Cheryl Holt

Another nobleman's mother behaving badly!

In With One Kiss, author Cheryl Holt concludes the two-book set of A Sisters Duet, wonderful Regency romances filled with excitement, angst, love, and lust, and a double dose of perfidious moms! The intertwined stories were robustly plotted with randy, confirmed bachelors who meet their matches in the Cronenworth sisters.

Charlotte, the younger of the two Cronenworth sisters, reacted much differently to their change in fortunes on the death of their show more father than her older sister, Theodora. While Theo had gone with the flow and acted as the peacemaker of the surviving family members, Charlotte had burned with constant rage. She'd railed against her fate and had willfully forged her own path, escaping her stepmother's control at the earliest opportunity. She'd quarreled with Theo and taken a low-status teaching position at a boarding school, much to the toplofty family's chagrin. It was not the first, nor would it be the last scandal to beset the Cronenworths.

Winston Wainwright, Lord Dartmouth, is the spoiled young patriarch of one of the kingdom's oldest and noblest lineages, a member of the inner circle surrounding the throne. An established roué, he's soon to give up his bachelorhood to wed the icy and conniving Lady Jasmine Clement. Win meets Charlotte Cronenworth when she shows up on his doorstep with an abandoned young pupil when their boarding school abruptly closes, the only clue to her origins being the name of his coastal estate in her file. He assumes the girl is his deceased younger brother's love child. Feeling responsible for Holden's death, he is determined to do right by the young girl, but his desire for Charlotte is anything but noble. While used to his pleasures and the adoration of every woman he meets, he has become besotted with Charlotte, who doesn't immediately succumb to his charms.

The main romantic plot contains a couple of great secondary storylines and circles back to events left unresolved in the previous book. I enjoyed Charlotte's and Win's initial meeting; he's rude, imperious, and entitled, and she stands up to him. Her dialogue is clever, biting, and priceless. As in the previous book, the Dowager mom is a devious force to be reckoned with, but she's also met her match in Charlotte and Win's eventual determination to get what he truly wants. Jasmine is a scheming shrew without a heart, and I was shocked when Jake Boggs's true position in the Wainwright family was initially revealed. However, the resolution to the duet of tales is ultimately satisfying.

I recommend WITH ONE KISS to romance readers who enjoy strong female protagonists, conniving noble ladies, and a touch of spice in a Regency setting.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. show less

One of the best of the genre!

With One Look is the first of acclaimed romance author Cheryl Holt’s duology, A Sisters Duet, and what a fabulous beginning it is! A young woman ponders her uncertain future in Regency London if she decides to dissolve a lackluster engagement to her stepbrother. At the same time, an injured career soldier, elevated to the ranks of the nobility, finds himself with too much time on his hands and no real purpose in life except gambling. With one look, however, show more both their lives are destined to change course forever.

At 24 years of age, Theodora Cronenworth is sweet, kind, and somewhat naïve; her personality shaped by her mother’s abandonment when she was a small child and by her father’s subsequent cold neglect. She believed her stepmother’s claim that her father died without a will or making arrangements for her or her sister’s futures, and was dependent upon her for her every need. She and her sister are effectively estranged since Charlotte left home to take a teaching position at a boarding school. It is implied that Theo was denied the education she desired, but she is well-informed and favors a more modern life for women. The reality of her dependency and need to have a man in her life for protection or advocacy, a predicament for all women at that time, was really brought home.

Sergeant Jackson Bennett, now the Earl of Thornhill by award of the King, spends his time gambling to support his long-time mistress, Lola, and his father, Cedric. The injury that ended his army career causes him constant pain and prevents him from riding; he’s a man without a mission in life. Jackson is kind to those less fortunate and an avowed bachelor for life. His continued relationship with Lola is strained, but he avoids ending things with her because their liaison burned her bridges with her family, and he knows he’s as much to blame as she is.

Theo and Jackson have an immediate attraction to one another. While Theo firmly believes no good will come of their knowing each other, she is irresistibly drawn to him, guilt-ridden because of her engagement to her stepbrother, Arthur. Jackson is infatuated early and takes every chance to further their acquaintance (except to break it off with Lola). Sounds like a straightforward storyline, right? But plot twist after plot twist shocked and surprised me, and the basic story quickly became one of the best I’ve ever read in this beloved genre. Those who started as obnoxious but seemingly harmless characters turned out to be hiding devious pasts, self-serving agendas, and the potential for true evil. Surprising past connections among other characters were waiting to jump out at critical points in the story. I read the last 75 percent of the story in one sitting, and now I can’t wait to get on with the next book!

I recommend WITH ONE LOOK to romance readers who enjoy suspense and a touch of spice in a Regency setting.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. show less

Jamie Merrick is the newly found Earl of Gladstone. Years before, right after he and his twin were born, the boys and their mother were banished and removed from Gladstone , their father's estate. The former earl, their father, secretly married their mother, changed his mind, and then disposed of her and the twins. Jamie's life growing up was harsh as he was forced to work on a sailing ship. An anonymous letter changes Jamie's life forever. While he and Jack were struggling to feed and show more clothe themselves, they actually should have been ensconced safely at their estate as the heir apparent and second son. He soon marries as directed but fights his attraction to Anne, his new wife, every step of the way. Jamie figures he can leave any time he wants to and forget about his wife. He is so very wrong.

Anne Carstairs and her sister Sarah have always been the poor relations to her cousins Percy and Ophelia. She and her sister have struggled for years to become as invisible as possible. When Anne hears that the newly found Earl of Gladstone is coming to take possession of his estate, she is afraid that the stories she has heard about his exploits are true. Her cousin Percy is beside himself because he is no longer the earl and is not taking the news very well. To make matters worse, when Jamie arrives, he demands that Anne marry him. Not because he wants to, but because he has been told to marry by royal decree. Anne determines that soon Jamie will love her as much as she loves him.

Hidden behind the scenes are Sarah and Jackson, or Jack, Jamie's younger twin brother. The young woman has intrigued Jack and he wants to uncover all of her secrets. Unable to keep their hands off of each other, Sarah and Jack enjoy carnal delights. When Jack wants more, Sarah shies away and refuses anything more permanent. She has her own secret to keep - a secret that only she knows about and she has tried to conceal for almost ten years. Jack, however, discovers what Sarah is hiding but in confronting her he alienates her all the more. He knows one thing - he would rather be gone from her life than stay and be a dirty thing she refuses to acknowledge.

I have been reading Cheryl Holt for years and can honestly say that DOUBLE FANTASY is my favorite. From cover to cover I was spellbound watching Jamie try and rationalize all the reasons why he needed to leave his new home and wife. As I watched Jamie fight his growing love for Anne, I had to smile more than once at his inability to keep his hands off of her no matter how hard he fought to do so. Anne yearns for his love and while she loves him, she didn't stifle him nor did she berate him. She loved him despite the choices he made and for that alone, I thought her a very strong heroine.

On Ms. Holt's website DOUBLE FANTASY is listed as her thirteenth and final erotic romance. I am praying this isn't so but if this bit of information is true, I can honestly say that she saved the best for last because DOUBLE FANTASY is truly outstanding. ***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies*** show less

An intriguing premise, but the characters were so self-absorbed that I frequently found myself hoping they'd be unhappy for the rest of their lives. And the writing itself was florid, imprecise, and ill-paced.