Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

I just adore this series!  I love the fact that I am laughing within the first couple of pages and that is exactly what I was doing, reading the interaction between Griffin York, Duke of Halford, and his mother.  His mother who has taken him to Spindle Cove to find a wife (she wants grandbabies desperately).  To thwart her, he chooses the girl that stumbles into the room covered in sugar...a barmaid.  If she can turn Pauline Simms into a duchess within a week, he will marry her.  However, he is not going to fall in love with the smart-mouthed woman.  He is going to overlook the fact that he can talk with her, really just talk.  He is going to help her achieve her dream of opening her own shop...even if returning to Spindle Cove to open her dream separates them.  Because a duke can not fall in love with a barmaid and be happy...right?

Loved it, plain and simple.  There is something magical about Tessa Dare's writing and she can not write fast enough to make me happy!  I adored watching the romance and friendship grow between Griff and Pauline.  She talks to him like he is a normal person and not a duke and her boldness and proud demeanor appeal to the generous, decent, good-hearted Griff.  Pauline can see that Griff is burying something very hurtful from his past and it has caused him to change.  He has not told his mother, with whom he has a good, though not talkative, relationship with and the distance is putting a strain on things.  Pauline, for her part, knows she will never be a duchess but she can not help falling for Griff but even after she does, she knows there can be no true future for them together.  I thought the difference in class situation was handled well in the end.  Yes it was all tied up neatly in a bow, but it was a pretty, sigh worthy bow.  Every time I read a Tessa Dare romance, I know I am going to laugh, sigh, cheer and fall in love with the characters she has created and Any Duchess Will Do is the perfect example of this!  A perfect romantic delight!  4 1/2 stars

eARC provided by Avon Books via edelweiss

Spindle Cove series
Can be read as stand alones, but most enjoyable in order as characters are recurring

Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare

Miss Diana Highwood, the perfect beauty of her family, is destined to be a noblemans wife, at least according to her mother and Diana has accepted this until they arrive in Spindle Cove to address her health and she meets the local blacksmith, Aaron Dawes.  Now with two years of glances and delicious thoughts, she is pushed by her sister to live her life her way and Diana decides to finally act on her thoughts and desires, much to the delight of Aaron.  Never in his dreams would he expect a lady to give up a genteel life for the life of being a blacksmith's wife but Diana seems determined too even though she refuses to tell anyone about their relationship.  Matters come to light that force this couple to explain themselves (seriously, I about died laughing at that scene...oh, her poor mother!) and you just hang on for the happily ever after that is sure to come!

Oh my goodness, what a clever, hilarious  tender and sexy romance!  I devoured it and was so disappointed when it was over!  Tessa Dare has become an auto buy author for me with her Spindle Cove series and this novella is the reason why.  I know when I read a Tessa Dare book I will get a smoldering romance with trials and grit mixed with some laugh inducing scenes that will keep you up all night until you finish and Beauty and the Blacksmith is no exception!  Diana is quite a beauty but through her actions, Aaron learns that beauty goes all the way through and helps showcase her strength, determination and intelligence.  However, he learns that maybe she isn't the right fit for a kitchen :)  Aaron is protective (having had to raise two sisters), affectionate, honest and strong... especially in the forearm area and he is a wonderful counterpart to Diana and takes her mishaps in stride and helps give her the courage to follow her heart.  Clever wit, charm, smoldering heat and a true love destined to be make this a keeper for both new and old Tessa Dare fans!  4 1/2 stars

eARC provided by Avon Books via edelweiss

Spindle Cove series
Could be read as standalones but characters are recurring and probably best enjoyed in order

                                                                                                                         May 28th

New Covers

Some new covers that I found recently. . .

Karen Hawkins shared her upcoming covers this past week.  How to Pursue a Princess (love that title!) is book two in her Duchess Diaries series and will be out May 21st.  Love the pretty background colors.

And before that she has a novella coming out!  Princess in Disguise, which has my attention based on the title alone, will be out February 25th.  I am so glad that the publishers are taking the time to make nice covers even for their novellas.  This one is nice and sexy and I love the staircase.

