Last Hero Standing Book Blitz Tour

I have found over the years that no group with which I am affiliated comes to the aid of their own more quickly or completely than the members of the Romance community. Whether it be illness, death, natural disaster or any of a number of other issues, this group of caring, involved individuals stands ready to step forward, offering aid and comfort to those affected. Today, we once again extend our assistance to one of our own, a courageous and determined woman who is fighting what likely will be one of the most important battles of her life. We here at The Romance Dish offer our thanks to the authors and others behind this book blitz tour and the LAST HERO STANDING box set and our best wishes to Pamela Clare on the journey to what we pray will be her own personal happy - healthy - ever after. In addition to the tour giveaway of a $100 gift card to the winner's online book retailer of choice (Rafflecopter entry at the end of this post), the Dishes are giving away an e-book copy of the LAST HERO STANDING box set to five randomly chosen people who leave a comment on this post before 11:00 pm EST, October 30, 2014.

~PJ

Authors donate to anthology to raise money for colleague 

stricken with breast cancer

Eleven authors have donated their work to a box set of novellas to raise money for the medical expenses of a colleague stricken with breast cancer. The LAST HERO STANDING box set, which is set to release on Oct. 28, features 11 novels and novellas for only 99 cents, including a bonus short story from New York Times bestseller Dianna Love. All the proceeds from sales of the box set will go toward the medical expenses of USA Today bestselling author Pamela Clare, who was diagnosed with breast cancer this past April and has been unable to work since then. Please read Pamela's story, in her own words, as shared October 9, 2014 at USA Today's Happy Ever After Blog. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2014/10/09/pamela-clare-breast-cancer/16920051/


At each stop on the LAST HERO STANDING Book Blitz Tour, one of the contributing authors will be spotlighted. Today, we shine our spotlight on Joan Swan.

Joan was never a star English student or a literature buff, but she’s always had a creative soul and an active imagination. Writing was a natural culmination of those two talents.

Recently, she left her day job as a sonographer at UCSF Medical Center after 22 years in the field to write full time. The muse must have been paying attention, because shortly after, she hit the New York Times Bestsellers list under my name and again a month later under her psuedonym, Skye Jordan. If you like red-hot contemporary romance, check out her alter ego.

This year will mark her twenty-forth wedding anniversary to her own personal hero, a veteran firefighter. They have two beautiful daughters and live in the heart of wine country on the gorgeous Central Coast of California.

Connect with Joan online:  Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads

In need of fast cash to help her brother sneak into the US, Tova Sorenson takes a job as a sexcam operator, sparking an unlikely friendship with her very first customer. When Marcus Lucero's border patrol teammate suggests a sexcam site for female companionship without heartache, Marcus figures he's got nothing to lose. 

While danger from Tova's dark side brings them together in the flesh where their chemistry burns hotter than hell, it also exposes their divergent loyalties which could end not only their desires, but their lives.

       Joan, how has cancer touched you personally?

Cancer touches everyone somehow—we’ve had it ourselves, we’ve lost a loved one to it or we know someone who’s had it,

My experience is a little different. As a sonographer for over 20 years, I’ve met and scanned thousands of people struggling with cancer. I’ve been the discoverer of cancer and the bearer of bad news. Repeat scans of those fighting cancer have put me the unique position of following patients through their fight from discovery to cure and discovery to death.

In this way I’ve had unique view of how cancer affects bodies, minds, hearts, careers, families, and finances.

Why did you participate in the LAST HERO STANDING fundraiser for fellow author Pamela Clare?

As a member of the medical community for decades, I’ve seen how medical costs can devastate not only a family, but a city, a state, and a country. I know the red tape involved in dealing with insurance companies and medical facilities.

When someone is battling cancer, they need all their strength to fight the disease...and sometimes even fight the cure. Financial worries only drain a person of the strength to heal. 

LAST HERO STANDING BOX SET

Enjoy 11 emotional stories - 2000 pages filled with all types of heroes from small town to international action-adventure who earn and protect those they love. Over 360 reviews with a 4.5 star rating!!!

PLEASE NOTE: This box set will be available for ONE MONTH ONLY, and all proceeds go directly to the medical fund for box set author Pamela Clare, who is in the midst of her own battle with breast cancer. Everyone who touched this project donated their time and stories. Please help us help her by treating yourself and your friends to a box set full of great stories!

Purchase Links:

Amazon Kindle:  http://tinyurl.com/nssnfpc

Barnes & Noble Nook:  http://tinyurl.com/pfxb6mb

Kobo:  http://tinyurl.com/mcltp67

Apple iBooks:  http://tinyurl.com/muooxwm

New York Times Bestseller Dianna Love

KISS THE ENEMY, a Slye Temp novel 

"It seems with each book, this series gets better..." 

