Rating:  Summary: 3 3/4 stars. Review: This book begins really good. But soon I was wondering how in the world did I end up with the book. Vivien is a courtesan, who only accepts the richest suitors. She's frivolous and shallow, but extremely beautiful. Grant Morgan is a Bow Street Runner, and probably the most respected one. He's handsome and has made, not only a name for himself, but a good fortune. Even though he has no important name, and does not belong either in the poor, middle, or high class. One night he is called to view the body of a woman drowned in the Thames. Problem is, the dead lady is not so dead after all. And happens to be Vivien Duvall. Who had the misfortune of humiliating Grant in front of the ton. So now that Grant has the opportunity, he takes her to his home and decides that he'll take his vengance. Little did he know that Vivien remembers nothing (Amnesia), so he tells her that she is his mistress. But something is amiss. Vivien, is not acting like her usual self, and no matter how much amnesia she has, things do not seem to add up. On the other hadn, someone, the same person that tried to choke and drown Vivien, is still loose and will try to kill Vivien again. The plot seems interesting enough, and I think I would have enjoyed this book much better if a few pages were lost. Like 50-70 pages. Many detail is given, that I felt was unnecesary. And if you ask me, the climax was predictable. Then again, I've read so many books and seen so many movies, that not much surprises me now. And I have the tendency to predict what will happen next very easily. Overall, yes I liked the book. The idea of the plot was good, but I wish it had been shorter. I mean the plot is solved at the end of pages 200's. And the book is like 350 pages. I will recomend the book, because I'm sure most people are not as picky as I am, and I knwo this book will be thorougly enjoyed by other people. However, this book has a higher rating than Suddenly You, and I must say I enjoyed Suddenly You much better!
Rating:  Summary: Great romance and super sexy hero! Review: I have loved all of the books so far in Kleypas's Bow Street Runner series. Although this is the first book in the series, I read the third book, Worth Any Price, first and the second book, Lady Sophia's Lover, second. I think it would be more enjoyable if you could read the series in order but it did not lessen the overall appeal of any of the books. I still savored every one of them and believe they can all be stand-alone reads.Grant Morgan is an infamous Bow Street Runner and reaps great financial benefit from it and his private investigations. He is celebrated as a true hero as his cases are written into very popular penny novels. Grant is a really tough guy with bad childhood memories that haunt him and the ever-present determination to never marry and certainly not believe in such a thing as love. As is often the case with Kleypas's books, Grant is not a member of the ton and has no desire to even be accepted by high society. He first meets Vivien, the heroine, at a ball where she is looking for a new provider. She is a member of the demimonde and known for her beauty and her heartlessness. Grant is attracted to Vivien until he gets a chance to visit with her personally and determines that she is as heartless as rumored. He rejects her further advances and Vivien, true to her unkind nature, circulates the rumor that She has rejected Him. She also tells all that will listen that Grant was very upset by her rejection. Grant is irritated by these lies but cares little for his reputation and pays little heed to the gossip. One night, while on duty, he is called out to the scene of an attempted murder by drowning of an unknown woman. Grant recognizes the attempted murder victim as Vivien and brings her to his home to recover. Once he determines that she has lost her memory, he decides to exact his revenge on Vivien by using her and then rejecting her. He does not feel sorry for her in the least and is given quite a few pages to show us how much of a heartless guy he can be. Vivien is very frightened at her loss of memory and is horrified when she discovers that she was a member of the demimonde and is known for her cruel nature. Even Grant soon becomes uncomfortable with the situation as Vivien behaves with only kindness and consideration and there is no sign of her former hateful demeanor. Thus the stage is set for this intriguing romance. Someone to Watch Over Me is a book with a driving plot that does not drag for a single page. It is fascinating as we watch Grant gradually evolve from the famous street hardened and cynical Bow Runner to a man of compassion and love. Of course, Grant is not as hard as he would like to believe. He is very well respected and liked by his co-workers and friends. Vivien, on the other hand, seems to have no friends or family that care enough to look for her. Watching these two grow closer and discover their feelings for one another is fun and captivating reading. Kleypas always provides her leads plenty of time to develop their relationship and it allows us to savor these many special times. We also do not have to endure any silly misunderstanding or lies. There are a few sensual scenes that spice up the book and rate about a 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). Kleypas is good at writing these scenes and they only add to the overall appeal of the book. This is certainly a book for my keeper shelf. I have yet to read a Kleypas book that was not enjoyable. I ration her books carefully, allowing myself one about every month or two as I gradually work through her backlist. Take time and read this series. The order is Somebody to Watch Over Me, Lady Sophia's Love, and Worth Any Price. I have written a review on each of these books. I believe that Kleypas is still writing this series and hopefully we will see another one soon. Believe me - I will be buying it as soon as it is published.
