Guest Review -- A Gentleman Never Tells

A Gentleman Never Tells

Affairs by Moonlight – Book 2

By Juliana Gray

Release: November 6, 2012

Publisher: Berkeley

A Gentleman Never Tells is the second book in Juliana Gray’s Affairs by Moonlight trilogy, inspired by Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost.  As a Shakespeare fan, that was already one point in favor of the book and series right off the bat. The first, A Lady Never Lies was released in August, and the third, A Duke Never Yields, comes out February 2013.  I have read A Lady Never Lies, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and so I jumped at the chance to read and review A Gentleman Never Tells.  

I don’t believe it’s necessary to read the first book to enjoy A Gentleman Never Tells because it definitely stands alone, but I think reading the books in order will allow certain plot points to make more sense.  The timeline for all three books is the same, and events overlap. Therefore, scenes in A Lady Never Lies appear in A Gentleman Never Tells, but from Roland and Lilibet’s point of view.  I admire what a logistical feat it must have been for Ms. Gray to keep the timelines and criss-crossing action consistent throughout the series, and it was interesting getting the same scenes from different perspectives, especially the peach orchard scene, which was so funny and a personal favorite of mine.  

The first thing that intrigued me about A Gentleman Never Tells and the entire series is the fact that it takes place in the Tuscan countryside and during the Edwardian era (Think Downton Abbey and/or Laura Lee Guhrke’s Abandoned at the Altar series). The setting and time period aren’t common in the romance genre, and I enjoyed reading about the cultural, technological, and social changes happening during the time and loved the beautiful depictions of the Italian countryside.  

Sir Roland Penhallow has spent the past six years as a covert intelligence agent for the Crown. When he and Lilibet first met, it was love at first sight, and he was instantly smitten. Roland was on the verge of proposing but his work prevented him from following through, and Lilibet was forced to wed another.  But he has never forgotten Lilibet, though the callus way he left her leaves him with little hope that she would ever forgive him, estranged marriage or no. But fate (or is it?) gives him another chance when both of them end up at a remote Italian castle for a year with her cousins Alexandra (heroine of A Lady Never Lies) and Abigail and his brother the Duke of Wallingford, and famous inventor Phineas Burke (hero of A Lady Never Lies).  

Lilibet, Lady Somerton, is a woman on the run with her young son Phillip. She is determined to escape her horrible marriage by any means necessary, even if it means the unspeakable scandal of seeking a divorce. However, that means she must make every effort to maintain a pristine reputation because any hint of scandal would mean her divorce petition would not be allowed. This causes instant conflict, as Lilibet must resist Roland for the sake of herself and her son, despite all the sparks that are rekindling between them. 

 

The relationship between Roland and Lilibet was deep, complex, and very well depicted. Reunited lovers is a trope I enjoy, and Ms. Gray’s version is no exception. Roland must work to regain Lilibet’s trust after abandoning her and leaving without a word all those years ago, and reveal the truth about what happened six years ago. He immediately senses that Lilibet was in trouble, and his protective instincts are roused. Roland’s bonding with Lilibet’s son Phillip and the lengths he goes to keep Lilibet and Phillip safe endeared him to me right away.  

My one very minor quibble is the use of period phrases and lingo was very jarring to me and took me out of the book a bit at times. But that is very likely my own personal issue, and shouldn’t discourage other readers from giving the series a chance. 

I thoroughly enjoyed A Gentleman Never Tells and definitely recommend it. Ms. Gray is a fresh new voice in historical romance and I look forward to seeing what comes next from her. Her writing is engaging and witty, and the prose is rich and intricately layered. In the meantime, A Duke Never Yields is already on my list of books to buy for February! There are subplots involving Roland’s grandfather, a supposed curse on the castle, and mysterious residents who may or may not be real, that I’m anxious to find out the resolution to. 

 

~Lisa

https://teatimeromance.wordpress.com/

Lisa is a law school graduate and aspiring writer working on her first contemporary romance. She first started reading romance back in high school and hasn’t looked back since. Lisa enjoys good friends, good food, good wine, and stories with strong heroines and happy endings. She’s loved The Dish since its debut and is excited to join as a guest blogger!

 

Lisa, we are so blessed to have you as part of The Romance Dish team! ~Andrea & PJ

New Releases for November

Wow, how time flies. Here we are, already near the end of 2012, plus it’s time for another presidential election. Now, I’m not going to discuss politics, but I do encourage everyone to go out and VOTE! I cast my vote a couple weeks ago during early voting and it sure felt good. My daughter is learning about US Government in school right now and is already looking forward to the time when she can vote. Of course, that won’t be for quite a few years. J 

It’s time again for November’s New Releases! So far, I’ve read Rescue My Heart by Jill Shalvis and it is another winner from this talented author! I look forward to snuggling up with A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long, The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts, Seducing Mr. Knightly by Maya Rodale, Come Fly with Me by Addison Fox, and Wicked Nights with a Proper Lady by Tiffany Clare. 

