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Nemesis, Unlimited #1
Sweet Revenge
The first in a breathtaking new series about the dangerous business of undercover revenge—and the undeniable pleasure of passion…
In the Business of Vengeance
When Jack Dalton escapes from Dunmoor Prison, he has only one thing in mind—finding the nobleman who murdered his sister and making him pay. But when he reaches the inn where the Lord Rockley is rumored to be staying, three well-dressed strangers are there to meet him instead. And the pretty blonde is aiming a pistol right at his head…
Desire Is Always Dangerous
Joining Nemesis, Unlimited has made Eva Warrick much more than the well-mannered lady she appears to be—one who can shoot, fight, and outsmart any man in the quest to right the injustices so often suffered by the innocent. She’s not afraid of the burly escaped convict, but she is startled by their shared attraction. She and her partners need Jack’s help to get to Rockley, but Eva finds she wants Jack for scandalous reasons all her own…
In the Business of Vengeance
When Jack Dalton escapes from Dunmoor Prison, he has only one thing in mind—finding the nobleman who murdered his sister and making him pay. But when he reaches the inn where the Lord Rockley is rumored to be staying, three well-dressed strangers are there to meet him instead. And the pretty blonde is aiming a pistol right at his head…
Desire Is Always Dangerous
Joining Nemesis, Unlimited has made Eva Warrick much more than the well-mannered lady she appears to be—one who can shoot, fight, and outsmart any man in the quest to right the injustices so often suffered by the innocent. She’s not afraid of the burly escaped convict, but she is startled by their shared attraction. She and her partners need Jack’s help to get to Rockley, but Eva finds she wants Jack for scandalous reasons all her own…
370 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 4, 2013
12 people are currently reading
1250 people want to read
About the author
Zoe Archer
27 books651 followersZoë Archer is a RITA award-nominated romance author whose stories are about smart, capable heroines and the heroes who love them. She is the author of the acclaimed Blades of the Rose series, as well as the Hellraiser, and Nemesis Unlimited series, among others. She also writes Regency-set romances as Eva Leigh. Visit her on the Web at http://www.zoearcherbooks.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
November 19, 2015
Sweet Revenge is the first book in Zoë Archer’s fabulous new Nemesis, Unlimited series. It’s a Victorian romance, but unlike any Victorian romance I’ve read before and, first page to the last, I loved it!
On the Cover:This is one of those rare “first in a series” books that doesn’t feel like a first. The world is interesting, exciting, and complex, but not so complex that you need a glossary of terms or pedigree chart to understand what’s happening. Instead of seasons, balls, the ton, peerage and all the other mundane happenings associated with the men and women of the era, this is a gritty world where murder, rape, and thievery go unpunished if you have the right title. And, should you attempt to rectify the wrongs against the innocents, you’re likely to become a target yourself.
When Jack Dalton escapes from Dunmoor Prison, he has only one thing in mind—finding the nobleman who murdered his sister and making him pay. But when he reaches the inn where the Lord Rockley is rumored to be staying, three well-dressed strangers are there to meet him instead. And the pretty blonde is aiming a pistol right at his head …
Joining Nemesis, Unlimited has made Eva Warrick much more than the well-mannered lady she appears to be—one who can shoot, fight, and outsmart any man in the quest to right the injustices so often suffered by the innocent. She’s not afraid of the burly escaped convict, but she is startled by their shared attraction. She and her partners need Jack’s help to get to Rockley, but Eva finds she wants Jack for scandalous reasons all her own…
Enter Nemesis, Unlimited! I love these Robin Hoods of Justice! Their ideals and their dedication to each other and to making the world a better, safer place for everyone, make them men and women to not only respect and admire, but to fear.
I absolutely adore Jack Dalton! From the very first page he commands attention, not just due to his size and brutish strength, but in his determination to right the wrong against his sister. He makes no excuses for her part in what happened, but will stop at nothing to see her killer brought to justice, as quickly, painfully and permanently - in other words, dead - as possible. As we learn more about Jack and his past, my heart ached for him. I wanted nothing more than to see him get the vengeance he so desperately needed in order to move on with his life.
Eva Warrick is a great heroine, and I was quickly on her side, cheering her on as she stopped at nothing to get Jack to join them. They too sought out Lord Rockley for yet another of his wrongs against women, and knew that Jack was their secret weapon in bringing him down. She’s a no nonsense kind of woman who has dedicated her life to her work with Nemesis, Unlimited. Jack wasn’t easily convinced to join them, but Eva’s refusal to take no for an answer, and Jack’s growing attraction and admiration for her, make it hard for him to walk away. Apart, Jack and Eva are great people, but together they are amazing. They're both aware of their sexuality chemistry - it's undeniable, after all - but it’s a slow burn that they take their time acting on, and that just makes the wait that much more seductive.
The bottom line: Zoë Archer is a talented author with a gift for getting right to the heart of her characters, making their stories compelling and their happily ever afters well deserved. Sweet Revenge is a great start to this series, and I’m so looking forward to reading Dangerous Seduction, Simon Addison-Shawe and Alyce Carr’s story.
My thanks to Zoë Archer and St. Martin’s Paperbacks for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2016
I've given this an A- for content and C+ for narration at AAR, which I rounded to a B overall.
Zoe Archer’s Nemesis, Unlimited novels are certainly NOT your run-of-the-mill Victorian-set romances. There’s nary a duke or an earl in sight and, even though one of the main characters is obviously from the upper echelons of society, this story is set firmly in the grimy, fog-shrouded, seedier side of London; the city where children are put to work, prostitution is rife, and most people just manage to keep body and soul together.
In my review of the second book in the series (Dangerous Seduction), I likened the members of Nemesis, Unlimited to a group of confidence tricksters. They’re the good-guys, however, helping to right wrongs and obtain justice for the little guys who would otherwise have no redress for the injustices they suffer at the hands of people far more powerful than themselves.
In this first book in the series, Nemesis engineers the escape of Jack Dalton from Dunmoor prison. Five years previously, Dalton was convicted of attempting to kill Lord Rockley, a feared member of society who counts peers and politicians among those whose secrets keep them firmly in his pocket. Dalton had been in Rockley’s employ – his sheer size and strength making him the ideal bodyguard – but on discovering Rockley had killed his (Jack’s) sister and knowing he would get no justice from the law, Jack turned on Rockley and attempted to secure it by his own means.
Learning that Rockley is in the vicinity of the prison, Jack escapes and manages to make his way to the inn at which Rockley is staying, only to be confronted instead by a young woman calmly pointing a gun at him. She is Eva Warrick - the men with her are Simon Addison-Shawe and Marco Black. Together they explain to Jack that they planted information about Rockley’s whereabouts in order to get Jack to break out of prison. They want his help to end Rockley’s career of extortion, murder, and embezzlement.
The story is fast paced and the author does a superb job in portraying the two faces of London; the one inhabited by the rich, and the city’s darker underbelly populated by whores, gangs, and street-fighters. Jack is very much a child of the streets, having been born to a whore and survived to adulthood by doing whatever he had to in order to stay fed and clothed. I really liked the fact that even though Jack’s past, as gradually revealed, was clearly no picnic, he makes no apologies and doesn’t ask for or expect sympathy. He’s a huge man, his body hewn by years of hard labour and, being no stranger to violence, at first has no patience with Nemesis’ plans to bring about Rockley’s ruin – all he wants is retribution for his sister’s murder. Gradually, however, he begins to see the merit in their plan, and the group begins to develop an uneasy trust in each other.
Eva is a very pragmatic and tightly controlled young woman who has dedicated herself to Nemesis’ ideal of getting justice for the poorest people in society. She’s clever, strong, determined – and sexually experienced - but has never felt anything like the pull she feels towards Jack. The chemistry between the pair is palpable, and Ms. Archer builds the sexual tension between them beautifully.
One of the things I enjoyed most about Sweet Revenge was watching Jack’s growing confidence and realisation that he has more to offer than muscle. He starts off lashing out at Simon, Marco, and Eva, partly through frustration and partly because he believes that he’s not in their league when it comes to intelligence. In fact, his self-deprecation is one of the most endearing qualities about this mountain of a man.
What didn’t work so well, however, was the narrator’s characterisation of Jack, which was really the only weak point in a story that was otherwise very well performed. I’ve listened to Veida Dehmlow a couple of times now, and have (for the most part) enjoyed her work. She has a smooth, mellifluous voice and her narrative is well-paced, subtly nuanced, and expressive. I was aware from my previous listening that she doesn’t have a particularly large range in terms of pitch and she doesn’t place her male voices very much lower than the female ones, which she performs in and around her normal register.
In the other books I’ve heard Ms. Dehmlow narrate, the lack of depth for her male voices, while not ideal, was less of a problem than it is here. I admit that when I realised she was to be the narrator of this story, I wondered immediately why Tantor had chosen a woman to narrate an audiobook in which almost all the main (and secondary) characters are men. But the biggest problem is this: Jack is a huge, hulking mountain of a man, yet at times his voice is almost indistinguishable from Eva’s! If it wasn’t for the fact that Ms. Dehmlow adopted a suitably lower-class accent (complete with dropped ‘h’s and glottal stops) for him, it would have been impossible to tell them apart at times. In fact, it’s only the accent that enables the listener to differentiate between Jack, Simon, and Marco most of the time, although Ms Dehmlow does give Simon a slightly “posher” edge than Marco.
I was also pleased to note the (almost complete) absence of jarring Americanisms (there was only one “sidewalk”!) and that the majority of the dialogue felt very naturalistic for the time at which the story is set. Ms. Dehmlow handles it all very well, although I admit to doing a mental double-take at hearing some of the cruder vocabulary uttered in her perfectly modulated tones. (It was almost like hearing the queen saying a naughty word!)
Sweet Revenge is a thoroughly entertaining and gripping story, and I’d certainly recommend it if you’re looking for something a bit different in an historical romance. I do have reservations about the narrator’s portrayal of the hero although at times, I found myself so caught up in the story that I was able to accept that the Jack in my ears didn’t fit the Jack in my mind’s eye and just go with the flow. If it wasn’t for the fact that the portrayal of the hero isn’t what I’d hoped for, this audio would have received at least an A- for the narration.
Zoe Archer’s Nemesis, Unlimited novels are certainly NOT your run-of-the-mill Victorian-set romances. There’s nary a duke or an earl in sight and, even though one of the main characters is obviously from the upper echelons of society, this story is set firmly in the grimy, fog-shrouded, seedier side of London; the city where children are put to work, prostitution is rife, and most people just manage to keep body and soul together.
