Just Janga

Some Bookish Questions

2012-02-03T00:23:00.002-05:00

I have another deadline coming up February 13, and my mindis so caught up in my research for those essays that I came up empty when Itried to write a blog for today. So I’m recycling a post from last year withnew questions, which, of course, means new answers from me and, I hope, fromyou. To encourage you to join the conversation, I’ll give a copy of my answerto questions 2, 3, 4, or 5 (winner’s choice of book and format--print orKindle) to one randomly selected commenter.

The Definition:

This post is a meme. “Meme,” alternately pronounced to rhyme with “cream” or asthe first syllable in “memory,” has been defined in various ways. Thedefinition I like best is “an idea that, like a gene, can replicate andevolve.” I’ve seen variations on the web of the reader’s game (the idea), and Icopied (replicated) it, adapting it for my interests and purpose (evolution).Incidentally, I prefer the second pronunciation because the memes I like bestare inevitably questions that require me to use my memory.

The Questions:

1. What are you reading currently?
2. What was the best book you read last month?
3. What new romance author impressed you most in 2011?
4. What romance novel from 2011 have you recommended to other readers mostoften?
5. What romance novel are you most looking forward to reading this month?

My Answers:

1. I’mreading an ARC of Molly O’Keefe’s first single title romance, Can't Buy Me Love. Lucky me! (It hasa hockey star hero.) It’s a June release. Look for my review at The RomanceDish then.

2. That’sa toughie. I read some great books in January. Among those with January 2012pub dates, I’d say Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie. I’m a Devil Riders fan andhave been eager for Luke’s story. I loved the differences in this book—settingand H/H meeting and the familiar—characters whom I found totally engaging and Gracie’susial mix of the poignant and the humorous.

3. Stefanie Sloane. I’m impressed with anyone whohas three books--The Devil in Disguise, The Angel in My Arms, and The Sinner Who Seduced Me--out in her freshman year as published author. When the booksoffer intelligent, interesting characters and terrific love stories, I’m sold.She also has three books scheduled for release this year. Amazing!

4. Thisone is a toss-up among my top reads of 2011—a three-way tie: The Black Hawk byJoanna Bourne, The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James, and What I Did for a Duke byJulie Anne Long. They are very different books, but they have in commonexcellent writing, characters who captured my mind and my heart, and storiesso compelling that I've reread them all already and expect to do so again.

5. Another toss-up—and the authors share a lastname, although they spell it differently. I am eager to read Jo Beverley’s AScandalous Countess, another Malloren World book, and I am really excited aboutThe House on Butterfly Way by Elizabeth Bevarly. It’s been way too long sincewe had a new single title from her.

So what are your bookish answers? I’meager to read them too.

Congratulations to Cathy P, the Randomizer’s pick to receivea copy of How To Dance with a Duke by Manda Collins! Cathy, please email me atjangarho at gmail dot com, and I’ll get your book to you ASAP.

Tuesday Review: How To Dance with a Duke

2012-01-31T00:37:00.000-05:00

How To Dance with a Duke
By Manda Collins
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: January 31, 2012

Cecily Hurston has a goal—to dissipate the cloud ofsuspicion that surrounds her father since his return from Egypt without hissecretary, William Dalton, brother of a duke. The first step in reaching hergoal is to read her father’s journals, which are somewhere inside the Egyptian Explorer’sClub, a society that bars unmarried women. Cecily tries the direct route first,only to find herself summarily ejected from the club. Since the direct approachfailed, Cecily is prepared to try indirect means—finding a husband who is amember of the club. The wives of club members are admitted. Unfortunately, from Cecily’s view at least, thismeans allowing her step-mother to transform an ugly duckling scholar into aproper miss with beauty enough to attract the right men.

Lucas Dalton, Duke of Winterson, has a goal—to find out whathappened to his younger brother who disappeared while he was in Egypt withViscount Hurston. He mishandles his first meeting with Cecily, who, is theclosest he has come to contacting the man he holds responsible for his brother’sdisappearance. He determines that he will make amends if by chance Miss Hurstonshould be one of the guests at the ball he plans to attend that evening. But heis unprepared for the green-eyed beauty in the latest fashion who has replacedthe woman he initially mistook for an impoverished widow when he saw her outsidethe Egyptian Club.

It doesn’t take Winterson long to deduce Cecily’s maritalplans, and for reasons he finds inexplicable he is offended by the idea of hersucceeding in her plan. Despite his reservations, he agrees when days laterCecily proposes that he help her find the best man for her to marry among themembership of the Egyptian Club in exchange for her help in discovering whathappened to Will. As they spend timetogether, a friendship develops between the two of them, and the attractionbetween them intensifies. But as they work to solve the mystery of his brother’sdisappearance, the questions multiply—and so do the dangers. Someone isdetermined that the truth remain hidden at any cost.

Both Cecily and Winterson are engaging characters. Cecilycombines two of my favorite heroine types—the scholar and the ugly duckling.Not only does she possess a native intelligence but she had the discipline anddetermination to develop her intellectual gifts against the expectations of herworld and her father’s opposition. I found her transformation from dowdy todivine completely credible because it’s a matter of using the right clothes,the right colors, and the right haircut to reveal her best qualities. And whatwoman doesn’t know what a difference such things make. I was also delightedthat one of her strengths, determination, intensifies to become one of herflaws, stubbornness. I often find in real life that strengths and weaknesses arelike two sides of the same coin.

Winterson is a wonderful hero: intelligent, honorable,handsome, and witty. I consider his devotion to his brother and his mother aplus, and I must say I was delighted to have a loving mother in a romance. Hewas brought up as a vicar’s son, and, after his father’s death, as the son of adependent poor relation. Thus, he lacks the arrogance that so often accompaniesa dukedom. Because he and Cecily come to like each other enough to talk andlaugh together, I believe in their HEA. Don’t misunderstand me, I want tobelieve the desire the hero and heroine feel for one another is strong andsizzling, but I also want to believe they have a relationship that involves morethan hot sex. I can see Cecily and Winterson growing old together, enjoying thechildren and grandchildren they talk about.

I also delighted in the mean girl adversary and the dancecard trick. I love the relationship among the cousins and look forward to bothHow to Romance a Rake and the third Ugly Duckling Tale. If you like yourromance with wit and heart and characters you can believe in, with a touch ofmystery adding to the interest, you can’t do better than the books of MandaCollins. Today she’s a romance writer debutante. I predict her tomorrows willsee her become one of the genre’s enduring successes.

In the interest of full disclosure, Manda Collins is afriend. We first met on Squawk Radio, shared moderator duties on the EloisaJames/Julia Quinn bulletin board, and traveled together inthe Romance Vagabond caravan for eighteen months. All these online gathering spots are nowthings of the past, but our friendship has endured. I have believed since Iread the first snippet of Manda’s writing that today would come. However, noneof these things would have persuaded me to write this review unless I loved thebook. I did. I do. I will.

I am celebrating with a happy heart, a ton ofcongratulations and best wishes for Manda, and a giveaway of a copy of How toDance with a Duke to one randomly chosen commenter on today’s post. The winnerwill be announced in Friday’s post.

Today definitely ranks as a Squee Day in my world. What romancedebut have you celebrated?

Girlfriends

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

I will be celebrating myBFF’s birthday Saturday. We go back a long way, more than half a century, to atime when two four-year-olds, one with dimples and dark curls and one withstick-straight blonde hair and a too-wide mouth, shared a consuming desire toplay tambourine in the kindergarten rhythm band. “Cool” wasn’t in ourvocabularies yet, but we knew the six five-year-old girls who played thetambourines were the ones who got the attention and the praise. They were whowe wanted to be. We learned a lot of things that year—how to tell right fromleft, how to print our names, and how to please the teacher. The latter skillhelped us move from lowly rhythm-stick players to the coveted tambourinepositions the next year. But the most important thing we learned was that bestfriends were for sharing books, telling stories, giggling over boys, andkeeping secrets.

All these years later, after decades of sharing triumphs and trip-ups,births, and deaths, a lifetime of laughter and more tears that we could havedreamed of at four, we still understand the role of best friend. We are verydifferent women who have led very different lives. We disagree about religion,politics, hairstyles, music, and who Lynn H. really liked best in second grade. But we never run out of things to talk about, we can finish each other’ssentences, and we know with absolute certainty that the place we hold in oneanother’s heart, like the place we hold in one another’s history, is large and sure.

The summer of 2010, I went to a reunion. Not a classreunion--this one was much smaller. It was a reunion of a small group with whomI shared a big part of my life from elementary school through high school. Mostof us attended the same church and our parents were friends. We grew up feelingat home in one another’s houses, being disciplined and comforted by one another’sparents, sharing tea parties and softball, football games and barefoot dancingat the swimming pool, hugs and heartbreaks. After high school, we kept in touch,although more and more sporadically as our lives moved in different directions.

But occasional lunches when everyone was in town,Christmas letters, and church homecomings kept us part of one another’s lives.That summer gathering was golden, hours and hours of talking and laughing andlooking at photographs of the girls we were and the women we had become.Husbands and SOs joined in. There were no awkward silences or uncomfortablemoments, just old friends enjoying one another. Of the five married couples inthe group, three got together during those halcyon days and still have the kindof relationship that had them exchanging glances across the room and dancing inthe moonlight. How wonderful to be reminded that HEAs do happen in real lifetoo. Another, who was widowed, had just returned from her honeymoon, amotorcycle trip to Las Vegas. I’m going to use her in a book one day.

College, grad school, teaching years—at every stageof my life there have been women friends who added color and meaning to mylife. Some of my closest friends now are women whom I’ve never metface-to-face, but with whom I exchange emails, share dreams, and rant and raveabout the disasters and delights of our reading, our writing, and our lives.

Friends not only make us happier; they also make ushealthier. Studies have shown that, for women, talk and touch release the hormoneoxytocin (the same hormone that initiates labor in pregnant women). Oxytocin reduces stresss, calming both mind andbody. Hugs and chats really are good for you. Spending time with our girlfriends also fosters the release of serotonin,a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a generalfeeling of well being. A Dove study suggested that women friends also increase our self-esteem. Among the women in the study, 75 percent felt prettier because of other women. Yet another study reported that the more friends a womanhas, the less likely she is to develop physical impairments as she ages. Someexperts suggest that women who lack these close friendships are placingthemselves at a risk for health problems equal to that of smoking.

In real life and in online communication, I spend alot of time laughing with my friends. For me, shared laughter is an essentialpart of intimacy. I can’t imagine a close relationship that didn’t includelaughter. Did you know that the benefits of laughter are similar to thebenefits of exercise? One study found that over the course of a year, laughterincreased levels of good HDL cholesterol by 26 percent and decreased C-reactiveproteins, a measure of inflammation linked to both heart disease and diabetesrisk by 66 percent. And while some people claim that the internet is a threatto friendship, research indicates that, especially for women, onlinefriendships after a year become comparable in quality to real-life friendships.Self-disclosure rather than face time seems to be the key to qualityfriendships.

So if you’re feeling good, have a healthyself-esteem, and are looking forward to more happy years, take time to saythanks to your girlfriends. You owe some of that health and happiness to them.

This Saturday, I’ll be singing “Happy Birthday, dearNancy” to my BFF. Today I’m saying thank you to her and to Beth, Anne, Peggy,Sheron, Martha, and dear Micki (who left us last year); to Mary, Sandy, Linda, Trisha,Judy, Marty, Kay, Claudia, Rachels, Shannon, Mary Anne, Sylvia, and Wilma (RIP);to Elizabeth, Beth F., Effie, and Marge; to Linda, Bette, Joanne, Pat, Lane,and Janet; to Dana, Brenda, the Pats, Patsy, and Bonita; to the Bon Bons, theVanettes, and my Safe Zone sisters; and to others too numerous to name. I amindeed blessed to call you all friend.

Friends,I will remember you,

thinkof you, pray for you,

and when another day is through,

I'll still be friends with you.

--JohnDenver

Howimportant do you consider friends in your life? What do you think are the mostessential qualities of friendship?

Tuesday Review: Crooked Hearts

2012-01-24T00:52:00.000-05:00

Crooked Hearts

(digital re-release; originalrelease 1994)
By Patricia Gaffney
Publisher: Open Road
Release Date: December 13, 2011

Imagine a book opening with a nun readjusting the gun she has hidden in hergarter, unaware that the blind man who is sitting opposite her in thestagecoach is not truly blind but a con-artist who can see quite well when shelifts her skirt. You know from the beginning that this is not your typicalromance. And each scene that follows confirms that knowledge.

Of course, the nun is not really a nun. She’s Grace Russell, a grifter whohas assumed the identity of Sister Mary Augustine in order to contender-hearted gulls out of money they think they’re contributing to adeserving, divinely blessed charity for African orphans. It takes Grace a whileto realize how much she has in common with Reuben Jones who is presentinghimself to the world as a blind Spanish scholar, although he sees more thanmost, is not Spanish, and is a scholar only of confidence tricks. Before Grace’sanger at being deceived has run its course, the stagecoach is attacked by aChinese gang, and Reuben, somewhat reluctantly, comes to her aid. Their coversbroken and their ill-gotten gains stolen, they escape on horseback before the authoritiesshow up to ask uncomfortable questions, ending up at Reuben’s apartment in SanFrancisco with a Ming figurine in hand.

Their adventures are just beginning. Reuben has men pursuing him who arevery interested in a certain $4,500. Grace is desperate to save the farm and adear family member. Then there’s the matter of the mysterious Ming. The twobicker their way to a decision to team up to achieve their goals, and the attractionthey have been denying builds into something for which neither of them isprepared. Dishonesty and distrust are ingrained habits with both of them, butwhen danger threatens, they must learn to trust one another and work together.

Set in California in the 1880s, Crooked Hearts is a Western/Frontier novelthat is reminiscent of the black and white screwball comedies of the 1930s withtheir rapid dialogue, fast pace, elements of farce, class issues, and eventualtriumph of love. It’s not an expected combination, but in Gaffney’s capablehands, it works wonderfully. Despite their “profession,” Grace and Reuben are irresistiblecharacters who have a kind of courage and even goodness. In creating them,Gaffney is gently mocking the stereotypes (and remember this book was writtenmore than fifteen years ago). Grace is no virginal miss ignorant of men.Without being the “kickass heroine” who is familiar in 2012, she is independentand lusty. Reuben is no noble knight adept with weapons and fearless in acrisis. In fact, he’s afraid of knives.

