PJ's Birthday Winners

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by to celebrate my birthday with me!  I had a great time learning about all the interesting things that happened in your birth years.  The three randomly chosen winners of packs of books from me are:

Connie

gamistress66

Cinthia Hamer

Congratulations to all of you!  Please send your full name and mailing address to us at 

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Thanks again for making my birthday so much fun and happy reading!

Guest Review - - Leaves

Leaves

By Michael Baron

Publisher: The Story Plant

Release Date: September 25, 2012

 

For the citizens of Oldham, Connecticut, a small town in the Connecticut River Valley, the Sugar Maple Inn means tradition and celebration. For more than thirty years, the Golds have operated the inn, welcoming the tourists who invade the town every fall to see the glorious display of autumn leaves that is the town’s claim to fame and hosting an elaborate Halloween party for the residents from babes in arms to senior citizens. For the five Gold siblings, Maria, Maxwell, Deborah, Corinna, and Tyler, the inn has also been home, the place in which their richest memories are rooted, the site where family ties were woven—and stretched thin.

Maria, 40, is adjusting to an empty nest as her only child begins her freshman year at Brown. Her husband Doug is in marketing, still excited about his work and about the freedom of their life as a couple, but Maria feels lost without her role as a mother to define her. She must rediscover who she is.

Maxwell, 38, is president of the Oldham Chamber of Commerce and considering a run for mayor. He loves his wife Annie and his two-year-old son Joey, but he doesn’t know that his wife is deeply unsatisfied with their life.

Deborah, 36, has known since she was fourteen that she wanted to become the chef of Sugar Maple Inn. With the inn being sold, she’s losing her job. Her success ensures that she has no shortage of job offers, but nothing feels right—nothing but the new man she just met, a fellow foodie who may have the answers she needs.

Corinna, 33, is a control freak married to Gardner, a workaholic lawyer with a sixteen-year-old son, whose normal adolescent angst is magnified by the death of his mother. Head of the Oldham Visitors Bureau for six years, Corinna feels as if she is disconnecting with everyone in her life.

Tyler, 30, is a photographer whose career hits a lull at the same time a long-term relationship conclusively ends. New opportunities seem to be moving him in new directions, literally and metaphorically.

With the deaths of Joseph Gold, four years earlier, and Bethany Gold, the previous summer, the time has come to sell the inn, but before the sale is finalized, the Gold siblings will host a final Halloween party to commemorate the place their parents created and to bid farewell to the Gold family’s role as hosts of the inn. The novel covers the month leading up to the Halloween party, much of it linked to the preparations for the big event, and it culminates with the party itself. Deborah, the middle sibling, poses a question: “What if now that my father and mother are gone—and soon the inn will be as well—we don’t have any reason to stay connected?”  Her question is thematic, and Baron provides the answer in a dozen moments of magical realism that connect the past and present.

Each of the siblings will end the month changed in significant ways, but even as the days pass and their time as the Golds of Sugar Maple Inn draws to a close, they discover that the changing seasons of the calendar and of life leave untouched the things the heart holds close.

Spinning was the first book I read by Michael Baron. I enjoyed it, and I particularly appreciated Baron’s ability to create engaging characters. His gift for characterization is the greatest strength of this book as well. The Golds are ordinary people with ordinary problems, but Baron makes the reader care about the characters and see the extraordinariness in each of them. Leaves is not a romance, but it is a good story and one with strong romantic elements that should appeal to many romance readers.

Leaves is the first book in a series. It struck me as similar to the first season of a television series. The characters are all introduced. Their background is established and the interconnections among them revealed, and their stories are begun. The first season ends with the audience having chosen characters to cheer and to boo, eager to know what happens next in the lives of these people. There’s even a cliffhanger ending.

I confess I’m hooked and can’t wait for season two. I want to know what happens with Maria’s music, with Tyler’s move, with Deborah’s love affair. I want to see Annie, Maxwell’s wife, who frankly struck me as a whining, selfish bitch, realize what she stands to lose. And then there’s the cliffhanger.

