tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81927763797527486402024-03-02T20:47:18.024-05:00Just JangaRomance reader and writer shares her thoughts on what she's reading, what she's writing, and what she's finding tangential to romance reading and writing.Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.comBlogger460125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-54258715290334369312014-08-01T08:21:00.000-04:002014-08-01T08:21:36.149-04:00A Farewell Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the past six and a half years, I have written more than
500 posts here and with the Romance Vagabonds. This blog got its name from my
decision to continue blogging on my own after the Vagabonds broke camp. I began
with a mix of fear and exhilaration. Those who know me best know that I am a
classic introvert, and a shy one at that. I found sharing my thoughts about
reading and writing and related issues without the security of planning and
discussing them with the other Vagabonds* (Manda Collins, Lindsey Faber, and
Sara Holmes) intimidating, but after years of being a closet romance reader, I
was excited about going public with my enthusiasm for the genre. I loved my
time as a Vagabond, but I felt that I had more to say when that time ended. In
July 2009, I published my first post as Just Janga. It was about inspiration
and perspiration and keeping on as an aspiring romance author. But in the five
years since that post, that dream has been pushed further and further into the
background as I did more and more freelance writing and wrote more and more
book reviews.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I never planned for this to become a review site. In fact, I
didn’t write my first formal review until April 2010 when I reviewed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Goddess of Fried Okra</i> by Jean
Brashear (a book I still love and have reread several times), Gradually, I
wrote more and more reviews until the site became another romance review site.
Don’t get me wrong. I have loved my role as a reviewer, and since I have
reviewed only books that I have chosen to read, often by authors whose earlier
books line my keeper shelves, I have been able to write not only honestly but
also positively most of the time. I count myself privileged. However, writing
two reviews a week—and sometimes more--meant less and less time was devoted to
working on my own writing. While I still thought of myself as a writer, I
identified as an academic writer and a writer about romance rather than as a
romance writer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My brother’s death this past January made me freshly aware
that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. If I wanted to realize my dream, I had
to get busy today. Since my freelance writing supplies strawberry jam for my
bread (and I like strawberry jam), cutting it to gain more writing time was not
an option. Cutting back on reviews was. Thus, I made my decision to stop
blogging at this site.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I leave with a feeling of pride in what I have accomplished
and with gratitude for you who have joined me here. The three posts in which I
take greatest pride are <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Nice Is a Four Letter Word” (August 5, 2011) because I took
a stand against a meanness in some online communities that I found disturbing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“My Mother’s Books: Parts 1-6” (February 8, February 9,
February 23, March 9, March 23, and April 6, 2013) because this tribute to my
mother and five romance authors she loved—Faith Baldwin, Grace Livingston Hill,
Elizabeth Cadell, Emilie Loring, and D. E. Stevenson—made me cry and laugh and
remember with a grateful heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Girlfriends” (January 27, 2012) because it gave me a chance
to say a public thank you to the women friends from every area of my life who
have filled my life and my heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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These are not my most popular posts. That distinction is
reserved for various lists and one review. Based on blog stats, “Reading Beside
the Christmas Tree” (December 23, 2010), a list of my favorite Christmas season
readings from that year has proved to be my most popular post. “A New
Cinderella Tale: Eloisa James’s A KISS AT MIDNIGHT” (July 8, 2010) is my most
popular review. Strangely, “Periphrasis: Speaking Around” (September 30, 2011),
a post I wrote quickly under deadline pressure from a freelance project, is
another one that has been viewed thousands of times. I admit I’m puzzled by
that one. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This last post here
has me reflecting on what has been, anticipating new experiences, and feeling
grateful to you who have read my posts. The comments and the numbers inspired
me to continue for five years, and I value each one. I am particularly thankful
for Quantum and Irish, my most faithful readers and my cherished friends. I
hope you all will visit me at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Romance
Dish</i> where I will continue to review several times a month and at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heroes and Heartbreakers</i> where I will
occasionally post ruminations about romances past and current. I’ll also post
reviews at GoodReads, a dozen of them within the next week or so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Writers are notorious
for pondering word choices. As I ponder my final words at Just Janga, I am
reminded that the OED defines “farewell” as “a</span>n expression of good
wishes at the parting of friends.” Ah, the perfect word for my purpose.
Farewell, my friends, until another day, another place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-33513044005249311642014-08-01T08:16:00.000-04:002014-08-01T08:16:22.969-04:00Janga’s Best Books of 2014 So Far (Romance and Women’s Fiction) <br />
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Since my lists have been well received and since I have had
requests to post my annual Best of 2014 So Far list, it seems appropriate to make
that list one of my final posts. Despite cries that the historical romance is
in its death throes, that genre dominates my list, claiming six of the ten
spots. Contemporary romance and women’s fiction split the remaining spots
equally. March 25 was an extraordinary release date; three of the books on my
list were widely available to readers on that date. I have provided links my
reviews of eight of the books.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here are my choices for the top ten romance/women’s fiction
novels from January through July (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">in
order of publication</b>):<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.theromancedish.com/2014/01/guest-review-how-to-master-your-marquis.html" target="_blank">How to Master Your Marquess</a></i> (January 7), Juliana Gray<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have an abiding
respect for authors who can operate within the conventions of romance while
twisting those conventions just enough to give the reader something fresh.
Juliana Gray excels at this. <i>How to Master Your Marquis</i> combines some
truly dark elements with moments of madcap humor. It also features a hero and
heroine who save each other. This one is five-star quality all the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.theromancedish.com/2014/03/review-all-you-can-dream-buffet.html" target="_blank">The All You Can Dream Buffet</a></i> (March 4), Barbara O’Neal<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Whether she is writing as Barbara Samuel, Ruth Wind, or
Barbara O’Neal, this author gives her readers books that pack a mighty
emotional punch written in wonderfully lyrical prose. This women’s fiction
novel with strong romantic elements celebrates online friendships and features
four women <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of varying ages, ethnicities, and
experiences. O’Neal also paints the setting in words so vivid that the reader
feels as if she can see and smell the fields of lavender in bloom, hear the
buzzing of the bees, taste Ginny’s streusel cake and Ruby’s watermelon salad,
and feel the warmth of Lavender’s hug. I savored every word of this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sweet Disorder</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
(March 18), Rose Lerner<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rose Lerner is a writer
whose books deserve to be big buzz books. Sweet Disorder with its cross-class
romance, party politics plot, and not one but two bad mothers who seem
disturbingly real is a treasure. Phoebe Sparks, widow of </span>a newspaper editor
and printer, and Nick Dymond, middle son of an earl and war veteran, are
likeable and flawed, their meeting is credible, and their relationship is based
on more than libidinal urges. Set in the town of <span class="readable">Lively
St. Lemeston, the story offers a portrait of ordinary life in the second decade
of the nineteenth century and shows the extraordinary relationship between two
complicated people who earn their HEA. And I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">love</b> that the title is taken from a Robert Herrick poem which Nick
quotes at a meaningful moment.</span></div>
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<span class="readable"> <o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.theromancedish.com/2014/03/review-waiting-on-you.html" target="_blank">Waiting on You</a></i> (March 25), Kristan Higgins</b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kristan Higgins blends
the humorous and the poignant masterfully in this third novel in her Blue Heron
series. As with the other books, Higgins adds a full cast of characters to the
story, showing readers the family backgrounds that have made Colleen and Lucas
the complicated people they are. Colleen and Lucas are fully dimensional
characters whose actions and reactions readers will understand even if they
sometimes wish they behaved differently. The cast of characters is large, but
even those that appear fleetingly have individual quirks and a real presence.
Plus, this is a reunion story, my favorite trope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2014/03/first-look-eloisa-jamess-three-weeks-with-lady-x-march-25-2014" target="_blank">Three Weeks with Lady X</a></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> (March 25), Eloisa James<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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There seems to be a broad consensus, with which I heartily
concur, that this son of Villiers book is Eloisa James at her best. Thorn and
India are both self-made characters whose pasts remain very much a part of
their present. Their dialogue and their letters are witty and revealing, their
relationship is has multiple levels, and the ending ranks among my all-time
best. Charming, touching, complex, and brilliantly conceived and written, this
is my favorite Eloisa James novel. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2014/03/tuesday-review-between-devil-and-ian.html" target="_blank">Between the Devil and Ian Eversea</a></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> (March 25), Julie Anne Long<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Julie Anne Long’s
Pennyroyal Green series is one of the best overall series ever. In this latest
novel in the series, Long takes Ian, a character who has served as a comic
figure in earlier novels, and credibly transforms him into a complex hero with
unsuspected depth and pairs him with an American-reared heroine who also hides
complexity beneath a façade. Sweet and passionate, this emotionally satisfying
tale also adds a layer to the ongoing story of Olivia Eversea. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I turned the last page sighing over
Tansy and Ian’s HEA and wondering how long I have to wait to return to the
world of the Everseas and Redmonds.</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-winter-bride.html" target="_blank">The Winter Bride</a></i> (April 1), Anne Gracie<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The second book <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">in
Anne Gracie’s Chance Sisters series features a strong heroine who</span><span lang="EN"> </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">has suffered
devastating loss and has had the courage to survive events that would have
destroyed a weaker person. That she has done so without becoming bitter or
vengeful makes her all the more remarkable. Damaris deserves an accepting,
tender, protective hero, and Freddy is all of these.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Like Damaris, Freddy keeps his past
to himself, and even those who know him best and realize some of what he has
accomplished accept him essentially as the light-hearted rake he appears to be.
This book is just one more reason that Anne Gracie springs to mind everytime
someone asks for book recommendations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Scotland with Love</i> (June 3), Patience Griffin<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I owe this one to a recommendation from PJ at the Romance
Dish. “Read it,” she said. I did and found it just as wonderful as she said. The
title may suggest this is just another Scotland-set historical, but it is a
contemporary romance with a journalist heroine, Cait Macleod, who retreats to
Gandiegow, Scotland, her childhood home, after the death of her faithless
husband and discovers Gandiegow is also the place to which Graham Buchanan, a
reclusive movie star, has retreated. Cait is confronted with her own past, a
complex hero who challenges her at every level, and a test of her morality.
This is a beautifully written debut novel, one I highly recommend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2014/07/no-river-too-wide.html" target="_blank">No River Too Wide</a></i> (June 24), Emilie Richards<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Emilie Richards has
written both romance and mystery, and she skillfully weaves elements of both
into this women’s fiction story that includes domestic violence, insurance
fraud, mother-daughter relationships, and growth for characters from the three
women protagonists to a minor, once indifferent father. The third book in Richards’s
Goddesses Anonymous series, </span>No River Too Wide, like its predecessors,
affirms what women can accomplish through their own powers and the help of
friends.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.theromancedish.com/2014/07/review-game-and-governess.html" target="_blank">The Game and the Governess</a></i> (July 29), Kate Noble<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In this first book in
a new series, Kate Noble offers readers a heroine possessed of intelligence,
strength of character, a lively sense of the ridiculous, and integrity in the
fullest sense of that word. She makes a deliberate choice not to let anger and
bitterness consume her. Her unlikely hero is a young aristocrat who lives on
the surface, using self-indulgence to avoid thinking deeply about anything. Frankly,
I found the first part of the book rough going because I disliked the hero, but
the hero’s growth is central to this story. Ned grows into a man with a keener
mind, a sharper conscience, and a larger heart, and I loved watching his
growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>What books are your best of 2014 so far?</b></span></div>
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<br />Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-70601749226848766752014-07-31T12:57:00.000-04:002014-07-31T12:59:17.009-04:00An HQN Trio: Novels from Mallery, Morgan, and Ridgway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Before We Kiss<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">By Susan Mallery<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Publisher: Harlequin
HQN<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Release Date: May 27,
2014<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Since a history of bad luck with women had him taking a
hiatus from romantic entanglements, Sam Ridge planned on spending the evening
of Valentine’s Day alone. His plan changed when he saw Dellina Hopkins smile.
They spent one incredible night together, but the sight that greeted Sam when
he opened the door of a spare bedroom in error sent him fleeing into the night.
