Review - - The Legal Affair

The Legal Affair

by Nisha Sharma

The Singh Family - Book 2

Publisher: Avon Impulse

Release Date: August 18, 2020

Reviewed by PJ 

 

Rajneet Hothi built her empire with sweat, blood, and information. She knows everything there is to know about Ajay Singh, the future CEO of Bharat, Inc., as well as how crucial he is in securing her future. But she didn’t expect the passion that burst between them the first time they went head-to-head. She’d never felt anything like it before, especially during her marriage to her soon-to-be-ex-husband. When her company is blamed for her ex’s dirty dealings with Bharat, she’s forced to prove that Ajay is no match for her in the art of business or seduction.

Ajay shouldn’t trust Raj or her company. He’s on the verge of losing everything his family has worked to achieve, but he can’t stop thinking about the breathtaking way Raj opens her mind, body and heart to him. Throwing his infamous caution to the wind, he tempts the gorgeous CEO into his bedroom and boardroom. He soon realizes he wants Raj by his side and he’s willing to fight the people he’s always protected to be with her.

When Raj and Ajay discover the source behind Bharat’s leak, they must trust each other and work together to defy the odds and save the Singh legacy.

PJ's Thoughts:

I waited more than a year for this second book in Nisha Sharma's The Singh Family trilogy. It was so worth the wait. Raj and Ajay are everything I could have hoped for. And more. 

Rajneet Hothi is a strong, independent, successful woman who owns her power, her ambition, and her sexuality. I adored her. She makes this book sing (no pun intended). Ajay Singh is a man striving to make his mark in his family's company. He also is strong, independent, and accomplished but he's also much more than the businessman persona he presents to the world, as one unexpected evening with Raj demonstrates (grab your fans, ladies). When these two mix business with pleasure, with both of their reputations on the line, it creates an explosion of passion, pride, skillful maneuvering, and the possibility of a love of a lifetime...if they can outwit the forces determined to take them down.

As was the case with the first book in this series, The Takeover Effect, once I started reading The Legal Affair I couldn't put it down. Sharma pulls readers into a world of cut-throat business, steamy romance, and legal maneuverings as the Singh family fights to save their business from hostile takeovers. She creates vibrant, realistic, fully-dimensional characters who open a window into the rich cultural heritage and complex dynamics of these Indian-American characters. And the food! Keep your phone handy because if you're like me, you'll be ordering take-out from your nearest Indian restaurant before you're halfway through the book. 

Sharma fills this book with plenty of passion, adversity, and heart, and I am here for all of it. I swooned a bit over Ajay, especially when Sharma shows us the man's heart and vulnerability. Puppies, home-cooked meals, red-hot passion, and respect for, and confidence in, the woman who holds his heart. Enough said. But blended with that is a whole lot of strength and passion. It's only a man with all of those characteristics who could be a match for someone as amazing as Raj and could give her the space to be vulnerable herself while she gives him the safe space to do the same. Speaking of Raj, she brought me to tears a few times too (again with the puppy) but I spent most of the book cheering her on and yelling, "YES! OWN YOUR DESIRES" and "YES! SHOW THEM WHO'S BOSS!" Honestly, I'm surprised my condo neighbors didn't start pounding on walls. This character inspired loud, enthusiastic support. 

If you haven't discovered Nisha Sharma's Singh Family yet, I highly recommend giving these books a try. You don't have to read the books in order but I think you'll have a better understanding of the family and the obstacles facing them and their business if you start at the beginning. As for me, I'll probably go back to the beginning and reread both books (a few times) while waiting for the next one in the series. 

Review - - Can't Escape Love

Can't Escape Love:A Reluctant Royals Novella
by Alyssa Cole
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Release Date: March 19, 2019
Reviewed by PJ

Regina Hobbs is nerdy by nature, businesswoman by nurture. She's finally taking her pop culture-centered media enterprise, Girls with Glasses, to the next level, but the stress is forcing her to face a familiar supervillain: insomnia. The only thing that helps her sleep when things get this bad is the deep, soothing voice of puzzle-obsessed live streamer Gustave Nguyen. The problem? His archive has been deleted.

Gus has been tasked with creating an escape room themed around a romance anime…except he knows nothing about romance or anime. Then mega-nerd and anime expert Reggie comes calling, and they make a trade: his voice for her knowledge. But when their online friendship has IRL chemistry, will they be able to escape love?