New York Times Bestseller Cynthia Eden

FIRST TASTE OF DARKNESS, a novella 

“Plenty of passion to fan yourself but also enough love...to make you swoon.” –So Many Reads 

New York Times Bestseller Elisabeth Naughton

FIRST EXPOSURE, an Aegis Security prequel novella 

“This series is off to an explosive start.” 

New York Times Bestseller Joan Swan

SINFUL DECEPTION, a Renegades novel 

"Another fast-paced, action-packed, sexy Covert Affairs story!" 

New York Times Bestseller Bonnie Vanak

TAKEN BY THE ALPHA WOLF, a novella 

"Highly recommend to anyone who likes steamy, sexy novels." 

USA Today Bestseller Pamela Clare

FIRST STRIKE, an I-Team novella 

“If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, you must read Pamela Clare!” 

USA Today Bestseller Mary Buckham

INVISIBLE FEARS, an Invisible Recruits novel 

“The powerful descriptive ability this author displays raises the bar for Urban Fantasy!” 

USA Today Bestseller Adrienne Giordano

THE EVASION, a Justifiable Cause Novella 

"Adrienne Giordano delivers everything romantic suspense readers want…" 

USA Today Bestseller Norah Wilson 

NIGHTFALL, A Vampire Romance Novel 

"...an edge of your seat series." 

Award-Winning Author Stephanie Rowe

ICE, an Alaska Heat novel 

“ICE delivers pulse-pounding chills and hot romance!” 

Award-winning Author Tracey Devlyn

LATYMER, a Nexus novella 

"Powerful…and gripping."

This Rafflecopter giveaway is open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Have you read Pamela Clare's books? Tell us about your favorite.

What lifts your spirits when you're going through a challenging time?

How do you lift the spirits of others who are facing difficulties?

Would you like to leave a message of encouragement for Pamela? Please do so in the comments.

Five randomly chosen people leaving comments will each receive a Kindle copy of the LAST HERO STANDING box set. (Open internationally)





BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

10/26/2014	TBQ's Book Palace	www.tbqsbookpalace.com
10/26/2014	Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance	romancingrakes4theluvofromance.blogspot.com
10/26/2014	Just Contemporary Romance	www.JustContemporaryRomance.com
10/26/2014	The Book Review	www.cluereview.blogspot.com
10/27/2014	Books Make Me Happy	booksmakemehappyreviews.com
10/27/2014	The Romance Dish	theromancedish.com
10/27/2014	Bookin' It Reviews	www.bookinitreviews.com
10/27/2014	Adria's Romance Reviews	adriasromancereviews.blogspot.com
10/28/2014	Scorching Book Reviews	www.scorching-book-reviews.com
10/28/2014	The Smutty Kitty	www.thesmuttykitty.com
10/28/2014	BlithelyBookishReviews	www.blithelybookish.blogspot.com
10/28/2014	SOS Aloha	sosaloha.blogspot.com
10/29/2014	Romance at Random	www.RomanceatRandom.com
10/29/2014	Read-Love-Blog	www.Read-Love-Blog.com
10/29/2014	The Book Pushers	thebookpushers.com
10/30/2014	Kindles and Wine	kindlesandwine.com
10/30/2014	So Many Reads	www.somanyreads.com
10/30/2014	MsRomanticReads	msromanticreads.com
10/30/2014	Brooke Blogs	www.brookeblogs.com
10/31/2014	Romance Reviews Today Blog	romrevtoday.blogspot.com
10/31/2014	The Reading Frenzy	thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com
10/31/2014	Bea's Book Nook	beasbooknook.blogspot.com
11/1/2014	Book Happiness	www.facebook.com/bookhappiness
11/1/2014	Ramblings From This Chick	www.ramblingsfromthischick.com
11/1/2014	Smitten By Books	smittenbybooks.com/blog
11/1/2014	Eclectic Passions	eclecticpassionsbc.blogspot.com

Tracy Solheim Winner

The winner of a sea turtle Christmas ornament and

a Tule Publishing gift bag from Tracy Solheim is:

LauraL

Congratulations, LauraL!

Please send your full name and mailing address to us at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Arabella Met a Black Sheep!

by Anna Campbell

As you can probably tell from the illustration, I've been digging into the Heyer back catalogue again. But before I get into the nitty-gritty of the review, I've got an announcement to make.

