Thursday, December 6, 2012

Tall, Dark and Disreputable by Deb Marlowe



Portia Tofton has always yearned for brooding Mateo Cardea. His dark good looks filled her girlish dreams—dreams that were cruelly shattered when Mateo rejected her hand in marriage.

Now Portia's home has been gambled away, and Mateo is the only man she can turn to. This time, however, she has in her possession something he wants—and she finds herself striking a deal with the devil himself!

Danger is all around—but Portia has no choice but to trust this man who once betrayed her…...

Type: Historical Romance, England
Heat: 2.5 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Aw, this was one of those books where I really just loved how it all turned out. Tall, Dark and Disreputable was a really fun "chase" type of read with Portia and Mateo on the search for information and going on what seemed to be a wild goose hunt. With a touch of humor, a second chance at love (one of my favorites) and heart-clinching, gut-wrenching moments along the way it was a wonderful read that has me hooked and will have me coming back for more.



Ah, Mateo and Portia. I really liked how the two were thrown together. After the deaths of family members both of their lives were pretty much completely rocked and they were the only ones who could help each other. Even if they weren't on the best terms because of past hurts. I love couples with a past together that are getting their second chance to get things right. There's always a special fire between them that pulls me in. And these two did not disappoint. Heat-wise there's not a ton of steamy bits but what's there is really good.
He lowered his voice. "If our circumstances were the least bit different, I would have had you up against that tree quicker than a flash. I would have buried myself in you and likely have knocked that damned tree down with the force of my desire."
I absolutely LOVED Portia. She is one fiercely determined and strong woman that's been let down by so many men in her life and is damn sick and tired of it. She's taking things into her own hands and getting what she wants and needs and I loved that about her. Yeah, she had fears and insecurities but the woman pulled it together and did a damn fine job handling a terrible situation. She's quick and talented and has a lovely inner strength about her even if she doesn't realize it all the time. Damn fine heroine.

Mateo. Now, he's a little smooth. Handsome and sexy as hell but oooh how I wanted to pinch the man and dag if I can even figure out quite why because the guy was really pretty great. But, oh man did I want to just reach right in and pinch that little spot on the back of his arm. LOL.

The secondary characters were all excellent and Marlowe did a fantastic job of sparking my interest in their stories. They may have just shown up for a scene or two but there were a number I'm dying to know more about from the couples who'd already found their happily ever afters to a completely consumed in his work scientist and even the villain of the tale. In the end I really wanted to hear his story as well (he was a nice little surprise for me).

Tall, Dark and Disreputable was a fun little journey that got a good happy sigh and an awwww out of me in the end. I really had so much fun with the storyline and enjoyed the adventure Portia and Mateo wound up on while trying to figure out who was behind Portia's new found troubles. And, you know, Marlowe kept me guessing right until the end.With romance and adventure and some surprises thrown in along the way it's definitely a keeper.

Get Your Copy
Amazon   B&N 



Deb Marlowe grew up in Pennsylvania with her nose in a book. Luckily, she’d read enough romances to recognize the true modern hero she met at a college Halloween party—even though he wore a tuxedo t-shirt instead of breeches and tall boots. They married, settled in North Carolina and produced two handsome, intelligent and genuinely amusing boys. Though she spends much of her time with her nose in her laptop, for the sake of her family she does occasionally abandon her inner world for the domestic adventure of laundry, dinner and carpool. Despite her sacrifice, not one of the men in her family is yet willing to don breeches or tall boots. She’s working on it. Deb loves to hear from readers! You can contact her at deb@debmarlowe.com 



Deb's been very sweet and donated a SIGNED copy of the book for the grand prize giveaway!
Leave a nice little comment for an entry in that giveaway :)
And don't forget to enter your points in the Rafflecopter over on the right of the page! ----->

Do you like the "known each other forever 2nd chance at love" storylines?
Have a favorite Deb Marlowe read?


41 comments:

  1. O great review! I do love a headstrong independent heroine. I've put this on my wishlist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too Aurian! It's so nice to see them popping up more and more in romance :) Hope you enjoy the book!