A room full of wedding gowns and a dry-erase board list headed “Ten Ways to Get
Him to Propose” terrified him so much that he spent the next five months
avoiding Dellina. Unfortunately, she’s the only party planner in Fool’s Gold,
and Sam needs her help to organize a three-day party his PR firm Score is
hosting for clients. Awkward doesn’t even begin to describe Sam’s situation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dellina Hopkins is not a one-night stand kind of girl, but
former football star Sam Ridge was hot enough to cause her to make an
exception. The time they share is the stuff of fantasy, but Dellina is less
impressed by Sam’s hasty departure. She knows she shouldn’t enjoy his
discomfort so much when, after months of silence, he has to seek her out to
request she plan the Score party, but she does. She anticipates how foolish he’s going
to feel when he learns that the wedding gowns belong in Paper Moon Wedding
Gowns, Isabel Beebee’s shop, and the list to Dellina's sister Fayrene. But Sam’s
discomfiture is all she can enjoy. It doesn’t matter how strong their chemistry
is, Dellina doesn’t get involved with her clients.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mallery gives her readers another emotionally satisfying
story in this tale of two people who are more interested in right now than in
forever until their hearts persuade them differently. This is a novel filled
with humor (Sam’s irrepressible mother and her inability to accept boundaries
is a hoot) plus ample sizzle and the warmth and interconnections that are characteristic
of Fool’s Gold. Thumbs up to another winner from Mallery.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Suddenly Last Summer<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">By Sarah Morgan<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Publisher: Harlequin
HQN<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Release Date: June
24, 2014<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sean O’Neil loves his
family, but he prefers to limit his contact with them. His life is centered not
at Snow Crystal Resort, the family business in Vermont, but in his orthopedic
surgery practice in Boston. That changes when Walter O’Neil, grandfather to
Sean and his brothers Jackson and Tyler, suffers a heart attack. Sean plans to
spend a short time in Vermont, oversee his grandfather’s first days at home
after his release from the hospital, and then return to Boston and life as
usual, but when his help is needed to see that a new restaurant at the resorts
opens on schedule, he extends his stay. Family loyalty is a factor, but if he
is honest with himself, he knows that it is the resort’s passionate French chef
</span>Élise Philippe who has him building a deck and spending too much time
remembering the moments he shared with her during an earlier visit.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Élise is a passionate woman. She is passionate about her job
and about the O’Neils who, from <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">family
patriarch Walter to teenage Jess,</span> have become her family, but she is
doing all she can to contain her passion for Sean O’Neil. Deeply scarred by her
past, Élise ferociously protects her heart from romantic entanglements. Let her
staff drool over the sexy, shirtless Sean O’Neil as he builds that deck. Élise will
focus her energies on ensuring that last summer’s passionate encounter remains
an unforgettable but not-to-be-repeated experience. But when the two are
constantly in one another’s company, an emotional intimacy develops that
intensifies the physical attraction that is stronger than all their
determination to avoid long-term commitment.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are a fan of
contemporary romance and have not read Sarah Morgan, do yourself a favor and
rush to your favorite bookseller to find this book. Nobody is better at
creating characters so real they seem like friends engaged in relationships
that, while high on sizzle, still develop in a credible fashion. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sleigh Bells in the Snow</i> was one of my
favorite contemporaries of 2013, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Suddenly
Last Summer</i> is just as good. I’ve already read Tyler’s book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maybe This Christmas</i> (an October 29
release) and loved it. I give this series my highest recommendation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Take My Breath Away<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">By Christie Ridgway<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Publisher: Harlequin
HQN<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Release Date: May 27<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Poppy Walker is one stubborn woman. Her siblings may be
convinced that a family curse prevents them from doing anything with a dozen
run-down cabins that the Walkers own, but Poppy is determined that her vision
and sweat equity will be enough to transform the cabins into a
revenue-producing enterprise that will help support her and her five-year-old
son Mason. The two weeks that her son is on a visit to Disneyland seems the
perfect opportunity to make a dent in the required renovations. Poppy hopes to
have the cabins ready for summer rental, but when a clearly wealthy flatlander
shows up wanting to rent a cabin and offering quintuple the going rate, Poppy
can’t say no, even when all her instincts tell her that this stranger with the
electric-blue eyes is dangerous.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ever since the tragedy that devastated his family four years
ago, former teen idol and current movie executive Ryan Hamilton has found the month
of March torturous. All he wants is a sanctuary where he can hide from the
world—particularly the celebrity-stalking press--and prevent himself from doing
something crazily destructive for the next few weeks. The secluded cabin in the
mountains of Southern California seems perfect for his purpose. Now he just
needs to control his interest in Poppy whose natural beauty and total ignorance
of who he is make her difficult to ignore.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christie Ridgway combines sweet and sexy in this first book in her Cabin
Fever series. Poppy and Ryan are opposites in every way. She is a sunny
optimist with deep roots in her small community; he is a haunted man whose fame
and wealth do little to help him escape his demons. But circumstances throw
them together. Although each has reasons to avoid relationships, neither can
deny the attraction that blazes between them. A secondary romance between Ryan’s
brother Linus and Poppy’s cousin Charlotte (Charlie) adds interest. Although
there’s nothing extraordinary about this book and some readers may find a
kidnapping thread a bit over-the-top, Ridgway fans and other readers who like
their romances heavy on charm and heart-tugs will enjoy this book and look
forward to the next book about the Walker siblings.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>All these books are part of a series, a description that applies to most of
the books I read. I’m a series addict. Do you share my addiction, or would you
like to see fewer series and more single books?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Note: Since I am late posting these reviews, I am moving the final post at Just Janga to tomorrow, Friday, August 1.</span></b><br />
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<br />Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-90182643175463289762014-07-29T10:27:00.000-04:002014-07-29T10:27:24.740-04:00Why Lords Lose Their Hearts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fu2HU1WxM7bWT4cq3jH6L_xJ_w-krVFii4ThHuJxcsHPZaXppo3srrL7_H9hk2gXQ9Fy1R4AwP87TnEKIPYTsRIdbysD9oN4Nbty6bnn-dsGtjrSZ4wyOh0zW1Fx7x4MCOd85GKRsDw/s1600/whylordslosetheirhearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fu2HU1WxM7bWT4cq3jH6L_xJ_w-krVFii4ThHuJxcsHPZaXppo3srrL7_H9hk2gXQ9Fy1R4AwP87TnEKIPYTsRIdbysD9oN4Nbty6bnn-dsGtjrSZ4wyOh0zW1Fx7x4MCOd85GKRsDw/s1600/whylordslosetheirhearts.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Why Lords Lose Their Hearts<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">By Manda Collins<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Publisher: St.
Martin’s<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Release Date: July
29, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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It has been almost two years since the Duke of Ormond died
as violently as he had lived. After years of abuse at the hands of her brute of
a husband, Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormond, has had enough of allowing
someone else to control her life. When threats from her husband’s unknown
avenger escalate from private to public, she refuses to be driven from London. Perdita
argues that the experience of her sister Isabella, the new Duchess of Ormond, (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2013/07/first-look-manda-collins-why-dukes-say-i-do-july-30-2013" target="_blank">Why Dukes Say I Do</a></i>) and of their friend
Georgina Mowbray, now Countess of Coniston, (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2014/01/super-tuesday-january-28-releases_29.html" target="_blank">Why Earls Fall in Love</a></i>) prove that eluding their tormenter cannot
be accomplished so easily. She is also determined not to endanger others by her
presence. Not even an attack on her person when she is riding in the park is
enough to change Perdita’s mind. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Lord Archer Lisle, youngest son of a duke and secretary to
both the immediate past and current Duke of Ormond, has been in love with
Perdita for years. He proves as stubborn in his determination to protect
Perdita as she is in exercising her autonomy. If protecting her requires
extreme measures, he will take those measures. He is also determined to show
the widowed duchess just how wrong-headed she is in her belief that she can
never again marry a man with whom she is in love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Manda Collins skillfully weaves together the ongoing mystery
of the person behind the attacks on Perdita and the other women and the tension
between Perdita’s love for Archer and her conviction that she cannot marry a
man she loves. Fans of the earlier books will be happy to see that Isabella and
Trevor and Georgina and Coniston make appearances in this one. Collins includes
them in a way that seems organic and unforced. The mystery is resolved with
some unexpected twists, one of which may hit the ick button for some readers,
and, as befits a good romance series, all three couples are set to live happily
ever after.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Collins once again demonstrates her deft hand with
characterization. Perdita’s reluctance to allow someone else to make decisions
for her and her doubts about her judgment of men make sense in light of all she
experienced with Ormond. Despite this logic, however, I confess I grew
impatient with her stubbornness. My reaction was doubtless colored by my
allegiance to Archer whom I adored. I loved everything about him—from his large
and loving family to his “shining gold hair” to his unfaltering commitment to
Perdita. My favorite passage in the novel is this one in which Perdita sums up
Archer’s character: “Men like Archer stayed the course until what they saw as
their duty was done. And if it meant putting himself in danger, he would do it.
It was the way he was made.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why Lords Lose Their
Hearts</i> may be read as a standalone, but since it is the conclusion not just
of a romance trilogy but also of the overarching mystery that runs through all
three books, nuances concerning the mystery and relationships among the
characters may be lost. Even readers who guess the avenger’s identity will be
surprised at some of the revelations that accompany the denouement. I admit to
being a wimpy reader, and so it should not be surprising that I found icky the
particularly unpleasant death of one of the villains and one thread in the mystery.
However, this response did not interfere with my appreciation of the
characters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If you have been following the Wicked Widows, you definitely
don’t want to miss this conclusion to the series. If you have not read the
earlier books, I highly recommend the series as a stellar blend of romance and mystery.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Do you like your romance served with a
side of suspense? What’s your favorite combination of historical romance and
romantic suspense?</b></span>Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-39221596165866886892014-07-24T00:00:00.000-04:002014-07-24T00:00:02.003-04:00Wild Iris Ridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDY3QVIPzOMzeF1O-MhA9uK6650Of0ZmM_YC_SsI2_lnWVfwB8_bxsXrZPa5yJTXNAwQyIr1Zb5UODRB1mr6iyXWyHxzy7lPchCEpTQ1SK6FIlCwsLATkm6HfU__wskjwXGVJ7qlJQn4I/s1600/wildirisridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDY3QVIPzOMzeF1O-MhA9uK6650Of0ZmM_YC_SsI2_lnWVfwB8_bxsXrZPa5yJTXNAwQyIr1Zb5UODRB1mr6iyXWyHxzy7lPchCEpTQ1SK6FIlCwsLATkm6HfU__wskjwXGVJ7qlJQn4I/s1600/wildirisridge.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Wild Iris Ridge<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">By RaeAnne Thayne<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Harlequin
HQN<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Release Date: June
24, 2014</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Lucy Drake has returned to Hope’s Crossing. It’s certainly
not what she planned to do, but when her high-powered career as marketing
director of a top software company crashed as spectacularly as it had risen,
she had nowhere else to go. Subleasing her condo and packing up all her worldly
belongings, Lucy left Seattle for Hope’s Crossing and Iris House, the silver
baron mansion and home of her great-aunt that had sheltered a rebellious
teenager seventeen years ago when Lucy’s emotionally distant father and
stepmother had been delighted to find someone else to accept responsibility for
a troubled adolescent. Annabelle opened her home and her heart to Lucy, and
Jess became not just Lucy’s cousin but also her best friend. Annabelle and Jess
are gone now, and Iris House belongs to Lucy. Maybe she will fulfill Jess’s
dream of turning the house into a bed and breakfast, or maybe she will sell it.
Either way, the house will give her a bolt-hole while she figures out what to
do with the rest of her life, that is, if she doesn’t burn it down first.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fire Chief Brendan Caine is astonished to see Lucy Drake
when his department answers a call to Iris House late one April night. He’s
grateful it’s only a chimney fire that his team can contain. Somehow chaos
seems to follow in Lucy’s wake plus Brendan always feels stupid and awkward
around her. She may have been his late wife’s relative and best friend, but even
though Jess has been dead two years, Brendan can’t forget that Lucy thought
Jess could have done better than tie herself to a “dumb jock.” Then there are
his kids, Faith and Carter, who adore their Aunt Lucy. Brendan has no doubt
that Lucy loves them as well, but he also has no doubt her presence will
disrupt their peaceful routine. But he takes comfort in the thought that Lucy’s
stay will be a short one in Hope’s Crossing will be short.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lucy is unsurprised to find Brendan less than welcoming.
Despite their shared love for Jess, animosity has always simmered between the
two of them, with Lucy telling herself Brendan was more muscles than brain and
Brendan telling himself that Lucy is a self-important, career-centered city girl
who likes to boast of her achievements. Lucy is surprised the next morning when
she confides in Brendan about her job loss, and Brendan is surprised at his
impulse to comfort Lucy. These are just the beginning of the surprises in store
for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Their mutual love for Faith and Carter forces them into one
another’s company often enough for them to get to know one another better,
often enough for a powerful attraction to grow. But Brendan is uncertain if
he’s ready to make a commitment, and there’s the question of whether Lucy can
settle in Hope’s Crossing. Of course, the citizens of Hope’s Crossing are not
shy about expressing their opinion about the twosome. Lucy’s situation is
complicated by an extended visit from her half-sister Crystal who is a near-clone
of Lucy’s attitude-burdened teenage self. Throw in a couple of puppies who need
a loving home, and you have the makings of a new family--or an emotional
disaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wild Iris Ridge</i> is
the seventh book in the Hope’s Crossing series. There is nothing groundbreaking
in this book, but it offers the likeable characters and warm, realistic setting
that have made Thayne a favorite with many readers. Brendan is one of the sons
of the appealing, large-hearted Dermot Caine, whose own romance moves forward
in this story. Lucy has long been a favorite with Dermot, so predictably he
approves of a relationship between her and Brendan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I have grown weary of the commitment-phobic hero who runs
away from the heroine only to have an epiphany that his life without her is
worthless. I found it refreshing that Brendan’s reluctance to commit is rooted
in his lingering grief over Jess’s death and in his conviction that Lucy will
never settle in his small town, a conviction based on a decade of her largely
avoiding said town. I also appreciated that Lucy’s return is not a flight from
the evil city to the perfect small town. Hope’s Crossing is not perfect, and
Lucy’s return made sense because home is where many people instinctively head
when their life falls to pieces. Thayne not only makes me like Brendan and
Lucy; she also makes me believe in them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Nine-year-old Faith and five-year-old Carter are not paper-doll
kids. They too behave in believable ways, and each has a distinct personality.
