Thursday, August 6, 2009

Romance Byte: Devil in My Bed

Author: Celeste Bradley
Series Connection: Runaway Brides
ISBN-13: 978-0312943080
Genre: Historical

Description:
Three Lords and a Baby...

When Aidan de Quincy finds a precocious tot on the steps of his gentleman's club, he is sure he isn't the child's father...well, nearly sure. In order to find out, he needs to find the only woman he ever loved--the one who broke his heart!

Madeleine Chandler has a secret, but not the one Aidan thinks she does. Her past is about to catch up to her again and only Aidan can save her. All she has to do is tell one more tiny little lie...

About the book from her blog:
The tale begins with DEVIL IN MY BED (Aug '09), the story of Aidan de Quincy, Earl of Blankenship, who must chase down the only woman he ever wanted--and the only one he couldn't have. Wary widow Madeleine Chandler isn't about to endanger her hard-won freedom, not even for a sensual lover like Aidan. However, a small lie intending to help her escape a sticky situation turns into a big complication when Madeleine allows Aidan to believe that she is, in fact, Melody's mother. When Aidan insists that she return secretly to his club to see Melody, he inadvertantly provides Madeleine with the very thing she needs the most--a hiding place that no one will ever suspect!

Romance Book Review: Lord of Pleasure

Author: Delilah Marvelle
Series Connection: Mistress of Pleasure
ISBN-13: 978-1420104493
Genre: Historical

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Lady Charlotte Chartwell is left destitute by her philandering husband when she meets Alexander Baxendale, the Earl of Hawksfort, or otherwise known as the Lord of Pleasure by the ton. Never would Charlotte believe that she would have to use her body to make money, but she has no choice and makes an offer to Alexander.

At one time Alexander would have been tempted, but things have changed rather quickly upon meeting Charlotte and Alexander turns Charlotte down leaving her stunned. Instead of taking her up on her offer Alexander decides to help the widow, but she turns him down, not interested in anyone's charity.

When next he sees Charlotte he finds her at place where men learn how to charm and seduce women. Charlotte has acquired the job as Conductor of Admissions. Alexander's reaction to this news is charming and laughable. He begins a quest to attract Charlotte's attention, which turn into hilarious fun. Lord of Pleasure is a charming and delightful read. I loved the hero, Alexander. His sex appeal came right through the pages.

Delilah has written a delightful romp right out of the pages of history. It will be interesting to see where she takes the rest of the series.

Description:
Once upon a time, Alexander William Baxendale, the Earl of Hawksford, was known to all of London and its besotted women as the Lord of Pleasure. Those days of frolicking, however, come to an abrupt end when he inherits not only the estate, but all of his father's responsibilities, including five, overzealous sisters and a not-so-proper mother. When Alexander meets the beautiful Lady Chartwell, he once again finds himself yearning for days of old. Left penniless by her philandering husband, Lady Chartwell survives financial ruin by turning to scandal and becoming the Conductor of Admissions to a school that educates men in the art of seduction. Alexander knows that desperate times call for desperate pleasures, but if he's lucky, it may very well lead him to a hell of a lot more.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Romance Byte: I Can See You

Author: Karen Rose
Series Connection: Don't Tell
ISBN: 978-0-446-53834-3
Genre: Romantic Suspense

[Excerpt]

Description:
Eve Wilson, first introduced in DON'T TELL, was the victim of an assault which resulted in disfiguring injury. After the incident, Eve retreated into the virtual realm, seeking refuge from the public eye. With the help of a surgeon, her face has been mostly restored and she has returned to the real world. Now a graduate student, her goal is to research the use of the virtual world as therapy to improve self-esteem. But when a string of suspicious suicides connected to her Internet activities leads homicide detective Noah Webster to her door, Eve is forced back into an intoxicating world of Web sites, alternate identities, and secret passions. A world where her experience and expertise are key ... and where she becomes a player in a deadly game, trapped in the fight of her life.

Author Shiloh Walker to host book drive for Louisville (KY) Free Public Library

Louisville (KY) Free Public Library Hit by Flash Flood on Aug. 4, 2009; Damage at Least $1 million.

A recovery fund has been established. Donations can be sent to:

The Library Foundation
301 York Street
Louisville, KY 40203

Author Shiloh Walker is helping the effort by organizing a book drive for the library. She is asking everyone including authors and publishers to donate both signed and unsigned books. All genres, from children’s books to romance to non-fiction, etc, etc.