There are some great love scenes, filled with humor, sweetness, and plentyof sizzle, and they take place between two people who become friends andpartners as well as lovers. I had forgotten what a delight this book is. Readingit again makes me grateful for all the romance classics that are becoming newlyavailable in e-editions. I highly recommend it.

Open Road has also recently reissued another five of Gaffney’s historicalromances as e-books: Fortune’s Lady, Another Eden, Sweet Everlasting, Lily,and Outlaw in Paradise. Others that will likely be reissued laterinclude Sweet Treason, Thief of Hearts, Wild at Heart and theWyckerley trilogy: To Love and to Cherish, To Have and to Hold and Foreverand Ever.

Have you read any of Patricia Gaffney’s books? Have you discovered any oldfavorites reissued as ebooks?

The Professor and the Magic Ruler

2012-01-20T22:50:00.000-05:00

When it comes to grammar, you need to know the rules before you can break them effectively.

I have spent most of my adult life in English classroomsteaching various courses in literature and many, many, many courses incomposition. I have never been a purist. I will probably always say “If Iwere,” but failure to use the subjunctive seems insignificant in light of otherconcerns. I like the quotation from Erasmus that Joseph M. Williams uses as anepigram to chapter two of Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (an excellent guidebook for those interested in learningmore about these qualities): “God does not much mind bad grammar, but He doesnot take any particular pleasure in it.”

Kindness, integrity, intelligence, honesty, a sense ofhumor—all of these matter much more than correct use of language. However, whenI invest my time and/or money in reading, I want to be “particularly pleased,”and I find particular pleasure in well-crafted prose. I consider correctness ingrammar and usage part of craft.

If I were given a magic ruler that could end crimes againstthe English language with a sharp rap against the knuckles of offendingwriters, I would begin by freeing the world of words from the followinginfractions.

Between you and I

This error has become common, but repetition does not equalcorrectness. I can’t think of a single writer who uses this phrase who wouldwrite “Go to the ball with I” or Please stand by I.” And yet these same writersfail to remember that between is also a preposition and should be followed byan object.

Just between you and me, the magic ruler would make sure that writers would always use“between you and me.”

Could of, Should of, Would of (or coulda, woulda, shoulda)

A sharp rap with the magic ruler would change thesemisspellings forever to “could have, should have, would have.”

Writers of popular songs are exempt from the ruler’s rap for using "coulda, woulda, shoulda; the rest of us should write “could have, should have, would have.”

Feel badly

Unless something is wrong with the nerves in our fingers, wedo not feel badly. If we regret a thoughtless word or deed or if we are unhappywith the consequences of such words or deed, we feel bad. The rap of the trustyruler may make us feel bad.

Eliminating this error won't make me feel bad.

Passed, Past

“Passed” is the past tense of the verb “to pass.” That‘Vette passed me as if I were Aunt Jenny driving on a sunny summer Sunday.” “Past” may be a noun or an adjective; it is never a verb.

Jack’s past is a quagmire of bad choices. (noun) Ella judged Jack by his past mistakes. (adjective)

If your errors are in the past, the ruler may pass you by.

Sensual, Sensuous

In our genre, “sensual” means “hot.” More generally, itmeans “relating to the gratification of the senses or the indulgence ofappetite.” It can carry a pejorative edge, as in “The driver’s sensual leermade Rebecca uneasy.” “Sensuous” means “pleasing to the senses, especially thoseinvolved in aesthetic pleasure.” The sensuous language added to the book’sappeal.

The magic ruler will not help you write scenes sensualenough to melt Kindles and Nooks, but it may be used to help you craft sensuousdescription.

It’s, Its

“It’s” is the contraction for “it is.” “Its” is the possessive form of the pronoun “it.” An easy test here is to change the “it’s/its” to “it is.” Ifdoing so makes the sentence nonsense, you should dump the apostrophe.

It’s best to eliminate the errors if you wish to avoid theruler and its sting.

Affect, Effect

In most common usage, “affect” is a verb meaning “to have aninfluence on.” His touch affected me like a third glass of wine.

“Effect” is most often a noun meaning “a result.” The effects of the recession are measured in human misery.

Less frequently, “effect” is a verb meaning “to produce as aresult.” My goal for 2012 is to effect a change in my writing habits.

Note: The correct idioms are “take effect,” “specialeffects,” and “personal effects.”

May the magic ruler affect all careless writers, and may theeffects be immediate.

Do you take “particular pleasure” in well-crafted writing? Whatusage errors would you correct with my magic ruler? Or do you think I’m justanother dusty old English teacher out of step with 21^st-centuryEnglish usage?

Note: A version of this post appeared on the RomanceVagabonds in 2009.

Tuesday Review: She Tempts the Duke

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

She Tempts the Duke

By Lorraine Heath
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: January 31, 2011

Sebastian Easton, the eighth Duke of Keswick, was onlyfourteen and his two younger brothers were only children when, with the help ofSebastian’s best friend, Lady Mary Wynne-Jones, they escaped from the tower inwhich their uncle had imprisoned them and fled into the night. Twelve yearspass. The Easton heirs are presumed dead, and their uncle it just about to berecognized as duke with all the wealth and power that entails when Sebastianand his brothers return. The children who left are now men hardened by all theyendured to survive and by war. Keswick, the most scarred psychically andphysically by their experiences, is filled with determination to claim what isrightfully his and see that his uncle pays for his crimes, which Keswicksuspects includes the murder of the seventh duke.

The years have brought change to Lady Mary as well. When thetwelve-year-old Mary asked her father to help the Eastons, he ordered her neverto mention the help she had given them to anyone and sent her to a convent whereshe remained for many years. Although she gives up hope after long years with nomessage, she has never forgotten her friend Sebastian, the night he left, orhis promise to return. Although the scarred, maimed man who returns looks verydifferent from the beautiful boy who left, Lady Mary recognizes him when he andhis brothers burst into the ballroom to challenge their uncle’s right to thetitle.

Mary is betrothed to a man with whom she expects to create ahappy life, but the attraction the adult Keswick holds for her is as strong asthe tie they shared as children. She is undeterred by his wounds and by herfather’s warning that she is courting disaster by maintaining her friendshipwith the dangerous duke. When her father’s fears are realized and Mary’sbetrothal is ended, Sebastian feels honor- bound to marry her. But happinessfor the two is possible only if Sebastian’s desire for a life with the woman heloves proves greater than his hunger for vengeance against the man whodestroyed his youth.

She Tempts the Duke introduces a new series, the Lost Lordsof Pembroke, from Lorraine Heath. The prologue introduces the hero and heroineas children. They are brave and loyal to one another, and it would take areader with a harder heart than mine not to be won over by the characters inthis first scene. While there is nothing unexpected in the way the relationshipbetween the adult Sebastian and Mary develops, it remains easy to feel sympathyfor them and to root for the two to find their HEA. Sebastian is a torturedhero in many sense of the word, and Mary’s strength and tenacity are admirable.The younger Eastons, Tristan and Rafe, are interesting characters as well.

I liked many things about this book. Heath is an experiencedwriter who knows how to craft an emotional tale. While this one is not theequal of her best work, Always to Remember and her Texas trilogy, it is anengaging story with characters I cared about. It is also a story weakened by avillain who is little more than a placard reading “Evil Man,” but that’s not abig enough flaw to stop me from looking forward to Tristan’s and Rafe’sstories. With that one cautionary note, I recommend this book.

What do you expect to see in a successful villain? What’syour favorite Lorraine Heath novel?

Note: You will seethat I assigned no stars to this novel. This will be my practice with allsubsequent reviews. Assigning a grade was often an exercise in anguish when Iwas teaching, and I find it no less difficult as a reviewer. I don’t have aproblem summarizing a story and explaining what worked for me and what didn’t.But not infrequently I spend as much time deciding whether a novel should havethree or four stars as I do writing the review. So for Tuesday Reviews here, Iwill continue to rave about books I love, share the hits and misses of books Ilike, remain silent about the rest and refrain from “grading” any book. I have no problems with reviewers who makedifferent choices. When I do guest reviews at The Romance Dish or other siteswhere the policy is to rate the books with stars or some other symbol, I willfollow the policy of the site.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Write

2012-01-13T01:44:00.002-05:00

I’m writing my third break up scene, and I am caught in the maybe-this-is-it,type-and-delete, it’s-all-trash, try-again cycle. Perhaps I’m spoiled. In TheLong Way Home, I always knew how and why Max and Dori would break up. The blackmoment felt almost effortless when I wrote it. In Who Says You Can’t Go Home,the breakup is low key because all the drama involves a secondary character, andSaja just leaves.

But now I’m working on the break up scene in Feels Like Home to Me, and I can’t seem tomake it work. I know what should happen.I know Caleb acts the jerk and Zan ends the relationship. But I can’t see whathappens. One of the things I often do when I’m stuck is listen to music. Frequently something in the lyrics will spark an idea that ends the block. I've come up with aplaylist of ten songs that cover the stages from fighting the idea of endingthings through depression and you’ll be sorry to coming out on the other sidebelieving that there is life after love gone bad. I'm listening to them, hoping for inspiration.

Here’s my list.

1. "Crazy," Patsy Cline

2. "Piece of My Heart," Janis Joplin

3. "Give Me One Good Reason," Tracy Chapman

4. "Crying," Roy Orbison

5. "Tonight I Want to Cry," Keith Urban

6. "Empty Chairs," Don McLean

7. "This Is Me You’re Talking to," Trisha Yearwood

8. "You’ll Think of Me," Keith Urban

9. "Red High Heels," Kellie Pickler

10. "I Will Survive," Gloria Gaynor

OK, heavy on country, I know. But I like country music, and country songs have given me some great ideas in the past.

What’s your advice for writing break up scenes? Do you havesuggestions for my breakup playlist?

Tuesday Review: Rainshadow Road

2012-01-10T01:56:00.000-05:00

Rainshadow Road

By Lisa Kleypas
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Five Stars

The pattern of Lucy Marinn’s life was altered permanentlywhen she was seven years old. Her younger sister Alice had meningitis. Alice survived,but her brush with death left her parents so fearful for her well being that theyindulged her every wish and insured that Lucy did as well. Lucy also began alife-long fascination with glass making, and she discovered a magicalconnection between her emotions, the glass she loved, and a magic all her own.

Lucy does indeed grow up to be a successful glass artist.She has a studio in Friday Harbor and a boyfriend with whom she’s been livingfor two years. Life seems good. Everything changes when her boyfriend breaks up with her because he hasfallen in love with her sister. In a matter of minutes, Lucy loses her lover,her home, and her sense of security, all of it to a sister who has been takingwhat belonged to Lucy for years.

Sam Nolan is a native of the island, the middle brother in adysfunctional family of three sons and one daughter. Readers who have read thenovella that introduced the series, Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, willrecognize Sam as the vineyard owner who shares his home with brother Mark andtheir newly orphaned niece Holly. Giving up his privacy and the freedom of thesingle life is typical of Sam. He’s a good guy, terrified of commitment in aromantic relationship because of the horrendous example of his alcoholicparents, but essentially the best kind of hero—intelligent, kind, and charmingwith sea-colored eyes and a terrific sense of humor.

Lucy and Sam meet when she falls at his feet literally, and he administersfirst aid and listens to her. They meet again when he rescues her from apersistent drunk. When Lucy needs a place to stay after she’s injured when herbike is struck by a car, Sam offers house room and some nursing that leads tointeresting contacts. But Sam thinks he’s incapable of a long-termrelationship, and Lucy has lost faith in her own judgment.

I read romance fiction because I’m interested in relationships, butsometimes the relationships prove a disappointment. I like the heroine betterthan I like the hero or vice versa, or I like them both but have doubts about theirHEA really lasting ever after. Lucy and Sam’s relationship was not adisappointment. I liked Sam in the first Friday Harbor book, and I quickly fellin love with him in this one. He’s not just another hot hero. He’s aninteresting, complicated person. A former geek with a passion for hisvineyards, an indulgent uncle who teaches his niece to tie her shoes and putsaway bits of her past that will help her remember her mother, a tender loverwho gives perfect, unexpected gifts—he is all of these things and more. Lucylongs to tell him, “You’re more than you think you are.” The reader shares herlonging.

Lucy is just as likeable and interesting. An endearing combination oftoughness and vulnerability, her passion for glass making matches Sam’s for hisvines. She recognizes the flaws in her family, she allows herself to be angryor exasperated with them, but she loves them—even the sister who betrays her.The kinds of friends she has and their loyalty to her says a great deal aboutthe kind of person she is.

Lucy and Sam deserve each other. Yes, they have great chemistry, and thenovel contains some wonderful love scenes that are a mix of heat, heart, andhumor. But they are more than sex partners. They talk to one another, revealingthemselves through sharing their histories and their thoughts. They laughtogether. They like each other. I don’t want to include spoilers, so I’ll justsay there are two incidents in the novel where Kleypas had a choice about whather characters would do, one fairly early in the story and one near the end. Inboth cases, one choice would have destroyed the book for me. It would havebecome just another in a long list of books that leave me regretting the bookthat could have been if only . . . Both times, these characters make the choicethat maintains the integrity of the people I have come to believe they are.

What else can I say? The setting is wonderful, detailed enough to give asense of the island’s beauty and uniqueness. The secondary characters are great.Kleypas gives readers pieces of many stories so that even minor charactersachieve multi-dimensions. I loved seeing Mark, Maggie, and Holly again, and Iloved that their presence was natural and never threatened to distract from thecentral story. I find Alex, the youngest Nolan brother, fascinating. I hope thenext book will be his. I loved the magic in the story. It seemed closer tomagical realism to me. As Lucy concludes,“[W]hether she called her gift a phenomenon of molecular physics, or magic,both definitions were true, and the words didn’t matter anyway.”

I give Rainshadow Road my highest recommendation and LisaKleypas my gratitude for writing a book that I will read again and again. And I'm counting the days until August and Crystal Cove.

What’s your favorite Lisa Kleypas book?

Note: I am one of Lisa’s Divas, a group of “super fans” whoshare news of LK’s books and receive terrific stuff such as an Advance Readers’Edition of Rainshadow Road. I will pointout that I’ve been a Lisa Kleypas fan for fifteen years, and no sway would havepersuaded me to give a dishonest review.

