Review -- Burned By a Kiss

Burned by a Kiss
The Star Canyon Series - Book One
By Tina Leonard
Publisher: Diversion Books
Release Date: May 3, 2016

Former Navy SEAL Santana Dark never quite forgot that graduation kiss with shy, nerdy Emma Glass. Now he's home, ready to help his siblings work the family ranch following their father's mysterious death and wondering if there's still a spark between him and Emma. It doesn't take long to discover that there is but before they can explore it, a meeting with his father's lawyer delivers devastating news that leaves the Dark siblings reeling...and homeless. How can Santana explore any type of a relationship with Emma when he no longer has anything to offer her?

Veterinarian Emma Glass worried and wondered about her best friend's brother during his years abroad. She'd always had a crush on him and that unexpected graduation kiss gave her plenty to think about during the years he was gone from Star Canyon, New Mexico. Emma has a good life taking care of the animals of Star Canyon but it sure would be nice to have someone to share the lonely nights. Now that Santana's back, it's clear there's plenty of sizzle between them and she's more than ready to explore it. Feelings between them grow but between the tortured nightmares of his time in Afghanistan and everything he thought he knew about his family shattered, does he have anything left to give sweet Emma beyond fun between the sheets?

I always enjoy a Tina Leonard story and Burned by a Kiss is no exception, with its western setting, family dynamics, and touch of magic. I like the Dark family and am looking forward to getting to know them better in future books. There's also the mystery of their father's death that, apparently, will play out over the course of the series. Burned by a Kiss is the first book in the series and a lot of time is devoted to world building and setting foundations for the main characters of the series. While it's important to the overall story arc for the series, there were times when I felt the main romance of this book was sacrificed in favor of "setting the stage" for the series. I really liked Santana and Emma and wanted more time with just the two of them. But that complaint aside, I'm intrigued by all of the main characters as well as the mystery and am looking forward to more visits to Star Canyon.

~PJ

Review - - My One and Only

My One and Only
Ardent Springs - Book 3
By Terri Osburn
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: May 18, 2016

  


Terri Osburn does not create simple, non-dimensional characters. They are multi-layered, complicated, and flawed, making them infinitely more interesting. Take Haleigh, the heroine of My One and Only. Here is a woman who has regrets, who carries guilt and shame. A respected doctor, she has the outward appearance of a successful woman who has her life in order but, inside? Inside, she's one hot mess - a recovering alcoholic battling issues of self-esteem, and enough parental baggage to sink a boat. Returning home to Ardent Springs six months ago after the failure of her third engagement, she's working as an OBGYN at the local hospital, renting a room from her best friend, and trying to establish a healthy relationship with her impossible-to-please mother, an almost impossible task. There's no time in her life for a man, especially not her best friend's twin brother and all-around good guy, Cooper Ridgeway who most certainly deserves someone much better than Haleigh.

Cooper Ridgeway feels like he's spent his whole life loving Haleigh Rae Mitchner but he's never felt worthy of her. His mean, drunk of a father did a number on Cooper's self-esteem that far outlasted the man's life. Even though Coop runs a successful business, he can't imagine what an educated, confident, doctor would ever see in a small-town mechanic so he keeps his distance. When a pregnant teen searching for her biological father brings Cooper and Haleigh together, Haleigh begins to view him as more than her friend's brother and when things begin to sizzle, Coop sees an opportunity to finally go after the woman he's always wanted. But when complications arise and truths begin to surface, will it bring them together or tear them apart?

There were times in this book when I was angry with Haleigh's behavior, when I wanted her to stand up for herself and for Cooper. But when you've spent most of your life being told you're not good enough by the person who should love you the most, it plays with your mind, your heart, your very soul. It creates patterns of behavior and belief that are not overcome quickly or easily, at least not in real life. Kudos to Osburn for keeping it real with this character and not taking the easy path. It may make it harder for some readers to like Haleigh but, for me, it makes this a more interesting, realistic, and, ultimately, satisfying story.

Then there's Cooper. Oh, my. Terri Osburn writes some terrific book boyfriends and Cooper, for my taste, is the best of the bunch. Much of the time I wasn't sure if I wanted to hug him, jump him, or give him a stern talking to but from the first page to the last, I never wavered in my adoration of this character as I cheered him on in his quest for a happy ending with his one and only. I do hope we'll be seeing more of him in future books. A community of secondary characters rounds out the cast, including the main couples from the first two books, whose relationships are progressing, and new characters who I'm hoping will figure prominently as the series moves forward.

