LynneC’s review of A Vampire For Christmas by Laurie London, Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro & Alexis Morgan
Paranormal Romance published by HQN 18 Oct 11

Most anthologies are the curate’s egg kind of book, with good bits and bad bits or not-so-good bits. This is no exception, but on the whole it is a decent read and a nice introduction to the flood of seasonal books. There are four stories by authors established in the genre.

Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London

This story takes part in her world, one I hadn’t read before but I had no problems catching up on. It is a story complete in itself and is about Trace Westfalen and Charlotte Grant, who have met before, although Trace wipes Charlotte’s mind and she doesn’t remember their previous encounter. This sets up an interesting situation in which Trace remembers and Charlotte does not, so she is learning him from scratch. This is the kind of story where the big bad vampires share a house, the kind with chandeliers and antiques but go out hunting dressed in leather with fearsome weapons. You have been warned.

Trace is forced to step in when Charlotte is in danger, and this inevitably leads to their involvement again. I do think that the couple end up in bed too soon, considering Charlotte doesn’t know him from Adam at this point in the story, but this is a short, and it’s sometimes tricky to do that.

However, London does have one maddening habit which brings the story down for me. Every time the action heats up, she ends the scene on a cliffhanger, and then starts the next with a recap of what happened. That means the reader isn’t there and doesn’t experience it. It happens too many times, and it irritates me, and brings my grade down.

Grade: C

Summary:

All they want for Christmas is you -

It’s the time of year for twinkling lights on trees and kisses under the mistletoe. Yet the passing of another year means nothing to the stunning immortals who lurk in the shadows of the new-fallen snow.

And they don’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice.

Let four fanged lovers open your eyes to a passion you never dared to imagine. After all, there’s no place like home for the holidays and these dazzling vampires can’t wait for an invitation.

Read an excerpt. (scroll down)

Monsters Don’t Do Christmas by Michele Hauf

The hero in this story has only been a vampire for a year. He was a money man and had lots of it, until he was turned, and I’m still not sure why he gave it all up. He roamed the streets and fought werewolves, who, we are told, hate vampires. I don’t know why. The heroine is Olivia Adorata, a pop star who takes every Christmas off and lives in a small apartment on her own, celebrating the season. She thinks of herself as a monster because of her fame. So why didn’t anyone recognise her? That is only one problem I had with Olivia. I can see what Hauf was trying to do, have two people reconcile the monsters within themselves, but in neither case does the motivation and the conviction go through them deep enough for me to really understand why they feel that way. There is the possibility for some breathtaking moments, but they aren’t taken. I don’t feel I know Daniel at all, and Olivia is too sweet to be true. Neither character entirely works for me.

Grade: D

Summary:

Sexy singer, Olivia isn’t at all frightened by the vampire she finds fending off werewolves outside her door. Why should she be? She’s just as much a monster as he is. Daniel Harrison hasn’t been vampire long, but the monster he is does not do Christmas. That doesn’t keep him from trying to rescue another who could transform before the full moon—but can he do it and win Olivia’s heart with but a flash of fang and his desire for her to ‘sway with him’?

No excerpt available.

When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro.

Although Pineiro’s recent full-length paranormal release didn’t quite do it for me, she is a considerably talented author with a great, smooth style and a willingness to tackle unusual situations.

This story takes place in 1931. The hero, Damien, is or was a rum-runner, and it is a century since he first met his love, Angelina. Their enemy, a demon called Pedro, tears them apart, or makes Damien make the wrong decisions, and they are torn apart again, only to be reborn to have another attempt at getting it right this time.

Although this story has a few of the vampire clichés, they are almost impossible to avoid in this genre, and it doesn’t stop me enjoying this story of everlasting love constantly thwarted. Angelina has a secret of her own, but when she is dumped on the beach, she is injured and needs Damien’s help. He tends to her, and they get together again, knowing that yet again, Pedro has the upper hand.

Of course, this is a romance, so you know it will work out, one way or another, but you don’t know how it will work out. Angelina and Damien are believable, interesting characters with the depth that a story of this length will allow.

Grade: B

Read an excerpt.

All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan

The last story is, IMO, the best one. It is a sweet, poignant morsel of a Christmas tale and took me from beginning to end. I made fewest notes on this story because I wanted to enjoy the read and let the story take me away, which it does. The setup is simple, so little backstory is needed. Eagan is an undercover cop and vampire looking for some rogues. Della is a human woman who runs a diner, peopled, although she doesn’t know it, by supernatural beings as well as humans. Della likes Christmas and is determined to bring it to the people who frequent her diner. Despite his better nature, Eagan is strongly attracted to Della, and soon they begin an affair. Della is under threat and is put into danger, so Eagan has to find and rescue her.

Simple setup so the author can concentrate on the characters, something I really enjoy. The characters are believable, the setting well depicted, and I was just drawn into this one.

Grade: A

Read an excerpt.

Overall Grade: C

LynneC’s review of Real Men Will (Donovan Brothers Brewery, Book 3) by Victoria Dahl
Contemporary Romance published by HQN 25 Oct 11

This is the last of the Donovan Brothers Brewery series, and it is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. I’ve had a great time with these books and the last one wasn’t a letdown, as I thought it might be.

When I read in the blurb that Eric meets Beth and spends the night with her, using his brother’s name, I was worried that the book might be a Big Misunderstanding, not one of my favorite tropes. But the story starts with Beth discovering that Eric deceived her, so the misunderstanding is sorted out early on. Thank goodness.

Beth is the manageress of the local sex shop, but it’s a classy one, and Beth’s mission is to introduce women to their sexuality. Only she doesn’t have much experience in that line herself, only what she’s learned academically. But at least she’s not a virgin. I’d really have enjoyed it if Beth had been a woman of experience and she taught Eric a few things. I think that is a slight chickening out by Dahl. In any case, Beth is a likeable character, and she’s drawn into the plot via her father, who is a straitlaced man who doesn’t know she runs a sex shop. He thinks she manages a bra store, which, in a way, she does. Beth is smart, doesn’t do anything TSTL just for the sake of the plot, and she’s in character throughout.

Eric is the oldest Donovan brother, and he’s the most difficult to know. I’m surprised to learn in this book that Eric is adopted, since I don’t think there’d been a mention of it in the previous books in the series. He feels displaced, and he doesn’t even look like his siblings. But when his parents died in a car crash, he was twenty four and he took control of the brewery and bringing up his siblings. I did feel a bit of a disconnect, since Eric seems to be the only one who worries about it. Nobody else cares, so why should he? As far as they’re concerned, Tessa and Jamie look on him as their brother. Simple as. Eric should get over it, since he’s done so much for the family and the brewery is a success. Jamie’s new venture into serving food also makes Eric feel out of place. He feels left out. I’m not entirely convinced, but despite that, I like Eric. He has a sense of honor and responsibility and he knows that his youth, when he should have been sowing wild oats, were spent running the family business instead.

When Eric and Beth finally get together—wow. The sex scenes are truly hot, and I think a lot of the reason for that is that you get to know Eric and Beth beforehand. Beth dares to try some things she’s wondered about, and Eric is only too pleased to help her. Together they have a lot of fun.

But you see enough of them out of the bedroom to understand why they are falling for each other and you totally believe in their happy ending.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series. Sometimes the family dynamic is a little too much, and I wonder why they bothered to stay together, since they did nothing but argue and misunderstand each other. But the brewery background is convincing and, to me at least, fascinating. The plot about the break-in that started in the first book doesn’t really add too much to the series, and I would have liked more development, but the characters of the Kendalls are nowhere near as carefully or as cleverly drawn as the other characters. Even Beth’s colleague Cairo has a more rounded character.

But I’d read these again and I’m looking forward to Ms Dahl’s next books. Dare I try a historical?

Grade: B

Summary:

It was meant to be a one-night stand. One night of passion. Scorching-hot. Then Beth Cantrell and Eric Donovan were supposed to go their separate ways. That’s the only reason he lied about his name, telling her he was really his wild younger brother. Hiding his identity as the conservative Donovan. The “good one.”But passion has its own logic, and Eric finds he can’t forget the sable-haired beauty with whom he shared a night of love. When Beth discovers that Eric has lied, however, she knows he can’t be trusted. Her mind tells her to forget the blue-eyed charmer. If only every fiber of her being didn’t burn to call him back.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

LynneC’s review of Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery, Book 2) by Victoria Dahl
Contemporary Romance published by HQN 27 Sep 11

While I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first in the series, I still had a good time with this book. Another well researched book with lively characters and a believable story.

Jamie Donovan is the middle sibling of the family who inherited Donovan Brewery from their parents when they were killed in a car accident when he was sixteen. He is the happy-go-lucky one, the man who creates trouble and sails through life, the one women adore. That’s from the outside. Although Jamie is now twenty-nine, he’s never outlived the difficult phase he went through after his parents died, when he bunked school, went to wild parties and generally rebelled. In the first book, Jamie slept with Victoria, and so set up the loss of business for his company when her father found out. But I’m relieved to find that Victoria isn’t the heroine of this book. It’s Olivia.

Olivia teaches at the local university, but she married an older man when she was twenty-two, and although she’s been divorced for a year, she’s never really got into the whole having fun thing. Her friend Gwen invites her to a “book club” at Donovans’, which is really a chance to chat and ogle Jamie, who will sometimes wear an Irish kilt when he’s serving. And since Jamie’s share of the work is to deal with the bar and the front of house stuff, he’s usually there.

So Olivia needs fun and Jamie can provide it. That’s on the surface. Underneath, there’s an awful lot of other stuff going on, and as the book progresses, the reader discovers more.
I think this book could have been shorter. There is definitely a long middle, when Jamie and Olivia’s romance seems to be going fine and the other story is working through. But Dahl’s style is professional enough and smooth enough that you keep reading. The sex is nice and hot and adds to the enjoyment.

Jamie goes to the classes Olivia is teaching on entertainment management. He wants to expand the bar and provide eating. The bar has the space. His problem is that his siblings, Tessa and Eric, don’t take him seriously because of his transgressions when younger. It’s a shame that there is a rational explanation for Jamie’s conduct in the things Tessa and Eric blame him for. I say a shame, because I rather like the idea of seeing feckless Jamie reform, but in reality he’d already reformed.

Olivia is accused of fraternizing, but since the classes in question are summer school and there are no credits involved, it’s a bit of a non-issue. This part of the story isn’t as strong as some other parts and doesn’t really provide a conflict, since it’s over as soon as it’s begun, and when it’s resolved in the end, it’s a bit of a let-down, but I could buy into it. It’s also vaguely irritating when Olivia thinks about her age for the umpteenth time. She’s thirty-five, but she’s an inexperienced thirty-five, and so the difference between her and Jamie isn’t that much. But as an old-fashioned girl, it would seem like a big deal to her, and it is in character, so I figure if I were her friend, I’d probably tell her to shut up and leave it at that.

I’d still recommend this book for the vivid characterization, well researched and depicted setting, and great writing technique.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Olivia Bishop is no fun. That’s what her ex-husband said. And that’s what her smart bob and glasses imply. So with her trademark determination, Olivia sets out to remake her life. She’s going to spend time with her girlfriends and not throw it all away for some man. But when an outing with her book club leads her to a brewery taproom, the dark-haired beauty realizes that trouble—in the form of sexy Jamie Donovan—may be too tempting to avoid.Jamie Donovan doesn’t mean to be bad. Sure, the wild streak in his wicked green eyes has lured the ladies before. Now it’s time to grow up. He’s even ready for a serious romance. But how can that be when Olivia, the only right woman he has ever met, already has him pegged as wrong?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

LynneC’s review of Good Girls Don’t (Donovan Family Series, Book 1) by Victoria Dahl
Contemporary Romance published by HQN Books 30 Aug 11

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It’s the start of a trilogy featuring siblings who own a microbrewery. The background is convincingly brought to life and the characters clearly depicted, so I could really relax into this one. Dahl is in charge of the story every bit of the way, and I could safely let her guide me through. At no point did I become jolted out of the story. WTG, Ms. Dahl.

The series starts with the sister’s story. Tessa arrives at the microbrewery to discover that while her brother Jamie had set the alarms, he’d left the premises when he shouldn’t have, and, in his absence, thieves broke in and stole their computers and a keg of beer.

She is incandescent, especially when she discovers that Jamie’s leave of absence is so he could spend a little time with the daughter of the man they’re just about to sign a big contract with. His daughter is his princess, so the deal could be off.

Their elder brother, Eric, takes everything on his own shoulders, and Jamie and heroine decide not to tell him. Or rather, Tessa decides not to and persuades the guilt-ridden Jamie to go along with her scheme. She’ll fix everything herself.

Since we already know that Tessa isn’t a bossy female, we know that is part of her problem. But it doesn’t really emerge until later, so I won’t spoil it for you.

Attending the scene of the crime is Luke, the hero, and his partner, Simone, who is heavily pregnant. They are detectives and not an item, although Luke won’t tell about Simone’s pregnancy because she refuses to name the father. He lets people think what they like, so of course, they do.

And the story rolls on from there. Luke and Tessa have their moments, and the sex scenes, while described graphically, aren’t in any way generic. They describe that man and that woman and nobody else. They explore each other, they go on dates and get to know each other. The development of their relationship is totally believable and engrossing.

Sometimes when other characters intrude on a relationship, it can get irritating, but I don’t find it so in this book. I enjoyed Tessa’s interactions with her brothers and the other characters. I only found one character too obvious and a bit of a cliché, which is unfortunate.

The mystery side of the story, which emerges from the robbery, isn’t as well done as the romance, but it is enough to keep the story chugging along, and at times it gives the other events a shove in the right direction. The resolution is a little disappointing, but it will probably continue in other books and I honestly can’t say that I minded very much.

While the treatment of the story is light, it’s not exactly comedy, which I enjoyed because romantic comedies don’t always work for me. The characters care for each other and have lives of their own. And the brothers aren’t there just for sequel bait. We get to know them a bit and they have their parts in the story, they’re not just here to wave and say “just you wait for my book”!

A really enjoyable read, and I can’t wait for the next book. Just as well I don’t have to!

Grade: B+

Summary:

With her long ponytail and sparkling green eyes, Tessa Donovan looks more like the girl next door than a businesswoman – or a heartbreaker. Which may explain why Detective Luke Asher barely notices her when he arrives to investigate a break-in at her family’s brewery. He’s got his own problems – starting with the fact that his partner Simone is pregnant and everyone thinks he’s the father. The last thing he needs is a nice girl like Tessa getting under his skin.Tessa has her hands full, too. Her brother’s playboy ways may be threatening the business, and the tensions could tear her tight-knit family apart.  In fact, the only thing that could unite the Donovan boys is seeing a man come after their “baby” sister. Especially a man like Luke Asher. But Tessa sees past the rumors to the man beneath.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

C2’s review of The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld, Book 7) by Gena Showalter
Paranormal Romance published by HQN 29 March 11

Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series has a very interesting basis, I’ve always thought.  In her world, Pandora’s Box held demons and when the demons were released, rather than all flying free to fill the world with misery, etc., some were caught and housed inside the warriors that were supposed to keep the box safe and intact.  After thousands of years, the warriors and demons have learned to deal with each other relatively well…most of the time.  A very good thing, since it turns out the warriors cannot survive if their demon is removed.

Amun is the Keeper of Secrets.  His demon absorbs the darkest, deepest thoughts of those around him.  And once those secrets are in his head, he has no way to be rid of them.  Amun chooses not to speak aloud because, once the secrets start pouring out, he is afraid he will not be able to stop.  Instead, he uses sign language to communicate with the other Lords.

Haidee is a Hunter – a group dedicated to eliminating the Lords of the Underworld.  She is brought to the Lords’ fortress after being captured by Strider, Keeper of Defeat.  Strider thinks they will be able to get all sorts of useful information about the Hunters from her…one way or another.  What Strider doesn’t realize is that Haidee has a secret.

Amun and some others have just returned from a mission to Hell – literally (in The Darkest Lie).  This time he absorbs not only secrets but actual demon minions and they are slowly driving him insane.  Amun absorbs so much evil it seeps from him and affects those around him – they crave things they would never want and are tempted to do things they would never normally do.  He is under guard until it is clear he will not harm himself or others.  During his suffering, Amun internally calls out for help.  Haidee has been locked in the room next to his and hears his mental call…first in a nightmare and then awake.

When Haidee hears a familiar voice where she expects only enemies – the horribly injured person next door looks and sounds like her boyfriend, Micah (a man she has dreamt of all her life, even though they only met a few months before) – she is determined to get them both out of the Lords’ fortress safely.  When Amun realizes she is a Hunter and she thinks he is someone else, he plays along so he can keep her safe.  Of course, she quickly finds out the truth – that he is one of the creatures she is determined to kill…even if that option isn’t as attractive as it should be.

Only with Haidee is Amun lucid and able to keep the demons inside him subdued.  Since she is a sworn enemy, the Lords are determined to find another way to save him.  The only option they can find is that Amun must return the demons to Hell.  And the only way he can manage is if Haidee goes with him.  While they are on their quest, Amun is determined to find out exactly who and what Haidee is…why she affects him the way she does…and he may have to do it the hard way – by talking – because his demon isn’t particularly cooperative when it comes to Haidee’s secrets.

