Winners - - Just Between Us

The randomly chosen winners from our 

Just Between Us Bad to the Bone feature are:

Irisheyes

and

Patricia Barber

Signed print copy of one Dogfather book of your choice.

Please send your full name, mailing address, and 

title of choice to theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com.

Adria Reyes

and

Robin

Kindle copy of Bad to the Bone.

Please send your email address to

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com.

Just Between Us - - Bad to the Bone by Roxanne St. Claire

I’ve been reading Roxanne St. Claire’s books for several years and, in that time, many of her titles have made their way to my keeper shelves but none have touched me as deeply as her newest release, Bad to the Bone. We’ve come to know veterinarian and single mom, Molly Kilcannon and her daughter, Pru over the course of the first four stories in St. Claire’s The Dogfather series. Like Pru, I’ve become increasingly curious about the identity of her father with each book but never in a million years would I have guessed that Pru’s father – and Molly’s hero – would be a man who has spent the past 14 years in prison for murder. I didn’t know what to expect of Trace – 14 years in prison had to have taken a toll on him, both physically and emotionally - but all it took was the opening scenes between Trace and his critically ill dog, Meatball, and his subsequent interactions with Pru and Molly, for me to know this was a man with depth, layers, vulnerability, and a good heart. I was firmly in his corner and I knew there had to be more to his story than would first appear.  What did you think of our hero, Janga? 

Janga: I thought he was wonderful, PJ. It has been a long time since I encountered a contemporary hero who captured my sympathy, affection, and interest so quickly and completely. Like you, I have wondered about Pru's father as I read each book in this series, but Trace was much better than I could have imagined. I was also impressed with the way St. Claire handled Molly's reaction to Trace's reappearance in her life. With an ex-con hero, she could so easily have drifted into the melodramatic, but she keeps Molly's fears  believable and allows that instinctual connection between the hero and heroine to evolve as they spend time together. I like my romance with lots of context, and I loved that Molly was such a relationship-rich character. St. Claire shows us how her ties with her mother, her father, and her siblings as well as her history with Trace and her role as Pru's mother have shaped her into the strong, vulnerable woman she has become. Trace and Molly are very different, but they are both fully dimensional characters. And Pru - what a great kid she is! What did you think of her, PJ?

PJ: Oh, I loved her! For 13 years, she and her mom have been a unit and the appearance of the father she's never known - or known about - turns her world upside down as much as it does Molly's. And, for that matter, Trace's. I really appreciate that St. Claire made this book as much about Pru's journey as Molly and Trace's. I've known a few kids like Pru, with vibrant personalities and a strongly formed sense of right and wrong. When you view the world in black and white, being suddenly presented with an ex-con father can't be easy, especially at that middle school age when so many other things are changing. Pru's individual journey as well as the evolution of her relationships with both of her parents was at various times awkward, humorous, heartbreaking, and poignant but, above all, realistic. I doubt I'm the only reader who hopes for a grown-up story for her a few years down the road. That girl is going to be one fierce woman. Another facet of Pru that I really enjoyed is her close bond with her feisty great-grandmother, Gramma Finnie, and her grandfather, Daniel a/k/a The Dogfather, two characters who really are the heart of this family. Do you agree? 

Janga: I do indeed. I adore Gramma Finnie. I think St. Claire was brilliant to make her a combination of the traditional grandmother figure with her fierce love of family, her fund of stories, and her hard-earned wisdom, which she is not reluctant to share, and twenty-first-century, tech-savvy golden-ager. I want to read her blogs! And I confess to falling a little more in love with Daniel with each book. I want to see him happy again, but it is going to take someone very special to deserve him and to understand the place his beloved Annie will always have in his heart. 

PJ: I feel the same, Janga. I'm eagerly anticipating Daniel's book and I fully expect it to be an emotional journey. Time to buy more tissues! I think St. Claire was smart to not only make The Dogfather series family-centric but to also center the stories around a dog rescue and training facility. The unconditional love offered by these dogs, as well as their bond with their humans and their ability to soothe, encourage, protect, and unite has been intrinsic to these stories. Quite a tall order but each of the dogs featured has been up to the task and has added an extra dimension to the story that I have thoroughly enjoyed. 