In my review of the second book in the series (Dangerous Seduction), I likened the members of Nemesis, Unlimited to a group of confidence tricksters. They’re the good-guys, however, helping to right wrongs and obtain justice for the little guys who would otherwise have no redress for the injustices they suffer at the hands of people far more powerful than themselves.
In this first book in the series, Nemesis engineers the escape of Jack Dalton from Dunmoor prison. Five years previously, Dalton was convicted of attempting to kill Lord Rockley, a feared member of society who counts peers and politicians among those whose secrets keep them firmly in his pocket. Dalton had been in Rockley’s employ – his sheer size and strength making him the ideal bodyguard – but on discovering Rockley had killed his (Jack’s) sister and knowing he would get no justice from the law, Jack turned on Rockley and attempted to secure it by his own means.
Learning that Rockley is in the vicinity of the prison, Jack escapes and manages to make his way to the inn at which Rockley is staying, only to be confronted instead by a young woman calmly pointing a gun at him. She is Eva Warrick - the men with her are Simon Addison-Shawe and Marco Black. Together they explain to Jack that they planted information about Rockley’s whereabouts in order to get Jack to break out of prison. They want his help to end Rockley’s career of extortion, murder, and embezzlement.
The story is fast paced and the author does a superb job in portraying the two faces of London; the one inhabited by the rich, and the city’s darker underbelly populated by whores, gangs, and street-fighters. Jack is very much a child of the streets, having been born to a whore and survived to adulthood by doing whatever he had to in order to stay fed and clothed. I really liked the fact that even though Jack’s past, as gradually revealed, was clearly no picnic, he makes no apologies and doesn’t ask for or expect sympathy. He’s a huge man, his body hewn by years of hard labour and, being no stranger to violence, at first has no patience with Nemesis’ plans to bring about Rockley’s ruin – all he wants is retribution for his sister’s murder. Gradually, however, he begins to see the merit in their plan, and the group begins to develop an uneasy trust in each other.
Eva is a very pragmatic and tightly controlled young woman who has dedicated herself to Nemesis’ ideal of getting justice for the poorest people in society. She’s clever, strong, determined – and sexually experienced - but has never felt anything like the pull she feels towards Jack. The chemistry between the pair is palpable, and Ms. Archer builds the sexual tension between them beautifully.
One of the things I enjoyed most about Sweet Revenge was watching Jack’s growing confidence and realisation that he has more to offer than muscle. He starts off lashing out at Simon, Marco, and Eva, partly through frustration and partly because he believes that he’s not in their league when it comes to intelligence. In fact, his self-deprecation is one of the most endearing qualities about this mountain of a man.
What didn’t work so well, however, was the narrator’s characterisation of Jack, which was really the only weak point in a story that was otherwise very well performed. I’ve listened to Veida Dehmlow a couple of times now, and have (for the most part) enjoyed her work. She has a smooth, mellifluous voice and her narrative is well-paced, subtly nuanced, and expressive. I was aware from my previous listening that she doesn’t have a particularly large range in terms of pitch and she doesn’t place her male voices very much lower than the female ones, which she performs in and around her normal register.
In the other books I’ve heard Ms. Dehmlow narrate, the lack of depth for her male voices, while not ideal, was less of a problem than it is here. I admit that when I realised she was to be the narrator of this story, I wondered immediately why Tantor had chosen a woman to narrate an audiobook in which almost all the main (and secondary) characters are men. But the biggest problem is this: Jack is a huge, hulking mountain of a man, yet at times his voice is almost indistinguishable from Eva’s! If it wasn’t for the fact that Ms. Dehmlow adopted a suitably lower-class accent (complete with dropped ‘h’s and glottal stops) for him, it would have been impossible to tell them apart at times. In fact, it’s only the accent that enables the listener to differentiate between Jack, Simon, and Marco most of the time, although Ms Dehmlow does give Simon a slightly “posher” edge than Marco.
I was also pleased to note the (almost complete) absence of jarring Americanisms (there was only one “sidewalk”!) and that the majority of the dialogue felt very naturalistic for the time at which the story is set. Ms. Dehmlow handles it all very well, although I admit to doing a mental double-take at hearing some of the cruder vocabulary uttered in her perfectly modulated tones. (It was almost like hearing the queen saying a naughty word!)
Sweet Revenge is a thoroughly entertaining and gripping story, and I’d certainly recommend it if you’re looking for something a bit different in an historical romance. I do have reservations about the narrator’s portrayal of the hero although at times, I found myself so caught up in the story that I was able to accept that the Jack in my ears didn’t fit the Jack in my mind’s eye and just go with the flow. If it wasn’t for the fact that the portrayal of the hero isn’t what I’d hoped for, this audio would have received at least an A- for the narration.
June 5, 2013
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: MacMillan
Imprint: St. Martin’s Press
Author’s Website: http://zoearcherbooks.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Nemesis Series
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy
Pet Peeves: Overly Drawn-Out Ending
Favorite Tropes: Convict, Revenge Plot, Good Epilogue
Dark, gritty, and very, very sexy, this adventurous romp through the underbelly of late 1800′s London will hook you from the very first pages and not let you go until the end. The sheer brilliance behind the concept of Nemesis, combined with powerful protagonists with wonderful chemistry set the stage for plenty of action, and boy, did this book deliver.
I loved Jack’s character, rough edges and all, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed Eva’s character as well. More than just the main couple, though, was the dynamic of the entire cast of characters from Nemesis, and the potential for this series has it firmly on my watch list for the future.
Recommended for fans of dark and somewhat violent romances, unconventional heroes and heroines,and the struggle to remember that revenge is sometimes a dish best served cold.
A very solid 4.5/5, and a series to keep an eye on.
Expected Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: MacMillan
Imprint: St. Martin’s Press
Author’s Website: http://zoearcherbooks.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Nemesis Series
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy
Pet Peeves: Overly Drawn-Out Ending
Favorite Tropes: Convict, Revenge Plot, Good Epilogue
Dark, gritty, and very, very sexy, this adventurous romp through the underbelly of late 1800′s London will hook you from the very first pages and not let you go until the end. The sheer brilliance behind the concept of Nemesis, combined with powerful protagonists with wonderful chemistry set the stage for plenty of action, and boy, did this book deliver.
I loved Jack’s character, rough edges and all, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed Eva’s character as well. More than just the main couple, though, was the dynamic of the entire cast of characters from Nemesis, and the potential for this series has it firmly on my watch list for the future.
Recommended for fans of dark and somewhat violent romances, unconventional heroes and heroines,and the struggle to remember that revenge is sometimes a dish best served cold.
A very solid 4.5/5, and a series to keep an eye on.
May 9, 2013
Nemesis is a group of individuals fighting for the people that have nowhere else to turn. Eva Warrick, a tutor by day, is a secret member of Nemesis and is about to embark on a life changing mission. To bring down twisted Lord Rockley, Nemesis has decided to enlist (take hostage) the prisoner Jack Dalton. Dalton is a man bent on revenging his sister's untimely death at the hands of Rockley.
Jack Dalton is encourage to escape from Dunmoor Prison thinking he is on his way to kill Rockley. What he never expected was to find Eva Warrick waiting for him instead and holding a gun to his head. Jack reluctantly partners with the Nemesis group and Eva to further his own cause, ending Rockley. The fiery attraction between Jack and Eva is definitely an unwanted and unexpected side effect of their partnership but it can’t be denied, especially when the two face insurmountable danger at every turn.
A fast paced, action packed adventure placed in historical England, Sweet Revenge was an excellent story. Although it is in England of old, the story read like a contemporary black ops romance. By Zoe Archer's vivid writing style, we are immersed into the dark and gritty under belly of London’s crime ridden streets. Zoe Archer created colorful characters and a riveting plot, a wonderful start to what is sure to be a fabulous series.
I received this ARC of Sweet Revenge from St. Martin's Press in exchange for honest review. This book is set for publication June 4, 2013.
Amazon Link
Barnes & Noble Link
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
Jack Dalton is encourage to escape from Dunmoor Prison thinking he is on his way to kill Rockley. What he never expected was to find Eva Warrick waiting for him instead and holding a gun to his head. Jack reluctantly partners with the Nemesis group and Eva to further his own cause, ending Rockley. The fiery attraction between Jack and Eva is definitely an unwanted and unexpected side effect of their partnership but it can’t be denied, especially when the two face insurmountable danger at every turn.
A fast paced, action packed adventure placed in historical England, Sweet Revenge was an excellent story. Although it is in England of old, the story read like a contemporary black ops romance. By Zoe Archer's vivid writing style, we are immersed into the dark and gritty under belly of London’s crime ridden streets. Zoe Archer created colorful characters and a riveting plot, a wonderful start to what is sure to be a fabulous series.
I received this ARC of Sweet Revenge from St. Martin's Press in exchange for honest review. This book is set for publication June 4, 2013.
Amazon Link
Barnes & Noble Link
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
January 8, 2014
2.5 - 3 stars
Even though I stayed up very late reading this last night, I wasn't inspired to give up even more sleep to read the last 50 pages. This is unusual for me. I finished SWEET REVENGE this evening.
I see I'm in the tiny minority of reviewers, so far, who have given this book less than 4-5 stars. I agree with what they all have said about this not being a typical Victorian setting, and I know that the plot is not a common one in books that my library tags as Romances. I had hoped to like this very much, since it is the first book in a series that held promise.
I was interested in Jack and in Eva and their back stories. How an escaped prisoner, from the underbelly of London, could be set as hero to an outwardly genteel woman who tutors children is a different twist. I wanted to learn more about Eva: what happened to her that drew her in to Nemesis, for example? She certainly seems to have had some awful experiences in her past, but they are hidden, and her transformation to her present life of danger is unbelievable without more insight revealed. Jack was drawn in such detail that I think I "got" him, but Eva kept too many secrets from us, and I was left wanting to know more about her.
What never seemed to click for me was the presence of Simon and, more notably, Marco. These and the other members of the "Nemesis, Unlimited" group remind me of my own inability to draw humans as much more than stick figures. I salute this author for her ability to do what I could never hope to try!
Perhaps I just did not have the patience to wait for Simon and Marco to become three-dimensional people later in this series. I would expect that the upcoming book(s) will fill in their personas, but the preview at the back of this book did not capture my attention enough to anticipate its release at the end of 2013.
If you are offended by explicit sex scenes, you'll definitely want to give this one a pass. Also, I must at least mention that there are some big scenes of violence. From the earlier part of the story, where Jack was told that Nemesis did not (usually?) resort to violence, I was expecting to see some clever way to bring the villain to justice without the blood and gore.
