Our Reviews

Most Recent Posts First - Previous Reviews are listed under the Blog Archive on the right hand side.
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Tuesday, December 10, 2013




THE WICKED WALLFLOWER
Maya Rodale
Avon Publishing
ISBN# 978-0-06-223114-7
November 2013
Historical Romance

A fun read about two people who make the most of a situation neither had anticipated. When Lady Emma Avery, London's most boring and least likely to do anything, suddenly finds herself engaged to the Duke of Ashbrooke by accident, she figures her future as anything but a laughing stock is finished. Yet, she is surprised to discover that the Duke actually accepts this and gets her to agree to play along. For Lady Emma, though, she wants to be engaged to the man she loves, Benedict, who for the past several years has failed to come up to scratch. He needs an heiress and Lady Emma is definitely not one of those. The Duke, Blake, has a proposition for her: pretend to be engaged so that he can attend his aunt's famous Fortune Games - a yearly event that has the winner declared her sole heir - if she happens to pass away that year. This year might be the last and the winner will take all. If Emma agrees and they win, Blake will split the money - she can have her winnings and perhaps Benedict can marry her after all! She agrees. Blake, even though he starts out using Emma as a means to an end, finds himself slowly drawn to her. He can't possible fall in love with her, but what if he does? How can he compete for her heart when it's already engaged elsewhere?

Enjoyable banter, especially with Blake's feisty old aunt, keep this romance lively and quick. Blake did some self-studying and changed during this book, which was great to read. Emma, however, was the only weak link, as she continually fought against her feelings for Blake, even to the point of ....well, don't want to give away any spoilers, but suffice to say she rather got on my nerves. All in all, a lovely book, minus the heroine (at times).

Rating: 4
Reviewed by: Jennifer Jones

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

WAIT FOR YOU
Wait For You series, Book #1
J. Lynn
William Morrow
ISBN # 0062294776
September 2013
Contemporary Romance

Avery Morgansten hates being late for class, while racing up the staircase she barrels through the double doors only to run into a brick wall.  Well the wall, wasn't a wall after all but a hunky guy with a deep voice and a great smile who he introduces himself as Cam.  Later arriving at her apartment, Avery realizes her neighbors across the hall are having a party.  She is even more surprised to find out that Cam is her neighbor.  Later while checking through her email, Avery finds a suspicious email with her name on it containing three threatening lines.  Avery is concerned about how " they" found her, the only people who knew her cell phone number and email are her parents and cousin.

 When Avery was fourteen she attended a party where she was abused by an older boy.  Trying to cope, she knew suicide was never the answer, it was a lesson Avery learned all on her own.  Avery is trying to move on with her life having moved away from her hometown, into her own apartment and making new friends.  Avery is ok with Cam being just a friend, after all he is charming harmless flirt, someone who likes to hand out cookies to pretty girls.  Avery is very attracted to Cam and he makes sure he seeks her out but she is afraid once he knows her dark secret he won't have anything to do with her.  Will she be able to open her heart, and put her trust in him?

WAIT FOR YOU is a contemporary romance.  There are so many  things that I loved about this book, first off the romance wasn't hurried, it was a gradual build up between Avery and Cam.  Second Cam was patient, sweet, and so very loving. The author has created a very tender love story.  The heroine must over come a rape and learn to trust not only herself, but those around her.  Most of all, she has to learn to live and love again.  This is a story you won't want to miss!
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Reviewed by  Gloria Gehres

Rated  4

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

The Submissive Trilogy, Book #3
Tara Sue Me
New American Library
ISBN # 0451466241
October 2013
Ultimate Romance

Before I start on my review of THE TRAINING, I would like to summarize the books THE SUBMISSIVE and THE DOMINANT. THE SUBMISSIVE is a look into the world of BDSM. We meet Abby King, a young woman who has fantasys of being a submissive and has led her put in her application to millionaire, CEO, Nathaniel West. The story is a look from Abby's point of view. In THE DOMINANT, readers will get the same story, only now you get Nathaniel's thoughts and feelings, his struggles of not wanting to lose control, and what drives him.


THE TRAINING - Abby is excited to go to Nathaniel's house,  he has even given her keys to his home.  They are finally working out their issues but she doesn't feel complete until Nathaniel returns her collar to her.  They have agreed to a more traditional relationship Sunday thru Thursday, but Friday and Saturday are reserved for their dominant/submissive sides that they both need.  Abby knows the best gift she could give to Nathaniel is absolute trust and obedience but doubts continuously creep into her mind. She considers that Nathaniel has a housekeeper who does the cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping.  He can even cook for himself, so why is she really here? Is the relationship only about sex? 

