Rating: 
Summary: I read until my vision blurred!
Review: I have nearly all Ms. Medeiros' books and this was one of the best. I loved the added touch of beginning each chapter with a line from the letter Sterling's mother wrote to him. Also, just the right mix of story line and sensuality.
Rating: 
Summary: A new view to sleeping beauties
Review: I highly enjoyed this version of sleeping beauty. Why has not dreamed about finding a good looking man that you can mold into your own... That aside this is a well written romance and you will enjoy following the main characters, especially as Sterling (main male character) starts to remember things. Also as Laura tries to keep her thoughts together to still be able to save her brother and sister and keep both her home and wits about her. I look forward to other books by this author!
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Summary: A Magical Kiss to Remember.
Review: I loved A KISS TO REMEMBER. It reminded me of the power of a young girl's fantasy and the growing pains that go along with realizing that the people we love seldom match our idealized versions of them. In this case, Laura's fantasy of Nicholas seems so much better than the reality of Sterling -- until Sterling opens his heart and allows himself to fall in love with Laura. Nicholas becomes a bittersweet memory of a young girl's idea of love and Sterling becomes her husband and the love of her life. I love the Sleeping Beauty metaphor and the fairy tale quality of Teresa Medeiros's writing. Growing characters, imbuing the story with fairy tale qualities, and surrounding the whole with wonderful supporting characters -- and a well-loved, never forgotten cat -- is what Teresa Medeiros does best. I wouldn't change a thing! Great reading!
Rating:
Summary: Really a 4 1/2
Review: I loved this book! It was a quick,light, interesting read. The character's are colorful and at times very amusing. I enjoyed the amnesia element to the story as well. The only real problem I had with the book was with a secondary character (the heroine's sister). It seemed as if they would allow her to behave in any way without even getting angry at her...I just found that aspect irritating, but otherwise the book was wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: Everything I wanted it to be...and more.
Review: I meant to spend the weekend reading this book, but ended up reading it all in one sitting! This book has it all--the joy and magic of a fairy tale, given depth and texture by the themes of love and trust. Favorite themes--rules of a legacy, amnesia, a sleeping beauty--are given a thoroughly original twist in this one. Loved it. Love all her books.
Rating:
Summary: great fun in spite of some plot 'niggles'
Review: I'm definitely a cat person. And when I read the very touching dedication that Teresa Medeiros wrote to her cat, I practically melted -- esp since I had also lost my miracle kitty about a year ago. So I was predisposed to like "A Kiss to Remember" even before I read it. And all in all, in spite of some reservations I had about certain plot implausibilities, I rather did enjoy this novel quite a bit. The novel opens with young Sterling Harlow being 'sold' by his parents to his granduncle, the Duke of Devonbrooke. The Duke needs an heir, and Sterling's father a notorious gambler, needs money. And so the nasty little deal is struck, and Sterling is whisked away by the cold and autocratic old man to learn to become the perfect duke; he never sees his parents again, and he never gets over the bitterness he feels towards his parents (his mother in particular) at having being 'sold.' The years past, and Sterling has become quite the notorious rakehell. Still angry with his mother, he has never responded to any of her overtures for forgiveness. And then he receives a curt letter from the vicar's daughter, Laura Fairleigh, informing him that his mother is dead. Impulsively, Sterling decides to make for Arden Manor to see his onetime home -- and to evict the Fairleighs while he is there. When Laura's parents died, Lady Eleanor, (Sterling's mother) took in Laura and her two siblings, giving them a home at Arden Manor. Now, with Lady Eleanor's death, it looks as if the Fairleighs will become homeless again -- unless Laura marries before her 21st birthday. In a strange move, Lady Eleanor has left matters in such a way so that Laura will inherit Arden Manor, but only if she marries before her 21st birthday, and said birthday is only a few weeks away! Torn between anger at Sterling for his cruel treatment of his mother, and desperation because she must marry soon in order to secure a future for her siblings and herself, Laura is almost worn down with despair, when she comes across an unconscious man in the forest. Laura is sure that God has answered her prayers, for the handsome stranger seems to have no memory of who he is. And so Laura decides to use this stranger (whom she renames Nicholas) for her own means. She tells him that he is her fiance, and that they are to be married soon. Thus, we're set up for the fireworks that are bound to ensue when Nicholas regains his memory and Laura realises who it is she has married. The problem I had with this novel all stemmed from the fact that Medeiros didn't take into account the limited rights of women at the time. For example, Laura's sublime belief that once she marries everything will be all right. Marriage laws of the time would have meant that Nicholas would have been in full charge of whatever monies and lands she inherited (unless the will specifically stated otherwise, which I somehow doubt given that Lady Eleanor herself overlooked the fact that she couldn't leave Arden Manor to Laura anyway). And if Nicholas had turned out to be a scoundrel -- well she would have been worst off than she was in the beginning of the novel! Another thing I couldn't understand was, barring whether or not her will was legal, why Lady Eleanor wrote a will that basically put Laura in such a bind, and that also tied her to a man, given what Lady Laura herself suffered at her husband's hands. The other thing that gave me pause was Sterling's long-standing anger at his mother. The law at the time did not recognise a mother's right to her children. Children belonged the father, and he could do pretty much whatever he wanted. At some point Sterling should have realised (intellectually at least if not emotionally) that his mother had no say in his father's decision to 'sell' him to his granduncle. Other than those few reservation that I had, "A Kiss to Remember" is a really fun read. The characters are all engaging ones, esp Laura and her siblings; and the novel unfolded easily enough. I especially liked the middle of the novel which deals with developing relationship between the Fairleighs and Nicholas. It's funny and touching in turns and really sets this novel above the averagely good read that most historical romances usually are. I also loved the end of the book, where the hero asks Laura for forgiveness for the manner in which he has been treating her. "A Kiss to Remember" is a slightly above average good read, as well as a charming one that should please most readers.
