The randomly chosen winner of
a print copy of
Some Dukes Have All the Luck by Christina Britton is:
Monique F
Congratulations!
Please send your full name and mailing address to:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Saturday, November 12, 2022
Thursday, November 10, 2022
First Look - The Year of Cecily
The Year of Cecily
Lisa Lin has been an avid romance reader and fan since she read her first Nora Roberts novel at the age of 13 after wandering the aisles of her local bookstore. Lisa loves that romance has the power to inspire, and believes that HEAs are for everyone.
by Lisa Lin
From Sunset Park, With Love - Book 1
Publisher: Tule
Release Date: January 17, 2023
It seems like a win-win, but Luke breaks the rules by falling in love. Can he convince Rachel that what they have is real and, when it comes to love, there are no set rules?
Lisa Lin has been an avid romance reader and fan since she read her first Nora Roberts novel at the age of 13 after wandering the aisles of her local bookstore. Lisa loves that romance has the power to inspire, and believes that HEAs are for everyone.
Lisa writes light contemporary romantic comedies with a liberal dash of snark and banter. She enjoys delving into the complexity of Asian and immigrant family experiences, and celebrates female friendships in her trademark dry, witty style. As an Asian-American author writing own voices Asian American stories, Lisa hopes that her books will show the diversity of the Asian-American experience, and the importance of every reader being able to see themselves represented on the page.
Having grown up in Pennsylvania and helping out at her parents’ restaurant, Lisa has never bothered to learn to cook. She has two liberal arts undergraduate degrees and a J.D, and in her former life she was an intern, then Legislative Assistant for a PA State Representative. She also worked as a paralegal at a boutique law firm. Lisa is a politics junkie (don’t get her started on the wonder that is The West Wing!), indulges in naps whenever possible, and believes Netflixing in her pajamas and ordering take out qualifies as the perfect weekend.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Review & Giveaway - - A Very Merry Bromance
A Very Merry Bromance
by Lyssa Kay Adams
Bromance Book Club
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 1, 2022
Reviewed by Santa
'Tis the season for a Bromance Book Club matchmaking mission! This time, they're pulling out the mistletoe for everyone's favorite country music star, Colton, and his second chance at love.
Country music’s golden boy Colton Wheeler felt the most perfect harmony when he was with Gretchen Winthrop. But for her, it was a love him and leave him situation. A year later, Colton is struggling to push his music forward in a new direction. If it weren’t about to be the most magical time of year and the support of the Bromance Book Club, he’d be wallowing in self-pity.
It’s hard for immigration attorney Gretchen not to feel a little Scrooge-ish about the excess of Christmas when her clients are scrambling to afford their rent. So when her estranged, wealthy family reaches out with an offer that will allow her to better serve the community, she’s unable to say no. She just needs to convince Colton to be the new face of her family’s whiskey brand. No big deal…
Colton agrees to consider Gretchen’s offer in exchange for three dates before Christmas. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, Colton throws himself into the task of proving to her there’s a spark between them. But Gretchen and Colton will both need to overcome the ghosts of Christmas past to build a future together.
Santa Says:
A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams is just in time for all you Hallmark Channel Christmas rom com movie madness fans out there. And, yes, that means yours truly. It’s the most wonderful time of the year and this book checks off all the boxes. Hot cocoa. Check. Grumpy Scrooge meets Sunshine Elf. Check. Plenty of good cheer and, of course, the ever loving members of the Bromance Book Club. Check and check and check. A band of the hottest men in the Nashville area who happen to love reading romance novels. They see them as manuals on how to successfully woo and win the women of their lives. Yes, romance readers, they have unlocked the secrets we have already found within their pages.
Colton Wheeler is a country music star with a stalled career. His muse seems to have gone missing. That is until one Gretchen Winthrop reluctantly comes back into his life. Gretchen is an immigration lawyer with demons of her own in the shape of her cold, indifferent family. And she hates the holiday season. Something Colton sees as a challenge. With the help of his buddies and romance novels aka manuals he sets out to woo her and bring her into the true experience of Christmas - full stop.
Gretchen puts up with his Christmas wreath wrangling as long as he considers being a spokesperson for her family’s whiskey re-branding. A deal she struck with her devil of a brother. Gretchen is no match for Colton’s charm, swagger, not to mention his washboard abs and his romance reading heart. Gretchen is the kick start Colton’s career needs.
