Hot Dish for November

Have I got a treat for you this month!

The Italians sure know how to make everything sexy and sophisticated -- cars, shoes, clothes, and especially people. This month's Hot Dish is a testament to sexy Italian men. Please give a warm ciao to Raffaello Balzo, Italian born model and actor. With his chiseled body, sexy eyes and warm-hearted smile, Raffaello offers everything a woman could want.




I think I could spend hours (probably days!) admiring Raffaello many assets. Ladies, tell me what you think about this month's Hot Dish. I have a feeling that your thoughts are probably the same as mine ;-)

~ Buffie

Last Call for Anniversary Winner

We still have not heard from the Monday winner from our recent Anniversary Week Celebration.  The winner of the Monday package is

TJ

Please contact us at theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com no later than Friday, November 18th to claim your prize.  If we haven't heard from you by that date we will randomly select another winner.

Molly O'Keefe Winner

Many thanks to all of you who stopped by for the two-way interview between Molly O'Keefe and Janga.  We hope you enjoyed the experience as much as we did!  The winner of an ARC of Molly's first single title novel, CAN'T BUY ME LOVE is:

AMY VALENTINI

Congratulations, Amy!  Please send us an email at theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com and we'll put you in contact with Molly.  Remember, CAN'T BUY ME LOVE is a July 2012 release so ARCs won't be available for a few months yet but you'll get one of the first!

Review -- A Most Dangerous Profession

A Most Dangerous Profession
Hurst Amulet, Book #3
By Karen Hawkins
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: October 18, 2011

AN ENTRANCING THIEF

For beautiful, seductive Moira MacAllister, the stakes have become terrifyingly high. Her daughter has been abducted and a priceless ancient relic is the ransom. Moira must acquire it at any cost, even if it means confronting the man she once duped and left, a man who still doesn’t know she has a child . . . and that he is the father.

A DASHING RAKEHELL

Robert Hurst, an operative in the king’s service, has never forgiven the mysterious spy who seduced him into marriage and then disappeared without a trace. Now, as he pursues the onyx box that will save his brother’s life, their paths cross again. But Robert isn’t sure which he longs for more—to satisfy his lust for revenge or to quench his relentless hunger for this bewitching woman.

A PERILOUS MISSION

When Moira reveals to Robert her long-kept secret, however, he realizes his burning desires must wait as a treacherous foe closes in, threatening all they hold dear . . . and their second chance at love.

Moira MacAllister will do anything it takes to retrieve the onyx box that will ensure her little girl's freedom from George Aniston, the despicable man holding her captive. Of course, she's not the only one who wants the box; Robert Hurst, the man she hasn't seen in years---right after they married---needs the box to ensure his brother, Michael's freedom. When she finally comes face to face with Robert, it's not exactly a happy reunion. Robert is still angry with the woman who tricked him into marriage years ago, but he still finds her incredibly beautiful, much to his annoyance. But these two will have to put their differences aside and work together to save the two precious lives that are at stake.


... Moira MacAllister wasn't the sort of woman one forgot. It wasn't just that she was beautiful, though she was, spectacularly so. It was the combination of her looks, her spirit, and her vibrancy. One never forgot how she looked, but more importantly, one never forgot how she made you feel. Just one smile could grab your soul...and she would extract it if you weren't careful.


Robert Hurst has never forgotten, or forgiven, the beautiful spy for making a fool of him. She managed to ensnare him while she was posing as a Russian princess, while he was supposed to be trapping her. Now he finds himself going head to head with Moira, and this time Robert vows to keep his sanity, and lust, in check. Easier said than done, when he realizes he has stronger feelings for her than anger. When he discovers that he has a daughter whom he has never met, and she is being held for ransom, Robert realizes that nothing matters more than saving her and making her captor pay. And it soon becomes obvious that he and Moira must make peace with their past in order to have the future they both desire.

Karen Hawkins writes some of my favorite historicals--- family series filled with humor, action, and plenty of heat. I've enjoyed the adventures of the Hurst family, and am really looking forward to Michael's story. I have a feeling he and his heroine will put the rest of his siblings to shame when it comes to ups and downs on the way to HEA. 'Never a dull moment' should be the Hurst family motto. *g* If you're looking for a guaranteed-good-time-read, A Most Dangerous Profession is the book for you.

~ Gannon


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Review - - A Midsummer Night's Sin

A Midsummer Night's Sin
Blackthorn Brothers - Book 2
By Kasey Michaels
Publisher: HQN
Release Date:  November 22, 2011

Being a debutante was boring.  It probably was supposed to be boring, so that everyone would quickly find someone suitable, marry and never have to do it again.  Being a Hackett, daughter of the poor, martyred Lady Leticia and the totally unacceptable Reginald, Regina had endured her share of impolite stares, snide innuendo and even a few horrified mamas, who had physically escorted their sons in the opposite direction when there was a chance of having to stop and exchange pleasantries with the wealthy but socially inferior Miss Hackett.  Except for those titled but poor as church mice peers who might entertain lowering themselves to courting her father's money.  Those she avoided, much to her papa's chagrin.  To be able to dance - yes, and to flirt - without anyone knowing her name?  To not be the coarse, jumped-up shipping merchant's daughter or even the sad, drunken Lady Leticia's daughter, just for a few stolen hours?