Book Calendar: 2012 Edition, Part 1

2012-01-06T02:42:00.000-05:00

My Christmas books are packed away, and another readingritual is in process. I’m filling in my reading calendar for 2012. I lovemaking this list of books I plan to read in the coming year, anticipating thestory of a series character I’m already invested in, speculating about thedirection of a plot to which I’ve been introduced in excerpts, wondering aboutnew books of which I may know only the title. Three years ago, a friend suggestedI share my calendar on Just Janga, and the response encouraged me to continue.This year I decided on two posts: one that covers January-June, the list below,and a separate one for July-December, which I’ll post in late June. My reasonsfor doing so are varied. The list for the first half of the year is quite long,more than 150 books. Information on books being released in the second half ofthe year is incomplete. I have only two books for December. Inaccuracies aremore likely for books for which release dates are still six or more monthsaway. One book I had noted as a 2012 release is currently marked as a 2025release on one site.

Please remember as you check out my list that it is notcomprehensive. This is a list of the books I expect to read or add to my TBRshelves in the first half of 2012. There are genres and subgenres that are notincluded because I don’t read them. The same holds true for authors. In romancefiction alone, thousands of titles are released each year (more than eight thousandtitles in 2010, for example). I read only a small fraction of the new releasesof any year. Romance dominates my list, but I also include some mysteries,women’s fiction, general fiction, and non-fiction. I expect other titles willbe added as authors share news, friends recommend books, and online buzzpersuades me to check out titles.

I look forward to some of these books with particulardelight. The debut of my friend Manda Collins with How to Dance with a Duke on January 31 will be the culmination of asquee-fest that has been going on for many months. I’m excited about The Houseon Butterfly Way, a new single-title from Elizabeth Bevarly in February.Marilynne Robinson, whose fiction I find rich beyond measure, has a collectionof essays coming out in March, When I Was a Child I Read Books. I loved thetiny tastes of Paris that Eloisa James shared in her tweets, and I am eager topartake of the banquet of her book-length memoir, Paris in Love, in April. Ihave waited for what seems like forever to read the story of Gwen, Lady Muir,and Mary Balogh is giving it to me with The Proposal in May. And June offers the second of LorettaChase’s dressmaker stories, Scandal Wears Satin.

I have accepted theGoodread’s Reading Challenge for 2012. My goal is 365 books. Looking at thislist makes me confident I’ll meet my goal. The more than half dozen titles thatI’ve already read this month assure me that 2012 is going to be another greatreading year.

JANUARY

January 1

1. The Cowboy’sSecret Son (Harlequin American Romance—HAR), Teagues of Texas #1, Trish Milburn

2. The Lure of Songand Magic (Fantasy-Contemporary Romance—F-CR), Patricia Rice

January 3

3. Mad About theEarl, (Historical Romance—HR), Ministry of Marriage #2, Christina Brooke

4. A Promise ofSafekeeping (CR), Lisa Dale

5. At the King’sPleasure (Historical Fiction—HF), Secrets of the Tudor Court #4, Kate Emerson

6. Bride by Mistake(HR), Devil Riders #5, Anne Gracie

7. Love Lifted Me(Inspy), Songbird #3, Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck

8. Tempted Again(CR), Cathie Linz

9. On Lavendar Lane(CR), Shelter Bay #3, JoAnn Ross

10. A Hero in theMaking (Harlequin SuperRomance—HSR), North Star #6, Kay Stockham

11. Colorado Dawn(American Historical—AH), Runaway Brides #2, Kaki Warner

January 10

12. Copper Beach(Romantic Suspense—RS), Dark Legacy #1, Jayne Ann Krentz

January 17

13. Gone West (HMys), Maisie Dobbs #20, Carola Dunn

January 24

14. Ravished by theRake (Harlequin Historical—HH), Danger and Desire #1, Louise Allen

15. Forbidden (YAFantasy), Syrie James

16. A Lady NeverSurrenders (HR), Hellions of Halstead Hall #5, Sabrina Jeffries

17. Undeniably Yours(CR), The Kowalski Family #2, Shannon Stacey

January 25

18. Unhinged (Mys),Kate Holly #4, Charlotte Hughes

January 31

19. Lucky Penny (CR),Catherine Anderson

20. How to Dance witha Duke (HR), Ugly Ducklings #1, Manda Collins

21. Home Front(Women’s Fiction—WF), Kristin Hannah

22. She Tempts theDuke (HR), Lost Lords of Pembroke #1, Lorraine Heath

23. File M for Murder(Mys), Cat in the Stacks #3, Miranda James

24. Third Grave DeadAhead (PR), Charley Davidson #3, Darynda Jones

25. Secrets of theLost Summer (CR), Carla Neggers

26. The Summer Garden(CR), Chesapeake Shores #9, Sherryl Woods

FEBRUARY

February 1

1. Secrets of anAccidental Duchess (HR), Donovan Sisters #2, Jennifer Haymore

2. Last ChanceBeauty Queen (CR), Last Chance #3, Hope Ramsay

February 6

3. Fatal Flaw (RS),Fatal #4, Marie Force

February 7

4. The House onButterfly Way (WF-CR), Elizabeth Bevarly

5. A ScandalousCountess (HR), Malloren World #12, Jo Beverley

6. A Texas Chance(HSR), Deep in the Heart/MacAllisters #6, Jean Brashear

7. One Book in theGrave (Mystery—Mys), Bibliophile Mystery #5, Kate Carlisle

8. Between Love andDuty (HSR), A Brother’s Word #1, Janice Kay Johnson

9. What Happened toHannah (GF), Mary Kay McComas

February 14

10. I’ve Got YourNumber (WF), Sophie Kinsella

11. Heart of Glass(AH, Inspy), Irish Angels #2, Jill Marie Landis

February 16

12. The GardenIntrigue (HR, CR, Mys), Pink Carnation #9, Lauren Willig

February 21

13. Seduced by theScoundrel (HH), Danger and Desire #2, Louise Allen

14. The Revenge ofLord Eberlin (HR), Secrets of Hadley Green #2, Julia London

15. Time Out(Harlequin Blaze—HB), Jill Shalvis

16. Yours to Keep(CR), Kowalski Family #3, Shannon Stacey

17. When a Scot Lovesa Lady (HR), Falcon Club #1, Katharine Ashe

February 22

18. Death of aKingfisher (Mys), Hamish MacBeth #29, M. C. Beaton

February 28

19. Redwood Bend(CR), Virgin River # 18, Robyn Carr

20. Spellbound Falls(CR), Spellbound Falls #1, Janet Chapman

21. Sonoma Rose (GF),Elm Creek Quilts #19, Jennifer Chiaverini

22. Rainshadow Road(CR), Friday Harbor #2, Lisa Kleypas

23. Blame It on Bath(HR), The Truth About the Duke #3, Caroline Linden

24. A Rogue by AnyOther Name (HR), Fallen Angels #1, Sarah MacLean

25. Between the Dukeand the Deep Blue Sea (HR), Royal Entourage #1, Sophia Nash

MARCH

March 1

1. A Recipe for Love(WF), Katie Fforde

2. The PiccadillyPlot (H Mys), Thomas Challoner #7, Susanna Gregory

3. Touch of a Rogue(HR), Touch of Seduction #2, Mia Marlowe

March 6

4. When MaidensMourn (H Mys), Sebastian St. Cyr #7, C. S. Harris

5. The Surrender ofMiss Fairbourne (HR), Fairbourne Quartet #1, Madeline Hunter

6. From Father toSon (HSR), Janice Kay Johnson

7. The RunawayCountess (HR), ebook from Samhain, Leigh Lavelle

8. Wedded inScandal, Bridal Favors #1, Jade Lee

9. More Than OneNight (HSR), Sarah Mayberry

10. Cowboy to theRescue (HAR), Teagues of Texas #2, Trish Milburn

March 13

11. Hush Now, Don’tYou Cry (H Mys), Molly Murphy #11, Rhys Bowen

12. Another Piece ofMy Heart (WF), Jane Green

13. When I Was aChild I Read Books: Essays, Marilynne Robinson

March 20

14. Married to aStranger (HH), Danger and Desire #3, Louise Allen

15. Some AssemblyRequired (Nonfiction), Anne Lamott

16. Lady Folbroke’sDelicious Deception (HH), Three Ladies #1, Christine Merrill

17. Much Ado AboutRogues (HR). Blackthorne Brothers #3, Kasey Michaels

March 26

18. Starting Now(WF), Blossom Street #9, Debbie Macomber

March 27

19. A Week to BeWicked (HR), Spindle Cove #2, Tessa Dare

20. At Your Pleasure(HR), Meredith Duran

21. Hot UnderPressure (CR), Rising Star Chef Challenge #3, Louisa Edwards

22. Taming anImpossible Rogue (HR), The Scandalous Brides #2, Suzanne Enoch

23. Imperial Scandal(HF), Teresa Grant

24. The Seduction ofLady X (HR), Secrets of Hadley Green #3, Julia London

25. Barefoot Season(WF), Blackberry Island #1, Susan Mallery

26. Trouble Me (CR),Rosewood Trilogy #3, Laura Moore

27. The Art of DukeHunting (HR), Royal Entourage #2, Sophia Nash

28. Confessions fromAn Arranged Marriage (HR), Burgundy Club #4, Miranda Neville

29. Woodrose Mountain(CR), Hope’s Crossing #2, RaeAnn Thayne

30. Elegy for Eddie(H Mys), Maisie Dobbs #9, Jacqueline Winspear

APRIL

April 1

1. Master of Sin(HR), Courtesan Court #4, Maggie Robinson

April 3

2. The Duke’sPerfect Wife (HR), Highland Pleasures/MacKenzies #4

3. On His Honor (HSR),Deep in the Heart/MacAllisters #7, Jean Brashear

4. Deadly Dance(RS), A-Tac #5, Dee Davis

5. Betrayal (RS),Scarlet Deception #3, Christina Dodd

6. How to Ravish aDuke (HR), Vickie Dreiling

7. Death ComesSilently (Mys), Death on Demand #22, Carolyn G. Hart

8. The Wedding Dress(Inspy), Rachel Hauck

9. About That Night(CR), Julie James

10. The Call ofBravery (HSR), Janice Kay Johnson

11. The Flower Reader(HF), Elizabeth Loupas

12. If I Fall (HR),Kate Noble

13. The Book ofMadness and Cures (Historical Fiction—HF), Regina O’Melveny

14. Miss Julia to theRescue (Mys), Miss Julia #13, Ann B. Ross

15. Just Down theRoad (CR), Harmony #4, Jodi Thomas

16. The Beginner’sGoodbye (GF), Anne Tyler

17. The Princess andthe Peer (HR), Princess Brides #1, Tracey Anne Warren

April 12

18. The Secret Lifeof William Shakespeare (GF), Jude Morgan

April 16

19. The First LastUnicorn and Other Beginnings (Fantasy), Peter Beagle

April 17

20. Twisted (RS),Tracers #5, Laura Griffin

21. Paris in Love(memoir), Eloisa James

22. Lady Priscilla’sShameful Secret (HH), Three Ladies #2, Christine Merrill

23. The Garden ofHappy Endings (WF), Barbara O’Neal

24. The Witness (RS),Nora Roberts

April 24

25. Sunrise Point(CR), Virgin River #19 , Robyn Carr

26. The Good Father(GF), Diane Chamberlain

27. Somebody to Love(CR), Kristan Higgins

28. All for You (timetravel), Lynn Kurland

29. Lyon’s Bride: TheChattan Curse (HR), Cathy Maxwell

30. Crystal Gardens(Paranormal Historical Romance—PHR), Ladies of Lantern Street #1, Amanda Quick

31. The Saint WhoStole My Heart (HR), Regency Rogues #4, Stefanie Sloane

32. The Shoemaker’sWife (HF), Adriana Trigiani

33. The Apple Orchard (WF), Susan Wiggs

April 26

34. Aunt Dimity andthe Village Witch (Mys), Aunt Dimity #18 , Nancy Atherton

MAY

May 1

1. The Proposal(HR), Bedwyn World #9, Mary Balogh

2. Mrs. JeffriesDefends Her Own (H Mys), Mrs. Jeffries #30, Emily Brightwell

3. Lady Maggie’sSecret Scandal (HR), Windhams #5, Gwen Burrowes

4. Too Tempting toResist (HR), Lords of Midnight #2, Cara Elliot

5. The Long Shot(HSR), Ellen Hartman

6. The CowboySheriff (HAR), Teagues of Texas #3, Trish Milburn

7. No Longer aGentleman (HR), Lost Lords #4, Mary Jo Putney

8. The LastBoyfriend (CR), Inn Boonsboro #2, Nora Roberts

9. Barefoot in theSand (CR), Barefoot Bay #1, Roxanne St. Claire

10. Beguiling theBeauty (HR), Fitzhugh #1, Sherry Thomas

May 8

11. Tides of Memory(WF), Mary Alice Monroe

12. Home (LiteraryFiction), Toni Morrison

May 22

13. The Taming of a ScottishPrincess (HR), Hurst Amulet #4, Karen Hawkins

14. Marriage of Mercy(HH), Carla Kelly

15. Unbuttoning MissHardwick (HH), Deb Marlowe

16. Lucky in Love(CR), Lucky Harbor #4, Jill Shalvis

May 29

17. Rescue Me (CR),Rachel Gibson

18. A Night Like This(HR), Smyth-Smith #2, Julia Quinn

19. Along Came a Duke(HR), Elizabeth Boyle

20. Home for theSummer (CR), Chesapeake Diaries #5, Mariah Stewart

JUNE

June 1

1. “A Little MoreScandal” (HR), Christies 1.5, Carrie Lofty

2. Summer Days (CR),Fool’s Gold #7, Susan Mallery

3. Unexpected Family(HSR), Sequel to His Wife for One Night, Molly O’Keefe

June 5

4. Unraveling thePast (HSR), The Truth About the Sullivans #1, Beth Andrews

5. Bring Him Home(HSR), Special Forces #3, Karina Bliss

6. A Life Rebuilt(HSR), Deep in the Heart/MacAllisters #8, Jean Brashear

7. Quilt orInnocence (Mys), Southern Quilting #1, Elizabeth Craig

8. Little Night(WF), Luanne Rice

9. Bride of the HighCountry (AH), Runaway Brides #3, Kaki Warner

June 12

10. The Red House(GF), Mark Haddon

June 19

11. A Bad Day forMercy (Mys), Stella Hardesty #4, Sophie Littlefield

June 26

12. How to Be aProper Lady (HR), Falcon Club #2, Katharine Ashe

13. Willow Springs(CR), Destiny #5, Toni Blake

14. A Duchess toRemember (HR), Ministry of Marriage #3, Christina Brooke

15. Scandal WearsSatin (HR), Dressmakers #2, Loretta Chase

16. Starlight (HR),Christies #2, Carrie Lofty

17. Can’t Buy Me Love(CR), Crooked Creek #1, Molly O’Keefe

18. At Last (CR), Lucky Harbor #5, Jill Shalvis

19. Ocean Beach (WF), Beach #2, Wendy Wax

20. Midnight Promises (CR), Sweet Magnolias #8,Sherryl Woods

What books are you most eagerly anticipating in the first half of 2012?

