SQUAWK RADIO WINNERS!

We hope you all had as much fun visiting with the Squawkers as we did.  We'd like to thank them again for all the wonderful books they provided for our giveaways.  Congratulations to all the winners.  If you haven't already done so, please email your full name and snail mail address to us at theromancedish(AT)gmail(DOT)com.   

Prizes from Christina Dodd:
Scent of Darkness - Ms. Hellion
Storm of Visions - LuvEurope1
Some Enchanted Evening - Maureen

Elizabeth Bevarly:
"Male" Trilogy - Dorthy
"Male" Trilogy - Sue Hussein
"Derby" Trilogy - Janga
Double the Heat - JediSakora
Double the Heat - Keri Stevens
Double the Heat - JWZ 1978

Eloisa James:
Essex Sisters quartet - Elyssa Papa

Teresa Medeiros:
Vampire Duet - Jane
Wicked/Wild Duet - hrdwrkdmom a/k/a Dianna

Connie Brockway:
So Enchanting - Deb's Book Nook
So Enchanting - Santa
So Enchanting - Irisheyes

Guest Blog: The Sweet (Potato) Side of Thanksgiving

One of my greatest pleasures is spending time in the kitchen with good friends.  Today, we're delighted to have Jenn Colman join us in our Cozy Kitchen.  Jenn is my niece and long-time kitchen buddy who also happens to be a fabulous cook and baker.  Please join us in welcoming her to The Romance Dish!  ~PJ

Halloween has come and gone and if you have managed to shake off the sugar-induced coma long enough to venture out, you'd be hard pressed to miss the explosion of holiday decorations.  If you live in Florida like I do,  this is the only indication that the holiday season has arrived.  The average temperature here is still in the 80s!

The holidays are my favorite time of year.  Everything seems to slow.  The hustle and bustle of everyday life ebbs (I do my shopping online!), if only briefly, allowing us to focus on the things in life that endure.  For me, this is the love of my family.  There is nothing more important to me, and it's this time of year that really makes me want to not only embrace every second of joy they bring me, but to also show my thanks for their never-ending love and support.  It's my personal belief that there is no better way to do this than through food.

Brings a whole new meaning to love handles!

I was lucky enough to be given a wonderful culinary education from a very young age and most of my most cherished memories happened in a kitchen.  The family recipes I've collected are much like a diary of my life; every one of them has a story on which I look back fondly.  When I make chocolate chip cookies, it's as if my Aunt Patty is in the kitchen with me, helping me work that beautiful culinary magic while trying to keep my fingers out of the cookie dough.  Whenever I felt homesick at college, I would try to recreate my dad's amazing pancakes and remember all the weekend mornings he'd wake up early to make breakfast for all of us.  I can't even look at sugar cookies without thinking of every Christmas holiday during which my grandmother and I spent hours decorating Christmas trees, angels and reindeer.

With only a few days until Thanksgiving, this post is to honor my mom's sweet potato casserole.  After inquiring as to the recipe's origins, she informed me that she really couldn't say, but it was something she adapted from numerous different recipes she came in contact with.  It might not be a recipe that has been in my family for generations, but it has been a feature at every Thanksgiving dinner I can remember, and it always fills me with a sense of warmth and peace.  It is home and family and everything I love.

 And it has streusel.  Who doesn't love streusel?

Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 cup white sugar

2 beaten eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/2 stick butter*

Topping:

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 stick melted butter*

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.  Boil sweet potatoes until fork tender.  Drain.
2.  Using electric mixer, mash sweet potatoes.  Gradually add sugar, eggs, vanilla, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mash until smooth.  Turn mixture into your favorite baking dish.
3.  Combine topping ingredients and mix until crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over potato mixture and bake for 30 minutes or until topping is crusty and brown.
4.  Throw your scale out the window and have a moment of silence for your waistline.  Elastic waist pants are advised.
5.  Enjoy!
                                        
                                   
The best thing about this casserole is that it can be used as a side dish or even a dessert!

