Hi Readers,
Reviews will be delayed, as I am going to spend this week moving south. I do plan on reading and will have a couple reviews up next week.
Enjoy the picture of Jack! He is exhausted after watching us pack. Hope you all enjoy your week and if you celebrate Halloween enjoy the day (Thursday).
Currently Reading: Lessons From a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes
Happy Reading!
-Romance Reader Girl
“Sometimes change can be a good thing,” Miss Weston said softly. “there are times in every life when events occur that make change inevitable. If a person learns to embrace change rather than rail against it, perhaps it is less troubling when control is wrested away and one is forced to accept some change.”
Tempting the Marquess: A Weston Novel by Sara Lindsey
Next week I am making the big move down to the southwest and I feel this quote from Tempting the Marquess fits my mood and situation.
Have a great weekend and happy reading.
-Romance Reader Girl
Many of you know that Renee Bernard is one of my favorite authors. Her latest book Desire Wear Diamonds (A Jaded Gentleman Novel) is now an audiobook.
Have you ever wondered what the men of the Jaded sound like? I have and now I know! This is a great way to put a voice to the characters you love. I have listened to the first few chapters and I am enjoying hearing the different voices of the Jaded. Oh and Mrs. Clay is exactly as I imagined! Audiobooks are great for those of us who cannot sit down and read (we are busy!). I often will listen to an audiobook during my commute or working out at the gym. Give it a try- I think you will be pleasantly surprised! You can listen to a sample before purchasing the audiobook. I’m sure you’ll be hooked once you start listening. I was!
When betrayal is the only path open and passion is the only enemy he never anticipated…
The shy soldier and self-appointed guardian of the Jaded, Michael Rutherford, is faced with the ultimate test of his loyalty and honor when he meets the woman who is at once his perfect match and the worst choice he could ever make. The final battle with the Jaded’s greatest enemy will force him to choose between the brotherhood he has vowed to protect and shielding the innocent lady he comes to love. For Michael, it is a dance with the devil for a chance to taste the kisses of an angel.
Grace Porter is no ordinary wallflower or shy spinster hiding in the shadows of her brother’s London home. She is a quiet rebel with secrets of her own and a woman who dreams of an independent life, free to pursue her dreams as a writer. Her imagination holds the key to her survival, but it fuels her retreat from the colorless world around her.
Until Michael Rutherford’s arrival upturns her every fantasy and threatens her sanctuary with his lies. His embrace is intoxicating to her senses but Grace isn’t the kind of woman to lose her head – or her heart.
it’s a knuckle-biting race to the finish for fans of the Jaded as fan favorite, Michael Rutherford, discovers the identity of the Jackal and Michael learns that sometimes the price to pay for justice is the sacrifice of hope and happiness. He will risk everything as the Jaded call him out as a traitor. Nothing is what it seems.
Purchase Desire Wear Diamonds on audio at audible.com. Also, for Kindle users depending on which model of Kindle you have (some have speakers) you can listen to it on the device and order it from Amazon.
-Romance Reader Girl
One of the many things I love about Sabrina Jeffries is how many of her characters pop in out of her series. It’s like visiting an old friend when one of those secondary characters from another series gets their own book. What the Duke Desires is about a familiar crazy duke- the Duke Lyons from the Hellions of Halstead Hall series (a favorite of mine).
Maximilian Cale, the Duke of Lyons is a man of secrets. His secrets are about his families madness and his presumed deceased brother (He had a brother?). Max is relatively cold and doesn’t have many friendly connections. He is a duke, therefore, everyone listens to him and gives him what he wants.
Lisette Bonnaud, illegitimate daughter of a viscount is working with her half brother in his investigation business. Fearless and intelligent she feels she will make a great investigator and hoping she can help solve intriguing puzzles with both her half brother and brother. She never wants to rely on a man and listen to false promises. She is her own woman and will take care of herself.