If you enjoy small-town, contemporary romance with a rich depth of emotion, realistically flawed characters, humor, sizzle and a whole lot of heart, look no further than Terri Osburn's Ardent Springs series. My One and Only can easily be read as a stand-alone but for a more complete understanding of the characters, both primary and secondary, I recommend reading the books in order: His First and Last, Our Now and Forever, and My One and Only.

~PJ

Review - - The Duke of Sin

Duke of Sin

By Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central

Release Date: May 31, 2016

  

Six Reasons to Sin with the DUKE OF SIN

1.)   Val is frightfully gorgeous, deliciously immoral, and delightfully broken—does he have a heart? Does he have a soul even? Who knows? For those of us who love a good fixer-upper, Val has great bones and glorious potential, but clearly just needs some “rehab” work. Massive, massive rehab work.

2.)   Villains are the new heroes. First there was the Earl of Mayne. Then there was the Duke of Villiers and the Viscount St. Vincent. And then Elizabeth Hoyt laughed and said, “Oh, honey, if you want to meet a villain….” And the Duke of Montgomery was born. I admit it. Elizabeth Hoyt terrifies me a little. How does this woman sleep at night? There were things that made me go, “My god, who thinks of stuff like this” and my next immediate thought was, “Elizabeth Hoyt—that lovely sweet looking woman—thinks of this stuff.”

3.)   None of that “social barrier” baloney for Val. No, no, when it comes time to entertain the thought of marrying his housekeeper, it’s not the fact she’s only a housekeeper that’s the problem. Plus he’s a duke and can do whatever the hell he wants. Then again, considering reason #2, that would have been gilding the lily where “issues keeping the couple apart” was concerned. (Where does Elizabeth Hoyt get this stuff?)

4.)   Even the worst, filthiest, most sinful sinner has a moral code. I grant you, you have to dig deep most of the time to see Val’s, but rest assured, it’s there. As he proclaims, he might be the villain of this piece, but when it counts, he’s there. I had my doubts. I was halfway through the book going, “How is Elizabeth Hoyt going to make us love this man? I want to strangle him!”—and she does it. She’s magic like that.

5.)   Every bit of dialogue Val speaks sounds exactly like Tom Hiddleston—so if you have heard Tom Hiddleston speak (and Tom Hiddleston can even make complex mathematical equations sound extremely sexy), you’ll understand why you’ll put up with a little bit of bad behavior—blackmailing, kidnapping, excessive debauchery—to be with him. I also freely admit that knowing Tom Hiddleston was her inspiration for Val is a huge reason I kept going when I thought, “There is no way she’s going to pull a HEA out of this. No. Way.”

6.)   The Duke of Montgomery has a flair for the dramatic. And I do mean dramatic. Whether he’s making a point to his housekeeper about how he’s a villain and not a hero or saving the heroine from being a bacchanal sacrifice at a Lords of Chaos ceremony or even announcing he’s been tupping his housekeeper to the said housekeeper’s brother, well, he certainly knows how to put on a good show and deal with the subsequent fallout. Val is like a fictional character mix of Lestat from An Interview with a Vampire and the diabolical, chaotic mischief and self-destruction of Loki—as I said, dramatic.

I would rate this book a 4 ½ for me—maybe a 5 (though I find myself comparing this story to Sweetest Scoundrel—and I did love Asa better)—I love all the Maiden Lane series and will read them and re-read them. Lord Caire…the Ghosts of St. Giles…Smiling Mickey…and all the heroes of the series are just swooningly, heart-throbbingly delicious. Val is no exception—he is swooningly, heart-throbbingly delicious, but he scares me a bit, even when tamed. There is no doubt that though Val has been “saved” by the love of the right woman who understands him and reminds him of his good self, beneath he’s still very much a wild animal not to be trifled with.

And the darkness that creates such a villain and makes him leap from the page comes from the kind of darkness that cannot be forgotten or wished away. I’ve always admired and respected Hoyt’s dark complexity of her settings, from where we met Lord Caire and that whole horrible gin enterprise and all the dark, seedy underbelly of London during this period, but the Lords of Chaos and the history that created Val make Lord Caire look like a Care Bear in comparison.