~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com

Party like it's 1951!

September 20, 1951 was an exciting day in my family.  For my parents, it heralded the arrival of their first-born (that would be me) and only daughter.  It was cause for celebration; one of many notable events that occurred during that year.  Okay, so my birth was only notable within my family but still...  As I celebrate my birthday today, I thought it would be fun to look back at some other notable events from 1951!

The average cost of a new house in 1951 was $9,000.  Can you imagine?  Heck, you'd have trouble today buying a new car for twice that amount and that would be the no-frills variety.





The 22nd Amendment was ratified, limiting U.S. presidents to two consecutive terms.  

The first nuclear bomb tests were conducted in Nevada.

The term "Rock N Roll" was first used by Cleveland DJ Alan Freed.

An American in Paris won the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture.







The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk topped the NYT Bestseller List the week I was born.

Because of You by Tony Bennett topped the Billboard charts in September 1951.

Super glue was invented!

The Best Actress nominees for television's 1951 Emmy Awards included a familiar face from today:  Betty White!









1951 was the year Tupperware parties were introduced!

Pabst aired the first color beer commercial on television. (and the rest, as they say, is history)

Coast to coast direct telephone dialing began (without operator assistance) but we still had to share our party line with two other families.  

The first oral contraceptive was invented.

The first color television pictures were broadcast from New York's Empire State Building. (but it would still be several years before color televisions became the norm in most American homes)

The average cost of a gallon of gasoline was $0.19.  Wrap your head around that one!

The New York Yankees won the World Series.

Lillian Vernon first started mailing catalogues.

J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye was published.

Many romances of 1951 were in comic book format, such as Top LOVE Stories.  









That's a peek at what was going on the year I was born.  What are some of the highlights of the year you were born?  Because I love giving away gifts on my birthday, three randomly selected people leaving a comment today will receive a pack of books from my prize stash!

~PJ

Such a Deal!

Do you own an e-reader?  Have a Kindle or Nook app on your computer?  If so, have we got a deal for you!  Here are a few of the great books available today at special low prices for your reading pleasure.  It's a perfect opportunity to try a new author or pick up an old favorite!

THE PERILS OF PLEASURE by Julie Anne Long - The book that kicked off Long's Pennyroyal Green series, one of my all-time favorite romance series.  $1.99 at Amazon and  Barnes & Noble.

WHAT I DID FOR A DUKE by Julie Anne Long - The fifth book in Long's Pennyroyal Green series and one of our top books of 2011!  This is one book you don't want to miss!  $0.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

SPACE IN HIS HEART by Roxanne St. Claire - In honor of Space Shuttle Endeavor leaving its home on Florida's Space Coast for the final time, St. Claire is offering her astronaut hero's story to readers for just $0.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

A WELL PLEASURED LADY by Christina Dodd - If you like spicy historical romance, give this Dodd classic a try for only $1.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  

HEART'S DESIRE, a historical novella from Jacquie D'Alessandro is FREE today and tomorrow only at Amazon.

Check out MY BIG OLD TEXAS HEARTACHE, a small town contemporary from Geralyn Dawson (a/k/a Emily March) for only $2.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE by Jill Shalvis, her first Lucky Harbor novel, is available through Friday from Barnes & Noble and Amazon for only $0.99!









What are you reading today?  Any great book deals to share?  

Karen Hawkins Winner

Thanks to everyone who stopped by Sunday for a sneak peek excerpt from How to Capture a Countess by Karen Hawkins.  The randomly chosen winner of a $20 online bookstore gift card is

SAVANNAH 

(comment #19)

Congratulations, Savannah!  To claim your prize, please contact us at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Review -- Playing to Win

Playing to Win

Play-By-Play—Book 4

By Jaci Burton

Publisher: Berkley Heat

Release Date: September 4, 2012

Football star Cole Riley is thrilled to finally be playing for his hometown team, the St. Louis Traders. He’s played with other teams and was eventually let go mostly due to his frequent altercations with the media. He has since been labeled as wild and a hot head. If he wasn’t such a great player, one would wonder why St. Louis would take a chance on him. Because he is such a terrific wide receiver, the team and his agent, Liz Darnell (heroine of Changing the Game), hire an image consultant to help with Cole’s off-field behavior. Naturally, Cole is not happy about it or about having someone tell him what to do and how to act. He believes the problem lies solely with the interfering media. However, once Cole gets a look at the woman charged with helping him, he is more open to the idea.