Janga: The canine characters are certainly an integral part of the stories and of my delight in them. I also love that the cover dogs are real rescues who have found their forever homes. I know that we both have had the experience of a rescue claiming a chunk of our hearts and feel strongly about the mission of shelters such as the one these books support. So--we still have Aidan's story, Darcy's story, and Daniel's story to look forward to? When it comes to this series, I'm a greedy reader. I hope at some point St. Claire will write stories for the five Mahoneys too. Do you have any scoops on the future of the series, PJ?

PJ: Why yes, I do! I reached out to the author and...there will definitely be a lot more Dogfather books in the foreseeable future! She says that the next book, Ruff Around the Edges, will be out in April, and it's a love story for Aidan Kilcannon, who has come home from Afghanistan where he's been flying helicopters as a Night Stalker in the Army. Once again, the Dogfather is nudging Aidan toward love, and, of course, there's an unforgettable pupper named Ruff right in the middle of it all. After that, Darcy will be the object of her father's matchmaking in a July release called Double Dog Dare. St. Claire has promised that Daniel's highly anticipated story, Old Dog New Tricks, will also be released this year and has hinted there could be another Christmas novella, too. That's three (possibly four) new Dogfather books this year. I'm sure I'm not the only one happy dancing at that news! She's promised that 2019 will be the year for the Mahoney cousins, Declan, Connor, Braden, and Ella, and leaves us with this teaser: "Who knows? Maybe the Dogfather will work his magic on Aunt Colleen or readers might get a flashback romance to find out just how Gramma Finnie fell in love with her beloved Seamus back in Ireland." I'm not ashamed to say I'm quivering with excitement, just like the adorable pups at Waterford Farm! One more thing. Did you know that St. Claire donates a portion of the first month's sales from each Dogfather book to a no-kill shelter in her home state of Florida? Or that in addition to rescue dogs, the covers of the Dogfather books also feature local heroes, not models? St. Claire is headed to Alaqua Animal Refuge soon to shoot the next four or five covers for the series. And, with the help of readers who have purchased the Dogfather books, she's been able to send close to $5,000 to Alaqua. It's a win for everyone! 

One thing is for sure, this series has captured the hearts of readers around the world. I'm sure all Dogfather fans are as happy as we are at the news that Roxanne St. Claire plans to keep the romance and rescues coming. 

Have you read any of The Dogfather books yet?

Do you have a favorite book/couple/character/dog from the series?

Tell me about the animals who hold your heart.

I'm giving away a Kindle copy of Bad to the Bone to two randomly chosen people who post a comment before 11:00 PM, Sunday, February 4. 

In addition to that, Roxanne St. Claire has generously offered a signed, print copy of one of The Dogfather books (winner's choice) to two randomly chosen people who post a comment before 11:00 PM, Sunday, February 4. 

Bad to the Bone
By Roxanne St. Claire
The Dogfather - #5
Publisher: South Street Publishing
Release Date: January 23, 2018

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Just Between Us - - A Stardance Summer

One day about twelve years ago, Christina Dodd hosted a new-to-me author by the name of Geralyn Dawson at the multi-author Squawk Radio blog. I was intrigued by her humor and charm and set out in search of her books. It took only one story to have me glomming everything I could get my hands on. In 2006, Dawson moved from historical westerns to modern-day romantic suspense with the release of Give Him the Slip and the introduction of the Callahan brothers. She reeled me right in and held tight through the next two books as the stories of Luke, Matt, and Mark Callahan unfolded. Then she took a break from writing, leaving hordes of readers (including me) desperate to know what really happened to the missing fourth brother, John Gabriel “Gabe” Callahan. In 2011, Dawson returned to writing with a new pseudonym and launched Emily March’s beloved Eternity Springs series with Angel’s Rest, Gabe’s long-awaited story. The Callahan men and their wives have appeared periodically throughout the Eternity Springs series but now, with the publication of A Stardance Summer, the fourteenth book in the series, the spotlight once again shines upon their family. This time, the hero is Brick Callahan, son of Mark, and the first of the next generation to get his own story. I adored him. How about you, Janga?