When Max and Lisette meet the chemistry crackles in the air. Max thinks Lisette is her half brother’s mistress and offends her. When she sets him straight he in intrigued by her and wants to know more about what she is doing in this house. Lisette doesn’t care who or what Max is. She is not having his pushy ways affect her. However, things take a turn when the pushy duke shows Lisette a letter from her brother Tristan who is supposed to be in France. Not sure what to make of this she takes matter into her own hands and not even a pushy handsome duke can tell her no. They must work together to find out why Tristan is writing to Max about his presumed deceased elder brother. Working together may not be so easy when there is crackling chemistry in the air.
This was a great read. Sabrina Jeffries does it again! Her characters always have a lot of depth. I really enjoyed Max. His inner turmoil just makes you fall for him and when the moment comes when he realized he can triumph over his fears you are cheering him him on. Lisette is strong and I love that for this time period. She is not simple brainless woman; she takes control and is not afraid to use her intelligence. The romance is hot and sweet. I enjoyed watching the cold bossy Max and the stubborn firecracker Lisette fall for one another. Oh and don’t forget this isn’t just a love story but a mystery too! I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the following books in this series.
Buy What the Duke Desires and other great books by Sabrina Jeffries on Amazon or B&N.
-Romance Reader Girl
Hi Readers,
I am currently out of town this week visiting a very dear friend. The next few weeks will be busy for me as I will be getting ready to move and join my husband in in the southwest. So, I am taking this time to relax and then I’ll be on the go! When I return home next week I will post a few reviews before the move.
I wish you all a lovely week and enjoy what you’re reading!
-Romance Reader Girl
Readers, thank you for joining me today for my first author interview (totally doing the happy dance!). Please welcome the fabulous Maire Claremont on the blog today as we talk about why she writes, a little about her latest release Lady in Red and some of her favorite things. A lucky one of you will receive a $10 Amazon gift card so make sure to post (contest is international).
RRG: Can you tell us what inspired your Mad Passion series?
MC: Lady Eva Carin from The Dark Lady. She popped into my head and adamantly insisted that I write her story. Seriously, I was in bed trying to sleep and she wouldn’t stop showing me this heart rending scene. So, I got up and wrote it. That was the beginning and then I was swept away into that world.
RRG: When did you realize you wanted to write and why historicals?
MC: True Confessions Time. I was eighteen. I’d devoured just about every Johanna Lindsay book and Julia Quinn novel. I was convinced romance writers ate bon bons and lived fabulous lives. It seemed a good career choice. ;D
RRG: Who are some of your favorite heroes and heroines in romance novels?
MC: That’s a brutal question. My ultimate historical Heros are:
The Duke of Jervaux from Laura Kinsale’s Flowers From the Storm. He’s just out of this world in his dark fabulousness.
The Duke of Auburn from Meredith’s Duran’s Duke of Shadows.
Dageus MacKeltar from Karen Marie Moning’s The Dark Highlander. I love them tortured and he’s so deliciously bad and good.
RRG: When not writing what do you like to do?
MC: My VERY favorite thing is to travel. I could probably live out of a suit case and be happy. I adore reading in the bath tub. Seriously, I could spend hours. I’m also a big movie fan. I adore period films.
RRG: Please tell us about your highly anticipated book Lady in Red.
MC: Lady Mary, daughter of the Duke of Duncliffe, has been locked in the asylum by her father. So, instead of being the toast of London she’s battling to stay alive, fight off her laudanum addiction and escape the asylum. Once she does escape, she meets another duke, Edward Barrons, a hero who will do anything to save her. Together they discover that while the path of vengeance seems to be the only way to find a peace, love ultimately is the answer.
FUN FACTS:
About Lady In Red:
Bio:
2011 Golden Heart winner Máire Claremont first fell in love with Mr. Rochester, not Mr. Darcy. Drawn to his dark snark, she longed to find a tortured hero of her own… until she realized the ramifications of Mr. Rochester locking his first wife up in his attic. Discovering the errors of her ways, Máire now looks for a real-life Darcy and creates deliciously dark heroes on the page. Oh, and she wants everyone to know her name is pronounced Moira. Her parents just had to give her an Irish Gaelic name.