Lyssa Kay Adams' series The Bromance Book Club is
so much fun to read! I have read about half of the series, in no particular
order and have found each one to be a delight. The banter is funny. The
situations the guys find themselves in are hilarious and entirely of their own
making. I, for one, would like to wish upon a Christmas star to see this series
made into a limited edition series of movies. I’m looking at you,
Hallmark!
Have you read any of the Bromance Book Club books?
Are you as addicted to the Hallmark Christmas movies as Santa (and I) are?
Have you started reading your Christmas romances yet? Any to recommend?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before11:00 PM, November 11 will receive a print copy of A Very Merry Bromance.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
*Void where prohibited
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Tour Review & Giveaway - - Never Rescue a Rogue
Never Rescue a Rogue
by Virginia Heath
The Merriwell Sisters - Book 2
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: November 8, 2022
Reviewed by PJ
Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain―not a hidden attraction. Diana loves the freedom of working at the newspaper too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily married to his bachelor lifestyle. But they do have one thing in common―the secrets they can’t risk escaping.
When Giles’
father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden unexpectedly turns up his toes, it’s
only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who
knows the true circumstances of his only son's birth. As the threat of
blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover the truth of his parentage first, or
else he and all those who depend upon him will be ruined―and dogged bloodhound
Diana is his best hope at sniffing out the truth. As Giles and Diana dive into
his family’s past, the attraction that the two of them insisted wasn’t there
proves impossible to ignore. Soon, the future of the Sinclair estate isn’t the
only thing on the line…
PJ's Thoughts:
This book was an absolute delight. I adored both Giles and Diana, staunch frenemies with their pithy comments, charmingly insulting nicknames, and witty banter. They challenge one another at every turn while below the surface, unwanted feelings swirl. Everyone around them knows they're a perfect match. The question is when - or if - the two of them will ever clue into that fact.
Giles and Diana are one of my favorite types of pairings. He's the best friend of her new brother-in-law, an unrepentant, flirtatious, mischievous ducal heir giving the appearance of having not a care in the world while protecting hidden depths behind the persona that he presents to the outside world. She's the witty, sarcastic, ferociously independent daughter of a Clerkenwell forger, forced to make her own way in the world and rightly suspicious of most men. Both characters are well developed and layered, engaging my emotions, and my support. They made me laugh out loud while also tugging at my heart. Neither is interested in marriage. Both find themselves reluctantly falling for the other. But there are obstacles - big obstacles - blocking the path to a happy ending. They'll have to work together first to solve a potentially life-altering mystery while circumventing meddling family, a cheeky butler, and thwarting a devious threat from the past. It's a blend of mystery, adventure, and romance wrapped in a fun, heartfelt, satisfying journey that kept me grinning, sighing, gasping, and snickering all the way to the end, cheering them on to vanquish the villain and embrace their love without losing themselves in the process. These two are great on their own...even better together.
This is the second book in Virginia Heath's The Merriwell Sisters trilogy. You could begin with this one and not be confused but because of the continuing cast of characters and their evolution over the course of the two books, I'm glad I began with book one, Never Fall for Your Fiancée. Click to read my review.
Next up will be youngest sister, Vee's book. She really shines as a secondary character in Never Rescue a Rogue. After witnessing her growth in this second book, I'm even more eager to discover what Heath has in store for her. I'm hoping that a new character introduced in this book will have a role in her story. I felt a frisson.
Tour Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Author Bio
– When Virginia Heath was a little
girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to
help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the
stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy
ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing
them down. Twenty-five books and three Romantic Novel of the Year Award
nominations later, and it still takes her forever to fall asleep.
Social
Media Links –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virginiaheathauthor
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VirginiaHeath_
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/virginiaheathwrites
Monday, November 7, 2022
Winner - - Better Than Fiction
The randomly chosen winner of
a print copy of
Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin is:
Shari
Congratulations!
Please send your full name and mailing address to:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Please put "Alexa Martin Winner" in your email.
Review & Giveaway - - Some Dukes Have All the Luck
Some Dukes Have All the Luck
by Christina Britton
Synneful Spinsters - Book 1
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: November 8, 2022
Reviewed by PJ
Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, no more wants to marry than he wants a stick in his eye. As the owner of a gaming hell, he is all too aware the odds of a happy marriage are against him. But raising his three rebellious wards alone is proving more than he can handle. He needs to find someone who stands to benefit from a marriage of convenience as much as he does. Someone logical, clinical, and rational. And in a stroke of luck, he quite literally stumbles over just such a woman.
