Guest Author -- Madelle Morgan

Debut author Madelle Morgan began her engineering career in the early 80s in Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Her job took her to most of the tiny communities speckled across the vast Arctic. After the birth of her son and one-too-many close calls in a small plane, she decided a regular job south of the 60th parallel would be prudent. However, she vowed to write a romance one day that captured the northerners’ heroic and adventurous spirit and her deep love of the north. And thus, her debut, Diamond Lust, was born! When not at her day job as a senior engineer and manager with the federal public service, Madelle hangs out with her husband and three cats and writes. Please help us welcome Madelle to The Romance Dish as she dishes about....

When Diamonds Weren’t a Girl’s Best Friend

Brilliant white diamonds that glitter with refracted light – what woman doesn’t covet at least one? Thanks to DeBeers’ very effective “Diamonds are Forever” marketing campaign, a diamond engagement ring has become de rigueur. Yet few know the provenance of that fine gem on their fingers. Before cutting and polishing creates light-reflecting facets, a rough diamond is an unassuming dull pebble. The mining and processing of a diamond from encasement in hard rock to luxury item is perhaps only fascinating to people like me with a passion for gems and crystals! However, what if a beautiful geologist found herself trapped at a remote mine with murderous smugglers who were making a desperate grab for those rough diamonds? I had the premise for Diamond Lust.

Seth Cooper, an undercover cop with the Diamond Protection Unit, is pretending to be Petra’s boyfriend in order to stay overnight at the mine site. He’s the only protection the geologist has from becoming the next victim, so she reluctantly agrees to share her dormitory room. Given the already complicated and dangerous situation, Petra tries really hard to resist her physical attraction to the cop. Here’s an excerpt.

Shortly after midnight, Seth quietly let himself into Petra’s room with his key card. Soft rhythmic breathing emanated from a mound under the bedding he could barely
discern in the dimness. She’d closed the curtains to block the daylight. In mid-July this far north the sun barely kissed the horizon to mark the transition from one day to the next. He advanced in the gloom and cursed as he tripped over the duffel bag he’d left just inside the door.

The mound erupted. “Who’s there?”

“Seth,” he said in a normal tone, moving to part the curtains a crack. “Time to get
up.”

Petra levered herself into a sitting position and clutched the blanket to the neck of
her white thermal underwear. “What are you doing here?” Sleepiness fuzzed the edge
of her words.

A grin tipped the corners of his mouth. She apparently shopped for lingerie at
Work Warehouse. “This is my room too, remember?” Seth dropped heavily onto the
edge of the bed to remove his boots.

“What are you doing?”

He quirked a brow. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m preparing for some shuteye.”

“Oh no. Not yet! I mean, let me get dressed and out of here first.”

“Don’t panic.” Seth patted the two lumps that were knees drawn up to her chest.

“I’m so beat I can barely keep my eyes open. Besides, you’re sporting long underwear
like ever-lovin’ armor. It’s hardly a turn-on.”

“These are my p.j.’s.”

“Right. Well, I don’t wear any.” He shucked his T-shirt and tossed it on top of the
leather jacket draped over the back of the chair.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” came the mutter from the other end of the bed.
“Pardon me?”

“Nothing.”

“Nobody’s forcing you to watch.” He unbuckled his leather belt and unzipped his
fly to the accompaniment of a muffled moan.

“Where’s your gun?”

“I’m undercover, remember? A gun sure woulda triggered the security alarms.”

“Get undressed in the bathroom. Please,” she pleaded, her voice pitched high.

“Too late.” Seth, naked but for boxer briefs, yanked at the blanket she clutched in a
death grip. “Move over, darlin’.”

For more, see Chapter 1 on the Cerridwen Press web site.

Thank you so much for inviting me to be a guest blogger – my first guest post as a published author!

Thank you for being with us, Madelle! Readers, do you have any questions for Madelle? Here's a question for you: are diamonds your best friend?

Teresa Medeiros Winner

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday to dish with Teresa about your favorite qualities in a hero. Random.org has chosen our winner and she is

JULIEJUSTJULIE

Congratulations, Julie!  You've won an autographed hardcover of SOME LIKE IT WILD!

Please send your full name and snail mail address, with Teresa Medeiros Winner in the subject line, to theromancedish@gmail.com.

