Today's Special - - Barbara O'Neal

It's such an honor to have Barbara O'Neal visit with us today!  This multi-award winning author (she's won SIX RITAS!) recently took time from her busy schedule to answer a few questions for PJ.   Let's find out more about  Barbara's new book and what keeps her busy when she's not writing those award-winning stories.

Welcome to the Romance Dish, Barbara!  It’s such a pleasure to have you with us today.  Congratulations on the release of The Garden of Happy Endings.  Please share with our readers what they can expect from this book.

Thanks so much for having me--I’m very excited about this book.  The Garden of Happy Endings is a story about second chances and starting over and the power of nature and spirituality to heal terrible wounds.  Sisters Elsa and Tamsin are two very different women thrown together when each faces a crisis--there is love from the past, and the possibilities of love in the present, and the enduring power of a marriage that has fallen apart.  I love this book--it was very challenging book to write, but in the end, I felt deeply proud of the result. 

As an animal lover and “mom” to two big dogs, I love the role animals play in your stories.  Are the dogs featured in your books a product of your imagination or based on dogs you’ve known?  We’d love to hear about the animals who share your life!

Most of the dogs in my books are based at least in part on the dogs I have known in my life.  Being able to write about them gives me a chance to extend their lives, share their fantastic-ness with other people.  Charlie, in GARDEN, is based on a dog I used to hike with. He was a giant of a flat-coat retriever--smart and exuberant and wonderful.  I loved  writing about him in this book.   My own dog is a chow-and-no-one-knows mix, Jack.  He's a curious mix of stalwart shepherd who will not come down the stairs in the morning until all of us (including all three cats) have also come down and terrified neurotic who once went through a plate glass window in his fear over fireworks.  He's also a very, very pretty dog.  Everywhere I go people comment on his beauty.  

We also have three cats.  It always makes me feel like a bad mom not to mention them.  Rafael and Gabriella arrived as twin tuxedo siblings when I was just getting into GARDEN, and they definitely are in the text if you look. 

Janga (who recently reviewed THE GARDEN OF HAPPY ENDNGS for us) has a question:  Your characters always fully engage me – head and heart – from the first pages and haunt me after I close the book.  What’s your secret for creating such memorable, deeply human characters? 

This review was so incredibly gorgeous, I honestly got tears in my eyes reading it. So thank you for that.  

I don't always know exactly how to answer this question.  My stories are very much based in the characters who show up on the stage of my imagination, and they reveal themselves as I write--showing flaws and virtues and secrets I never suspected until I'm well underway.  For example, I didn't realize that Elsa and Joaquin had walked the Camino until we were well into the book. I didn’t realize he would be so challenged by her return, either.  That was all very interesting. 

You’ve written books in a variety of sub-genres, under three different names and won multiple awards including six RITAs and another RITA nomination this year for HOW TO BAKE A PERFECT LIFE.   Congratulations!  How do the emotions surrounding this latest nomination compare to the first one?  Do all those lovely ladies have a special place of honor in your home?

The emotion of being nominated for a RITA never wanes for me. If I get a call, I’m overwhelmed and thrilled and teary-eyed.  That might sound like a saccharine, canned answer, but I assure you it is true.  It really means a lot to me to be able to please a body of my peers.  

I keep the RITAs in a row on a bookcase in my office. 

I’m fascinated by the fact that you’re a long distance walker who has walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Compestela, a collection of old pilgrimage routes that cover Europe.  How did you get into this activity?  Will you tell us about your trek on the Camino de Santiago Compestela?  Any advice for readers who may want to try long distance walking?  

Walking part of the Camino in 2010 was a profoundly stirring and enriching experience.  It was something I'd had on my bucket list for about five years--I ached to visit Spain, had read a lot about the Camino because I did a medieval novel about a pilgrimage (A Winter Ballad), and I love that kind of long, long walk.  A friend of mine knew I loved it, and when she said a group of her friends were going, I leapt at the invitation.  (Same friend and I are talking about a second trip, to walk the entire route, in 2013.) 

I'd actually torn the meniscus in my left knee just before I left, but I knew if I had any treatment for it, they'd tell me what a bad idea it was, so I went anyway and hobbled along in braces the whole way.  It made me feel like a medieval pilgrim in a way!

This was my third long-distance walk--the first was 100 miles in the French Alps, an experience that changed everything in my life, quite literally.  

The benefits are many. Walking is human speed--you can see what you're passing.  You hear the birds.  You have breath to talk to others along the route, and time to think about yourself, your life, the world, books, God, life--everything.  AND you can eat a ton at the end of the day because you've burned thousands of calories.   I'd advice anyone who wants to try it to find some walking groups in your area, or sign up for one of the charity walks, like Avon's Breast Cancer walk, and start training with others.  You'll find out that way if it is something you like.

What an amazing experience!  I can't imagine anyone undertaking those long distance walks and not being changed in some way.  Have to admit, I also like that "eating a ton at the end of the day" part! ;-)  


What are you working on now?

I'm currently working on my next book for Bantam, about a group of food bloggers and an organic farm. The research has been obscenely fun.   

That's my kind of research!  


Where can readers find you on the internet? 

Facebook:  facebook/BarbaraSamuelONeal

Twitter: twitter/barbaraoneal

Website: www.barbaraoneal.com

Note:  Barbara is also a regular blogger at thegoddessblogs.com 

Do you have a question for our readers?

I’d love to know if you’ve ever grown a garden that healed you of a wrong or a sorrow or a broken heart? 

Kate Noble winner!