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

Until December, happy reading! 

 

Historical 

What Happens at Christmas – Victoria Alexander

There’s Something About Lady Mary – Sophie Barnes (e-book)

The Secret Life of Lady Lucinda – Sophie Barnes (e-book)

Sin with a Scoundrel – Sara Bennett

Rogue of the Highlands – Cynthia Breeding (e-book)

Wicked Nights with a Proper Lady – Tiffany Clare

Too Dangerous to Desire – Cara Elliott

How to Tame a Willful Wife – Christy English

Twelfth Night Secrets – Jane Feather

Wed to a Highland Warrior – Donna Fletcher

An Infamous Marriage – Susanna Fraser (e-book)

Return of the Border Warrior – Blythe Gifford

A Gentleman Never Tells – Juliana Gray

Heart of a Texan – Leigh Greenwood

Dana Gynther – Crossing on the Paris (Historical Fiction)

Colorado Heart – Cindy Holby

’Twas the Night After Christmas – Sabrina Jeffries

The Devil’s Thief – Samantha Kane (e-book)

A Notorious Countess Confesses – Julie Anne Long

Princess in Love – Julianne MacLean

The Warrior – Margaret Mallory

The Scottish Witch – Cathy Maxwell

The Recruit – Monica McCarty

Two Sinful Secrets – Laurel McKee

To Tempt an Irish Rogue – Kaitlin O’Riley

Unclaimed Bride – Lauri Robinson

Seducing Mr. Knightly – Maya Rodale

How to Sin Successfully – Bronwyn Scott

Her Highness and the Highlander – Tracy Anne Warren

Snowbound Wedding Wishes – Louise Allen, Lucy Ashford, Joanna Fulford

A Rocky Mountain Christmas – William W. Johnstone & J.A. Johnstone 

 

Contemporary 

A Wedding in Apple Grove – C.H. Admirand

Crazy Little Thing – Tracy Brogan

My Kind of Christmas – Robyn Carr

Distinguished Service – Tori Carrington

Love on the Run – Zuri Day

A Kiss in the Dark – Karen Foley

Come Fly with Me – Addison Fox

Take Me Home – Nancy Herkness

Touch Me Now – Donna Hill

A Gift from Tiffany’s – Melissa Hill

The Mighty Quinns: Ronan – Kate Hoffman

Yours for the Night – Samantha Hunter

Winning Moves – Lisa Renee Jones

Babycakes – Donna Kauffman

Million Dollar Mistake – Meg Lacey (e-book)

Caught on Camera – Kim Law

Headstrong – Meg Maguire

A Walk in the Park – Jill Mansell

Burning Up – Anne Marsh

A Royal Pain – Megan Mulry

The Professional – Rhonda Nelson

When Snow Falls – Brenda Novak

Wyoming Fierce – Diana Palmer

The Perfect Hope – Nora Roberts

Merry Ex-Mas – Sheila Roberts

Love in the Years of Lunacy – Mandy Sayer (Women’s Fiction)

Rescue My Heart – Jill Shalvis

Barefoot in the Rain – Roxanne St. Claire

A Cowboy for Christmas – Lori Wilde

Merry Sexy Christmas – Beverly Jenkins, Kayla Perrin, Maureen Smith

A Winter Wonderland – Fern Michaels, Holly Chamberlin, Leslie Meier, Kristina McMorris

 

YA/Teen 

Time to Shine – Nikki Carter

Reached – Ally Condie (Futuristic)

The Lazarus Machine – Paul Crilley (Sci-Fi)

Bad Hair Day – Carrie Harris (Paranormal)

The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart – Leanna Renee Hieber (Paranormal)

Lullaby – Amanda Hocking (Paranormal)

Velvet – Mary Hooper (Historical)

Flash Point – Nancy Kress (Futuristic)

Sacrifice – Cayla Kluver (Fantasy)

Deviants – Maureen McGowan (Futuristic)

Secrets and Lies – Ella Monroe

Meant to Be – Lauren Morrill

Echo – Alyson Noël (Paranormal)

Alone – James Phelan (Sci-Fi)

Witch World – Christopher Pike (Paranormal)

Black City – Elizabeth Richards (Paranormal)

Appollo’s Outcasts – Allen Steele (Sci-Fi)

Ashes of Twilight – Kassy Tayler (Futuristic)

Days of Blood & Starlight – Laini Taylor (Paranormal)