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Summary: Entertaining Regency
Review: In Regency England, Laura Fairleigh is a young woman solely responsible for the livelihood of herself and her two young siblings, Lottie and George. Lady Eleanor, Laura's guardian, died some months ago and promised Laura that she could stay on at Arden Manor as long as she married before she turned twenty-one. Having discovered that his mother, Lady Eleanor, had died through a letter from Laura, Sterling Harlow, Duke of Devonbrooke, sends Laura a letter indicating that he wishes her to vacate Arden Manor within the month and take possession of it himself. Cold and unfeeling, Sterling has not seen his mother since he was seven when his father sold him to his uncle in order to pay some gambling debts. Lady Eleanor felt powerless at the time and convinced herself that her only son would be better off as the heir to a dukedom. Though she tried to reconcile with her son years later, he refused to open any of her letters. On a whim, Sterling decides to ride to Arden Manor sooner than expected. When approaching the property, his horse shies, and he is thrown and knocked unconscious. Laura finds him in the woods and brings him back to Arden Manor. But Sterling has amnesia, and Laura has no idea who he is. In order to retain Arden Manor thereby marrying before her upcoming twenty-first birthday, Laura gives Sterling the name of Nicholas and convinces him that he is her fiancee. 'Nicholas' begins to look forward to his wedding day as he can't deny his attraction for Laura. The feeling is mutual, but will 'Nick' retain his amnesia long enough for the wedding to take place? And...what will Laura do when 'Nick' remembers his past? Ms. Medeiros has penned a delightful novel with a generous mix of humor and romance. While the attraction between Sterling and Laura sizzles, the supporting characters contribute much to this novel. Dower, Laura's sourfaced worker, and his wife Cookie, loyal to a fault, add a touch of comic relief. And Lottie, Laura's little sister, is constantly getting into mischief in her attempt to remove 'Nick' from the picture. Ms. Medeiros has cleverly included some of Lady Eleanor's last words as parts of a letter to her son begin every chapter. A MAGICAL SUMMER READ.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing experience
Review: It's disheartening to see so many raves for a book that is so utterly lacking in charm or romance. The whole basis of this "romance" is a lie, and the heroine seems to fall in love with a figment of her imagination rather than the real personality and character of the hero. She spurns her village suitors for superficial reasons, then falls for the hero purely because he's good-looking. Then while he's got amnesia, she tells him how she wants him to be, though it's inconsistent to how he really is. She never accepts him for who he really is. The characters themselves are totally unadmirable and unlikeable. The heroine is too naive yet grossly manipulative. Really, there is not one thing about her that would have a duke(or anyone else)fall in love with her. And when she takes the moral high ground at the end, it's laughable! The hero starts off nicknamed as the "Devil of Devonbrooke" but for what? Disliking cats? Then all of a sudden he can't bear to be parted with someone who completely took advantage at his weakest state? Suddenly he's gushing about her in public? Even when she calls him the wrong name during sex?!! And that younger sister Lottie, whom the author is setting up as a future heroine, is a vain conscienceless would-be murderer who throws tantrums to get what she wants. Are we supposed to be charmed by this? All in all, there are almost no redeeming qualities in this book that would appeal to grownups. It would have been better to market this to unrealistic teens who have never been in relationships, much less know what real romance is. Even the sex which is only stuffed into the last 25 pages as an afterthought is impersonal and vulgar. I direct readers to look to Nora Roberts or Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Laura Kinsale or Lavyrle Spencer or even dozens others for romances that ring true, are real and adult yet are filled with genuine romance. The writing is a whole lot better in them too.
