Review -- Sex and The Single Earl

Sex and the Single Earl
by Vanessa Kelly
Publisher: Zebra
Release Date: May 4, 2010












“He’d come all the way to Bath with the firm intention of wedding her, and even though he wanted – no needed – her lands, that didn’t mean they couldn’t have an agreeable marriage. If it was the last thing he ever did, he’d mold her into a suitable and contented wife. For her own sake, as well as his.”






Simon St. James, the Ninth Earl of Trask, plans on dominating Britain’s wool industry. In order to achieve this goal, Simon needs one particular piece of land to supply the coal needed for the new mills in Leeds. Fortunately, the land he needs has been dowered to long-time family friend Sophie Stanton, who conveniently has been on the marriage market for last several years. Combined with the knowledge that Sophie has loved him for years, Simon believes Sophie will be very receptive to his marriage proposal. While not in love with Sophie, Simon believes a marriage between the two will be amicable and pleasant, with the added plus of providing him with the full resources to become a giant in the wool industry.

Sophie Stanton is known for her uncanny ability to cause scandal wherever she goes, and inevitably the person who comes to her rescue is Simon St. James. The man she has loved since she was a little girl. Sophie dreams of the day when Simon will fall in love with her, but as all girls do, she also wonders if that day will ever happen. So when Simon proposes marriage without a declaration of love, Sophie is not sure she can marry the man of her dreams when he doesn’t love her.

Sex and the Single Earl is Vanessa Kelly’s second novel and is a delightful read. Ms. Kelly has a wonderful way of showing the emotions of her characters and her dialogue is always witty. There are so many quotes from the book that I want to share with you!

As the physical relationship between Simon and Sophie begins to develop, Ms. Kelly had me giggling at Sophie’s reactions. After one particularly tough day, Simon comforts Sophie. Here is Sophie’s thoughts as she realizes Simon is about to kiss her for the first time.

“Sophie’s mouth dropped open as his lips continued to feather over her cheeks. Her heart beat so erratically she thought she might drop to the ground in a dead faint. She took a breath, forcing her head to clear. She wasn’t about to miss a second of this.”

Isn’t that great?

And then there’s this passage, where Sophia had a little too much to drink and is worried she is not kissing Simon the right way.

“Simon, if you’re not going to kiss me, then tell me what’s bothering you. If I’m not doing it right I’d like to know.”

His laugh sounded guttural. “Believe me, you’re doing it exactly right. I desire you in every way a man desires a woman, but I cannot take advantage of you like this. It would be outside the bounds of all propriety.”

“But I want you to take advantage of me, really I do.” She blinked as the words escaped her mouth, appalled she was begging him to make love to her. But, after all, he had started it.

A grim smile touched the corners of his mouth. “You should be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.”

“And you shouldn’t start things you don’t intend to finish, Simon. It’s really quite rude.”


Rude indeed!

There is also one particular scene where Simon quite smugly tells Sophie “I told you I knew how to flatter a lady”. And in that particular passage, he flatters her *ahem* very well ;-) Definitely a very hot scene -- you will have to get the book to read it!

While the physical interaction between Simon and Sophie is delicious, the one element I enjoyed most in this book is watching the emotional growth of Simon from a man who is just seeking an ends to a means in a business decision to a man who realizes the person you love is more important than the business you operate. To see Simon admit his true feelings for Sophie and his angst over the thought of not having her in his life made my heart sing.

“He bowed his head and accepted his fate. Sophie would never change, and she would run him ragged, but last night had finally shown him that he couldn’t live without her.”

Who doesn’t love watching a man have a light bulb moment about the woman in his life?

So if you are in the mood for delightful read full of witty dialogue, then I suggest you try Sex and the Single Earl.


~ Buffie

Review -- Still The One

Still The One
By Robin Wells
Publisher: Grand Central
Release Date: May 1, 2010







"The kiss was slow and tender, but the effect on Katie was like a bolt of lightning -- instantaneous, jolting, electric. It was as if someone had put a defibrillator on her heart, shocking it back to life, and all of sudden her blood was pumping furiously through her veins and feelings, long lost, were flooding her body."





Two years after the death of her husband in Iraq, Katie Charmaine is slowly getting her life back. She still thinks about Paul all the time, wishing they had children together, but the routine of life is becoming somewhat normal again. Living in the small Louisiana town of Chartreuse, Katie owns and operates the Curl Up ‘N Dye beauty salon, where all the ladies come to gossip about everyone in the town. While Katie enjoys listening to the women of the town talk about everyone else’s business, she does not want them to focus on her too much. Katie still holds a secret close to her chest. But that secret is revealed when Zach Ferguson strolls into the beauty shop one fateful day.