And that was how Regina Hackett found herself going along with her cousin, Miranda's outrageous scheme to attend Lady Fortesque's masquerade ball.  Regina has always known that she would be her merchant father's ticket into the ton and has resigned herself to spending the rest of her life with some titled old man three times her age but what could be the harm in a few stolen moments of fun and freedom before that happens?  The harm, as it turns out, would be more than Regina and Miranda could have ever imagined.   For Regina, it means a moonlit turn in a handsome, charming man's arms and her very first kiss, one that would ultimately ruin her for any other man's attentions.  But for Miranda, their short walk on the slightly wild side would have far more devastating consequences.

They called him Puck, the name delighting them.  He was so very unacceptable, yet welcomed everywhere.  He was le beau batard Anglais, the beautiful English bastard, the beloved pet of Paris Society, and completely, wholly delicious. 

And now he had said his adieus to the openly distraught Paris and returned to the land of his birth, just in time for the London Season. 

Where he was known only as Robin Goodfellow.

Bastard.

Youngest, and most carefree, of three bastard sons of a duke, Robin Goodfellow Blackthorn, known as "Puck," has returned to London determined to be accepted by the ton.  His attendance at Lady Fortesque's masquerade is not for pleasure but, rather, the first step in securing the introductions and "sponsors" he will need to accomplish his task yet he finds himself being diverted by a most unusual young woman; a beautiful, well-spoken, intelligent woman whom he mistakes for a courtesan or, at the very least, an actress (for, clearly, that is the only type of woman who would be at this ball) which leads to this delightful garden encounter.

He kissed her mouth, her throat, bent her back over his arm to press his lips against the smooth expanse of skin above the neckline of her gown.  And all the while, he crooned to her in French.  How lovely she was.  How he was being made mad by her virginal game playing.  What he would do to her to reward her, how he would do it, how she would know she had never been made love to before, no matter how many men she'd had.

And she whispered back to him:  "I have a hat pin poised to stick in your ear, and I will do it if you do not release me at once." 

Of  course, there's much more to that scene but if I included every quote I'd like to from this book this review would go on forever.

Regina is sure she'll never again lay eyes upon the deliciously handsome Puck but when she returns to the ballroom and discovers that her cousin has mysteriously disappeared, he is the only person she dares turn to for assistance.  The evidence makes it pretty clear that Miranda has been abducted from the masquerade.  Of course, she can't tell either set of parents that without owning up to the fact that she and her cousin were there in the first place.  She tells them that their coach was set upon by brigands who took her cousin but her father doesn't buy the story.  He's certain that the reckless Miranda is on her way to Gretna Green with some foolish young man and focuses the investigation there.  It's up to Regina to secretly work with Puck to uncover what really happened to Miranda, a decision that continues to deepen the desire between them as it leads them on a fast-paced, perilous journey, and what they discover will shake the foundation of everything Regina has ever believed.  Will the journey also give them the courage to reach out for a love that surpasses any they've ever known?  You'll have to read the book to find out!

I'm a Kasey Michaels fan from way back and this book reinforces why I enjoy reading her stories so much.  Filled with humor, action, sensuality and suspense, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SIN is a fast paced, highly satisfying ride.  Puck and Regina are thoroughly enjoyable characters.  I like them.  I cheered for them.  Michaels has surrounded them with intriguing secondary characters as well and I hope to see some of them in future books.  One of them, Puck's brother, Jack will be the hero of Michaels' next book in the Blackthorn Brothers series.  His other brother, Beau, was the hero of Michael's first book in this series, THE TAMING OF THE RAKE.

I'll leave you with one last quote from this delicious historical romance...because I just can't help myself.

One week.  Seven days or even less to learn what it was like for a woman to be made love to by a man such as Robin Goodfellow Blackthorn.  For certainly no man her father chose for her would hold a candle to the glories Puck had hinted at that night in the gardens outside that terrible warehouse. 

She hadn't noticed the smell of fish because he had been there.  She hadn't seen the squalor behind the palm trees and draperies because he had looked into her eyes, blinding her to everything else. 

She hadn't shied at the tawdriness of it all because she hadn't felt tawdry or loose or lacking in morals when he'd kissed her, touched her, whispered thrilling, wickedly naughty things against her ear. 

She'd felt alive.  Alive.  As she had earlier, in the drawing room.  Not wicked, not naughty, not even simply curious.  Alive.

~PJ

Make Your Reservations!

It's time again to mark your calendars and Make Your Reservations for December! As always, there are a lot of good books coming out! Here are some of the books we're looking forward to next month. Are any of these upcoming books on your list? If so, which ones?

To Wed a Wild Lord
By Sabrina Jeffries

Like everything daredevil Gabriel Sharpe does, pursuing Virginia Waverly is a high-stakes game. Ever since her brother Roger died racing Lord Gabriel, Virginia has yearned to take her revenge on the reckless lord by beating him at his own sport. But when she challenges Lord Sharpe to a race, the hellion who has always embraced his dark reputation as the “Angel of Death” counters with a marriage proposal!

Gabe knows Virginia's family is in dire financial straits—why shouldn’t she marry him and solve both their problems? She claims to be appalled by his proposal, but her response to his kisses says otherwise. So when the two of them begin to unravel the truth behind Roger’s death, Gabe takes the greatest gamble of all, offering the cunning and courageous beauty something more precious than any inheritance: true love.

