Review - - Sweet Surrender, Baby Surprise

Sweet Surrender, Baby Surprise
By Kate Carlisle
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Release Date: December 7, 2010

Returning home from a business trip, Cameron Duke enters his suite at the Duke resort that he oversees to discover…red high heels and baby bottles?

Eighteen months ago, Cameron and Julia Parrish had a brief, torrid affair then went their separate ways and, holding true to his self-imposed rule, Cameron never looked back. Of course, that doesn't mean he's forgotten about her. In fact, Julia is the one woman he’s never been able to completely banish from his thoughts but when the frequent emails and telephone messages asking him to call started a few months after their break-up, he knew he’d made the right decision in not looking back, believing she was another in a long line of women who were after his money. But now she’s attending a conference at his hotel, and staying in his personal suite (thanks to his mother), along with the reason for all those calls and emails: Cameron’s nine-month old son, Jake.

Julia Parrish knew when she and Cameron went their separate ways that she wouldn’t hear from him again. He’d been very clear on that. But she couldn’t help but feel bad that he was missing out on the joy of knowing his son. Still, she hadn’t planned to break the news to him while still wet from the shower…in his suite…the suite that his mother had told her he wouldn’t be using for the next two weeks! It soon becomes obvious that the passion that was always between them still burns brightly but the big surprise to Julia is how quickly Cameron adapts to being a father. For a man who states bluntly that he’ll never love, it’s clear his heart is quickly captured by little Jake. Does that mean that there might be room in that wounded heart for Julia too?

Carlisle brings us another terrific pairing with Julia and Cameron. Successful professionals, they excel at navigating the dangerous waters of the business world yet neither of them is completely at ease with the pathways of love. For Cameron, an abusive childhood has always had him believing both that love equals pain and that he’s unworthy of being loved. In Julia’s case, she exemplifies the stereotypical life of the poor little rich girl, orphaned at a young age and raised by impersonal household staff overseen by a legal team. Both have much to learn about the joy of giving your heart into the keeping another. But when one person learns that lesson and the other doesn’t, will they have their happy ending or will Cameron discover too late that, with the right person, love can equal joy, hope and a lifetime of happiness?


Sweet Surrender, Baby Surprise, the second book in Carlisle’s series about three men who were adopted as boys by Sally Duke – a loving mom turned determined matchmaker, is another sensual, romantic page-turner and, at 192 pages, is the perfect length for this busy holiday season. I've thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series and can't wait to see what she comes up with for the third unsuspecting Duke brother! 

Don’t miss the first book in the series, The Millionaire Meets His Match from Harlequin Desire (July 2010).

~PJ

Kate Carlisle Winner

Thanks to everyone who stopped by on November 12th to help Kate Carlisle celebrate the release of her newest NYT Bestseller, THE LIES THAT BIND.  Random.org has chosen the lucky winner of Kate's new book and that person is...

Lindsay Kiernan

Congratulations, Lindsay!  Please send your full name and address, with "Kate Carlisle Winner" in the subject line, to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom.

Today's Special - - Kate Carlisle

Mystery Author Kate Carlisle – The Lies that Bind

I'm delighted to welcome one of my favorite people, Kate Carlisle, back to The Romance Dish!  A New York Times bestselling author, Kate  worked in television, studied acting and singing, toiled in vineyards, collected books, and joined a commune, but it was the year she spent in law school that drove her to write fiction. It seemed the safest way to kill off her professors. Those professors are breathing easier now that she spends most of her time writing near the beach in Southern California where she lives with her perfect husband. Visit Kate online at www.katecarlisle.com and www.facebook.com/katecarlislebooks.

Please give Kate a warm welcome!

This just in...Kate's new release, The Lies That Bind, has hit the New York Times Bestseller List at #31!  Congratulations, Kate!



Would You Willingly Become a Ghost?
by Kate Carlisle

Lately, I’ve been facing a pretty major dilemma. Have you seen the TV show Castle? Rick Castle, the hero, is a bestselling mystery author so, as you can imagine, it’s one of my favorite shows. To get inspiration for his Nikki Heat series of suspense novels, he shadows NYPD detective Kate Beckett and helps the police catch real-life murderers.
 

The thing is, Hyperion is now publishing mysteries written by “Richard Castle,” the fictional character from the show. The fictional character is a real-life author. (Genius in marketing!) These are real books, people – hardcovers – and they’re bestsellers, too. They’re Nikki Heat books, written by Richard Castle. Who doesn’t exist.

Get it?

