Bring an Author to Your Hometown!

Does it seem like author book signings take place everywhere except where you live?  Wouldn't it be nice if an author came to your hometown?  Well, Sourcebooks is giving you the opportunity to make that happen!

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Susanna Kearsley's much anticipated book, The Firebird will be released in the U.S. on June 1 and Sourcebooks plans to send her on a limited tour of the United States.  Included in that tour will be three towns selected by readers.  Here's how you can make it happen.

First, nominate a book store or library in your town (or area) by completing the form at the contest page.  Then get other people to nominate your town too.  The top ten hometowns with the most nominations will be announced February 4.  The top ten hometowns will then go against one another to see who can get the most votes with the top three  towns winning a spot on Susanna's tour!  Those towns will be announced April 30.

Haven't read Susanna Kearsley's wonderful books yet?  Here's some info about the author and her upcoming release.

Susanna Kearsley is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author whose books have won numerous awards.  She's a RT Reviewers Choice winner for Best Historical Fiction and Best Historical Fantasy/Paranormal, a RITA finalist and a finalist for the UK's Romantic Novel of the Year.  Her writing has been compared to Diana Gabaldon, Daphne Du Maurier and Mary Stewart.  You can find more information about Susanna and her books at her website.

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes sees images; glimpses of those who have owned it before. It’s never been a gift she wants, and she keeps it a secret from most people, including her practical boss Sebastian, one of London’s premier dealers in Russian art.

But when a woman offers Sebastian a small wooden carving for sale, claiming it belonged to Russia’s Empress Catherine, it’s a problem. There’s no proof. Sebastian believes that the plain carving—known as “The Firebird”—is worthless. But Nicola’s held it, and she knows the woman is telling the truth, and is in desperate need of the money the sale of the heirloom could bring.

Compelled to help, Nicola turns to a man she once left, and still loves: Rob McMorran, whose own psychic gifts are far greater than hers. With Rob to help her “see” the past, she follows a young girl named Anna from Scotland to Belgium and on into Russia. There, in St. Petersburg—the once-glittering capital of Peter the Great’s Russia—Nicola and Rob unearth a tale of love and sacrifice, of courage and redemption…an old story that seems personal and small, perhaps, against the greater backdrops of the Jacobite and Russian courts, but one that will forever change their lives.

Rainy Day Reading

I don't know about you but there's nothing I enjoy more on rainy winter days than snuggling under a cozy blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book.  Since it's been raining practically non-stop for the past week,  I've been doing a lot of snuggling...and reading.  And thanks to the handy dandy convenience of my e-reader, I don't even have to leave the comfort of my couch to buy the new books that catch my eye!  Here are a few stories  I've recently enjoyed.  These three are Christmas themed but they are wonderful romances that can be enjoyed any time of the year.   

The Winter Wife: A Christmas Novella
By Anna Campbell
November 29, 2012
Amazon Digital Services

Wed at much too young an age, Sebastian, Earl of Kinvarra and Alicia Sinclair, his countess were both ill-equipped to deal with the realities of marriage.  When the bride is terrified of physical intimacy and the groom is too young and selfish to be concerned with anything other than his own pleasure, disaster is sure to follow, as it did with Sebastian and Alicia, sending one to the continent for an extended tour and the other to London.

Estranged for past ten years, Alicia is on the verge of taking the monumental step of engaging in an affair when a carriage accident in the middle of a Christmas Eve snowstorm brings her face to face with Sebastian. Forced to take refuge from the storm in an inn. they soon realize that the feelings they had for one another when newly married have lurked below the surface for all their years apart.  But, while desire forges to the surface, there are tender emotions, long held animosity and a fear to trust that threaten to keep them apart still.  Will Sebastian be able to convince Alicia that he has matured over the years?  Will Alicia have the courage to overcome the fears of that young bride and meet him as an adult woman with adult desires?  Will they succumb to one magical night then go their separate ways or discover a love that will last a lifetime?

Anna Campbell packs so much emotion into four short chapters that I felt as if I was reading a complete novel.  A heartwarming, emotional tale that sizzles; I highly recommend The Winter Wife. 

Miracle in New Hope (digital novella)
By Kaki Warner
Penguin
December 11, 2012

Colorado...1871

Trapped in an avalanche of snow that buries the General Store, it is only the voice of the young girl trapped with him that gives loner Daniel Hobart the will to live.  When he's rescued, Daniel is stunned to discover that he was the only person in the store and the widower, haunted by the deaths of his wife and child, wonders if he's finally lost his mind.  When Hannah continues to appear to him however, he's convinced the young girl is real and has reached out to him for help.  He was unable to save his own child.  He's not about to let Hannah down, even if the whole town thinks he's crazy.

When her daughter, Hannah disappeared on their journey to New Hope, Lacy Ellis was devastated.  She searched and searched but found no trace and now, one year later, the young widow is just beginning to come to terms with the loss of her only child when Daniel Hobart appears in town with claims of having seen her.  Lacy wants to believe him but his tale is so outlandish.  Dare she hope?  Her brothers want to run him out of town but when Daniel insists he's going to search for Hannah, Lacy is determined to go with him.