Nathaniel has anticipated they would have odd moments they would still need to work out.  He feels confident that as long as they can keep talking their relationship will stay strong.  He wants to make sure he takes things slow but he still wants to give Abby everything she needs as her dominant and while Nathaniel struggles to re-establish their connection, he is at a loss exactly how to do it. 

THE TRAINING is a Erotic Romance and the third installment of the submissive trilogy. Readers will see how much Abby and Nathaniel have grown. Trust, understanding, and love all play a part in making sure lines are not crossed and things don't get out of hand.  When I started this book I thought it was going to be the training of Abby.  But I quickly realized, THE TRAINING was for Nathaniel's benefit as well.  As Abby finally lets go of doubt, Nathaniel knows he has finally found someone he can share his life and goals with.  THE TRAINING gives us an interesting look into BDSM world but this story is not for the faint of heart.
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Reviewed by  Gloria Gehres
Rated  3

Sunday, September 22, 2013

READY TO DIE: Lisa Jackson




A Selena Alvarez/Regan Pescoli Novel, Book 5
Lisa Jackson
Zebra Fiction (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-4201-1851-3
August 2013
Fiction

The latest novel by Lisa Jackson pits Alvarez and Pescoli against a cold-blooded killer and among his victims is Sheriff Dan Grayson.  It is the holidays and just when everything begins to settle down after the last case, the next gruesome murders are taking place springing Alvarez and Pescoli into action, this time much too close to home.  Sheriff Grayson preparing to meet with Regan Pescoli, at his cabin, is downed by a single shot.  Seeing Dan fall, Regan calls in for help and begins a visual canvass of the area surrounding the scene and hunt is on for the perpetrator.  In the midst of identifying several suspects, another gruesome murder is discovered which shifts the case in an entirely different direction. 

READY TO DIE is another hit for Lisa Jackson with several twists that will compel you to keep reading way past bedtime.  With the stressors of trying to find the shooter(s) Serena and Regan are individually dealing with personal issues coupled with Christmas makes solving this case even more stressful.  Dan’s brothers and sister-in-law are all at their wits end and the past inevitably becomes the present and old wounds resurface.  Power plays are being made to take the sheriff’s position should he not survive and the undersheriff is front and center.  I could not put this book down, a must read for fans of romantic suspense, mysteries and of Lisa Jackson!  Cannot wait until the next one…

Reviewed by Monica Solomon
Rating: 4

Monday, September 09, 2013

Amanda Scott's Latest Medieval Scotland Romance!

THE KNIGHT'S TEMPTRESS
Lairds of the Loch #2
Amanda Scott
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 978-1-455-51434-2
August 2013
Historical Romance

When Lady Lachina MacFarlan and her companion Lady Elizabeth Galbraith are kidnapped by the rebels who have seized Dumbarton fortress, Sir Ian Colquhoun rescues them and escorts them home. Sir Ian has been commanded by the King to recapture Dumbarton as soon as possilbe. When Lady Lachina's vile captor tries to blackmail her father for her hand in marriage and is refused, he threatens to ruin her reputation with lies that he and his men violated her while she was in his captivity. Sir Ian comes to the rescue again and nobly offers to marry the lovely Lina immediately to save her from such villainous perfidy. Marriage was not on Sir Ian's list of things to accomplish, but with Lina as his lady wife, he finds love with his stubborn, 
beautiful lady wife...but when Sir Ian meets up with his nemesis, will he survive to love again and to serve his King?

THE KNIGHT'S TEMPTRESS is an exciting amd well-written entry in the Lairds of the Loch series set in the early fifteenth century. If you love medieval Scotland, the land of lochs and mists and clans and kilts and its seesaw of domestic and foreign politics, then you will love this book. Ms. Scott brings it all vividly to life in this marriage of convenience story with two well-matched and passionate protagonists as hero and heroine. With excellent primary and secondary characters, adventure and suspense, sensuality, and a bit of the paranormal, THE KNIGHT'S TEMPTRESS is sure to please historical romance fans. It stands alone, but readers will will not want to miss the first book in the series, THE LAIRD'S CHOICE.

Reviewed by Debora Hosey
4

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

FINDING COLIN FIRTH

Mia March
Gallery Books
ISBN:  978-1476-710204
July 2013
Chick Lit

"Who the hell am I?" is Bea's Crane's question. A year after her mother's death, she receives a letter informing her that she was adopted. She decides to go to Boothbay Harbor, Maine where her biological mother lives.

Bea is befriended by Gemma Hendricks, a journalist who is writing a story about the 50th anniversary of Hope House, a home for unwed mothers. Hope House is where Bea was born. Bea anonymously sees her mother (Veronica Russo) at the diner where she works as a waitress.