After years of ridicule for being more interested in bugs than boys, Bronwyn has accepted that she’ll never marry for love. Her parents, however, are threatening to find her a husband. Bronwyn doesn’t need any scientific research to show her Ash has secrets. But his proposal would give her the freedom to continue her entomology research and perhaps finally get published. Just as long as she can keep her mind on her work and off his piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and wicked, wicked tongue.
PJ's Thoughts:
Christina Britton keeps upping her game with each book she publishes. I've enjoyed all of them but this one is my favorite so far. In fact, it's one of my favorite books this year.
I'm a pushover for an emotionally tortured hero who believes himself unworthy of love while at the same time aching to open his heart. In this book, it's not only romantic love that Ash holds at bay but his feelings for his three young wards as well. Wards who have a connection with him of which they are unaware and who believe he only wants to be rid of them. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Then there's Bronwyn, who has to be in the running for my favorite heroine this year. A socially awkward young woman with a brilliant scientific mind, she's saddled with parents who only value her for her ability to gain them entrance into society through marriage. What they do to her in pursuit of their goals is atrocious. It's no wonder she agrees to a marriage of convenience with Ash (who she does not realize is a duke) the day after they're introduced. I wanted to ship her parents off to a deserted island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific.
What follows is an emotionally layered journey between Ash and Bronwyn that made me laugh, made me cry, and filled me with so many feelings. I adore Bronwyn with her pragmatic, scientific approach to life. Her discussion with Ash about physical relations is one of my favorite scenes in the book (snort laughing ensued). I adore Ash even more for the way he responds to that, how he values her for who she is and desires her because of that (sizzling chemistry between these two!). I love how he supports and encourages her dreams, how he slowly loses his heart to her while also believing his heart isn't worthy of her love. And how satisfying it is to watch Bronwyn blossom under the attention of someone who has no wish to change her or denigrate her intelligence. And this isn't a one-way street. Bronwyn's impact on Ash's life is profound. These two (actually five, counting the girls) are meant to be a family and watching that come to fruition filled me with so much joy.
The Oddments, Bronwyn's group of friends (all spinsters) feature prominently in her journey and have me even more eager for more stories in this series. If you've read Britton's Isle of Synne series, you'll recognize them along with a few other secondary characters but if you're new to her writing, you should be able to jump in with Some Dukes Have All the Luck without missing a beat. I do, however, enthusiastically recommend all of the Isle of Synne books as well. Check out my reviews below.
Have you read Christina Britton yet?
Do you enjoy marriage of convenience romance? What's your favorite romance trope?
One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, November 9 will receive a print copy of Some Dukes Have All the Luck.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
*Void where prohibited
Friday, November 4, 2022
Review & Giveaway - - Better Than Fiction
Better Than Fiction
by Alexa Martin
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 8, 2022
Reviewed by Nancy
As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best—meddle.
Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From going river rafting to trying local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fiction.
When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She’s reminded that real life isn’t always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he’s writing a happily ever after just for them.
Nancy’s thoughts:
I have mixed feelings about this book. By the middle of page 1, I disliked the heroine so much that I was ready to put it down. I had committed to review it, though, so I read on. By the end of the chapter, I was beginning to like her better. After several more chapters, as I read more of her background and her motivations, I understood her and sympathized with her.
Whether a reader likes a character is mostly subjective, so others may respond to Drew differently than I did. For me, her griping about college loans and college being useless off the bat (which never matter at any point in the plot and so left me wondering why the book started there), her apparent dislike of being stuck in a business she didn’t want to own but not seeming to have any plan to do anything about that, and her stock of rote responses to customers in place of genuine interaction left me cold. The only thing about her I liked on the first page was the customer’s sympathy over the loss of Drew’s grandmother and Drew’s genuine reaction to that.
I warmed up to Drew a little when her late grandmother’s friends, older women who call their book club the Dirty Birds arrive in the store, and she seems glad to see them despite some resentment of their interference. When Drew thinks about why she loves photography more than books, that’s relatable. As the story progresses, we learn the photography she misses was actually not a hobby but a budding career. This isn’t made clear until the subject has come up several times. We know she loves nature photography, has won prizes, and was talking to a television station about a regular segment, but all that fits a hobbyist as well as a careerist.
