This just in…

As of 12/15/09 the ARC for Shameless is in my hot lil hands… release date is April 2010 from Pocket and there is a new cover I will look and see if I can find it.

last update 11/12/06

Do you remember Shameless by Karen Robards?

If you don’t it might be because it was first called Reckless… or at least that is how I recall reading about it in the Romantic Times. This is the long awaited finish to the Banning Sisters Trilogy. And it is… drum roll… historical! not romantic suspense. And it was set for release in April of 2006.

Now it will be released 31 Jan 2008!!

the update

Karen Robards sent out her newsletter yesterday and once again there was no mention of this book. And that made me sad. So I emailed her. It bounced. I checked and found I had the wrong email and tried again.

It bounced.

So I emailed another addy I found. And waited.

After I didn’t get an answer (WHAT? it had been like 3 mins) I started to dig around. I am not sure if it was the addy I sent the third email or one of my newest but quickly becoming much lurved contacts at Penguin, but Karen Robards emailed and had this to say about Shameless.

Shameless is nearly finished.

Now in authorspeak ::looks around at authors:: THAT can mean a week away to 4 years. But she went on to say it is “In Line” to come out after:

• the paperback release of Obsession (May 27th, 2008)
• her new hardcover romantic thriller, Pursuit, in February, 2009.

I hope it keeps this cover and I hope to god it is better than Garwood’s return to historical. But either way I am glad it is still in the works. hmmm now I need to find out what Pursuit is about – I know I’m never happy…

We’re glad you could make it back to Duck Chat!

Beth Williamson is our guest today. Can you say cowboys? Sexy cowboys? I bet you can!

With more than twenty books on her backlist, Beth has become synonymous with western romance, but did you know she also writes contemporary erotica? A few of those have a western flare, but others like On His Knees and her The Perfect Score series don’t.  But it’s her Mallory family and her Devils on Horseback series that her fans clamor for. And her latest western releases, Hell for Leather, The Education of Madeline, and The Redemption of Micah are also fan favorites.

Beth was born and raised in New York but know lives with her husband and their two sons just outside Raleigh, North Carolina. She will be popping in and out today, so leave a meaningful comment or question for Beth. She’s graciously offered a copy of The Education of Madeline for a giveaway, so you want to make sure you’re in the running! So let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Beth, what was it that first drew to you the western genre of writing romance?
BETH WILLIAMSON: Well, I grew up watching Westerns, child of the 70s with the fantastic Clint Eastwood movies that my oldest brother loved to watch. So I did too and I became fascinated with westerns. Then when I started reading romance as a young teenager, I loved the historicals the best. When I found western romances, that was when everything clicked for me. Aha!

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

BW: Hm, probably, where do you get your ideas from? That’s a common question in most interviews. I never know how to answer it because there is never a single answer. LOL.

DC: Let’s talk about your Malloy family series first. How did this series come about? Has it evolved as you thought it would after completing the first book? Would you give us an overview of the series as a whole?

BW: Ah, the Malloys. My second family. I started writing The Bounty about fourteen years ago and it took me about eight years to get a version written well enough to be published. I didn’t know then I’d be writing seven books in the series, but as soon as I’d written the second, The Prize, I knew then that I needed to write much more. The only Malloy without a full-length book is Ethan, the second oldest.
The series as a whole contains seven books. It begins with the only girl in the family, Nicky, then ends with Nicky’s adopted son, Noah. The books include, in order:

The Bounty
Hero: Tyler Calhoun
Heroine: Nicky Malloy

The Prize
Hero: Jack Malloy
Heroine: Rebecca Connor

The Reward
Hero: Malcolm Ross y Zarza
Heroine: Leigh Wynne

The Treasure
Hero: Raymond Malloy
Heroine: Lillian Wickham

The Gift
Hero: Trevor Malloy
Heroine: Adelaide Burns

The Tribute
Hero: Brett Malloy
Heroine: Alexandra Brighton

The Legacy
Hero: Noah Calhoun
Heroine: Rosalyn Benedict

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

BW: Oh, absolutely true. My imagination seems to be a separate entity from my brain. Scary sounding, isn’t it? LOL. You see, the characters take on a life of their own and will fight me tooth and nail if I try to force them into how I plotted the book. I can tell immediately if I’m doing it wrong because the words simply don’t flow. I will creep along in a scene and that’s when I stop what I’m doing, back up, and turn left to where the characters are waiting for me.

DC: The last book released in the series was The Legacy in April of 2008. Are there any more books planned at this point in time? Do you know how many books will be in the series once it’s complete?

BW: At this point I don’t have any more books planned, but I’ve been asked if Ethan will get his story told, or if I’ll do the second generation Malloy series. Like many of my readers, I love series and I understand not wanting to let go of characters who have become like family to you. I did write a free story at Christmas time for Ethan called The Present. I left it kind of wide open for another book, so perhaps…

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

BW: Haha, who told you? Yes, I do argue with my characters. It’s the pushy ones who think they can boss me around. Unfortunately usually they win because I can’t keep writing unless I give in.

DC: Your Devils on Horseback series is also popular with readers. Can you tell us a little about this series?

BW: Oh, my Devils. It’s a series of five planned books centering around five men, Civil War veterans from Georgia, who struggle to find their place in post-war Texas. Each of them has their own unique emotional or physical (or both) issue to overcome. This series is grittier, bloodier, more violent, and an emotional roller coaster for the reader (and the writer!).

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

BW: My husband. A book or a good movie. I am a movie whore in addition to being a book whore. *sigh* I can’t help it!

DC: So far we’ve seen Nate, Jake, and Zeke. Any more Devils in the future?

BW: Yes, there sure is. I’m in the middle of editing Lee’s story before submitting it to Samhain for publication. Lee’s book has been the most difficult because he’s not only the angriest devil, he also has only one arm. Then the last book will be Gideon’s — he’s the caretaker for the group and, of course, he will be last to receive his happily ever after.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over your career? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you started?

BW: I don’t know if it’s specific to the characters, but my writing has definitely evolved over the years. I think I’ve honed my writing with each book, and I’ll continue to do so the rest of my life. I think that’s true of any artist in whatever medium they choose to create something in. I have tackled some tough issues in my more recent books, such as being homeless, disabled, or an alcoholic.

DC: Tell our readers about The Perfect Score series, please.

BW: That was simply fun to write.   It’s a three-novella series written for Loose Id — one is an interracial (heroine is white, hero is Japanese), one is a BBW, and the other is an F/F. They were all different, and the interracial was my first, whereas the F/F was by far the most challenging. They are erotic, really hot and still emotional. I think one of my best gifts is the characters and their emotions — just because I write erotica doesn’t mean there’s no romance or emotions.

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

BW: Yes, I’d love to write a Medieval. Oh, those knights! My second favorite genre is Medievals and the only thing holding me back (aside from time!) is the research involved. I’ve become adept at writing historical westerns and have my resources lined up. Medievals are an entirely different ballgame, but one day, I will write my knight!

DC: Your two latest single titles are The Education of Madeline, which released in March of this year, and The Redemption of Micah, which hit the shelves just a couple of weeks ago. First, are the books related in any way at all? Would you tell us a little about each of them?

BW: Yes, they are related. There are three books in the series and these are the first two. Madeline’s story is a BBW about an intelligent, wealthy woman in 1872 Colorado who has spent her life in a small town, without a man, without love. She hires our hero, Teague, to teach her what it means to be a woman and, in the process, finds herself and her strength. Teague, on the other hand, recovers his soul and loses his heart to Maddie.

Micah’s story picks up where Madeline’s ends — he’s her friend and the lover of her best friend, Eppie, who is left in a coma at the end of Madeline’s story. Micah’s story is three years later when Eppie finally awakens from the coma to discover a sad-eyed man and a three-year-old daughter she doesn’t know. It’s got a ton of emotion, an interracial love between a mulatto and a white southern man, alcoholism, and some hot sex too. This is a highly gut-wrenching novel requiring at least a dozen tissues to get through.

Special treat! Excerpt from The Redemption of Micah:

Eppie had just gotten herself settled in the chair when she heard the crash and the girl screaming. She jumped up with more energy than she thought she had and darted out the door. The sheer size of the house made her eyes goggle and she wondered if he’d been telling more truth than she realized.

She spotted him at the bottom of the steps, the tray of foot scattered around him. The girl sat beside him smacking his cheek.

“Daddy, wake up.”

Eppie made her way down the stairs, clutching the thick mahoghany banister. When she made it to the bottom, the little girl looked up at her with tears in her eyes.

“Daddy sleep?”

“I’m not sure, honey.” Eppie’s fear was that he’d died before she figured out if he was telling the truth, or worse, that he was truthful and didn’t get a chance to tell her everything about herself. She’d be trapped in a house she didn’t know with a child she didn’t know in a town that was as unfamiliar as the people around her.

She knelt down and put her hand on his chest, and felt the steady beat of his heart. A breath of relief whooshed out of her. He must have just knocked himself unconscious when he fell. She didn’t think she knew much about being a doctor, but she did feel for any broken bones and was glad to find none.

“He bumped his head and went to sleep.”

Instead of reassuring the girl, she started screaming and shaking Micah by the shoulders. “No, Daddy, wake up!”

Eppie didn’t know what to do to calm the girl down. Her reaction made no sense.

“He’ll wake up in a minute or two. Why don’t you get a pillow for his head?”

The girl sobbed even louder but she nodded her head and stuck her doll under his neck. The sight made Eppie want to laugh, but she swallowed the chuckle. She started picking up the broken plate and the pieces of biscuits. Without being asked, Miracle helped clean up even as she continued to cry.

Eppie didn’t know if that was common for her, but she knew it was unusual for a girl that age to have such a sense of responsibility. After they’d picked up the mess, Micah still hadn’t roused. Eppie wasn’t really worried, but she was getting concerned.

“Where is the kitchen?”

The girl pointed to room down the hall.

“Can you go get a glass of water for your daddy?”

“Why?” Precocious little thing.

“To help him wake up.”

The child looked at her as if she’d sprouted horns, but went to the kitchen just the same, frowning fiercely and crying all the way. It gave Eppie an opportunity to study Micah up close without feeling self-conscious about it. She could see the resemblance between he and the girl, a glimmer of his cheekbones and chin. The hair, of course, was identical.

He had a terrible scar that ran from his jaw line down his neck. It was deep and made by something sharp. He had a whisper of whiskers on his cheeks, and shadows permanently etched below his eyes. There were very light brown baby hairs around his hairline. Without even thinking about it, she reached out to brush the hair from his forehead.

“Don’t touch.”

Miracle’s stern admonishment made her heart skip a beat. Eppie turned around and managed a small smile.
“I was making sure he was okay.”

The doubtful expression didn’t leave her little face. She thrust the cup of water forward, splashing some on both of them.

“Thank you, Miracle.” Eppie’s stomach was jumping around like crazy, but she put her hand behind his neck and trickled water into his mouth. He swallowed, thankfully, then he sighed, the smell of lemon tickling her nose.

His eyelashes fluttered and her relief knew no bounds when those silver orbs peeped up at her.

“Eppie?”

“You fell down the stairs and knocked yourself silly.” She set the glass down and let his head back down onto the doll.

“I did? Oh damn, the water, I forgot.” His eyes widened. “Is Miracle okay?”

“She’s fine. A little upset.” An understatement, but she didn’t want to scare him.

“I here, Daddy.” She inserted herself between them, the warmth of her little body seeped into Eppie’s. It startled her and she shifted back to escape from the sensation. She definitely wasn’t ready to be physically close to anyone, much less a child calling her “Mama”.

“Thank God.” Micah took Eppie’s hand in his. “You have my gratitude.”

She wanted to snatch her hand away, but at the same time, his dry slender hand felt comfortable in hers. A shiver ran up her spine at the thought.

“It’s not hard to be kind to people in need.” She managed to extract her hand and sat back on the step above him. “Do you think you can get up?”

He frowned and shifted, wincing as he did. “I think so, but it’s going to take me a few minutes. I think I bruised my back.”

Although she didn’t want to touch him, she helped him to his feet. Even if her head and her heart didn’t remember him, it appeared her body did. She wasn’t sure if it was just being close, his scent or something else entirely. Whatever it was, as soon as her arm went around his waist, her body warmed to his and heat flowed between them.

To her astonishment, even her nipples hardened. She hoped to God he didn’t feel those against his side. She’d be absolutely mortified if he did. It was hard enough to forget everybody she knew, but to have no control over her body made it even worse.

“I help.” Miracle jumped around the other side of her father and together they steadied him.

“Where is your room?”

“Upstairs next to Miracle’s. It’s the largest room in the house and Madeline insisted on me taking it.” He smiled sadly. “I think perhaps she thought you and I might use it together.”

