A Highland Duchess

Reading Karen Ranney is starting to make me feel like the Forty Year Old Hippie:I persist in believing she's a good writer, yet I keep finding her books boring. This one has a strong Victorian setting and some potentially interesting characters -- a scientist hero, a heroine essentially suffering from PTSD -- but the plotting is stupid and full of mcguffins. And though I could understand why Emma is so passive and depressed, after all she'd been through, it didn't make her much fun to read about [...]

The story started out interesting enough, but the middle sagged (as if the writer added unneeded paragrahps to make word count). I skimmed the last third of the book hoping the dip was a sag and that the ending would be more interesting. Alas, not to be.The heroine was married to a depraved (and sexually active) duke for four years and somehow emerged into widowhood still wealthy? (How come the money didn't go to the Duke's heir. Her husband certainly didn't care enough to leave her any money in [...]

This is the latest book by an author that I respect. I loved her book “The Devil Wears Tartan” and I am very fond of her Highland Lords Series. As for this book, I didn’t like it much.Ian sounded interesting and mysterious, and Emma started off as being spunky. I’m not sure where they lost all their personalities, but somewhere something went wrong, and we ended up frustrated with the story as it dragged on, and on, and on…How long were we supposed to believe that NO ONE could figure o [...]

Being the infamous Ice Queen was the only way to survive the entertainments her late-husband involved her in, and the belittling of her as a person from her uncle. Bryce was a true jerk, but didn't deserve his fate. This story is full of real human emotion and actions. I was intrigued by the passion and love between Emma and Ian. Good read!!

Sukaaaa !!! Ga disangka banget buku ini selesai dibaca dlm waktu 2 hari sajah, buku ini udah lama banget ada di rak buku dan belum ada niatan baca sampai kemarin. Dan ternyata bagusss !! Mungkin ga semua orang akan suka dengan buku ini kali yah karena auranya agak2 murung gitu. Awalnya ada banyak bagian yang lucu juga menurut saya dan itu yang bikin saya ga bisa berhenti baca. Trus makin seru juga karena ada suspensenya.

All that i can say is Brenna deserve more than this!!! i feel like happiness in this book can be felt noly on the last ten pages.

Emma, Duchess and a recent widow, is still in her mourning period, but about to come out of it. Then he uncle informs her that she is to be married again, willingly or not, she has no choice in the matter. Then that night, a stranger comes into her bedroom and kidnaps her for he is in search of a mirror, a gift from her late husband, that she had practically forgotten about. Now Emma is his captive, and send her uncle a ransom: the mirror, for his niece. However it is apparent that her uncle cou [...]

Valutazione dell’estratto di amazon. Non l’ho finito perché mi interessa. La vedova di un duca crudele diventa la regina di ghiaccio. Chi riuscirà a sciogliere il suo gelo? Sarà interessante!Sob. Gasp. Ulp. Questo libro l’ho mandato giù con l’imbuto. Finirlo è stato un vero supplizio, non tanto per lo stile dell’autrice, che è apprezzabile, quanto per la trama. Lei è stata costretta a sposare un vecchio satiro, subendo ogni sorta di angheria e perversione sessuale per quattro lu [...]

1.5 stars because it's okay but I didn't exactly like it, either. Still, some of my complaints are probably better directed at the genre than the author. (I don't really read romance, so this was a new experience.)I liked the historical tidbits that lent legitimacy to the setting, and the time period it was set in (Victorian, when germ theory was being debated) is fascinating. However, the characters' actions didn't seem particularly realistic, and evil male characters with dubious intentions (a [...]

Ms Ranney really knows how to torture her heroines. Ian kidnaps Emma after a foiled robbery and does her a great favor. Unfortunately her returns her and her evil uncle gives her in marriage to a blackguard to settle a blackmail threat. This is her second marriage to a blackguard; although her previous husband was a duke he was a hedonistic sicko. Ian, meanwhile, can't get her out of his mind. He is smitten. Smitten to the point that he decides to cancel his previous wedding plans even if he can [...]