* My mom always uses salted butter in cooking.  If you prefer to use unsalted butter, I would suggest adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt to the potato mixture.

Photographic evidence of my lack of self-control.

Tell me about your favorite family recipes!  Are they generations old or something new you developed?  Do they have interesting family stories to go along with them?  What are your quintessential holiday dishes?

Happy House Warming by Missy Tippens

We are so excited to have inspirational romance and southern fiction writer Missy Tippens visiting with us today. Missy is a very busy woman! Not only is she a fabulous author, she is a wife, mother of three, owner of two dogs and a cat, owns a home-based business, and until recently an anatomy and physiology professor at a local college. How she does it all we have no idea! So without further ado, please give Missy a very warm welcome.

Congratulations on the launch of your wonderful new site! I’m excited to be part of the house warming celebration this week. And in honor of that, I thought it would be fun to talk about homey things—things that make a house a home. Especially for this holiday season.

Number one for me is familiar scents. I love the smell of home! And the smell of my parents’ home. And even though it’s been 20 years since she died, I remember the smell of my grandmother’s house. I love the familiar, but I also love to do special holiday fragrances. Pine, candied apple, gingerbread, vanilla, pumpkin… I enjoy setting out candles and essential oil burners. I love to put on a pot of spiced apple cider and have it warming when guests arrive. Yum!

Peace and security are another two biggies for me. I want to know that my home is a place where my children and their friends feel safe. Where we all feel comforted and loved. Sometimes that means turning off the TV (or music or video games or the computer or cell phones—which is not an easy feat with teenagers!) and making sure we all sit down for dinner. Or that we spend some time talking. It means dealing with conflict constructively and peacefully. It means leaving work…well, at work! It sometimes means letting the answering machine pick up during a meal or while doing something special together. It even means telling a teenager he/she can’t text for a while! The world can wear on us and tear us down. Home should be a place to be built up, recharged. A place to feel good being ourselves. I want our home to be a healthy, happy place!

Home is where we can express ourselves. I’m not big on decorating. It’s just not my thing, plus, it can get expensive. But my daughter is getting to the age where she wants to express herself more. And my oldest started doing it long ago with posters and his own art work on the walls. I like those simple things. My refrigerator is covered with the kids’ artwork from way back to pre-school. Family photos spanning several generations fill the shelves of our family room. I love comfortable, casual furniture. Others like beautiful antiques. No matter our style, it’s nice to have a place that fits us and is like sliding into comfy slippers when we come home.

When I think of home, I always think of food. I’m not sure if this is a totally good thing or not! :) But goodness, is there a time for food any bigger than Thanksgiving? My grandmother, and now my mother, always showed love in preparing a huge Thanksgiving feast. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole, asparagus casserole, homemade rolls, cranberry sauce, cranberry Jell-O salad, pecan pie, pumpkin pie… When I go home to Kentucky for a visit, my parents always want to feed us. My dad plans a menu ahead of time, then he buys all the groceries. Then he and my mom cook the meals we love best, all our favorites. It shows us love. And I hope I do the same for my children. Even someone who’s not a good cook can show love through creating memories, through starting family traditions.

I hope you’ve felt a sense of homeyness today! I tried to create that in my new release from Steeple Hill Love Inspired, A Forever Christmas. Check out Buffie's review here. I just love doing stories about returning home, about reunions with former loves. I’ll be giving away a copy of A Forever Christmas today in a drawing from among those who leave a comment!

Will you share some of the things that make a house a home for you?

Lori Brighton's winners!

And the winners of copies of WILD HEART are:

Carey Baldwin

Jane

Armenia

Congratulations, ladies! Please send your full name and address to Lori at loribrightonATyahooDOTcom. Thank you!!

PRIME TIME for Romance by Hank Phillippi Ryan

While attending this year's Moonlight & Magnolias conference in Atlanta, we met the nicest and most gracious lady. She encouraged us and gave us tips when we talked about starting our own blog/review site. Despite the fact that she is a very busy lady, she offered to help us in any way she could. It seemed only fitting to ask her to blog with us during our Housewarming Party week. And thus, she is with us today. Please help us welcome award-winning mystery author Hank Phillippi Ryan to The Romance Dish!