"Signed books can be used in fundraiser purposes. Unsigned books can be used to help replenish the books that were lost due to the flood," Shiloh said in her blog.

She said that the library doesn't have a place to store the books yet, but she is close by and willing to hold on to them until the building repairs are complete. For more information on how you can help check out Shiloh's blog.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Romance Book Review: The Fire King

Author: Marjorie Liu
Series Connection: Dirk and Steele Book 9
ISBN: 978-0843959406
Genre: Paranormal/Shape-shifter

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An earthquake unearths a tomb in the middle of the desert and when it is opened a war that was thought to be over thousands of years ago could be sparked again.

When Karr walked the earth 3,000 years ago, his kind were revered by humans but much has changed as Karr learns quickly. The shapeshifters who were his enemy when he died are now his prison guards. He doesn't speak the language which makes it hard to know exactly what is happening.

This is a complex story filled with a great deal of drama. Soria has spent the last year in isolation from her friends. After a horrific incident where she loses her arm she doesn't know how to face her new life. Just as she starts to take on the world again, she is intercepted by the Dirk and Steele group. Dirk and Steele is a secret organization of paranormals who work together. The organization wants Soria to use her special skill to find out if Karr is safe.

When Karr first meets Soria he doesn't know what to make of her. He can not trust the human because she aligns herself with his enemy, but she can speak his language and he has no choice but to follow her or risk being caught.

Neither Karr or Soria are very trusting and they must work together to save themselves from the people Soria considers allies and an unknown force who is looking to kidnap both of them. Can they learn to trust each other before it is too late.

This is the first book I've ever read by this author and I was blown away by the complexity and depth of the story. Although there were times when the story ran a little too slow for my taste, I found both the hero and heroine characters perfect for each other. They had the right chemistry from the very beginning of the book. I also loved the supporting characters Robert and KuKu. I'm hoping that Marjorie will be considering a book for Robert in the near future.

My favorite line in the book is when Robert comes upon Soria and Evie in need of rescuing and says: "Finally some ladies in distress. Makes me feel like a man again."

"Yes," Soria said shakily glimpsing glossy black pigtails and a Hello Kitty sunglasses behind Baldy's ass. "I'm certain you're tired of KuKu having more testosterone than you."

Description:
Long ago, shape-shifters were plentiful, soaring through the sky as crows, racing across African veldts as cheetahs, raging furious as dragons atop the Himalayas. Like gods, they reigned supreme. But even gods have laws, and those laws, when broken, destroy.

Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. Three words in three very different languages, and yet Soria understands. Like all members of Dirk & Steele, she has a gift, and hers is communication. When she is chosen to learn the dead language of a shape-shifter resurrected after thousands of years of icy sleep, she discovers a warrior consumed with fury.

Strong as a lion, quick as a serpent—Karr is his name, and in his day he was king. But he is a son of strife, a creature of tragedy. As fire consumed all he loved, so death was to be his atonement. Now, against his will, he has awoken. Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. In English, the word is despair. But Soria knows the words for love.

Thank you so much...Kathryn Caskie

Last week I received a surprise e-mail from author Kathryn Caskie letting me know that I won a box of author signed romance novels. The box of 38 books came in the mail today. Here is a list of authors that will be getting reviewed in the next few weeks thanks to Kathryn.

Kathryn Caskie
Suzanne Enoch
Gaelen Foley
Rachel Gibson
Julia Quinn
Andrew Gross
Tracy Anne Warren
Terry Spear
Barbara Freethy
Kresley Cole
Eloisa James
Mary Burton
Joan Johnston
Elizabeth Boyle
Julia London
Julianne MacLean
Karen Hawkins
Sophie Nash
Sharon Sala
Stephanie Laurens
Mary Balough
Jacquie D'Alessandro
Candice Hern
Lorraine Heath
Laura Kee Guhrke
Christine Wells
Jane Feather
Sabrina Jeffries
Allison Leigh
Candace Havens
Cathy Maxwell
Elaine Fox
Jeaniene Frost
Jill Shalvis
Jamie Sobrato

Thanks to all the authors who donated their books at the RWA convention in Washington D.C. It was a treat since I really wished I could have been their to get the autographs myself. This is the next best thing.

Romance Byte: Stolen Heat


Author: Elisabeth Naughton
Series Connection: Stolen
ISBN: 978-0-505-52794-3
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Description:
Passion So Hot It's...STOLEN

His past tore them apart. Her lies thrust them back together.
Now a killer's out for revenge, but the biggest threat for both may just be the heat they thought they'd already lost....