So I often found myself wondering why Drew doesn’t look for another job and let her apparently very capable employee and part-timer run the bookstore. Only when we learn that she feels keeping the store open is a way to keep her beloved grandmother with her does this make sense to me.
One factor in Drew’s attitude toward the Book Nook is her stated dislike of reading. She doesn’t believe happy endings are for her and resents books that try to tell her they are. Many readers feel that way about romance, so it’s entirely believable with regard to romance novels. A bookstore, though, carries many, many other kinds of books that have nothing to do with happy endings, so this didn’t ring true as a reason to avoid all books.
Also in Drew’s favor is her kindness to her half-sister, Daisy, despite Drew’s envy of Daisy’s very different relationship with their father, who mostly abandoned Drew and her mother and didn’t even pay child support until his second wife took over writing the checks. Daisy’s warmth and obvious desire to do things together touch Drew and lead to their forging a new and much closer relationship. When Daisy forms an alliance with Drew’s best friend, Elsie, Drew finds herself outnumbered as she tries to stay in her shell.
The Dirty Birds bring the male lead in the story, bestselling romance author Jasper Williams, to the store. He’s unexpectedly hot and unexpectedly interested in Drew. She’s socially awkward, almost to the point of being rude, but because we see her internal reactions, we can sympathize.
Jasper intends to stay in Denver while he works on his next book, which is set there. He asks Drew to help him learn the area, and they strike a bargain. She’ll take him on adventures in the area. In return, for each book she reads from his list of suggestions, he’ll arrange an activity designed to make her like books.
I think many readers can relate to Drew’s “how can this hot guy like me?” feeling and her waiting for the other shoe to fall. When it does, it comes in a clever, credible way that was seeded early in the story. The resolution to the romantic conflict is cleverly done and ties into Drew’s love of photography and her adventures with Jasper.
The villain of the book is Drew’s father, who’s angry that his mother left the store to Drew and not to him. He’s determined to get it away from her. His irrational anger, especially since he seems to be very prosperous, didn’t entirely make sense to me. I was also put off by the easy way Drew’s grandmother’s attorney blabbed about his conversations with her about Drew and the store. I would’ve been more comfortable if the attorney offered some nod to why it’s not a breach of confidentiality for him to share this info.
Overall, the book has a rough start. The supporting characters and the hero were, for me, initially more endearing than the heroine, but I warmed to her as the story went on and was solidly rooting for her by the end of Chapter 5.
Recommended ~ 4 Stars
Have you read Alexa Martin?
If you don't relate to/like a character early on in a story, do you give up on the book or continue reading?
One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, November 6 will receive a print copy of Better Than Fiction.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
*Void where prohibited
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Winners - - Boo at the Zoo
The randomly chosen winners of
a package of books are:
Bonnie K
Penney Wilfort
Laurie Gommermann
Katie Chapman
Congratulations!
Please send your full name and mailing address to:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Please put "Boo at Zoo Winner" in your
email subject line.
Review - - A Bayou Christmas
A Bayou Christmas
by Susan Sands
Louisiana - Book 3
Publisher: Tule
Release Date: November 1, 2022
Reviewed by PJ
Thanks to a bone marrow donation from her newly discovered sister, interior designer Allison Miers has just beat cancer and has been welcomed into her new family, the Bertrands of Cypress Bayou. She’s been curious about her birth family for years, and it seems they’re all trying to make amends for her mother abandoning her—even offering a trust fund if she’ll stay a year and give the town a chance.
As Allison arrives in town amidst preparations for the Cypress Bayou Christmas Festival, she’s quickly overwhelmed by the drama and competition between both sides of her birth families. Local mechanic Nick Landry is the most normal person she’s met so far, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also handsome and friendly. Just as Allison starts to wonder if she’s finally found a new home, family, and a man to love, she discovers that Nick—just like both sides of her family—has been keeping his own secrets.
Family is all Allison has ever wanted, but should she listen to her head or her heart this unforgettable Christmas?
PJ's Thoughts:
Susan Sands returns to Cypress Bayou, Louisiana for the third book in what has been a thoroughly enjoyable series. Where the first two books combined romance with a healthy dose of mystery/suspense and explosive family secrets in fast-paced page turners, this one was more introspective and slower paced.
