What the Bride Wore by Jade Lee

Grant Benton, Earl of Crowle, has spent the past five years working at his mill earning enough money to buy back the land his father so foolishly sold.  He has told no one what he is doing, not his mother or his brother as he is a bit ashamed of what he is doing...laboring.  Yet when he goes to by back the land, the improvements on the land prove to be to great and force the price out of his reach.  Despondent, he crawls back into himself with the only bright spot being the woman he met earlier, a purchaser for a dress shop of his fabrics, Lady Irene Knopp.  Widowed years ago, she has found happiness in working and having a purpose for each day and she sees that Grant needs to find this same solace.  Together they find happiness but Grant is reluctant to let go of his fears.  When someone attempts to kill them, he must push past them to find who this person is and why they want to harm Irene or himself.  Will Grant be able to let go of his past indiscretions and find peace with Irene and will Irene be able to trust her heart again to someone as reckless as Grant?

This is book three in Jade Lee's Bridal Favors series but it worked well as a standalone though I do recommend reading the novella, Winning a Bride as it shows more of the depth of anger between Grant and his brother and how much needs to be repaired between them.  This was a very lovely story of finding oneself and growing into a true, deep love.  Irene was the perfect woman to show Grant how to be focused and move past the sadness in life.  She found a way, by becoming a purchaser and she helps him find his own way past all the mistakes of his youth.  However, Irene feels she can never be a countess as she wants to continue her work so she has her own reservations of becoming to involved with Grant.  The suspense portion of this book was well done and not overly dramatic which I appreciated with more of the focus on the romance and rebuilding of Grant's family.   Irene and Grant's mutual attraction leads to some very steamy bedroom scenes that added a nice dose of spice to a somewhat slow moving storyline for me.  Other than the slowness, it was quite enjoyable and is set up perfectly for the final book in this series and I can't wait to dive into it!  Jade Lee always delivers a satisfying romance with the perfect dose of steam.  3 1/2 stars

eARC provided by Sourcebooks via netgalley

Bridal Favors series
Can be read as standalones but richer in order

                                                                                          Feb 4th 2014

Winning a Bride by Jade Lee

This was a charming, sexy delight of a novella! Jade Lee has penned a romance that was heartfelt and fun to read. William Benton has become the steward to his families land after it was lost due to his fathers mistakes and it is hard for Will, at times, to let the past go.  He wants his families land back but knows his elder brother has no means to purchase it back so he comes up with a new idea...wed the new owners daughter, Josephine.  A woman whom he thinks to be a bit haughty and out of his reach. Yet during some nightly interludes he comes to find that Jo is kind, generous and a lady worth fighting for. A lady worth more than some land. He just needs to convince her and her father of this fact. Jo is the perfect woman to help him realize that there is more to life than titles and land and find his true worth. She is a bit wild and unpredictable and finds herself going a bit mad from the pressure of her life, from the man he father has arranged to marry her to finding the calm she needs to have in Will.  Filled with heat, banter, emotion and an interesting look at some history of the canals and how they are built, this romance is sure to make you grab more by Jade Lee. 4 stars

eARC provided by Sourcebooks via Netgalley

Back cover blurb:
Due to his aristocratic family’s downfall, William Benton serves as steward on the land his brother should have inherited. His one weakness is for the daughter of the new owner. Josephine Lawton is beautiful, charming, and enamored of titles and all things aristocratic. Or so he thinks until he discovers that it’s her father who is doing the matchmaking. When he learns that there is more to the exciting Josephine than first meets the eye, he puts all his passion into restoring his family’s honor and winning the woman he loves. It’s going to be a hot summer on the estate.

Bridal Favors series
This worked well as a standalone and gives us a glimpse of the next hero
 
                                                               Aug 2013             Feb 2014

New Covers

Pretty quiet on new cover reveals this week but here are a few that popped up. . .

Madeline Hunter is an author that has just not quite hit home with me yet but she certainly has some pretty covers :)  Book two in her Fairbourne Quartet, The Conquest of Lady Cassandra, is set to release Sept 25th.

What a lovely cover for a holiday book! Just the right amount of Christmas colors.  His Mistletoe Bride will be out Oct 1st.

Hmm, not to sure about this one.  I think its the yellow in the title that I don't really like.  Or the white of the author name over the white dress.  Anyways, still looking forward to Wedded in Sin when it comes out Aug 7th.

That's all for now!  Have a great weekend!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a a weekly blog hop hosted by Breaking the Spine where we all mention one upcoming book release we are waiting for.

This week my anticipated release is Wedded in Scandal by Jade Lee and releases March 6th.  Here is the summary from her website:

The dazzling wedding of fashions of A Lady’s Favor dress shop are guaranteed to make any girl the talk of the ton. But the brides aren’t the only ones falling in love….