Review - - Too Wicked To Kiss

Too Wicked To Kiss
By Erica Ridley
Publisher: Kensington – Zebra Debut
Release Date: March 2, 2010

I cut my romance reading teeth on books by Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart so, as you might imagine, I have a fondness for gothic historicals set in spooky manors rife with scandalous secrets and hidden passageways, murder mysteries and dark, brooding heroes who unintentionally place the heroine in grave danger then rescue her in the nick of time.  There aren’t that many gothics being published these days so it’s a special treat when I find one, especially one as well-written as Erica Ridley’s debut, Too Wicked to Kiss.

Because of the visions she sees whenever she touches another person, and the debilitating headaches they cause, Evangeline Pemberton has led a lonely life of isolation and pain. Abused by her controlling stepfather, the only love and affection she has ever known has been from her beloved mother, a woman who also has visions. When her mother dies, Evangeline escapes to London and throws herself upon the mercy of Lady Stanton, her mother’s childhood friend, only to discover that she may have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Lady Stanton’s daughter, Susan, having been publicly disgraced, is in need of a husband and the Stantons have set their sights on reclusive Gavin Lioncroft, expecting Evangeline to help them trap him into marriage with Susan. True, there’s the nasty business of him reportedly having killed his parents but they’re willing to overlook that detail to secure his riches. Evangeline wants no part of their scheme, especially after her first encounter with the man.

Evangeline swallowed a gasp.

Not because of the obsidian eyes framed by equally black lashes. Nor because of the angry slash of cheekbones, the flash of bared teeth, or the scar just above the edge of his jaw. Those things, though separately terrible, together formed a face of cold, cruel beauty. A face for statues, for frescoes, for-

Another flutter of orange light as he reached the final stair, and Evangeline could no longer breathe.

He was angry. Horribly angry. Livid. Enraged. Furious. His eyes glittered like a wolf’s because he was a wolf, a beautiful powerful violent wolf, prowling toward his unsuspecting prey. His dark hair slid across his face, snapping Evangeline from her trance just as his long, gloveless hand fell atop the countess’s shoulder.

Shunned by the ton and his own family for causing the deaths of his parents, Gavin Lioncroft leads an isolated life at his country home, Blackberry Manor. Haunted by the deaths of his parents and his role in their demise, he’s a tortured, angry man, paying a dreadful price for a youthful mistake. He’s shocked, but hopeful, when his estranged sister arrives on his doorstep with her family but furious when strangers start arriving at his home and he discovers that his sister has arranged a house party without his knowledge. He wants no part of these people, with the possible exception of Miss Pemberton. The attraction between them sizzles and Gavin has no intention of ignoring it.

He had not failed to notice Evangeline’s proximity, if the sudden heat darkening his eyes was any indication. His gaze slid down her body like warm oil over bare skin, gliding past her unruly mane, to the helpless widening of her eyes, to the erratic pulsing in her throat, to the odd constriction in her bodice, to the flowing silk of her borrowed gown, to the tips of her slippered feet.

And then his gaze retraced its path back up, just as slowly.

For all his alpha tendencies, Gavin is surprisingly tender with the reluctant Evangeline but just when she begins to trust him and it seems as if they may have a chance to claim the happiness that has been missing from their lives, someone is murdered and suspicion once again lands directly on Gavin.   

Ms. Ridley has written a deliciously sensual gothic romance with realistic characters that tug at the heartstrings, a murder mystery that kept me guessing, and a tortured hero who is rescued from his emotional prison by an unlikely heroine and who then rescues her in return. The fast-paced story flows smoothly and held my attention throughout. In fact, I stayed up late into the night, eagerly flipping pages until I reached the end.

Erica Ridley is a bright new talent to watch.  I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!

~PJ

Review -- Nauti Deceptions

Nauti Deceptions
by Lora Leigh
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Release Date: February 2, 2010

Entrapped in a sex scandal of none of her making, Caitlyn “Rogue” Walker lost her job at the small high school in Somerset, Kentucky. Determined not to leave town with her tail between her legs, Caitlyn begins her journey as Rogue Walker, the owner of the town bar and the Somerset’s resident bad chick. Stirring up trouble and keeping the boys at the bar in line, Rogue seems to have the bad girl persona down pat -- tough, sexy, and taking no prisoners. No one in the town would guess the only thing ever between Rogue’s thighs has been her motorcycle. The one small crack in Rogue’s persona is Sheriff Zeke Mayes, the man Rogue has crushed on since her arrival in Somerset.

