True Spies by Shana Galen

When her husband, Baron Winslow Keating, fails to show up to take her to a ball yet again, Elinor has had enough.  She dons her most daring gown and goes to the ball alone and in the process, turns a new leaf.  She is ready for some adventure, some passion to be brought back into her life.  Elinor wants to feel needed more than planning balls and taking care of her daughters and if her husband fails to realize that, then maybe she should consider the attention of a new gentleman.  Winn is flabbergasted by the new changes in Elinor.  When he sees her in her daring gown he can hardly believe this is the same meek woman he married years ago.  And she talks back to him!  He finds himself jealous of the fact she seems to be turning to another man and he knows it is finally time to quit his secret double life as a spy.  Unfortunately, a master criminal is closer than ever and when he grabs onto Elinor, Winn knows he will do whatever it takes to get her back and prove how much she means to him.

I know whenever I settle in with a Shana Galen romance I will be swept away by the adventure and romance and True Spies is no exception!  I really loved the fact that this is a romance about rekindling the magic of a marriage.  I also really enjoyed watching Elinor blossom from a biddable wife into a vocal, passionate woman.  Her thirst for adventure takes her much father than she ever thought she would go but it brings her back to Winn.  I also admired how the truth was handled when Winn finally told her his reasons for all his absences throughout the years.  I thought the struggles between Winn and Elinor were believable and not quickly resolved and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this couple rediscover each other!  The ending is a continuous stream of heart-pounding action and chases and I felt a bit sad when it was all over.  I also loved seeing more of Lord and Lady Smythe from Lord and Lady Spy and I am so anxious for the next book to see what happens next!!  This was another rollicking, laugh-out-loud, sexy and adventurous romance from one of my favorite go-to authors for smart and sexy adventures in the romance world!  4 solid stars

eARC provided by Sourcebooks via netgalley

Lord and Lady Spy series
Can be read as standalones but richer in order I think

 Book Three (I think!) 2014

If You Give a Rake a Ruby by Shana Galen

Warrick Fitzhugh needs the help of the lovely Fallon, the Marchioness of Mystery but since she surrounds herself with friends and lovers at all times he has a hard time finding a way to speak with her.  So he does the only thing left to him...he sneaks into her bedroom and proceeds to reveal the secrets of Fallon's past, the secrets she wants to stay hidden.  Fallon sees no other choice than to help Warrick find the information he needs and they start on an adventurous hunt for the truth of who wants Warrick dead and once part of that is revealed, it turns Fallons life a bit sideways.  Throw in a smoldering attraction between Fallon and Warrick and this couple strives to find a way to see if this attraction is real...or part of the chase.

I know I can always turn to Shana Galen for fast paced, sexy adventurous romances and this is exactly what this book delivers!  Warrick is determined, bossy and dangerous and has a strained relationship with his family following his decision to become a spy, which caused the death of his brother.  Fallon is honest, clever, kind, brave and ready to take on anyone who gets in her way of what she wants.  Together they make a good pair but I did feel like their relationship was a bit rushed.  So much happens in just a small amount of time and I would have liked to have seen a bit more development with their relationship before they acted on their desire for each other.  I'm not sure I completely believed the 'I love yous' when they came.  Beyond that though, this book was a fast, fun read and I love how secrets are revealed at a pace that you just keep reading...until midnight without even noticing as it was very easy to get swept away by the action.  We get a good look at Fallon's fellow Jewel of the Ton, Lily and I am very anxious to learn about her secrets and to have a resolution to the overall mystery arc between these three books.  While not necessary to read the previous book, When You Give a Duke a Diamond, I do think this book is stronger having read it first.  Overall, not my favorite Shana Galen book but still a well written, action packed, surprising, steamy romance that deals with the issue of the heart and of family.  4 stars

eARC provided by Sourcebooks via netgalley

Jewels of the Ton series

Sapphires Are a Girl's Best Friend

New Covers

Quite a few great new covers shared recently. . .

What a lovely cover for a debut (and it has a sexy stepback, bonus!).  What Happens in Scotland is a debut from Jennifer McQuiston and since Sarah MacLean is endorsing it on the cover, you know I will be picking it up!  Look for this one February 26th.

I was excited to see this cover since I knew it would be red based on the title and what loveliness it is!  Shana Galen is one of my favorite authors and If You Give a Rake a Ruby is book two in her Jewels of the Ton series and I am eagerly awaiting its March 1st release!

Tiffany Clare has had gorgeous covers for all her books and Midnight Temptations with a Forbidden Lord is no exception!   A very lovely blue just a pop of purple!  This will be book two in her new series, Dangerous Rogues and should hit shelves April 30th.

The Prince's Bride will wrap up Julianne MacLeans The Royal Trilogy and it fits in beautifully with the previous covers.  I enjoyed the first book in this series so I am looking forward to this one when it releases April 30th as well.