It's too bad that the series concept did not work for me as much as I'd expected from the back cover of this first book.
Even though I stayed up very late reading this last night, I wasn't inspired to give up even more sleep to read the last 50 pages. This is unusual for me. I finished SWEET REVENGE this evening.
I see I'm in the tiny minority of reviewers, so far, who have given this book less than 4-5 stars. I agree with what they all have said about this not being a typical Victorian setting, and I know that the plot is not a common one in books that my library tags as Romances. I had hoped to like this very much, since it is the first book in a series that held promise.
I was interested in Jack and in Eva and their back stories. How an escaped prisoner, from the underbelly of London, could be set as hero to an outwardly genteel woman who tutors children is a different twist. I wanted to learn more about Eva: what happened to her that drew her in to Nemesis, for example? She certainly seems to have had some awful experiences in her past, but they are hidden, and her transformation to her present life of danger is unbelievable without more insight revealed. Jack was drawn in such detail that I think I "got" him, but Eva kept too many secrets from us, and I was left wanting to know more about her.
What never seemed to click for me was the presence of Simon and, more notably, Marco. These and the other members of the "Nemesis, Unlimited" group remind me of my own inability to draw humans as much more than stick figures. I salute this author for her ability to do what I could never hope to try!
Perhaps I just did not have the patience to wait for Simon and Marco to become three-dimensional people later in this series. I would expect that the upcoming book(s) will fill in their personas, but the preview at the back of this book did not capture my attention enough to anticipate its release at the end of 2013.
If you are offended by explicit sex scenes, you'll definitely want to give this one a pass. Also, I must at least mention that there are some big scenes of violence. From the earlier part of the story, where Jack was told that Nemesis did not (usually?) resort to violence, I was expecting to see some clever way to bring the villain to justice without the blood and gore.
It's too bad that the series concept did not work for me as much as I'd expected from the back cover of this first book.
September 26, 2013
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Sweet Revenge is the first book in Zoe Archer's new Nemesis, Unlimited series. It is a gritty, historical, romantic suspense unlike anything I've read before. It is almost entirely set in the seedy underbelly of London during the late Victorian era, and most of the characters are anything but nobility. The only other romances I've read that even come close to this type of story are Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, but even they have some noble characters and more upper-crust settings. For this reason alone, Sweet Revenge gets extra points for uniqueness. I really like the premise for the series and how Nemesis, Unlimited is essentially a “Robin Hood” type of organization that helps people who fall through the cracks of the system to obtain justice and perhaps even a bit of revenge. The story gets off to a great start with an exciting prison break, immediately followed by the hero meeting the Nemesis agents, and from there, the action barely lets up throughout. This is a well-written and unusual book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys lots of action and adventure in their romance.
To say that Jack is rough around the edges would be an understatement. He was a bastard who never knew his father and was born in the London slums where he grew up struggling merely to survive. After his mother passed away, the only person he had left was his sister, and they were very close. Jack grew into a big man who became a scrappy fighter, first earning his living in the boxing ring, and later, as a bodyguard to a wealthy man. When his sister was cruelly murdered by Rockley, the man for whom Jack worked, Jack tried to kill Rockley in revenge, but instead, was caught and spent five years in prison for his misdeed. Due in part to a little manipulation on the part of Nemesis, Unlimited, he escaped from prison, only to feel like he was being placed in another one when the Nemesis agents coerced him into working for them. After all that Jack went through in his life, it wasn't at all surprising that he was a hardened man, but he doesn't really have much softness in him at all. Every once in a while Jack shows some tiny chinks in his armor, such as when he went back for Eva when they first met and were running from the authorities, or when he exhibited some kindnesses toward children and the young woman Nemesis was helping, but overall, I prefer my heroes to show a little more vulnerability. He does have a tendency to put himself down, which Eva frequently corrects (he's far more intelligent and observant than most people, himself included, recognize), but in my opinion, he still didn't come off as being particularly tortured and rarely showed any emotion. While Jack's personality was certainly consistent with his background, I usually like my heroes, especially those in the historical genre to be a little more refined and gentlemanly. However, romance readers who love dark, dangerous, bad boys will probably eat him up.
Eva is a very unique woman, who in many ways, seems to think and act more like a man. She can shoot, fight and exact revenge every bit as well as her male counterparts in Nemesis. She is tough as nails and isn't really flustered by anything, including bearing witness to brutal violence. In fact, seeing Jack going head to head in a brawl kind of turns her on. Eva is very intuitive, which is something I typically love to see in a character, but in some ways, it felt overdone here. It was almost like she could intuit anything about Jack without him saying a word, which stretches the bounds of credibility. It also leads to a lack of uncertainty about the other person and eliminates the need for meaningful conversation, which to my way of thinking, is essential to building a true romance. The thing that bothered me the most about Eva though, is that she remains an enigma for the entire book. Even after turning the final pages, there are still things I don't know about her. I spent the whole story thinking that something more was going to be revealed, but it never was. She guards her heart almost zealously, like a woman who has been hurt in the past, yet nothing of that nature ever came to light. She has no fear of anything, and therefore, no real vulnerabilities, but I didn't know if this was simply a part of her nature or if she learned to be that way due to past experiences. The entire backstory of how she came to work for Nemesis was so cursory, it was over in a heartbeat and shed little light on her character. She is an extremely independent woman who lives alone and works to support herself, which was somewhat unusual for that time period, yet there is no explanation of why this is the case. With her parents being Christian missionaries, she came from a pretty conservative background, but she is obviously a hot-blooded, passionate woman who is anything but an innocent miss. In fact, she is said to have had several lovers before Jack, which seems not only at odds with her upbringing but also with the historical mores of the era, yet no explanation is given for her out of the ordinary sexual behavior either. There is something of a tacit admission that she only ever truly let her sensual side out with Jack, which left me wondering if her other lovers didn't satisfy her or what. When it came right down to it, Eva couldn't even admit that she loved Jack and wanted to be with him until faced with losing him entirely, and even then, it took her co-worker's intervention to get her to act on her feelings. Overall, Eva was a very closed off heroine who was somewhat frustrating to read about and rather difficult for me to connect with.
The other thing I thought was rather lacking was Eva and Jack's romance. I think they were both a little too much alike with their I-am-an-island personalities, which made it difficult for them both to express their feelings. It's abundantly clear that they were physically attracted to one another right from the start, but I didn't really sense anything beyond lust for most of the story. Their relationship simply lacks the kind of sentimental sweetness that I typically associate with romance. There are no loving words or romantic interludes between them. In fact, Eva is turned on by Jack's barely leashed savage nature and his straight-talking ways, which she likens to poetry. Unfortunately, neither of these things is a big turn-on for me, so I had a hard time understanding where she was coming from. Their love scenes are imbued with a raw and almost feral intensity that borders on the erotic, not because they're particularly rough or kinky in any way, but because they don't really express any emotion. It was a fiery, torrid sexuality that didn't really lend itself well to softer feelings or tender interactions.
As I mentioned before, Sweet Revenge is the first in a series. Readers are introduced to some of the other Nemesis operatives who could end up becoming main characters in future stories. My personal favorite was Simon who is slated to be the hero of Dangerous Seduction, the next full-length novel in the series due for release in November (2013). He was more to my liking, because of his gentlemanly behavior toward women, so I'll definitely be looking forward to reading his story.
Sweet Revenge was my first read by Zoe Archer, and I can't deny that overall, it was an exceptionally worthy effort if for no other reason than because of its originality. There is nothing else out there like it in the historical genre that I'm aware of, but despite that, I'm not entirely certain that it was quite my cup of tea. I'll admit that it kept my attention engaged, but the lack of relatable main characters prevented it from earning keeper status from me. However, the series premise, as well as the potential of Simon as a hero, has sufficiently intrigued me to continue with it when the next book is released.
Note: This book contains a significant amount of strong and/or explicit language that I've typically only seen in the erotic sub-genre and which may offend some readers.
I received an ARC of this book from the author via GoodReads FirstReads in exchange for an honest review.
Sweet Revenge is the first book in Zoe Archer's new Nemesis, Unlimited series. It is a gritty, historical, romantic suspense unlike anything I've read before. It is almost entirely set in the seedy underbelly of London during the late Victorian era, and most of the characters are anything but nobility. The only other romances I've read that even come close to this type of story are Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, but even they have some noble characters and more upper-crust settings. For this reason alone, Sweet Revenge gets extra points for uniqueness. I really like the premise for the series and how Nemesis, Unlimited is essentially a “Robin Hood” type of organization that helps people who fall through the cracks of the system to obtain justice and perhaps even a bit of revenge. The story gets off to a great start with an exciting prison break, immediately followed by the hero meeting the Nemesis agents, and from there, the action barely lets up throughout. This is a well-written and unusual book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys lots of action and adventure in their romance.
To say that Jack is rough around the edges would be an understatement. He was a bastard who never knew his father and was born in the London slums where he grew up struggling merely to survive. After his mother passed away, the only person he had left was his sister, and they were very close. Jack grew into a big man who became a scrappy fighter, first earning his living in the boxing ring, and later, as a bodyguard to a wealthy man. When his sister was cruelly murdered by Rockley, the man for whom Jack worked, Jack tried to kill Rockley in revenge, but instead, was caught and spent five years in prison for his misdeed. Due in part to a little manipulation on the part of Nemesis, Unlimited, he escaped from prison, only to feel like he was being placed in another one when the Nemesis agents coerced him into working for them. After all that Jack went through in his life, it wasn't at all surprising that he was a hardened man, but he doesn't really have much softness in him at all. Every once in a while Jack shows some tiny chinks in his armor, such as when he went back for Eva when they first met and were running from the authorities, or when he exhibited some kindnesses toward children and the young woman Nemesis was helping, but overall, I prefer my heroes to show a little more vulnerability. He does have a tendency to put himself down, which Eva frequently corrects (he's far more intelligent and observant than most people, himself included, recognize), but in my opinion, he still didn't come off as being particularly tortured and rarely showed any emotion. While Jack's personality was certainly consistent with his background, I usually like my heroes, especially those in the historical genre to be a little more refined and gentlemanly. However, romance readers who love dark, dangerous, bad boys will probably eat him up.