The author ingeniously integrates Bea, Veronica and Gemma into a storyline that is irresistible.
However, readers may not be sympathetic to Gemma's character; the author depicts her as a callous, career-driven woman who is on the fast track to success.

Where does Colin Firth fit it? If this is the reason you buy this book, you will be disappointed. Colin Firth is filming a movie in Boothbay and actually has little presence in the book.

Reviewed by
Charlene McConnell

Rating: 4
CITY OF HOPE
Kate Kerrigan
William Morrow
ISBN:  978-0-06-223728-6
June 25, 2013
Women's Fiction

Ellie and John Hogan's marriage hasn't always been perfect. Unable to have children, Ellie focuses her attention on managing the family's businesses, which disappoints John. He loves their farm and wishes they could spend more time together. When John unexpectedly dies, Ellie finds herself truly alone. Instead of facing her grief, she decides to go to New York City in an attempt to recapture the magic she found there years ago.

Unfortunately, New York City has changed. It is in the midst of the Great Depression. Ellie looks up some of her old friends and finally realizes that their living situations are critical. She decides to help her friends in need, which, turns out to become a much bigger project that she ever expected.

Ms. Kerrigan is able to create an inspiring storyline despite the time period of the Great Depression; she entices the reader with unanticipated surprises which makes this novel exceptional! 

Reviewed by
Charlene McConnell

Rating: 4

Monday, September 02, 2013

THE HIGHLANDER'S DESIRE
Margo Maguire
Avon Publishing
ISBN# 978-0-06-212290-2
August 2013
Historical Romance

After losing his heart when his love Fiona married another, Lachlann MacMillan vowed never to love again. So a political marriage was just the way to ensure MacMillan lands and his heart would be secure and he agrees to marry Catriona MacDuffie in Kilgorra. However, upon arriving it is the beautiful maid Anna MacIver who captures his attention. It soon becomes quite clear that Catriona is a spoiled, selfish and devious woman and hates her step-sister Anna. However, it soon becomes clear to Lachlann that it is Anna who is the real catch, as they work together to help the people of Kilgorra. With another suitor after Catriona's hand, Cullen Macauley, who just happened to marry Fiona years ago, Lachlann find himself in a dire predicament. Against his own wishes, his heart is lost to Anna, but he needs this alliance.

Anna was left with the MacDuffie's when her mother died, leaving her with her step-father and step-sister. Since then, she has known little more than being a servant to Catriona, and vows to get off the island of Kilgorra. When the handsome warrior Lachlann arrives, their attraction is immediate. She knows she can never have him, but if he is Laird, he might just see that she can leave. But will she be able to leave him behind now that her heart is with him?

THE HIGHLANDER'S DESIRE is an exciting adventure of forbidden love, arch enemies and political schemes. Lachlann and Anna are great characters that are well-written and give the reader a sense of longing. Catriona and Cullen are the evil-doers in this political game of strategy. It's clear that Lachlann and Cullen have a great barrier between them, namely the shadowy figure of Fiona. We never really know what happened to her, but it's clear she died, leaving Lachlann another reason to hate Cullen. Anna is a strong, courageous woman, a perfect fit for Lachlann and he knows it. How he manages to save Kilgorra without sacrificing his heart is a story you'll just have to read!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Jones
Rating: 4

Thursday, August 15, 2013

More July Paranormal Pics

A KISS OF BLOOD
Vamp City-Book 2
Pamela Palmer
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-210753-4
July 2013
Paranormal

Quinn Lennox hoped she would never have to return to Vamp City, but since her escape with her brother, he has continued to sicken and she knows that she just might have to return. She is pretty sure he is suffering from magic sickness and the only cure for that just might be her ability to save Vamp City from ultimate destruction. Quinn is a sorceress and has untapped power and has no idea what to do to reach that power. But her last trip there nearly cost her and her brother their lives, and there is the sexy vampire who betrayed her and left her wanting more. Arturo is everything her heart longs for, but her head tells her he can no longer be trusted. Even though he continues to protect her at all costs, she still suspects his motives. Vamp City is dying and without Quinn, the magic will die and so will the vampires and other members of Vamp City. To save Vamp City she will have to unlock her magic while trying to stay alive and away from Arturo's master, who feeds off pain and has tortured Quinn in the past. But Arturo has vowed that he will never allow him to hurt her ever again, and he would rather die than allow anyone to ever hurt Quinn.
 
A KISS OF BLOOD is book 2 in the Vamp City series and quite unique in the paranormal genre with its parallel world existing in Washington D.C. More is yet to come in this series and it should be interesting to see where Palmer is headed next.