Teenage Crystal is an interesting character in her own right, and helping her
is part of Lucy’s growth. Readers who have followed the series will likely
enjoy the glimpses of other Hope’s Crossing characters, whose appearances seem
more organic than contrived.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wild Iris
Ridge</i> is not my favorite book in this series, it is another satisfying
visit to one of my favorite fictional small towns. It can doubtless be read as
a standalone, but I recommend that you read the series. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This novel marks the end (at least temporarily) of a series
I have enjoyed without exceptions, and I’m sad to leave Hope’s Crossings. However,
I’ve already read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Snow Angel Cove</i>, the
first book in Thayne’s new series by the same title, and the hero is Aidan
Caine, brother to Charlotte (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Willowleaf Lane</i>),
Dylan (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christmas in Snowflake Canyon</i>),
and Brendan. Hurray for connections even amid change!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thayne, like Robyn
Carr with her Grace Valley, Virgin River, and Thunder Point series, links a
popular series to a new one. Some call it good world building; others call it
smart marketing. What do you think? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-18134399552876526962014-07-21T00:00:00.000-04:002014-07-21T00:00:07.609-04:00The Beekeeper's Ball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SIfoMtPUA9NCy-a860HoHh5hyphenhyphen0_0ly4ElXOi3tZ83PWKhcMU8nSca4lspZ-LnSKT5iFxQmIRawed8CtrjgFtNIcHtm59UP0NCswXWBgV-evqiK3-Jf-1KGWnjZJ9wNMhnMHldaUZp7k/s1600/beekeepersball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SIfoMtPUA9NCy-a860HoHh5hyphenhyphen0_0ly4ElXOi3tZ83PWKhcMU8nSca4lspZ-LnSKT5iFxQmIRawed8CtrjgFtNIcHtm59UP0NCswXWBgV-evqiK3-Jf-1KGWnjZJ9wNMhnMHldaUZp7k/s1600/beekeepersball.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Beekeeper’s Ball<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">By Susan Wiggs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Harlequin<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Release Date: June
24, 2014</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Isabel Johansen is feeling overwhelmed. She wants the
wedding she is planning to be perfect in every detail. Not only is it the
wedding of Tess Delaney, the half-sister Isabel has only recently discovered, and
Dominic Rossi, a long-time neighbor and family friend (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Apple Orchard</i>), but it is also a prelude to the opening of
Isabel’s destination cooking school. Once Isabel dreamed of becoming a celebrated
chef at an elite restaurant, but she has exchanged that dream for one rooted in
the place that has been her home and her sanctuary for all her life. The
discovery of a family treasure has given her the funds to turn Bella Vista, the
family hacienda near Archangel, California, into a place where she can teach
people to cook, using her recipes made with ingredients grown locally, most on
Bella Vista land, and share the beauty of Sonoma country with her students. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Her desire to use Bella Vista products sends her to the
beehives. When she finds a hive swarming, she puts on the beekeeper’s
protective gear and prepares to capture the hive, hoping that expert help,
which she has requested via text, will arrive in time. She thinks her hope has
been realized when someone shows up. Unfortunately, the someone is not a bee
expert but a stranger, one moreover who is allergic to bee stings. The need to
administer an epi-pen and get the stranger to medical help ASAP take precedence
over Isabel’s other concerns.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cormac O'Neill is a
man accustomed to danger. He just didn’t expect to encounter it on a peaceful
farm. An award-winning investigative journalist who has covered stories in some
of the world’s most volatile spots, Mac, sidelined temporarily with a knee
injury, has agreed to write </span>the story of Magnus Johansen, Isabel’s
Grandfather and a hero of the Danish Resistance. Mac expects to remain at the
farm just long enough to gather the information he needs from Magnus, but he
falls under the spell of the lovely Isabel, the food she prepares, and e beauty
and serenity of Bella Vista.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As Magnus tells Mac the story of the Johansen family in
Denmark, of the disappearance of Magnus’s parents, of Magnus’s activities with
the resistance during World War II, and of Eva, Isabel’s grandmother, and their
immigration to America, Isabel and Tess discover family secrets that have been
protected for decades. But even as Magnus reveals these long-held secrets,
Isabel and Mac work to keep their secrets buried. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The simmering awareness that exists between Isabel and Mac deepens into a
relationship that changes both of them. Mac reawakens Isabel’s sense of
adventure and spirit of fun, and Isabel has the nomadic Mac considering what it
would be like to see all four seasons in one place. But is even love enough to
make possible a happily ever after between a man who never stays and a woman
who cannot bear to leave her home.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The second novel in Wiggs’s Bella Vista series offers the same strong sense
of place that characterized the first book. The scenes and the scents and the
textures of life at Bella Vista give the reader the sense of having visited
this idyllic spot. Both Isabel and Mac are likeable characters, and watching
them fall in love is a delight. They have enough in common to enable the reader
to believe that more than their desire for one another unites them, and yet the
difference between Mac, a diplomat’s son who has spent his entire life
wandering the globe, and Isabel, whose heart and memories are inextricably
entangled with Bella Vista, is great enough to cast doubt on a happy resolution.
<o:p></o:p><br />
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Magnus’s story is compelling and poignant on many levels, and it contributes
to the richly developed theme of the intrusion of the past on the present. Readers
who enjoyed The Apple Orchard will be happy to see more of Tess and Dominic.
Some threads are resolved, and others are left tantalizingly unresolved. One
particular twist Wiggs tosses in left me beyond eager for the next Bella Vista
book.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>Sometimes a book that leaves me wondering what now irritates me. Sometimes
it fascinates me and makes me impatient for the next book. How do you feel
about loose threads and cliffhanger endings?</b><o:p></o:p><br />
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Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-12127935837759049752014-07-19T00:46:00.001-04:002014-07-19T00:46:11.315-04:00Lady Windermere's Lover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUw3OR6Bedy29oHFFskULQkGKnql-rbeu51lA1jsSQBBSf35Lk1QMlKe82omlWNVhFDxIxC3KSbbYJpto-CM1p056fkS5t4WmnHXOvpODwGRJAl5Nexb90oEXd5Uvi7KO3wy6qmd5-nMQ/s1600/ladywindermere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUw3OR6Bedy29oHFFskULQkGKnql-rbeu51lA1jsSQBBSf35Lk1QMlKe82omlWNVhFDxIxC3KSbbYJpto-CM1p056fkS5t4WmnHXOvpODwGRJAl5Nexb90oEXd5Uvi7KO3wy6qmd5-nMQ/s1600/ladywindermere.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Lady Windermere’s Lover<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">By Miranda Neville<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Avon<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Release Date: June
24, 2014</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drunk on an excess of spirits, emotional and alcoholic, Damian,
Viscount Kendal, lost <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Beaulieu, a property
left to him by his mother on the same day he inherited it, his 21st birthday. Dismayed
when he finds out that Robert Townsend, the friend to whom he lost Beaulieu,
has already lost it himself, Damian has little choice but to confess his rash
behavior and its consequences to his father. During the session with his
father, Damian pledges to distance himself from his wild friends and to
seriously apply himself to a career in diplomatic service.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Six years later, Damian, now Earl of Windermere, finally
regains Beaulieu, but its owner, a wealthy Birmingham merchant, sets an
exorbitant price on the property: marriage to his niece, Cynthia Chorley.
Damian, seething with anger and resentment, agrees to pay the price. His
feelings intensify when he finds himself with a provincial wife who possesses
none of the poise and presence required of the wife of an ambitious man in Foreign
Service.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cynthia is ignorant of her uncle’s machinations. Aware only
that she has escaped marriage to a bestial man in her uncle’s employ and is
instead marrying a handsome aristocrat with a devastating smile, she dreams of
happiness with him. She is soon disillusioned. Damian treats her with a total
lack of consideration in bed and out, and two weeks after their wedding, he
leaves for a diplomatic mission to Persia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cynthia is devastated when she suffers a miscarriage, her
pain increased by Damian’s indifference. When she is at her lowest point, she
is befriended by Caro Townsend and becomes part of Caro’s artistic set whose unconventional
behavior and disregard for proper appearances scandalizes London society.
Cynthia acquires a wardrobe that enhances her beauty, takes French lessons, polishes
her social skills, and generally tries to become the kind of woman Damian wants
as his wife. She also acquires a close friend in the person of Julian
Fortescue, recently and unexpectedly Duke of Denford. Cynthia enjoys Denford’s
company, but she is confused by the mix of “attraction and repulsion, fear and
longing” that he stirs in her. She is also convinced that he is a better man
than he believes himself to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Damian returns to London after a
year in Persia, summoned home by the foreign office. He is dimly aware that he
has treated Cynthia badly but still hopeful of salvaging a reasonably amicable relationship
with his wife. Believing his wife at Beaulieu, he is surprised to learn she is
in residence in the Windermere London residence. Later when, during a theater
visit with his mentor’s wife (a former lover of Damian’s), he sees a blonde
beauty in the company of the current Duke of Denford , Damian’s former best
friend and the man he holds responsible for the event that changed his life, he
fails to recognize the beauty is the Countess of Windermere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cynthia does recognize Damian. In
fact, she returned to London because she had received news of his return to
England. Convinced that his theater companion is his mistress, she determines
to show him how little she cares. Damian, after observing a late night embrace
between Cynthia and Denford, is equally convinced that his wife and his enemy
are lovers. Even though Damian and Cynthia have both reached erroneous conclusions
and even though they both long for a real marriage, their suspicions and their
lack of knowledge about each other makes building a life together seem
impossible. And at every turn Denford is there further complicating their
lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No summary does
justice to a Miranda Neville novel. Much of the joy of reading this author’s
books rests on the intricacy of her character building, the intelligence of her
writing, and her subtle flashes of humor. She has shown in other novels that
she has the skill to take an unsympathetic character and reveal the motivations
and vulnerabilities behind behavior the reader wants to condemn in such a way
that the reader ends up sympathetically engaged with the character. She does
exactly this with Damian. He really does treat Cynthia abominably, and his
behavior initially seems inexcusable. It’s hard to forget thoughts like this
one: </span>“Some might call the new Countess of Windermere an English rose.
More like a wild flower, in his opinion. Or a weed.” <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
as the losses he suffered are revealed and as the reader recognizes that his
own shame and the influence of his father and his mentor have transformed an
ardent, artistic boy into a man who has buried his emotions and his ideals, the
reader longs to see that which has been buried resurrected and Damian reborn as
his mother’s son. It also helps that Damian acknowledges and regrets his
treatment of Cynthia early on, and that his regrets deepen as his love for
Cynthia grows.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cynthia is appealing from the
beginning. She is a woman of intelligence, integrity, and the kind of courage
and optimism it takes to get up and keep going when life delivers a knockout
punch. She is also genuinely kind, a quality often underrated in fiction as in
life. I really liked that the charity work with which she becomes involved is
not just general benevolence but something in which Cynthia has a personal
stake, and I thought her means of financing the charity showed her spirit and
her sense of humor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have found the art connection that runs
through this series interesting. Neville does not settle for mere allusions to
art. She makes it a real and meaningful part of the lives of her characters.
Some of my favorite scenes in this novel were those where Cynthia and Damian
drew one another and shared their drawings. It was an original and appropriate
way to reveal their growing intimacy. Art was the initial connection between
Damian and Denford as well, and it plays a role in their tense resumption of
social exchanges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The black-clad, Heyer-inspired Denford
comes close to stealing the book at times, and I’m certain mine is not the only
heart he stole. His story, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Duke of
Dark Desires</i>, a December 31 release, will complete the Wild Quartet. It’s
on my most eagerly anticipated list.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
me, the abandoned bride who transforms herself and amazes her neglectful groom
with her newly revealed grace and beauty can be a riveting story or a hackneyed
hash. Obviously, I found <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lady Windermere’s
Lover</i> in the riveting category. Other favorite treatments of this trope
include Mary Balogh’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The First Snowdrop</i>
(1986) and Eloisa James’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Duchess in Love</i>
(2002), which tweaks the trope. Do you like the transformed bride trope? What
are your favorite novels that make use of it? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-71261180806853411452014-07-18T00:00:00.000-04:002014-07-18T00:00:02.581-04:00No River Too Wide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFXTyEUS3QarU3yCw530MtY5_pY9HEUAGKiDI-smPIr0ULyjSUj1Z8ckW5ILDG42MHVQSeRf2U3p-lr_ysvzI0D5Kg9E8ssdVcdovtYhR_hYjtRiSo4zLs3a411ms7UjPoQl2Ee895xc/s1600/No-River-Too-Wide.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFXTyEUS3QarU3yCw530MtY5_pY9HEUAGKiDI-smPIr0ULyjSUj1Z8ckW5ILDG42MHVQSeRf2U3p-lr_ysvzI0D5Kg9E8ssdVcdovtYhR_hYjtRiSo4zLs3a411ms7UjPoQl2Ee895xc/s1600/No-River-Too-Wide.png" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">No River Too Wide<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">By Emilie Richards<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Harlequin
MIRA<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Release Date: June
24, 2014</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Janine Stoddard has spent twenty-five years as the wife of
an abusive husband, but there is still enough spirit left in her to seize the
opportunity to escape when she is offered help by Moving On, an underground
highway for abused women. One night when her husband is away, she puts her
carefully conceived plan into effect, leaving her luxurious Topeka, Kansas, prison
in flames. Janine has refused contact with her daughter because she feared her
husband would somehow discover Harmony’s location, but she longs to see her
daughter and the nine-month-old granddaughter she has never met before she
settles somewhere to begin a new life. Thus, she heads for Asheville, North
Carolina, for what she plans to be a brief stop before moving on to New Hampshire
where she hopes to be safe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Harmony has checked the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Topeka
Capiatal-Journal</i> every few weeks since her mother told her never to call home
again more than a year ago, expecting to see a headline reporting her mother’s
death. She’s heartbroken but not surprised when she thinks her mother has
perished in the fire, but surprised is an understatement of her feelings when
her mother shows up on the farm outside Asheville where Harmony works as a
Jill-of-all-trades and lives in a garage apartment. Harmony’s friend Taylor
Martin sees offering Jan a home as a way of repaying Harmony for all that
Harmony did for Taylor’s mother. With Taylor living twenty miles away on the
other side of Asheville, Jan will be away from Harmony but close enough for the
Jan to see her daughter and granddaughter occasionally. When Taylor tells Jan
that her being with Taylor’s eleven-year-old daughter when Taylor has to be
away on school nights will be a help, Jan agrees to stay.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Richards deftly weaves together the stories of these three
women and adds the mystery of Rex’s Stoddard’s disappearance to complicate
things. Despite the insurance fraud thread and a romance between the cautious
Taylor and Adam Pryor, a new man in town with secrets of his own, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No River Too Wide</i> is a story about
growth and forgiveness, including self-forgiveness, which may be more difficult
than forgiving others.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Emilie Richards is one of the writers whose books I began
reading in the 1980s and have followed her from category fiction to single-title
contemporary romance to mystery to women’s fiction and enjoyed each phase of the
journey. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No River Too Wide</i>, the third
book in her Goddesses Anonymous series, has the emotionally rich contexts and
layered characters that have kept me reading this author for nearly three
decades. Whether she is writing about troubled marriages, complex family
dynamics, the tendrils of the past that cling to human lives, or any one of a
dozen or more social issues that touch the lives of her characters--and her
readers--Emilie Richards is one of the best writers in popular fiction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Books about battered women have become common in recent
years, but few show as full a portrait of a woman abused over decades as
Richards offers in this book. Alternately heart-rending and inspiring, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No River Too Wide</i> reveals a woman almost
destroyed by physical and psychological abuse who has the courage to accept
help, one who gradually forgives herself, regains her self-respect, and
acquires a new appreciation of the freedom to make choices and to grow into an
independent woman. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It didn’t matter if she was
frightened by everyday things that others took for granted. It didn’t matter if
she felt alone in the world, something Rex had repeatedly warned her would
happen if she ever tried to leave him. It didn’t matter that she no longer knew
what a woman like her could actually achieve. Perhaps it didn’t even matter
that she had failed at the things she had most hoped to accomplish and was
still seeking forgiveness. . . .”<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although Harmony was a lesser target of her father’s abuse
than was her mother and, with her mother’s help, she escaped as soon as she
graduated from high school, she bears her own scars. She loves her mother, but
she also blames her for not leaving sooner. She is also suspicious of lives
that seem too perfect from the outside, having experienced the horror that
could be concealed behind the happy family image.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Taylor learned some painful lessons through her estrangement
and reconciliation with her mother (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One
Mountain Away</i>). She explains to her daughter Maddie:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
“Here’s what you need to learn from everything that happened with Mom and
me. We loved each other but we let our differences get in the way. I held a
grudge for years, almost to the end of her life, and I was wrong to do that.