Savannah Brooks has worked hard to get to where she is, including never mixing business with pleasure. Despite her initial attraction to Cole, she takes on the task of attempting to tame the wild sports star. Her first few interactions with him leave her confused as he acts like a gentleman. But later when the media shows up, he handles himself poorly and doesn’t know how to deal with them. Cole desperately wants to keep his public life completely separate from his private life and won’t even talk to Savannah about his family. She works hard to help him but in order to do that she needs to get to know the man behind the mask—to see what makes him tick. When she is finally able to crack that wall, her outlook begins to change...and her feelings begin to grow. 

Playing to Win is a great addition to Jaci Burton’s popular Play-By-Play series. At first you believe Cole is nothing but a cocky jock—and he is—but he begins to come to terms with some of his issues. He never let himself get involved with other teams he played for so that if/when he left, he wouldn’t get hurt or be upset. He took things the media said personally and Savannah helps him to handle them in a positive way and not allowing them get under his skin. Savannah has her own baggage that she has suppressed that comes to light when she sees similarities between her and Cole. 

It was like listening to a version of herself. Only Cole was a lot more honest in how he felt, something she’d never allowed herself to be. He was saying all the things she felt inside but had never given voice to. 

“How does it feel?” she asked. 

“How does what feel?” 

“To be that open and honest with someone.” 

He shrugged. “I’ve never done it before. I’ve never said those things to anyone but you.” 

Her heart squeezed. “Why me?” 

“I guess I just wanted to say it—to someone. Or maybe you needed to hear it. I don’t know.” 

Throughout the book, they both grow and Cole ends up helping Savannah as much as she helps him. I must say, it was quite enjoyable to watch the tough jock fall for the sweet Southern belle. But don’t let that fool you, because these two positively heat up the pages! Fans of the series get to visit previous characters and meet new ones as Cole’s sister, Alicia, is the heroine of the next book in the series. I’m especially looking forward to it because Alicia is a sports medicine specialist and that’s what I wanted to be once upon a time. J 

Playing to Win not only has a great cover (hawt!), but it is a wonderful contemporary erotic romance that I recommend!

 

~Andrea

Guest Review - - His Very Own Girl

His Very Own Girl

By Carrie Lofty

Publisher: Pocket Star (ebook)

Release Date: September 4, 2012

The story opens January 1944 in Leicestershire, England. Louise “Lulu” Davies is a pilot for the English Air Transport Auxiliary. She has her own, very personal reasons for doing her part in the war. Her parents were shot down five years earlier by the Italians. Her fiancé was so emotionally damaged by war that he killed himself after he survived Dunkirk. Lulu sees her flights as the only means available to her for avenging these deaths. Her goals are to fly bigger planes and to protect her heart from another devastating loss.

Joe Weber is a guy from North Shore, Indiana, who spent three years in prison for assaulting the man who raped his sister. He joined the Army wanting to be a paratrooper and a clean break with his past. Instead, he’s a medic, and a piece of his past is in England with him. His company is awaiting orders, and Joe is nervous about his medical skills which have yet to be tested in battle.  He is a man who sees his role as keeping people safe. That’s how he looks at his job in the war; that’s how he sees his future as a mechanic and family man he dreams of becoming someday.

Lulu and Joe first meet when something goes wrong with the Hurricane (a British fighter plane) Lulu is flying, and she is forced to crash land it. Joe is the first one on the scene, giving him a chance to use some elementary medic’s skills and offer comfort to Lulu, who is more shaken by the experience than she is willing to admit. Later, when Lulu and her friends set out for a few beers and some dancing, she meets Joe at a club. The attraction between them is quick and intense, but their differences are great. Not the least of them is Joe’s attitude toward Lulu’s role in the war. When he calls her “disarming,” she makes a joke about jumping with him into Berlin to disarm the enemy. Joe sees no humor in her comment.

