Hellion

Rating:
Summary: my first Bertrice Small book - NOT my last!
Review: Loved it - I enjoyed the story, the historical facts and the steamy sex. The way Belle behaved was more realistic in that she was rude to some (not always the Lady) and that she gave in to Guy with pleasure finally, even though she still loved Hugh. I've already bought Skye O'Malley and plan to buy more of Ms. Small's books when I'm in the mood for something a little hotter than Nora Roberts.

Rating:
Summary: Another "dislike grows to love" story!
Review: Many of Mrs. Small's books feature a heroine who is strongwilled, unconventional and refuses to be dominated. In Hellion, Belle is no exception. Forced by the king to marry Hugh Falconier, she at first resists her growing passion for him. As he learns to respect her and her fine mind, she grows to love him, even as he loves her. Naturally, something must part these lovers (this is a Small book, after all!) and in this case it is caused by Belle's wicked half brother. Of course there is a happy ending, but first the lovers must be separated and put through all sorts of sexual escapades, exactly as one would expect from Mrs. Small's writing. Not for the faint of heart, there is sexually explicit material in her; once again, after all, it is by Bertrice Small!!! Give it a read!!

Rating:
Summary: Another "dislike grows to love" story!
Review: Many of Mrs. Small's books feature a heroine who is strongwilled, unconventional and refuses to be dominated. In Hellion, Belle is no exception. Forced by the king to marry Hugh Falconier, she at first resists her growing passion for him. As he learns to respect her and her fine mind, she grows to love him, even as he loves her. Naturally, something must part these lovers (this is a Small book, after all!) and in this case it is caused by Belle's wicked half brother. Of course there is a happy ending, but first the lovers must be separated and put through all sorts of sexual escapades, exactly as one would expect from Mrs. Small's writing. Not for the faint of heart, there is sexually explicit material in her; once again, after all, it is by Bertrice Small!!! Give it a read!!

Rating:
Summary: Very sexy-exciting!
Review: Mrs.Small definately has a different writing style, but she makes it work!! It was very refreshing to read a romance novel where everyone is not rich, a virgin, or infallible!! She writes a true romance-where the main characters must go to the ends of the earth for each other and the "villans" weren't so easy to hate!! Truly a superb book!!

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Summary: Hellion of a Book!
Review: Of all the Bertrice Small books that I have read (most of them) Hellion is still my favorite. I like the fact that Hugh wasn't some knockout Adonis as most Romance novel men are. This definitely had the Historical bent... but there was also the entire fantasy realm open as well. With Guy and Vivienne you get another slant to the book that truly adds more instead of taking away substance. The love scenes were definitely steamy (Though anything but conventional)... and a few were borderline kinky. This one's not for the conventional romance reader... but if you're into the more experimental side of sex... it may just be a good idea book.

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Summary: The sexiest romance ever!
Review: Ohmigod! This book was wickedly erotic and deliciously sexy. I absolutely loved it. The escapades between Belle and the too-sexy-for-words Guy d'Bretagne will stay in your mind for days. This was the first Beatrice Small book I read, and I can't wait to get my hands on the others. I have read many romances, and save for a select few, the sameness of the plots can get really tedious. Beatrice Small is not afraid to break all the rules to deliver a story that is completely fresh and unique. Absolutely not to be missed.

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Summary: The Grapes of Apathy
Review: Others who have read Hellion will probably get the grape reference, but might not understand the apathy part. Very simply, this is a well-written book with a lot of promise, but it bored me to death. I was so numbed by the dullness of the narrative that when the erotic parts came along, I barely even noticed them. "Belle from Hell" is a cute moniker but a little too predictable, and to be honest I don't see where the character lives up to it (although she is indeed a strong woman). The whole king-orders-man-marry-woman thing is too been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Maybe the sport of raising hunting birds is interesting to some, but I suspect the taste of it could have been given without going into such painful detail. When the threads of the novel began spinning in Brittany with knock-offs of mishapen Arthurian characters, I took a deep breath and prepared to be rolling my eyes. What really bothers me is that I wanted to like this book, I really did. But what can I tell you? Eroticism or not, Hellion was one long dull read for me.