Reviewed by Lori Sears
Rating: 4

 
Lori Sears
 
 
 

Monday, July 29, 2013

UNDER THE SAME SKY
Genevieve Graham
Berkley Sensation
ISBN# 978-0-425-25489-9
July 2013
Historical Romance

Set in early America, 1730 North Carolina and after, young Maggie Johnson has always been able to see the presence of a young boy through her gift of sight. Through the years, they both can see each other in their dreams and visions, feel each other and help each other as they grow up. Then a horrific tragedy occurs, sending Maggie and her sisters down a dark path. Far across the ocean in the Highlands, Scottish warrior Andrew MacDonnell has watched the lovely girl grow into a beautiful woman. As he's watched in helpless rage, he sees her fight for her life in a twist of circumstances. However, his own life has taken a dramatic turn on a fateful day. As he struggles for survival, he vows to find his mysterious lady and make her his own.

This book is quite different from the usual historical romances on the shelves. First, there is little romance. It reads more like a drama play, each scene is set and plays out like episodes. The story switches between the heroine and hero often so the reader can see what they are going through and feel how desperately they want to find each other. Maggie's plight is horrendous, but she is able to overcome her situation through sheer will and faith that things will get better and that she will be able to find Andrew. Ms. Graham's writing is intense and dramatic but at the same time lyrical in it's prose. You are lulled into the setting, and without giving much away, she has the heroine living with the Cherokee people in North Carolina for a time. Seeing this setting was exciting, as few authors can do justice to the American Indian, but I believe Ms. Graham captures the essence of the Cherokee people beautifully. Andrew is a bold, brave Scottish hero, who has faced his own traumas with bravery, yet we still see the vulnerable side of him without him becoming a soggy mess. And as he makes his way toward Maggie, you can feel the pull these two have to one another. Still, it is more like a historical fiction rather than a historical romance, as there is very little romantic scenes except through their wants and visions. It is romantic in the sense that these two are romantically inclined and destined towards one another, but it is an intangible thing for most of the book. Bottom line, it is quite a unique story and setting and well worth it for those who enjoy something different.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Jones
Rating: 4

July Paranormal Release

NIGHTFALL
Dark Age Dawning-Book 1
Ellen Connor
Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-26681-6
July 2013
Paranormal
 
Jenna always thought her father was way south of crazy, now she wonders if she just might have been wrong. When she is kidnapped by Mason and unceremoniously tossed in the trunk of her own car she is madder than hell, but her circumstances change when the world looses power and she sees what lurks outside the safety of the cabin she and Mason now share. There are demon looking dogs and Jenna and Mason are on the menu. Jenna changes and the stoic Mason gives little away only telling her that he made a promise to her father to keep her safe when the time was right. Mason has been fighting theses demons for a while and has prepared for the Dark Age they are now facing, only he didn't prepare for the feelings he has for Jenna. She is a distraction that he is not ready for and as more survivors knock on their door, he finds himself even more unprepared for the fight he is facing. Jenna knows that Mason is tied in knots by all the changes, but she is going to do everything in her power to save them all, even if it means breaking down Mason barriers one by one. 
 
NIGHTFALL is book one in the post apocalyptic trilogy and a great and exciting read for those with a penchant for this sort of tale.
 
Reviewed by Lori Sears
Rating: 4
 

Friday, July 26, 2013

A Most Delightful Read

IN THE ARMS OF THE HEIRESS
Ladies Unlaced #1
Maggie Robinson
Berkley Sensation
ISBN 978-0-425-26581-9
July 2013
Historical Romance


The year is 1903 and heiress Louisa Stratton is returning home to England after a year of freedom gaddying about the continent with her best friend and maid, Kathleen. Returning home to Rosemont, the ancestral pile, with her is her 'husband,' Maxmillian Norwich, newly hired from the Evensong Agency. Capt. Charles Cooper, injured Boer War veteran, will impersonate Louisa's fictional husband created to mollify her horrified and stuffy aunt during the days Louisa lit the continent on fire with her escapades. Now Aunt Grace expects the adventuresome, 'poor little rich girl' and Maxmillian at Rosemont for the Christmas holidays...Captain Charles Cooper is no rich, cultured paragon invented by Louisa's fevered imagination, but is a product of the working class even if he had been selected to attend Harrow. Now he is a war veteran, injured in body and soul by the war and its atrocities, trying to drink the memories and nightmares away, intending to commit suicide and leave his family his journals explaining everything, and the large lucrative fee paid to him for masquerading as Maxmillian Norwich. As the dependable, heroic Charles and the effervescent, independent Louisa find their way to each other's arms, the magic of love and healing begins for them both. Yet all is not quite right at Rosemont: someone intends to do harm to Mr. and Mrs. Norwich.