 The idea of Lulu Davies or any woman making a combat jump pushed ice chips through his veins. Bad enough she was a civilian pilot, ferrying planes all over Britain—dangerous work that women shouldn’t need to do. Her crack wasn’t funny because it hit too close to home.

Despite their differences, they fall in love. The conflict between their views of women’s roles and of what they want out of life makes their love difficult. Joe is lost after their first kiss. “All he knew for certain was that he wasn’t kissing her anymore. And any moment that he wasn’t kissing her was a moment wasted.”  Lulu is more cautious, determined to guard her heart no matter how hard Joe makes it pound.

She missed silly jokes and bumbled talks and those embarrassing moments of intimacy one only shared with a trusted partner.

But what she missed was also what hurt the most when it ended.

They are soon separated by the war. Joe is part of the Normandy D-Day invasion. Although a noncombatant as a medic, his life is constantly in danger. Every day he sees horrors beyond imagination. The next moment carries no guarantees. Cold, hunger, and terror are his daily companions, and yet he finds satisfaction in the work he does and in his relationship with the men who call him “Doc.” Letters from Lulu are a lifeline to another world, the future he hopes they will share.

Meanwhile, Lulu’s wish to fly bigger planes comes true, but with the bigger planes come more dangerous missions. Her fears for Joe are constant. She fears he won’t return, and experience has taught her that even returning doesn’t mean he’s come back safe and whole. Her friendship with another man holds the promise of a saner, less complicated life, but this woman who once never let herself think of the future is beginning to hope for a future with Joe.

When I finished this book and prepared to move on to something else, I felt disoriented, as if I had returned from a long journey and had to allow myself time to feel at ease again in the place I belong. From the large details to the smallest ones, Lofty immerses her reader in the World War II setting. The mindsets of the characters, the rationing of food, gas, and soap, the music that plays as clearly as a soundtrack in the reader’s head, the language in all its variety, the physical and emotional brutality of war—all of it is true to the period. There’s one scene in which Lulu asks Joe to draw lines like stocking seams with an eye pencil on her bare legs. It’s a small scene, but it reveals much about what these two people feel for each other and about the world they live in, a world where laddered stockings and kohl pencils can’t easily be replaced and every dance might be the last one.

Lulu and Joe are rich characters, but so are the secondary characters. Some of them are likeable; some are not. But they all feel real. They are changed by their war experiences. They connect and disconnect with one another. The war itself is real: blood is red, human bodies are fragile when facing the machinery of war. Some people live; some people die.

His Very Own Girl is on my list of the best of 2012. I’ve loved other Carrie Lofty books I’ve read. I’ve ranked them high on the power of the story, the complexity of the characters, and the grace of the prose, but even among an impressive volume of work, this one is special. I highly recommend it. If you don’t have an ereader, download one of the programs that will allow you to read the book on your computer. It’s that good. But be prepared to lose yourself in a world your parents or your grandparents knew, and be prepared with a box of tissues.

~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com

Sneak Peek Sunday

Karen Hawkins takes readers back to Scotland with her new historical romance, How to Capture a Countess, the first book in her new Duchess Diaries series (out September 18).  Here's a sneak peek excerpt!  

God, she tasted of sunshine and heat. Had she tasted this good when he'd kissed her six years ago, too? The thought was barely coherent over the thundering of his own blood. He tasted and teased her, and she responded instantly, so that he, in return, was tempted and tormented. 

Suddenly, he knew that it was exactly as it had happened all those years ago: he’d touched her and something primal and heated beyond anything he’d ever experienced had roared through his blood. Just as it was doing now.

     She moaned against his mouth and he gloried in her submission, in how she opened to him like a bud under a hot sun. With an eagerness he couldn't contain, he answered her silent plea.

