Kay's Blog

The Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London

2012-03-02T13:14:00.000-05:00

March 2, 2012

Nothing like a small town/village/city. Love sentences with blades of grass in them.

http://julialondon.com/
"The cold wind stung his cheeks, his nose. That's what he wanted-he wanted to feel that cold seeping into him, freezing him, locking down all the impossible feelings that had begun to sprout in the cracks of his mud like so many blades of grass."

All I can say is Julia London has me hooked with her new series, Secrets of Hadley Green. I'm loving how she is bringing to life not just the main character/couples in each book, but she is creating some really well-developed supporting characters I'm enjoying. I also think as far as creating a series, that going the route of creating a small town is the way to go, instead of brothers/four friends/schoolmates, etc. I would think this would give an author more creative freedom.

As I said earlier, I'm enjoying the supporting characters, especially the gaggle of women; they so remind me of the women in Cranford. Unlike some books where these characters are irritating, in this book I'm very interested in what each one of these characters is doing.

Now on to The Revenge of Lord Eberlin and our main characters, Lily and Tobin. And, I will say this, how you feel about Tobin will affect whether you like the book or not. If ever there was a couple who will make you scratch your head and wonder how the author is ever going to get them together, this is it. You see, our heroine was a witness against our hero's father and his father was hung due to that testimony. And, there is never any fake witnessing - Lily really did see something. However, she saw that something with the eyes of an eight year old. Needless to say, there is some heavy baggage that both Lily and Tobin carry. Tobin is also out to destroy Lily. There were so many moments in this book that had the ability to touch your heart. The relationship between Lily and Lucy, an adorable little girl. When Tobin proposes to Lily and her manner of accepting...loved this scene. Tobin's party that hardly anyone came to. And, when we do have a HEA, it isn't a sugar coated happily ever after with birds chirping and squirrels climbing on your lap while you sing "Zippidy-doo-da." There are still things that are not settled, and certain people still hold grudges, and Tobin is not magically accepted into Lily's world. And, that was one of the things I really liked about this book.

There is also a mystery of the disappearing jewels, which is probably one of the weaker parts of the book; however, I loved this book and was enthralled from beginning to end as I watched love unfold and do some big time healing. Fascinating book.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Almost Hot

Sweet Enemy by Heather Snow

2012-02-28T16:37:00.000-05:00

February 28, 2012

Again with the kaleidoscope eyes!
http://heathersnowbooks.com/

For those of you who don't know me, when I read a book I take notes, which is all well and good. However, if I'm reading a paper book, I tend to take notes on what ever happens to be close by - post-it notes, an envelope, a bill, a Kleenex, napkin, anything handy. Well, sometimes these little notes get lost, which is what happened with this book. (An advantage with the Nook, one does not loose the notes.) Anyway, I found myself jotting down the variety of eye and hair colors that both our hero and heroine had. However, I lost the notes, so from memory: violet, amethyst, purple, and lavender eyes for her, cobalt blue for him (I think), amber, red, copper hair for her. I don't remember his hair changing colors. Now, this didn't make the book bad by any means, but every time I read a different description I smiled. I'm not sure it's really necessary to use the color wheel when describing our characters.

On to the book. Sweet Enemy, by Heather Snow, is Ms. Snow's debut effort and overall, it was a pretty good book with just a few minor hiccups. And, they are my hiccups - not every reader out there has the same hiccup-ery capacity. We have a couple of interesting main characters in this book. Liliana, a smart heroine - and, I do mean smart, not a fake smart heroine as oftentimes crop up among the pages. This one is quite intelligent; in fact, sometimes I felt as if I were back in school. She is proficient in chemistry, which would be a mighty big stumbling block for a woman in the time period she was situated in. However, I enjoyed her intelligence. I also found her to be pretty humorous and able to take care of herself. I loved how she irritated the hero, Geoffrey, and at the same time made him a better man. And, I found another use for sugar.

Then we have our hero, the Alan Alda of his day, Geoffrey. He was almost too good to be true, with saving the world and such, and I nearly raised my eyebrows, but didn't. I also enjoyed Geoffrey's acceptance of Liliana's intelligence and abilities. When these two get together, they bicker, they try to outdo each other, they challenge each other. Then that protagonist/antagonist relationship slowly blossoms into friendship. Ms. Snow did a great job showing people liking, then falling in love.

There is also a nice mystery to be solved and a villain to be found. Now, because I've read a bazillion romance books, I was able to spot the villain right away, so there was no surprise there. However, the mystery caused the Trust monster to rear its ugly head and that is where I had a minor problem.

Spoilers. Now, we learn that Liliana believes Geoffrey to have somehow been involved with her father's death. Or, someone in his family was involved. Which is the reason she's at his house party, to discover who the murderer is/was...so, it is understandable that she would not tell him the reason for her being there. Of course, as time passes and these two become closer, we the readers know there is going to be a problem when Geoffrey finds out the "real" reason she's there. And, do you know why it will be a problem? Because of his horrible, deceitful, lying, two-timing, not to be trusted mother. So, when Geoffrey finds out about Liliana's secret, he reacts. And, he reacts in a way that a lot of romance heroes do...he cannot - will not trust Liliana.

I thought about this issue after I finished this book. So, thank you Ms. Snow for that. Now, I liked Geoffrey a lot. He was mature, caring and intelligent. He liked Liliana. He talked to Liliana. He got to know her and when she was finally honest with him, because he was a more mature hero, I was expecting him to be maybe a little hurt but I was hoping he'd be more accepting of what she had done. And, because he was the Alan Alda of his time, he should have been able to forgive and not gone off on a "cannot trust you" tangent. His reaction didn't seem in character to me.

But in the end, even with the trust hiccup, this was a fun read and a great beginning for author Heather Snow. I will be looking forward to the next book that Ms. Snow publishes. Job well done!

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Warm to hot

On my Radar Late March/Early April 2012

2012-02-24T16:03:00.001-05:00

February 24, 2012

Jennifer Ashley

http://www.jennifersromances.com/

The Duke's Perfect Wife

Highland Pleasure series

Release date: April 3, 2012

9780425247105

Tessa Dare

http://tessadare.com/

A Week to Be Wicked

Spindle Cove series

Release date: March 27, 2012

9780062049872

Tracey Devlyn, debut

http://traceydevlyn.com/

A Lady's Revenge

Wicked as They Come series

Release date: April 1, 2012

9781402258220

Meredith Duran

http://www.meredithduran.com/

At Your Pleasure

Release date: March 27, 2012

9781451606959

Suzanne Enoch

http://www.suzanneenoch.com/

Taming an Impossible Rogue

Scandalous Brides series

Release date: March 27, 2012

9780312534523

Julia London

http://julialondon.com/

The Seduction of Lady X

Secrets of Hadley Green series

Release date: March 27, 2012

9781439175477

Kasey Michaels

http://www.kaseymichaels.com/

Much Ado About Rogues

Blackthorn Brothers series

Release date: March 20, 2012

9780373776399

Sophia Nash

http://www.sophianash.com/

The Art of Duke Hunting

The Royal Entourage series

Release date: March 27, 2012

9780062022332

Miranda Neville

http://www.mirandaneville.com/

Confessions from an Arranged Marriage

Burgundy Club series

Release date: March 27, 2012

9780062023056

Maggie Robinson

http://www.maggierobinson.net/

Master of Sin

Courtesan Court series

Release date: April 4, 2012

9780758251053

Tracy Anne Warren

http://www.tracyannewarren.com/

The Princess and the Peer

Princess Brides series

Release date: April 3, 2012

9780451236340

The Title Caught My Eyes

Kieran Shields

http://www.kieranshieldsbooks.com/

The Truth of All Things

Release date: March 27, 2012

9780307720276

For a more complete list of Upcoming releases see Hey Delia!

Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel

2012-02-23T13:44:00.000-05:00

February 23, 2012

Me and my shadow,
Not a soul to tell our troubles to . . .
http://www.carolynjewel.com/index.php

We have spoilers ahead.
Well, I had to digest this one before I jotted down my thoughts. I love Carolyn Jewel and I've missed her since she switched to paranormal. And then, hot-diggity, I read that she was working on a historical series, so I waited with baited breath. Not Wicked Enough arrived on my doorstep and I gleefully plunged into it. Let me tell you, I was entranced by her writing from the very first, even found a new favorite sentence/paragraph. So, before I even start telling you what I thought of the book overall, let me meander a bit about the great opening of this book.

The part I love involves a shadow and the quirky imagination of the heroine, Lily Wellstone. Lily was one of the best heroines I've read in a long time. She arrives at our hero's estate in the wee hours of the morning in the pouring rain. She and the hero are in the entry way and because they are using lanterns for light, an elongated shadow of our heroine is being cast upon the floor and our hero is standing on this shadow. In her imagination she decides that she can not move as long as he's standing on her shadow. I loved this side of her. What a whimsical character. Here's one of those moments.

"He didn’t react right away, and she had the impression he was deciding whether she had amused him or convinced him she was a fool. Perhaps a bit of both. Well. She was cold and wet. His boot yet pinned her shadow to the floor, so she remained where she was. Behind him, she caught a glimpse of a stone staircase that quickly narrowed and turned as it spiraled toward the first floor and disappeared into darkness."

So, I curled up to read a lovely, well-written romance with two remarkable, above-average Romanceland characters. At least Lily was different; Mountjoy (hero) may have been a more typical hero, that doesn't mean I didn't like him, it just means Lily was the one that stole the show. From the beginning, this couple was a mismatch. She's perfect, beautiful, loves people, is a social butterfly and wants people to be happy. Mountjoy is really rough around the edges, doesn't like to be around people, and has rather a apathetic attitude. When these two meet, the sparks just fly off the pages of Not Wicked Enough.

Something I liked about Lily: she wasn't a virgin and she had never been married; however, she had been engaged and seemed to have indulged in some pretty hot sex with her fiance. The fiance is dead by the way. So, when she meets Mountjoy, she doesn't hesitate to act upon the sensual chemistry steaming from them. It just happens and there didn't seem to be any guilty consciences floating around afterward. The sex in this book is hot!

There are also some secondary characters, and although they are not written as strongly as the main two, they add to the story. So, things go on: we are at a house party, we have a treasure hunt, we have sex, illicit encounters. He proposes, she turns him down, they have sex, he proposes, she turns him down, they have sex, her cousin proposes, she thinks about it, they go for a walk, they talk, Mountjoy lets her think about it, they have sex, they have a treasure hunt, they go for a walk, they talk, she is suspicious of her cousin, Mountjoy's brother runs off with the neighbors daughter, Lily talks about her awful father, she turns her cousin down, the cousin tells her why he's there, Mountjoy proposes, they have sex, he throws pebbles at her window, she accepts. The end. And all of that was done without any angst, drama, poor me poor me, trauma or I'm not worthy. So, when I closed the book I sat there wondering why I felt let down. Should I read it over again? No, I have too many others calling my name. So, what went wrong? I loved the characters - loved the wit, dialog, strong fanciful heroine, manly rough gruff hero. What happened from the foot in the shadow to the HEA? I was troubled, so I conferred with a fellow romance traveler who was just hanging around. After much talk and rambling around it became apparent to me that there was no conflict, no roadblock...nothing that either one of the two main characters seemed to be concerned about or couldn't overcome. There was just no struggle, and shouldn't there be?

Another thing that bothered me was I never understood why she couldn't marry him. She didn't moon over her dead fiance; in fact it would seem to me if one was really happy with one's first love (as she was), one would be more than ready to try again.

Her father could have been a roadblock, but no, nothing ever happened there. Her cousin could have been, but no.

So, what started out so promising, ended with a slight feeling of something missing. Which leads me to my quandary...It was great having a Carolyn Jewel book in my hands! Not Wicked Enough had some wonderful characters in it, some wonderful writing and I would recommend it for that reason. It's just in the end even though I liked the characters, I felt a certain disconnect with their HEA.

PS: Notice I didn't say anything about the dress on the front cover, or the "howdy big fella, is that a cucumber in your pocket or are you just happy to see me" pose.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot

A Lady Never Surrenders by Sabrina Jeffries

2012-02-17T16:38:00.000-05:00

February 17, 2012

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I'm gonna eat some worms!
Long, slippy, slimy ones,
Short, fat, juicy ones,
Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms!

http://www.sabrinajeffries.com/
I have a question. When authors gather at the watering hole, do they all agree on what themes they are going to write about? You 25 authors write about virgin widows, you 25 write about women disguised as men and you 25 write about the I'm-not-good-enough-for-you syndrome. And, then let's not stagger them throughout the year, but publish them in the same month. Then let's make sure SidneyKay buys all of the ones with the same framework. I'm sure that doesn't happen. They probably don't gather at a watering hole and they probably scratch their heads and ask, SidneyKay who, but golly-gosh, gee willikers, we have another not good enough character but this time it's the hero. Having just read a "Poor Me" book, maybe I should have put this one aside after the first couple of "I'm not worthy's" started to pop up. I need to jot that down - when similarities appear, set aside book til later. And to the peanut gallery, I would not be setting aside all of my books.

A Lady Never Surrenders by Sabrina Jeffries is the last in the series of the Hellion's of Halstead Hall. This one is the story of Celia Sharpe and Jackson Pinter, the Bow Street Runner/detective. Now, if you have been following the series (and I strongly advise before you read this one, you read the others) you will know that the wily grandmother is forcing her grandchildren to marry in a set amount of time or be faced with disinheritance. So, that's one plot. The other plot is the Sharpe siblings parents were murdered when the said siblings were young and this plot has continued through all five books, with hints here and there until the bad guy/girl is caught. So that's another plot. Then there is a sort of secondary plot of who is Jackson's father, but that doesn't really take up too much time. And, of course Celia has to find a husband. By my count we have four plots and they all have to be wrapped up by the time we read the last chapter, turn out the lights and go to sleep.

When I began A Lady Never Surrenders, I enjoyed the moments Celia and Jackson were together. Their bantering/bickering was fun and I wish it had gone on a little bit longer. I liked the way Celia could out-shoot most of the men - her so-called suitors. I loved watching Jackson struggle against the attraction he felt for Celia, I thought his jealous thoughts were pretty funny. It's always a treat when strong men can't control their feelings. For once we have a hero who isn't an aristocrat; nope, he's a self-made man. And, it is here that I have a problem. Most self-made men I've ever been around are pretty confident with themselves, even dare I say it, a little arrogant. However, Jackson had the "I'm not Worthy" complex - a heap of it. The "I'm not worthy" did not blend well with the confidence he exhibited in everything else he did. And after a while, his continual beating himself up became rather annoying.

By the way, is it just me or has any one else noticed the increase in hairy ballocks? Is this a new trend? Are we to be inundated with hairy things flapping behind our heroes' purple-headed Mr. Toads? Over the years I've become accustomed to the angry red large-veined heads belonging to Mr. Toad, but I don't know if I'm ready to read about my heroes' hairy ballocks. Thank goodness they are not sweaty. That would be too much for me to bear.

I digress. Even though I thought Jackson's boo-hooing was annoying, I did like Celia and Jackson as a couple. I wish that more time had been spent on the development of their romance. I was also disappointed with the scooby-doo murder/mystery wrap up of who killed the parents. It felt rushed and I could almost see someone ripping a mask off, shouting Rit Ras Rer.

Overall, liked the romance part of the book; the mystery, not so much. This was better than the last one in the series, but not as good as A Hellion in Her Bed.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Hot

Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel by Samantha Grace

2012-02-16T13:15:00.000-05:00

February 16, 2012

"You say it's yes, and then it's no;
You say you'll stay, and then you go -
You're undecided now, so what are you gonna do?

First you say you do, and then you don't,
And then you say you will, and then you won't;
You're undecided now, so what are you gonna do?

Now you want to play, and then it's no,
And when you say you'll stay, that's when you go -
You're undecided now, so what are you gonna do?"

http://samanthagraceauthor.com/about.html
I'm always torn when I have a debut author who is promising but I've had to struggle to finish their book. I felt that way about Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel, by Samantha Grace. Should I, shouldn't I, write how I feel about this book? It is all subjective after all, so there are some of you out there who probably won't agree with my thoughts on this story.

When the book started, I was amused with the heroine and hero. I thought they had some funny dialogue and their first encounter with each other was a hoot. However, it didn't take me long to become really irritated with our heroine, Lana. And, by the way, the name Lana reminded me of Superman, not someone from the 1800's. I digress. Lana. I wanted nothing more than to reach inside those pages and squeeze that alabaster neck. Talk about an inferiority complex! OMG! She's not pretty enough - she's got horrible freckles - she's been hurt in the past - no one will ever love her - she cannot trust any man, especially if they are rakes - she believes the lies of the villain, for no particular reason - she wants a secret betrothal - she is a virgin - no she's not - he doesn't love me - he'll never be faithful - she can't be loved, and did I mention: She Has Freckles! She sends the hero after his mistress because she doesn't want that woman to feel bad and then she has conflicting feelings about whether she can trust the hero - whether he's in bed with the woman she sent him chasing after. Up and down, up and down, I was just very confused over who Lana was. Lana was just too much of a yes/no whiny- downtrodden- poor- me-jumping-to-the-wrong-conclusion heroine for my taste.

Andrew could have been a wonderful hero, if only Lana had been a better heroine. There is only one time I sighed...when he asked a woman friend to flirt with him so he could see if Lana became jealous. Bet you can guess if she was or not. That was a teeth-grinding moment; I don't like games played between couples in real life, and I most certainly don't want my fake romance people to play silly juvenile games either!

By the end of the story, I really had strong doubts as to whether these two people could ever have a HEA...there was just too much distrust from Lana to make me believe this could ever happen.

So, I was disappointed in this debut book. I wanted the characters in the book to be more fleshed out and less silly. I didn't understand some of the background story with the parents; that had an unfinished feel about it. I will read the second in the series, just to see how the author grows and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

And, a special thanks to Les Brown and His Band of Renown
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Hot

An Affair with Mr. Kennedy by Jillian Stone

2012-02-09T11:40:00.001-05:00

February 9, 2012

The guy with the kaleidoscope eyes
http://www.gjillianstone.com/

Can’t our heroes have just regular, plain ol’ blue eyes? The one in this book has a variety of blues, which I have included for your edification, even though there is more than one shade of these three colors. So, Zak, our hero, depending on what he’s doing has changeable eyes. They can be Cerulean or Sapphire or Prussian blue. Don’t know which shade of Cerulean, Sapphire, or Prussian they be, but he’s a real colorful guy. And, in all cases, they are penetrating.

And, by the way, does anyone else think the female model on the front cover bears a striking resemblance to Liv Tyler? My daughter doesn't see it.

Now to the book. An Affair with Mr. Kennedy is the debut novel of Jillian Stone and the beginning of the Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series. Even though the changing blue eyes struck me as a tad bit absurd, it dawned on me that the handsome hero’s orbs were being seen through the eyes of the heroine, who just happens to be an artist. So, maybe she would say Cerulean. I’m digressing.

An Affair with Mr. Kennedy steps into a different time period than my usual reads, and that’s refreshing. We wander into the Victorian era around the time of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Contrary to what a few people believe when one says Victorian time, this time period was seeped in dark, underground, perverse shenanigans; it’s just there was a pretty strait-laced façade in place. Ms. Stone has done her research. There was a lot of real history jam-packed in this book: the Impressionist art movement, suffrage effort, Irish home rule, a group called the Fenian Brotherhood. So much going on and it was all beautifully blended with the fake history. There were times when the stuff that was going on in the background overshadowed the romance of the book.

Let’s turn to the romance in the book. Even though I would have to say this is more of a suspense romance than a pure romance, yes, my little petunia’s we do have a romance couple. There is Cassie, our budding artist, whose upbringing has been very progressive (to say the least). Her mother could have been one of the Pankhurst women; she even goes so far as to encourage her daughter into taking a lover and purchasing some condoms for her. Now, Cassie happens to be looking for a place to live on her own. She wants to be free, free and a famous artist. Now, because all free famous artists have lovers, she is on the lookout for one too.

