The Devil's Pearl by Jennifer Haymore

Lady Esme has a secret...she writes scandalous stories and if anyone were to find out, well, that would be disastrous.  The Devil's Pearl is one of her stories and while short, it is filled with passion, betrayal and obsession.

Sir Delvin Vaughn is outraged when he sees the woman he can not stop thinking about, the woman who dared shun him in society, hanging off two men.  Two!  His riches and power were not enough to keep her but seeing this drives him mad and he knows he needs to have her now and forever and he will do whatever it takes.  Julia Beaumont had to leave Devlin before he hurt her and she had to do it in a public manner to get her point across but now he is back and taken her hostage.  Can she stand up to him again or will this couple explain the true depths of their hearts to find the happiness that is there waiting?

I was a bit hesitant to keep reading this one after the first chapter as I was worried it would have a forced seduction scene in it but it thankfully did not play out that way.  Instead, I found myself surprisingly invested with this couple, especially considering how short this story is (about half my kindle file) so kudos to Jennifer Haymore for that!  I liked seeing how torn up this couple was (even though just talking would have fixed it) but since this is a novella, it worked for me and did not bother me too much.  It has drama, despair, heat and a dash of humor and I was sad to see it end.  Smart writing, a brisk pace, a nice dose of heat all add up to a winner for me.  4 stars

eARC provided by Forever Yours via netgalley.com

House of Trent series
(It looks like the novellas will be stand alone stories)

      June 25th

New Covers

Some new covers noticed lately. . .

Jennifer Haymore is starting a new series, House of Trent, with the June 25th release of The Duchess Hunt.  I like the simplicity of this cover with the title on the bold color stripe... something a bit different.  Looking forward to this one!

Julia Quinn shared the cover for the print version of all the Bridgertons epilogues plus a new one!  I have yet to read more than book one in this series (I know! I know!  Fixing that soon!) but I know a lot of fans are very excited for this one.  It looks to be a trade paperback though so thats a bit of a bummer..won't match the other books but the cover is just lovely.  Look for The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After April 2nd.

Eloisa James continues with her fairy tale series, which work as stand alones, with a Rapunzel like tale, Once Upon a Tower.  Very excited for this one and I really love this cover!  The allusion to Rapunzel is perfect.  This one will be out May 28th.

**And over at Heroes and Heartbreakers Facebook page you can help choose the cover for Kieran Kramer's upcoming book, Say Yes to the Duke!  Three different poses done by the amazing Jon Paul Studios are available to choose from.  Head on over, voting is open until the 17th!  Such a neat, fun idea and I hope to see more like it!

End of January releases!

Wow, I can't believe it is almost the end of January already!!  Here are some of the upcoming releases I am most looking forward too.

This one just came out on the 24th and it is the highly anticipated conclusion to Sabrina Jeffries Hellions of Halstead Hall series and it is already downloaded on my Kindle and I hope to read it soon.

Also releasing on Jan 24th, but just for you lucky Nook owners (the rest of us have to wait until Feb 21st, I think) is a debut from Sara Ramsey that sounds good!


Here is a look at all the great titles releasing on the 31st!  Four great debuts from Jillian Stone, Anna Randol, Manda Collins and Sophie Barnes.  Plus a the start of a wonderful new series from Lorraine Heath and a new series from Nicole Jordan, a continuation from Jennifer Haymore (a novella and a full length out on the same day) and from Victoria Alexander and a conclusion from Stephanie Laurens.

 

And if nothing catches your eye here (but I'm sure a couple have!) don't worry as there are some great releases in just a week on February 7th from Shana Galen, Samantha Grace, Heather Snow, Victoria Alexander and Carolyn Jewel!

New Covers

Here are some new covers that I have noticed around cyberspace this week~

First up is the first cover for Elise Rome's debut series! I love this cover...the blue and the mask make it pop and look mysterious at the same time. No definite release date at this time but hopefully by the end of January she has said. Yay!