Making his fortune as a professional poker player and now owning a risk management business, Zack Ferguson never thought he would see the small town of Chartreuse, Louisiana, again. Big cities are more his style now. Though Zack has fond memories of the one summer he spent in Chartreuse, his favorite memories of the small town involve the teenage girl he fell in love with and the one night of love they shared. But now is not the time to walk down memory lane. No, now is the time to introduce Katie to their teenage daughter Gracie. The daughter Zack did not know anything about until a couple weeks earlier when the young, angry-at-the-whole-world girl confronted him.

Shocked to see Zack Ferguson in town again, Katie is flabbergasted when he introduces her to the child she gave up for adoption sixteen years ago -- a secret Katie has kept from everyone. How can she possibility explain the situation to Zack, the boy who stole her heart one summer and whom she has thought of numerous times throughout the years, even while she was married to her husband?

This is the first book by Robin Wells I have read, but it will not be the last. I was charmed from the very beginning by the small southern town of Chartreuse, which is full of colorful characters that remind me of my own grandparents’ small community. Usually, when I read a book for review, I place small post-it notes on the pages with significant passages and dialogues which immediately garner an emotional reaction from me. Within the first 10 pages, I had already used 4 post-it notes – which means I connected with Ms. Wells’ writing immediately.

The pendulum of emotions in this book swings the full gamete and Katie experiences most of them – sadness over the loss of the husband she dearly loves, confusion over the feelings she still has for Zack even though she loves her husband, joy at seeing the child she gave birth to, fear that she will not have a relationship with Gracie or Zack, worry she will hurt her husband’s parents with the news of her child and her feelings for Zack, and of course the greatest emotion -- love. You name it; you got it in this book!

This is a poignant book about family, healing the past and looking forward to a future of love. If you are looking for a great read that will place a tear in your eye, a smile on your face, and love in your heart, then I suggest you pick up Still the One!


~ Buffie

Authors Who Put the Super in SuperRomance

I’m a huge fan of category books. There are several lines that I enjoy reading, with stories that range from sweet to spicy to blazing hot. Today, let’s talk about Harlequin’s SuperRomance line. Written by some of the most talented authors around, these often family oriented books are shorter than single-titles, coming in at around 250 pages, which make them quick reads and easy to tuck in my purse. (I always carry a book with me.) But, while short in length, when I pick up a SuperRomance I never feel like I’m being short-changed. These heartwarming and emotional stories give readers the full romance experience. As they say at eharlequin.com, Super Romance is “More than a romantic relationship, it's mainstream romance with the promise of happy ever after!”

There are many SuperRomance authors whose books I enjoy reading but today I’m going to spotlight three authors: Kay Stockham (a long-time favorite), Beth Andrews (a new, rising star) and Sarah Mayberry (a new-to-me author).

I was introduced to Kay Stockham’s books three years ago when a blog I visited recommended A Christmas to Remember (Nov 2007). I read the entire book in one sitting and, as soon as I finished wiping away the tears, I drafted an e-mail to the author, then immediately set about finding her backlist of books. Kay has a gift for drawing me into a story, to the extent that I become “friends” with her characters, have a vested interest in their lives and care deeply about their happiness. She isn’t afraid to tackle difficult topics, writing with a depth of emotion that never fails to touch my heart, and taking both her characters and me (the reader) on emotional roller coaster rides that leave us stronger, better people in the end.

Many of Kay's books are on my keeper shelves and, like old, dear friends, are visited time and again. One of my favorites, Man With A Past, was a much-deserved 2007 RITA finalist. 

Kay’s current release, She’s the One (Mar 2010), is the final book in her heartwarming Tulanes of Tennessee series and brings us the story of Alexandra Tulane, the only daughter of the Tulane family.  In She's the One, Stockham takes us to a remote lodge in Alaska where she brings together a man and his son hiding from the world and a woman who thinks she has life figured out but discovers that she's been running from it instead.   Once again, this talented author has written a story that will have you thinking about these characters long after you turn the final page.

You can find more information about Kay at her website.





As a regular visitor to the Romance Bandits blog, I had heard about Beth Andrews long before her debut book, Not Without Her Family, was published by Harlequin SuperRomance in June 2008. All it took was reading that first book for me to know that Beth was on her way to being a star in the world of category romance – a fact that was confirmed this year when her second book, A Not-So-Perfect Past, was named as a RITA finalist for Best Contemporary Series Romance.

In this story, the author gives us a hero who served prison time for killing his abusive step-father and pairs him with a mother of two who is trying to heal from an abusive marriage. It’s to the author’s credit that there were no easy answers in this relationship. Both the hero and heroine had to grow and learn to open themselves to love but, more importantly, they had to learn to love, and forgive, themselves. With her flawless writing, Andrews not only made me believe in this unlikely pair but had me cheering for them the entire way.