Enter Zeno “Zak” Kennedy, her landlord, who also happens to be one of Scotland Yard’s smartest, solve-any-crime, able to leap tall buildings (along with his giant sidekick Timothy Toad), detective. The moment Cassie and Zak see each other the sparks fly and it doesn’t take long before this couple is bouncing all over the place.

There are of course a number of villains and conspiracies and chases and attempted kidnapings and bombs. There were moments of hair-raising suspense as Zak races to catch the bad guys before they can blow up the Queen – which by the way was one of my favorite parts of the book. The race was a well written nail-biter.

Now, mixed in with all this suspense and nail-biting was a l-o-t of sex. Almost too much sex and I confess I did do some skipping of scenes. The secondary characters could have been very interesting - the mother, brother, father, housekeeper, future heroes and villains - but at times they seemed to be flat. I also had a slight problem how abruptly one scene ended and the next began. I became used to it after a while, but it did take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. There were a couple of scenes I could have done without: the discussion with the maid over the humongous size of Zak’s Mr. Toad was a little icky, and, the questioning of Zak’s dead ex-mistress-no-she’s alive prisoner reminded me a little of Stella Cameron’s bad women who try to seduce the hero. Didn’t like it, didn’t think it was needed to make the story move along.

Overall, I liked this book and thought it was a good beginning to a series of Scotland Yard suspense-romance stories. However, I will say that the best part of the book was the suspense, and the romance was the weak part (even with all the sex).

Time/Place: Victorian England/France
Sensuality Rating: Burning

The Other Guy's Bride by Connie Brockway

2012-02-02T12:30:00.000-05:00

February 3, 2012

A rollicking desert sand adventure that has everything but the mummy!
http://www.conniebrockway.com/

In 1997, Connie Brockway wrote one of her best books, As You Desire. Now, after 14 or so years, she has finally written a sequel: The Other Guy's Bride, which is the story of Harry and Desdemona's daughter Genisse. You do not have to have read the original to follow this story, because this is a very much stand-alone book, even if there are returning characters.

This is a charming, fun story and it plays best in the parts when Genisse and our hero Jim/James are cavorting through the desert in search of a lost tomb/city/archeological wonder. Or at least Geniesse is searching; Jim, on the other hand, is clueless as to her purpose in traveling through the hot sands. You see, he thinks she is somebody else: the fiancee of the stodgy commander of the fort. And he has been sent to bring the commander's fiancee back. Now, there is a good reason Jim thinks this is the commander's fiancee - Geniesse told him she was. Yes, this is a disguise romance...but in the hands of Connie Brockway it is quite entertaining.

This story reminded me of the movies The Mummy, Romancing the Stone and Raiders of the Lost Ark, with maybe some Tracy/Hepburn/Gary Grant/Rosalind Russell snappy dialog thrown in just for fun. The Other Guy's Bride is a very visual story with no cardboard characters in sight.

I especially loved Genisse. She was a strong, intelligent woman, dare I say spunky. She was also a tad bit accident prone, which is why she decides she wants to find the lost city/tomb of Zerzura. She has one of those failings that a number of us have: she doesn't see herself as she really is. She has a feeling of not fitting in with her family, of not being good enough and this search for the missing Zerzura will make her of worth to her family. Or at least that's what she thinks. There was some interesting writing from Ms. Brockway as Genisse finally discovers who she really is and what she really wants. Quite nice.

Then we have our hero, Jim, who is also in disguise. Although, I didn't buy his disguise excuse as much as I did Genisse's. I liked Jim best when he was befuddled by our heroine. The banter between these two had me smiling throughout most of the book. There is also a wonderful "watch the woman melt" moment when he tells Genisse why he wants her to say his name. "Because when you say my name, it would touch your lips...like a kiss." Great line. Think I'll make my husband memorize it.

This would have been an extraordinary adventure, if the couple had not turned into standard Romanceland "you must marry me, I have taken your innocence, no, I cannot marry you, you have not said the magic words" couple. Up to the point of the taking of the magical woo-woo bud, this story was great. It was colorful, full of great scenes, fun dialogue, sand storms, camels, bandits, accidents, scorpions, rescues...the momentum of the story was so exciting. And then the magical woo-woo bud is broken and we get bogged down in Romanceland mundane love problems.

In the end, it was great to have another historical by Connie Brockway. The story was a fun read and if the momentum had not been interrupted this would have been one of the best. However, I did enjoy the story, loved the main characters, loved the desert adventure and am looking forward to more historicals from Ms. Brockway.

My special thanks to Oded Fehr for making The Mummy memorable!

Time/Place: Edwardian...Egypt
Sensuality Rating: Warm/Hot

On My Radar Late February, Early March

2012-01-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

C.S. Harris

http://csharris.net/

When Maidens Mourn

Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries

Release date, March 6, 2012

hardcover: 9780451235770

Madeline Hunter

http://www.madelinehunter.com/

The Surrender of Miss Fairbourne

Fairbourne Quartet (new)

Release date, March 6, 2012

9780515150469

Leigh LaValle

http://www.leighlavalle.com/

The Runaway Countess

e-book
Release date, March 6, 2012
9781609287689

Caroline Linden

http://www.carolinelinden.com/

Blame it on Bath

deLacey series

Release date, February 28, 2012
9780062025333

Julia London
http://julialondon.com/

The Revenge of Lord Eberlin

Secrets of Hadley Hall series

Release date, February 21, 2012
9781439175460

Sarah MacLean

http://macleanspace.com/

A Rogue by Any Other Name

The First Rule of Scoundrels series

Release date, February 28, 2012
9780062068521

Mia Marlowe

http://miamarlowe.com/

Touch of a Rogue

Touch of Seduction series

Release date, March 1, 2012
9780758263544

Sophia Nash

http://www.sophianash.com/

Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea

The Royal Entourage series (new)

Release date, February 28, 2012
9780062022325

Lynsay Sands

http://www.lynsaysands.net/

The Husband Hunt

Madison Sisters series

Release date, February 28, 2012
9780061963100

The Title Caught My Eye:

A. Lee Martinez

http://www.aleemartinez.com/

Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain
Release date, March 5, 2012
9780316093521

Sarah Bowers

http://www.sarahbower.co.uk/

The Needle in the Blood

Historical fiction. A tale of the Bayeux tapestry

U.S. release date, March 1, 2012
9781402265914

For a more complete list of upcoming releases see Hey Delia!

Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke

2012-01-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

January 30, 2012
It's the dreaded Ministry of Magic. Wait a minute. What's that you say? Oops, it's the Ministry of Marriage series. And It's not dreaded. Unless, of course you don't want to get married.

http://www.christina-brooke.com/

And in Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke, AKA Christine Wells, our hero Constantine does-not-want-to-get-married. Our heroine, Jane, isn't exactly keen on the idea of remarriage either. However, these two really do not have any control over their own destiny. The Ministry of ~~Mag~~ Marriage does. Whoever they may be.

Thanks to a fellow romance lovers recommendation I was able to enjoy Heiress in Love, which was published in 2011. So, I missed it first time around. This story had a lot going for it. Interesting enough, it also had numerous irritating moments. Let's explore these ups and downs, shall we?

Here's a short synopsis of the plot. The Duke of Montford is guardian to a flock of children. We don't know why he is. We don't know their backgrounds. And, at least in this book, we never find out. I was actually hoping that Montford was the hero of the book, but n-o-o-o, twas not to be. Throughout the book he remains an enigmatic figure, mumbling and grumbling about the e-v-i-l-s of love/passion. While he is doing this, he is also casting heavy lidded glances aimed at Lady Arlin (a fellow Ministry of ~~Mag~~ Marriage member). We don't know why; I'm assuming they have a past. We are never told. But hey, this story is not about them! It is about the poor homeless or-ph-ans/lost waifs that Montford has collected. Fast forward - the homeless or-ph-ans are grown and the meddling ministry has turned its attention to them. We don't know how this group has the power to do this, we are never told. But, any who, they are all about to be married, whether they want to be or not. I think there are five of these homeless ones, so that means five stories.

Plot continues...Jane, Lady Roxdale has recently been widowed. Her husband was Frederick, and he is a Romanceland typical "bad" husband. Poor Jane, of course she never never never ever wants to get married again! Ever! Silly girl, resistance is futile. She obviously forgot about the magical meddling ministry of marriage. They're not really magical, however, they are meddling.

Then we have Constantine, you may recognize him from other books. He's the devil-may-care, ne'er-do-well seducer of servants, a disgrace to his family. Scandal follows him where ever he goes. He's a gambler, a drunk, a womanizer. Yep! He's our hero. And, he most definitely doesn't want to get married. You see, he was betrayed and no one can trust him and he can't trust another woman to trust him because he was betrayed. Scratch head here.

Oh by the way, did I forget to mention that Jane's first marriage to faithless Frederick was arranged by the ministry? So, you see, we are dealing with people whose cognitive powers are just a little off. I'm talking the ministry here. Of course you know what the ministry is up to? They are arranging things for the poor or-ph-an Jane. Again. Run, Constantine!

We are now ready for chapter four. That might be an exaggeration, however that is only part of the storyline. There is more! There is Luke, the six year old scene stealer with the "who's his father" mystery. We have a not-up-to-any-good neighbor and childhood friend of Constantine and Frederick - Trent. By the way, Trent can fence and we are treated to some hippity-hoppity fencing scenes. We have a mill that's losing money and country folk losing their homes and dams breaking and floods and...Well there is a lot going on in this book.

Now you might think I didn't care for this book. Well, you would be wrong. There were parts of this story that I liked a lot. I enjoyed both Jane and Constantine. The slow growth of their relationship was a pleasure to read. I especially liked their bond with Luke. It was both humorous and poignant and Luke seemed like a six year old child.

So, I was pretty much enjoying the book, watching as the love story unfolds, ignoring Constantine's occasional temper tantrums. And then we have an out-of-the blue moment - a misunderstanding! The hero goes down the "you don't trust me" road. How does he know Jane doesn't trust him? Because of the look on Jane's face. Excuse me! You're throwing a fit because of the way someone looked at you! Well, for Pete’s sake, try telling her the truth. But no, what we are treated to is an "I'm leaving because you don't trust me, even though I haven't explained anything to you-it's all about blind trust! Trust! Trust!"

So, that took what had been an enjoyable read up to that point down a notch.

There were also problems with Jane jumping to the wrong conclusion and running after Constantine when, in my opinion, he was the one at fault. That whole jerk hero thing toward the end of the book got on every inch of my nerves.

Overall, this was a good book. At least the beginning was; it wasn't until the Mr. Jekyll side of Constantine was revealed that Heiress in Love lost some of its appeal for me.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Hot

2012-01-25T08:36:00.000-05:00

January 25, 2012

Welcome back to ~~Maiden Lane~~...er...~~Halstead Hall~~...uh...~~Spindle Cove~~...um...~~Courtesan Court~~...er...Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Pennyroyal Green, yes, that's the one! Welcome back to Pennyroyal Green!
http://www.julieannelong.com/index.shtml

Ah, yes this is the one with the feuding Redmond/Eversea families. Even if they play only secondary characters in How the Marquess Was Won, this is still their town after all.

Sometimes when an author writes an "outstanding, best of the best-tist, I love this story" book, my expectation/anticipation barometer ascends. So, when I am presented with a good story and I enjoy that said good story, I can still be disappointed if it doesn't live up to my expectations. And, that's what happened in this case. What I Did For the Duke was one of my favorite books from last year. I loved it! There was some supend-castic writing in that book; and while I enjoyed How the Marquess Was Won, there was just something a little off about it.

I thought both Julian and Phoebe were wonderful characters...heck, I was even intrigued by Phoebe's antagonist, Lisbeth Redmond. There was a lot going on behind the facade of each one of these individuals; it was just that we weren't allowed in too deeply. We are told Julian is frivolous, but he didn't seem so to me. Everything in Julian's character is a reflection of the society around him. It is the outside world that mimics what he does; he doesn't ask them to, they just do. And, while this makes for some pretty funny scenes in the book, we are not allowed much access into Julian's psyche. Why is he the way he is? Why does he let the ton continue their silliness? And then there is Phoebe, a "plain" woman who spent some of her childhood in Seven Dials. Not too much is made of this. In fact, when Julian finds out about it, it doesn't really seem to bother him that much. And, that was puzzling to me, considering he was such a calm, everything in its place kind of guy. I would have thought this would have played a bigger part in his class-conscious mind, but it didn't.

The character I thought was pretty true to form, pretty much what I perceive an aristocrat of the time period to be, was Lisbeth (secondary.) She was rather narcissistic, which was very understandable. It would be hard to be terribly pretty and have people worship you because of that beauty, and then not expect things to go your way. I see future heroine material in Lisbeth, if she is allowed to mature a little. She could also go the other way and make a terrific villainess. I actually was hoping that Phoebe would have been the one to knock Lisbeth off of her pedestal instead of Julian.

And then there is Jonathan. What a scalawag. I'm hoping we have a future book with him in it also.

My favorite character in this book was the cat, Chrybdis. He provided me with some laugh out loud moments. The paw swiping at the idiot twins. And the extremely hysterical rescue by Julian and the silly inspiration created by the ton to pay homage. I knew when Julian walked into Whites with a cat attached what the results would be. It was all quite amusing.

How the Marquess Was Won was an entertaining read. There was fun and there was drama. The dialogue was clever, even if there were the usual editing problems, (which I chose to overlook.) I liked all of the characters, even the goofy so-called villains. It's just that this one didn't pull me up to that higher level.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Sort of Hot

A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant

2012-01-19T13:31:00.000-05:00

January 19, 2012

Hot Diggidy Dog!
I just love writers who can write!
http://ceciliagrant.com/

Somehow, and I don't know how, A Lady Awakened slipped by my radar. A word to debut authors - insist your publisher release your book before the end of the year so you can make the "best of" lists. And, if I had read this book last year it would definitely have been on my "best of," but I'll save it for the end of this year.

Cecilia Grant - remember that name, because she is a really an amazing author. The way she blends her words together was a pleasure to read. I even have a favorite sentence from this book: "He ought to have stayed. He thought his attachment to Sussex had only to do with his attachment to Mrs. Russell, and he'd left when that tale had come to its end. But was he no more than the sum of his sentiments?" What a lovely sound that last sentence makes..."But was he no more than the sum of his sentiments?" And, this book was chock full of delightful words. Yep, that Cecilia Grant is one humdinger of a word put together-er. Heck, there's even a plot.

Now, the plot is something that's "been there, done that." You know the one I mean - a widow, Martha, needs a baby and she needs the baby n-o-w so she can save the sheep, lambs, pigs, cows, peasants, servants, teacher, preacher, land, kitty-cats - oh just everyone. Well, who should stumble into her range of vision but the ne'er-do-well, rascal, studly, scoundrel but misunderstood-heart of gold rake, Theo and his Timothy Toad. Of course, he agrees to stud duty (he is a man after all) - and we are off on another romance story. However, and this is a big however, in the hands of Ms. Grant this story is anything but run-of-the-mill. These two characters were amazing. And, for once in a romance book we actually get to watch them grow into better people. We are not told, we are not given a rush job, we get to read e-v-e-r-y gritty moment of their coming together. Now, I will admit, in the beginning Martha is not the most lovable of heroines...but she grows on you. Theo is an appealing rake right from the beginning, but he also has a lot of growing to do. The best thing is, we get to watch his transformation into a better man.

Let's talk about the s-e-x in this book. The sex was almost a secondary character in A Lady Awakened. Unlike other novels, the first time was not mind-blowing-better-than-ever-orgasmic-over-and-over sex...it was dreadful. And, it may have been some of the worst sex I ever read in a romance book. Unlike other romance books, the heroine does not explode every time Theo's around. In fact, she hates even the thought of a dangling, ugly, smelly Mr. Toad coming anywhere near her. Martha was a tad bit rigid you see, just a tad. The sex, just like Martha and Theo, goes through some wonderful metamorphosis, until finally these two people grow to love each other and then we have some really sensual hot scenes. I loved watching the changes.

Now, was this a perfect book? No, there were times when I thought the opinions, desires, saving of the land-people-lambs-etc. was just a little too modern. And there was a gathering around a table to give the bad guy his comeuppance scene that was a little silly. However, none of these minor quibbles could distract me from totally enjoying this wonderful book.This is an author and a book you don't want to miss. Remember Cecilia Grant and her debut book, A Lady Awakened.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Hot

This Duke is Mine by Eloisa James

2012-01-16T14:16:00.001-05:00

January 16, 2012

Shallow is as Shallow Does
http://www.eloisajames.com/

By the way, there are definite major spoilers in this one! I suspect when Eloisa James pulled up a chair and dipped her pen in some ink to write This Duke is Mine, it was not with the intent to spark heated discussions among members of the romance community. Let me tell you, when I started to read this book, I found my distaste-o-ramater going off. On the other hand, there were also moments that caused me to reflect on the world of romance. And, I'm not sure that this is a good thing when entering the world of escapism.

So, let's take a look at This Duke is Mine and some of the things that had me wondering if I was going to finish this book. Most of the problem surrounds our heroine, Olivia. Let's put a few facts on the table, Olivia is a twin to Georgina. Olivia is fat, Georgina is skinny...and they both have issues with how they perceive themselves. Georgina is going to be inspected for possible wifey duties by the mother of our hero, Quin (this is the tie in with The Princess and the Pea.) Olivia is going to go with Georgina for support/chaperone/whatever. And while there Olivia will fall in lust with Quin and vise versa. Nothing there to be offensive...maybe. Oh wait, I forgot one thing. Rupert! Rupert is Olivia's fiance. They have been engaged or promised since childhood...however, before they can be an official couple Rupert is going off to fight against the French and become a hero. Now, it is with Rupert that the problem arises. Rupert is a nice guy, he's honest, he's sweet...he also suffered some brain damage when he was born. He didn't receive enough oxygen, so, he is what we would call now as mentally challenged. All of this is made clear in the first few 50 or so pages. Now, I will be honest...if I put myself in Olivia's shoes I would have a few qualms about spending the rest of my life with someone like Rupert. However, what I cannot accept and what I found totally distasteful was Olivia snarky, sarcastic, belittling comments about Rupert. They were just downright nasty. She reminded me of some of the bullies that inhabited the high school halls of my old alma mater. Every chance she had, she made some kind of disparaging comment - mainly to her sister. I believe the comments were supposed to be funny, but they were not. I love sarcasms, quips and banter. Nothing better, and I even enjoy seeing people taken down a peg or two. However, those people usually can take care of themselves...they are not some innocent guy who just can't see things the way others can. I was surprised that someone who has some insecurities herself would be so cruel when it came to the shortcomings of others. She is fat after all. You know how I know she's fat? I'm told she's fat 500 gazillion times over the course of this story.

There was a wonderful scene between Rupert and Olivia. It was a consummate-non-consummate scene. He was just not able to perform - however - they sat on the bed and talked. And, he recited this little poem that was just lovely. Olivia was very understanding and I thought "oh good, she's finally winning some points with me." However, the next scene she is with her sister giggling about Rupert and his "stalk of celery." She lost her points.

Rupert's portrayal in this book also had me pondering. Not only is he represented as being dim-witted, he is also physically repulsive. He has a nose like a potato and a fat mouth that doesn't close. I can only assume that he drools. I'm not sure why it was necessary to paint him as a physically ugly person, but it made me wonder. Our we in Romanceland really that shallow? Must all of our heroes be handsome? And, although Rupert wasn't the hero in the book, (maybe he should have been) - what if he had looked like Brad Pitt? Would that have made any kind of difference? When was the last time in a romance book the hero had a paunchy stomach or thinning hair? Or even was not as smart as our heroes must be? I know there are some out there - mostly on Laura Kinsale's bookshelf - but aren't those great! Maybe it's time to take a look at what makes a hero.