Eva is a very unique woman, who in many ways, seems to think and act more like a man. She can shoot, fight and exact revenge every bit as well as her male counterparts in Nemesis. She is tough as nails and isn't really flustered by anything, including bearing witness to brutal violence. In fact, seeing Jack going head to head in a brawl kind of turns her on. Eva is very intuitive, which is something I typically love to see in a character, but in some ways, it felt overdone here. It was almost like she could intuit anything about Jack without him saying a word, which stretches the bounds of credibility. It also leads to a lack of uncertainty about the other person and eliminates the need for meaningful conversation, which to my way of thinking, is essential to building a true romance. The thing that bothered me the most about Eva though, is that she remains an enigma for the entire book. Even after turning the final pages, there are still things I don't know about her. I spent the whole story thinking that something more was going to be revealed, but it never was. She guards her heart almost zealously, like a woman who has been hurt in the past, yet nothing of that nature ever came to light. She has no fear of anything, and therefore, no real vulnerabilities, but I didn't know if this was simply a part of her nature or if she learned to be that way due to past experiences. The entire backstory of how she came to work for Nemesis was so cursory, it was over in a heartbeat and shed little light on her character. She is an extremely independent woman who lives alone and works to support herself, which was somewhat unusual for that time period, yet there is no explanation of why this is the case. With her parents being Christian missionaries, she came from a pretty conservative background, but she is obviously a hot-blooded, passionate woman who is anything but an innocent miss. In fact, she is said to have had several lovers before Jack, which seems not only at odds with her upbringing but also with the historical mores of the era, yet no explanation is given for her out of the ordinary sexual behavior either. There is something of a tacit admission that she only ever truly let her sensual side out with Jack, which left me wondering if her other lovers didn't satisfy her or what. When it came right down to it, Eva couldn't even admit that she loved Jack and wanted to be with him until faced with losing him entirely, and even then, it took her co-worker's intervention to get her to act on her feelings. Overall, Eva was a very closed off heroine who was somewhat frustrating to read about and rather difficult for me to connect with.
The other thing I thought was rather lacking was Eva and Jack's romance. I think they were both a little too much alike with their I-am-an-island personalities, which made it difficult for them both to express their feelings. It's abundantly clear that they were physically attracted to one another right from the start, but I didn't really sense anything beyond lust for most of the story. Their relationship simply lacks the kind of sentimental sweetness that I typically associate with romance. There are no loving words or romantic interludes between them. In fact, Eva is turned on by Jack's barely leashed savage nature and his straight-talking ways, which she likens to poetry. Unfortunately, neither of these things is a big turn-on for me, so I had a hard time understanding where she was coming from. Their love scenes are imbued with a raw and almost feral intensity that borders on the erotic, not because they're particularly rough or kinky in any way, but because they don't really express any emotion. It was a fiery, torrid sexuality that didn't really lend itself well to softer feelings or tender interactions.
As I mentioned before, Sweet Revenge is the first in a series. Readers are introduced to some of the other Nemesis operatives who could end up becoming main characters in future stories. My personal favorite was Simon who is slated to be the hero of Dangerous Seduction, the next full-length novel in the series due for release in November (2013). He was more to my liking, because of his gentlemanly behavior toward women, so I'll definitely be looking forward to reading his story.
Sweet Revenge was my first read by Zoe Archer, and I can't deny that overall, it was an exceptionally worthy effort if for no other reason than because of its originality. There is nothing else out there like it in the historical genre that I'm aware of, but despite that, I'm not entirely certain that it was quite my cup of tea. I'll admit that it kept my attention engaged, but the lack of relatable main characters prevented it from earning keeper status from me. However, the series premise, as well as the potential of Simon as a hero, has sufficiently intrigued me to continue with it when the next book is released.
Note: This book contains a significant amount of strong and/or explicit language that I've typically only seen in the erotic sub-genre and which may offend some readers.
I received an ARC of this book from the author via GoodReads FirstReads in exchange for an honest review.
August 20, 2017
3.25 stars
June 6, 2013
3.5 stars
This review is for a free copy courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Net Galley.
Sweet Revenge is not your typical historical romance, it is much more.
It is set in London in Victorian times, but as the story unfolds, it does not take us from one ballroom to another and from one town house to another, the setting, the surroundings and the characters are all unique and interesting.
We are first introduced to Jack Dalton, a prisoner in the process of escaping from jail, described as a huge strong man, in his former life Jack was a boxer and later a bodyguard to a corrupt Noble man in times when the Nobility could get away with almost everything. When 5 years earlier Jack tries to take justice in his own hand he is thrust in prison where thoughts of vengeance is all he has for company.
I admit at first I thought of Jack sort of Jean Valjean, very strong prisoner on the run, then I thought AHA, Hugh Jackman, but Jack Dalton's character is so well written that he was Jack and no one else.
Soon after Jack leaves prison, he finds himself in the grasp of a secret group who call themselves "Nemesis Unlimited", their goal is to help those in need against the gentry, a mixed group of men and women.
They need Jack because their new assignment is about the man he tried to kill and as he used to be his bodyguard he must know enough information to help them in their mission.
Jack is paired with Eva on the mission, and sparks fly between them instantly. Eva is not your typical Herione, she is one tough girl, she goes undercover, points her gun around and uses her fist. She barges into a brothel and breaks into a house, all the while trying to control Jack and what she feels towards him .
The book has lots if action, with Jack and Eva going around London, from the slums to ballrooms, chasing and spying, shooting and getting shot at. At one point I was wondering why the other Nemesis members didn't participate much, I know it was building up on Eva and Jack relationship, but really there was some action that didn't have to be Eva! And it might have been interesting to see more action from the other members ( which I'm sure we will in the next books in the series)
I really enjoyed how this book stayed away from all the victorian glamour and I LOVED the ending.
The 3.5 stars is because I was a bit uncomfortable with the language and some of the descriptions. It was out of my comfort zone and bothered me a bit. It was my first book by Zoe Archer, I know now what to expect.
I'm looking forward to the next book, Simon's story.
This review is for a free copy courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Net Galley.
Sweet Revenge is not your typical historical romance, it is much more.
It is set in London in Victorian times, but as the story unfolds, it does not take us from one ballroom to another and from one town house to another, the setting, the surroundings and the characters are all unique and interesting.
We are first introduced to Jack Dalton, a prisoner in the process of escaping from jail, described as a huge strong man, in his former life Jack was a boxer and later a bodyguard to a corrupt Noble man in times when the Nobility could get away with almost everything. When 5 years earlier Jack tries to take justice in his own hand he is thrust in prison where thoughts of vengeance is all he has for company.
I admit at first I thought of Jack sort of Jean Valjean, very strong prisoner on the run, then I thought AHA, Hugh Jackman, but Jack Dalton's character is so well written that he was Jack and no one else.
Soon after Jack leaves prison, he finds himself in the grasp of a secret group who call themselves "Nemesis Unlimited", their goal is to help those in need against the gentry, a mixed group of men and women.
They need Jack because their new assignment is about the man he tried to kill and as he used to be his bodyguard he must know enough information to help them in their mission.
Jack is paired with Eva on the mission, and sparks fly between them instantly. Eva is not your typical Herione, she is one tough girl, she goes undercover, points her gun around and uses her fist. She barges into a brothel and breaks into a house, all the while trying to control Jack and what she feels towards him .
The book has lots if action, with Jack and Eva going around London, from the slums to ballrooms, chasing and spying, shooting and getting shot at. At one point I was wondering why the other Nemesis members didn't participate much, I know it was building up on Eva and Jack relationship, but really there was some action that didn't have to be Eva! And it might have been interesting to see more action from the other members ( which I'm sure we will in the next books in the series)
I really enjoyed how this book stayed away from all the victorian glamour and I LOVED the ending.
The 3.5 stars is because I was a bit uncomfortable with the language and some of the descriptions. It was out of my comfort zone and bothered me a bit. It was my first book by Zoe Archer, I know now what to expect.
I'm looking forward to the next book, Simon's story.
May 10, 2013
Sweet Revenge is the story of revenge, hate, redemption and love. Jack Dalton has two things on his mind as he toils as an inmate in a nineteenth century English prison-Escape & Revenge. In a time when the poor are often unjustly imprisoned and the rich go free, Jack has vowed to avenge the death of his sister at the brutal hands of Lord Rockley. Jack manages to escape prison, only to be captured and captivated by the tough as nails beauty, Eva Warrick, an agent for the group, Nemesis, whose goal is to seek justice for the masses who have no chance against the rich and powerful. Enlisted by Nemesis to help bring Lord Rockley down, Jack finds his quest less bitter with Eva by his side. The plan is risky, but the rewards are high, will they be able to end Rockley’s evil ways, saving others from his sister’s fate?
Zoe Archer has recreated the feel of a gritty London with its dark streets and seedy characters. Her ability to contrast these scenes with the bright settings of the gentry a world apart is amazing. Ms. Archer’s characters come to life under her pen, flawed and less than perfect, believably real in both their mannerisms and their speech! Sweet Revenge is an excellent start to the new series Nemesis Unlimited!
I received this ARC edition of Sweet Revenge from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: June 4, 2013.
Zoe Archer has recreated the feel of a gritty London with its dark streets and seedy characters. Her ability to contrast these scenes with the bright settings of the gentry a world apart is amazing. Ms. Archer’s characters come to life under her pen, flawed and less than perfect, believably real in both their mannerisms and their speech! Sweet Revenge is an excellent start to the new series Nemesis Unlimited!
I received this ARC edition of Sweet Revenge from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: June 4, 2013.
August 6, 2013
I went back and forth between 4 & 5 stars on this one but then I figured what the hell, it was a lot of fun. I've only seen the TV show Leverage a few times but I'm familiar with the premise. A group of people with special skills help ordinary people take down the rich & powerful people who have harmed them. And that's the premise here, only set in Victorian London. I love a good caper story & a good Robin Hood type story as well so this was right up my alley.
Eva is an awesome heroine. She's pragmatic and well trained by Nemesis Unlimited. She's brave but not in a running ridiculously unprepared into danger sort of way. She calculates her risks and relies on her training. The only thing she isn't ready for is Jack. He's seemingly just a big brute of a man who is obsessed with getting revenge on the nobleman who killed his sister. He's always made his way with his fists but in working with Nemesis he reveals a sly intelligence, an ability to spot patterns and work out solutions to problems. Eva comes to believe in his brains long before Jack himself does.
Although they don't come together until later in the book the attraction and tension between Eva & Jack is evident right from the beginning. They are both forthright people and comfortable with their own needs and so they are frank in their appreciation of and attraction to each other. This leads to some great banter and .flirtation.
The secondary characters are also interesting and I'm looking forward to the next in the series already.