Links:
Website
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Buy Links:
Amazon
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More About The Book
“I don’t know,’ he said irritably. ‘Is it meant to improve you?’
She swiveled toward him, eyes wide with shock.
‘Because nothing could,’ he added.
Her mouth dropped in astonishment. Blotchy scarlet rushed her complexion. One would have thought he’d shot her.
Oh dear God!
He realized belatedly how wrong it had sounded.
‘No! God… that is to say.. nothing is necessary to improve you. Nothing could possibly make you better… than you already are.”
― Julie Anne Long, How the Marquess Was Won
If you have been following this blog you know that I am a big Mackenzie fan and read all the books the moment they come out. The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie was no different. I began reading the moment it arrived on my Friendle (Kindle) and it didn’t disappoint.
Daniel Mackenzie has had the best examples in his father (Cameron Mackenzie) and Uncles (Hart, Mac, Ian & Fellows) to be a man full of passions love and madness. He delivers on all fronts. Daniel loves machines and how they work. It’s 1890 when the industrial revolutions is going full steam and Daniel is in the middle of it. He is confident and handsome with wealth and intelligence. He is traveling living his life, enjoying his mechanics and family.
Violet is a young woman that has had to use her talents as a medium to support her mother and companion. Her mother has the real talent but Violet is often left to pretend to have the gift and talk to people on the other side. She has a brilliant mind as well. She makes inventions to make sounds to enhance their readings. Violet hasn’t had an easy life; she can read people but she learned these tricks at the cost of something more valuable…her youth.
When Daniel and Violet meet there is comedy among the skepticism. I enjoyed reading Daniel and Violet banter and work together to help one another. Also, Daniel lives up to the Mackenzie name when he falls in love. They fall hard and love harder. It is wonderful see what was the young wild boy in The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie to the strong confident man in this story. I have to say when Ian Mackenzie was mentioned in this story I had a rockstar fangirl moment! Not only do we have a visit from Ian but from all the Mackenzie’s and you can’t help be giddy when you see them all appear. It’s like coming home. This story captured my attention to find out who Violet really is and there are a couple of moments where you will say, “GAME CHANGER”. I do enjoy the moments where Daniel is very blunt at the risk of losing everything. Oh and I must say Uncle Hart (the Duke) sometimes doesn’t learn lessons well the first time! It was a fun fast read and I enjoyed every moment of it. I hope to see more Mackenzie stories.
Purchase The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie and other books in this series on Amazon or B&N.
-Romance Reader Girl
This is the first book I have read by Christy English. I love her take on the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Nights Dream and adding a Regency flair to it.
Raymond Oliver, Earl of Pembroke has loved with his whole heart and soul but that loved he feared was never returned. It was a farce played by a beautiful young woman. He has spent the past ten years trying to get that long rooted love out of his heart. Though war and living a rogues life he has not unrooted that love from his heart. When the young woman he loved all those years ago comes to him and is in trouble will Lord Pembroke take the chance of helping the only woman he has ever loved or will he walk away?
Arabella, Duchess of Hawthorne is now a widow at 27. She has spent the last ten years in a marriage that was not of her choice and now she is free from it. Arabella never wants to be inferior to a man. Her fathers abuse kept her silent after her mother died and sent her into a marriage with a 60 year old man. She no longer believes in love, for what she knew of love died long ago when her father stripped of the love and happiness she once had. Arabella wants to spend the rest of her days living alone and not having to answer to anyone. However, being left alone isn’t in the cards for Arabella. The new Duke has plans for her so she must flee with the help from someone she never suspected, Lord Pembroke the man she thought she would spend forever with.