Richard Castle even has an Amazon author page. I would click the “Like” button if it had one because honestly, it’s pretty damn funny. His Amazon bio says he lives in New York City with his mother and his daughter, who infuse his life with humor and inspiration. (If you watch the show, you’ll know why that’s funny.)

So I’m wondering, who’s really writing those books? Do they need help? Hmm.

And that brings me to my dilemma: Should I temporarily set aside my own career writing the Bibliophile Mysteries and agree to ghostwrite a Richard Castle book?

Oh, they haven’t asked me. But I want to be ready in case they do.

On the one hand, I enjoy seeing my name on the cover of a book, such as my latest, THE LIES THAT BIND, which was released simultaneously in paperback and on audio November 2. (Yay!) I enjoy doing book signings and meeting the readers who have been entertained by my books. I got real thrills and chills out of seeing my name on the New York Times bestsellers list.

We all enjoy positive feedback for the work that we do which is, at most times, a solitary profession. I can usually rely only on my gut to tell me whether the story is working. Well, my gut and my editor’s. So when we get good reactions to our work, it makes us happy. Of course it does!

But ghostwriters must check their egos at the door. While I don’t think I’m completely full of myself, I do take pride in my accomplishments, but I’m not sure anyone would be interested in meeting the ghost behind the famous name and face.

I think it would be difficult to write a slammin’ story that hits all the bestsellers lists and not want to take credit for it. If your book hits the bestsellers lists with someone else’s name on the cover, does it still make a sound?

On the other hand, I’m looking into the future and I’m seeing Nathan Fillion, the actor who plays Castle. He’s really, really cute. And if I were to ghostwrite a book supposedly written by a character he plays, there’s a chance they would ask me to be on the show. I have studied acting, after all. (Really! I was once Hermia’s understudy in a local theater’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I could’ve been a star!)

So if they asked me to be on the show, there’s a chance I would play a damsel in distress. Nathan would rescue me. He would carry me in his big, strong arms with concern etched in his beautiful blue eyes …

What? Hey, it could happen!

Okay, so maybe I’ll never be a ghostwriter for Castle. But that’s okay, because I am actually only separated by two or three (or four) degrees from the very cute Nathan Fillion – who, it turns out, is not just a pretty face. Last year, I did a Barnes and Noble book signing from which the proceeds went to an organization that he co-founded called Kids Need to Read  . The mission of Kids Need to Read is to create a culture of reading by sending inspiring books to children’s libraries, underfunded schools, and literacy programs. They carefully cull the list of books they donate so that kids don’t pick up a boring book and decide they hate reading. Think about it. Getting them hooked on books while they’re young is our job security! Is that cool or what?!

What about you? If you’re a writer, would you be willing to sublimate your own identity in order to ghostwrite a book under someone else’s name? What if you were legally prohibited from ever revealing the truth, even to your closest friends and family? Would it make a difference one way or the other if that book was a #1 bestselling hardcover?

If you’re not a writer, think of the question in terms of your own life. Would you be willing to [fill in the blank] even if no one could ever know that you were the one [filling in the blank]? 

One randomly selected person leaving a comment will receive Kate's new book,  The Lies That Bind!  (U.S. mailing addresses only)

Guest Author - - Kate Carlisle

New York Times Bestselling author Kate Carlisle has held a variety of jobs, including spending over twenty years working in television production as an Associate Director for game and variety shows, but it was the year she spent in law school that finally drove her to begin writing fiction. It seemed the safest way to kill off her professors. Kate has hit the NYT Bestseller List with both her debut book, Homicide in Hardcover and her current release, the second book in her popular Bibliophile Mystery series, If Books Could Kill - a pretty remarkable feat. (Click here to read my review of Homicide in Hardcover and here to read my review of If Books Could Kill.)  You can find more information about Kate at her website and at Romance Bandits, where she blogs the 25th of every month.  Please join me in welcoming Kate to The Romance Dish!

~PJ

Ever the Twain Shall Meet

I’m thrilled to be here at The Romance Dish today! This year, I have three books out, starting with this month’s If Books Could Kill, the second book of my Bibliophile Mysteries series. Then in July, my first romance for Silhouette Desire (The Millionaire Meets His Match!) will hit the shelves and in November, another mystery. People are often surprised to hear that I write both romance and mystery. You could even say shocked. Jaws drop, brows furrow, the whole deal.

The biggest mystery to me is – why the surprise? Romance novels and mystery novels – especially cozy mysteries like mine – have a lot in common.