And remember that I'm giving away a copy of Eloisa James's most recent New York Times bestseller, The Duke Is Mine to one randomly selected commenter.

Congratulations to Jane, winner of a copy of Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas.

Tuesday Review: Secrets of the Lost Summer

2012-01-03T00:07:00.000-05:00

Secrets of the Lost Summer
By Carla Neggers
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Four Stars

Olivia Frost has spent the past five years as a graphicdesigner with one of Boston’s most prestigious studios, eventually landing plumclients and winning awards for her work, but her dream is to transform theearly 19^th-century house she bought in her hometown, Knights Bridge,Massachusetts, into a site for weddings, showers, teas, and small one-dayconferences. When the questionable ethics of a friend leads to the defection ofOlivia’s biggest client, Olivia decides it’s time to return to Knights Bridgeand turn her dream into reality. A week later, with her sister’s help, she’spacking up and leaving Boston.

Olivia’s plans for the house she calls The Farm at CarriageHill are coming together except for the house next door with a trash-strewn yardthat makes it an eyesore in the picturesque setting. With the help of herfriend Maggie, she locates the current owner who purchased the house from GraceWebster, a retired spinster English teacher in her nineties. Believing theowner to be an older man, Olivia writes to him at the California address Maggielocated, offering to clean the yard herself.

Dylan McCaffrey, former NFL hockey player and currentpartner in a successful high-tech entertainment software company, thinks OliviaFrost has the wrong man when he receives her letter. He’s never heard ofKnights Bridge or Olivia Frost. But when he discovers that he has inherited thehouse from his father. Puzzled that his nomadic father bought a house in anout-of-the-way New England village shortly before his death and intrigued bythe picture of Olivia he locates via the Internet, Dylan books a flight toBoston.

Buster, a mean-looking mutt with a heavy German shepherd mixwho belongs to Olivia, introduces Dylan to Olivia. They are an improbable pair—asmall-town New Englander with a dream that roots her more deeply in her nativesoil and strengthens ties to her close-knit family and life-long friends and anex-hockey star with millions in the bank and a house that hardly merits theterm “home” in California. But the attraction between them is real, and so istheir mutual interest in a generations-old mystery that may hold unexpected answersto questions about Dylan’s father’s connection to Knight’s Bridge.

When I first read Carla Neggers’s books, she was writingcontemporary romance, including titles for Loveswept and Harlequin. In recentyears, she has turned to romantic suspense, and since I read little in thatsubgenre, I haven’t read her books in some time. The description of Secrets ofthe Lost Summer made clear that this book marks her return to contemporaryromance. I found in it the local color, the attention to seasonal details, andthe eccentric supporting characters that I enjoyed in some of her earliercontemporary romances.

Secrets of the Lost Summer has a strong regional flavor. Thehistory of Knights Bridge and the surrounding area is more than mere background;it is integral to the plot of this story. Early spring in New England with itsmix of the reluctant loosening of winter’s hold and harbingers of spring andthe promise of renewal served as a symbolic setting for the betrayal and thedream that send Olivia back to Knight’s Bridge. Both Olivia and Dylan areinteresting, engaging characters. The focus is on their developingrelationship, but woven into the story are also threads of the relationshipbetween Olivia’s mother and father, between her sister and the man her sisterloves, and the older love story buried as deeply as the remains of the townsthat lie beneath the reservoir’s waters. Since I have a weakness for geniusgeek heroes, I’m hoping Neggers follows up with a story for Dylan’s friend andpartner Noah. If you like layered stories with a rich sense of place and atouch of mystery, I recommend this book.

How important is setting to you? Are you a fan of thestill-growing subgenre of small-town contemporary romance?

To celebrate the start of what promises to be a stellarreading year for fans of romance fiction, I am giving away two books this week.One person will be randomly selected from those who comment on today’s post toreceive a hardback copy of Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, the first book inLisa Kleypas’s Friday Harbor series. You’ll get it just in time to read itbefore Rainshadow Road, Book 2 in the series, is released in late February. A randomly selected commenter fron Friday’sblog will receive a copy of Eloisa James’s just-released fairy tale book, The Duke Is Mine, one of my three topof the top reads of 2011.

Note: Sorry, folks. Due to legal issues and shipping costs, only residents of North America are eligible for giveaways.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T02:16:00.003-05:00

A toast to you, my friends! May you recall moments to cherish as you reflect on 2011. May you welcome 2012 with high hopes and unfaltering courage. May the new year bring you reason for joy and jubilation.

I'll be back Tuesday, January 3, with my review of a book that will be released in 2012 and a week from today I'll share my 2012 book calendar with you. And we'll celebrate the New Year with giveaways on both days.

Tuesday Review: The Lure of Song and Magic

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

TheLure of Song and Magic

ByPatricia Rice
Publisher:Source Book Casablanca
ReleaseDate: January 1, 2012
FourStars

The Little Angels Childcare Center in El Padre isthe last place one would expect to find Dylan Ives “Oz” Oswin, successful Hollywoodproducer, but that’s exactly where he is. He has come to this unlikely placehoping that Pippa James, children’s author and illustrator is the formersinging sensation Syrene who disappeared nine years earlier. It’s been morethan a year since his son Donal disappeared, and Oz is desperate to find him. Ifthe enigmatic “Librarian” with his mysterious email message is right, Syrenecan lead him to his son. However remote the possibility that the former star’ssinging the “Silly Seal” song can reunite Oz with Donal, it’s a chance thefrantic father is not willing to pass up.

Oz’s appearance threatens the peace that Pippa hasfound in a new career and a new town. Syrene is her past, and Pippa isdetermined that she’ll stay there. She’s content writing and illustrating the children’sbooks that emerge from her fertile imagination and using her voice only inprivate where the destruction that its unleashed power provokes can becontained. She refers Oz to her agent and refuses to be part of the TV showthat is his ploy for approaching her.

But Oz refuses to take no for an answer. Nothing’smore important than finding his son, and when he sees the effects of Pippa’svoice in locating a missing child, he begins to believe that the Librarian wasright. Pippa knows from experience what it is to be a small child separatedfrom parents, and the thought of Donal gets past the barriers she has in place.She also finds Oz difficult to resist; the chemistry between them is explosive.She finds it impossible to resist Oz and her own heart.

I requested this book from the publisher viaNetGalley hoping that the use of “Magic” in the title meant the book wasconnected to Rice’s Malcolm and Ives books, which I remembered fondly. AlthoughLure has a contemporary setting, I was delighted to find that there is aconnection which plays a significant role in the plot.

Pippa and Oz are both compelling characters, andboth have sound reasons for their opposing positions. It’s difficult to see howboth can achieve their goals, and yet the reader is sympathetic to Oz’sdetermination to find his son and to Pippa’s desire for a peaceful life. The conflictkept me eagerly turning the pages.

The fantasy is central without overpowering theromance, not an easy balance to achieve. I found Pippa’s siren voice with itspotential for good and for destruction fascinating, but it never distracted mefrom her relationship with Oz. The book also has some interesting secondarycharacters who deserve their own stories. I found Pippa’s mother and Oz’sbrother especially interesting. Some key questions remain unanswered, and Ihope they signal that Rice is planning a series. If you are looking forsomething a bit different that still offers great contemporary romance, Irecommend The Lure of Song and Magic. You can read the first chapter here.

What’s your favorite blend of fantasy and romance?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:23:00.000-05:00

Peace on Earth--and in your heart.

Good will to you and yours.

May your Christmas be a blessed one.

I Only Want Books for Christmas

2011-12-23T02:19:00.004-05:00

(with apologies to Alan Jackson)

The rain is falling on Christmas Eve.
Wrapped presents are under the tree.
Are there tons for me?

I only want books for Christmas, Santa.
Hey, I need nothing else.
I only want books for Christmas, Santa.
Tie a ribbon 'round a shelf.
Oh, tie a ribbon 'round a shelf.

I’m not writing a letter to add to your long list.
’Cause what I'm wanting this year I know you just can’t miss.

I only want books for Christmas, Santa.

Hey, I need nothing else.
I only want books for Christmas, Santa.
Tie a ribbon 'round a shelf.
Oh, tie a ribbon 'round a shelf.

I’ll put on my reading glasses. Forget that mistletoe.
Books fill me with the holiday spirit.
Santa, I know you know. Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!

I only want books for Christmas, Santa.

Hey, I need nothing else.
I only want books for Christmas, Santa.
Tie a ribbon 'round a shelf.
Oh, tie a ribbon 'round a shelf.

Ebooks will be fine. Gift cards? Perfect! Santa, I’ll usethe gift card for the first fifteen titles on my wish list, all but two Januaryreleases. I’ve alphabetized them by author just to make it really easy.

ChristinaBrooke, Mad About the Earl (Ministry of Marriage #2): I loved the first book inthe series and am fascinated by the Ministry of Marriage concept.
MandaCollins, How to Dance with a Duke (Ugly Ducklings #1): I know what a great readthis one is because I read a draft. I can’t wait to reread it and to squeeheartily over my friend Manda’s debut.
LisaDale, A Promise of Safekeeping: This is classified as a thriller, not a genre Iusually read. But I like Dale’s voice, and I am intrigued by the subject, the effectsof an innocent man’s incarceration on the man himself, his best friend, and theprosecuting attorney.
CarolaDunn, Gone West (Daisy Dalrymple Mystery #20): I’m daffy about Daisy and nevermiss a book in this series. Since the murder victim in this one is a novelist,it promises to be especially interest.
AnneGracie, Bride by Mistake (Devil Riders #5): I’ve been an Anne Gracie fan sinceI read Gallant Waif more than a decade ago. I’ve loved all the Devil Ridersbooks (The Accidental Wedding was my top read of 2010), and I am beyond eagerto read the story of daredevil Luke Ripton.
KristinHannah, Home Front: Hannah is another of my auto-buy authors, and she callsthis book about the effect of a wife and mother’s deployment on a family the“best, most emotional book [she’s] ever written.” I’ve already bought an extrabox of Kleenex.
MirandaJames, File M for Murder (Cat in the Stacks #3): I’m not even a feline fancierand I love these Athena Mississippi, librarian Charlie Harris, and Diesel,Charlie's Maine coon cat. In this one, Charlie’s daughter is the prime suspect.Now that’s a surefire teaser.
Sabrina Jeffries, A Lady Never Surrenders(Hellions of Halstead Hall #5): I’ve read an excerpt and I can’t wait to readthe rest. LadyCelia Sharpe and Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter promise to be a wonderfulpair, and I so want to know the truth about the deaths of the Sharpe parents.
Darynda Jones, Third Grave Dead Ahead (CharlotteDavidson #3): I’m not much of a paranormal reader. Frankly, I started thisseries because my friend PJ sent me a Darynda Jones notebook in a RWA swagpackage, and I loved the notebook so much (the size and paper texture) that Ifelt obligated to try the books. I loved the humor and the terrific dialogueeven though Charley’s love interest makes me uneasy. I’m definitely interestedin what the Grim Reaper is up to next.
Tony Judt, The Memory Chalet: This one is 2010 bookI kept meaning to read and didn’t. This renowned historian composed theseautobiographical recollections as nocturnal reflections during the final monthsof his life when his body was imprisoned by Lou Gehrig’s disease but his mindwas free to wonder and ruminate.
MaryOliver, House of Light: This is actually a 1990 publication, but it’s beingreleased as a Kindle edition in January, and I am thrilled by the thought ofpulling up a poem from this collection when I need to be lifted out of myselfor a moment that threatens to imprison me in the mundane. “Still, what I wantin my life / is to be willing / to be dazzled—”
PatriciaRice, The Lure of Song and Magic. I read this and loved this combination offantasy, mystery, and romance in e-ARC form from NetGalley. Now I must have acopy I can reread and reread. In fact, I want to reread Rice’s Magic series andfinish with this book.
MarkRichard, House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer's Journey Home: This is not a Januaryrelease. It’s one I missed in 2010. But I want to read this memoir of a writer,a Christ-haunted figure who would have been at home in a Flannery O’Connornovel.
JoAnnRoss, On Lavender Lane (Shelter Bay #3): I love that Ross has returned to thekind of books that first made me a fan. I look forward to a return visit toShelter Bay and this reunion story that features a former SEAL and a celebritychef.
KakiWarner, Colorado Dawn (Runaway Brides #2): Photographer Maddie Wallace capturedmy interest in Heartbreak Creek, the first book in the series. In the secondbook, Scotsman Angus Wallace, new heir to an earldom and determined to sire anheir of his own, pursues his errant wife to Heartbreak Creek, Colorado.

Note: I've already used an early gift card to preorder copies of Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr, Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke, The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James, How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long, and The Pleasure of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros. I've already read all but the Medeiros, but I want keeper copies.

Are you getting books for Christmas? What January books are you most anticipating?

Tuesday Review: A Marriage Carol

2011-12-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

A Marriage Carol

By Chris Fabry and Gary D. Chapman

Publisher: Moody

Release Date: September 1, 2011

Borrowing some elements from Charles Dickens Christmasclassic, Fabry and Chapman create a story that is more allegory than carol. Thetwenty-year marriage of Marlee and Jacob Ebenezer is on the verge of beingcanceled due to accumulated distance and lack of interest. On the evening of Christmas Eve, theirwedding anniversary, they are on their way to a lawyer’s office to sign divorcepapers when, after Jacob’s insistence on leaving the sanded interstate highwayfor a shortcut, they are involved in an automobile accident. Marlee regainsconsciousness to find herself alone in a car that won’t start and with a cellphone that has no signal.