All the things one loves about Hoyt’s romances are there, in spades, but I do feel this book is her darkest yet. Wonderful, but dark.

~Hellie

Review - - Temptations of a Wallflower

Temptations of a Wallflower

By Eva Leigh

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Lady Sarah Frampton is not a social success, despite her status as daughter of the Duke of Wakefield. In fact, after five seasons, her tendency to observe rather than participate in society’s rituals has earned her the sobriquet the “Watching Wallflower.” In Sarah’s case, appearances are quite deceptive. Not only does Sarah enjoy an active interior life, but she is also the anonymous author of erotic novels that have proved satisfyingly successful. Of course, her authorship is a closely guarded secret because revealing that she is the “Lady of Dubious Quality” would provoke a scandal that would ruin her and damage her family.

Jeremy Cleland (shades of Fanny Hill!), the third son of the Earl of Hutton, is a vicar in a Devonshire village. Although he followed his dictatorial father’s plans by entering the church, he finds the role of vicar a good fit for him in some ways. However, the limitations of the life have increasingly weighed upon him recently. A lover of harmony by nature and dependent upon his father’s purse to supplement the small stipend of a village vicar, he does not hesitate when his father summons him to London. The earl, who views himself as a guardian of public morals, has an assignment for his vicar son: to discover the identity of the Lady of Dubious Quality, reveal her as the immoral creature she is, and destroy her scandalous writing career. Jeremy, secretly part of the lady’s readership himself, is reluctant to take on the task, but his reservations are no match for his father’s crusading spirit.

When Sarah and Jeremy meet, the attraction between them, physical and emotional, is immediate and powerful. They each instinctively recognize a kindred spirit in the other. For the first time, Sarah encounters a man who awakens in her the intense desire she has heretofore found only in her fictional characters. But even aside from the fact that Jeremy is committed to exposing Sarah’s secret identity, the gulf between a village vicar and a duke’s daughter is enormous. Nevertheless, when Sarah concludes that marriage offers her best means of protecting her secret, Jeremy is the only man she considers. But with the secret of Sarah’s writing identity between them, can they find enduring happiness together?

Temptations of a Wallflower is the third book in Leigh’s Wicked Quills of London series, and like the earlier books (Forever Your Earl and Scandal Takes the Stage), it is a gem of a book that blends feminist themes, engaging characters, and sensual romance that succeeds on multiple levels. Sarah and Jeremy are interesting protagonists whose complexity is far greater than their surface personalities suggest. It doesn’t hurt that I have a decided weakness for stories featuring vicars and wallflowers. To have both in a single novel is joyous indeed. I have grown increasingly weary of heroes and heroines whose libidos control them from their first glimpse of each other, but Sarah and Jeremy restored my faith in instant romance. I also loved that although they are inexperienced (Sarah is a virgin; Jeremy is not far removed from that state), they are not ignorant. On a delightful note, Jeremy gets some useful instruction from a book that he has no idea his wife wrote. Another plus is that both heroine and hero grow during the course of the novel, and their love is central to their growth. It frees them to become more fully themselves.

This novel is also metafiction that offers some wonderful insights into what it means for writing to be a vocation. Sarah is clear about who she is and on the role writing plays in her life. “I wanted everything. To write, and to love you. My books aren't foolish to me. Writing is who I am. I can't not write. If I did, I'd cease to exist.” Writers in any genre should relate to her description of finding her own voice.

 “My early writing efforts strived hard to be significant... I loved to write but hadn't done it well. Not until I penned my own erotic novel. And then I found myself. My voice, at last. Here it was, all this time, but I'd needed to find the right subject.”

I highly recommend this book. If, like me, you have found yourself skimming or even skipping sections or even full chapters of romance novels in which love scenes/sex scenes appear to have no purpose other than to increase the heat level, you will rejoice in reading a book with a high sensuality level in which such scenes are not extraneous but rather integral to who the characters are and to the journeys they make. I have added this one to my Best of 2016 list, and I look forward with great anticipation to seeing what Eva Leigh has next for her readers.