The random winner of a copy of IF I FALL by Kate Noble is:

cheryl c
Congratulations, Cheryl! Please send your full name and address to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom with "Kate Noble winner" as the subject and I'll forward your info to Kate. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Review -- The Art of Duke Hunting

The Art of Duke Hunting
Royal Entourage—Book 2
By Sophia Nash
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 27, 2012

Roman Montagu, Duke of Norwich, comes from a long line of cursed dukes. And it’s all thanks to an accused witch and a “half dozen ill-plucked water fowl”. The previous dukes died because of or near a duck or ducks. Thus, the dukes are nicknamed the Duke of Duck. Roman is the seventeenth duke, and he prefers the moniker “Seventeen”. Because of the curse, Roman avoids being on or around open waters—which is exactly where he ends up after a night of carousing with the Royal Entourage. A night in which he remembers absolutely nothing, including how he came aboard a dreaded ship that ends up in the middle of a storm.

Widowed Esme March, Lady Derby, is on her way to Vienna to exercise her artistic passion when she spies a lone man struggling out on the deck amongst the violent gusts of wind and sea spray. He doesn’t seem to be fully conscious, so she helps him to the safe confines of her cabin. There, she recognizes him as the man she was instantly smitten with years before. She tends to him and the two share a heated encounter that leaves them both a bit disconcerted. The moment they finally arrive back in London, the Prince Regent has them immediately brought to Carlton House. Just as Prinny has ordered the other dukes of the Royal Entourage to marry (in order for the Crown to save face after their infamous night of debauchery), so must Roman. Esme and Roman marry, but can they make a happy life together out of a marriage of convenience?

The Art of Duke Hunting is the second book in Sophia Nash’s Royal Entourage series featuring six scandalous dukes who experience the ultimate hangover and ensuing consequences after a bachelor party goes awry. In this one, she has created two well-developed characters that not only have their own personal issues to work through, but mutual ones as well. Esme is a completely selfless woman who hides her true emotions and presents a calm front to the world. She loved her husband and vice versa, but he drank himself to death. Naturally, she feels as if he didn’t love her enough to stop drinking so much. So, she immerses herself in her art. Roman picks up on her façade and coaxes her to come out of her shell. But because he believes his days are numbered and has no desire to pass the curse on to any offspring, he can’t give Esme what she wants.

It was not that she was suddenly and mysteriously possessed of a certain type of aristocratic mien, nor was it her odd mood, one he was willing to overlook considering the extraordinary circumstances. But there was something more to it. If he had bothered to brush away the myriad complicated mathematical notations clogging his brain box, he might have seen what it was about her that he valued.

It was her heart.

She was a giver. In a world of takers, she was the opposite.

But what he was unwilling to part with was his own heart.

Ms. Nash has penned another hit with The Art of Duke Hunting! I loved this book and simply cannot wait for the next book in the series. This is the second in the series, but stands completely on its own. However, I would definitely recommend the first book, Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea, to enhance your reading pleasure. Looking for a well-written, poignant and witty historical? Look no further than Sophia Nash.

~Andrea

Category Catch-Up Reviews

Three of my favorite category authors have new books out so, of course, I hightailed it to the store to pick up copies as soon as they were released then snuggled up last weekend for a reading marathon.  I love categories!  There are so many wonderfully talented authors writing categories, they offer a range of story lines from sweet to spicy, cover most sub-genres and I can usually read one from cover to cover in a single afternoon.   Here are my thoughts on the three books I recently read.

A COLD CREEK REUNION
Cowboys of Cold Creek
By RaeAnne Thayne
Publisher:  Harlequin Special Edition
Release Date:  March 20, 2012

People deal with grief in different ways and ten years ago Taft Bowman dealt with the murders of his parents by shutting off his emotions and refusing to share what he was going through with his fiance, Laura Pendleton.  Unable to face a marriage to someone unwilling to share his  emotions, Laura called off the engagement a week before the wedding, moved to Spain and eventually married someone she met there.  Taft eventually emerged from his grief-induced tailspin but by that time it was too late to go after Laura.  He's dated plenty in the intervening years - enough to earn him a bit of a playboy reputation - but has never gotten over his first love.

When Laura's philandering husband is killed in an accident along with his mistress, Laura brings her children home to Cold Creek to regain her footing and help her mother run the family inn.  The last thing she envisions is getting involved with her first love but when her young son, Alex accidentally starts a fire at the inn, Fire  Chief Taft and his volunteer fire crew are first on the scene.  It doesn't take long for Taft to realize he still has feelings for Laura and her two young children quickly claim their own spot in his heart.  He's determined to show her how much the young man she left has matured and that he's worth taking a second chance on.  But Laura's experiences have made her slow to trust and Taft's (somewhat exaggerated) reputation as a ladies man doesn't help matters.  It will take a near tragedy to open her heart to the love he's offering, not just to her but to her children as well.

Thayne has written an emotional story in her Cowboys of Cold Creek series that's centered around family, lost love and second chances.  Taft is a wonderful hero; responsible, family oriented, kind, caring and sexy as all get out.  I especially liked his relationship with Laura's children, especially young Maya, a Down Syndrome child.  The interaction between the two melted my heart and added an additional dimension to the story.  It took me longer to warm up to Laura though I fell in love with her children right along with Taft. While it's usually the hero I want to whack and say, "Get over it already!", this time it was the heroine but she did eventually win me over.

I've been reading RaeAnne Thayne for years, both in category and single title, and she's never let me down

.

COWBOY TO THE RESCUE
The Teagues of Texas
By Trish Milburn
Publisher:  Harlequin American Romance
Release Date:  March 6, 2012


Returning home to the family ranch after suffering serious war injuries, Ryan Teague has healed physically but still carries the emotional scars of what happened overseas.  Serious minded Ryan has become even more of a loner, preferring to spend most of his time in his workshop building furniture and carving angel figurines.