IN THE ARMS OF THE HEIRESS is a historical romance novel not to be missed. The time period, the characters both primary and secondary, the writing, the humor, the suspense and the sensuality all add up to make this novel extraordinary. Louisa's such a fun heroine, madcap, vivacious, a 'Chattin' Stratton' as the hero calls her, imaginative, and oh, such a modern woman of 1903 with her fast automobile and views on sex. You will not want to say goodbye to Louisa and Charles! If you are looking for an entertaining, page-turning read, then IN THE ARMS OF THE HEIRESS is it!

4 1/2
Reviewed by Debora Hosey

Monday, June 24, 2013

A TERRIFIC CATEGORY ROMANCE FROM GAIL BARRETT


FATAL EXPOSURE
Buried Secrets
Gail Barrett
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
ISBN:  978-0-373-27827-5
June 2013
Category Romance

This first book in a new trilogy about three runaway girls who witnessed a murder starts this series out with a BANG!  These girls have gone on to new identities and successful adult lives in obscurity.  In this novel, B.K. Elliot is a successful but reclusive photographer.  When her pictures is published, she comes to the attention of her powerful and abusive stepfather, whom she fled years before.  Sexy police detective Parker McCall figures that she might have some answers to his brother's death, which she apparently witnessed.

Parker begins a relationship with her fraught with secrets and misplaced loyalties.  This novel is incredibly action packed and filled with a developing hot romance between these two characters.  This author captures the feelings of childhood victims of abuse and her depictions of life on the streets are hauntingly realistic.  Her writing reflects an attention to plot that makes for a well done novel.  I can't wait to read the next two installments of this series that promises to be excellent.

Reviewed by:  Jeri Neal
Rating:  4

Thursday, June 06, 2013

From the pen of Author Lecia Cornwall



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Romance Readers Connection 05/30/13

A Writer’s Notebook

There they are, nine of them, my precious notebooks, on the shelf beside my desk, lined up like soldiers after a hard battle, tattered and worn and falling apart at the seams. There are pages missing, and scraps of paper, ticket stubs and Post-it notes tucked between the dog-eared pages that remain.

I use Moleskine notebooks, the eight-inch-by-five-inch ones. When I get a new cover flat from my publisher, I use two-sided tape to affix the front and back covers to a new, color-coordinated notebook. I’m currently filling up a red one with the covers for The Price of Temptation on it. It will soon join the ranks of the others on my shelf, filled up, duty done.

So what’s in this mysterious little book? Let me share my secret life with you.

It starts with notes for blog posts for All The Pleasures of The Season (2012), as well as to-do lists from volunteer committee meetings I attended at my daughter’s high school.

There are several pages of dialogue for How To Deceive A Duke with arrows and crossings-out and reminders about the story behind the story, the real reason why the conversation is taking place at all. It includes details about the characters’ unspoken emotions and hidden agendas. Notations like “M must prove self to N, not father.” “Add sensory” reminds me to add the non-verbal dialogue, the story that plays out under the spoken lines and illuminates everything they aren’t saying.

There are notes for The Secret Life of Lady Julia going back to the very germ of the idea. “What would a ruined woman have to do to make a new life?” The jotted list of options following is short—courtesan, governess, companion, demi-monde. From there, the idea started to coalesce into the full story.

There are story ideas that come to me and need to be written down at once before they drift back into the ether. In Stephen King’s book On Writing, he describes how the universe offers us stories to unearth and bring to life, like archeologists. We don’t just think them up by ourselves, and they don’t belong strictly to us. If we fail to take the universe’s offering, it sinks back into obscurity for another author to bring to light. So, stories conceived on subway trains, or that wake me up in the middle of the night, are dutifully recorded. Not all of them are great ideas—some are downright terrible—but they represent possibilities, a place to start, a color swatch to build a room around. In this red notebook, there are lots of useful ideas, too. I used part of a World War II plot for some the details for Thomas Merritt’s story in The Secret Life of Lady Julia.

There’s a recipe for a Back berry martini jotted on one page, the first drink my daughter ordered in public after she turned eighteen (our legal drinking age here). Vodka, Chambord, Crème de Cassis, muddled blackberries, and fresh lemon juice. We experimented with proportions later at home. They are truly delicious.

Another page has a bright green Post-it note with scrawled ideas for Christmas gifts, mostly books. It’s clear that I give way too many books for Christmas! This particular note is stuck crookedly over more plans for the Secret Life of Lady Julia, labeled with the book’s old working title “Thief of Hearts”, including the title of one of the research books I used (and loved), Vienna 1814, by David King.