(Pocket)


*******

A Place Called Home
By Jo Goodman

When Thea Wyndham and Mitchell Baker learn they've been named joint guardians for their late friends' three children, they're little more than acquaintances. Barely polite acquaintances, at that. Something about Mitch's forthright intensity has always left ad exec Thea feeling off-balance, while Mitch makes no secret of his disdain when Thea offers
him financial assistance if he'll take sole guardianship.


Thea is far from heartless. She's just plain terrified of her new parenting responsibilities. Both she and Mitch are romantically involved with other people. Yet the more time they spend together, the less certain she is of her loyalties. There are complications and mis-steps, tears and laughter - lots of it. And somehow, through it all, the dawning realization that the
last place she thought she'd find herself could be just where
she belongs...

(Zebra)


*******

A Midsummer Night's Sin
By Kasey Michaels

Handsome as the devil and twice as tempting, Robin "Puck" Blackthorn lives for the pleasures of the moment. His only rule — never dally with an innocent woman. But when an encounter at a masquerade ball leaves him coveting the one woman who refuses to succumb to his charms, Puck realizes that some rules were made to be broken...

Scandalized to discover that the masked man with whom she'd shared a dance — and a forbidden embrace — is in fact the ton's most celebrated rake, Regina Hackett vows to keep her distance. Yet when her dear friend vanishes, it is to Puck that Regina must turn. And as they embark on a dangerous journey through London's darkest alleys, Regina will discover that beneath Puck's roguish facade lies a man who will stop at nothing to protect her — or to convince her to take a chance on an unrepentant sinner.

(HQN)


*******

Kiss of Frost
By Jennifer Estep

Logan Quinn was trying to kill me.

My Spartan classmate relentlessly pursued me, swinging his sword at me over and over again, the shining silver blade inching closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes practially glowed with the thrill of battle...

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Academy, and I have no idea how I’m going to survive the rest of the semester. One day, I’m getting schooled in swordplay by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gorgeous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invisible archer in the Library of Antiquities decides to use me for target practice. And now, I find out that someone at the academy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword...

(KTeen)


*******

Head Over Heels
By Jill Shalvis

Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn't ready to settle into a quiet life running their family's newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble--and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who'd like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.

Suddenly Chloe can't take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe's colorful past keep her from a love that lasts...and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?

(Forever)


*******

Brazen
By Margo Maguire

She will give him what he desires. But first, a small favor...

Lady Christina Fairhaven is devoted to her adoptive family—and most protective of her wayward brother.

So when battle-scarred and world-weary Captain Gavin Briggs arrives at her cottage bearing shocking news—that she is the granddaughter of an aged, bad-tempered duke—Christina is stunned...temporarily.

She will not meet the duke who abandoned her when she was a child; Gavin will not receive his significant—and much needed—reward. However, should the good Captain agree to help her locate and rescue her endangered sibling, then perhaps...

But with a fortune at stake, the road to London is paved with peril. Treachery awaits them...not to mention attraction, temptation, and a most unanticipated passion.

To regain his soul, to protect his lady, Gavin must be more than brave. To win his love, Christina must be positively...

(Avon)


*******

It's All Greek to Me
By Katie MacAlister

Billionaire Greek playboy Iakovos Papaioannou knew his sister hired her favorite band to perform at her birthday party. He's just not sure how their six-foot tall, wild-haired, tempestuous manager has already ended up in his bed-and in his heart. Eglantine "Harry" Knight is so not his type. She's as infuriating as she is intriguing, and she's can't keep her hands off of him. But she just may be the woman who knocks him off the world's most eligible bachelor list for good...

(Signet)

The Teen Menu

It's here, release month for the first part of the movie version of Breaking Dawn. Chances are if you haven't seen some reference to it (trailers, magazine covers, etc.), you've been spelunking in a cave for weeks.

YA News

This isn't particularly YA-related, but it is important to many of us who have been readers for as long as we can remember. This month, Reading is Fundamental (RIF) celebrated its 45th anniversary. I can distinctly remember how excited I was whenever the RIF book fair came to my school each year. All those awesome new books fostered my love of reading which continues today.

Entertainment Weekly's website has some awesome new character posters from the upcoming Hunger Games movie. They're simple, and I think that's what makes them so beautiful. You see Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Rue, Haymitch, Cinna, Cato and Effie in profile.

YA Review

This month I finished reading Fury of the Phoenix, the sequel to Cindy Pon's wonderful Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia, which I reviewed here previously. In Fury, the heroine, Ai Ling, leaves Xia (based on ancient China) and stows away on a ship bound for the faraway land of Jiang Dao because she believes the boy she cares deeply about, Chen Yong, who is on board, is in serious danger. When Chen Yong and the ship's crew discover her, she and Chen Yong have to pose as brother and sister. Though that allows her to be close to Chen Yong, it's difficult to hide her true feelings from those around them.

They are on the way to Jiang Dao in search of Chen Yong's birth father, so this book has that same sense of adventure-on-the-road that Silver Phoenix had. It had less overall action and excitement, but it still kept me turning the pages to figure out exactly what was going on with the alternating stories. We had Ai Ling and Chen Yong's present story, but we also got to see the past of Zhong Ye, the ruthless man Ai Ling had been forced to marry and who she sent to the underworld. We see that he wasn't always so, that there was a reason he grew hard and cruel, a reason that Ai Ling has had unexplained powers that have allowed her to look into others' minds and control them.