Searching for her husband, she stumbles through the snow anddarkness to find a house occupied by an old man and his wife. The wife remainsupstairs out of sight, but the old man offers Marlee help—refuge from the cold,three-bean chili and cornbread, and an effort to find Jacob. He doesn’t findJacob, but he offers Marlee shelter for the night in his home, which is aformer funeral home turned into a retreat where he and his wife offer help fortroubled marriages. Marlee to her own surprise tells Jay about her marriage.Jay encourages her to hold on to hope that love can be resurrected andinstructs her in the use of three golden pots that he uses in his marriagecounseling. When Marlee melts snow in the first one, she finds herself immersedin scenes from her past, complete with sound effects that include DanFogelberg’s “Promises Made.” Scenes from her childhood and youth flicker past;the focus is on her life with Jacob from the “season of delight” when they wereyoung and newly in love through the moment they left their children to head forthe divorce lawyer’s office. As Marlee uses the other snow-filled golden potsin turn, she sees Christmas present with her frightened children, her parentsand her sister praying for her, an old boyfriend, and Jacob buried in snow; andshe sees Christmas future with a miserable second marriage, children estrangedfrom her, and the possibility of a very different future. She is reminded that“One choice changes the construction of a life.” And she’s left to make her choice.

A Marriage Carol is not a romance novel. It is a short (128pages) story of a marriage that rises renewed from the ashes of hopelessnessand resignation written by two writers well-known within the Christiancommunity. Its message that God can restore broken marriages when both partiesare committed to Him, to one another, and to their marriage will evoke hope insome and seem simplistic to others. The prose is sometimes lovely and lyrical (“Thereis no barren place on earth that love cannot grow a garden. Not even yourheart.”) and sometimes over the top (“The phone was stillborn. As lifeless asmy soul.”).

I have refrained from a ranking because I could not decidehow to rate this book. I can imagine recommending it highly to a friend andfellow believer who is experiencing marital ennui or to a church group lookingfor something that speaks to their needs and to their faith. Even tagging it asan inspirational romance is inaccurate. Its purpose is didactic, and I use theterm strictly and in no pejorative sense. It is effective for its purpose, butits purpose is different from that of a romance novel. I will also add thatwhile it employs a Christmas setting, it is not really a Christmas book. Snowis essential to the plot, but the Christmas season isn’t.

Do you sometimes have difficulty assigning a rating to booksyou read? What do you expect from a Christmas book?

Janga’s Top Ten in Romance Fiction for 2011

2011-12-16T00:27:00.000-05:00

Writer Russell Banks’s statement that “[l]istsof books we reread and books we can't finish tell more about us than about therelative worth of the books themselves” can be applied to lists of bestbooks as well. Such lists are subjective, and I know from my time with theRomance Vagabonds that even readers with similar tastes are unlikely to produceidentical best books lists. Even knowing this, I am fascinated by the annualcompilation of best books lists and read every one that comes through my email,Google reader, or Tweet stream. I cheer when I see one of my favoritesrecognized, mutter imprecations when one I deem unworthy is acknowledged, andmake notes about those I’ve missed but think I will enjoy. Only Booklist lacked the discernment in 2011to agree with me about a single one of the best romance fiction books of theyear. Library Journal and I concurred on three; it would have been four if Iallowed myself to include two books by one author. Amazon and I agreed on two,and even Publishers Weekly included one of my best books in their brief (topfive) list. (Check out their slide show and see if you think they may be biasedin favor of books with blue in the cover design.)

I created my own best books list before I ever heard ofemail loops, bulletin boards, or blogs, carefully noting in my reading journalthe books that had given me particular delight, challenged me to think longthoughts, or led me into a world that I left with a sigh and a promise toreturn. But my annual list has been more fun since I’ve had an audience withwhom to share it. I look forward to going public and having people say, “Oh,yes! I loved that one too.” It’s almostas much fun when someone says, “Oh, surely not. I didn’t even finish that one.”Differences make for interesting conversation.

Some people rank their best books. I can’t. How can I place inlast place on my list a book I adored? My top three—or, to be more accurate, athree-way tie for my top romance of the year—will be posted on another sitelater. Here I make no distinctions. I just share my top ten romance novels of2011, books I read and loved and that I expect to love more with eachrereading. There were other books I read this year that were five-star readsfor me and even more that were four-star reads. Many of them were added to me keepershelves, and all of them gave me hours of reading pleasure. But these, listedin alphabetical order by author, are ten books that I’d take with me if I werespending 2012 on an island and could take only ten romance novels from 2011with me to reread throughout the year.

The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne

I think The Black Hawkis Bourne’s finest book yet. It is part historical thriller and part romance,and both parts are the work of a writer who practices her craft withunfaltering excellence. Justine DeCabrillac and Adrian Hawkhurst have alreadycaptured readers’ interest; in this book they capture readers’ hearts as wellin an unforgettable love story that I expect to see join thr ranks of classicromance novels.

The Other Guy’s Bride by Connie Brockway

Some books are just fun. This sequel to the beloved As YouDesire is one of those books. The Other Guy's Bride has wit and heart and Brockway’s prose, anyone of which would make me glad I read it. Together they propel it on this list.The link is to Gannon’s review at The Romance Dish.

Silk Is for Seduction by Loretta Chase

The first book in a new series by a writer who consistentlyproves she is one of the best writers of any year, Silk Is for Seduction offers a strong-willed,self-made heroine, a duke who counts his world well lost for love, and lines thatare among my favorites of the year: “Life isn’t perfect. But I’d much ratherlive it imperfectly with you.”

A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran

This one has it all--engagingcharacters, compelling plot, and wonderful prose. Another keeper from Duran whogets better with every book, A Lady's Lesson in Scandal gives the most credible and unforgettablelook at a heroine reared in poverty moving into a world of the privilege that I’veseen in all my years of reading romance fiction. The link is to Gannon’s review at The Romance Dish.

The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James

When Beauty Tamed the Beast wouldhave been on my list had I not read This Duke Is Mine in 2011. I love all three of James’sfairy tale books, but this one has a warrior poet (not the hero) who touched myheart and made this book more than just another book I love.

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long

I knew when I read this book in January that it would be onthis list. I’ve reread What I Did for a Duke twice since then, and I fell more deeply in love withthe characters and the story each time. Long takes conventional roles, theproper maiden and the dangerous rake, and shows two characters who see beneaththe image to the complexities that make up the real person. And the author’sprose is as seductive as her hero.

Angel’s Rest by Emily March

I’m a fan ofsmall-town settings, and Eternity Springs has become one of my favorites. Butit’s the hero of Angel’s Rest who earns this book a spot on my top ten list. GabrielCallahan is a man who lost two lives, but he gets a shot at a third after loveand Eternity Springs work their healing miracle

The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton by Miranda Neville

From the minute I saw the title, I loved The AmorousEducation of Celia Seaton. The reasons are many. It’s a book that is smart,witty, tender, and memorable. It also has a hero who admits he would not havefallen in love with the heroine at first sight but might have after he came toknow her. How rare is that honesty in romance?

Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney

I confess that I gave an extra cheer when Nowhere Near Respectable showed up on the LJ list since I felt a lot of reviews undervaluedit. I loved its multi-ethnicity and its hero, whom I labeled a beta who giveslie to the idea that beta heroes are not strong and hot and the author called a“warrior poet.” Whatever the label, he's a keeper--and so is the book. The link is to Cheryl Sneed's commentary at Heroes and Heartbreakers.

The Beach Trees by Karen White

A little bit women’s fiction, a little bit romantic suspense,and wholly extraordinary, White’s “grit lit” look at a generations-spanningmystery set in a region that demonstrates its tenacity and resiliencethroughout The Beach Trees is a book to be cherished, remembered, and reread.

What are your choices for the top romance novels of 2011?

Note: All links are to my reviews at this site or to guest reviews at The Romance Dish unless otherwise specified.

Tuesday Review: How the Marquess Was Won

2011-12-13T01:14:00.000-05:00

Howthe Marquess Was Won
ByJulie Anne Long
Publisher:Avon
ReleaseDate: December 27, 2011
Five Stars

Julian Spenser, Marquess Dryden, is the idol of theton. His every move is followed slavishly by those who aspire to the pinnacleof approval and influence he has reached, but none can approach his perfection.His admirers are unaware that Dryden has reached his position through carefulcalculation and a determination to restore the family reputation and fortune.His plan will be complete when he acquires one last piece of land from IsaiahRedmond. He expects marriage to Isaiah’s niece, the beautiful Lisbeth Redmond,to make that acquisition possible.

Phoebe Vale, born in dire poverty in the Londonslums, has achieved respectability and independence by virtue of a benefactor whosaw that she was enrolled in Miss Marietta Endicott’s Academy for Girls whereshe is presently an instructor. Phoebe has a weakness for the scandal sheets,and thus she is well acquainted with the gossip about Lord Ice, as Dryden iscalled. But she never expected to see him in Pennyroyal Green in Postlethwaite’sShop. She certainly never expected to be the object of a kissing bet involvingthe gentleman.

She also never expected to see him at Miss MariettaEndicott’s Academy for Girls, but there he is. And this time he notices Phoebeand is intrigued by a schoolteacher who behaves in a most unschoolteacherishmanner. When Phoebe accepts an invitation from a former pupil, Lisbeth Redmond,to serve as her companion for the summer, she is thrown into the company ofDryden on a regular basis. Lisbeth makes clear her interest in Lord Ice, and heproceeds with his courtship, even as his attraction to Phoebe grows intofeelings that complicate all Dryden’s plans. Lisbeth is all he needs in abride, but it is Phoebe who holds his interest and soon his heart. A matchbetween the two is unthinkable, and Phoebe will be no man’s mistress.

Julie Anne Long takes a conventional plot—lord fallsfor woman of a lower social class, she rejects his offer of an illicitrelationship, all seems hopeless until . . . But Long creates characters whoare so compelling that standard plot is a minor point. Phoebe is a survivor,intelligent, funny, sensitive, and strong-willed. She is also what she knowsherself to be, not an aristocrat’s daughter born inside or outside wedlock. Drydenis much more than a man of fashion and the envy of his peers. He is a man ofsubstance in the truest sense of that term; he possesses an ultimatereality that underlies all outward manifestations. In what has become arecurring motif in Long’s Pennyroyal books, Dryden and Phoebe see beyond theimage that each projects to the person who thinks and feels, dreams and fears,soars, and stumbles, and it is the reality with whom they fall in love.

This is a wonderfully romanticbook. That may sound redundant when speaking of a romance novel, but truly itisn’t. I read a lot of romances these days that devote great attention to sexbut little to romance. Long doesn’t stint on the heat, and the sexual tensionis superbly done, but there are also moments like the waltz scene that revealnot just desire but also tenderness and sentiment and impulsive affection.

As always with a JAL book, theprose is sometimes tactile, frequently lyrical, and always purposeful; it isnot opaque and ornamental. Consider howmuch is revealed about both hero and heroine in this description of Phoebe’seyes from Dryden’s point of view:

Mutely, he looked at her. Too full to speak. Her eyes were green. He knewthat decisively now. A more facile man would have compared them flatteringly tosomething—leaves or moss or emeralds or some such—but all he would truthfullybe able to say was that no one he’d ever known possessed eyes quite hers. Ithad little to do with their color. It was in the way that over the course ofmere days he’d found himself saying things just to see how they would change: howhumor would kindle them, and kindness soften them, and anger make them flash,and how he felt when the light of them was turned on him. How he wanted to holdup his hands before them and warm them.

Humor is also part of the appeal of this book.Phoebe and Dryden banter in a fashion that will delight readers who enjoy suchexchanges. Phoebe’s cat Charybdis, a feline who has a personality the equal ofHermione Granger’s Crookshanks, has an important role that will leave readerslaughing—and wincing. There are appearances by Redmonds and Everseas and tantalizingreferences to others. There are at least a couple that clearly demand their ownbooks. How the Marquess Was Won is the sixth book in Long’s Pennyroyal Greenseries. I’ll be content to see the series twice that length. I highly recommend the book--and the series. Book 6 won thisreader’s affection and a place on the keeper shelf. I just have one question:What’s next, Ms. Long?

What series has held your interest for the longest?Do you think there’s an ideal length for a series? Have you visited PennyroyalGreen, Sussex?

Watching Christmas: My Top Ten Christmas TV Episodes

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

I admit it. I was never one of the cool kids,and at my time of life, I’ve accepted that I’m never going to join that group.Frankly, I left any aspiration to be cool behind about the same time that I stoppedwearing flared-leg jeans and angel sleeves. I say these things not as any sortof personal manifesto but rather to preface my selection of favorite Christmasepisodes of TV shows and to warn the Christmas cynics among you that myfavorites are unabashedly sentimental--some would say some of them aredownright cheesy. (And yes, I’m old enough to have seen all of the originalepisodes, although I was a mere infant—almost--for the early ones.)

I love Christmas movies too, but that asubject for another blog. This one’s all about episodic television, andChristmas shows that still have me checking the TVLand schedule and Hulu Plus to see them one more time.

1. “The Christmas Story,”The Andy Griffith Show (December 19,1960)

Thescene is the Mayberry jail where Mayberry’s moonshiner, Sam Muggins, has beenlocked up by Andy on Christmas Eve at the insistence of Grinch-hearted shopowner Ben Weaver. Andy arrests him, but he also arrests Sam’s wife and childrenas "accessories before,during, and after the fact" and deputizes Aunt Bea, Opie, and Ellie towatch the “dangerous” crew. The two families unite to turn Mayberry’s jail intothe warmest, most inviting place to spend Christmas. Weaver even manages to gethimself arrested so he can join the happy group, bringing gifts from his store.And if Weaver’s heart-growing, moonshine-nipping conversion isn’t Christmassyenough, there’s the inimitable Don Knotts as Barney Fife playing Santa Claus.

2. “Humbug NotTo Be Spoken Here,” Bewitched (December 21, 1967)

Darrin(the first one, Dick York) has a grumpy client, Mr. Mortimer, who insists onworking late on Christmas Eve. Even though Darrin leaves the meeting to be athome with Samantha and Tabitha, that night Sam takes on the guise of the Spiritof Christmas à la Charles Dickens, even taking theScrooge-as-soup-king to the North Pole for a visit with Santa.

3. “Christmas at Plum Creek,” Little House on the Prairie (December 25, 1974)

Thisone’s all about giving. Pa’s making a set of wagon wheels to earn the money tobuy Ma a new stove. Ma’s making Pa a new shirt, and so is Mary. Ma ends uphiding her shirt to let Mary’s gift shine. Laura sold her horse, Bunny, to Mr.Oleson to buy the new stove for Ma. Carrie uses her penny to buy a gift forBaby Jesus.