Janga: So did I, PJ. Brick is a fascinating character in his own right, plus there is the Callahan connection. I confess that I am a big fan of second-generation tales, and I’ve been longing for this one since Brick first appeared in the series. Brick’s personal history gives the term “blended family” a new definition. All his names reveal pieces of who he is: Mark Christopher, the boy he was; Chris Callahan, which combines his two family identities; and, finally Brick Callahan, the stubborn, independent, honorable man he is. With all the larger-than-life Callahans in Brazos Bend, it made sense to me that Brick found his piece of paradise and his independence in Colorado. I love that Emily March gives us all these tiny vignettes that show what a loving relationship Brick has with all of his family. Especially memorable for me was that poignant moment when Brick thinks that his three mothers—his birth mother, his adopted mother, and his stepmother—have all been angels in his life. Another favorite is the scene where the Callahan brothers advise him on his love life. Then there’s Branch’s heart-attack threat to push Brick into giving him great-grandchildren. And having the Colorado Fourth of July Callahan family bash to balance the Texas Christmas tradition is perfect. I also think having Liliana know him as Mark Christopher, grow to know him as Brick Callahan, and fall in love with all the parts of who he is was a stroke of genius on March’s part. I don’t know about you, PJ, but I smiled every time Brick came up with another nickname for Liliana.

PJ: Oh, I did too! I think my favorite was Freckle-Sticks. Only someone who had grown up knowing Lili as his best friend’s pesky little sister could have gotten away with that. Lili really tugged at my heartstrings. While I thoroughly enjoyed her journey to love with Brick, for Lili, her summer in Eternity Springs is also one of growth and self-discovery - almost a coming of age even though thirty is looming on her horizon. For the past twenty years, she’s been diligent in her efforts to be logical, controlled, and never step out of line. My heart ached for her when, after doing everything right, it all fell apart with betrayal both at work and at home but I cheered when she finally took a stand and hit the road to discover just who Liliana Howe really was.  Destination: Stardance Ranch RV Park where her landlord and friend, Patsy, and the Tornado Alleycats were spending the summer. Did you love Patsy as much as I did, Janga? I want to be an Alleycat too!

Janga: I think we are Alleycats at heart, PJ, although I’ll leave the skinny dipping and the fire-engine red hair to Patsy and her cohorts. She really is a wonderful character. I love that she is in her seventies and still living life to the fullest despite the challenges life throws at her. Colorful older women characters are fairly common in romance fiction, but I can remember only a rare few who have been as vividly drawn as Patsy. From her past as an exotic dancer to her marriage to a man ten years her junior to her writing career, her hundreds of friends, her matchmaking plans, and her Sundays in church, she marches to her own drummer. Yet she seems so real I want to give her a hug. She is just the example Lili needs. And, in this novel that is about all kinds of families, I also think she and Lili are definitely “family” to one another, don’t you?

PJ: I do agree, Janga. Whether family by blood, by marriage, or by choice, Emily March brings the characters in A Stardance Summer together with purpose and love, as she has done with each of the Eternity Springs books. It’s one of the components of this series that I most enjoy, along with the spiritual element that the beloved character of Celeste brings to each book. I admire March's ability to add depth to her stories through her characters' journeys of spiritual awakening without venturing into religion or inspirational territory.  

Humor, Heart, Family, Love: all integral components of an Emily March novel that solidify her place on our auto-buy lists and place her books on our keeper shelves. Just between us, if you have not yet read A Stardance Summer, you’re missing out on a wonderful story that will make you smile, laugh, possibly shed some tears, want to drop-kick a few characters off the nearest cliff, sigh with satisfaction, and ask how long you’ll have to wait until Emily March’s next visit to Eternity Springs. However long the wait, you can be sure we’ll be there, ready to reconnect with favorite Eternity Springs citizens, meet new ones, and join them on another heart-tugging journey to love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you enjoy romances with a family dynamic?

Are you reading Emily March's Eternity Springs series? Do you have a favorite book or couple in the series?

What do you think of second-generation romances? Do you enjoy seeing children from previous books all grown up and on the path to their own HEA?