Eppie wanted to let him fall on his head for trying to manipulate her. He had to understand she didn’t forget him on purpose. She’d give anything to remember one shred of who she was. If he kept pushing her, eventually she would shut the door on any possibility of a relationship with him. One thing she did know about herself is she didn’t like to be forced into decisions.

She’d been doing a lot of thinking since she’d woken up. There were a lot of decisions to make and she wasn’t done making them. Micah would just have to be patient.

Somehow they made it up the stairs and none of them fell back down. Micah straightened and took hold of the banister and Eppie let him go. Her body yelled at her to grab him again but she listened her head instead and crossed her arms, stepping away.

“Thank you.” He took a shaky breath. “I’ll be okay. I’m going to splash some water on my face.” He laughed. “Although I might have had enough water for the day.”

Eppie couldn’t help the smile that escaped. His charm was a surprise. “I’ll be in, well, in my room I suppose.” She ducked away and escaped before he could call her back.

She leaned against the door and pressed a hand to her chest, trying to will her heart to slow down the blood as it raced through her. Since she didn’t even feel comfortable being in the house with him, it made no sense that she tingled just being next to Micah.

Winded and exhausted from too much so fast, she climbed into bed and pulled up the quilt. Within minutes, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

BW: Hindsight is 20-20, right? That’s a damn true statement. My advice to my younger self is to not wait until I was 36 years old to get published. LOL. I’ve got author friends who are still teenagers getting published. When I think about how much time I hemmed and hawed about submitting to a publisher. Time wasted!

DC: You’ve also started a new contemporary erotic series, Private Lives. Can you let us know where the idea for the series came from? And then tell us about the first book, On His Knees, which was published in May.

BW: The idea came from being a married, forty-something woman in the prime of my life and still learning who I am and what I like. There is a lot of erotica centered around single women, usually twenty-something, and I wanted to do something different for those of us who live in the real world. And thus, Private Lives was born.

On His Knees is a story about a BBW who is newly divorced and has spent the last year discovering just how strong she is. When her ex-husband literally falls at her feet, she decides to demonstrate for him just who she’s become. Lots of really hot sex, female domination, and, of course, emotions.

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

BW: I love this question! Hm, let’s see — “Strap yourselves in and hang on because the ride’s gonna be bumpy and a little crazy.”

DC: What would be your “voice’s” tagline?

BW: My voice? Oh that little thing that talks to me all the time. How about: “Secrets, sex and passion all rolled into one.”

DC: The Stranger’s Secrets is a book set for release in January 2010. Is it possible to give us a sneak peek? Please?

BW: Ah, yes, book 3 in my Brava series. The Stranger’s Secrets is Sarah Spalding’s story — sister to Micah. She is my first disabled heroine and walks with a cane. Sarah is also outspoken, intelligent, and stubborn as hell. She embarks on a journey from Virginia to Colorado on a train with a northerner, Whitman Kendrick, who has his own secrets he’s keeping from Sarah. Somewhere along the way they fall in love and come to terms with the secrets between them.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

BW: Laundry. Wait, no, that’s what I’m doing right now and I am an author. My day job is as a technical writer, so even if I hadn’t made the plunge to write books, I’d probably still be a tech writer. It does still pay the mortgage.

DC: Who’s your favorite author?

BW: Oh, unfair question! I would say the author I’ve learned the most from is Stephen King. The author who introduced me to the western romance genre is Elizabeth Lowell. I have too many other favorites to pick one!

DC: What’s on the horizon for Beth Williamson?

BW: Beth is going to continue writing for Samhain and love every second of it. Emma Lang will begin publishing for Kensington in April 2010 as Beth’s alternate pen name. Emma will write hot western romances and start things with a bang with a runaway Mormon scientist and the assassin sent to kill her sister in 1872 Utah.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?  – milk
- smooth or chunky peanut butter? – smooth
- heels or flats?   – flats
- coffee or tea?  – coffee
- summer or winter?  – summer
- mountains or beach? – beach
- mustard or mayonnaise?  – mustard
- flowers or candy?  – flowers
- pockets or purse?  – Purse (I am a total purse whore)
- Pepsi or Coke?  – Diet coke!
- ebook or print?  – Either! (I am a total book whore too!)

And because we still like them:

1. What is your favorite word?  – Passion.
2. What is your least favorite word?  – Colonoscopy.
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?  – Hot, sweet sex full of emotion.
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?  – Selfish assholes.
5. What sound or noise do you love?  – The sound of the ocean.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?  – Car alarms.
7. What is your favorite curse word?  – Bullshit.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?  – I’m living my dream now! But perhaps I’d like to be a millionaire.
9. What profession would you not like to do?  – Crab fisherman in the Bering Sea.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?  – “Howdy, I’m glad you’re here.”

DC: Beth, thanks so much for chatting with us today!

Gwen started this forever ago and honestly I forget why. Like all things which look difficult and like they are lots of work I just didn’t click on the page. What? It works for me.

Wendy, dear sweet wendy doesn’t work that way and she clicked… ::giggle::

So behold the power of the updated 2008 Review Page

It is still a bit wonky but I am sure gwen will come along and fix it at some point.

And yes if you click on some reviews the formatting might be wonky as well from the last move (maybe) dunno we are working on that…

Sorry about that, I don’t do tables well and lime is used to doing ponderings that don’t need a ‘cut’.

To make up for the long delay, here is Lisa Kleypas new author picture.

It was taken by her husband Greg in their back yard.

It is tres cute yes?  You should be able to click on it to make it larger, if not maybe gwen will come along and do the thing gwen does best and fix it *g*.

read on for the winzors

WOOT! Smooth Talking Strangers is fabulous.  And we will post more info when we it regarding when Lisa will be here to chat about the book.  And of course I am already trying to rope a Raw look at her next historical cuz well I am like that *eg*.

Well, a number of you, anyway. Remember a long time ago when we had the contest for Lisa Kleypas’s books? One for A Wallflower Christmas and another for an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of Smooth Talking Stranger? . And remember how I said I’d begin a monthly contest? I also said that  for January, I’d pick it from one specific post, and I did- though that won’t normally be the case. So without further ado, here is a list of all the winners. . The one I think we all want to know most….

1) The winner of an ARC of Smooth Talking Stranger is Kate Niswander! . And as chosen by randomizer.org, the following winners are:2) The three winners of A Wallflower Christmas are Kim, CrystalGB, and Carolyn Jean! . and last but not least, the winner of . 3) Happy New Year!!! is … Sherry Thomas! . Congratulations, winners! Please use the “quack at us” link (which I also provided). And stay tuned for future contests and events! For example, Anya Bast visits with us this Friday, the 6th, for our next “Author Makes a Splash” post.

Devon’s review of Zen and the Art of Vampires (Dark Ones, Book 6) by Katie MacAlister
Contemporary paranormal Romance released by Signet 2 Dec 08

Katie MacAlister’s Dark Ones series started out as quite enjoyable, but soon began to lose steam. I took a pass on the last couple of books, but when this one arrived it suited the mood I was in perfectly. Like MacAlister’s other paranormal series, this book does not have a self contained happy ending. I assume it’ll take one more book to get there. Read on to see whether or not I’ll be sticking around for the next one.

While on a Singles tour around Iceland, a chance encounter thrusts Pia Thomason into a wild world of ghosts, vampires (or Dark Ones) and cultists. This is where MacAlister is at her best, IMO, with the whole “Stranger in a Strange Land” thing. I always find myself chuckling at the heroine’s observations and reactions. It’s always, well this is bizarre, but let’s go with it. They are neither super freaked out nor secret badasses, just trying to get their bearings and take it in stride.

Unfortunately, the humor sometimes gets a little too over the top after awhile, as does the heroine. Pia narrates the story, and like other MacAlister heroines she has a tendency to be a bit too sassy and too mouthy, especially when she encounters the two Dark Ones, Kristoff and Alec. Slow your roll Pia, these folks are armed, dangerous and they don’t like you (they think she’s part of an anti-Dark One cult). All the mouthing off only served to make her seem like a jackass.

A triangle of sorts develops, though I think it’s pretty clear who Pia is destined to be with. The love/hate chemistry she develops with the more dour Dark One, Kristoff, is crackling and far more interesting. Kristoff veers a bit too far into hate territory, though. I almost wanted Pia to walk away after awhile. Kristoff is one angry, suspicious fella. Alec, on the other hand, seems so ardent, that I became suspicious that he was hiding something. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Despite my issues with the three leads, and the over the top turns the story took, I was definitely entertained. I read pretty rapidly without losing interest. I’m curious to see what’s next for Pia in May’s Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang. [What’s with these titles anyway? Too cutesy and nothing to do with the story.] I hope it doesn’t get too dragged out. I don’t know how much angry Kristoff, shady Alec and blundering Pia I can take. Another book’s worth is all right with me, though.

Grade: B-

The Summary:
White picket fences can be dangerous to vampires.
Sometimes a woman’s gotta choose…

Pia Thomason doesn’t have a typical life, but she wants one. The husband, the kids, the house in the suburbs…With her fortieth birthday looming, she decides to do something drastic, and takes off on a singles’ tour through romantic Europe. But the few guys on the trip leave much to be desired – unlike the two men Pia sees in a small Icelandic town. Handsome, mysterious, and very dangerous…Just the sight of them puts her in a dither. When their paths cross again, Pia knows one thing for certain: Where vampires are concerned, love isn’t the only thing at stake.

Read an excerpt

Other books in the series:

Sandy M’s review of Gone with the Witch (Triplet Witch Trilogy, Book 2) by Annette Blair
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 6 May 08

I so enjoy Annette Blair’s books.  They’re just plain old fun.  They have some of the snappiest banter I’ve ever read.  And they’re as sexy as hell.  For those days you have no idea what you want to read, crack open one of Ms. Blair’s books and you’ll be smiling for days to come afterward.

And even start at the very beginning of Ms. Blair’s witch books.  This is her second trilogy and even though the first three books, her Accidental Witch Trilogy, The Kitchen Witch, My Favorite Witch, and The Scot, the Witch and the Wardrobe, are not that closely related to this second set, there are some overlapping characters, but you just don’t want to miss all the fun to start with.  When I finish one of these witch books, I always think there’s no way the author can top that in her next one.  And she always proves me wrong.  I actually like Gone with the Witch the best of the bunch so far.  The sexual playing and tension starts right off the bat between Aiden and Storm, along with a great mystery brought on by the fact that Storm hears a baby crying whenever she’s near Aiden.

He refuses to believe this baby has anything to do with him, especially because he’s a wanderer, crisscrosses the country in his motor coach when he’s contracted for jobs as an antiques restorer.  Storm, on the other hand, is sure to her bones that this child she hears is definitely his, and knowing that she won’t get any cooperation from Aiden, she devises a plan to abduct him in his own home on wheels so they can gallivant around the country to solve this mystery.  Of course, it’s the quick and snappy repartee between them and the unexpected trouble they find along the way that makes for the aforementioned fun in this book.

Aiden and Storm are both such likable characters, and with all that sexual playin’ around in the beginning, I wanted them to get on with the deed and quit teasing me.  But what fun would that be? It comes soon enough and it’s worth waiting the extra chapters for.  They each have their own reasons for being independent loners, wanting and looking for love but afraid to really find it.  But when everything is finally out in the open, when their lives take a decidedly huge left turn when they make discoveries they could never imagine, they find love, much more than they ever dreamed of.  Ms. Blair even had me in tears a few times near the end of the story at the results and reactions of these discoveries.

Don’t wait for a rainy day to read Annette Blair’s books.  Don’t even wait for those times when you need a distraction from life.  Take that distraction now and enjoy yourself like you haven’t in a very long time.  Give yourself over to the romance and the love you’ll find in the pages of her books.  You’ll be hooked in no time at all.

Grade:  A+

Read other reviews by following the Triplet Witch Trilogy tag.

Summary:

In his presence she hears a baby crying. Abducting him is the only way to follow the sound and find the child. Her scheme includes his luxury motor coach, seduction…and four pairs of fuzzy purple handcuffs.

The unexpected triplet, and a rebel because of it, Storm Cartwright is a Goth with attitude, who has a powerful psychic gift. She can sense the present. Every time she’s near Aiden McCloud, she hears the sound of a baby crying, sure the baby is his and in need, that only Aiden can lead her to the child.

He’s dazzled by Storm, yet the sassy, sexy triplet won’t stop talking about a crying baby and a trip to find the child. He refuses to go with her and tries to leave in his RV without her.

To follow the sound and find the child, which she can only do with Aiden beside her, Storm uses a seductive trap and drives the luxury motor coach, herself, because Aiden is shackled to his bed by four pairs of fuzzy purple handcuffs.