After five years doing Second Helping reviews here on the Romance Dish and working with the lovely PJ and Andrea, I'm hanging up my ballet slippers. At least in the medium term.

These days I find I'm not reading nearly as much romance as I used to and when I do, it's catching up with tried-and-true authors who I've already reviewed several times here. So in the interests of freshness, I'm taking a break.

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to leave a comment or, even better, a recommendation. I've picked up some of my favorite authors through books mentioned on this blog and for that you'll always have my gratitude. I'd also like to thank PJ and Andrea for giving me such a wonderful forum for my opinions and a chance to talk about books I love with like-minded people. Always a buzz!

So this is my last actual review. Next month, I'm going to do a greatest hits piece about the books I've reviewed that you really, really have to read. And then my last spot in December will be a bit of a look back and a look forward for me personally.

It seems really appropriate to end my Second Helping column with a couple of lovely Georgette Heyers. As regulars know, I've been gradually re-reading GH's work and sharing my thoughts here. Another thing I'm eternally grateful to the Dishes for is that they got me involved on this project. I'd forgotten just how enchanting these books are! It's also given me a chance to revisit old favorites and find new ones. Both of the books today fall into the second category. I don't remember them as particularly outstanding, but I loved both revisiting them as a lady of a certain, ahem, age!

BLACK SHEEP (1966) is an absolute hoot with some of the best dialogue I've ever read. I think the neighbors were worried that I'd lost my mind, I laughed so loudly at this one. I'm absolutely shocked that it didn't make my top 10 last time I read the Heyers but it certainly would now.

The plot has a lot of GH's familiar tropes. The older, self-assured woman who falls in love despite herself. The harum-scarum niece and her amours. Annoying relatives. A complicated and improbable plot. And wit - LOTS of wit.

Abigail Wendover has settled into a comfortable if dull life in Bath with her hypochondriac/invalid sister Selina but life changes irrevocably when her niece Fanny falls into the hands of a fortune hunter. Even more disruptive to her calm routine, the fortune hunter's uncle arrives and turns out to be an attractive man who sets her heart beating much too fast, especially if she really is the dedicated spinster she claims.

Miles Calverleigh is the Black Sheep of the title. As a youth, his family exiled him to India when he kept getting into scrapes and now he's returned as a rich man with no respect for the occasional sillinesses of society. So we've got the good girl and the bad boy and fireworks ensue! Great fun.

My second Heyer today is ARABELLA (1949) which starts fairly slowly but picks up pace until it's galloping along like a Derby winner so my advice would be bear with the opening with its pack of characters and Regency cant. It's worth it in the end. ARABELLA is a wonderful romp and I promise you'll be laughing out loud when all the threads start tangling together to make a bright and hilarious tapestry (can tapestries be hilarious?).

Lovely Arabella Tallant embarks on her first season with only her spectacular looks to recommend her - until she takes umbrage at the arrogance of super-rich ton darling Robert Beaumaris and claims to be an heiress. False gossip about Arabella's huge fortune make her the target of every marriage-minded man in society. Mr. Beaumaris finds himself caught up in all the hijinks and, despite himself, enchanted by the headstrong and good-hearted vicar's daughter. Add in Arabella's reckless brother visiting London under a false identity and a cast of memorable and eccentric characters, and you have a recipe for a riproaring farce with a very nice romantic ending.

Both of these books are on the lighter end of the spectrum and are sure to brighten even the gloomiest day. Highly recommended.

So seeing these both fall firmly into the romantic comedy genre, do you have a favorite romantic comedy? Historal or contemporary? What's the last book that had you giggling out loud?   

Today's Special - Jill Shalvis

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

As Andrea noted in her recent review of One in a Million, she and readers the world over are mourning the end of Jill Shalvis's Lucky Harbor series. And they aren't alone. Jill, herself, is having a hard time saying goodbye to these beloved characters. In fact, she's having such a difficult time that she's embarked on a Lucky Harbor blog tour with a Rafflecopter giveaway of the full Lucky Harbor set of books and also has a special surprise for fans of the series.  (Be sure to read all the way to the end of this blog!) 

Social Networking Links

Website - http://www.JillShalvis.com    

Facebook - http://www.Facebook.com/jillshalvis    

Twitter - https://twitter.com/JillShalvis

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis

Guest Post - Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harbor Series Wrap Up

Lucky Harbor started with three estranged sisters inheriting a dilapidated inn on the Pacific Northwest coast. It was supposed to be all one book, in fact. But I never could manage to contain it in one story so I split it into three, one love story for each sister. My goodness that was fun. It was so much fun, I came up with another trilogy idea. Three strangers stuck alone in a storm in a diner with nothing readily available except a chocolate cake. Hello, chocoholics. I thought it would end there but I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. And so, unbelievably, here I am twelve books later, still as much in love with Lucky Harbor as I ever was. Oh the fun I had coming up with characters and figuring out how to torture them.:) Seriously, I have the best job on the planet.