During their travels through the realms of hell (creepy, creepy realms!), they do get to know each other.  And their attraction increases – even though Haidee is fighting it.  She tells Amun she doesn’t want to start a relationship with him until she breaks up with her boyfriend…and cell reception in hell is not so good, faithful reader.  I have to say, Haidee’s insistence on the whole break-up-first issue is annoying.  She already knows she’s only attracted to Micah because she thought he’s the man she’s been dreaming of for so long.  And they had barely even dated!  The only thing they had in common is that both were Hunters.

Eventually (almost too late) all Haidee’s secrets are revealed to Amun – why her skin is so cool to touch, why she has lived many lifetimes, why demon minions flee from her.  Don’t you want to know what she is? How she can do all sorts of things a normal human Hunter shouldn’t be able to do?  Of course you do!

The structure of this book is different from earlier books in the series.  The Darkest Secret spends a lot of time with Strider and some of the other Lords in a not-very-connected subplot.  I enjoyed the subplot sections but, because the tone is so different from the main plot, the transitions are jarring.  I’m sure it is to expand the world of the series and to set up Strider’s book (coming up next), but the two plots didn’t blend as seamlessly as they could have.

Is this book for you?  If you have enjoyed the series so far, yes.  This isn’t my favorite of the series, but it held my interest.  Does it stand alone?  No.  I always recommend starting a series at the beginning, but you really need to here – if nothing else, read the previous book, since Amun’s story really starts there.

Grade: C

Summary:

Keeper of the demon of Secrets, Amun can manipulate the darkest thoughts of anyone nearby. But when the immortal warrior is chained and isolated to protect those he loves, death is his only hope of release—until he meets Haidee, a fellow prisoner whose beauty and hidden vulnerability draw him into a reckless test of his loyalty….

Haidee is a demon-assassin, raised to despise Amun’s kind. Yet how can she hate the man whose touch sets her aflame? But to save him, she must give herself body and soul…and face the wrath of a powerful adversary sworn to destroy her.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Liviania’s review of Bespelling Jane Austen by Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason, Susan Krinard, and Janet Mullany
Paranormal Romance published by HQN 28 Sep 10

I feel like I should love mash-ups since I love classic literature and horror stories. So far I’ve been disappointed by most of the ones I’ve read. The four authors in Bespelling Jane Austen – Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason, Susan Krinard, and Janet Mullany – retell the stories instead of simply adding in monsters. It’s the most satisfying example of the trend that I’ve encountered.

Almost Persuaded by Mary Balogh

What if Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth weren’t lovers who parted in this lifetime, but ones who have lost each other in life after life? In “Almost Persuaded,” that’s the case for Jane Everett and Robert Mitford. I enjoyed Mary Balogh’s originality, but felt like she took it too far from the emotional core of Persuasion.

Jane and Robert are avoiding the mistakes of their past lives, not their own mistakes. The pain and subsequent renewal isn’t as encompassing. It is two people falling in love at first sight and then making it work. It’s still a good story, but more common. I had almost completely forgotten Jane and Robert’s characteristics by the end of the anthology.

Grade: C+

Summary:

In this Regency tale of Robert and Jane, New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh brings together former lovers who have seen beyond the veil of forgetfulness to their past mistakes, and are determined to be together in this life, and forever.

Read an excerpt here.

Northanger Castle by Colleen Gleason

I’m not going to lie: Northanger Abbey is my favorite Jane Austen novel. It’s messy and moves from sharp satire to parody on the turn of a dime and never looks back, but it gets me every time. Colleen Gleason meshes its strongest elements well with the world of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. I enjoyed laughing at James Thornton acting pompous despite being full of shit as much in this novella as I enjoyed laughing at John Thorpe in the original.

It suffers from one of Northanger Abbey’s weaknesses as well. The pacing is just a touch off, with the ending happening rather fast. Luckily, Thaddeus Blanchard and Caroline Merrill do enough verbal sparring beforehand to support it.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Caroline’s obsession with Gothic novels winds up being good training for a lifetime of destroying the undead with her newfound beau, in this Regency by Colleen Gleason.

No excerpt found.

Blood and Prejudice by Susan Krinard

I like fanfiction, not going to lie. I also like meta about fanfiction. Most fanfiction requires knowledge of the original work to be fully appreciated. Part of the joy comes from the interplay with the original text. Anthologies like Bespelling Jane Austen naturally straddle the worlds of original fiction and fanfiction. “Blood and Prejudice” reads the most like a fanfic. (Not that that is necessarily a bad thing.)

Susan Krinard follows the structure of Pride and Prejudice closely, down to a visit to Pemberly. Most of the fun came in seeing how she made an aspect of the original work in an urban fantasy setting. I thought she did an excellent job of making the old story coherent in the new setting. The most drastic changes came at the end, one of which really annoyed me. Elizabeth doesn’t defeat Lady Catherine through courage, cleverness, and manners. She kinda sorta helps while Darcy physically defeats his aunt and then says she was defeated “thanks to [Elizabeth's] courage.”

Grade: C+

Summary:

Set in the business world of contemporary New York City, Liz Bennett joins Mr. Darcy in his hunt for a vampire cure in New York Times bestselling author Susan Krinard’s version of the classic story.

Read an excerpt here.

Little to Hex Her by Janet Mullany

I’ve never read something by Janet Mullany before, but I may after finishing “Little to Hex Her.” It takes a lot of guts to make a modern adaptation of Emma – even one with magic – in the shadow of Clueless. “Little to Hex Her” is no Clueless, but it’s still funny and romantic.

Emma Woodhouse is a witch trying to run her sister’s matchmaking service. Harriet is her werewolf and assistant who just turned Elton into a frog after a disastrous date. George Knightley is a wizard and Emma’s landlord while she lives in her sister’s apartment. And Emma needs their help and more when someone keeps trying to sabotage her service. (Plus she’s only made one successful match!) Emma and Knightley are fairly different from their inspiration in attitude (Mullany’s preface explains her choices), and it works well in the contemporary D.C. setting. “Little to Hex Her” is lighter in tone than the rest of the anthology, but it makes for a nice finish.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Present-day Washington, D.C., is full of curious creatures in Janet Mullany’s story, wherein Emma is a witch with a wizard boyfriend and a paranormal dating service to run.

Read an excerpt here.

Overall grade: B

LynneC’s review of Trial By Desire by Courtney Milan
Historical Romance released by HQN Books 01 September 10

Courtney Milan has written a highly enjoyable book that almost sold me on the Victorian era.

I dislike the Victorian era. It’s a personal prejudice, born of many things, but mainly the namby-pamby, hypocritical way they went about things. It contained many fine people and many great reforms, but it’s not for me. But Courtney Milan sold me on the era in this book. There are always exceptions. Well, nearly always.

I haven’t read the previous book, Proof of Seduction, but although characters from that book appear in this one, I didn’t feel that I needed to. It’s nice to read a book that is so well constructed. The earlier chapters have a series of hooks that keep you reading, eager to know what’s going to happen, and then, in the middle part, is the seduction bit, and the consummation. After that, the plot picks up again, and everything surges to a satisfying finish. There is very little to say about this book except that it’s a good, solid read, and thank the powers that be, for the most part, accurately researched, with vocabulary suitable to the period.

To a British reader, it’s obvious the book has been written by an American, but it’s only by little, everyday words. An American wouldn’t notice. Sigh, all right then, if you want examples: “trek” (a word that came into common use in Britain after the Boer War in 1898), “son of a bitch” (has never been a common British curse), “Corral” (in use, but not common, and far too reminiscent of the Wild West, so while not wrong, it leads the mind into the wrong avenues), “gotten” (I know, but five uses in the whole of Trollope’s oeuvre don’t make it common, and to the modern British reader, it screams “American”), “mother-loving” (I think the first time I became aware of that phrase was a Frank Zappa interview). As you can see, trivial and easily ignored. They didn’t bother me much.

There is a liberty taken with the trial part of the book, but Milan explains that in a note, and I completely agree with her. To spend the whole book in a trial, when the story is really about the coming together of a previously estranged husband and wife is completely excusable, and understandable. Good call on her part.

So many thanks to Courtney Milan and the care she took in research, and creating a realistic, believable background for her characters. At last. A historical writer I can enjoy!

While I can’t say the book engrossed me so that I couldn’t stop turning the pages, it provided something good to look forward to and settle down with. The book is written at a leisurely pace, so that was how I read it, and I’m glad I didn’t race forward.

The prose is precise, and the vocabulary pleasantly wide, without overtaxing the reader or using two words when one would do. In fact, for me, it was one of the best parts of the book. To read someone who knows how to use words properly and in the right order makes any book that bit better.

Kathleen is not a perfect heroine, but that is something I don’t like in a book. Perfection. Ick. She accepts her lot in life, even if she doesn’t always like it, and she strives to make the most of it. she cares for the estate, looks after her friends and doesn’t sulk. WTG, Kate.

Ned, the hero, abandons his wife to go to China. We don’t find out for sure until later in the book, although there are hints given throughout the text. This is the part of the book that I find most unsatisfactory, which is to say, not very much. There are a few contrivances, and one is Ned’s original reason for leaving for China, and his reluctance to engage in intimate relations with a woman who is, after all, his wife. I couldn’t see the point, even when the matter becomes clearer, except to lead the reader to wait for the big scene.

Which is fun, I have to say.

Ned has a problem that I sussed early on, because Milan gets the cure spot-on. Activity works for depression, because if it’s kept up, depression can be averted. Boredom is the friend of depression and can lead to terrible downers. Ned has discovered this and exhausts himself in extreme physical activity that exhausts him. WTG, Ned. Don’t be a victim, find what works for you and do it. I did like Ned, although his reasons are sometimes convoluted.

The sex isn’t of the turn-on kind, but is described well enough to stop me skipping, something I don’t do very often anyway, and it’s appropriate to the characters, except that I find Kate strangely immodest for a young, barely experienced Victorian lady. I wasn’t really engaged by their sex life, much more interested in the way they grew to know each other through the book, slowly coming to an understanding that ensures their happy ending. While I didn’t get the OMG lovers-to-friends moment, their love is of the lasting kind, and I could see these two being happy together by the time I closed the book.

I’d been putting off reading this book for some time, mainly because of the “Best thing since sliced bread” reviews I read when it was first issued. And the Victorian setting. Both highly personal reasons, but I’m really glad I finally brought myself to the sticking point, because I had a lovely read that took me through a couple of fraught situations in my personal life.

Milan’s style and the way she constructs her books reminds me of a writer who appears to have disappeared off the scene – Lydia Joyce. The great prose, the careful construction, and the choice of the Victorian era are all reminiscent of her style.

A goodie, and well worth your time.

Grade: B

Summary:

She cannot forget the fire he ignited…

In the three years since her husband left her, Lady Kathleen Carhart has managed to forge a fulfilling life for herself. But when Ned Carhart unexpectedly returns, she finds her tranquility uprooted—and her deepest secrets threatened. Though she has no intention of falling for Ned’s charms, Kate can no longer deny the desire that still burns in her heart.

Or the promise of his love…

Ned is determined to regain his wife’s trust by using unbridled seduction. But just as Kate surrenders to Ned’s passion, her carefully guarded past threatens to destroy her. Now Kate must place her faith in the only man she’s ever loved, and the only one who has ever betrayed her…

Read an excerpt.

LynneC’s review of  Sins of the Flesh (Sins Series, Book 3) by Eve Silver
Paranormal Romance published by HQN 1 Oct 10

I’ve never read Eve Silver’s books before, but I plunged into this one, despite it being part of a series. I had no trouble at all.

This is the kind of paranormal I enjoy—rich language and delicious characters I can believe in. It’s a classic Romeo and Juliet trope, their parents or bosses or whatever, are enemies, so they are expected to be enemies, too. Despite the deep attraction they feel for each other.

When I started this book, I was dreading getting another galley that I couldn’t get into, but two chapters in and I was totally engrossed. The mythology is one I particularly enjoy, the Egyptian one. This is signaled by the quotations from the Egyptian Book of the Dead that starts every chapter. About as understandable as the Book of Revelations, but with beautiful, mystical language you just know has to mean something.

Malthus Krayl (Mal) is after the same object as Calliope Kane (Calli) when they first meet and although he ends up the victor, she has wounded him and taken his blood. I loved Calli. While she didn’t take any bs from anyone, she knew when she’d met someone who could best her, and she acts accordingly. She has a mission and she does her best to fulfill it.

Mal wants the same thing and he knows he’ll get it, but Calli gets under his skin, literally, when she takes a draught of his blood. His protective instincts kick in. But his conflict is dire, since it involves his brother, who he is trying to resurrect. He is a powerful being, but he has his limits, and Calli pushes him close.

There was a part, about half way through the book when I thought, “oh no, not more torture,” because Mal is really put through it and all the slicing and burning and torture gets a little bit much, and, dare I say, even repetitive, but the tide turns and Mal goes on the rampage. Loved that. Loved what happened when he and Calli get together, although the sexual content of this book is pretty minimal. But it does its job, and I enjoyed that part, too.

I will be looking for more of Silver’s books, for sure.

Grade: B

Summary:

Torn between lust and loyalty…

The blood of the Underworld lord of evil runs through soul reaper Malthus Krayl’s veins.  Raised to fight for survival and to kill for victory, he can destroy anyone who poses a threat.  As he searches for the one responsible for his brother’s murder, he refuses to succumb to any distraction… until his sworn enemy crosses his path and tempts him beyond all reason.

Calliope Kane, a Daughter of Aset, has a personal hatred for soul reapers.  Their savage attack against her family still haunts her.  But only Malthus can help her find the traitors of her kind, and only she can help him hunt the source of betrayal amongst the reapers.  As they unite, the danger grows closer…and the passion between them ignites…

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s DDS Review of The McKettricks of Texas by Linda Lael Miller
Historical Western Romance published by HQN Jan, May, Jun 10

Darn that Sybil. You can’t argue with her. And she forces you to look at things differently than usual. I’m a very within-the-box type of reader. I go with what an author gives me, very rarely thinking outside that box. Sometimes I have to look outside, however, when something is too silly, too dark, too lame, too whatever even for me. So when we discussed this trilogy, she pointed out a couple of things that never occurred to me during my reading. While I still maintain my enjoyment of the books versus her dislike of them, I do see her point here and there. But not enough for me not to like this new generation of McKettricks.

Tate
26 Jan 10

Tate and Libby were high school sweethearts, on their way to a happily ever after until one liquored-up night Tate strays, finds out he’s going to be a father, tries to do the right thing and breaks Libby’s heart in the process. Of course, the marriage doesn’t last and Tate has joint custody of his twin girls, which reduces him to pieces each time he sends his children back to their mother.

He and Libby have seen each other over the years, there’s no totally avoiding seeing or interacting with the other in such a small town, but little by little they begin to talk and then when Tate gives her an opening, she hesitantly takes it, and then feelings and wishes begin to happen again for them both. Libby is afraid he’ll go back to his ex-wife if only for the kids. Tate fears she hasn’t forgiven him for leaving as he did six years before.

I like both of these characters. They have their vulnerabilities, but when push comes to shove, they do what they need to. Syb didn’t like the fact there’s not enough groveling and/or apologizing on Tate’s part for the way he treated Libby. I felt he showed that in deed rather than the spoken word. And, hell, he’s a McKettrick. They do their own thing, including their own brand of apologizing and whatnot. I know that won’t satisfy a reader like Sybil, but for me it works. It never entered my mind that Tate didn’t explain to Libby why he did what he did until my talk with Syb. Maybe it should have. I don’t know. I do know it still doesn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story.

There’s mystery surrounding cattle rustling that spreads out over the three books, a come-home again mother whose efforts are too little too late, and death that affects them all. I enjoyed the interaction between the brothers, the teasing, competitiveness, and fighting but having each other’s back when need be. The same goes for the sisters, they’re just as fearsome when it comes each other. The children are also a hoot, though a lot can be said for the fact that children don’t speak the way these do. But they were fun, so it didn’t really bother me.

A good start to the trilogy for me. It made me want to pick up the next one.

Grade: B

Summary:

For divorced dad Tate McKettrick, there are barely enough hours each day to run the Silver Spur ranch, do the suit-and-tie thing for his business and run herd on his beloved six-year-old daughters. But time stands still at the sight of Libby Remington. When they were high school sweethearts, the wealthy McKettrick made a mistake that cost him the love of his life. But now they’re both back in Blue River, Texas. And cattle rustlers, a manipulative ex-wife and a killer stallion can’t keep Tate from trying to win Libby again.

Libby has her hands full caring for her mother and running the Perk Up Coffee Shop. Caffeine she needs. Tate McKettrick—with his blazing blue eyes and black hair. No way! Oh, heck—yes! But can Tate and Libby really hope for a second chance?

Read an excerpt.

Garrett
25 May 10

I think Garrett is my favorite of the three books. He’s the brother who’s left Blue River with aspirations of one day becoming President of the United States. He’s the top gun for a senator, who’s married to Garrett’s mother’s best friend, and Garrett has defended the man at every turn. However, the senator’s latest debacle is too much even for Garrett and his eyes are finally wide open.