Along with the unraveling of these mysteries, the relationship between Ai Ling and Chen Yong continues to grow, but not without its bumpy patches.

New Releases winner!

The random winner of a book from my prize stash is:

Rebekah E. (comment #10)

Congratulations, Rebekah! Please send your full name and address to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom with "New Releases winner" as the subject and I'll get your book in the mail. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Review -- Baby It's Cold Outside

Baby It’s Cold Outside
Alaskan Nights—Book 1
By Addison Fox
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Release Date: November 1, 2011

Free-lance writer Sloan McKinley is at her wit’s end with her mother’s constant “When are you getting married?” Sloan is tired of the objectionable men her mother insists would be perfect for her. After enduring an embarrassing Thanksgiving with her family and while sharing a ride home with one of said objectionable men, Sloan is grateful for the interruption of a text from her best friend, Grier. Grier is in Indigo, Alaska wading through a legal mess in regards to her deceased father’s estate. She begs Sloan to come and lend support to which Sloan immediately accepts and views it as a pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle of New York City...and her mother.

Walker Montgomery is Grier’s lawyer and the grandson of the town’s mayor, Sophie Montgomery. Sophie and her two closest friends host an annual competition for bachelorettes to possibly (and hopefully) win the hearts of their grandsons. Soon after Sloan McKinley arrives, she decides to do a story about the competition—getting the scoop about the hosts, the events, and the competitors. Walker challenges her to enter the contest to get the story “right”. She agrees but only if he will enter the bachelor auction...something he has been able to avoid for years. He agrees and takes her on a tour of the town, which opens her eyes and shows her that Indigo isn’t what she thought it would be.

Baby It’s Cold Outside is the first book in Addison Fox’s Alaskan Nights series. I enjoyed this fun, sexy story set in a cozy, small town full of charming people. Sloan and Walker are intriguing characters who are instantly drawn to one another. For Sloan, coming to Indigo starts off as helping a friend, but turns into much more than that. It becomes a journey of self-discovery. She learns things about herself that she may never have learned had she not left home. This exchange between Sloan and Walker takes place while he shows her around Indigo:

“It’s beautiful. And unexpected. Pretty much like everything else in this town.”

“You haven’t been here that long.”

“And hardly anything is what I thought it would be.

“What were you expecting?” ...

... “I’ve spent my life in an environment that’s all about expectations. And I guess I never realized how many of them I had myself. It’s sort of an irritating discovery, truth be told.”

“Irritating?”

“Deeply.”

It was one of my favorite scenes between the two. Walker has his own demons to overcome and what he does for Sloan at the end of the book made me smile in a big way. :)

The secondary characters are appealing and add depth and it’s clear who will be paired up in the future books of the series. I’m just sad that I have to wait a whole year until my next trip to Indigo! Until then, I’ll simply revisit everyone in Baby It’s Cold Outside and recommend that you do, too!

~Andrea


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One for me...One for you. Questions, that is!

BREAKING NEWS: 
Between Molly's computer virus and human virus and my crazy work schedule and leaky senior memory, neither of us said anything about possible giveaways when we were planning this interview. So.... Sorry this is late but Molly has very generously offered an ARC of her first single-title book, CAN'T BUY ME LOVE to one randomly selected person who leaves a comment on today's blog. The book is a July release so ARCs won't be available for a few months yet but, as soon as Molly receives them, a copy will be winging its way to today's winner! Thanks, Molly!
~PJ

Janga and I met online several years ago and quickly discovered that we share a similar taste in the romances we enjoy reading.   When I find a new author (or book) to love, she's one of the first people I share the news with and she's placed more than a few authors on my "must buy" list with her enthusiastic recommendations over the years.  One of those authors is Molly O'Keefe.  I had the pleasure of meeting Molly this past summer at the RWA National Conference in New York City.  We struck up a conversation in the bar (you meet the most amazing people in the bars at RWA conferences!) and while we were chatting, I had one of those "lightbulb" moments.  Wouldn't it be great, I thought, if Janga (a dedicated fan of Molly's writing) could interview her for The Romance Dish?  I pitched the idea to Molly and she was on board immediately...but with a delicious twist.  Turns out Molly is a fan of Janga's and, while she was enthusiastic about the idea of being interviewed, she also wanted the opportunity to pose some questions of her own.  What a great idea!  I loved it!  Now, I just had to sell the idea of being interviewed to Janga.  Happily, she agreed - with only minimal begging on my part - and what follows is the wonderful end result of one reader interviewing -and being interview by - one of her favorite authors.  Enjoy! 

JANGA:   I started reading your books with the Notorious O’Neills and then eagerly glommed your backlist. I noted that the sense of family that I found appealing in the O’Neill books is characteristic of your work generally. Is this something you’re consciously creating or has it just happened?

MOLLY:  I cut my romance reading teeth on Elizabeth Lowell and Judith McNaught historicals and I LOVED the family connections. As a reader that family relationship was a very close second to the romance. So, when I started writing I didn't even think about it - the family dynamic was just there. The more books I write the more conscious I am of it because I don't want to over do it, or repeat myself. My mother - who is lovely - gets a little frustrated with all the bad moms in my books, but bad moms are fun reading, aren't they? They certainly are fun writing.