While Storm follows the sound of the crying baby, something magical happens between her and Aiden. Will she be able to keep the magic alive once she finds what she’s looking for? If she finds it… Whatever happens, this journey will change them forever.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of High Seas Stowaway by Amanda McCabe
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Jan 09

One of the main reasons why I continue to be devoted to the Harlequin Historical line is that they aren’t afraid to publish stories set outside of England and the United States. Such is the case with Amanda McCabe’s latest, which starts in 16th century Venice in the prologue, and quickly sets sail for the Caribbean islands back when the Spanish ruled the high seas. This setting is employed for excellent effect, although I wish I could say the romance was as much of a slam dunk.

Bianca Simonetti, like all young girls in dazzling Venice, is horribly infatuated with Balthazar Grattiano. However, she knows her place. While her mother is a well-respected fortune teller, Balthazar’s ruthless father possesses power beyond imagination. Despite their differences in social status, while their parents conduct business, Balthazar and Bianca become friends. He tells her his dreams of traveling beyond Venice, and his fascination with the sea. For her part, Bianca listens to his every word and never belittles his dreams. However, tragedy soon strikes and Bianca’s beloved mother is dead. She blames the Grattiano family for this lose and vows revenge.

Fast forward several years and Bianca is a widow who runs her own tavern in Santo Domingo. It’s a life of hard work, but she owns a business and is making her way in the New World. Then her past comes breezing through the front door in the form of the famed Captain Balthazar Grattiano. In the years since she last saw him, he has become captain of the famed Calypso, a ship surrounded by numerous legends and tall tales. However not everyone is happy to see Balthazar, and he is wounded in a fight. Bianca vows to patch him up, if only to exact her own revenge on the man who ruined her life.

The main issue here is that I never felt the author explored or explained Bianca’s motivations. She supposedly wants revenge against Balthazar, but she didn’t do a good job of convincing this reader. One moment she’s holding a knife to his throat, the next minute they’re tearing each others’ clothes off. One moment she’s angry with him, the next minute she’s acting like a schoolgirl mooning over the cutest boy in class. The “revenge” plot is pretty toothless and lacks any bite whatsoever. Bianca seems like a nice enough girl, one who isn’t afraid of hard work and adventure, but she never seems to have a clear plan – illustrated by the fact that she stows away on the Calypso. When Balthazar demands to know “why,” she can’t really tell him or the reader because she doesn’t know. This makes her come off as flighty and unsure, two qualities that are bothersome in a heroine.

What does work very well in this story is the lush, high seas setting so often absent from today’s historical romances. If you’re a reader who cut your teeth on those adventurous pirate romances of yesteryear, High Seas Stowaway has the same type of feel without the hero being a pirate, or for that matter, a rapist who believes in forceably “seducing” the heroine. Also, it was nice to see characters, both protagonists, secondary characters and villains, who had last names that ended in vowels.

While I never really connected with the heroine, and felt her motivations could have been better explored, I did enjoy this story for it’s lush depiction of the Caribbean and found the love scenes between hero and heroine romantic and sexy. While High Seas Stowaway didn’t knock my socks off, it was a pleasant read that kept me entertained during my holiday travels. Readers hungry for a change of scenery would do well to give this one a look.

Grade: C+

Summary:

Balthazar Grattiano, captain of the infamous ship Calypso and renowned seducer of women, has just walked into the one tavern in all of Hispaniola he should have avoided. For Bianca Simonetti, his sworn enemy, is the owner–and she has vengeance on her mind.

But before she can take her revenge she is captured by this rogue’s kiss. Her only chance for retribution is to stow away on his ship for a passionate adventure that will either kill them–or bring them together once and for all!

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Layover by Megan Hart
Contemporary erotic romance eBook short story released by Harlequin Spice Briefs 1 Dec 08

Someone over at Harlequin was having an inspired moment when the decision was made to release Megan Hart’s latest Spice Briefs short story in December. Just in time for the holiday travel season, a short story about a canceled flight, unexpected layover, and the sexy shenanigans that can ensue. Seriously, we should all be so lucky.

Julia is trying to get home to the east coast, but bad weather has her stuck in Texas. Her fellow travelers are more than a little ornery, desperate to get home to their families for Christmas. Julia is rolling with it though. All she has back at home is an empty apartment and some pet fish. So when the airline offers her a hotel room she takes it. And when Graham finds out that she’s stuck in his hometown overnight, he practically runs out the door to take her out to dinner.

Julia and Graham met at a work conference several months back when they were paired in a trust exercise. Sparks flew between them, but not wanting to mix business and pleasure, plus being a little scared, Julia walked away and Graham, like an idiot, let her. Since then they’ve kept up a “relationship” online. Hanging on a social networking site, exchanging funny e-mails, but nothing hot and heavy. Well now that Julia is in town, and has agreed to see him, Graham is determined to give her all the pleasure she can handle.

This is a quick steamy read, and even with the short word count, the author does a good job filling in the back story. These very brief flashbacks also help in filling in more character development without inundating the reader. The sex scenes are hot and very spicy, and I especially appreciated that Julia was allowed to be “in charge” of the encounters without falling head long into vinyl-wearing, whip-wielding, dominatrix territory (not that there is anything wrong with that). She tells Graham how to please her, and Graham is more than willing to cater to her desires.

The ending is what will most likely be a stumbling block for some readers. It’s happy, but it’s most definitely a “happily ever after for now” type of scenario. Very believable, in my opinion, given the word count of these Spice Briefs stories, and considering that prior to this smoking hot encounter, Graham and Julia had really been tap dancing around each other. However readers who want a diamond ring and the heroine pregnant with triplets at the end of the story will very likely be disappointed.

I would strongly recommend this gem of a story to Megan Hart’s growing number of fans. It’s also an ideal read for when you’re stuck at an airport, like I was. The only disappointment was that I didn’t have my very own Graham to call. Some girls have all the luck.

Grade: B+

Read Limecello’s review here.

Summary:

The first time she’d met him, he’d been blindfolded and at her mercy. Partnered in a trust exercise, Graham had been enticed by the allure of Julia’s voice, and eagerly followed her direction to navigate a maze. But as a warm friendship developed between them, their mutual attraction remained unacknowledged. And in the long-distance e-mail relationship that followed, their reticence persisted. Until the day a cancelled flight stranded Julia in Graham’s home town.

Both tried to play it cool, though each had approached their dinner date with intense anticipation. But the minute they stepped into Julia’s hotel room, the flood gates opened and their unfettered passion exploded. What really excited Julia, though, was that as in the trust exercise, Graham was great at taking direction. Because what really excited Graham was pleasuring Julia as no one else ever had.

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of In Love With the Bronc Rider (The Texas Homecoming, Book 2) by Judy Duarte
Contemporary Romance published by Silhouette Special Edition 1 Jun 08

While this book isn’t a keeper for me, it is one of those tender and sweet stories that Harlequin/Silhouette authors do so well.  Both hero and heroine have issues to overcome before they can enjoy life and each other, and both come to these realizations mostly on their own, with only a little nudge from the other and from introspection after having met one another.

Tori has recently been betrayed both those closest to her, so she’s left town to get away from the hurt and the resulting embarrassment.  She’s taken a job as a housekeeper, but she expands her duties to include helping the recovering cowboy she finds sulking away in a wheelchair.  Her nursing instincts kick in, whether he wants the help or not.  She’s used to surly patients, so there’s no way Matt is going to drive her away with his attitude.

Matt’s life has always been wound up in the rodeo, it’s what he’s always done best.  But the accident that killed his fiance and her son has put an end to his career and his guilt over their deaths is putting an end to his life as he knew it.  When the pesky housekeeper his mother hired turns her sights on him as her pet project, at first he wants nothing to do with her.  He changes his mind, though, when Tori won’t give up and he gets to know her.  He’s determined to find out what her horrible secret is and why she gave up her nursing career.  Something is changing between them and darned if he doesn’t want to pursue that just a little bit more.

I enjoyed these two characters.  They both have a world of hurt to get over, and they end up healing each other while falling in love.  I liked the evolution of Matt’s desire for getting out of his wheelchair.  It was nonexistent when Tori showed up and then gradually he wants more and more to walk again, taking up the challenge Tori tosses at him.  Tori herself eventually opens up to Matt concerning her life, even after he butts in where he doesn’t belong.  But that’s what gets these two people to take a good look at what’s happened to them, how they’ve reacted to it all, and how much they’re willing forgive — themselves and others.  There’s also a nice setup for the next book in the series.

This is one of those books you can curl up with on a rainy day and feel a little sunshine and goodness in the midst of those down and gray feelings on such days.

Grade: B

Summary:

When Tori took a job at the Rocking C ranch, nobody told her an ornery cowboy came with it. As a former nurse, Tori knew she could help Matt Clayton get back on his feet. The only obstacle was the injured bronc rider himself…

An accident may have ended his rodeo career, but Matt wasn’t one to back down from a challenge! Now one bossy redhead was about to meet her match! But Tori was hiding something.

Would Tori’s secret force her to leave Matt and the feelings he was awakening in her? Or could love work its healing magic on them both, making this a homecoming neither would forget?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of With Every Breath (The MacLeods, Book 11) by Lynn Kurland
Historical Time Travel Romance released by Jove 27 May 08

Once I pick up a time travel, the bug hits me all over again and I want another as quickly as I can put my hands on one.  Time travels are my favorite paranormals to read, and one of the best at them is Lynn Kurland.  I’ve not read all of her books yet.  I save them and savor them.  I don’t want to run out of her books and have to wait a year or more for the next to be released.  So, suffice it to say, I had a wonderful time reading this latest in her MacLeod series.

One of the things I really like about this series is that everyone in the MacLeod family knows there’s time travel portals all over their property.  Jamie has even mapped the portals out and hands out a copy to everyone living there.  That includes Sunshine Phillips, whose sister did her fair share of time traveling and ended up married to Jamie’s brother, Patrick.  Sunny has decided to stay in Scotland at Jamie’s request.  She loves the rain and tending her garden.  She also longs for a man of her own, a man just like Jamie and Patrick, but knowing medieval men are hard to find in this day and age, she keeps dreaming while staying away from those portals.

Until one night there’s a knock on her door from someone asking for help.  She agrees to accompany this handsome man who thinks she’s the MacLeod Witch.  Well, in a way she is.  He takes her to the Cameron keep where she finds a man dying and unfortunately she’s unable to save him.  Eventually she figures out she’s no longer in modern day Scotland, but there in a time when dying in such a way is all too common.  Robert Cameron is the laird who has a tenuous hold on his clan, and when she finds the portal near her home is not willing to allow her to return home, she has no choice but to stay with Cam and hope he can protect her from those who would do her harm.

Having lost his brothers in this latest battle, Cam now has no one at his back whenever his cousin decides to take Cam out of the picture and make himself laird.  He’s tired of all the fighting, especially now that Sunshine is in his life.  When things don’t quite work out the way he planned, he tosses his duty aside and goes to the future with Sunny.  But those plans don’t work out just right either.  Cam ends up in a time not his own, but there’s an eight-year time span between him and his love, a love he now can’t remember.  And as much as Sunny wants him to remember once she finds him again, as much as she tries to help him remember, nothing works.  Again, duty keeps him from her, so she decides to go back to the states where she won’t have to see him, long for him, knowing she can never have him.

Cam has other ideas, however, once he spends some time in Sunny’s company.  He doesn’t know why, but she’s so familiar to him and he begins to fall for her.  Even having to deal with those MacLeods is fine by him if he can be by her side.  Asking Sunny to trust him, he goes about cleaning up the mess of his life, but even as careful as he is, Sunny gets caught up in the craziness.  There’s a couple of interesting turns the plot takes, so if you think you have it all figured out, you’re going to be wrong.

I enjoyed reading about Jamie and Patrick and their families again.  In fact, Jamie has always been my favorite Kurland character for a while now, but Cam is definitely giving him a good run for his money.  Though he’s a medieval warrior, I love his sensitivity.  The scene where Sunny and others pledge fealty to him is just wonderful.  He holds his own with those MacLeod boys.  Sunny goes through the ups and downs a woman does when faced with losing the man she’s waited so long for, but she always picks herself up and keeps going, making a decision when necessary and doing what she feels is right.  As with all of Ms. Kurland’s books, I’m thoroughly taken with this one.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Sunshine Phillips’ heart lies in Scotland, a land of rain, legend, and dangerously handsome Highland lords. She longs to call the magical place home, but after a day which includes such delights as blackening the eye of her lecherous boss and changing a flat tire in a chilly spring deluge, she’ll settle for an evening spent curled up in front of a fire with a cup of tea. But what Sunny wants is not what Sunny gets…

When Robert Cameron pounds on Sunny’s door, he isn’t paying a social call. With one brother killed in battle and another fighting for his life, the medieval laird has braved a trip onto enemy soil to fetch the MacLeod witch, a crone rumored to have healing powers. But the woman who opens her door to him is enchanting and young—and not from his century.