Rose thought she would drown in her own madness: her entire body was aflame as she responded to delicious kiss after delicious kiss. She moved against him, restless and unable to think of any reason to stop. How could something so wonderful, so overwhelming, so incredibly perfect be wrong in any way? His touch was exactly as she remembered, passion and instant heat.

She opened her hand to grasp his lapel and as she did so, something slipped from her fingers. My book! Rose instinctively broke the kiss and grabbed for her book.

Thunk!

The book hit the floor just as her forehead smacked Sin squarely in the chin.

She closed her eyes and slapped a hand over her forehead. Bright colors flashed behind her eyelids and she clenched her teeth against the pain. “Ow, ow, ow!”

     Silence met her gasped agony. After a moment, Rose cracked open her lids to see Sin rubbing his chin, a thin trickle of blood showed between his fingers. “Oh no!” she said. “I’m so sorry, but I dropped my book and I didn’t think—your chin is—“

     “It’s but a scrape,” he said curtly.

Stung by his tone and deeply embarrassed, she snapped back, “It was a bad idea to hold a conversation on a ladder -- as I told you repeatedly.”

Despite the pain of his chin, Sin lifted his brows. “I wouldn’t exactly call what we were having ‘a conversation.’”

Her face turned a lovely pink. “It started out as one,” she said, suddenly prim. “It’s dangerous being on this ladder, especially in skirts, which is why I tried to convince you to talk in the chairs by the fireplace, but nooooo, you had to talk here.“ She shook her head. “What were we thinking? Here, I have a kerchief. Let me wipe your chin for you—” She twisted to reach into her pocket. As she did so, her shoulder mashed Sin’s fingers against the ladder. 

He instinctively jerked his hand free. The second he let go, he knew his mistake, but it was too late and he was already falling from the ladder, the floor rushing up to meet him . . .

HOW TO CAPTURE A COUNTESS will be available for sale and download on September 18th.  Karen is giving away a $20 gift card to the online bookstore of your choice for one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment. Enjoy!

Goodnight Tweetheart winner!

The winner of a copy of the new mass market edition of Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros is:

 

Deb

 

Congrats, Deb! Please send your full name and address to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom with "Tweetheart winner" as the subject and I'll get your book in the mail. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Make Your Reservations!

It's time again to mark your calendars and Make Your Reservations for October! Aren't we lucky to have such a great selection to choose from every month? Here are a few of the ones we are looking forward to next month. Are any of these upcoming books on your list? If so, which ones? If not, which books are on your list?

Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed
By Anna Campbell

WILL A WEEK OF SEDUCTION . . .Desperate to save her sister's life, Sidonie Forsythe has agreed to submit herself to a terrible fate: Beyond the foreboding walls of Castle Craven, a notorious, hideously scarred scoundrel will take her virtue over the course of seven sinful nights. Yet instead of a monster, she encounters a man like no other. And during this week, she comes to care for Jonas Merrick in ways that defy all logic-even as a dark secret she carries threatens them both.

. . . SPARK A LIFETIME OF PASSIONATE SURRENDER?

Ruthless loner Jonas knows exactly who he is. Should he forget, even for a moment, the curse he bears, a mere glance in the mirror serves as an agonizing reminder. So when the lovely Sidonie turns up on his doorstep, her seduction is an even more delicious prospect than he originally planned. But the hardened outcast is soon moved by her innocent beauty, sharp wit, and surprising courage. Now as dangerous enemies gather at the gate to destroy them, can their new, fragile love survive?

(Forever)


*******

How to Capture a Countess
By Karen Hawkins

At seventeen, Rose fell wildly in love with Lord Alton Sinclair, known as Lord Sin for his wicked ways. Stung by his indifference, the starry-eyed girl tried to win an illicit kiss, but then panicked and pushed the notorious rakehell into a fountain. Leaving Lord Sin floating among the lily pads to the mocking laughter of his peers, Rose escaped back to the obscurity of the Scottish countryside.