My thoughts:

Brimming with originality, this novella features engaging characters I couldn't help but cheer for, a depth of emotion typically only found in full-length books, the imperfections that make all of us unique, and the joy experienced when we find that person who not only accepts but celebrates us for who we are. Reggie is a brilliant business owner, sci fi and anime geek, "good" twin, and over-achiever who also lives with an illness-induced disability that requires her to use a wheelchair - but does not define her. Gus, a former podcaster, is an emotionally challenged, super nerdy designer of escape rooms who lives on the autism spectrum and possesses a soothing voice that Reggie needs to calm enough to sleep. And I am the non-nerdy reader old enough to be their grandmother, who would be hard pressed to name a sci fi character or anime movie, who absolutely adored them. 

Thus is the brilliance of Alyssa Cole's writing and her ability to fully immerse readers into the hearts, minds, and lives of her unforgettable characters and the journeys of her imagination. Begin with Can't Escape Love. Move on to the other stories in the Reluctant Royals series. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Have you read Alyssa Cole's books yet?

Have you "met" any nerdy, quirky, and adorably awkward romance characters who captured your attention and affection?

I have two giveaways today, thanks to my weekend at Avon's KissCon. (more on that later)

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM (Eastern), April 18 will receive a signed print copy of A Princess in Theory, the first book in Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals series.  (U.S. only) (read Hellie's Top Dish review)

Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.

Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.

The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM (Eastern), April 18 will receive a signed print copy of A Prince on Paper, the third full-length book in Cole's Reluctant Royals series - which won't be released to the public until April 29!
(U.S. only)

Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal—in bed—with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate.

For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother—the heir to the throne—and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother’s future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him.

Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.

Crashing Into Her

Crashing Into Her: Love on Cue
by Mia Sosa
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Reviewed by PJ

Relationships are a thing of the past for Eva Montgomery. Her current motto? You can’t spell “manipulative” without man. But Eva has needs, and a one-night-stand at her best friend’s wedding is the perfect way to kick off her new approach to singledom. Then a job opportunity puts her in the same city with the guy she can’t forget . . .

Anthony Castillo is a perpetual bachelor—no strings, just flings—a status he maintains by being honest about his intentions and never looking back. So why is he still thinking about the firecracker of a woman who rocked his world at his cousin’s wedding? It’s a question he refuses to answer, until she comes crashing back into his life, taking his emotional walls down with her.

When her father doubts her ability to make it in LA, Eva vows to go big and prove him wrong. With her athletic background, she’s an ideal candidate for stunt work. But first she’ll need training, and the instructor is none other than her former hookup, Anthony Castillo. Except he’s not as cocky as she remembers and he’s definitely still sexy as sin. The only problem is . . . Anthony doesn’t want her anywhere near his stunt school—or his heart.

My thoughts:

Warning: You may not want to read this book in public if you're reluctant to share raucous laughter, heartfelt emotion, and lusty sighs with strangers. On the other hand, Crashing Into Her can be an effective tool for making new friends, as I discovered while reading the book at the beach the other day. Total strangers were putting down their own books and asking the title of the one obviously bringing me so much enjoyment. :) 

I'm not sure why I haven't read Mia Sosa before now. You can be sure I won't make that mistake again. There's a binge ahead! Crashing Into Her is fun, flirty, a little dirty, and oh, so sensual. Her characters are so real and vividly portrayed. They pulled me into their world from the get-go, taking me on a fast-paced ride that had me swiping pages with excitement while, at the same time, wanting to savor each delicious scene. 

Eva and Anthony are both so darn likable and so very deserving of their HEA, even if neither believes they want a relationship. The banter between them is fun and flawless, and their chemistry could spark an inferno. Talk about sizzle! Their physical relationship is scorching but there's also a sweetness about them that captured my heart. 

Sosa places Anthony's Puerto Rican culture front and center in this story with plenty of music - I have a new appreciation for Reggaeton - and detailed descriptions of food that had me wiping the drool from my Kindle...and searching Yelp for local PR restaurants. She should write a cookbook. I'd buy it. 