Now, it seems that they’ve both found just what they need—if only time will let them keep it.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series (in suggested reading order):

Shannon C.’s review of Retreat From Love (Brothers in Arms, Book 5) by Samantha Kane
Historical erotic romance eBook released by Ellora’s Cave 17 Dec 08

When I read that Samantha Kane was coming out with a new release in December, I literally “squeed!”. Normally, I like to think I’m far too dignified for squeeing, but that is pretty much what I did. And when I found out that the book featured Freddy and Brett, the playful and seemingly carefree Duke of Ashland and his constant companion, respectively, I was even more delighted to see what she’d do. And while Retreat from Love isn’t my favorite in the series, I still strongly recommend it.

As I mentioned in the above paragraph, Freddy is the Duke of Ashland. He was sort of thrust into the role when his two older brothers died. He is relatively young for a hero, and a lot of the growing up he’s had to do to get him to the point where we meet him has happened offscreen. His friend Brett Haversham has provided a steadying influence on him. Trouble is, Freddy is in love with Brett, but Brett feels that doing anything with Freddy would be a betrayal of Freddy’s older brother, whom Brett served with in the war that is a backdrop to all these stories. Complicating all of this, Brett is also in love with Anne Goode, Freddy’s brother’s former fiancee. And, of course, when Freddy meets Anne, he falls in love with her, too. But can they get past Brett’s feelings of betrayal and Anne’s stubborn pride to have a happily ever after?

I really liked Anne, who I think may be my favorite heroine Ms. Kane has written to date. She’s spunky, she knows her own mind, and she’s not about to take crap from anybody. Her reputation is already tarnished beyond repair, so she’s just going to enjoy her life. She’s decided that she wants both Brett and Freddy, and she goes for them. I really liked that about her, and I thought her refusal to marry Freddy and become the duchess was based on some legitimate fears and wasn’t just an excuse to draw out the conflict.

Brett was, quite honestly, the harder for me to like of the two heroes. While I could understand and sympathize with his feelings that he should stay away from Anne and Freddy because of Freddy’s brother, Bertie, his fits of emo got a little old. He was as much a martyr as those heroines in more traditional historicals that I hate. That being said, when he realized that he had been being kind of a shit to Freddy in some ways, I was cheering for him, because it can’t have been so easy to come to that decision.

Freddy totally made this book for me, which is maybe one of the reasons I’m so hard on Brett. I liked that he was significantly younger than both Anne and Brett, because that’s not something I see a lot of in my romances, where it seems that men are rakes until they’re at least 35. I loved that, though Freddy had been rather spoiled and cossetted as a child, he turned into such a loving, generous man. He really wants to do what’s right by the two most important people in his world, and I felt that he really needed Brett and Anne’s love in ways that the other two didn’t, because they loved him for who he was, and not his title.

The chemistry between the three is definitely high, and the sex scenes are scorching. What’s more, and as is usual for Ms. Kane I totally felt that none of the trio would be complete without the other two.

This would be an excellent book for anyone who has ever wondered about this series to start out reading. There are allusions to previous characters, but there are no reunions with past happy couples, which is OK with me. Ms. Kane obviously has a lot of other things up her sleeve with this series, and I continue to live in hope that one day Stephen Matthews, the vicar, will get his own story. We also got introduced to Gideon North, and, oh,but I love me some Beauty and the Beast stories, so I really hope she writes his book soon as well.

Oh, and one last thing that I loved. Each chapter of the book opens with a letter, usually written to Anne, but not always, from the people fighting in the war. I absolutely adored this particular touch, because the letters were so full of poignancy and helped to illustrate the characters and make them come alive more for me.

The only reason this book doesn’t quite hit A status for me is that I felt that the middle dragged on a bit. Brett and Anne were busy martyring themselves, and I just wanted them to get over themselves and make Freddy happy. That being said, I can’t complain too much, because Ms. Kane’s longer works are by far her best works, and this was definitely long enough to sink into.

Despite a bit of dragginess toward the middle, this book is definitely a great addition to the Brothers in Arms series. If you like your regencies hot, and you like your menage stories M/M/F, this is definitely worth the cash.

Grade: B+

Read other reviews of books in this series by clicking on the Brothers In Arms series tag.

Summary:
A man with everything except his heart’s desire.
Frederick Thorne, Duke of Ashland, has been in love with Brett Haversham for years. If the only way to have him is to give him what he wants Freddy will share him, in bed and out, with the woman Brett loves. The woman who was Freddy’s first love.

A man sacrificing everything for the past.
Brett Haversham is in love with two people he’s sworn never to touch. But his desires prove to be stronger than his resolve when they both set out to seduce him — together. The incredible sex they share overwhelms him.

A woman with nothing left to lose.
Anne Goode lost her fiancé Bertie in the war. Now his younger brother Freddy is back, all grown up into the handsome and powerful duke. And he’s brought Bertie’s best friend Brett with him. Lonely and already ruined, Anne can’t resist taking both of them as her lovers. Is the uncontrollable desire between the three enough to heal the wounds of the past and overcome the problems of the present? They must accept love rather than retreat from it.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Sandy M’s review of Lone Star Surrender by Lisa Renee Jones
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Blaze 1 Jan 09

Lisa Renee Jones has become another favorite author of mine over the last year.  I’ve only read a few of her category romances so far, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and devoured each one.

Both the hero and heroine in this book have hardened their hearts against love and marriage, but when they meet it’s instant attraction.  However, Constantine is on a mission to insure he lives through his current assignment.  That doesn’t stop the fierceness of their lust at first touch, however.  He’s the one who walks away, knowing getting caught up in a woman, one who can make his lose control, even one who will have a hand in whether he lives or dies, isn’t something he can afford at the moment.  He’s deep undercover, infiltrating a drug lord’s domain.  A bust is about to go down, so he needs to know if the Deputy District Attorney is clean or not.  Having his hands all over her within minutes of their meeting hadn’t been in his plans.

Nicole is one of the best at her job, putting criminals away for a change.  She still harbors deep regret over the mistake she made in private practice when a case in her past ended in disaster.  With a huge case just days away, she finds herself on the run from the man she’s going to prosecute, accompanied by an FBI agent who stirs something in her that’s been dormant for so long and who is her ticket to getting home alive to put their pursuer behind bars for good.

The chemistry between these two is sizzling.  Even on the run, not knowing if they’ll live or die, the physical attraction between them can’t be denied, even when they still have trust issues to deal with in the light of day. They go through hell together for several weeks, never knowing who trust.  Constantine knows he has to walk away when everything is settled, he’s not the marrying kind, his job won’t allow such happiness.  Nicole has been afraid to love for so long, but she’s willing to give it a chance with him, if he’d only stay.  I enjoyed how they worked together, both during their ordeal and in the end to give their love a chance, even when they’re not sure things will work out for them.

We’re kept in the dark along with Constantine and Nicole as to who the unknown villain is who helps keep the really evil villains a step ahead of their plans.  The action moves along quickly, the love scenes are hot, and emotions swirl out of control.  A terrific combination to keep you glued to the pages until the last word.

Grade: B+

Summary:

He would break every rule she made…

Undercover agent Constantine Vega sacrificed three years of his life building up the case of a sinister drug lord. But only days before the trial threats against his life finds Constantine on the run with tantalizing federal prosecutor, Nicole Ward — a desperate journey promising both sin and sensation…

Nicole has been trying her best to follow the rules…rules that she once broke with disastrous results. But the magnetic and passionate force of Constantine Vega threatens to unleash every tempestuous feeling inside her. With so much at stake, can she trust Constantine with her body — and her life?

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Enemy Lover by Bonnie Vanak
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Silhouette Nocturne 1 Nov 08

I read and reviewed Ms. Vanak’s first werewolf Nocturne, The Empath, last year and absolutely loved it. That’s where we first meet Damian and Jamie, the hero and heroine of this book.  While I enjoyed most of Enemy Lover, it didn’t quite capture me the way The Empath did.

Jamie witnessed Damian and his men kill her brother, so she’s out for revenge.  She has no magick of her own, something she’s always wanted and now something she needs.  Contacting Kane, a Morph leader, he gifts her with dark magick so she can carry out her vendetta.  Thinking her plan worked and Damian is no more, she’s taken by surprise when he surfaces and claims her as his mate.  She’s now on the run from him but finds that nothing will keep him from her.  Nothing except death.

Time is working against Damian as he hunts for Jamie.  Kane exacted his own sense of justice and cast a death spell on Jamie, a slow and painful death, and Damian cast his own magick to bind her to him, but even that connection will not keep her death at bay forever.  He has to make her see they’re meant to be together, she’s meant to be by his side as alpha, but she’s running scared not just of him but something else in her past.  There’s also powerful magick within Jamie and as much as she wants to use it, it’s his nature to protect those he loves, especially when he’s failed in that once before.

As with Nicolas in The Empath, I really liked Damian’s character, alpha draicon, tortured by his past, needing family in his life and protecting them no matter what.  He’s sensitive when it comes to Jamie’s fears but refuses to give up his need to protect.  That’s just who he is.  What fell a little short for me is Jamie. I know at first she’s afraid what Damian will do to her if he catches up with her, plus issues from her past, but after he does find her and he does nothing further to make her fear him, I was disappointed that she kept pushing him away as long as she did.  I was well past three-quarters of the book before she finally thinks about trusting him and what she could have with him.  I wanted that so much sooner because there was nothing more Damian could have done to assure her of his feelings, of how he and his family would treat her.

Other than that, this is still a great read.  I enjoyed all the other characters, especially Damian’s brothers and his relationship with them.  The mystery of the Book of Magick, which held the answer to Jamie’s plight, was interesting, and even the twist at the end caught me off guard. This is a fun series and I hope Ms. Vanak is going to give us more stories of the characters we’ve met so far.

Grade: B

Summary:

After nearly being killed by his destined mate, Draicon Damian Marcel hunts her down in New Orleans and discovers she’s been infected with the lethal stone spell and her body is slowly turning into granite. She’ll be trapped forever inside stone, her spirit alive, but imprisoned for eternity.

Thinking he murdered her brother, Jamie Walsh hates and fears Damian, but must team up with the werewolf leader to find a missing book of magick that contains a cure to save her. As they search through the French Quarter for the book, they race against time and battle evil Morphs who will use the dark magick spells in the book to eliminate the Draicon for good.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Shannon C.’s review of Jewels of the Nile, Vol. II by Samantha Kane, Anna J. Evans, Natasha Moore, Rebecca Airies, Maxie Cooper, and KyAnn Waters
Erotic romance anthology released by Ellora’s Cave 20 Jun 08

I own several of Ellora’s Cave’s multi-author anthologies. I tend to not read many anthologies, because they’re so easy to just put down again. But I did buy this one specifically for the Samantha Kane story, and I was pleased to find that I liked quite a few of the other offerings as well. Read on for my thoughts.

After Dark by KyAnn Waters
Contemporary paranormal

Well, I liked the idea of native American vampires, but Ms. Waters tried to do too much and didn’t succeed. The essential story, that of a woman who meets a vampire at a nightclub and the consequences of her one-night stand with him could have been much more compelling, except Ms. Waters tried to throw in extraneous paranormal world-building. I also felt that the conflict resolution was weak. I wasn’t convinced that heroine Kayla would have been happy being with hero Alandro for eternity, since there were too many other things in her life that she was concerned about leaving behind. This story tried to be a lot of things and never quite succeeded.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Kayla March has never reached orgasm…not even with a vibrator. However, she has the feeling that could all change when she meets Alandro Blackwood at the club After Dark.

Few vampires can breed. Alandro carries the unique recessive gene. His blood match, believed to have been killed by a vampire slayer, has been found. Unless her dormant vampire gene had already been awakened by a breeder, why would she go to After Dark, the feeding grounds? He’d soon find out.

Read an excerpt.

From the Sea by Maxie Cooper
Contemporary Paranormal Romance

Kelly discovers her soulmate, but can she conquer her fear of the sea to be with him?

This was much better. I felt that Kelly’s motivations were well-realized, and Sean was hot. Ms. Cooper managed to convince me of their romance in a relatively short space of time, even if the story did involve fated mates, a plot device I am generally tired of reading. I particularly liked that Ms. Cooper tied up Kelly’s loose ends, leaving her with no excuse not to go be with Sean, something I found lacking in the last offering. This is an author I’m definitely interested in seeing more of.

