Stock Up Saturday

I had laptop problems yesterday and wasn't able to get these reviews posted.  So welcome to Stock Up Saturday...on Sunday! :)

Bride by Mistake
By Anne Gracie
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Release Date:  January 3, 2012

Haunted by the wartime secrets that have hardened his soul, Luke Ripton has vowed never to return to Spain but he left something behind when he came home to England following the war:  the young girl he rescued and married to keep her safe from her unscrupulous cousin.  Leaving her with her aunt in a secure mountain convent, they agreed that Luke would obtain an annulment when it was safe but eight years later a letter arrives that makes it clear that he has no choice but to travel to Spain to claim his secret bride.  At least he has the consolation of knowing that, after being raised in a convent, Isabella will be a sweet, biddable wife with no objection to leaving Spain immediately for Luke can't bear to be there any longer than necessary.

Smart and courageous, Isabella secretly kept the residents of the convent from starving during the war. But bored to tears with the other aspects of convent life, this tomboy who despairs of ever being a desirable woman romanticizes her young girl's memories of the handsome, carefree English lieutenant who rescued her and dreams of the day he will return to claim her hand and vow his undying love.  Reality comes calling when her "prince" turns out to be an autocratic ex-soldier, resigned to keeping the wife he never really wanted.  To make matters worse, Luke announces they will be leaving immediately for England but Isabella has a mission to complete; one that will take them deep into the region of Spain that Luke never wants to visit again, and she's determined to go - with or without her husband.

Bride by Mistake is the fifth book in Gracie's Devil Riders series.  I've waited a long time for Luke's story and I wasn't disappointed.  Gracie takes Luke and Isabella on a fast paced journey across Spain where they both confront the ghosts of their pasts and gradually begin to see themselves through the eyes of the other, opening their hearts to hope, happiness and love.

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

Mad About the Earl
By Christina Brooke
Publisher:  St. Martin's
Release Date:  January 3, 2012

Christina Brooke continues to shine with the second book in her Ministry of Marriage series, Mad About the Earl, an absolute delight of a Beauty and the Beast tale.

When Lady Rosamund Westruther travels to the country to meet the man to whom she has been betrothed, she quickly discovers three things:  he's huge, he's rude and, with one passionate kiss, he (unknowingly) claims her heart for his own.  Returning to London after the betrothal papers are signed, Rosamund patiently waits for Griffin to come for her.  And waits...and waits...and waits...until patience disappears and a stubborn resolve takes its place.

Growing up in an all-male household with an abusive grandfather, Griffin deVere, Earl of Tregarth knows little to nothing about romancing a lady.  To make matters worse, he's been told his entire life that he's ugly, clumsy and completely undeserving of  love.  He's sure that a petite, exquisite beauty like Rosamund, a lady to her core, could never be happy with a man like him yet, when his beloved sister's happiness is at stake, he has no choice but to travel to London and seal the deal by marrying the lovely lady.  Imagine his surprise when the lady turns out to have a spine of steel and a few conditions of her own before she'll consent to become his bride; conditions that require Griffin, a man more at home in the stables than the ballroom to publicly court her before claiming her.  For Rosamund has a higher goal in mind than a mere wedding.  The beauty who has lost her heart to the beast is determined to show him that he is a man worthy of love and a man who has love to give.

I read this book in one day and enjoyed every delicious bit of it.  Griffin and Rosamund are a wonderful couple and Brooke has surrounded them with a fascinating cast of secondary characters.  We get to know the male cousins better which has me even more excited about reading their stories and the excerpt from Cecily's book, A Duchess to Remember, has me wanting her story now!

Mad About the Earl stands well on its own but if you enjoy it as much as I did, you'll probably want to pick up a copy of the first book in the series, Heiress in Love too.  

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The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae
Cynster Sisters Trilogy - Book 3
By Stephanie Laurens
Publisher:  Avon
Release Date:  January 31, 2012



The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae is a fast-paced, adventurous road romance that is Stephanie Laurens at her very best.  From the glittering London ballrooms in the very heart of the Cynster family to the remote wilds of Scotland and a woman who lives to make one particular Cynster matriarch suffer, you won't want to miss a minute of this journey!

Dominic, the Earl of Glencrae is an honest, loyal and honorable man.  He does not want to kidnap and ruin a Cynster sister but he has no choice.  To save his clan from ruin at the hands of his cruel and devious mother, Dominic must do as he's been instructed.  The people he hired to kidnap the two older sisters bungled the job, though it ended happily for them as they fell in love with good men and are both now engaged and safe, thanks to Dominic's efforts.  After all, he hadn't intended to actually ruin them but to obtain their help in thwarting his mother's plan while offering marriage in return.  But with them out of the picture, the only sister left is Angelica, the baby of the family.  The one sister Dominic did not want to have to deal with as he can only imagine how spoiled and pampered the youngest daughter of a Cynster family must be.  Oh, Dominic, are you in for a surprise!