Doodles—there are dozens in the margins of every page—Faces, swirls, squiggles. On one page is a sketch of a Halloween witch we later turned into a life size Paper Mache Halloween decoration (there are pictures of her in my Facebook photo albums). She stands in the basement in the off-season, and there are times I come round the corner and scare myself silly, thinking someone’s standing there.

I have four pages of point form notes outlining the first fourteen chapters of The Secret Life of Lady Julia, showing who’s point of view each chapter is in, and offering brief but insightful notations and ideas. There are further pages dividing up the subplots, too. The Intrigue plot is here, with details about how it will slowly unfurl through the story like a red flag in front of a bull. And Dorothea’s sad, laudanum soaked existence is described. There’s also a list of floral perfumes, since Thomas Merritt has strong opinions about the fragrances ladies wear. Julia, like all my heroines, wears violet perfume. My mother wore the violet-based Je Reviens by Worth. I still keep a bottle of it, and it reminds me of dress up days and special occasions when my mother wore her black Jackie Kennedy coat and elbow-length black kid gloves. Alas, Je Reviens doesn’t smell the same on my skin. I wear Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir—I wonder what Thomas would say about that?

There’s a list of trees guaranteed to grow in our tough Alberta climate—Makamik Crab Apple, Russian Olive, Norway Maple—made when the fledgling apple tree in our backyard died and had to be replaced. We chose a Golden Willow, and it wasn’t a good decision. The tree is dead as a stick, but each spring it valiantly puts out new shoots from the roots, like a hand from the grave reaching for salvation. I can’t bear to cut it down when it’s trying so hard.

Here’s another scrawled outline for The Secret Life of Lady Julia, a scene where I was trying to decide what Julia was might use as a weapon against an attacker in the dark. “She tiptoed across the floor and grabbed the only weapon close to hand…” and then follows the potential list—book, candlestick, chamber pot, hairbrush, and bed warmer. You’ll have to read the book to find out which one I ultimately chose to be our intrepid heroine’s weapon of choice, and who is the recipient of her forceful blow. There’s a hint in the book trailer, too, which you can access from my website.

There are pages of ideas and story questions for three other books, including the next one in this series, Stephen’s chance to find love at last, and currently titled “What A Lady Most Desires”.

I also have a list of the real historical figures included in The Secret Life of Lady Julia. I usually don’t use real people, just work the story around them, but this time, characters like the wily French ambassador Talleyrand, the charming Prince De Ligne, and the utterly delightful Madame Anna Protasoff were too wonderful to resist using.

On the last page of each of my notebooks, I list songs I want on my iPod. I’m learning fast, but I still haven’t had ‘the lesson’ from my kids on how to do this myself. I still turn over the list and the iPod over once a year, and the update is one of my favorite Christmas gifts. In past years it included recordings from their excellent high school bands. I am almost ashamed to say I have a few songs from my distant past this year—from the Best of Bread, no less. Even I’m cringing. There are a couple of Partridge Family songs, too, since my daughter has just discovered the old TV show in re-run. It’s a daily date—she and I sit down at four-thirty to watch the Partridge Family (really!). Remember how cute David Cassidy was? And they had some amazing guest stars on some of the episodes, before (or long after) they were famous—Mark Hamill, pre-Star Wars, Richard Pryor, Harry Morgan, and Ray Bolger to name a few.

Written inside the back cover is the best note of all—the date and time of the flight that will bring my son back in a few weeks from his latest adventure, a study abroad trip to Kosovo and St. Petersburg, Russia. I can’t wait!

And now, there’s a brand new notebook waiting for me, one decorated with the gorgeous cover of The Secret Life of Lady Julia … and doesn’t a brand new notebook offer so many wonderful possibilities?

Special offer: Two lucky winners will receive their very own Secret Life of Lady Julia Moleskine notebook, blank but discreetly signed, handmade by the author, for your own amazing ideas.