As Daniel and Lacy re-trace the route of the previous year's journey, they find in one another understanding, compassion and an attraction that's been simmering since they first glimpsed each other on the streets of New Hope.  As the attraction deepens and feelings emerge, Lacy and Daniel are given a second chance at love but will that fragile emotion withstand the crushing disappointment if they are unable to find Hannah?  Or, will this couple who have known more than their share of heartbreak be given a second chance with a miracle in New Hope?

Kaki Warner is one of my favorite authors.  When I read one of her books, I'm not just reading about people and places; I'm experiencing her characters' journeys with them.  Their hopes and dreams, heartbreak and despair, joy and salvation.  I feel it all.  If you've read Warner, you already know what I mean.  If you haven't, this novella is a perfect way to sample this author's immense talent.

Ask Her at Christmas
By Christi Barth
Publisher:  Carina Press
December 3, 2012

Caitlin McIntyre has been in love with her best friend, Kyle Lockhart forever but would never jeopardize their friendship by admitting her feelings so she's understandably shocked - and overjoyed - when Kyle kneels in front of her and proposes.  Unfortunately, he's only practicing for the proposal he plans to make to Monica, the daughter of the man who will be merging his business with Kyle's father's business.  Kyle, a computer nerd, has never been able to please his father, the business shark but he's sure that marrying Monica, a woman he doesn't love and really doesn't even know all that well, will finally be the act that proves him worthy in his father's eyes.

Caitlin and Kyle have been there for each other through thick and thin, happiness and heartbreak and even though it breaks her heart to do so, Caitin agrees to help the clueless Kyle come up with a wonderful way to propose before Christmas.  That's what best friends do.  However, it gradually becomes clear that there's going to have to be a change. Caitlin can't imagine living in the same city with Kyle and his wife, especially when the future wife is a witch of a woman who makes it abundantly clear that Caitlin will have no place in their life.

Eventually, it becomes clear that Kyle will have to make a choice and it's not an easy one.  There are some bumps in the road along the way and one major pothole that broke my heart but I was willing to forgive, as was the character who was let down.  In the end though, the author brings it all together in a very satisfying manner that had me sighing with happiness.

I love the friends to lovers trope and Barth has created one that I enjoyed.  Filled with humor, emotion, heartache and romance, it's a great story to snuggle up with on a cold winter afternoon.

This novella can be purchased on it's own or as part of the anthology, Romancing the Holiday.

So what are you reading these days?  Have you jumped on the digital bandwagon or do you prefer print?  Do you snuggle on the couch or prefer a different reading location?  Do you read holiday stories all year long or just during December?  And, for the really important question, what's your snack and beverage of choice for those rainy reading afternoons?   

~PJ

Guest Review - - Crazy Thing Called Love

Crazy Thing Called Love

By Molly O’Keefe

Publisher: Bantam

Release Date: January 29, 2013

Maddy Baumgarten and Billy Wilkins grew up together. They lived in the same neighborhood, they attended the same schools, they were high school sweethearts. At eighteen and twenty, crazy in love, they got married. Two years later, in a storm of anger, hurt, fear, and regret, their marriage crashed. For fourteen years, they have moved in different worlds.

During these years Maddy completed a journalism degree and earned a position as host of a morning television show. She buried Maddy Baumgarten and Maddy Wilkins in the past that she does her best to erase from memory. The present belongs to Madelyn Cornish, a thin and elegant Dallas celebrity, who has ambitions for a network TV job. Billy, who was just beginning to build a reputation in the NHL when Maddy divorced him, has been in the Stanley Cup playoffs seven times and has become a celebrated hockey star. Fame and fortune have not eased the rage that is his constant companion, one that has led him into one fight too many. A changing game with growing concern about concussed players, a new team where he feels light years older than the rookies, and a gentleman coach who wants Billy to be a leader rather than a brawler have made the career that defines Billy Wilkins less certain than he believed.  

Something shifted in Billy three months ago when he saw Maddy at the opening night party for the Crooked Creek Spa (Can’t Hurry Love). He dares to believe he sees something of his Maddy in the polished beauty he watches on the TV screen, but when Maddy refuses to take his calls, he’s at the point of giving up. Then, his agent calls with an offer for Billy to be the subject of a multi-part makeover on a morning show. Billy is in the process of telling his agent what the show can do with its offer when he learns that the show is Dallas AM, hosted by Madelyn Cornish, and he agrees to what he feels sure will be humiliation because it will allow him to see Maddy again.

Madelyn is terrified of resurrecting the past. She uses all her power to prevent Billy’s appearance, but she loses the battle. Billy’s presence proves just as devastating as she feared. Her efforts to maintain her distance prove futile as first her body and soon her heart prove as susceptible to Billy as ever. But when their past resurfaces in unexpected ways, even love may not be enough to persuade Maddy to risk the illusion of safety her new identity has given her.

Molly O'Keefe does it again. She's written yet another book that grabs me by the heart and pulls me into the story and makes me fall in love with characters I can't forget. Reunion stories are my favorites, and I was already a little bit in love with Billy. Thus, it's hardly surprising that this is my favorite of a trilogy in which I loved all three books.