What the Duke Desires kicks off a new series for Sabrina Jeffries!  I got behind on her last series but I really enjoyed what I read so I'm looking forward to this one.  I love seeing corsets on covers :)  Look for this June 18th.

A new Tessa Dare cover!  A new Tessa Dare cover!  Love it!  So, so excited for Any Duchess Will Do :)  It's purplish-pink and pretty and lovely and I love the little sparkle on the bottom of her dress.  And I love that there is a step back!!  So sad to see hardly any books with these anymore!  Sob, why can't it be May 28th yet?

I saw this one up on Goodreads.  Love it!  Her dress is such a pretty color and I love that she is blowing a kiss.  A new Julia Quinn is always a treat so The Sum of All Kisses will be picked up on June 25th.

A Little Night Mischief looks to a a debut set for release June 4th.  It's a kind of nice to see the male wearing a shirt for a change and I love the background detail.  This features a heroine determined to keep her estate after it is gambled away by disguising herself as a ghost...which the hero does not fall for.  I will be keeping my eye out on this one.

Ooh, pretty pretty!  And Then Comes Marriage is book two in Celeste Bradley's new series, starting at the end of this month.  I have yet to read anything by her but heard good things about the first book so I am going to give her a try and hopefully be picking up this one July 30th.

Well, there you go!  Lots of great covers again.  Any new titles caught your eye?

New Covers

Another lovely batch of new covers from out and about lately!

Jillian Hunter continues her her Boscastle Affair series with The Mistress Memoirs, out March 5th.  I love the attention to detail!  I have yet to read anything by this author but did pick up the first books (because I loved that cover as well) so I hope to be caught up by March in time to pick this one up!

Sweet Madness is book three from Heather Snow and another author I need to read as I have picked up the two previous books!  Argh, lol!  I really like this cover as well!  The blurb says the heroine studies maladies of the mind!  How interesting does that sound?  Look for it April 2nd.

This novella was originally published in an anthology which is no longer being sold so the authors are releasing them separately.   The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright was a delight to read and I urge you to to read it if you have not at only 99 cents!  Such a lovely pink cover!!

Ooh, what a lovely, stormy cover!  Scandal in the Night is book three in the Reckless Brides series and will be out June 25th. 

Amanda Forester is a new to me author and A Wedding in Springtime looks to be her first straight Regency novel (her previous look to be Highlander stories).  It sounds fun and I will be grabbing it on its May 7th release.  I think the cover is very lovely and sweet and sexy at the same time!

I just read Pamela Sherwood's debut and I am eager for her next story, A Song at Twilight. I again love the attention to the background detail and the pretty shade of purple.  Look for this one August or October (different dates on goodreads and Amazon).

Well, will any of these be added to your list for the coming year?  I was hoping to get caught up on my mountain but I keep adding to my list for the new year of books I want to read. . . :)

A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

Kate Taylor has finally found a place for herself in Spindle Cove but she has always wondered who she truly was and who she belonged to.  Growing up at Margate School for Girls, Kate does not even know her true birthday and when one last failed attempt at answers with the former schoolmistress leads to even more questions, she is devastated.  Running into the snarly Corporal Samuel Thorne just adds insult to injury as he saves her from a viscous attack.  Upon returning to Spindle Cove however, Kate's life is thrown into question when some mysterious family comes forward to claim her.  When Thorne steps forward and claims they are engaged, she allows the farce as too many unanswered questions need to be answered before she can truly accept she might actually belong somewhere.  But a few smoldering kisses with Thorne turn up a whole new batch of questions...does she stay with Thorne and make the engagement real and head of to America or does she let this new, slightly crazy family, accept her and finally find some answers to her past?  Little does she know that Thorne could be hiding the key to answering more than he will let on.