Eva is an awesome heroine. She's pragmatic and well trained by Nemesis Unlimited. She's brave but not in a running ridiculously unprepared into danger sort of way. She calculates her risks and relies on her training. The only thing she isn't ready for is Jack. He's seemingly just a big brute of a man who is obsessed with getting revenge on the nobleman who killed his sister. He's always made his way with his fists but in working with Nemesis he reveals a sly intelligence, an ability to spot patterns and work out solutions to problems. Eva comes to believe in his brains long before Jack himself does.
Although they don't come together until later in the book the attraction and tension between Eva & Jack is evident right from the beginning. They are both forthright people and comfortable with their own needs and so they are frank in their appreciation of and attraction to each other. This leads to some great banter and .flirtation.
The secondary characters are also interesting and I'm looking forward to the next in the series already.
November 24, 2019
3,5 Stars
Action-packed Victorian romance revolving around a secret organisation, The Nemesis, which mission is to help people among the poorest classes seek justice. The latest case is Jack Dalton, convicted for attempted murder and just escaped from a Yorkshire prison, a desperate man bent on exacting vengeance on the powerful aristocrat who killed his sister. Brought to 1886 London, he's paired with top agent Eva Warrick and together they work to make the object of Jack's revenge finally pay for his crimes.
For once forsaking ballrooms and afternoon teas, an original story bringing to life the seedier and edgier side of a staple historical romance setting I have rarely seen portrayed in such exciting way. A terrific first half, rife with suspense and sexual tension build-up, there was instead a certain slowing down in the last part, but Zoë Archer's trademark engaging prose, snappy dialogues and sizzling chemistry between two intelligent and gutsy leads were all there.
July 13, 2021
Re-read of the first book of a series I've been meaning to finish for a while after getting it as a galley and subsequently buying it. I really enjoyed this well written historical romance. Probably rating a solid 4 stars. Review to come.
May 14, 2013
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author for review purposes. Many thanks to Zoe Archer and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity. Yes, this is an honest review.
Jack Dalton spent five years in jail after he failed to avenge his sister. Now he has escaped Dunmoor Prison and he is more determined than ever to dispense justice on Lord Rockley, his former employer and the man who killed his sister. A tip leads him to an inn very near Dunmoor but, when he goes in, he doesn't find Rockley -- what he finds is a gun pointed at him -- and the person holding it is the most fascinating woman Jack has ever seen.
Eva works for Nemesis Unlimited, a group known to handle delicate situations and solve problems for those who need them. Nemesis Unlimited has been hired to deal with Lord Rockley and, based on their research, their best bit is Jack Dalton.
Despite their extensive investigation and their very thick file on Dalton, the man himself defies all expectations: more feral than civilized, Eva and her companions are overwhelmed by the barely contained brutish force that lies within Dalton.
Dalton and Eva have different views on revenge (he wants him dead; she wants him to face justice in the courts of law) but both of them want Lord Rockley to pay his dues. With no resources of his own, Dalton goes along with the Nemesis's plan and finds himself paired up with Eva.
Beast meets Beauty. Jack Dalton is an interesting hero as he doesn't fit the mold of what we consider as one. He was imprisoned for 5 years and had lived a very colorful life before that. He knows he is a brute and is aware of his limitations and, perhaps this is where Zoe Archer's skill in characterization shines through: she took on the challenge of writing a most unlikely hero and made her readers believe in him.
Eva and the rest of Nemesis Unlimited are a sharp contrast to Jack. Their civility and manners highlight Jack's rough ways and this was a point of conflict in the story -- like a diamond polishing another diamond, each confrontation between Eva and Jack chip away at their exteriors, adding to each other's facets.
The experience transforms Jack drastically but Eva isn't left unscathed: she has hidden herself, her wants, dreams and desires and dedicated herself to her work in Nemesis. Jack coaxed her out of her comfort zone.
The romance between Eva and Jack aren't the main focus of the story but I love how the author presents and proceeds to narrate a very interesting revenge plan. Archer orchestrates the scheme very well and takes her characters on a thrilling caper through London. She injects little bits of historical facts that further adds dimension to the story (read about the Contagious Diseases Acts in loc 1831).
Justice vs. Punishment -- there is a reflection on ethics in Sweet Revenge. Lord Rockley is a man who has: ruined the lives of young ladies, defrauded the government, killed for his own gains -- is there an honorable way to mete out justice for a man such as this? Nemesis Unlimited claims they are not murderers, but they aren't lawful either -- they exist in a limbo and they negotiate right and evil with every decision they make.
This is the first book in Zoe Archer's new series, Nemesis Unlimited. She introduces the rest of the characters very nicely in this story and I'm curious to read about them. Readers who enjoy exciting escapades should really give this book a try. Sweet Revenge will be released this June 3, 2013.
Jack Dalton spent five years in jail after he failed to avenge his sister. Now he has escaped Dunmoor Prison and he is more determined than ever to dispense justice on Lord Rockley, his former employer and the man who killed his sister. A tip leads him to an inn very near Dunmoor but, when he goes in, he doesn't find Rockley -- what he finds is a gun pointed at him -- and the person holding it is the most fascinating woman Jack has ever seen.
Eva works for Nemesis Unlimited, a group known to handle delicate situations and solve problems for those who need them. Nemesis Unlimited has been hired to deal with Lord Rockley and, based on their research, their best bit is Jack Dalton.
Despite their extensive investigation and their very thick file on Dalton, the man himself defies all expectations: more feral than civilized, Eva and her companions are overwhelmed by the barely contained brutish force that lies within Dalton.
Dalton and Eva have different views on revenge (he wants him dead; she wants him to face justice in the courts of law) but both of them want Lord Rockley to pay his dues. With no resources of his own, Dalton goes along with the Nemesis's plan and finds himself paired up with Eva.
Beast meets Beauty. Jack Dalton is an interesting hero as he doesn't fit the mold of what we consider as one. He was imprisoned for 5 years and had lived a very colorful life before that. He knows he is a brute and is aware of his limitations and, perhaps this is where Zoe Archer's skill in characterization shines through: she took on the challenge of writing a most unlikely hero and made her readers believe in him.
Eva and the rest of Nemesis Unlimited are a sharp contrast to Jack. Their civility and manners highlight Jack's rough ways and this was a point of conflict in the story -- like a diamond polishing another diamond, each confrontation between Eva and Jack chip away at their exteriors, adding to each other's facets.
"...He won't let a piece of filth like me disrupt that."
She looked at him sharply. "Why would you say that?"
"Because to Rockley," he said, spreading his hands, "there's nothing more important than appearance."
"No, I mean, why would you call yourself a piece of filth? Do you really think of yourself that way?"
He blinked. "I don't think of myself in any way. I just am."
The idea seemed to flat out puzzle her. "You've got to have some conceptualization of yourself. Some idea of who you believe yourself to be."
He gave a quick bark of laughter. "Self-reflection -- I think that's the word for ti -- that's a luxury for them that don't have to worry about their next meal, or whether the rain will come through the holes in the roof. There's only survival. And if you don't fight to survive" -- he shrugged -- "you don't."
- loc 1647 - 1660
The experience transforms Jack drastically but Eva isn't left unscathed: she has hidden herself, her wants, dreams and desires and dedicated herself to her work in Nemesis. Jack coaxed her out of her comfort zone.
The romance between Eva and Jack aren't the main focus of the story but I love how the author presents and proceeds to narrate a very interesting revenge plan. Archer orchestrates the scheme very well and takes her characters on a thrilling caper through London. She injects little bits of historical facts that further adds dimension to the story (read about the Contagious Diseases Acts in loc 1831).
Justice vs. Punishment -- there is a reflection on ethics in Sweet Revenge. Lord Rockley is a man who has: ruined the lives of young ladies, defrauded the government, killed for his own gains -- is there an honorable way to mete out justice for a man such as this? Nemesis Unlimited claims they are not murderers, but they aren't lawful either -- they exist in a limbo and they negotiate right and evil with every decision they make.
"Just picture it: the only family you got in the whole world, stretched out at your feet, dying too slow to be merciful but too fast to get a doctor. Picture that" -- he pointed at finger at her -- "and then tell me you'd be satisfied with ruination."
- loc 1086 - 1098
This is the first book in Zoe Archer's new series, Nemesis Unlimited. She introduces the rest of the characters very nicely in this story and I'm curious to read about them. Readers who enjoy exciting escapades should really give this book a try. Sweet Revenge will be released this June 3, 2013.
February 4, 2016
4.5 Stars
I have heard good things about Zoe Archer's writing so I was intrigued when I saw Sweet Revenge on Netgalley and was ecstatic when I was approved for it. This is the first book in Archer's new Nemesis Unlimited series which is strictly historical romance and has overtones from the TV show, Leverage, and Ocean's Eleven. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book and am anxiously waiting for November when its sequel is released.
The hero of this book is one of the ones that I adore in historical romances: dark, tortured, and unused to trusting others. Jack Dalton grew up on the streets of London and ended up earning a living by becoming a bodyguard for a nobleman who later killed his sister and sent Jack to prison. Because of his background, Jack is gruff and uncomfortable in social situations. He is obsessed with getting revenge for his sister's death and believes that only his physical strength can do that. But, through his interaction with the other characters especially the heroine, Jack learns that he has much more to offer than brute strength and becomes more confident in his intelligence.
For a hero as well-developed as Jack, his heroine needs to be intelligent, beautiful, and full of fire which is exactly the description for Eva. She works as a tutor for middle class children during the day and acts as an operative for a secret organization, Nemesis Unlimited, by the day. I really liked and admired Eva throughout this book. She is smart, fiery, and confident without being reckless. She has a strong sense of justice yet has spent much of her life keeping her personal feelings to herself, but all that changes when she meets Jack Dalton.
Eva and Jack are two great characters that make an equally fabulous couple. There is a ton of chemistry between them from the moment they meet after Jack's prison escape. They both have issues with personal relationships, but that doesn't stop them from wanting each other and thinking about what could happen between them. The thing I really liked about this couple was how they interacted with each other and learned to trust while working on their mission together especially because of the trust issues each of them have.
The focus of the series is Nemesis Unlimited, an interesting group of people from all walks of life who have come together to get justice for people who can't get it for themselves. They focus primarily on the poor, women, and children. There are many people in Nemesis so this provides Archer with plenty of side characters to feature in the series. I am particularly interested in Simon (an army veteran from a noble family) and Marco (an Italian spy).
Overall, I was really impressed by Sweet Revenge and Zoe Archer's writing style. Eva and Jack were well-written characters that I found myself rooting for from the moment I met them. I will definitely be checking out Dangerous Seduction when it comes out as well as catching up on the rest of Zoe Archer's backlist. Highly recommended!