Six years later, Sin convinces his aunt, the Duchess of Roxburghe, to invite Rose to her annual house party, where he plans to get revenge by making Rose the laughingstock of polite society. To his astonishment, he finds she has become an alluring woman who threatens to turn the tables on his nefarious plans. Thus Sin and Rose begin an epic battle of the sexes that becomes more passionate at every turn. Eventually, one will have to surrender . . . but to vengeance? Or to love’s deepest passion?

(Pocket)


*******

The Lady Risks All
By Stephanie Laurens

Neville Roscoe, notorious and enigmatic, lives resolutely outside society, bound only by his own code of honor—until challenged by his desire for the one woman he cannot have.

Miranda Clifford is a lady imprisoned by rigid respectability—until tempted by a passion beyond her power to deny.

Flung together in peril, through danger and intrigue, they discover a love impossible to ignore . . . or keep.

(Avon)


*******

Hunk for the Holidays
By Katie Lane

Always putting business before pleasure, Cassie McPherson works hard for her family's construction business. That might explain why she doesn't have a date for the company Christmas party. But it doesn't quite explain why she's crazy enough to hire an escort for the event or - crazier still - why she's dying to unwrap him like a present . . .

With whiskey-colored eyes and a killer smile, James is one gorgeous hunk who really knows how to fill out a tuxedo. He charms everyone, including Cassie. And when the night ends, the party doesn't stop. As Cassie falls, literally, into his bed, James falls head over heels in love. Now he has to figure out a way to tell her the truth: he's not an escort. He's her family's fiercest business rival. But all he wants for Christmas is her . . .

(Forever)


*******

His Mistletoe Bride
By Vanessa Kelly

When Major Lucas Stanton inherited his earldom, he never dreamed his property would include the previous earl’s granddaughter. Phoebe Linville is a sparkling American beauty, yes, but with a talent for getting into trouble. Witness the compromising position that forced them into wedlock. Whisked away to Mistletoe Manor, his country estate, it isn’t long before she is challenging his rules—and surprising him in and out of bed…

Phoebe has no intention of bowing to Lucas’s stubbornness even though he offers all that she wants. His kisses and unexpected warmth are enticing, but Phoebe is determined to show the earl of Merritt what real love is all about. And if that takes twelve nights of delicious seduction by a roaring fire, she’s more than willing to reveal her gifts very slowly…
(Zebra)


*******

Rules to Catch a Devilish Rake
By Suzanne Enoch

SHE BREAKS ALL THE RULES…
Sophia White knows she will never marry into polite society. The illegitimate daughter of a nobleman, she works at the Tantalus Club, a discreet establishment for gentlemen—and her only suitor is a pastor who wants to save her soul. So when Sophia is invited to spend the holidays at the estate of Adam Baswich, the devilishly handsome Duke of Greaves, she is delighted—and determined to enjoy her last nights of freedom before surrendering her hand…

TO CAPTURE A NOBLEMAN’S HEART
Inviting Sophia for Christmas is a daring courtesy on Adam’s part, but he soon finds the pleasure is all his. Sophia is beautiful, courageous, and stubbornly self-sufficient despite her scandalous circumstances—and not at all the kind of woman he could possibly marry. Adam knows he must find a wife by his thirtieth birthday or he will lose his fortune. But can he defy convention—and convince Sophia—to risk it all in the name of true love?

(St. Martin's)

*******

Sweet Laurel Falls
By RaeAnne Thayne

Spring should bring renewal, but Maura McKnight-Parker cannot escape the past. Still reeling from the loss of one daughter, the former free spirit is thrown for a loop by the return of her older daughter, Sage, and the reappearance of her first love, Sage's father. Jackson Lange never knew his daughter—never even knew that he'd left the love of his life pregnant when he fled their small town—but he has never forgotten Maura.

Now they are all back, but Sage has her own secret, one that will test the fragile bonds of a reunited family. Thrown together by circumstances and dedicated to those they love, Maura and Jackson must learn to move forward and let go of the mistakes of their past for the bright future that awaits them and their friends in Hope's Crossing.