Angelica Cynster is a hellion.  There's just no better word for it.  Headstrong, stubborn, intelligent and loyal to the core, she's the first to jump into adventure and the best one to get you out of a scrape.  Like her older sisters, she is confident she'll recognize her hero when she sees him and when she spies the Earl of Glencrae across a crowded ballroom, her heart immediately recognizes its mate. She maneuvers an introduction and a walk in the garden but imagine her surprise when the romantic stroll ends with her being bound and stuffed into a carriage!  It doesn't take long for her to realize that her hero is none other than the mysterious Highland Laird who has been plaguing her family but don't despair, dear readers.  Our industrious Angelica quickly figures out there must be a good reason for his actions and joins forces with Dominic and his small corps of servants as they attempt to keep her family at bay while saving the Earl's clan.  Plenty of twists and turns keep things interesting along the way as well as long-held family secrets that reveal the root of the hatred Dominic's mother holds for the Cynsters.  There are also heart stopping moments, plenty of laughter and a truly sigh worthy ending.

You don't have to have read the previous two books before reading this one but, for a better understand of the Earl's motives, I strongly recommend reading them in order:  Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue, In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster and The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae.


~PJ

Health to Heart

Do you ever feel like the universe is sending you messages?  Do you pay attention to them?  I do.  Well...mostly I do.  Especially when I feel like I'm being hit over the head with them.  I figure there has to be a good reason for all those messages and it would probably be a really good idea for me to sit up and pay attention, and in this case, share them with my friends.

A close friend was recently named to the Board of her city's  (American Heart Association) Go Red for Women™ initiative.  Did you know that more women in the U.S. die of heart disease and heart-related problems than any other cause?  Did you know that simple changes we can make in our daily lives have the power to lower that statistic significantly?  It's true!  Education is a powerful tool and, in this case, educating ourselves has the power to save our lives.  Do you know the warning signs of a heart attack?  Do you know how many women ignore those signs?  Check out the video, "Just a Little Heart Attack", a humorous but all too realistic look at how many busy women (and face it, we're all busy women) treat the signs of impending danger.

One of my brothers called me last night to ask me some questions about my health.  He's compiling a sibling health history for the five of us.  Health histories are important.  We have a long history of heart problems on the maternal side of my family.  My mom died of heart disease at the very young age of 53.  Her mother and siblings faced heart issues as well.  Knowing that information has given me the incentive to monitor my own heart health closely.  And, it's helped my doctor to provide the educational materials I need to accomplish that and schedule the appropriate tests to make sure I have good heart health.  Knowing your numbers is an important part of that process.  Do you know your cholesterol numbers, your blood pressure, your sugar levels?  

My brother happened to call last night while I was watching Hot in Cleveland. (Don't you just love Betty White?)  Anyway, while I was on the phone talking with my brother about our health, the characters on Hot in Cleveland started talking about Go Red for Women™ and the importance of a healthy lifestyle.  Knock me over the head much?  Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.

While I do try to make healthy choices, the past couple months have been very stressful for me and I've kind of dropped the ball.  Too much chocolate.  Not enough exercise.  I need to get back on track and I'm starting today.  I've checked out the heart health guidelines for my age at the Go Red for Women™ website, revised my grocery list to include plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, fish and the like and scheduled regular exercise sessions.  Betty White is my inspiration.  I want to be as healthy and lively as she is at age 90.  I want to be age 90!

I've answered the universe's messages to me and now I'm passing them along to you.  Do you know your numbers?  Do you follow a heart-healthy lifestyle?  Know the signs of a heart attack?  Know your family's health history?  Have you been trained in CPR?  Do you have any tips for carving out all-important "me" time in our busy schedules?  Any easy, heart-healthy recipes you'd like to share?  Let's talk about what we can all do to keep our bodies healthy, well-oiled machines that will take us far into the future.

National Wear Red Day is February 3, 2012.  Don't forget to wear your red to support women's heart health!

Visit the American Heart Association Go Red for Women™ website for more information and guidelines to follow for a heart healthy life.  It's never too early - or late - to begin!

~PJ

Guest Review - - On Lavender Lane

On Lavender Lane

By JoAnn Ross

Publisher: Signet

Release Date: January 3, 2012

Celebrity chef Madeline Durand is in Omaha in the middle of a cooking demonstration when a sex video of her husband with his heiress lover goes viral. While her heart is not exactly broken since there has been evidence for some time that her marriage was in trouble, evidence she has struggled to deny, Madeline is humiliated. After a brief exchange with her husband Maxime, a pragmatic, ambitious Frenchman who offers no excuses and asks no pardon for his behavior, Madeline leaves New York behind and retreats to Shelter Bay, Oregon, and Lavender Hill Farm where her grandmother brought up the young Maddy after her parents were killed.

Lucas Chaffee, a former Navy SEAL medic, has returned to Shelter Bay to bury his father at sea in a place that had served as a summer sanctuary for father and son during some rough times. Lucas and Duncan Chaffee, a renowned architect, had plans to go into business together after Lucas left the Navy and Duncan retired. They were going to restore houses up and down the West coast. Lucas has his state contractor’s license and is set to go when his father’s death puts an end to that dream. Sofia DeLuca, who befriended the Chaffee father and son when Lucas was a young teen, knowing Lucas is at loose ends, asks his help in remodeling Lavender Hill Farm to include a restaurant. If Sofia, who has little faith that her granddaughter’s marriage to Maxime will prove lasting, harbors hopes that Lucas and Maddy, who were once in love, will get together, she’s not telling.