I received a free e-copy of Sweet Revenge from St. Martin's Press through Netgalley in exchange for providing an honest review.
For more reviews, check out my blog: http://feministfairytalereviews.blogs...
I have heard good things about Zoe Archer's writing so I was intrigued when I saw Sweet Revenge on Netgalley and was ecstatic when I was approved for it. This is the first book in Archer's new Nemesis Unlimited series which is strictly historical romance and has overtones from the TV show, Leverage, and Ocean's Eleven. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book and am anxiously waiting for November when its sequel is released.
The hero of this book is one of the ones that I adore in historical romances: dark, tortured, and unused to trusting others. Jack Dalton grew up on the streets of London and ended up earning a living by becoming a bodyguard for a nobleman who later killed his sister and sent Jack to prison. Because of his background, Jack is gruff and uncomfortable in social situations. He is obsessed with getting revenge for his sister's death and believes that only his physical strength can do that. But, through his interaction with the other characters especially the heroine, Jack learns that he has much more to offer than brute strength and becomes more confident in his intelligence.
For a hero as well-developed as Jack, his heroine needs to be intelligent, beautiful, and full of fire which is exactly the description for Eva. She works as a tutor for middle class children during the day and acts as an operative for a secret organization, Nemesis Unlimited, by the day. I really liked and admired Eva throughout this book. She is smart, fiery, and confident without being reckless. She has a strong sense of justice yet has spent much of her life keeping her personal feelings to herself, but all that changes when she meets Jack Dalton.
Eva and Jack are two great characters that make an equally fabulous couple. There is a ton of chemistry between them from the moment they meet after Jack's prison escape. They both have issues with personal relationships, but that doesn't stop them from wanting each other and thinking about what could happen between them. The thing I really liked about this couple was how they interacted with each other and learned to trust while working on their mission together especially because of the trust issues each of them have.
The focus of the series is Nemesis Unlimited, an interesting group of people from all walks of life who have come together to get justice for people who can't get it for themselves. They focus primarily on the poor, women, and children. There are many people in Nemesis so this provides Archer with plenty of side characters to feature in the series. I am particularly interested in Simon (an army veteran from a noble family) and Marco (an Italian spy).
Overall, I was really impressed by Sweet Revenge and Zoe Archer's writing style. Eva and Jack were well-written characters that I found myself rooting for from the moment I met them. I will definitely be checking out Dangerous Seduction when it comes out as well as catching up on the rest of Zoe Archer's backlist. Highly recommended!
I received a free e-copy of Sweet Revenge from St. Martin's Press through Netgalley in exchange for providing an honest review.
For more reviews, check out my blog: http://feministfairytalereviews.blogs...
January 26, 2020
This is the second Zoe Archer series I addded to my TBR this week. But when someone tweets “Leverage-inspired Historical Romance,” how could I not? Also a prison break and kinda enemies to lovers goodness.
Beat the Backlist Bingo: Author who writes in multiple genres
Beat the Backlist Bingo: Author who writes in multiple genres
April 24, 2013
I have finished reading “Sweet Revenge” by Zoë Archer. This book takes place in England in the late 1800’s. Justice for the little man in England at that time was non-existent. The courts routinely found poor people guilty even though their proof was suspect. Of course the families had no recourse and no way to get recompense. The hero of the story has been imprisoned for trying to kill the louse that killed his sister. His one goal in life is to kill the monster.
Nemesis, Inc. has been formed by a group of people who are determined to get justice and restitution for the middle class people who have no chance against the landed gentry. Jack Dalton has escaped prison with the help of Nemesis so that another young girl, who has been ruined by Lord Rockley, can be compensated. Eva Warrick, along with Simon and Marco has been given the task of ruining Lord Rockley in order to get back at him for hurting so many young girls. Killing him is not an option, but ruining him professionally and personally would be a lifetime sentence for him.
This book was very interesting in that the suspense involved in exploring Lord Rockley’s habits and ways to get back at him are endless. I really enjoyed reading this book and finding out what I did about the characters’ lives. The story could be brutal at times, but then again, revenge was sweet. I found myself cheering them on.
I received a free print copy of this book in return for my honest review.
You can read this review on my blog at http://wp.me/p2pjIt-5K
Nemesis, Inc. has been formed by a group of people who are determined to get justice and restitution for the middle class people who have no chance against the landed gentry. Jack Dalton has escaped prison with the help of Nemesis so that another young girl, who has been ruined by Lord Rockley, can be compensated. Eva Warrick, along with Simon and Marco has been given the task of ruining Lord Rockley in order to get back at him for hurting so many young girls. Killing him is not an option, but ruining him professionally and personally would be a lifetime sentence for him.
This book was very interesting in that the suspense involved in exploring Lord Rockley’s habits and ways to get back at him are endless. I really enjoyed reading this book and finding out what I did about the characters’ lives. The story could be brutal at times, but then again, revenge was sweet. I found myself cheering them on.
I received a free print copy of this book in return for my honest review.
You can read this review on my blog at http://wp.me/p2pjIt-5K
June 12, 2013
I appreciate how authors can find inspiration in anything. Lately I’ve read books that are interpretations of fairy tales, one of my eagerly awaited books is based off an action movie and quite a few others are inspired by popular television shows. It’s all about how the author can spin it and make into her own. Zoë Archer has admitted that her newest series Nemesis Unlimited is loosely based on two current TV shows, with characters using subterfuge to correct legal injustices. I never would have thought that premise could work as well as it does in a late Victorian setting.
Sweet Revenge introduces readers to the members of the Nemesis group through the eyes of convicted criminal Jack Dalton. Raised on the streets of London, Jack formerly made his living as a hired thug and bodyguard for the elite and paranoid. However his life changed five years earlier when his half-sister was murdered by his then employer Lord Rockley and Jack failed in his attempt to kill the man in turn. Convicted and jailed for attempted murder, Jack has spent his days perfectly planning his escape to exact his full revenge on Rockley and finishing the job right this time. When prison gossip informs Jack that Rockley is vacationing near the penitentiary, he puts all of his plans into motion and breaks into the hotel room under cover of night. However the room doesn’t contain the sleeping form of the baron, but a young woman pointing a gun at his head.
For the full review, please go to http://www.thewindowseat13.com/2013/0...
Sweet Revenge introduces readers to the members of the Nemesis group through the eyes of convicted criminal Jack Dalton. Raised on the streets of London, Jack formerly made his living as a hired thug and bodyguard for the elite and paranoid. However his life changed five years earlier when his half-sister was murdered by his then employer Lord Rockley and Jack failed in his attempt to kill the man in turn. Convicted and jailed for attempted murder, Jack has spent his days perfectly planning his escape to exact his full revenge on Rockley and finishing the job right this time. When prison gossip informs Jack that Rockley is vacationing near the penitentiary, he puts all of his plans into motion and breaks into the hotel room under cover of night. However the room doesn’t contain the sleeping form of the baron, but a young woman pointing a gun at his head.
For the full review, please go to http://www.thewindowseat13.com/2013/0...
May 18, 2013
As reviewed on Read Our Lips:
Historical action/suspense with smutty fluff in an awesome combo.
Jack was imprisoned when he attacked his then boss, trying to revenge the death of his sister. Now he´s got a second chance of getting back, all he has to do is escape the prison and get through the security.
Eva is a part of a group, Nemesis, who exact revenge and restitution for those unfortunate who can´t do it on their own.
Their next object is Lord Rockley, the same man Jack is after.
Joining forces is their best chance for revenge.
Awesome storytelling with a burly man not used to being anything but muscles and a woman who can´t resist him. 4,5 Stars
Historical action/suspense with smutty fluff in an awesome combo.
Jack was imprisoned when he attacked his then boss, trying to revenge the death of his sister. Now he´s got a second chance of getting back, all he has to do is escape the prison and get through the security.
Eva is a part of a group, Nemesis, who exact revenge and restitution for those unfortunate who can´t do it on their own.
Their next object is Lord Rockley, the same man Jack is after.
Joining forces is their best chance for revenge.
Awesome storytelling with a burly man not used to being anything but muscles and a woman who can´t resist him. 4,5 Stars
March 12, 2021
I found myself skimming through a lot of this book, which was disappointing because I spent WAY too much money on it. I did not hate the book altogether, but I only finished it to see the MC's finally get it on. It was drawn out. Usually that heightens the tension, but these two were kinda annoying. However, my biggest peeve with this was how big and stupid the H was. I understand it was about him growing and finding his worth etc., but it took too long to get there. I found myself really annoyed by what a lummox he was. I don't want my MC perfect, I love when they have flaws, but this one was done up a bit too much. I thought the book started off strong, but by 40 % I was ready to toss it. It wasn't thrilling enough to make up for the other flaws I found in it.
March 14, 2014
Hah! I just counted 33 books titled Sweet Revenge, and I didn't even count the variations, such as "The Duke's Sweet Revenge" and "Jed's Sweet Revenge."
This was far better than I was expecting, and yet it fell far short of being fantastic. In the end, it is somewhere between a 3 and a 4 star book.
The short version:
Jack breaks out of prison, and is soon recruited by Eva and her gang of dissidents. Their goal: bring down the guy that Jack hates with a fiery passion. Jack is on board!
The good:
* The hero, Jack, was most definitely Gerard Butler. At least, that's who I pictured. This really upped my enjoyment :-)
you know what I mean. This guy:
but in period dress.
* The hero and heroine are not part of the ton! HOORAY! They don't really have much money, but they aren't living hand-to-mouth, either (well, Eva isn't anyway). They are just ... regular people.
* Eva is no push-over, and Jack is not an asshole (though he definitely exhibits alpha traits, he also enjoys seeing Eva take care of herself)
* The sex scenes were HOT. And there is no: slanting, laving, pebbling, or uncomfortable staring. Also no violent kissing.
* I love romance paired with spies, and this book does it fairly well - at no point did I really feel like rolling my eyes.
The bad:
* It didn't really make sense that Eva was paired with Jack for this mission - I didn't see how her particular strengths were vital to bringing down the bad guy. It felt very "plot device."
* EVERY OTHER PAGE we are reminded of how gigantic Jack is, and how fragile every other thing around him appears. I was on board from the beginning!! Please stop telling me again and again! It's annoying! We get it, he's huge!
* The sex scenes got a little repetitive - it would have been stronger if we had less detail the second time around.
* I got sick of hearing about how proud Eva is that Jack is starting to value his own intelligence. All right! Enough already, we get it, he's not just hired muscle, he's smart!