Rogue has always been on Sheriff Zeke Mayes’ radar. Noticing her the moment she moved to the small town, Zeke is enticed and intrigued by this woman. Several years older, Zeke tries his best to stay away from Rogue but the sexual draw it just too strong for this lawman to ignore. From the first taste of her lips, Zeke is mesmerized by what he experiences. So when members of the small community are murdered and each one has a connection to Rogue, Zeke is determined to find the killer while protecting the one woman who has pierced his heart and soul.

Between the overwhelming sexual tension and the murder mystery, this is one page turner of a book! Rogue is a very strong heroine who gives just as good as she gets. While I love seeing this strong side of the heroine, I also enjoy when that tough exterior is chipped away by Zeke, like in this scene where Rogue is beginning to realize her feelings for Zeke are more than sexual.

“Eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling as a heated kiss was pressed to her neck, and she felt herself free-falling. She was lost to the sensations burning around her, through her. She was lost to Zeke, and she was very much afraid she just might truly belong to him in ways that might end up terrifying her later.”

And who doesn’t love to see a strong hero fall completed head over heels in love, like in this line when Zeke realizes Rogue has made it past his walls to infiltrate his heart

“I love you until I can’t breathe for needing you.” His voice was jerking, panting. “God, Rogue. I live for you.”

Nauti Deceptions is the fifth in Lora Leigh’s Nauti Boys series. While there is some interaction with characters from previous books, you can definitely read this one without reading the entire series. So if you are in the mood for a book filled with mystery, intrigue, and dripping in sexual tension, pick up Nauti Deceptions and dive in!


~ Buffie

Guest Author - - Teresa Medeiros

What a thrill it is to be guest blogging at The Romance Dish today! PJ, Gannon, Buffie and Andrea first became a daily fixture in my life when I was hosting the very first multi-author blog on the internet—SQUAWK RADIO—with my best peeps. The Romance Dish is proudly carrying on that tradition by creating a place on the web where readers can hang out and laugh and form lifelong friendships of their own.

This coming September I'll be celebrating the publication of my 20th novel The Devil Wears Plaid. I've often said I have the best job in the world—I get to fall in love with a gorgeous new man every year and, as long as those royalty checks keep coming, my husband doesn't even mind!

If I don't fall in love with my heroes, how can I make my heroine (and you, my darling readers) fall in love with him? If my pulse doesn't quicken when a Connor Kincaid or a Billy Darling saunters into a room, how will I know how my heroine feels the first time her hand accidentally brushes his or she catches the glint of sunlight in the burnished gold of his hair?

So I spend 6-9 months of every year mooning and swooning, burning and yearning right along with my heroine. Sometimes after I've finished a book and my hero and heroine have ridden off into the sunset to celebrate their hard-earned and much-deserved happy ending, I even mope and mourn for a season.

(I had a terrible time getting over Gabriel Fairchild from YOURS UNTIL DAWN and Julian Kane from THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME!)




But then I write those magical words "Chapter One" and my next hero walks into the room…and my heart. (I just have to be careful not to call him by my last hero's name because everybody knows that's bad form—like accidentally shouting out "Jen" instead of "Angelina" during a tender moment.)

While a sardonic quirk of the lips and looking good in a kilt certainly don't hurt a hero's chances of winning my heart, there are three qualities that are absolutely irresistible to me:

1) Intelligence
2) A sense of humor
3) The willingness to rush into a burning building to rescue a basket of kittens

Today I'd love to learn what quality is most likely to tempt you to fall in love with a hero? One lucky commenter (US residents only) will win an autographed hardcover of my most recent release SOME LIKE IT WILD.

Thank you so much for blogging with us today, Teresa. It's always a pleasure to have you visit! You can chat with Teresa on her Facebook Fan Page, follow her on Twitter or meet some of the heroes who have won her heart at her website.

Guest Author -- Brenda Gayle

Author Brenda Gayle's love of romance novels started when her parents purchased a cottage on a quiet lake just as she entered her teen years. A woman who lived close by was a voraciuos reader of romance novels and would give Gayle a bag of books each summer when she'd arrive. Now that Gayle spends much of her day writing business documents, she savors the opportunity to allow her creative muse to run free by writing deeply emotional stories of real women, real men and real romance. Please welcome Brenda to The Romance Dish!