Hidden – P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Colin Fischer – Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz

 

Romantic Suspense 

Dangerous Waters – Toni Anderson

Where Angels Rest – Kate Brady

Seduction Under Fire – Melissa Cutler

The Vanishing – Jana DeLeon

Switched – HelenKay Dimon

Scorched – Laura Griffin

Finding Mercy – Karen Harper

Colton’s Deep Cover – Elle Kennedy

Rancher’s Deadly Risk – Rachel Lee

Running for Her Life – Beverly Long

Montana Midwife – Cassie Miles

Dangerous Affairs – Diana Miller

Undercover Memories – Alice Sharpe

Passion to Protect – Colleen Thompson

Stolen – Shiloh Walker

Big Shot – Joanna Wayne

 

Paranormal 

Spellfire – Jessica Andersen

Heart of Flame – Janine Ashbless

Convergence – Ally Blue

Her Sky Cowboy – Beth Ciotta

Wolfishly Yours – Lydia Dare (Historical)

Forbidden – Jacquelyn Frank

Midnight’s Seduction – Donna Grant

Lord’s Fall – Thea Harrison

Untamed – Sara Humphreys

Rogue Rider – Larissa Ione

The Witch’s Initiation – Elle James

Warrior Reborn – Melissa Mayhue

Enslaved – Elizabeth Naughton

Renegade – Nancy Northcott (e-book; paperback, Dec. 18)

Moonlight & Mechanicals – Cindy Spencer Pape (e-book)

Kissed by a Vampire – Caridad Piñeiro

Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter – Jessica Sims

Dire Waits – Stephanie Tyler

After Moonrise – P.C. Cast & Gena Showalter

The Fangover – Erin McCarthy & Kathy Love

 

Urban Fantasy 

Daughter of Light – V.C. Andrews

Darkness Hunts – Keri Arthur

Bitter Blood – Rachel Caine

Hellsbane – Paige Cuccaro

Shadow Rising – Yasmine Galernorn

Black Lament – Christina Henry

River Road – Suzanne Johnson

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet – Darynda Jones

Magic for a Price – Devon Monk

Out for Blood – Kristen Painter

A Trace of Moonlight – Allison Pang

The Shattered Dark – Sandy Williams

 

Erotic Romance/Erotica 

Double Time – Olivia Cunning

Tart – Laren Dane

Dream Unchained – Kate Douglas

Exposed to You – Beth Kery

Nauti Temptress – Lora Leigh

Sexy Little Liar – Noire

Blood Fire – Sharon Page (Historical, Paranormal)

Heart of Danger – Lisa Marie Rice

Jane Eyre Laid Bare – Charlotte Brontë & Eve Sinclair

Do You Believe?

I love yellow roses; they're my favorite flower. For our 25th wedding anniversary, my husband gave me (among other things) a yellow rose bush. Mind you, I'm not exactly known for my green thumb.  In fact, plants have been known to cringe in terror when they see me coming - my husband joked that I could kill a silk plant and he wasn't far from the truth - but I planted that beautiful yellow rose bush in my garden and was determined that it would flourish. It did. For about three months.

In July of that year, my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, just one more challenge in a long list of health challenges that had beset him over the previous five years. For the next eleven weeks I pretty much lived at the hospital and the yellow rose bush was forgotten. The leaves dropped from its vines and no flowers bloomed. My husband died in late September of that year and I was sure the roses had died with him for I had never seen a more lifeless looking plant in my long, less than illustrious, gardening career yet I couldn't bring myself to dig it from the ground. It was the last gift he'd given to me, you see, and throwing it away would be like losing him all over again.

I met my husband when I was in my early twenties and there was an instant connection between us. Was it love at first sight? Definitely lust but probably not love. That needed time to grow. There was, however, a "knowing." I looked into his beautiful eyes for the first time and knew this man was going to play an important role in my life. By the time we married a year later, he had become my heart, my soulmate, and my best friend. We had a beautiful life together (and, as you can see from the Halloween photo on the right, a lot of fun!) and treasured every moment. Imagining life without him was heartrending but that's exactly what I was forced to do that last summer. He didn't want a funeral. Instead, he wanted me to wait until I was ready then have a party, a "Celebration of Life" with family and friends where we could gather and rejoice in the wonderful life with which he had been blessed rather than mourn the fact that he was no longer with us. He also made me promise that after he was gone, I would move on and find joy in life. He worried about that. Didn't want my smile to fade, didn't want my laughter silenced. He used to joke that he'd come back to haunt me if I let sadness consume me. He probably would have too. 