When Brooke Vincent is hired by Ryan's mother as the new ranch cook, she not only wows the family with the best food they've tasted in ages but she intrigues Ryan enough to lure him out of his cottage.  Suddenly, he's not only showing up for mandatory family night dinners but popping into the kitchen at all hours.  And Brooke, who has good reason not to trust men, finds herself drawn to this handsome man with the unseen wounds.  They slowly grow closer, trust - and love - begin to form and Ryan finally shares his war experience with Brooke and the reason for the pain in his soul.  But Brooke can't bring herself to share her secrets with Ryan - and she has a very big one that could endanger not only her but her family and Ryan's as well.  Will he be able to forgive her for lying?  And, more importantly, when the danger from which she's been running finally catches up with her, will he find her before Brooke, or someone very close to her, gets hurt?

Milburn tackles two very sensitive and deeply emotional topics in this story:  Post Traumatic Stress and domestic abuse.  Ryan and Brooke are both dealing with PTSD and running from the sources of it, though Ryan is running emotionally while Brooke's solution is to change her name and physically disappear.  Both discover that the only way to fight the emotional wounds of their experiences is to face them head-on,  And to overcome them, they must find the strength and courage to open their hearts to love and trust one another enough to share their innermost secrets.

I love this family!  Ryan and Brooke's story is the second of three centered around the Teagues and their three sons.  You don't have to have read the first book, The Cowboy's Secret Son, before reading this one but I'll be surprised if you don't go looking for it once you meet the Teagues.  And you won't have long to wait for the third book in the series.  The Cowboy Sheriff will be released May 1st.

TALL, DARK AND DISREPUTABLE
By Deb Marlowe
Publisher:  Harlequin Historical
Release Date:  March 20, 2012


I don't know who the cover model is on this book but Deb Marlowe should request him for every book she writes.  I fell for him long before I opened the book and began reading!

Portia Tofton has been in love with Mateo Cardea since they were children but young Mateo, who valued her friendship, was oblivious to her tender feelings.  Then an ill-conceived plan by their fathers to marry them to one another was rejected by Mateo, unknowingly breaking Portia's heart in the process.  Portia, desperate to escape her overbearing father and brothers, married a man who turned out to be much worse than her male relatives.  But, after he has the decency to get himself killed while behaving recklessly with his mistress, Portia discovers he's gambled away the home and estate left to her by her aunt; the home, estate and gardens that she has lovingly restored and from which she now faces eviction.  The only person she can think of who can possibly help her regain her home is her childhood friend, Mateo and she's not above using blackmail to gain his assistance.

Mateo loves the sea and has devoted his entire adult life to his family's shipping company, knowing that one day it will be his but that all changes with the reading of his father's will.  On the verge of the biggest business deal of his life, he discovers that his father has left controlling interest in Mateo's family company to Portia Tofton!  Mateo travels from Baltimore to England to convince Portia to sell the company back to him as quickly as possible so he can salvage the business deal but she offers a trade instead.  Confront the man her late husband lost her home to and buy it back and she'll give him back the shares in his shipping company that she's inherited.  Sounds easy, right?  Not so fast!  First, Portia has no intention of being left behind.  She's had enough of being treated like a second class citizen and, determined to be an equal partner in the search, she dogs Mateo's every step.  Second, what first seems easy turns out to be anything but.  With twists and turns aplenty, Mateo and Portia are sent on one wild goose chase after another until they begin to wonder if they will ever find the mysterious person who apparently doesn't care to be found.

In the meantime, the enforced proximity gives them the opportunity to rekindle their friendship and, as adults, they begin to realize that what they feel for one another is something much deeper than just friendship.  But their lives are worlds apart.  Portia's roots are in the soil and her beloved gardens while Mateo longs for the freedom of the seas.  Even though their love is deep, they both know that there's no way they can be together.  Or can they?

I really enjoyed this story!  Portia and Mateo's journey is believable and both characters are likable and deserving of their happy endings. (And I found the happy ending particularly satisfying!)  I especially enjoyed Portia's individual growth throughout the story.  An intelligent, talented woman who has never been given encouragement or recognition for her accomplishments, it was wonderful to watch her grow into a confident, self-assured woman who doesn't hesitate to fight for what she wants.   And Mateo.  ::Sigh::  Let's just say I fell in love with him right along with Portia.  (Though there were times when I wanted to cosh him upside the head...same as Portia!  lol!)

There's one fascinating secondary character who plays a pivotal role in the outcome of Portia and Mateo's relationship but, to avoid spoilers, I won't say more than that other than I really, really hope that character has a story of their own coming!

~PJ


Do you read categories?  What are your favorite lines?  Favorite category authors?  Read any good categories lately that you'd like to tell us about?  

Last Call for Gannon's Winners

Last call for the following winners of Gannon's Book Giveaway 

DTCHYCAT

QUILT LADY

KATIE

Please send your full name and mailing address (with Gannon Giveaway Winner in the subject line) to us at theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com no later than April 20th to claim your prize.  After that date we will draw new winners.

Quilt Lady, you indicated in the comments of the first announcement that you had sent your info but we did not receive the email.  Would you please send it again?  Thanks!

Maggie Robinson Winner

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit with Maggie Robinson during her recent blog visit on April 5th.  The winner of Maggie's giveaway, a signed copy of MASTER OF SIN, is

SHEILA

Congratulations, Sheila!  Please send your full name and address (with Maggie Robinson Winner in the subject line) to theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your book.

Hot Dish

Hello, ladies!

Have I got a treat for you today … not only do I have a sexy Hot Dish for you, but this time I actually interviewed the Hot Dish.

Please give a warm welcome to model Jason Baca. Jason has been modeling for several years. He has appeared in countless magazines and has shot over 85 book covers.

Jason, please tell us how your modeling career was born?

Well it began a long time ago. I was a double in a movie called "I Know What You Did Last Summer.” The photographer of the ad/cover of the movie pulled me aside and asked if he could take some photos of me. I accepted. I'd later realize this was a huge leap in the business because of how skilled a photographer I got to work with right off the bat.