Beth Andrews’ next release, Do You Take This Cop?” will be released May 11th. You can find more information about Beth at her website.

The author of sixteen published novels, Sarah Mayberry is an author I managed to miss until earlier this year. On the one hand, I’m disappointed that I hadn’t read her books until recently but, on the other hand, I’m thrilled to know there are fifteen more Sarah Mayberry books out there that I’ve yet to enjoy! In Home for the Holidays, Mayberry brings us the poignant story of a widower and his two children struggling to find their way after the death of their beloved wife and mother two years earlier.

Moving the family from Sydney to Melbourne to be near his mother, Joe hopes a new house in a quiet neighborhood will help them begin to heal but the motorcycle-riding mechanic next door throws a monkey wrench into his plans. Hannah has sworn off men since her fiancé ran off with her younger sister and wants nothing to do with the man and children who have moved in next door but life, and children, have a habit of interfering with our best laid plans. Home for the Holidays is another emotion-packed story with realistic characters and situations to which I could easily relate. Mayberry has created not just a hero and heroine, but also children, who must learn to overcome pain and grief and open themselves to love and new beginnings. Keep the tissues handy for this one!  Mayberry's beautifully flowing writing is a joy to read and her heartwarming story captured my heart.

Mayberry's most recent SuperRomance, Her Best Friend, was released April 13th.  You can find more information about Sarah at her website.














You can also check out these, and other, SuperRomance authors, and their books, at eharlequin.com.

Do you read Harlequin SuperRomances?  Who are your favorite SuperRomance authors?  Favorite books?  What SuperRomance authors have I missed that I need to try?   


~PJ

Christine Wells Winner

Random.org has chosen the winner of a signed copy of Sweetest Little Sin from Christine Wells.  Our winner is

Helen

Congratulations, Helen!  Please send your full name and mailing address to theromancedish@gmail.com to claim your prize.  Please put Christine Wells Winner is the subject line.

Guest Author -- Jodi Thomas

Multi-published author Jodi Thomas is our special guest today and we couldn't be more thrilled! Jodi is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of 30 novels and 8 short story collections. As of July 2006, she was the 11th woman to be inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame. She is also currently serving as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. Her latest, The Lone Texan, is a 2010 RITA Finalist for Historical Romance, and her upcoming release, Welcome to Harmony, hits shelves on June 1st. Please welcome Jodi to The Romance Dish!

In a few weeks Harmony will hit the stands and I don’t know when I’ve been so excited about a book coming out. A writer writes a story, climbs into a world and lives there for months. Then, the writer has to send the story off and let go of the characters for a while. With this book it wasn’t easy.

I open with Reagan, a runaway, being dropped off after dark on the Main Street. Before the night is over, she’s stepped into a world she’s never known. A world where she can belong.

As I wrote it seemed like my characters came to me one at a time, sat down, and began to tell me their story. As the book moves through the weeks, you’ll meet a funeral director who cares about everyone he meets, a volunteer fire chief who loves what he does, a sheriff who fights every day to live up to her family, and a child who sees people for who they really are.

This story will touch your heart and make you laugh. By the time you finish, you’ll feel like Harmony is a real place.

Three love stories wind their way through the book. One is a story of first love between two teenagers. Another is a love story between two strong willed adults who have loved each other since childhood but are torn apart because of an accident. The third love story is between a middle aged kind man who had never found anyone he can talk too. He develops a relationship with a woman on line that he met one icy night when they were both forced of the road due to weather. Both are professionals dedicated to their work and not the kind of people used to sharing feelings.

I hope you enjoy the stories in WELCOME TO HARMONY as much as I enjoyed writing them.


I wish you many happy hours of reading,

Jodi Thomas

http://www.jodithomas.com/


So, tell us, Dear Readers: What are some of your favorite heartwarming stories? Which ones have gone straight to your heart and then immediately to your keeper shelf?

Guest Author - - Christine Wells

I'm delighted to welcome back to The Romance Dish one of my favorite authors, and people, Christine Wells.  Christine is a Regency historical romance author who is quickly making her mark.  Her debut book, SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER, won the 2006 RWA Golden Heart.  Her second book, THE DANGEROUS DUKE, was a 2009 RITA finalist and her third book, WICKED LITTLE GAME was a RT Magazine 2009 finalist for "Best Sensual Historical Romance." Her current release, SWEETEST LITTLE SIN, brings us the much-anticipated story of Louisa and Jardine.   Released May 4th, SWEETEST LITTLE SIN is already raking in accolades, including a TOP PICK review from RT Magazine and 4-1/2 Stars from The Romance Dish. Read Andrea's review here.  When not writing some of my favorite books, Christine is a busy wife and mother of two sons as well as a regular blogger at Romance Bandits.  Please join me in giving her a warm welcome to The Romance Dish! 
~PJ



HERO WORSHIP
by Christine Wells

People often ask writers where they get their ideas. Another question often follows--do you take your characters from real life?