Secondary characters - and couples from the first two books - seamlessly weave in and out of the story, adding richness and flavor without detracting from the main couple. I especially enjoyed Anthony's father and Eva's best friend (also Anthony's cousin), Tori (Book 1 - Acting on Impulse). I can't wait to read Tori's story! 

With sweet sighs, laugh-out-loud humor, and sensual scenes that left my heart racing, Crashing Into Her has vaulted Mia Sosa onto my author auto-buy list and earned my enthusiastic recommendation...and a few new friends.   


Have you read Mia Sosa's books yet?

Do you have a favorite?

Do you find yourself wanting to search out the food featured in the books you read?

Review - - Diamond Fire

Diamond Fire: A Hidden Legacy Novella
By Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

Nevada Frida Baylor and Connor Ander Rogan cordially invite you to join their wedding celebration. Summoning, weather manipulation, and other magical activities strictly forbidden.

Catalina Baylor is looking forward to wearing her maid of honor dress and watching her older sister walk down the aisle.  Then the wedding planner gets escorted off the premises, the bride’s priceless tiara disappears, and Rogan's extensive family overruns his mother’s home.  Someone is cheating, someone is lying, and someone is plotting murder.

To make this wedding happen, Catalina will have to do the thing she fears most: use her magic.  But she’s a Baylor and there’s nothing she wouldn't do for her sister's happiness.  Nevada will have her fairy tale wedding, even if Catalina has to tear the mansion apart brick by brick to get it done.

My thoughts:

I've fallen in love with the magical world created within Ilona Andrews' Hidden Legacy series and the characters that inhabit it. In the first three books, readers have watched Nevada and Rogan fall in love, vanquish enemies, and find their happily ever after. We've also been introduced to the members of Nevada's family, characters with oodles of potential for stories of their own, characters like her younger sister, Catalina. 

Diamond Fire is a novella that ties up Nevada and Rogan's journey with a happy bow while also setting up the next trilogy in the series. It's a fast-paced, action-packed, suspense-filled story chock full of betrayal, intrigue, and magic. And humor. I love how Andrews uses laughter to balance the darker elements of her stories.  

It was fun to watch kick-ass Nevada Baylor turn into a bundle of nerves over the prospect of planning her wedding and, especially, meeting her future mother-in-law. I adored Connor's mother! She's an intriguing character with powerful magic, a good heart, and no patience for anyone who threatens those she loves. I'm looking forward to hopefully learning more about her in future books. 

While the secondary cast is well-developed, the star of this novella is Catalina. The eighteen-year-old really begins to come into her own in this story and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her slowly begin to embrace her powers. I can't wait to find out what the future holds for her in the next trilogy. 

Diamond Fire is the newest addition to my Ilona Andrews keeper shelf. It's a brilliantly executed transition from Nevada's journey to Catalina's and I highly recommend it to both fans of the first Hidden Legacy trilogy as well as those new to the series. 

Blog Tour Review - - The Good Luck Sister

The Good Luck Sister

By Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon Impulse

Release Date: May 1, 2018

Reviewed by Janga

Jill Shalvis returns her readers to Wildstone, California, ten years after Lost and Found Sisters for the story of Tilly Adams, the teenage sibling who almost stole the earlier book. Life has not turned out exactly as the teenage Tilly dreamed. Instead of creating a sensation in the art world, she has made a small splash at local art fairs and is beginning her career as a teacher of art at the local community college. Instead of being with her best friend turned love of her life, Dylan Scott, she is single, and the main male in her life is Leo, her six-pound “possible Maltipoo.”

Dylan left town eight years ago because he thought his leaving was best for Tilly. He joined the marines, and having survived some close calls in Afghanistan, although not without scars—physical and psychic—he has returned to Wildstone where he and his buddies Penn and Ric are the proud owners of Wildstone Air Tours. He has also registered for one of Tilly’s art classes.

Tilly is shocked to see Dylan in her class, and she insists that all she has to say to him is goodbye. But Dylan is tenacious, and he is committed to persuading Tilly that they deserve a second chance. The volatile chemistry between them helps to make his argument. This is a novella, so the reward of the HEA is not long delayed.