Where’s the romance in Thanksgiving? Where’s the mystery?

First, the dish on the mystery. It’s the gravy. Why is it after so many years of making Thanksgiving dinner for various numbers of family and friends, every year on Thanksgiving morning I wake up with the burning (ouch) question: How do you make gravy?

Is it easy for you? I’ve been a TV reporter for the past 30 years. Like my mystery heroine, I wire myself with hidden cameras, go undercover into tricky situations, confront corrupt politicians and chase down criminals. But the gravy thing? No can do.

Maybe my relationship with gravy needs to heat up a bit. More easily than making gravy, I could write a scene where our heroine, with an adorable smudge of cornstarch on her cheek and a cute black apron tied over her holiday mini-skirt (well, its fiction) stands, perplexed, at the stove. Before her, a bubbling quantity of liquid, simmering in a gleaming copper pan.

It’s Thanksgiving, of course, and this could be the most important holiday of her life.

It’s F day. As our story goes, her new boyfriend (and potentially the love of her life) has asked her home for Thanksgiving dinner. And she’s meeting his Family. F day. And, with his mother waiting in the living room, our heroine has volunteered to help with dinner. Including the gravy.

Talk about goals. Talk about motivation. Talk about conflict.

Our heroine stands, baffled, in front of the still-soupy mess.
The turkey, fragrant and glistening brown, is finishing in the oven. Our heroine checks the little pop up timer to make sure it hasn’t popped. Gazing at the plastic button, she asks the other persistent Thanksgiving question— do those things work? And if so, how?

Meanwhile, back to the gravy. Our heroine stands and stirs, worrying, and somehow deciding that if the gravy turns out, so will her happily ever after. But there it is, like her future, murky, and watery, and not coming together.

Footsteps behind her. Our hero, in a (fill in your personal preference here) sweater and tight jeans (I decided that one) comes toward her. He uses one finger to swipe the cornstarch smudge from her cheek, and risks a quick kiss, even with The Family in the next room. He smells of lemon and champagne.

“Sweetheart,” he says—

Wait a minute. How did this happen? I was thinking about the certainly-looming moment when I once again realize it’s time to face the gravy, and somehow—and I think it’s your fault—my thoughts veered into a potentially lust-filled scene which winds up with the whipped cream designed for the pumpkin pie being put to other uses.

Where’s the mystery in Thanksgiving? Will our heroine solve the mystery of the gravy...and manage to get the sweet potatoes and the stuffing and the green bean casserole all hot and ready at the same time when she only has one oven?

And where’s the romance in Thanksgiving? Will her hero be all hot and ready when the dinner is over? Okay, maybe I’ve gone too far with this. Maybe not. But it just shows there’s romance wherever you allow it!

There are endless possibilities for a Thanksgiving happily-ever-after. So long as there’s family, and friends…and the possibility of giving thanks for each other.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all…and I’m delighted to dish. (As long as I don’t have to bring the gravy.)

Any Thanksgiving tips? Love to hear about them…leave us a comment, and Hank’s team of accountants (!) will help the Dish divas draw for three winners of ARCs of Hank’s award-wining PRIME TIME!

*******

Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is currently on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate, where she's broken big stories for the past 22 years. Her stories have resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for consumers.

Along with her 26 EMMYs, Hank's won also won dozens of other journalism honors. She's been a legislative aide in the United States Senate (working on the Freedom of Information Act) and at Rolling Stone Magazine (working with Hunter S. Thompson).

Her first romantic-suspense mysteries, PRIME TIME (which won the prestigious Agatha Award for Best First Novel, was a double RITA nominee for Best First Book and Best Romantic Suspense Novel, and a Reviewers' Choice Award Winner) and FACE TIME (Book Sense Notable Book), are current best sellers. The newest in the series is the already-bestselling AIR TIME (MIRA Sept. 2009) (Suzanne Brockmann says: "I love this series!") Watch for DRIVE TIME from MIRA in February 2010.

