Barbara Pierce "Wicked Under The Covers" Book 1 of the Carlisle Series.

4, 3, 2, 1...........Here we go.........The cover is absolutely too hot to handle. I mean WOW!! And by the way, it not only looks good, the book itself is terrific. Frankly speaking, I have not had a good read like this for a long, long time. The characters and the story are…….mmmmm……how can I describe them? Let’s see…….

A: Excellent?

B: Impressive?

C: Unforgettable?

D: Terrific?

E: Remarkable?

Or F: All of the above?

The answer is F. Yes, I have not seen the likes of this kind of writing, character and story that is so compelling since I have discovered Nicole Jordan. You can describe her writing to the early works of Catherine Coulter’s ‘Historical Series’. My best comparison is to the “Night or Magic Trilogies”. At a glance, the book is not much and the excerpt is so, so. Nothing really catches your eyes like other authors who make their excerpts so good but the book itself so sucks! Once you start to read Barbara Pierce, you will feel you are compelled to finish it, unable to put it down, etc, etc. No, I am not joking! I actually finish all three of her books in a record time (well, it really wasn’t that fast) but still not as fast as I would have liked as I had to sort through another set of books by Nicole Jordan (please see to my previously mentioned “Courtship Wars” series).

It is very strange that you can rarely come across an author like this. You get so involved with the story and the characters that you feel like you’re sitting right next to them when the incident is taking place. You are actually there watching the story unfold. You get to know the characters on a personal level that when the sequel comes out you still look around to see how the characters of the previous stories are doing? Well ladies, this is how I feel about Nicole Jordan and now I am feeling it with Barbara Pierce. I mean, Lady Fayre Carlisle (I still can’t pronounce her first name) and Maccus Brawley is such a flawlessly suited couple that I was thinking to myself that the story was just too short. When have I last felt like this (here we go again), it was when I was last reading NJ’s latest series. Okay, okay! Enough already with the comparisons between these two authors, but what else can I do?!?! I mean I can’t find anymore historical authors that can (literally) knock me off my feet just be reading the first chapter, right? But these two authors can, and I love them for it. You also get to meet the secondary set of characters who you feel might be in her next book. Well, I didn’t know but I could guess. And I was wrong, so damn wrong. Anyhow, I did not put the book down until I finished the last letter (please do not count the excerpt of her next book too) and then I let out a long, loud sigh. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, yes! Now, that’s what I call….good and enjoyable reading. Oh, I do have to thank Barbara as she has an excellent glossary (for more information, please look it up in her website at www.barbarapierce.com/Glossary.aspx ) for the words I have (until now) not found in the normal standard (and online) dictionary. For historical romance readers, you (many but not all) must know that some words are difficult to understand. Especially for those who have a hard time understanding (old) English. This glossary help expanded my understanding of the language so much that I copied it down and glued it to my small notebook (not the computer notebook but a real paper notebook). The one I kept when I run in to a word I do not understand. You get what I mean, right? I mean that some of you (English speaking natives an all) might not understand all of what is written down, right? Oh, to hell with me if I’m wrong. But I know that it must be (partially) true. As you can see from my blogs, how bad my English (spelling wise/grammar wise) is. Also, Barbara has an excellent link to help with (almost) all what you might need (for historical references), in terms of books/authors. I know where you're heading, so don’t go there! Here, this is the place for book lovers (like me).


To continue with the titled subject.........."Wicked Under The Covers" is another book that I would highly recommend to any and all historical romance lovers. This author is one you could not pass up. I mean, recently, I just gave up on a couple of pros....such as

.Julie Garwood: Her latest historical will be my last.

Catherine Coulter: I will continue with her contemporary romance only, historical is a no, no!

Let me see……who else…….Amanda Quick, Dorothy Garlock and Shannon Drake: All three of them are no longer on my list.

Virginia Henley: The changes are there, but I can’t put my fingers on it yet. So Until I can figure it out, she’s on my pending list. I’m wondering off again, aren’t I?

Back to the book……It’s a very good book and definitely a page turner. However, I do not suggest for those who loves historical to get your hands on them in the morning before going to work. As it caused me to get to the office almost half an hour late as I got so carried away reading it I forgot the time and left the house a lot later than expected. I feel that this is a book you will thoroughly enjoy. The author has put a lot of work in to it and it shows…..(don’t get carried away now). Wait till I tell you about her second book……..


Enjoy reading!
Toni

p.s. It’s just too bad that the villains in this book get their comeuppance a lot softer than they should. I mean after what they did to our main character, they should have been a harsher punishment. Especially something that will ban them socially forever and so on. Just read the book and you’ll know what I mean.