Grade: B

Summary:

Kelli Rhodes is vacationing at a beachside cottage when a mysterious man emerges from the sea, offering erotic pleasures beyond her wildest fantasies. For the first time in her life, Kelli feels a connection with someone — and his unbelievable story might explain the mystery behind Kelli’s birth.

There’s no denying the sexual chemistry between them. But to claim this man, Kelli must overcome her greatest fear…and take a leap into an even greater unknown.

No excerpt available.

Lady’s Choice by Rebecca Airies
Futuristic Erotic Romance

This one suffered from many of the flaws of the Waters story. Set on a space station that has recently lost power, our heroes and heroine are trapped together until they can be rescued and power restored. The men, who naturally come from the kind of alien culture that encourages two men to share one woman for reasons that are never explained, have a few ideas as to what they can do with their time. But after the rescue, can Kyna, the heroine, accept the love they offer?

Because of the limited word count, I didn’t really understand why the men wanted Kyna as much as they did. They tell her later that they’ve been watching her for a while, but I’m not sure I bought it. I also felt that certain aspects of the world were given much more detail than necessary (we learn an alien term of endearment) while others were pretty much glossed over (The guys have tattoos on their chests, but of what, I have no idea. Also, I really wanted someone to mention how sticky constant sex in the position they were using would be after several days, unless alien sperm is self-cleaning?) The result is a story that is all over the place, and my least favorite in the anthology.

Grade: C-

Summary:
Kyna has fought long and hard to establish herself as a dedicated, capable soldier in the Laurati army. Now she is determined to let nothing about her past tarnish her reputation as she works to advance among the Calazi militia. She’d wanted to impress her commanders, but not like this.

In the midst of a power outage on their base, Finn and Drace make their intentions toward Kyna crystal clear. Kyna is intrigued and aroused but wary of sleeping with a superior, let alone both of them. As the heat between them rises, however, she quickly realizes she needs to make a choice — and not between the two men.

Read an excerpt.

Sunrise by Natasha Moore
Contemporary Romance

Here’s another story I really liked. Caroline has been taking walks alone on the beach and meeting up with Alan for anonymous sex. Alan wants to take things to the next level and have something more permanent and less anonymous, but Caroline is afraid to.

This is such a great slice of life story. The characters have already met and are established as a couple, but their story is moving. Caroline’s first-person narrative brings a surprising immediacy to the story that made me identify with her, despite the craziness of the premise. I was rooting for her to accept what she was offered, and I was glad she did. I was left feeling satisfied with the direction of the romance, and I moved on to the next story with a smile on my face. This is hands down the best story in the anthology, and completely worth the price of admission alone.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Caroline has been meeting Alan at sunset for months. The hot sex they’ve been enjoying started out mindless and anonymous, just the way she wanted it. Little by little, they’ve gotten to know and care for each other. Caroline fears the changes in their relationship she can’t seem to prevent.

Alan wants Caroline in his life. He sets out to seduce her with his voice, his hands, his body. He’s no longer satisfied with sex in the shadows and wants more. Can he make Caroline feel the same?

Read an excerpt.

Surrender Dorothy by Anna J. Evans
Contemporary Paranormal Romance

This was a cute paranormal with an interesting setup. Stephen must convince Gelsey to become handfasted to him and perform a midsummer rite in order to save her from the dark magic that has always taunted her.

“Let’s have sex to save the world” stories are fun. And this is no exception. Ms. Evans ratchets the tension up expertly, and even though the outcome is pretty obvious (this being a romance anthology) I was still on the edge of my seat wondering if they would or wouldn’t. And there is a nice grovel scene near the end. This isn’t my favorite, but it is a fun story.

Grade: B

Summary:
Sexy men, magic, and mayhem…oh my!

Gelsey is grateful to land a gig as costume mistress for a theatre. She simply wants to hide from the dark forces that pursue her. She never plans on falling for the sexy, surly Tin Man, the character every Wizard of Oz fan knows has no heart.

Stephen has finally found the woman destined to be his. Now only one night of danger, a little sex magic and Gelsey’s stubborn refusal to admit she’s his stand in his way. But Stephen won’t give up. He’ll have Gelsey, giving her such pleasure she’ll have no choice but to surrender.

No excerpt available.

The Debutante by Samantha Kane
Historical Erotic Romance

OK, let’s be honest. This story was the entire reason I bought this anthology, because I am a slavering Samantha Kane fangirl. Seriously, I would read her grocery lists as long as there was hot sexoring going on between the bread and the eggs. So I knew I’d like this story, and I did. Viscount Lethbridge meets debutante Clarissa at a house party, and, after seeing her from afar, decides he wants her. Naturally, he has a BFF/partner in sexual escapades and he’s determined that the lovely Clari will want them both.

Unlike other of Ms. Kane’s stories, there’s no M/M involvement between the two partners, and I don’t entirely know that I bought their habit of sharing women as a result. I did like that by the end of the story I never felt that the third member of their triad was simply being cast aside. That said, I do prefer Ms. Kane’s longer works, and so I’m not especially convinced of the romantic connection between the three characters. But the sex was hot, and the characterization well-done as always, and Ms. Kane manages to write the sorts of rescue fantasy type stories that hit me especially right, so I’d still recommend the story.

Grade: B

Summary:
Dominic, Viscount Lethbridge, is struck by debutante Clarissa Welliston’s voluptuous form and arresting, unusual features. In spite of her innocence, he wants her. But first he needs to discover if she can embrace his sexual appetites.

Clarissa wants a man between her thighs, desperately. When Viscount Lethbridge pursues her, she finds the love and passion she’s longed for in the dark, seductive pleasures he desires.

Read an excerpt.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad anthology. None of the stories failed to work for me, though I had my favorites. The Moore and the Kane stuck out, though at least in the latter case this isn’t one of her best stories. I’d recommend buying the anthology for those two stories in particular, then reading the Cooper and Evans stories.

Final Grade: C+

Sandy M’s review of Highland Rogue by Tess Mallory
Historical Time Travel Romance published by Berkley 6 May 08

I always enjoy a good time travel, and Highland Rogue is a good one.  It starts a little slow before getting down to the nitty gritty, but once there we get some great action, an involved storyline, and the characters are interesting and true to themselves throughout the book.

In the beginning a little too much time is taken, for me, in getting to the traveling part of the story.  We learn about Maggie and her sisters, how they lost their parents and how she had to leave her dreams behind to raise the twins, and now that they’re grown she can’t seem to let go and finally start living her life.  The twins and Rachel, Maggie’s best friend, surprise her on her birthday with a trip to Scotland because she loves everything Scottish.  We even spend time in present day Scotland on an archeological dig where Maggie has to fend off the guy in charge while she’s trying to have some fun for a bit.  It all could have been condensed down to get to the meat of the story so much faster.

Once in the past things get much more interesting.  Quinn and his best friend Ian have turned to highway robbery against the man who killed Quinn’s parents while he also paid for Quinn’s schooling as a piper.  They’re ready to up the game and begin hitting the Duke of Montrose in his personal pockets, and this is when Maggie is thrown into their time.  As Ian is making his getaway from their most recent heist, she appears right in the middle of the melee causing Ian’s horse to shy as Quinn attempts to rescue her.  Ian is subsequently taken prisoner, and it is up to Quinn to free him from the Duke’s dungeons because Rob Roy MacGregor, Ian’s kin, won’t chance the repercussions to the rest of his family.

Needing some type of help, Quinn guilts Maggie into helping him by garnering employment in the Duke’s home to see what she can uncover of Ian’s fate.  We meet all sorts of characters there while also seeing how life was for people not born into the nobility.  By this time Quinn has feelings for Maggie and his duty ends up cleaving him in two to decide between friendship and love.  I really enjoyed Quinn’s character, even if he is a highwayman.  He’s exacting his own kind of vengeance, and it’s hard to believe the Duke didn’t make the connection between the thieves and their pipe playing after each successful robbery. There are a couple of twists and turns at the end that kept the storyline interesting.

Any time an author gives me a lot of traveling in my favorite type of paranormal, I’m usually pretty happy.  Ms. Mallory does a great job of that and does it in a little bit different way than I’ve seen before, not the usual picture or passing out and finding a body in another time or things like that.  This one is pretty believable and could happen to anyone who comes along at just the right time.  I like all things Scottish just like Maggie.  Wonder if I’d be as lucky traipsing through the Highlands?

Grade: B

Summary:

1711. They call him the Piper. A masked bandit seeking vengeance for his people, and Rob Roy MacGregor’s clan, Quinn MacIntyre leaves his victims with empty pockets, and a haunting tune played on the pipes that once gave him great joy. But when a flame-haired minx stumbles across his path, she awakens a new song in his heart. Now the outlaw faces a challenge more daunting than the Duke’s patrols: Let go of the past and embrace the future…

Present day. On her dream vacation in the Scottish Highlands, aspiring archaeologist Maggie Graham discovers a tri-spiral carving in the floor of an ancient cairn, and unwittingly sets its dormant magic in motion. Sent tumbling back in time 300 years, Maggie uncovers the most amazing find of all-a Scottish hero straight out of her wildest fantasies. There are just two tiny problems with this grand adventure: She’s trapped in 18th century Scotland, and the man she’s fallen for is an outlaw, a thief, a daring…Highland Rogue.

Read an excerpt.

Shannon C.‘s review of Kansas City Christmas by Julie Miller
Contemporary romantic suspense released by Harlequin Intrigue 11 Nov 08

I know that, by the time you read this, you are probably not looking for another Christmas book. I know that I’m certainly not in the market for one now that the excitement of the holidays is past. But I did read this book on Christmas eve, having been drawn to it because of the title. (I know, I know, I shouldn’t encourage the Harlequin marketing department.) After all, I have spent Christmas in the Kansas city area and surrounding environs, and I decided that, since I was reading the book on Christmas Eve, I could forego my obsessive need to read all previous books in a series. What I got was exactly the kind of book to read during the holidays–a heartwarming story of love and redemption. 

Edward Kincaid is one of the most damaged souls I’ve read about in a long time. After his wife and daughter were cruelly murdered just before Christmas, he spent much of his time in a bottle until the murder of his father. After that, it’s all he can do to keep going from one day to the next, slowly working his way back to sobriety. He’s not sure he can handle his family, let alone his job with the Kansas City Police Department. But his brothers–all of whom have received their own story–convince him to help pin down the last bit of the evidence they need to uncover the murderer of their father. And to do that, Edward must seek the help of cheerful, Christmas-crazed medical examiner Holly Masterson. But helping Edward puts Holly in much more danger than either of them anticipated, as a shadowy terrorist group tries to keep her from discovering their secrets.

I like to tell people that I don’t like my heroes tortured, but I don’t think that’s precisely true. It’s more that I dislike heroes who wallow in whatever has caused them angst. Which is all to say that I loved Edward, who had me from his first appearance in the book. He’s a very damaged soul, both physically and emotionally, and I liked that he starts out the story well on the way toward recovery, needing only for someone to push him just that little bit farther. Holly provides exactly what he needs in that regard, and though I don’t think she’s as well drawn as Edward, she certainly works very well as a foil for him. I believed in their romance, and I wanted them to have a future together.

The plot is slightly more problematic. I was able to keep up just fine even though this was the last book in the series, but I didn’t quite understand the stakes. It felt like it was just too big for one book, and there were often moments where I really just wanted Ms. Miller to get back to Edward and Holly, who are by far more interesting.

Ms. Miller’s writing is compelling. I was at the edge of my seat in the appropriate places, and there was one scene in particular near the end that made me shudder, and not in a good way. While I didn’t find the particular suspense plot itself compelling, I did appreciate its effect on the characters, if that makes any sense.

Overall, this book was satisfying. I came to care about Edward and Holly, and even though the series they’re in is wrapped up completely, I do think I’ll be revisiting the Kansas City police department to read the books about the other Kincaid brothers.

Grade: B

Summary:
A detective with no badge, Edward Kincaid’s brooding nature scared medical examiner Holly Masterson, but couldn’t dim her holiday spirit. It was when she attracted a stalker that the most wonderful time of the year turned into the most frightening. Working together to reveal a conspiracy too many people had died covering up, Holly found Edward’s protection–and powerful embrace–hard to resist. Now, as new clues surfaced, could she bust the case wide open and give her silent knight the Christmas miracle he deserved?

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Slippery When Wet by Kimberly Raye
Contemporary Romance published by Love Spell 25 Nov 08

I’ve been having luck reading and enjoying contemporaries lately.  Then I hit the proverbial brick wall with this book.  It’s not a really bad book.  It’s just not a really good book either.  It’s slow reading and has a hero and heroine that I just couldn’t warm up to.