Although Quinn and Mick (who are about to become parents for the second time) provide a link to The Lost and Found Sisters and Penn and Ric tease readers with the possibility of new stories, the focus in this novella is solidly on Tilly and Dylan. Shalvis shifts between their past as best friends/first loves and their present. Readers who have not read the earlier book can follow their story without difficulty, but the novella will be a special treat for those whose hearts were won by the teens in the first Wildstone story.

No one is better than Jill Shalvis at creating characters with smart mouths and tender hearts. I can pay her no greater compliment than to say Tilly and Dylan as adults fulfilled their promise as teens, both as individuals and as a couple. They are likable, sympathetic characters with enough baggage to be interesting and enough living to be credible as adults.

I was pleased to see that the excerpts from “The Mixed-Up Files of Tilly Adams’s Journal” continued for their cleverness, for what they reveal about Tilly, and for the continuity with the novel. If you are a Shalvis fan, you will not want to miss this novella. If you like contemporary romance with humor, heart, and heat, The Good Luck Sister is a great appetizer for the books of an author with an extraordinary backlist. Add this one to your TBR.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt from The Good Luck Sister

Chapter 1

“I’ve finished my free trial of adulthood and am no longer interested, so please cancel my subscription.” From The Mixed Up Files of Tilly’s journal. 

     Tilly Adams sat in the vet’s office staring at the doctor in shock. “Say that again?”

     Dr. Janet Lyons smiled. “I think Leo faked being sick. Probably so you’d stay home from work today.”

     Tilly looked down at Leo. “You do know he’s a dog, right?”

     All six pounds of him smiled up at her. About a month ago, she found him on a street corner hiding beneath a bus bench; wet, dirty, cold, hungry and matted. He’d been Dobby meets Gremlin meets neglected, abused Care Bear. Tilly had looked around for an adult, and then had to remind herself that at twenty-five years old, she was legal herself. So then she’d searched for an adultier adult, but she’d been the only one in sight.

     So she’d scooped the little guy up and had brought him to the SPCA, who’d said he was about five weeks old, a possible Maltipoo, which meant he came by his care bear look naturally. He was malnutritioned and suffering from mange. They’d said they’d do what they could, and Tilly had turned to go. That had been when she’d seen all the eyes on her from an endless row of cages … and she’d realized her care bear would soon be sitting in one too. Then she’d heard herself offer to foster him until they found him a forever home.

     They’d found him one too. Tilly had signed the adoption papers last weekend in spite of the fact that just that morning he’d escaped his crate, eaten her favorite sneakers, destroyed her favorite pillow, and then yakked up the stuffing from the pillow.

     He was a destructo of the highest magnitude, and something else too. He had no idea how small he was. He went after her sister Quinn’s twenty-plus pound cat and her neighbor’s hundred pound black lab with the same fierce, fearless gusto. Turned out, the little guy had a bad case of small-man syndrome, which was how he’d earned his name.

     Leo, short for Napoleon.

     And now on top of Leo’s impressive chewing skills, his escape artist skills, and his ability to get up on her bed and yet still not understand why stepping in his own poop was annoying, he had a new skill.

     He’d faked being sick.

     Proud of himself, Leo smiled up at her. Smiled. An hour ago he’d been coughing and limping and acting all sorts of odd. Now he just kept smiling up at her while sending her meaningful glances at the open dog biscuit bin between her and the doctor.

     Dr. Lyons laughed and gave him one.

     “Dogs can’t fake sick,” Tilly said while Leo inhaled the biscuit whole before licking the floor to make sure he got all the crumbs. “Can they?”

     Dr. Lyons scooped him up and gave him a kiss on his adorable snout. “Yours did.”
     Tilly sighed. It was too early for this. She’d had a crazy late night. Not hanging at Whiskey River, the local bar and grill. Not at a club with friends. Not working on her designs for he upcoming graphic art showing.

     Nope, she’d been on a serious stress bender -- a marathon of Game Of Thrones. She hadn’t fallen asleep until after two and her alarm had interrupted her in the middle of a really great dream starring Jon Snow.

     Dr. Lyons handed Leo over. He immediately snuggled into the crook of Tilly’s neck and dammit, her cold heart melted on the spot and she hugged him close. “You’re sure he’s okay? He was coughing. And then he limped funny. And then he wouldn’t eat.”

     “But he hasn’t coughed once that I’ve seen. And he’s not limping either. And you said all his food vanished while you took a quick shower.”