My answer to the second question is--yes, but mainly no. Perhaps a hero in one of my historical romances might be inspired by qualities I've discovered in a particular person, but to me, the whole point of him being a *hero* in a romance novel and not just a protagonist, is that he's LARGER than life.

Having said that, there's inspiration for heroes everywhere. Take yesterday, for example. I caught the train to the city to visit a jeweller. On the way, I sat opposite a strapping young lad who couldn't seem to talk to his friend about anything but Rugby football. Now I'm not a nosy person by nature (OK, yes, I am--it goes with the job description!) but in my defence, when you're sitting opposite someone on a train for half an hour with nothing to occupy you but whiney girly band music eking out of the iPod of the girl next to you, you tend to pick up a lot about the other passengers.

I noticed that these two young men spoke in short, staccato sentences. That they were sitting two rows of seats apart (presumably to dominate as much space as they reasonably could and still hear one another speak.) The fellow opposite me, whom I took to be 16 or 17 but had the physique of a 20 year old, had his knee strapped, which, given his conversation, argued some injury sustained on the football field. Below that impressive bandaging, he had a band-aid on his shin. Which I thought was rather adorable, really. Big hulking boy with band-aid. Sweet.

Right there. There's a hero in the making. Think of the metaphors--to a romance writer, playing football argues a level of heroism and physical prowess and even, in some cases, glamour. Perhaps he's the team captain of a failing, underfunded club and he needs to motivate these guys to win the premiership. The strapped knee symbolizes this hero's deep, abiding wound. The band-aid is that touch of whimsy that both humanizes the hero and makes him stand out from every other strapping footballer around.

Now, you can see how I'm turning quite an ordinary guy into a hero. I've left the reality of the boy himself far behind.

By contrast, my mission in town was to visit one of our premier jewellers--the best jeweller in town, in my opinion. Almost every significant piece of jewellery I own has been designed by him. Unfortunately, it was not an exciting mission--I had to get a quote for insurance--but that's beside the point. This jeweller is quite a different kind of hero from my strapping Rugby player. Cool, charming and sophisticated, he has innate style and seems to epitomize the word 'gentleman'. He knows how to treat women and handles many things personally that you would think beneath his notice as the owner of the business. He makes anyone who walks into his store feel special and appreciated. But the romance writer wonders, is it all a veneer? And his eyes are a piercing ice blue--which we know always means something in a romance, don't we? What might be going on behind those eyes that his clientele wouldn't begin to guess at? Is it a case of still waters run deep? Again, my imagination is developing this man well beyond what I know of him in real life.

Now, the hero in SWEETEST LITTLE SIN, the Marquis of Jardine, is definitely not based on anyone of my acquaintance in particular, but he does have elements of men I know, and even some characters from movies and television. He has the upper-crust arrogance of Jeremy Northam's Mayfair spy in the movie Enigma, the ruthless toughness of Daniel Craig's Bond, the strategic brilliance of Smiley in Le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and the hidden vulnerability of Richard Armitage's character in Spooks/MI-5. His passion for Lady Louisa Brooke is an unstoppable force, a sweep-the-table-clean-I-must-have-her-NOW kind of passion from a kind of hero who, let's face it, comes along rarely in real life.

But we can enjoy that kind of passion and that kind of hero in romance novels, can't we?

Today, to celebrate its release, I'm giving away a signed copy of SWEETEST LITTLE SIN to one lucky commenter. So tell me, do you know any heroic men in real life? Who is your favourite hero in a romance novel and what qualities in him do you most admire?

Guest Author -- Vanessa Kelly

We are thrilled to have author Vanessa Kelly with us today as she celebrates the release of her second Regency historical romance, Sex and the Single Earl. Vanessa's first novel, Mastering the Marquess, garnered much acclaim and it seems Sex and the Single Earl will be following in those same successful footsteps. Be sure to take a few minutes to stop by Vanessa's website. You really need to check out the Below Stairs Recipes, where Vanessa shares some of her Italian family recipes (all of which sound yummy!) and Regency Reloaded, where she shares gritty and fascinating tidbits about the Regency era. Please join me in welcoming Vanessa Kelly to The Romance Dish as she talks about regency celebrations.

TIME TO CELEBRATE!