While Allison was introduced in book one, Home to Cypress Bayou, and made an appearance in book two, Secrets in Cypress Bayou, it isn't until A Bayou Christmas that we really get to know her. Her life has been turned upside down, she's trying to find her place within her newly-discovered family, and she isn't sure if Cypress Bayou is where she wants to make her home. She's thirty-five, an age when most of us have our lives figured out but because of her past she seems much younger, more vulnerable, and unsure of herself.
Allison's budding relationship with Nick is sweet and slow moving. I would have enjoyed more emotional depth there but I did like them together. Nick's a total sweetheart, even if he does come with an interfering momma who's not ready to let her baby boy go. Cheers to him for standing up to her!
The heavier emotional weight of the story is in Allison's relationships with her family members as well as her own personal growth. I enjoyed all the page time progressing Allison's relationship with half-sisters Leah and Carly and her surprising interactions with half-sister Elizabeth. I wouldn't mind a redemption story for Elizabeth, maybe a novella? She has some interesting layers. Allison's biological mother, Karen continues her claim to dysfunction queen but it's fun to watch the sisters unite to keep her in check.
As with the first two books, the culture, traditions, food, and flavor of Louisiana are on full display. Sands does a good job of immersing readers into this vibrant community.
This is a series where I strongly recommend reading the books in order. Click the titles to read my reviews of Home to Cypress Bayou and Secrets in Cypress Bayou.
Coming Attractions
It's November, the month of Thanksgiving. We have a lot of great new books to be thankful for here at The Romance Dish. Check out the schedule below.
The month kicks off an Tuesday, November 1 with PJ's review of The Not So Nice List, a humorous and heartfelt holiday novella by Sally Kilpatrick.
Santa stops by on Wednesday, November 2 with her review of Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble, the second book in Alexis Hall's Winner Bakes All, M/M romance series.
We're heading back to Cypress Bayou, Louisiana on Thursday, November 3 with PJ's review of A Bayou Christmas, the third book in Susan Sand's contemporary romance series.
Nancy Northcott will be here Friday, November 4 with her review of Better Than Fiction, a contemporary bookshop romcom by Alexa Martin. (Giveaway included)
PJ turns her focus to the past on Monday, November 7 with her review of Some Dukes Have all the Luck by Christina Britton. This historical romance launches Britton's new tie-in Synneful Spinsters series.
Be sure to stop by Tuesday, November 8 for a tour review of Never Rescue a Rogue, a new historical romcom by Virginia Heath. This is the second book in Heath's The Merriwell Sisters trilogy.
Santa is back on Wednesday, November 9 with a review of A Very Merry Bromance, the newest installment in Lyssa Kay Adams' popular Bromance Book Club series.
Join me on Thursday, November 10 for a first look at Lisa Lin's debut novel, The Year of Cecily. This first book in Lin's From Sunset Park, with Love series will release on January 17, 2023.
Let's get Ship Wrecked! Swing by Monday, November 14 for PJ's review of this newest romcom from Olivia Dade.
It's A Wish for Winter on Tuesday, November 15 when PJ shares her thoughts about this new holiday tale by Viola Shipman, set in PJ's native state of Michigan.
Stop by Wednesday, November 16 for a review of Sugar and Spice by Kimberly Kincaid. This opposites-attract, Christmas romance is the first book in Kincaid's Pine Mountain series.
Wednesday, November 23 brings a review and giveaway of Duke Most Wicked by Lenora Bell. I'm eager to dive into this newest historical romance from Bell. *Moved to December
Hope Holloway brings her heart-tugging Shellseeker Beach series to a close this month with Sanibel Moonlight. Stop by Monday, November 21 for PJ's review.
Santa will be here on Tuesday, November 22 with a review of Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese, a contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. (There's also a giveaway!)
Friday, November 25 brings a review and giveaway of A Sweet Lowcountry Proposal by Preslaysa Williams. I'm looking forward to returning to the South Carolina Lowcountry for this second-chance romance. *Moved to December
We're cranking up the action and suspense on Monday, November 28 with a review of One Last Chance, the final book in Kat Martin's Blood Ties, the Logans series.
If you enjoy heart-tugging romance and seasoned characters don't miss PJ's review of Jane Porter's Flirting with the Beast on Tuesday, November 29.
Wrapping up the month on Wednesday, November 30 will be a Q&A with author Connie Mann and a review of Beyond Fear, the newest book in her suspense-filled Florida Wildlife Warriors series.
What books are you looking forward to reading this month?
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