Brrrr..... Turn Up the Heat! Setting as Character

As I look outside at the ever-growing mounds of snow and listen to the windows rattle from the howling wind, I am anxious to return to my current work-in-progress. It’s a contemporary romance set in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Although the story takes place in February, the average temperature there is around 40 degrees F--absolutely balmy compared with the 14 degrees F Ottawa (Canada) is currently experiencing.

I hate the cold and it occurs to me that I am unlikely ever to write a book that takes place in a frozen climate. Or am I?

In a novel, characters are created with specific backgrounds and personalities to further the story. It is often through their human interactions that we understand the growth and development of the hero and heroine. How they respond to the physical environment (the setting of the novel) can be equally important. So choosing that environment must be done with as much care as creating characters.

My contemporary romance, SOLDIER FOR LOVE, is set on an island in the Caribbean. The heroine, Major Julie Collins, has just been promoted and given her first overseas command. The island’s government is recovering from an attempted coup and Julie’s troops have been brought in to help stabilize the country. She is an outstanding officer and when she’s in the compound where her troops are housed, she is confident and totally in charge.

When she’s kidnapped by a voodoo priest and taken to a remote section of the island, she’s forced to rely on the skills of one of her troops to rescue her. That Matt Wolf also happens to be the handsome Native American with whom she had slept before being aware he was under her command, causes her to question her abilities as a leader. She’s his commanding officer, but he seems to be in charge.

The story relies on the hero and heroine operating in an environment that is unfamiliar to them. They have to create the rules as they go along--including falling in love.

Could the story have worked in another location? Sure. The key to SOLDIER FOR LOVE is for the hero and heroine to be in a place where they don’t have their usual touchstones or reference points to fall back on. It is possible that the story could have worked just as well if it had taken place up in the Arctic, but it’s cold up there and I hate the cold.

Let me know your thoughts on setting. Do you ever read (or not read) a book just because of its location? Can you think of a book where the setting was integral to the story? One of today’s commenters will be chosen at random to receive a copy of SOLDIER FOR LOVE.

Brenda’s first book, SOLDIER FOR LOVE, is a Joyfully Reviewed Recommended Read. Although fictional, the setting was inspired by the geography, history and culture of Haiti. She is donating 25% of book and eBook royalties to Haitian relief and reconstruction as a way to give back to the men and woman who allowed her to share their world during the researching and writing of the book. For more about Brenda, visit her website at http://www.brendagayle.com/ or follow her on Facebook (Brenda Gayle) and Twitter (Brenda_Gayle).

Kate Carlisle Winner

SPAV

You're the winner of a signed copy of If Books Could Kill from Kate Carlisle! 

Please send your full name and snail mail address, with "Kate Carlisle Winner" is the subject line, to theromancedish@gmail.com

Hot Dish for February

As all of you are well aware by now, I tend to fall in love with characters from new television shows I find myself watching. And this month's Hot Dish is no different.

Meet my new love, Christopher Chance, the lead character on Fox's new drama series, Human Target.

Based on the popular DC Comics comic book and graphic novel, Human Target is an action packed drama centered around Christopher Chance who works for a private security guard agency which handles unique cases. Chance, as he is known by clients and colleagues alike, is a man of action. He keeps his clients safe and delivers the bad guys to their just rewards. To me, Chance is the James Bond of television. Always able to get out of a difficult spot and smiling while doing it, Chance stole my heart the first time I watched the show.

Chance is played by seasoned actor Mark Valley, who has been on several television shows including Boston Legal, ER, and Fringe. Mark is a graduate of West Point with a major in mathematics (brawn and brains!) and is a Gulf War veteran. Seems to me his military training has come in handy with the role of Chance.

So ladies have any of you watched Human Target? If so, what do you think of Chance? Would you mind being held in his custody? I sure wouldn't ;-)

~ Buffie

Guest Author -- P.J. Mellor

We are happy to have P.J. Mellor with us on this Valentine's Day. When she's not writing her latest steamy novel, P.J. can be found enjoying the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to her love of writing and beaches, P.J. also enjoys sewing and swimming. A couple of her personal goals are to keep her checkbook balanced, make the NYT best sellers list, and return to her original weight -- five pounds, thirteen ounces. She is also known for her one liners, which means P.J. will fit in really well here at The Romance Dish. Join me in welcoming P.J. Mellor as she dishes on Valentine's Day.