Before modeling I was running in circles. All my time I spent searching, nowhere to run to, and it got me thinking... Wondering what I could make of my life...


Wow, you were definitely in the right place at the right time. So how did you get started modeling for romance covers?

Well I came to a point in my "modeling" career where I'd gotten older for the fashion stuff. I started asking all kinds of questions to myself but never finding the answer. Then one day I walked into a bookstore to find books about how to be positive. As I walked in something caught the corner of my eye. There it was before me, a romance novel with a guy my age on the cover, standing confident.

I put down that positive thinking book and grasped the romance novel tightly by my fingertips. It was as that very moment that it was in my eye, in my heart and in my mind and it became part of my entire body that from that moment on I wanted nothing more than to be a romance novel model.


I think it is great that you saw what you wanted and you achieved it.

All of us are book lovers. Do you like to read? And what types of books do you enjoy most?

I used to read books about sports and fitness only. But now I've started reading some cool ones in suspense and romance. I just love the creativity that goes into writing these novels.


Do you have a favorite author? Have you ever read a romance novel?

There are so many authors that I can say I enjoy reading the books of. The one recently that I like is a Gena Showalter. I love her covers too by the way. I look forward being on one of hers someday soon.


Gena Showalter does write some wonderful books. And yes, her covers are fabulous! Hopefully you will be on one of hers soon.

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you during a photo shoot?

There was one time where they had me out on a field with yellow mustard flowers. There had been an old beat up tractor out in the middle of this field. The photographer said "Hey Jason, why don't you go get up on that and do a few shots sitting on it." so I did... But then I started hearing buzzing going on from inside the hood. Then all of a sudden a HUGE swarm of bees comes flying out all over! I jumped off and took off. I could have beaten any guy in a race in the Olympics at that very moment.


Oh my goodness! Sorry, but that is too funny!!

In addition to modeling, you have written a couple of books. Do you have plans to write any more books? If so, what are they about?

Well those books that I wrote are nothing compared to the books that I've been on the cover of. My books were basically written to help models be successful in the business. I provide ideas that they can live by to reach their goals in the field.

Yes, when this is all over and the last book cover of me has been displayed, I will pull out my pen and paper and write a story about how all of this went with my romance novel covers. I will explain it from beginning to end and I will take pride in it.


I think a lot of romance readers would be interested in a biography or memoir of a cover model. I know I would read it!

Now for the speed round ...

1. Last movie you saw? Friday The 13th Part II (with strange disco soundtrack)

2. Favorite tv show? Survivor on CBS

3. Favorite snack food? Chocolate Fudge Brownie Balance Bars when I'm dieting, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups when I'm not...

4. Best place to vacation? I love Hawaii! But I believe the Bahamas were nice too. I also enjoy going on cruises to the tropics.

5. What's your mantra for life? My mantra is to focus my attention on one subject at a time in life and go 1000% after it. Give it your devotion and thought. The more you put into it, the more feedback you will get.


Jason, thank you so much for being with us. It has been nice getting to know a little bit about you. We wish you much success in your endeavors.

Now ladies, Jason has been kind enough to offer a signed zed card to one random commenter (US residents only). So, dream a little dream here … you are a romance cover model for a day and anything goes. Describe for me the scene of the cover you are shooting.

Here’s mine … My long dark tresses are blowing softly in the wind. My eyes are twinkling with mischief and my lips are shimmering. Clutched in the strong, rippled arms of a Highlander, whose kilt is slowly coming undone by my very own hands ….


~ Buffie

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Check out Jason’s stock photo’s here

Check out Jason’s management link here

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Guest Review - - Beguiling the Beauty

Beguiling the Beauty

By Sherry Thomas

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Christian de Montford, Duke of Lexington was a golden boy—handsome, wealthy, and blessed with an early discovery of a passion for natural history. One day when he was still a student at Harrow, he saw a woman who captured his senses and imagination at first sight.

"Her face—he lost his breath. He’d never encountered beauty of such magnitude and intensity. It was not allure, but grace, like the sight of land to a shipwrecked man. And he, who hadn’t been on a capsized vessel since he was six—and that had only been an overturned canoe—suddenly felt as if he had been adrift in the open ocean his entire life.”

Even after Christian discovers the woman is married, she haunts his dreams and fuels his fantasies. A few years after he first sees her, a disturbing incident with her husband, who dies soon afterward, combines with a few facts and many rumors to persuade him that her beauty is superficial, a glorious surface disguising a “shallow, greedy, selfish woman.”  A second sighting, five years after the first, demonstrates that her power over him has not been diminished by his disillusionment.  Ten years after that first meeting, Lexington is in Boston to deliver a public lecture on Lamarck and Darwin at Harvard University. When a member of the audience questions his statement that beautiful people are untrustworthy, he responds with anecdotal evidence about character flaws of the beauty who still commands an uncomfortable part of his thoughts.

Venetia Fitzhugh Townsend Easterbrook is that woman, and she is a member of Lexington’s audience that day. His words anger her, and they also destroy the barrier she has erected between herself and the painful memories of her first marriage. Arranging to meet her sister and sister-in-law in New York, she looks forward to privacy that will allow her to recover her shattered peace, but Lexington’s presence in the same hotel makes that impossible. In an effort to avoid being recognized, she adopts the identity of a German widow, Baronesse von Seidlitz-Hardenberg. When she interprets Lexington’s behavior as evidence of his arrogance, she remembers her sister’s words following the Boston episode: “Avenge yourself, Venetia. Make him fall in love with you and give him the cut.” Impulsively, she decides to do just that and books a stateroom on the Rhodesia, the ship Lexington is set to sail to England on the next morning.