So he heads home to regroup. There he runs into Julie Remington. He’s known her for years but now takes another look at her and likes what he sees. Her son even burrows into Garrett’s heart, a boy who is starved for a man’s attention. I love those scenes between man and boy throughout the book, especially when the biological father resurfaces.

Julie is a hometown teacher, goes to bat for her students, is afraid her ex-husband will try to take her son, and is beginning to have feelings for a man she’s been friends with for years. She and Garrett are thrown together while she’s living in the McKettrick home due to the huge termite balloon currently covering her own home, as well as the fact her sister is marrying his brother.

Trying to fend off the repercussions of a political scandal is not that easy and Garrett finds himself grudgingly pulled back in the fray before too long. That’s when he realizes how much home means to him. His brothers, the ranch, and especially Julie are where his home is. Julie has to learn to let go of some things she just can’t completely control and let a certain cowboy into her heart for good.

The rustling mystery continues in this book, escalating more and more so that the sisters are afraid for their men, who go galloping into the danger head on to protect what’s theirs. Again, the camaraderie among the brothers, as well as the sisters, is a fun part of the story. But it’s Garrett learning to be a father that won me over for this edition to the trilogy to be my fave.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Fast track up the political ladder, fast cars, fast women—that’s Garrett McKettrick. Make that was. A scandal has brought him home to Blue River, a place where a man can slow down, take stock and plan his next move. Which doesn’t include staying at the family ranch with his brothers. A city boy for a long time now, Garrett doesn’t think he has the land in his blood anymore. But Blue River has other attractions, like his former high school nemesis, Julie Remington.

Now a striking woman and much-respected teacher, Julie comes complete with a precocious four-year-old cowboy, a three-legged beagle and deep ties to the community. Good thing they have nothing in common—except their undeniable attraction and a future brighter than the Texas sun.
Read an excerpt.

Austin
29 Jun 10

Austin almost trumped Garrett in the favorite category. He’s the rodeo bull rider who was quite seriously injured in Tate, and he’s determined to again ride the bull that bested him. It turns out it wasn’t the best idea he’s had when he ends up with a hernia that knocks him off his feet for a bit. With his devil-may-care attitude and endless restlessness, he finds being nursed by the youngest Remington sister both heaven and hell, especially because they had something going a while back and he messed it up big time.

Paige wants to avoid Austin as much as possible, but since they’re going to be family now, that’s a little difficult to do. Then his older brothers ask her be the man’s nurse after his bull-riding incident. Austin doesn’t know when to or like to ask for help, so she’s not keen on being his babysitter. But then again, maybe it will be worth it to rub the man the wrong way as much as she can, the way he’s done her for years now. Thus, the balance of being off balance in each other’s company equals out. Until they tumble into bed again.

His brothers are constantly trying to shield him in every aspect of his life just because he’s the baby of the family. But Austin’s had enough. Of course, he’s just like them, so he runs headlong into danger and ends up injured again when the cattle rustling part of the story escalates even more. It’s his relationship with Paige he’s determined to keep them out of any which way he can. And what a relationship it is. Their love scenes are the hottest of the trilogy for me. Enjoyed every one of them.

Learning he can give up the rodeo and make a life on the Silver Spur, Austin opens himself to his love for Paige, telling her his reasons for his behavior ten years in their past and hoping for true forgiveness to have a life with the woman he never stopped loving. Paige, however, is now able to leave at any time after receiving an unexpected financial boon. Maybe leaving is the easy way out, though. Does she have what it takes to stay to face the feelings she never lost for Austin.

Grade: B

Summary:

World champion rodeo star Austin McKettrick finally got bested by an angry bull. His career over, his love life a mess, the lone maverick has nowhere to go when the hospital releases him. Except back home to Blue River and the Silver Spur ranch. But his overachieving brothers won’t allow this cowboy to brood in peace. They’ve even hired a nurse to speed along his recovery. Paige Remington’s bossy brand of TLC is driving him crazy. As is her beautiful face, sexy figure and silky black hair.

Paige has lost count of the times Austin has tried to fire her, but this determined nurse is not going anywhere until he’s healed, body and heart.

Austin’s brothers are laying bets that Paige’s place in his life just might become permanent.

Read an excerpt.

Okay, Sybil, these books aren’t perfect. But even with a few faux pas, they’re light and easy to read, have engaging characters, especially the sexy men and the precocious children, and I still had fun with them. I don’t mind that real-life things get overlooked, that’s not part of why I read anyway. Entertain me and I’m happy. Yeah, sometimes I’m a darned easy but happy reader.

Overall Grade: B

Liviania’s review of Sins of the Flesh (Otherkin, Book 3) by Eve Silver
Paranormal Romance released by HQN 1 Oct 10

Like many, I thought the advent of ebooks would protect me from the embarrassment of a cheesy cover.  But even the ebook can’t prevent someone looking over your shoulder and making a comment about the title, as one of my friends did.  (“Sins of the Flesh?  Sounds racy, Liv.”)  Now, perhaps I could’ve prevented this by paying attention to my guest instead of trying to finish my book.  Nah, that’s crazy talk.

Malthus Krayl, the youngest remaining son of Sutekh, is the joker and the ladies’ man.  His confidence is a little low since his latest conquest walked out in the middle of sex.  It’s all cool though, as he’s about to reap Pyotr Kusnetsov and figure out which deity was responsible for the death of his brother.  Then Calliope Kane, a Daughter of Aset and former mentor to his brother’s lover, shows up.  As do representatives of several other Underworld players.

I’m glad Calliope showed up again, since we saw a little of her in Sins of the Heart.  She’s more uptight than the other two heroines, used to being behind the scenes instead of actively fighting.  She also doesn’t sleep with supernaturals, which is why she ran out on Mal when she almost slept with him in disguise.  I liked how Calliope, the oldest of the heroines, used her experience to improve her ability to fight and to discover important clues in the case.

Mal’s hedonistic-but-focused personality is a good contrast to his brothers’.  While Eve Silver is good at giving them different voices, she does have a tendency to repeat some things almost word-for-word in all three of the books.  (For instance, Sutekh wanted four sons loyal to him.  Instead, he got four sons loyal to each other who both loved and hated him.  All three narrators think the exact same thing about their family, despite their wildly different personalities.)

Things move quickly in Sins of the Flesh.  In addition to Mal and Calliope’s relationship, Silver has to tie off all the plot threads begun in Sins of the Heart or Sins of the Soul.  This causes the progression of Mal and Calliope’s romance from lust to love to sometimes seem rushed.  Opposites do attract sometimes, but Silver relies a bit too much on love at first sight.  Of course, Mal and Calliope get the hottest relationship of the three, which makes up some of the difference.

Overall, I thought the Otherkin series was fun, fast-paced, and absorbing.  There were a few problems, but Silver kept me reading all day long.  I do wish Lokan had a book too, as things end a bit abruptly.  At least all the questions I had were answered.

Grade: B

Summary:

Alastor Krayl’s world shattered when he learned that his father was the Underworld god of chaos and evil. All that saved him from self-destruction were his newfound brothers and the bond they shared as soul reapers. So when one of his brothers is murdered, vengeance becomes Alastor’s obsession. And the enigmatic Naphré Kurata, a witness—or is she the killer?—has the answers he seeks.A reluctant Underworld enforcer, Naphré trusts no one, especially not a seductive soul reaper who makes her burn with lust. Torn between duty and desire, she fights to keep her secrets safe from Alastor, even as she longs to surrender.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Liviania’s review of Sins of the Soul (Otherkin, Book 2) by Eve Silver
Paranormal romance released by HQN 1 Sept 10

As I said in my review of Sins of the Heart, I began Sins of the Soul as soon as I finished the first novel in the trilogy.  I enjoyed Sins of the Soul as well, but it suffered a little from being the second in the trilogy.  This one is heavier on the romance, however.

Personally, I like plot.  So I was somewhat sad that very little happens in way of finding Lokan’s killer during Sins of the Soul.  Mostly, Alastor Krayl – the middle of the remaining sons of Sutekh – works to gain control over Butcher’s soul.  Butcher was a hitman who witnessed Lokan’s death, but his soul was consecrated to Izanami, a Japanese Underworld goddess that distrusts men.  Thus, Alastor can’t reap his soul without complications.

Alastor was my least favorite of the Krayl brothers.  He’s defined by two characteristics: being British and missing his human family.  As for the British part, he didn’t strike me as overly British.  He uses a few slang terms, but a fondness for suits and English toffees does not a Briton make.  Alastor was raised with his mother, unlike Dagan, and he resented that Sutekh pulled him from a loving family and didn’t allow him to return to the Topworld until they were dead.  His feelings made sense, but I preferred the less angsty Dagan and Mal.

Naphré Kurata, his heroine, was the protégé of Butcher.  She killed him after he took a hit out on her.  She’s also a derelict Daughter of Aset, as she refused part of her duties.  Naphré has a strong moral center, but she acknowledges that in many ways she’s compromised her morals in order to survive.  I found her intriguing, but a bit of a blank slate.  An overweening desire for cleanliness wasn’t enough to separate her from the hordes of paranormal assassin heroines.

I was, however, quite fascinated by Izanami and her Shikome.  Though not often present in Sins of the Soul, the two had a presence.  Izanami, particularly, comes off as dangerous without ever raising her voice or doing anything overtly threatening at all.  I’d have liked to read more about her.

On one hand, Sins of the Soul was a perfectly good paranormal romance.  On the other hand, there wasn’t much that made it stick out from the crowd.  In my opinion, it’s the weakest of the trilogy.  Silver’s writing and plotting was good enough to make me pick up Sins of the Flesh instantly to discover how everything worked out.

Grade: C+

Summary:
Alastor Krayl’s world shattered when he learned that his father was the Underworld god of chaos and evil. All that saved him from self-destruction were his newfound brothers and the bond they shared as soul reapers. So when one of his brothers is murdered, vengeance becomes Alastor’s obsession. And the enigmatic Naphré Kurata, a witness—or is she the killer?—has the answers he seeks.
A reluctant Underworld enforcer, Naphré trusts no one, especially not a seductive soul reaper who makes her burn with lust. Torn between duty and desire, she fights to keep her secrets safe from Alastor, even as she longs to surrender.
Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Liviania’s review of Sins of the Heart (Otherkin, Book 1) by Eve Silver
Paranormal romance released by HQN 1 Aug 10

I began this novel late at night, intending to read a chapter or two before I went to sleep.  Note that I was already half asleep at this point.  Shortly before 200 pages, I managed to put the book down and let my body rest.  The first thing I did in the morning was pick it back up.

Eve Silver is not my new favorite paranormal romance writer.  But her work is fast-paced while managing to remain detailed and wide in scope.  The basic premise of the Otherkin series is this: Lokan Krayl, youngest and very immortal son of Sutekh (Set/Seth, an Egyptian god of the Underworld) has just been murdered.  His three living brothers want revenge.  The Daughters of Aset, aka the Otherkin, are the traditional enemies of the sons of Sutekh.  They want the murderer to remain unknown so that the Krayls don’t start a war in pursuit of revenge.  (Silver does a good job at making both motives seem like worthy goals.)  War is very likely at this point, as most of the deities are about to meet for a peace conference and everything is quite on edge.

For those who aren’t big on world-building, this series might not be your thing.  Silver put a lot of work into developing a world where various gods remain, and it shows.  Sins of the Heart and the other two novels in the trilogy are all heavy on plot.  In fact, since each of them end with the HEA, I was sometimes left bemoaning the fact a plot thread wouldn’t be resolved until the next book.  Sins of the Heart is probably the heaviest on plot, but one of my favorite couples.

Dagan Krayl, the oldest son, met Roxy Tam fifteen years ago.  She’d fallen prey to a man he was about to reap for his debt to Sutekh.  He was attracted to her big mouth and actively helped her out of her situation, instead of just killing the man and leaving.  But Dagan knew an immortal soul reaper does not a good boyfriend make, so he left her alone.  Unfortunately, Roxy bit him.  Their encounter left her immortal and she sought out the Daughters of Aset for help.  Now the two are working on opposite sides of the hunt for Lokan’s murderer despite their mutual attraction.

I liked that neither Dagan nor Roxy protested too much.  Both of them acknowledged their attraction, but both wondered how they could make their separate goals and lifestyles work in a relationship.  While some of the resolution is done through talking, Silver does a good job of making actions speak louder than words.

Plus, the two have wonderful chemistry.  Sins of the Heart is full of excellent banter whenever the hero and heroine come together.  I do like the timeline.  Roxy needed those fifteen years to become a self-confident, powerful woman before she began a relationship with the possessive Dagan.

As for whether Sins of the Heart made me want to read the rest of the series, I began Sins of the Soul the instant I finished the last page.

Grade: B+

Summary:
Half human, half god, Dagan Krayl is the Underworld’s most powerful soul reaper. When one of his brothers is murdered, Dagan must use every ounce of his power to hunt down those responsible for his brutal death. But he must move swiftly—and carefully—if he’s to have any chance of resurrecting his brother.
Yet that resurrection could wreak havoc on the mortal world. As an Otherkin, Roxy Tam has sworn to protect the human race, and it’s her mission to stop Dagan. But when she sees him face-to-face, she realizes that she has seen him once before—a meeting that changed her life forever.

Neither Dagan nor Roxy expect to join forces for the sake of mankind. Or to have their loyalties tested as they struggle against the potent desire that threatens to consume them both….
Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Liviania’s review of Sin’s Daughter (Otherkin, Prequel) by Eve Silver
Paranormal romance novella released by HQN 1 July 10

When I really started paying attention to romance blogs, everybody was going crazy for Driven by Eve Kenin.  I picked it up shortly thereafter and enjoyed it.  Sin’s Daughter was my first experience with the author writing as Eve Silver, though the name change does not affect the quality of the writing.  Sin’s Daughter did make me want a longer story and prep me for Silver’s Otherkin series, as a prequel should.

Fifty years ago, Kai Warin died on Pfieffer Beach, sent there by a note from his girlfriend.  Amber Hale, lured by roses to Coit Tower, met her enemies instead of her lover.  Now Kai is a soul reaper and he’s run into Amber and her pursuers once more, both of them believing they were betrayed by the other.

Since Sin’s Daughter is a novella instead of a novel, there is not much time to waste on the hero and heroine not communicating.  Thus, they fairly quickly realize they were set up, likely by the hunters who want Amber.  With his new powers, Kai is in the perfect position to help Amber realize who she is and why she’s spent her entire life on the run.

Sin’s Daughter is heavy on the action, so the characterization is a little lighter than it could be.  Still, Silver makes a good case for Kai and Amber being a good match. Both of them are cool-headed and people of action.  Towards the end I could see the twist coming, but it worked well.

Though the Otherkin series as a whole can be read without Sin’s Daughter, it’s a good test-drive in Silver’s mythological urban fantasy world.  Reading Sin’s Daughter also fleshes out Sutekh’s (the Underworld god in charge of the soul reapers) motives in the main series when Kai becomes a peripheral character.

Grade: B

Summary:
Cursed with immortality, driven into a nomadic life on the fringes of society to escape those who hunt her, Amber Hale has learned the bitter lesson that she can never grow close to anyone. Never love.

Only once did she break her own rules. And her lover, Kai Warin, paid for her mistake with his life. For decades, she’s been numb with grief. Now, confronted by a soul reaper–an agent of one of the most powerful of the Underworld deities–with Kai’s face, she must acknowledge the likelihood that he betrayed her…to the Lord of Evil himself.

Forced into an uneasy alliance and plagued by the unwanted yearning between them, they must work together to elude the dark forces hunting them both…

Watch for Eve Silver’s hotly anticipated Otherkin trilogy SINS OF THE HEART, SINS OF THE SOUL, and SINS OF THE FLESH, for more tales of forbidden alliances and inescapable desires.
Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Kristie J‘s review of The Libertine’s Kiss by Judith James
Historical romance released by HQN 1 Aug 10

Have you ever read a book that affected you so deeply, when another book by the same author comes out you are afraid to read it? You’re afraid that the book couldn’t possibly come close to the previous book?

This was the case with Judith James’s Libertine’s Kiss. I was so blown away when I read Broken Wing, I was almost afraid to read Libertine’s Kiss when Sybil sent it to me. After just holding it for a number of days, though, I figured I’d better start reading. I mean, that is why she sent it; for a review.

I loved it, absolutely loved it. The book starts out with our hero, William, on the run from Cromwell’s troops when he comes across a cottage where Elizabeth saves him. After a night spent in each other’s arms, William leaves the next morning with the promise to help Elizabeth should she ever need it, though he doesn’t give her his name, so she thinks she will never be able to take him up on it.

But that act of kindness costs Elizabeth dearly as everything is taken away from her when it’s discovered she helped this friend of King Charles. And something else William doesn’t know. Elizabeth is in reality the only friend he had as a very young man when they were on opposite sides of the pending civil war. Elizabeth has loved him all these years.

Fast forward now and Cromwell’s son has given up his power, Charles is now King of England, and the Restoration is in full gear. For those who don’t know their history that well, this was a time of decadence, debauchery, and licentiousness and William is a major player. When Elizabeth comes to court to try and gain her land back, William recognizes her as the young woman who saved his life and is determined to help her gain entry into the King’s inner circle.