Very wrong.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
But Taylor’s learning is incomplete; she still finds it difficult to forgive
when people fall short of her expectations.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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One of the joys of reading this book is seeing the growth that
takes place in many characters from the three women who are primary to baby
Lottie’s father. For readers who like a romance line even in their women’s
fiction, there is Taylor’s relationship with Adam, a man who wants to do the
right thing but finds it difficult to reconcile his professional
responsibilities with the dictates of his conscience. I also liked Harmony’s
reentry to the world of dating and her admission that Mr. Perfect may also be
Mr. Not Right for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
I’m sure it is clear by now that I loved <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No
River Too Wide</i>. It’s another Richards keeper for me, and I highly recommend
it. I do feel I should add one caveat: this book can be read as a standalone,
but readers who have not read<a href="http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2012/07/tuesday-review-one-mountain-away.html" target="_blank"> One Mountain Away</a> may feel as if Harmony and Taylor’s stories are incomplete.
Reading the two books makes for a richer, more meaningful reading experience.
The second book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2013/06/tuesday-review-somewhere-between-luck.html" target="_blank">Somewhere Between Luck and Trust</a></i>, is also excellent, but it is more loosely connected.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Do you have a keeper shelf? What’s your most recent addition to it?</b><b style="font-size: x-large;"><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-46988788418001486202014-07-17T00:00:00.000-04:002014-07-17T00:00:05.782-04:00An Apology for My Absence and A Review of Vixen in Velvet<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgbKoLb8lR-QIJIZufJoH_d7WylCVU-gmYyFewFpO2RXVo95VePffuFnDEPgYvQowbjskmNUgK1X4g-4QRUirqdy3dGHltxUjPq8VHobGe_lMeunExUVd9Rkz97m_yUGc4p0G11e6IKw/s1600/I'msorry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgbKoLb8lR-QIJIZufJoH_d7WylCVU-gmYyFewFpO2RXVo95VePffuFnDEPgYvQowbjskmNUgK1X4g-4QRUirqdy3dGHltxUjPq8VHobGe_lMeunExUVd9Rkz97m_yUGc4p0G11e6IKw/s1600/I'msorry.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><b>My apologies for my
lengthy absence from this blog. The causes include snafus with the blog, a
freelance project that threatened my sanity, and some health issues. But the
freedom from bi-weekly posts has persuaded me that the time has come to end
Just Janga. Since I am woefully behind on reviews, I will be posting almost
daily through the end of this month, but July 31 will be my final day to post
here. I’ll have more to say about my decision in that final post. Meanwhile, I
hope you will forgive my silence and join me for a final flurry of reviews over the
next two weeks.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Vixen in Velvet </i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>By Loretta Chase<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: Avon<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: June
24, 2014</b></span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Leonie Noirot is the youngest of the
three sisters who own Maison Noirot, a dressmaking establishment known not only
for its fabulous fashions but also for the fact that two of its owners have
married into the aristocracy. Marcelline, the creative genius whose designs are
breathtaking, is the wife of the Duke of Clevedon (<i>Silk Is for Seduction</i>) and Sophy, whose acting and writing talents
are used to assure Maison Noirot of the very best publicity, is the wife of the
Earl of Longmore (<i>Scandal Wears Satin</i>).
With Marcelline suffering from morning sickness and Sophy traveling on her
wedding trip, Leonie, the sister with a head for business and a remarkable
facility with numbers, is in charge. Having learned that Viscount Swanton,
London’s newest literary sensation whose poetry and person have the young
ladies of the ton sighing and swooning, will be attending the British
Institution’s Annual Summer Exhibition, Leonie decided the exhibition was the
perfect spot to appear in a Noirot creation that might draw the attention of
the young ladies or their chaperones and thus increase the shop’s clientele. Her
fascination with one painting in the exhibit, Botticelli’s <i>Venus and Mars</i>, caught her by surprise. So too did the effects of
her meeting with the owner of the painting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Simon Blair, Marquess of Lisburne, has
recently returned to England after a half dozen years on the Continent
following the death of his father. The trip to England was supposed to be a
brief one, but Swanton’s fame and angelic looks have made him the target of
excessive attention. Although they are only cousins, Lisburne feels an elder
brother’s responsibility for the younger man. Once he meets Leonie Noirot,
Swanton is not the only reason Lisburne chooses to linger in England.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When Leonie begins the work of
transforming the graceless, overbearing, physically unattractive Lady Gladys
Fairfax into a woman who can attract the beau of her choice, Lisburne is
convinced she is setting herself up for disaster. He believes Lady Gladys is
the sow’s ear that no effort or skill will make over into silk, and Leonie’s
efforts will make her ridiculous. But Leonie is confident that she can show Lady
Gladys the way to social success. So the two agree on a wager. If Lady Gladys
has at least six followers and one non-mercenary offer of marriage within a
matter of weeks, Lisburne will pass the ownership of his Botticelli to Leonie.
If Lady Gladys remains a social failure, Leonie will give Lisburne two weeks of
her undivided attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As the two spend more and more time in
one another’s company, of course they fall in love. This is a romance. One of
the things that makes this story more than a charming, if predictable, wealthy
lord-meets-unsuitable-heroine tale is watching the initial chemistry between
Leonie and Lisburne deepen into liking and understanding of one another. Along
the way, they each also come to know himself/herself more fully. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes everything in a book just
works for a reader in a way that is difficult to explain. Such was my
experience with <i>Vixen in Velvet</i>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I loved the characters. Leonie really believes
she is all logic and business, but her feelings for Lisburne show her how
incomplete that image of her is. The vulnerability the reader see when Leonie’s
memories of the Paris riots, the dangers the Noirots escaped, and all they
lost, her very real gifts for the work she does, and her commitment to the
sisters’ charity all prove that she is more that an amusing lightweight. In a
similar fashion, Lisburne may appear to be a practiced and not overly
intelligent charmer, but in reality he is devoted to his family, sensitive to
beauty, and possessed of a social conscience and a sense of humor as well as
being handsome and wealthy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also loved the
subplot centered around Lady Gladys. It serves to illustrate Leonie’s
compassion and insight as well as reveal the sensitive, longing creature that
Lady Gladys is beneath her porcupine exterior. And Brava to Loretta Chase for
making Lady Gladys’s makeover less magical transformation and more education in
how to make the most of her assets. One of my favorite lines in the novel was
Leonie’s pronouncement: <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“I've dressed
her … The rest she's done for herself.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Other things I love included a
description of Leonie’s fascination with the Botticelli that should strike a
chord with any reader who has even been enthralled by a painting, a poem, or a
piece of music, one of the best first kiss scenes, and Leonie’s poetry
recitation. As much as I enjoyed these scenes, my favorite is the one when
Lisburne visits the Milliners’ Society for the Education of Indigent Females.
Leonie shows him the crafts the girls have created to sell, and Lisburne is
visibly moved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It would seem that
your friend's poetry has infected you with excessive tenderness,” she said.<br />
<br />
“That may be so, madame, yet I wonder how any man could withstand this.” He
waved his hand at the contents of the display case. “Look at them. Little
hearts and flowers and curlicues and lilies of the valley and lace. Made
by girls who've known mainly deprivation and squalor and violence.” <br />
<br />
She considered the pincushions and watch guards and mittens and handkerchiefs. “They
don't have Botticelli paintings to look at,” she said. “If they want beauty in
their lives, they have to make it.”<br />
<br />
“Madame,” he said, “is it necessary to break my heart completely?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are looking for a romance with a tightly woven plot,
heavy on action, you may want to skip <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vixen
in Velvet</i>. But if you want a character-driven romance with delightful
dialogue and real conversations and sparkling humor that is sometimes
wonderfully subtle written by a virtuoso in the genre, I highly recommend this
book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Which is more important to you as a reader, characters or plot?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-3601477117169852422014-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:002014-05-01T00:02:15.017-04:00Home to Stay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Home to Stay</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Terri Osburn</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: Montlake</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: May 1,
2014</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Willow Parsons thought Anchor Island would be just another
out-of-the-way spot that would offer a temporary refuge in her journey to
outrun her past. She never expected it to feel like home. But with the Dempseys
treating her more like family than like just the assistant manager of their bar
and grill and Beth Chandler and Sid Navarro teaching her just how great it is
to have best friends, Will is beginning to feel as if she belongs in this place.
She is even wondering if she dares to stay. Only Randy Navarro makes her
uneasy. At first, it was that his size made her uncomfortably aware of things
she would rather forget, but she’s has slowly come around to accept that Randy
is indeed the gentle giant his sister proclaims him and poses no threat to Will’s
physical wellbeing. Now it’s the effect he has on her brain, her libido, and
maybe even her heart that has Will reminding herself of all the reasons she can’t
afford the complications that a romantic relationship would bring.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Randy Navarro, owner of Anchor Adventures, which provides
watersports instruction and equipment to tourists, and Island Fitness, Anchor’s
only gym, is an adrenalin junkie, a super-size knight with a protective streak
to fit, a big brother who changed his life to take care of his kid sister, and
an all-around good guy. He’s straight-talking, tender-hearted, patient, and
tenacious, and he uses all of those qualities to persuade Will that she is safe
with him, safe enough to take down her walls and open her heart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just when an HEA for these two who really deserve one is
within their grasp, an ambitious reporter exposes Will’s identity, and Will
reverts to a familiar pattern of behavior—she runs, leaving behind Anchor
Island, the friends she cherishes, and Randy. Can Will learn that some things
are worth taking a stand and fighting for? Can Randy forgive that she left him
with only a note?</div>
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<br /></div>
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I loved Anchor Island from my first glimpse of it, and I
have only become fonder of it with each book in the series. The setting has a
warmth and a realness that only the best small-town series attain, and the
characters are people with whom I enjoy spending my time. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Home to Stay</i> is my favorite. Will is a phenomenal heroine who
demonstrates that love can heal even the deepest wounds and give the wounded
warrior the strength to fight and win the necessary battles. But Randy is the
reason this book is my favorite. He is true to type and yet distinctly
individual—and a testament to Osburn’s talent. Only a third of the way into
2014, and I’ve read an unusual number of books with extraordinary beta heroes.