What follows is one of the best ship romances I’ve ever read. Thomas pays tribute to the influence of Judith Ivory’s Beast in her acknowledgements, and the influence of this classic romance is evident. But Thomas’s story is uniquely her own, not derivative in the least. Venetia’s plan works all too well, and Lexington soon falls under the spell of the heavily veiled, mysterious baroness. The two quickly become lovers, and almost as quickly fall in love. Lexington is not at all the man Venetia expected him to be. But Venetia is hoist with her own petard because Lexington has fallen in love with a woman who does not exist and she dare not reveal her identity to the man who spoke of her with such contempt.

Thomas has once again created a heroine and hero who manage to fall within the conventions of romance fiction and yet remain distinctly individual. Lexington is titled and rich and the dream of every mother with a marriageable daughter, but he is also a scientist and scholar with little interest in society. The twice-widowed Venetia possesses a bewitching beauty, but she is neither unconscious of it nor spoiled by it. Indeed, she is fully aware of its power and regrets the way it isolates her and renders her as something out of the range of normality. She sees herself, to use her own term, as something of a “freak.” Both Venetia and Lexington are imperfect characters, and their recognition of their imperfections, their willingness to admit their mistakes, increases their appeal.

Some may label this a love-at-first-sight tale. I disagree. Thomas distinguishes Lexington’s desire for Venetia, which is instantaneous, from the love that develops after their time together on board the ship. When he still believes his baroness and Venetia are two women, Lexington is dismayed by his physical response to Venetia when the baroness holds his heart. The story is compelling because it is a romance but also because it raises issues about beauty and responses to it and the effects of misjudgment when appearance is confused with reality.

The secondary characters are neither conveniences nor usurpers. Each serves a definite purpose and appears as an individual with a story. Lexington’s relationship with his stepmother reveals something of his character, as does Venetia’s close ties to her sister and brother and sister-in-law, who are more than characters bearing placards proclaiming “My story is next.” Even Lord and Lady Tremaine, whose cameo delighted me since Private Arrangements is one of my all-time favorite romances, were included for a reason other than as a nod to fans.

Finally, there is Thomas’s prose, which, as always, is lucid and lyrical and lovely. Her words always seem to be perfectly chosen whether she’s showing Lexington thinking that Venetia has “pickpocketed his heart” or Venetia becoming aware of the physical transformation love has wrought in her: "Her familiar features had been transformed. By excitement, elation, and caution thrown to the wind. She looked like a woman for whom life was only beginning, rather than one weighed down and calcified by disappointed dreams.”

Complex, compelling characters, an unusual and emotionally powerful plot, and prose with the range and beauty of music—what more can a reader ask for? Maybe more of the same. I am confident that’s what Thomas will provide in the next two books in her first series. My recommendation is to put Beguiling the Beauty on your must-buy list, and while you’re at it, you should add Ravishing the Heiress (Millie and Fitz’s story, July 3) and Tempting the Bride (Helena and her hero’s story, October 2).  

~Janga

http://justjanga.blogspot.com

Today's Special -- Kate Noble

I am absolutely delighted to welcome back the super talented Kate Noble! As many of you know, I discovered Kate's books when I picked up The Summer of You to review here at the Dish. To say I loved it is an understatement. I have since read her first two books, Compromised and Revealed, and her latest two, Follow My Lead (read my review here) and If I Fall (on shelves now!) and loved each and every one. Ah, but that's not all! Kate also has a special e-novella, The Dress of the Season, out now, too! This story came about thanks to the Nanowrimo writing challenge. Wow! I am dying to read it! Please help me welcome Kate as she talks about....


How to Survive a Broken Heart


During my last visit to the Romance Dish, the wonderful Andrea was so excited over the possibility of reading the story of a ‘certain broken-hearted young miss’, who was cruelly dumped by a duke at the end of Follow My Lead. How could I possibly disappoint her? (Andrea here: Yay! Thanks, Kate!)

Miss Sarah Forrester is that broken-hearted miss, and If I Fall is her story. But she is not broken-hearted any longer. In fact, she is the vivacious life of the party, the Golden Lady. She is at the top of every gossip column and thrilling in the adventure that is life. What, you may ask, precipitated such a change? Did she win the regency version of the lottery? Was she suddenly discovered as a sparkling wit, a literary leader, or some other object of fascination? Or worse yet, had she not actually cared at all about her ex-fiancé?

The answer is far simpler: Sarah Forrester changed because she had to. It was the only way she could get over her broken heart.

Confession time: I’ve had my heart broken in the past. And I know I’m not the only one. But as the details of the object of my heartbreak – his face, our conversations – faded with time, I will never forget the effort it took to get over the loss of what could have been.

I can say with confidence that there are five steps to getting over a broken heart: ice cream, wine, best friend support, re-focus on self, and finally, acceptance.

Steps 1&2: Ice Cream and Wine

In the immediate aftermath of heartbreak, you need the energy provided by such calorie-dense foods as ice cream. You cannot face your emotions on an empty stomach. And wine, in a controlled setting, helps with expression of said emotions.

Note: steps 1 and 2 are allowed to last for 48 hours, tops. After that, you start to indulge too much in chocolate and alcohol-induced revenge fantasies, and that helps no one.

Steps 3&4: Best Friend Support and Re-Focus on Self

While Sarah Forrester might have had a slightly different version of the first two stages (I picture her with bread pudding and ratafia instead of ice cream and wine) she mirrored me in the next two stages perfectly. While my best friend watched John Hughes movies with me and cajoled me into getting out of the apartment by signing us up for kickboxing classes, Sarah is taken under the wing of Lady Phillippa Worth (of Revealed fame) and ruthlessly promoted as and transformed into the Golden Lady. The cutting, witty Golden Lady manages to save her socially, but more importantly, protected her heart.

Step 5: Acceptance

Acceptance is where it gets tricky.

While kick-boxing (and losing 10 crucial pounds) helped me get to the final stage, Sarah has a much harder time of it.

No, for Sarah to get to step 5, she needs something extreme. She needs the Blue Raven.