When you read a Judith James book, you don’t just get a romance. You get a wonderful, intriguing lesson in history. A number of times while reading this book, I took the time to look deeper into the times, the King and the Earl of Rochester, who the author based the character of William on, with a few differences since Rochester’s life ended sadly and much too soon, and this is a romance. And what a romance it is too.

Young William had such a tragic childhood that he really needed the optimism and naïveté that Elizabeth offered him. Their previous relationship is told in flashbacks as they deal with their growing love for each other as adults. William has led such a life of wantonness that he doesn’t think he can commit to a life with just Elizabeth and she demands nothing less. He does help her attract the attention of the king and the king is also attracted to Elizabeth. Add in a jealous mistress of both men and it seems there is no way these two lovers can find their way to each other.

Ms. James’ writing is lush and rich and she fully draws you into the heartache of her characters. The reader feels what her characters feel. And I can’t express how much I love the setting of this book. In a genre that feels so much the same, a love story set in Restoration England is just so damn refreshing and Ms. James makes the time come alive as much as the characters.

In some ways this is a better written book than Broken Wing. She keeps improving with each book. While I didn’t have the immediate need to right away reread Libertine’s Kiss the way I did with Broken Wing, there is no question that I will read it again and again and again.

Grade: A+

Abandoned by his cavalier father at a young age, William de Veres grew up knowing precious little happiness. But William has put the past firmly behind him and as a military hero and noted rake, he rises fast in the ranks of the hedonistic Restoration court. Though not before he is forced to seek shelter from a charming young Puritan woman…

The civil wars have cost the once-high-spirited Elizabeth Walters her best friend and her father, leaving her unprotected and alone. She flees an unwanted marriage, seeking safe haven, but what she finds is something she never expected. When her kindness and her beauty bring her to the attention of William, and then the king, she will have a choice to make. After all, can a notorious libertine really be capable of love?

Read an excerpt.

Liviania’s review of The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld, Book 5) by Gena Showalter
Paranormal romance released by HQN 25 May 2010

Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series, I’ve decided, are the literary equivalent of a summer blockbuster.  They contain exotic locales, gorgeous people, hunts for MacGuffins, and plenty of action.  They may not be as intelligent or as artistic as other things you’re currently reading, but you enjoy yourself too much to care.  Showalter is out to entertain.

Aeron contains the demon of Wrath, which causes him to strike out at wrongdoers.  When he denies his demon for too long, he becomes bloodthirsty and can’t differentiate between someone lying to their mother and someone killing their mother.  He’s tattooed himself with images of the people he’s wrongly killed in order to remind himself of his own guilt.  He’s never been my favorite of the Lords, but I have been fond of his demon companion Legion.

In The Darkest Passion, their relationship becomes a major problem.  Legion’s in love with Aeron, but he loves her like a daughter.  When Olivia, an angel, decides to fall (literally and figuratively) for Aeron, Legion gets pissed.  Caught by her own passions, she makes some foolish decisions.

Guilty Aeron doesn’t feel like he deserves Olivia’s sacrifice.  She has a short amount of time to return to heaven and he’s determined to drive her away.  I felt that Olivia adjusted to being a human rather quickly, but I admired her determination and how she found ways to be an asset despite her lack of powers.  Aeron didn’t really win me over, but I like that he let himself be caught in spite of himself.  Olivia might’ve done most of the pursuing, but he didn’t run so hard that I felt the relationship was doomed to be forever lopsided.

As usual, Showalter wove storylines about the other Lords in between scenes with Aeron and Olivia.  There a few further developments in Paris’s (Lust’s) storyline, which has been part of the series from the first book.  Showalter sets up the The Darkest Lie by introducing Gideon (Lies) to his heroine.  I am excited about that one, considering Gideon has been one of my favorite Lords.  She sets up a romance for Legion that I did not expect at all and I am very curious to see how that will turn out.  (I am happy that Legion doesn’t get completely shafted.)  (This will be a massive series if all the Lords get their own book.)

In addition, the Lords interact with the Hunters more than usual.  The way the storyline ends, it seems like there won’t be long term consequences.  There are also some new TPTB getting in on the conflict between the Titans, Greek gods, Lords, and Hunters.  It looks like Cronus just might be offed sooner rather than later.  I can’t speak about the ending without spoiling anything, but it carries interesting implications for the rest of the series.

Before reading The Darkest Passion, one might want to read The Darkest Angel, available for free on Showalter’s site or in the anthology Heart of Darkness.  Showalter’s other novellas have been side stories, but The Darkest Angel’s couple plays a part in The Darkest Passion.  Aeron and Olivia didn’t knock my favorite couple from the series off their pedestal, but still made for a fun book.  I will admit that I do have higher expectations for The Darkest Lie than I did for The Darkest Passion.

Grade: B

Read other reviews on this series by following its tag here.

Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with another sizzling installment of the Lords of the Underworld series, as Aeron, keeper of the Demon of Wrath, dares to taste the forbidden . . .

For weeks, the immortal warrior Aeron has sensed an invisible female presence. An angel–a demon-assassin–has been sent to kill him. Or has she? Olivia claims she fell from the heavens, giving up immortality because she couldn’t bear to harm him. But trusting – and falling for – Olivia will endanger them all. So how has this ‘mortal’ with the huge blue eyes already unleashed Aeron’s darkest passion?

Now, with an enemy hot on his trail and his faithful demon companion determined to remove Olivia from his life, Aeron is trapped between duty and consuming desire. Worse still, a new executioner has been sent to do the job Olivia wouldn’t…
Read an excerpt here.

Liviania’s review of Into the Dark (Lords of the Underworld, Atlantis) by Gena Showalter
Paranormal romance anthology released by HQN 27 April 10

Into the Dark collects The Darkest Fire, The Amazon’s Curse, and The Darkest Prison, previously only available as ebooks.  It also includes Kresley Cole interviewing Gena Showalter and other behind-the-scenes material.  It’s nice to be able to get a hard copy of the novellas, and the bonus material is entertaining.  If you’re unfamiliar with the Lords of the Underworld series, however, Into the Dark probably isn’t the place to start.  The Darkest Fire and The Darkest Prison are side-stories that offer the flavor of the world, but not a real intro to the main characters.  That could be amended by the character profiles, but those are kind of spoilery.

The Darkest Fire

The Darkest Fire is a prequel to the series, detailing the origins of Pandora’s box. Geryon made a deal with the devil. Now he’s trapped in a monstrous form, guarding the exit from the demon’s prison. Kadence is the goddess that’s supposed to keep Hell under control. Unfortunately, the demon’s are breaking free. On one hand, I liked that Geryon didn’t have to lose his hideous visage in order to win Kadence’s heart – she cared more about his personality. On the other hand, I felt like Kadence’s personality was uneven. Her journey towards becoming more assertive is part of the story, but the change felt forced.

Despite being a novella, The Darkest Fire contains a decent amount of plot in addition to the romance. It has perhaps the least happy ending to a Harlequin work that I’ve encountered, but it fits the universe. While I feel that Kadence’s characterization was somewhat uneven, I enjoyed a glimpse into what happened before the series’ backstory.

Grade: B

A Lords of the Underworld prequel

Geryon is the guardian of hell, more monster than man. Kadence is the goddess of Oppression, more angel than woman. Together they will enter the flames to battle a dangerous horde of demon lords — and discover a passion unlike any other . . .

The Amazon’s Curse

To be honest, I haven’t read Showalter’s Atlantis series so I skipped over this novella.  Maybe I’m silly, but I like reading things in order and Showalter’s site lists The Amazon’s Curse as last in the Atlantis series reading order.

A tale of Atlantis

Zane, a fierce vampire warrior, has been enslaved by the Amazons. Nola, a lovely Amazon soldier, has been cursed with invisibility. Now, these two stubborn enemies must overcome the pasts that haunt them and embrace a love that can set them free…

The Darkest Prison

All those familiar with the Lords of the Underworld series are probably aware that the Titans overthrow the Greek gods after having been imprisoned for years.  Atlas, the Titan god of Strength, is now attempting to lord it over Nike, the Greek goddess of Strength.  She scarred him with her name after their disastrous affair.  (He was using her . . . as well as several other women.)

I had trouble connecting to both Atlas and Nike.  I understand her being upset that he cheated.  I understand him being upset with her reaction and why he cheated, since no one wants to be imprisoned indefinitely.  But they both felt blah to me, like they were too understandable.  I wasn’t intrigued by their story.

Grade: C+

A Lords of the Underworld Tale

Once, Atlas, the Titan god of Strength, was the Greek goddess Nike’s slave. Now, he is her master. And soon these sworn rivals destined to destroy each other will be forced to risk everything for a chance at love . . .

The Bonus Guide

I enjoyed the interview with Showalter, conducted by Kresley Cole, the most.  Both are funny ladies and had a chance to show it off.  I think my second favorite were the original chapters of what would become the Lords of the Underworld.  They’re quite different, but I think I would’ve read that novel as well.  Overall, fans will probably find this stuff fun, but it’s not essential reading.

Grade: B+

The Bonus Guide:
Twenty(ish) Questions with Kresley Cole
Classified Files: From the Private Records of Dean Stefano
Behind the Scenes: Creating the Lords of the Underworld
At home with the Lords of the Underworld
Round table: the women of the underworld speak
Frequently asked questions
Sneak peek of The Darkest Passion
The Sacred Scrolls
Glossary of Characters and Terms

Overall Grade: B

No excerpt found.

Liviania’s review of Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie
Contemporary romance released by HQN 24 Nov 2009

I’m supposed to focus on new releases, not reprints.  I picked up this Jennifer Crusie because I know she’s a favorite of many.  (I’ve even seen her on my mother’s shelf.)  I figure it’s all right then, as there are probably a number of readers like me who are new to the romance genre and pick up a big name completely clueless as to whether it is new or a reprint.  I can say this after finishing Strange Bedpersons: Crusie earned her reputation.

Tess is the crunchy granola feminist.  Nick is the lawyer determined to make partner.  Together, they pretend to be affianced even though they broke up.  (Why they broke up is a bit of a headbanger.)  Nick is about to land an important client, and it matters to him who Nick is dating.  Then Tess gets further involved with Nick’s life when her best friend, retiring dancer Gina, begins to date and falls for Nick’s best friend, playboy lawyer Park.  Tess and Nick have conflicting sensibilities and desires, but an undeniable attraction to the other.

Unfortunately, Tess was the weakest part of the story.  She is utterly intolerant of other people’s points of view.  She’s that friend who tries to make you guilty for ever eyeing a cow, much less eating and wearing it.  I’m all for living in the way you prefer and not hiding your lifestyle, but people who try to shove their way of living onto others because it is the only way to really live and be a good person annoy me.  Luckily, Gina gets a great scene of calling Tess on her shit.

On the other hand, I really loved Nick.  Tess’s main issue with him is that he’s too ambitious.  However, he never comes across as ruthless or cut off from other aspects of life.  Dude wants to make partner and be secure and thus does a good job.  She’s also got a problem with the fact he isn’t instantly GGG when she tries to foist her kink on him.  Kink’s fine, but you’ve got to look out for your partner if he or she is going to indulge you.  My main problem with Nick is that he kept pursuing this crazy chick who stepped all over him.  (That, and he messed with her clothes.  He’s not perfect, but he was more likeable and sympathetic than Tess.)

This sounds really down, but it is a major compliment to Crusie that I enjoyed Strange Bedpersons despite my initial dislike of Tess.  The book is extremely funny, particularly during the final dinner scene.  Nick and Tess have enough chemistry with each other and enough willingness to compromise (even if it does come slower on Tess’s part) that I believe the happy ending, despite the relationship’s rocky beginning.  I think I will seek out another one of Crusie’s novels, though I know some of them are considered misses.  After all, it doesn’t take much work to check out the blogs and see which ones are hits.

Grade: B-

Summary:
Tess Newhart knows her ex-boyfriend Nick Jamieson isn’t the right guy for her. He’s caviar and champagne; she’s take-out Chinese pot stickers. He’s an uptight Republican lawyer; she was raised in a commune. He wants to get ahead in business; she just wants…him. But there’s no way Tess will play second fiddle to his job.

Yet somehow she finds herself agreeing to play his fiancée on a weekend business trip that could make or break Nick’s career. And while he’s trying to convince Tess that he needs her in his respectable world, Tess is doing her best to keep her opinions to herself and her hands off Nick.

Read an excerpt here.

Liviania’s review of The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld, Book 4) by Gena Showalter
Paranormal romance released by HQN 25 Aug 09

This was my second Lords of the Underworld novel and third Gena Showalter overall.  Now, she’s no Kresley Cole, but I definitely enjoy her writing.  She pulls you into the story and gets things moving immediately.  Heck, The Darkest Whisper begins mid-battle.  That’s the kind of badass beginning an immortal warrior and his harpy love deserve.

And if you like your romantic leads best when they’re overcoming large obstacles, you’ll love Sabin and Gwen.  Sabin, like all the Lords of the Underworld, contains a demon.  His is Doubt, constantly needling at the psyches of those around him.  His girlfriends have a tendency to kill themselves, which puts a real damper on his love life.  It doesn’t help that he’s totally focused on the leader of the Hunters, Galen, and willing to use anybody if it means reaching his goal.

Gwen, on the other hand, grew up confused by the conflict of her violent harpy nature with her softer, angelic side.  It undermined her confidence and turned her into a meek, scared woman.  Being captured and forced to watch other women tortured didn’t do much to make her feel better about herself.  She’s exactly the sort of woman Sabin should avoid.  Yet Showalter makes it work.  Gwen’s confidence grows quickly, but naturally.  In the end you might wish she decided some things differently, but her decisions were true to her character.  She’s soft-hearted, but knows she can defeat anyone in the room if she needs to.

I find it hard to discuss The Darkest Whisper critically.  Showalter made that part of my brain click off.  She made me sit back and relax, and I let her since I needed it.  I must say I admire how she handles her massive cast.  The others aren’t enigmas waiting for their own books, but receive a decent amount of character development and have adventures unrelated to the main couple.

I particularly enjoyed the interaction between Torin and Cameo.  Theirs is an unusual relationship for a romance, including the fact they have to stick to sex acts like mutual masturbation due to Torin’s condition and don’t intend to ever love each other.  (Also, Torin was attracted to Nïx’s ears, which makes me long for an even fuller crossover between the Lords of the Underworld and the Immortals After Dark.)

I also enjoyed the development of Gideon.  He is hard to understand when outside his POV, since he can’t say what he means.  But inside he’s extremely interesting – devoted to Paris and enjoying his demon, since it comes with a nice set of benefits.  The others tend to angst about it at least a little more, so it’s a nice change of pace.

I do enjoy how the series arc is developing.  Searches for artifacts can be annoying, but Showalter downplays that aspect of it.  She focuses more on what the enemy is doing to defeat the Lords, what Cronus is up to in his position of power over the Lords, and what might happen to them once they do manage to gather the artifacts and restore Pandora’s Box.

It makes it worth coming back for the story, not just for seeing a favorite character pair off happily ever after.

Grade: B+

Read other reviews on this series by following its tag here.

Summary:

New York Times bestselling sensation Gena Showalter returns with her long-awaited next installment of the Lords of the Underworld series…

He is the keeper of Doubt and his entire world’s about to be rocked.

Bound by the demon of doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern…until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.

Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she’d fall for a kind human who wouldn’t rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora’s box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of The Warlord’s Daughter (The Borderlands, Book 2) by Susan Grant
Sci-fi romance released by HQN 1 Feb 09

I really love a good sci-fi romance.  The last couple of months I’ve been lucky enough to read a couple of really good ones.  This is definitely one of them, so much so I’m going to have to glom all of Grant’s backlist. And I admit, I have heretofore been unwise to underestimate Grant’s books simply based on the rather, well, “lighthearted” titles.  I mean, How to Lose An Extraterrestrial In 10 Days? Seriously?  My unwarranted prejudice is understandable, right?

This is another of Grant’s books set in the same world/universe as I think all of her other sci-fi’s, allowing her to expand on the details, history, and characters.  This gives these books a very “real” feel because of the impression of visiting someplace that has real substance.  I think this all adds to the reader’s  enjoyment because you can just cut loose the disbelief and dive into the story without fear.  There won’t be some little  detail will jerk you out of the story’s “zone”.

I love when that happens.

This is the first book of this world/series I have read. Regardless, I had no trouble following it and yet I didn’t feel like there was any info-dumping.  The details are woven into the story in a very natural manner.  As a result, Daughter stands alone very well, though I am definitely going to read the related books.

From what I gather, Daughter‘s hero and heroine are royal members of what has largely been, until this book, the bad guys – the Drakken Horde (I know, cool name, innit?).  When they were early adolescents, they met eyes across a crowded room and from then on, they thought of nobody else.  In fact, the hero connived, maneuvered, and basically sold his soul to make sure he was able to claim the heroine as his wife.  It’s tremendously romantic.

I very much enjoyed the “quest” aspect of the story.  We’re brought along with the heroine, Wren, as she makes some heartbreaking discoveries about herself and her family. I frequently got teary-eyed as she struggled with yet more devastating news. There’s quite a bit in this book about prophecy fulfilling and the goddess aspects of this society, but it’s all fun and adds to the story.