Randy tops my list. In fact, I rank him right up there with Quinn Hunter (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Till the Stars Fall</i>, Kathleen Gilles
Seidel), Blue Reynard (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In the Midnight
Rain</i>, Ruth Wind) “Preacher” Middleton (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shelter
Mountain</i>, Robyn Carr), and Cam Early (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red’s
Red Hot Honky-Tonk Bar</i>, Pamela Morsi) as my five favorite contemporary beta
heroes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you like contemporary romance that blends a generous
serving of sweetness with just the right amount of spice and wraps it in
genuineness and likeability, you will love <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Home
to Stay</i>. And although readers can’t stay on Anchor Island, they can return
at least one more time. I just hope Randy Navarro is around when I make that
return trip.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Let’s talk betas. Do
you like beta heroes? If so, what contemporary heroes are on your list of
favorites? If not, I’d love to introduce you to some that I bet can change your
mind.</b></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-62698518575564059462014-04-29T00:00:00.000-04:002014-04-29T00:00:03.392-04:00How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_bv3YYoFSrXUu0_IjUYIACpNAUuNh87B3WLVTVPRkFIDOxBgI2E4b5jrcfJ2mzyVPcdXCfIoFMV9_eM8gH395xp5bd39q5VYhOZ2TMRY95RCCSjh56JE1YKCpVLMWbxHil-HCb1ccg8/s1600/Lose+a+Duke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_bv3YYoFSrXUu0_IjUYIACpNAUuNh87B3WLVTVPRkFIDOxBgI2E4b5jrcfJ2mzyVPcdXCfIoFMV9_eM8gH395xp5bd39q5VYhOZ2TMRY95RCCSjh56JE1YKCpVLMWbxHil-HCb1ccg8/s1600/Lose+a+Duke.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Laura Lee Guhrke</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: Avon</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: April
29, 2014</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Five years ago, near the end of an unsuccessful season in
London, American heiress Edie Jewell was dreading her return to New York. Edie
was unsurprised that not even her father’s millions were enough to win her
acceptance in New York Knickerbocker society where the nouveau riche label had
destroyed the hopes of wealthy young women with far more beauty and grace than
Edie possesses, but the whispers that followed her every move after the
nightmare in Saratoga left her reputation in tatters. The rattling tongues and
her fear of encountering the man responsible for her ruin made New York
intolerable for Edie, but her father’s hope that his wealth will be sufficient
to overcome the deficiencies of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>his
tall, ginger-haired, freckled older daughter has proved vain. Even the wiles of
Lady Featherstone, the renowned matchmaker for American heiresses in London,
have failed. But just when it seems that Edie must steel herself to return to
New York, she meets the Duke of Margrave, who accepts Edie’s astonishing
proposal: she will pay the heavy debts he has inherited and fund his expedition
to Africa, and he will give her the protection of his name and her freedom,
insuring the latter by never returning to England. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stuart, Duke of Margrave kept his promise to his wife for
five years. But when an attack by a lioness leaves him a few breaths away from
death, Stuart knows he must break his word and return home—to England and to
Edie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wife’s dismay at his return
makes his dream of a real marriage seem impossible, but Stuart, an optimist by
nature, persuades Edie to strike a new deal. He has ten days to persuade Edie
that she can have a whole and happy life as his wife. If he fails, he will
disappear and leave Edie to live her life without the duke.</div>
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<br /></div>
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What follows is a story of sweet seduction that offers a
rare blend of serious problems, light-hearted pursuit, and genuine
communication. In another reversal from the expected, Edie is the one with the
power. Stuart, in his quest to win the favor of his lady, does sometimes
manipulate her into situations that push the boundaries of her comfort zone,
but she always has a choice. It is a measure of Stuart’s understanding that he
recognizes, even before he learns the details of Edie’s trauma, that having the
power of choice is essential for her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How to Lose a Duke in
Ten Days</i> is the second book in Guhrke’s American Heiress in London series. I
liked the first book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When the Marquess
Met His Match</i>, and I thought this one was even better. Edie is an
intelligent woman who is using her intellect and her considerable strength to
survive a devastating experience, one that leaves contemporary women, with far
more resources than a woman in the late 19<sup>th</sup> century had, battling
anxiety and depression. Stuart is a heart-stealer hero with more than his share
of charm, tenderness, and two undervalued qualities—patience and honesty. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I’ve been a Guhrke fan for years, but this one is special
even as a book from a favorite author. I did have a quibble with the title,
which suggests lighter fare than the book delivers. But that’s a minor point
and certainly not enough to prevent my giving this book my highest
recommendation and counting it among my top five Guhrke novels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I really enjoy the
American in England trope when it is done well. Guhrke’s Trouble<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> at the Wedding</i> is another excellent
example of the trope, as are two of Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflower books. Do you
like the trope? What’s your favorite romance with an American heroine in England</b>?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-34137996137720883462014-04-18T00:00:00.000-04:002014-04-18T00:00:03.132-04:00Falling for Owen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIi_NEkD_ADSn6cfOOcugKtlxhKTjhcssYdfagdQbdBrZVIPySJo5DptjG1k-CBwFccUG3a8xU-Qz78W4SbIyplIkuqy2v3GoboqtS3Jtr2L7b6upB4u-31ATN4UMZZd6tjwZ068CrY_Y/s1600/falling4owen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIi_NEkD_ADSn6cfOOcugKtlxhKTjhcssYdfagdQbdBrZVIPySJo5DptjG1k-CBwFccUG3a8xU-Qz78W4SbIyplIkuqy2v3GoboqtS3Jtr2L7b6upB4u-31ATN4UMZZd6tjwZ068CrY_Y/s1600/falling4owen.jpg" height="320" width="199" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Falling for Owen </i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">By Jennifer Ryan</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Publisher: Avon
Impulse</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Release Date: April
15, 2014</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Owen is the older of the former Wild McBride brothers. He
was the first to refuse to be controlled any longer by his past and to turn his
life around. Once he had his law degree in hand, he returned to his hometown to
practice and to help Rain Evans bring up his nieces (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Return of Brody McBride</i>). Owen is happy that his brother and
Rain are reunited, but their delight in one another makes him conscious of his
own loneliness. Unattached but looking, Owen has his eye on Claire Walsh, new
in town and the owner of a combination coffee shop and bookshop that is a
favorite spot of Owen’s adored nieces. But Claire seems unaware of him. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Claire has noticed Owen. He’s the kind of man that a sane,
heterosexual woman would find impossible to ignore, but Claire is cautious on
two counts. First, a bad marriage to a good-looking charmer who was a chronic
philanderer has left her wary of men in general and handsome hunks in
particular. Second, every time Claire sees Owen, he is with two gorgeous little
girls whom Claire concludes must belong to him. She also concludes there is a
woman in the picture, and that makes him off limits for Claire.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Claire and Owen are thrown together when the abusive,
drunken ex of one of Owen’s clients jumps to an erroneous conclusion and
attacks Claire, leaving her concussed and bleeding and her home with a
shattered glass door. Owen is there immediately, determined to see that Claire
receives the care she needs and that the damage to her house is repaired ASAP.
Claire finds him hard to resist, but trusting does not come easily for her.
Owen has no doubts that Claire is the one he has been looking for, but he
worries that a relationship may be dangerous for Claire.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Wounded heroes are abundant in romance fiction, but I am
sometimes skeptical of how quickly and simplistically recovery from childhood
traumas and other psychological damage occurs. I really like the fact that both
Owen and Brody are aware that vestiges of their darkness remains and that they
both have moments when their belief that they can fully overcome their past is
shaken. I also love that Claire is smart enough to accept help when she needs
it and to understand that enjoying a little tender, loving care after suffering
a hard hit (literally in her case) doesn’t compromise a woman’s independence.
Finally, I love that Rain and Owen still have a special connection and that the
reader sees not only Rain and Brody’s HEA in progress but also the developing
closeness between the brothers. I liked the first book in the series, but I
also had some problems with it. I thought this one was a better book. I marked
it a keeper, and I’m looking forward to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dylan’s
Redemption</i>, the story of a McBride cousin, scheduled for release in August.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Do you sometimes find
that a series that you began with mixed feelings gets better with successive
books? Have you ever almost cut a series off with the first book, only to be
happy you did not after reading the second one?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-54210471560736784432014-04-15T00:00:00.000-04:002014-04-15T00:00:01.285-04:00Tuesday Will Be Postponed Until . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxidS8UnA_yKS3jCo6-RI1rB4VR6Ch_cPfXEUXPbob0UcSZYS0r6S1aTlztHdCpvK4cTEbj-X4C9odgn1BNJMq_oz9WFy21c65fMrEDAHVDvHr5PiCdfplviKHQR3bHgbDmLl2uYA_tA/s1600/deadline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxidS8UnA_yKS3jCo6-RI1rB4VR6Ch_cPfXEUXPbob0UcSZYS0r6S1aTlztHdCpvK4cTEbj-X4C9odgn1BNJMq_oz9WFy21c65fMrEDAHVDvHr5PiCdfplviKHQR3bHgbDmLl2uYA_tA/s1600/deadline.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My Tuesday review will become a Friday review this week. I'm about seventy-two hours from a deadline for which I still have to write two lengthy articles, and I write--and type--slowly. So I'm chaining myself to my computer until Wednesday evening. No reading, no Facebook, no reviewing until I finish this project. I expect to be freed from the Deadline Dungeon around 11:55 Wednesday night and collapse and recover Thursday, but I will be back on Friday. I hope you will be here too.</div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-31131982441635343102014-04-10T12:49:00.001-04:002014-04-10T12:49:40.656-04:00Taken with You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLtr8UbVAAJFrO6ajGuhyphenhyphenCm0hvMK-l4nKmk3FADUrCdAP4TuYRC28D9gGTZXIjiOxQlFTmhgURjS7CWluNG4R0iJOFl141g6SK2Lj2sQrIpJOtKTFYEjIpR_inbrVRxLEsdnfCOjqspQ/s1600/takenwithyou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLtr8UbVAAJFrO6ajGuhyphenhyphenCm0hvMK-l4nKmk3FADUrCdAP4TuYRC28D9gGTZXIjiOxQlFTmhgURjS7CWluNG4R0iJOFl141g6SK2Lj2sQrIpJOtKTFYEjIpR_inbrVRxLEsdnfCOjqspQ/s1600/takenwithyou.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b><i>Taken with You</i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b>By
Shannon Stacey</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b>Publisher:
Carina Press</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b>Release
Date: March 25, 2014</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hailey Genest may think longingly of the shops, restaurants,
and other perks of city life, but she loves her hometown of Whitford, Maine,
and her job as librarian in the small town’s only library. But the sudden rash
of weddings and babies among her friends have made her newly conscious of her
single status and the limited dating pool Whitford offers for a woman who just
hit 40. When a new, single friend suggests they celebrate their singleness by
joining a wilderness adventure expedition, Hailey, who is so not an outdoors
type, stays calm and buys hiking boots. She’s not really surprised when she and
her friend get lost, but she is unprepared for the bearded, dirty, smelly
Grizzly Adams type who shows up to lead the two lost women back to
civilization. He might offer an excellent rear view, but he is the very
opposite of the man Hailey is looking for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Matt Barnett is enjoying the final days of his vacation
before moving to Whitford and taking up his new position as game warden for the
area. He’s much more interested in the beer waiting for him back at his cabin
than he is in playing savior for two lost women, but he’s too much good guy to
ignore their plight. The pretty blonde catches his eye, but he recognizes that
a woman who wears full makeup and new hiking boots for a trek through the woods
is definitely not his type. That feeling is reinforced by her obvious distaste
for his unkempt appearance. Matt has had his fill of women who turn up their
noses at the dirt and sweat that are an inevitable part of his outdoors
vocation and avocation. <span class="readable"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">Neither Hailey nor Matt think they will
ever see one another again, so the reluctant attraction each feels toward the
other is not an issue. But when Hailey sees Matt in her library teaching an ATV
safety course, she knows that she’s going to see more of him than she’s
comfortable with, and when Matt finds out that his new next-door neighbor is
the blonde from the woods, he knows she is not going to be so easy to dismiss
from his mind. Despite the chemistry between them that is too powerful to
ignore, Matt and Hailey know they are too different for the long term, but they
agree to enjoy the moment with each other, exploring all the facets of their
incomprehensible connection with no promises for tomorrow. They forget that the
heart is no organ of reason, and soon what was supposed to be just a lusty
friendship turns into love. But those very real differences exist, and they may
be too great for even love to overcome.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">I’ve been addicted to Shannon Stacey’s
Kowalski series since I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Undeniably Yours</i>
and upon finishing it, immediately bought <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Exclusively
Yours</i>, the first book in the series. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Taken
with You</i> is not a true Kowalski book since neither of the lead characters
belongs to that family, but it takes place in the Kowalski world, and most of
the Whitford branch makes an appearance. More importantly, these characters
have the same genuineness, humor, and layered lives that made me a fan of the
earlier books. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">Anyone who has ever been in a long-term
committed relationship learns that compromise has a necessary role, but it’s
not an element given much attention in romance. I really liked seeing Hailey
and Matt learn that love doesn’t melt essential differences but that, as the
old Diamond Rio song says, “ain’t no road too long when we meet in the middle.”
I also loved that Hailey is an unabashed forty and still believing in the
possibility of Prince Charming—and that when he arrives, he is so unprincely
and uncharming that she almost fails to recognize him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">Although <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Taken with You</i> is officially Book 8 in the Kowalski Family series,
it can easily be read as a standalone. If you like your contemporary romance
with a generous serving of heat, likeable characters whose lives and loves have
an appealing verisimilitude, and connections of family and friendship that
plausibly bring former characters into new stories, Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski
series is among the best. I highly recommend it, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Taken with You</i> can serve as an introduction. Once you read it, I
bet you’ll look for Stacey’s backlist. After eight books, my addiction is still
going strong. I’m now eagerly anticipating <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Falling
for Max</i> (July 29, 2014); it’s the story of the mysterious Max Crawford and
Hailey’s wilderness adventure partner, Tori Burns. I’m hoping to see more of
Hailey and Matt in it and, of course, more of the Kowalskis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The attraction of
opposites is a popular theme in romance fiction, but it is one that often fails
to convince me of the HEA. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Taken with You</i>
is an exception because it shows the role of compromise. Do you believe
opposites attract? What is necessary for you to believe in the HEA of
opposites?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-22481173138535394182014-04-08T00:00:00.000-04:002014-04-08T00:00:09.304-04:00The Winter Bride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHb8zJvdstIGHt6d3yDPVWlBRJC6QxR2WRdMYoBd4mjoHx1amKwe82M2z3iBcAyHyTiDtkLcKd-a1yndu1MzlEv4Aava8CzB1dCUNWzW6S8gGAnlmhiSegCviMtCoFhE6pZoLekVYO20o/s1600/thewinterbride.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHb8zJvdstIGHt6d3yDPVWlBRJC6QxR2WRdMYoBd4mjoHx1amKwe82M2z3iBcAyHyTiDtkLcKd-a1yndu1MzlEv4Aava8CzB1dCUNWzW6S8gGAnlmhiSegCviMtCoFhE6pZoLekVYO20o/s1600/thewinterbride.png" height="320" width="196" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><em><b><span lang="EN">The Winter Bride</span></b></em><b><i><span lang="EN"> </span></i></b><b><span lang="EN"><br />
By Anne Gracie<br />
Publisher: Berkley</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN">Release Date: April 1, 2014</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Freddy Monkton-Coombes reluctantly agrees to his friend Max’s request that
Freddy keep an eye on Max’s aunt Lady Beatrice Davenham and her charges Jane,
Damaris, and Daisy Chance while Max and his bride, Abby Chance, are on their
wedding trip. Despite Max’s assurances that the task will not be onerous,
Freddy is not surprised that his new responsibilities take up more and more of
his time. First, there are the literary afternoons where the subject of the
readings always seems to be some unfortunate fellow being pushed or charmed
into marriage, a state Freddy is dedicated to avoiding. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there is Damaris Chance’s insistence on
leaving Lady Bea’s home at the crack of dawn and journeying to an unsafe part
of town to paint china. Of course, Freddy has to accompany her to assure
himself of her safety, a practice that makes him and his valet most unhappy.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Damaris knows Mr. Monkton-Coombes disapproves of her work, but she cannot
let his disapproval weigh with her. Her affection for Lady Bea is strong enough
to persuade her to go along with the lady’s plan to give her unmarried “nieces”
a season in which to enjoy pretty clothes, dancing, and suitors, but Damaris
knows that the goal of the season is to find a husband</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">--and Damaris has no need of a husband since she is unalterably opposed to
marriage for herself. Instead, she dreams of earning enough money to buy a
cottage in the country where she will be safe and independent.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">When Freddy learns that his mother has planned a house party to coincide
with his annual visit to his parents’ home and invited a host of eligible young
women, many of whom are relentless and audacious in their pursuit of Freddy, he
decides he needs a fake fiancée. Since Damaris has made her aversion to
marriage clear to him, she is the perfect candidate. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damaris thinks Freddy’s idea is mad, but when
he offers her an irresistible deal, she agrees to play the role and to
accompany Freddy on his visit.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Neither Freddy nor Damaris is what he/she seems to be. Both have come
through darkness—scarred but refusing to surrender to the pain. As they come to
know one another better, a genuine liking and friendship develops. By the time
they realize that friendship has ripened into love, each considers marriage to
the other to be a consummation devoutly to be wished. But there are still
obstacles to overcome before they can begin their HEA.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Damaris is the kind of heroine
who deserves to be termed “strong.” She has suffered devastating loss and has
had the courage to survive events that would have destroyed a weaker person.