Her website is http://www.hankphillippiryan.com/

In the Beginning...there was Squawk Radio

I remember clearly the day I discovered Squawk Radio. Christina Dodd had sent an announcement to her mailing list and, as I read it, I thought to myself, "How interesting! She's started a blog with five other authors! What's a blog?" Curiosity won the day and I clicked on the link that would introduce me to the wonders of blogging and the phenomenon that was Squawk Radio.

What captured my attention that first visit was the unique dynamic among the six Squawkers. These weren't just authors who had decided to write about various topics in a public venue. These were six women who were generous enough to open a window into their lives and their close friendship and grant all of us a front row seat. The atmosphere they created within their blog encouraged a unique relationship not only between the Squawkers and their readers but also among the readers who were regular visitors. Many close friendships that began and were nourished during the days of Squawk Radio remain strong to this day. They quickly became my favorite internet destination, the first site I visited each morning and my last stop each night. I confess, there were many visits in between too!

With Lisa's beauty tips, Teresa's "Odes to Russell and Donny", Christina's step-by-step house construction (including the hunky landscape crew), Liz's eclectic taste in music, Connie's hysterically funny typos, Eloisa's wonderfully dry wit, Kitty's "hot to trot" antics and an array of talented guests, there was never a dull moment at Squawk Radio. It was, and is, the pinnacle of blogging perfection.

How fortunate we all were to have gone along for the ride.

Though the doors to Squawk Radio closed more than two years ago, the Squawkers have not disappeared from the internet landscape. They can still be found at Facebook, Twitter, their respective websites and bulletin boards as well as guesting at various blogs...when they aren't tucked away in their writer's caves, creating literary magic...or stalking Russell Crowe.

Here's what they've been up to lately:

Lisa Kleypas

Lisa's latest:

Teresa Medeiros

Teresa's latest:

Christina Dodd

Christina's latest:

Elizabeth Bevarly

Elizabeth's latest:


Connie Brockway

Connie's latest:


Eloisa James

Eloisa's latest:

Please join us in welcoming the Squawkers to The Romance Dish!

The Squawkers have generously provided books for today's blog giveaway - a lot of books! Thank you, Squawkers! Random winners will be chosen throughout the day.

Were you a Squawk Radio regular? How did you discover Squawk Radio? What are some of your favorite memories of the blog? Do you have any questions for the Squawkers? They will be stopping by throughout the day so ask away.

What qualities bring you back to a blog day after day?

Guest Author - Jenna Petersen

Today we are thrilled to have Jenna Petersen (also known as Jess Michaels) as our special guest author! I've been a fan of Jenna since her debut book, Scandalous, hit the shelves. She is one busy lady, let me tell you. Not only does she write under and have a website for both of her pseudonyms, she also runs The Passionate Pen website, a valuable resource for anyone who wants to write and become published. Her latest book, What the Duke Desires, is the start of a new series and one that you don't want to miss! Check out my review here. So without further ado, please help me welcome Jenna Petersen to The Romance Dish!

Hi everyone! And thanks so much for having me today! I’m so excited to be part of The Romance Dish’s launch week!

So if you don’t know me, I’m Jenna Petersen and I write historical and erotic historical romances. Oh… and I also like to break heroes. It’s true. Think of my track record. In SCANDALOUS my hero was a bastard with a terrible mother and an even worse brother who is forced into a marriage. FROM LONDON WITH LOVE, accused of treason. DESIRE NEVER DIES, feels responsible for the terrible injury of his best friend and partner. SEDUCTION IS FOREVER, adrenaline junkie with a death in his past. LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN, another forced marriage and has to keep a terrible secret from his beloved brother. And my last book, HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT, dead twin brother, forced to take on a title he hates.

