Laura C’s review of Undeniably Yours (Kowalski Family, Book 2) by Shannon Stacey
Contemporary Romance published by HQN Books 24 Jan 12

I am not sure how I missed this book when Carina first released it in 2010, since I love the Kowalski family books.  But there it is, the book passed me by until Harlequin decided to release it as a paperback. Figuring some of you might have had the same experience (and missed Sandy’s review of it as well), I figured I’d add my own impressions.

Kevin Kowalski basically meets Beth Hansen when she bartends at his brother Joe’s wedding (yeah, there’s a tiny bit of backstory before that, but not really). He’s an ex-cop-turned-bar-owner and comes off as a player, though he isn’t really. In fact, he’s at a point in his life when he’s ready to try settling down again–his first attempt having failed when he found his captain in bed with his wife, resulting in both a divorce and a job change–when he meets Beth. They spend a night together, but she gives up on him when, half-asleep, he tells her to lock the hotel door after her on her way out. Fate isn’t done with them, however, and although they were careful, three weeks later she realizes she’s pregnant.

I love the Kowalski clan, from little Bobby, who tells jokes to pregnant Beth’s stomach so that his new cousin will be his friend when he comes out of the womb, all the way up to Leo and Mary, who welcome Beth into their family even though she and Kevin aren’t married. Beth, on the other hand, drives me up a wall. She has two main issues: first, she’s avoided responsibility all her life by moving around every four to six months (a phobia never clearly explained); and, second, she doesn’t trust that Kevin really loves her.

“Tell me you won’t just disappear,” he finally said. “If you decide to take off, at least call me first. I don’t want to wake up someday and find you gone.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you, Kevin.” Tears made her eyes sparkle for a moment, but she blinked them back. “Just staying here is a big adjustment for me, and being pregnant, I think a serious relationship might be too much on top of it, and I’m afraid if we hook up and it goes wrong, it’ll be ugly, and that’s not  what I want for our child.”

Kevin is super patient with her. Far more patient than I was, in fact. She keeps them apart with one excuse after another for almost a year. He just wears away at her, constantly taking everything she gives out and being nothing but nice. I wouldn’t say it’s dull because Ms. Stacey’s writing is fun, upbeat, and always has a quirky fun to it that keeps it from ever being mundane, but it is annoying.

I’m actually more invested in the secondary romance between Paulie, Kevin’s bartender, and her former fiance, Sam. They both come from society backgrounds, but Paulie–Paulette–left hers behind when she left Sam at the altar because she realized she couldn’t be his wife. She changed her name and moved away, and he only finds her by chance. But he doesn’t know why she ran and he’s both furious and hurt. She explains it to Beth:

“He has to attend hundreds of fancy functions every year–the kind of functions you bring your wife to, all dolled up. And his wife would be expected to serve on charitable foundations and play tennis at the country club. That’s just not my thing.”

Of course, it’s not so easy to explain that to Sam. Nor is it so easy to mesh the lives of a tycoon and a bartender, and Paulie loves her job and her life.

I wish I could have liked Beth a bit better because this is one of those stories where I absolutely adore the hero, but I’d still recommend the book if for no other reason than the secondary characters sparkle and Stacey’s writing is superb.

Grade: B

Summary:

One-night stand + two percent condom failure rate = happily ever after? Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him, but lately he’s more interested in finding a woman to settle down with. A woman like Beth Hansen. If only their first meeting hadn’t gone so badly…

Beth’s tending bar at a wedding when she comes face to face with a tuxedo-clad man she never thought she’d see again. She tries to keep her distance from Kevin but, by last call, she can’t say no to his too-blue eyes or the invitation back to his room. Then she slips out before breakfast without leaving a note and, despite their precautions, pregnant.