• Strong, compelling protagonist(s)
Every good book must begin with compelling characters. Writers are asking readers to hang out with this person for two, three, four hundred pages. And in the case of a mystery series like the Bibliophile Mysteries, even longer than that. A romance has two protagonists, of course, while a mystery usually has just one, but any character in that role must have qualities that draw readers into their world.

• The moment of discovery

In a romance, this is the moment when the hero and heroine first discover each other – often to their annoyance! In a mystery, this is the moment when the body is discovered, which can also be quite annoying, I imagine. In either case, this is the moment when everything changes. The protagonist was moving along in the flow of life, and this moment forces her to change course.

• The clues to draw you in deeper

In a mystery, clues are just that – clues. Who might be the killer? Who couldn’t possibly be? In a romance, these clues are things the hero and heroine learn about each other that make them slowly realize that they may have found their partner for life. In the beginning, the heroine thought the hero was a self-centered jerk… but then she overheard him drinking imaginary tea served by his orphaned four-year-old niece, even though he was exhausted after a day of battle.

• The black moment

There comes a point in every good romance when the hero and heroine must face the cold, hard truth: they cannot be together. It just won’t work. Everything is lost. In a mystery, this moment often comes as the heroine believes she is about to die. She’s discovered the killer, but the killer has discovered her, too, and things don’t look good.

• The guaranteed happy ending
Whether I pick up a romance or a mystery, I start the book with the comforting feeling of knowing that it will end well. True love will last forever, good will triumph over evil. The fun for me is in how we arrive at that happy conclusion. I wouldn’t enjoy reading nearly as much if I invested hours in a book only to see the heroine defeated romantically or physically. I love the feeling that comes with closing a book and knowing the world is a just and happy place.

• Lest we forget, the sexual tension

What? Not all mysteries have sexual tension? Well, mine do! One of the reasons I love to write is so I can create fabulous men who make my insides go all squishy. I couldn’t give that up just because there was a little murder involved. So I’ve given Brooklyn Wainwright the ultimate fantasy man – British detective Derek Stone, not so loosely based on Daniel Craig’s James Bond. (Daniel Craig’s anything, for that matter.)

We all read romance (duh!) but do you also read other genres? Do you think every romance and mystery should have a happy ending, or are there times when you like there to be some question as to the outcome of the story? I’d love to give away a signed copy of If Books Could Kill to one random commenter today!

And thanks again to lovely ladies of The Romance Dish for having me here today!

Review - - If Books Could Kill

If Books Could Kill
By Kate Carlisle
Publisher:  Penguin - Obsidian Mystery
Release Date: February 2, 2010

A haunted city, a forbidden masterpiece, and a deadly threat are all in a day’s work in the life of this brilliant bookbinder…

Is she a magnet for dead bodies or what? Traveling to Scotland for the Edinburgh Book Fair, book restoration expert, Brooklyn Wainwright is looking forward to catching up with old friends, teaching a few workshops and seeing the sights. Those plans get tossed out the window on her first day in town with the unexpected appearance of former boyfriend, Kyle McVee. Seems Kyle has come into possession of a (possibly) 200-year old book that, if authenticated, will change history and rock the British monarchy and, of course, Brooklyn is the only person Kyle trusts to perform the authentication. But when Kyle turns up dead and the instrument of death is found to be Brooklyn’s bookbinding hammer, she once again finds herself the prime suspect in a murder investigation and protector of a book that apparently someone is willing to kill for. There are suspects aplenty but, since the police think Brooklyn did the deed, it’s up to her, with the help of sexy Commander Derek Stone, to find the real killer…before she becomes the next victim.

Carlisle has written a smart, sassy, fast-paced mystery with quirky characters that make me laugh and enough twists and turns to keep me guessing through most of the book. Her vivid descriptions of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas are captivating and the bookbinding tidbits and trivia that are seamlessly woven into the story, fascinating, but it’s the characters that make this tale shine.  Brooklyn's tentative relationship with Derek progresses in this book but, though she does discover a bit more about him, he still retains a suave and sexy aura of mystery. Many of my favorite secondary characters from Carlisle’s first book in this series, Homicide in Hardcover, including Brooklyn's offbeat but lovable New Age parents, return to help, or hinder, Brooklyn in her quest to find Kyle’s killer and prove her innocence. I’m looking forward to seeing what Carlisle has in store for all of them in future books.

For an enjoyable mystery with plenty of quirky humor, I highly recommend both of Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mysteries, 2009's Homicide in Hardcover and her new release,  If Books Could Kill.

~PJ