Seduced by a Pirate is an ebook companion to The Ugly Duchess featuring Sir Griffin Barry.  Look for it Oct 30th and it is only 99 cents!  Woot!

Sally MacKenzie continues her Duchess of Love series with Surprising Lord Jack.  The cover fits in great with the previous titles but shoes featured so prominently always throw me.  They always look to modern to me, even though they are right.  Oh well, lol!  Love the dog peeking out.  This was is set for release March 4th.

Sarah MacLean shared her stepback for One Good Earl Deserves a Lover this week!  Love.  Love that her spectacles are still there.  Still waiting for it to be Jan 29th. . .

I'm not quite sure how they keep coming up with such lovely covers for Grace Burrowes Windham series!  Lady Eve's Indiscretion is book seven and should arrive February 1st.

I don't have any info about this title yet but I really like the simple holiday cover.  I recognize two of the names on here, Sophie Barnes and Karen Erickson, but the others are new to me and shorts stories are always a great introduction to new authors.  Five Golden Rings will be out as an ebook (and probably in print later I'm guessing) Dec 11th.

I have yet to read anything by Karen Ranney but The Lass Wore Black has captured my interest.  First I love the black and pink of the cover but she posted the full back cover copy on her site here and the blurb sounds good!  I think I will be picking this one up on January 29th and giving her a shot!

Well, this started off with I think four covers but quickly grew!  Which titles are you most excited about?  I thinking I need to win the lottery stat!

When You Give a Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen

Juliette is one of London's most dazzling courtesans.  With the nickname Duchess of Dalliance, given to her by the Prince Regent himself, and her ice blue eyes and pale blond hair she is a vision of beauty and also of mystery.  Her protector, nicknamed the Earl of Sin, also has two more courtesans--the Marchioness of Mystery and the Countess of Charm--and together they are a force to be reckoned with.  But when Juliette witnesses a shocking murder, her life gets turned upside down when she must tell the fiance of the women murdered, the Duke of Pelham, a man she has no desire to get entangled with.  However, when circumstances force this couple to search out the truth of the murder in order to protect Juliette's life, Juliette quickly finds herself falling for Pelham.  With her own secrets to tell regarding her life, Juliette must find the strength to tell Pelham and hope that he will stand up for himself and her.

William, Duke of Pelham, goes about his life in a perfectly precise manor.  He eats at the same time every day and expects his guests to do so as well.  His pocket watch is his constant companion and he believes strongly in the structure of his life.  He has found the perfect woman to marry, not for love but because he fits his requirements, so when a courtesan tells him of her death, he knows his life is slowly falling apart.  First, this Juliette refuses to give him a last name.  Calling her by her first name is just not acceptable!  Then she disregards his set time tables and talks back to him.  It allows for some fun interactions!  But Juliette slowly uncovers the real Will underneath the Duke and starts to bring him back to life.  Having been under the control of a overbearing father, Will needs reminding that he is in charge of himself and he makes his own rules.  Even with the budding romance blooming between Will and Juliette, can Will push himself past all of his rules to make her truly his forever?

Shana Galen is one of my favorite, go-to authors for books filled with adventure, humor and passion and When You Give a Duke a Diamond fits the bill nicely!  I loved that Juliette was not what society thought her to be--she is not some silly frivolous courtesan but a woman yearning for love, family and happiness and she finds it in the most unexpected place.  The little tidbits about her past were delivered very cleverly and had me engrossed in the book to find out what would next be revealed.  I loved how she saw right through Pelham and to his heart, to Will as she, and only she, called him.  Will is your classic straight-laced, proper, by the books gentleman and Juliette comes in and turns his life right side up with hardly any trouble and it was a delight to read all their fun and later, steamy, encounters!   Will grew up with three things drilled into from his father--routine, punctuality, and dignity and the consequences were dire if they were not meet at all times.  Juliette is the perfect person to allow Will to make his life his own and one worth loving.  I would highly recommend this book for fans of romances that are a wonderful mix of passion, danger, humor, good supporting characters that will leave you anxious for their own stories and even a bit of darkness that is balanced by some wonderful love and passion.  4 1/2 stars.

Fun Quote (subject to change in final version):

Not that she wanted him for herself.  They would never suit--her being human and he a complete ass.

ARC provided by Sourcebooks via netgalley.com

The Fallen Ladies series
If You Give a Rake a Ruby   March 2013
One more book, hopefully late 2013

New Covers

Hello~I've been a bit busy to post this weeks new covers so it has gotten a bit long :)  Lots of lovely covers to admire!!

Covet My Heart is the first book in Elise Rome's new series, Unmasked, follow the prequel novella, The Sinning Hour.  Sigh, so pretty.  This is one of my eagerly awaiting releases and hopefully we will have it soon :)  I'm not sure how Elise finds time to write as she seems to always be crazy busy but she seems too!