It’s so great to be here at The Romance Dish, celebrating the release of my latest Regency-set historical romance, Sex And The Single Earl. (Buffie jumping in here to say . . . holy smokes, look at the cover!!!) I think the best way to mark the occasion is with a party—a Regency dinner party—given to celebrate the engagement of my heroine, Sophie Stanton, to Simon, the Earl of Trask. Sophie has insisted on a secret engagement (Simon’s not happy about that, but she has her reasons), so we’ll keep that tidbit of gossip to ourselves. Instead, we’ll just throw your average dinner party before a ball, with the standard three-course, seventy-five dish meal.

Did I just say seventy-five dishes?! Yes, I did. Most formal dinners during the Regency period had three courses, including the dessert course, and up to twenty-five dishes could be served with each course. For some reason I can’t quite fathom (symmetry, I guess) you had to serve the same number of dishes for each course. Thus, the magic seventy-five. Not that the ladies were able to sample all those dishes. They were pretty much limited to what was placed in front of them, or what one of the men sitting next to them would offer. Sophie always seems to get seated in front of the Breast of Mutton, which is most unfortunate because she loathes mutton. But what else might she eat, if her obliging dinner partner is willing to serve her?

The first course always included soup and fish. Soup was served to all the guests—usually ladled out by the butler or a manservant. On the night of her party, Sophie would probably eat a bouillabaisse or a white soup. White soup was very fashionable during the Regency, and consisted of veal or chicken broth, egg yolks, ground almonds, and cream. At a ball, it was often served with negus (hot sweetened wine). The fish, perhaps carp with wine sauce, would be presented after the soup. The rest of the first course might consist of dishes like roast goose with apples and prunes, a ragout of beef or a joint of beef, roasted partridges, chicken fricassee, a rabbit casserole…well, you get the idea. For good measure, some vegetable dishes would be thrown in to round things out.

Once everyone had pigged out, er, had sampled the dishes before them, the first course would be cleared and the second brought to the table. There would be a selection of both sweet and savory choices. No soup, however, and the second course might include some fruit or jellies, and even an herb quiche or a savory cheesecake.

Finally, on to the best part of the meal—dessert! Dessert in the Regency era was a big deal. The desserts were often fashioned into elaborate confections that probably looked better than they tasted. The table itself would be decorated with sugar-paste creations in architectural shapes, or even with a recreation of a garden or an outdoor scene. But our Regency hostess would also have plenty of the good stuff to eat—things like baked apples, rum cakes, syllabub, fruit trifles, ratafia cakes, marzipan confectionaries, apple custard pie, and jam tartlets. As you can see, our lords and ladies of the ton took their sweets very seriously.

What beverage might accompany all these culinary delights? Champagne, of course. On the night of her secret engagement party, Sophie finds herself drinking quite a lot it. You see, she’s not sure she should marry Simon, even though she’s loved him since she was a little girl. She’s not convinced he returns her feelings, and those suspicions are confirmed when Simon appears at the ball with his ex-mistress draped all over him. Can we really blame poor Sophie for quaffing several glasses of Lord Penfield’s very dry champagne? Or for the fact that she decides to punish Simon by flirting with every eligible bachelor at the ball?

It grieves me to relate that Simon doesn’t take kindly to Sophie’s behavior, and he marches her straight out of the ball, fully intending to deliver a stern lecture. But Sophie’s not interested in lectures, and before you know it they’re both buck …well, let’s just say that Chapter Ten gets very interesting.

Now that you know what a Regency dinner party is like—oh, did I tell you it could last four or five hours—is that how you’d choose to celebrate a special occasion? Or would you prefer an assignation with that special rake at Vauxhall? A masquerade? Or would you rather a quiet dish of tea at home, waiting for your swain to call?

WINNERS! WINNERS!

The winner from our Sarah MacLean interview is:

Hrdwrkdmom aka Dianna!!

Congratulations Dianna!

To claim your copy of Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

just send your full name and address to

theromancedishATgmailDOTcom

with "Sarah MacLean Winner" in the subject line.

AND

LAST CALL for our winner of The Rogue Prince by Margo Maguire


MARISKA

Congratulations, Mariska!!

Please send your full name and mailing address

to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom

with "Margo Maguire Winner" as the subject.

New Releases for May!

Ah, May is here. I have mixed feelings about the month of May. I love that the flowers are in full bloom and summer is almost here, which means I can take my kids to the pool and sleep in most mornings. But it also signifies the end of another school year for my kids, which always leaves me feeling a bit sad. Thank goodness I have some great new May releases to brighten up my mood! Which May releases have you read? Of those, which ones do you recommend? Which ones are you most looking forward to? Tell us and one lucky poster will win a random May release!

Until June, happy reading!