~Janga

Today's Special - - Adrienne Giordano's Dog Collar Couture

Dog Collar Couture
Lucie Rizzo Mysteries - Book 3
By Adrienne Giordano
Publisher: SilverHart Publishing
Release Date: May 10, 2016

Mafia princess turned canine couturier Lucie Rizzo knows dogs are woman's best friend. Thanks to her fashion-forward four-legged clients, Lucie's dog walking/designer pet accessory business is booming. And for once her love life isn't far behind.

Lucie devotes her days to building the Coco Barkness brand, but her nights are all about roguishly sexy Tim O'Brien. At least they will be if she and Detective O'Hottie finally take their relationship to the next level. But bring an Irish cop home to mer mobster father? Fuggetaboutit.

Lucie's knack for finding trouble lands her in the doghouse - and on the six o'clock news. Someone's absconded with a million-dollar piece of cinematic costume history and with Lucie the only witness to the crime. Not to mention the prime suspect. To clear her name, she'll need an assist from her entire wacky crew: friends, family...and future (hopefully) lover.




This was a fun read! Lucie is a very likeable character who tries so hard to walk the straight and narrow. Not always an easy thing to do with a Mafia boss father, a bookie brother who has the hots for her best friend/business partner, and trouble that seems to be waiting around every corner. Explaining to her father that she's a legitimate businesswoman who doesn't need his brand of "help" is bad enough but how will she ever explain the new Irish cop boyfriend who has taken the place of her former Italian mob-connected fiance? 

Giordano has penned a lively, fast-paced story with an engaging cast of characters. I love the dynamic of the Rizzo family. It has the same quirky, humorous feel as Janet Evanovich's character, Stephanie Plum's family. The mystery is well plotted with enough red herrings to keep things interesting and prevent me from figuring it out early on. Tim O'Brien is a great guy; someone solid who Lucie can lean on as well as sexy as all get out. He and Lucie are a great couple. I love how he accepts her for who she is, family and all. I especially like how he supports her, even in the face of all the trouble she manages to attract and how that plays out for him as a Chicago police officer. She keeps him on his toes! A terrific secondary cast adds richness to the story, especially Lucie's brother and her straight-talking best friend, Ro. These two had me chuckling every time they hit the page. 

If you enjoy a fun, contemporary romance with mystery, humor, quirky characters, and a touch of sizzle, I recommend giving Adrienne Giordano's Lucie Rizzo Mysteries a try. Dog Collar Couture is the third book in the series and stands on its own but I'd recommend reading the books in order. Lucie is an evolving character and there were times while reading Dog Collar Couture that I wished I had known more about her background and the events and people in her life that were included in books one and two. I've downloaded both books and am looking forward to more of Lucie Rizzo and her mysteries.

~PJ

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Dog Collar Couture – Excerpt 7 – May 16, 2016

(Follow the tour to read a different part of the excerpt each day, as they are all part of Chapter One and in chronological order. You can find the list of blogs participating here: http://bit.ly/1pTuXGH.)

“Sorry, Dad. Where’s Mom?”

Her father circled his hand. “Ran to the store for bread. She’ll be back.”

Ro, working a tight, black skirt, stilettos and a light-pink cashmere sweater sauntered by; and, pig that he was, Joey cocked his head sideways to watch as she gave Dad a hug.

In a lot of ways, Ro was the female version of Dad. Tough, but with a tender side that popped out when least expected. And, of course, if someone messed with her loved ones, she took them out.

“Hi, Mr. R.,” she said. “It’s so great having you home again.”

Dad grinned and released her. “My wife is fattening me up.”

“Oh, pee-shaw. You were too thin when you first got home.”

Lucie couldn’t argue with that. “She’s right, Dad. You look like your old self now.”

“Luce,” Ro said, “I worked up sketches for some new couture coats. I’ll show them to you tomorrow.”

Wackiest thing ever, but Ro was convinced the market for couture dog clothes was untapped. As crazy as it was, Ro might not be too far off. Some of the high-end clientele usually went for ostentatious when it came to the samples Lucie brought them. Between the two of them, Lucie and Ro had developed an affinity for knowing which client would go for what.

USA Today bestselling author Adrienne Giordano writes romantic suspense and mystery.  She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her workaholic husband, sports obsessed son and Buddy the Wheaten Terrorist (Terrier). She is a co-founder of Romance University blog and Lady Jane's Salon-Naperville, a reading series dedicated to romantic fiction. 