     “Yes,” Tilly said.

     Dr. Lyons waited for her to catch up.

     Tilly sighed. “He really did fake me out.”

Have you read any Jill Shalvis books?

Tell us about your favorite Shalvis book or couple.

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment before 11:00 PM (eastern), May 16 will receive an e-book copy of The Good Luck Sister from the publisher. (U.S. / Canada only)

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill

Website: http://jillshalvis.com/

Facebook: @JillShalvis

Twitter: @JillShalvis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillshalvis/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jillshalvis/

Tumblr: http://jillshalvis.tumblr.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis?from_search=true

BUY LINKS for THE GOOD LUCK SISTER

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2qOBwgM

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2vCGAdQ

Books-A-Million: https://bit.ly/2Hfc5Qt

iBooks: https://apple.co/2vwQkpN

GooglePlay: https://bit.ly/2kpDG2S

Review - - Lady in Waiting

Lady in Waiting

By Marie Tremayne

Publisher: Avon Impulse

Release Date: March 13, 2018

Reviewed by Janga

 

Clara Mayfield knows that helping her sister Lucy elope with the man she loves, an ambitious, young tradesman, will put her own social standing at risk, but the cost proves more than she expected, more than she is prepared to pay. When even the Mayfield banking fortune proves insufficient to balance out the scandal, her parents, determined to see at least one daughter marry within their social class, accept the offer of a lecherous, corrupt baron for Clara’s hand. Clara, repulsed and frightened by the man, becomes a runaway bride. Disguised in her maid’s clothes, she leaves home with directions to the estate where her maid’s sister works, Lawton Park in Kent.

For eighteen months, William, Lord Ashworth, has remained at his home in Kent recovering from the wounds, physical and emotional, that he received in a carriage accident in which his father, his elder brother, and his sister’s husband perished. He has come to London to reenter society by attending a ball, but at the last minute, he cannot bring himself to reenter a social scene where the new Earl of Ashworth will be the cynosure of the ton eager to see how he is reacting to his grief and his new title. William is tormented by nightmares of the horrific event and by flashbacks that leave him shaken. He refuses to risk the gossips seeing him in that condition, and so he retreats to his country estate.

Clara has chosen Lord Ashworth’s home as the place where she will seek employment for two reasons. Her maid’s sister will vouch for her as a deserving candidate to fill the position of housemaid, and Ashworth has the reputation of being reclusive, so she is unlikely to encounter anyone who knows her as Clara Mayfield. But it is not easy to lose her identity and become Helen the maid. The work is hard, she misses her family, and some of the servants are unfriendly. Then there is her awareness of Lord Ashworth and her thoughts about what her life might have been like had she met him as Clara Mayfield.

William consents reluctantly to hiring the new maid. He is uncomfortable with his inappropriate but irresistible attraction to her, but it only seems to intensify as he sees more of her. When William’s young niece Rosa joins his household and quickly develops a fondness for “Helen,” Clara becomes even more intimately involved with the family. It is clear that both Clara and William have fallen heart over head, but only the revelation of Clara’s identity can make a relationship between them possible. Will William be able to forgive her deception?

Lady in Waiting, the first book in the Reluctant Brides series, is Marie Tremayne’s debut novel. The book suffers a bit from the dreaded sagging middle, but overall, it is a strong first book. Clara and William are both sympathetic characters. I especially appreciated that Clara is not a passive, poor-me heroine but rather one who acts to save herself from the baron’s literal and figurative clutches. William is not a cliché-ridden brooding hero, but a man dealing with physical and emotional trauma and surviving as he can. The secondary characters, upstairs and downstairs, have an attractive vitality. Rosa is a darling, and her widowed mother, William’s sister Eliza, and William’s friend, Viscount Evanston, are an appealing pair who will leave readers hungry for their story.

Marie Tremayne is an author to watch. If you like historical romance that moves beyond London’s social scene and narrow society, I think you will enjoy this book. If you, like me, are hooked on Eliza and Evanston’s relationship, you will be pleased to know that their story, The Viscount Can Wait, will be released August 14.

Today's Special - - Charis Michaels' One For the Rogue Excerpt Tour, Q&A, and Giveaway.