Back to the This Duke is Mine. Was there anything in it that I liked? Well, actually yes. When they finally were all together (except Rupert) and Quin's mother was testing the women. There was some wonderful bantering between his mother and Olivia...it's funny when the protagonist are evenly matched. I also liked the Georgina character, she seemed to have more depth then her sister and I was hoping that Quin would chose her...of course, he didn't. Quin was a typical hero, with some baggage that made him into a rather cold character - unless he's looking at Olivia's giant melon's then he's hot. However, I did enjoy the middle of the book. And, then they go to France to retrieve Rupert. The French trip seemed odd, and didn't really fit with the rest of the story. Almost as if it had been added just to up the word count.

By the end of the story, Olivia had redeemed herself - sort of. However, her redemption came through the guise of others, not through anything she did. She is given permission by her sister to become Quin's love match. She never at any time approached Georgina and said "Hey, I'm in lust with this guy. I know you are supposed to have him, but you are not really interested in him." But no, it is Georgina who says all of that. And, then there is Rupert. He dies. So, once again Olivia does not have to make amends to anyone. She is off the hook, foot-loose and fancy free. Rupert's death was another issue with me. I thought it was a mistake to kill off Rupert. I would have been happier with everyone involved in this story if there had been some kind of confrontation between Rupert, Olivia and Quin. Instead we have a weird French farce baker thing thrown in - what was that all about?

So, yes, I was disappointed with this book and the disappointment was mainly due to the very unlikeable heroine. The writing, the words, the secondary characters were all good. The second half of the book is what saved The Duke is Mine from a lower rating. The heroine was too much of a closet bully for my taste.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Hot

Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke

2012-01-10T15:02:00.002-05:00

January 10, 2012

What a nice beginning for 2012!

http://www.lauraleeguhrke.com/

Spoiler's ahead. If you are a fan of Laura Lee Guhrke, Trouble at the Wedding will not disappoint. This story takes us to one of my favorite time periods - Edwardian - love - love - love the clothes from that period. Thank goodness we do not wear the swan-bill corset anymore, although I think the Gibson girl silhouette is interesting. This is also the era of the so-called "dollar Princesses." A time period when English estates were having financial troubles and one of the solutions was to marry wealthy American heiresses to replenish their coffers. If you're interested, Jennie Jerome (Churchill), Consuelo Vanderbilt, Mary Leiter, Cornelia Martin, May Goelet and Nancy Langhorne Shaw (Astor), were some of these women. And, in most cases their marriages were not happy, both partners finding interest elsewhere, if you get my drift. This habit was also responsible for lovely weekend parties of discreet door knocking.

Anyway, that's what we have in this tale. We have our extremely wealthy American heiress, Annabel, who is about to marry an aristocratic chinless English earl. Now, there is a catch with the heiress. She may be rich, but she does not fit in with Mrs. Astor's elite 400. No siree, she's from the backwaters of Mississippi. Her daddy just happened to strike gold. And, even though this is a work of fiction, one can only imagine what her life would have been trying to break into the New York elite snob society of the day. (Probably not too much different than today.) This vulnerability is one of the strong components in the story, and it's also one of the reasons I loved Annabel so much. She is a smart, strong woman, but she's been hurt in the past. She wants to fit in s-o much, however, she is a little bit blinded to what it is she is trying to fit into. It just takes Annabel some time to realize that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I was little puzzled as to why she decided that she would be more accepted in English aristocracy than she was in American so-called aristocracy. After-all, her background isn't exactly upper-crusty. Which brings me to something else I liked in this book. I was pleased with Miss Guhrke's portrayal of Annabel's background. Yes, she's from the Mississippi backwaters! Yes, she says "sugar" and drops her consonants. But at no time did I feel the need to laugh at her because of where she came from. In fact, the southern/backwater theme was very nicely written. I was glad that Ms. Guhrke didn't fall into the "let's make fun of the country yokel because they're yokels" writing. I'm not fond of stereotyping, unless, of course, it's the elite we're poking.

Then, we have Christian, our hero. He's a duke and he needs money. And, in this book, he almost plays second fiddle to our heroine. Now, he has numerous weights he's carrying around. He was married before and for some reason, he blames himself for her death. Didn't quite understand that, but I excuse him for being so young when he was married. However, you would think after a few years he would shed some of his guilt. Evidently not. Anyway, as I said before, he needs money - fast! So, he is hired by Annabel's uncle to break up the wedding between Annabel and her chinless earl fiance. Being the scoundrel that he is, Christian agrees - then, he sees Annabel - and falls for her immediately. I chose to believe he falls in love with her immediately, however, his love for Annabel isn't always that convincing. I'm not going to go into too much detail except to say that there are some twists and turns in the plots. Some things I didn't see coming. There is a nice balance of poignancy and humor. In fact, the first wedding scene is both funny and sad at the same time.

This is a delightful addition to the Abandoned at the Altar series, with an especially strong heroine who has a very vulnerable side. Usually, I am drawn to the heroes in the book. While I found Christian to be delightful and I enjoyed his humor, it was Annabel who stole the show. There was also a point when I wanted to knock their heads together, and tell them that they loved each other - but I didn't. When all is said and done, if you have been enjoying this series, you won't want to miss this Trouble at the Wedding. Great addition!!!

Time/Place: Edwardian England

Sensuality: Sort of Hot

The Price of Temptation by Lecia Cornwall

2012-01-05T10:49:00.001-05:00

January 5, 2012

How many footmen does it take to unscrew a light bulb?

http://www.leciacornwall.com/
Well, none if they are in a historical novel...cause they didn't have light bulbs in Regency England. (We are not counting Humphrey Davy's invention.) Anyway, we have the latest by Lecia Cornwall, The Price of Temptation. And, this story starts out pretty strong. It's a story of two people, Evelyn and Sinjon, who are held in disdain by those surrounding them. The meet, find solace in each others arms, fall in love - the end. Spoilers ahead.

Of course, along the way she is accused of harboring a traitor, her husband. Or knowing where he is. Or knowing whether he's dead or not. Bottom line, she seems to be blamed for almost everything her husband did. And then we have our hero, Sinjon, aka Sam, the footman. You see, he is also accused of nefarious crimes. He may be a rapist, a traitor, a coward, a murderer. But none of those things stop the head spy-master from sending him off on a mission to spy on our heroine, Evelyn... disguised as a footman. He's disguised as a footman, not Evelyn. You know, saying it that way sounds kind of silly, but it all made sense when I was reading it. And, hey, what says romance more than spies, traitors, cowards, rapist, murderers?

Now, don't get me wrong, I liked both Evelyn and Sinjon/Sam. I thought Evelyn's metamorphosis from a scaredy cat to a tough cookie was great. And, she is the one who approaches Sinjon/Sam about a "relationship." I just wish at some point in her evolution she would have stood up to her three horrible sisters.

I also liked the strong sense of how servants were/are treated - as if they were/are invisible. I actually enjoyed eavesdropping on the domestic household in this tale and I wish there had been more of it. Sinjon/Sam blending in with the below-stairs people was so well done, that when his disguise was penetrated I felt sorry for him. Speaking of the disguise part, normally I don't care for disguise/lies, but in the case of The Price of Temptation, this plot-line is where the center of the tension was for me. Forget about finding the missing husband, or clearing Sinjon's name, I was more intrigued by the tension created knowing that at some point his masquerade was going to be revealed. The longer his disguise continued, the more I became apprehensive about the reaction of the people who had come to care for him. I found myself looking at the page count, thinking - OMG when is it going to happen?

Where the book fell apart for me was with the two villains. We race all over clearing up the problem with the husband, and then we have to solve the other villain's hold over Sinjon/Sam. This was all done in the last few chapters; it seemed to me to be t-o-o busy, t-o-o fast. Maybe just one villain would have sufficed. And, the magical flag worship made me cringe. I kept wondering if soldiers in that time period would react in the same manner. They almost seemed as if they were from the Dark Ages instead of Regency.

Overall, this is a good book, a fast read, with some interesting characters; nothing earth-shattering, but charming and nice.

Time/Place: Regency England, Napoleon/Louis France
Sensuality Rating: Hot

DIK fond farewell!!!

2011-12-29T07:49:00.002-05:00

Make sure you drop by DIK Desert Island Keepers. They are having a BIG going away giveaway...The best of luck to everyone involved over there at DIK and I'm going to miss all of you, so keep in touch!!!

http://dikladiesrule.blogspot.com/

Unraveled by Courtney Milan

2011-12-27T08:10:00.000-05:00

December 27, 2011

Hairpins! Who knew hairpins could be so dramatic?

http://www.courtneymilan.com/
What a way to end a year! And, let me just say there are not enough adjectives in the world to express how much I loved Unraveled. Simply put, this book was marvelous! What an emotional ride - what strong writing! All that anticipation of "Smite's story" was well worth the wait.

I've love all of Courtney Milan's stories, but this one is an amazing book. Smite will be joining my "hall of heroes," standing beside such greats as Derek Craven and Dain.

Smite. Sigh. What an incredibly complicated character. He's so alone. He can't bear to be around people. He vomits around water. For all of his intelligence, he has trouble communicating with those closest to him. His best friend his his dog, Ghost. The comfort he draws from Ghost being near is very touching.

Smite is quirky and has tons of rules an regulations. I especially loved his "sentimentality quota." There are some memorable moments in this story, and one of those ooohhhh times involves Miranda's hairpin. I'm not going to go into detail; I'm just saying ooohhhh. And if that moment wasn't enough, imagine my surprise when Ms. Courtney did something that no other author in recent memory has ever done. She wrote a scene (between Ash and Smite) so powerful, both of my eyes were leaking. Now, I might have an occasional ooohhhh moment when it comes to the written word, but glistening eyes - sniffles - usually that only happens when I watch Joy Luck Club.

Then we have Miranda Darling, or should I say Miranda comma darling? She's such a strong conterpart to Smithe; they go together like peanut butter and jelly, cherry and coke, spic and span, rin and tin and tin. They are so honest with each other; they know what each is bringing to their relationship and they don't have any expectations of a happy ending. Even after they admit they love each other. One of my favorite scenes with Miranda is when she is being blackmailed. Does she keep it a secret like any romance heroine would do? Nope, she actually tells Smite she's being forced into a bad situation. It was quite refreshing for a change.

If there was a weak portion in Unraveled, it was the solution of the villain "the Patron." However, that didn't by any means lesson my enthusiasm for this incredible love story.

So, puleesseee, give yourself a treat. Unraveled is a magical romance and it's one you really don't want to miss. One of the best this year!

Time/Place: Early Victorian England
Sensuality Rating: Hot

All's I Know

2011-12-22T10:24:00.000-05:00

Working on review...but Unraveled is a MUST read!!! It's a stay up really late and finish the book - book!!!

On my Radar for Late January Early February

2011-12-21T15:18:00.000-05:00

December 22, 2011

Victoria Alexander

http://www.victoriaalexander.com/

My Wicked Little Lies

Sinful Family History series

Release date: February 1, 2012

9781420117066

Jo Beverley

http://www.jobev.com/

A Scandalous Countess

Malleron series

Release date: February 7, 2012

9780451236043

Manda Collins, debut

http://www.mandacollins.com/

How to Dance with a Duke

Ugly Duckling series

Release date: January 31, 2012

9780312549244

Samantha Grace, debut

http://samanthagraceauthor.com/about.html

Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel

Beau Monde series

Release date: February 7, 2012

9781402258312

Jillian Hunter

http://www.jillianhunterauthor.com/

The Duchess Diaries

Boscastles series

Release date: February 7, 2012

9780451413123

Sabrina Jeffries

http://www.sabrinajeffries.com/

A Lady Never Surrenders

Hellion's of Halstead Hall series

Release date: January 24, 2012

9781451642452

Carolyn Jewell

http://www.carolynjewel.com/index.php

Not Wicked Enough

Reforming the Rakes series

Release date: February 7, 2012

9780425246603

Jillian Stone, debut

http://www.gjillianstone.com/

An Affair with Mr. Kennedy

The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series
Release date: January 31, 2012
9781451629002

Nicole Jordan

http://nicolejordanauthor.com/

Princess Charming

Legendary Lovers series

Release date: January 31, 2012

9780345525277

Anna Randol, debut

http://www.annarandol.com/Public/default.aspx

A Secret in Her Kiss

Release date: January 31, 2012

9780062025807

Heather Snow, debut
http://www.heathersnowbooks.com/

Sweet Enemy

Veiled Seduction series

Release date: February 7, 2012

9780451236104

The Title Caught My Eyes:

Jan-Philipp Sendker
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/209944/the-art-of-hearing-heartbeats-by-jan-philipp-sendker

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
Release date: January 31, 2012
9781590514634

For a more complete list of Upcoming Releases see: Hey Delia!

The Joys of Nooking!

2011-12-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

December 20, 2012
Sometimes good things come in small packages

I'm starting to really enjoy some of the perks owning a Nook has brought to me. Oh sure, there's the battery charging moments, the glare of the screen, the sometimes weird sentence endings, and what's with the page numbering? But, then I can buy a book for 79 cents and download it without moving from my chair, so I should really turn into a couch potato. Anyway, I just recently purchased Lady Amelia's Secret Lover by Victoria Alexander, published electronically only in 2009 and Tessa Dare's novella Once Upon a Winter's Eve. Both are small, fast-read ebooks.

http://www.victoriaalexander.com/

I was very excited when I realized that I could order Lady Amelia's Secret Lover now. I was very disappointed when it first came out and it was never released in print form. Anyway, Lady Amelia is a delightful marriage romp of only 97 pages. A very merry short story, and I loved every minute of it. There are no villains, no drama, no kidnappings, no chase through the countryside. It's just sweet funny romance about a married couple who are "content" and how they find that happiness they somehow lost. This is not a deep book, but it's very nice.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Kiss

http://tessadare.com/
Then we have Tessa Dare's Once Upon a Winter's Eve, part of the Spindle Cove series and was written after A Night to Surrender in case you're keeping track.

This story feels more like a short story, which is too bad because the characters are likeable, but they are just not given enough space to develop. I was a little disappointed in the story, and didn't understand some of the actions of the hero. There was just too much going on and this particular story deserved a larger format. But, hey for 79 cents, what the heck.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Warm

And guess what, with my Nook I can now read Courtney Milan's Unraveled!!! All I can say so far is: Smite, what a guy!

The Title Caught my Eyes: The Cocoa Conspiracy by Adrea Penrose

2011-12-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

December 20, 2011

aka Cara Elliott aka Andrea Pickens aka Andrea DaRif

http://andreapenrose.com/

Sometimes a gimmick is just a gimmick.

The Cocoa Conspiracy by Andrea Penrose aka Cara Elliott aka Andrea Pickens aka Andrea DaRif. This is the second book I chose because of the title and again it is a mystery. Not just any mystery, but a Napoleon-is-on-Elba conspiracy mystery. Yes, fellow readers that pesky Napoleon is at it a again. That guy never quits! And, our intrepid hero Sandro (Saybrook) and our gutsy heroine (Lady Arianna) are out to solve the puzzle. It's a race against time, for you see they have a encryption to decipher, a traitor to catch, an anarchist to stop and victims to find. So, there is a lot there...but you know what I liked the best? It was the scene in which Sandro finally confesses his love for his wife. It is one of the most touching "I love you" pronouncements I've read in a long time - Andrea Penrose/Pickens romance novel roots bloomed through in this lovely scene.

Now, back to the mystery part of the book. I enjoyed the sleuthing couple; their interaction is one of the best things about the book. I found the mystery to be a little weak and I knew who the villain was from the very beginning, although who the bad guy leader is I don't have a clue. I'll have to wait for the next in the series to find out. You see, even though I thought the mystery wasn't very strong, enough of my interest in the husband and wife team of Sandro and Arianna was piqued to keep me interested.

I do have to confess that I found the chocolate recipes at the beginning of each chapter to be a bit of a distraction. Not that I don't like chocolate. It's just that they are contemporary recipes but they are called Lady Arianna's Chocolate notebook and she is an 1800's sort of person. I would have enjoyed the flow of the story more if the recipes had been written in the language of the time. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to understand the measurements, but the conversion could have been handled in an epilogue or an author "oh by the way." And by the way, I don't like coconut!

Overall, the story is entertaining, nothing scary/creepy and I will be picking up the next in the series.

Time/Place: Regency England/Europe
Sensuality Rating: Kiss

2011, Drifting Along

2011-12-16T11:58:00.000-05:00

December 16, 2011

I'll keep rolling along
Deep in my heart is a song
Here on the range I belong
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.

Yes cowpokes, it's that time of the year again. It's time to wave goodbye to 2011 as it sinks slowly into the west/east, whichever. First of all, I want to thank everyone who has dropped by, even those who didn't agree with me. And, thanks Tracy (Tracy's Place) for the reading challenge. Another great place to hang out is over at Bookworm2Bookworm. Special groan goes out to my writing circle - congratulations to those who made their goals and those who didn't. (You know who you are.) Now, for all my 2011 recaps.

The Books I Read This Year and Luved. They were not necessarily published in 2011 and they are in no particular order.
1. Unveiled by Courtney Milan
2. Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt
3. Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke
4. What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long
5. Secrets of a Proper Countess by Lecia Cornwall
6. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean
7. Where Serpents Sleep by C.S. Harris
8. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
9. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
10. A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran
11. Shameless by Anne Stuart
12. The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels
13. Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt

My Biggest Disappointments. Now, before everyone gets excited, these are my disappointments. That doesn't necessary mean they were bad books. Doesn't mean I won't read that author again. All it means is that for some reason, the book just didn't click with me. In no particular order.
1. Invitations to Ruin by Bronwen Evans
2. The Heiress by Lynsay Sands
3. The Heiress by Lynsay Sands, oh, I'm sorry was I being redundant?
4. A Borrowed Scot by Karen Ranney
5. The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands
6. The Pleasure of Bedding a Baroness by Tamera Lejeune

Romance voices we will miss: Beverly Barton, L.A. Banks (Leslie Esdaile), Sandra Hyatt

And welcome to the scary world of having your books read, all you Debut Authors. Congratulations for being published! There were some wonderful words coming from Cheryl Ann Smith, Stephanie Sloane, Bronwen Evans and Lecia Cornwall. One book from this number especially stood out. Lecia Cornwall, Secrets of a Proper Countess.

My Favorite Family/Series Books.

Kasey Michaels Blackthorne brothers, hunka hunka. Loved the first, The Taming of the Rake.
Elizabeth Hoyt, the Makepeace family. I have been totally sucked into the Maiden Lane series, which Ms. Hoyt has created and am s-o--o-o-o looking forward to Winter's story come July of 2012, although I must confess I am getting him mixed up with Courtney Milan's Smite.
Speaking of which, Courtney Milan's Turner brothers, and I actually downloaded Smite's story today!!! Thank goodness the internet came back up!!! Unraveled.
Julie Anne Long's Eversea family in the Pennyroyal Green series.
The MacKenzie brothers, yum, from Jennifer Ashley.
And, don't forget those Rohan's, those really bad boys that Anne Stuart has created.
Sara Lindsay, I haven't forgotten the Weston's.

Covers that Caught my Eye. Even though I don't mind the headless covers, there seemed to be an awful lot of them on the books I chose to read this year. And, I didn't feel that any grabbed my eye. So, here are the ones that worked for me. Loved the cover of Where Serpents Sleep by C.S. Harris; Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase, although those sleeves were interesting and I kept wondering what was keeping that dress up; The School for Brides by Cheryl Ann Smith, because it seemed to be almost historically accurate; loved the red/purple theme in Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke; and, I thought When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James was different enough to make it interesting.