That she has done so without becoming bitter or vengeful makes her all the more
remarkable. Familiar with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Autumn
Bride</i>, the first book in the Chance Sisters series, I was aware that Damaris
had secrets that she did not share even with those she loves, but I wasn’t
expecting her past to hold so many levels of suffering. She deserves an
accepting, tender, protective hero, and Freddy is all of these.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">While Freddy’s class and gender
made him less vulnerable physically when those who should have offered him
compassion, understanding, and love failed to do so, he was no less vulnerable
emotionally. Like Damaris, he keeps his past to himself, and even those who
know him best and realize some of what he has accomplished accept him essentially
as the light-hearted rake he appears to be. I confess that I was already a
little in love with Freddy because he reminded me a bit of Georgette Heyer’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freddy Standen, a hero I adore, but Gracie’s
Freddy is a more complex character and the very best kind of beta hero, a man
who combines strength and honor with kindness and a nurturing nature.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">In addition to an engaging hero
and heroine, Gracie gives her readers a cast of appealing secondary characters.
Lady Bea is as endearing and benevolently manipulative as she was in the first
book. Max and Abby have roles to play in this story, and she shows enough of
Jane and Daisy to leave readers eager for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Spring Bride</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Summer Bride</i>. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Anne Gracie is among a very
select group of authors whose books never fail to move me to tears, to laughter,
and to blissful sighs of readerly satisfaction. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Winter Bride</i> joins a long list of Gracie keepers on my
bookshelves. I highly recommend it.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Anne Gracie has been on my auto-buy list since I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gallant Waif</i> in 2001—and immediately ordered her first book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tallie’s Knight</i>, both of which I still
reread. Do you have an auto-buy list? Have you added authors based on the first
book you read by them?</span></b><br />
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-37983616241267000542014-04-01T14:22:00.001-04:002014-04-01T14:22:06.910-04:00The Day He Kissed Her<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAqlSw8wTjJFJZEj963ER4bXxVAPhc_9AB7MM-f1aImo6djV5-HYSjG0IP1eBjfX7KVQwKRoyZuF7Yt0Xvkz7XiP7Y2uv2oBwH5n5HKEaXWlYs6iNUhJWQKA0KK_8GCpXgcr2t5t8QnU/s1600/thedayhekissedher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAqlSw8wTjJFJZEj963ER4bXxVAPhc_9AB7MM-f1aImo6djV5-HYSjG0IP1eBjfX7KVQwKRoyZuF7Yt0Xvkz7XiP7Y2uv2oBwH5n5HKEaXWlYs6iNUhJWQKA0KK_8GCpXgcr2t5t8QnU/s1600/thedayhekissedher.jpg" height="320" width="194" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Day He Kissed Her</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Juliana Stone</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sourcebooks Casablanca</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>April
1, 2014</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mackenzie Draper is back in Crystal Lake for the long
Memorial Day weekend to say hello to his mom and spend some time catching up
with his best buds, Jake Edwards and Cain Black, and then it’s back to New York
City, his job at the architectural firm where he’s just about to make partner,
and a free-wheeling social life that leaves him free of responsibilities. A few
days in Crystal Creek are about all he can take before the bad memories from
his childhood start taking him places he doesn’t want to go. His abusive father
may be in jail now, but that doesn’t prevent Ben Draper’s presence from being
very real in the home in which Mac grew up. But an unexpected meeting with a
curvy blonde and heated memories of a New Year’s Eve with bedroom fireworks
more explosive than any that lit up the skies leave Mac reconsidering his
friend Jake’s request to spend the summer in Crystal Creek designing houses for
an Edwards’ land development project.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lily St. Clare has her own share of dark memories, but
Crystal Creek and the friends she has there are helping her to heal. She’s
found a measure of serenity in the small town, but serene is the last thing she
feels when the stranger from a passionate New Year’s Eve encounter turns out to
be her friend Jake’s old friend Mac. To her own surprise, Lily, who meets life
head on, can’t run away fast enough from this man who makes her feel things that
threaten her carefully controlled life. But she can’t escape the man or the
feelings, and when Mac assures her that he will be back in Crystal Creek for
the summer, Lily knows that whatever is between them is far from over.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither Mac nor Lily is interested in
long-term commitments, so when the heat between them makes a July afternoon
seem mild in comparison, they agree to seize the moment, accepting that forever
is not part of the plan. But soon they are spending every possible moment
together and building a shared life even if love is still a word that strikes
fear in their hearts. But Mac is a damaged soul, his childhood wounds still
festering and his anger barely contained. He and Lily have no hope for a future
when he is controlled by his past.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The third novel in Stone’s Bad Boys of Crystal Creek series is
the darkest of these emotional tales. Mac and Lily are both wounded creatures
who fiercely protect their vulnerabilities. Lily is further on her journey
toward health and wholeness than is Mac whose hatred of his father, anger mixed
with love and pity for his mother, and fear that he is a man in his father’s
image, inside and out, color every choice he makes. The redeeming power of love
is a standard theme in romance fiction, but Stone makes it more potent by
showing that a hero must believe himself worthy of love and happiness before he
can be transformed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I fell hard for Stone’s wounded bad boys, and from the first
book, I’ve hoped to see light and love shatter Mac’s darkness. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Day He Kissed Her</i> fulfilled my hopes,
and Lily was a perfect match for Mac. There were some loose ends left with
secondary plots. Perhaps that means readers have not seen the last of these bad
boys and the people in their lives. If you like your romance high on sizzle and
emotional twists, I suggest you check out this book. For readers like me who
prefer a lower sensuality level, these characters are sufficiently engaging to
make it worth moving outside your comfort zone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Romance fiction ranges from sweet to scorching, and it’s not
always easy to tell where a particular book falls on the sensuality scale from
the cover and cover copy. Some people advocate a number system that gives
readers a clearer idea of what to expect. What do you think of that idea?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where would the books you read most often
fall on such a scale?</b></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-67609431824053220382014-03-31T00:00:00.000-04:002014-03-31T00:00:04.641-04:00Her Kind of Trouble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA-XL8MahaZbAlaM2NIPwUtA3YL0_FHkceKpHkYhHemeg2cNM24OfFglz5u2Kq9o614wxvqvMBbY4-dnAXskInvASsBlkCS8Ae2fCf2L71BIPbmnYdZDH3aDdtM3YlEapXGjwe76OHSo/s1600/herkindoftrouble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA-XL8MahaZbAlaM2NIPwUtA3YL0_FHkceKpHkYhHemeg2cNM24OfFglz5u2Kq9o614wxvqvMBbY4-dnAXskInvASsBlkCS8Ae2fCf2L71BIPbmnYdZDH3aDdtM3YlEapXGjwe76OHSo/s1600/herkindoftrouble.jpg" height="320" width="203" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Her Kind of Trouble</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Sarah Mayberry</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: Harlequin </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>(SuperRomance)</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: April
1, 2014</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vivian Walker and Seth Anderson meet at a dinner the night
before the wedding of her older sister Jodie and his older brother Jason. Their
attraction is immediate, and, almost as quickly, they discover how much they
have in common. They are both young enough to still be in the process of
discovering who they are, they both have big dreams (she of see her designs on
Paris runways, he of his band, Skunk Punk, making it big), and they are both
free spirits who are loved but not understood by their conventional families.
When they are warned away from one another, surrendering to temptation become
irresistible. They leave the wedding reception to share some champagne, a
joint, and incredible sex on the backseat of a limousine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But since they both have big plans for their
lives and a romantic entanglement could become awkward because of their family connection,
they agree that it just one night to remember.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Listen,
Seth…I had a great time. But just so you know, I’m not really looking for
anything. I’ve got a lot going on with my studies, I’ve got a graduate show to
prepare for…”She trailed off awkwardly.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He was
silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “So, what, this was just
one night of the best limo-monkey-sex ever, no strings attached?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She
couldn’t tell if he was pissed or not. He didn’t sound pissed, but there was
something about the way he was holding himself that made her a little nervous.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“That’s
another way of putting it.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He grinned hugely, his posture and expression
relaxing. “I knew you were my kind of girl when I met you, Vivian Walker.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For ten years they meet
only occasionally at family gatherings, enjoying a little light flirting when
they see one another but going on with their lives, including romantic
relationships. Vivian spends most of that period in the United States,
accepting that she’s not going to become an internationally acclaimed fashion
designer but finding her niche as a professional stylist. Seth’s band goes the
way of most rock bands of limited talent and luck, and he becomes the owner of
a successful Melbourne bar, Night Howls. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are both in their thirties when Vivian
decides she misses home and family and returns to Melbourne to set up a
business with a friend. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Vivian is amazed when she
learns that Seth and an ex-girlfriend are about to come parents, and she’s
furious when she finds out that Seth has questioned her fitness to become
co-guardian to their young nephews if anything should happen to Jodie and
Jason. But she proves herself the friend Seth needs when he has to confront an
unthinkable tragedy and make life-altering decisions. Soon hearts and libidos are
on full alert, but Vivian and Seth have to be honest with themselves and with
one another if they are to be more than an unfinished chapter in one another’s
lives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;">
<span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I always approach a Sarah
Mayberry book with anticipation and delight, but I admit that after reading the
first chapter if this one, I was ready to give it a miss. It was well-written,
but it gave me the feeling that I sometimes get when I am a party to my nieces’
TMI conversations or that I used to experience when my composition students
wrote in full confessional mode: I don’t need to hear this. However, since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Her Kind of Trouble</i> was an ARC for
review, I persisted. And I’m happy I did because the book turned out to be the
kind of richly nuanced, slowly developing relationship story I love, the kind
that has made Mayberry one of my favorite authors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;">
<span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Vivian and Seth engaged
my interest and won my heart. Their HEA left me with a smile and a tear and an
unshakable conviction that these two people were perfect for one another. I can
see them growing older together, still laughing and learning together. It’s
this kind of story with this kind of conclusion that keeps me reading romance
fiction. If you enjoy contemporary romance, you can’t do better than a Sarah
Mayberry book. I highly recommend <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Her
Kind of Trouble</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Everyone who posted
about favorite category authors last week mentioned Sarah Mayberry. She really
is an extraordinary writer. Have you read her books? What’s your favorite?</b></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-19952845271057564212014-03-29T14:53:00.000-04:002014-03-29T14:53:15.699-04:00Saturday Review: Winning Over Skylar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYjPtcsf2BNp5pACzZ7NBMP2HmBhSsd1JtkrP1GyUN0L84JaMO4fZpKivP8llgu6wPnjBSZYXVVBTBBiXsX4tpJp7WgkQgS-hcBit4d54lWpsJAe6jqxGNQewwvkX4t5WHYz0jSuwWTk/s1600/winningoverskylar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYjPtcsf2BNp5pACzZ7NBMP2HmBhSsd1JtkrP1GyUN0L84JaMO4fZpKivP8llgu6wPnjBSZYXVVBTBBiXsX4tpJp7WgkQgS-hcBit4d54lWpsJAe6jqxGNQewwvkX4t5WHYz0jSuwWTk/s1600/winningoverskylar.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b><i>Winning Over Skylar</i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b>By
Julianna Morris</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b>Publisher:
Harlequin </b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b>(SuperRomance)</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b>Release
Date: </b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="readable"><b>April
1, 2014</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">Skylar Naples was an eighteen-year-old
filled with regret over some bad choices and ashamed of being the daughter of
the town drunks. Skylar Gibson hasn’t been that person in fourteen years. She
is now a widow, the mother of an almost-fourteen-year-old daughter, and the proprietor
of the Gibson Nibble Nook, a prosperous short-order restaurant located almost
at the gates of Cooperton, California’s biggest business, Cooper Industries.
Jimmie Gibson and his parents loved her and encouraged her and helped her grow
into the confident, assertive woman she is, and almost a year after Jimmie’s death,
Skylar still misses him and the life they built together. She is fiercely
protective of her daughter, Karin, who is still grieving the loss of her father.
Skylar would prefer to avoid Aaron Hollister, a bad memory from her past, but
she is not intimidated by him or his wealth. She remembers him as a “jackass of
major proportions,” and his arrogant, dictatorial mismanagement of his new
responsibilities gives her no reason to change her mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">Aaron Hollister is not happy to have
succeeded his grandfather as CEO of Cooper Industries, but as the only
grandchild of the grandparents who taken him in after he had spent his early
years being shuffled between his divorced parents and various other relatives,
he feels obligated to try to bring the business into the twenty-first century
and into the black now that his eighty-plus-year-old grandfather has retired.