Charis Michaels is thrilled to be making her debut with Avon Impulse. Prior to writing romance, she studied Journalism at Texas A & M and managed PR for a trade association. She has also worked as a tour guide at Disney World, harvested peaches on her family’s farm, and entertained children as the “Story Godmother” at birthday parties. She has lived in Texas, Florida, and London, England. She now makes her home in the Washington, D.C.-metro area.

Author Links:   WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
Website:  http://charismichaels.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/charismichaelsauthor/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CharisMichaels

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14174160.Charis_Michaels

Pre-Made Tasty Q&A

Can you tell us a little about your book?

Well, this is sort of a reverse My-Fair-Lady story.  The heroine is a young dowager duchess who has been trained since girlhood in manners and decorum. Through a series of hopeless circumstances, she is is charged with giving lessons on how to be “proper” to the roguish hero. He, however, has something else in mind for their instruction. The story revolves around the reluctant relationship that develops and their journey to love.

Name three things on your desk right now.

My Mrs. Daryl Dixon coffee mug, naturally.

An old Dollywood brochure (I got ‘the call’ at Dollywood!).

The lid to a stationary set that says, “Write a little happiness into the world.”  The stationary is long gone, but I keep the lid because I love the design/message so much.

What are some books that you enjoyed recently?

Another wonderful question! I adore talking books!

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Eligible by Curtis Suttenfeld

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Anne Long

What do you like to do when you aren't writing?

Well, to be honest, my favorite thing to do when I truly have nothing else to do is go to a discount retailer such as Marshall’s or TJMaxx and simply browse all of the cheap things I did not know I needed until I dug for them at the bottom of the clearance rack.

A la Twitter style, please describe your book in 140 characters or less.

Bad boy transformed by the love of a good woman.  In Regency England.  At Christmas. And it’s funny.  😀

What types of scenes are your most favorite to write?

Dialogue-heavy scenes when the hero and heroine are in love but at least one of them is fighting it!

In the opening of the book, the hero lives on a dilapidated “narrowboat” on a canal in London.  I lived in London for a time, just across Regents Park from Camden Lock. Camden was not yet a lock or a canal in 1813, but I was inspired by it and researched until I discovered Paddington Lock had just been formed.  And that is where I docked the hero’s boat.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

Oh, I’ll eventually be back for dear Miss Breedlowe, I promise!

Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

Oh yes – I’m happy to share that I just signed a contract with Avon-Impulse for my next series: The Brides of Belgravia!  This is a trilogy featuring two young men from the Bachelor Lords of London, Jon Stoker, and Joseph Chance--all grown up. (The London neighborhood of Belgravia was developed in 1831).  I’m writing Book 1 now, and it’s so much fun.  The expected release date is October 2017.  Thank you for asking!

One for the Rogue
The Bachelor Lords of London #3

By: Charis Michaels

Releasing December 6, 2016
Avon Impulse

The third dazzling romance in USA Today bestselling author Charis Michaels' Bachelor Lords of London series.

Beauregard “Beau” Cortland has no use for the whims of society and even less for aristocratic titles. As a younger son, he travels the world in search of adventure with no plans to settle down. Even when the title of Viscount Rainsleigh is suddenly forced upon him, he will not bend to duty or decorum. Not until an alluring young woman appears on the deck of his houseboat, determined to teach him propriety in all things and tempting him with every forbidden touch

Lady Emmaline Crumbley has had a wretched year. Her elderly husband dropped dead without naming her in his will and she’s been relegated to the life of a dowager duchess at the age of 23. She has no wish to instruct a renegade viscount in respectability, but desperate to escape her greedy stepson, Beau’s family makes her an offer she cannot refuse: teach the new lord to behave like a gentleman, and they’ll help her earn the new, self-sufficient life of her dreams. Emmaline agrees, only to discover that instructing the viscount is one thing, but resisting him is quite another. How can she teach manners to the rakish nobleman if he is determined to show her the thrill of scandal instead?

Excerpt #1

Prologue

This is the tale of two brothers.

No, allow me to go back. This is the tale of two half brothers, a distinction that does not affect the brothers as much as it creates a place for the story to begin.

They were born deep in Wiltshire’s Deverill Valley, less than a mile from the River Wylye, in a crumbling manor house called Rossmore Court.