Okay, so back to the rose bush. It was dead; I was sure of it. No leaves, no roses, no sign of life through the rest of September and October. Just a sad collection of withered vines. I had chosen the first week of November to hold my husband's Celebration of Life and had finally made the decision to dig up the rose bush afterwards. On the morning of the party, when my heart still missed him but was also content, knowing that he was finally pain-free and at peace, I walked down my driveway to get the morning paper. Halfway down, I jerked to a sudden stop. There, in the garden was that sad little bedraggled bush with one beautiful, perfect, yellow rose bud. He knew. He knew that I was going to be okay, that I would always love him, would always hold him in my heart but that I would find joy again.

I never dug up that bush. It still sits in my garden, eleven years later. It gifts me with a few roses throughout the year but most of the time it's a lifeless looking little plant with few leaves and no flowers. BUT! Every year, on the morning of the date that I gathered with family and friends to celebrate my husband's life, that rose bush gifts me with a beautiful yellow rose. Sometimes it's just the one bud. Sometimes it's two or three. Here's what I found this week, on the morning of the Celebration date. There hadn't been a flower on the bush since August. Coincidence? Maybe, but if so, it's one heck of a coincidence that has happened every single year on the same date. For eleven years. I like to think it's my very own guardian angel letting me know that he's watching over me and happy with the joy that I continue to find in each day of my life.



Have you ever experienced a connection with the beyond? Ever had a ghostly encounter? Premonition? Ever attend a seance? Do you believe? Or, do you think it's all just a weird coincidence?  

~PJ

Guest Review - - Welcome to Icicle Falls

Better Than Chocolate

By Sheila Roberts

Publisher: Harlequin Mira

Release Date: September 25, 2012

For four generations, Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been making chocolates that started with a dream. The company has been a major employer in the small town of Icicle Falls, Washington, for all those years, but that long history is about to end if Samantha Sterling can’t pull off a miracle. Samantha has spent months watching helplessly as her stepfather spent money riotously on everything but paying bills and moved Sweet Dreams nearer and nearer to the edge of ruin. But now her stepfather is dead, her grieving mother is helpless when it comes to business, and the responsibility to find a way to save the once flourishing company is all Samantha’s. If she can’t come up with a hefty sum, and soon, the bank will foreclose.

Bank manager Blake Preston would like nothing better than to grant Samantha Sterling the extension she needs to catch up on Sweet Dreams’ loan payments, but he knows that to do so would jeopardize his own career and the financial health of the bank. He’s been brought in to replace the long-time manager who has allowed his kind heart and neighborliness to override fiscal wisdom. Samantha inspires Blake with sweet dreams of his own, but he knows she will always see him as Sterling enemy #1 if she loses the family company.

When one of Samantha’s younger sisters comes up with the idea of a chocolate festival to save the company, Samantha is skeptical. But she goes along with it since it seems to be their only hope. Soon all the Sterlings and most of the citizens of Icicle Falls are involved in preparations for the festival with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The town, losing tourists’ dollars due to a low-snow season, needs a miracle almost as much as Sweet Dreams does. But there are many obstacles along the way, and in the end, love still proves the greatest miracle of all.

Merry Ex-Mas

By Sheila Roberts

Publisher: Harlequin Mira

Release Date: October 23, 2012

Thanksgiving Day is pretty close to perfect for Cass Wilkes. Most of her family and some of her closest friends are gathered for the traditional meal and gratitude sharing. The most lucrative season for her Gingerbread Haus bakery is about to begin, and except for an occasional negative thought about her ex who is exhibiting a new determination to be involved in the lives of their three children after years as mostly a checkbook father, life is good. Although she’s surprised at the timing when her oldest daughter Danielle and her boyfriend Mike announce their engagement, she loves Mike and thinks he and Dani are great together.  Best of all, Mike is a local boy with a job in Icicle Falls, and he and Dani will settle here where Dani will continue to be Cass’s number one assistant at the bakery. But the announcement is just the beginning of the surprises, and not all of them are pleasant.

First, Dani and Mike are planning a Christmas wedding, not ideal timing for a busy baker. Then, while Cass envisions her beloved brother Drew as the bride’s escort, Dani wants her father to walk her down the aisle. Finally, Mike has a new job in Spokane, and the pair will be leaving Icicle Falls at the first of the new year. At this point, Cass has no idea of just how many unpleasant surprises the next few weeks hold for her, especially the one that requires her to have her ex, Mason, and his younger, thinner trophy wife, Babette, and their pernicious pet as guests in her home.

Charley Albach’s love life may be dismal, but she has great friends who share her belief in female empowerment and her love for old movies. Her restaurant, Zelda’s, is one of the most popular spots in Icicle Falls, and Charley is mostly content with her lot. Then out of the blue, her cheating jerk of an ex is back in town, courting her with hot chocolate, sleigh rides, and kisses that make her remember how things used to be. He’s begging for forgiveness for his affair with Zelda’s former hostess and a new start. Charley’s friends are urging caution, but her libido doesn’t agree with them.