Lecia Cornwall

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Paranormal Pic for April

FALLING BLIND
The Sentinel Wars-Book 9
Shannon K. Butcher
Signet Novel
ISBN: 978-0-451-23972-3
April 2013
Paranormal
Cain is a man at the end of his rope. He knows that if he doesn't find a mate soon, he will die. But mates for his kind are hard to find, and finding one who is compatible with his power is even harder. When he meets the pink haired Rory, he would have never guessed she could be the one, but fate can be a finicky thing and his mate just happens to be a hard headed lady with a quest of her own. Rory is looking for the person who can cure her visions and she thinks that Cain can help her find them, so she vows to stay with him only long enough to find that person. She is drawn to Cain, but she isn't looking for a commitment, even though his power speaks to her and she longs to have a family of her own. Rory has lost everyone she has ever loved and she knows she can't afford to lose another, so she rather just walk away at the end of things. Cain is determined to get the woman that has come to mean more to him than life and he will use any method to get her, even his body if that is what it takes. Meanwhile there is a demon that is seeking Rory and if Cain isn't careful he may take the one person that Cain has ever loved.
FALLING BLIND is the first book in this series that I have read and I was able to pick up the series rather easily. Of course I think the reader would find more enjoyment if they started at the beginning of the series, as Butcher has created an intricate series and the characters overlap throughout the stories. Either way, you are sure to enjoy the Sentinel Wars.
Reviewed by Lori Sears
Rating: 4

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

A new book by Jane Graves




COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY
A Rainbow Valley Novel 
Jane Graves 
Grand Central Publishing 
ISBN:  978-1-455-51519-6 
April 2013 
Contemporary Romance 

Rainbow Valley has been a refuge for animals and Shannon North is the director 
of the local animal shelter.  Her budget is, at best, slim, and she is worried 
that money will run out.  Luke Dawson is the opposite of the altruistic and 
privileged Shannon.  Friends during their adolescence and briefly more 
intimately involved, Luke comes from an abusive, alcoholic, single parent family 
where his father was the town drunk.  Mean to a fault, his father managed to 
drive Luke away.  Now a very successful rodeo rider, Luke has come back for his 
father’s funeral.  He plans to immediately leave town.

But fate has a way of intervening and Luke ends up injured and needing a place 
to bunk.  Shannon has free room in exchange for a caretaker position at the 
animal shelter.  Luke reluctantly agrees to take this job and the sparks and the 
romance begun to fly between these two. 

This is a delightful book, filled with romance, well-developed characters and 
the classic bad boy, good girl couple.  I loved the animals in this book and the 
interactions brought me to tears.  Manny the miniature pony is a special 
character.  Readers will love the hard core Luke with a heart of gold.  Not to 
be missed! 

Reviewed by:  Jeri Neal 
Rating:  4 1/2

Tuesday, April 23, 2013


THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR, Part 1
Vivi Anna Self Published - eBook
ASIN # B00C52CDBK
April 2013
Paranormal Romance

Makayla Bradley works for Hot Gossip, a Calgary entertainment magazine. The Toronto International Film Festival is her first major assignment and when she spots an amazingly handsome man across a crowded room, she can't help herself, she tries to get his attention and instead humiliates herself in front of him.

Twice now Makayla has felt slighted by Jonathan Devane, a man that while successful and ruthless, likes to keep his life private. Makayla means business this time, she will not let any man take advantage of her again, so she is determined to get the dirt on Jonathan, making sure the public knows just what kind of man he really is.

THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR, Part 1 is a paranormal romance novella. I found Jonathan and Makayla to be great characters but are they perfect for each other? That remains to be seen. Secondary characters are hilarious, I found myself laughing, and cheering the characters on. I don't know what was sexier, the super hot scenes between Jonathan and Makayla, or the quick flashes of fangs. Ms. Anna has a winner on her hands. I can't wait for part 2.

Reviewed by Gloria Gehres
Rated: 4 1/2

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Release by Beth Kery


RELEASE
Beth Kery
Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 
0-425-26341-0
April 2013 (Re-Release)
Erotica

Beth Kery takes readers on a sensual, suspenseful journey in the erotic novel, RELEASE.  Upon the fiery destruction of her home, Genny makes use of a penthouse apartment she co-owns with her deceased husband’s former business partner, but arriving at the apartment forces her to face memories she’s tried to ignore for three years.  Sean has waited a long time for the opportunity to not only speak to Genny again about the forbidden night he shared with her and her husband, but also to make amends for not being able to comfort her following Max’s death.  Haunted by the horrible and delicious memories of her interlude with Sean, Genny is horrified when she discovers that she and Sean are snowed in together because of the weather – there is no way she won’t be able to resist the pull of the past and her attraction towards Sean.  At first, it seems as though the fire at Genny’s home was a tragic accident, but when a quick series of additional incidents take place, Sean recognizes that someone is out to get something from Genny, but whatever it is, she is in grave danger.

Scorching hot, RELEASE has a little bit of everything – suspense, romance, kink, and sexy characters that keep you hooked and reading late into the night.  Genny and Sean are R-E-D-H-O-T, and because RELEASE is written in a combination of flashbacks and current events, Genny’s deceased husband has a more active role than one would typically expect of such a character.  The plot was atypical of a suspenseful erotic novel, and the final outcome is unexpected.  I really found RELEASE to be an original and engaging novel, and while this is my first Beth Kery novel, it won’t be my last!