At first I thought maybe it was the NASCAR theme that didn’t appeal to me.  I’m not into racing, so that seemed logical.  But the more I read the more I realized there were other problems for me.  First, Rory and Jaycee, our hero and heroine, spend very little time together for much of the book.  They’ve been friends since they were kids, but when Jaycee as a teenager dolled herself up to make a play for her man, he rejected her and that was the end of their friendship.  They’ve seen each other here and there because they’re both NASCAR drivers, and now that they’re taking over the top spots after each race, things are heating up and they’re thrown together more for publicity reasons.

That’s when we find out Rory does have feelings for Jaycee, but he’s determined to keep them buried because racing is his life and he won’t allow any distractions.  So he stays as far away from her as possible.  No matter how worked up he gets just seeing her.  But they’re competitors and that’s just the way it has to be.  However, his racing begins to be affected when he can’t keep his concentration on the track.  So maybe the better way to go would be to just bed her and get her out of his system.  So begins the turnaround of his attitude toward Jaycee that has her completely baffled.

Until she realizes that it’s not her that has Rory now sniffing around.  It’s the makeover her sponsor has insisted she go through to make her more likable to their demographic targets.  She’s always been a grease monkey because it was the only way to get her father’s attention.  He lived and breathed racing, so she did too. When he passed away, his will stipulated that Jaycee and her older sister, Riley, had to spend the next racing season together before they made the decision to stay with the team or walk away.  Not knowing she had an older sister, it’s taking everything Jacyee’s got just to get through her days, let alone the next year. And now on top of that, she’s got Rory and his smiles and dimples and that body to contend with.

So until Rory makes his decision to have Jaycee, which is more than halfway through the book, all we get is Jaycee’s makeover, talk about Rory’s chauvinist father’s attitude,  Riley constantly haranguing Jaycee about the makeover and other tidbits before we have the two finally together and things happening between them.  Even when they get intimate the first time irritated me.  After all was said and done, everything else came to a dead stop and they couldn’t get away from each other fast enough.  And that’s before Rory’s decision.

I actually wanted more about Riley and her attraction to Trick Donovan, an ex-racer with a NASCAR talk show.  There’s a spark between them that really interested me, but it never came up again.  Maybe they’re being saved for a future book.  I checked the author’s site to find out, along with some other info, but sadly it’s a site lacking on book information.  Practically nil on this book alone.  I’m hoping it’s a good sign that I want to read a story about characters in this book.  Too bad it’s not the one I got.

Grade: C

Summary:

Jaycee Anderson is the first female to take the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit by storm, and after finishing fourth overall last season, she has her eyes on the prize: knocking Rory Canyon out of the number three spot. She’ll do anything to see the job done, too, even transform herself from a tomboy into a glamour queen if that’s what it takes to get sponsorship and the edge. Rory’s the kind of infuriating chauvinist who’s just begging to get the pants beat off him by a woman—on the track, at least; Jaycee’s fairly sure he’s never had to beg anywhere else. Not with the millions of female fans who buy his shirts and caps and posters. Rory’s just the type who gets Jaycee’s own pistons pumping, her wheels spinning, and her engine burning oil. With their past, she’s surprised they haven’t already seen a smashup that ended in flames. But this track they’re running has some deadly curves…and it’s getting more slippery by the minute.

Read an excerpt.

Shannon C.’s review of Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice
Contemporary erotic romantic suspense released by Ellora’s Cave 12 Nov 04

I know that lots of people are fans of Lisa Marie Rice, even on this particular blog (Hello, Sybil!) I also have her last release TBR at some point, but I know she got her start in eBooks, and so, since I’d been wanting to read her, I decided I’d start with Midnight Man because, of all things, I read an early sex scene first and thought it was hot. (Let it never be said I’m not a shallow person, too.) I wish I could say that the result is that I’ve joined the ranks of LMR fangirls, but alas, that is not the case.

John Huntington, our hero, has retired from the Navy SEALs because of a knee injury and is now a hotshot security guru who installs high-tech security systems for corporate bigwigs and the like. He’s moving up in the world, and needs new digs, so he ends up renting office space from Suzanne Barron and deciding that he is wildly attracted to her because of her… um… vaguely described good looks? I’m not really sure, because it’s not her sparkling personality. Anyway, Suzanne is all about John’s rugged alpha male, me-Tarzan-you-Jane qualities, and things might have gone on quite well except we can’t have a Navy SEAL without a suspense subplot, so one magically appears, causing John and Suzanne to go into hiding from some ruthless people that want Suzanne dead for what seems to be no particular reason.

To be clear, there were things I did like about this book. Ms. Rice’s writing is compelling, and I found myself really enjoying John and Suzanne once we got past their initial meeting. The sex scenes, while not full of novel positions and kinks, were scorching, and it is here that Ms. Rice was at her best, because she convinced me of the passion between the characters.

Unfortunately, the characters themselves aren’t all that interesting. John is the most uber alpha male that ever alpha male’d. To his credit, he actually is shown to be pretty kick-ass, but I found him fairly cartoonish. Suzanne is constantly commenting on his restrained violence, and after a while I just wanted some proof that the man was housebroken. I mean, to hear these characters talk, John could out-Chuck Norris Chuck Norris, and it seems plain that his group of friends are equally as bad-ass.

So how does the heroine compare? Well, sadly, she isn’t nearly as interesting as the hero. She’s the sort of vaguely feminine heroine archetype with a feminine sort of job who is meant to be a placeholder for the reader. I didn’t understand why John was attracted to her, because she was so very boring, and I felt that she largely got sucked into the forcefulness of John’s personality.

The suspense subplot was completely unnecessary and felt out of place in such a short novel. Surely there would have been easier ways to throw the two characters together for close, emotional bonding? I’m not sure. All I know is that I was as taken aback by the whole thing as poor Suzanne.

I suspect Lisa Marie Rice isn’t the author for me. I do have Dangerous Secrets in the TBR pile, and I will give it a go soon to see if perhaps the writing has improved significantly. But this one was too much–with a cartoonishly alpha hero, a suspense subplot I found less than credible, and a boring heroine.

Grade: C-

Summary:
Interior decorator Suzanne Barron’s new tenant is the most dangerously sexy man she’s ever met. Navy Commander John Huntington, a former SEAL (aka ‘Midnight Man’) works best under cover of darkness. Within hours of meeting him, Suzanne has wild, no-holds barred sex with John, then panics at the depth of her passionate response to such a powerful and dangerous warrior. Suzanne doesn’t do sex like that. John is definitely someone she needs to avoid for her own peace of mind. But when killers come for her, Suzanne knows she can turn to only one man. John will guard and protect her body. But who will guard and protect her body against John?

Midnight Man won the 2004 Sizzler Award for Best Romantic Suspense and was First Runner Up for Best Debut!

Read an excerpt.

Liviania’s review of Loose and Easy (Steele Street, Book 9) by Tara Janzen
Contemporary romantic suspense released by Dell 26 Aug 08

I started Loose and Easy unaware it was the ninth in a series. By the time I finished I knew there had to be more books although I did not suspect there were so many. I can safely say someone new to the series can begin with this entry although it may affect enjoyment of the novel.

Heroine Esme is uninvolved with the Steele Street Garage. She’s a private investigator specializing in the recovery of stolen artwork. When the book starts she’s on a tight time frame to make enough money to pay off her father’s bookie. Things start going wrong quickly. Hero Johnny Ramos recognizing her is only part of it.

The two dated briefly in high school but it was a relationship destined not to last. But Ramos discovered the straight and narrow due to Lieutenant Loretta Bradley. He entered the army and returned home to join the Special Defense Force – one group of which operates out of the Steele Street Garage. In his sections of the novel members of the SDF appear often but do little to further the plot. In addition, Tara Janzen begins setting the stage for the tenth book in two scenes that have nothing to do with the rest of the novel. Fans will likely enjoy these cameos, but I was confused by the large cast (and the fact everyone has a nickname) and their lack of involvement with the main plot until I realized Loose and Easy fits into an established series.

The main plot moves quickly. Everyone’s tightly knit plans spiral more and more out of control, mostly due to miscommunication. Esme and her partner keep catching each others voice mail. Her father never told his bookie Esme was making the drop, not him. A hotel room becomes a crime scene after Esme and John leave and the police know their faces. Even with the sheer number of things happening and the large cast, Janzen manages to create a convincing romance.  John clearly admires Esme’s brains and capabilities. He’s protective of her, but still allows her to be responsible for herself. Esme can control her life better now that she’s an adult and has the emotional maturity needed for a sexual relationship she didn’t have as a teenager. The two share a clear attraction and a seriousness about entering a relationship.

To me, Loose and Easy’s only real fault was some extraneous scenes and characters. I believe if I read the rest of the series I would enjoy the chance to catch up on old characters and see where they were going next. The only ones who made me want to read their story were Esme’s cousin and a former gallery owner. Of course, their romance is still budding and not part of the previous eight books. I probably won’t buy the others because they aren’t my preferred subgenre, but I’m very likely to look for the books at my library.

Grade: B-

Summary:

He’s the bad boy she always wanted.

She’s the good girl that got away.

He’d know her anywhere. Johnny Ramos had just come off a tour of duty in Afghanistan to find Esmee Alden trolling the mean streets of Denver in red lace and leather. The smartest girl he ever knew turning tricks? Not even close. Esmee’s in danger so deep, only Johnny can get her out—which is why the elite government operative is shadowing her every move. Esmee had everything planned down to the last detail: dressed in disguise, she’d recover a stolen painting and pay off her dad’s ruthless bookie. Until Johnny Ramos, her high school crush, blows into town and nearly blows her cover. Now Esmee, a P.I. and an art- recovery expert, has a mother lode of bad guys on her trail…including the one bad boy she always wanted: Johnny. But passion will have to wait. Because when bullets start flying, suddenly they’re on the run, playing it fast and loose—and heading straight into the line of fire.…

Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C.’s review of Accustomed to His Fangs by December Quinn
Contemporary paranormal erotic romance eBook released by Ellora’s Cave 1 Sep 08

The one sub-genre of romance that I tend not to read often is comedy. I just don’t find most wacky hijinks particularly amusing, and I find “Oh, look what an idiot the heroine is” stories tedious. But I like December Quinn’s writing in general, and I also love the fish-out-of-water storyline, so I thought I’d give her latest EC release a try. And, sadly, I wasn’t laughing.

Rebecca is an image consultant to the stars. When she meets Sebastian, a vampire from a small Eastern European nation, she decides to make him over. The first thing she wants to do is get rid of his mullet. Then she’ll work on his use of contractions, and eventually, she hopes to pass him off as a sophisticated foreign gentleman. Plus, he’s good in bed, and she can enjoy a little sexoring on the side. So… everybody benefits.

I may have read a heroine in a book that I disliked more than I disliked Rebecca, but I can’t offhand remember when. I like my heroines to have character flaws, but being a shallow, selfish, manipulative, mercenary bitch brings the character from flawed straight into so obnoxious I really wanted to stab her in the eye. She spent so much time absorbed in her own little world that I really wanted Sebastian to just get rid of her and find someone else, because he certainly deserved it.

Sebastian, for his part, is wonderful and sweet and beta. I loved the glimpses we got of his homeland, and I loved his adorable cluelessness about the 21st century. I liked that he had the patience to put up with Rebecca, but I thought he should have left her way the hell sooner than he did, and she didn’t grovel enough to satisfy me. The sex between these two is certainly hot, but my actual hatred for Rebecca made it so I couldn’t appreciate it.

There were a few moments where I laughed out loud. The humor is quite sly in places, which is what I prefer anyway. I especially loved the little digs at popular vampire romance clichés.

I wish I’d have liked this book better. I enjoy Ms. Quinn’s writing voice, but I definitely think she’s got better heroines than the horrible bitch that is Rebecca. But if you do want to read this book, definitely read it for the sly humor and the wonderful hero.

Grade: C

Summary:
When image consultant Rebecca meets Sebastian, a vampire from a small Eastern European country, her first thought is how much better he’d look without that mullet. Her second thought is that no matter how silly his hairdo is, he’s incredibly hot — the perfect one-night stand.

And he is perfect, in more ways than one. Not only do they share the most amazing sex she’s ever had, Sebastian is rich and needs some serious help with his lame, old-fashioned image. It’s the perfect job for Becky, and she’s so confident she can make Sebastian cool she bets her ex-husband a weekend of hot sex that Sebastian will charm the snootiest social lions at the next charity ball.

But Sebastian wants to be more than just a client. He wants Becky to be his, forever, and he’ll do anything to win her. Getting into her bed was easy. Getting into her heart is the biggest challenge he’s ever faced.

Read an excerpt.