Just a year ago, Ella and Jake O’Brien were one of Icicle Falls’ favorite young couples, joyfully celebrating the holidays with his big family. Now the only thing they are sharing is a house they haven’t been able to sell so that the newly divorced couple can start building separate lives not just sleep in separate bedrooms. Lily Swan, Ella’s mother, always though her daughter’s marriage to Jake O’Brien, a country music singer/songwriter who had nothing more to offer Ella that his heart and an improbable dream of succeeding with his music. When Lily presented evidence that Jake was cheating on his wife, Ella was forced to admit her mother was right. Now she just wants out of the house that holds too many memories and away from her ex who makes her long for what used to be.

Christmas in Icicle Falls is filled with women and their exes. One deserves a permanent exit, one will be satisfied only with exultant reunion, and one is ready to change his status from evil ex to excellent friend. Time will reveal which is which.

Sheila Roberts introduced Icicle Falls last July in a prequel novella “Welcome to Icicle Falls” that appeared along with “Treasure Beach,” a novella that fall between books 2 and three of Emilie Richards’s Happiness Key series, in Summer in a Small Town. It’s a small town with the look of an Alpine village on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in the state of Washington. It has the requisite inn, florist, bookstore, restaurants, and assorted other shops, along with a rowdy bar called Man Cave. It’s a town known for the way the community pulls together and for saving itself from extinction.

The first two books are hybrids of romance and women’s fiction, that is, they are as much about female journeys as they are about romantic relationships.

Better Than Chocolate focuses on Samantha and her relationships with her mother Muriel (whose story is told in “Welcome to Icicle Falls”) and her younger sisters, professional matchmaker Cecily and caterer Bailey and with Blake Preston. Like all of the books of Sheila Roberts, this one is filled with humor that evokes smiles, giggles, and guffaws. Most of the people of the town are likeable, although some are more type than individual. I found Samantha alternately sympathetic and irritating. Her problem is real, and her fears are understandable. Her sense of responsibility not only to the business started by her great-grandmother but also to her employees and her family is commendable, but her conviction that she always knows best reminded me unpleasantly of some people I know. I also thought her demonizing of Blake was over the top. Blake is a beta hero, a nice guy in a difficult situation who does amazing things and often seemed a better man than the heroine deserved. I liked him a great deal.

The greatest problem I had with the book was pacing. The first part moved so slowly that had I not been reading the book for review, I probably would have given up on it. The second part picks up the pace considerably, and my interest increased. But threads are wound up too quickly for my taste. Rather than resolutions appearing organic, they seemed contrived. I also thought the title and the cover promised more romance than the book delivered.

Merry Ex-Mas is a stronger book because the balance and pacing are far more effective. Cass’s story is the heart of the book, and I liked it a lot. Roberts offers a view of divorce that’s not often seen. Cass’s hostility toward her ex endures over many years, and she has never examined her own role in the failure of her marriage. The wedding travails were funny, but they will likely elicit a sympathetic wince from a lot of mothers who helped daughters plan weddings.

Charley is one of my favorite characters in this series, a mix of strength and vulnerability that I found endearing.  I thought her story too was fully credible and offered an atypical experience. Since her story has a for-now rather than a forever resolution, I hope to see more of her. The hint of things to come pleased me greatly.

Ella and Jake’s story, the one I expected to like most, turned out to be the one I liked least. Both characters seemed too passive, and I particularly disliked the way Ella allowed her mother to interfere in her life.

Overall, I’d say this is a series with promise. The second book is better than the first, a good sign, and there are at least half a dozen characters whose stories I’m interested in seeing reach fruition.  I know there is at least one more book in the series. What She Wants is scheduled for release on March 26, 2013. But the description makes no mention of the characters whose stories I want, and so I suspect there will be additional books next year. 

The way the back cover reads, I expected a sweet romance between Blake the bank manager and Samantha the sister now in charge of the chocolate company. Instead, I found this pair to dance around, avoid, and barely have scenes together in this book – their first kiss is a drunken one and doesn’t take place until over 200 pages into the story. I’m all for a slower paced romance, but that kiss was the only romance scene. Aside from chemistry and sparks, we’re never shown any courting, nor did I feel this book was about the couple.