Like the characters that preceded them in the Crooked Creek series, Maddy and Billy are messy, complex characters scarred by their pasts. Some of the scars cover wounds that are still infecting the present. Billy’s scarred face, a visible reminder of his violent childhood, is a metaphor for the psychic wounds those childhood experiences inflicted. Maddy’s wounds are from emotional rather than physical violence. She casts herself as Billy’s defender from an early age. Her focus is on seeing Billy succeed not only in hockey but in becoming the man she believes him to be. When Billy’s desire to belong in the world where his talent has taken him leads him to betray her belief in him and, by extension, in them, she is devastated. She feels that she has lost not only Billy but also her very self.

O’Keefe both operates within the conventions of romance and undermines those conventions. The chemistry between Maddy and Billy is so powerful that not even betrayal and a separation of well over a decade can diminish it. Sex scenes provide not merely the almost mandatory sizzle of current romance fiction but also a means of revealing the emotional vulnerabilities of the protagonists. And Maddy and Billy’s story gives lie to one of the great myths of romance. Love does not conquer all, at least not until it is accompanied by self-knowledge, self-acceptance and forgiveness. If I were creating a sound track for this novel, I’d include Roy Orbison’s version of Boudleaux Bryant’s “Love Hurts” as a recurring theme: “Love hurts and scars. / Love wounds and mars / anyone not tough or strong enough / to take a lot of pain.”

Secondary characters add dimension and complications to the central story. Readers who share my series addiction will enjoy seeing Luc and Tara Jean from the first book, but their appearance is purposeful rather than pandering to readers. They serve to give context to Billy’s character. In the same way, Ruth, an intriguing character in her own right, reveals Maddy’s isolation and loneliness. The children, Becky and Charlie, heartbreakingly real, play a vital role.

When I reviewed Can’t Buy Me Love, the first Crooked Creek book, I referred to a quotation I found thematic: “We’re more than our mistakes. . . . More than our pasts. We can be more than the things we let define us.” Although the words do not appear in Crazy Thing Called Love, the truth they embody resounds throughout this book, and indeed, throughout the entire series.

Recently I’ve heard some complaints about the lack of tough, flawed, credibly 21^st-century characters in contemporary romance. It’s clear those readers haven’t discovered the books of Molly O’Keefe. Her Crooked Creek books are among the most courageous and complex romances I’ve ever read. I highly recommend this book. It ensured that I started my Best of 2013 list early.

Addendum: I have it straight from Ms. O’Keefe that while Crazy Thing Called Love officially ends the series, there’s a possibility that Ruth will get her HEA—perhaps in a novella. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com

Out With the Old Winners

Thanks for all the comments yesterday.  It's great to know I'm not alone in this war on clutter!  I did more sorting yesterday so I've increased the number of boxes for the giveaway to seven.  Here are the seven winners chosen by random.org.

Barbara E

traveler 

Chrissy Burns

Jane

Erin

Cathy P.

Crystal C.

Congratulations, everyone!  Send your full name and mailing address to 

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

to claim your box of books.

Out With the Old...

The Book Room

2013.  A new year.  A clean slate.  Twelve months of untapped opportunity.  What should I do with all that opportunity?  One leisurely stroll through my house was all it took to bring the answer home loud and clear.

The Bookcase

All the experts say, "get rid of the clutter."  Um, I did.  At least, I thought I did.  (I gave away lots of books last year.  Obviously, they sneaked back in when I wasn't looking.) For instance, take my book room.  Last year, I bought sturdy storage containers, alphabetized all my books and stored them in the book room (formerly the second guest bedroom) where I could find any book at any time.  Because they're alphabetized.  And contained.  Right?   It worked!  For about a month.  Until I needed a few of the contained books and "forgot" to re-contain them when I was finished.  Repeat that a few times (a month) for the next twelve months and guess what?  I have clutter.  Add to that all the new books that arrived throughout the year and, oh yeah, we have major clutter!  And what happens when I have major clutter?  I can't find anything!!!  Sorry.  Got a little emotional there. :-)

The Book Armoire - 3 rows deep

I've decided that this year will be the year I get rid of clutter once and for all.  New opportunities.  I've already begun.  Last weekend I started on the bedroom closets.  I finished one of them.  Only four more to go.  I already have the makings of a really good yard sale.  Yesterday, I started on the paper.  (something else that seems to multiply while I sleep.)  I shredded six bags of paper and made a few interesting discoveries.  One of them was an Amazon gift card with $50 (yes, that's FIFTY DOLLARS) on it!  Obviously, I need to shred more often. ;-)











This time around, I've decided to approach the "get my life in order" project in a more methodical way.  I'm taking one room at a time and not working in any other area until that room is finished.  (I'm easily distrac...CHOCOLATE!)  I've also resolved to ask myself the tough questions (If I haven't worn this outfit since 1987, do I really need it?) and listen to the answers.  (No, I don't really need it.  Off to Goodwill it goes!)

A clean, clutter-free house is a serene house.  Serenity.  Such a lovely word.  I could use some serenity in my life.  I'm naturally a positive, upbeat person but over the past year, stress has taken a toll.  That's about to change.  Cutting back on my work hours was project number one.  Allowing management to nudge my hours up and up until I was routinely working 35 hours a week (on my feet) instead of the 20 hours I had originally requested was taking a major toll on my physical health.  I've cut back on my hours, am making healthy food choices (instead of grab and go), gradually strengthening my knee until I'm able to begin a full exercise regimen again and (this one's important) spending more time with friends.