When childhood friend Lieutenant Jackson Fletcher shows up, he immediately sees through the shiny, but cruel façade of the Golden Lady. He knows that the smart, happy, passionate girl he once knew still exists beneath the Golden Lady, and tries everything in his power to draw that Sarah out.

But after trying everything he can think of to bring his friend Sarah back, in a last ditch effort, he decides to dress up as the Blue Raven, the anonymous British spy that is Sarah’s childhood hero.

Too bad the real Blue Raven isn’t nearly as enthralled as Sarah turns out to be. But he does need Jack and Sarah to help him solve a mystery.

And there is nothing like an adventure to get you over a heartbreak. Heck, it might make you forget whathisname to begin with!

So tell me – what’s the best way you’ve found to get over a broken heart? Leave me a comment below and I’ll choose one lucky commenter to win a copy of If I Fall!

If I Fall

After a duke's betrayal, the resilient Sarah Forrester reinvents herself as the Golden Lady: society's leading light, the beautiful and witty life of the party. It's all a façade of course-one that protects her from another intimate disloyalty. When her old friend, Lieutenant Jackson Fletcher, returns to London, he is determined to rediscover the true and trusting Sarah he once knew. It'll take more than a kiss and a promise. It might even call for an innocent and necessary deception.

Then Jackson is enlisted to help capture the lead suspect in a murder— a man who happens to be Sarah's most ardent suitor. Jack must continue the deception, and weathering this newest and gravest betrayal will be Sarah's ultimate test. But as Jack's passion for her grows, he must also reveal his own secrets. And as the killer turns his attention to his pursuers, more than love and trust is put at risk.

The Dress of the Season

Harris Dane, Viscount Osterley, orders a very fine and scandalously cut dress to be made for a certain lady he wishes to woo. While with the dress designer, he also orders a pair of gloves to be sent to his ward, Miss Felicity Grove, to wish her well for the new Season. But when Felicity accidentally receives the dress, along with Osterley’s affectionate note, it sets into motion a tale of scandalous misunderstandings and love in the last place you look.


Order it here: http://www.katenoble.com/books/dress.php#order

Eloisa James Winner

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday to visit with Eloisa James!  The winner of Eloisa's Paris prize package and a signed copy of When Beauty Tamed the Beast is

Sienny

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

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize.

Make Your Reservations!

It's time again to mark your calendars and Make Your Reservations for May! (Can you believe it's already almost May?!?) Here are some of the great books we are looking forward to next month. Are any of these upcoming books on your list? If so, which ones? If not, which books are on your list?

The Last Boyfriend
By Nora Roberts

Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family’s construction business with an iron fist — and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers give him grief for his compulsive list making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn’t plan for was Avery MacTavish...

Avery’s popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a firsthand look at its amazing renovation — and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery’s thoughts. But the attraction she’s feeling for him now is far from innocent.

As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whole town of Boonsboro a reason to celebrate. But Owen’s hard work has only begun. Getting Avery to let down her guard is going to take longer than he expected — and so will getting her to realize that her first boyfriend is going to be her last...

(Berkley)


*******

Lyon's Bride
By Cathy Maxwell

"When a Chattan male falls in love, strike his heart with fire from above..."

They call him Lord Lyon, proud, determined— and cursed. He is in need of a bride, but if he falls in love, he dies. His fervent hope is that by marrying— and having a son—without love, perhaps he can break the curse's chains forever.

Enter beautiful Thea Martin—a duke's headstrong, errant daughter and society's most brilliant matchmaker. Years ago, she and Lyon were inseparable, until he disappeared from her life without a word. Now she is charged with finding Lyon's bride—a woman he cannot love for a man Thea could love too well.

(Avon)


*******

Twisted
By Laura Griffin

Motive, opportunity, and no alibi—rookie detective Allison Doyle knows it’s as close to a slam dunk as most investigations get. But even though her small-town Texas police department has identified a prime suspect in a young woman’s vicious murder, she can’t rest easy. And when legendary FBI profiler Mark Wolfe shows up with a startling new theory, all her doubts are amplified. If Wolfe is correct, the real killer is an elusive psychopath who has left a trail of bodies behind him. And he’s just days away from his next kill...

Allison was supposed to be Wolfe’s way into the case, nothing more. But she’s ambitious, stubborn, and far too tempting. With the help of her contacts at the Delphi Center crime lab, Wolfe is within striking distance of the monster he’s pursued for ten years. Except the closer Allison and Wolfe get, the more reason there is to fear. Because with a predator this brutal, every thread of evidence can make a difference between hunting a madman—and becoming hunted yourself.

(Pocket Star)


*******

Somebody to Love
By Kristan Higgins

After her father loses the family fortune in an insider-trading scheme, single mom Parker Welles is faced with some hard decisions. First order of business: go to Gideon's Cove, Maine, to sell the only thing she now owns—a decrepit house in need of some serious flipping. When her father's wingman, James Cahill, asks to go with her, she's not thrilled…even if he is fairly gorgeous and knows his way around a toolbox.

Having to fend for herself financially for the first time in her life, Parker signs on as a florist's assistant and starts to find out who she really is. Maybe James isn't the glib lawyer she always thought he was. And maybe the house isn't the only thing that needs a little TLC….

(Harlequin)


*******

Too Tempting to Resist
By Cara Elliott

The Marquess of Haddan, Gryffin Owain Dwight (Gryff to his friends) has grown tired of his life as a rakehell rogue and he's ready to turn over a more serious leaf. But fearing that any serious endeavors from a man reputed to be a devil-may-care soldier would be laughed at, he keeps his essays on landscape design a secret. When invited to a country house party by a group of indolent young rakes who look up to him, he accepts only because the estate is famous for its magnificent grounds. Never does he suspect that a chance encounter in the garden will change his life forever.