Connect with Adrienne:  Website / Newsletter / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Street Team

On Second Thought

The Lady with the Black Umbrella

By Mary Balogh

Publisher: Class Ebook Editions Ltd

Release Date: February 8, 2016

(Originally published by Signet, 1989)

 

Life is not treating Giles Fairhaven, Viscount Kincade, well. After a night of gambling losses, he was awakened well before his usual hour by a barmaid demanding payment for amorous services rendered the night before, and then he discovered his purse had been stolen. That news earned him contempt and rudeness unequaled in the viscount’s experience from the suspicious host of the Golden Eagle Inn. Before he can leave the inn, Giles is attacked by three thugs. Rescue comes from an unexpected source, a bare-footed, nightgown-clad lady armed with a gentleman’s black umbrella.

The Honorable Daisy Morrison, the older daughter of a baron, is a force to be reckoned with. Accustomed to command, especially after two years of directing her deceased father’s estate and directing the lives of her mother and younger sister, Daisy is confident that she is the only chaperone needed for the trip she and her sister will make to London where Daisy intends to find the younger Rose the kind of husband Daisy believes Rose’s sweetness, beauty, and wealth deserve. She also has no hesitation in rushing to Giles’s aid when the innkeeper refuses to interfere in the brawl. Having routed the thugs and seen the battered Giles on his way, she also silences the innkeeper’s slander of the absent Giles by paying not only his reckoning at the inn but also the barmaid’s charges and his gambling debt. For Daisy, all of these activities are just part of taking care of those who need her help.

Giles is humiliated when the servant he sends to pay his bills at the Golden Eagle returns with the viscount’s money and the news that Miss Daisy Morrison has already paid the viscount’s accounts in full. His humiliation reaches a new level when he learns that his rescue by the small lady with a large umbrella has become common gossip and made Giles the laughingstock of London. He is certain Daisy is the source of the gossip. When he meets her and Rose walking in Hyde Park, he arranges a second meeting during which he plans to leave Daisy reeling from a severe tongue lashing even if he controls his instinct to strangle her. Instead he finds himself agreeing to ask the help of his cousin, Lady Hetty Parkinson, in introducing the Morrison sisters to society.

Daisy wonders if the viscount could be Rose’s perfect match even as she tries to ignore the tendre she herself is developing for him. Convinced that at twenty-five she is a settled spinster, Daisy dreams of romance not for herself but for Rose. However, the docile Rose, although reluctant to disappoint Daisy, proves quite stubborn about ignoring her opportunities and making her own choice. Meanwhile, Daisy continues to turn Giles’s ordered universe chaotic and increasingly to play havoc with his heart. A mock engagement, a kidnapping, and other dangers may present obstacles, but ultimately true love conquers all.

Balogh is probably best known for richly emotional romances rather than for light-hearted romps, but she is equally skilled at giving readers stories that are a delightful mix of sweet romance and screwball comedy. My favorite of her humorous romances—and one of my all-time favorite romance novels—is The Famous Heroine, but Lady with a Black Umbrella is almost as good.

I have had an abiding fondness for the managing heroine since I first read Heyer’s Frederica and The Grand Sophy eons ago, and I also adore stories that pair a stuffy hero with an unconventional miss who shatters his dignity. This story satisfies on both counts. It is irresistibly funny to see Giles losing more and more control.

Lord Kincade’s eyes strayed to Daisy’s smooth slim throat with some regret. He had been so looking forward to having his hands there. Or even if everyday reality kept his hands at his sides, then he had really looked forward to ripping up at the woman, telling her exactly what he thought of her interfering, tattling ways. And yet here he was still clasping her hands—he dropped them in some haste—and allowing himself to be the object of her smile of warm admiration and gratitude.

He is divided between a desire to throttle her and a desire to kiss her, with the latter feeling growing stronger by the day. Daisy, of course, is sublimely unaware of the effects she has on Giles, and she stubbornly persists in her conviction that she is past the age to be courted and too strong-minded not to dominate any man who married her. Watching her proved wrong is a delight.

In addition to likeable, entertaining leads, Balogh uses secondary characters to add interest and appeal to the story. The villains are one-dimensional, but the family members of Giles and Daisy are wonderfully drawn. I particularly like the Reverend Arthur Fairhaven, the younger brother of Giles.