JANGA:  Writing bad moms must be fun. They seem to be popular with romance writers. For me, reading is foremost about the characters, and I fell in love with yours. Who is your favorite of your characters? Who was the hardest to write? The most fun?

MOLLY:  I was just having this conversation with another writer. Sometimes I can just slip into a character's skin and it's effortless and joyful. Some characters resist and fight and are a mystery all the way through. The good characters have been: Sam and JD from The Son Between Them Savannah from The Temptation of Savannah O'Neill Mia from His Wife For One Night Tara Jean from Can't Buy Me Love Eli from Can't Hurry Love and in the Superromance I'm writing right now, Jeremiah Stone, the hero of Unexpected Family The worst have been Ian and Jennifer from The Story Between Them - they did not get a long - AT ALL. Carter from The Scandal and Carter O'Neill Lucy from Unexpected Family.

JANGA:    Oh, I loved Sam and JD—theirs is a really different romance. And Savannah is a great character! From the beginning of your career, you have written series. I’m a series addict and understand the appeal from a reader’s perspective. What is the appeal of writing a series?

MOLLY:  I think I like writing series because I love to read them. Getting that overarching plot that ties the three books together is such a fun puzzle that when it works out - it's exhilarating. When it doesn't...uh oh. But I also like seeing little glimpses of couples after their HEA. It creates a real sense of the author's world - I always dreamed I could step into those Judith McNaught historicals and meet all of those characters. I think readers like that. I know I do.

JANGA:    So do I. There was a lively discussion about this at Heroes and Heartbreakers last week. To quote Shakespeare out of context, “what’s past is prologue,” and the Dishes and dishettes are always interested in the prologues of our favorite authors. When did you start writing? What is your “call story”?

MOLLY:  I've always wanted to write Romance novels. And I started right out of college - not that I ever finished any of those books. But once I did start finishing and submitting I actually sold my second book. I was living in California and working as a substitute teacher. When the editor called she wasn't aware of the time change and it was six am. I thought she was a principal asking me to come sub at her school and I kept saying "I have a job today, sorry." Finally, after about the third time the penny dropped and freaking out ensued.

JANGA:   LOL I can sympathize with that 6:00 a. m. response. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

MOLLY:  Those little moments I never see coming. Writing the Mitchells Of Riverview Inn series, it was only supposed to be two books. But then I had this lightning bolt about a secret third brother. One of the best moment of my writing life.

JANGA:    I love those moments too—“the given lines,” as a French Symboliste poet called them. What authors have influenced your writing? What authors do you like to read?

MOLLY:  My three favorite romances are Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, The Shadow and The Star by Laura Kinsale and Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward. I have those books in my head every time I sit down to write - it's maddening.

JANGA:    Dream a Little Dream is my favourite SEP too. Can’t Buy Me Love (June 26, 2012) will be your first single-title romance. How was writing it different from writing category romance? Will you continue to write categories? (I hope so. I’m a big Super fan.)

MOLLY:  Can't Buy Me Love and its sequel Can't Hurry Love were total dreams to write. They're longer and a bit more complicated - way way way hotter, which is a total surprise. It was fun figuring out which envelopes I could push and which needed to stay the same. Sometimes it felt like I was learning a whole new skill set and other times it felt like I'd been writing single title all along. I loved it.

JANGA:   Is there anything you can share with us about Can’t Buy Me Love? What's sure to make us fall in love with the newest Molly O'Keefe book?

MOLLY:  Did I mention it's hot? Because it is. It's also very emotional. Lots of secrets and drama. Family angst and it's hot. Oh, and the hero plays hockey.

JANGA:  Secrets, family angst, hotness—I love it already. Can you tell us what comes next after Can’t Buy Me Love?

MOLLY:  Can't Hurry Love comes out in July and the third book in the Crooked Creek Series comes out in November - This Can't Be Love.

JANGA:  Is there a genre other than romance or a subgenre within romance that you still dream of writing in?

MOLLY:  Actually, no. I love to read historical romance, and paranormal romance and YA is very exciting right now. But my heart belongs to Contemporary.

JANGA:  Good to know! I’m in favour of more contemporary romance. Did your recent trip to New Zealand give you ideas for new books?

MOLLY:  What a trip! We were there in part for the World Cup of Rugby - and those guys are total hero material... I fell in love many many times. I think I'll be doing more sports heros.




JANGA:   A quick five is always a fun way to end.

Are you a lark or an owl?
I used to be an owl but children put an end to that!!

Coffee or tea?
Coffee and far too much of it.

Mountains or beach?
Mountains - I really love to hike. Though we had some amazing moments on beaches in New Zealand...ah...too hard...can't choose.

City slicker or country mouse?
I grew up in the country and moved to the city - so a little bit of both. But it would be very hard to give up the excitement and convenience of my city. I can get Sushi delivered! How do you give that up?

Last minute holiday shopper or finished by September?
Last minute - my dad and I used to do all our shopping on Christmas Eve. We gave a lot of very bad gifts!

Now it's Molly's turn to ask the questions!


MOLLY:  When did you start reading romance? Do you remember the ones that first got you hooked? Do you still read any of the authors you started with?