Valentines. . .the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

As a kid, I always dreaded Valentine’s Day. It was just so much pressure. Know what I mean? You spend hours, if not days, decorating your little Valentine mailbox, only to sit in stressful angst while it seemed everyone in the room had their boxes full to over-flowing with little paper valentines. How many did you get? Dare you check? What if there were none? The stress—it was enough to give a child ulcers. Thankfully, my mailbox was never empty, but that didn’t stop me from worrying. Who needs that kind of stress? And am I the only one who thought the little hearts with sappy sayings on them tasted like Pepto-Bismol? Even at that tender age, I knew I preferred chocolate.

Then, adding to the stress, puberty arrived. It added a whole new mix of stress to my life. I knew I’d just die if I didn’t have a boyfriend, then it was what if I didn’t have a date? Wasn’t that something like one of the seven mortal sins for a teenager, to be dateless on Valentine’s Day?

In college, I realized there was yet more stress to pile onto St. Valentine. One year my roommate received seven—count ‘em, seven!—freaking flower arrangements. I had a steady boyfriend. What did I get? A phone call to tell me he’d decided he wanted to date someone else. Sigh. Many years later, I can admit what I did (although I am not proud of it): I poured salt into every one of those stupid flower arrangements while my roommate was out with beau #8. Not that it did any good. Apparently, cut flowers like salt water. Who knew? I also hate to admit it, but the next time I went home for the weekend, I tried to kick in the side of my now-ex-boyfriend’s car. BTW, car side panels are a lot stronger than they look. I broke my ankle. I guess it was justifiable punishment, even though I failed to even scratch the shiny finish.

My friend’s husband always took her to a nice restaurant for an elaborate Valentine’s Day romantic dinner. I was secretly jealous until he took her to the last one. That would be the one where he told her he was a woman trapped in a man’s body and was leaving her to get a sex change operation. She wins for the ugliest Valentine’s “present”. Now that I think about it, it was also pretty bad.

But not all Valentine’s are bad. When I was pregnant with twins, my husband not only brought me my favorite chocolates and perfume we really couldn’t afford, he capped it off by polishing my toenails! Of course, I couldn’t see them very well, but I appreciated it.

This year, I’m spending Valentine’s Day doing one of the things I love most—writing. My February 2011 release, ISLAND NIGHTS, is due this month. I’m having so much fun writing it, I don’t even mind working on Valentine’s Day! To add to my pleasure, my February 2010 book, BETWEEN THE SHEETS (a trio of very fractured fairy tales) came out a week or so ago. Yes, despite some seriously sucky Valentine’s Days, I’ve finally come to enjoy them. Now, if I could only find a way to keep the chocolate from going directly to my thighs!

So, how about you? How do you view Valentine’s Day? Any stories you’d like to share? Leave a comment for a chance to win one of my books.

Thanks for stopping by!

Review - Come Hell Or High Water

Come Hell Or High Water
By Michele Bardsley
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: January 5, 2010









Phoebe Allen is a typical single mom; taking care of her four-year-old son Danny, managing the Old Sass Cafe in Broken Heart, OK, taking care of business from sunset to sunrise... Okay, maybe Phoebe is not so typical. She's a vampire. Her son is at Disney World with his human father, so Phoebe has a little more free time. Time to indulge her attraction for Scottish hunk, Connor Ballard. His charming brogue sets her undead heart all aflutter, but Phoebe knows they can't go "all the way" unless they want to be mated for the next century--vampire rules. But Connor tells her the law doesn't affect the Ghillie Dhu ( Scottish fairies), which he is, so Phoebe can't resist. And when they finally get up close and oh so personal, it's so hot that Phoebe's surprised she doesn't spontaneously combust. But when the post-coital glow dissipates, she discovers that Connor is not just Ghillie Dhu, he's also half demon...and now he's her mate. Talk about being up the river Styx without a paddle!

Connor wants Phoebe for his mate not just because he desires her, but because she is the only one who can help him defeat Lillith, his demon stepmother from Hell. Connor needs Phoebe to help him find the other half of an ancient talisman which will banish Lillith to the deepest pit of Hell, permanently. It will take all of his strength and cunning to keep Phoebe safe as they journey to the various levels of Hell to battle demons. Will that be enough to help them triumph over evil or will Phoebe and Connor have to learn to surrender to the love that is hidden deep in their hearts to truly win?