      Delete
  2. i love independent heroine too but i haven't read a lot of 2nd chance at love book ( but i just finished one today^^;; and i loved it) i haven't read any book of Deb yet ^^ new author for me but i will probably add this to my wishlist ( too many books already on it but hey why not^^)

    thank you for this great review

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah they're the best Miki! The only storyline that I think tops it for me are the ones where the hero and heroine pretend to be a couple/mates/etc for some reason and end up falling in love. A combo of the two? Even better!!

      LOL. My TBR pile is the same way and grown a lot this month with each of the ladies I've read. Deb is one of my local authors and a pretty neat lady. So glad I found her books!

      Delete
  3. Wonderful review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed the review and Portia and Mateo sounds like a fantastic couple. I can't wait to read their story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They were a pretty entertaining one. They definitely don't have an easy go of it! Hope you enjoy their journey!

      Delete
  5. This was a great review! Looking forward to the book :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like the cover. I really can't wait to read this one. The review makes me want to get it now. However I promised my kids I wouldn't buy anymore of the books on my Christmas list until after Christmas ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. Oh how funny. I'd be terrible at keeping that promise ;) I can't seem to help myself when it comes to books and bookstores. Probably doesn't help I work in one! :)

      Delete
  7. " Heart clinching, gut wrenching moments" .... I LOVE when a story makes me cry. Can't wait to read this one. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oy Leah I got that tingly little sensation behind my eyes so many times. These two really got me going. I love when an author really gets that response and can have you laughing one minute and busting out in tears the next. Such an experience!

      Delete
  8. I do enjoy it when characters get together after years apart - they frequently appreciate the opportunity that much more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Makes it that much sweeter for sure! It's always been one of my absolute favorites. Never gets old :)

      Delete
  9. The characters certainly sound wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like a wonderful read...definitely for my wishlist!
    ivegotmail8889(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love this =) can´t wait for my chance to read!
    best wishes, Linda

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes, it's one of my favorite plots! And best friends to lovers is so good!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great review. Another one for the TBR pile.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love headstrong heroines...I can't stand reading about weak, 'poor lil old me' heroines! Thanks for a great review on a book that is now on my must read TBR list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ack me either! I want to actually respect my heroines and want to know them in real life. Those whoa is me can't do anything on my own heroines drive me nuts!

      Hope you enjoy the book!

      Delete
  15. I loved the review. The characters sound very strong and amazing- and I just have to meet them! sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I do like romances where the hero/heroine have been acquainted before they fell in love. And they get a second chance to be happy together. Deb is a new to me author. I'm very intrigued by her books.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ::happy sigh:: isn't it the best? I just love when they meet up again and finally figure it all out. So good!

      Happy reading Julianne!

      Delete
  17. Yes, I do like to read the "known each other forever 2nd chance at love" stories.


    ReplyDelete
  18. I do like second chance at love stories, especially when one party was scorned in the past by the first.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mmmhmmm. Always so happy for them to finally have their happily ever after :)

      Delete
  19. I do love the second chance romances. They always have a connection and usually resentment so a few more issues than the normal couples that they have to work through.
    Nicole.nobles@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what does it for me. I love those extra little issues and the fire they add to the relationship :)

      Delete
  20. I've had my eye on Deb for a while, but never manage to get to read any of her books yet.
    I'm always leery of second chance stories, I think because I have a hard time with the idea that things can work out now when they didn't the first time. But its fun to read and see how the author figures out a way to make it work. That is way I read fiction, after all :).

    vickykerr(at)sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can see that. I think it would be a lot harder to believe in real life but always love how it happens in books. Especially if it was really out of their control the first time round.

      Amazing how things can change after 10 years!

      Delete
  21. Yes I think it makes a very interesting premise :) but no I have yet to read her wonderful books

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sounds like a really great story with interesting characters. I have not read her books before but this sounds like a good one to start with.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I loved your review and it really gave me a great sense of Portia and Mateo and the trust they must develop in each other! Deb always writes a story that grabs the readers attention from the very first sentence to the last line of the story and I love second chance stories! I can't wait to read Tall, Dark and Disreputable!

    ReplyDelete
  24. My he sounds forceful. I like it. :)

    ReplyDelete

I always enjoy hearing what YOU think so come on and leave a comment. Everyone's welcome :) And feel free to leave comments on old posts. I'll check in on you there too :)

Bloggers don't forget to leave your links!
~Anna

The Herd Archives