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The War Between the States may be over for the rest of the country, but not for Kit Weston. Disguised as a boy, she's come to New York City to kill Baron Cain, the man who stands between her and Risen Glory, the South Carolina home she loves. But unknown to Kit, the Yankee war hero is more than her bitterest enemy; he's also her guardian. And he'll be a lot harder to kill than she's figured on.Believing that Kit's a boy, Cain offers the grubby rapscallion a job in his stable. But he has no idea what he's in for, and it's not long before the hero of Missionary Ridge discovers the truth. His scamp of a stable boy is a strong-willed, violet-eyed beauty who's hell-bent on driving him crazy.
Two hard-headed, passionate people, two stubborn opponents with tender souls - sometimes wars of the heart can only be won through the sweetest of surrenders.

I am a huge fan of all Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s series and I have always admired the banter and humor in her books. They are fairly light-hearted stories, so I’m so glad I read and listen  to those before I listen to this one, my problem with this book was not with the writing, in fact it was  beautifully written, as all of her book are( in my opinion), my problem began  the second part  of the book, the characters engaged in silly hateful actions towards each other, so much dislike that just irritated me, I can understand love-hate relationships,  in fact I love when the author builds anticipation, but I couldn’t put their relationship in that category, I wasn’t feeling the love part, I  guess the main couple was so busy  trying to show their dislike for each other that in the process they convinced  me too,  I felt for a big portion of the book that it was more of a hate-desired relationship. I couldn’t justified why they were so cold to each other, I guess  a little more display of the true love they felt would've been nice.., But enough about what I didn’t like. I did enjoy the setting, the secondary characters, the sexual tension runs high and the love scenes are steamy with just the right amount of tenderness. The satisfying ending is not achieved easily, which is refreshingly realistic, although some might have felt it a little rushed. Being a faithful fan of SEP I did enjoy the book, I just love her writing style, also it might have  help that I started with very low expectations.

This story was first printed in 1984 and titled "Risen Glory." It was reprinted in 2001 with the current title. Using the Civil War and the struggle of the North and South as backdrop  attempts to stage a grand historical romance with slavery, clashes and racism, but I feel the goal wasn’t quite reached.

The Narrator was downright excellent, great, great performance, I think I have mention to you before, when you listen to a talented narrator, you forget someone else is reading and you get completely consumed by the story, and that’s what  happened to me with this book, I finished  it in one day, so for once I’m at a lost on how I should go about my recommendations for this book, I guess the easiest way to put it is; if you are expecting this to be a typical book from SEP, this is not the book for you, but if you want a departure from a typical romance novel I think you will truly enjoy this book, and let me say, I’m so glad I listen to it instead of reading it, Christine MacMurdo ‘s narration took this book to a whole different level. She did a terrific job with the male character’s voices.


Other Listeners:

By Laura
  If you are a fan of SEP, you'll like this one too. I steered clear of this one for a while, since the historical romance thing turned me off, but when I eventually ran out of other SEP books, I downloaded this. It did not disappoint. Strong heroine who butts heads with an intense leading man -- all you would want from a SEP book. Sad that Anna Fields didn't narrate, but this reader sounded very similar and made the man's voice sexy -- tough to do. I highly recommend. It's nothing new, nothing particularly deep, but a tremendously good time

By Karla
 Just Imagine surprised me by being very entertaining. It is different than most of SEPs work, but the character development was very good and the narrator did a beautiful job. I wasn't going to download it because it was set post civil war, but I'm a fan of SEP's writing. Not sorry I purchased it. There were some surprises in it and I liked the secondary romance in this between Sephonia and Magnuss. If you are a SEP fan you won't want to miss this one! 

By Julia  
This seems to be an attempt to rewrite a "Gone with the Wind" type story - but it doesn't quite get there. A shame as the author actually writes well - but the characters are so tormented and angry all the time that you want to smack them. it drags on a lot about the main characters' relationship being strained - a lot of North South rivalry stuff - could have been a great tale, but I was so annoyed at the constant "misinterpretations" and unsaid thoughts and misunderstood actions, that by the end, which is predictable, I just said, "UGH! finally!"
the narrator did do a good job though, and that was probably why I stuck with it.
 

Maiden Lane,   Book  2

Their lives were perfect . . .

Lady Hero Batten, the beautiful sister of the Duke of Wakefield, has everything a woman could want, including the perfect fiancé. True, the Marquis of Mandeville is a trifle dull and has no sense of humor, but that doesn't bother Hero. Until she meets his notorious brother . . . 

Until they met each other.

Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading, is far from perfect - and he likes it that way. How he spends his days is a mystery, but all of London knows he engages in the worst sorts of drunken revelry at night. Hero takes an instant dislike to him, and Griffin thinks that Hero, with her charities and faultless manners, is much too impeccable for society, let alone his brother. Yet their near-constant battle of wits soon sparks desire - desire that causes their carefully constructed worlds to come tumbling down. As Hero's wedding nears, and Griffin's enemies lay plans to end their dreams forever, can two imperfect people find perfect true love?

This is the second entry in the Maiden Lane series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I just wish she would’ve kept up a little more with some of the other characters we met on “Wicked Intentions”(first book of the series) never the less once I started listening I could not stop. I loved Hero, I loved Griffin, and more importantly I loved Hero & Griffin together.
The transition of them going from instant dislike (but still quite curious about one another) to sort of friends to lovers was seamless, his intensity with her was refreshing and wonderful.
This is such an amazing series. I advice listening or reading the books in order to fully enjoy all this series and its characters have to offer. In Notorious Pleasures the point of view alternates between Griffin, Lady Hero, and several secondary characters. We also visit the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children, and see how things have been since Silence took over for her sister, Temperance. The mystery surrounding The Ghost of St. Giles also continues. I for one am dying to know who is hiding under that costume. 
The story is humorous and sexy; beyond sexy it was downright steamy!! A definite listen if you're a fan of Elizabeth Hoyt and historical romance.
About the narration; I was a little surprised to find out  this book was being narrated by Ashford MacNab, she just didn’t  sound  the same to me, I liked  the first book’s narration so much more. The distinction from the different character’s voices was suitable, but I felt tented so many times to switch to the written version, I didn’t get the feeling I would normally get from a great narrator, the feeling of just forgetting someone is reading the book and getting lost in the story, I felt aware of the reading the entire book, don’t get me wrong, it didn’t ruin my listening experience,  I still enjoyed it very much, I assure you this a great book and a fun and sexy listen, it seems  none of the  other listeners had a problem with the narration going by their opinions.
 I can’t wait for the next installment; I’m definitely will give MacNab the benefit of doubt since I absolutely loved her performance on Wicked Intentions. 

Others Opinion:

By Lenee
I thought the first book in this series, Wicked Intentions, was great! This book does not disappoint! It's, ah, very naughty, but I didn't think as erotic as Wicked Intentions, but still, whoa! I like the the reader. I think her voice is perfect for this genre, sort of soft and husky. I'm excited for the next book to come out in Nov. I will buy that the day it comes out! Totally worth the credit.

By JudyThis series is my first experience with Elizabeth Hoyt, and I am really enjoying it. I suggest starting with the first book in this series (Wicked Intentions) just to get an idea of all the characters, otherwise you really don't get the full flavor. Really looking forward to book 3!