To celebrate the end of the series, today I'm answering some fan questions about Lucky Harbor.

The free spirited Chloe and by-the-books Sawyer from Head Over Heels are quite the pair! Do you have a favorite scene with this couple?

Oh, most definitely the painting scene where the paint that should have been on Sawyer’s walls ended up on some body parts instead… and then they fall asleep like that and Ford and Jax find them in the morning and take pics.

What is your favorite spot in the town of Lucky Harbor?

The secret cove where more than a few of the couples of Lucky Harbor found their way to for some seriously sexy times. :)

Which book was the most difficult to write?

Luke and Ali’s story in It Had To Be You. I had to rewrite that story four times for my editor. It nearly killed me dead. I have no idea why either because I loved Luke.

Nicknames! Which nickname from the series do you like the best?

Officer Hottie! (Sawyer from Head Over Heels)

Saying goodbye to Lucky Harbor was far more difficult than I imagined. I mean I thought I was ready to leave but as I wrote this last trilogy, It's In His Kiss, He's So Fine, and One In A Million, it really hit me. It was over. I was so sad that I wrote a holiday novella. :) I couldn’t help myself! Merry Christmas, Baby (12/2) is my love letter to the Lucky Harbor readers (and a surprise revisit with one of my fave couples) who enjoyed the series and stuck with me for twelve books.  TWELVE books. I still can’t believe it. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget Jax, Ford, Sawyer, Ty, Matt, Josh, Luke, Jack, Ben, Sam, Cole, and Tanner…  Sob!  But I have plenty of new stories to tell, so no worries. I’m still writing the animal series and for those of you who read and loved Then Came You this past summer, Still The One comes out 4/15. And … drum roll please … I’ll have a brand new series coming out in 2015. The first book is written and I’m keeping it under my hat a little bit longer but let’s just say there’s some hot alpha brothers coming your way soon.

***

Title: Merry Christmas, Baby

Author: Jill Shalvis

Release Date: December 2, 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Summary

Wild child Chloe Thompson can't believe how much things have changed. She still can't get enough of her sexy husband Sawyer, but he seems to prefer working to thinking about impending fatherhood. So tonight, a very pregnant Chloe is escaping her troubles at the town Christmas party.

Sheriff Sawyer Thompson hopes surprising Chloe at the party will give him a chance to set things right. But as the snow begins to fall and the wind rages, he wonders whether he can make it back in time. While mother nature conspires to keep Sawyer and Chloe apart, an unexpected arrival will require them to kiss and make up . . . and ring in the happiest holiday Lucky Harbor has ever seen.

Goodreads Link

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22553481-merry-christmas-baby 

Readers, do you have trouble saying goodbye to beloved characters? 

When you finished a much loved series does it take a while before you can pick up a new book?

Do you have a favorite book or character in the Lucky Harbor series?

Do you revisit your favorites?

Are you as excited about the Merry Christmas, Baby short story as we are?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review - - Change of Heart

Change of Heart
By Jude Deveraux
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: October 21, 2014

I love Jude Deveraux’s Edilean series. Okay, I grant you there are few books of Ms. Deveraux’s that didn’t work for me, but generally speaking, if we have a Taggert, Montgomery, or a character from Edilean, I’ll read the book and pass it to all my friends to read. When the book has two or more of these qualities, even better. Change of Heart has this; and is also two stories in one lovely book.

The first part of the book (story 1 as I refer to it) has classic Jude Deveraux casting: Frank Taggert and Miranda Harcourt. Frank is the brother of Mike, the hot hunky hero from Sweet Liar, whom I adored in his Happily Ever After. Frank is rather the opposite of his brother—he’s unapproachable, anti-social, and a bit of a workaholic. He is basically your standard Romantic Hero Asshat; and he’s such an arrogant little toe rag. Miranda Harcourt is sweet, innocent and entirely too likely to help a con artist with her last dollar than allow said con artist to starve. It practically says “doormat” across her forehead. Her son, Eli, despairs of leaving her to her own devices when he gets a chance to go to Princeton (at age 12, think Sheldon Cooper.) He takes care of his mother; he can’t leave her to pursue his dreams. He’s darling, even if he is a bit off-putting.