One randomly chosen person leaving a comment on today's post before 11:00 p.m. ET, July 1, 2017 will receive a print copy of A Stardance Summer. (U.S. only)




A Stardance Summer
By Emily March
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: June 27,2017

Sometimes the end of one road
Brick Callahan enjoys every minute of chaos at his campground, Stardance Ranch, especially after the Tornado Alleycats arrive for an extended summer stay. The members of the all-female glamorous camping club are primarily seniors―active and adventurous, friendly and fun. But when he discovers Liliana Howe frolicking with the glamping grannies in a late night skinny-dipping session, he fears he's in for a summer of trouble. Because his best friend's kid sister has grown up to be drop-dead gorgeous.
. . .is the start of another

Betrayed by those she trusted, Lili decides she's put her career first for too long. She sells her practical sedan, buys a travel trailer, and heads to Eternity Springs for a summer of rest, relaxation, and reassessment as the newest member of the Alleycats. The last person she expects to find running an RV resort is her high school crush. Their undeniable mutual attraction is a reminder that life is full of surprises. But when the past comes calling, will their summer romance stand the test of time?

Emily March is the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series. Publishers Weekly calls March a "master of delightful banter," and her heartwarming, emotionally charged stories have been named to Best of the Year lists by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Romance Writers of America. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

Indie Bound

Powells

Social Links:

Author Blog

Facebook

Twitter @emilymarchbooks

Author Website

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Just Between Us - - Marry in Haste

Many years ago, Janga encouraged me to read a book by an author who was unknown to me at the time. The book was The Perfect Rake, the author, Anne Gracie, and that one story was all it took to launch my love affair with this author’s stories. If she writes it, I buy it, and more times than not, fall in love right along with her superbly crafted characters. Considering our mutual love of all things Gracie, it made sense to select the author's newest novel, Marry in Haste, for our next Just Between Us chat.

PJ: Speaking of superbly crafted characters, Marry in Haste, a marriage-of-convenience story that begins a new series, features a wonderful collection of characters that have already won my heart. What do you think of the Marry in Haste characters, Janga? Any particular favorite(s)?

Janga: PJ, you know I have a long history of falling in love with Gracie characters, and I must admit the characters in Marry in Haste rank high among my favorites. I have an abiding affection for schoolteacher heroines, and Emm totally captured my interest and my heart. I laughed at her handling of the flirtatious student who tries to fake an injury so Cal can carry her but, like Cal, I was impressed that she treats her student firmly “but with humor and a light touch.” She reveals the same qualities when she deals with Georgiana’s refusal to wear a riding habit and ride sidesaddle. That’s my kind of teacher. I also loved that Emm is practical. She knows the grim future that awaits a woman with no fortune or family, and, despite some understandable reservations, she accepts her marriage of convenience, which offers her not only security but also prestige and a family of her own, as an advantage no reasonable woman would refuse. And I thought it was perfect that some of her former students were among her defenders at the Braxton party. What a delight that scene was! I adored Emm, but I thought Cal was wonderful too. I know you share that impression.

PJ: I do! Cal is an exceptional hero and ranks among my Gracie favorites. He’s a good man - honorable, patriotic, and loyal – yet totally clueless when it comes to the fairer sex; what I’d call a “relationship virgin.” Sent away to school at age 7, then immediately joining the army afterward, Cal has spent most of his life among men. He’s a soldier to the core and used to not having his orders questioned. He sees things in black and white with no shades of gray intruding upon his unquestionable sense of right and wrong. Imagine his confusion, and frustration, when he returns home from the continent to discover he’s now head of his family and responsible for young women who have no intention of following his orders or, worse yet, turn on the tears when he lectures them. Poor Cal. He’s been set adrift in a feminine sea of befuddlement and the only oars in sight belong to our intrepid schoolteacher, Emm. Initially, Cal views Emm as the neat solution to a very big problem: how to insure the safety of his left-behind family while he completes a dangerous mission then returns to the continent and his life as a soldier. It’s all he knows; all he thinks he’s good at, but Gracie has more in store for Cal than he could have imagined. She flawlessly chronicles his journey of growth and self-awareness from a one-dimensional soldier, determined to fulfill his duty but completely out of touch with “finer feelings,” to a fully dimensional man who has learned the value, and joy, of compassion, family, understanding, and love. He’s a sigh-worthy hero and I hope we’ll see more of him in future books in the series.