What I did note, was that sequel bait is sprinkled liberally, and while I really would be interested in her sister the former matchmaker and the bar owner’s story (he’s clearly her man)–I worry that the author would write the book as she did this one and I’d be left wondering what the book I just read was about.  This author painted such a vivid image of a small Washington town, and had such interesting characters I was eager for more depth, for more emotion. Samantha is a really strong, likeable woman. She’s struggling with the massive undertaking of running a company that needs a giant boost up out of the danger zone, and struggling with feelings of pain and resentment that her mother didn’t avoid the entire situation in the first place. If Samantha had been put in charge (as she rightfully should have) after her father died, none of them would be in this predicament now.

We are treated to plenty of scenes featuring her grieving mother – unwashed, in pajamas, and completely unlikeable. While I applaud the author for letting the woman grieve, I found the character to be so weak at her core (has no financial responsibility, always depending on men to fix things for her) that I couldn’t feel much for her. I wish we had been shown why she’s such an amazing woman, and that her scenes had been cut in favor of something more interesting- like an actual romance.

During the early chapters of this book it reminded me a lot of the Virgin River series – a small town full of interesting yet every day and ordinary characters finding love and living in the town they adore. This set up can work so beautifully for a really enjoyable and satisfying read. Unfortunately I don’t think this book ever quite found its stride as I felt the ‘this will save the business’ plot was unrealistic and the romance non-existent.

If you enjoy general fiction, and would like to read about how a small town pulls together to hold a chocolate festival, and get to know the ladies of Samantha’s family a bit, then I would recommend this to you. It definitely feels like a series book, as I was left with a lot of “what will happen next?” questions for many of the characters that I’d come to like. I know many people enjoy this kind of book and seek out series like this.

If, however, you pick this book up expecting a romance you’re bound to be disappointed. While there are some elements of romance, they’re so minor, and so under developed you won’t enjoy it. I felt like Blake could have been a really strong character, but the ladies were all so busy getting page time that there simply wasn’t room for him to make grand gestures or even for us to really get to know him.

Despite my problems with this book, I will pick up this author at least one more time and hope for a read that is as satisfying as the cover is adorable.

~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com

Third Anniversary Winners!

Wow!  What a fantastic anniversary celebration!  Cheers and a big thank you to everyone who stopped by yesterday!  You've given us the encouragement and enthusiasm to kick off what we hope will be a stellar fourth year here at The Romance Dish!  Random.org did it's job and here are the randomly chosen winners of our anniversary prizes!

U.S. Winners  

Habiba Noor

Sheila

Chineserider

International Winners

Na

Beebs

Tin

Congratulations to everyone!  All winners, please send your full name and mailing address to us at theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize.

Victoria Alexander Winners

The winner of a "seat" at the Victoria Alexander live chat is:

May

Congratulations, May!  Please send us your email address as soon as possible 

(no later than Saturday, Nov. 3) so we can get you registered for the November 6 chat and send you all the pertinent info.  If we don't hear from you by Saturday, we'll have to draw another name.  You've also won a copy of Victoria's Christmas romance, WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS so we'll need your full name and mailing address for that.

The other four winners of a copy of WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS are:

Di

deerdoe69

catslady

Kim

Congratulations to you all!  Please send your full name and mailing address to us to claim your book.

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Monica McCarty Giveaway

The winner of a copy of THE RECRUIT by Monica McCarty from our October 7 

Sneak Peek Sunday is:

Jeanne M

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

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Cathy Maxwell Winner

The two winners of a copy of Cathy Maxwell's THE SCOTTISH WITCH are:

Cathy P

and

Leah Weller

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

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

It's Our Anniversary!

Photo courtesy of party-shop.ie

It hardly seems possible but it's been three years since we cut the ribbon and opened the doors to this lovely establishment.  A lot has happened in that time.  People have come and gone, new features have been added and we hope we've continued to grow and improve at what we do here.  It's an ever-evolving blogging universe and we'll do our best to continue to make The Romance Dish a friendly, positive site that brings information and entertainment to all who visit.   

We'd like to take this opportunity to toast our fabulous monthly contributors, Anna Campbell and Trish Milburn.  Here's to you, ladies!  *raising our glasses* Thank you for your continuing support of and enthusiasm for The Romance Dish!  A special thank you to reviewer extraordinaire, Janga!  You have our heartfelt appreciation for sharing your comprehensive and insightful reviews with the Dish readers.  

And that brings us to our most important thank you.  That, dear readers, is reserved for you.  Without you, there would be no TRD so thank you for making this a regular stop on your daily internet journey! 

Since we're winding down another year here at The Romance Dish at the same time that we're winding down another year of fantastic romances, we thought it would be fun to talk about our favorite books that we've read so far in 2012.  Andrea and I will go first.

Andrea here! So, in the past year, we’ve read a lot of great romances and I’d like to dish about a few of my favorites that I’ve read in the last twelve months. Note: some were released in the past year and some are past releases that I was finally able to read in this last year.