(HQN)


*******

Season for Surrender
By Theresa Romain

Honor Among Rogues

Alexander Edgware, Lord Xavier, has quite a reputation—for daring, wagering, and wickedness in all its delightful forms. But the wager before him is hardly his preferred sport: Xavier must persuade a proper young lady to attend his famously naughty Christmas house party—and stay the full, ruinous two weeks. Worse, the lady is Louisa Oliver, a doe-eyed bookworm Xavier finds quite charming. Yet to refuse the challenge is impossible—he will simply have to appoint himself Miss Oliver’s protector…

Mischief Among Misses

Louisa knows her chance for a husband has passed. But she has no desire to retire into spinsterhood without enjoying a few grand adventures first. When Lord Xavier’s invitation arrives, Louisa is more intrigued than insulted. And once inside the rogues’ gallery, she just may have a thing or two to teach her gentlemen friends about daring…

(Zebra)

Review -- Goodnight Tweetheart

Goodnight Tweetheart

By Teresa Medeiros

Publisher: Pocket      

Release Date: August 28, 2012

I first reviewed Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros back on December 17, 2010 after it was first released in trade paperback (December 14, 2010). Here is my original review posted below. 

A few years ago, I was hesitant and a little apprehensive when one of my favorite historical authors penned a contemporary. After reading it, I learned I had no reason to have had either of those feelings. And I have since enjoyed many contemporary books by other historical authors who have followed the same path. The latest of these is Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros . . . and what a delightful story it was. 

Four years ago, Abigail Donovan was on top of the world. Her debut book hit multiple best seller lists and was even picked by the queen of book clubs, Oprah Winfrey. Because of her success, Abby was able to afford living in a small but stylish apartment nestled in the heart of New York City. Now, years later, she can’t find her muse for all the tea in China. And because she can’t seem to get past the dreaded Chapter Five, Abby is left considering that perhaps she is nothing more than a one-hit wonder. She is a little reluctant when her publisher signs her up with a Twitter account in order to keep her devoted readers from forgetting about her, but decides to give it a go. When she starts, she “meets” someone named Mark Baynard, who is kind enough to show her the ropes. She learns that he teaches English lit at Ole Miss and has taken time off to travel. They flirt and message each other a few times, which becomes more often until they’re chatting on a regular basis. They begin to live vicariously through each other’s tweets and Abby eventually falls for Mark. When she finds out that he isn’t exactly who she thought he was, will his secret ruin any hope of a future together? 

I loved this story! It was tender and sweet and really quite addictive. It was a quick read that I couldn’t put down. And the fact that I’m not on Twitter didn’t diminish my enjoyment one bit. I felt all the ups and downs Abby experienced both in her personal and professional life and was impressed with how much emotion was expressed in a book consisting mostly of tweets. I’m so glad I didn’t read any reviews about this book before reading it as I was thrown for a loop with the twist, right along with Abby. From the beginning, I was laughing at the quips and quick wit, but leave it to Teresa Medeiros to make me cry, too! Kudos to her for a job well done! Do yourself a favor and put this wonderful book on your Christmas list. You’ll be so glad you did! 

As you can tell, I loved this book! I thought it was extremely creative and spoke volumes of Teresa Medeiros’s talent that she could tell and show readers a love story based almost entirely on tweets. In my original review, I gave the book 4.5 stars. Why? Well, at the end of the story, I wanted...just a little something more. I won’t say more than that because I don’t want to spoil it for those that haven’t read it yet. Those that have read the story know what I mean. So, why am I giving it 5 stars now? Because Ms. Medeiros has added an epilogue to the mass market version and it gave me the exact ending I was longing for! I thought it was an utterly perfect happily ever after for Abby and Mark. As before, this is one book that I highly recommend! 

So, dear readers, are you on Twitter? If so, do you have any funny stories to share?  Because I love it so much, I am going to give away my copy of the new mass market release of Goodnight Tweetheart to one lucky commenter! In addition to the new epilogue, this version also includes snippets from Teresa Medeiros’s last two historicals and a sneak peek of her upcoming historical! (Contest is limited to residents living within the U.S. or Canada.)

~Andrea