Janga: Beautifully said. And I totally agree. Anne Gracie’s characterization skills are superb. We see this not only in her protagonists, but also in her secondary characters. She even makes Cal’s friend Bentley, who is killed before the story opens, a real person rather than just a motivator of Cal’s need for revenge. I thought all three of Cal’s charges were wonderful—the intrepid Rose, the soft-hearted Lily, and the unconventional Georgiana. I think I could write a full essay on their names. I especially thought that the flower names of Cal’s sisters served as a pointed contrast to their niece George with her unladylike upbringing. I can’t wait to see what Gracie does with each of them as they become the heroines of their own books. And the aunts! One of my greatest delights in an Anne Gracie book is meeting her older woman character and in Marry in Haste, we get two. Aunt Dottie is a darling. She is much less dotty (and I don’t think the word play is a coincidence) than she appears. I do hope we learn more about her relationship with Logan, the butler. :) Even starchy Aunt Agatha won my heart in the end, and I loved the “dowager with a lorgnette” line. It was the perfect touch after the numerous references to Agatha’s lorgnette. That’s another Gracie trademark—moving her readers to laughter and to tears.

PJ: Oh, I agree! Anne Gracie’s ability to move me to both laughter and tears certainly contributes to her position on my most beloved authors list (And I still find myself humming the lorgnette line - so clever!). Her stories have such a feel-good quality to them and Marry in Haste is no exception. An unexpected treat while reading this book is the appearance of Daisy, heroine of The Summer Bride (Chance Sisters Book #4), in a pivotal scene for Rose, George, and, especially, Lily. Seeing Daisy again reminded me of how much I adore her and (here comes that feel-good factor again) her reaction to Lily when Emm and the girls visit Daisy’s dress shop had me once again wiping away tears. Gracie sure knows how to delve into a reader’s emotions and pluck at those heartstrings. Like you, Janga, I’m eagerly anticipating future stories in this series and I also am looking forward to discovering more about Aunt Dottie and her butler. I wonder if other Chance sisters will make cameos in future books? I sure hope so!

Readers, if you enjoy well-crafted historical romances with engaging characters, lively banter, heart-tugging emotion, scenes that will move you to both laughter and tears, and a happy ending that will have you sighing with satisfaction, we enthusiastically recommend Anne Gracie’s Marry in Haste.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you read Anne Gracie's novels yet?
Do you have a favorite?
What's the last book that moved you to both laughter and tears?

When I notified Anne Gracie of this post, she graciously offered two print copies of Marry in Haste for a giveaway. So, two randomly chosen people who leave a comment before 11:00 PM (EST), May 27th will each receive a print copy of the book.
(Open internationally)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marry in Haste

By Anne Gracie

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: May 2, 2017

Major Calbourne Rutherford returns to England on the trail of an assassin, only to find he’s become Lord Ashendon, with the responsibility for vast estates and dependent relatives. Cal can command the toughest of men, but his wild half-sisters are quite another matter. They might just be his undoing.

When he discovers that Miss Emmaline Westwood, the girls’ former teacher, guides them with ease, Cal offers her a marriage of convenience. But strong-minded and independent Emm is neither as compliant nor as proper as he expected, and Cal finds himself most inconveniently seduced by his convenient wife.

Emm knows they didn’t marry for love, yet beneath her husband’s austere facade, she catches glimpses of a man who takes her breath away. As pride, duty and passion clash, will these two stubborn hearts find more than they ever dreamed of?

 

Just Between Us - - Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James

WARNING!   

This post may contain SPOILERS. 

You might say that PJ and I owe our friendship to Eloisa James. We first met and started chatting on Squawk Radio, a group blog hosted by Eloisa along with Elizabeth Bevarly, Connie Brockway, Christina Dodd, Lisa Kleypas, and Teresa Medeiros, and on Eloisa’s bulletin board. We have both been avid readers of Eloisa James’s books for a dozen years or more and have read all thirty of her novels and novellas and Paris in Love, her memoir of her family’s year in Paris. We have read many of them more than once. We were among the members of her bulletin board community who, back when we were still debating whether Jemma would end up with Elijah or Villiers, urged Eloisa to write the stories of the children in the Desperate Duchesses novels. Three Weeks with Lady X, the first of the second-generation tales, exceeded all our expectations and remains a favorite of PJ’s and of mine. For all these reasons, Seven Minutes in Heaven, seemed the perfect choice for our second duet book chat.