4. “Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas,” Happy Days (December 17, 1974)

Fonzie tells Al thestory of the Christmas Howard Cunningham didn’t get the traditional, familyChristmas he wanted, Fonzie got the family he didn’t know he needed, and thefamously disappearing Chuck Cunningham was still part of the family. Theepisode ends with Fonzie being asked to say grace over the Cunningham familydinner.

5. “Death Takes aHoliday,” M*A*S*H (December 15, 1980)

Christmas comeseven in war zones. The 4077^th,at the urging of Father Mulcahy have invited the children from the localorphanage to a Christmas part in the mess tent. B.J. gives fudge from home tothe cause, and Charles, who turns out to be a secret Santa, offers smokedoysters. While Colonel Potter plays Santa, Hawkeye, B.J., and Margaret battleto keep a mortally wounded soldier alive for one more day so that his familywon’t forever associate Christmas with the day their son/husband/father died.

6. “Basinger’s NewYork,” Highway to Heaven (December17, 1986)

A disillusioned,divorced New York newspaper columnist Jeb Basinger (played by Richard Mulligan)struggles to write his Christmas column. Jonathan and Mark must show thecynical journalist that goodness and hope exists. Jeb accompanies them as theyhelp a 20^th-century homeless Mary and Joseph find food, shelter, anda hospital for their child to be born. Along the way, they help a cab driverfind his missing son, a senator and his wife find love, and some homeless menfind purpose, and Jeb finds Christmas miracles enough to write his story andchange his life.

7. “Christmas,” The WonderYears (December 14, 1988)

What can you dowhen the girl you love has a Christmas gift for you, and you have $6 and noidea what to get her? This is the problem Kevin Arnold is facing in 1968, theyear he and his butt-head brother are trying to talk their dad into buying thefamily’s first color TV for Christmas. I loved the beginning and endingretrospective narratives of this show. “Christmas” closes with these words:

I don't even remember what I got for Christmas that year.But Dad gave Mom a bracelet that knocked her socks off. Oh, yeah... and he didget us that color-TV... two years later. For me, that year Christmas stoppedbeing about tinsel and wrapping paper, and started being about memory. At firstI was disappointed. Until I learned that memory is a way of holding on to thethings you love, the things you are, the things you wish to never lose. And Ilearned from Winnie, that in a world that changes too fast, the best we can dois wish each other Merry Christmas. [Kevinopens Winnie's present, which is a four-leaf clover] And good luck.

8. “The First Day ofthe Last Decade of the Entire Twentieth Century,” Designing Women (January 1, 1990)

I’m cheatinghere because this is a New Year’s episode rather than a Christmas one, but 1989was not a good year for Christmas episodes. This was the first holiday showthat year that had the special warmth that marks the standouts for me. I alwaysthink of it as a Christmas show.

Charlenedreams of a visit from her “guardian celebrity,” Dolly Parton, who tells herthat a baby girl will soon arrive. When Charlene is saddened by the thought offamily members who didn’t live to see her soon-to-arrive daughter, Dollyassures her that they will be with the child in spirit as she grows toadulthood. Charlene is awakened by labor pains. Bill’s plane is grounded by badweather, and Julia, Mary Jo, and Suzanne take her to the hospital.

In the hospital, Juliameets Minnie Bell Ward, a 102-year-old woman who is waiting for death. Thecharacter was inspired by Meshach Taylor’s grandmother. Like Taylor’sgrandmother, Miss Minnie shares stories of her long life that spanned most ofthe 20^th century. As the old year departs, Miss Minnie dies, and asthe new year begins, Charlene and Bill’s daughter Olivia is born.

9. “Fear Not,” Touched by an Angel (December 25, 1994)

Monica and Tess bothbefriend Joey, a mentally challenged teenager. Joey must learn to let go of hisfear of the dark, a legacy of his parents’ deaths in an automobile accident atnight, in order to help his friend Selena. Monica’s special mission is to teachWayne, Joey’s older brother, burdened by duty and resentful of hisresponsibility for Joey, to open his heart to brotherly love. These charactersreappear in several episodes including the series finale, but this one, a realtearjerker, is the best. Tess always gets the best lines. In “Fear Not,” shesays to Monica: “When life keeps you in the dark, baby, that's when you startlooking at the stars.”

10. “In Excelsis Deo,” The West Wing (December 15, 1999)

Life in the WhiteHouse and for its staffers continues at its complicated pace while Toby iscalled by the D.C. police to identify a homeless man found dead wearing Toby’scoat. Toby had donated the coat to Good Will and accidentally left his card init. But he is determined to identify the man, and when he discovers the man wasa Korean War veteran, he uses the influence of his position to arrange a militaryfuneral and burial at Arlington. When President Bartlett warns that Toby couldbe setting a precedent, Toby responds, “I can only hope so, sir.” Only the deadman’s brother, also homeless, Toby, and Mrs. Landingham, whose two sons werekilled in Vietnam, attend the funeral.

Iswatching Christmas one of the ways you celebrate the season? What are yourfavorite Christmas TV episodes? Your favorite Christmas movies?

Tuesday Review: The Duke Is Mine

2011-12-06T10:12:00.001-05:00

The Duke Is Mine

By Eloisa James
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: December 27, 2011
Five Stars

Olivia Lytton was born to be a duchess, and her whole lifehas been a process of preparing her for that role. She and her twin sisterGeorgiana, younger by seven minutes, have been schooled in all the finer pointsof proper duchess behavior. The result in Georgiana’s case is perfection. Fromher slender beauty to her every word and move, she is ideal duchess material.Olivia, on the other hand, is disastrously frank with a fondness for bawdylimericks and a lushly curved body that fails the elegance test. Nevertheless,by virtue of being first born, she is destined to be the bride of RupertBlakemore, Marquess of Montsurrey and heir to the Duke of Canterwick. Rupert isfive years her junior and a simple soul who has none of Olivia’s intelligenceand wit. But Rupert has reached the age of eighteen, and his father is eager tosee him wed. Olivia is unhappy but resigned to her fate. Her consolation isthat her marriage will enable her to dower Georgiana and help her to find a manwith whom she can find happiness.

Surprisingly, it is young Rupert who delays the marriagebecause he has a vision of achieving military glory. He departs with a retinuehis father is persuaded will keep him safe, leaving Olivia with the true loveof his life, Lucy, a most non-aristocratic dog. Meanwhile Georgiana hasreceived an invitation from the mother of Tarquin Brook-Chatfield, the Duke ofSconce, a woman bent on finding a proper duchess for her widowed son. Oliviaaccompanies her sister on her visit to the ducal domicile.

The Duke of Sconce, like Olivia, is resigned to marriage.His first marriage was a love match on his part, and it ended in tragedy. He allowshis mother to play matchmaker because he has determined to have nothing more todo with love. His devotion now is reserved for mathematics, a field where hehas better fortune solving the problems. But from his first sight of Olivia,his life begins to change. He finds her beautiful and the more time they spendtogether, the greater distraction she becomes. Since his mother is puttingGeorgiana and another young woman through a series of tests to determine theirfitness to become the next Duchess of Sconce, Quin and Olivia are often in eachother’s company. Soon to the physical attraction that sparked between themearly are added an appreciation of one another’s intelligence, an openness intheir communication, and the sense of wholeness they discover in one another.Georgiana thinks Quin will make her a perfect husband. Olivia’s betrothalpapers to a man who is fighting for his country have been signed. What are twohonorable people who are hopelessly in love to do?

The Duke Is Mine is the third book in James’s Happily EverAfter series, novels that offer the author’s take on classic fairy tales.Although I loved A Kiss at Midnight (Cinderella) and When Beauty Tamed theBeast (Beauty and the Beast), I had reservations about a romance based on thePrincess and the Pea. Unlike the other two, it was not a favorite fairy tale,and I didn’t see it as romantic at all. I should have trusted the author. Jamestakes elements from Hans Christian Andersen’s tale and weaves them into a storythat is truly and delightfully a romance.

Like the princess in the fairy tale, when Olivia first meets“the prince,” she is a refugee from the storm, “in a sad condition; the watertrickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body.” But unlike theoriginal bedraggled princess, Olivia doesn’t feel like a real princess—or evena real duchess. She is convinced that she is totally unsuited physically and temperamentallyto be a duchess, and it is not she but her sister who is being tested by thereigning matriarch. Olivia is everything Quin’s mother finds most unsuitablefor a real duchess. But Olivia is no passive princess who goes meekly off tosleep on twenty mattresses. She challenges Quin from their first exchange. Iloved her irrepressibility and vulnerability and determination to be herself. Iloved that she was more earthy than ethereal. I loved her wit and her bawdy senseof humor. I loved her intelligence, strength, and honor. I loved herunderstanding heart.

And Quin! I fell hard for him from the first description.

. . . the Duke ofSconce was the sort of man repulsed by the very idea of fairy tales. He neitherread nor thought about them (let alone believedin them); the notion of playing a role in one would have been preposterous, andhe would have rejected outright the notion that he resembled in any fashion thegolden-haired, velvet-lad princes generally found in such tales.

TarquinBrook-Chatfield, Duke of Sconce—known as Quin to his intimates, who numberedexactly two—was more like the villain in those stories than the hero, and heknew it.

I loved Quin’s intelligence, his passion for mathematics, andhis logic. Most of all, I loved his overwhelming feelings for Olivia.

This is a story rich in humor, and I smiled a lot andsometimes laughed aloud while reading it. But as the story unfolded, I becameaware how much more there was to the novel than a few hours entertainment.James takes a company of flawed characters and from the hero and heroine toQuin’s arrogant mother to the plebian pet, Lucy, shows love making them all “real.”Quin’s mother might have been just another controlling mother, but Jamesreveals that it is not false pride but genuine love for her son who wasdevastated by his first marriage that motivates her actions. Even Rupert’s manipulativefather becomes endearing when the reader sees his pride and love for his son.Rupert’s foil, his cousin Justin (a Bieber tribute in honor of James’sdaughter), might have been shallow but instead possesses an enviable joie devivre. Georgiana’s perfection would have been boring had the reader not seenthe unconventional ambition that lay beneath her polished exterior. And mostsurprising, Rupert, who in less skillful hands might have been little more thana buffoon, become the realest of all—not because he ends up a military hero butbecause he had all along the sensitivity and compassion that are the verydefinition of realness, as the story of the Princess and the Pea illustrates.

The Duke Is Mine has all the things I look for in an EloisaJames novel: the wit, the literary allusions, the lyrical moments, the lovescene in an unexpected setting. Quin and Olivia’s tree house, which “hadwindows on all four sides open to the moonlight, which poured in like fairydust turned silver,” may just be my favorite in a long list of such scenes.

This is a book to which I will return, one that I willreread often, anticipating that it will break my heart in places and set itsinging in others. I highly recommend it.

Do you like romances based on fairy tales? What are some of your favorites?

Deadline Dungeon, Again!

2011-11-29T00:40:00.001-05:00

My apologies for failing to post a review today. I'm on deadline again and am working about eighteen hours a day trying to finish. I'll return on December 3 with a new post. Tuesday Review will resume December 6. Now, back to the dungeon. . .

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

May your table be filled with good food.

May your hearts be warm with love forfamily and friends.

May your list of things that you arethankful for rival the stars in number.

I’m taking today off to spend with my family, and then I’llbe deep, deep in the deadline cave. But I’ll be back on November 29 withanother Tuesday Review.

Tuesday Review: Short Takes

2011-11-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is Thanksgiving week, and one themany things—great and small--that I’m grateful for in 2011 is the proliferation of novellas and shortstories for ereaders. I know that not everyone likes short fiction, but I do,especially when I’m busier than usual and don’t have time for a full lengthnovel. I’m on deadline again, and as usual, I’m pushing to make it and willprobably upload my final article minutes before midnight on November 28, makingthe deadline by a hair. I have a dozen or more novels I’m eager to read, butthey will have to wait another week. But I will steal the time during lunchbreak or just before bedtime to read some short fiction. I’ve already read andenjoyed the following.

“Winning the Wallflower” by Eloisa James ($.99, novella, AvonImpulse, available December 6)

Cyrus Ravensthorpe,the only son of a successful solicitor and a duke’s daughter who scandalizedthe ton by falling in love , eloping, and living quite happily forever after,has devoted his life to restoring his family’s reputation and status. He hasgone about achieving his goal quite methodically: he has earned great wealth,bought an estate (the one where his mother grew up that his irresponsible,arrogant cousin has been forced to sell), and proposed to towering LucyTowerton whose height and propriety have made her a wallflower unlikely tocapture the title her mother wants for her.

When Lucy unexpectedlyinherits a fortune, her snob of a mother pressures her to break the engagementto Ravensthorpe and lines up lords eager to court the new heiress. At first,Lucy is reluctant to break the engagement because Ravensthorpe’s good lucks andperfect height for a tall lady have captured her interest, but she decideshandsomeness and proper height may make a dancing partner but won’t compensate for a man who doesn’t see her,who doesn’t want the person she is rather than an eligible bride. By the timeRavensthorpe discovers that Lucy is not just what he needs to fulfill his planbut the one woman he must have to fill his heart and life, it’s almost toolate.

I love Lucy! I loveher humor and intelligence and vulnerability, and I love seeing her gain inawareness of her own worth. I love that she becomes self-confident enough torefuse to settle. Ravensthorpe has a sharper learning curve, and although hedidn’t inspire the same affection that Lucy did, I did delight in watching himlearn.

Lucy’s best friendOlivia shares her insecurities, her mother problems, her unsatisfactorybetrothal, and her dream of more. If I had not already read The Duke Is Mine, I would be longing forOlivia’s story. But since I have read TheDuke Is Mine and relished every syllable of Olivia’s story, I’m longing forthe release date (December 27, 2011) so that we can all rave about it together.Look for my review of that novel next month.

“The Christmas CookieChronicles: Carrie” by Lori Wilde ($1.99, novella, Avon Impulse)

If you read The First LoveCookie Club (December 2010), you may remember one of the legends ofTwilight, Texas: “On Christmas Eve, if you sleep with kismet cookies underyour pillow and dream of your own true love, he will be your destiny.” A year later, Wilde takes us back toTwilight, Texas, with three Christmas Cookie Chronicles. I read the first one.