I don't know if this ever happens to you when you read a book, but every once in a while I become very interested in the Secondary Characters. Sometimes one might say they almost steal the show. This year I have a few to present to you for your rumination. Usually, I'm not a big fan of children in romance books, but Emmy from Seducing the Governess, by Margo Maguire, was so sweet, I just loved her. Then there is poor Lady Clara from Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase. I felt so sorry for her and because of her, I was not able to root for the main couple's HEA. She needs her own story. Brandon - what a tortured secondary character from Shameless by Anne Stuart. I'm hoping for a story about him and seeing as how he's a creation of Anne Stuart, he'd probably retain his angst ridden outlook. And, then there is Daniel. Daniel, the teenage hunk from Jennifer Ashley's, The Many Sins of Lord Cameron. I had to keep repeating, under age, under age, under age.

From the Sublime to the Horrible...yes, there were some secondary characters that stole the show and not in a good way. There was Iris, aka it's all about me me me me, from The Sinner who Seduced Me by Stephanie Sloane. And Prudence, you remember petulant Pru, heartless Pru, atrocious Pru from The Pleasure of Bedding a Baroness by Tamera Lejeune. If ever a character needed to fall into the La Brea tar pit, it was rotten-to-the-core-Crabby-Appleton Prudence.

The Gus Award: And now to those adorable, cuddly woof, meow, tweet, whineeeey characters. There were three animals that remained in my brain long after the book was closed. From Titus the dog's devouring of Lord Weston's coat in The Angel in my Arms by Stephanie Sloane, the foul mouthed parrot shouting words like "Codswallop" and "Stick it up her bum," from The Devilish Montague by Patricia Rice, and a pet lamb named Dinner, who follows our hero around from Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare. All of these animals were memorable and fun to read...the winner is: The parrot. Any animal in a romance novel that can make me laugh out loud deserves an award.

Drum roll please...Now it is time for the Mr. Toad award. This has been a banner year for twitchin' Timothy Toads, (see digression) but we are not here to discuss twitching toads. No siree, we are here to reward a spectacular, orgasmic award to the most memorable Mr. Toad to hit my romance books this year! Here are some that have been imprinted on my brain, forever: Castleford from Dangerous in Diamonds by Madeline Hunter. Never was a guy in danger of his Mr. Toad falling off from over use then Castleford. And, I believe he may be the first historical hero who was required to have an exam by our heroine. This has one of the best destroying of the bed scenes and drunken reminiscences of friends and fond farewell's to Mr. Toad activities ever written. And, who can forget Piers' "hung like a horse" Mr. Toad from Eloisa James' When Beauty Tamed the Beast. Does he have a noodle or a log and why isn't he hung like a horse or is he? Anthony from Invitation to Ruin by Bronwen Evans. He's so big! How big is he? He's so big the heroines hands cannot go around it. Really, how can this man do anything? How can he walk with that thing between his legs? Does he have wheels attached, like a shopping cart? His stage name could be Girth Stalk! Then there is the well-endowed Benedick from Shameless by Anne Stuart. Oh those Rohan's! It must be inherited...it slices, it dices, the Ben-e-dick-o-matic. Who can forget Cameron's freakishly long Mr. Toad from the The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley. I know I couldn't; it gave me nightmares all evening. And, the winner is...ahhh that moment my eyes beheld the magical words "hairy scrotum!" Yes, Aiden, nothing better than that vision from Mia Marlowe's, A Knack for Trouble from the anthology Improper Gentlemen. Congratulations gentlemen!

Welcome 2012...We should see the arrival of Elizabeth Elliott's book this year. That one has been changed from The Assassin to The Dark Knight and is maybe scheduled for June of 2012. Carolyn Jewell is expecting a historical romance or two. Deborah Simmons has her ebook and a release of more of her back-list. And, keep your eyes out for all those back-list being release to E's. Of course, all my favorites will be back...new series and old coming this year!!!

The Title Caught My Eye Series: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

2011-12-09T14:04:00.001-05:00

December 9 2011
In a time long ago and far away, I came up with a "scathingly brilliant idea" (thanks Hayley Mills).

http://www.flaviadeluce.com/
While perusing upcoming books a title caught my eye. It was A Red Herring Without Mustard, by Alan Bradley. Now, the problem with this particular book was that it wasn't in my good ol' historical romance comfort zone. But, I thought, wouldn't it be a simply awesome idea to once a month select a book based on nothing more than the title - that catches my eye? And, furthermore have that one title be a different genre! What a super-duper idea!

Now, as luck would have it, the title that caught my eye happened to be the third in a series. Well, an individual cannot start a book in the middle of a series, at least not this individual. So, I glanced at the other Alan Bradley and found I loved them all. They were actually quite melodious to my ears. Just listen: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. What a lovely sound.

My idea took root. Now, the problem with a "scathingly brilliant idea" is sometimes they backfire. You see, some book titles are not chosen by the author, so, what appears lovely on the front cover might be hiding a bow wow within. Sometimes they just don't match! But, what the hey, who am I to stop something once it starts rolling down that old hill?

So, my first book in my "The Title Caught My Eye" begins with Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, published in 2009. And, by the way, this book won the Debut Dagger award from the Crime Writers Association. So, not only am I stepping out of my zone, I'm reading a book that won an award and you know what that means? I'm not fond of things that win awards. The winning of a "best of" award imposes a mindset upon us. You'd better like it or else! What if I don't like the book? Does that mean I'm a doofus? I'm not highfalutin enough to get it? I'm probably the only person around who thinks John Steinbeck is depressing. So anyway, awards make me leery.

Onward we go. Welcome to the world of Flavia deLuce. Hey, guess what! It's in first person! Oh, joy! Talk about comfort zone problems. And, did I happen to mention that Flavia is eleven years old? Oh rapture, an eleven year old in first person. Sigh.

Snuggle down time. Or was it struggle down time? I was really torn when I read this book. Some parts of this book were quite brilliant, almost scathingly so. I loved all the quirky people and all the dynamics within the deLuce family. It was also that quirkiness which caused me problems. At times the voice of Flavia seemed similar to a male voice. And, not just any male voice but one who knows lots and lots of trivia. There are just some things we see in Flavia's mind that are w-a-y beyond her experience or comprehension. Her references to Laurence Olivier would have been more appropriate if the story had taken place in the 40's and if she had been sixteen. I just didn't understand how an isolated Flavia could have been so sophisticated in her knowledge. She's in this little village. I didn't get any sense of how she was educated and she had a father hiding behind behind a paper or anyplace but with his children. The communication between he and his children just wasn't there. Unless you are some paranormal oddity, you do not know something you have never experienced. So, she was a stretch of the imagination.

I also had a problem with the sibling rivalry or whatever it was. Usually siblings, especially sisters, are pretty close. Even when they are hating each other, and unless they are psychotic women like Belle Gunness or Mary Ann Cotton, you just don't put poison in your sister's lipstick.

I felt a disconnect with the book until the moment Flavia's father spoke of his past. That is when the writing became magic. Everything matched the beauty of the title, I just wish it had happened sooner.

In the end, I know I'm in a minority when I say I wasn't as enthused about this story as others. I had a hard time accepting Flavia's voice as her own and I wish I had seen more of the quirky townspeople. The murder mystery almost blended into the scenery that was Flavia's cluttered mind. However, I also felt this was a successful experiment, inasmuch as I would have missed some beautiful words within the pages of this book by not reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Time/Place: 1950's Great Britain
Blood/ Guts: Mild

A Midsummer Night's Sin by Kasey Michaels

2011-11-28T15:17:00.001-05:00

November 30, 2011
Help me Obi-wan Kenobi!
http://www.kaseymichaels.com/links.html

Tell me the mysteries of the universe! What is the meaning of life? Why can’t they get the book covers right? See the hunky guy on the front? He’s the one without a shirt on. Quite an eyeful, huh? Not bad, not bad, except for one minor thing. According to a sentence in the very first paragraph in the book, and I quote, “When he’d taken to growing his blond hair nearly to his shoulders…” Yes, fellow travelers, our hero has long blond hair, and he has that long blond hair through the entire book. In fact, his l-o-n-g blond hair is described numerous times and is part of his persona. Now, I know that this happens all the time in the publishing world; however, it seems to me it happens an awful lot in Romanceland. I don’t know why this happens, but I consider it an insult. It is an insult to me, the reader, and to the writer. You can’t tell me that Kasey Michaels, a veteran author who has been around for eons, didn’t present to her editor or whoever a description of the main characters in this tale. Now, maybe the cover art was already done when she did this, but I grow weary of this old excuse. It doesn’t take that long to use the tools in Photoshop to fix the hair. I was especially disappointed that this was a Harlequin presentation – a publishing company that makes their bread and butter off romance readers. Shame on your slip-shoddery. If you can’t get the people correct on your covers, slap a flower on it.

Now, on to the book A Midsummer Nights Sin. I was so excited when the second book in the Blackthorn brothers series hit the stands. I loved the first book in the series and thought Kasey Michaels was in top form with her wit and humor. So, except for the cover irritation, when I started reading this one, for a while I thought it was going to live up to my expectations.

Robin “Puck” Blackthorn is a wonderful hero. He’s handsome, strong, and best of all loaded with Kasey Michaels’ trademark humor. She’s one of the authors around who can really write funny dialogue. And there is plenty of that in this book, because “Puck,” like his namesake, is all about mischief!

I really liked Puck. In fact, the Blackthorn brothers are one yummy group of guys.

Then we have Regina, a rather headstrong woman, with one of the worst fathers ever created in a romance novel – he is a white slaver. Now, I liked Regina in the beginning – she was smart and she was also a great match for our mischievous Puck. There was some wonderful snappy dialogue between the two.

So, you’d think I’d be happy. Great funny hero, headstrong smart heroine who can hold her own, and some wonderful sidekicks. But about half-way through the book ,the story started to drag.

Remember the father – the white slaver? Well, this has another kidnapping plot going on. This time it’s Regina’s cousin Miranda. I don’t know why authors I’ve read lately are doing kidnapping stories, but I for one am growing tired of this stale plot-line. Especially when it turns the heroine into a TSTL woman. She must must must go with the hero and his undercover brother through the dark dregs of the London underworld. Of course, she needs to dress in male clothing to do this. And of course, there is the standard “no you can’t come, yes I can, no you won’t, if you won’t take me I am going by myself” discussion. This happens more than once and it became rather tedious after a while. I wish just once when the heroine starts to whine, using the tired threat of going by herself into the dark smelly bowels of London or Paris or Upper Sandusky, the hero would say, “Fine, see ya.” Then we would get a new heroine, one who stays home and doesn’t get into trouble or get anyone else killed in her perky adventure.

There was too much covert stuff going on – I would have been happier with a character-driven snappy dialogue, school of manners style book. There were just too many people to sort through – the creepy father, the drunk mother, the weak uncle, the silly aunt, assorted secretive aristocrats, a brother, a number of sarcastic servants and a plethora of villains. I couldn’t keep track. I’m just a simple person; all I require is a simple story. I don’t need all the rigmarole that was surrounding these two delightful characters.

So, I was a little disappointed with this story, especially since I loved the first in the series so much. The characters of Puck and Regina were such a great couple. It’s too sad that they didn’t get a better story.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Hot

On My Radar

2011-11-28T09:07:00.000-05:00

November 28, 2011

On my radar for late December...Early January

Zoe Archer

http://www.zoearcherbooks.com/Home.html

Devil's Kiss

The Hellraisers series

9781420122275

Release date: December 1, 2011

Connie Brockway

http://www.conniebrockway.com/

The Other Guy's Bride

Sequel to As You Desire

9781612181448

Release date: December 22, 2011

Lecia Cornwall

http://www.leciacornwall.com/

The Price of Temptation

9780062018946

Release date: December 27, 2011

Gaelen Foley

http://www.gaelenfoley.com/

My Ruthless Prince

Inferno Club series

9780062075918

Release date: December 27, 2011

Laura Lee Guhrke

http://www.lauraleeguhrke.com/index.htm

Trouble at the Wedding

Abandoned at the Altar series

9780061963179

Release date: December 27, 2011

Eloisa James

http://www.eloisajames.com/

The Duke is Mine

Happily Ever Afters series

978006202181

Release date: December 27, 2911

Julie Anne Long

http://www.julieannelong.com/

How the Marquess was Won

Pennyroyal series

9780062096432

Release date: December 27, 2011

Teresa Medeiros

http://www.teresamedeiros.com/

The Pleasure of Your Kiss

9781439157893

Release date: December 27, 2011

Deborah Simmons

http://www.deborahsimmons.com/

Glory and the Rake

9781459219571

Release date: January 2, 2012

as far as I know, it is being released ebook format only

Emma Wildes

http://www.emmawildes.com/whatsnext.shtml

Twice Fallen

Ladies in Waiting series

9780451235282

Release date: January 3, 2012

The title caught my eye:

Corban Addison

http://corbanaddison.com/

A Walk Across the Sun

9781402792809

Release date: January 3, 2012

For a more complete list of upcoming releases see Hey Delia!!!

One Night in London by Caroline Linden

2011-11-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

November 29, 2011

Wallbanger time!!!
http://www.carolinelinden.com/about.shtml

Don't start tossing this book against the wall just yet, because there are wallbangers and then there are wallbangers. And, this book has one of the hottest wallbanger moments I've read in a long time. Yowie! Let's just say that our stuff-shirt hero, Edward knows all the right moves...even if he's a tad bit hard on the furniture.

Now, on to the rest of One Night in London. There were some elements in this story I really liked a lot and then there were some things that perplexed me.

The good. I loved the couple, Edward and Francesca. I thought they were a well-written, mature couple. There wasn't any of those I hate you, I love you, I'm not worthy of you, I hate marriage moments. I found the romance itself to be intriguing. The romance was what I'd call a "just happens" romance. There wasn't any outside influence creating any sort of tension. Just sort of a "mosey along" romance. A nice gentle courting. Except for the wall. Now don't get me wrong, there were outside things going on, lot's of things - they just didn't affect the growing relationship.

Edward was a little bit harder to understand than Francesca. He just wasn't an emotional type of guy, and that was one of the things that perplexed me. He says he loved his fiancee, but he seemed to fall out of love pretty dang fast. I can only assume, after reading so many romance novels, that he never loved her. Being a cold-fish, he probably "never knew what love was." Of course, his cold-fish persona didn't stop him in the sex department. He was hot hot hot! However, what I really enjoyed about the sex, was the "after the sex" scenes. They were wonderful, especially Edward's reaction to the "best he's ever had." He almost skips down the street, he's so happy. Anyway, I thought Edward and Francesca were a complex couple and I enjoyed the book when they were in it. I also thought the brothers were well-written and interesting enough for me to want to continue reading their stories.

Now, where the story didn't work for me...too many things going on. There were too many problems to solve and still squeeze in a romance at the same time. And, some of the plots (I think they were plots,) never went anywhere. For instance, Percy the painter. He seems to be portrayed as a villain in the beginning, but in the end he wasn't. There was not enough of his story in the book for me to understand why he was in it. There was also the whole issue of the mysterious death of Francesca's husband (or I picked up what I thought was a mystery); maybe there wasn't, because nothing ever develops. Then, there is Lord Alconbury. I was always suspicious of Lord Alconbury, I don't know why, maybe I'm watching too much of the CLOO channel. But, I thought he was somehow responsible for the death of Francesca's husband, and he just seemed like a villain in this book. He was just so possessive - always seemed a little shifty to me. Turns out I was wrong. So, I guess that's something I cannot blame on Caroline Linden, because I was looking for things that weren't there. I had trouble identifying the bad guy. However, there didn't seem to be any bad guys, at least in the end. I was very confused. And then, once again a missing/kidnaped child who is conveniently forgotten as the couple journey to romance-bed thumping.

There was an interesting twist at the end, a heroine who doesn't always get what she desires. That was a very poignant moment. I'm interested in the other brothers and the continuing mystery of whether their father is a bigamist or not. I just wish the books were being published closer together, because I know I won't remember all of the dynamics when the next story comes out.

I did have questions that didn't get answered - mainly, was Francesca's husband's death an accident and what about there's-more-than-meets-the-eye-Lord Alconbury? However, I suspect those questions are of my own making and won't be answered.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality Rating: Hot!!

The Accidental Courtesan by Cheryl Ann Smith

2011-11-18T09:55:00.001-05:00

November 18, 2011

Holy Twitching Toad, Batman!
http://www.cherylannsmith.com

Am I the only one who has noticed the profusion of twitching Mr. Toads in romance novels these days? Why, it's almost an epidemic! I remember where I was when I read my first sentence with a "twitcher" in it. I lie, I don't remember where I was, I just know that the first time I read that word it was pretty much a fun moment. And then, it s-p-r-e-a-d, until now almost every book, every hero has a twitching Mr. Toad! They can happen anywhere - on horseback, in ball rooms, in dark alleys, leaning against a wall, in a carriage, in a library. And, anything can set them off! A sprightly turned ankle, a swan-like neck, a pert nose, the curve of a downy cheek, the bosom about to fall out of a gown. I feel sorry for all those heroes with this affliction. My eyelid twitches every once in awhile, so, for something that is quite a bit more sizable it must be rather embarrassing when one goes off. Especially, the requisite giant one our heroes have. We should breath a sigh of relief that they don't make noise when they twitch. Just think of all those twitching Mr. Toads in a Regency ballroom. Do you think it would be possible for all of them to go off at once? Duck! They're about to blow!

I think it is time for us to find a new descriptor - let's turn to the handy dandy Theasurus, shall we? We have flutter (not manly enough), shiver (nah, too weather-related); there's stir, tremble, shudder, tic, jitter, twiddle, quiver, dance, flip, flop and my all time favorite, blink. A blinking Mr. Toad. What do you think? Pretty descriptive.

And, now on to The Accidental Courtesan by Cheryl Ann Smith. Yep, there were twitches in this book, and with good reason. The heroine (Noelle) was a bit of a Mr. Toad teaser, if you get my drift. And, why shouldn't she be? She's a virgin hanging out at a school for courtesans. Makes perfect sense. Actually, nothing in this book really makes too much sense. This is the second in the series and it requires the reader really really suspend belief. I understand that authors/writers are trying to come up with something new, something different. But, sometimes we get lost in the unbelievable and the story turns into something that is so preposterous it's silly. A good writer can take any mundane plot and make it seem new again. I truly believe that Ms. Smith has the writing ability to do that, it's just that this plot was a distraction. It distracted from character development of both the main couple and all those wonderful secondary people that live within the pages.

I didn't care for Noelle, I thought she was a tease, and not a funny one. She had one hair-brained scheme after another and she led Gavin around by his twitcher. I hope future books by Ms. Smith have more character development and less unbelievable plots.

Time/Place: Regency England

Sensuality Rating: Hot

The Pleasure of Bedding a Baroness

2011-11-11T10:42:00.001-05:00

November 11, 2011

Did the grinding of my teeth disturb anyone?
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/tamara-lejeune/

It is at times like this that I ask myself, "Am I not seeing what other people see?" Let me be frank (or whoever you want) - this book was not a screw-ball comedy, a light-weight romp or anything resembling those two. And, do you know why? Because, those two things are funny.

There was one good thing I got out of The Pleasure of Bedding a Baroness and that was my nomination for the most mean-spirited, nasty, spoiled, loathsome, unpleasant, horrible, surly secondary character it has ever been my privilege(?) to read. Someone take this Thesaurus out of my hands before I find more words to describe Prudence. Poisonous Prudence, the twin sister of Patience, our heroine. She lies, she cheats, she shrieks, she throws tantrums...she is just awful and I think maybe her antics were supposed to be funny. Not sure; they weren't for me. There are some villains in this book, Milford, his sister Isabella and a few more. They were awful too, but not as bad as Horrid Prudence. She is so bad, she distracts from the romance of the main couple. Normally, I don't think main secondary characters should die...but this one came really close to a death-wish from me.