There’s so much happening in the plot that it’s tough to pick out just one detail that really sells it.  I suppose that’s why it all worked so well for me.  I really felt like I was reading about something that happened.  Even the secondary characters have a full and interesting life.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a departure from the normal fare.  While it is definitely a wonderful romance, it’s got so much more – it’s got intrigue, politics, human interest, and just a rocking good sci-fi story.  Go get it.  Now.  I’ll wait here for you to comment with your own kudos.

Grade: A

Summary:

The war is finally over. But Wren’s life is in tatters. The only living offspring of the notorious Drakken Warlord, her genes could very well start a new dynasty of terror. And the Coalition can’t have that.

She alone holds the key to finding a legendary treasure. Having seen enough bloodshed, shy, petite Wren vows to destroy it before anyone, Drakken, Coalition or Earth, can get their hands on it – but she’ll need help.

The Drakken’s ruthless evil turned Aral toward the Coalition years ago. War is all he knows, until he finds passion and love in the most unlikely of women – the Warlord’s Daughter. But will trusting each other with their secrets risk not only their hearts, but their lives?

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

and Sureblood (Book 3), scheduled for Aug 2010

Liviania’s review of Freudian Slip by Erica Orloff
Contemporary paranormal romance released by HQN 1 June 09

I decided to read Freudian Slip because it looked fun, little more than a cute title and pair of legs on the cover.  I now need to get to my local secondhand bookstore in order to search out Erica Orloff’s backlist.  After all, until I read her previous novels I can’t properly consider myself a fan.  But Freudian Slip is enough to make me a fan of Orloff on its own merits. 

Kate just discovered her fiancé David in bed with her best friend Leslie, only to go home and discover her apartment burgled and her dog missing.  Julian just got shot and is comatose in the hospital.  Neither one of them is having a good day.  Then Julian discovers he’s supposed to act as a guide for Kate and help her discover what she needs.  The problem is that Julian is a grade-A jerk obsessed with lesbian porn and drugs.

Kate does not begin the novel entirely unconfident.  But she is in a bad place, and needs to feel she’s beautiful and attractive again.  It’s wonderful to watch her rebuild her life and to see Julian get over his self-obsession by focusing on someone else’s needs.   Julian could be very easy to hate, but Orloff does an incredible job with his character.  His past behavior is explained, but never excused, and the changes in his character seem organic rather than forced.

Developing an afterlife is always tricky, but Orloff really nails it.  Though the structure is Judeo Christian based, she incorporates other religions and doesn’t preach.  She’s also created one of the most terrifying hells I’ve ever read.  It’s simple, but she describes it in an incredibly chilling manner.  It definitely made me more worried about Julian signing his soul to hell.  It also provides a brief moment of pity for the demon characters who have to live that way.

Orloff also navigates the difficult waters of Kate’s grief for her father, a firefighter who died in 9/11.  She shared a close relationship with him, and was additionally hurt by her mother’s quick remarriage.  It’s been several years, but she never dealt with her grief and her current stress level forces her to face her issues.  And I love that she gets a therapist instead of just relying on the voice in her head.  I also love the balance Orloff strikes between dealing with Kate’s romantic troubles and her other issues.  She adds substance without making Freudian Slip angsty or depressing.

Freudian Slip is cute, like I hoped when I saw the cover and title.  But it feels like much more.  The characters had incredible chemistry and a true series of obstacles to overcome.  Some plots did feel dropped unexpectedly – what did happen to Leslie’s soul?   Or David’s?  Yeah, they did something bad, but Julian was forgiven for worse.  However, I didn’t those questions didn’t come to mind until after I was done reading.  Orloff pulled me in and didn’t set me free until the last page.

Grade: A

Summary:

When shock jock Julian Shaw is shot, he expects a white light, or perhaps his dearly departed grandmother. What he gets instead is a Guide, Gus, and an assignment: a lovesick Kate Darby, whose life is a mess. A romantic comedy . . . between Heaven and Hell.

Read an excerpt here.

Limecello’s review of Heartless by Diana Palmer
Contemporary western romance released by HQN Books 26 May 09

I was pleasantly surprised by Diana Palmer’s newest book. If you’re new here… Hi, my name is Limcello, and I read Ms. Palmer’s books. If you’re a regular at the pond, you know I’m addicted to the crack. There’s something about Ms. Palmer’s books that keep me coming back for more. Even though, like most people say, her books are pretty much the same, and there’s something about her characters that make you want to smack them. But the rest of it – well… every so often, a story is magic. And I feel that it hit here, with Heartless.

Gracie is your typical Diana Palmer heroine, but I felt that she was a bit more self-actualized. Yes, she has a tragic past (honestly, check out some of my other Diana Palmer reviews [here] for context if you haven’t read her before). Gracie’s had a lot to deal with – and it’s rather incredible. Almost ludicrous, but you get over it. It’s so twisted, yet so much a part of who she is.

Nevertheless, Gracie does get to assert her independence, and I loved that. She’s a sweet girl who is spunky, and definitely more optimistic than I could ever be. Yes, Gracie’s ridiculously naïve – unbelievably so-  but her saving grace is that she’s not too stupid to live. This is a key factor in what saves Diana Palmer books for me. While Gracie is clueless as to any number of things, including interpersonal relationships, and sex, she’s not about to run into the middle of a gunfight on some misguided notion of asserting herself.

Jason is your quintessential old school romance hero. He’s rich, a bit rough around the edges, totally emotionally stupid, makes a lot of mistakes, and is madly – madly- in love with the heroine. He just doesn’t have the social skills or aptitude to tell her. Instead, Jason suffers from what he believes to be unrequited love for a number of years, and then lashes out. It’d be comical, if it wasn’t so sad. Jason is a good guy, and seems to get swept along for much of the book. Although Jason is an ass for much of the novel, the fact that he comes to his senses- and is generally abused by almost all the other characters, make forgiving him acceptable.

I really liked that Ms. Palmer allowed more of the story to progress. I felt that Gracie was a much more developed heroine then normal, and someone who grew throughout the course of the book. Ms. Palmer manages to pack in an extraordinary amount of plot in a relatively short book. I actually wish it was longer, and some of the side stories more developed. I definitely was never bored at any point while reading Heartless.

Yes, this book, and Ms. Palmer’s books in general are formulaic, but it’s what is within the plot, the characters, and their stories – that indescribable, intangible something that keeps me coming back for more. I feel for the characters. I become emotionally invested, and involved. I remember many of their names and experiences – even more than a number of other books, even with books I may have liked better.

I have to say… I did fervently hope that more would come of General Machado and Gracie. Ms. Palmer’s heroines are too often the beaten down, defeated woman, while the hero is someone women absolutely go mad over. I’ve also mentioned before, that Ms. Palmer appeals to me because she makes her heroes suffer what I consider to be an adequate and satisfying amount. (Generally they go through soul searing agony and the threat of absolute loss – yet without becoming annoying or excessive.)

What did bother me, because I knew Heartless was connected to other books (like 50 of them) – that I had some trouble remembering specifics about the previous book[s]. Or at least, what I felt would be relevant. Also, at this point I believe I’ve read nearly 100 of Ms. Palmers books, if not more, and it’s incredibly difficult to keep them all organized and distinct in my head. Especially since the vast majority of them are linked. Although, I will give Ms. Palmer props for the fact that each of her books are stand alone. You get a better and deeper sense of characterizations and community, or perhaps a few inside jokes if you’ve read the others, but each one can be read by itself. And that is incredibly impressive. It’s definitely one aspect of the “old school writing” that I wish would be revived.

I don’t know if I let that affect my opinion – and I generally try not to, but a number of people suggest approaching a Diana Palmer book differently than you would other books. While I generally agree, I will say I don’t think Heartless necessarily needs that caveat. Ms. Palmer’s books have been reprinted countless of times, so a new reader might pick up a book originally published in the 1970s, read it today, and be furious. Gracie and Jason’s story may require some suspended belief for the plot, but the characterizations (aside from Gracie’s ignorance about sex), and the way their relationship finally comes about is believable, and enjoyable.

If you’re considering a Diana Palmer book, I suggest this one, whether you’re a fan, or a new Diana Palmer reader.

Grade: B-

Summary:
.
As a teenager, Gracie worshiped her stepbrother, Jason, a strong, silent young cowboy who left home early to seek his fortune. Though Gracie hadn’t seen him in years, when her mother passed away, Jason ensured that Gracie would be cared for. Now the wealthy owner of Comanche Wells ranch, Jason has finally come back home, and discovered that the little girl he knew is all grown up.
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When a moment of unbridled passion results in a kiss, Jason realizes that he’s falling for Gracie. But Gracie harbors a shameful secret that makes her deeply afraid to love.
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Read an excerpt here.

I admit when Kristie J emailed I pretty much said yes before I finished the email because it was Kristie and she said the code word – WESTERNS.

I envy those of you who were around for the high ‘trend’ of the western. Lucky for me so many of you have recommended such amazing novels I have read, loved, collected, and hoarded to read while I wait for the ‘trend’ to come into vogue again.

Every year it seems, the western is on the verge of a comeback, every (ok most, but that post comes later in the week) publisher wants that NEXT great western to publish. And this year will be our year. Why you ask? Because like the spirit of the west – our hope springs eternal – there is a never ending well of rebirth. No matter what the past sins of publishing, this year, if they only pack up their covered wagons and moved west, it could happen!

Of course there are those publishers who will be forever be in my heart: Harlequin Historical, HQN, Dorchester, Kensington, and Samhain. When I ask (and ask and ask and ask) why we don’t have more historical westerns, the blame more often than not is put right back in our court.

Now I know Kristie, Wendy and I do – we read them, buy them, and WANT them. And the plan for The Great Western Drive is to spend the week telling you why you should read them, buy them, and WANT them too.

Read A Western: Cowboys Need Love Too.

Sandy M’s review of The Bridegroom (Stone Creek, Book 5) by Linda Lael Miller
Historical Western Romance published by HQN 28 Jul 09

You know, I always love a good western romance. There’s a few authors out there I’d read no matter what in this genre. But Linda Lael Miller has lately gone that extra step and also given me brothers in her westerns. I love reading about brothers. Not sure exactly why. Guess maybe it’s because I don’t have any. But my first westerns by Ms. Miller were her initial McKettrick books and I loved those. Then I read her Creed brothers and enjoyed them just as much. I’m obviously a little behind in the Stone Creek series because this is my first one, and now I want to read the previous books since the Yarbro brothers are bad boys gone good and I know they’ll be a lot of fun.

Gideon and Lydia knew each other for a short time as children when her father had just died and she went to live with an aunt in Phoenix. Gideon told her that if she ever needed him, all she had to do was send him a letter and he’d be there for her. That was ten years ago and now that Lydia is engaged to a man she doesn’t love, she does feel duty weighing upon her to go through with the wedding. And she’s glad she sent that letter years and years ago and still hopes that it will catch up with Gideon to save her this one last time.

He’s headed home to Stone Creek on a special assignment for some mine owners who are trying to quash a possible strike by the miners, and as Gideon’s resting up in Phoenix, Lydia’s letter does indeed finally catch up with him. He doesn’t hesitate, finds Lydia immediately and tells her he’ll take care of everything, but now she’s not so sure that’s the right thing to do. Letting duty win over her own personal wants, Lydia asks Gideon to leave and let her go through with the marriage, but he’s got other ideas and isn’t about to let her sacrifice herself, even for her aunts and their home.

With a little help from those aunts and their housekeeper, Gideon shows up on the day of the wedding and literally throws Lydia over his shoulder and walks out of the house with her, and the whole kit and caboodle are on their way to Stone Creek — with a jilted and angry bridegroom on their tails. But once in Stone Creek and facing his brothers, Wyatt and Rowdy, former train robbers, he realizes his plan maybe wasn’t the best idea he’s ever had. He certainly doesn’t want to go to jail for kidnapping. So instead he marries Lydia to keep them both safe. However, as far as Gideon is concerned, it’s going to be a marriage in name only, but Lydia wants more. He knows there can’t be more, though, once the town and the miners find out who he is and what he’s up to. He’ll have to eventually leave town.

Of course, the scenes I really like are those between Gideon, Wyatt, and Rowdy. They constantly call him “little brother,” which he doesn’t like because he’s obviously not little anymore. But when Gideon doesn’t go to them to let his family help him with his assignment, when they learn he’ll leave Lydia behind, they talk to him like the man he is and hope he sees what they’re trying to tell him. And these are good men. All three take care of their women and their families, and it’s even sweeter for Wyatt and Rowdy considering their past and the love they never thought they’d find.

That’s why I need to get to those first few books in this series. I’d like to see how all that happens before to shape them into the men they are now, just as Lydia helps shape Gideon. Ms. Miller just has a way with the cowboy. She gets to me every time with the strong, silent type in a cowboy hat.

Grade: A

Summary:
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New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller returns to the Arizona frontier in a tale of passion, adventure and dangerous promises . . .
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Undercover agent Gideon Yarbro is renowned for stopping outlaws almost before they commit a crime. But now he must stop a wedding—despite the bride’s resistance. Lydia Fairmont will lose everything if she doesn’t honor her betrothal to a heartless banker. Unless she marries someone else instead . . . whether it’s a love match or not.
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Determined to honor his own decade-old promise to help Lydia, Gideon carries her off to Stone Creek and makes her his reluctant wife. Forget a honeymoon for “show”—not with a vengeful ex-fiancé on their trail and a hired gun on the loose. But there just might be hope for the marriage . . . and two hearts meant for each other.
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Welcome back to Duck Chat!You’re in for a treat today – Nicola Cornick is with us!

Nicola has a terrific backlist of books, but it’s her latest Brides of Fortune trilogy that has her excited nowadays, and she’d like to tell you about them, along with having some fun with all of you. The trilogy actually starts with a prequel, The Secrets of a Courtesan, which is in ebook only from eHarlequin. Then The Confessions of a Duchess, The Scandals of an Innocent, and finally The Undoing of a Lady round out the series. Nicola tells us all about them today.

Nicola started her writing career in 1998 when she was first published by Mills & Boon.  She’ has a passion for history, studied Medieval history, and her dissertation was on heroes, which she knows a little bit about! She is married, lives in the countryside of Oxfordshire, England with her husband and their many pets. Geneology is a favorite pasttime, and she works for the National Trust for the famed Ashdown House, which has been the inspiration for a couple of her books.

So if you love to read Regency romance, you need to talk to Nicola today. Be sure to leave that meaningful comment because she’s giving away one complete set of her Brides of Fortune trilogy. Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Nicola, let’s talk about your latest releases, your Brides of Fortune trilogy. Tell us first about the series as a whole, where the idea for it came from, did it evolve as you envisioned when you first started writing, and anything else you’d like to tell us about it.

NICOLA CORNICK: Even though I write historical fiction, I get a lot of my ideas from contemporary newspapers and magazines. A couple of years ago I read about a village in England where someone had bought the title of Lord of the Manor and then discovered that he could impose lots of ancient taxes on the villagers. He started to charge them for walking their dogs on the village green and for parking their cars when they went shopping. Naturally there was uproar with the villagers rebelling. I thought this would be great idea to explore in a Regency series and so the Brides of Fortune trilogy was born! Sir Montague Fortune imposes an ancient tax on the villagers that means that every lady has to marry or lose half of her dowry. Penniless gentlemen come flocking to the village and so Fortune’s Folly becomes the marriage mart of England!

The series didn’t really evolve as I had planned it because my books never do. Although I had ideas about the underlying murder mystery I had no notion who the murderer was going to be or how that sub-plot would develop. And although I had a rough outline for each story, they all surprised me with the way that they grew and changed in the writing.

DC: The first book in the trilogy is The Confessions of a Duchess and it’s about Laura, the Duchess of Cole, and Dexter Anstruther, both of whom we met in Unmasked. Please tell our readers about them and their story.

NC: After Unmasked came out I had so many emails from readers asking for Laura’s story that I couldn’t resist. Confessions of a Duchess is set four years after Unmasked and Laura has retired to live quietly in the country with her young daughter Hattie. Then her former lover, Dexter Anstruther, comes back into Laura’s life and turns everything upside down. Dexter and Laura parted on bad terms and now he has to marry a rich heiress to save his family but despite knowing that he has to marry for duty, Dexter finds it hard to resist his attraction to Laura. There are so many secrets keeping them apart and so many reasons why they cannot be together, not least that Laura is eight years Dexter’s senior and she thinks that to have a toy boy lover is totally scandalous!

Excerpt from Confessions of a Duchess:

He heard a knock and a step in the doorway and turned to find Laura there, her arms full of clothes. She was staring at his naked torso and a deep pink colour stained her cheeks. There was confusion and shock in her eyes. The clothes slipped from her hands and she made a grab for

them even whilst her gaze was still riveted on him.

“I’ve brought… Um… Did you…”

Dexter was surprised that she was acting like a startled virgin when she was an experienced woman, a widow with a child. Surely there was no need for any pretence between them after all that had happened? And surely she did not possess an ounce of modesty? In bed with him four years previously she had been open and generous, warm and wanton. Her sweet, seductive shamelessness had been one of the reasons that he had fallen so disastrously in love with her. It had seemed so honest and unguarded at the time.