Eight years ago, on Christmas, CarrieMacGregor and Mark Leland, high school sweethearts, eloped to Las Vegas. Whenthey returned home to Twilight, Mark’s parents and Carrie’s older sisterpersuaded the teenagers that they should annul their marriage. It seems thatCarrie and Mark are the pair that casts into question the legend that is theheart of Twilight. More than a century ago, a statue was erected in the parknear the town square memorializing the love between two other teenage lovers: aUnion soldier and a Southern belle whose love survived the Civil War andfifteen years of separation. Legend says that a lover who threw a penny intothe fountain in Sweetheart Park assured a reunion and a happily-ever-after withhis/her high school sweetheart. Carrie threw more pennies than she could countinto the fountain, but she has never heard from Mark Leland.

But that’s about to change. Mark, nowhost of a reality, myth-bursting show Fact or Fiction, is returning to Twilightto check out the facts of the town’s greatest legend. Will the hometown herodestroy the town? An even more important question may be whether the legend’spower will work for the hero and his heroine. The chemistry between Mark andCarrie is as explosive as ever, but can an L. A. star and a small-town girlreally reunite for Christmas and for their own HEA?

If you have enjoyed Wilde’s otherTwilight books, you will appreciate the community feel, the familiarcharacters, and the unabashed sentiment of this novella. If you are new toWilde, this sweet bite with a touch of spice may well inspire you to feast onthe series.

The first novella will be followed by “The ChristmasCookie Chronicles: Raylene” ($1.99, novella, Avon Impulse, November 29) and “TheChristmas Cookie Chronicles: Christine” ($1.99, novella, Avon Impulse, December20).

“The French Maid” by Sabrina Jeffries (free, short story,Pocket)

Jeffries's story about a lonely ladyunhappy with her ambitious political husband who has no time for her and themysterious Babette Lebeau, a French maid with a gift for marriage makeovers wasreleased last month, but I read it onlya few days ago. It’s short and sweet, and it left me with a smile and a wish tosee more of Babette, who steals the show.

“A Very Holly Christmas” by Sheila Roberts (free, sample, St.Martin’s)

Ambrose the cat is on his ninth life,and it’s in jeopardy when a feline Christmas prayer brings a reprieve and a newhome with a fireman who, whether he knows it or not, needs Ambrose. This one isan amusing story, sure to please cat lovers that serves to whet the reader’staste for Roberts’s Christmas novel TheNine Lives of Christmas (October 25).

“The Glass Case” by Kristin Hannah (free, short story, St.Martin’s)

April Bannerman is not exactly unhappy, but she is questioningthe choices that led her to where she is-- mother of three young children, wifeto the only man she’s ever loved, fixture in the town she grew up in. Then in amoment, routine turns to nightmare, and April rediscovers not only what mattersmost but also that love is larger than she knew. This is a quick read, but ithas the ordinary people and the extraordinary emotional punch that I look forin Hannah’s fiction.

“Dashing Through the Snow”by Diane Farr ($.99, novella, Amazon Digital Services)

This is the reissue ofa Christmas novella I loved and was delighted to reread: “The Reckless MissRipley” from Signet’s 2000 Christmas anthology, A Regency Christmas Eve. With an irrepressible heroine, anendearing beta hero, and the warmth and smart dialogue that made Diane Farr afavorite, it’s a winner. I hope these reissues mean that more Diane FarrRegencies await us.

“Lord Samhain’s Night” by JoBeverley ($.99, novella)

The only Jo Beverley Regency I didn’t own, this is a paranormaltale about a love triangle that should never have happened and the danger ofchallenging the lord of death. This is the first time this novella has beenavailable since its original publication in 1992.

“Only Us: A Fool’s GoldHoliday” by Susan Mallery ($1.59,novella, HQN)

Veterinarian Cameron McKenzie is all Carina Fiore ever wanted,and she loves his young daughter Rina devotedly too. But Cameron, whose formerwife walked out on him and his infant daughter, thinks friendship is morepermanent than the pleasure and promise of a Christmas kiss. This Christmasromance should please readers who are always ready for another visit to Fool’sGold, California.

“Mistletoe Mine: AnEternity Springs Novella” by Emily March ($1.99, Ballantine, November 21)

Emily March/Geralyn Dawson made an Eternity Springs fan of mewith Angel’s Rest, the first book in the series, and I loved the Christmasshort “A Callahan Carol” that she shared with readers last year to end the GeralynDawson Callahan series and to introduce Eternity Springs. So I was jubilantwhen I learned she had written another Christmas story, this one set inEternity Springs and a reunion tale, my favorite trope.

Emma and Jared Stapleton have been estranged for three years,but now their only child Molly is planning a holiday wedding in EternitySprings. Can the magic of this special town, the wonder of this special season,and the love of a beloved child work a miracle on two wounded hearts?

This one will touch your heart and leave you eager for Lover’s Leap (December 27, 2011), SarahReese’s story, one that I’ve been longing for since I read the first book.

“Christmas Scandal . . . Not by Jeanne Savery” (free—may be $.99later, short story, Ellora’s Cave)

I love Savery’s The Family Matchmaker and The Christmas Matchmaker, and so I waspleased to find this story about two spinster sisters who are foils for oneanother and sanctuary for a winter visitor. I’ve already bought Runaway Scandal and House of Scandal because I want to read more of the adventures ofElf and Ally.

What ebook bargains haveyou discovered? What books are you most thankful for Thanksgiving 2011?

My Piece of the Pie: How Many Books Have You Read in 2011?

2011-11-18T00:30:00.000-05:00

Last week, via Twitter, Susan Malleryshared information about how many books romance readers are reading. Theinformation, interesting in its own right, becomes even more interesting when juxtaposedwith other statistics about readers. A 2007 AP survey found that avid readersamong women read nine books a year; men read only five. Now look at the figuresfor romance readers. Even those in the community who read the least—1-2 books amonth—read more than the average avid reader, and the middle third of romancereaders reads more than six times asmany books in a year as the general avid reader. The largest group of romancereaders (37 percent) reads more than ten books in a month. That’s more in amonth than the general avid reader reads in a year. And when we factor in the50 percent Americans who fail to read even a book a year, romance readers areeven more amazing.

Some of our phenomenal reading can beattributed to the fact that more than 90 percent of romance readers are women,and surveys are consistent in reporting that women read more fiction than domen. Some experts have posited that women, who are more empathetic than men andhave a greater emotional range, naturally find fiction, which requires a readerto empathize with characters, more appealing. The explanation may extend beyondcognitive psychology to include biology. Some neuroscientists believe that“mirror neurons” located behind the eyebrows control empathy and that women havemore sensitive mirror neurons than men, making them more empathetic. Perhapsthere is a scientific explanation for the emotional punch we look for in ourromance fiction.

I belong to the 17 percent of romancereaders who read more than twenty books a month. My average this year, as ofNovember 11, is 1.2 books per day. I may read less since I’m reading moree-books, and currently I’m reading them on my laptop, not optimal readingconditions for me. By the beginning of 2012, I expect to be a new e-readerowner. I’m interested in seeing if the Kindle will increase my reading.

One market study found that many readerswho owned an e-reader (40 percent of them) were reading more than they had readbefore they owned a reading device. Amazon, the biggest seller of e-books, saysits customers buy 3.3 times as many books after buying a Kindle. I’m not surethe increase in purchases means the Amazon customers are actually reading moreor if it just reflects a shift in where they purchase their books. After all, printbooks can be bought on line or at local bookstores, Targets, and Walmarts, butKindle books are largely ordered from Amazon. It seems that almost every daybrings news of something new available as an e-book. It’s hardly surprisingthat romances are the fastest growing segment of e-published books. It takes alot of books to satisfy the appetites of 29 million regular romance readers.

Are you surprised that romance readersread much more than the general population? Why do you think we as a group arevoracious readers? How many books do you read in a month? In a year? Are you ane-reader convert?

Tuesday Review: Regency Marriages

2011-11-15T01:01:00.001-05:00

Regency Marriages
By Elizabeth Rolls
Publisher: Harlequin UK
Release Date: November 4, 2011
Four Stars

Regency Marriages is areissue of two of Elizabeth Rolls’s Harlequin Historicals under a single title:A Compromised Lady (HarlequinHistorical #864, September 2007) and LordBraybrook’s Penniless Bride (Harlequin Historical #948, June 2009). I firstread Rolls in a Christmas anthology in 2006. As often happens with anthologies,I bought Mistletoe Kisses (2006)because it included a novella “A Twelfth Night Tale”by Diane Gaston, but I also loved Rolls’s story “A Soldier’s Tale” and beganlooking for her novels. While I like some of her books better than others, Ihave found her consistently to give her readers enjoyable stories that tweak some of the cherished conventions of the genre. I enjoyed rereading these connected novels.

A Compromised Lady featuresa heroine who is neither an innocent debutante nor a courtesan by circumstance,design, or confusion. Dorothea “Thea” Winslow is banished from polite society toher aunt’s home in Yorkshire where she remains for eight years. She’s not evenallowed to return when her mother dies. Then, one day Thea's brother shows upunexpectedly with orders from her father that she is to return to London forthe Season. Circumstances have changed, and it is time for Thea to be married. Thea has no desire for aLondon Season or for a husband, but she has little choice but to obey herfather. Her only solace is that she will be the guest of her godmother, LadyArnsworth, rather than being forced to stay in her father’s house.

Lady Arnsworth manipulates events sothat her favorite nephew, Mr. Richard Blakehurst, is also a guest in her home. Shethinks Richard deserves the title that belongs to his slightly older twinbrother (Max, Earl of Blakehurst, hero of HisLady Mistress). She can’t give the title to her favorite, but she can seethat he has a fortune by throwing him and Thea, who has inherited a fortunefrom her uncle, into each other’s company.

Richard and Thea were childhoodfriends, and he has fond memories of the lively girl she was then. But the Theahe meets seems so radically changed that he hardly knows her. It takes time to reestablish their friendship. Richard is ready to take awife, having observed his brother’s happiness, and although he’s not interestedin marrying a woman for her money, he soon comes to believe that Thea will bethe perfect bride. But Thea is determined never to marry, and even Richard’sbest efforts may not be enough to change her mind.

Both these characters are atypical.Richard lacks not only a title but also a reputation as a rake. Lame from achildhood riding accident, he is a scholar, eager to return to his estate inKent. He is also honorable, chivalrous, and irresistible as he falls in lovewith Thea, all the while insisting he is guided by reason rather than passion.It took me longer to like Thea. She evokes sympathy from the beginning, and asher past is revealed, sympathy increases. The secrets of her past are very darkindeed, and Rolls reveals the horrors of that sixteenth spring in puzzlepieces, denying the reader the full story until late in the novel. But I wantedto see Thea be more than her past, and I saw only glimpses of what she wasbeyond that. But in the end she acts with courage and conviction, and she is rewarded with an HEA larger than her dreams.

Julian Trentham, Lord Braybrook, is afriend of Richard’s and of Thea’s brother, David, in A Compromised Lady. He is the hero of Lord Braybrook’s Penniless Bride. He is a rake with a difference,or rather with five differences. He is responsible for his invalid stepmother,two half-brothers, and two half-sisters. A caring, affectionateguardian, he wants the best for all of them. When seventeen-year-old Alicia falls in love with the questionableHarry Daventry, Braybrook investigates and discovers Harry’s sister,Christiana, about to be evicted from her home. He quickly decides that offeringMiss Daventry a position as companion to his stepmother and governess to hissiblings will show Alicia what life would be like for a woman dependent uponDaventry.

Predictably Julian comes to admireChristy’s independence and outspokenness, and she begins to see him as morethan an arrogant aristocrat. Both are likeable characters, and theirrelationship is credible and endearing. They, for the most part, behavelogically and in keeping with who they are as individuals and who they are inthe realities of the time period. The secondary characters are vividly andrealistically drawn. Julian’s stepmother is an admirably practical woman with asense of humor, Alicia behaves like a seventeen-year-old, and young Davy ismischievous without being precocious. Harry is a testament to the harm that can be created by the weak and selfish.

Most impressive is the rich vein ofrealism that Rolls inserts into the story: Christy’s precarious position as awoman with few resources, the contrast between the privation she has known andthe luxuries that are taken for granted by the Trenthams, the stigma ofillegitimacy that Christy and Harry bear, even though they are the bastardoffspring of a duke, and the prejudices that are deeply ingrained in Julian. If the last chapters of the book feel rushed and inadequately developed, and they do, this nevertheless remains a book worthreading for many reasons.

Do you have an author whose books you never miss that you discovered in an anthology? Who are your favorite characters who are different from the heroes and heroines you usually find in romance?

Congratulations to the Tessa Dare Winners!

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Amy Valentini and Betty Hamilton, the winners of an electronic copy of "Once Upon a Winter's Eve" by Tessa Dare.

Ladies, if you will send me your email address at jangarho at gmail dot com, I'll get the novella to you on November 15, the release date.

Tuesday Review: A Handful of Christmas Stars to a Reread and a New Read

2011-11-08T01:17:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor
By Lisa Kleypas
Publisher: St.Martin’s Press
Release Date:October 26, 2010

MarkNolan’s strongest commitment is to his coffee business, not withstanding hislong-term girlfriend. That changes when his sister Victoria is killed in anautomobile accident and Mark finds that she has named him as guardian of hersix-year-old daughter, Holly. Her happiness becomes Mark’s primary concern: “For the first time in his life he knew whatit felt like to have his heart broken… not broken in a sad or romantic sense,but broken open. He had never known this before, the desire to surround anotherhuman being with perfect happiness.” But Holly, grieving for her mother, hasstopped speaking, and Mark feels helpless to end her silence.

Maggie Collins is no stranger to grief. A widow, she has opened a toy store,the Magic Mirror, in Friday Harbor as one more step in building a new life. Evena mute child loves a toy store, and so it’s hardly surprising that Mark andHolly visit the Magic Mirror. Holly is enchanted by a fairy house that Maggiehas made, and the two are clearly kindred spirits in their love for theimaginary world of fairy lore and other magic. Mark’s not happy about thisdeparture from reality, but he tolerates it since, with Maggie’s encouragement,Holly begins to speak.

Both Maggie and Mark are quickly aware oftheir attraction to one another, but neither is ready to act on it. Mark feelsa certain loyalty to his girlfriend, Shelby, and Maggie, two years after herhusband’s death from cancer, is leery of opening herself to the possibility ofmore loss. So the two settle for friendship. They enjoy one another; they talkto one another, sharing the best kind of conversation: “As they continued to talk, it somehow slipped into the bonelesslycomfortable, unstructured conversation of longtime friends, both of themletting it go where it would.”