Although the Rainsleigh title was ancient and the family lands entailed, the boys’ parents, Lord Franklin “Frankie” Courtland, the Viscount Rainsleigh, and his lady wife, Este, were not held in high esteem—not by their neighbors in Wiltshire nor by members of London’s haute ton. Instead, they were known mostly for their predilections: recklessness, coarseness, drunkenness, irresponsibility, and deep debt.

Their notoriety did not curtail their fun, however, and they carried on exactly as they pleased. In 1779, the viscountess became pregnant, and Lord and Lady Rainsleigh added “woefully unfit parents” to their list of indiscretions. Their firstborn was called Bryson—the future viscount, Lord Rainsleigh’s heir. Young Bryson was somber and curious, stormy and willful, but also inexplicably just and kind.

In 1785, Este and Frankie welcomed a second son, favored almost immediately by his mother for his sweet nature and easy manner, his angelic face and smiling blue eyes. The viscountess named him Beauregard, known as “Beau.”

On the whole, the boys’ childhood was not a happy one. Lord Rainsleigh was rarely at home, and when he was, he was rarely sober. He managed the boys with equal parts mockery and scorn. Lady Rainsleigh, in turn, was chronically unhappy, petulant, and needy, and she suffered an insatiable appetite for strapping young men, with a particular preference for broad-shouldered members of staff.

Money was scarce in those years, and schooling was catch-as-catch-can. The brothers relied on each other to get along.

Bryson’s hard work and good sense earned them money for new coats and boots each year, for books, and for an old horse that they shared.

Beau employed his good looks and charm to earn them credit in the village shops, to convince foremen to hire them young, and to persuade servants and tenants to stay on when there was no money for salaries or repairs.

And so it went, each of the boys contributing whatever he could to get by, until the summer of 1807, when the old viscount’s recklessness caught up with him, and he tripped on a root in a riverbed and died.

With Frankie’s death, Bryson, the new viscount, set out to right all the wrongs of his father and cancel the family’s debts. He moved to London, where he worked hard, built and sold a boat, and then another, and then another—and then five. And then fifteen. Eventually, he owned a shipyard and became wealthier than his wildest dreams.

Beau, on the other hand . . .

Well, Beau had no interest in righting wrongs or realizing moneyed dreams—he wasn’t the Rainsleigh heir, thank God. His only wish was to take his handsome face and winning charm and discover the delights of London and the world beyond.

For a time, he sailed the world as an officer of the Royal Navy. For another time, he imported exotic birds and fish. He spent more than a year with the East India Company, training native soldiers to protect British trade. His life was adventurous and rambling, sunny if he could manage it, and (perhaps most important) entirely on his own terms.

Until, that is, the day the Courtland brothers received, quite unexpectedly, a bit of shocking news that changed both of their lives.

The news, which they learned from a stranger, was this: the boys did not share the same father.

The horrible old viscount—the man who had beaten them and mocked them, who had driven them into debt and allowed their boyhood home to fall into ruin—was not, in fact, Bryson’s father after all. Bryson’s father was another man—a blacksmith’s son from the local village with whom their mother had had a heated affair.

Beau, as it turned out, was the only natural-born son of Franklin Courtland.

Beau was the heir.

And just like that, Beauregard Courtland became the Viscount Rainsleigh, the conservator and executor of all his brother had toiled over a great many years to restore and attain.

It made no difference that Beau had no desire to be viscount, that he was repelled by the notion, that the idea of becoming viscount made him a little ill.

In protest, Beau threatened to leave the country; he threatened to change his name; he threatened to commit a crime and endure prison to avoid the bloody title—all to no avail.

He was the rightful Viscount Rainsleigh, whether he liked it or not.

His brother, now simply Mr. Bryson Courtland, shipbuilder and merchant, set out on a new quest: to train, coach, and cajole Beau into becoming the responsible, noble, respected viscount that he himself would never be again.

To answer that, Beau seized his own quest: resist. He could not prevent his brother from dropping the bloody title in his lap, but he could refuse to dance to the tune the title played.

He would carry on, he vowed, exactly as he had always done—until . . . well . . .

“Until” is where this tale begins.

But perhaps this is not a tale of two brothers or even the tale of two half brothers.

Perhaps it is the story of one brother and how the past he could not change built a future that he, at long last, was willing to claim.

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