Obnoxious Prudence is in almost the whole book, creating havoc wherever she goes and her sister, Pitiful Patience, unbelievably puts up with the nonsense! Patience defends her monster twin, believes all the lies, gets into fights with the hero Max over her sister. I wanted to quit reading this book after about the sixtieth page, but I thought maybe it would get better, maybe be funny, the hero occasionally was funny, but n-o...it didn't get funny, it didn't get better. I kept hoping that someone, anyone, would slug Petty Prudence, but this was not to be. The book became one of those obsessions. I just had to finish it. Almost everyone in this book was despicable, they were hypnotic in their meanness, I tried to look away and failed.

And, then there was the special moment when Vicious Prudence (in a fit) moves in with the villains of the story for a short time. I thought, good, some relief maybe we get to see the loving couple have a romance. Alas, it was not to be...they took over the fighting duty in the book. It didn't matter what Max says to Patience. Do you know why? Because, everything he says, she takes exception to. I liked this couple in the beginning, but the constant bickering was nothing but grating. And then Viperous Prudence returned! EEEKKK!!

Needless to say, I was very disappointed in this book, I expected more from this author. I kept saying to myself "I'm missing something. I know this is supposed to be funny. Why can't I laugh?" I loved her first book, thought it was hilarious...but this one was agonizing. Maybe if the viciousness of the characters had been tempered with innocence or even stupidity it would have worked. But, alas they were portrayed as relatively smart people. I've read tons of funny romance books, slap-stick, screw-ball, mistaken identities and I know that this author can do that. I would have to say, I cannot recommend this book. If you want to read an enjoyable fun-filled book by Tamara Lejeune pick up Surrender to Sin.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Close to Hot

2011-11-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

November 7, 2011

When does a five year old magically become a nine year old? When they live in Romanceland.
http://www.karenhawkins.com/

Somewhere along the line I skipped one of the books in the series, Scandal in Scotland. However, I don't believe I missed any plot-line; The Most Dangerous Profession seems to be a stand-alone book. I am going to admit right up front that this book was ok (cringe). I don't like to use that slang in conversation when speaking of my beloved romance books, but in this case I felt I had to. The Most Dangerous Profession was not the best or worst book of Karen Hawkins' that I've ever read. It just seemed to be a little rushed and lacking some of her fire. There were moments where I thought the two characters in the book could have been fantastic, but mainly I didn't care for either one of them.

Moira was a secret keeper, a big secret keeper although I guess I understand the reason for her remaining silent. I would have liked to have a bit more of the background story in order for me to decide whether her reasoning was lame or not. Moira has moments of TSTL heroine stamped all over her forehead. She's is trying to rescue her daughter, or let's say she is letting her husband rescue her daughter, but she still manages to barge in and in the process endanger all their lives.

Robert, on the other hand, seems to be content not to confide what he's doing to his wife even when their daughter's life is at stake. And, let's explore that daughter shall we. Being held prisoner by a psychopath is one of the problems I had with this book. First of all, I'm not too keen on children-being-kidnapped stories. Secondly, before this couple could format a plan to rescue their daughter, Rowena, they had to get the Hurst amulet. What? You see, Robert's idiot brother is being held captive and the only thing that will get him released is that amulet. However, he's been held captive a long time; I would think that a five-year-old child would come first. The other thing that bothered me (and this isn't the first time) is that I wonder how many mothers can have the hots for some man while their child is being held at some unknown location? How could any woman ever concentrate on falling on top of Mr. Toad when her child is in danger?

And, then there is the amazing aging process that Rowena goes through. We do get to meet her in the beginning and her language at that time seemed to be that of a five year old. However, when she is rescued, I had to turn my pages back to see how much time had elapsed because she now had the syncopation of a much older child. It was rather jarring.

I did enjoy the valet.

I've always been a big Karen Hawkins fan - she's an auto-buy for me - but this book fell flat. I am probably in the minority here, because it was just ok for me. Everything had a rushed feel about it. I would have loved to see some flashbacks of Robert and Moira because their characters just never had any life.

I will be buying the next in the amulet series, which is Michael's story. You remember him - he's the one they've been trying to rescue in the last three books.

Time/Place: Regency England and a side trip to Scotland
Sensuality Rating: Luke-hot

Heads up Courtney Milan fans - Smite's story is on it's way!!

2011-11-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

November 7, 2011

Keep your eyes open for Smite's story, Unraveled, coming to a store and or ebook near you late November. We are hoping! I don't have the isbn or any of the good stuff, nor do I have the exact date. However, I do have the cover and a promise from the author that it's on it's way.

So, the watch begins!!!

Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

2011-11-04T12:09:00.000-04:00

November 3, 2011

A plethora of words!
http://www.courtneymilan.com

Why a plethora of words you ask? We are talking about a book here aren’t we? Words are in books for Pete sake! Every one knows that! Well, let me tell you, there are words and then there are words. And, in Unclaimed by Courtney Milan they are in the hands of a master wordsmith. Courtney Milan is a phenomenal writer. When I read one of her books, I am always amazed by the way she makes her words flow together. She does not make for a lazy read. No skipping passages with Ms. Milan - you might miss something. Lovely writing.

Did I love this book? Yes! Would I recommend this book? You betcha! Is it perfect? Are you being silly? There are some bumps in the road, at least for me there were. Let's explore some of the ups and downs in this tale, shall we?

The up side. And, let me tell you there was plenty of up. Unclaimed is a strong character driven book. Mark (hero) and Jessica (heroine) are well-developed people with plenty of angst in their backgrounds. They both carry a pretty heavy load and I needed a drink after I was finished reading this story. Anyway, Jessica is a courtesan - a real courtesan. She's had some pretty hard knocks in her fall from the infamous Romanceland Vicar Daughterville. And, this fall shaped the image she has of herself. When we first encounter her, we are introduced to a very desperate woman. She's needs money and she needs it now! As luck would have it, her evil ex-protector offers her some money if she can seduce the virgin-writer-turned-star, Sir Mark.

Enter the t-o-o good to be true, super-duper, wiser than wise, Sir Mark. You remember the amazing Turner brothers, don't you? Able to leap tall buildings, etc. etc. Sir Mark has written a book on male chastity and has acquired quite a fan club in the process. He is mobbed everywhere he goes, much as I would imagine George Clooney might be. Although, I can't see people hanging on Mr. Clooney's every word the way they did for Sir Mark. Anyway, Jessica and Mark meet. And, that's because if they didn't there wouldn't be any story, now would there?

One of the fascinating things I found in this story was that even though Jessica was the courtesan, she had a naivete about her. Then there was Mark-the-virgin; a virgin who is wise to the ways of the world, or at least his perception of the world. So, it was an interesting reverse, reverse, reverse story. A fallen woman, she’s been around, she's a courtesan-seems like a virgin-not-virgin heroine. He's a real virgin with scads of street smarts and intuitive powers that go beyond mere mortals. One of my favorite scenes in this book was when Jessica stands up to Mark; explaining to him in very strong terms how flawed his "right woman" perception is. Loved it!

Folks, there is just a whole lot going on in this story! This is one not to miss!

There is also an engrossing take on how the public views celebrities. How truth becomes twisted and is sometimes lost in the hubbub. I also found the chastity club to be rather amusing with all their secret hand signals, and also a little sad at times.

Downside. This may be a tad bit weird, but Mark was t-o-o perfect. He was so perfect at times I just wanted to shout, "Quit being so understanding!" Mark had too much podium pontification moments for me, almost leaving the romance behind it its wake. I also thought that Jessica had one too many, "Get out of my house" moments. The last one especially had me scratching my head and asking, "Was that really necessary?" It also seemed to me, that a lot of the loose ends were tied up just a little too neatly at the end of the story.

Overall, I loved this book, the writing was magnifico. I'm looking forward to the next in the series, Unraveled, which is Smites story. It is my understanding that it is going to be self-published, which will be interesting. I also understand it's to be out in November 2011, which would be now. However, I wasn't able to find it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble...so, I guess I'll have to keep an eye out.

Time/Place: Victorian England
Sensuality Rating: Hot

It's National writing month!

2011-11-02T07:58:00.003-04:00

For all the struggling writers out there, it's time to step it up a notch. Grease those fingers! Shake out those cobwebs! And start writing!

Seriously...you'd be amazed at some of the results you get. Last year I participated and actually came up with some good lines. So, a number of us are going to do it again this year - it will be a challenge. But it will also be some shared fun. Maybe.

Check out the site: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

A Bride Unveiled by Jillian Hunter

2011-10-31T08:16:00.006-04:00

October 31, 2011

What would a Cherry pie be without the cherries? A hot fudge sundae without the hot fudge?
http://www.jillianhunterauthor.com/

A romance novel without the romance? What happens to anything when an ingredient is missing? When there's something wrong and you can't quite put your finger on it? When something like this happens, usually you can't finish it. There is something bland about it. It's incomplete; you are disappointed that your expectations are not met.

Well, that's what happened with A Bride Unveiled. The story started out great! In the first two chapters we meet the hero, Kit; the heroine, Violet; and their three friends: Winifred, Ambrose, and Eldhert. It is in these chapters that we get a glimpse of their childhood and the unlikely bonds of friendship that form. This part of the book had an almost fairytale quality about it as we watch this group of children from different strata of society grow to depend on each other. I loved this part of the story; it was fascinating, well-written, and I wanted more of the same in the rest of the book.

Sad to say, the rest of the book didn't live up to the promise of the beginning. The rest of the story was a mixed assortment of plot-lines that didn't go anywhere, characters who were bland and uninteresting, a villain who didn't seem to have much of a v-i-l-l about him, a supposedly jerky fiance who wasn't that jerky, and hardly any sexual tension between the main couple. But let me tell you, if you like to read about fencing, you'll get your fair share in this book. Granted, Kit is a fencing instructor so there should be scenes of slashing, jumping, thrusting. But, Gee Willikers there were lots and lots of these scenes. I've never been a big fan of sword fighting in books, so for me, all the parrying and thrusting was w-a-y too much.

Then there is the other kind of thrusting and parrying, and that kind was almost non-existent. Oh sure, our couple desires each other. How do we know this? Because they say they do. But I never felt any of that from either character. There are a few encounters and of course these encounters are not completed. However, in this case the standard Romanceland whankey-woo interruptus does not create any sexual tension.

I struggled to complete this book. Yes, it almost became a DNF. What saved this book from a lower rating was the occasional glimpse into the adult lives of the five friends. I thought Ambrose, especially, had what could have been a fascinating story. I just wish there had been more of the five friends in this book.

See DNF Rant in SidneyKay Get's Distracted.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Don't Blink!

Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt

2011-10-24T08:14:00.005-04:00

October 24, 2011

And then it was over....
http://www.elizabethhoyt.com/index2.php

Where to begin? Where to begin? I'm so excited! I can't tell you how much I loved Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt. The Maiden Lane series is one of the most entertaining story-lines I've read in a long time. And, sad to say, I'm afraid I can't talk about it without gushing all over the place; people will become sick to their stomach just reading my thoughts. However, I shall plow ahead anyway.

I didn't want to put Scandalous Desires down once I started reading it and it is one of those books I didn't want to end! And yes, there may be some spoilers ahead. One of the signs of a terrific writer is someone who has the ability to pique our interest with little hints/teasers, and then deliver on their promise. And, that is exactly what Elizabeth Hoyt is doing with the Maiden Lane series.

At last we have Silence and Mick's story! And, what a story it was! What a great couple! What a sexy hunk! Not Silence, but Mick. Mick is a truly amazingly written character. He is a pirate, a thief. He kidnaps, he blunders, he kills and he has no qualms about doing so or so it seems. It was refreshing to have a character that I didn't have to stretch my imagination in order to believe he is what he is because of where he came from. Mick's childhood is torturous, horrifying but at times poignant. And, there are a few surprises that we find out involving his past.

Silence, on the other hand, is closer to a standard romance heroine, or maybe it's just that Mick has such an overwhelming presence he just overshadows Silence. Now, don't get me wrong, I thought Silence was a terrific character. She's well-written, sympathetic and strong, it's just that her hero has a tendency to steal the show.

And then there are the secondary characters! Hold me back!!! There were a wonderful bunch of pirates, Harry Bert and Bran. I'm thinking we haven't seen the last of Bran. The Makepeace family puts in an appearance...all those virile men in one room. Yipes! There are the great group of women supporting the orphanage. All of these characters are interesting, different and well-written. Great teasers for future books in this story. We also find out who the Ghost of St. Giles is. Oh, of course, don't forget Lad, the dog. Spoiler of sorts. I have to admit, there is a surprise in this story. I didn't see it coming, all I can say is don't get too attached to one of the main secondary characters.

This was a wonderful book, with only a few quibbles. I found myself becoming irritated with the baby talk. And, I kept wondering why doesn't the orphanage have more money...didn't the previous sister marry a wealthy man? However, this seems to be a common occurrence in romance novels, so I will overlook it.

For all of you that have been waiting for this book, you're not going to be disappointed. And, for those of you who haven't read any of this series - get cracken! Oh, yes we have Winter's story to anticipate now. Also, ladies and gentlemen who are so inclined, make sure you read the preview of Thief of Shadows for a rather eye-opening description of Winter. He seems to be a tad bit more than what I had envisioned.

Time/Place: 1700's England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot!!

Elizabeth Hoyt update

2011-10-21T09:18:00.001-04:00

I'm not done...but, I'm am loving this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm

2011-10-19T14:29:00.009-04:00

October 19, 2011

You say Lucrezia and I say Lucrezia
http://gabriellekimm.co.uk/

You probably don't know this, but one of my favorite historical peeps in the world was Lucrezia Borgia, so when His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm was released I was very excited. However, even though my eyes were seeing the words Lucrezia de'Medici, my brain was interpreting those words as Lucrezia Borgia. So, when I began to read His Last Duchess nothing made sense. I mean really, I understand the words historical fiction. That is where you take history and change it to fit your fancy. But, this book was quite a stretch. I knew this was historical fiction, but Gee Willikers, this was really historical fiction. And then I reread the back blurb and saw the light. Wrong Lucrezia! Mind adjustment time. Now, it just so happens that everything turned out just fine, because this was a really good book.

It's been a while since I've read an historical fiction...I always find the rewriting of history intriguing. Especially, when things turn out a little happier than they actually did. As it turned out, Lucrezia de Medici was the daughter of Eleanor of Toledo, who happens to be the subject of one of my favorite portraits. When my mind finally figured out which person we were reading about, I also did some research of my own on Lucrezia's siblings...made for some fascinating reading.

In case you didn't guess from the mistake with the Lucrezia's, this story takes place in Renaissance Italy, a time and place that is vibrantly alive. This time period was filled with such opulent stories. It's a shame that it is mostly overlooked in Romanceland. His Last Duchess is Ms. Krimm's debut novel, however, it has a rich texture that brings the story to life. There were so many interesting things going on in this book, and the details on Fresco painting was quite engrossing. All of the characters in the book are vividly written, and Ms. Krimm does a fine job of weaving all the "what if's" into her story. Sometimes in historical fiction, I have a problem with the "what if's" b-e-c-a-u-s-e a lot of time there is a plethora of historical information out there and the historical fiction part of it too unbelievable...for instance Tudor England and Henry VIII. The Tudor's are really overdone, and please no more skinny people playing Henry VIII. However, in the case of Lucrezia de' Medici there is little written documentation, so we can create all manners of great stories about her.

His Last Duchess has some wonderfully poignant moments, some very suspenseful moments and a great villain (her husband.) This is a well written historical fiction book, rich in detail and if you like this genre, you'll love His Last Duchess.

Here are the real people. Eleanor of Toledo, the mother, Lucrezia de' Medici, the heroine and Alfonzo II d'Este, our villain.

Time/Place: Renaissance Italy
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot

On My Radar for late November, Early December

2011-10-12T11:01:00.021-04:00

Sabrina Jeffries
http://w ww.sabrinajeffries.com/
To Wed a Wild Lord
Hellions of Halstead Hall series
Release date: November 22, 2011
Paperback: 9781451642407

Kasey Michaels
http://www.kaseymichaels.com/links.html
A Midsummer Night's Sin
Blackthorne Brothers series
Release date: November 22, 2011
Paperback: 9780373776108

Karen Ranney
http://www.karenranney.com/default.htm
A Scottish Love
Release date: November 29, 2011
Paperback: 9780062027788

The Title That Caught My Eye Radar

Andrea Penrose
http://a ndreapenrose.com/
The Cocoa Conspiracy
Lady Arianna Regency series
Release date: December 6, 2011
Paperback: 9780451235312

For a more complete listing of upcoming books see Hey Delia!

A Beginner's Guide to Rakes by Suzanne Enoch

2011-10-10T15:55:00.004-04:00

October 10, 2011
http://www.suzanneenoch.com/index.html

You can color me sad, you can color me blue, you can color me unimpressed, you can color me surprised, you just can't Color me Barbra.

I have had an epiphany about myself! I give authors all kinds of latitude when it comes to historical romance novels. Contrary to what it may seem, I'm not really one of those readers that go into a tizzy when historical accuracy and historical romance books don't match - especially in the language and slang department. Let's get serious here - I would probably have a really hard time understanding just what was being said in a novel that was written in the phraseology of the time. So, when I'm reading historical romance and 21st century words/slang slither their way into the story I don't mind - IF I am enjoying the story. However, if I find the story to be less than satisfactory, weird words just start popping out at me and I start to nitpick. I knew I was in trouble with this book when the slang "color me unimpressed" jumped off the page at me. Color me unimpressed! Really! Can anyone really hear those words falling out of Elizabeth Bennet's mouth? So, it was at this point I knew I was losing interest in the story. Oh, and by the way, "calling a kettle black" was legitimate because the term was first recorded by William Penn in the 1600's. However, I did spend the time looking it up, which still means I was having trouble with the book.

So, why did I lose interest in a story by one of my favorite authors? Well, not only did I lose interest, but I was mightily irritated by the two main characters who happen to dwell within the pages of this book. Yessiree, the more I read the more I disliked Oliver and Diane. Let's examine why this book almost hit the wall. And, yes there are spoilers ahead.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I have always been of the opinion that since time immemorial, most men have always tried to put their Mr. Toads in any woman who will let them, or as a friend of mine says, "men would screw a snake if it had knees." And, most men do this without any thought to love, promises, commitment, fidelity. Now, we as women know this... we have it hammered into our head from childhood - don't do any whankey-roo until you have that ring on your finger. Or, words to that effect. So, it is my belief that a woman of the 19th century would have the same armor as we do in this century. Which is why it was beyond my comprehension as to why the heroine in this story reacted to being dumped the way she did. She is a widow of a week or two and she jumps into the bed of a renowned rake and has mind-blowing hot sex for almost two weeks. Then, when he leaves her she is surprised, hurt and turns into this angry bitter woman. T-w-o years later when these two run into each other again, she is still a bitter person and for some reason he is a tad bit hateful. I didn't get it. Unless the heroine was some kind of obsessive psychotic maniac, her reaction was way over the top. And then the bickering, sniping, I hate you routine begins and lasts for-e-v-e-r. I just wanted to bang their heads together. Mix into the antagonism a convoluted "let's set a trap for the villain" plot and an implausible building of a gambling house and genteel women applying for the jobs; is it any wonder I was looking things up in a slang dictionary. And, by the way, even though there may have been text that was considered a thesaurus in ancient Greece, it wasn't until 1852 that the first Roget's Thesaurus was actually published, even though he was compiling it in 1805 - so the mention of a thesaurus list in the book was another throw-out-of-the-story-moment.

I am assuming that there are more books in this series since there were some very interesting secondary characters wandering through the story and I will of course be buying and reading those. Suzanne Enoch is a wonderful writer and usually I love her books, but this one was a struggle and I was very disappointed in the main characters. Better luck next time.