Lucas broke Maddy’s heart ten years ago. She’s never forgotten the wonder of first love, the pain of its end, or the man responsible for both. The last thing she wants as she tries to decide where she’s going with her career and her personal life is Lucas Chaffee around confusing her, and she lets him know in graphic terms what she thinks of him. Lucas knows it won’t be easy to win Maddy’s heart again, but he’s determined enough to tell the truth about what broke them up, grovel as much as necessary, and announce from the get go that he has marriage in mind. Rebuilding a friendship and reigniting an attraction prove easier than Lucas thought, but even love might not be enough to persuade Maddy to risk marriage again.

On Lavender Lane is the third in Ross’s Shelter Bay series, following One Summer and The Homecoming. Shelter Bay has become one of my favorite fictional small towns. The series has many of the qualities that made me fall in love with Robyn Carr’s Virgin River books: a town that seems real and likeable, recurring secondary characters who ground the community, and tough ex-military heroes with tender hearts. Since reunion romances are my favorites, I loved the premise of this one. Since Maxime is such a super jerk, I wasn’t even bothered by the fact that Maddy is involved with Lucas before she is technically a free woman. I was especially pleased that before she thinks of building a life with Lucas, Maddy discovers who she is and how she has allowed Maxime to turn her into Madeline, a person quite different from chef and the woman Maddy wanted to become. I loved Lucas—his determination, his charm, his willingness to do whatever he needed to do to prove himself to Maddy—and I loved Scout, Lucas’s PTSD-suffering dog.  Most of the secondary characters add interest to the story without distracting from the central relationship. I enjoyed seeing the couples from earlier books and characters whose stories I hope to hear more of in future books.

All that kept On Lavender Lane from being a five-star read for me was the subplot. Interesting and important on its own merits, it just never seemed to fit into the main plot smoothly. I felt as if it jerked me out of the story in which I was most invested, and the tie-in with Maddy and Lucas’s story seemed forced, thinly developed, and unnecessary. Despite this complaint, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of small-town romances. The opening sentence alone is enough to make me glad I read the book: “Madeline Durand was braising short ribs in an Omaha department store when her husband’s sex video went viral.”

On Lavender Lane can be read as a standalone, but I recommend all three books. As for me, I’m ready for Book 4, Moonshell Beach, scheduled for release in July.

~Janga

Review - - Colorado Dawn

Colorado Dawn
Runaway Brides - Book 2
By Kaki Warner
Publisher:  Berkley Sensation
Release Date:  January 3, 2012

















Englishwoman Maddie Wallace had high hopes when she married dashing Scottish cavalry officer, Angus Wallace but after only two letters and one visit during their six-year marriage, Maddie has had enough.  Tired of being looked down upon by the Wallace family for being English, virtually abandoned by her husband and feeling alone in the world, when Maddie returns to England to settle her parents' affairs following their sudden deaths she decides to follow her passion for photography and embark upon a new life.  Posing as a widow, she accepts an assignment from a London paper to photograph the American West, leaving her absent husband and her old life far behind.

All Angus (Ash) Wallace has ever wanted is to be a soldier but when a serious injury forces him out of the military after a long career he returns home to Scotland to discover that everything he left behind has changed.  He's now heir to an earldom he never wanted and the sweet wife he expected to welcome him home with open arms has decamped to another continent.  Determined to reclaim her, Ash sails to America then tracks his wife to Heartbreak Creek, Colorado, confident in his ability to bring Maddie home to Scotland and set about siring some heirs.  After all, he's commanded military troops for years.  How much trouble can one wife be?  As we come to discover in this story, quite a bit!  What he finds is an independent woman, surrounded by a "family" of her own making while pursuing the career that gives her life meaning in a wild, challenging, soul-inspiring land.  His quest to reclaim his wife is suddenly fraught with complications Ash could never have envisioned. 

As the two spend time together, sharing thoughts and dreams that they never had time to talk about before and revealing secrets that change each of their perspectives on the early years of their marriage they gradually come to realize that the feelings they held for one another have not gone away.  In fact, they've grown stronger but the issues that keep them apart still remain.

     Laughter showed in his eyes.  "I've missed you, Maddie, so I have."  His smile faded into something raw and unfamiliar to her.  "Dinna run from me again, lass.  I couldna bear it."
     Tears pressed behind her eyes.  Biding time until they passed, she traced a fingertip over his lips.  "I didn't run.  I drifted away.  And you let me."
     "I ken I was wrong.  But I'll not be doing that again.  I swear it."
      In that unguarded moment, she glimpsed the brash, handsome, young man who had captured her heart six years ago.  Who held it captive still.
      Yet, nothing had changed.

Will Ash be able to earn Maddie's trust that he won't abandon her again?  Will they be able to reconcile Maddie's bone-deep need for her photography with Ash's duty to the earldom?  Once Ash sees for himself how much Maddie's photography means to her and feels the emotions conveyed through her unique talent, will he be able to bring himself to take that away from her by insisting they return to Scotland even though duty to his family demands just that?  For English and Scottish society would never allow her to continue taking photos, the craft that brings her such happiness, as illustrated in this passage between Angus and Mr. Satterwhite, the elderly man who accompanies Maddie on her photographic excursions into the mountains.

      "You'll kill her."
       Ash blinked, "I'll what?"
      "Missy has a kind and gentle heart.  You can see it in every picture she makes.  It's in the way she looks at the world.  Hell, in the way she looks at me - a broken-down old man with eyes that make children duck behind their mother's skirts.  She sees beauty in us all.  And you would take that away from her."
      "Haud yer wheesht!" Ash shouted, his accent getting away from him.  "I wouldna dae any sech thing!"
      "You take away her photography, you take away her joy.  Is that what you want?"