He also never expected to find himself responsible for his sixteen-year-old
half-sister, Melanie. Aaron is the eldest and Melanie next-to-the-youngest of
S. S. Hollister’s eight children by seven different ex-wives, and the two don’t
know each other very well. But Aaron cares about his sister enough to agree
when her mother asks him to take Melanie for the school year. He’s not sure how
to deal with a teenager, but he is convinced that Skylar, whom he remembers as
a “smart-mouthed, trouble-making high-school dropout,” is not an appropriate role
model for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">his</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>sister. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">When Skylar, who has inherited her
husband’s position on the Cooperton City Council, is given the responsibility,
over her protests, of hearing Aaron’s proposal to expand Cooper Industries, the
two cannot avoid each other’s company. Clashes over business ideas are
compounded by more personal clashes when Melanie decides to “divorce” her
parents so that she can move in with Karin and Skylar. Then just as Skylar and
Aaron reach a degree of understanding over these issues, Aaron learns that
Karin could be his daughter, and all the relationships become immensely more
complicated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">Julianna Morris takes some of the most
frequently used tropes in category romance and gives them a fresh twist in the
first book of her Those Hollister Boys series. Skylar and Aaron really were bad
news in high school, not merely misunderstood kids. She was a rebellious rule-breaker
headed for trouble, and he was a privileged jerk who destroyed the vestiges of
Skylar’s reputation just to impress his buddies. It’s really a misnomer to
label this novel a reunion story or a second-chance-at-love story. Skylar and
Aaron were never star-crossed lovers torn apart by forces greater than
themselves, and they have not spent fourteen years apart remembering their time
together as an idyll and longing to be together. They were two kids controlled
by hormones and the appeal of the forbidden. They grew up and got on with their
lives when they parted, and the impressions they carried of each other are
overwhelmingly negative.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">Skylar matures first because of her
commitment to creating a good life for her child, with the transition eased first
by the help of the Gibsons and later by her happy marriage to Jimmie Gibson. I
particularly liked the fact that she and Jimmie love one another and that he
accepts Karin without reservations as his child. Aaron learns to be
responsible, but it is only when he falls for Skylar, realizes how much he
cares for his sister, and opens his heart to his daughter that he adds
compassion and empathy to his strong sense of duty and become the man Skylar
loves. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable">I like romances with realistic roots,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Winning Over Skylar</i> satisfies
this criteria. Also, not only Skylar and Aaron but all the other characters from
the two girls to the senior Gibsons, Aaron’s contradictory father, and the citizens
of Cooperton are interesting people who are more than cardboard figures. This
was my first book by Julianna Morris, but I have already noted that the story
of Aaron’s brother Matt will be released on July 1. And I’ll be checking out
her backlist.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="readable"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What’s
the last book you read that sent you looking for the author’s backlist?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<span class="readable"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-31125550468090148222014-03-26T00:00:00.000-04:002014-03-26T00:00:06.861-04:00Bonus Review: More Than She Expected<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunc7lPDKviy740Y4QQxDWmrp4oMInRl4pPvzwnISrOIKejWtAV9FAuD3deLCKPv4aPHDdB8NcUzLwXnDznUDy6pHPeJQTmgJz29NA7f7ef3fnU2yv4U_1dXh1X5oYqq2DH9hTS5wRzSo/s1600/morethansheexpected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunc7lPDKviy740Y4QQxDWmrp4oMInRl4pPvzwnISrOIKejWtAV9FAuD3deLCKPv4aPHDdB8NcUzLwXnDznUDy6pHPeJQTmgJz29NA7f7ef3fnU2yv4U_1dXh1X5oYqq2DH9hTS5wRzSo/s1600/morethansheexpected.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">More
Than She Expected</span></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">By
Karen Templeton</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Publisher:
Harlequin </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">(Special Edition)</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Release
Date: </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #363636; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">March 18, 2014</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Laurel Kent never planned on being pregnant and single, but
she’s fathoms deep in love with her unborn child and reasonably confident that,
with a little help from the grandmother who reared her, she can care for her
baby. She bought a house before she knew of her pregnancy, and her work as a
writer allows her to work from home. That’s a plus for a single mother, but it
also means that Laurel lives a rather isolated life. Perhaps that’s why she
loses her heart to the friendly mutt next door who pays her visits and seeks sanctuary
from a storm in her arms, but as appealing as the mutt and his hot, younger
owner are, the owner is clearly marked “Proceed with Caution.” And his penchant
for giggly, young blondes makes clear Laurel is not his type. Still, a woman
can enjoy the scenery without putting her heart in jeopardy—or can she?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Tyler Noble is just being a good neighbor when he persuades
Laurel Kent to let him rebuild the wall between their properties. He has the necessary
skills, it’s the best way to keep his dog in his yard, and it’s no big deal.
But soon he spending way too much time with Laurel, thinking about her far too
often, and settling into a relationship he’s just not ready for. Tyler is not
ready to make a commitment to someone else until he figures out who he is. And
with his history of an unknown father, a mother who surrendered her parental
rights when Tyler was ten, and an adopted family who loved him but never
managed to convince Tyler he really belonged, he still has a lot of baggage to
work through. But if he isn’t careful, he may lose his best chance for the life
he really wants.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Karen Templeton has done it again. She has given readers a
story high in believability with characters who have a high likeability
quotient and layers of internal conflict, a story that quietly seduces the
reader into a full engagement with these characters that lasts until the last
obstacle to the HEA is removed and a blissful conclusion leaves her happily
sighing. I loved the interaction between Laurel and Tyler, and I loved all the
family dynamic. From the new born to the retirement home resident, I found the
characters interesting and endearing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Templeton’s stories are not filled with high adventure,
kickass protagonists, or smoking hot love scenes. But if you like your
contemporary romance filled with characters you care about involved in
situations in which your friends and neighbors might find themselves, nobody
crafts this kind of story better than Karen Templeton. I’ve been a fan for
years, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">More Than She Expected</i> is
just another reminder of why I never miss a Templeton book. This is the second
in her Jersey Boys series, and I recommend both books.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Some romance readers can be real snobs about category
romance, but that attitude prevents them from discovering some of the consistently
best writers in the genre. Do you read category romance? Who are your favorite
category authors?</b></div>
<b>
</b><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;">
<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-497605205245675002014-03-25T11:33:00.001-04:002014-03-25T11:33:48.196-04:00Tuesday Review: Come Home to Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGlPrqwYraaCxHHTl3JnHUpmvbA0x1O6Ud4mBPaPNYCZYVdy-ytk_dNnhGBw0bNqEDbFpMu_igZR5k9iy56qNsQyZA0q5E4J4wjN-Jx79m97tw5vpVJws9g2qWNTnUlD1ZU6xtBz49J4/s1600/ComeHome2Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGlPrqwYraaCxHHTl3JnHUpmvbA0x1O6Ud4mBPaPNYCZYVdy-ytk_dNnhGBw0bNqEDbFpMu_igZR5k9iy56qNsQyZA0q5E4J4wjN-Jx79m97tw5vpVJws9g2qWNTnUlD1ZU6xtBz49J4/s1600/ComeHome2Me.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Come Home to Me</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Brenda Novak</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: Harlequin
Mira</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: March
25, 2014</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Presley Christensen who returns to Whiskey Creek after a
two-year absence is a responsible adult, not the scared, angry, rebel who ran
away from her scarred childhood, her mother’s death, and a man who couldn’t
love her as much as she loved him. She found a dangerous escape in drugs, but
she is clean now and committed to giving her young son Wyatt a safe, secure,
love-filled life very different from her experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now a certified massage therapist, she is
struggling to get her yoga/massage business started and looking forward to
spending more time with her sister, Cheyenne Amos (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Snow Falls</i>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last
thing she expects or wants is to see Aaron Amos back in Whiskey Creek too. His
presence makes it harder to keep a secret she is protecting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aaron Amos has also changed in two years. The Amos brothers’
hard work has paid off with a body shop business successful enough to expand,
and Aaron is looking forward to moving to Reno and setting up shop there. He is
looking forward to the challenge and to a new life in a place where everyone is
quick to write him off as one of those wild Amos boys. Guilt has plagued Aaron
ever since the night Pressley left town, guilt for hurting her and for failing
to be what she needed him to be. He’s pleased to see her back and doing well,
but he wants a chance to voice his regrets and seek her forgiveness. And the
more she tries to avoid him, the more determined he is to have that
conversation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Complicated is an understatement when it comes to the
relationship between Pressley and Aaron. As if their own pasts and Pressley’s
secret were not enough, there is the additional tangle of Cheyenne being
married to Aaron’s brother and a new wrinkle there. It is clear as soon as
Pressley and Aaron see one another again that their chemistry is as volatile as
ever. But he can’t wait to leave Whiskey Creek, and she is finding unexpected
pleasure in becoming part of the community. Pressley is also leery of risking
her heart again. She has too much to lose.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brenda Novak sets her Whiskey Creek series apart from the
dozens of other small-town romances being published by creating darker stories
with edgier characters with problems that are not commonly seen in romance. She
stays true to the pattern and even notches the difference up several degrees
with this sixth installment in the series.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both Pressley and Aaron had troubled childhoods, and they
both made some bad choices. Seeing their hard-won maturity and their on-going
efforts to reclaim their lives makes it easy to like them and to root for their
second chance to include reconciliation and a chance for the family life they
both missed out on as children. I enjoyed their story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was less happy with the secondary story thread involving Cheyenne.
I loved <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Snow Falls</i>, and it has
continued to be my favorite book in the series. I’m being vague to avoid
spoilers, but I was really bothered by Cheyenne’s actions in this book. My
concerns kept this book from being a top read for me. Nevertheless, I am
invested in the Whiskey Creek characters and particularly eager to see Eve arrive
at her HEA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you enjoy small-town romances with a difference and
applaud authors who are not afraid to take a few risks, I think you will like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Come Home to Me</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>One of the delights of reading series for me is confirmation
that the HEAs from earlier books in the series are ongoing. This book ruffled
my complacency about an HEA and left me an unhappy reader. What do you think
about complications added to a previously established HEA?</b></div>
<b>
</b><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-73165426036025434512014-03-18T18:17:00.001-04:002014-03-19T14:25:54.336-04:00Tuesday Review: Between the Devil and Ian Eversea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2Mest3NdbZzAfr34Da5OtSptCpsh_1koiujjvdfWzw_tjIhK5vbl9bPlKHPo8pZi16cRXi21SjmZn-QpqwfPX5jgwWLr9iV5ekdK3GaUcPxcRW6E2UYYImvUAVyDceyluORJPZs_xr4/s1600/IanEversea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2Mest3NdbZzAfr34Da5OtSptCpsh_1koiujjvdfWzw_tjIhK5vbl9bPlKHPo8pZi16cRXi21SjmZn-QpqwfPX5jgwWLr9iV5ekdK3GaUcPxcRW6E2UYYImvUAVyDceyluORJPZs_xr4/s1600/IanEversea.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Between the Devil and Ian Eversea</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Julie Anne Long</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: Avon</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: </b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>March 25, 2014</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With her brother killed in the War of 1812 and her parents
killed in a carriage accident, Titania “Tansy” Danforth has journeyed from New
York, where she has lived from the age of eight, to England, the land of her
birth, where she is prepared to marry a titled gentleman to whom her cousin and
guardian, the Duke of Falconbridge will introduce her. Possessing wealth and a
beauty that leaves men stunned, Tansy seems to be the perfect candidate for an
impressive marriage, a future that she herself anticipates since she is eager
to have her own home. She has a list of qualities she’d like in a husband, and
she shares it with her guardian. The Duke of Falconbridge is confident that his
ward will have many suitors, but he is determined that Ian Eversea, his only
unmarried brother-in-law, not be among them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian is preparing to leave Pennyroyal Green, not for a jaunt
to London but for an extended journey in the style of Miles Redmond to China,
India, Africa, and Brazil. In the meantime, he occupies himself in the beds of
women who understand that his staying power is limited to his sexual
performance and not to any pledges of lasting affection. He has no interest in
innocent misses, although he is highly incensed that Falconbridge finds it
necessary to warn him away from his American ward.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite the joint efforts of all the Everseas but one to
prevent it, Tansy eventually encounters Ian. Even before she knows his name,
she is aware of him in a startlingly self-conscious way. When she actually
meets him, her response is more overwhelming: “All the things she felt in his
presence felt too large to contain, too new to name. And it was this, perhaps,
she’d been waiting for her entire life.” Ian is less impressed. He admits Tansy
is “very pretty,” but he writes her off as “vapid” and an “awkward ingénue.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two will spend considerable time in barbed
conversations, with distrust on Ian’s part and a combination of fascination and
dislike on Tansy’s, but as they slowly reveal the real person beneath the roles
they have assumed, their feelings for one another deepen. Falconbridge’s
opposition may be one barrier to a relationship between the two, but a greater
one is Ian’s plan to become a world traveler while Tansy dreams of a home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The attraction of opposites is a favorite trope in romance
fiction, and one Long has used to wonderful effect in earlier books in the
Pennyroyal Green series, but, despite appearances, the virginal Tansy Danforth
and the roguish Ian Eversea are more alike than they are different. They have
both been confronted with devastating loss that affects their approach to life
thereafter (Tansy with the deaths of her family and Ian with his war experience).