This gem of a book was among four long OOP Balogh romances released in digital format earlier this year. Many of my favorite Balogh novels belong to her traditional Regency period. Rereading this one was a joy, and I highly recommend it to Balogh fans who may have missed this one or to any reader of historical romance looking for a romance that will evoke gentle laughter and sighs of readerly satisfaction.

 ~Janga

Lenora Bell Second Chance Winners

A new winner has been chosen for Lenora Bell's unclaimed prize package. 

Congratulations to:

kmc1952

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Deadline to claim this giveaway is Wednesday, May 18, 2016.

PJ's Package of Books Winner

The randomly chosen winner of a package of books from my

Lisa Kleypas announcement post is:

Cheryl C

Congratulations, Cheryl!

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Review - - Matt

Matt

By R.C. Ryan

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Matt Malloy’s happy-go-lucky existence on his family’s sprawling Montana ranch is turned upside down when he meets animal rights lawyer, Vanessa Kettering, who has come to their ranch to interview his grandmother. The two fall immediately head over heels for each other, but Vanessa is soon in danger. Her top attorney father is prosecuting a famous mobster whose resources reach everywhere, including where Vanessa is located. It is decided Vanessa must immediately go to a safe house until the trial is over (roughly two weeks to a month). Matt volunteers the ranch as a safe house. The mobster couldn’t possibly find Vanessa way out here in the middle of nowhere and protected by all his family, mostly made up of burly, rife-packing men.

Matt and Vanessa immediately use this time to romance each other even more, but a cozy little cabin retreat goes wrong and Matt is left for dead and Vanessa is kidnapped by the very men he was supposed to protect her from. Shot, set on fire, and barely conscious, Matt refuses to stop until he finds her again—and finds her he does, just seconds from being killed by the henchmen who are creating a video to send to her father. She is taken back home to Chicago by her father to be cared for, but she makes her way back to her cowboy for a reunion for a happily ever after.

So my issues with this story were this: 1.) there was no romantic conflict of any kind—these two were the cheerleader and quarterback homecoming queen and king and I found their romance dull. Just my preference. I like tortured, complicated people. They were not. 2.) For a safe house, they did stupid, stupid things that I didn’t think a safe house would remotely do—so it was hard to suspend belief that this plot twist would actually happen. Even possibly. It seems if this really happened, the police would have made her go to whatever safe house they had that nobody knew about—and Matt would have to cool his heels a few weeks until the trial was over. It wouldn’t be that big a deal. 3.) She wasn’t a particularly strong heroine—this probably made her more real overall, but again, for my preferences, I prefer heroines who can be a bit more clever and proactive than she was rather than waiting around to be rescued. As you can see, these are my issues—and not true flaws with the story. Other readers are probably dying to get their hands on a book where the heroine isn’t automatically an ass-kicking Angelina Jolie type or so dark and twisted, she’d need three therapists. Also, not every romance in the world needs to be deep, dark, and complicated. Just the ones I read.  

 ~Hellie

Lisa Kleypas Announces a New Devil!

Rarely have romance readers rallied around a redeemed bad boy as they have with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, the hero of the third book in Lisa Kleypas' Wallflowers series, Devil in Winter. Sebastian, Evie and their love story regularly rank near the top of readers' all-time favorites. Many times over the years, I've wondered about these two. Where are they? How many children did they have? Are they happy? I missed them! Well, guess what? THEY'RE BACK!!!!!!

That's right, dear readers. Yesterday, Lisa Kleypas released a video announcing the lead characters of her 2017 novel, Devil in Spring (the hero is Evie and Sebastian's son!) and shared a teaser scene starring our very own Sebastian and Evie! Watch the video announcement below...

...then click here to read the teaser excerpt from Devil in Spring.

I know. I know. We have to wait a whole year for this story. It's not fair, right? Except!  Kleypas has another bright and shiny, brand new book all ready for release on May 31st and it's a winner!

Marrying Winterborne tells the highly anticipated story of Rhys Winterborne: coarse, self-made, Welsh, department store magnate and shy, sheltered, too-good-for-his-touch, Lady Helen Ravenel. These two are so, so good together! Both are so much more than they appear on the surface and their journey to love is classic Kleypas in all the very best ways. 