JANGA:  I started reading romance the summer I turned ten when my mother turned me loose with her books. I read Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and stacks of Agatha Christie mysteries and Emilie Loring and Grace Livingston Hill romances that summer. I’ve been reading a mix of literary fiction and popular romance, and mystery ever since. But I think I was already hooked on romance from reading Louisa May Alcott, L. M. Montgomery, Maud Hart Lovelace, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I’ve certainly reread Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice many times. The Loring books seem a bit dated now, although I occasionally reread one. I find the Hill books too preachy. But there are authors like Mary Balogh, Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney, and Nora Roberts whom I started reading later but early in their careers and still read today—more than twenty years after I first read them. I love the lasting impression those first romance novels have.


MOLLY:  Have you always been a romance advocate?

JANGA:  I’ve always read romance, but my advocacy is fairly recent. From college on, I was a closet reader. Romance fiction was mocked by my English professors and most of my English major friends. One friend in grad school, upon finding out I read romance novels, declared “They’ll rot your brain.” Reading romance was also viewed as a betrayal of feminism. The wider acceptance of romance fiction within academia has developed since Pam Regis’s A Natural History of Romance.

MOLLY:  The snobbery is wide-spread, particularly among people who have never even read a romance novel. And on the feminism note: one thing I love about your reviews is how thoughtful they are - how they seem to tie into a part of womanhood, or community or family that is larger than the book - is that why you read romance? To feel in touch with those things - or to think about those things?

JANGA:  I don’t think I read consciously for those things, at least not on a first reading when it’s the characters who make or break the book for me. But I do like making connections—part of my INFP (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving) personality—and my training encourages me to be analytical when I write about books. At the analytical stage, considering contexts is one of the delights of reading.

MOLLY:  It is a delight! I love trying to pull apart the books that really work for me and figuring out the magic. Usually I just end up sucked into the story again. How has the explosion of the romance reading on line community impacted the way you read?

JANGA:  It’s increased my TBR stack a hundred fold. I do significantly less rereading now than I used to because I never catch up with the new books awaiting me. It’s also made me a more adventurous reader. I’ve read subgenres that I would never have tried when I was reading in isolation. Most significantly, it has given me an awareness of being part of a community that values reading romance. Some of my closest friends now are people who were first reading buddies whom I met because we read the same writers and joined in conversations about their books.

MOLLY:  Has it changed the way you review or present yourself on social networking sites (good reads, facebook etc…) or how you view other authors, reviewers etc???

JANGA:  Hmm. I’m not sure. It was the intelligence and camaraderie of the online romance community that gave me the courage to identify myself openly as a romance reader. Without that honesty, I’d never have become a reviewer, a blogger, a tweeter; I’d never have seen myself as a reader with things to say about romance fiction that were worthy of an audience. Squawk Radio and the Eloisa James/Julia Quinn bulletin board (both now defunct) are where I developed an online identity.

MOLLY:  How has your career as a teacher impacted the way you look at books and review them?

JANGA:  There’s a scene in Eloisa James’s soon-to-be-released novel, The Duke Is Mine, where the heroine explains the meaning of a poem to the hero and then explains what would be lost if the poem were different. I connected with that scene so strongly because it was such a teacherly moment. That desire to say, “Oh, look at this! How wonderful! This is what it means. This is why it has to be exactly this” is certainly something that shaped me as a teacher and shapes me as a reviewer. Maybe that’s why I prefer reviewing books I love and keeping silent about those I dislike.


MOLLY:  "This is why it has to be exactly this" - I love that! I prefer telling the world about books I love, too. Spreading the joy is so much more fun than spreading the pain. What is your favorite thing about romance novels?

JANGA:  The happy endings. Life is messy and often filled with pain and disillusionment. I love spending time in a world where love always redeems the rogues, heals the broken, and finds “the we of me” for the lonely—and one where women deserve and attain happiness and self-fulfillment.

MOLLY:  What is your least favorite thing?

JANGA:  The covers. I am not a fan of clinch covers. I dislike having to hide them from the younger grands. I’m also not crazy about buzzword titles.

MOLLY:  The covers are a double-edged sword that's for sure. Are you also writing romance? If so what genre?

JANGA:  I am. I’ve written one book and have partial mss. of two others in a contemporary trilogy with a Southern setting. And I’m excited about a new idea that surfaced just this week inspired by a picture on a web site.

MOLLY:  Oh! New inspiration - one of the best parts of writing. Enjoy it! If you could step inside one romance novel, or one world created by an author - whose would it be???

JANGA:  That’s a toughie. If I were strictly a short-term observer, I think I’d choose Jo Beverley’s Malloren world. I’d love to see Rothgar. If I were visiting the world of the book as Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next does, I’d go with a contemporary. I have to have my mod cons. Maybe Kathleen Gilles Seidel’s Till the Stars Fall or Ruth Wind’s (Barbara Samuel) In the Midnight Rain or Mary Jo Putney’s The Spiral Path. I’d love to have dinner and a long conversation with any of those characters.

MOLLY:  It would be hard to forgo showering to see Rothgar! You say one of your favorite books is Anne of Green Gables (I'm an Emily of New Moon girl myself) - what do you love about that book?  As a book for girls and about girls what do you think its lasting influence is on girls?