They are both accomplished at playing the role they have adopted to protect
their vulnerabilities. Both are perceived as rather one-dimensional characters
by those around them. Tansy is written off as an accomplished but basically
harmless flirt, and even Ian’s siblings who love him accept the “climbing”
episode that made Falconbridge Ian’s enemy as essentially
definitive. Ian and Tansy’s gradual realization of their commonalities was one
of my favorite parts of the book. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This book is also the richest in humor among the nine books
in the series. Tansy’s effect on the males of Pennyroyal Green is fun. The
marksmanship contest particularly includes some laugh-out-loud moments and
delights on several levels. The never openly acknowledged bouquet competition between
Tansy and Olivia also evokes its share of smiles. But I think my favorite funny
scenes are those between Tansy and Falconbridge in which the humor is more
subtle and clearly character-based. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also liked seeing the other Everseas. The reader catches
glimpses of most of the family, but Genevieve and Falconbridge have prominent
roles in the story. Since they are my favorite couple in the series, I was
pleased to see their happiness in progress. The serene and saintly Olivia
becomes more human in this novel as her serenity is ruffled and some less than
saintly emotions are revealed. Olivia’s suitor, Lord Landsdowne, becomes an
appealing character with hero potential rather than merely a name. These last
two elements, of course, left me anticipating other story lines.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like most fans of the series, I am eager to see Olivia and
Lyon Redmond’s story and will be heartbroken if they don’t get their HEA. I am
also impatient to know the secrets of the older Everseas and Redmonds. But I
enjoy each trip I make to Pennyroyal Green, and this one was no exception. I
turned the last page sighing over Tansy and Ian’s HEA and wondering how long I
have to wait to return to the world of the Everseas and Redmonds. After nine
books, the Pennyroyal Green series continues to be one of my all-time favorite
series, a testament to the talent and ingenuity of Julie Anne Long.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>I think it is really tricky to keep readers’ invested in a
story even as resolution is delayed over the course of many books. I’m awed by
JAL’s ability to do this with Olivia and Lyon’s story. Are you a Pennyroyal
Green fan? What other story lines have kept you engaged over a lengthy series?</b></div>
<b>
</b><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-11360330445801348482014-03-15T18:47:00.000-04:002014-03-15T18:47:57.521-04:00Saturday Review: Secrets at Court<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tEVDOo2WJ8WhwsgFWrM2rYB_wHLQXFhBHuooO5EHsgyQZOdaFEIJohLZH4hJixNcPkYMJfF8d6idmYlv20hRbo2Ij-3zaaibAif05D8uedi9TgAMct7_gja1_74fXtY9rPwXKd4QNIE/s1600/secretsatcourt.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tEVDOo2WJ8WhwsgFWrM2rYB_wHLQXFhBHuooO5EHsgyQZOdaFEIJohLZH4hJixNcPkYMJfF8d6idmYlv20hRbo2Ij-3zaaibAif05D8uedi9TgAMct7_gja1_74fXtY9rPwXKd4QNIE/s1600/secretsatcourt.png" height="320" width="201" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<b><i><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Secrets at Court<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By Blythe Gifford<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Publisher: Harlequin
Historical <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Release Date: February
18, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blythe Gifford’s latest novel takes readers to 14<sup>th</sup>-century
England and the court intrigues surrounding the marriages (secret and illegal
and public and church-sanctioned) of Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent, to her cousin
Edward, the Black Prince, eldest son of Edward III and heir to the throne. Anne
of Stamford, Joan’s lame lady-in-waiting, is the book’s heroine. Privy to
secrets that Joan guards zealously, Anne also serves as a sort of personal spy
for Joan, a role for which she is peculiarly suited since her lameness means
that people tend to overlook Anne and forget about her presence. Anne is not
always comfortable doing the things Joan asks of her, but she is loyal to Joan
because serving her has saved Anne from the deprivations a woman with her
handicap could reasonably expect. Anne believes that she has accepted that her
lameness means no man will look at her with desire, but her acceptance is
threatened when she meets Sir Nicholas Lavayne.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nicholas Lavayne , a man knighted by the king for his skills as
a warrior, has been the king’s messenger seeking dispensation from the pope for
Joan and Edward to marry despite their invalid secret marriage and </span><span lang="EN">the fact that their family connection
falls within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity. Nicholas’s mission has
been partially successful: the pope will grant the dispensation but he requires
an investigation into Joan’s tangled marital history.</span><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Nicholas is eager to be free
of royal commands and the intrigues at court, but the king demands his service
until the investigation is complete. Unable to refuse his king, Nicholas
reluctantly accepts that his own plans must be delayed. A man who has avoided
emotional ties, he is surprised by the fascination he feels for Anne.<br />
<br />
Gifford immerses her reader in the medieval world where the threat of plague is
a constant reminder of mortality, the king has at least temporarily emerged
victorious over the French, and the Church is powerful and corrupt. Anne and
Nicholas are both wounded creatures with limited autonomy who find in one
another a love that enlarges their vision of what life can be. Their shared
experience forces them to reconsider the very definition of such things as
truth and loyalty. They are complex, engaging characters who inhabit a world
far removed from the reader’s and yet strangely like it in some interesting
ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you are a fan of medieval romance novels, if you are a reader
who has longed for a romance novel that is different from the usual Regency or
Victorian, or if you enjoy stories that bring history and characters, real and
fictional, alive, I highly recommend this book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FEFDFA;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<b>Are you a fan of medieval romances? Are
you a reader who likes to see variety in historical settings, or are you happy
to read only novels with Regency or Victorian settings? <br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-5794013142097337302014-03-11T13:07:00.002-04:002014-03-11T13:07:47.309-04:00Tuesday Review: All the Little Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_W6MQGVO9dcmcrTZOWDfyfRp81q7KLfUA3GWVpGiWiZg3sBZpRy3W3fA3ETkRSbh_AEMC3M25BA8uMUg2aFRJwgQ5apX-M9Nx-DKSWoiDAE6A8stGbt7eQ0DlMxum3c9tBc0ysyHX1I/s1600/AlltheLittleThings200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_W6MQGVO9dcmcrTZOWDfyfRp81q7KLfUA3GWVpGiWiZg3sBZpRy3W3fA3ETkRSbh_AEMC3M25BA8uMUg2aFRJwgQ5apX-M9Nx-DKSWoiDAE6A8stGbt7eQ0DlMxum3c9tBc0ysyHX1I/s1600/AlltheLittleThings200.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">All the Little Things<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">By Heidi Sprouse<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Bell
Bridge Books<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Release Date: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">December 11, 2013</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Megan Taylor and Sam O’Malley have loved one another since
they met when she was eight and a new resident of Cordial Creek, Vermont, and
he was ten and the boy next door. For over twenty years, they have been together.
They began as best friends, and when their relationship turned romantic, it just
added another, albeit more exciting, layer to all the years of loving one
another and sharing their lives. But at twenty-eight, Megan is unhappy and
feeling trapped by the unvarying routine and predictability of her life with
Sam, which seems to stretch endlessly before her void of the color and
adventure she craves. One Sunday as she and Sam begin their regular Sunday
afternoon drive, Megan demands that Sam stop the car—and, with no explanation, she
walks away from him to keep a date with a tall, dark, and handsome stranger she
had connected with through an online dating site.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sam O’Malley is an all-around good guy: an architect who is
considerate of his employees, a friend who loyal and supportive, a son who is
caring and dependable, and a faithful lover anticipating a happily-ever-after
future. He has loved Megan Taylor forever, and he is devastated when she walks
away. Wounded, disillusioned, and angry, he retreats briefly from all the
responsibilities of his busy life, but in that isolation, Sam comes up with a
plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He asks Megan for twenty days, one day for each of the years
that they have been part of one another’s life, twenty days to remind her of
all to which she is saying goodbye, twenty days to prove to her that the love
they share and the life they are building is all that she needs. Each day he
will give her a tangible reminder of particular moments in their life together,
and he begins with a bouquet of red roses, although this bouquet is from a
florist, unlike the first bouquet ten-year-old Sam stole from his mother’s rose
bushes to welcome Megan to the neighborhood. Will the memories Sam’s gifts
evoke be enough to remind Megan of their once-in-a-lifetime love?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since I believe the deepest, longest lasting love is most
often rooted in a friendship based on a shared history, shared values, and
shared dreams, I love romance fiction that presents such a relationship. I was
easily captured by the description of this book, expecting a sweet, small-town
story that would leave me happily sighing over the HEA. But only some of my
expectations were fulfilled. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love Sam! He is a wonderful beta hero, the kind of guy on
whom every town relies, the steady caretaker every family needs, and the
faithful, tender lover most women hope to marry. Cordial Creek is a pleasant
place, and I was particularly pleased that it was not another Great Northwest
or Texas setting (as much as I love some series with those settings). But for a
book to reach keeper status for me, I want to love both the hero and the
heroine. This time I didn’t. Megan irritated me. She hated the rootlessness of
her early childhood. She chose to return to Cordial Creek after college. She
had ample opportunity to explore a larger world and seek adventure if she so
desired. Surely she realized at some point in more than a decade of dating Sam
that she had never dated anyone else. At twenty-eight, she is old enough to have
some sense and too young for a mid-life crisis. She says she hates to hurt Sam,
but she handles the breakup in a cowardly, cruel manner. She redeems herself to
a degree by book’s end, but it was too late for me to believe she deserved Sam.
But if only deserving people inspired unwavering love, romance fiction—and life—would
have fewer HEAs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With that said, this is a highly readable novel, and the
memory scenes of earlier times in Sam and Megan’s life are sweet and evocative.
Some readers doubtless will find Megan less of a problem than I did. This one
is well worth checking out, particularly for readers looking for romance novels
with less sizzle and rich development of the H/H’s relationship.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Have you read books that left you feeling that the heroine
or the hero didn’t deserve her/his beloved? Were you able to move past that
feeling and enjoy the book?</b> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-85962609114054937502014-03-08T07:15:00.000-05:002014-03-08T07:15:00.874-05:00Saturday Review: Evening Stars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Evening Stars </i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Susan Mallery</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: Harlequin
Mira</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>February 25, 2014</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Susan Mallery takes her readers back to Blackberry Island
for the third installment in this popular women’s fiction series set on a
fictional island in Washington’s Puget Sound. The first two novels in the
series focused on female friendship: childhood friends estranged and reunited
in <a href="http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2012/03/celebrating-march-27.html" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barefoot Season</i></a> and new
friendships that develop into intimate, healing relationships in <a href="http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2013/02/first-look-susan-mallery-three-sisters-february-26-2013" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Sisters</i></a>. The third focuses on the
relationship between two sisters and, to a lesser degree, between the sisters
and their mother. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nina Wentworth was still a child when she realized that she
had to be the responsible one in her family. Her mother, Bonnie, a perpetual
adolescent, loves her daughters, but, lacking self-discipline and any sense of
responsibility, she is incapable of being the parent her daughters need. It
falls to Nina to mother her younger sister Averil, to see that her mother’s
flightiness doesn’t force them to close the doors of Blackberry Preserves,
Bonnie’s antique shop, and to keep their house from falling in around them.
Once Nina had dreams of leaving the island, becoming a doctor, and building a
life with Dylan Harrington, the only son of Blackberry Island’s only doctor. But
Dylan left alone, and Nina switched to nursing because it only required her to
be away from the island for two years. Now her life has become rather bland and
routine, but change is on the way. First, Dylan returns to join his father’s
medical practice and to remind Nina of all they once shared, and then Kyle
Eastland, a Navy pilot, lays siege to Nina’s heart—and other body parts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At Nina’s urging, Averil did leave Blackberry Island to
explore a larger world. Averil should be happy. She has been married for five
years to Kevin Stanton, a man who loves her deeply, and she has a job writing
for a magazine for teenage girls that many other young journalists envy. But
Averil finds her life unsatisfying, and she feels pressured by Kevin’s desire
for a family. She still thinks of Blackberry Island as home. Quitting her job
and leaving her marriage a question mark, she returns to the island to find
answers and her lost self.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Bonnie returns from her buying trip, the three women
are once again together, confronted with the complicated mix of love,
resentment, and misunderstanding that defines their relationship to one
another. Mallery once again proves that she is as deft at writing about women’s
journeys of self-discovery as she is at writing heart-melting romance. While <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Evening Stars</i> has strong romantic
elements, the heart of the story is family dynamics, particularly the roles
assigned early that shape the women girls grow up to become and the power to
change old roles and to reclaim one’s dreams.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mallery ends her Blackberry Island series with a story that
should please her fans and win her some new readers. If you like women’s
fiction that includes romance threads that end with HEAs, I definitely
recommend this book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I prefer optimistic
endings even in the women’s fiction I read. Perhaps that’s why most of my
favorite women’s fiction writers also write or have written romance. Do you
prefer at least the promise of a happy future, or are you satisfied with endings
that leave you with less resolution?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192776379752748640.post-42508301231914287692014-03-04T00:00:00.000-05:002014-03-04T00:00:05.951-05:00Tuesday Review: The Return of Brody McBride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Return of Brody McBride</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Jennifer Ryan</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Publisher: Avon Impulse</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date: May 4, 2014</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brody <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>McBride is back
on Clear Water Ranch, the place that holds some of the best memories of his
life and some of the worst. But after eight years away and five tours of duty
as an Army Ranger in a war zone, the Brody who has come home is different from
the troubled, chip-on-his-shoulder boy who left. Wounded in body and spirit, he
doesn’t feel like the hero a collection of medals, including a Purple Heart, proclaim
him. He’s just a man filled with regret for the wrong choices he made and
hopeful that admitting his faults and confessing his remorse will earn him a
chance to reclaim the place he once held in the heart of Rain Evans.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rain Evans supports herself and her two daughters working as
a mechanic at her father’s garage. It’s not the life she imagined for herself
at eighteen. Instead of leaving Fallbrook to attend college and someday
becoming Mrs. Brody McBride, she is a single mother who takes a college course
occasionally when she can afford the money and the time and who spends more
time than she likes thinking of Brody with a mix of anger and longing. But with
a little help from her father, who has supported her emotionally and helped in
other ways through all the changes in her life, and from Brody’s brother Owen,
who is an indulgent uncle to two little girls who miss having a father, Rain
has seen to it that her daughters have what they need. She loves them more than
her own life, both Dawn, the daughter to whom she gave birth, and Autumn,
Brody’s daughter whose life she saved when she added her to their family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Brody discovers that he is the father of two
seven-year-old girls, he knows he has two more reasons to prove that he is a
changed man, a man who can be trusted to stay true to his promises. To his
consuming love for Rain is added the overwhelming love and tenderness for the
two children who call him Daddy. He can think of no life better than a home on
Clear Water Ranch with Rain and their daughters. But the past intrudes in the
form of Brody’s PTSD and in the form of the woman who still holds a legal claim
as Autumn’s mother. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first book in Ryan’s McBrides series might aptly be
described as former bad boy turned tortured military hero comes home to the
woman he left behind and secret babies. The second secret baby gives a
different twist to a much-used plot, but there’s not much else new here. From
Brody’s role as an elite and supremely heroic soldier to the evil other woman,
this is romance as usual. Despite the familiar storyline, however, Ryan hooks
her readers with characters who are easy to love—or hate. Brody’s pain, both
physical and psychic, has a hard edge of reality, and single mothers who
sacrifice for their children and abusive, self-absorbed mothers who care
nothing for the babies they birth can be found in any town, as community gossip
and headlines can confirm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I admit my feminist feathers were ruffled by the
virgin/Madonna versus village whore dichotomy, but not all readers will share
my concerns. This novel has emotional punch with the reunion trope plus the
child-in-jeopardy thread, and it has the sizzling scenes some readers expect. Nor
am I immune to the appeal of hurting children, a near-saintly heroine turned
kickass when her cub is threatened, and a hero who blends honor and
vulnerability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recommend this book
with some reservations and acknowledge that I was hooked sufficiently to note
that brother Owen’s story will be released April 15 (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Falling for Owen</i>) and a third McBride, a cousin, will be the hero
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dylan’s Redemption</i>, an August 12
release. I expect to read them both.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Military heroes are
big in contemporary romance fiction these days. What do you think is their
appeal? Do you ever wish that more of them were just ordinary soldiers,
sailors, and marines rather than members of elite forces?</b></span></div>
Jangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.com2