Janga: The hero of Seven Minutes in Heaven, Edward Reeve, was once Teddy, the mischievous small boy who made us laugh and captured our hearts in Desperate Duchesses, the first book in this series that, with Seven Minutes, totals nine books. The novel’s heroine, Eugenia Snowe, was once a small girl, formidably intelligent and delightfully eccentric, growing up in the most unconventional home of the richest man in England, her father, the fittingly named Lord Strange. One of the things I liked best about Seven Minutes was seeing Ward (Teddy) and Eugenia grown up but still unmistakably the children I adored in those earlier books. Young Teddy refused to be bound by rules, and the reader first meets Ward disregarding the rule that an appointment with Mrs. Snowe requires three weeks’ notice. There is also the matter of his having fired a Snowe’s governess, something that is just not done. Eugenia may be poised and powerful as “the owner of the most elite agency for governesses in the whole of the British Isles,” but when the narrative voice observes that “Having grown up in a household that prided itself on eccentricity, Eugenia was a fierce proponent of the virtues of conventional living,” I see that lonely little girl critically ill from rat-bite fever. The novel can certainly be read and enjoyed by readers who never read the first Desperate Duchesses books, but I think it resonates with particular richness for those of us who loved the original characters. Do you agree, PJ?

PJ: I do agree, Janga but I also think James develops these characters and tells their story in such a way that it can be fully enjoyed by readers meeting them for the first time. For me, it’s like attending the wedding of someone I’ve known and loved since childhood. My joy would carry an extra layer of depth while taking nothing away from the joy of, say, the maid of honor who didn’t meet the bride until college. While we’re on the topic of children, I’ve always felt Eloisa was especially adept at creating fully dimensional young characters in her stories and Seven Minutes in Heaven is no exception. Is it too soon to start begging Eloisa for stories featuring a third generation? As you mentioned during our chat about this book, Lizzie and Otis, Ward’s half-siblings who come into his care after the deaths of their parents, are not wallpaper characters. Even young Marmaduke, Lord Pibble, a secondary character with brief page-time, leaves an indelibly vivid impression. Growing up with four younger brothers, I well understood “Eugenia didn’t see many blue boys in the course of a day, but she often saw mothers with the hysterical air of a woman ill-prepared to domesticate the species of wild animal known as an eight-year-old boy.” But while Marmaduke made me laugh with delight, it was Otis and Lizzie who captured my heart. Eloisa does a remarkable job of bringing these two emotionally wounded but valiantly brave children to life, sensitively addressing the heartbreak they’ve faced while also infusing them with the irrepressible spirit and inherent mischief of children that age. In short, she creates real children with real issues to whom most everyone can relate. And who better to help Lizzie and Otis come to terms with the past and forge a new future than Ward and Eugenia, two adults who are both allowing their past experiences to keep them from moving forward?

Janga: Oh, I love that wedding analogy, PJ. It makes the point about different, but equally valid-- and rewarding--reads beautifully. And, yes, I totally agree that Eloisa does an exceptional job of creating child characters. I’ll vote for third-generation stories, especially if Rose from Three Weeks with Lady X joins Lizzie and Otis. There are other qualities I always look for in an Eloisa James romance as well. One is literary allusions. I loved Lizzie and Eugenia’s play-quoting scenes. I always look for at least one character name that makes me giggle: it was the loathsome Gumwater in Seven Minutes. Another is a feminist sensibility that never seems anachronistic. One of my favorite scenes in Seven Minutes was the conversation between Eugenia and her friend and assistant Susan. (What a wonderful character Susan is!) I appreciated Eugenia’s acknowledgement that if she remarried she stood to lose everything:

The moment I turned from the altar my husband would own Snowe’s. He would own my inheritance from my mother, the dowry my father gave me, and Andrew’s settlement. He would own the house that Andrew bought for our marriage.