Time/Place: Regency England or thereafter, I think...we are never given any dates, but Napoleon is mentioned - so some time before 1821.
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot

His Mistress by Christmas by Victoria Alexander

2011-10-05T10:34:00.006-04:00

October 5, 2011
I've been nuked...er...Nooked!
http://www.victoriaalexander.com/

Yes, fellow Romanceland travelers, I finally did what I thought I'd never do - bought a Nook. It was all Victoria Alexander's fault. You see, her latest book, His Mistress by Christmas, is/was being released in two formats: hardcover and electronic book... no paperback. So, while I was meandering through Barnes and Noble grumbling about the extra $10.00 for a hardcover, what should I spot? W-e-l-l, the Nook person, positioned right at the front of the store, similar to a Walmart greeter. I wandered over and started asking questions, all the time thinking Christmas present. However, something overwhelmed me and I found myself purchasing a Nook and a few of the accessories that go with it. You know those tri-fold fake leather covers look awfully nice and one mustn't forget the plastic screen saver thing. So, I spent somewhere in the area of $300.00 dollars just to save $10.00. Somehow at the time it all made sense.

On to the book. When I first started reading His Mistress by Christmas, the story seemed to me to be dragging a bit. I of course blamed my Nookbook. And, I was troubled that there was a period of adjustment when all there used to be was a turning of the page. But after awhile, it dawned on me that it wasn't the equipment I wasn't enjoying (cause you can do all kinds of whizzy things with it, like highlight bad parts of a book). No, it wasn't the equipment, but the book. I was almost - and I hate this word - b-o-r-e-d. I struggled reading this story. The two characters of Veronica and Sebastian had all the makings of an interesting couple. However, for some reason they just fell flat. It wasn't until the middle of the story that things picked up. There is a really hysterical Christmas party, with wonderful misunderstandings and mix-ups galore. However, that part of the book was over way too fast. There were also numerous hints of secondary stories and I wanted to find out more about those characters than I did about the main couple.

I also thought that even though this is a story about mistresses and such, it was mighty short on sexual tension. So, I was rather disappointed with His Mistress by Christmas - and my first trip down Electronicland. I'm not sure this was worth the $10.00 savings.

Time/Place: Victorian England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Bland

Mistress by Marriage by Maggie Robinson

2011-09-30T14:19:00.007-04:00

September 30, 2011

Did someone turn the heat up?
http://www.maggierobinson.net/

Maggie Robinson, Maggie Robinson, Maggie Robinson - hot! And, before I begin, let me just say I'm mighty interested in how you, Ms. Robinson, are going to turn Andrew into a hero. Really looking forward to that.

Spoilers all over the place.

Well, not too long ago I read a short story written by Ms. Robinson that was included in the anthology Improper Gentlemen. I knew right away that I needed to check out one of her full length books. And, I'm glad I did, I really enjoyed Mistress by Marriage. Did I mention this was a steamy book? Now, that's not necessarily the reason I liked it so much. I liked the couple, although I'm not sure why, because they both had some major problems and at times were not very likable. Especially Caroline. However, this had one of my favorite themes - the marriage of convenience or in this case marriage of inconvenience aka marriage gone wrong. This is also a story of opposites attract! Big time!

Once I got past the making your wife a mistress part of the book (a stretch for me), I really enjoyed the story. I loved the humor and sarcasm that played a big part in the book. One of the funniest continuing bits involved Caroline. You see she is an author of erotic romance, and she keeps killing off her husband in different gruesome ways in her books. I enjoyed the way her mind worked, it was a wonder to behold - the sarcastic thoughts that keep running through it were quite funny. Now, I did have a problem with Caroline, I thought she needed some Valium. She had no control over her temper, and a few times she turned into a nasty-spoiled-temper-tantrum-ugly woman. I would have liked for her to have had more control over her outbursts earlier in the book than she did. I'd have to call Caroline high maintenance.

And, then we have Edward - totally opposite of Caroline. Uptight - everything in its proper place - no scandals. Although how he thought that installing his wife in Courtesan Court wouldn't be scandalous was beyond me. Most men of his time period would have shipped her off to the country - so, that was another stretch. Anyway, all these stretches seem to work - Edward who can't keep his hands off of Caroline, doesn't like her, she gets on his nerves, she does things that embarrass him. And, Caroline is tired of the attraction she feels for Edward - she wants it over. You see, even though they live apart, he's visits her once a year - so there is always this reminder for both of them. I loved watching these two struggle, and it was a struggle...there are a lot of good-byes in this book. I also loved Edward’s list of what he expects his wife to be.

If Caroline had been less of a fit thrower, I would have enjoyed this book even more than I did. But overall, this is great fun and I'm really, really, looking forward to Andrew’s story. Great job Ms. Robinson!

Time/Place: Post-Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Yipes!!!

The Seduction of Scandal by Cathy Maxwell

2011-09-28T14:26:00.006-04:00

September 28, 2011

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Riding through the Glen...
http://www.cathymaxwell.com/

Spoilers ahead. If you are at all familiar with Cathy Maxwell, then The Seduction of Scandal will hold no surprises for you. This is the story of spunky Corinne who doesn't want to get married, so she decides to run away in the back of a carriage. Since there is a highwayman in this story, the carriage she's hiding in gets robbed by our Robin Hood aka the Thorn aka Will Norich, the local minister. I'm not going give too much away, other than to say our intrepid heroine blackmails our highwayman/minister/hero into hiding her. And, they fall in love...fast!

There were parts of this book that I found humorous, and I liked Corinne a lot. I thought she was a pretty forceful woman, however, there were some things that bothered me about Corinne. She didn't seem to have an understanding of the word "hide." According to Websters: Hide is "a. to put out of sight: secret. b. to conceal for shelter or protection: shield c. to keep secret." No where in Websters does it say anything about going outside, going into the village or attending church services. She had an odd way of hiding. I also had a problem with the use of some modern phraseology or, at least, I was thrown out of the story. I just couldn't visualize a woman of the 1800's expressing herself with "How heroic was that?" That phrase just seemed too modern for me, might as well be "What's up with that?"

And then, toward the end of the book another character shows up to save the day. It seems he has been looking for Lord Bossley (or at least the person posing as Lord Bossley) for years. Now, why he had so much trouble finding Lord Bossley or the fake Bossley I don't know - because, unlike Corinne, Lord Bossley/fake Bossley wasn't hiding. He was in plain sight, maneuvering himself through society with a wife and son. So, I didn't get it.

Overall, there were parts that I liked and it had Cathy Maxwell's trademark humor, but it wasn't one of my favorite Cathy Maxwell.

Time/Place: Regency England countryside
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Warm/Hot

On My Radar for Late October, Early November

2011-09-27T11:11:00.022-04:00

September 27, 2011

Karen Hawkins
A Most Dangerous Profession
Hurst Amulet series
http://www.karenhawkins.com/
Release date October 18, 2011
9781439175941

Elizabeth Hoyt
Scandalous Desires
Maiden Lane series!!!!!
http://www.elizabethhoyt.com/index2.php
Release date October 18, 2011
9780446558938

Tamara Lejeune
The Pleasure of Bedding a Baroness
no author website
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/tamara-lejeune/
Release date November 1, 2011
9781420108743

I like the titles:

Alan Bradley
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Release date: Out now
9780385343497
Flavia deLuce series (#1)
I am Half-Sick of Shadows
hardcover
Release date November 1, 2011
9780385344012
Flavia de Luce series (#4)
http://www.flaviadeluce.com/

For the more complete list of upcoming releases see Hey Delia!!!

DIK blogging

2011-09-22T05:00:00.001-04:00

I will be blogging over at DIK the next couple of days. Check out the quiz!!!

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare

2011-09-20T16:11:00.006-04:00

September 20, 2011

Welcome to the island of misfit women...
http://tessadare.com/

Well, it's not really an island but the women are misfits and they have isolated themselves far away from the pain that society has created. Yes, they have found a safe haven. Which is about to be disrupted by - you guessed it - men! Men who blow up sheep. Well, they don't actually blow up sheep, because then we wouldn't want them for heroes. These manly men just want the sheep to move, and because blowing something up makes noise and men like to blow things up - well, it just seems logical. So, bang! And so the story begins with the invasion of peaceful Spindle Cove.

A Night to Surrender is the first in Tessa Dare's newest series, and welcome to the lovely safe haven of Spindle Cove. Oh, by the way, it is a battle of the sexes story. Depending on the story, I'm not always a big fan of this battle, because usually one side has to give up too much to win. However, there was plenty of humor, so some of the losing/winning was a little easier to swallow. I did have a small problem with the men not being able to see just how really nice Spindle Cove was. After all, what's wrong with a blacksmith making jewelry if he wants to; besides, Rosey Grier says "It's all right to feel things, Though the feelings may be strange, Feelings are such real things."

Now, on to the lovely characters of Spindle Cove. There were some pretty interesting people in this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest in the series to see how all of them fit. One of my favorite was the rock-wielding geologist Minerva and her nemesis Colin. I can hardly wait for her story, (which is next.) Also very likable was the heroine, Susanna Finch. She's a very strong woman, she's smart and it is because of her that the women in this story have sanctuary. She has made little Spindle Cove quite a community. I liked her a lot. The one problem I had with her was she's one of those heroines who have a neglectful parent, in her case her father. Now, because she is such a strong person, I was a little disappointed that she didn't shake some sense into her father - that is left for the hero to do. I did find Susanna's past to be really interesting. Blood-letting. I think it's interesting how Ms. Dare used this awful practice as a main plot-line in determining what makes Susanna tick. I know that we've all read about it in romance books, and if you're like me I get a squeamish reaction but I really don't think too much about it. However, in this book the archaic practice is brought to the forefront and we really get to see what kind of damage it can or could have done to not only a person's physical body, but their psyche as well. And this is why Ms. Dare is such a good writer - who'd have thunk that such a gruesome topic could be turned into something so poignant.

Now, on to Bram, our hero. And Alan Alda he's not! Bram is all male, and not only is he pure manly male, he is a pure-stubborn-manly-male-alpha-with-blinders-on kinda guy. Just the kind that one would love to konk over the head with a loose, hard object. Even though the character of Bram was the more simply drawn, his character had the farthest to go to change or have that epiphany all heroes must have to be heroes. And, I found myself being mad at him a number of times when he couldn't see how really nice a place Spindle Cove was. Pass that hard object.

Susanna and Bram are a cute (yipes) couple and they are sexually attracted to each other immediately. Once they act upon that attraction, there's no stopping them. All over the place humping - pumping - thumping. I did find my eyebrows going up at how often and how indiscreet this couple from the early 1800's were. I confess, I did get a little bored with the abundance and variety of places, and positions they found to do the whankey-woo in. Get a room already - and please don't tell me about it!

This book has a little bit of everything: a strong couple, great secondary characters, humor, some poignant moments, and a pet lamb. And they all go together to make a delightful story with some nice writing. The next in the series, A Week to be Wicked, doesn't come out till March of 2012 - aakkkk!

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot!

The King's Courtesan by Judith James

2011-09-16T07:50:00.010-04:00

September 16, 2011

Warning! Cover rant coming!
http://www.judithjamesauthor.com/

Let's get this over with, shall we. The cover has some lovely colors, and some sumptuous clothing. Nice layout. However, what's with the Grace Kelly outfit the woman has on? This outfit is so Edith Head. It could have been worn in Rear Window. This outfit is not something any self-respecting restoration woman would wear. Not even to bed! So, then I looked at the guy - ah, a lace shirt. That's sort of restoration. Wait a minute! It's open down the front! Akkk! Didn't men slip those shirts over their heads because shirts didn't open in the front? I may be wrong, but I think I'm right. Nice try with the lace though, you almost fooled me. And, one more little tiny nit-picking thing. What's with the finger on the red lips? I think I know exactly what it means, because I think I know what scene this is supposed to be from. So, I think she needs to get up and rinse.

Now, to the inside. Judith James is writing some really interesting books, in time periods that are usually overlooked. The King's Courtesan takes place in one of my favorite times, Restoration England. This time in history had so much going on; I'm always surprised that there isn't more out there on it. What a lush time. However, on top of all that lushness was some pretty gritty dirt. And Ms. James does not disappoint in her description of what is going on around the protagonists who inhabit The King's Courtesan. I loved the visions she evoked.

So, you would think with a time period I love, vision evoking, and a king who I've always found fascinating, I'd be happy with this book. You'd think. Well, here's the problem. The couple. By their third fight, I just wanted to reach into those pages and smack them. It was one of those let's-have-wonderful-orgasmic-sex-and-then - what, you like white? How dare you like white! I hate you, I hate you! Blacks better and I'm never going to speak to you again! Oh, let's tumble down this hill. OOH! You're wonderful! Ahhhhh! What, now you like black! You cretin! I'll never speak to you again! And, I'm not going to tell you any of my secrets! So there!

Now, I might have exaggerated just a tad, but you get the point. Our couple, a real whore, not a fake one, and a hero bent on revenge might have been wonderful. At least, the heroine was different and the hero had to deal with the fact that maybe someday in the future his wife would have to go back to the bed of King Charles. So, just that part of the story would have made for some great dynamics. But the constant bickering just got on every one of my nerves, causing many an eye-rolling moment. I do like books that are semi-old school; however, some things are better left with Steve and Ginny (Sweet Savage Love.) I just don't see a HEA with hate you, hate you, couples.

So, in the end, I was disappointed in The King's Courtesan. Maybe I was expecting too much after The Libertine Kiss, which I liked a lot. Even though I was disappointed in this read, I will be keeping my eyes out for the next in the series. I'm not sure when it's coming out, but I think it's about the young boy that Robert rescued.

Time/Place: Restoration England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot!

Ripe for Scandal by Isobel Carr

2011-09-13T11:11:00.009-04:00

September 13, 2011

Two! Two! Two books in one!
http://isobelcarr.com/

I'm glad I stuck around for the second in Isobel Carr's League of the Second Sons series, Ripe for Scandal. This book had some wonderful stuff in it.

Have you ever been surrounded by nincompoops? Have you ever felt like everyone was out to get you? Are you the only sane person in the world? Well, those questions and many more are some that our heroine and hero might be asking themselves.

For those of you keeping count, we've met this couple in the previous book: Boudicea aka Beau was the sister of Leo from Ripe for Pleasure. Gareth is one of the second sons and the best-est buddy of Leo. And, let me tell you, with friends like Leo you don't need any enemies. Also, while I'm on the subject (I'm not), I hated the name Beau. Every time I read it, I had to remember that Beau was a girl.

This is a story of two people who have known each other forever and are in love/infatuated with each other. Of course, for one reason or another, nothing can ever - ever come of this love - so, Boudicea/Beau moons over Gareth. And, being a rake, Gareth does what any self-respecting rake would do when deprived of the woman he lust after. Jumps on anything in long skirts that moves. He's one of those Romanceland heroes that I get concerned over. You know the ones with diseases and what-nots. Anyway, the first part of this book is taken up with the abduction of Boudicea/Beau, the rescue by Gareth and their being forced to marry. It is during this part of the book that we grow to understand Boudicea/Beau and Gareth. We watch them as they discover each other. They are truly an amazing couple, and a step above other romance couples struggling with misunderstandings. These two are mostly honest with each other, they like each other, they enjoy being together. It was an amazing relationship. And, this was in the first part. So, if the couple are getting along with each other by the first half of the story, where's the tension you might ask?

Well, let me tell you, there were so many things beating against this couple, it's amazing they made it through to the HEA. There were also quite a number of horrible people in this book; it was really quite horrendous. Horrible friends, horrible families, horrible villains. And, I really wanted to choke Leo...I don't think I liked him very much in the first book. This book didn't change my mind. He was not any kind of friend to Gareth. He gave no thought as to what his actions might be doing to his sister. He was truly a creep! Thank goodness there were animals in this book. The animals were the only beings that were nice to our couple.

And then - there is the BIG problem and the mood of the book shifts. By the time this happens, you have come to love Gareth and Boudicea/Beau. When the BIG problem came along, I knew how my wonderful couple would react. Knowing how Gareth and Beau were going to react and wondering how the author was going to resolve the BIG problem led to some mighty tense moments in my mind. All I can say is my fingernails are gone and I stayed up late just to finish this book.

Yes, there was some uneven plotting. Yes, there appeared to be some things that were rushed...but, overall this was a good book and a great addition to the series. Good job Ms. Carr aka Kalen Hughes, glad you're still around.

Time/Place: Georgian England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot

Lord Langley is Back in Town by Elizabeth Boyle

2011-09-08T09:47:00.007-04:00

September 8, 2011

OMG! Who are all these people??
http://www.elizabethboyle.com/
Elizabeth Boyle is one of my favorite authors; she's an automatic buy. I always look forward to her books, because I know that I'm going to get a good yarn. Now, that doesn't mean there are some I don't like as much as others,cause there are, and Lord Langley is Back in Town is one that I don't like as much. Bummer.

I am a number one fan of books in a series and those little handy dandy pedigree charts that are stuck there to stop us from floundering around. However, even though I have read every single book in this series, I was lost. I couldn't remember who did what to whom when. And that was too bad, because I became so distracted by trying to remember all of these people, I found that I could not enjoy the book as much as I wanted to. That's doubly sad seeing as how I really, really, really liked Lord Langley. I thought he was just the bees-knees! He was older, sexy, and charming. He had a mischievous quality about him that I found most amusing.

Minerva I was less enchanted with, in fact I found her just a bit tiresome and I wasn't really that interested in her back story. I think in this case I would have been just as happy without her back story, because it didn't add too much too the overall book. Here we go: If it had been me writing the book, I would have enhanced the farce that was created by the four ex-lovers of Langley being in the same house. I could see all manner of Preston Sturges' shenanigans going on with all the women under the same roof. However, while humorous scenes did happen, I wished there had been more of a farce. And yes, I know, I didn't write the book!

I loved Langley, and I wish his romance with Minerva had been stronger. There were just too many other people crowding into this book for the romance between Langley and Minerva to develop. It's not a good sign when I can be easily distracted while reading a book, especially one that I was looking forward to with much anticipation. Anyway, I'll be waiting for the next in the series, Along Came a Duke. Maybe I'll do some rereading before then.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot

The Devilish Montague by Patricia Rice

2011-08-31T08:00:00.002-04:00

August 24, 2011
Nooky Interrupt-us Warning

http://www.patriciarice.com/whatsnew.htm
Patricia Rice has been around a long time and I've enjoyed reading her books since I picked up Love Betrayed back in 1987. As happens with all authors of her longevity, I find that I enjoy some of her books more than others. In the case of The Devilish Montague, I was torn. I absolutely loved the first part of her book, but was a little disappointed in the last portion.

I found both the heroine (Jocelyn) and the hero (Blake) to be wonderful characters. Let's start with Blake - what a fantastic hero. He made me smile from the first moment; he had no social skills, he was cranky, he was brutally honest and he was an honorable man. And, his passion for Jocelyn was something he could barely control. I enjoyed every moment of dialogue between he and Jocelyn.

Jocelyn was the perfect mate for Blake. She didn't put up with too much of his nonsense. She's smart, witty, and she protects those she loves. And she totally understands Blake's insecurities. Along with these two great characters there are some especially strong secondaries, from the overprotective mother, the autistic brother (wonderfully drawn), to the foul-mouthed parrot. In fact, I found the parrot to be hilarious, he almost stole the show.

Now, we are going to visit the problem I had with this book. Maybe it was my mood or maybe I'm just a little weary of every author interrupting major love scenes. It's starting to be one of my pet peeves. And, I have to say this was a really hot hot scene - and whammo, it's interrupted. There has to be another way to create sexual tension. When the actual consummation finally happened, it was almost an epilogue and I was underwhelmed.

I also had a problem with the villain resolution. All I can say is New South Wales is getting very overcrowded with Romanceland villains. What a dumping ground for e-v-i-l people it has become.