JANGA:  This question is a timely one since I’m working on a blog post on Anne. She is such a flawed endearing mix of insecurity, intelligence, imagination, honesty, and a huge, loving heart. Mark Twain called her “the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice.” I’d cut the comparison from Twain’s comment. I find her far dearer and more lovable than Alice. Without getting bogged down in the terminology of literary criticism, I think Anne’s continued appeal can be attributed to her combination of femininity and feminism. She’s a girly girl who has a BFF, longs for puffed sleeves, wishes her hair were a different color, and imagines herself “an enchanted princess shut up in a lonely tower with a handsome knight riding to [her] rescue on a coal-black steed." She’s also independent, assertive, and a usurper of the power of naming, a power usually reserved for males. She signals girls that it’s good, even empowering, to be all those things.

MOLLY:  I can't wait to read that post! I worry sometimes that the books I loved as a girl will disappear under the new wave of modern YA fiction - which is amazing stuff. But still I hope there is room for Laura Ingalls and Anne and Emily. Describe your perfect reader day…

JANGA:  The sound of rain against the window, my favorite chair and a cozy throw, hot chocolate with marshmallows, a stack of historical and contemporary romances (a mix of new books and comfort rereads), no phones or doorbells ringing, and a long stretch of hours to do nothing but read. Or substitute lazy day on a bench by the river with wild azaleas blooming, a spring breeze stirring the pine trees, a thermos of sweet iced tea, and a bag of the same books.



MOLLY:  I like your lightening round - so I'm going to copy yours.

Lark or night owl?
Night owl. I wake up as late as possible, an eyelash at a time.

Coffee or tea?
Tea. I’m Southern. We’re given sweet tea in our baby bottles.

Mountains or beach?
Mountains, every time. With a big lake to add the water element.

City slicker or country mouse?
Country mouse who likes visiting the city—but briefly.

Last minute holiday shopper or finished by September?
I finish my shopping on Christmas Eve.

**********

Molly and Janga, thank you both for giving us this fascinating "behind the scenes" glimpse into your lives.  We truly appreciate all the time and effort that went into these interviews!

Readers, if you could interview, and be interviewed by, the person of your choice, who would you choose and why?  Do you have any questions for Molly or Janga?  Post them in the comments.  They'll be dropping by throughout the day!

Molly O'Keefe is the RITA© Award Winning author of more than fifteen category romances.  Her first single-title romance, CAN'T BUY ME LOVE will be released June 2012 and will be followed by CAN'T HURRY LOVE in July 2012.  For more information about Molly, visit her website  like her Facebook page, visit the Harlequin Superromance blog and like the Harlequin Superromance Facebook page. 

Many of you know Janga as a guest reviewer here at The Romance Dish and proprietor of her blog, Just Janga.  She's a retired literature (emphasis on Southern Literature) teacher who, in addition to being a freelance writer, is also an occasional guest blogger at Heroes and Heartbreakers and hard at work on a contemporary romance manuscript of her own.  Follow her on Twitter @janga724. 






~PJ

New Releases for November

Wow, our Second Anniversary Celebration was a huge success—thanks in large part to YOU! PJ, Gannon, Buffie and I are truly thankful that each and every one of you took the time to join us and leave a comment. We couldn’t do it without you! And since Thanksgiving is this month (for those of us in the US), I thought we could all talk about things we’re thankful for. So, what are you thankful for today?

I’m thankful that we have so many great books to choose from in November (and every other month)! Which November releases have you read? Of those, which ones do you recommend? Which ones are you most looking forward to reading? Tell us and one lucky commenter will win a random book from my prize stash!

Until December, happy reading!



Historical

Never Love a Highlander – Maya Banks

To Pleasure a Duke – Sara Bennett
The Black Hawk – Joanna Bourne
The Virtuoso – Grace Burrowes
A Winter Scandal – Candace Camp
Desired – Nicola Cornick
Prince of Ravenscar – Catherine Coulter
The Marshal and Miss Merritt – Debra Cowan
Too Wicked to Wed – Cara Elliott
Pride & Passion – Charlotte Featherstone
Gentleman’s Master – Jo Ann Ferguson
The Lone Rancher – Carol Finch *
The Highlander’s Heart – Amanda Forester
A Most Dangerous Profession – Karen Hawkins *
Scandalous Desires – Elizabeth Hoyt *
Night Hawk – Beverly Jenkins

A Lone Star Christmas – William W. Johnstone & J.A. Johnstone (Historical Fiction)
Coming Home for Christmas – Carla Kelly
Cowboy Come Home – Janette Kenny
If You Give a Girl a Viscount – Kieran Kramer
Fortune’s Son – Emery Lee
The Pleasure of Bedding a Baroness – Tamara Lejeune
All About Seduction – Katy Madison
The Sinner – Margaret Mallory
The Viper – Monica McCarty *
Unmasking the Duke’s Mistress – Margaret McPhee
A Regency Christmas Carol – Christine Merrill *
The Lady Forfeits – Carole Mortimer *
The Lady Forfeits – Carole Mortimer
Engaged in Sin – Sharon Page
Gift-Wrapped Governess – Sophia James, Annie Burrows, Marguerite Kaye *