Kevin quickly warms to the idea of being a dad and to seeing where things go with Beth. After all, he’s not the player she thinks he is. But she’s not ready for a relationship and, given his reputation, it’s going to take a lot to convince her to go on a second date with the father of her child…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

It’s that time of year, faithful reader – and let me pause to say how much I appreciate you…even if no one else reads my silliness, I take comfort in the fact that the two of us do – time to list my favorite reads of 2011. These are books I read and that were published in 2011, to clarify. My list ended up looking a little different this year – I had a four-way tie for favorite. Without further ado:

My Top Ten for 2011

1. What I Did for a Duke – There was so much buzz about this that I had to pick it up, even though I was behind in the series. I am so glad I did! I can’t even explain why it was SO good. But it was my favorite historical romance of the year.

1. Kiss of Snow – This was the story fans of the Psy/Changling series have been waiting for Hawke and Sienna’s story since they first met and I was very happy with their book. My favorite paranormal book of the year.

1. Yours to Keep – I love the Kowalskis! Read this book and you will never look at Post-its the same way again. My favorite contemporary romance of the year.

1. Dragon Bound – The first book of the best series I’ve read lately. I might have liked Serpent’s Kiss a bit more but this book established the world and set up everything that follows. Since I already listed a favorite paranormal book, this is my favorite fantasy book of the year.

5. Serpent’s Kiss – Rune! Rune Rune Rune!! An excellent hero and an excellent book. Between Dragon Bound and this one, it was hard to decide which book I liked better and I thought Rune and Carling were a more even match than Dragos and Pia so I enjoyed reading about their relationship a bit more. Still, Dragon Bound was the first and a funner read (yeah, yeah…I used the word “funner”. So?!)

6. ShadowFever – Whether it ended the way you wanted or not, it was epic. EPIC!

7. Heart of Steel – Such a fun, swashbuckling read! So entertaining! Pirates! Zombies! Airships! If you haven’t read any of the Iron Seas books, you make me sad.

8. Winning the Wallflower – Even though this is a novella, I enjoyed it so much! More than the full-length book book that spun out of it, even.

9. To Love a Thief – If you like My Fair Lady-ish storylines, check this book out.

10. Silk is for Seduction – It was hard to round out my top ten but how could I go wrong with Loretta Chase?

11. A Lot Like Love – Honorary mention for this one. When I looked back at my list to find books I would recommend to anyone, this one popped out.

A bonus – biggest disappointment (no, I still haven’t let it go): Breaking the Rules. I know, I’m bitter…it’s my own fault for having high hopes.

So, there you go, my faves for last year. I already have read some good ones for this year – you’ll hear about those soon enough – and hear rumors of more coming soon. Yay!

What were some of your favorites of 2011? Do you agree with mine or are you sitting there shaking your head at your computer?

C2’s review of Yours to Keep (The Kolwalski Family, Book 3) by Shannon Stacey
Contemporary Romance ebook published by Carina Press 6 Jun 11

Got a hankering for a straight-up contemporary full of heart, humor, and Kowalskis? Shannon Stacey’s latest will definitely fill the bill. And you’ll never look at Post-its the same way again.

Emma Shaw is in a pickle – she made up a fiance so her grandmother wouldn’t worry about her living all alone in a big old house. Now her grandmother is coming back from Florida to New Hampshire for a month-long visit. Oops! Time to find a “real” fiance stat! But not just anyone will do, because her fake fiance is based on a real person. Her best friend’s husband’s cousin…

Sean Kowalski just finished up his time in the Army and is in New Hampshire visiting his aunt, uncle and, cousins while he decides what to do next. The last thing he expects to find knocking on his door is a chick telling him they are engaged…kind of. Best meet-cute ever! Still, Sean is understandably reluctant (and perhaps frightened) to immediately get engaged – even if it isn’t real – but, after listening to Emma’s story and talking to his cousins, he agrees to go along with the big scheme. And the fact that Sean finds Emma smokin’ hot has nothing to do with his decision. Honest!

Unfortunately, Emma’s gram immediately notices they aren’t as easy together as a long-term couple should be. But she doesn’t let on…she just waits and watches. She knows she will figure out what is going on, and why, eventually.