The Devilish Montague is part of a series, however, it does stand alone. It is a fast-paced, funny book with an awesome couple. I just wish the sexual tension had maintained its momentum to the end.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Could have been hot, wasn't

On My Radar!!! Late September!!!! Early October!!!!

2011-08-29T15:54:00.023-04:00

August 23, 2011

Victoria Alexander
http://www.victoriaalexander.com/
His Mistress by Christmas
Hardback
Mistress series
Release date: October 4, 2011
9780758255679

Suzanne Enoch
http://www.suzanneenoch.com/index.html
A Beginner's Guide to Rakes
Scandalous Brides series
Release date: October 4, 2011
9780312534516

Jillian Hunter
http://www.jillianhunterauthor.com/
A Bride Unveiled
Bridal Pleasures series
Release date: October 4, 2011
9780451413116

Gabrielle Kimm
http://gabriellekimm.co.uk/
His Last Duchess
Debut, Historical fiction, Lucretia de' Medici
Release date: October 1, 2011
9781402261510

Anne Mallory
http://www.annemallory.com/
In Total Surrender
Secrets series
Release date: September 27, 2011
9780062017314

Courtney Milan
http://www.courtneymilan.com/
Unclaimed
Turner Brothers series
Release date: September 20, 2011
9780373776030

Cheryl Ann Smith
http://www.cherylannsmith.com/
The Accidental Courtesan
School for Brides series
Release date: October 4, 2011
9780425243978

For a more complete list of upcoming releases, see Hey Delia!!!

How could I Overlook!!! On my Radar!!! Late August!!!Early September

2011-08-23T11:23:00.003-04:00

Tessa Dare
http://tessadare.com/
A Night to Surrender

Spindle Cove Series
9780062049834
Release date August 30, 2011

The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton by Miranda Neville

2011-08-23T09:55:00.004-04:00

August 23, 2011

Having a good month!

http://www.mirandaneville.com/
The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton is the first book by Miranda Neville I've read, and it won't be the last. I also believe I must read the previous ones in the series. May be spoilers, depends on your interpretation.

This book had a number of my pet peeves in it (but what book doesn't) and it had some typo/grammar issues going for it, but what the hey. Sometimes you get distracted and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you rant and sometimes you don't. I guess it all depends on how much you're enjoying the book. And, I did enjoy this book, especially after I got into the flow of the writing.

This book has two distinct flavors. The road trip/kidnap/amnesia part and the after the amnesia part. I preferred the road trip. Ms. Neville has done some interesting writing, because flowing through both of these parts is some pretty witty dialog. I found the brain talk of both the heroine and hero quite funny and not always what one would expect from a couple falling in love.

We have a plucky heroine, but not irritating plucky, at least in the beginning. And, we have dapper dude hero, a leader of society, a coxcomb of sorts who denigrates those below his station. At least when he has his memory. You see, it seems that our dapper hero slighted our plucky heroine when she was coming out. He said she looked like a cauliflower. So, years later when she escaping from her kidnappers, she finds him unconscious and partially naked. Upon awakening she discoverers he doesn't remember who he is. So, she does what any self-respecting heroine does. She lies. She concocts this rather elaborate tale, in which she is his fiancee, he's going to be in the clergy and she tells him his name is Terence Fish. Some readers may have a problem with a heroine misleading an amnesiac (a very serious injury/illness) but I didn't. I found Celia and Terence/Tanquin's amnesiac adventure to be pretty humorous. Oh yes! The kidnappers are chasing Celia and we don't know why. There is a lot going on in this book. There's village people chasing them, a farmer trying to buy Celia, running through the countryside almost naked. And, that's all before Terence/Tanquin regains his memory.

Then he remembers and the tone of the story changes. There is still a lot of humor and I even had a laugh out loud moment. Watch for the explanation of how a baby is born, as told by the inebriated father Sebastian (previous novel). But, in this part of the book, both Tanquin and Celia have to confront some unpleasant truths about themselves. It was also at this point that I became a little irritated with Celia. Yes, I really understood her feeling so very alone and insecure when standing in a room of so called beautiful people/ton. However, I was disappointed that so spunky a heroine didn't have more of a backbone when confronted by these highfaluntin people. I wanted her to fight back more than she did, instead of doing the poor me routine. I also had a problem with the villains in the story; I thought they were a little weak and mostly silly. And even though there was hot sex, I felt that the sexual tension between the two main characters was weak.

But, overall I enjoyed reading this tale. I was impressed by the way the author hid some complex emotions behind humor. I am looking forward to more books by Miranda Neville.

Time/Place: On the road Yorkshire/Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot

The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

2011-08-22T15:41:00.004-04:00

August 22, 2011

The MacKenzie brothers are back! Yum!

http://www.jennifersromances.com/index.html
I can't say how much I love the MacKenzie brother series. What a great series! And what a bunch of hunks! At last we have Cameron's story. And, I have to say Ms. Ashley has found the perfect match for him in Ainsley Douglas.

Now, because Cameron is one of the MacKenzies, he's a tortured hero; and what a horrendous past he has. Fellow readers, these women who are the MacKenzie brothers' soul mates must be some kind of super-heroines. These guys would give any normal person a headache - so many problems, so much to overcome. It's a good thing they're built! While I liked this book and loved seeing the others from the previous books, I did have a few issues. There were so many things going on that I felt not enough time was spent on the budding relationship of Ainsley and Cameron. There were the horses, the sleazy photograph guy, the blackmail of Queen Victoria, the story of the blackmailer, the creepy guy that owned the horse. I understand the letters/Queen Victoria/blackmail plot were the means for throwing Ainsley and Cameron together; however, I thought this was the weakest part of the book. I was irritated when Ainsley ran off toward the end of the book because of the Queen. I also had a problem with this incredibly strong hero, Cameron, putting up with the insane atrocities of his horrible wife. Yes, I understand he was protecting his son, but still to let someone who was obviously deranged continue didn't quite fit with what we know of him. He was such a strong, protective, alpha male, I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't have dealt with the problem of his lunatic wife differently. Minor quibbles.

Cameron was a wonderful dark, tortured hero and extremely sexy guy. To be in a room with the MacKenzie men would have been downright steamy. All that testosterone! Fan please! The sex scenes were downright yummy. Cameron and Ainsley make a wonderful couple. I did wonder about Cameron's Mr. Toad. You see, he is a large man, and mention was made that he had a rather long Mr. Toad. Now, whenever an author says the hero has a long one, my mind always wanders down that road. Long... how? Like freakishly long? Like Ichabod Crane long? Throw it over the shoulder long? And does the girth match? All these questions are important to me. I can only assume that since it is mentioned a number of times, that the girth was a match for the long... and Cameron didn't look like someone on steroids with a skinny long Mr. Toad.

Daniel. Was I the only one that felt like an overage pervert? What a hot sixteen year old - the scene when Daniel helps Ainsley with her dress was an eye-brow raiser. I can hardly wait till his book in 2013 - maybe then he'll be the legal drool-over age. We also get to have catch up with the other MacKenzie and a little sneak peak at Hart's story - coming to a store near you in April of 2012. I'm really looking forward to that one - it will be interesting to see how Ms. Ashley changes Hart into hero material and still leaves that dark edge to him.

I have loved all of the MacKenzie books but Ian's is my favorite. However, this one is a solid read and not one that should be missed. I think I'll go back and read the others before Hart's story comes out. This is not a fluffy tale, but dark, sensual and at times very disturbing. It is also a great addition to a wonderful series.

Time/Place: Victorian England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot!!!Hot!!!Hot!!!

The Taming of the Rake by kasey Michaels

2011-08-18T07:39:00.005-04:00

August 18, 2011

Road Trip! Road Trip! Road Trip! Saddle up those ponies we are off on an adventure!

http://www.kaseymichaels.com/links.html
Kasey Michaels has been around for quite awhile. In fact, a number of her older books are some of my favorites, but I've been disappointed in her newer offerings. I opened The Taming of the Rake with a little trepidation. Have you ever picked up a book and from the very first page, just knew that it was going to be a humdinger? Well, my fellow readers, Ms. Michaels' latest is that and I was more than delighted to find a little bit of the old Kasey Michaels hiding in those chapters.

This is the beginning of a new series about the three illegitimate Blackthorne brothers: Beau, Puck and Jack. The first story is about the eldest brother, Beau, and his nemesis, the heroine, Chelsea.

As I read this story, it became hard for me to say which of these two characters I liked best. I love Chelsea - she reminded me a lot of some of the women from a Preston Sturges movie - rapid-fire, snappy, smart dialog - quick witted and always one step ahead of the hero. This doesn't mean she's mean, it's just she has a wise-cracking mouth. However, she has a brain to go with that mouth. She also sees the frailties of the people surrounding her, especially our hero Beau.

Beau. What a wonderful hero. And the moniker of rake is misleading; he's more of a a bad boy. Beau's character is also loaded with fun dialog, but there seem to be more layers to him. And, after being introduced to his mother and father, a lot of his layers are explained. Ms. Michaels has created quite a fascinating dysfunctional family. I'm really looking forward watching the family dynamics unfold. Beau's brother Puck plays a large part in this book and while he seems a bit of a frivolous fellow, I suspect there's a lot that doesn't meet the eye. Jack has a smaller part in the book; however, his character seemed to be a lot darker. And wait till you meet the mother - what an appalling woman!

Back to Beau. I loved watching him as he fell in love - it was a mighty struggle, but pretty funny.

The is also a trio of villains, or as they end up, a trio of not very nice sleazy people. They were even interesting, but I doubt we will see them in the next books.

The Taming of the Rake was a great story of two people who have an adventure and along the way discover love. I was on my way to giving this book a really high rating, except there was just one too many adventures or maybe two to many. And even though there was an explanation given for the enmity between Beau and Chelsea's brother, I found it a little lacking considering how many lives were disrupted. But those were just minor quibbles in an otherwise wonderful book. For those of you who are fans of Ms. Michaels, you're going to like this one. And for those of you who have never read her, this is a good one to start with.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating:

Improper Gentlemen by Diane Whiteside, Maggie Robinson and Mia Marlowe

2011-08-12T11:14:00.005-04:00

August 12, 2011

Throbbing, Twitching, Pounding, Thrusting, Spilling, Spurting, Sucking!

You would think this was an adventure story with all the action verbs being thrown around. But it just an anthology published by Brava with a plethora of descriptive sex verbiage. Whenever I buy an anthology I always keep my fingers crossed, because you never know what you're getting. However, in this case, since it was a hot Brava publication, I had a pretty good idea of what I was purchasing. Since this is a trade-sized book, the price was a tad bit higher than a normal paperback. In the back of my mind was also the apprehension that because this was a Brava anthology, the sex in the book might have a tendency to overwhelm the storyline. Short story+Lots of sex=Tiresome.

Talbot's Ace by Diane Whiteside
http://dianewhiteside.com/
So, let's begin. Our hero and heroine: Charlotte and Justin. Yup. Sorry to say, this proved to be my least favorite in the trio of offerings. First of all, the storyline takes place in the American old west, my least favorite romance land. Yeehaw, yup and howdy ma'am moments are not my cup of tea. That aside, what could have been a good story just didn't work. The dialog was awkward, the plotting rushed and the sex overwhelmed the narrative. The whole thing had the feel of one of those old B cowboy movies from the 50's, but with oodles of sex. Interesting idea, just didn't grab me.

Time/Place: American Old West
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Scorching

To Match a Thief by Maggie Robinson
http://www.maggierobinson.net/
The second story. Hero and heroine: Simon and Lucy. After reading this story, I've decided to check out Ms. Robinson's upcoming full-length novel. Even though this was a short story, it still delivered. The characters were well-written and there was plenty of sexual tension. Even though it had tons of sex, some of it in unbelievable places, it still did not overpower the story. And, there were some humorous moments - always good in my book. This is also one of those stories that could have been so much better in full-length format.

Time/Place: 1820's England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Scorching

A Knack for Trouble by Mia Marlowe
http://208.56.16.168/not-found.php
The last in the group and my favorite. Hero and heroine: Aiden and Rosalinde. This story is complete. It is a short story that had the feel of a longer tale. We have likable characters with funny dialog. We even have room for a red herring when it comes to solving our mystery. I would have liked to have known more about Aiden's supposed supernatural gift, but you can't have everything in a short story. I did have an EEEWWWW moment that threw me out of the story with a giggle and a raised eyebrow. (Spoiler: for some reason the mentioning of a hairy scrotum just doesn't do it for me...especially on the hero. My hero's don't have hair there and it doesn't stand on end. I don't know, maybe that's just me or maybe it's one of those words that I find hilarious and not romantic. (And, I'm not talking about the word hairy).

Time/place: 1820's England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Scorching

In the end the book turned out to be pretty much what I expected. Short on character study and long on sex (so to speak). Some of the stories handled that better than others and I found a new author that I'm going to check out. I already have Mia Marlowe on my list. If you don't mind the higher price for a trade book, this is a fair read. Also, remember Improper Gentlemen is not a light-weight fluffy historical read, but a Brava scorcher - be prepared to have the fan on.

The Bed and the Bachelor by Tracy Anne Warren

2011-08-08T13:38:00.008-04:00

August 8, 2011

Giant boobs alert!
http://www.tracyannewarren.com/

Perplexed. After looking at the cover of this book I have come to the conclusion that there must be something wrong with me. When I lay down flat on my back I do not have what appear to be two giant scoops of ice cream sitting on my chest. Or maybe two giant perfectly shaped Jell-O molds. Or maybe two silicone objects that look mighty hard. And what's with the red satin sheet wrapping/tucking? Looks like a prom dress.

Now to the inside of The Bed and the Bachelor. Another spy. I have read about 50 kilzillion spy stories this year. How can so many authors be thinking the same thing? Not that I'm complaining.

Evidently this is the first Tracy Anne Warren book I've read, although I seem to have a number of them at home in my TBR pile. And, when I started reading this book I thought I recognized the characters. Must be some other series. Oh well, can't keep them straight. Sigh.

This is the fifth book in the Byrons of Braebourne series and I guess I'm going have to dig into my pile and read the others. Even though this was a spy story, sort of, I did enjoy it. Actually, it really wasn't a spy story, it's just that our hero, Drake, is creating a cipher that will be used by spies. And once again the French are the bad guys. Is there a book out there with a French hero? Anyway, this book was an enjoyable read, a fast read and with a very likable couple. It only took a day to finish. There was nothing dark, not much tension...a light read. Which is interesting, considering we have a villain, but also a heroine sneaking around the house disguised as a housekeeper. Light.

I really liked Drake. He is a well-written beta hero. It was nice to see a guy who wasn't angsty, didn't have a "I hate women" complex or any kind of dependency to overcome. He was a nice guy. He did have a tendency to become distracted by his mathematical problems, but I found that endearing. For those of you that ever watch any reruns of Leave it to Beaver, you might see a bit of the father in Drake's character. Nothing seemed to bother him, and he seems to have all the right answers. He also seemed to have the scary ability to find someone in a different country - without knowing their correct name - in a matter of days. Like a super hero with weird powers. Almost everything in this book was taken care of right away; all the problems, solved just like that and even the moment of misunderstanding is over in the blink of an eye. The falling in love part - fast - Whamo!

Sebastianne, our heroine, disguises herself as the housekeeper Mrs. Greenway in order to infiltrate Drake's household and steal the cipher. She was an interesting character. She is being forced to steal to protect her family. However, she has a lot of trouble lying to everyone. She grows to like all the servants in the household, befriends a number of them and finds herself attracted to their employer, Drake. She constantly struggles with the guilt she feels while sneaking through the house searching for the cipher. She does get over the guilt long enough to drug Drake and make a copy of the key that accesses the cipher.

This is almost a lazy book. Every problem, every stumbling block is solved and solved almost immediately. But, I didn't really mind that; what I did raise an eyebrow to was the startlingly rapid time it took for Sebastianne to realize she was in love with Drake. I know, I know - this is romance, they're going to fall in love. But, gee willikers this was mighty speedy. Thankfully, Drake took a little longer to realize he'd fallen.

So now having read The Bed and the Bachelor, I'm going to have to read the other ones in the series. Even though everything was solved really, really fast and Drake was an amazing magical beta hero who didn't let too much bother him, I did enjoy this story. It was a nice breath of fresh air.

Oh by the way, the title was a bit silly. Reminded me of that old Gary Grant movie The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, which is a pretty light-weight entry, but with a giggle here and there.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot

The Sinner Who Seduced Me by Stefanie Sloane

2011-08-03T10:35:00.006-04:00

August 3, 2011

"Trust: reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence. " Dictionary.com

http://www.stefaniesloane.com/
The Sinner who Seduced Me is the third in the Regency Rogues series, and according to Stefanie Sloane's website, three more have been added to the series for future publication. This was a distressing book for me to review, because I believe Stefanie Sloane is a very talented writer. I was looking forward to The Sinner who Seduced Me with antici...pation. It was the first book I grabbed when my new shipment came in. However, I had some problems with this story and it turned out to be my least favorite of the three Ms. Sloane's written to date.

Spoilers follow. This is a second chance at love story, Clarissa and James were at one time in love, lovers and almost married...and then they broke each others hearts. And, here is where I started to have trouble. It seems that Clarissa's father is/was also a member of the spy group James belongs to. And it appears that her father is having an affair, but not really. Clarissa's mother is deeply hurt, hence Clarissa is hurt. Now, Clarissa expects James to side with her in this matter, but he sides with her father because he knows the truth. However, he can't tell Clarissa because it's secret stuff. He does however, expect her to trust him on this, without telling her anything. And she expects him to be on her side. So, this drives a wedge between them. I thought their reaction to this issue was a tad bit over the top. Now, I believe that when you love someone, there should be trust; however we are human after all, and one should also be realistic with trust. To trust a person you love doesn't mean that they are always going to do what you want or that they are never going to do something that will be hurtful, so to break off a relationship and hate each other for five years because of something that should have been resolved between someone else (parents in this case) seemed to be somewhat excessive to me.

However, I read on. Five years pass, they are thrown together once again and they're still growling at each other. Both of them acting like children. Try as I might, I could not find any sympathy for these two characters. However, if I gave up on my couple, I still have the intrigue in the book.

Good ol' intrigue. And, it was here that a pet peeve reared it's ugly face. It seems that the French need money, so for some reason they are going to force an artist to paint a portrait of a rich Canadian's daughter and then they will get money to do some nefarious deeds. Well, as luck would have it, our heroine, Clarissa is there the day the bad guys come to the artist's studio. The bad guys accidentally break his arm. His painting arm. Well, it seems that Clarissa can also paint, so she decides to disguise herself as a man and with the help of a petulant James, they journey back to England, where the rich Canadian is staying with his beautiful daughter. Ok, I can suspend belief and accept Clarissa as a guy (pet peeve), but, then we are introduced to one of the most irritating obnoxious secondary characters ever, Iris.

Iris, the beautiful daughter of the rich Canadian. Iris, encroaches her way into this book and almost takes over the whole story. She tries to seduce James, she throws tantrums, she wants adventure; they take her to a Cyprian ball, get her out of trouble, to a boxing match, get her out of trouble. They don't take her to the gambling hell. Doesn't matter, because she goes on her own! Clarissa, disguised as a boy and James get her out of trouble, again. Oh, by the way, Iris is dressed up as a boy when she goes on these adventures. So, we have two females disguising themselves (double peeve).

I was also disappointed that Clarissa and James decided not to tell her mother about the infidelity that didn't really happen. So, at the end of the book her parents still remain separated and there wasn't any hint as to whether that problem was going to be taken care of.