So, yeah, I like to take my men and twist them in knots. And my latest release, WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES, is no different. However, I do think I’ve reached the peak of my sadism against heroes in this book.

First, let me say that Simon Crathorne, Duke of Billingham is a decent man. He’s not your typical rake (though he’s certainly sexy as all get out) and he’s basically trying to do the right thing. That made breaking him a little harder in some ways. But I managed to do it by dismantling everything he ever believed about his father and ultimately everything he ever thought about his own life.

Twisted, right? And I had so much fun doing it. And even more fun knowing that my heroine had it out for him (at least for some portion of the book) even as he’s falling in love with her.

So you may now be thinking, “Sheesh, lady, why mess with a nice guy?” Well, I have to tell you, I love romances where the couple has to struggle and battle, ones that tie me in knots and make me wonder if it can all really work out. I think it makes the happily ever after all the sweeter. And there was nothing sweeter to me than getting Simon and Lillian there.

Oh yeah, and this book starts a series, The Billingham Bastards. And since the word “bastards” (one of my favorite themes, obviously) is in the title, you can bet I’ll be tying my other two heroes from the series into knots, too. But that’s for a different day…

So do YOU like the battle of a romance to get to the happily ever after?

And I have an extra special treat for you, dear readers! Jenna has graciously allowed me to post the cover for her upcoming Jess Michaels' release NOTHING DENIED!

So, what do you think? I love it and think it fits perfectly with the other books in the series. NOTHING DENIED is the third book in the Albright sisters series and releases February 2, 2010! I can't wait for this one!!

Guest Author - Lori Brighton

Debut author Lori Brighton is starting our week long Housewarming Party off with a BANG! Lori has a degree in anthropology and has worked in a museum, but she decided that the people in her imagination were more exciting than the dead things in a museum basement. Today she is sharing with us the moment when she received "the call" and a little bit about her debut release, WILD HEART. Please help me welcome Lori to The Romance Dish!



Recently I was talking to a neighbor’s father. “I’ve heard it takes a long time to get published,” he said.

I was surprised and delighted at his comment. Finally, I’d found someone enlightened, someone who understood the publishing world as it really was.

“Yes,” I admitted. “It took me about six years.”

The man gasped. Actually gasped in horror or shock, I’m not sure which. So much for being enlightened. For a moment I felt almost embarrassed; until I realized I should be proud of myself for sticking it out that long and not giving up.

So there it is; the truth: over six years and probably close to 100 rejections. And I’m not going to lie, each rejection hurt. Like a knife through the heart. And after each rejection I thought about quitting. Fortunately, I didn’t.

When I wrote my debut book Wild Heart, I had this gut feeling that this would be the book that would be published. My heart full of hopeful promise, I sent queries out to agents. A few asked to see the first couple chapters. I sent them off knowing things were finally happening for me. Then the rejections started rolling in, one after the other. When I’d exhausted every agent I could, I entered Wild Heart in contests. The judges seemed to like my book and I ended up finaling in three contests. But it was the last contest I entered that would prove the most important.

I received an email a month or so after entering The Golden Acorn contest. The coordinator was letting me know that I’d finaled and Hilary Sares, formally of Kensington, wanted to see my full book. Shocked and thrilled, I quickly copied all 400 pages and mailed it out. Then waited…and waited…waited some more. After three months I figured Wild Heart was destined to be set aside. I accepted the fact that once again I was going to get a rejection and I started to think about what to write next. I’d moved on.

A few more weeks went by when one day my phone rang. The caller I.D. said New York, but as I knew no one there, I let the voice mail pick it up. A few moments later I checked my messages, it was Hilary and she wanted to talk to me about my book.

An editor wouldn’t call unless they were interested, right? That’s what I hoped! I could barely breathe and it took me about thirty minutes to return her call. That was the just the beginning. I ended up signing with Kensington for their debut program; two books. That first book, Wild Heart, was just released. The second book, a spinoff of the first, will be out next year.

It certainly wasn’t easy getting published, but I wouldn’t change a thing.