Set against the ruggedly majestic backdrop of the Colorado Rockies, Kaki Warner has written a stellar addition to her Runaway Brides historical western series. Filled with passion, adventure, heartbreak and humor, Colorado Dawn is a story that had me sighing, crying, holding my breath and laughing out loud.  Warner has the ability to pull me into her stories, making me care for her characters; investing my emotions in their happiness.  I adored Ash and Maddie!  Ash is a wonderfully complex hero; one of my recent favorites.  As a military man of many years, his "take charge" personality and black/white point of view are firmly ingrained yet he has gentle, nuturing layers and a well-hidden vulnerability that are gradually revealed as well as a terrific sense of humor. I had to chuckle at the poor guy's attempts to apply his military tactics to civilians.  It worked with his troops so why not his wife or Edwina and Declan's family of unruly children?  Watching his confusion when they ignored him and went on their merry way or answered his orders with a chorus of "why's" was such fun.  After existing in the shadow of Ash's family for so many years, it's immensely satisfying to watch Maddie grow and find her place in the world.  I was so proud of her, applauding her courage and the woman she had become yet my heart ached for how she was torn between her love for Ash and the new life she had carved out of the Colorado wilderness.  I honestly didn't know how Warner was going to work out the issue between Ash and Maddie but I should have had faith for work it out she did and to my immense satisfaction.

Characters from Heartbreak Creek (first in this series) are seemlessly woven into the fabric of Colorado Dawn, figuring prominently in Ash and Maddie's relationship and setting the stage for the next book in the series.  As in the first book, the friendship among the four women (Edwina, Prudence, Maddie and Lucinda) continues to have a prominent role in their lives.  Declan and Thomas have been good friends for years and have a protective interest in all four women which makes the entry of Ash, a new and unknown entity thrown into the middle of their "manly midst", especially fun to read.  Prudence and Thomas's relationship also progresses in this book and has me anxiously awaiting the rest of their story (which began in Heartbreak Creek).

Kaki Warner has published five books and I have loved each and every one of them.  Her excellent writing (as evidenced by two RITA nominations and one win last year) continues to improve with each book she pens.  If she keeps getting better, I may have to create a special rating just for her!  If you love sweeping, character-driven stories set in the American West that are filled with adventure,  humor and deeply satisfying emotion then any book by Kaki Warner is the book for you.

As each of Kaki's books within a series builds on the previous book, I strongly recommend reading Heartbreak Creek (read Janga's review here) first followed by Colorado Dawn.

~PJ

Hot Dish

As I pondered how to start off a new year of Hot Dishes, my mind wondered back to my girlhood days. Thinking about the crushes I had as a girl brought a smile to face. Once particular crush has stayed with me throughout the years. It was the early 1980s when I first saw this gorgeous man. He was a young actor on a daytime soap opera and he took my breath away. It wasn't just that he was nice looking, had great hair and beautiful eyes. Nope, it was his smile that won me from the start. And that smile is still there. Personally, I believe that John Stamos has aged quite well!!!

So, dear reader, do you have a girlhood crush that still makes your heart beat a little faster? I would love to hear about it!

~ Buffie

Review - - Rainshadow Road

Rainshadow Road

By Lisa Kleypas

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date:  February 28, 2012

Sometimes a single event can alter the course of a person's life.  For Lucy Marinn, everything changed when her younger sister,  Alice was rushed to the hospital with meningitis.  Overnight, the dynamic of her family shifted.  Seven year old Lucy became the responsible daughter while Alice was coddled; her every need met, every misdeed excused.  But while that fateful day re-defined the roles of the members of Lucy's family, it also introduced her to that which would become the passion of her life:  the mystery and magic of glass.

Now an adult, Lucy is a successful glass artist in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island off the coast of Washington where she lives with her boyfriend.  She's had a rocky romantic history - she admittedly has trust issues - but is happy and secure in her relationship with Kevin...until the day he blindsides her with the news that he wants her to move out so he can move on with his new love:  her sister, Alice!  Lucy moves in with friends and attempts to heal from this double betrayal.  As you can imagine, this is the worst possible time for a new man to enter her life which is, of course, when she meets Sam Nolan.

A local vineyard owner and wine maker, Sam is one of the good guys. With a hunky body, nerdy brain, great sense of humor and heart as big as the ocean, he's a loyal friend, generous lover and dedicated bachelor.  Growing up with alcoholic parents has soured him on marriage and convinced him that he's not husband and father material though anyone who observes him with the young orphaned niece he's helping to raise would disagree. Still, it's what Sam believes that drives his life and, ultimately, his relationship with Lucy.

When Lucy is injured in an accident and her friends are unable to care for her, Sam brings her to recover at the house he shares with his brother and niece.  The enforced proximity gives Lucy and Sam the opportunity to get to know one another without the expectations or pressures of a dating relationship.  As their friendship deepens; as secrets are revealed and dreams are shared, their feelings for one another also grow and deepen, with vastly different reactions.  Will they be able to overcome beliefs and fears deeply rooted in their childhood experiences and give love a chance? 