For the month her gram is visiting, Emma and Sean will live together – and share her bedroom (it has a couch and Emma plans to sleep there) – work together (Emma owns a landscaping business) and pretend to be happily in love and on their way to marriage. Since they have supposedly been together for a while, Emma gives Sean some notes about her – kind of a CliffsNotes guide to being her boyfriend.

”You actually come with an owner’s manual?”

Sean makes me giggle. He is unwilling to provide an owner’s manual, though. So as they go along trying to be a convincing couple, anytime Sean thinks of something that Emma needs to know or can’t say something that needs to be said, he writes it on a Post-it and sticks it on the bathroom mirror.

Of course, Sean’s family has to be in on the plan to make it convincing. Now, you know how families are, don’t you, faithful reader? Especially close-knit, silliness-prone families. So what do you think happens when Sean and Emma and Emma’s grandmother attend a family gathering? Kowalski Cook-out of Doom! Newlywed Game of Doom! So much fun! And DOOM!

When too many people know a secret, of course it will come out before it is supposed to. And pretend feelings have a way of becoming all too real. But when a relationship starts with an expiration date, can it keep going? Even after everyone knows the truth?

It would have been easy to make the plot slapstick-y – and it would still have been a fun read, most likely – but Ms. Stacey makes it real. The emotions of the characters are real, the family relationships are real, the fallout after the truth is out there is real (I teared up, I admit). And the happy ending is real…best big gesture ever! And maybe another sniffle from me.

I love the Kowalskis! This book does stand alone, but I always recommend reading the whole series. Exclusively Yours was on my Top Ten of 2010, in case you didn’t know. And I am so glad there are more Kowalski books coming next year – three of them, even! Pardon me while I SQUEE! You don’t want to fall behind, do you, faithful reader? You totally need to read the existing books now.

Grade: A

Summary:

Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he’s recruited by Emma Shaw to be her fake fiancé. Emma needs to produce a husband-to-be for her grandmother’s upcoming visit, and, though Sean doesn’t like the deception, he could use the landscaping job Emma’s offering while he decides what to do with his civilian life. And, despite his attraction to Emma, there’s no chance he’ll fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he’s not planning to call home.

Emma’s not interested in a real relationship either; not with a man whose idea of home is wherever he drops his duffel bag. No matter how amazing his “pretend” kisses are…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Sandy M’s review of Undeniably Yours (Kowalski Family, Book 2) by Shannon Stacey
Contemporary Romance ebook published by Carina Press 1 Nov 10

I had such a good time with this book. This is the type of story I read romance for – the perfect man who comes along when you least expect it. Kevin is a dream. From a large family, he’s respectful of women, loves his parents, jokes and fights with his brothers but goes to them when help is needed, takes care of his nieces and nephews, and best of all he doesn’t blow a gasket when faced with those words every single man on the planet  never wants to hear: “I’m pregnant.” He’s surprised, yes, but he knows there’s more to be had in this new life bearing down on him. He’s ready to grab hold, if only Beth felt the same way.

Beth is in Kevin’s bar the first time he lays eyes on her, and he’s instantly attracted. He intervenes when the jerk with her tries some funny stuff, and Beth is not happy about that. It’s her boss and she knows how to handle him. Now she’s without a job, so it’s going to be picking up whatever work she can for a while.

That’s where they meet again. Beth is the bartender at Kevin’s brother’s wedding, and though they have another rocky start, they end up spending the night together. But even after a scorching night, Beth misinterprets something a sleep-talking Kevin mumbles, and she’s out the door and out of his life for good this time.

Until she’s faced with a huge oh-no. One night is all it takes, and now Beth has to decide if she’s going to tell Kevin he’s going to be a daddy. Though she has issues with her family – which is the cause of her wanderlust and never staying in one place for any length of time – she’s been raised right and makes the journey back to Kevin’s bar to put the facts out there. And she’s in for a surprise.