A widow at just 24, Eliza, Lady Lampson, has already rescued her impoverished noble family by marrying for money once. Now that she's free, she has no interest in remarrying, and wants only to pursue her passion for gardening and botanical paintings on her family's ancestral estate. She is wary of her brother's rakish friends and goes out of her way to avoid any contact when they are visiting from London. But when she meets the infamous marquess in the gardens, she instantly senses their powerful mutual attraction. And though she tries to fight it, she and Gryff embark on an illicit affair.

Unfortunately for Eliza, her irresponsible brother is incurring staggering new debts and begging her to rescue him financially by wedding a rich friend-a debauched nobleman who has plans to force Eliza into using her art to help him with his criminal activities. Meanwhile she and Gryff continue to meet, and find that their physical passion is matched by a joining of their creative talents-a publisher is producing a fancy book of Gryff's essays and he's chosen Eliza to do the botanical illustrations. Eliza hopes that the money she earns will free her from her family's selfish demands,but an ultimatum from her brother and his friend makes her future seem increasingly grim...until Gryff decides to fight unscrupulous rivals and his own inner demons, hoping for the seed of a new life to take root between him and Eliza.

(Forever)


*******

Heart of Brass
By Kate Cross

Arden is an undercover agent for one of the most powerful organizations of this steam-powered world—the Wardens of the Realm, a group with extraordinary abilities, dedicated to protecting England against evil.

Arden Grey enjoys a life most women in 1898 London can’t even dream of: she has the social status, wealth, and independence of a countess. She also has the ability to witness the final moments of a murder victim’s life. But ever since the disappearance of her husband, Lucas, none of this means anything to her. Until one night, when Arden spies a man watching her—a man she recognizes as her missing husband.

He’s been ordered to assassinate Arden as retribution for her part in the killing of a Company agent. Luke remembers nothing of his life before The Company, a corrupt agency that has erased his memory. Even so, something prevents him from completing his assignment. There is something familiar about his lovely target, something that attracts him and fills him with dread. For he knows that if he doesn’t kill her, someone else will—and kill him as well.

(Signet)


*******

Barefoot in the Sand
By Roxanne St. Claire

When all you hold dear is taken away . . .

When a hurricane roars through Lacey Armstrong's home on the coast of Barefoot Bay, she decides all that remains in the rubble is opportunity. A new hotel is just what Mimosa Key needs, and Lacey and her teenage daughter are due for a fresh start. And nothing, especially not a hot, younger architect, is going to distract Lacey from finally making her dreams a reality.

A second chance is the only thing you have left.

Love has already cost Clay Walker everything. And if he's going to have any chance of picking up the pieces of his life, he needs the job as Lacey Armstrong's architect. What's not in the plans is falling for the headstrong beauty. Her vision of the future is more appealing than anything he could have ever drafted for himself. Will Clay's designs on Lacey's heart be more than she can handle, or will she trust him to build something that will last forever?

(Forever)


*******

Be My Prince
By Julianne MacLean

Attention one and all. His Royal Highness, Prince Randolph of Petersbourg, will set sail for London in early June and reside at St. James Palace for one full month…Some say the true motive for the prince’s visit to our fair country is to seek and marry his future queen. I will therefore pose the question to our devoted and reflective readers: Who among us will be the chosen one? —From the London Ballroom Society Pages


Lady Alexandra Monroe has been told in no uncertain terms that she must set her sights on a proposal from Prince Randolph to better her family’s situation. Instead, she finds herself falling for his charming but dangerous younger brother Nicholas, a man whose passionate nature—and irresistible good looks—makes it impossible to remember her duty. But while she is torn between ambition and desire, a wicked scandal brews, shocking secrets are revealed, and soon she begins to wonder: can true love really conquer all?

(St. Martin's)

Today's Special - - Eloisa James

We are so excited to host NY Times bestselling author Eloisa James today.  One of our favorite historical romance authors as well as one of our favorite people, Eloisa is here today to talk about her wonderful new book, Paris in Love.  A series of brief vignettes interspersed with essays, Paris in Love chronicles the year Eloisa, her husband and their two children ran away from home to live in Paris.  Andrea loved it (read her review here), Buffie loved it and I loved it.  Haven't read it yet?  What are you waiting for?


Welcome, Eloisa!

Yesterday I played hooky. 

It was a weekday, which means that Professor Bly is supposed to be in Professor Bly’s office at Fordham University—and if not there, at home in Eloisa James’s office.  I had papers to grade, a 200 page dissertation to read, three blogs to write (including this one), an essay overdue to a national newspaper, a column upcoming for the B&N Review, and the sequel to Lady Most Likely waiting to be rewritten.

So what did I do?  I had a manicure and a pedicure, splurging on fancy polish that was baked on my nails. Then I bought an ice cream cone and ate it while wandering down Broadway.  After a while, I drifted home, went to bed, and napped for two hours.  Finally, since my family was out all evening, I ordered take-out and watched three episodes of Top Chef Desserts in a row. I even shed a tear for a chef who sobbed as she packed her knives.  It was bliss.

This week I’ve been talking to reporters about Paris in Love.  They want to know what restaurant I liked best, what museum shouldn’t be missed, and what single item of clothing every Parisian woman owns.  Here’s the one question I think they should ask: What did you learn? 

Paris in Love is the story of the year we ran away from home. The year we sold our house and cars, rented an apartment on the Internet, uprooted the kids, and just took off.  What did I learn?  I learned that the world doesn’t stop turning if you take a day off.  And that wasted time is often the happiest time of all.

So tell me your version of wasting time—and most importantly, how long has it been since you did it?

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment on today's blog will win a Parisian basket of goodies and a signed copy of Eloisa's RITA nominated book, When Beauty Tamed the Beast.