I was disappointed with this story. I wanted to knock Clarissa and James' heads together - they were just very irritating. There was way too much bickering from a couple who (in my opinion) didn't have a good reason to be mad at each other. Then there was the dreadful Iris, a distraction to the story and given way too much line space. I was s-o looking forward to this book! Now, this doesn't mean I won't read the next in the series, because I fully intend to...however, I may not pick it up from my pile as fast as I did this time.

Time/Place: Napoleonic France/Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Warm!!

The Angel in My Arms by Stefanie Sloane

2011-08-01T12:12:00.004-04:00

August 1, 2011

Stefanie Sloane is a trickster! Spoilers! If you read the endings of books like I do, beware, there is a surprise...and things are not what they seem - or are they?
http://www.stefaniesloane.com

Quick note: I did not find the number of typos that were present in the last Stefanie Sloane book...they may have been there, but I didn't see any. So, it appears that Ballantine does support their authors.

Now, to the The Angel in My Arms. Here come the Young Corinthians, Romancelands latest group of hunky manly-men spies. We follow Marcus, the Earl of Weston as he infiltrates a group of smugglers in search of some stolen emeralds. Along the way he meets Sarah Tisdale and her animals. Yes, we have cute animals, in fact her dog Titus is a contender for the Gus award. Although, the peacock was pretty funny also. The animals almost stole the show.

As with the first book in the series, there were some moments in the book that I really liked - some brilliant writing. And, then there were moments that I would scratch my head wondering if I was missing something. To say nothing of the suspending belief moments. So, let's explore.

Sarah Tisdale. I really enjoyed Sarah, I found her to be a refreshing heroine - outspoken, honest, tenderhearted and a lover of profane words. Her interactions with her young brother Nigel are some of the best parts in the book. They seemed like real siblings, arguing, playing tricks on each other; but also having a strong loving bond. You know what, I am having a problem lately with parents in historical books. Aren't parents the heads of families? Don't they have the last word? Wouldn't they be concerned when their twelve year old son is out gallivanting with smugglers? Especially when two of his closest friends are murdered? It's too bad that historical romance parents are little more than background and frankly I'm getting tired of those shadowy parents. I digress, Sarah...she is a fun heroine and there are a number of amusing scenes involving Sarah and her mouth. A chuckle out loud moment occurs when she tells her best friend Claire, in great detail, about her first sexual encounter with Marcus. I also found it amusing that she thought she wasn't a virgin anymore...until she was told differently. Oh sure, she has a TSTL moment toward the end of the book, in fact, I found her very irritating when she was trying "help" Marcus save Nigel. Why didn't she stay where she was told to stay? This was one of those suspension of belief moments. For the most part, Sarah was a delightful heroine, only occasionally traveling down the P-u-l-e-e-s-e road.

On to Marcus. I found Marcus to be the weak part of the book. He mostly seemed to be a cardboard character only there to be Sarah's straight man. I also thought the sexual tension between the two was almost non-existent. Oh sure, there were a couple of sexual encounters, but there wasn't any building of tension prior to those moments. (I did like that Sarah was the aggressor.) Rant coming on: why do historical couple take off all of their cloths when they are supposedly in a sexual frenzy? Let's get serious here, we have a couple who can't wait to do the hoochie-coo and what do they do? They take the time to take off all of their clothes. And, we are not talking about a bra and undies here...we are talking chemise (boned or not), with a ribbon or lace of some sort. The corsets, the garters, the hosiery. Then there are the petticoats, one or more depending on what the final look is that one is going for. And, then let's look at the male...he has that long shirt, depending on whether it's early or late 1800. That long shirt by the way also doubled as underwear, because until the late 1800's men did wear any. EEEWWWW. It wasn't till later that the brief (with strings, flap or button) made it's appearance. Now, what I've always thought was rather funny was that women didn't really wear bloomers/underwear/panties until the later part of the 1800's...which to me would mean easy access! I just wish that once in awhile, when a couple was in a sexual flurry, they would erupt with all their clothes on. Wouldn't that be more of an indicator of uncontrollable lust? Then they would be all rumpled, but who cares, it would make for a more interesting story, maybe even provide a few laughs. While I'm digressing, it must have been an fascinating time for women without underpants...I wonder if they were cold in the winter? And what about that mother-nature time? EEEEWWWW.

Where was I? Oh yes, Marcus and Sarah, I didn't feel any sexual tension. I did understand why he fell in love with her however. Didn't quite understand why he felt unworthy, his character needed to be explored just a little bit more. I felt like I was missing something when it came to Marcus.

I would have to say that this is a mystery book with romantic elements in it. And the skulduggery is actually pretty good. There were some things I didn't see coming. I was also surprised that Ms. Sloane had some very young victims in her book and it was this part of the book that I found very poignant. Some excellent writing on the loss of someone you love.

So, this book is light on the romance, heavy on the intrigue and has a number of silly adventures with TSTL moments. But, it also has a delightful heroine (most of the time.) This was a good book, (not earth shattering) and I will continue to read the series...there is a mysterious antagonist that has been introduced, we will see where that leads us.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Medium Warm

Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

2011-07-29T11:38:00.007-04:00

July 29, 2011

Small towns scare me!
http://www.jennycrusie.com/

I grew up in a small town and I still have nightmares! Jennifer Crusie seems to have her thumb on the pulse of small towns everywhere. And yes, I read another contemporary - it's a secret mission. And Tracy, I have to agree with you, I liked Welcome to Temptation - a lot - although I thought Bet Me was funnier.

What we have here is a story of Sophia, who comes from a family of grifters. She arrives at the small town of Temptation where she meets the town mayor, Phin Tucker. Ah, Phin Tucker, one of the most laid back guys I've ever run into. He is not ambitious; in fact he uses campaign posters from his forebears each time he runs for election. Of course, he is not so laid back when Sophia crosses his path. In fact, I think it would be fair to say that the sparks just fly off the pages of this book. I had to wear oven mitts just to turn the pages. Talk about combustive, sizzling hot sex! All over the place! And, for all you germaphobes, watch where you step, eat and drink. Now, while I don't mind lots and lots of sex in books, I also like to watch the couple fall in love. If there was a weak point to this story it would be the l-u-v part. Where was it?

Jennifer Crusie seems to excel in creating strong secondary characters in her books, or at least she did in the two I read. Welcome to Temptation is jammed-backed with interesting powerful characters. And not only that, but we have a little mayhem, some mystery and a comical murder. Yes, Ms. Crusie has written a funny movable corpse, in my opinion something hard to do.

Now, since I've only read two of Jennifer Crusie's books, I'm wondering if all the mothers in her books have escaped from the Mommie Dearest School of Parenting? Phin's mother has a little bit of Snow White/Cinderella step-mother going for her. She is totally unlikeable, and I really could not feel any kind of sympathy for her. In the real world, I don't believe this kind of family dynamics would exist in the same house.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the dark humor and the murder-mystery keep me guessing till the end. If you haven't read this one, I'd say you should.

Time/Place: Current small town USA
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Scorching!

K.I.S.S. and Teal

2011-07-28T14:22:00.002-04:00

In case you are wondering what the KISS and teal icons on Avon books are, here is the answer: September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Avon has donated $25,000 to Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. They are also going to donate 25 cents from the sale of each book and ebook in the "K.I.S.S. and Teal promotion between August 30, 2011 and February 28, 2012. For further information go to www.kissandteal.com

On My Radar, Late August 2011, Early September 2011

2011-07-28T12:50:00.008-04:00

Isobel Carr
http://www.isobelcarr.com/
Ripe for Scandal
League of Second Sons series
9780446572736
Release date: September 1, 2011

Judith James
http://www.judithjamesauthor.com
The King's Courtesan
Sequel to The Libertine
9780373775590
Release date: August 23, 2011

Rose Lerner
http://roselerner.com/blog/
Lily Among the Thorns
tradesize
9781428511767
Release date: September 15, 2011 (we hope!!!)

Caroline Linden
http://www.carolinelinden.com/
One Night in London: The Truth About the Duke
9780062025326
Release date: August 30, 2011

Cathy Maxwell
http://www.cathymaxwell.com/
The Seduction of Scandal
Scandals and Seduction series
9780061772122
Release date: August 30, 2011

Maggie Robinson
http://www.maggierobinson.net/
Mistress by Marriage
Courtesan Court series
9780758251039
Release date: September 1, 2011

For a more complete list of upcoming releases see: Hey Delia!!!

The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh

2011-07-25T09:38:00.000-04:00

July 25, 2011

Those Dudley's are back!
http://www.marybalogh.com/

At last, Mary Balogh's prequel to More than a Mistress and No Man's Mistress. And, to be honest with you, even though I have More than a Mistress as one of my favorite Balogh's books, I don't really remember too much of it. Probably need to reread. Anyway, this is the Dudley family's sister Angeline's story. And, it reminds me of some of Balogh's more traditional regency stories, but with humor. So, wipe that sweat off your brow - you won't need any Valium for this book.

First of all, I had to keep reminding myself how really young the two main characters were in this book. Angeline is 19 and Edward is 24, and in Angeline's case her youth shows. Angeline appears to be a very happy person, dare I say bubbly. Her enjoyment of the world she is living in is beyond breathtaking... she is vivid, bright; everywhere she goes she is enthusiastic. Angeline is perky. Yes, we have a perky heroine and I loved her. She was so delightful, but there is a secret behind her chatty-Kathy exterior. When she gets nervous, she fills her silences with words. While some readers may find her a bubble-head, I thought she was great fun and it was nice to read a Balogh heroine who wasn't some drama queen.

Then we have the adorable stuffed-shirt, stiff Heyward. He likes boring. He's picked out a wife, his childhood friend, and they are going to have a bland, calm life together. The moments that Angeline first charges into his life are very funny and very unsettling to Heyward. He tries to stay away from her, but he just cannot help being drawn into her brightness.

I loved this couple. I thought they were sweet. In fact, the whole story is a delight; there's not too much tension, no villains, no outside interference, just a story about two opposites who attract. It's a simple, traditional love story. I was a little puzzled about the title because it isn't until almost the end that we get to see why "mistress" was used. This was also a weak moment in the book, at least for me.

This is not in paperback form yet. At this time it is in hardback and ebook, so the price for the printed copy is hardback price.

But, if you want a read that's charming, enjoyable and relaxing this one is for you.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Warm

TBR challenge: Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, 2004

2011-07-20T09:16:00.005-04:00

July 20, 2011

A change of pace.
http://www.jennycrusie.com/

There is a reason this was in my TBR pile - it is a contemporary and as we all know, I'm not a big fan of contemporary. One of the reasons for my not liking them became apparent when I was reading this book. Contemporaries can become dated very quickly... one minute people are listening to cassette tapes and the next minute those cassette tapes have gone the way of the dinosaur. When one reads an historical, one doesn't have that problem.

Anyway, to Bet Me. Even though Bet Me is a contemporary romance, what saved it for me was one thing - humor. From the moment I started reading this book, I was chuckling. I was also thanking the powers that be that I was no longer in the dating world. What a scary place.

Minerva Dobbs (what was her mother thinking) is the heroine of this book and she's called Min by all of her friends. Now, Min is one of those heroines who are plain, and she's really plain, not pretend plain. She is also overweight or at least what the author deems is overweight. If this were a fairy-tale, she'd be the ugly duckling. Where this book differs from that tale is, in the end she doesn't turn into a swan. Nope, Min stays the same, she doesn't magically loose weight and turn into a stunning beauty. The point of this book is that she doesn't have to, she is beautiful as she is and to top that off the handsome hero falls in love with her as she is. And, I liked that about this book. So many books/movies/tv shows, create a plain woman who metamorphosis into Angeline Jolie just so she can get a date. I'm happy that Ms. Crusie didn't do that with this book.

And then there is Cal; he is a Mr. Perfect. He is handsome, charming, great body, he has everything anyone could want. He was also great fun because he doesn't always know where he's going in his relationship with Min. The two of them together struck just the right chord and I found them funny, but still both vulnerable. Great combo.

There was also a strong cast of secondary characters. What was interesting with these characters was the different relationships between them. The friends, the girl friends, the siblings, the parents - all well-written and all adding to the enjoyment of the book. If I had one quibble it would be with Min's mother. I found her constant harping on Min's "fat" problem very demeaning and not very motherly. However, I also realized that Min's mother had her own self-esteem problems. But her constant digs at her daughter were disturbing to me and if they were meant to be funny, they missed the boat.

But overall, this was a fast-paced funny read and I'm glad I finally dusted the cover off.

Time/Place: Current
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Warm

Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase

2011-07-15T10:36:00.009-04:00

July 15, 2011

"Jezebel. Jezebel.
If ever the devil was born,
Without a pair of horns
It was you, Jezebel, it was you.
If ever an angel fell, Jezebel, It was you.
Jezebel, it was you.
If ever a pair of eyes, Promised paradise.
Deceiving me, grieving me, Leavin' me blue.
Jezebel, it was you.
If ever the devil's plan,
Was made to torment man,
It was you -"

http://www.lorettachase.com/
Well, not necessarily Jezebel, but let me introduce you to the charismatic Noirot sisters. Three spellbinding sisters from Loretta Chase's new Dressmakers series. The first book in the series is Silk is for Seduction and it is the eldest sister, Marcelline, who takes center stage. And, there may be spoiler's ahead, depending on your definition.

Loretta Chase, Loretta Chase, Loretta Chase! I'm always excited when she has a book that is about to be published and I've been looking forward to this one for almost a year. I love the characters she creates in her stories. Her books are usually full of wonderful dialog, terrific antagonistic love relationships filled with snappy exchanges and sensual tension. And, this book has that - just not as much as I was hoping for.

Let's begin with Marcelline, the heroine. She's one of those women! All you women out there know what I'm talking about. I even bet all of you know one or two of these individuals; maybe one of them is even your friend. You can recognize her right away. She's the one all the guys are swarming around...the one they are wiping the drool off their chin over, tripping over their big feet just to be close to her. If she's your friend (usually they don't have many women friends) she's the one who is always asked to dance while you sit there twiddling your thumbs. There is just something about them that attracts men...like bees to honey, like a duck to water, like iron to a magnet, like flies to a carcass. You get the idea. Well, say hello to Marcelline. She is very much aware that she is the reason men drool. She is a take no-prisoners Chase heroine. She's smart, she's strong, she's witty, she's beautiful, she's all of these things. But, she also has a down side, she uses people, she connives, she conspires and she doesn't seem to have many scruples. Marcelline is also a working girl, no, not the kind of working girl who walks the streets. The Noirot sisters own a dressmaking shop and that shop is Marcelline's obsession. Her aspirations are to make women beautiful and she has cast her eyes on Lady Clara Fairfax to gain entrance into the world of the haut monde. Once this is done, everyone who is anyone will be clamoring for her gowns. Now, Lady Clara Fairfax is the almost fiancee of the Duke of Clevedon. So, because she cannot introduce herself to Clara, Marcelline insinuates herself into Clevedon's field of vision. When this happens everything changes for these three people (and anyone else standing in the periphery.)

Enter Gervase, Duke of Clevedon. Can you say cad, bounder, lout...stinker? Yes siree bob, he's a stinker! Loretta Chase has finally created a hero I had a hard time liking, even if he was witty. This guy just drifts through life, acquiring things, with no particular goal in mind - just because he's a Duke. He knows he will need to get married someday and to his best friend (Lady Clara). But hey, what's the rush! First there are things to do, money to waste, wine to consume, women to do the hump-n-bump with. So what if his best friend Lady Clara is getting hurt in the process? Wait a minute! Who is that gorgeous creature across the way? He must have her! He must bed her! Nothing must get in his way! He is obsessed! He can't control his lust and neither can the woman, Marcelline (cause he's one hot stinker). They must see each other. They must resist. We can't do this. I must possess you. Somewhere along the way this all consuming lust turns into love, but I must have been asleep because I missed that moment.

And, then there is Lady Clara. Now, mind you Lady Clara is only a secondary character, but she was the nicest person in this book. I cheered her on when she quit being a doormat and gave Clevedon a tongue-lashing he so richly deserved. What a wonderful scene that was! Speaking of which, there was another scene that was very disturbing to me. However, it was written so well that I felt the tension of the characters right down to my little toes. Watch for the scene in which Lady Clara, Clevedon and Marcelline are together in the dress shop. There is all of this tense undercurrent of deviousness between Clevedon and Marcelline. All the time Lady Clara is aware that something is going on, but she can't quite figure it out. It was very painful to read, but it was a great piece of gifted writing. And, by the way Ms. Chase, Clara deserves a hero!

We are also introduced to Marcelline's two sisters, Marcelline's six year old daughter (going on nine) and Clara's brother...all of whom should show up again in the next book in the series. Anyway, there were things in this book I loved: the dialog was great and the bantering was still there. And there was some extraordinary disturbing writing. My biggest problem, at least in the beginning, was both Clevedon and Marcelline seemed to lack a conscience. There was a poignant, redeeming Clevedon moment at the end. But was it enough for me to like him? I'm still undecided about that. Would I recommend this book? You bet! But, it is a little darker than some of Ms. Chase's other books...so beware. And, as always, I am looking forward to the next in the series.

The song Jezebel was written by Wayne Shanklin.

Time/Place: 1830's England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot

A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran

2011-07-08T11:11:00.009-04:00

July 8, 2011
Rack 'em Up
http://www.meredithduran.com/index.html

Meredith Duran is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. A Lady's Lesson in Scandal is a book you won't want to miss. Ms. Duran has created a well-written, character-driven story with two of the most complex people I've read in a very long time.

Let's talk about these two intriguing people, from completely different worlds.

Simon, our hero. What a guy! He inhabits an aristocratic world of wealth and has all the privileges that wealth brings. He is comfortable in that world; it's the only one he knows. He has the freedom that only great wealth can bring. However, there is a fly in the ointment...he has just inherited a title, an estate, tons of servants... but no money.

Then we have Nell, our heroine. She lives in a place far removed from Simon, in the slums of London. She grew up having to struggle for every bite of food on the table. She is a factory worker and not just any factory but one that makes cigars. She is not above standing knee deep in muck just to fish out the coins tossed from a passing nobleman's carriage.

Well, as luck would have it Nell is the missing daughter of the Earl of Rushdale, and also a distant relative of Simon. I'm not going to go into details about how these two people run into each other; they do and in a very short time they concoct a plan on how to get that money. They both have their reasons for needing tons of cash. Simon, so he can continue to live the life he is accustomed to, save the estate, save the servants and Nell, so she can buy the factory and help the downtrodden people of the world. This may sound simplistic, but let me warn you this amazing story is anything but.

I was engrossed with this love story from the beginning. The story itself seems to have two different tones. The first half was more of a Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins story - a little lighter, with some very humorous moments. There is an especially wonderful moment which involves dining etiquette and a questioning Nell. I was on Nell's side. And let me tell you there is one of the most incredibly sensual, hot billiard scenes that I've read in a long time...a humdinger!!! Some one hand me a fan!

And then they get married, and the nuance of the story changes to something very intense. Not that there hasn't been intensity before the marriage, it's just that this is more intense. More poignant. Warning: this is a nail biting story. It is in the second half Nell struggles with the bonds of Simon's world, a world that he is totally relaxed in. At times Simon came close to being a romance-jerk and I found some of his actions to be a little disturbing. He is controlling, arrogant and domineering, but in an oh so charming way. What saved Simon from being a total jerk was gradual viewing of his world through Nell's eyes. And even though Nell is a strong person, she is intimidated by him and fearful of losing him because she can't fit into his world. A world, by the way that should have been hers. These two characters have many facets, and their dynamics are a wonder to behold. They're stubborn, loyal, insecure, arrogant, controlling...they trigger all kinds of emotional responses in each other.

If I had any quibble with this story, it would be Nell's stubbornness and her overreaction to something she hears. I just wanted to smack her. But that was just a minor irritation. Overall this is a brilliantly intense satisfying nail-biting read (pass the Valium please) and it's one that you must read!

Time/Place: Edwardian England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot! Yipes!