But she had put him right quickly enough on that score. She had no use for him and his devotion, so she had said. And when she had had him in her bed once it seemed that she had no further use for him in that respect either.

“It would be best for you to leave now,” she had said in the morning, with a cool, aristocratic disdain that had made him feel utterly insignificant. “I would not wish the servants to find you here…”

Yet now it seemed that she had forgotten her indifference to him, since she was staring like a woman who had never seen a half-naked man before and looking flustered and more than a little intrigued. Her glance stirred something sensual in Dexter, reviving the fire he had only just managed to damp down.

Somewhere at the back of his mind a voice was cautioning him that to take this any further would be dangerous and irresponsible. He ignored it. He wanted to know if what he had experienced before with Laura had been no more than vivid imagining. He needed to know. Once he had exorcised the power she had over him, once he had proved that there was nothing special about Laura at all, he would be free of the past and this curious hold she seemed to have over him. And this time he could control his feelings. This was not like the time four years before when he had been an inexperienced youth. He was at no risk of falling in love with Laura Cole all over again.

Very deliberately he bent down and eased off his boots. When he straightened up Laura was still staring. With calculated intent he started to unfasten his trousers.

“Did you want me to take these off as well?” His voice had a rough edge to it.

Laura’s eyes met his and there was a confused and heated expression in them that made the lust slam through him, tightening its grip on him even as he cautioned himself not to lose control.

“Stop! No!” Laura seemed to wake from a trance. She thrust the pile of clothes down on the table and glared at him. “What are you doing?”

“I am removing my wet clothes,” Dexter said. He allowed his gaze to drift over her appraisingly. “You should do the same, your grace. You look,” his voice dropped, “most dishevelled.”

He saw Laura swallow hard. Her hazel eyes darkened further and the unconscious desire in them sent another jolt of lust through him. The warmth of the room, the intimacy of the small space, the heady scent of lavender and his semi-nakedness were a powerful blend. Dexter took a step towards her.

He had not intended this when first they had met. He had certainly not meant to provoke Laura or tease her or make love to her. Such a course of action was completely irrational. But she was standing there with her hair tumbled about her shoulders and the damned gown still clinging to every curve and he wanted her. He wanted her with all the raw longing he had known four years before. And he wanted to prove that he could master that longing and take one kiss and that it would mean absolutely nothing.

He took another step towards Laura. She took a step back so that she was trapped between his body and the warming room door. She was clutching the pile of garments to her breast now like armour.

“Mr Anstruther,” Laura’s voice was a thread of sound, “this is most improper.”

“You were swift enough to help me out of my clothes the last time we met,” Dexter said, “and you know that your concessions to propriety are only for outward show.”

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

NC: “When are you going to write a proper book?”
I prefer writing the improper ones.

DC: The Scandals of an Innocent is the next book where we meet Alice and Miles. Can you give us a look inside their book?

NC: Alice is a former housemaid who inherited her late employer’s money so she is struggling with the snobbish attitudes of some members of society towards her – they look down on her socially, even though they’d quite like to have her fortune! One of Fortune Folly’s penniless adventurers, Miles Vickery, decides to blackmail Alice into marriage and sets out to seduce her. Miles is an out and out rake, a real scoundrel, but Alice is determined to reform him so it is a battle of hearts. I have to confess that Miles is probably my favorite of the trilogy heroes! Although I love heroes who have integrity and a strong code of honor, I am a total sucker for rake heroes and Miles is a very, very bad boy indeed. He totally does not want to reform and fights really hard against it but Alice is no pampered society miss, she’s got a tough background, and she’s not going to just let Miles walk in and take what he wants.

Excerpt from The Scandals of an Innocent:

The Village of Fortune’s Folly Yorkshire, February 1810

Alice Lister was not cut out for a life of crime.

She had not even committed the robbery yet and already her palms were damp with anxiety and her heart was beating light and fast.

This, Alice thought, as she tried to calm her breath, is a very big mistake.

There was no going back. That was the coward’s way. Bravely she raised her lantern to illuminate the interior of the darkened gown shop. She had broken into the workroom at the back of the premises. There was a long table with piles of fabric heaped up on one end. A half-finished gown was draped across a stool, the pale silk glimmering in the light. Paper patterns rustled and fluttered in the draft from the open window. Ribbons uncurled on the floor. Sprays of artificial flowers wilted in a corner. Lace trimmings wafted their ghostly fingers against Alice’s cheek, making her jump. The whole place with its unnatural silence and its darkness made her think of a sinister fairy story in which the gowns would come to life and dance in front of her—and she would run screaming from the shop straight into the arms of the night watch. Yes indeed, burgling Madame Claudine’s gown shop was not for the fainthearted.

Not that this was theft, precisely. Alice reminded herself that the wedding gown she was hunting had been bought and paid for. It would have been delivered in the normal manner had Madame Claudine not gone out of business so abruptly and shut up her shop in the face of all inquiries from her anxious clientele. The modiste had disappeared one night, leaving nothing but a pile of debts and bitter words for those of her aristocratic customers who lived on credit. The contents of Madame Claudine’s gown shop had been declared the property of the moneylenders, and all the stock impounded. This was particularly unfair to Alice’s friend Mary Wheeler, for Mary’s father had paid the bill already with the same promptness he had paid a gentleman to marry Mary. Sir James Wheeler had been one of many to take advantage of the Dames’ Tax, the wholly outrageous edict leveled the previous year by the squire of Fortune’s Folly, Sir Montague Fortune. Sir Monty had discovered an ancient tax that had entitled him to half the dowry of every unmarried woman who lived in the village of Fortune’s Folly— unless they wed within a twelvemonth. Sir James Wheeler had been only one of many fathers who had seen this as an opportunity to get his daughter off the shelf and off his hands, parceled away to the first fortune hunter who asked.

Mary Wheeler had been distraught to hear of the gown shop’s closure. In the months of her betrothal she had managed to persuade herself that hers was a love match despite the fact that her ghastly fiancé, Lord Armitage, had returned to London and was carousing in much the same way as he had before their betrothal. With the wedding date only a matter of weeks away, Mary had taken the whole thing as a bad omen. And to be fair, Alice thought, marrying Lord Armitage was a poor enough proposition without getting off on the wrong foot….

“Alice? Have you found it yet?” The urgent whisper brought Alice back to the present and she raised the lantern again, scanning the piles of clothing hopelessly, for there were so many gowns and they were as tumbled as though a wintry gale had blown through the shop.

“Not yet, Lizzie.” Alice tiptoed across to the open window where her coconspirator, Lady Elizabeth Scarlet, was keeping watch in the passage at the side of the shop. This whole venture had been Elizabeth’s idea, of course. It was she who had thought it the most marvelous scheme to go to Madame Claudine’s shop and simply take Mary’s wedding gown. After all, Lizzie had reasoned, the gown belonged to Mary and she had set her heart on wearing it at the wedding, and even if they had to break in to take it, no one would know and right was on their side.

It had been another of Lady Elizabeth’s astound-ingly bad ideas. Alice shook her head to have been so easily led. Naturally, once they had reached the shop it became apparent that Lizzie was too tall to squeeze through the window and it was Alice who was the one who had to break in.

“What is keeping you?” Lizzie sounded decidedly testy, and Alice felt her temper prick in response.

“I’m doing my best,” she whispered crossly. “There is a mountain of gowns in here.”

“You are looking for one in white silk with silver lace and silver ribbons,” Lizzie reminded her. “Surely it cannot be so hard to find? How many gowns are there, anyway?”

“Only about two hundred. This is a gown shop, Lizzie. The clue is in the name….”

Sighing, Alice grabbed the next pile of dresses and hurriedly sorted through them. Silver with pink trimmings. White with green embroidery…golden gauze…that was pretty…white and silver with silver ribbons— Alice snatched up the wedding gown even as Lizzie’s agonized whisper floated up to her.

“Alice! Quick! Someone is coming!”

With a muttered and very unladylike curse, Alice ran for the window, squeezed through the gap at the bottom of the sash and struggled to climb out and down into the street. It was only a drop of about four feet, and she was wearing boy’s britches, borrowed from the wardrobe of her brother, Lowell, which made movement a great deal freer and easier. But as she tried to ease her leg over the sill the britches caught on something and stuck fast.

“Alice!” Lizzie’s hissing held a note of panic now. “Come on! Someone is almost upon us!” She caught Alice’s arms and tugged hard. Alice heard the material of the britches rip. She wriggled free for a few painful inches and then stuck fast again. She was not a slender girl and every one of her curves currently felt as though it was squashed into too small a space. The edge of the windowsill dug painfully into her hip. She dangled there helplessly, one leg out of the window, the other on the sill. She could hear footsteps coming ever closer, their measured tread loud on the cobbles of the road.

“He will see us,” Lizzie groaned.

“He will certainly hear you,” Alice said crossly. Lizzie’s idea of being quiet seemed to equate to behaving like a bull in a china shop. “If you will cease that pulling and pushing and keep still and quiet for a moment, he will pass by the end of the alley. And put the lantern out!” she added fiercely.

It was too late.

She heard the footsteps stop. There was quiet for a moment; quiet in which Alice’s breathing seemed loud in her own ears and the window ledge creaked in protest beneath her weight. She lay still like a hunted animal. Instinct told her that the man, too, was watching and waiting….

“Run, Lizzie!” Alice gasped. “I am right behind you!” She gave her friend a shove that sent Lady Elizabeth stumbling off down the passage even as everything seemed to explode into noise and movement around her. A man came running out of the darkness, and Alice wrenched herself free of the ledge and tumbled headlong on top of him, wrapping them both in the silky, voluminous folds of the wedding gown as they fell to the ground. As an ambush it could scarcely have been more effective had she tried.

Alice scrambled up, lost her footing on the slippery folds of material and fell to her knees. The man was quicker. His arms went about her, scooping her up and then holding her fast against him, so that all her kicking and pummeling was quite in vain. His grip was too tight to break, as taut as steel bands about her waist and back. Her struggles were embarrassingly puny against such quiet, almost casual, strength.

“Hold still, urchin,” he said. His voice was mellow and deep, and he sounded carelessly amused, but there was nothing careless in the way that he held her. Alice could tell she was not going to be able to break his grip. She also sensed by instinct that this was no drunken lord returning home after a night’s entertainment at the Morris Clown Inn. There was something too powerful and purposeful about him—something too dangerous to dismiss easily.

She was in deep trouble.

Fear clawed at her chest as she frantically tried to think of a way to escape him. Her whole body was shaking with fear and panic and a desperate need to flee. She stopped struggling and went limp in his arms in an attempt to trick him into loosening his grip, but he was evidently too old a hand to fall for the ruse, for he simply laughed.

“So docile all of a sudden? Listen, boy—” He stopped.

Held so close to him, Alice could feel the hard muscles of his body tense against her own and she recognized the precise moment that he realized, despite the evidence of her attire, that she was not a boy at all.

“Well, well…” The amusement was still in his voice, but it had a different quality to it now. He shifted, his chest unyielding against the betraying softness of her breasts, his hand moving intimately over the curve of her bottom where the rip in her britches exposed rather more bare skin than she would have wanted. His grip on her slackened, not much, but enough for Alice to wrench herself from his arms and turn to run.

It was the treacherous wedding dress that foiled her again. Wrapping itself about her ankles, it tripped her so that she staggered and almost fell. The man caught her arm in a savage grip, spinning her around so that her back was against the rough brick wall of the alley. Alice gasped as the pain jolted through her, and gasped again as he deliberately brought his body into closer contact with hers, holding her pinned against the wall with his hips, his hands braced on either side of her head. She was trapped, caged. A long shiver went down her spine that was neither fear nor cold.

The man took her chin in his hand and turned her toward the pale light of the lantern. His face was only inches away from hers, the harsh lines and planes shadowed in the darkness. She could feel the beat of his heart against her breast, feel his breath against her skin and the press of his lower body, lean and…

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?

NC: One of the joys of writing is when your story takes off in a direction you haven’t foreseen or dialogue pops into your head and you can’t pin down the source but you like it! My characters constantly surprise me. It’s one of the reasons that I love them. As I get to know them better and they become real to me they start to act very independently.

DC: Lastly is The Undoing of a Lady to complete the series. Lizzie is a bit of an unconventional heroine for her time, but she complements Nat quite nicely. Would you tell us about them?

NC: I love Lizzie because she is truly outrageous and unconventional. In part this springs from the fact that she is unhappy but also because she has the wealth and freedom to behave as she pleases so in that she is spoilt. She has a lot of growing up to do. Lizzie and Nat are childhood friends and she has always taken his presence and support for granted until he tells her he is about to marry. Her possessiveness can’t take it – she’s always seen Nat as her property – and so she kidnaps him on the night before his wedding to prevent him from going through with it.

Superficially Lizzie and Nat don’t seem to be well suited because they are so different but she needs the stability and reliability that he brings to her life. Nat is honorable and steady as a rock and everyone else has always let Lizzie down. Nat is the only one she feels she can trust.

Lizzie and I are very, very different characters but I drew on a lot of personal experience for this book. Like Lizzie I had a very unstable childhood, I was an only child and I “lived in my head” a lot and felt I could only rely on myself. I think all of that went into the book in one way or another.

Excerpt from The Undoing of a Lady:

The Folly, Fortune Hall, Yorkshire—June 1810 A little before midnight

It was a beautiful night for an abduction.

The moon sailed high and bright in a starlit sky. The warm breeze sighed in the treetops, stirring the scents of pine and hot grass. Deep in the heart of the wood an owl called, a long, throaty hoot that hung on the night air.

Lady Elizabeth Scarlet sat by the window, watching for the shadow, waiting to hear the step on the path outside. She knew Nat Waterhouse would come. He always came when she called. He would be annoyed of course—what man would not be irritated to be called away from his carousing on the night before his wedding—but he would still be there. He was so responsible; he would not ignore her cry for help. She knew exactly how he would respond. She knew him so well.

Her fingertips beat an impatient tattoo on the stone window ledge. She checked the watch she had purloined earlier from her brother. It felt as though she had been waiting for hours but she was surprised to see that it was only eight minutes since she had last looked. She felt nervous, which surprised her. She knew Nat would be angry but she was acting for his own good. The wedding had to be stopped. He would thank her for it one day.

From across the fields came the faint chime of the church bell. Midnight. There was the crunch of footsteps on the path. He was precisely on time. Of course he would be.

She sat still as a mouse as he opened the door of the folly. She had left the hallway in darkness but there was a candle burning in the room above. If she had calculated correctly he would go up the spiral stair and into the chamber, giving her time to lock the outer door behind him and hide the key. There was no other way out. Her half brother, Sir Montague Fortune, had had the folly built to the design of a miniature fort with arrow slits and windows too small to allow a man to pass. He had thought it a great joke to build a folly in a village called Fortune’s Folly. That, Lizzie thought, was Monty’s idea of amusement, that and dreaming up new taxes with which to torment the populace.

“Lizzie!”

She jumped. Nat was right outside the door of the guardroom. He sounded impatient. She held her breath.

“Lizzie? Where are you?”

He took the spiral stair two steps at a time and she slid like a wraith out of the tiny guardroom to turn the key in the heavy oaken door. Her fingers were shaking and slipped on the cold iron. She knew what her friend Alice Vickery would say if she were here now:

“Not another of your harebrained schemes, Lizzie! Stop now, before it is too late!”

But it was already too late. She could not allow herself time to think about this or she would lose her nerve. She ran back into the guardroom and stole a hand through one of the arrow slits. There was a nail on the wall outside. The key clinked softly against the stone. There. Nat could not escape until she willed it. She smiled to herself, well pleased. She had known there was no need to involve anyone else in the plan. She could handle an abduction unaided. It was easy.

She went out into the hall. Nat was standing at the top of the stairs, the candle in his hand. The flickering light threw a tall shadow. He looked huge, menacing and angry.

Actually, Lizzie thought, he was huge, menacing and angry, but he would never hurt her. Nat would never, ever hurt her. She knew exactly how he would behave. She knew him like a brother.

“Lizzie? What the hell’s going on?”

He was drunk as well, Lizzie thought. Not drunk enough to be even remotely incapacitated but enough to swear in front of a lady, which was something that Nat would normally never do. But then, if she were marrying Miss Flora Minchin the next morning, she would be swearing, too. And she would have drunk herself into a stupor. Which brought her back to the point. For Nat would not be marrying Miss Minchin. Not in the morning. Not ever. She was here to make sure of it. She was here to save him.

“Good evening, Nat,” Lizzie said brightly, and saw him scowl. “I trust you have had an enjoyable time on your last night of freedom?”

“Cut the pleasantries, Lizzie,” Nat said. “I’m not in the mood.” He held the candle a little higher so that the light fell on her face. His eyes were black, narrowed and hard. “What could possibly be so urgent that you had to talk to me in secret on the night before my wedding?”

Lizzie did not answer immediately. She caught the hem of her gown up in one hand and made her careful way up the stone stair. She felt Nat’s gaze on her face every moment even though she did not look at him. He stood aside to allow her to enter the chamber at the top. It was tiny, furnished only with a table, a chair and a couch. Monty Fortune, having created his miniature fort, had not really known what to do with it.