Contemporary

Capital Wives – Rochelle Alers (Women’s Fiction) *

Say You’ll Be Mine – Julia Amante (Women’s Fiction)
Holly Lane – Toni Blake
King’s Pleasure – Adrianne Byrd
Bring Me Home for Christmas – Robyn Carr
Highlander for the Holidays – Janet Chapman
The Wedding Quilt – Jennifer Chiaverini (Women’s Fiction)
A Love Built to Last – L.S. Childers
A Novel Seduction – Gwyn Cready
Real Men Will – Victoria Dahl
Sunrise on Cedar Key – Terri DuLong (Women’s Fiction)
Temporary Rancher – Ann Evans
Lost December – Richard Paul Evans (Women’s Fiction)
A Compromising Affair – Gwynne Forster
Baby It’s Cold Outside – Addison Fox
The Christmas Gift – Darlene Gardner
The Son He Never Knew – Kristi Gold
Proof of Heaven – Mary Curran Hackett (Women’s Fiction)
Until There Was You – Kristan Higgins
Promises, Promises – Erica James (Women’s Fiction)
Tall, Dark and Cowboy – Joanne Kennedy

Under the Skin – Vicki Lane (Women’s Fiction) *
All They Need – Sarah Mayberry
The Last Cowboy – Lindsay McKenna
The Daughter She Used to Be – Rosalind Noonan (Women’s Fiction)
Love’s Paradise – Celeste O. Norfleet *
Should Have Known Better – Grace Octavia (Women’s Fiction)
Love and Shame and Love – Peter Orner (Women’s Fiction)
Wyoming Tough – Diana Palmer
The Next Always – Nora Roberts
All Caught Up – Sophia Shaw
A Home by the Sea – Christina Skye *
Christmas in Montana – Kay Stockham
These Ties That Bind – Mary Sullivan
The Comforts of Home – Jodi Thomas
The Strangers on Montagu Street – Karen White (Women’s Fiction)
Intoxicating – Lori Wilde
Small Town Christmas – Jill Shalvis, Hope Ramsay, Katie Lane (e-book)
Holiday Hideout – Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, Julie Kenner
Making Spirits Bright – Fern Michaels, Elizabeth Bass, Rosalind Noonan, Nan Rossiter

YA/Teen

Destined – P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Crossed – Ally Condie (Futuristic)
How to Rock Braces and Glasses – Meg Haston *
Darker Still – Leanna Renee Hieber (Paranormal)
Tiger’s Voyage – Colleen Houck (Paranormal)
Amplified – Tara Kelly
Mastiff – Tamara Pierce (Fantasy)
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick – Joe Schreiber
The Space Between – Brenna Yovanoff (Paranormal)
Beautiful Chaos – Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Paranormal) *

Romantic Suspense

Hide from Evil – Jami Alden
High-Risk Reunion – Gail Barrett

The Heart of a Killer – Jaci Burton *
Razor’s Edge – Shannon K. Butcher
Cowboy’s Triplet Trouble – Carla Cassidy
Caress – Grayson Cole
Grayson – Delores Fossen
Camouflage Cowboy – Jan Hambright
Missing Mother-To-Be – Elle Kennedy
Against the Storm – Kat Martin
In Close – Brenda Novak
Secret Protector – Ann Voss Peterson
The Spy Who Left Me – Gina Robinson
Westin Family Ties – Alice Sharpe
Winter Haw’s Legend – Aimee Thurlo
If You Hear Her – Shiloh Walker
Decoded – Debra Webb
Risky Christmas – Jill Sorenson & Jennifer Morey

Paranormal

Lord of the Wolfyn – Jessica Andersen
Body Thief – C.J. Barry

Heart of Steel – Meljean Brook (Steampunk)
Embrace the Highland Warrior – Anita Clenney
Heart of Darkness – Lauren Dane
Dark Sins and Desert Sands – Stephanie Draven
Genie Knows Best – Judi Fennell
Adam – Jacquelyn Frank
The Storm that is Sterling – Lisa Renee Jones
The Guardian – Sherrilyn Kenyon
Avenger’s Angel – Heather Killough-Walden
Devilishly Hot – Kathy Love
The Hunter – Theresa Meyers (Steampunk)
Ecstasy Untamed – Pamela Palmer
Beauty Dates the Beast – Jessica Sims
Nightshine – Lynn Viehl
Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale – Christine Warren
Claimed – Rebecca Zanetti
The Bite Before Christmas – Lynsay Sands & Jeaniene Frost
Tied with a Bow – Lora Leigh, Virginia Kantra, Eileen Wilkes, Kimberly Frost
The Real Werewives of Vampire County – Alexandra Ivy, Angie Fox, Jess Haines, Tami Dane

Urban Fantasy

Darkness Rising – Keri Arthur
Last Breath – Rachel Caine
Courting Darness – Yasmine Galernorn
Tricks of the Trade – Laura Anne Gilman
Under Attack – Hannah Jayne
Fire Works in the Hamptons – Celia Jerome
Trance – Kelly Meding
Magic on the Line – Devon Monk
Drink Deep – Chloe Neill
Flesh and Blood – Kristen Painter
Angel Town – Lilith Saintcrow
Death Magic – Eileen Wilks
The Shadow Reader – Sandy Williams

Erotica/Erotic Romance

Tempt Me – R.G. Alexander
Temptation at Twilight – Jo Carlisle (Paranormal)
What Happens After Dark – Jasmine Haynes
Wrangled and Tangled – Lorelei James
Pleasure Bound – Anne Rainey
Dangerous Master – Tawny Taylor (Paranormal)


* Released October 24th