But the attraction doesn’t disappear, and Holly’sletter to Santa adds a layer of complication. But Maggie has to be willing totake a risk and Mark has to learn to believe in magic before a little girl’sChristmas wish can come true.

More novella than novel, Kleypas’s first FridayHarbor book has less sizzle than her usual fiction, but it has the memorablecharacters the mix of sigh-worthy romance and real-life issues that characterizedher Travis family contemporaries. Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor isseveral love stories—the love of a child, the love of family (even dysfunctionalones), and the love between a man and a woman—all tied up in a Christmas bow.

Reading it, or rereading it, is also great preparation for the next FridayHarbor book, Rainshadow Road, which will be released in February. I’mexcited about reading a Lisa Kleypas book, especially after no new books fromher in 2011. Rainshadow Road Sam Nolan’s story, and I’m already a littlebit in love with Sam. You can read an excerpt here.

Note: I am one of "Lisa's Divas" - agroup of select fans who share info and content related to Lisa's novels and getsneak peeks and swag in return.

Once Upon a Winter’s Eve

By Tessa Dare
Publisher: Samhain

Release Date: November 15, 2011

Spindle Cove’sChristmas ball is in progress, and Violet Winterbottom, an experiencedwallflower, has claimed a corner from which to watch the dancing when astranger, wet and bloody, staggers into the room and falls unconscious at herfeet. The language he speaks is astrange one to the citizens of Spindle Cove; only Violet can understand him.She identifies his language as Breton, the language of Brittany-- “Asin Brittany, France,” as Bram Rycliff (hero of A Night to Surrender) says. Bram and the other members of the militiaare suspicious of the stranger. He maybe a spy or the scout for an invasion force.

Violet isn’t sure she trusts him either, nor is she sure shetrusts herself. The last time she gave her trust to a man, she ended up with abroken heart and indelible memories of The Disappointment. Should she listen to her excellent mind thattells her this man is a mystery and a stranger, and an enemy stranger at that,or dare she listen once again to her heart?

Broken heads and broken hearts, language games and a truncatedletter, pistols and promises—Dare weaves them all into a story with humor andheat and heart-capturing characters. You can read an excerpt here.

I knew I’d love this book from the moment I read the tagline: “Some wallflowers bloom at night...” and I did. Iloved Violet’s intelligence, vulnerability, and courage. I loved her strangerin the night. And I loved seeing Bram and Susanna’s happiness continuing togrow. Spindle Cove has become one of my favorite fictional settings. My secondvisit there was a rare treat, and I look forward to returning with A Week to Be Wicked (March 27, 2012).

I want to share the love by giving away two ecopies of Once Upon a Winter’s Eve--one in honorof a terrific author and one in honor of an equally terrific editor. Winnerswill be chosen randomly from among those who comment. With apologies tointernational visitors, the contest is open only to visitors within the U. S.

What’s your favoriteChristmas novella? To what 2012 books are you most looking forward?

Child’s Play: Defeating the Inner Critic

2011-11-04T11:12:00.000-04:00

My demonic Inner Critic’s brutal critique of my writinghas been coming through loudly and clearly this week. Even reading, my usualrefuge from this enemy, isn’t working. IC just reminds me how foolish I am tothink I belong in the company of the authors whose books I’m reading. The newidea that was so shiny I could see my dreams in it last week is just anotherbit of tarnished trash I mistook for treasure this week.

I had just reached the point of planning anextended pity party for myself when I came across these words from KatherinePaterson, best known as the author of Bridgeto Terabithia, The Great GillyHopkins, Jacob I Have Loved, andother novels: “Send your inner critic off on vacation and just write the waylittle children play. You can't be judge and creator at the same time.” I immediately thought that sending the IC ona l-o-n-g vacation was an excellent idea, but the second imperative requiredmore consideration.

“Writethe way little children play.”

It’s been so long since I was a child that mymemories of play are not the freshest, but I have ample opportunity to observethe grands at play. And the three youngest at least, at seven, six, and three,still qualify as “little children.” Howthen do Myles, Luke, and Caitlyn play and what can I learn about writing fromthem?

They focus.

Whether it’s Caitlin dressing—or undressing--her dolls, Luke transforming Optimus Prime to vehicle mode, or Myles practicingsoccer moves, they are completely focused on what they are doing. They are ableto concentrate sufficiently to block out the noise of their siblings andcousins, to ignore calls to dinner, and to respond with only an absent nod toparental demands to gather shoes and coats.

If I could focus on my writing with suchintensity and could ignore ringing phones, Tweet Deck pop-ups, the smell ofchocolate, I might be able to write 50K words in a month.

They persevere.

Myles, Luke, and Caitlin are not discouraged by failures orjeers. Tiny fingers find it difficult to manipulate small buttons, asix-year-old struggles to pop wings back on as quickly as he wants to, and aseven-year-old can’t juggle the soccer ball with the skill of his olderbrother, who ungently reminds him of this fact. But these kids just keep onkeeping on until the doll’s dress is buttoned, the wings are on, and even theolder brother cheers the budding soccer star’s efforts.

I, on the other hand, am too easily discouraged. When my imaginationis less nimble than I wish, when my fingers stutter on the keyboard, when theIC’s harshness pierces my confidence, I’m too quick to think the goal is toohigh, the task too difficult.

They feel the joy.

Caitlin’s giggle as she puts a different dress on her doll, Luke’sshout of “Yes!” as one step in the transformation is complete, and Myles’smegawatt grin as the soccer ball rolls off the top of his foot all signal theirdelight in the moment. They are having fun and they are fully engaged in it.Every part of them expresses their gladness not only at a goal completed but ateach step toward the finish.

I become so caught up in words counts, in writing the end, and incomparisons with others’ achievements that I lose the joy of creatingcharacters, crafting a sentence that sings, building the world of my book.

November Resolution

Little children at play are inquisitive, inventive, open, andexuberant. Researchers have found that children who spend time in creative playexperience less anxiety and depression. I think Katherine Paterson’s advice isjust what I needed. November may not be the usual season for making resolutions,but I’m making one nevertheless. I’ve sent the IC to Siberia, and I’m resolvedto write with focus, perseverance, and joy, the way Myles, Luke and Caitlinplay. I’m determined to be creator and to jettison the judge until a laterstage.

What lessons have you learned from children? The experts remindus that play is part of a healthy lifestyle for adults too. Do you need to addmore play to your life?

Tuesday Review: The Black Hawk

2011-11-01T02:56:00.000-04:00

The Black Hawk

By Joanna Bourne

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: November 1, 2011

Five Stars

They met in Paris when they were little more than children, butthere was nothing childish about Justine DeCabrillac and Adrian Hawkhurst eventhen. She was an established agent of the French Police Secréte mentored by theMadame of a brothel; he was a reformed thief, a killer, and a newly named agentof the British service in France. Briefly they are partners in a dangerousventure, and then over more than two decades Owl and Hawker are friends,lovers, and enemies, but always there is a connection between them that neithercan deny.

Twenty four yearslater, Justine has opened a shop in London, hoping she has left her past behindher. But when a couple of unsolved murders capture her attention, she knows shehas information that Adrian, who has become head of the British IntelligenceService, needs to know. Making her way to him in pouring rain, she is stabbedby an unknown assailant with a poisoned knife belonging to Adrian.

Adrian saves herlife, literally at one point giving her his breath. But someone is out todestroy them both, and finding this enemy will require all their skills andtheir trust in one another. Only when they have defeated this last, mutualenemy can they enjoy the future they’ve been waiting a lifetime to begin.

Sometime you read abook that gets everything right, the big things like characters and plot andsetting and the smaller things like thematic threads than run through the storylike ribbons of light, sentences that make you catch your breath at theirperfection, and scenes that linger in the mind almost with the richness ofactual experience. The Black Hawk is such a book.

I’ve been convinced ofJo Bourne’s genius since I first read TheSpymaster’s Lady. I read My Lord andSpymaster and The Forbidden Roseand found them compelling, memorable, and significant, but I think The Black Hawk is Bourne’s finest bookyet. It is part historical thriller and part romance, and both parts are thework of a writer who practices her craft with unfaltering excellence. Sheconstructs a plot that keeps readers turning pages, reluctant to stop astension ratchets with every turn. She creates characters whose lives are aliento her readers but whose humanity is so deep and layered that readers know themand are emotionally invested in seeing them safe and happy.

The novel can be read as a standalone. Fans of the series willbe pleased to see some characters from other books, but the focus of this bookis unswervingly on Justine and Adrian, their stories and their relationshipover the greater part of their lives. Mentallyand physically, they belong together. “They knew even the small crevices of oneanother’s minds,” Justine thinks at one point. And later, “The body hasmemories deeper than thought. Her body remembered him.”

I am a lover of lyrical prose. I revel in the power of the preciseword and the musicality of a beautifully crafted sentence. I also recognize thepower of simplicity that can pierce the heart with its truth. Bourne givesreaders lyricism and simplicity in passages like this one in which Justineexpresses her fear: “I am overwhelmed by a knowledge of mortality tonight. Wedance upon the edge of the abyss, and tonight, I cannot stop myself fromlooking down.”

Perhaps the best example of this powerful simplicity comes intwo comparisons Bourne uses, one in the early pages of the novel and one nearthe close. The first: “After so many years, Hawker’s arms were still ascomforting as bread and milk.” Bread andmilk are sustenance and remembrance. On the final page: “She flowed over himlike water, refreshing him and filling every empty part of him.” Water issurvival, cleansing, renewal. In words from a child’s early vocabulary, Bourneshows readers this elemental, nurturing, necessary relationship.

This is one you don’t want to miss, my friends. I have no doubtthat we’ll see it listed among the best books of 2011 on dozens of lists in thenext few months, but The Black Hawk is more than a book for this year. It’s abook for many seasons, a book for as many years as are covered in the story—andbeyond.

What’s the last book you read that made you want to put it inreaders’ hands, saying, “This is wonderful. You should read it”?

Halloween Party!

2011-10-28T00:16:00.000-04:00

Parties! Parades! Festivals! It’s that timeof year. The biggest parade is the one in Greenwich Village, New York City,where crowds reach two million. The “most adult” is the one in Las Vegas whereerotic performances will be added to the music, dancing, and lurking monsters.Long Beach, California, boasts creepy walks and haunted halls on one of themost famous ocean liners in history, the Queen Mary. Louisville, Kentucky,turns the Louisville Zoo into a world of ghosts, superheroes, and talkingpumpkins. Atlanta celebrated last Saturday from noon to midnight at the LittleFive Points Halloween Festival & Parade, one of the top ten celebrations inthe country, where the best costume wins the Witch’s Cup.

Locally, people seem uncertain whether thetrick or treaters will make their rounds Saturday or Monday. I’m betting onSaturday when most of the festivals at schools and churches will be held. Mycelebration will be smaller and quieter. The highlight will be seeing thegrands in all their costumed glory. At last report, this year we’ll have agypsy, a rock star, a werewolf, a pirate, a ninja, an UGA, and a princess. Wehave a goodly supply of Hershey bars for the masses, and I’m baking cupcakesfor the grands. No costume for me. No cupcakes or Hershey bars either, alas! Butsticky kisses and grand giggles will keep me from feeling deprived. Thesix-year-old has already previewed his costume to great applause.

My treat for you is a list of links to help youcelebrate whether you’re planning an evening at home or donning a costume todance the night away.

History of Halloween from the HistoryChannel

Halloween Images from Heather’s Animations

Halloween Decorations

Halloween Costumes

Billboard’s Top Ten Halloween Songs

Halloween Recipes from Martha Stewart

Halloween Party Games

Halloween Ghost Stories

Halloween Poems from the Poetry Foundation

Scary Movies for Halloween from the ChicagoTribune

So, what are you doing Halloween?

Happy Christmas Read 5: Marian's Christmas Wish

2011-10-27T02:10:00.000-04:00

Marian's ChristmasWish

By Carla Kelly

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Release Date:September 8, 2011

(Reissue of 1989Signet Regency Romance)

4.5 Stars

The Wynswich family’s official year of mourning for Sir Bertram isdrawing to a close as Christmas approaches, and Marian Wynswich knows that itmay be her family’s last Christmas at Covenden Hall. She’s determined to makeit the most joyous Christmas possible. But her older brother Percy is filledwith despair over the debts his father has left, her younger brother Alistairhas been expelled from Eton, and Ariadne, her beautiful older sister, is aboutto be betrothed to the toad of a suitor Percy has brought home, breaking Ari’sheart and the heart of the young vicar with whom she is in love.

Percy has brought another guest as well, Gilbert Collinwood, Earl ofIngraham, a seasoned diplomat. Ingraham is charmed by the artless Marian who readsGreek, plays chess, and cares for injured animals with a salve she has made,the same salve she is soon applying to the vicious burn on his cheek. Gil findshimself involved in madcap schemes, singing Christmas carols with a tunelesschoir, and resolving Wynswich problems to keep Marian happy. Christmas wishescome true in unexpected ways before Marian realizes that her happiness restswith a certain earl.

Like all of Carla Kelly’s romances, this one is filled with characterswho come alive for the reader. Marian is young, not yet seventeen, with acandor that makes her seem even younger at times. But she has intelligence, aloving heart, and an irrepressible sense of humor. Gil is a wonderful hero—understanding,great-hearted, and surprisingly unlordly for so high ranking an aristocrat—andwith all the appeal of a man who combines tenderness with an understated charm.Despite the differences in age and fortune, I can imagine these two growing oldtogether, celebrating Christmas through the years.

The Wynswich family is a delight as well. Each member emerges as vividlydistinct, and their love for one another burns as brightly as a Christmas star.Even minor characters such as the pompous suitor and the mail coachman whobefriends Marian are memorable. Only the villains are one-dimensional, andtheir appearance in the closing chapters comes as something of a shock. Itchanges the tone of the book, and I found the change disconcerting. But that’sa single flaw in a book that made me laugh, warmed my heart, and left mehumming Christmas carols.

Marian’s Christmas Wish is not a newChristmas book strictly speaking. It was first published in 1989, but it hasbeen reissued as both in print and as an ebook for the 2011 Christmas season. Someof Kelly’s Christmas stories are also available. When I recommend Christmasreads, Carla Kelly is always high on my list. If you’ve never read a CarlaKelly book, Christmas is a great time to give yourself the gift of some of thebest Regency romance ever. As for me, I’m counting the days--19-- until hercollection of new Christmas stories is released.

What is your favorite traditional RegencyChristmas romance?