When she was standing on the rug in the center of the little round turret room Lizzie turned to face Nat. Now that she could see him properly she could see that his black hair was tousled and his elegant clothes looked slightly less than pristine. His jacket hung open and his cravat was undone. Stubble darkened his lean cheek and the hard line of his jaw. There was a smoky air of the alehouse about him. His eyes glittered with impatience and irritation.

“I’m waiting,” he said.

Lizzie spread her hands wide in an innocent gesture. “I asked you here to try to persuade you not to go through with the wedding,” she said. She looked at him in appeal. “You know she will bore you within five minutes, Nat. No,” she corrected herself. “You are already bored with her, aren’t you, and you are not even wed yet. And you don’t give a rush for her, either. You are making a terrible mistake.”

Nat’s mouth set in a thin line. He raked a hand through his hair. “Lizzie, we’ve spoken about this—”

“I know,” Lizzie said. Her heart hammered in her throat. “Which is why I had to do this, Nat. It’s for your own good.”

Fury was fast replacing the irritation in his eyes. “Do what?” he said. Then, as she did not reply: “Do what, Lizzie?”

“I’ve locked you in,” Lizzie said rapidly. “I promise that I will release you tomorrow—when the hour of the wedding is past. I doubt that Flora or her parents will forgive you the slight of standing her up at the altar.”

She had never previously thought the Earl of Wa-terhouse a man who made a display of his emotions. She had always thought he had a good face for games of chance, showing no feeling, giving nothing away. Now, though, it was all too easy to read him. His first reaction was stupefaction. His second was grim certainty. He did not even stop to question the truth of what she had said. If she knew him well, then the reverse was also the case.

“Lizzie,” he said, “you little hellcat.”

He turned and crashed angrily down the spiral stair, taking the candle, leaving her in darkness but for the faint moonlight that slid through the arrow slits in the wall. Lizzie let her breath out in a long, shaky sigh. She had only a moment to compose herself, for once he realized that there really was no escape he would be back. And this time he would be beyond mere fury.

She heard him try the thick oak door—and swear when it would not even give an inch. She saw the candle flame dance across the walls as he checked the guardroom and the passageway for potential exits. The swearing became more colorful as he acknowledged what she already knew—there was no way out. The tiny water closet opened onto the equally miniature moat and was far too small for a six foot man to squeeze through. The room in which she stood had a trapdoor that led up to the pretend battlements but she had locked it earlier and hidden the key in a hollow tree outside. She had wanted to make no mistakes.

He was back and she had been correct—he looked enraged. A muscle pulsed in his lean cheek. Every line of his body was rigid with fury.

When he spoke, however, his voice was deceptively gentle. Lizzie found it more disconcerting than if he had shouted at her.

“Why are you doing this, Lizzie?” he said.

Lizzie wiped the palms of her hands surreptitiously down the side of her gown. She wished she could stop shaking. She knew she was doing the right thing. She simply had not anticipated that it would be quite so frightening.

“I told you,” she said, tilting her chin up defiantly. “I’m saving you from yourself.”

Nat gave a harsh laugh. “No. You are denying me the chance to gain the fifty thousand pounds I so desperately need. You know how important this is to me, Lizzie.”

“It isn’t worth it for a lifetime of boredom.”

“That is my choice.”

“You’ve made the wrong choice. I’m here to save you from it.” Lizzie kept her voice absolutely level despite the pounding of her blood. “You have always cared for me and tried to protect me. Now it is my turn. I’m doing this because you are my friend and I care for you.”

She saw the contemptuous flicker in his eyes that said he did not believe her. Lizzie’s temper smoldered. She had always been hot-blooded, or perhaps just plain belligerent depending upon whose opinion one sought. It seemed damnably unfair of Nat to judge her when she had his best interests at heart. He should be thanking her for saving him from this ghastly match.

Nat put the candle down on the little wooden table beside the door and took a very deliberate step toward her. He was tall—over six-foot—broad and muscular. Lizzie tried not to feel intimidated and failed.

“Give me the key, Lizzie,” he said gently.

“No.” Lizzie swallowed hard. He was very close now, his physical presence powerful, threatening, in direct contradiction to the softness of his tone. But she was not afraid of Nat. In the nine years of their acquaintance he had never given her any reason to fear him.

“Where is it?”

“Hidden somewhere you won’t find it.”

Nat gave an exasperated sigh. He flung out an arm. “This isn’t a game, Lizzie,” he said. She could tell he was trying to suppress his anger, trying to be reasonable. Nat Waterhouse was, above all, a reasonable man, a rational man, and a responsible…

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

NC: Yes, I do. My characters always win because it’s their story. I’m a very instinctive author, a pantser not a planner, and so if my characters go off in a particular direction and it feels right then my instinct is to follow that rather than try to change it. I think this just goes to prove there’s no right or wrong way of writing!

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

NC: My Labrador, Monty, who will bring me toys because he wants to play!

DC: You took a trip to Scotland last year. What was your favorite part of the trip? Favorite part of Scotland that you saw? Will you be writing a book with a Scottish backdrop inspired by your trip?

NC: I’m lucky enough to visit Scotland every year because my husband’s family is Scots and we go to stay with them. We usually have a week in a cottage in the West Highlands and then choose a different place to visit for a second week. Last year we went to Cromarty, which is a wonderful little town on the East Coast. It was definitely my favorite part of the trip. We stayed in an ancient hotel with creaking floors and four-poster beds – it felt like being part of an Agatha Christie mystery! The town of Cromarty itself is fascinating because so many of the Georgian streets and buildings are intact. It was like stepping back in time.

I’ve written one book with a Scottish backdrop – Kidnapped: His Innocent Mistress – and I would definitely like to set more books against that background.

DC: What has been your favorite book cover from all of your releases and why?

NC: I was blown away when I saw the covers for The Brides of Fortune. I love Laura’s gown on the cover of book 1 and the rich green and purple covers of books 2 and 3 are really lush. The cover goddess was definitely smiling on me when HQN went for those!

DC: How about your least favorite? Why?

NC: That’s an easy one! I had the most appalling cover for the UK edition of Lord Greville’s Captive. Even my editor admitted that it looked as though it had been stuck in a cupboard since the 1970s! The hero is carrying the heroine and she is wearing what looks like a see-through nightgown and her legs are in a strange scissor position and his hands appear to be in a very intimate place… It was simply dreadful.

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?

NC: What an interesting question! I haven’t consciously changed my approach because I have always enjoyed writing strong female characters and my readers seem to enjoy them too. I think it’s true to say for both my heroes and heroines that I explore their emotions, motivations and conflicts in greater depth now than when I started writing. My books used to be lighter in tone. Now they are a lot darker and more emotional, though still witty and humorous, I hope.

DC: I’m so curious about the different covers for some of your books between America and the UK. Deceived, Lord of Scandal and Unmasked are great examples you show on your web site. The UK covers depict more of a Regency feel than their American counterparts. I’m assuming that’s because it’s what UK readers like and look for; they sell better for the publisher? Or is it something else?

NC: They are very different, aren’t they? The UK team is using contemporary Georgian paintings for my covers at the moment. Although I think that reader taste in Regency historicals has come closer together in the UK and the US over the past decade, the covers remain very different with more of an emphasis on the Georgette Heyer Regency style in the UK. Apparently market research suggests that this is what appeals to readers here. That said, I LOVE my US covers and I always have done.

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

NC: I’m itching to try historical fiction and also time slip and “gentle” paranormal.

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

NC: Writing wise, I would tell myself to apply myself more. It took me 15 years to get my first book published because I kept stopping and starting, re-writing the beginning and not finishing it, and going off and doing other things for months on end. And I would advise myself to join a writing organization like RWA or RNA for all the marvelous help and support that they can give.

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

NC: Ooh, great question! Tea-addicted UK author with a double life as historian and romance writer struggles to balance pets, family, writing, chocolate éclairs and a passion for history.

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

NC: Wittily historical and wickedly sensual.

DC: You have an upcoming book set in London and the Arctic. How’s that coming along? Can you give us a little sneak peek?

NC: It’s coming on very well, thank you! It doesn’t have a title yet, but I’m just finishing the revisions and the book will be the first in a new series due out next summer. It was fascinating setting a book in the Arctic, but it did require a great deal more research than usual. The hero is an explorer and adventurer and the heroine is the widow of his best friend, a frivolous society butterfly who thinks that all explorers are vain, arrogant and only interested in their own glory.

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

NC: I think I would be pursuing one of my other passions and would work in the heritage industry running a stately home for the National Trust. Or perhaps I would have opened a bookstore.

DC: Who’s your favorite author?

NC: There are lots of authors whose books I love, but Mary Stewart probably tops my list.

DC: What’s on the horizon for Nicola Cornick?

NC: I have a novella a month out for the next few months! In September there is The Elopement, a brand new short story in the anthology Love Me, Loves Me Not, which is being published by MIRA to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Then in October I am thrilled to have a reprint of The Season for Suitors in a book with exciting new HQN author Courtney Milan and the wonderful Mary Balogh. Finally in December there is the first print publication of my e-book The Unmasking of Lady Loveless, which is a very hot, sexy and sweet Regency short story.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?    – Dark
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?     – Chunky
- heels or flats?    – Heels
- coffee or tea?    – Always tea
- summer or winter?    – Winter, but only just!
- mountains or beach?    – Both!
- mustard or mayonnaise?   – Mayonnaise
- flowers or candy?   – Flowers
- pockets or purse?    – Purse
- Pepsi or Coke?    – Neither
- ebook or print?     – Print. I love holding a book in my hand.

And because we never seem to get tired of them:

1. What is your favorite word?    – So difficult to choose… Malfeasance
2. What is your least favorite word?    – Death
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – Music and nature
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – Bad news
5. What sound or noise do you love?    – My dog snoring and the wind and rain outside when I’m tucked up in bed.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?    – Fingernails on a blackboard
7. What is your favorite curse word?    – Can I really say this? Fuck.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?   – Air traffic controller
9. What profession would you not like to do?    – North Sea Fisherman
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?     – “You did your best. Well done.”

DC: Nicola, we’re so glad you spent the day with us. Thank you!

Sandy M’s review of The Brides of Fortune Trilogy by Nicola Cornick
Historical Romances released by HQN Jun – Aug 2009

I jumped at the chance to read this trilogy because I’d just read and reviewed my first Nicola Cornick book, Unmasked, a few months ago, and I so enjoyed her writing. Her characters, while fun and full of life, always have secrets and issues to overcome just like the rest of us. Her setting in these books is just as quirky as some of those characters, but you still get that English feel that readers of historical romances want. This is a very satisfying trilogy and I highly recommend it, whether you’ve read Ms. Cornick before or you’re just now discovering her as I have.

The Confessions of a Duchess (Book 1)
Released 1 Jun 09

We first met the hero and heroine of this book in Unmasked, where they shared a wonderful night of lovemaking, after which Laura, the Duchess of Cole, cold-heartedly told Dexter Anstruther they could never be together, he was only one of many to grace her bed. Dexter returned to London, continued to do his job and look after his family the best he could. Laura later became the Dowager Duchess and moved with her daughter to Fortune’s Folly to enjoy her independence after enduring a horrible husband and marriage.

It’s four later years when Dexter is sent to Fortune’s Folly to investigate the murder of a local man and he meets up with Laura once again. In that interim, he’d become something of a rake after Laura’s rejection, but since his father’s death, he’s now reined himself in and become a conservative and very in-control man and the head of the family. The excesses his parents took part in over the years have served as an expensive lesson for Dexter, he is now penniless and must marry for money to take care of his mother and siblings.

Since the Duke passed away, Laura has lived in Fortune’s Folly with her daughter, the child Laura never thought she’d have. Dexter’s presence is upsetting for Laura on several levels, one of which would alter her life and that of her daughter drastically. She tries to stay as far away from him as possible, but they seem to cross paths in the most unexpected places and ways.

When the local squire assesses the ancient Dames’ Tax on the women of the Folly, Laura is back in rare form with her friends, instituting old laws of their own in retaliation. Things end up going a little too far, a murder is discovered, secrets are revealed, forgiveness is withheld, and Laura can only hope and pray their decisions made in time of personal turmoil will not be the biggest mistake of their lives.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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Laura, Dowager Duchess of Cole, has sworn never to marry again. But the arrival of Dexter Anstruther, the man with whom she once shared one forbidden night of passion, throws her plans and her heart into turmoil. Laura knows that the secret she is keeping from Dexter would destroy any chance of a future together. But can she keep her secrets and keep Dexter at arm’s length when he is so determined to rekindle their passion?
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Read an excerpt here.

The Scandals of an Innocent (Book 2)
Released 1 Jul 09

Alice is a former maidservant who has inherited a fortune from her now-deceased employer. She’s been refusing suitors left and right because they want her only for her money due to the Dame’s Tax the local squire has placed on all unmarried females. The one man who she might have said yes to, if he hadn’t left her high and dry while he chased another heiress for her fortune, is back in Fortune’s Folly, blackmailing Alice into accepting his proposal.

Having been foisted aside for an man of higher rank, Miles finds himself back in Fortune’s Folly looking again for the right woman to take to wife and take care of his incredible debt, which he now has more of after inheriting the Marquisate of Drum, a crumbling, low-earning estate. Alice Lister is the perfect candidate when he catches her red-handed breaking the law. He’s a cynical philanderer, so why not add blackmailer to his list of attractions.

Miles is in for a bit of a surprise, however, when he finds that Alice’s fortune comes with conditions of a prospective groom. Forced into behaving as a gentleman should for the next three months, both he and Alice begin to learn more about each other as well as themselves and their attraction once again grows, much to Alice’s dismay. Try as she might, she can’t keep her heart from wanting Miles after his despicable treatment of her before. And Miles is stunned when his heart begins to feel things that it hasn’t known for years.

Grade: A

Summary:
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Miss Alice Lister is the most scandalous heiress in Fortune’s Folly. A housemaid who inherited her late employer’s money, Alice is courted by every penniless adventurer in town. When Miles, Lord Vickery, seeks to blackmail her into marriage, Alice can only hope that the conditions attached to her inheritance will foil him – for how can such an insufferably attractive but deceitful rake be completely honest with her for three whole months?
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Read an excerpt here.

The Undoing of a Lady (Book 3)
Released 1 Aug 09

When we meet up with Lady Elizabeth in her book, she’s getting ready to commit a very serious crime. But it’s in the name of love and friendship, so she doesn’t hesitate. Her friend Nat Waterhouse is making a mistake marrying one of the local heiresses and Lizzie is not about to stand by and do nothing about it. The only thing to do is kidnap the man, hold him hostage until the time of the wedding has come and gone, and then let him go. Nice and simple. Problem solved. Or so she thought.

Nat, of course, is none too happy once she pulls off her caper, and when she refuses to release him, it’s his cajoling about her impulsiveness and wont for trouble that eventually causes trouble for them both. He pushes her a little too far and Lizzie steps up to the plate to prove to Nat how far she will go to follow through when it comes to her schemes. This time it’s Nat who loses control when passion ignites between them and Lizzie is ruined when they make love.

Calling off his wedding is Nat’s only choice so he can marry Lizzie. It’s actually the best plan, she gets the protection of his name and he gets her dowry that will help keep his secrets where they belong. But Lizzie knows Nat doesn’t love her and she refuses to live a lifetime without love. She holds out as long as she can, but Nat wears her down and they eventually marry. And that’s when the formerly high-spirited, do-anything miss becomes the outrageous, broken-hearted Mrs. Waterhouse who pulls stunts the like of which the folks of Fortune’s Folly have never seen.

Danger and mystery are also afoot throughout this book, and, as usual, Ms. Cornick gives us the slip and throws a culprit at us that we never expected. I do have to say that Lizzie is my favorite character of the series. Though her stunts are a little much for her times, you feel the hurt and desperateness that cause her to forge head without thought. And kudos to Nat for hanging in there with her, just like a husband should.

Grade: A-

Summary:
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When her childhood friend Nathaniel, the Earl of Waterhouse, betroths himself to a pea-brained heiress, Lady Elizabeth Scarlet decides to save him from making a big mistake by kidnapping him on the night before his wedding. But when unexpected passion flares between herself and Nat, Lizzie is seduced and ruined. With Nat insisting on marriage to save her reputation, can the fiery beauty win her husband’s love – after their marriage?
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Read an excerpt here.

Overall Grade: A-

This is a fun and engaging trilogy, three very different stories involving friends and acquaintances of a small country village. Ms. Cornick pulls you into each book with those characters and you feel as though you’re right there with them in Fortune’s Folly.

My favorite of the three is The Scandals of an Innocent. It takes a slight lead over The Undoing of a Lady. As much as I really like Lizzie in all three books because of her outrageous and fun behavior, I felt more for Miles and his predicament, his past, and how love creeps up on him before he knows it.

At first I was thinking I was a little disappointed in The Confessions of a Duchess because Laura was such a dichotomy in Unmasked, but she still retains some of her spirit in this book. Her focus, however, has shifted because of her circumstances in life and, therefore, this book wasn’t quite what I expected at first. It does hold its own, though, due to those circumstances and ended up being a very good read.