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long (March 2011) 

I read this one right after our second anniversary celebration (I know, I’m behind). It was my first book by Julie Anne Long and it blew me away. Wow. Her writing is engaging and her dialogue is witty and sharp. The characters are real and endearing, especially Alex and Genevieve. I loved them! It’s a revenge story that totally worked for me in every way. If you haven’t read this one, or if you haven’t read Julie Anne Long, you simply must! She is an amazing historical author.

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (1995) 

After years and years of people recommending this historical romance to me (especially Janga, whom I give a ton of thanks), I finally made time to read it this year. Like JAL’s, I was blown away! No wonder everyone raves about it and it tops so many people’s lists of all-time favorite romances! It is, in a nutshell, a fantastic historical romance. The way Jess handles Dain is nothing short of awesomeness. When someone mentioned that she shoots him, I found myself anxiously anticipating it and the scene did not disappoint. The attraction between Jess and Dain was instantaneous and extremely palpable.

A Girl Like You by Maria Geraci (August 2012) 

I reviewed this one in August and will repeat—I loved this book! Again, it is not your typical romance (there are four possible heroes), but Emma’s journey to find her hero was thoroughly entertaining. Maria Geraci’s writing is sharp and I was glued to the pages. It is fun, sexy, and I was thrilled with who Emma ended up with. This book surprised me with how delightful it is and I recommend it to all.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (March 2012) 

I reviewed this one with high praise and Top Dish status back in March. I loved it! This series is a mix of the Hangover and Regency England and this first installment is just as hilarious as you can imagine. And I love humor in my romance. This book is lighthearted and sexy and it was so much fun watching Alex and Roxanne torment Roxanne’s worthless husband and see him get what he deserved. Add in a colorful mix of secondary characters and you’ve got a recipe for a wonderful historical romance!

Scandalous Desires (November 2011) and Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt  (July 2012) 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my love of Elizabeth Hoyt and her Maiden Lane series as amongst my favorites of the past year. It is easily one of the best-written and emotionally satisfying historical romance series out there. “Charming” Mickey and Silence (Scandalous Desires) have a rocky start that centers around his daughter, Mary, but it’s Silence’s love for that little girl and her sweet spirit that melts Mickey’s black heart. Winter and Isabel’s story (Thief of Shadows) has a different backdrop with a few surprising twists that completely satisfied this reader. If you haven’t read Elizabeth Hoyt, you should!

The Last Renegade by Jo Goodman (September 2012)

Every year I long for my annual dose of Jo Goodman. Seriously, she is an author that has never disappointed me and one whose books I savor like the very best chocolate. Her characters are always intelligent, intuitive, and so well-developed. Her books are ones that fill my thoughts when I’m not reading them. I love that she allows readers to speculate and think things out on their own. She has breathed life back into historical westerns and I hope she stays there for a while!




PJ here!  I've read some wonderful books this year.  Coming up with six favorites was no problem at all.  Paring my list down to only six was considerably more difficult!  Here are my choices, in no particular order.


Barefoot in the Rain by Roxanne St. Claire (October 2012)

I fell in love with Roxanne St. Claire's sizzling romantic suspense stories and lamented her move to women's fiction but, after reading Barefoot in the Rain, my immediate thoughts were, "Brava, Ms. St. Claire!" and "I can't wait to see what you bring us next!"  Every so often, a book comes along that is more than the sum of its parts.  This is such a book.  St. Claire has created a beautifully complex story of second chances, of love in many guises - between a man and woman, within the tight bonds of friendship among four college roommates, within a family torn asunder by violence, in the creation of a most unlikely "family" between former enemies - and of forgiveness, sometimes the most profound, and most difficult, gift a person can bestow.  Richly populated with vividly drawn characters and deeply emotional circumstances, this is a story that haunts me still, several weeks after reading it.    

How to Romance a Rake by Manda Collins (July 2012)

A new author with a bright future, Manda Collins cemented a place for herself on my auto-buy list with her second published novel, How to Romance a Rake.  I adore authors who aren't afraid to take risks and Collins does so brilliantly by matching a physically disabled heroine who's a wallflower with an exquisitely handsome darling of the ton.  An unlikely match to be sure but one of my favorites of the year.  With flawless writing,  Collins blends humor, mystery, heartache and passion into a book that grabbed my heart from the start and holds it still.  If you aren't reading her yet, you should be.

