re-read would probably make it much clearer. Still, I loved it anyway, so that's saying something.

This is an exciting, action-packed story in an intriguing contemporary fantasy world, but what really makes it stand out for me are the characters. Erin's character rang very true to me--she was neither too good to be true nor too stupid to live; neither was she too credulous or too doubting. She was determined, but she was also scared. The force keeping them apart--Jared's fears that he was a danger to her--was likewise believable. While in his POV, I could feel his conflict and desperation.

There were several secondary characters I'd like to see more of; not to mention that I'd like to spend more time in this world. I hope this is just the first of a long series. In the meantime, I'll be looking for Jennifer St. Giles's backlist. show less

This is my first Saints book, and I really enjoyed not only how well-written the novel is but also the very good (and not ridiculously far-fetched), well-developed plot. It seems lately that many of the romance books I've read are desperate to get a some sort of action or conflict going with supporting characters that anything goes. And that invariably ruins a book for me. Not so with Wild Irish. Very believable room start to finish. I also really enjoy feeling that it is finished. There's show more no rush to be done. It's a satisfying, complete finale. I got this book either free or cheap on kindle, but I'd pay regular price for it (and likely will have to for the remaining books in the series). show less

Titania, an illegitimate laundress, has been fascinating with the gloomy Trevelyan manor since she was a child. Although tragedy in recent years has lent it an ominous air, she is still drawn to the ominous mansion. Benedict Trevelyan, a widowed father of two young boys, is puzzled when Titania shows up on his door step to answer an advertisement for a tutor for his boys. Even though he was looking for a male tutor, she convinces him she is capable, and he hires her on a trial basis.

When show more Titania moves into the Trevelyan home, however, she finds herself embroiled in a mystery as she tries to solve the murder/suicide of Benedict's late wife while she learns to care for two lost little boys and eventually, their handsome and brooding father. The passion between Benedict and Titania sizzles, and their romance is tempered with a murder mystery, death threats, and the love growing between her and his sons. This is a well-written Gothic romance, filled with the mystery and dark, strong, brooding hero one would expect from this genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and relished the ending.

What detracted a bit from me, however, was the lack of plot originality. Anyone familiar with Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca" will find many similarities. I will not spoil the plot by listing them here, but there are several commonalities. Despite this, both the resolution and the love story between Benedict and Titania is different enough to render it an enjoyable read. show less