One of the things I most enjoy about Lisa Kleypas is her ability to create realistic family relationships.  Sam and Lucy are products of their family experiences, both good and bad.  Issues are not sugar coated but are expertly woven into the fabric of their lives, making them complex, interesting people.  I liked them both.  I ached for them, laughed with them; cheered for the fulfillment of their dreams, their love, their happiness. 

The secondary characters only add to the charm and complexity of this story.  From goodhearted bikers to loyal girlfriends to family members who we love even when we don't like them very much; they add depth to the story while providing insight into the two main characters.  I hope we'll see some of them again in Crystal Cove, Sam's younger brother, Alex's story. 

From the setting to the characters to the touch of magic that filled my heart with a sense of wonder, Rainshadow Road has earned a place on my keeper shelf where, like a treasured friend, it will be valued and visited often. 

~PJ

Disclaimer:  I am one of "Lisa's Divas" - a group of select fans who share info and content related to Lisa's novels and get sneak peeks and swag.  However, every review that I write, whether I purchase the book or receive an advance copy from the author or publisher, reflects my unbiased opinion.

New Releases winner!

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

Christy P (comment #16)

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

Tawny Weber Winner

The winner of a signed copy of Sex, Lies and Midnight by Tawny Weber is



runner10



Congratulations! Please send your full name and mailing address to Tawny at

tawnyATtawnyweberDOTcom

so she can get your signed copy in the mail to you ASAP.

Make Your Reservations!

It's time again to mark your calendars and Make Your Reservations for February! Here are some of the books we are looking forward to next month. Are any of these upcoming books on your list? If so, which ones?

A Lady Never Surrenders
By Sabrina Jeffries

When the youngest Sharpe sister hatches a plan to gain marriage offers, the straight-laced Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter knows he'll do whatever it takes to ruin her scheme...

Lady Celia Sharpe hopes that if she can garner offers of marriage from several eligible gentlemen and show her grandmother she is capable of gaining a husband, she can convince Gran to rescind the marriage ultimatum for her. And if that plan doesn’t work, at least she’ll have a husband lined up. But Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter seems determined to ruin her plans by disapproving of every suitor she asks him to investigate. It’s only when she and Jackson work together to solve her parents’ murders, plunging them both into danger, that she realizes why--because the only man he wants her to marry is himself!

(Pocket)


*******

Celebrity in Death
By J.D. Robb

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no party girl, but she's managing to have a reasonably good time at the celebrity-packed bash celebrating The Icove Agenda, a film based on one of her famous cases. It's a little spooky seeing the actress playing her, who looks almost like her long-lost twin. Not as unsettling, though, as seeing the actress who plays Peabody drowned in the lap pool on the roof of the director's luxury building. Now she's at the center of a crime scene-and Eve is more than ready to get out of her high heels and strap on her holster and step into the role she was born to play: cop.

(Putnam Adult)


*******

A Scandalous Countess
By Jo Beverley

Lady May is back. And so is the scandal that sent her tumbling from her position as the toast of London, when her husband, the Earl of Maybury, was killed in a duel. Even a year of mourning hasn't quieted the rumors of her infidelity.

Georgia Maybury is determined to regain her position in the beau monde, but a scarred ex-naval officer threatens her plans...

(Signet)


*******

The House on Butterfly Way
By Elizabeth Bevarly

Once upon a time, in Manitou Hills, there was a home so radiant and vivacious it was christened with its own name: Fleurissant. Now it's in ruins, forgotten and neglected-except by a woman who sees her own life reflected in the broken windows of that house on Butterfly Way...

As a child, from afar, Eugenie Dashner loved Fleurissant and the elegant, youthful fantasies it provided. Now, with a failed marriage behind her, a troubled son at her side, and a contentious and bitter mother to care for, Eugenie returns to the Louisville neighborhood of Manitou Hills to fulfill a dream: buy and renovate the house that once meant so much to her, and maybe, in the process, rebuild her own life.

Day by day, as the house reveals more and more of its forgotten beauty, Eugenie sees her dream come to fruition-especially when the attentions of two men help to reawaken in her feelings of romance and passion she thought were gone forever. As she navigates her rediscovered emotions, Eugenie comes to realize that there is no such thing as irreparable damage-not in herself, not in the house on Butterfly Way, and not in the family who now calls it home...

(Berkley)


*******

The Duchess Diaries
By Jillian Hunter

As headmistress of the Scarfield Academy for Young Ladies, Miss Charlotte Boscastle is tasked with keeping her charges free from notoriety. But when Charlotte's diary goes missing, she can't imagine having her most intimate secrets fall into the wrong hands.

Although the confessions in the diary he found spark his interest, the Duke of Wynfield has every intention of returning the journal. But when Gideon's encounter with Charlotte takes on an unexpectedly passionate nature, his indiscretion causes a scandal that only marriage can cure...

(Signet)


*******

One Book in the Grave
By Kate Carlisle

Brooklyn's chance to restore a rare first edition of Beauty and the Beast seems a fairy tale come true-until she realizes the book last belonged to an old friend of hers. Ten years ago, Max Adams fell in love with a stunning beauty, Emily, and gave her the copy of Beauty and the Beast as a symbol of their love. Soon afterward, he died in a car crash, and Brooklyn has always suspected his possessive ex-girlfriend and her jealous beau.