Historical

A Secret Affair -- Mary Balogh
The Notorious Scoundrel -- Alexandra Benedict
Secrets of the Tudor Court -- D.L. Bogdan (Historical Fiction)
In Pursuit of a Scandalous Lady -- Gayle Callen
A Lady Never Tells -- Candace Camp
Wicked Becomes You -- Meredith Duran
A Lady’s Guide to Improper Behavior -- Suzanne Enoch
Stay a Little Longer -- Dorothy Garlock
His Border Bride -- Blythe Gifford
A Knight’s Persuasion -- Catherine Kean
Sex and the Single Earl -- Vanessa Kelly
Wicked Rake, Defiant Mistress -- Ann Lethbridge
The Rogue Prince -- Margo Maguire
Rule’s Bride -- Kat Martin
Lord of Devil Isle -- Connie Mason
To Deceive a Duke -- Amanda McCabe
Amethyst Destiny -- Pamela Montgomerie
Never Less Than a Lady -- Mary Jo Putney
Burning Lamp -- Amanda Quick
Ravished by a Highlander -- Paula Quinn
Mistress by Mistake -- Maggie Robinson
Seducing the Knight -- Gerri Russell
Crown of Destiny -- Bertrice Small
Sweetest Little Sin -- Christine Wells
Seducing the Highlander -- Emma Wildes
Mail-Order Mistress -- Jillian Hart, Carolyn Davidson, Kate Bridges
Undone -- Susan Johnson, Terri Brisbin, Mary Wine

Contemporary

Breakaway -- Rochelle Alers
Miss You Most of All -- Elizabeth Bass (Women’s Fiction)
A Thread So Thin -- Marie Bostwick (Women’s Fiction)
Give Me Fever -- Niobia Bryant
Hot Southern Nights -- Dianne Castell
Nancy’s Theory of Style -- Grace Coopersmith (Women’s Fiction)
Half Life -- Roopa Farooki (Women’s Fiction)
In Shelter Cove -- Barbara Freethy
Nothing But Trouble -- Rachel Gibson
Heart of the Matter -- Emily Giffin (Women’s Fiction)
Try to Remember -- Iris Gomez (Women’s Fiction)
Wedding Cake -- Lynne Hinton (Women’s Fiction)
Make Your Move -- Samantha Hunter
Spontaneous -- Brenda Jackson
Hannah’s List -- Debbie Macomber (Women’s Fiction)
Chasing Perfect -- Susan Mallery
Straight Up -- Deirdre Martin
Wayward Dreams -- Gail McFarland
Return to Sender -- Fern Michaels (Women’s Fiction)
Long Summer Nights -- Kathleen O’Reilly
It Had to Be You -- Francis Ray
Savor the Moment -- Nora Roberts
Montana Destiny -- R.C. Ryan
Surprise Me . . . -- Isabel Sharpe
Led Into Temptation -- Cara Summers
Still the One -- Robin Wells
On Folly Beach -- Karen White (Women’s Fiction)
Sweet Tea at Sunrise -- Sherryl Woods
Blazing Bedtime Stories, Volume V -- Leslie Kelly & Jennifer LaBrecque

YA/Teen

Restoring Harmony -- Joëlle Anthony (Futuristic)
Ship Breaker -- Paolo Bacigalupi (Fantasy)
White Cat -- Holly Black (Paranormal)
The Carrie Diaries -- Candace Bushnell
Runaway -- Meg Cabot
Wolves, Boys & Other Things That Might Kill Me -- Kristen Chandler
The Daughters -- Joanna Philbin
Spells -- Aprilynne Pike (Paranormal)
Sorta Like a Rockstar -- Matthew Quick
Shade -- Jeri Smith-Ready (Paranormal)
Somebody Everybody Listens to -- Suzanne Supplee

Romantic Suspense

Meltdown -- Gail Barrett
Stranger in a Small Town -- Kerry Connor
Memory of Murder -- Kathleen Creighton
Hitched! -- B.J. Daniels
The Medusa Proposition -- Cindy Dees
Line of Fire -- Jo Davis
The Baby’s Guardian -- Delores Fossen
Risk No Secrets -- Cindy Gerard
Her Bodyguard -- Mallory Kane
Stranded with the Prince -- Dana Marton
Man Undercover -- Alana Matthews
Last Chance -- Christy Reece
Touching Darkness -- Jaime Rush
Play Dead -- Meryl Sawyer
Anywhere She Runs -- Debra Webb
The Sheik’s Command -- Loreth Anne White
Men of Danger -- Lora Leigh, Red Garnier, Alexis Grant, Lorie O’Clare