Antiquities dealer Peter Kauffman walked a fine line between clean and corrupt for years. And then he met the woman who changed his life—Egyptologist Katherine Meyer. Their love affair burned white-hot in Egypt, until the day Pete’s lies and half-truths caught up with him. After that, their relationship imploded, Kat walked out, and before Pete could find her to make things right, he heard she’d died in a car bomb.

Six years later, the woman Pete thought he’d lost for good is suddenly back. The lies this time aren’t just his, though. The only way he and Kat will find the truth and evade a killer out for revenge is to work together—as long as they don’t find themselves burned by the heat each thought was stolen long ago…

Read an excerpt.

The Future of Digital Publishing Starts Here...

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January 26-27, 2010
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Monday, August 3, 2009

In honor of "National Randomness Day", here is a completely random book off my bookshelf

Rowdy
Author: Amarinda Jones
ISBN #9781419920615
Publisher: Ellora's Cave (http://www.ellorascave.com/)

Haven't had a chance to read this one yet, but I know that if Amarinda wrote it, it has to be good. Give it a try.

Description:
Fate may have decreed for Argon Cardissan to crash into Rowdy Lawrence's world but that doesn't mean she has to like it. He is the last thing she wants, and because of him she is also discovering needs she never imagined she possessed. Hot sex with the immortal guy is as good as it is bad for her.

Argon is enchanted by Rowdy and that she is less so of him is no deterrent. Making love to break down her reluctance is a challenge he cannot resist. He knows they are meant to be together. Rowdy's body is already his. She has his heart, now he wants hers. This love is forever.

But that's not the only problem they face. Zombies are roaming the streets and an old friend becomes a foe. The two star-crossed lovers must unite to save a city and to fulfill a prophecy. Who knew love could be so exhausting?

Romance Byte: Miss Firecracker

Author: Lorelei James
ISBN: 978-1-60504-594-8
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Description:
She’s the match, he’s the fuse…an explosive combination

One year ago Willow Gregory entered the Miss Firecracker contest on a dare—and ended up with the crown. As a working carpenter, she’s not exactly the tears-and-tiara type, and after a year of walking the straight and narrow she’s ready to cut loose.

Waking up in a sexy stranger’s bed with no memory of the havoc she wreaked the night before wasn’t quite what she had in mind. Nor was agreeing to his mandate—work for him at the tavern until she repays the damage. Or go to jail.

Blake West thinks he could possibly be the only man alive who could say no to a drunken, horny, naked beauty queen. There’s something about the former Miss Firecracker that makes him want to blow his Mr. Nice Guy persona all to hell.

It helps that Willow is ready to dive headfirst into a no-heartstrings-attached affair. Which fits in perfectly with Blake’s temporary gig managing his friend’s bar.

Every grinding kiss, every stolen touch leads to another…until a harmless little white lie becomes the detonator that could explode their chances at a happily ever after.

About the author from her publisher's website:
Lorelei James pens sexy, fun contemporary romances set in the modern day Wild West. When she’s not squirreled away behind her laptop creating tales of sex, lies and murder, she can be found reading, practicing yoga, running a kid’s taxi service, glued to the TV watching the Professional Bullriders Tour, and shootin’ her .22 ~ all in the guise of avoiding housework, rustling up vittles and paying bills. She lives in the beautiful Black Hills of western South Dakota with her husband of 20+ years and their three beautiful daughters.

Romance Book Review: Czech Mate

Author: Sloane Taylor
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-522-5
Genre: Contemporary / Romantic Comedy

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Looking for a good book that will keep you laughing with a heroine who knows how to laugh at herself even when times are down, than Czech Mate is the choice for you. Lacey has a great bold, sense of humor and there were times when I out right laughed out loud through this book. The sex scenes are hot and the couple is the story are perfect for one another. This novella is a wonderful quick read.

Description:
Life isn't easy for aspiring interior designer Lacey Blake when she finds herself stranded in Prague dressed like a dolled-up hooker for her fetish-minded, soon-to-be-ex, boyfriend. The cash-strapped American traveler, boasting a feather boa and stilettos that would make a dominatrix cry, is saved by an intriguing offer proposed by a staid giant in a sleek Armani suit. It doesn't take long to convince herself there's nothing like a sex-fest to get the most out of a free vacation.