Kevin has been giving starting a family a few more thoughts than usual lately, so when Beth walks back into his life with her news, he’s ready to go full-bore ahead, marriage, setting up house, being parents together. It’s Beth who drags her feet. She wants to remain friends while raising their child. Beth is hugely independent and finds it difficult to take a helping hand, which Kevin learns as he patiently waits for her to make decisions about their “relationship.” I don’t think there’s ever been a more patient man than Kevin Kowalski. But that’s what makes him so appealing. He lets Beth go at her own pace, but he sneaks in some logic so she won’t feel beholden to him; i.e., taking the room across the hall from him above his bar and other things he feels she needs to make things easier for her during her pregnancy.

The only thing that eventually got to me is the length of time Beth keeps pushing Kevin away. She has her excuses – he’s a ladies’ man, they don’t know each other that well, she’s not made to be  part of a traditional family, and other crazy ideas. They’re crazy because Kevin goes way beyond the call to assure her this is what he wants, he loves her, he wants a family with her, but she’s just too stubborn. Which is fine, I just feel it goes on too long. So long that Kevin begins to give in, thinking he should look elsewhere and stop banging his head against the wall. It’s not long after this that Beth does change her mind, but I got a little irritated with her. She needs to do that much, much sooner.

The Kowalski family is huge, flawed, and boisterous and I love them. Beth is scared of them because they tend to take over and help without asking, her biggest phobia. But I enjoyed the hell out of them. This is the first time I’ve read Shannon Stacey, but it won’t be the last. I’m searching now for Exclusively Yours, the first book about this family, and then I’ll be looking for a lot of her backlist, which has a lot of possibilities.

I’m your newest fan, Ms. Stacey!

Grade: B

Summary:

One-night stand + two percent condom failure rate = happily ever after?

Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him, but lately he’s more interested in finding a woman to settle down with. A woman like Beth Hansen. If only their first meeting hadn’t gone so badly…

Beth’s tending bar at a wedding when she comes face to face with a tuxedo-clad man she never thought she’d see again. She tries to keep her distance from Kevin but, by last call, she can’t say no to his too-blue eyes or the invitation back to his room. Then she slips out before breakfast without leaving a note and, despite their precautions, pregnant.

Kevin quickly warms to the idea of being a dad and to seeing where things go with Beth. After all, he’s not the player she thinks he is. But she’s not ready for a relationship and, given his reputation, it’s going to take a lot to convince her to go on a second date with the father of her child…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Are you tired of top ten lists, faithful reader? I hope not because here’s mine.

10. Rules of an Engagement by Suzanne Enoch – what could be better than sailing the South Pacific, encountering natives, fascinating wildlife and pirates? If your ship’s captain is smoking hot, of course. Read my review HERE.

9. Pleasures of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole – an very good entry into a consistently excellent series.

8. Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale – soooo nice to see Ms. Kinsale back and full of humor.

7. Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis – I love Ms. Shalvis’ baseball series and hope for more books soon. Please? Pretty please??

6. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas – the end of the Hathaway series. I’ve always had a soft spot for Beatrix and was very pleased with her book. Also, I’m a sucker for books with letter writing.

5. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon – the first story in her Chronicles of Nick series. I’m not usually a YA reader but I was intrigued enough by hints of this one to pick it up. So good! And she seems to be correcting/re-booting some errors in the main DH series, maybe. We shall see.

4. Play of Passion by Nalini Singh – one of my favorites of the series and certainly my favorite of recent entries. Plus we get to see bits of Hawke and Sienna. Yay!

3. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey – are you looking for an excellent straight-up contemporary? Look no further! And the sequel is very good, too.

2. Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook – so it’s a novella. And I was skeptical, even after seeing the raves. Why would I put a novella I was unsure about picking up on my “Best of” list? Because it’s awesome! It gives us our first glimpse into Ms. Brook’s Iron Seas series which leads me to…

NUMBER 1!! The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook – I don’t have words for how excellent this book is. It defies description – at least, a description that properly conveys it’s awesomeness. All I can say is READ IT.