My ultimate goals?  To create a better me:  healthy, happy, serene.  To create a clean, clutter-free environment in which I can thrive.  To become better organized so I don't find myself facing this same dilemma next year.  And lastly, to give away books.  Lots and lots and lots of books!

What are you hoping to accomplish this year?  Have you set goals?  Do you struggle with clutter as I do?  Any tips for controlling the beast?  Want some books?  Leave a comment on today's blog and you'll have a chance to win a box of books from my "banish clutter" stash.  I'm giving away five boxes!  (US addresses only)

Pssst...Don't worry if you're not one of today's lucky winners.  There's still a lot more de-cluttering to be done!  :)

~PJ

The Teen Menu

YA News

The January 18 issue of Entertainment Weekly has the first images of Catching Fire, including Sam Claflin as new character Finnick Odair. Okay, I don't know about you, but I'm officially excited.

Reports are coming out that the film adaptation of Veronica Roth's Divergent is getting closer to having a male lead cast in the role of Tobias. Alex Pettyfer, Lucas Till and Jeremy Irvine are testing for the role.

YA Review

I just recently finished reading the second in Mike Mullin's Ashfall series, set in a post-apocalyptic Iowa and Illinois after the cataclysmic eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Ashen Winter begins in Illinois where our protagonist, 16-year-old Alex, and his girlfriend Darla are living with Alex's uncle and his family, working  almost nonstop to survive in a cold world without sunshine. It's been six months since the volcano coated the world with think layers of ash, and Alex decides he can wait no longer for his parents to return from their trip to find him. So he and Darla set off into a world that is even harsher and scarier than the one they'd crossed getting to the farm in Illinois. While some people are pulling together for mutual benefit, let's just say there are others that are succumbing to their baser animal instincts to survive in a world with dwindling resources.

Their trip is filled with danger every moment, everything from possibly freezing or starving to death to the danger that comes from their fellow man. But Alex and Darla aren't the average teenagers they were before the eruption, and they will need to pull on everything they've learned to not only find Alex's parents but to simply survive in a world where it's so much easier to die.

Mullin is still in the process of writing the final book in the trilogy, but it is tentatively titled Sunrise. It sounds more hopeful in title alone, so hopefully Alex, Darla and Alex's family will find a new beginning in the final installment. I guess we'll just have to wait to find out.

The Lady Most Willing Winner

The winner of a copy of The Lady Most Willing..., a novel in three parts by 

Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway is

Deb

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

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Jodi Thomas winner!

The winner of a copy of Chance of a Lifetime by Jodi Thomas is:

 

Laurie G

 

Congrats, Laurie! Please send your full name and address to theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com with "Jodi Thomas winner" as the subject and we'll get your book in the mail. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

New Releases winner!

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

 

Jeanne M

 

Congrats, Jeanne! Please send your full name and address to theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com with "Andrea's winner" as the subject and I'll get your book in the mail! Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Make Your Reservations!

It's time again to mark your calendars and Make Your Reservations for February! Here are a few of the ones we are looking forward to in the "month of love". Are any of these upcoming books on your list? If so, which ones? If not, which books are on your list?

The Temptation of Your Touch
By Teresa Medeiros

Maximillian Burke prides himself on being the man every mother wants her daughter to marry, but after his scoundrel brother steals his bride, Max decides there’s more satisfaction in being a rogue than a gentleman. He flees London for lonely Cadgwyck Manor, and though the tumbledown estate comes complete with a ghost, it’s Max’s no-nonsense housekeeper who haunts his dreams.

Prim and proper Anne Spencer could do without a new master, especially one as gorgeous and temperamental as the Earl of Dravenwood. Even as she schemes to be rid of him, she is irresistibly drawn into his muscular embrace. But when Max vows to solve the mystery of the White Lady of Cadgwyck, he risks both their hearts and tempts them to surrender to a pleasure as delicious as it is dangerous.

(Pocket)


*******

Crystal Cove
By Lisa Kleypas

ONE WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN CURSED NEVER TO FIND LOVE...

ONE MAN WITHOUT A SOUL WHO WANTS HER MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF...

THEY MEET IN A SMALL ISLAND TOWN IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WHERE MAGIC IS IN THE AIR AND FATE IS A FORCE TOO POWERFUL TO DEFY....


In New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas's Crystal Cove, Justine Hoffman has made a comfortable life for herself on the island of Friday Harbor. She is the proprietor of a successful boutique hotel, and she has the safe, predictable life she has always wanted. Growing up with her flighty, nomadic mother, Marigold, has instilled in her a deep longing for stability. But in spite of everything Justine has achieved, there is still something missing. Love. And after years of waiting and dreaming, she is willing to do whatever it takes to change her destiny.

What Justine soon discovers is that someone cast a spell on her when she was born, with the result that she will never find her soul mate. Determined to change her fate, Justine finds a way to break the enchantment, never dreaming of the dangerous complications that will follow.

And when Justine meets the mysterious Jason Black, she accidentally unleashes a storm of desire and danger that threaten everything she holds dear...because Jason has secrets of his own, and he wants more from her than fate will ever allow.