I really enjoyed how each of the characters had fairly good roles in each succeeding book of the series. They’re friends and they’re involved in each other’s lives and Ms. Cornick makes sure to give that to the reader, therefore giving the stories more depth.

Be sure to read my interview with Nicola this week here at the Pond.

Liviania’s review of The Confessions of a Duchess (Brides of Fortune, Book 1) by Nicola Cornick
Historical romance released by HQN 1 Jun 09

I not only write reviews for TGTBTU, I also read them.  Nicola Cornick earned praise from both Sandy and Wendy TSL.  (I think it was this review that really made me want to read one of hers.)  Thus, I began The Confessions of a Duchess with high expectations.  Unfortunately, it did not live up to them, though I may try the other novels in the miniseries.

Sir Montague is the squire of Fortune’s Folly.  Because he’s rather odious, former housemaid/current heiress Alice Lister rejected his proposal.  Thus he reinstates the Dame’s Tax: if a woman doesn’t marry, half of her fortune is his.  Among the fortune hunters that pour into the town is Derek Ansthruther, who needs a rich wife in order to provide for his siblings and make his boss happy.  He also has a mystery to investigate.  (So little attention is paid to the mystery I’ve already forgotten the details of the whodunit.)

Laura Cole, the eponymous duchess, is dismayed because she bore Derek’s child after a one-night stand.  She’s terrified he might reveal that Hattie is a bastard, despite the fact he has firsthand experience of the ridicule that natural children encounter.  I think this might have been my first “secret baby” book and I already know why people make fun of them.  As Laura falls deeper in love her reason for pushing Derek away just sounds stupider and even more flimsy.

I was more interested in the secondary romance, that of Miss Alice Lister who sets the whole thing off and the rake Miles Vickery.  If I didn’t like them, I wouldn’t be interested in picking up the next Brides of Fortune Novel, The Scandals of an Innocent.  Laura and Derek were keeping themselves apart, which got old fast.  (And then they give away twenty-thousand pounds that they could really use.  Yeah, the people giving the money were odious, but I didn’t see it as smart or heroic.)

As far as Regency romances go, The Confessions of a Duchess is serviceable.  But the genre is rife with serviceable novels, and I expected more of Nicola Cornick.  Perhaps next time.

Grade: C

Summary
.
Laura, Dowager Duchess of Cole, has sworn never to marry again. But the arrival of Dexter Anstruther, the man with whom she once shared one forbidden night of passion, throws her plans and her heart into turmoil. Laura knows that the secret she is keeping from Dexter would destroy any chance of a future together. But can she keep her secrets and keep Dexter at arm’s length when he is so determined to rekindle their passion?
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Read an excerpt here.

Sandy M’s review of Unmasked by Nicola Cornick
Historical Romance released by HQN Books 1 Jul 08

Nicola Cornick is another new author for me. And after this book, I’m going to definitely be reading more of her books. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Loved the characters, the story, the emotion, everything about it.

Nick Falconer is sent by his superiors to put a stop to the Glory Girls, a gang of highwaywomen, a la Robin Hood, near North Yorkshire, not only because the women are robbing members of the nobility, but it also seems they have a connection to the recent murder of the Earl of Rashleigh, who just happens to be Nick’s cousin and a man whose death no one is crying over. So, really, his assignment is two-fold. While unmasking the Glory Girls, he’s to also solve his own kinsman’s murder. He’s quite gung-ho in his duty, he’s one who believes in upholding the law no matter what, and begins his investigation immediately upon arrival in the country.

What he finds is a very demure Mari Osborne, whom he suspects of being involved with the gang and to whom he is quite attracted. The more he investigates her, the more he finds her story about herself to be false. She is not truly a widow of a former military man; she didn’t even exist more than five years ago. Mari knows the game she’s played these past five years may be up, the more she gets to know Major Falconer. He is a man who will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Her truth is something she’s hidden for so long, now she’s unsure whether to keep running or finally just tell all, especially because she is just as attracted to Nick as he is to her.

But Mari hails from Russia where she was a serf and eventually sold to the former Earl of Rashleigh who educated her, tried to make an English lady out of her. Her life turns tragic, however, when Robert, the earl’s son, inherits upon his father’s death. Robert treats the new English lady as the slave she is, abuses her trust and her body until she escapes him and starts fresh where no one knows her. She’s made friends in North Yorkshire and she’s the brains behind the Glory Girls, making sure the citizens in their part of the English countryside are given their due when treated poorly by the nobility. Wanting to lighten her load and confess all to Nick would be simple if he weren’t the earl’s heir. He now technically owns her as surely as Robert did.

So much happens in this book, the action never stops. The characters are charismatic and complex, as is the plot and mystery throughout the book.  The writing is just wonderful, rich and lush, placing you right in the thick of things in the middle of England. The emotion when Mari finally tells her story is deep and heart-felt. And the romance between Nick and Mari is the kind you wish you could get in every romance novel you read.

If you love reading historicals, I highly recommend this book to you.

Grade: A

Summary:
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Over the wild hills and valleys of North Yorkshire the notorious gang of highwaywomen the Glory Girls ride, to right the injustices of society. When Major Nick Falconer is sent to unmask Glory he finds instead the very proper widow Marina Osborne.
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Nick never expected that Mari would be so intoxicatingly beautiful or so disturbingly luscious. Determined to have her—body, soul and secrets—at any cost, Nick sets out to seduce her with a passion that inflames them both.
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But Mari holds much deeper, darker truths than Nick could ever imagine. Despite her fierce resistance, she can’t stop her body from yearning for his touch. Can she hide her sinister past from him much longer? Or will trusting the one man she so desperately wants lead her straight to the hangman’s noose?
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Read an excerpt.

Other related books:

Sandy M’s Duckies Do Series reviews of the Montana Creeds Trilogy by Linda Lael Miller
Contemporary western romances released by HQN Feb – Apr 09

I really enjoyed Miller’s McKettrick series, so when the opportunity came along to read her Montana Creeds trilogy, I didn’t hesitate. And I have this thing about reading about brothers, so I figured these were the books for me. I love it when I’m right.

Logan (Montana Creeds, Book 1)
Released 1 Feb 09

The oldest of the three wild Creed boys, Logan is the first brother to come home to Stillwater Springs, Montana.  He’s come from visiting his McKettrick cousins and seeing how that family has stood together for years has put a crimp in his heart.  Knowing he’s not blameless in the fight with his brothers on the day of their father’s funeral, he’s ready to end their five-year estrangement.  Even seeing the old homestead looking a little worse for wear doesn’t deter him. He digs right in and begins putting the place back to rights in between talking to his brothers and trying to get them to come home.

That’s when he meets Briana Grant and her sons, Josh and Alec.  She works at the local casino, has worked her way up the ladder and lives from paycheck to paycheck to take care of her boys after her no-good husband dumped them off in front of WalMart and simply drove off, leaving them staring after him.  They may not have much materially, but they’re a family and they survived the worst heartache.  From the moment she meets Logan Creed during their picnic at his family cemetery, something clicks between them, and the more Briana tries to keep her distance, the more she falls for the handsome cowboy.

This is a great start to the trilogy.  I really enjoyed how Logan got his brothers fired up enough to hightail it back to the ranch. They didn’t stay that first time, but it’s enough to get them thinking about home again. The way Logan took to Briana’s kids is a nice touch. They need a father desperately and theirs is a real piece of work. I do have to say he tried, though, eventually. Briana is one strong lady. She has to be for her boys, instead of crawling in bed and crying under the covers when their world is toppled. But she finally picks right when her heart lets her fall for Logan, a man who doesn’t run from a ready-made family.

Grade: A-

Summary:
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Descendantsof the legendary McKettrick family, the Creeds are renowned in Stillwater Springs, Montana—for raising hell…
After years of wandering, Logan Creed, a cowboy with a dusty law degree, has returned home. To put down roots, to restore his family’s neglected ranch… to have kids of his own proudly bearing the Creed name.
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Divorced mom Briana Grant has heard the stories about her gorgeous neighbor. So Logan’s kindness with her young boys is a welcome surprise, especially when her ex reappears. And when an unknown enemy vandalizes her home, Logan shows Briana—and the folks of Big Sky country—just what he’s made of.
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Meet the Creed cowboys of Montana: three estranged brothers who come home to find family—and love.
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Read an excerpt.

Dylan (Montana Creeds, Book 2)
Released 1 Mar 09

Dylan is still on the rodeo circuit and also working as a stunt man when he receives calls from his older brother Logan talking nonsense about rebuilding on the old homestead and putting up fences on his property.  But it’s when a one-night stand can’t take being a mother any longer and leaves his two-year-old daughter Bonnie in his truck one night that he even seriously thinks about going home.  Once he gets there and sees what Logan has in mind and finds out that his lost love is still unmarried, he realizes that home is exactly where he belongs.

Being the town librarian isn’t the fanciest job in town, but Kristy Madison is happy with her life.  Or is she?  She’s suffered so many losses in the last few years, including the family ranch, but what else is she to do.  When Dylan shows up on her doorstep, wanting to reacquaint himself with her in every way, she can’t resist him or his daughter. They have a lot to get straight between them before a relationship will really work, but when it’s so good between them in bed, the talking isn’t far behind.

Dylan makes a terrific father and the scenes with his daughter are lovely. I liked the slow way Ms. Miller lets the brothers work out their differences and become a family again.  Though they all have their separate problems when they come together, they learn quickly those problems can be solved when working together. And Dylan and Kristy’s situation is no different. There’s a hurtful past between them and it takes time and work to get through it all. But everything is worth it with a family waiting for them on the other side.

Grade: A-

Summary:
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Hailed as “rodeo’s bad boy” for his talent at taming bulls and women, Dylan Creed likes life in the fast lane. But when the daughter he rarely sees is abandoned by her mother, Dylan heads home to Stillwater Springs ranch. Somehow the champion bull rider has to turn into a champion father—and fast.
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Town librarian Kristy Madison is uncharacteristically speechless when Dylan Creed turns up for story time with a toddler in tow. The man who’d left a trail of broken hearts—including her own—is back… and this time Kristy’s determined to tame his wild ways once and for all.
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Meet the Creed cowboys of Montana: three estranged brothers who come home to find family—and love.
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Read an excerpt.

Tyler (Montana Creeds, Book 3)
Released 1 Apr 09

This is the brother in the series who is the most hurt, both by his brothers and by his parents.  The youngest of the three, Tyler refuses to come home to make up with his siblings, but when he finally gets back to the ranch, there’s more waiting for him than he could have ever guessed.  Not only is Lily back in Stillwater Springs, but he happens upon a young boy who may be his son.

Lily left town years ago with a broken heart after Tyler went from her bed to another woman’s, but now a widow with a daughter in tow, she’s home taking care of her ailing veterinarian father. It takes no time at all for her to realize she’s still in love with Tyler, but with so many things working against them, including a son by the woman he chose over her years ago, will they really have a chance to make a life together?

This is my favorite of the three books, but only by a hair. There’s just more hurt to be salved in Tyler’s story, so it was much more emotional for me than the other two. As with the first two couples, Tyler and Lily have a lot to work out, but they are a great couple and end up sticking together with each other and this big new Creed family that has grown so much. And that’s what was fun about all three books, seeing a seed planted with Logan being the first to come home and then at the end of the series, this family has healed itself, has grown into a healthy and happy bunch and will leave a legacy for generations to come.

Grade: A

Summary:
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Whether winning championship belt buckles or dealing with Hollywood types for endorsement deals, former rodeo star Tyler Creed can handle anything. Except standing on the same square foot of land as his estranged brothers. Yet here they are in Stillwater Springs, barely talking but trying to restore the old Creed ranch—and family.
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Lily Kenyon knows all about family estrangements and secrets. The single mom has come home to set things right, to put down roots for her daughter. What she doesn’t expect is Tyler Creed, whom she’s loved since childhood. Now the handsome, stubborn cowboy who left home to seek his fortune just might find it was always under the Montana sky…
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Meet the Creed cowboys of Montana: three estranged brothers who come home to find family—and love.
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Read an excerpt.

Overall Grade: A

Well it isn’t ALL her fault and I do plan on bringing up the EVER loved topic of reviews more later but avid reader posted about Susan Wiggs Fireside reviews on you know THAT PLACE…. ::whispers::amazon::/whispers:: and her response to a few bad reviews.

I  have no comment about it at this point because I haven’t read the reviews, Wiggs posts and don’t plan too yet because I have the book in my pile of to read next.

I had gone back and forth on it because I didn’t really care much for her last few books but had heard good buzz about this one and well… baseball hero!  WOOT!

Then it hit number one on NY Times and I wondered if it was REALLY that good so I moved it up a bit.

Now here is the rub, from what I can tell from Keishon’s post the four bad reviews are harping on Fireside being too political. Depending on how it is done that could seriously bug the shit out of me but if it goes well into the plot and doesn’t take away from the romance (something I won’t know till I read the book) I will be totally ok with it.

And from what Susan Wiggs comments were (again quoted on Keishon’s post, never emailed with the author or know her) we lean the same way.

Hence my CHALLENGE TO TEH GWEN, our lil republican duckie, yes le sigh we lurve her anyway ::ow:: stop pulling my feathers! I kid, well sort of, I do live in Texas, I am sure there are a few republican’s out there.  Well maybe not reading this site but in romanceland, err maybe? But I digress… seriously this isn’t meant to be a political post.  No really. My migraine is already coming back. Onward… (how cindys of me *g*)

As you can tell from The Sins of Lord Easterbrook, gwen and I have a totally different review style. I think everything is about me.  So give much less plot away and much more about what I think (shocking yes?)  Gwen bores you with details on the book… I mean informs you lol haven’t you missed having me around? Anyway… MY POINT and I did have one.

I thought it would be amusing to see if Gwen could like the book or not and if she didn’t, well we would certainly know she wasn’t one of those people who have already posted on amazon… yes?

What cha say gwen? Dueling reviews at dawn? OR you know… whenever we get to it… since I can’t keep to a schedule to save my life and currently only have one copy and WOOT I gots it *g*.

to be continued… or not I haz a short attention span you know

Gwen’s review of The Vampire’s Bride (Atlantis, Book 4) by Gena Showalter
Paranormal fantasy romance released by HQN 1 Mar 09

This is a varied and interesting series.  Its premise is that several paranormal species were created by the gods in their quest to create man.  The ones who were considered failures were sequestered in Atlantis and sunk to the bottom of the sea.  This means nymphs, vampires (really?), centaurs, dragons, etc., are all living, loving, and fighting together in their own little world.  It’s an interesting premise with some “out there” concepts”. 

I have enjoyed these books, but have found them to be consistently “slow starters.” It takes me about 50 or more pages to really get into their groove.  Once I’m there, I really enjoy the story.  But I almost have to be dragged to the altar, so to speak.

This entry is “Survivor-meets-paranormal-romance-story”.  In classic Greek mythos fashion, the gods and goddesses get bored and decide to fu… err… screw around with the denizens of Atlantis by testing them to see which species is the best.  The god/goddess who backs the winner gets Atlantis all to themselves to play with.  A tried and true godlike device (Heracles, Jason, Odysseus, etc.) and always makes for an interesting read.

This book has two or three storylines converging at the end.  Well, two at least, and one for another book, no doubt. There’s our hero and heroine, Layel (king of the vampires) and Delilah (an amazon warrior), plus a large cadre of secondary characters – some add to the plot, some are there simply for color.

I love how utterly ruthless Layel is thru most of the book.  Until he falls in lurve, of course, when he turns into this big puddle of mush.  The same happens to Delilah – merciless until she has to show how she feels, upon which time she turns into a babbling idiot.  This was the only bone I had to pick with the book – the way the lead characters change their stripes completely simply because they fall in lurve with each other (can’t name it “love” when it’s this purple).  I wanted them to love each other, but remain the ruthless, merciless people they were only to other people.  Instead, they soften to everything.

This change in characterizations very nearly ruined the book for me.  It was a very fun read until that point, afterwards becoming a lesson in patience broken up with a few very fun moments that did keep me flipping pages until the end.  Well, an end that was a bit too convenient and easy (literally a deus ex machina ending).  But I read it all.  I wanted to see how Layel and Delilah were going to make it all work in their two worlds but we’re not given that continuing view.

This was a good book, but not great.  I can recommend it to anyone following the series or who is a fan of the author’s writing.

By the by – HQN is re-releasing the first two books in the series in Jan and Feb 2009 with not-so-attractive bottom-lit images of some hunky men (see below). I hope they don’t do that to The Nymph King – I think it has the best cover of ANY book in 2007.

Grade:C+

Summary:

He is Layel, king of the vampires, a master seducer no woman can deny. But since a rogue horde of dragons killed his beloved over two centuries ago, Layel has existed only for vengeance…until he meets Delilah.

Wary of love, the beautiful Amazon wants nothing to do with the tormented vampire. Yet there’s no denying their consuming desire every time he nears her.

Neither trusts the other-nor can they survive alone. For in an impossible game of the gods’ devising, they’ve been trapped on an island, about to face the ultimate challenge: surrender to the passion that will bind them forever…or be doomed to an eternity apart.

Excerpt not available at the time this review was written.

Other books in this series.