Rating:
Summary: A clever role reversal of "Sleeping Beauty"
Review: Laura Fairleigh would later claim bewitchment; the old wood is ripe with the fanciful memories of a childhood spent dreaming beneath the sprawling oak tree, after all. In the sun-dappled shadows, goblins and fairies and golden-haired princes would cavort in pagan splendor, and the very air would shimmer with magic! To find her most desperate prayer answered in that magical wood is a dream she embraces with fulsome intent; for a man lies beneath the sheltering limbs of that giant oak, his golden hair rumpled and set to shimmering by a stray beam of light. The stranger has beauty of form and face: an enchanted prince come to life, he's also her salvation from the devil himself. Arden Manor, her adopted home, is in jeopardy of falling into the clutches of the devil of Devonbrooke, the ungrateful, churlish, and heartlessly cold son of Lady Eleanor, the deceased mistress of Arden Manor (and the kindly benefactress of Laura and her orphaned siblings). No doubt the dastardly duke will throw Laura and her family into the squalor of a workhouse. For Lottie and George's sake, and for Cookie and Dower's (the cook and general "man of all trades" at Arden Manor), Laura plots to avoid such a fate; a clause drafted on Lady Eleanor's behalf states that Arden Manor will be hers if Laura marries before her twenty-first birthday. That's three weeks hence, and the village prospects are grim indeed! Dare she risk entangling her golden-haired prince? The impulse to do so is rash and reckless, and Laura is inundated by guilt at the subterfuge required. A nasty bump to the head has cleared the stranger of all memory. It would be wickedly wrong to take advantage of his vulnerability. Her conscience pleads for fairness, but her heart pleads for "just one kiss..." In a clever role-reversal of Sleeping Beauty, Ms. Medeiros delivers a wonderfully romantic tale. Our hero is a man besieged by conflicting thoughts and emotions; his attraction to Laura is a mighty and powerful one, but flashes of memory (more of a murky intuition than anything solid) contradict his beloved's story of a lengthy betrothal and an injury received on the battlefield, thus depriving him of his memory. Laura claims that he's a gentle man, disdains drink, and adores small children and kittens; but he's damned if any of that feels true! His name, "Nicholas Radcliffe", is equally foreign to his ears. (The reader, of course, is fully cognizant of "Nicholas's" true identity). Laura has her own battle to fight; the legalities of a fictitious betrothal are troubling minor details to our heroine when compared to the dubious morality of her actions. Her conscience, however, isn't troubled enough to confess her deceit, and this is where I ran into difficulty empathizing with the heroine. Ms. Medeiros should therefore be credited with creating a pair of thoroughly complex, and yes, dichotomous characters that are nonetheless absorbing. I was swept away by the fairytale glamour of A Kiss to Remember; the lushly descriptive writing style resonates with a pureness of heart and beckons you forward, to a time and place where happily-ever-after is a foregone conclusion, but the journey is oh-so-sweet!
Rating:
Summary: She has a new fan in me!
Review: Mean, old Granville Harlow, Sixth Duke of Devonbrooke, needed an heir. He chose his nephew, Sterling Harlow, who was seven years old. Poor Sterling loved his mother, Eleanor, until the awful day Granville arrived. Eleanor had thought she was doing what was best for her only son. But Sterling only understood that the cruel man gave his biological, alcoholic father a fat purse and took Sterling away. He had been purchased! Miss Laura Fairleigh, along with her younger brother (George) and sister (Lottie), had been taken in by the widow, Lady Eleanor, when their parents had died in a fire years ago. Laura knew how Eleanor missed her son and wrote to him weekly. She witnessed the woman's dedication even though Sterling Harlow, Seventh Duke of Devonbrooke, never once wrote back. When Eleanor died, Laura wrote a single letter to inform Sterling, the man she had grown to hate. Laura had three weeks to find a husband or she would lose Arden Manor. For the sake of her siblings and two elderly servants, Laura schemed. When Laura found the handsome man, unconscious in the woods, she believed her prayers had been answered. When he woke with amnesia, she knew they had been! Not knowing who he was, she called him Nicholas Radcliffe and informed him they were betrothed. When his memory returned and all learned him to be Sterling, everyone learned why he was referred to as "the Devil of Devonbrooke". Even his two dogs were known as "his devil dogs"! Laura had to make a new deal with the devil and knew there would be hell to pay! ***** Author, Teresa Medeiros, has a new fan in me! It is no wonder her last book hit the bestseller list! This one will too! Pre-order a copy where you are able! This one is sure to win awards! Lottie and George are little imps. Cookie and Dower are protective tigers. All four keep mischief coming and kept my eyes glued to the pages. A keeper! *****
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