This is the third and last book in Blackthorn Brothers trilogy, and may I say Kasey Michaels has ended this series with a bang. After I was done with the previous two, I was sure I knew what the ending was going to be, but the author has taken this opportunity to throw me not one, not two, but three awesome curveballs and her clever plot was infused with suspense, revelations and wonderful sensual moments.

I’m not going to go into plot because I’m afraid I just might spill ‘the beans’ if you will, but I can tell you that Black Jack Blackthorn’s story is filled with mystery and suspense that will take your breath away.

As much as I enjoyed meeting all three of the bastard Blackthorn brothers, I can safely say that Jack’s story was the best. I’m a sucker for the tortured hero, and Jack’s life wasn’t easy in the least. After his eighteenth birthday, he’s faced with a devastating revelation that takes him from the only home he’s ever known, and after many years of wondering about, he knows that the time has come to face the past, come to terms with it and figure out his future.

Ms. Michaels went all out when she gave our hero a heroine that’s a perfect match for his dark personality.

Lady Tess Fonteneau was beautiful, smart and one stubborn woman and a handful for our hero Jack. Once they realized that the past they accepted of each other was not what it appeared, both were determined to face the demons long left dormant, and both accepted risks in order to face the future as the love they felt for each other never died.

If you’ve read the other two, I have no doubt you’ll pick this one up. However, if you’ve not read them, please, please pick them up as soon as you can. All three are fast paced and full of wonderful characters, secondary as well [one man in particular needs a happily ever after and that’s another rogue of a spy, Will Browning; loved his character], and the humor alone is worth the read.

Each book could stand-alone, but should be enjoyed read in order, ‘The Taming of the Rake’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Sin’ and ‘Much Ado About Rogues’. I highly recommend all three.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy from the publisher ( )

Reading through the series: not a favorite, but it was OK ( )

As the final book in the Blackthorn Brothers trilogy, Much Ado About Rogues had a lot of wrapping up to do...

"Black Jack" Blackthorn has always been the black sheep of his family, both literally and figuratively. He's a darker character, so his book was naturally not nearly as lighthearted and fun as the other two brothers' were. Although...I do have to say that by the end of the book, Jack did become a lot less of a dark, gloomy character, which for me was a plus. He became a lot more human than he had been in the earlier books and less of a enigma. I enjoyed seeing his story unfold in this one.

I don't want to give too much away, but there are two rather major revelations in this book that added quite a twist to the plot. One occurs pretty early on, and a reader who is paying very close attention can see it coming with a clue the author gives us. The later one took me completely by surprise, though.

Toward the middle of the book the plot does get a bit bogged down with excessive planning and bit too much of the hot-and-cold hero and heroine drama, but once the action takes up again it's hard to put it down. Overall, it was a satisfying end to the series and a good read. ( )

Book three - I could not wait to start the final book in the Blackthorn Brothers trilogy. Kasey Michaels, you saved the best for last. This was action for the first to the last page. It went beyond the first two books and have now made a fan of me for ever. I highly recommend this set and this author. I look forward to getting some more of your novels and see how they compare..I don't know if my library can handle too many more favorite authors that have 133 novels published but I will make room for yours. Great Job! ( )

3.5 Stars. The review that follows is a partial review. To read the full text, please visit:
http://tbqspersonalbookpalace.blogspot.com/2012/03/netgalley-review-much-ado-abo...
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Much Ado About Rogues tells the story of Jack Blackthorn and Lady Tess. Their story is one of secrets and lies, troubles from the past and hopes for the future. It's not a simple tale by any means!

When Jack left her four years ago, Tess was heart-broken. She thought what they had was love! But apparently he was only using her (or so it seemed). Now Jack shows up in her life again, and she finds that she still feels for him, still wants him around. But will he forgive her for the secret she's kept these four long years?

They must work together if they are to catch Tess's father, as well as the mysterious Gypsy. But after both are taken care of, where do the two of them go? Do they have a future together or will Tess raise little Jacques on her own?

There were things in this novel that I liked—and some that annoyed me. In the end, it was a slightly above average read for me, though I'm still interested enough to go back and read Beau and Puck's stories.


I liked many of the characters, they added a bit of life to the story. I even liked that Tess was another strong heroine (you can never have too many!), one that can hold her own as well as solve riddles and mysteries. Jack wasn't too bad of a hero, though I was often as confused as Tess, wondering who's side he was playing for and what his plan was.

That seemed to be a common occurrence while I was reading. I'd get a bit lost in the shuffle, not sure what was going on. It's like some of the details were either muddled or missing—or I just wasn't able to follow them.

The romance was okay, but a tad disappointing. With their past and the tension between them, I was looking forward to a hot read, but instead I got only lukewarm. In fact, during the few brief love scenes, I wasn't even sure they had, ahem, done anything. I'd reread it, still unsure—and disappointed—and the only proof that they had, indeed, done it was references later to spending the night together, offering each other comfort, etc. I was expecting so much more from Jack and Tess, but I never got it.

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This review is property of The_Book_Queen (TBQ's Book Palace) ( )