Rating:
Summary: Read this only if you like it rough!!!
Review: Our story starts off in the year of our Lord 1100. King Henry decided that one of his most faithful and trusted knights' was in need of land and a wife. Hugh Fauconier was given the lands of Langston and its current mistress/owner, Lady Isabelle also known as Belle from Hell. Hugh and fellow knight/best friend Rolf de Briard set out for his future home and bride. Unsure what to expect, Hugh certainly did not expect to find his future mother in law so completely hospitably, abiding and accommodating, and his future wife the complete opposite of her mother. To say that Belle from hell was pissed off about the king deciding to relieve her of her lands and marry her off is putting it mildly. She adamantly refused to wed with a man that she had not chosen for herself. Unlike Bell and Hugh; Rolf and Belle's mother Alette fell for each other almost right away. Unfortunately love at first sight means nothing when you've been hurt as bad as Alette was by Belle's late father. Alette has taken a vow never to marry once she found out about her husbands death. {There is only a 15-year difference between mother and daughter. Belle is only 15 years old when she first meets Hugh.} In addition to being a knight in the kings' service Hugh raises and trains hunting birds, namely falcons.

Little time passes when Belle finally decides to trust Hugh and accept him as Lord over her lands and people as well as her husband. The same fate befalls her mother as well. Rolf's love for Alette wins her over and she eventually accepts him as her husband. {Now it wasn't as easy as I wrote in this review...read the story, it is very interesting how they finally get married}...

Robert Duke of Normandy is the oldest brother of King Henry. War is looking eminent between the king and his brother {Robert was indeed cheated out of the throne of England and is willing to fight to reclaim what he believes is his.} Hugh and Rolf are called to the kings' service.

Robert de Manneville is Belle's late father. In addition to his daughter, Robert had two other children {boys from a previous marriage. Their mother died while giving birth.} The oldest named William also died in battle with his father. The middle brother Richard has his own plot of lands but his not satisfied with just that. He his eager to obtain Langston as well. Having no affection or love for either his step mother and sister his very upset to find out that Belle is already married. The fact that she is married does not stop his want for Langston and his willingness to do whatever he can to take control of it.

Fortunately war is abated and in an act of piece Hugh his sent by the king to his brother Robert in Normandy with a gift of a trained hunting bird. As weeks turn into months, with no word from her husband at all Belle sets out to find him and bring him home. She talks her stepfather Rolf into talking her to England to ask of news of her missing husband. Rolf knowing full well what type of man the king is, is very reluctant to take his beautiful stepdaughter before the king. Rolf is then proven right when king Henry makes a play for Belle and his determined to make her his newest mistress. After ducking and dogging the king word finally reaches Belle that her husband departed from his visit with Robert some time ago and was invited to visit with her brother Richard under guise of peace and friendship. Hugh and his party were then giving to an evil sorceress by the name of Vivienne d'Bretagne and her brother Guy...

Realizing what her brother had done Belle and sets out to find and reclaim her husband that has been made a sex slave of sorts by Vivienne. Pretending to be a young man Guy sees through her disgust almost immediately and the same fate that befalls her husband happens to her. And this is where the story picks up!!!!

Very good story!!!! I was very impressed with my first taste of B. Small. I wish someone would have turned me on to her a lot sooner I probably would have read all of her novels by now!!! I will say that the story line before Hugh went missing was pretty good; the sex was also just pretty good!!! But when Hugh went missing, is when the story picks up and I got down right excited! Realizing that Vivienne's brother Guy is one of the main villains in the story did not stop me from liking him immensely...

Read this book!!!!



Rating:
Summary: STEAMY! HOT! SEXY!
Review: This book is Hot! Though not for the innocent of ear, I found this book highly exciting and enjoyable. Readers should know that almost every one of Ms. Small's books are extremely erotic and highly sexual but very exciting. I loved the storyline to this book. Bertrice Small knows how to grab hold of a reader and not let go.

Rating:
Summary: So I know NOT to trust Amazon's "Romance Expert"
Review: This book was even trashier than every other Small work I've gotten my hands on