Lady Helaine’s father was cast out of society as a liar and a thief—a scandal which renders her unfit for marriage. In order to provide for herself and her mother, she adopts an assumed name and runs a dressmaker’s shop that specializes in bridal wear for ladies of high society. Helaine is happiest immersed in silk and satin, but she lives in terror that someone will learn her true identity and she will lose everything…again.


Robert Percy, Viscount Redhill, is entranced with the mysterious Helaine and weaves a web of seduction sure to ensnare the delectable dress designer. Yet too late he learns the heartbreaking truth about who she used to be. Now he must find a way to overcome the past to claim Helaine as his own. But what chance has love when a secret mistress becomes a scandalous wife?

I really like stories where they involve dressmakers so this series sounds like it is going to be right up my alley.  There is also a novella that is currently out now and if you go to Jade Lee's website, you can download it for free.  Click here.  I'm not sure how long she will be offering this deal so grab it if it sounds good to you!  Here is the summary for Engaged in Wickedness:

WILD CHILD

Lady Gwendolyn is playing with fire. She has a habit of wandering into illicit places with gentlemen just to see how well they kiss. It’s dangerous, but she can’t seem to stop herself and no one in her family is up to the task either.

THE QUIET ONE
 
Sir Edward Murray is the man who can tame her. He may be just a country baronet, in town for a spell then gone, but the vivacious Lady Gwen draws him as no other. So he devises a carefully plotted campaign to capture the lady as his own. But he never guesses the depth of the lady’s spirit or the power of her passion.
 
SECRETS!

Why is Lady Gwen risking herself and her reputation with her scandalous forays? When Edward uncovers the truth, he is caught in his own stratagems. She figures out his deceit and may never forgive him. Can Edward convince her that some things aren’t as wicked as they seem? And that love is the wildest ride of all?

And one more bonus treat, there is a book trailer for you to enjoy too!  What about you?  Do you like book trailers?  I do :)  Do you like books where the heroine/hero has a profession?  I find it makes it a bit more fascinating during the Regency period.

New Covers!

I found a few new covers that have posted to various sites! 

First up, Miranda Neville released her new cover for her upcoming March 2012 release, Confessions From an Arranged Marriage on the fun site The Ballroom Blog . It fits in beautifully with the other covers in this series!


















I also came across two new covers for Sophia Nash upcoming new series set to release back to back in February and March.  Both are very eye catching with their bold, single color scheme.
















Also noticed was for Cecilia Grants second book, A Gentleman Undone set for May 29th.  Ms Grant is an author that I am so excited to read!  She has been getting great buzz for her debut book, A Lady Awakened which is out Dec 27th and this new cover fits in perfectly with that one. 








If the Slipper Fits has caught my attention as it is the start of Olivia Drakes Cinderella Sisterhood series and I love a Cinderella story!  The cover seems to reflect the Cinderella story or theme as well.  Look for it May 2012.










Wedded in Scandal looks to be the start of a new series from Jade Lee coming in March.  I don't see much info on this yet :)
















The second novel in Tessa Dares Spinsters Cove series is releasing the end of March and this looks to be the cover but I am sure the official unveiling will be on The Ballroom Blog soon :)  (Sort of reminds me of Anne Mallorys In Total Surrender)

And finally, this isn't really a new cover as an updated cover with an updated title. Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel is the debut novel from a fellow Wisconsinite Samantha Grace and I am really excited to read this one and so happy to have received it from Netgalley.  Look for the book out in February!  I should read it in January and have a review as well then :)  




Well, hopefully a few of these caught your eye and attention!  I have to say, all the art departments at the publishing houses seem to go above and beyond for great covers lately!  But since these are all books out next year, these covers can change at any time :)

Wicked Surrender by Jade Lee

This is yet another new to me author and I was once again, pleasantly surprised. This book follows Scher Martin and her dream to be accepted into society as she is but the daughter of an actress. As the owner of the Green Room, a theatre/bar, she is offered to become more than one mans mistress almost daily but Scher longs for the respectability that comes with the wedding ring. Her mother, father, and sister all passed away from sicknesses due to the fact that the doctor helped higher ups in society before going to help them. Scher does not want this for her future children and decides she must marry well to protect them and herself.
So Scher accepts Kits proposal and begins to deal with his horrible family and society's reaction to her. The only person that understands her is Kits cousin Brandon. He was sent by his family to sleep with Scher and forcing an end to the engagement and saving Kit but he realizes he can not do it as he discovers feelings for her. Brandon begs her to become his mistress but Scher refuses without the ring, but Brandon has many deep demons of his own and can not marry her.
As the story unfolds and Brandons past is revealed, I have to admit, I did not now how this couple I was rooting for would end up together without hurting Kit and others. This is a moving story of love with plenty of sexual tension and the eventual "surrender" is very well done, and not rushed. And the epligoue....wowza...guess I am reading the next book, Wicked Seduction! 4 stars.