Now she decided to find out who sold the book and return it to its rightful owner-Emily. With the help of her handsome boyfriend, Derek Stone, Brooklyn must unravel a murder plot-before she ends up in a plot herself...

(Signet)


*******

How to Dance with a Duke
By Manda Collins

What’s a wallflower to do when she’s suddenly in need of a husband? Use all the pluck and moxie she can muster to get what she wants...

Miss Cecily Hurston would much rather explore the antiquities of Egypt than the uncharted territory of marriage. But the rules of her father’s exclusive academic society forbid her entrance unless she weds one of its members. To clear her ailing father’s name of a scandalous rumor, Cecily needs to gain admission into the Egyptian Club—and is willing to marry any old dullard to do it.

Lucas Dalton, Duke of Winterson, is anything but dull. He’s a dashing and decorated war hero determined to help Cecily—even if that means looking the other way when she claims the dance card of Amelia Snow, this season’s most sought-after beauty. But Lucas has a reason for wanting Cecily to join the Egyptian Club: His brother went missing during one of Lord Hurston’s expeditions to Egypt. An alliance with the explorer’s bluestocking daughter could bring Lucas closer to the truth about what happened...or it could lead him to a more dangerous love than either he or Cecily could have imagined...

(St. Martin's)


*******

A Town Called Valentine
By Emma Cane

Welcome to Valentine Valley—where broken hearts come home to mend, and true love may lie just across the range...

Emily Murphy never thought she’d return to her mom’s rustic hometown in the Colorado Mountains. But after her marriage in San Francisco falls apart, leaving her penniless and heartsick, she returns to her old family home to find a new direction for her life. On her first night back, though, a steamy encounter with handsome rancher Nate Thalberg is not the fresh start she had in mind...

Nate has good reason not to trust the determined beauty who just waltzed into town—he’s no stranger to betrayal. Besides, she’s only there to sell her family’s old property and move back out. But as Nate and Emily begin working side-by-side to restore her time-worn building and old family secrets change Emily’s perception of herself, both are about to learn how difficult it is to hide from love in a place known far and wide for romance, family ties, and happily-ever-afters: a town called Valentine.

(Avon)

Guest Review - - A Place Called Home

A Place Called Home

By Jo Goodman

Publisher: Zebra

Release Date: December 6, 2011

Gabe and Kathy Reasoner are killed in an automobile accident, leaving their three children, eleven-year-old Emilie and her five-year-old twin brothers Case and Grant, to the joint guardianship of Thea Wyndham and Mitchell Baker. Neither is prepared to become an instant parent. Thea, an advertising executive who works long hours, is engaged to a wealthy man three decades her senior. He has adult children and grandchildren and no interest in being a father again. Mitch, a political cartoonist whose girlfriend is a decade younger than he, just isn’t ready to settle down. Regardless of their reservations, the children must be cared for.

Since Mitch works from home, lives in the same community that the children lived in with their parents, and has a strong support system that includes his parents, who already look upon the Reasoner children as surrogate grandchildren, and because Thea insists she cannot take them, the children live with Mitch. Thea plans to contribute financially and visit occasionally. Mitch makes clear her monetary support is unnecessary and unwanted, and Emilie, Case, and Grant soon capture her heart so completely that occasional becomes frequent.

As Mitch and Thea begin to work together to care for the children who love and need them both, the attraction that has simmered in the face of their denial for ten years becomes more powerful. At the same time, the two are growing to know each other and to like and respect what they learn. Mitch is a born nurturer, and Thea, despite her fear that she cannot be an adequate parent, interacts with Emilie and the twins with patience and understanding. Soon Thea has broken her engagement, and Mitch and his girlfriend agree to go their separate ways. But Thea’s past and the secrets she holds close may prove an insurmountable barrier to a happily ever after.

The complex characters, compelling storytelling, and emotional power that readers have praised in Goodman’s historical romances are much in evidence in her debut work in contemporary romance. Mitch is a wonderful hero—a sexy beta with a sense of humor, a deep fund of tenderness, and just enough guy edges to keep him real. I fell in love with him almost immediately. I was slower to warm up to Thea. She is reserved and controlled. The reasons for her uncertainties are revealed gradually, and so the sympathy that her story would elicit is delayed. She joins the list of Goodman’s tortured heroines, and her tortured past that impacts her present is disturbingly indicative of real life.

I loved watching the relationship develop between the two of them, and I especially loved that Goodman took what might have become a Big Misunderstanding that left me wanting to delete a chunk of the story and turned it into an opportunity for insight and provocation for the Declaration. That moment is balanced later by a sigh-worthy proposal scene. I also applaud Goodman for not treating Thea’s problems simplistically.

Emilie, Case, and Grant and their relationships to Thea and Mitch are as important as the H/H relationship in this novel. These children are not cardboard figures but believable kids who behave in age-appropriate ways in their reactions to their parents’ deaths and their interactions with one another. Goodman uses scenes with the children to reveal truths about her protagonists as well. The love scenes are wonderfully crafted with plenty of heat, vulnerability, and some delightful flashes of humor, but as terrific as these scenes are, many of my favorite scenes were those involving the children. In one scene Thea proves groundless her fears that she can’t be what the children need. A typical sibling exchange results in a moment that reminds Emilie and the twins that their parents are gone forever. Emilie rushes for the sanctuary of her room, and Thea follows her.