(St. Marin's Griffin)


*******

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover
By Sarah MacLean

Lady Philippa Marbury is...odd

The brilliant, bespectacled daughter of a double marquess cares more for books than balls, for science than the season, and for laboratories than love. She's looking forward to marrying her simple fiancé and living out her days quietly with her dogs and her scientific experiments. But before that, Pippa has two weeks to experience all the rest—fourteen days to research the exciting parts of life. It's not much time, and to do it right she needs a guide familiar with London's darker corners.

She needs...a Scoundrel

She needs Cross, the clever, controlled partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, with a carefully crafted reputation for wickedness. But reputations often hide the darkest secrets, and when the unconventional Pippa boldly propositions him, seeking science without emotion, she threatens all he works to protect. He is tempted to give Pippa precisely what she wants . . . but the scoundrel is more than he seems, and it will take every ounce of his willpower to resist giving the lady more than she ever imagined.

(Avon)


*******


The Good Daughter
By Jane Porter

Love was given to all, except herself...

Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for seventeen years and a constant giver, her decisions have been sound—just not very satisfying. Her fortieth birthday is right around the corner, causing Kit to consider some wilder notions, like skipping right past the love and marriage to raising a child all by herself...

A girls’ weekend away is just the reprieve Kit needs from school, Mr. Wrongs, and life-changing decisions. It’s there that she meets a man who’s dangerous; a man who challenges who she thought she was, or rather should be. Kit wants to indulge herself this once, but with one of her students in crisis and the weight of her family’s burdens weighing heavy on her heart, Kit isn’t sure if now is the time to let her own desires take flight...

 

(Berkley)

 

 

*******

 

 

 The Autumn Bride

By Anne Gracie

 

Governess Abigail Chantry will do anything to save her sister and two dearest friends from destitution, even if it means breaking into an empty mansion in the hope of finding something to sell. Instead of treasures, though, she finds the owner, Lady Beatrice Davenham, bedridden and neglected. Appalled, Abby rousts Lady Beatrice's predatory servants and—with Lady Beatrice's eager cooperation—the four young ladies become her “nieces,” neatly eliminating the threat of disaster for all concerned!

It's the perfect situation, until Lady Beatrice’s dashing and arrogant nephew, Max, Lord Davenham, returns from the Orient—and discovers an impostor running his household…

A romantic entanglement was never the plan for these stubborn, passionate opponents—but falling in love may be as inevitable as the falling of autumn leaves...

 

(Berkley)

 

 

*******

 

 

How to Entice an Earl

By Manda Collins

 

Lady Madeline Essex is the last of the unwed “ducklings” in her family—and by far the most outspoken. But when she boldly enters London’s most notorious gaming house in search of fodder for her novel, even her sharp tongue can’t save her from the horrible crime she stumbles upon there. As luck would have it, first on the scene is the last man she wants to see her vulnerable. The one man who could tempt her heart…

Christian Monteith, the new Earl of Gresham, isn’t much for card rooms and gaming hells. But as a favor to his former commanding officer, he's investigating a gamester for espionage on the night that Maddie ventures in looking more enticing than he's ever seen her. Suddenly, his feelings for his friend aren't so friendly anymore. And when her curiosity brings the impetuous novelist to the attention of a madman, Christian will stop at nothing to protect her—from a sinister plot that is far more dangerous than any stolen kiss…

(St. Martin's)


*******

That Night on Thistle Lane
By Carla Neggers

Librarian Phoebe O’Dunn deals in stories, but her passion for history has taught her that happy endings are rare. Her life in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts, is safe and uneventful…until she discovers the hidden room.

Among its secrets is a cache of vintage clothing, including a spectacular gown—perfect for a gala masquerade in Boston. In the guise of a princess, Phoebe is captivated by a handsome swashbuckler who’s also adopted a more daring persona. Noah Kendrick’s wealth has made him wary, especially of women: everybody wants something.

When Noah and Phoebe meet again in Knights Bridge, at first neither recognizes the other. And neither one is sure they can trust the magic of the night they shared—until an unexpected threat prompts them to unmask their truest selves.

After all, it takes more than just the right costume to live out your personal fairy tale. It takes heart…and the courage to be more than you ever dreamed.

(MIRA)


*******

 The Dark Lady
By Maire Claremont

The Victorian era was full of majestic beauty and scandalous secrets—a time when corsets were the least of a woman’s restrictions, and men could kill or be killed in the name of honor…

Lord Ian Blake has returned from India a broken man. Years ago, he pledged to Lady Eva Carin—his childhood companion and first love—that he would bring her husband back alive. His failure haunts him. But even his jaded soul can’t anticipate the shocking sight of beautiful, independent Eva confined in a madhouse.…

Locked in an asylum, forgotten by society, Eva is adrift in both body and mind. For Ian to break her free, they must cross a powerful enemy—and prove her sanity to England’s unforgiving aristocracy. But the biggest danger of all may come when the secrets of Eva’s tragic past are finally unlocked....