Liviania’s review of Tempt Me with Darkness (Doomsday Brethren, Book 1) by Shayla Black
Paranormal romance released by Pocket 26 Aug 08

Dorm rooms come with tiny shelves. Textbooks and course packets claim about half of that space. It makes it even more common for people to borrow “fun” books. Two of my friends read Tempt Me with Darkness before I even had a chance. And it’s an excellent example of why TGTBTU considers a C a good book. None of us would declare it a fabulous story or anything, but all of us enjoyed it.

Why did it work so well for a bunch of college girls near finals time? Because it’s straightforward and raunchy. Tempt Me with Darkness aims to entertain, which makes it a wonderful novel to pick up and relax with. While entertaining, the novel has several flaws that will keep me from rereading.The main problem is the hero, a former knight of King Arthur cursed to live forever (without orgasm) after he had a one night stand with Morganna when she was expecting more. Basically, he’s bad with women in general. Marrok first believes his heroine is Morganna in disguise and treats her accordingly. (Their first time together comes rather close to rape.) Olivia is reasonably upset by this but still enjoys the sex and accidentally marries Marrok. (He, on the other hand, knowingly marries her.) At least, it’s the magical equivalent of marriage if marriage were life-threatening due to a lack of sex.

Olivia doesn’t provide much counterbalance. Yes, she gets angry, but things seem to always turn out Marrok’s way unless she goes behind his back. Her modern sensibility clashing with his overprotective nature would be more amusing if she had more personality. She has a standard traumatic past, a job at an art gallery, and bad survival instincts. Shayla Black offers information about her but she still felt bland.

On the other hand, I do want to read more about the other Doomsday Brethren. They play smaller parts than the h/h but have more likeable personalities and intriguing relationships. Snarky brother and sister Bram and Sabelle were my favorites, but I liked several of the others. Black also adds interest in their stories by bringing Marrok and Olivia’s relationship to a HEA and providing a climactic battle but leaving the other plot threads open.

It happens off page but several women are brutally raped. It’s done to be upsetting and prevents the book from just being light, fluffy fun. I’m really tired of rape being used to communicate how terrible a villain is. There are other terrible things than can be done to people.

Fans of Black or paranormal romance will probably enjoy Tempt Me with Darkness. Fans of the Matter of Britain should know the book really has nothing to do with King Arthur legends aside from sharing a few characters. It’s a decent read as long as you can stand the hero acting like a jerk. (To be fair, a major part of the book is him learning to be less of a jerk.)

Grade: C-

Summary:
He’s an immortal knight hungering for satisfaction. . . .
As soon as Marrok sees Olivia Gray, he’s sure they met in eons past. He’s felt her soft, gentle curves writhing in pleasure beneath his own powerful body. . . Morganna! For centuries, towering Marrok, once the mightiest of King Arthur’s warriors, has endured a terrible curse the witch cast upon him when he spurned the witch.

She’s a modern woman about to discover ancient magic. . . .
Olivia shares a mystical—and irresistible—connection with brooding Marrok. Soon after the sexy warrior appears in her erotic dreams, he abducts her, demanding she uncurse him. Their intense passion is more powerful—and intimate—than either of them has ever known. Olivia may be the key to unlocking the diary that will break Morganna’s hold on his life. But in the wrong hands, the book also holds the power to destroy magickind. As they search for answers, a ruthless wizard returned from exile is building an army of evil. When he discovers Marrok and Olivia have the diary, only their love—with the help of a powerful group of magical Brethren—can save them.
Read an excerpt here

I’ve been covered over with large quantities of visiting extended family, baking, cleaning, cooking (can you say Christmas Tamales?  I knew you could), and general holiday madness – not to mention trying to find time to meet Sybil to shift some books from her car to my car.  As a result I haven’t had time to write full blown reviews of a few books.  So here’s a quick run down of what I’ve been reading.  I promise I’ll try to get to full reviews of all three books shortly… 

Highland Sinner by Hannah Howell
Historical paranormal romantic suspense released by Zebra 1 Dec 08

Another of those “reformed rake” stories that I love so well.  Also a good murder mystery.  An historical with more paranormal elements than usually present in her books.  Good Hannah Howell, even with all the “dinnae” and “och” to wade thru.  Nice romance and a very excellent heroine.

Grade: B+

The Flame (The Sons of Destiny, Book 7) by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance released by Berkley Trade/Sensation 2 Dec 08

Good story but so-so romance.  It took too long to start the actual relationship.  This was much more a “fantasy” than a “romance”.  Here’s hoping the 8th and final book in the series, The Mage, gives us more meat on the romantic bones.

Grade: C+

Murder Game (GhostWalkers, Book 7) by Christine Feehan
Contemporary paranormal romantic suspense released by Jove 30 Dec 08

Oh my goodness.  Terrific Ghostwalker novel.  Really hot romance, good heroine, hot alpha hero, hot sensuality (had to look at the cover to make sure I wasn’t reading Lora Leigh), excellent romantic suspense elements, excellent action.  All around good book.  I don’t think you’d even have to read the previous GW books to like it; it stands well on its own. Pacing was excellent and never a dull moment.  Loved it.

Grade: A

This just in…

Samhain isn’t finished with ya’ll yet for this holiday season. 

~ December 28 is Samhain giving away Kindle download! For those of you who are Kindle-ized already, on Sunday you can go here and download a free copy of Oleander House by Ally Blue. This runs through January 4, 2009.

~ Have you downloaded all the free ebooks Samhain has given away this Christmas season?

~ If not, they’re waiting for you over at The Samhellion.   Don’t delay.  The Twelve Days of Christmas are nearly gone!

Consider yourself flashed.

Sandy M’s review of Untamed (MacKinnon’s Rangers, Book 2) by Pamela Clare
Historical Romance released by Leisure Books 25 Nov 08

I’ve waited so long for this book.  It’s just a few months shy of three years since the first book in this trilogy, Surrender, was released, and then the fate of the next stories was uncertain for quite a while.  I was overjoyed when I received the ARC of Untamed, reliving first the fervor we all experienced back when Surrender and the MacKinnon brothers won so many fans’ hearts and then anticipating another exciting and romantic love story by Ms. Clare.  I am happy to say she’s given us that and more in this new MacKinnon adventure.

When a British officer by chance spies the MacKinnons fighting men off when rescuing a woman in distress, he presses them into service for the Crown by extortion — serve or hang.  It’s been four years and the Seven Years’ War is still rampaging, the MacKinnon Rangers’ reputation of cunning and success is heralded throughout the country, both good and bad.  Their luck has just hit a snag and Morgan MacKinnon, severely wounded, is captured by the French.  He prefers to die of his injuries instead of being tortured for information and then turned over to the Abenaki tribe where a slow death is guaranteed.

When Morgan doesn’t die, however, the one thing keeping him sane is his angel, Amalie, the French maid who nursed him back to health.  With her unknowing help, Morgan eventually receives the one chance he needs to finally escape, but leaving Amalie behind is harder than he’d ever imagined.  However, it’s something he must do, no matter how difficult, and choosing between the woman he’s coming to love and his brothers’ lives is the most difficult decision he’s ever had to make.

When his escape plans go awry and Amalie is forced to make an unexpected journey to the Abenaki with him, this book really takes off.  Action and adventure leap and bound through the pages and the emotions of these characters either break your heart or make it soar depending on the circumstances, especially concerning Amalie as she learns Morgan and his men are not the evil soldiers she’s always heard about and as she realizes day to day how much she’s come to love her Ranger .

Iain and Annie from Surrender make a few appearances so we can get caught up with their lives.  Connor, the youngest MacKinnon, is also present quite bit.  I so enjoyed the relationship of these three brothers.  Having grown up on the frontier, they’re as tough and resilient as can be, but they’re family, blood, so they stick together, believe in each other no matter what.  The other MacKinnon Rangers are delightful and loads of fun.  Their scene when meeting Amalie is quite lovely.  I also enjoyed the dichotomy between the French and British soldiers, which is not much for the enlisted men, but the superiors are a very different story, as Morgan learns the hard way.

The love scenes are sweet and sometimes frantic.  I loved Morgan’s sensitivity to Amalie’s plight in the beginning of the book and how he handles making love to her, but later his all-consuming passion is equally enjoyable.  Ms. Clare has a way of making at least one love scene unique and unforgettable, both books have one, both sensuous, sexy, romantic, and all MacKinnon.

I sincerely hope we don’t have to wait nearly as long for Connor’s book as we did for this one.  Though I will wait if I have to.  Ms. Clare’s writing and storytelling are simply beautiful, her characters are raw and passionate, and they’re definitely worth the wait.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Though forced to fight for the hated British, Morgan MacKinnon would no more betray the men he leads than slit his own throat—not even when he was captured by the French and threatened with an agonizing death by fire at the hands of their Abenaki allies. Only the look of innocent longing in the eyes of a convent-bred French lass could make him question his vow to escape and return to the Rangers. And soon the sweet passion he awoke in Amalie had him cursing the war that forced him to choose between upholding his honor and pledging himself to the woman he loves.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Shannon C.’s review of Wings of Change by Bianca D’Arc
Fantasy erotic romance eBook released by Samhain 11 Sep 07

I recently glommed the first four books in Bianca D’Arc’s Dragon Knights series. You can read my thoughts on that set of books here. Originally, I’d started the fifth book during that initial glom, but reader fatigue set in so I didn’t pick it up until later. While it was not as compelling as the original four books in the series, I will definitely keep going.

This entry features Reynar, a dragon who has been wounded in battle. His rider, Kaden, thinks this is his fault, and both he and the dragon are carrying around some heavy guilt. Rey goes to hang out at a tavern where Lucia, former princess turned wandering nomad, is working as a servant. Lucy is drawn to Rey, and then to his rider, as well as his rider’s best friend, Marcus, whose dragon is mated to Rey. But can she give up the life she has lived in order to be with the dragons?

In more cynical moments, I have a tendency to turn up my nose at this sort of book. Lucy is a pretty flagrant Mary Sue. She can hear dragons, she commands powerful magics, and of course she has a tragic past. But then, I do have a soft spot for this sort of fantasy, and I remember that I always wanted to fly on a dragon, and who can fault a girl for wanting two hot men to fall at her feet? So this story was a great comfort read, with all the soppy dramatics and wish fulfillment I could want.

I liked the slightly longer word count of this book as compared to some of the other books I’ve read by Ms. D’Arc. I felt the characters were a bit more fleshed out because of it, and I thought the conflict was interesting and emotional, at least between Kaden, who I adored, and Reynar. Where I thought the book faltered somewhat was the romantic tension between the three protagonists. I felt that their coming together was pretty much a foregone conclusion, and Lucy was mostly being stubborn about the whole thing for no good reason. I do still find menage stories where the two men willingly share one woman hard to swallow most of the time. And this is the rare series I’ve read that convinces me that a M/F/M menage would not only be possible, but fun and exactly what everyone wanted.

I liked the glimpses of past happy couples, and was pleased that their presence only enhanced the action of the story. And the overarching plot about the dangers to the land of Draconia keeps developing in interesting ways that compel me to keep reading.

Overall, I found this story quite satisfying. It’s light and fluffy, but sometimes a bit of brain candy is a good thing.

Grade: B

Summary:

One young woman could be the miracle that heals a dying dragon—and unites a family with her love.

I Dream of Dragons I

Lucia, born a lady in a foreign land, now waits tables for her keep. When she sees Sir Reynor wasting away, she storms the Castle Lair seeking help for the dying dragon. What she finds is a dashing rogue, a mighty dragoness, and a contrite knight who blames himself for his dragon partner’s injury.

Marcus is enchanted by the foreign beauty and intrigued by her mission. Few women will go near dragons and fewer still can communicate with them. Marcus recognizes Lucia for the treasure she is and knows she is meant for him…and for Kaden.

Kaden is wracked with guilt over the injury that has grounded the dragon—possibly forever. He knows Lucia is special, and he wants her. Lucia just might be the missing piece they all need to form a family. But with Reynor unable to fly, how can any of them be happy?

To make this family whole, they need a miracle. And love—the greatest miracle of all.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex and ménage a trois.

Read an excerpt.

Shannon C.’s review of Flood (Burke Series, Book 1) by Andrew Vachss
Mystery fiction released by Vintage 10 Mar 98

I’m not sure that I would have picked up this book if I hadn’t seen a blog post about its author. I would provide a link, but blog posts run together in my head, and I don’t remember who it was. Anyway, Andrew Vachss is a serious bad-ass. The proceeds of his books, according to his wiki page go toward his law practice, where he defends children and youth. In real life, I am a social work major, and I figured if anyone was going to write compelling books about issues that are important to me, it would be someone like him. But when one of my good online friends confessed to being a Burke fangirl, I decided I had to see whether the badassery would translate into decent writing.