Sigh..I love this cover and yes that is mainly because it is purple and I love most things purple.  I like the expression on the women's face.  I enjoyed Manda Collins debut in her Ugly Ducklings series and How to Entice an Earl (which is book three) won't be out until February 2013.  Boo. 

Miss Lavigne's Little White Lie is book thee in Samantha Grace's Beau Monde series and another one I am looking forward too.  Does his shirt have a bit of a purple tinge to it to you?  Look for this one in October.

Mary Blayney looks to be a new to me author and I am drawn to this cover and hope to read it.  I'm not sure if this is officially part of a series but in the goodreads.com summary it says readers will return to the Penniston family.  Her website seems to be a bit out of date at the moment so I will have to do a bit more digging.  It looks like she has written four previous books with the same family.  Look for One More Kiss October 30th.

Yay!  A new book from Shana Galen!  A new book from Shana Galen!  Yes, I'm excited about this one :)  Shana said on Facebook that the cover needs to be tweaked a bit but I love it.  She looks like she is up to no good :)  When You Give a Duke a Diamond is the start of a new series called Jewels on the Ton which will be about three glamorous courtesans in Regency London, and what happens when they come across some dangerous diamonds and equally dangerous men and will be out September 1st (yay!).

How to Tame a Willful Wife is going to be a Regency re-telling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and will be from another new to me author.   I am intrigued by this one and really like the cover!  Look for it November 1st.

Oh, this one is so pretty and from another new to me author!  It also looks to be a debut but I have not found an author site yet to confirm. Waltz With a Stranger will be out December 1st.

And finally here is the cover for To Tempt an Irish Rogue. This looks to be book four in Kaitlin O'Riley's Hamilton Sisters series.  I like the cover so I may try to get caught up before its release in November.

Well, I think thats it!  Not a bad one in the bunch!  Quite a few new authors...just what I need, lol!!  Any in particular that you are looking forward to?

Happy Release Day!!

Lots of wonderful books coming out today!!

First up is the conclusion to Shana Galens Sons of the Revolution series and I loved this swash-buckling romance!  Carolyn Jewel is off to a wonderful start in her new Reforming the Scoundrels series with the charming Not Wicked Enough and I just looove the cover!  The Duchess Diaries has another gorgeous cover and is book three in Jillian Hunter's The Bridal Pleasures series and I really hope to get my first taste of her work with this one.  And finally Jo Beverly delivers book number twelve in her Malloren series and I have yet to read anything by Ms Beverly either but I really like the slightly sassy cover.

And there are also two wonderful debuts today as well!!  Samantha Grace makes her bow with the lovely Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel, which is the start of her Beau Monde series and I really enjoyed it! The other debut is from Heather Snow and she is also starting a new series, Veiled Seduction, with Sweet Enemy. This features a female chemist so that has certainly piqued my interest.

Hope you all get a chance to enjoy a few new books this week from these talented ladies!  Let me know what you get and what you think of them :)

The Rogue Pirate's Bride by Shana Galen

Revenge is the name of the game for Raeven Russell.  The daughter of a British admiral, almost her whole life has been at sea and she loves it but when the pirate Captain Cutless kills her fiance, she is out avenge his death.  Raeven has heard tales of this 'privateer,' as he refers to himself, and feels like it is her job to teach the scoundrel a lesson.  So she stuffs her long black hair into a cap, drags her friend with her to a bar where Cutless will be and challenges him to a duel, which she is confident she will win as she is very hand with a sword.  The tables are quickly turned though as Cutless brushes her off as a mere boy, which just infuriates Raeven even more but the final straw is when her removes her cap.  Oh yes, then the sparks start to fly!

Sebastian Harcourt, marquis de Valere, aka Captain Cutless, is a bit surprised with the hatred rolling off of Raeven towards him.  But he can understand seeking out revenge all to well as he is also on a quest to avenge his mentors death.  The added addition of the feisty Raeven is just a surprising bonus...until he finds out who her father is.  He watches Raeven disappear thinking he will never see her again.  Naturally, fate has other ideas and watching all the zings between this couple was a delight!