 

(Signet)

 

 

*******

 

 

 Crazy Thing Called Love

By Molly O'Keefe

 

Dallas TV morning show host Madelyn Cornish is poised, perfect, and unflappable, from her glossy smile to her sleek professionalism. No one knows that her iron will guards a shattered heart and memories of a man she’s determined to lock out. Until that man shows up at a morning meeting like a bad dream: Billy Wilkins, sexy hockey superstar in a tailspin—still skating, still fighting, and still her ex-husband.

Now the producers want this poster child for bad behavior to undergo an on-air makeover, and Billy, who has nothing to lose, agrees to the project. It’s his only chance to get near Maddy again, and to fight for the right things this time around. He believes in the fire in Maddy’s whiskey eyes and the passion that ignites the air between them. This bad-boy heartbreaker wants a last shot to be redeemed by the only thing that matters: Maddy’s love.

 

(Random House)

Review - - The Lady Most Willing...

The Lady Most Willing...
By Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway
Publisher:  Avon
Release Date:  December 26, 2012

Some said the legendary storm of 1819 that screamed down from the north pushed madness ahead of it.  Others said the only madness exhibited that night was born inside a bottle of contraband whiskey.  And then there were those who claimed that magic rode vanguard to the snow, sweeping the halls of Finovair Castle and inspiring its laird to heights of greatness...

Or something along those lines.

Determined to secure his holdings and frustrated with his two nephews, one half-French and the other half-English (the heir and the spare),  for not stepping up to the plate and finding good Scots lasses to wed, widowed and childless laird Taran Ferguson decides to take matters into his own hands.  Emboldened by plenty of whiskey and with his equally inebriated clansmen at his side, they snatch three eligible heiresses from a local ballroom - Miss Fiona Chisholm (bit long on the shelf but with a tidy fortune), Lady Cecily Tarleton (English but very, very rich) and Miss Marilla Chisholm (young, rich and the most beautiful lass in the highlands) - and bring them back to Finovair Castle and the unsuspecting nephews.  Everything goes according to plan until they arrive at Finovair and discover the less than adept kidnappers have also snatched Catriona Burns (nice lass, no fortune) and the Duke of Bretton (who had the misfortune of being asleep in the getaway coach...which happens to belong to him).  And then, the snow starts to fall.  We're only a few pages into the first chapter of this story in three parts and, already, the fun has begun!

While each author telling the story of one of the couples injects her portion of the book with her own unique writing style, the flow of the book is so cohesive, so seamless that were it not for the chapter headers it would take a few minutes to realize that the writing had transitioned from one author to the next.

Julia Quinn is first up with her trademark humor and charm as she tells the story of Catriona Burns and the Duke of Bretton.  A more unlikely couple would be hard to find.  She's the feisty, outspoken daughter of a Scots squire and he's been a proper duke since infancy.

Her brows rose a fraction of an inch.  "Do you mean," she asked with careful disbelief, "for me to continue the story about Taran Ferguson going bare-arsed through the village?"

"Precisely," he clipped, since if he spoke in any other tone of voice, he might have to admit to himself that he was blushing.  

Which he was quite certain he did not do.

But, trapped by snow and conveniently forgotten by Taran (they were the ones taken by mistake, after all and Taran certainly doesn't want one of his nephews' potential brides setting their cap for the Duke), the two are left to their own devices.   Proximity leads to conversation. Conversation leads to liking.  And liking leads to so much more.

Eloisa James brings her delicious command of language and wonderful sense of romance to the story of Fiona Chisholm and Taran's nephew, Byron, Lord Oakley.  Stern and serious, Byron will never wed a woman with a soiled reputation, not after finding his fiancee doing the horizontal waltz with her French dancing master mere days before their wedding.  He first sets his eye on Marilla Chisholm -  she is, after all, quite beautiful and has a pristine reputation - but it only takes one encounter to send him fleeing in another direction; that of her older, bookish sister.  The one with the ruined reputation.

He didn't look frightened:  more the opposite.  He looked like an enraged beast, roused from a peaceful den by an impudent intruder.  Fiona loved it.  Her heart sped up, which was utterly perverse.

"Your sister is a menace," he spat.  "Do you have any idea what she did to me?  Any idea?"

"No," Fiona said, tipping back her head in order to see his expression.  "I've been right here all along.  Something lacking sense, no doubt."

He bared his teeth at her.  "I am a calm man."

"Oh, I can see that,"  she said with some enjoyment.

"And I can see that you merely pretend to be a quiet, bookish young lady."

"Well, I did tell you that I had a bad reputation," she said, grinning at him the way she smiled only at her closest friends because...well...this was just so much fun.

At first, he looks to her to save him from her sister's enthusiastic clutches but he gradually realizes this is a woman with whom he could spend his life.  This is a woman who challenges him, intrigues him, makes him a better man, makes him happy.  If only he can overlook that pesky reputation.

Connie Brockway brings her quirky sense of humor and fun to our third story.  Lady Cecily's parents have a love match and that's what she wants for herself.  Her mother has always told her that she will know her future husband when she meets him.

...upon their arrival at Finovair Castle, a scandalously handsome man with a head of loose black curls and a wicked smile had taken her hand and looked down at her with beautiful, black-lashed, laughing eyes, and she had realized, Mama was right.