I really enjoyed watching Arabella and Raymond fall in love again. Ms. English writes love and romance very poetically. It is hard to not fall for Lord Pembroke as he realizes that Arabella will always be that girl for him. I enjoyed the secondary characters in this story. Raymond’s mistress Titania is refreshing and Arabella best friend Angelique is fierce. The cast of characters adds a lot to the story. Of course, the Shakespearian take on A Midsummer Nights Dream adds a delightful spin to a regency romance.
You can purchase this story on Amazon.
-Romance Reader Girl
Readers, I read The Sheik Retold by Victoria Vane over the weekend and I really enjoyed the fast past steamy romance. Take a woman that has been waiting to go on adventure that is her own and pair her with a man that takes what he wants when he wants and what do you have? You have a story that is full of sassy fierceness with incredible sensual romantic romance. Ms. Vane creates an exotic world within the desert that captures you and takes you on a wild ride. Victoria Vane has done a wonderful job telling a beautiful story of two people finding love against all odds and personal struggles. Below is information about Victoria Vane along with an excerpt of the The Sheik Retold. Go out and get it now!
EXCERPT:
“S’il vous plait.” He waved me to a low Turkish divan. “Come and sit, mademoiselle. I shall call for coffee and then you shall recount to me all that is the cause of your great distress.” He smiled and settled his girth into a large leather-covered chair. “I wish to know precisely how such a delicate English woman managed to survive alone for months in such inhospitable conditions.”
“I am not so delicate, nor was I alone,” I replied. “I was abducted and held captive.”
“Were you indeed?” He lit a cigarette and then offered his case to me, but I didn’t care for the scent of the cheap Gauloises tobacco, having become accustomed to the rich aroma of pure Turkish Murads.
“I suppose these savages demanded a ransom for your release?” he asked and took a long draw on his cigarette.
“No, he did not.”
“He?” His brows rose as he blew a wispy cloud of grey smoke.
“Yes. My captor wanted nothing monetarily.”
“Is that so?” He was silent for a long moment as his beady black gaze swept over me. The unspoken implication and his lascivious sent a profusion of heat to my face. Nevertheless, I forged on. “It is my belief, monsieur, that my own brother may have intended to kill me.”
“You believe your own brother has intrigued against you? And where is he now, this brother?”
“He is in New York or perhaps Newport. He has a perfect alibi, of course, but I have evidence to support my suspicions.”
He nodded slowly and then pursed his lips. “Then your abductor was an accomplice in this nefarious plot?”
“No. It is not as simple as that. As it turns out, my captor inadvertently saved my life.”
“Alors! This is fascinating indeed. I wish to hear this tale en totalité, but first I shall summon my scribe to record this story. After which, I intend to send an urgent dispatch to the British Embassy in Paris. I assure you, mademoiselle, justice will be served.”
He stubbed out his cigarette. “As to your abductor, I shall deal with this heathen dog, this barbaric bâtard, personally.” His gaze suddenly narrowed on me with a disconcerting intensity. “You must tell me now, Mademoiselle Mayo, who was the perpetrator of this…this… outrage to your person?”
And in that moment I knew.
It was not the details of my intended murder that had captured his interest. No, he didn’t care at all about me. He desired only to know what I knew—specifically, the name and location of the force behind the simmering unrest—my captor and my lover— Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan.
THE SHEIK RETOLD by Victoria Vane and E.M. Hull
ISBN-13:978-1492169956
ISBN-10:1492169951
AUTHOR BIO
Victoria Vane is an award-winning romance novelist, cowboy addict and history junkie whose collective works of fiction range from wildly comedic romps to emotionally compelling erotic romance. Victoria also writes historical fiction as Emery Lee and is the founder of Goodreads Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers and the Romantic Historical Lovers book review blog.
Look for Victoria’s Contemporary Cowboy Series coming summer 2014 from Sourcebooks
Contact:
victoria.vane@hotmail.com
Blog: http://victoriavane.wordpress.com
Twitter: @authorvictoriav
Facebook: Author Victoria Vane
-Romance Reader Girl
Romance Reader Girl 