“Oh my, Em. You are wise to the ways of the world.” Thea’s hand touched Emilie’s hair, smoothing the heavy lock that came just under her chin. “I suppose it is a little bit like a bribe. Here’s another one.” She raised the tin of bandages. “Grant was bringing these up to you. I told him your heart was hurting. He thought one or all these would help.”

When Emilie closed her eyes this time tears were squeezed out of the corners. She immediately buried her face again. “Boys are so stupid.”

Thea’s voice was gentle. “Sometimes they are. Just like girls can be stupid. But I thought this was sweet. He’s only five, Emilie, but he knows he doesn’t want his sister hurting.” She rubbed Emilie’s back. “You and I know it doesn’t change anything, but Grant’s offer is genuine. Won’t you take one?”

Thea opened the tin and began looking through it. “Here’s Wonder Woman. Do you want that one?”

Emilie shrugged.

“You know who she is, don’t you?” There was a small negative shake this time. Thea’s response was something between a choked laugh and a sigh as she realized the truth. “These are Mitch’s.” At Emilie’s nod, Thea simply shook her head. “Boys are stupid.”

Giggling, Emilie turned on her back, her smile a trifle watery. She took the bandage that Thea was dangling over her head and peeled back the paper.

Thea reached for the pink tissue box on Emilie’s nightstand. “You’re going to wear it?”

“Right here.” She pointed to her forearm which was covered by the long sleeve of her pink tee. “Isn’t that right? Don’t some people wear their heart on their sleeve?”

Thea used the first tissue out of the box for her own damp eyes.

Wonderful!

I did find the plot point involving two secondary characters a bit too neat and convenient, but that’s a very minor quibble in a book that is a definite winner. If you are a Jo Goodman fan, I feel confident that you’ll like this book. If you’ve never read Goodman, what are you waiting for? You’re missing out on one of the best writers in the business. I’d mourn if Goodman forsook historicals, but A Place Called Home has me hoping that she will write more contemporaries as well.

~Janga

The Teen Menu

Welcome to 2012, otherwise known as the year The Hunger Games hits theaters! (Yes, I'm anxiously awaiting March.) I'm sure it's going to be another wonderful year here on The Romance Dish. I know we're going to have lots of great YA news and book reviews in my monthly Teen Menu posts. So let's get started.

YA News

Speaking of The Hunger Games, there's an awesome new movie poster out now. Lionsgate, the film's distributor, held an online scavenger hunt to find pieces of the poster. Once assembled, it's way cool. What do you think of it?

Universal Pictures recently acquired the rights to YA novel Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I've not read this book yet, but I've seen it in stores.

Paramount Pictures has acquired the screen rights to Colleen Houck's Tiger's Curse. This is another book on my to-read list. It got a lot of buzz at the beginning of 2011.


YA Reviews

This past month, I managed to read a very enjoyable YA book during all the holiday craziness. Ashfall by Mike Mullin is the first in a post-apocalyptic series about Alex, a teenage boy from Iowa, and what he endures after the supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park explodes, sending the planet into a prolonged winter with no sunlight. I've always loved stories of survival and that's what Ashfall is at its core. Alex, who was home alone when the volcano erupted, sets off on a journey to Illinois to find his parents and younger sister, who had gone to visit Alex's uncle. Along the way, he meets people who help him and others who are a threat to his very life.

When the way we are used to living is sent into chaos, man quickly descends into basic survival mode. With no electricity, dipping temperatures, air that's dangerous to breathe, no way to travel other than on foot, and the constant search for food and water, Ashfall is an edge-of-your-seat read. It's one part scary and one part hopeful, particularly when Alex finds people who haven't lost their humanity or kindness in the midst of the eruption's aftermath. He has to grow up fast and learns there's more strength in him than he ever knew. He also finds an unexpected friend, and perhaps more, when Darla, a teenage girl, and her mother nurse him back to health after he's injured by one of the people bent on taking whatever the want however they can.

The sequel to Ashfall, Ashen Winter, is scheduled to be released in October.

Today's Special -- Tawny Weber

What a great way to start the New Year, welcoming Tawny Weber back to The Romance Dish. Tawny, one of the fabulous Romance Bandits and Harlequin Blaze author extraordinaire knows how to have fun, and we are happy she's here to share some with all of us. Her Undercover Ops series is smokin' hot! Sex, Lies, and Mistletoe kicked off the series with a bang. Read my review here. And book 2, Sex, Lies and Midnight is just as steamy. See my review here. Please join us and say a big hello to Tawny!

Oh, Those Resolutions!

Here we are, a little more than a week into the New Year! How’s it going for you? There’s something so energizing about the New Year. It might be that exhausted fog that fills our head after the craziness of the holidays, or maybe just the knowledge that the candy canes are all gone and the decorations tucked away. Or maybe it’s the idea of a clean slate – a brand new year with a chance to make things a little different. To change it up. To, you know, achieve the big goals.

Lose weight. Take time to relax. Quit this or that bad habit. Finish writing a book. Save money. Manage time better. Quit eating dessert (but why?!?) Otherwise known this time of year as resolutions. You know how those go. “I resolve to finally do that one thing I know I should do, that’s really good for me, but never quite manage. And I resolve that this is the year it’s going to happen.” Then we call up all our willpower and resolve, and make it happen. Or, well, not.