Paranormal

Running Scared -- Shannon K. Butcher
Touch of Surrender -- Rhyannon Byrd
Out of Sight -- Stella Cameron
Shadow Marked -- Anna J. Evans
Wild Fire -- Christine Feehan
Stealing Kathryn -- Jacquelyn Frank
Beyond the Shadows -- Jess Granger
Blood Born -- Linda Howard & Linda Jones
One Enchanted Evening -- Lynn Kurland
Love in the Time of Dragons -- Katie MacAlister
A Breath of Magic -- Tracy Madison
The Adversary -- Lindsay McKenna
Vampire Vendetta -- Alexis Morgan
Marked -- Elisabeth Naughton
Haunting Warrior -- Erin Quinn
The Demon in Me -- Michelle Rowen
Into the Dark -- Gena Showalter
The Wish List -- Gabi Stevens
Lover Mine -- J.R. Ward

Urban Fantasy

Ghosts & Echoes -- Lyn Benedict
Play Dead -- Ryan Brown
Kiss of Death -- Rachel Caine
Burned -- P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Amazon Queen -- Lori Devoti
Hard Magic -- Laura Anne Gilman
Hunted by the Others -- Jess Haines
Honeymoon of the Dead -- Tate Hallaway
Chaos Bites -- Lori Handeland
Dead in the Family -- Charlaine Harris
Stormwalker -- Allyson James
Moonshine -- Alaya Johnson
Bound by Darkness -- Annette McCleave
Spirit Bound -- Richelle Mead
Magic of the Storm -- Devon Monk
A Taint in the Blood -- S.M. Stirling

Erotica/Erotic Romance

Sex, Lies & Secret Lives -- Thea Devine
Sinful -- Charlotte Featherstone (Historical)
Impulsive -- Cathryn Fox (Paranormal)
Hers for the Evening -- Jasmine Haynes
Vampire Mistress -- Joey W. Hill (Paranormal)
Dark Harvest -- Anitra Lynn McLeod (Fantasy)
Simply Insatiable -- Kate Pearce (Historical)

Guest Review - - Hannah's List

Hannah’s List
By Debbie Macomber
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: April 27, 2010

Dr. Michael Everett has been a widower for exactly one year when he receives a letter from his wife Hannah thanking him for the love and happiness he gave her and urging him to find someone with whom to share the rest of his life. Clearly Hannah knew her husband well. Prepared for his stubborn resistance to letting go of the life they shared, she assures him that a new love will not diminish his love for her and provides him with a short list of women she believes could make him happy: Winter Adams, Hannah’s cousin and chef and owner of the French Café on Blossom Street; Leanne Lancaster, Hannah’s oncology nurse; and Macy Roth, an artist and part-time model, who made Hannah laugh during the last months of her life when laughter was at a premium.

Michael is convinced he’s not ready to begin dating, but he can’t ignore Hannah’s last request or the persistent pushing of Ritchie, his best friend and Hannah’s brother, who, as the deliverer of Hannah’s letter, is the only one other than Michael himself who knows about the list. Over several months, Michael sees each of the women, sometimes in planned activities and sometimes in unavoidable encounters. From each one, he learns something about himself and about relationships. One of them teaches him to love again.

Hannah’s List takes Debbie Macomber fans to a familiar place, a warm and comfortable world where problems may be complicated but never insurmountable, where hope refuses to be silenced, and where wounded hearts heal. The characters are likeable, the setting is appealing, and the tone is sweet but never cloying. Some old friends from the Blossom Street series make appearances, but Michael’s story is tangential rather than interwoven with theirs. A reader can enjoy Hannah’s List without having read the other books.

Michael is a wonderfully drawn character. His struggle to let go of the wife he loves both in the months leading up to her death and in the grieving year that follows will strike home with those who have experienced similar bereavement. I especially liked his relationship with Ritchie and Ritchie’s family and with his office staff. I found the guilt and anger that were mixed with his grief realistic, particularly given his profession as a doctor who sees death as the enemy to be conquered. Some may think Hannah’s battle with stage four ovarian cancer is given short shrift, but this story is Michael’s rather than Hannah’s. It is the story of returning to a life fully lived rather than the story of confronting death.

The three women whose names comprise Hannah’s list are interesting in different ways. Winter is passionate about cooking and engaged in a stormy, on-again, off-again relationship with a Frenchman. Leanne is recently divorced, still conflicted about her feelings for her former husband and troubled by unanswered questions concerning his conviction for defrauding the hospital for which she works. Macy is a free spirit who adopts strays, four-legged and two-legged, and displays a surprising vulnerability.