Stage: Frank is alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with a broken arm. Miranda is sent to be his nurse for two weeks, to give them time to fall in love. Eli is precocious…and come to think of it, so is Mike who thinks doing this to his brother is hilarious. As you might imagine, some misunderstandings occur, like Frank thinks Miranda is a hired prostitute; and Miranda thinks he’s a completely heartless, moral-less ass clown. Fortunately this is cleared up pretty quickly; and with some delightful arguments and passionate make ups, Miranda and Frank get their happily ever after.

The second part of the book is about Eli Harcourt, all grown up, and his romantic love interest in none-other than his childhood, partner-in-crime, Chelsea Hamilton. Chelsea is the beautiful daughter of an uber-rich, successful businessman; and while Eli’s issues revolve around him being a workaholic with all the social ability of his step-dad Frank, Chelsea’s issues involve being too rich and too pretty—because that’s about all she’s good for. I must applaud Ms. Deveraux for making me care about rich people and their problems—but I really liked Chelsea and hoped she’d pull herself together to see that Eli was the right guy for her.

This story seemed very fringe-related to Edilean, but if that doesn’t bother you, I think you’ll enjoy the stories just the same. At the very least, I think you’ll enjoy the blast from the past Sweet Liar characters and the rough-and-rumble behavior of the Taggert brood. I want to dig out my keepers from the shelves and fall in love with the Taggerts all over again.

 ~Hellie

Hellie Sinclair (a.k.a. Fran) was one of the founding members of the Romance Writer's Revenge, where she frequently got to satisfy her love of good books and her need to expound by writing reviews. Hellie loves to craft on projects she rarely finishes, watch British dramas as a sort of Olympic marathon event, and do most anything that fits the description "indolent and pleasurable." Fortunately reading falls into that category. Connect with Hellie on Facebook. 

PJ here! I've been waiting for a story for Eli and Chelsea since first meeting them as children in Deveraux's short story, "Change of Heart" in the 2005 anthology, A HOLIDAY OF LOVE. What fictional children or secondary characters are you still hoping will get their own happy ending? 

Review - - Christmas at Seashell Cottage

Christmas at Seashell Cottage

By Donna Alward

Publisher: St Martin’s Press

Release Date: October 7, 2014

(Digital release only)

Dr. Charlene “Charlie” Yang and former SEAL and current dock worker Dave Ricker may both be newcomers to Jewell Cove, Maine, but they appear to have little else in common—if one doesn’t count the fact that glimpsing Dave from afar has been enough for Charlie to give him the starring role in her fantasies. The two meet when they both volunteer to work on preparing the local nativity scene for display. Charlie, whose bow-tying skills are less than satisfactory, is sent outside to place straw and the doll that represents the infant Christ Child in a manger built by Dave. Dave is charmed by Charlie’s petite beauty and interested in the contrast between the doctor he has heard described as “Dr. Pit Bull” and the woman he overhears talking to the Baby Jesus.

The interest is enough for Dave to show up for the community tree lighting the next evening even though he has a strong preference for an open fire and a shot of whiskey over the Maine wind chill and free hot chocolate. The spark that struck at their initial meeting flares with greater intensity as Charlie and Dave share body heat and a songbook. Charlie is almost relieved when they run into her fellow physician and boss Josh Collins, who invites them to join a group of friends for dinner. But on their way to meet Josh and company, they find a living infant has joined the plastic baby in the manger. Charlie ends up caring for the baby temporarily, and the emotional investment they both have in the baby they call Daniel becomes another bond between them.

But Charlie, with her emotionally distant, perfectionist parents who never felt a sense of belonging, wants to sink roots in Jewell Cove, and she wants all the warmth and security and messiness of life with a husband and children. Dave wants to focus on his relationship with his daughter who lives with his ex-wife and her new husband, and he sees his time in Jewell Cove as temporary.  Can two people with such disparate goals find their HEA even with true love and Christmas in the mix?

Donna Alward’s Christmas novella is sweet without being saccharine, genuinely sentimental without falling into sentimentality, and filled with Christmas trappings and meaning without being cheesy. I really liked the first Jewell Cove book (House on Blackberry Hill), and the novella has the same sense of a real place inhabited by real people with baggage and vulnerabilities and humor and hearts longing for love—even if it sometimes takes them a while to admit it. This ranks in my top five Christmas reads for 2014. Now I’m even more eager for Treasure on Lilac Lane, an October 28 release that is the story of Rick Sullivan and Jess Collins, a story I have wanted since I finished the first book. (And Josh’s story, Summer on Lovers' Island will be out in May).

~Janga