Reviewed by Angela Etheridge
Rating:  4

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Jillian Hunter's Latest Boscastle Affairs novel, THE MISTRESS MEMOIRS


THE MISTRESS MEMOIRS
A Boscastle Affairs Novel
Jillian Hunter
Signet Select
ISBN 978-0-451-41532-5
Historical Romance 


Governess Kate Walcott is accosted in the garden by a man mistaking her for her employer, Georgette Lawson, a famous courtesan recently taking up with a new protector. It is Sir Colin Boscastle and he is well-known to Kate from the memoirs she is writing for the charming if illiterate Georgette. The courtesan names Colin as her first love and lover whose sexual prowess was never matched by any of her future lovers. Thirteen years after abandoning Georgette to go in search of his father's murderer, he has returned to warn her of the perfidy of her new protector as well as determining if their relationship is salvageable--as well as spy upon Georgette's new protector, the man involved in his father's murder. But it is not Georgette who ignites passion within him, but surprisingly, the virginal but capable Kate. While Georgette's new lover is away from the manor, Colin steps up as protector to the family when the villagers decide to rid themselves of their new, infamous and immoral resident. As Colin involves himself with the irresistible family, he finds Kate even more irresistible, and vows to make her his. But, Kate wonders, will he abandon her as he did his first lover, or will he want her forever?

With THE MISTRESS MEMOIRS, Jillian Hunter pens another winner with this thirteenth entry in the Boscastle Affairs series. Humor, witty dialogue, suspense, sizzling sensuality and well-crafted characters add together to make THE MISTRESS MEMOIRS a fun, sparkling, and most entertaining read.

Reviewed by Debora Hosey
4

Monday, April 01, 2013

Emma Wildes's latest: A MOST IMPROPER RUMOR


A MOST IMPROPER RUMOR
A Whispers of Scandal Novel
Emma Wildes
Signet Eclipse
ISBN 0-451-23958-7
March 2013
Historical Romance


Lady Angelina DeBrooke, dubbed the Dark Angel by the ton, visits Benjamin Wallace, Lord Heathton. During the late War, Benjamin engaged in espionage for the Crown, and has a reputation for solving problems. The twenty-four year old Angelina has been widowed twice--both arranged marriages to men she did not love--the first husband having died of a stomach 'ailment.' When husband #2 died of the same condition, she was put on trial for murder, but acquitted from lack of evidence.  Shunned by Society, with only one true friend, she has made her own life and has been content living out of the limelight until recently--she has fallen deeply in love. Knowing that she did not kill her husbands, she wants Lord Heathton to find the culprit so she can marry her heart's desire without fear that some evil will befall him. Heathton reluctantly takes up the matter, sensing his old nemesis at work, the villain who sought to destroy his wife's cousin's reputation by having her kidnapped and imprisoned with a rake. (See book one, RUINED BY MOONLIGHT) Now it appears that the villain has also resorted to murder...with his wife Alicia assisting him, Heathton is determined to give Lady DeBrooke her happily ever after while trying to keep Alicia safe as well.

A MOST IMPROPER RUMOR is a worthy second entry in Emma Wildes's intriguing, sensual and well-written Whispers of Scandal series. The Villain discovered in RUINED BY MOONLIGHT continues to to spread his/her evil in this second book in the series...Angelina is an intriguing character shunned by Society and in desperate need of Benjamin's help. Though Lady Debrooke and her handsome and intelligent Christopher are quite beguiling, it is Benjamin and Alicia who steal the show and win the Most Intriguing and Fascinating Married Couple Award. Their marital relationship continues to develop most satisfactorily...

Reviewed by Debora Hosey
4

Saturday, March 30, 2013

RELEASE ME


RELEASE ME
Stark Trilogy, Book 1
J.Kenner
Bantam Books
ISBN: 978-0-345-54411-7
eBook ISBN: 978-0-345-54412-4
January 2013
Erotica

Nikki Fairchild moved west, to L.A., to take a lowly position in an up and coming tech company.  While attending an art opening, she sees the man whose foundation’s scholarship helped pay for her college education.  Damien Stark, former tennis pro and now a highly respected businessman remembers Nikki but at that time they both were younger.  Now, with his tennis career behind him and earning billions, Damien finds that something or someone is missing from his life.

Readers be prepared to go on a rollercoaster of emotions with Nikki and Damien.  I found their relationship tenuous and guarded, yet, somehow I am intrigued as to what comes next for them.  Their story is just beginning…coming April 2013, CLAIM ME, book two in the series.

Reviewed by Monica Solomon
Rating 4