Now for some books I’m looking forward to in 2011 (in release order, as things stand now):

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – yes, I know several people have already read this one but I haven’t. My copy is pre-ordered though. Why? It’s Teddy’s book! It seems like I’ve been waiting for his story forever.

ShadowFever by Karen Marie Moning – why this one? Barrons! And the wait is almost over. Yay!

A Lot Like Love by Julie James – I have enjoyed all of Ms. James’ books so far and expect this one to continue that trend.

Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann – do you need to ask why? One word: Izzy Izzy Izzy! (What? It’s one word…three times.)

Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson (beware the Flash!) – her last few books have been hit-or-miss for me so I’m hoping this one will be a hit. Sorry for the lack of cover. Our friends over at the Book Binge have it posted, though.

There are many more, of course, but those are the ones that are coming up soonish.

Agree? Disagree? What are you looking forward to?

Shannon C.‘s review of Becoming Miss Becky by Shannon Stacey
Western romance eBook released by Samhain 23 Sep 08

I know I overthink things. I did even before I started reviewing, and it’s just gotten worse. Time was I could read a book like this one, smile in places, and shrug it off when I was done. But as I read, I kept wondering if the author had any idea what the underlying message of her story was, and if she did, why she would think that was a positive thing. Because what I got out of the story was, “Girls, don’t bother with the whole ‘finding yourself’ crap. Stick with your man, because he knows what’s best for you. Also women’s liberation? A laugh riot.” Needless to say, I wasn’t laughing. This is a shame, because I like Shannon Stacey’s online persona, and I wanted to like this book.

Rebecca Hamilton has just arrived in Gardiner, Texas, to find out what her aunt Adelle left her. She finds out that she’s been left with the town’s whorehouse, which goes by the always oh-so-erotic moniker the Chicken Coop. Rebecca’s a virgin, so she has no idea how to run a whorehouse. Sheriff Adam Caldwell, who meets her at the stagecoach station, tells her she has other choices. She can marry him. And while Rebecca thinks Adam’s hot, she’s not sure she wants to commit to that after knowing the guy ten minutes. So she goes to the whorehouse, and then decides that, being in a new place, she can shed the boring, drab image she’s always had, so she dresses in her aunt’s clothes, becomes bold and brassy, and wants to learn about sex from the oh-so-proper sheriff.

I actually liked Rebecca. I’ve read her before in other books, but I understood and approved of her attempts to try and figure out the kind of person she wanted to be. I have no idea what she saw in Adam, but I’ll discuss that more in a minute. I like that she was hesitant about taking on the whorehouse, but she was committed to the girls. (I absolutely refuse to refer to them, as the book does, as “the chickens”, because that? So not sexy. Also, I liked that Rebecca did have significant screentime with other female characters, and this book passed the Bechtel Test–and not just squeaked by, either.

Then, there’s Adam. Adam is a rootin’ tootin’ gun-totin’ twang-talkin’ scowl-wearin’ over-compensatin’ mean son of a bitch. (OK, maybe not the over-compensatin’ part, but he does actually tell us most of the rest. At great length. And often.) His favorite activities include shooting people. He is so prickly that people in town are afraid of him, except for his BFF and deputy, the town doctor. I have no idea how he got elected sheriff in the first place, since he is such an actively unpleasant person. Oh, and he doesn’t like whores. Because a fortune teller told him that a painted lady would be his downfall, so while he would marry Rebecca when she was drab and mousy, once she starts becoming Miss Becky, well, sure, he wants to do her, but he just can’t marry her. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the riveting romantic conflict. Needless to say, I found it ridiculous. I didn’t find Adam’s violent tendencies cute, and I didn’t believe his transformation at the end. I kept wondering if Rebecca wasn’t going to eventually trade a controlling father for an equally controlling husband. That said, I have to admit that there was a point where I expected a big misunderstanding to arise that would have shown up in another book, but Adam doesn’t go there. This doesn’t redeem him at all in my eyes, but it does raise the grade a little.