Her words are a reminder of just how vulnerable married women were under coverture. But my favorite moment came when Eugenia conquers her fear of water and saves Otis and herself from drowning. She may whisper “I saved myself,” but the reader knows her whisper is really a cry of triumph. Not only does it address her guilt over Andrew’s losing his life to save her from drowning, but it also suggests her understanding that she can survive on her own. She loves Ward and longs for him to return her love, but if he doesn’t she can survive physically, economically, and emotionally on her own. You go, girl! Sorry. I got carried away by my enthusiasm for a book that celebrates romantic love and a woman’s independence. What do you expect from an Eloisa James book, PJ?

PJ: My expectations are similar, Janga. I expect intelligent writing and intelligent characters, humor, complexity, sexy times, sensitive times, heartrending black moments, grand gestures, and, need I say it, a bare-the-soul, relationship-saving grovel. Because, let’s face it, in Eloisa’s books, the hero usually has done something to necessitate a good grovel. Eloisa has written some epically heartbreaking black moments and the one in this book is no less than what I’ve come to expect. This pivotal “black moment” concerns Ward’s actions and had me telling Eugenia (Yes, I do talk to fictional book characters. Doesn’t everyone?) to walk away and find someone more deserving of her love. It’s a testament to Eloisa’s skill in creating fully-dimensional, multi-layered, realistic characters that I felt Eugenia’s heartbreak as if it were my own and that I wanted to string Ward up by his unmentionables for hurting her. But in true Eloisa James fashion, she knew exactly what Ward needed to do to convince Eugenia – and me – that he deserved a second chance. It’s that afore-mentioned, bare-the-soul gesture and grovel that she writes so well. Though, for me, it wasn’t the over-the-top, grand gesture recommended by his friends that cinched the deal but the small, from-the-heart one that validated the fact that he, finally and completely, loved, accepted, and appreciated all the parts of this unique and complex woman who owned his heart. Okay, to be honest, I wouldn’t have minded a bit more groveling. Eugenia deserved it for what he put her through but his gesture and his words were nicely done and from the heart. It was enough for Eugenia and that’s good enough for me.

Janga: Oh, I do love a good grovel, and I agree that Ward needed to grovel. I too wanted to shake him at times, even though I adored him. However, even when I abhorred his behavior, I understood why he acted as he did. Despite his father and Roberta’s love, his illegitimacy scarred him as did his knowledge of his mother. Part of the joy of reading a series is the sense that I know the characters with a depth I rarely get in standalones. That is especially true of Eloisa’s ensemble romances, among which are the original six Desperate Duchesses novels. Thus, in addition to my affectionate engagement with Eugenia and Ward, I also loved that Villiers is still setting women’s pulses fluttering and that Poppy and Fletch have irrepressible children. Overall, I loved this book! It was another five-star Eloisa James keeper for me. I know I will be rereading it again and again. Now I am eagerly awaiting the free short story that will introduce a new series. That’s another thing about EJ’s books: beginning a series, concluding a series, or falling somewhere between, they always leave me anticipating the next one.

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The three books in this second generation, Desperate Duchesses trilogy are, in order: Three Weeks With Lady X, Four Nights With The Duke, and Seven Minutes In Heaven.

If you're interested in reading the original Desperate Duchesses series, those books (in order) are: Desperate Duchesses, An Affair Before Christmas, Duchess by Night, When the Duke Returns, This Duchess of Mine, and A Duke Of Her Own. 

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Are you a series addict like Janga and I are or do you prefer standalone books?

Do you enjoy second (or third) generation stories?

Have you read Seven Minutes in Heaven yet? What did you think? 

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment on this post will receive an autographed print copy of Seven Minutes in Heaven. Deadline for comments to be entered in the giveaway is 11:00 PM, February 7, 2017. (U.S./Canada addresses only) 

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As you can see, we've chosen a name for our new feature. While the suggestions everyone submitted were all wonderful, the one we chose came from another source. So, because we didn't choose one of your names, I've randomly chosen one person who left a suggestion to receive the package of books and that person is Lynda P. Congratulations, Lynda! Please send your full name and mailing address to us at: theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com.