Sigh, what an excellent pirate, high-seas adventure this book is!  There are battles between ships that will have you flipping the pages and casualties that will make you cry.  There is a sense that you are there on the ship as well, you can almost feel the ship rocking but not enough that it overpowers the romance end of the story.  And what a hot romance it is!  There is a mutual attraction right away but as Raeven believes Bastian is a murderer, her feelings are all jumbled up.  Bastian's feelings are not as clear cut either.  He believes his entire family is dead and he is alone, save for an old servant.  But as his attraction for Raeven grows, so does love and respect...especially after she proves her abilities with a cannon :)

Overall, another winner from Shana Galen!  This is book three in this series and can truly be read as a standalone.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Bastian's family at the end but it is a wonderful conclusion to a truly fabulous series.  This book is sure to have something for everyone--romance, danger, revenge, betrayal, deceit, and an attraction so sexy and smart it will make you laugh and sigh over and over.  I truly believe Ms Galen has a very bright future ahead of her and I can not wait to see what else she delivers!  5 stars

Favorite LOL quote

"There's nothing complicated about our relationship.  I hate you and want you dead."

eARC provided by Sourcebooks via netgalley.com and quote subject to change in final book

The Sons of the Revolution series

Most Antcipated for 2012

Ok, looking into the new year here are my 5 most anticipated traditionally published books:

Thief of Shadows (out July 1st) is finally Winter's story and as he has been so mysterious and quite for the most part until now, I can't wait to see how it plays out with the seemingly opposite Isabel. Ok, fine I can't wait for the next in the series either but since that says it has a publication of Dec 31st it will have to tag on to this one (Lord of Darkness).

I have adored all of Sarah MacLeans books so far and I am sure that A Rogue By Any Other Name will be another one added to my keeper cover (I mean, look at that cover!). This one releases on February 28th and I am beyond excited that I have it from Netgalley and get to read it a bit early. But I already have my paperback copy preordered :)

I don't read too many contemporaries lately but one author that is still on my auto-buy list is the talented Julie James and we can finally get Sawyer-look-alike Kyle's story on April 3rd in About That Night.

I know this is two books but since Mad about the Earl comes out in a few days on January 3rd, I also wanted to add A Duchess to Remember which will release on June 26th. I really enjoyed Christina Brooke's first historical and can't wait to see what happens next in the Ministry of Marriage series.

And finally I have The Rogue Pirate's Bride (out Feb 7th and I will be reading soon thanks to Netgalley and Ms Galen!).  Shana Galen instantly became an auto buy author for me with Lord and Lady Spy and I know this book has been greatly anticipated since it is the third in a trilogy so I can't wait to start it.  I believe she is working on something for later in the year as well and that will be on my anticipated list as well :)

As you may have noticed I said those were my traditionally published....that is because I have a few self-published authors that I am also eagerly awaiting and here are my top choices for them:

First up is two books from Lila Dipasqua. Undone will be out April 4th and is her first book through self publishing and I love the cover. I have loved everything I have read from her so I can't wait for this one!

But perhaps the one I am most anticipating is this one. Three Reckless Wishes (Sept 5th) follows A Midnight Dance (which I LOVED and left us with a bit of a cliffhanger) so I am just itching to read this one!!

My next author that I can't wait for their self published books is Ashley March who will be writing as Elise Rome starting in the new year.  She already has six books listed in the goodreads.com system and I think she will be doing some set in the 1920s so that should be fun!  Ashley is a great author who communicates so well with her readers and I adore her for that and I can't wait to see what the new year brings us from her! :)

The Governess Affair is the start of a new series from Courtney Milan and is a novella so I hope this means we can expect at least one full length novel as well :)  Release date to be determined.


So, these are all my choices for the new year.  What are you most looking forward too?

New Covers

Since I have had very little time to read this past week, I thought I would post some of the fabulous covers that some authors posted (mostly on Facebook) this past week or so.  First up is Shana Galens The Making of a Rogue which is now being titled The Rogue Pirates Bride.  I have yet to read the previous two books in this series but based on how much I loved Lord and Lady Spy, I will get on that before her newest is released in February 2012.  I really like this cover...the blue really pops and I love a female with a sword!  They just need to button up her shirt a bit :)

Next up is the upcoming April 2012 release from Stefanie Sloane, The Saint Who Stole My Heart: A Regency Rogues Novel. This is book four in her Regency Rogues series and is another bluish cover with some pretty yellow. 

Here is the cover for Kate Nobles If I Fall coming in April 2012 as well.  Very pretty again and different to see a full face shot head on...they always seem to be more profile like or headless.

Now this one I'm sort of on the fence about, Meredith Durans March 2012 release, At Your Pleasure. Again, nice to see a full face shot and its very sexy but it's just ok I guess to me.  Maybe it looks better in person...


Katherine Ashe and Tessa Dare both revealed upcoming covers for there books on there fun blog, The Ballroom Blog. When a Scot Loves a Lady is by Katharine Ashe and is set for release in March and is very pretty in red while Tessa Dare is set to release Once Upon a Winters Eve on Nov 15th as a holiday novella for her new Spindles Cove series.  The green seems to be a perfect choice for the holidays.

Overall, a nice variety of colors that will be sure to grab your attention next spring!  Have you seen any covers that you just love lately?  Do you enjoy all of the above covers as well?