The secondary characters were about what you’d expect in a western. Rebecca’s BFF is a former women’s libber turned horrible cook and was the heroine in an earlier book, which I have no intention of reading. There are the whores, who all have hearts of shiny, shiny gold and are pretty and sweet despite the ravages of their profession. One of them even gets to get married and be all respectable. Then there’s the requisite strawman uber-Christian, and it’s a testament to… something… that this feminist, agnostic reader found her even more offensive than the former women’s libber turned housewife. Oh, and the women’s libber and the Christian hate each other and at one point get into a literal catfight. Boy, aren’t those uppity women cute?

The plot is fairly standard. Everything happens about like you’d expect from the beginning to the end. The aforementioned aversion of the Big Misunderstanding was the only real surprise here. Even the sex is a little boring, and felt more paint by numbers than actually passionate.

I don’t know. Maybe my sense of humor and Ms. Stacey’s just don’t mesh. I got the feeling this book was supposed to be a laugh riot. But I don’t find broad stereotypes amusing, and I don’t particularly like reading subtle misogyny in my books. I did like the heroine, and I wonder if maybe something more contemporary by Ms. Stacey would suit me better. But this book? Not so much.

Grade: D+

Summary:
A sheriff with a stone-cold reputation. An innocent madam hell-bent on disturbing his peace. Who will be the first to give in?

Rebecca Hamilton passed through life as bland as biscuits—until the day she buried her father and fled out West with a fortune in stolen jewelry. She arrives in Gardiner, Texas to find her aunt has bequeathed to her the only whorehouse in town.

With no other prospects except a proposal from a tall, dark stranger wearing a badge, Rebecca decides to embrace her vibrant aunt’s legacy and never again live under the thumb of an overbearing man.

After years of cultivating a reputation as a ruthless lawman, Adam Caldwell can’t believe he’s offered to marry the quiet, rather plain new madam. Even more perplexing is the fact she turns him down, choosing instead to become a sass-talkin’, sashay-walkin’ vision in feathers and lace.

With an innocent madam wanting him to teach her to be as wicked as she looks and rowdy townsfolk split over the scandal, the sheriff figures his cup of troubles is about full. But a man from Rebecca’s past catches up with her, and Adam has to decide just how much he’s willing to sacrifice for the woman who refuses to give up on becoming Miss Becky.

Warning: This book contains some brawlin’, some cussin’, and the kind of wanton lovin’ that brings a man to his knees.

Read an excerpt.

Shannon Stacey is a frequent visitor to the pond and the author of romantic suspense, western historicals, and paranormal erotic romance. Given the diversity of her published work, it shouldn’t be too big of a surprise that Shannon is a big fan of the Silhouette Special Editions. Read on on to find out why Shannon loves SSE. Plus, she’s willing to spread the love (hint, hint)…Take it away, Shannon!

What is that special something that makes Silhouette Special Edition stand out from the other series offerings from Harlequin/Silhouette? The answer can be found right in eHarlequin.com’s series description: A woman in her world—living and loving the magic of creating a family and developing romantic relationships.

Special Editions feature real, practical women already juggling life and family when love comes knocking at the door. While the hero of an SSE definitely lives up to the title of romantic hero, the story is carried by the strength and character of the heroine. She has neither the time nor the patience in her world for grand gestures and she’s not looking for a white knight to sweep her off her feet. She’s looking for a partner to share her life with—a man worth coming home to at night.

That’s not to say Special Editions aren’t romantic fantasies at heart. Within the SSE line a reader will find all of the delicious hooks that have been making readers sigh with contentment for decades—babies (secret or otherwise), cowboys, weddings, billionaires and more. As of right now, the two top-selling SSEs on amazon.com are Susan Mallery’s The Sheik and the Pregnant Bride and The Sheik and the Christmas Bride. The heroes range from the sweet guy next door to the cold and ambitious billionaire, but an SSE man is grounded in a reality that allows him to make a life with a woman who isn’t any man’s doormat. When a reader reaches the end of a Special Edition, she can believe the couple will truly live happily ever after.