Eloisa's website
Eloisa's Facebook page
Connect with Eloisa at Twitter

The Teen Menu

Welcome to another edition of The Teen Menu. Due to deadlines, I didn't have time to review any books this month. However, there's a good bit of news as well as my impressions of The Hunger Games movie. In a word, awesome.

YA News

So, show of hands -- how many of you went to see The Hunger Games? Did you go opening night? Opening weekend? Did you go in costume? And what did you think? Personally, I went the Sunday of opening weekend with friends and I loved the movie. I thought they did an excellent job of casting all the roles. I know there were some people who thought they'd skipped important parts, but here's the thing -- movies and books are not the same thing. It is impossible to put everything from a book into a movie. They are different animals. And that's why Game of Thrones is a TV series on HBO and not a movie. And as if I wasn't in swoon enough with Katniss & Peeta before... By the way, I'm a native of Kentucky, so I love that both Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are from Kentucky, Josh not far from where my husband grew up.

Okay, in other news, here's a cool video peek at the upcoming Pottermore site. Looks like there will be lots of neat stuff to do on the site.

In other Harry Potter news, the new Making of Harry Potter studio tour opened March 31 in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England. See some photos here.

Here's the newest teaser trailer for Breaking Dawn, Part 2, giving us a look at Bella as a vampire.

The first image of AnnaSophia Robb as a young Carrie Bradshaw in The CW's upcoming The Carrie Diaries has been released. Check it out here.

Guest Review - - The Garden of Happy Endings

The Garden of Happy Endings
By Barbara O’Neal
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: April 17, 2012

Elsa Montgomery’s life is divided by three crises of faith, three times she turned her back on God. The first time she was fourteen and literally driven from the church by a priest outraged and filled with hatred for a girl who dared to dream of priestly offices. The piety of her friend Joaquin Gallegos led her back to God that time. The second time an angel called Joaquin to the priesthood and left Elsa bereft of her fiancé and her dreams of the life they had planned together. That time a nun with a loving heart and a life of active service brought Elsa back. Since the Catholic Church had no room for a woman as priest, Elsa receives training and is ordained as a Unity minister. She finds her true vocation in pastoring a church in Seattle. Her life is fulfilling; she loves the rituals and nurturing she extends to her congregation: “She adored it. Part teaching, part theater, part pure love offering, a way to serve the world and the people in it.” But when a teenage girl in her church is brutally killed, Elsa turns her back on God for the third time.

She returns to Pueblo, Colorado, to the house in which she grew up. She misses her church members and the role she held in their lives, but she finds comfort managing the soup kitchen at San Roque, the church where Joaquin serves as priest. Now known as Father Jack, Joaquin also puts her in charge of transforming a trash-filled lot, the site of late night drug deals, into a community garden. He recommends Deacon McCoy, who owns a landscaping business and runs the AA group that meets in the church, as her assistant. Deacon interests Elsa; he also makes her aware of herself as a woman in a way that is both exciting and disturbing. But will the embers of an old love prove stronger than the sparks of a new one?

For Elsa, time in Pueblo also means time with her older sister Tamsin. Elsa and Tamsin are good friends, but they are opposites in many ways. Elsa is more interested in people than possessions, and her life has been one of simplicity and service. Tamsin, a beauty who married an older, wealthy man, has focused on her perfect home, a busy social life, and her husband and child. But Tamsin’s life is radically changed when her husband goes into hiding just before he is charged with criminal activity and all the family’s assets are seized. Tamsin loses her beautiful home, her jewelry, even the art quilts she has created in her perfect studio. Stripped of all that defined her, she is forced to discover who she really is.

The community garden becomes a place of healing for Elsa and Tamsin and a place of hope for the residents of the housing project near the church. For a time, it seems as if the dangerous, destructive forces in the community will destroy the garden and the hopes of the people who have planted and nourished the new life that is putting forth shoots. But, as the title suggests, good triumphs eventually, and happy endings of various kinds abound.

If you have read Barbara O’Neal’s other books, then you know they are women’s fiction rather than straight romance. Romantic elements exist in several guises, but they are single strands in the rich tapestry of this book. The setting again is the Southwestern U. S., and the real and symbolic value of food, although less prominent than in the earlier books, remains significant. The garden and the acts of planting, cultivating, and harvesting that carry both literal and figurative meanings are central here. O’Neal peoples both the Seattle community and the Pueblo community with vivid primary and secondary characters. Even the murdered girl, as brief as is her appearance, possesses a beauty and vitality that stir the heart. A struggling young mother, a Native American shaman, a trio of young boys filled with energy, dreams, and fears, a pair of young lovers who endure heartbreak—all are real and moving. Even Scott, the missing husband whose Ponzi scheme shattered lives, is more than a greedy villain. Elsa, Tamsin, Joaquin, and Deacon are all deeply human characters with great gifts and also with flaws that can wound themselves and others. O’Neal sees these characters as triune creatures with bodies, minds, and spirits, and she makes her readers view them in these multi-dimensions as well. In this book, the reader will find grief and fear and terror, but she will find laughter, strength, and love as well.

In addition to the power of the story and its characters, there is O’Neal’s prose that strikes the ear with the preciseness of poetry. She describes a first meeting between young lovers: “He took her hand and kissed it with courtly grace, and there was a smell of sugar in the air, and a fine blur ring of enchantment that fell down around them. For a moment, they only hung there, suspended in the magic—at last!—and he asked if she would sit beside him at supper.” Nobody combines the magical and the mundane better than O’Neal. One of my favorite lines in the book is a simple description, simply perfect: “The world was still covered in eggplant shadows as he loped out the front door of the rectory and ran through the sleeping streets.”

Some books I love because they immerse me in a world different from my own and allow me to escape for a span the world of wonders and weariness that is my life. I love The Garden of Happy Endings because it brought me back to my world with a deeper appreciation of and attachment to the natural world around me and the beloved beings who share that world. I highly recommend this book.

~Janga