Robin, Comte de Rocheforte is well known for his easy humor and love of life.  "Unapologetic scoundrel, self-proclaimed pauper, the scandalous Prince of Rakes;" he doesn't know it yet but Robin's fate is sealed in that breath-stealing moment when he takes Lady Cecily's hand and looks deeply into her eyes.  As captivated as she, Robin nevertheless keeps his distance, certain that he would be the worst possible husband for the enchanting lady who is slowly but surely capturing his heart.  Just as he begins to think he may be deserving of the lady, a misunderstanding convinces him otherwise but Lady Cecily knows her heart, knows Robin is the man for her and is determined to show him their future happiness depends on their being together.

If you like thought provoking romances, steeped in emotion and fraught with turmoil then this book is probably not for you.  But, if you enjoy love, laughter, witty banter and delightful entertainment from beginning to end then I encourage you to pick up a copy of The Lady Most Willing...

When Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway get together it is, quite simply, magic.

~PJ

What book have you read lately that had you smiling from first page to last?  I have a copy of The Lady Most Willing...for one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment.  (U.S. and Canada addresses only)

Today's Special -- Jodi Thomas

Today, we welcome back the wonderful Jodi Thomas! Jodi is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of 36 novels and 11 short story collections. In June 2011, WELCOME TO HARMONY, the first book in the Harmony series, won a RITA, the highest award for women’s fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. Her latest, CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, is on shelves now and was reviewed here by the lovely Janga. Welcome, Jodi! 
 

 

As the holidays wind down and we cuddle into the cool nights, I’d love to take you along on a journey with me to a small town in Texas called Harmony. 

When I began CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, I started with Emily, a librarian. She’s kind and caring with a secret that keeps her fears compartmentalized in her mind. When a friend from her past asks a favor, she agrees not knowing how far into an adventure they’ll stumble while discovering each other and a secret of the town. 

Writing the story of Harmony in CHANCE OF A LIFETIME has been a pure joy for me. I grew up in a small town and understand how the people’s life stories blend together and how everyone bands together when trouble comes. So come along with me this cold night in January on an adventure that will make you smile and keep you reading long into the night.

 

Jodi Thomas

 

www.jodithomas.com

www.facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor

www.twitter.com/jodithomas

 

Dear readers, have you ever been on an adventure? Tell us about it and one lucky commenter will win a copy of Jodi’s CHANCE OF A LIFETIME. (U.S. addresses only, please.)

 

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Jodi Thomas takes us back to Harmony, Texas, in CHANCE OF A LIFETIME. The fifth book in her popular Harmony series presents a story where big dreams are brewing—and anything and everything is possible…

Emily, the local librarian, has started a writing group, but as the group stumbles through both the fiction and reality of their lives, they’re learning much more than how to write. But Emily suddenly has other things on her mind when a friend from her past shows up in Hamony's library. Now she must deal with a secret she’s kept for fifteen years—a secret that changed her life and threatens to shatter her future.

Meanwhile, new lawyer Rick Matheson thinks he’s in charge of his world until accidents start happening all around him. Just when he realizes someone is trying to kill him, he meets a beautiful U.S. Marshal named Trace Adam. Now that the marshal has given him an even stronger reason to go on living, he must learn to take a chance on life to dream bigger—and love better—than he ever has before...

New Releases for January

Happy New Year! It’s a new year for new releases. Because of the holidays, I haven’t had a chance to read any of these January releases, but I plan to make time soon. And of course, that won’t stop me from putting those gift cards I received for Christmas to good use and purchasing some of these great romances! If you could see my TBR pile (or mountain, rather), you would see exactly what I’m talking about. lol! I’m looking forward to The Lady Most Willing… by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway, along with True Love at Silver Creek Ranch by Emma Cane and The Seduction of Elliot McBride by Jennifer Ashley. I can’t wait to read them all!                                  

So, which January releases have you read? Of those, which ones do you recommend? Which ones are you most looking forward to reading? Tell us and one lucky commenter will win a random book from my prize stash!

Until February, happy reading! 

 

 

Historical

Forbidden Jewel of India – Louise Allen

Rebel with a Cause – Carol Arens

The Seduction of Elliot McBride – Jennifer Ashley

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker – Jennifer Chiaverini (Historical Fiction)

Demon’s Curse – Alexa Egan (Paranormal)

A Breath of Scandal – Elizabeth Essex

The Wicked Wedding of Miss Ellie Vyne – Jayne Fresina

Captive of the Border Lord – Blythe Gifford

Revenge of the Knights Templar – Adriana Girolani

Villa Triste – Lucretia Grindle (Historical Fiction)

Never Love a Lord – Heather Grothaus

Wyoming Bride – Joan Johnston

Forever a Lord – Delilah Marvelle

Highlander Claimed – Juliette Miller

Some Like to Shock – Carole Mortimer

Mistress of My Fate – Hallie Rubenhold (Historical Fiction)

The Scoundrel Takes a Bride – Stefanie Sloane

A Convenient Bride – Cheryl Ann Smith

Habits of the House – Fay Weldon (Historical Fiction)

The Husband List – Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly

Castonbury Park: Ladies of Disrepute – Marguerite Kaye & Ann Lethbridge

Waking Up with a Rake – Connie Mason & Mia Marlowe

The Lady Most Willing… – Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway

 