* Just, in general, the repetitiveness ... Tell me once, and I get it. Tell me twice, and ... okay maybe a reminder is okay. Tell me a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or more, time ... you're losing me as a reader.
* The characters are sometimes incredible idiots. Here we have Nemesis, crack team of brilliant spy-types ... and when they get a note from their client, "you must come quickly!" ... even though this is unprecedented (client has always met them at their clubhouse), they all march on over, and are shockedjustshocked to discover it's a (gasp!) ambush. Duh. I really lost a lot of respect for Nemesis over that. Maybe I should have put spoiler tags around that, but it was so blindingly obvious I can't even be bothered.
* The plot twists and turns on the way to the ending become ridiculous.
* We never really get to know Eva. It's clear that she feels that she NEEDS to do the work she does at Nemesis, but it's never really clear WHY she feels this way. If we knew more about her motivation, then her struggle between love and work would be more moving.
* And then, the ending.
* I know this is a stupid thing to complain about, but I'm complaining anyway: the book tells us OVER AND OVER AGAIN that Jack is a veritable Mountain o' Muscle ... but the cover model is a classically svelte man who looks like he hits the gym a few times a week after a day at the office. There is nothing wrong with the cover model, but he doesn't look like the character in the book.
This was far better than I was expecting, and yet it fell far short of being fantastic. In the end, it is somewhere between a 3 and a 4 star book.
The short version:
Jack breaks out of prison, and is soon recruited by Eva and her gang of dissidents. Their goal: bring down the guy that Jack hates with a fiery passion. Jack is on board!
The good:
* The hero, Jack, was most definitely Gerard Butler. At least, that's who I pictured. This really upped my enjoyment :-)
you know what I mean. This guy:
but in period dress.
* The hero and heroine are not part of the ton! HOORAY! They don't really have much money, but they aren't living hand-to-mouth, either (well, Eva isn't anyway). They are just ... regular people.
* Eva is no push-over, and Jack is not an asshole (though he definitely exhibits alpha traits, he also enjoys seeing Eva take care of herself)
* The sex scenes were HOT. And there is no: slanting, laving, pebbling, or uncomfortable staring. Also no violent kissing.
* I love romance paired with spies, and this book does it fairly well - at no point did I really feel like rolling my eyes.
The bad:
* It didn't really make sense that Eva was paired with Jack for this mission - I didn't see how her particular strengths were vital to bringing down the bad guy. It felt very "plot device."
* EVERY OTHER PAGE we are reminded of how gigantic Jack is, and how fragile every other thing around him appears. I was on board from the beginning!! Please stop telling me again and again! It's annoying! We get it, he's huge!
* The sex scenes got a little repetitive - it would have been stronger if we had less detail the second time around.
* I got sick of hearing about how proud Eva is that Jack is starting to value his own intelligence. All right! Enough already, we get it, he's not just hired muscle, he's smart!
* Just, in general, the repetitiveness ... Tell me once, and I get it. Tell me twice, and ... okay maybe a reminder is okay. Tell me a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or more, time ... you're losing me as a reader.
* The characters are sometimes incredible idiots. Here we have Nemesis, crack team of brilliant spy-types ... and when they get a note from their client, "you must come quickly!" ... even though this is unprecedented (client has always met them at their clubhouse), they all march on over, and are shockedjustshocked to discover it's a (gasp!) ambush. Duh. I really lost a lot of respect for Nemesis over that. Maybe I should have put spoiler tags around that, but it was so blindingly obvious I can't even be bothered.
* The plot twists and turns on the way to the ending become ridiculous.
* We never really get to know Eva. It's clear that she feels that she NEEDS to do the work she does at Nemesis, but it's never really clear WHY she feels this way. If we knew more about her motivation, then her struggle between love and work would be more moving.
* And then, the ending.
* I know this is a stupid thing to complain about, but I'm complaining anyway: the book tells us OVER AND OVER AGAIN that Jack is a veritable Mountain o' Muscle ... but the cover model is a classically svelte man who looks like he hits the gym a few times a week after a day at the office. There is nothing wrong with the cover model, but he doesn't look like the character in the book.
August 4, 2014
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Sweet Revenge by Zoe Archer
Book One of the Nemesis Unlimited series
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley
***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
When Jack Dalton escapes from Dunmoor Prison, he has only one thing in mind—finding the nobleman who murdered his sister and making him pay. But when he reaches the inn where the Lord Rockley is rumored to be staying, three well-dressed strangers are there to meet him instead. And the pretty blonde is aiming a pistol right at his head …
Joining Nemesis, Unlimited has made Eva Warrick much more than the well-mannered lady she appears to be—one who can shoot, fight, and outsmart any man in the quest to right the injustices so often suffered by the innocent. She’s not afraid of the burly escaped convict, but she is startled by their shared attraction. She and her partners need Jack’s help to get to Rockley, but Eva finds she wants Jack for scandalous reasons all her own…
What I Liked:
When I finished reading this book, I could not help but thinking, wow, this book was not too bad! I am not sure what I was expecting before I read the book, but I did not think that I would like this book as much as I did!
This book is not typical of what I usually read when choosing historical romance novels. Usually, I end up with the fluffy and stuffy English society ones, with lords and dukes and earls and ladies and so on. Rather than being centered around the richer class of historical English society, this book is focused on the opposite end. Neither Jack nor Eva nor the majority of Nemesis Unlimited are high-ranked nobility (one person is). I can safely say that I liked the exploration of the lower-ranked members of society!
This imbalance of power in society has a great deal to do with the plot. Jack is furious and out for revenge, because of what a certain Lord Rockley did to his sister. I definitely liked the plot of this novel, because it was so lively and action-packed. I was very impressed at how the author keeps the reader's interest on the central plot of the novel, and THEN the romance.
The romance is a significant, but not overwhelming, part of the novel. Jack and Eva are sweet and fiery at the same time. I enjoyed watching the sparks fly between them, and I loved how each character encouraged the other to embrace at part of them that makes them a better individual. And no love triangle! Yay!
The ending is PERFECT - well, I think it is. I love the ending. It fits Eva very well, and it fits Jack very well, and it fits Nemesis Unlimited very well. Wink wink.
What I Did Not Like:
I had the problem of wanting more from this book. Don't get me wrong - I love the plot of this book. But I feel like there could have been more to it, that would make it even more dimensional, even more complex, even more intricate. I really did like what the author constructed, but I felt like their could have been more to the journey. The plot was pretty straightforward, and that is not a bad thing! But there could have been more. You know what I mean?
I kind of wanted more background on most of the characters. Jack is the most fleshed out, which is fantastic, but many of the other characters, especially the secondary characters, are not as explored. This is a small thing, but I still would have liked to see more about most of the characters!
Would I Recommend It:
This one is pretty good, so I think if you want a different sort of historical romance novel, then this one is a good one to look up! I enjoyed it while reading it, but it probably is not the best historical romance novel for everyone.
Rating:
3.5 stars -> rounded up to 4 stars. This book was different from the historical romance books I am used to reading, and not too bad!
Sweet Revenge by Zoe Archer
Book One of the Nemesis Unlimited series
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley
***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
When Jack Dalton escapes from Dunmoor Prison, he has only one thing in mind—finding the nobleman who murdered his sister and making him pay. But when he reaches the inn where the Lord Rockley is rumored to be staying, three well-dressed strangers are there to meet him instead. And the pretty blonde is aiming a pistol right at his head …
Joining Nemesis, Unlimited has made Eva Warrick much more than the well-mannered lady she appears to be—one who can shoot, fight, and outsmart any man in the quest to right the injustices so often suffered by the innocent. She’s not afraid of the burly escaped convict, but she is startled by their shared attraction. She and her partners need Jack’s help to get to Rockley, but Eva finds she wants Jack for scandalous reasons all her own…
What I Liked:
When I finished reading this book, I could not help but thinking, wow, this book was not too bad! I am not sure what I was expecting before I read the book, but I did not think that I would like this book as much as I did!
This book is not typical of what I usually read when choosing historical romance novels. Usually, I end up with the fluffy and stuffy English society ones, with lords and dukes and earls and ladies and so on. Rather than being centered around the richer class of historical English society, this book is focused on the opposite end. Neither Jack nor Eva nor the majority of Nemesis Unlimited are high-ranked nobility (one person is). I can safely say that I liked the exploration of the lower-ranked members of society!
This imbalance of power in society has a great deal to do with the plot. Jack is furious and out for revenge, because of what a certain Lord Rockley did to his sister. I definitely liked the plot of this novel, because it was so lively and action-packed. I was very impressed at how the author keeps the reader's interest on the central plot of the novel, and THEN the romance.
The romance is a significant, but not overwhelming, part of the novel. Jack and Eva are sweet and fiery at the same time. I enjoyed watching the sparks fly between them, and I loved how each character encouraged the other to embrace at part of them that makes them a better individual. And no love triangle! Yay!
The ending is PERFECT - well, I think it is. I love the ending. It fits Eva very well, and it fits Jack very well, and it fits Nemesis Unlimited very well. Wink wink.
What I Did Not Like:
I had the problem of wanting more from this book. Don't get me wrong - I love the plot of this book. But I feel like there could have been more to it, that would make it even more dimensional, even more complex, even more intricate. I really did like what the author constructed, but I felt like their could have been more to the journey. The plot was pretty straightforward, and that is not a bad thing! But there could have been more. You know what I mean?
I kind of wanted more background on most of the characters. Jack is the most fleshed out, which is fantastic, but many of the other characters, especially the secondary characters, are not as explored. This is a small thing, but I still would have liked to see more about most of the characters!
Would I Recommend It:
This one is pretty good, so I think if you want a different sort of historical romance novel, then this one is a good one to look up! I enjoyed it while reading it, but it probably is not the best historical romance novel for everyone.
Rating:
3.5 stars -> rounded up to 4 stars. This book was different from the historical romance books I am used to reading, and not too bad!
June 24, 2013
Blue Ribbon Rating: 4 out of 5
Original Review Link
When “Diamond” Jack Dalton escapes from prison, he has only one thing on his mind: vengeance. He’s determined to kill Lord Rockley, the man who murdered Jack’s sister, but when he steals into the inn where the nobleman is rumored to be staying, Jack finds three strangers instead. The trio is part of Nemesis, Unlimited, a group determined to deliver justice at any cost. They’re after Rockley as well, but to bring the man down they need Jack’s help. Jack has no interest in Nemesis’s mission, but the beautiful Eva Warrick soon manages to change his mind. Eva’s like no other woman Jack’s met before and before long he begins to fall for her, knowing there can be no future for them.