Connor is the ultimate bad boy. What half demon wouldn't be? But lurking beneath his tough exterior is a heart of gold with a soft spot for Phoebe. Unfortunately, Phoebe has trouble believing that Connor wants her for more than her necessary role in retrieving the talisman. She knows she lusts for Connor, but she takes much longer to realize that she truly loves him. I adore some of the lines where she recalls her deceased mother's advice about love:


I'd told her I couldn't wait to fall in love. And she smiled so sadly. "Love is a wonderful thing," she said. "It makes you feel like you can fly, like you can conquer the whole world. It can give you everything, and take it all, too."


And Phoebe begins to realize what love truly means with all that Connor does for her:

He cupped my face and gently brushed his lips across mine. It was such a kind gesture, one I didn't deserve when I'd been nothing but cruel. This is love, said my mother's voice, because love never turns away.


Come Hell Or High Water is the sixth book in Bardsley's Broken Heart series and as usual, it is filled with many laugh-out-loud moments. Phoebe is a smart-mouthed, kick-ass heroine with a weakness for bad boys, and Connor is perfect for her. Even if you haven't read the rest of this series--which I highly recommend that you do!--you can still enjoy this book. If you have a weakness for tortured heroes, especially devilishly handsome ones with Scottish brogues, then this book is for you!


~ Gannon

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

New Releases winner!

The winner of a copy of All Night With a Rogue is:

Janga!

Congratulations, Janga! Please send your full name and address to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom with "New Releases winner" as the subject and I'll pass your info on to Alexandra Hawkins. Thanks!

Review - Lessons From A Scarlet Lady

Lessons From A Scarlet Lady
By Emma Wildes
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Release Date: January 5, 2010






Brianna Northfield has only been married three months to her husband, Colton, the Duke of Rolthven. Young, beautiful, and decorous, she is the perfect wife, and is, for the most part, happily married. But Brianna knows that married men of the aristocracy eventually take a mistress, and that is not something she wishes to contemplate in her own marriage. In order to assure that Colton is pleased in every area of their marriage, Brianna reads the scandalous book, Lady Rothburg's Advice--a lascivious volume of lessons from a courtesan. Putting the advice of Lady Rothburg to work, Brianna begins a campaign of seduction that will have her husband wondering where this beautiful temptress came from.

Colton is the epitome of a duke: serious, responsible and very proper. He has been attracted to Brianna from the first time they met, and he is pleased that she is is the perfect duchess: lovely, polite and well-bred. That all changes when she wears a very revealing gown at the opera one night. While Colton enjoys seeing Brianna's decolletage in private, he has no desire to have every man in sight ogling her breasts. Unbeknownst to him, his innocent young wife is out to seduce him and shake up his oh-so-serious demeanor. Colton is suddenly ruled by his desire for his gorgeous wife and shows her just how much in the carriage on the way home from the opera. Score one for Brianna!

Brianna is delighted that her seduction is a success. Colton can't keep his hands off of her, and although he's surprised by her very inventive tricks, he responds just as she hoped he would. Hopelessly in love with her husband, Brianna hopes that his desire for her will lead to his loving her. But Colton begins to have uncomfortable suspicions; where did Brianna learn such things? Since he never taught her, did she learn them from another man?

Lessons From A Scarlet Lady is refreshingly different from most other historicals in that the hero and heroine are already married, but that doesn't stop Brianna from working for her ultimate happily ever after. It was entertaining to watch Colton fall helplessly under his wife's spell, to be the one who is seduced rather than the seducer. And to ultimately fall in love. Lady Rothburg says it best:

To men, love represents vulnerability. When a man becomes emotionally attached to a woman, she wields a great deal of influence in his life. You must understand that this frightens most of them, whether they admit it or not. Of course, their fear varies in degrees from one male to another. They embrace passion, but they tread around love most carefully. It is a glorious gift when a man gives you both.

Each chapter begins with a little snippet of Lady Rothburg's, which was very entertaining. Another bonus is the secondary love story between Robert, Colton's rakehell youngest brother and Rebecca, Brianna's close friend. I'll just say that Lady Rothburg was a great help to Rebecca as well. *g*

If you're looking for an enjoyable, curl-up-by-the-fire book, take a few Lessons From A Scarlet Lady. You never know what you may learn!

~ Gannon