Marrying Winterborne is one of the best books I've read this year. It's one of the best books I've read in many years. Not only have Rhys and Helen secured places among my favorite Kleypas couples but they are high on my list of all-time favorite couples by all authors. Mark your calendars for May 31st. This is one book you won't want to miss!

Are you as excited about the return of Evie and Sebastian as I am? 

What other beloved romance couples would you like to see in a new book?


I've been cleaning again and have a package of books for one lucky reader who leaves a comment on today's post. (U.S. only) 

Review - - What We Find

What We Find

By Robyn Carr

Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Release Date: April 5, 2016

Dr. Maggie Sullivan is a heartbeat away from a breakdown. As a successful neurosurgeon, she is accustomed to high pressure situations. Within a twelve-month period, she has survived a practice-destroying scandal for which she bore no responsibility, a wrongful-death law suit, and a miscarriage that left her devastated. When the ER doctor with whom she has been in a relationship for two years dumps her because her emotional needs are more than he can handle, it is the proverbial last straw. Maggie desperately needs a break from all that her life in Denver has become. Sullivan’s Crossing was Maggie’s home for the first six years of her life and it is where her father, refusing to consider retirement, still runs the general store and campground that his father and his father’s father had run. It has been Maggie’s refuge in the past, and it is the place she instinctively heads for in her current crisis.

However, she doesn’t find life at the Crossings as peaceful as she expects. The day after her arrival, her father has a heart attack, and she spends the next weeks back in Denver, first in the hospital where Sully has heart surgery and then in her home where she cares for him during the rehabilitative stage. Both Maggie and Sully are relieved when they can return to Sullivan’s Crossing. Maggie shares her father’s gratitude for the friends who have filled in at the store and campgrounds during Sully’s absence, but her gratitude to the mysterious Cal Jones is mixed with suspicion. He may not be a serial killer, but he is not the typical hiker killing time until the weather clears for him to hit the Continental Divide Trail.

Cal insists on helping despite Maggie’s suspicions, and he soon wins her over. Friendship comes first, but it soon grows into a love that makes the feelings Maggie had for the man who was briefly her husband and the unlamented ER doctor anemic in comparison. But Cal is still haunted by his own tragedies, and not even his love for Maggie deters him from completing his soul-searching journey. Can Maggie trust him when he promises to return to her?

Robyn Carr does her usual superb job of creating a world that captures her reader’s interest and affection in this first book in the Sullivan’s Crossing series. Like Grace Valley, Virgin River, and Thunder Point, this new setting is warm and welcoming and peopled with engaging characters. Maggie and Caleb are complex characters, far enough past their youth to have fascinating layers, but the secondary characters are also deftly drawn. Sully is a wonderful character, but Frank and Enid, Tom Canady and his brood, even Andrew, the jerky ex, add to the story.

The location of Sullivan’s Crossing in the Rocky Mountains, at the convergence of the Colorado and Continental Divide Trails, is clearly symbolic as Maggie and Caleb are at a crossroads in their own lives. It will be interesting to see if the theme saturates this first book only or if it plays out through the series. The novel also felt as much women’s fiction as romance to me. Although the romantic element is strong—and I really liked Caleb--Maggie is the heart of the book.

Despite a diligent search, I have been unable to find what is next in this series. (I’m hoping for Tom’s story.) I am also unclear on whether the Thunder Point series is complete. I do know that the next books from Carr are Swept Away (July 26, 2016), a reissue of Runaway Mistress (2005), and The Life She Wants (September 27, 2016), a new novel which sounds like standalone women’s fiction. Sullivan’s Crossing is this author’s first hardcover release, and it is one fans of her Virgin River and Thunder Point books will not want to miss. Even if it didn’t give me that intuitive conviction that I had just read a career-defining book as my first reading of Virgin River did, it is a good read—an addictive one—and I definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy small-town romance or women’s fiction/romance hybrids. Hey, it’s a Robyn Carr! That speaks for itself.

~Janga

Last Chance - Lenora Bell Winners

I have not received an email from the following winners from Lenora Bell's recent visit.

Jess

(prize package from Lenora Bell)

 Ms Awesome

(Print or Kindle copy of How the Duke Was Won - winner's choice)

Sheryl

(Print or Kindle copy of How the Duke Was won - winner's choice)

Please send your full name and mailing address to

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

no later than Friday, May 13, 2016.

If I have not heard from you by then, I will draw new winners.

Thanks!