Dragan Petrovic is determined his 5-star hotel will retain its unblemished reputation and no prostitute will kickoff her career in his lobby. But one look into her eyes and he knows there is more to her than a micro mini and a push up bra. The urge to protect her drives him to madness when he suggests an unusual scheme that stirs up deep desires and alters their lives forever.

Lacey is hot and ready for action when she accepts Dragon's offer, and to relieve the sexual tension between them, takes the matter in hand...

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Romance Byte: Beyond The Rain

Author: Jess Granger
ISBN: 978-0425229262
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance
Release Date: Aug. 4, 2009

Description:
In a universe torn apart by civil war, a warrior and a slave must fight for their freedom, for their lives, and for a love that may destroy them both…


After five years behind enemy lines, Captain Cyani is ready to retire to her homeworld of Azra as one of the Elite — the celibate warrior sisterhood that rules the planet. But first she must complete one final mission to rescue her fellow Union soldiers. The last thing she expects to find is a prisoner, chained and beaten — but radiating feral power and an unbroken spirit…

Soren is a Byralen, an enigmatic people who possess a unique hormone that they use to bond with their mates — and that is sold as a sexual narcotic in the shadow trade. For years, he has endured torture at the hands of his captors as they leeched his very essence. The last thing he expects is to be freed from slavery by a beautiful warrior woman with radiant blue eyes.

Driven by her rigid sense of honor, Cyani frees Soren even though her life hinges upon the success of her mission. But after so many years in bondage, his hormones are so unbalanced that he will die if he does not bond with a woman. Can the lovely but distant warrior be the woman he needs to survive, or will the forbidden bond destroy them?

About the author from her Website:

I grew up in a small town in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley in California. As a kid, I spent most of my time reading, swimming, fostering my obsession with horses, and annoying my two brothers. I loved to write, though I’m pretty sure the only “book” I wrote as a child had something to do with a princess hiding behind a tapestry so she could sneak out of her castle because her brother was being mean and she wanted an adventure. I don’t think I ever finished that one, which is a shame.

My imaginative childhood grew into a thirst for knowledge and adventure that I’ve kept to this day. I love to travel and try new things. I worked as a balloon artist in restaurants, rehabilitated injured hawks and owls as a volunteer at a raptor management center, traveled all over the country during my trumpet playing days with the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh, managed to wander to Europe to explore Germany, France, and Spain, and finally settled down with my wonderful husband to raise a couple of kids, a couple of cats and one fantastic All-American mutt.

Now my hobbies include making beer, birdwatching, and trying to tame my massive butterfly garden. I hope to bring you stories of love and adventure that entertain you as much as they have captivated me.

Romance Book Review: The Notorious Bridegroom

Author: Kit Donner
ISBN:
978-1420108460
Genre: Historical
Release Date: Aug. 4, 2009


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They call him the "Black Ghost" Lord Londringham, Bryce, was once a spy for the Crown. Now he is determined to find the French spy who is threatening his country.

Patience Mandeley will do anything to protect her family, even pose as a maid to find information to stop the misjustice of one of her brothers being accused of treason and murder. When she first starts her search she is convinced that Bryce is the guilty party, until she gets to know the Lord and realizes that it isn't him and she is in much more danger that she ever thought she would be. Now it is up to Bryce to find the real traitor and protect Patience, the woman he has come to love.

This is a well written historical with an eclectic array of characters. Kit Donner definitely knows her subject matter and all things from the Regency era. I really like Patience intelligent and strong will, as well as the fact that she is naive because it shows her vulnerability and dedication to her brother's cause. I also thought Bryce was a played a great role for the hero. It is also interesting working through the clues that the author leaves for the mystery with the fumbling criminals.

Description:
Ever since the horrible day her brother was accused of treason, Patience Mandeley hasn't recognized her own behaviour. Under normal circumstances she would never be disguised as a maid, skulking around an earl's estate for secrets she isn't meant to find. But now the situation is desperate, and Patience will do whatever it takes to spare her beloved brother the noose, even if it means finding the true spy herself.

To do that, she'll have to gain access to the estate of Lord Londringham, the most desired bachelor in all of England-without him knowing who she really is. But even in her maid's uniform, she can't miss the looks of unsuppressed desire she receives from her employer, and she finds to her dismay that the attraction is quite mutual. Though she knows she must ignore her feelings for this dark-haired rogue to save her family and escape ruin, his close proximity is making all reason impossible...and Patience may find that the real traitor is her own body.