Sigh.... I love this cover. The green. The handsome guy. Very pretty and a clever way to make the long title fit nicely. Look for book book five in the Lords of Vice series, All Afternoon with a Scandalous Marquess on July 31st.

I love purple so this is another winner of a cover for me! I have read a couple of Sherry Thomas' books and they were just ok for me but I am excited for her new trilogy coming up and hope to see if my tastes have improved :) Look for Ravishing the Heiress around July 3rd.

Almost a Scandal is the start of a series called Reckless Brides from Elizabeth Essex. I can't find much information about the book or the series but I am intrigued just based on the cover alone. This one also releases July 31st.

Now I know I just said I love purple and I do love the purple of this cover but the rest is just sort of ho-hum for me. I feel like the female is a bit too made up for my tastes and I'm not particularly found of the bodice of the dress. Picky picky I know! (Oh, but I do like that the male is wearing black instead of the usual white) That being said, I can't wait to read Much Ado About Rogues as it is the Blackthorn Brothers' story! I am so intrigued to see what Black Jack has been up too :) Look for this March 20th.

Last up is the cover and stepback for book three in the Donovan series from Jennifer Haymore. I'm pretty excited for this one as well as Meg is believed dead in the first book so that should make things interesting :) This one is out August 1st.

So, what about you? Any of these covers catch your eye and you can't wait to dive into?

Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore

Wow, what a book!  This book drew me in from the prologue and did not let go!  We are introduced to twin sisters Meg and Serena Donovan as they are on a ship back home to Antigua from London after a devastating scandal involving Serena.  However, while on board something tragic happens to Meg that changes Serenas life forever and not always by her choice.  Now five years later Serena is returning to London with her younger sister Phoebe but there is a twist.  Serenas mother told the world that it was Serena who died at see, not Meg (as Serena was a bit of a wild child and not as well behaved as her mother would have liked) and the entire time her mother has been corresponding with Megs love from their first trip to London.  Posing as Meg, Serena is set to wed William Langley.

Serena reluctantly agrees to this plan as she has three younger sisters who need to be brought into Society and make good matches as the family has no money.  But she has very deep reservations and Serena does not want to see the man that caused her horrible scandal and shattered heart, Jonathan Dane.  And who just happens to be Langleys best friend?

When Jonathan sees "Meg" for the first time he is floored to be feeling attraction to her.  After all, she is his lost loves sister but the more he thinks about it, the more he starts to notice little differences between the supposed Meg and what Meg truly was like but just can not believe that Serena would be posing as Meg.  It takes one searing kiss to confirm his thoughts and he is filled with happiness.  After he believed Serena died, Jonathan wanted to die for the way that he treated her and he lets his life spiral out of control but with the help of his friend Langley he is able to stay adrift.  But how can these young lovers move past their hurt filled past and find happiness?  And what about Langley?

Now, I wasn't too sure how this was all going to play out (I'm not a fan of possible cheating) but Jennifer Haymore did a wonderful job!  Just when I would think something would happen a certain way, there was a small twist that kept me flipping the pages to see how it would end.  There is a nice side story involving Serenas sister Phoebe that didn't play out the was I expected either.  The entire ending worked out well for all the characters but I would have liked an epilogue.  Also, I still have some reservations towards Serenas mom for inventing this plan even if it was with good intentions so I hope we maybe get to meet her in the future books.  And I really hope we get to see more of Langley in the upcoming books!  For my first Jennifer Haymore novel I was very pleased and I have added her backlist to my every growing pile of fabulous authors to get caught up on!  If you enjoy a long lost lovers tale with plenty of twist and turns but no major mystery overshadowing your story, this is a delightful book to try!  4 solid stars

I received this ebook from the publisher via netgalley.com

 Donovan Sisters
Confessions of an Improper Bride (A Donovan Novel)  Out July 26, 2011
Secrets of An Accidental Duchess  Out Feb 1, 2012
Book Three to be announced