WANTON…
Leo Roberts is next in line for an earldom and the power and fortune that come with it, but he is uncultured, unrefined—and completely untamed…until governess Ella Finch arrives upon the scene. Can so young and inexperienced a woman tutor him in the manners and mores of his class? Leo’s mysterious past has rendered him an outsider, too wild for polite society. But he finds her innocence most intriguing…


WILLING…
What manner of man he may be, Ella does not know. Yet he fascinates her and she must know more. Capturing Leo’s reckless heart is about to free her in ways she never dreamed of…and his sensual touch releases the deepest yearnings of her body and soul …

Interested in Wild Heart? Read the excerpt below!

“It’s lovely, the way the willow trees hang over the edge. Makes it quite…”

“Secluded? Romantic?” He was testing her, seeing how far he could push, and at the same time he found he liked to tease her.

She released a wry laugh. “Magical, I was going to say.”

It would be so much easier if she were the harlot pretending to be pure. As an innocent, he wasn’t sure how to deal with her. Yet, no innocent would have a necklace from India. It was too much the coincidence, wasn’t it? “As if fairies might be frolicking along the banks?”

She grinned. “Exactly.”

Leo stretched his legs out and leaned back on his hands, watching her. There was a shyness about her today that tempted him, and for a moment he forgot he was here to gather more information about her necklace.

“It’s rather warm.”

She picked a violet from the grass. “Hmm.”

“And you did promise to learn to swim.”

Her gaze jumped to his. “You’re teasing me.”

“Of course not. But, as I said, it is rather warm.”

“No, absolutely not, Leo. You may have bribed me into swimming once, but not again. Besides, you’re mad. We’d surely be spotted by someone.”

“Not where the rose bushes cover the windows, and that large yew tree would hide us from view.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Suit yourself.” He stood and strolled down the bank, knowing she watched him and knowing, the way a man knows, that she was attracted to him. Damn, if that thought didn’t thrill him.

Without glancing back, he pulled off his shirt, letting the linen garment flutter to the ground with a swoosh. He heard her suck in a gasp and grinned. Lord, but he loved taunting her.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by! Leave a comment and three people will win a copy of Wild Heart!

Welcome to the very first Hot Dish!!!

On the 15th of every month I will do my very best to provide you with a new Hot Dish for your viewing pleasure. It's such a tough job, but someone has to do it. Might as well be me (very big grin). I'm such a giver.

Some months I will just post a picture worth more than a thousand words (or sighs!). Other months, in addition to a picture, I will go more in depth and provide titillating tidbits regarding our Hot Dish. Either way, I do not believe you will be disappointed.

Well, enough of this gabbing. Let's get on with the task at hand.

Without further ado, I present to you the inaugural Hot Dish. I do believe this picture will provide more than a sigh or two.

Enjoy ladies!!!

Best Friends Winner!

The winner of Too Good To Be True by Kristan Higgins from PJ's "Best Friends" blog is

                                                Janga

Congratulations, Janga!  Please send your full name and address to theromancedish AT gmail DOT com with "Best Friends" in the subject line.  Thank you!

REVIEW - WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES

What the Duke Desires by Jenna Petersen

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: October 27, 2009

After overhearing her father’s deathbed pronouncement to her brother for the reasons behind her mother’s scandalous suicide, Lillian Mayhew has sought revenge against the man responsible, the Duke of Billingham. Instead of avenging their mother’s death, her brother drowns his sorrows in a bottle. And then the old duke passes away and is praised as a saint. Lillian knows what she must do – find proof that the former duke is nothing like he is heralded as and expose the truth about him. The perfect opportunity arises in the form of a house party hosted by the current duke and his mother.

Simon Crathorne, Duke of Billingham, is seeking a respectable wife, thus the reason for the house party. From the moment he first sees Lillian, Simon feels an instant connection with her. And even though he knows she isn’t an appropriate choice in a bride, he can’t seem to stay away from her. While going through his father’s papers at the estate, he learns that his father isn’t the man that he and everyone else thought he was. But will the things he discovers ruin any chance he has for happiness?