The thing that kept Hannah’s List from being a five star read for me was the simplistic wrapping up of some quite complicated subplots. The premise of the list mandated that the stories of all three women be part of the larger picture, but in the process of telling three stories, Macomber dilutes the central love story and ends the others too quickly and too neatly. Nevertheless, Hannah’s List is another heartwarming tale from the pen of a writer who may well be the best in the business at giving readers sweet and tender stories of people they’d like to know.

~Janga


Don't forget our contest to win a $25 Visa gift card and one of three copies of Hannah's List. Click here to enter the contest.   Entries will be accepted through Sunday, May 9th.

Derby Winner

Thanks to all of you who shared Derby Day with me. Random.org has selected the winner of 

Elizabeth Bevarly's Derby trilogy. Congratulations to

Deb

Please send your full name and mailing address to theromancedish@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Your Horse or Mine?

It's not a national holiday but those living in the state of Kentucky may argue that it should be.  Today is the first Saturday in May - the day when women traditionally don outrageously huge hats, sip Mint Juleps and make discreet wagers. When men discuss bloodlines, training techniques and race records.  Today, for the 136th time, the eyes of the horse-loving world will turn to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky and the running of the first jewel in horse racing's Triple Crown:  the Kentucky Derby.

I've never lived in Kentucky, nor have I owned a horse, but I love watching the Derby.  I love its traditions, from the stirring singing of the Stephen Foster classic, My Old Kentucky Home when the horses enter the track (I cry every single time) to the garland of roses placed across the winning horse's back.  The roses made their Derby debut in 1896, when an arrangement of white and pink roses was presented to the winner.  Today, the red rose is the official flower of the Derby and the garland consists of more than 400 red roses.

Photo: Churchill Downs

Then there's that trophy.  Made of solid 14-karat gold, with an 18-karat gold horse and rider atop and set upon a jade base, the trophy has been awarded annually since 1924 to the owner of the winning horse.  While the horse and rider are cast from molds, the rest of the trophy is handcrafted during a process that takes hundreds of hours. 

The Mint Julep has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby for almost 100 years and, let me tell you, there's a whole lot of sippin' going on during Derby Week!  There are an estimated 120,000 Mint Juleps served at Churchill Downs alone over Derby Weekend.  Of course, you don't have to go all the way to Kentucky to try one.  Here's a recipe from Early Times Kentucky Whiskey, the provider of the "Official" Mint Julep of the Derby.

The Early Times Mint Julep Recipe

* 2 cups sugar
* 2 cups water
* Sprigs of fresh mint
* Crushed ice
* Early Times Kentucky Whisky
* Silver Julep Cups

Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Lady Diane Hats

But while the hats, the music, and the lovely refreshments are important parts of Derby tradition, it's the horses that hold center stage.  Beautiful, disciplined, finely-tuned three-year-old athletes at the top of their game, they command the attention of every person there from their first step onto the track .

 Secretariat

The race they will run is 1-1/4 miles and you better not blink or you'll miss it.  The record for the fastest Derby time has stood since 1973 when the legendary Triple Crown winner, Secretariat ran it in 1 minute 59-2/5 seconds.  He was an amazing horse!  The Triple Crown, for you non-horse people, is awarded to a horse who wins the three premier horse races in the United States - The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont Stakes - in the same year.  It's only been done eleven times since 1919 and hasn't been accomplished since Affirmed won it in 1978.

Twenty horses will take to the track today to race for the first jewel in the Triple Crown.  Will you be watching?  Have you picked a favorite?  I have a friend who knows all the stats on each horse and jockey and uses a scientific method (that leaves me totally confused) to select his favorites.  Another friend chooses her favorites based on the horse's name.  Still another picks her favorite based on the color of the jockey's silks.  Me?  I use a combination of the three.  It's worked...once or twice...but I have fun doing it and that's really all that matters to me.   Here are my favorite and long shot picks for this year's Derby.

AP - Lookin At Lucky

Lookin At Lucky:  I like his name and his trainer, Bob Baffert and his odds are great at 3-1. 

Photo Credit: Adam Coglianese

Paddy O'Prado:  How can I not love a horse with an Irish name and owned by Donegal Racing?  He's a long shot at 20-1 but he's been running really fast and I like his jockey, Kent Desormeaux.  I wouldn't count him out.





Okay, now it's your turn.  Will you be watching today's Derby?  Have you ever attended the Derby in person or been to a Derby party?  Tried your hand at sipping (or making) a Mint Julep?   Who's your favorite to win today's race? If you live outside the U.S., tell us about the premier horse races in your country!

One lucky commenter, randomly selected, will receive a signed set of Elizabeth Bevarly's Derby Trilogy, stories set in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky - site of the Kentucky Derby.  The books in the trilogy are Fast & Loose, Neck & Neck and Ready & Willing.  Good luck!

~PJ