Rating:  Summary: Mistaken Identity Results In Surprisingly Steamy Love! Review: This is another Bow Street Runner novel from Lisa Kleypas. Like the wonderful "Lady Sophia's Lover," and the unbeatable "Worth Any Price," (I'm an unabashed Lisa Kleypas fan...can you tell??), this story features realistic characters from mid-1800's England's burgeoning middle class, and not the usual nobility of the "haute ton." Number 4 Bow Street is the headquarters for the relatively new force of organized police/dectectives, who keeps law and order in London. Grant Morgan, one of the Bow Street leaders, has made his fortune and fame recovering stolen property for banks, serving as personal guard to the monarchy, and locating abducted heiresses. He is one of London's most eligible and unattainable men. One night he is called to a ferry dock along the Thames to investigate a drowning. The victim turns out to be quite beautiful and alive. Mr. Morgan recognizes and identifies her as Vivian Duvall, a famous courtesan who defamed him some months before. He brings her to his home to recover. Noticing bruises on her neck, Morgan realizes that someone had attempted to murder Vivian. She, however, has amnesia and can remember nothing of her past, neither her own name nor her profession, which seems to disgust her. Morgan is hot on the case of the murderer's identity and motive - and he's hot on Ms. Duvall's case also. He has lusted for her since the moment he met her, and wants to bed her, keep her for a while, and also to exact some revenge for her past scandal mongering. But Vivian does not live up to her reputation on the one hand, and proves to be much better than expected on the other. Slowly, the secrets of her past emerge, as does the mutual attraction between Vivian and Grant. The mystery is not difficult to figure out, and the plot is undemanding, to say the least. However Ms. Kleypas weaves a story like no on else and her characters, with their sizzling chemistry, keep your eyes riveted to the page. Lisa Kleypas novels are as addictive as good chocolate - but not fattening. They are super rich, delicious, and you won't put on a pound. Try one! You're in for a treat.
Rating:  Summary: Another keeper Review: I can add one more to my list of favorites by Lisa Kleypas. This lady REALLY knows how to write a good love story! The story was very interesting, the characters believable, the hero & heroine intelligent & good to each other, the villan really nasty, & LK always wraps everything up really well. I won't say that it tops a couple of LK's other books, but it's still a five star read for die-hard historical romance readers like myself. As with all LK historicals I enjoyed the fact that although there was the 'big misunderstanding' to work thru, the main characters didn't act like complete jerks over it; Also, although the heroine seems to be somewhat naive, she didn't do stupid stuff just to prove that she could. In other words, I like some intelligence in my characters - LK always, always gives me that. Another constant in LK's writing is new plots & stories that keep moving; I don't have to read paragraph after paragraph after paragraph about what the main characters are thinking & feeling about each other - LK held true to that in this book also. Also, another thing that has never disappointed me in LK books is the very, very sweet sensuality; although they are quite hot - they are some of the sweetest scenes I've ever read in historicals. As usual, I can't wait to read my next LK book!
Rating:  Summary: Wished for stronger plot. Review: This was my first Lisa Kleypas book, and I was impressed by so many aspects of this story. The fact that the main characters were commoners, not the nobility,which is the standard historical romance fare. The fact that the male character, Grant, is so in touch with his feelings, and is the first one to say, "I love you." But I was disappointed by the incredibly simple plot. For one thing, Grant's grudge against Vivien for simply spreading a spiteful rumor about him, which was the driving element of much of the plot, was silly and childish. For another thing, I figured out the main mystery (is the heroine really Vivien, and if not, who is she?) several pages into the book, without even trying. Since one of the cardinal rules about historical romance is that the heroine must be a virgin (or as close to one as possible), you know that the heroine can't be Vivien Duvall, the famed courtesan. Once you know that, you realize that there's only one possible explanation of who the heroine really is. So once Grant figures that out, the rest of the book is pretty boring. Especially since the real Vivien is so hateful, you don't really care who tried to kill her, or why. Not only that, but once they catch the "bad guy," the story should have ended there but, for some reason, was prolonged by the heroine's far-fetched doubts about whether to accept Grant's proposal. If the author had only tightened up the plot, this story would have been much better.