Author Zoë Archer delivers a high-stakes tale of vengeance with SWEET REVENGE. I was captivated from the first page by Jack’s action-packed escape and the Leverage-esque nature of Nemesis, Unlimited. Even when the pulse-pounding action slowed down, I remained engrossed in the story, thanks to Jack, Eva and some very intriguing secondary characters.
Jack is a powerful presence in SWEET REVENGE and I truly enjoyed the fact that he’s rough around the edges and quite different from the hero norm. He’s an escaped convict and a former bodyguard who has been told so often that he’s worth nothing more than his muscles that he believes it. One of the biggest pleasures in reading SWEET REVENGE was seeing Jack come into his own. I loved that Eva saw ALL of Jack, that she believed in him and wouldn’t let him devalue himself. And speaking of Eva, she’s a classic Zoë Archer heroine — smart, strong and dedicated to her cause. The building sexual tension adds a nice sizzle to SWEET REVENGE and the overall love story is wonderful.
The mission to bring down Rockley adds further action to the story, but it’s truly the characters themselves who fascinated me. From Eva’s fellow Nemesis operatives — particularly Simon Addison-Shawe — to Charlie, an acquaintance of Jack’s whom I just adore; Ms. Archer has me hoping for many more NEMESIS, UNLIMITED books. SWEET REVENGE is a highly entertaining book and I can’t wait to read the next NEMESIS, UNLIMITED story, DANGEROUS SEDUCTION.
Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here courtesy of Romance Junkies
Original Review Link
When “Diamond” Jack Dalton escapes from prison, he has only one thing on his mind: vengeance. He’s determined to kill Lord Rockley, the man who murdered Jack’s sister, but when he steals into the inn where the nobleman is rumored to be staying, Jack finds three strangers instead. The trio is part of Nemesis, Unlimited, a group determined to deliver justice at any cost. They’re after Rockley as well, but to bring the man down they need Jack’s help. Jack has no interest in Nemesis’s mission, but the beautiful Eva Warrick soon manages to change his mind. Eva’s like no other woman Jack’s met before and before long he begins to fall for her, knowing there can be no future for them.
Author Zoë Archer delivers a high-stakes tale of vengeance with SWEET REVENGE. I was captivated from the first page by Jack’s action-packed escape and the Leverage-esque nature of Nemesis, Unlimited. Even when the pulse-pounding action slowed down, I remained engrossed in the story, thanks to Jack, Eva and some very intriguing secondary characters.
Jack is a powerful presence in SWEET REVENGE and I truly enjoyed the fact that he’s rough around the edges and quite different from the hero norm. He’s an escaped convict and a former bodyguard who has been told so often that he’s worth nothing more than his muscles that he believes it. One of the biggest pleasures in reading SWEET REVENGE was seeing Jack come into his own. I loved that Eva saw ALL of Jack, that she believed in him and wouldn’t let him devalue himself. And speaking of Eva, she’s a classic Zoë Archer heroine — smart, strong and dedicated to her cause. The building sexual tension adds a nice sizzle to SWEET REVENGE and the overall love story is wonderful.
The mission to bring down Rockley adds further action to the story, but it’s truly the characters themselves who fascinated me. From Eva’s fellow Nemesis operatives — particularly Simon Addison-Shawe — to Charlie, an acquaintance of Jack’s whom I just adore; Ms. Archer has me hoping for many more NEMESIS, UNLIMITED books. SWEET REVENGE is a highly entertaining book and I can’t wait to read the next NEMESIS, UNLIMITED story, DANGEROUS SEDUCTION.
Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here courtesy of Romance Junkies
July 3, 2013
I picked this one up from the library, because I spotted it when it was first published and it looked intriguing (and until I get my ebook settlement $$$ I'm trying not spend any money on books..). It's by an author I've read before, and quite enjoyed, and the series theme interested me. It's a private revenge club, which rights wrongs in the late Victorian era, so there's the historical angle, the revenge angle, the investigative stuff and the romance.
To be honest, I felt the investigative stuff and the whole club idea were the weakest parts. They're great ideas, but just weren't strong enough to really convince. We don't find out enough about why the club is after this particular nasty aristo, and the club itself felt too amateur.
Having said that, I liked the same things about this book that I've liked about the author's other books. The romance is OK, but the characterization of the hero is absolutely superb. I find there aren't enough authors who can convincingly pull together a decent hero (who's also hot stuff), and make them feel like rounded people, and this author always seems to do a really good job of that. This hero is a brawler from a very rough part of London, who has to break out of prison. He's built like a brick-shit house and swears like my aunt. In fact, the swearing is possibly one of my favorite things about this book. It's absolutely refreshing to read a book with some decent profanity in it, and which fits the era and the location.
Anyway, 3.5 stars, but I bumped it up to 4 because the hero isn't one of your lean and lithe types, but is built like Chris Hemsworth, and there aren't enough of those in Romancelandia IMO.
To be honest, I felt the investigative stuff and the whole club idea were the weakest parts. They're great ideas, but just weren't strong enough to really convince. We don't find out enough about why the club is after this particular nasty aristo, and the club itself felt too amateur.
Having said that, I liked the same things about this book that I've liked about the author's other books. The romance is OK, but the characterization of the hero is absolutely superb. I find there aren't enough authors who can convincingly pull together a decent hero (who's also hot stuff), and make them feel like rounded people, and this author always seems to do a really good job of that. This hero is a brawler from a very rough part of London, who has to break out of prison. He's built like a brick-shit house and swears like my aunt. In fact, the swearing is possibly one of my favorite things about this book. It's absolutely refreshing to read a book with some decent profanity in it, and which fits the era and the location.
Anyway, 3.5 stars, but I bumped it up to 4 because the hero isn't one of your lean and lithe types, but is built like Chris Hemsworth, and there aren't enough of those in Romancelandia IMO.
July 21, 2014
Sweet Revenge takes place in a dark gritty side of London seldom visited in other HR novels. Instead of a never ending series of afternoon calls, balls and seasons- we get a world of poverty and squalor and dead-ends. The people live hand-to-mouth, and are constantly oppressed by the upper echelons of society. Having no legal recourse and no where to turn to, they call on the Nemesis Unlimited!
The first novel in this new series involves the plotting and planning to bring down a high ranking peer who routinely abuses innocents.
I totally adored the hero Jack Dalton. His torturous past makes him unable to trust others. His interactions with others are gruff, often crude but Zoe Archer made him into such an endearing hero. His feeling of unworthiness, of being useful only for his brawn and his total surprise to find people caring for him made for few heartwarming moments.
The heroine Eva Warrick was no-nonsense and almost as withdrawn as Jack himself. I doubted either of them could each out and craft a believable romance, but their chemistry actually worked. The sheer awareness of each other and the slow burn amidst nights of fighting wrong doers made the plot all the more enthralling.
The first novel in this new series involves the plotting and planning to bring down a high ranking peer who routinely abuses innocents.
I totally adored the hero Jack Dalton. His torturous past makes him unable to trust others. His interactions with others are gruff, often crude but Zoe Archer made him into such an endearing hero. His feeling of unworthiness, of being useful only for his brawn and his total surprise to find people caring for him made for few heartwarming moments.
The heroine Eva Warrick was no-nonsense and almost as withdrawn as Jack himself. I doubted either of them could each out and craft a believable romance, but their chemistry actually worked. The sheer awareness of each other and the slow burn amidst nights of fighting wrong doers made the plot all the more enthralling.
May 31, 2013
If you are looking for historical romance that is different and unique, and not more rich folks twirling in ballrooms - and you like adventure, try this book. The hero, Jack, is an ex-con who escapes from prison to get revenge on the nobleman who put him there, and the heroine, Eva, is a member of a secret organization that also seeks revenge on that same person, but not in the same manner as Jack. She and her comrades convince Jack (using the term loosely) to assist their mission, as they need information from him and aren't above using duress to secure his cooperation. The story deals with trust as the characters learn to appreciate and correct their first impressions and assumptions about one another. It's set in London but far outside the high society circles, and deals frankly with power and poverty, and the consequences (or lack thereof) for one's actions, depending on class.
January 20, 2018
REREAD in preparation to finally continue the series! Even better the second time around.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
The first audiobook, that wasn't a children's story listened to on a roadtrip, that I listened to from beginning to end. I had a crappy week -car troubles, lost credit cards, work drama, but this book made it all better. I love historicals that feature normal folk and not the high society peeps. This was delicious with an independent woman and a convict (rightfully accused!). The Meet Cute where she held him at gun point and he found it sexy! The Fun and Games where they saw each others' vulnerabilities that no one else saw! The Dark Night that I can't spoil for you! Read it, listen to it! It was so 'sweet'!
ORIGINAL REVIEW
The first audiobook, that wasn't a children's story listened to on a roadtrip, that I listened to from beginning to end. I had a crappy week -car troubles, lost credit cards, work drama, but this book made it all better. I love historicals that feature normal folk and not the high society peeps. This was delicious with an independent woman and a convict (rightfully accused!). The Meet Cute where she held him at gun point and he found it sexy! The Fun and Games where they saw each others' vulnerabilities that no one else saw! The Dark Night that I can't spoil for you! Read it, listen to it! It was so 'sweet'!
November 15, 2015
This is more like a 3.75 stars - ONLY because of the language used during the sex scenes. The rest of the book would be a 4.5. A great original premise for a historical romance - with the main characters from the lower class instead of the (very) usual upper class echelons. Unfortunately,for me I just don't like some of the particular language used. Will still read the rest in the series though (especially as I own ALL her books)
June 16, 2013
Eh, maybe this series isn't for me. There was a little too much fist-thumping and chest hair for me. I was disappointed that taking the higher ground was only for show and that in the end, the supposedly stead-fast heroine *still* gave up her previously satisfying career to go follow her love interest and help him start his life.
September 1, 2013
Loved it!
A wonderful cast of characters and great chemistry between Jack and Eva. Eva is one badass heroine.
Two great things about really enjoying a book:
(1) Hours of entertainment
(2) I have a new author to read, which is one of the best outcomes. It was my first Zoe Archer book, but it won't be my last.
A wonderful cast of characters and great chemistry between Jack and Eva. Eva is one badass heroine.
Two great things about really enjoying a book:
(1) Hours of entertainment
(2) I have a new author to read, which is one of the best outcomes. It was my first Zoe Archer book, but it won't be my last.
June 16, 2013
What I enjoyed most about this story was the protagonists, one of whom is middle-class, the other, clearly lower class. It was a nice change from all the English set historical romances about the peerage or the very rich.
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