If somebody were to twist my arm, hold a match to my TBR pile, and tell me I could only read one series line for the rest of my life, I would have to choose Special Edition. To me, they are romance novels in purest form—straight contemporary stories of a man and a woman trying to balance, as the series tagline says, life, love and family. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes they’re heartbreaking, but SSEs are always intensely emotional. Mostly I find them real—real women, real men, and real life, with that dash of romantic fantasy that gets us through the day. We know these women. You might even be that woman.

So tell us what you love about Special Editions! And if you haven’t read a Silhouette Special Edition, I hope the Spotlight will shine on one or two that entice you enough to give them a try. Once you do, I hope you love them as much as I do.

Contest Alert!! To help spread the love, at the end of this Spotlight, I’ll randomly draw two names from the comments (of all the SSE Spotlight posts combined) and send each winner the April ’08 Silhouette Special Edition (print) release of his or her choice.

Thanks, Shannon!

Can you “bear” it? Which one will you choose?

Congrats! You’ve won your choice of a print copy of either Taming Eliza Jane or Devlin Group: Adrenaline.

Please email your selection and contact info to Sybil, who will forward it to Shannon. PLEASEPLEASE put “Shannon Stacey Valenduckie Contest” in the subject line.

Cupid and multi-genre author Shannon Stacey shares how her lover bought her another lover.  Read on to find out how this threesome worked out.

Catch her last release, Taming Eliza Jane (Samhain, 27 Nov 07) in ebook or paperback.

Nothing calls for over-the-top romantic gestures like Valentine’s Day! Big bouquets of roses, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, extravagant restaurant dinners and diamond rings submerged in flutes of the finest bubbly.

Yeah, I don’t get any of that. No flowers. I buy my own chocolate after it’s clearanced down on the 15th. But I’m okay with that. After all, I could have said no when I opened that jeweler’s box almost fifteen years ago and he said, “Well, do you want it?” I knew what I was signing up for, and it wasn’t over-the-top romantic gestures.

But a few years ago, out of the blue, my husband bought me a Valentine’s Day gift. It’s a Don Juan bear from the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, and I was speechless. (He heard about the bears on our local morning radio show.) Don Juan is fully poseable, with a red-lined black satin cape, a mysterious little mask and a black hat that sits jauntily over one ear. Whether it’s because it’s the cutest teddy bear ever or because it was such a surprise coming from my husband, it’s my very favorite gift from him.

So if you could customize a teddy bear, which romance novel hero would you choose? While I’m quite happy with Don Juan, I’d love a Jamie Frasier bear. He could wear a little kilt. Or maybe a Black Dagger Brotherhood bear, in black leather and little teddy-sized shitkickers.

Who would your bear be? (And, sure, that might be cheesy, but remember…I only get my cheesy Valentine romance vicariously through other people. *g*)

A randomly drawn commenter will win a print copy of either Taming Eliza Jane or Devlin Group: Adrenaline, winner’s choice.

Shannon Stacey

One hella smart author, Shannon Stacey, posts on RtB today and talks about ebooks. No wait, it is safe… you will see

Will Martinson, the town doctor, already has a heap of troubles on his plate, what with a pregnant whore, an ailing friend and a sheriff with a bad habit of shooting people. The last thing he needs is a strong hankering for a woman who think it’s her duty to turn a man’s life upside-down.

Eliza Jane Carter is a woman on a mission. She’s going to improve the lives of the women in Gardiner, Texas before moving on to the next town. But when her finances take a turn for the worse and her chaperone heads for the hills, Eliza Jane is stranded in a town full of riled up menfolk, a gun-happy sheriff and one handsome doctor who makes her question everything she ever believed about the love between a man and a woman.