What the Duke Desires is the first book in a new series by Jenna Petersen, and I must say that it looks to be a really good series if this one is any indication. Simon is unlike any of Ms. Petersen’s other heroes and I completely adore him! I love that despite his parents’ disastrous marriage, he believes in love and wants it and passion in a marriage. I also love that he didn’t let up with Lillian – he repeatedly goes to her, whether it’s to check on her after she claims a headache or just to walk with her. And he doesn’t care that all eyes are on him when he does. Even though Lillian doesn’t like the attention, he continues – not to be mean but because she truly interests him and he doesn’t care who knows it. He’s nothing if not determined! *sigh*

Lillian is a clever and very genuine heroine. She comes to the house party with a purpose, but once she meets and gets to know Simon, her priorities start to shift. She finds it more and more difficult to carry through with her original plan since doing so will hurt Simon. I like that she isn’t the typical I-don’t-want-marriage heroine. In fact, she isn’t against marriage at all, but has no illusions of such a lofty one – she’s over twenty-five, possesses no money, has a drunk for a brother and a scandalous mother. Her practicality is very refreshing.

This is now my favorite of Jenna Petersen’s books. In it, she brings readers a well-matched hero and heroine, a cast of attention-grabbing secondary characters, and a plot twist that will surprise you. You do not want to miss What the Duke Desires!

~Andrea

Winners, winners!

The winner of a copy of Rachel Hawthorne's Moonlight is

JulieJustJulie!

Congratulations, Julie! Please send your full name and address to trishmilburnATyahooDOTcom with "Teen Menu winner" in the subject line. Thank you!

***************************************

The winner of the Kimberly Killion drawing is

Nicki!

Congratulations, Nicki! Please send your full name and address to Buffie at theromancedishATgmailDOTcom with "Kimberly Killion winner in the subject line. Thank you!

BOOK REVIEW: SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT

Silent Night, Haunted Night
By Terri Garey
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: October 27, 2009








Nicki Styx sees dead people...and not by choice. Ever since her heart stopped a year ago and she saw the light, she has become the "go to" person for the dead who have unfinished business. No sooner does Nicki help one dearly departed than another one shows up looking for assistance. How's a girl supposed to have a personal life with so many interruptions?

At the center of Nicki's personal life is Dr. Joe Bascombe, the doctor who brought her back to life and eventually stole her heart. Joe knows about Nicki's "gift", and though he doesn't always understand her ability to see the dead, he tries to be as supportive as possible. Not an easy task considering some of the paranormal goings on he's been exposed to. But Joe will do just about anything for the woman he loves.

Nicki and Joe have already dealt with the devil himself. As in the Devil with a capital 'D', or as he chooses to call himself, Sammy Divine--blond, gorgeous, and sexy as sin. If Joe and Nick can handle Sammy D, anything else should be a piece of cake, right? But they didn't count on the Three Fates showing up and wreaking their own special brand of havoc! Especially Selene, a succubus who has set her sights on Joe. By seducing Joe, Selene plans to show Nicki what happens when she interferes with the "dark side." So much for Nicki's plans for a holly jolly Christmas! But Nicki must learn to trust herself and her gift, and not be afraid to ask for help from her friends....and that handsome devil, Sammy, too, if she is to win this fight for the love of her life.

Terri Garey never fails to entertain with her Nicki Styx series, and Silent Night, Haunted Night is full of fun, mayhem and just the right dose of spookiness. I've been hooked on this series since Book 1, Dead Girls Are Easy--a RITA winner--and I hope the adventures of Nicki continue for quite sometime. Although the books can be read out of order, it's much more enjoyable to start at the beginning: Dead Girls Are Easy, A Match Made In Hell, and You're The One That I Haunt. Treat yourself to a paranormal romance this Friday the 13th, and get your "woo woo" on with Silent Night, Haunted Night.

~Gannon