Paris in Love by Eloisa James  (April 2012)

While not a romance in the traditional sense, this book - a memoir penned by historical romance author Eloisa James - has romance in its soul.  It's the story of the year James and her husband sold their house, took sabbaticals from their university teaching jobs and, along with their two children, moved to an apartment in Paris, France.  It's a glorious series of verbal snapshots of one family's year-long moment out of time and while it doesn't lecture or preach, it does leave the reader with many lessons learned.  A few I've taken from my three readings (so far) of Paris in Love:  to savor each day we're blessed to experience, to not fear new adventures, whether they be trying a new recipe, learning a new language or moving to a foreign country, to tell the people in our lives what they mean to us for we never know how long they will be with us, to laugh, to smile, to bring joy to every new day and every new experience.  Christmas is right around the corner.  If you haven't read this book yet, put it on your Christmas list or, better yet, do yourself a favor and buy a copy for yourself!

A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare  (April 2012)

I'm quoting myself here but this excerpt from my review of Tessa Dare's debut book, Goddess of the Hunt and the second excerpt, from my review of A Week to Be Wicked,   describe my feelings about Dare's writing in general and, specifically, in A Week to Be Wicked better than any other words I could write.

Every year there seems to be one debut author who bursts upon the scene and absolutely knocks my socks off with her superb writing skill.  This year, that author is Tessa Dare.  In her debut book, Goddess of the Hunt, Dare showcases her command of the English language with exquisite prose that sings across the pages with a lyrical quality that is a joy to read.  Her characters are so vividly drawn that they practically leap from the pages and her story unerringly hits all the right notes.

That one paragraph could apply to every book that Tessa Dare has written but none more so than A Week to Be Wicked.  In Colin and Minerva's book, not only does Ms. Dare hit all the right notes, she creates new ones.  In a story that flows like fine wine, she brings us two characters that light up the pages with humor, passion and a romance that had my heart singing with joy.  They made me laugh, made me sigh, brought me to tears and continue to draw me back to them weeks after first reading their story.  Every book Tessa Dare has written sits on my keeper shelf.  I love them all but none has touched me as deeply as this one. 

I highly recommend every book that Tessa Dare has written but none more so than A Week to Be Wicked.  With every book she writes, this talented author takes Regency romance to new, and exhilarating, heights; every word pure pleasure.  

Betrayal: A Bella Terra Deception Novel by Christina Dodd (April 2012)

The final book in a stunning romantic suspense trilogy set in the California Wine Country, Dodd cranks up the tension and the sizzle in this heart-stopping third story about the powerful Di Luca brothers and the dangerous mystery that puts their business, their lives and the lives of those they love at risk.  Christina Dodd is one of my favorite authors and I happily follow her from historical to romantic suspense to paranormal and back again.  I can always count on her to create multi-dimensional characters who snag my interest then place them in situations that engage my emotions.  I care about her characters and, in the Bella Terra novels, she gave me an entire family to care about.  From the first page of the first book to the final page of Betrayal, I savored each word like the finest wine from the Di Luca vineyards.   This one went straight to my keeper shelf, along with its sister books, Secrets of Bella Terra and Revenge at Bella Terra.  

A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long (November 2012)

I'm a long-time fan of Julie Anne Long's books.  I've read and enjoyed everything she's published.  Her Pennyroyal Green books, however, hold a special place in my reader's heart and as much as I loved What I Did For a Duke and Perils of Pleasure, I do believe A Notorious Countess Confesses just may be my all-time favorite JAL book.  And that's saying something!   This beautifully poignant story of Adam Sylvaine, a country vicar and Evie Duggan, a widowed countess with a wicked past captured my heart and is the reason I'm typing my portion of this blog at 2am instead of 9pm when I had planned to do it.  Adam is one of my favorite heroes of this year; perhaps in my top 10 heroes of all time.  And Evie - well, she just about broke my heart.  Their's is a story not to be missed.  It's part of a series but you don't have to have read the previous books to get the full measure of enjoyment from Adam and Evie's story.  But, once you finish A Notorious Countess Confesses, I bet you'll want to!  

Okay, those are my top six (today) but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention a few more that left a lasting impression on me.  Honorable mention goes to...

Sins of a Virgin by Anna Randol
Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell
Colorado Dawn by Kaki Warner
Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas
Wilder: The Chosen Ones by Christina Dodd

What are some of your favorite books from the past year?  Did you discover any favorite new authors?  Did any of our books make your list?

Are we bringing you the reviews and guest authors you'd like to see?  Feel free to let us know how we're doing and what you'd like to see at The Romance Dish during the coming year!

Now for the fun stuff!  Because it's our anniversary and we love giving away prizes, here are the goodies for today:

U.S. Addresses - A box of books to three randomly chosen people leaving a comment on today's blog.  (Please put US at the end of your comment)

International Addresses - Three randomly chosen people will each receive a book from The Book Depository!  (Please put I at the end of your comment)