Always a fan of historical romance, I couldn't resist taking a break from the paranormal to read this one. And I'm glad I did. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I loved watching Emma's character develop, as well as, the growing relationship between her and Ian. I thought Ranney did a good job at creating solid characters and bringing readers into the story. As a romantic, the star crossed lover theme definately made the story most enjoyable for me, and had me not onl [...]

I grabbed this book from the dollar store This was my first read from the author, but I doubt it will be the last as it was a most enjoyable experience! I did suspect the outcome at about the halfway point, but found that I very much wanted to continue reading to discover all of the twists and turns before the ending confirmed my suspicions. I was entertained by the character development of Emma and Ian, but also that of each of their homes. I do agree that some portions of the plot (and subplot [...]

Interesting storyline although it did drag in parts. I loved how the relationship between Emma and Ian developed but it just felt like it took way too long to resolve all the issues. However, it's a good read and I'd try the other books in the series. The biggest problem I have is not explaining the part the mirror plays in the trilogy. If you haven't read the first book (which I hadn't), it just springs up. There could have been just a little more paid attention to it because otherwise, it's ra [...]

The first few chapters kind of misleads you to what the whole novel will about; which kind of pissed me off, since I was deciding between this book & another. It wasn't the seductive romance novel that I originally read in the few chapters but instead it contained many hard obstacles that the characters will have to face.I didn't have a problem with this part but to me, this novel felt like a long narrative. It was okay overall but this novel wasn't for me

Some strong possibilities with the heroine's traumatic backstory, and I'll read more by this author, but I was never completely riveted by the storyline. I liked the characters and I love the fact that the author took me by surprise by putting her heroine completely and seemingly irrevocably out of the hero's reach. But it still seemed too easy, by the end. A good read, and some strong potential, though. Will read more.

Emma, the "Ice Queen" is married to an evil and vile man who is killed one night. Emma is afraid she will be blamed, but then finds herself abducted jy the mysterious Ian, who is really the Earl of Buchan. There are many twists and turns here as well as a mystery, as Emma and Ian become closer to each other. Good read. Recommended.

My first book by this author. I simply loved it! And I definitely will look for other books by KR. The characters were terrific, the storyline intriguing, and the dialogue witty. An all around captivating historical read.

Nonostante il buon finale non sono completamente soddisfatta, c'è qualcosa che manca, non arriva. Forse perché le premesse mi avevano mal indirizzata sullo svolgimento, ma mi aspettavo una storia diversa.

This took a LONG while to get into, and wasn't easy to stay focused. It had an interesting story, and was written rather well, but I think it's the over-descriptive gesture Karen used that made it difficult to focus. Still, I adore seeing a fellow Texan author.

This one was a tough one to finish. I loved the way the first hundred of pages were directeden wham! Everything changed! I had my doubts how Emma and Ian would find their HEA. Lots of surprises. Overall, enjoyable.

LoveThis book was thrilling! Mystery, suspense, scandal, and love! Kept me reading to the very end! Karen Ranney is constantly compelling with her blend of history and romance. I simply cannot wait to pick up the next book.

Can an ice Queen be warmed? Good book.

I liked wish for more info at the end

Fairly well written. This book had some interesting research in it. Not bad. =)

I use to read these kind of books above all else. This one reminded me why. It has the earmarks of the erotic books that I enjoy with the history that I loved and have forgotten how much.

This book was okay. The writing was good and I enjoyed parts of the book. What I did not enjoy was the chemistry between the main characters.

Excellent storytelling. If like interesting and flawed leading characters, this is the series for you. All three books kept me fascinated right till the end.

I loved this book. The story line was great and I loved all the conflict in the book and of course the happy ending.

I enjoyed reading.

A reasonably good series. However, at the beginning of the book there was no apparent link to the first book so I thought I might not have the right one.