I suspect that a reader’s enjoyment of Burke will depend a lot on her politics and her squeamishness. Vachss has his opinions, and he doesn’t sugar-coat them, and not all of his opinions are easy to swallow. (Burke clearly dislikes social workers, for one thing, and he doesn’t seem to have a lot of love for middle-class white liberals, either.) And, good Lord, is this book violent.

There were a few places where I was reading with clenched teeth, just on the point of being squicked. But it all works for me. I didn’t feel any of the violence was gratuitous or inserted there just so that we could have a random violent scene. Burke’s world is a hard, cold place, and bad things happen, and it all serves its purpose.

Burke himself is a compelling character. He lives an underground life, hiding from normal everyday citizens because it’s easier that way. Stepping into Burke’s world leaves the reader, as it does Flood, the woman who finds Burke and asks him to find a man called the Cobra so she can kill him, either keeping up or being lost. I was able to keep up, though for the first bit of the book, I didn’t especially find Burke a likeable character. He was, however, compelling, and that goes a long way. I also found him to be an alpha male type I could certainly respect, even if I don’t always like him.

This isn’t a romance, and it’s not even so much a mystery as it is a look at some of the seedier places the world has to offer. But the characters aside from Burke, from the titular Flood to Max the Silent to Michelle, a transsexual prostitute, are all people I want to learn more about. I’m really glad I was pointed at this series, and if you like your mysteries with a bit of grit, this book definitely comes recommended.

Grade: B+

Summary from Amazon.com:
In Vachss’s acclaimed first novel, we are introduced to Burke, the avenging angel of abused children. Burke’s client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster — so she can kill him with her bare hands. In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss’s renegade private eye teams up with a lethally gifted vigilante to follow a child’s murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is a setup for a mugging and every tenement has something rotten in the basement. Fearfully knowing, buzzing with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point bullet, Flood is Burke at his deadliest — and Vachss at the peak of his form.
Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

—

Coming 30 Dec 08:

Sandy M’s review of Divorced, Desperate and Dating by Christie Craig
Contemporary Mystery Romance published by Love Spell 25 Nov 08

Since we’re smack dab in the middle of the season where we look back and remember, thinking over the past year, for me, Christie Craig is the jewel of my finds when it comes new authors to add to my favorites list.  Her characters draw you in immediately, make you care about them in no time flat, and her humor is to die for.  This is Ms. Craig’s third book within this past year and each one has made me laugh out loud more than any other supposedly humorous books and I remember their characters and storylines to this day, which doesn’t happen with a lot of the books I review.  If you haven’t read a Christie Craig book yet, you’re definitely missing out.

We met Sue in Divorced, Desperate and Delicious.  She’s good friends with the heroine, Lacy, and along with their friend Kathy they make up their Divorced, Desperate and Delicious club, one for girls only to talk girl talk — you know, men, sex, vibrators, whatever strikes them.  Sue also met Jason in that book.  They shared a spine-tingling, toe-curling kiss on Lacy’s patio and Jason asked for her number.  And never called.  Yeah, now you get why these ladies have their club.  We’ve all waited on that end of the phone for the call that never came.  Sue took it to heart because she not only really liked that kiss, she really liked Jason.  But the time came for her to get over both, so four months later finds her working on her current book and that’s when things begin to spiral out of control.  And when Jason comes back into her life.

Since everyone, except his last foster mom, in his life has always walked away from him, Jason has learned to never really want anything.  He had enough heartache as a child and now won’t take a chance of having it back in his life at all.  Even when he met Sue, the one woman who made him feel things he’d never felt before, he just couldn’t take that extra step toward her no matter how badly he wanted to.  But when he finds out she’s being stalked and the local police aren’t taking unusal happenings seriously, this Houston detective takes matters into his own hands to keep the woman safe.  Of course, he hopes for a little extra fun while he’s with her.  Why guy wouldn’t from someone as beautiful as Sue.

He finds that particular want not that easy to fulfill, however. Sue has had her own heartache, men being at the core of it all, of course.  But the more she gets to know Jason as he moves into her home to protect from an unknown killer, she knows her heart will get broken all over again.  But she falls anyway.  The relationship between these two is just terrific.  And it was such fun watching Jason’s evolution from a man who’s longest relationship had been three months to a man who would give everything to this woman, a man who would die for her, a man slowly falling in love and he can’t figure out what’s happening to him.  But when he does figure it out and when he does something about it is one of the best scenes of the book.

We do get more of Lacy and Chase from the earlier book, which is very nice to see how they’re doing and just have them around as friends, do things together as friends.  Most books just give us a glimpse of characters we love from previous books, but suddenly they don’t seem to be great friends with the current hero and heroine anymore.  Not here.  They’re all friends and they act like it.   We get to follow the mystery of Sue’s stalker right along with Jason as he investigates and we’re thrown for the same loops he is.  Other secondary characters are all done very well, especially the moms we get to meet.  We all have issues with our mothers and these characters are no different.  And it’s all done with the best humor.

It’s the laughter thoughout the book — each of Ms. Craig’s books — that keeps me coming back for more with each new release.  It flows so effortlessly off the page.  The way Sue keeps an early suitor from kissing her is just bloody genious and so hilarious.  This time Ms. Craig also had me misty eyed.  The scene near the end of the book when Jason’s mom tells Sue about their trials together was so tender and you have the same aha moment Sue does.  I checked the author’s site to see if we’re going to have Kathy’s story next.  I sure hope so.  I’d love to see Kathy meet up with her plumber again, Christie!

Ms. Craig is an autobuy for me and every book of hers is a keeper.  She’s not let me down once in what I’ve come to expect from her.  I doubt she ever will.

Grade: A+

Summary:

GOOD COP

Sue Finley murdered people…on paper. As a mystery writer, she knew all the angles, who did what and why. The only thing she couldn’t explain was…well, men. Dating was like diving into a box of chocolates: sometimes the sweetest-looking specimens were candy coated poison. After a breakup with a bank robber and a divorce from a cross dresser, she gave it up for good. Then came Detective Jason Dodd.

BAD BOY

Raised in foster homes, Jason swore never to need anyone as much as the parent who abandoned him. That was why he failed to follow up after experiencing the best kiss of his life: real passion was addictive. But when Sue Finley started getting death threats, all bets were off. The blonde spitfire was everything he’d ever wanted—and she needed him. And though this novel situation had a quirky cast of characters and an unquestionable bad guy, he was going to make sure it had a happy ending.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

For those of you following along at home, we’ve been serving up excerpts all week from the Unlaced anthology by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti .  You still have time to win a copy.  Simply leave a comment on one of the excerpt posts and you’ll be entered to win.

Excerpt One: The Ties that Bind by Jaci BurtonExcerpt Two: Undone by Jasmine Haynes

Excerpt Three: Controlled Response by Joey W. Hill

Excerpt Four: Rubies and Black Velvet by Denise Rossetti

If you haven’t already, be sure to swing over to Book Binge and check out the guest post the authors did.

 The Good and Bad About Writing for an Anthology

One lucky winner will be chosen from the comments of that post to win a signed copy of Unlaced.

Sandy M’s review of The Missing by Shiloh Walker
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Berkley Trade 4 Nov 08

Wow.  I tried to think of some way to start this review and I ran through the story again in my head.  Once I did that, all that ever came to me again was, “Wow.”  I’ve really only read a few of this author’s books before this one, but I can safely say without a doubt that Shiloh Walker has outdone herself with this book.

We meet Cullen and Taige as they meet when they’re teenagers near Taige’s home where Cullen’s family vacation every year.  They see each other around, but it’s not until Taige is attacked by some local boys and Cullen comes to her rescue that their relationship truly begins.  They continue to see each other the rest of that summer and then each year as Cullen and his family return to the area, and each year their relationship progresses, despite Taige’s fear he’ll leave her when he discovers her psychic gift.  But love does eventually bloom for them both and then tragedy strikes, and Cullen blames Taige for his loss and cuts her out of his life.

Their lives go on, of course, in the intervening years, each going in a direction they hadn’t expected in those years together.  When they do meet again, it is due to tragedy one more time.  Cullen’s daughter has been kidnapped and when the police waste precious time looking at him as a suspect, his only hope to find his little girl before it’s too late is to go back to Taige.  He knows now that it was his grief that pushed her out of his life years ago and he prays she’ll help him.

Thinking she would always stay holed up in her hometown where folks are used to her and her gift, it was her guilt from not being able to help the one person who meant the most to her that caused her to hone her abilities to help others, mostly children.  So when Cullen comes to her she has a chance to make things right with him.  What neither of them expected is a connection to Taige’s dreams and visions she’s had most of her life are wrapped up in the hell Cullen is currently going through.  So begins their journey to find his daughter, other missing, and the evil villain who preys on the innocent.

Though they both realize their feelings still exist for one another, Taige tries to keep Cullen at arm’s length just as much as he tries to bring her closer.  Even their dreams are more real than even they could imagine. When they finally come together again, especially as adults instead of kids, it’s worth all the time they were apart.  Cullen and Taige are an awesomely dynamic couple.  The scenes when Taige has her visions are perfectly described, you feel like you’re right there in the middle of it all.  And the villain they have to fight personifies evil to the core.  Bringing that bastard down is not only satisfying to Cullen and Taige, but the reader as well.

This is a terrific story starting with a teenage love that grows over time, even when they’re apart, endures tragedy, and triumphs over evil in the world.  It’s a story of being accepted for who you are and loved anyway, having those you love not judge you, and it’s a story of forgiveness and faith that the love you lost and long for will be yours once again.

Wow.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Her psychic gift drove away the man she loved— and years later has drawn him back to her…

As a teenager, Taige Branch hated her psychic gift. No one could understand—except for Cullen Morgan, the boy who stole her heart. He did his best to accept her, until his mother was brutally murdered—and he couldn’t forgive Taige for not preventing it.

Now a widowed father, Cullen Morgan has never forgotten Taige. But what brings her back into his life is another tragedy. His beloved little girl has been kidnapped, and Taige is his only hope of finding her. Working together against the clock, Cullen and Taige can’t help but wonder whether—if they find his daughter in time—it isn’t too late for the overpowering love that still burns between them…

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Notorious Lord, Compromised Miss by Annie Burrows
Historical romance eBook short story released by Harlequin Historical Undone 01 December 2008

I know many readers who are not fans of short stories. There isn’t enough meat on the bone and they fail to satisfy their hunger for in depth character development, plot and romance. I’m the exact opposite. I love them because they’re bite-size morsels, quick reads, and a cost effective way to discover new authors. So it’s no wonder, given my already slavish devotion to Harlequin Historicals, that I’ve quickly become hooked on the new electronic-only Harlequin Historical Undone line.

Viscount Maldon finds himself in a dire situation thanks to his father and older brother. Because of their gambling, the family estate is near bankruptcy, and Maldon has younger sisters who need dowries. On the advice of his financial man, he finds himself at Almack’s with a list of eligible debutantes with family fortunes. Maldon has to show the ton (and his creditors!) that he’s serious about rescuing the family finances. The problem is Maldon has no desire to marry, and the idea of being a fortune hunter holds zero appeal. This is why Miss Katherine Malahithe literally runs into him in an alcove, hiding behind a potted palm.

Katherine is an heiress with no desire to marry. In an attempt to thwart her matchmaking aunts, she’s taken to appearing as unattractive as humanly possible and it has worked in scaring off several would-be suitors. She was looking for her own hiding place at Almack’s when she runs into Maldon, and these two immediately engage in a war of wits. Maldon is intrigued, has no idea Katherine is an heiress, and despite herself, Katherine cannot stop thinking of him. Can the friendship that blooms between them, grow into something more?

This was a quick read featuring some lively banter between the two leads. Especially charming is how Maldon explains away their lurking behind a potted palm together when one of Katherine’s aunties discovers them. Both of them find the situations they’re in less than enjoyable, and the friendship that springs up between them feels natural and is quite charming.

The writing here is a little abrupt, and I found some of the transitions a little uneven. Writing short stories is a challenging task, and given the nature in this story, Burrows hops around in time on more than one occasion. It’s still an enjoyable read, but not always a smooth one.

That said, I found Notorious Lord, Uncompromising Miss an entertaining way to pass my lunch break. Burrows is primarily known as a UK, Mills & Boon writer, and this nice little short story is a good way for American readers to get to know her without investing a lot of time and money.

Grade: C+

Summary:

Debutante Katherine Malahithe has come to London determined to resist the fortune hunters only interested in her money. Her efforts to appear unattractive successfully ward off most suitors—except for Viscount Maldon, a man who wants to avoid marriage as much as Katherine. The handsome, provoking Viscount becomes an unlikely ally, but can either of them escape the altar when friendship turns to passion…and scandal?

No excerpt found.