Contemporary 

Relentless Seduction – Jillian Burns

True Love at Silver Creek Ranch – Emma Cane

Love Saves the Day – Gwen Cooper (Women’s Fiction)

Sweet Tea for Two – Genell Dellin

Moonlight Masquerade – Jude Deveraux

The Chocolate Kiss – Laura Florand

The Road to Cardinal Valley – Earlene Fowler (Women’s Fiction)

Three Good Things – Wendy Francis (Women’s Fiction)

One More Kiss – Katherine Garbera

His Kind of Trouble – Samantha Hunter

The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen – Syrie James (Women’s Fiction)

Back to You – Robin Kaye

Here I Go Again – Jen Lancaster (Women’s Fiction)

Sugar Springs – Kim Law

The Good House – Ann Leary (Women’s Fiction)

Lying in Bed – Jo Leigh

The Wedding Fling – Meg Maguire

Big Sky River – Linda Lael Miller

Me Before You – Jojo Moyes (Women’s Fiction)

The Officer Breaks the Rules – Jeanette Murray

Taking the Reins – Kat Murray

All She Ever Wanted – Rosalind Noonan (Women’s Fiction)

Perfect Fit – Carly Phillips

The Two Week Wait – Sarah Rayner (Women’s Fiction)

Sea Glass Winter – JoAnn Ross

The Boy – Lara Santoro (Women’s Fiction)

Make Me Yours – Sophia Shaw

The Risk-Taker – Kira Sinclair

Out of Warranty – Haywood Smith (Women’s Fiction)

Foreign Affair – Shelli Stevens

Chance of a Lifetime – Jodi Thomas

Where You Are – J.H. Trumble (Women’s Fiction)

Ashenden – Elizabeth Wilhide (Women’s Fiction)

Afterwife – Polly Williams (Women’s Fiction)

The Plum Tree – Ellen Marie Wiseman (Women’s Fiction)

Timber Creek – Veronica Wolff

Countdown to First Night – Jillian Hart, Margaret Daly, Barbara Minton

 

YA/Teen 

Level 2 – Lenore Appelhans (Paranormal)

Nobody – Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Paranormal)

Rise – Andrea Cremer (Paranormal)

Vortex – Julie Cross (Time Travel)

The Essence – Kimberly Derting (Fantasy)

The Rogue’s Princess – Eve Edwards (Historical)

Crimson Frost – Jennifer Estep (Paranormal)

Just One Day – Gayle Forman

Kiki Strike: The Darkness Dwellers – Kirsten Miller

Fading Amber – Jaime Reed (Paranormal)

Shades of Earth – Beth Revis (Futuristic)

Through the Ever Night – Veronica Rossi (Paranormal)

Altered – Jennifer Rush

Paper Valentine – Brenna Yovanoff (Mystery)

 

Romantic Suspense 

Shades of Gray – Maya Banks

Cowboy with a Cause – Carla Cassidy

Deadly Sight – Cindy Dees

Alpha One – Cynthia Eden

A Widow’s Guilty Secret – Marie Ferrarella

Standoff at Mustang Ridge – Delores Fossen

Killing Time – Cindy Gerard

Bridal Falls Ranch Ransom – Jan Hambright

Native Cowboy – Rita Herron

Shadow Woman – Linda Howard

Dream Eyes – Jayne Ann Krentz

Internal Affairs – Alana Matthews

Home by Dark – Marta Perry

Live and Let Love – Gina Robinson

Soldier’s Redemption – Alice Sharpe

Aftershock – Jill Sorenson

Guarding the Princess – Loreth Anne White 

 

Paranormal 

All For You – Dana Marie Bell (e-book)

Dark Wolf Rising – Rhyannon Byrd

Beneath the Skin – Lauren Dane

Keeper of the Night – Heather Graham

Black Fallen – Elle Jasper

Death’s Angel – Heather Killough-Walden

A Soul So Wicked – Sharie Kohler

A Taste of Ice – Hanna Martine

A Love Untamed – Pamela Palmer

Getting Familiar with Your Demon – Jodi Redford

Gates of Rapture – Caris Roane

Sealed with a Curse – Cecy Robson

Last Kiss Goodnight – Gena Showalter

Ricochet – Sandra Sookoo

Prince of Power – Elisabeth Staab 

 

Urban Fantasy 

The Eldritch Conspiracy – Cat Adams

Unnatural Acts – Kevin J. Anderson

Gilded – Karina Cooper

The Trouble with Fate – Leigh Evans

Blood Winter – Diana Pharaoh Francis

Ever After – Kim Harrison

Blessed by a Demon’s Mark – E.S. Moore

Enchanted Ever After – Robin D. Owens

Touch of the Demon – Diana Rowland 

 

Erotica/Erotic Romance 

Give in to Me – Lacey Alexander

Overdrive – Chloe Cole (e-book)

Cowboys Down – Barbara Elsborg

Rule of Three – Kelly Jamieson

By Private Invitation – Stephanie Julian

Fall into You – Roni Loren

Midnight in Berlin – JL Merrow

Silken Canvas – Natasha Moore (e-book)

Simply Scandalous – Kate Pearce

Lead and Follow – Katie Porter (e-book)

Circle of Deception – Carla Swafford (e-book)