Resolutions are a funny thing. My heroine, Maya, in Sex, Lies and Midnight, resolved when she left the small town of Black Oak that she’d never return. She was so insistent that she was through with her old life—and never going back—that she even changed her last name to disassociate herself further from that life, and from her father. She had a really good reason for this resolution, and being a strong woman with a major stubborn streak, she was able to keep it. Now, just between us, it might have been anger rather than willpower that kept her going the first year or so, but by then her new life was established, so it was easier to keep on with it.

And she did manage to keep on with that resolution for quite a few years. She lived her new life, the one she thought she should live. She did the day in, day out thing quite successfully. And never was really happy. Then she had to make a choice. Did she go back home to save her father from what she was sure would be a miserable, humiliating experience? Or did she stick with her resolution and stay away? And what could make the entire situation easier? Hmm, maybe a boy toy distraction? *g* Enter Simon, with his own agenda and a whole lot of sexy hotness to help her make the decision. Now, I might be biased (after all, I had a hand in making Maya’s decision) but I think breaking her resolution to never go back to Black Oak was a fabulous choice. Sometimes, resolutions are made to be broke, right?

So here’s my question to you. Do you think resolutions are the things we want to do? Really really want to, because it’ll make us happy? Are they big things that will make a positive impact in our life, but that we have to work toward in small steps for a long (long long long) time. Or do you see resolutions as those things we think we should do. The ones that we know are good for us, that will have a positive effect on our life, but don’t necessarily excite us.

Did you set any New Year’s resolutions? Have you in the past and have you kept them? Or, like Maya, kept them for awhile, until life changed.

I’ll offer an autographed copy of SEX, LIES AND MIDNIGHT to one random commenter today – so please, hang out, share your resolutions and chat with me!

Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy stories for Harlequin Blaze since her first book hit the shelves in 2007. When not obsessing over deadlines, she’s shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking or hanging out on Facebook and Twitter. Come by and visit her on the web at www.tawnyweber.com

In December of 2011 Tawny launched her Undercover Ops series with SEX, LIES AND MISTLETOE. The second book in the series, SEX, LIES & MIDNIGHT is on shelves in January 2012, quickly followed in February by SEX, LIES & VALENTINES. You can read the first chapter of SEX, LIES & MIDNIGHT on her website, too – all you have to do is join the Reader LoveFest! Be sure to follow Tawny on her Holiday Survival Tour as she celebrates these three books with tons of fun and a chance for readers to win a $100 giftcard!

Review -- Sex, Lies, and Midnight

Sex, Lies, and Midnight
Undercover Operatives, Book 2
By Tawny Weber
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Release Date: December 20, 2011

He’s lying. She’s lying. And before long, they’re lying.
Together. In bed…

Born into a con artist family, Maya Black abandoned the grifting life to live on the straight and narrow (and somewhat dull) years ago. But when her family is threatened—and the swindlers are on the verge of becoming the swindled— Maya swings into action. All she needs is a stand-in boyfriend, and the charming, tasty-as-sin Simon Barton will do quite nicely, thanks.

But Simon has a little lie of his own. He’s FBI, and Maya is his inside track to her less-savory relations. It’s a mutual using, which quickly turns into a scorching mutual attraction. In fact, their naughty little sexcapades are the only thing they aren’t faking!

Maya hasn't been back home to Black Oak in years. Although she loves her family and would do anything for them, she can't handle any more disappointment and disillusionment when it comes to her con artist father, Tobias Black. A daddy's girl she may be, but Maya's heart can't handle any more. After a phone call from her older brother Caleb inviting her to come home for his engagement party, Maya doesn't think anything else can shock her. But when she gets another call from her former high school best friend who tells here that she and Tobias are on the verge of getting engaged, too, Maya sees red and is determined to head to Black Oak before all hell breaks loose. But first, she needs a man to pose as her boyfriend, so her family and the rest of the citizens of Black Oak don't think she can commit.

FBI agent Simon Barton has information that Tobias Black is running stolen weapons through his motorcycle shop in Black Oak. Simon knows that if he can bring Tobias down his career in the FBI is on the fast track. He can't help but be attracted to the sexy, sassy Maya Black, so when she asks him to pose as her boyfriend, he sees it as a win/win situation; he gets to spend time with Maya and he gets to possibly bust her old man. But the more he gets to see the real Maya---and see every inch of her!---Simon begins to feel more than a little guilty that she has no idea that he might be the one to finally bring Tobias Black down. So what should matter most to Simon, his career or the woman he's falling in love with?


Simon's body screamed in pleasure. Passion, way out of line for such a simple kiss, demanded release. His muscles tensed as he forced himself to not grab her and find a dark corner to explore just how good this could get.

Having to grab control before he went over the edge, he pulled his mouth from hers. Her eyes were closed, thick dark lashes curving over the tops of her cheeks. She took a deep breath and slowly lifted those lashes.

Absolutely crazy. Breathless, Simon stared into her deep, golden eyes and wondered if she was the answer to his prayers. Or the curse that would finally take him down.


Picking up where Sex, Lies and Mistletoe left off, Sex, Lies and Midnight continues to reveal more about the fascinating Black family and the people of Black Oak. A little intrigue, a dash of humor and a heaping helping of heat is what you get. Maya and Simon practically set the pages on fire! If you need to warm up on a cold winter's night, Sex, Lies and Midnight is just what the doctor ordered.

~ Gannon


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