Rating:  Summary: Another Great book by Lisa Kleypas Review: This book was great! I loved it. I've read almost all of Lisa Kleypas's novels, and this one is one of the best. I have read practically all of Lisa Kleypas' books and this one had me from the beginning to the end. Could not find myself to put this book down. I am looking forward to reading many more books like this one.
Rating:  Summary: First of the terrific Bow Street Trilogy but not the best Review: Grant Morgan is a gruff, jaded but effective Bow Street Runner called to the docks to investigate a body pulled from the Thames. It's a woman who's obviously been violently attacked - strangled and left to drown. But Grant recognizes the woman as infamous demimondaine Vivien Duvall, a woman Grant has no liking for since she started untrue rumours that he was desperate to have her and she refused him. On closer inspection he finds that she's not dead and, on impulse, takes her to his home to recuperate. When she regains consciousness, it's clear that she's got amnesia. Grant decides to take some petty, childish revenge by using Vivien while she's vulnerable then dumping her. But he does not count on the effects of the amnesia on her. She's so different from the woman he and the rest of Society know. She's sweet, unassuming, kind and he reluctantly finds himself growing more and more attracted to her - and not just sexually. Meanwhile, she is completely incredulous when Grant tells her of the depraved life she leads, but with no memory she has no choice but to believe him. And now she must allow herself to be used as bait to catch the person who so obviously wanted her dead. What a frightening prospect for a woman who has no memory of anyone she meets! Her attempted killer could be anyone! Though I enjoyed the story, I did feel that the lead characters were a bit one-dimensional and could have been better developed. And Grant's petty anger over a fairly innocuous bit of gossip from a courtesan was a bit irrational. But I did like Grant's gruff protectiveness and felt compassion for her unenviable confusion and fear. I really enjoyed this trilogy - this was followed by Lady Sophia's Lover and then Worth Any Price. I was fascinated by the workings of Bow Street, the political opposition to it and the power (and the way he did not abuse it) of the yummy, dreamy, sexy Sir Ross Cannon. Recommended.
Rating:  Summary: pretty dull Review: An interesting premise which really fell flat. I am not sure if it is because the novel is mainly from the hero's point of view, and she has amnesia, but I never warm up to the heroine at all. She is just too flat, and being mistaken for a tart on the one hand and all the little clues that she is not who she seems to be on the other just get silly. And the hero is not really interesting enough to be worth following. There is no growth of the characters at all that suggests real commitment or love. The ending is really predictable, and his protestations of love are not really believeable. Also I wonder at the 'love scenes' in her novels-they seem very old fashioned and the males tend to be aggressive, with the intercourse something which is 'done to' the women not always with their full consent. The fact that they eventually enjoy it is neither here nor there--some of these scenes are quite painful and really not sexy or entertaining. I know that women had different values in those days but no one likes a doormat or puppet for a 'heroine'. An average read if you need something to pass the time.
Rating:  Summary: ok but nothing special Review: Well I was a bit disappointed by this story. I have liked Lisa Kelypas' books in the past but this one while it had a sweet heroine and and strong devoted hero bored me. It seemed like the mystery never really developed and the excitement was over very quickly. There wasn't much passion which is ok because I liked the tender love scenes. It just seemed a bit lacking so it took me several days to read. I wish it had been better.
Rating:  Summary: One of Her Best! Review: This is definitely one of Lisa Kleypas' best novels! The plot is simple enough: a lady in need of assistance is rescued by the handsome, confirmed bachelor. Under the pursuit of her true identity, the two fall in love. What made this novel all the better was the characters. Vivien struggles to find herself, but amide this struggle she shows a resilience and presence that are insights into her true underlying character. Grant, through originally set on revenge, softens just enough to take on a human quality, despite his almost god-like persona. Absolutly a must have for anyone who considers him or herself a fan of Lisa Kleypas.
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