Samuel is determined to protect Kate from this 'family' that has suddenly shown up after twenty three years.  He feels that there must me a more ulterior motive for this marquess to step forward with two of his sisters and aunt.  Having shared part of Kate's past, he knows from where Kate comes and wants to know why now?  Why not back when she needed them as a girl?  As clues and answers slowly unravel, so does the barrier around his heart.  Samuel knows he is not good enough for Kate and refuses to let her in, but Kate is persistent and together they seem to reach an agreement...until the final piece of the puzzle is laid out and their happiness seems impossible.

I have been dying to read this book since A Week to Be Wicked as I loved watching the dislike that Bourne and Kate had for each other pop up from time to time.  I just knew that their love story was going to be special and it was.  I loved unwrapping the mystery of Kate's past piece by piece and the introduction of the eccentric Gramercy family adds a creative layer.  Are you supposed to enjoy and like them or are they the enemy?  Kate herself is full of life and spirit and humor and is a perfect counterpart to the stoic, commanding Bourne.  As Bourne has quite the checkered past, he is quite reluctant to give Kate the love and tenderness she wants and deserves.  As time passes and they are thrown together again and again, walls slowly crumble and we get to see a whole new side to Bourne.  And if you don't fall in love with him after he irons, there might be something wrong :)  Watching Bourne and Kate overcome so many obstacles from outside sources and each other was a delight to read and I wanted to just keep going!  This is another wonderful, sigh worthy, heart tripping romance from one of my new favorite authors!  I loved the romance, the passion, the mystery and the humor.  It had it all for me and I can not wait to see who is next in the delightful Spindle Cove family!  4 1/2 stars

So many funny quotes and so many sweet quotes but this is on of my favorites of Bourne quoting Aristotle:

" 'Love is composed of a single soul, inhabiting two bodies' "

I received this eARC from Avon via edelwiess.com

Spindle Cove series
Not necessary to read in order by characters are recurring

Any Duchess Will Do May 28th, 2013 (How are we supposed to wait until May?!?)

Three Weddings and a Murder by Tessa Dare, Leigh LaValle, Courtney Milan and Carey Baldwin

First, this is an anthology that the proceeds go to raise funds for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  Please read more here and here.  Such a great cause and such a generous donation!  Thanks ladies!!

Now, for a quick recap of a great anthology!

The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare

For a novella, I usually prefer the couple to have know each other previously for the story to work better in the shorter space but in this one they don't...and it still works!  Miss Eliza Cade made a foolish mistake when she was younger and pays for it no by not being able to have a Season until her three older sisters are married.  She unintentionally meets the notorious rake, Harry Wright and they both capture each others attention.  A bit of time passes and a chance encounter reacquaints them, and the desire and attraction still burns.  With clever chapter titles and superb writing skills, you will fall for this couple and hope they overcome the obstacles that continue to arise.  Tessa Dare is an auto buy author for me and she proves why, even in the shorter story length.  4 stars 

The Misbehaving Marquess by Leigh LaValle

If you read Leigh LaValle's debut, The Runaway Countess, you know that Cat is in an unhappy marriage with her husband leaving her alone for five years.  When Jamie suddenly returns home and demands he wants an heir, all the hurt and unresolved feelings from the past five years come back full force.  It takes a small 'aha' moment for Jamie to finally talk to Cat about what happened in the past and try to forgive and move forward.  But when Cat reveals her own heartache, will they be able to overcome the last hurdle to find a way to renew their vows and start anew?  This was a very engaging story to a secondary character from a previous book and I am very happy with the results.  We get a small peek into Mazie's life as well and I am anxious for more books from the very talented Leigh LaValle!  4 stars


The Lady Always Wins by Courtney Milan

Simon Davenant was crushed when his childhood sweetheart married another, just to have money since his father was going to cut him off if he dared marry Ginny.  Now, seven years later, Ginny is a widow and he has three days to make her fall back in love with him before his new found wealth disappears.  But Ginny had her reasons for marrying for money and when they come up, it about undoes Simon's plans.  I enjoyed the banter between this couple, how they were always trying to one up each other and the ultimate one up comes at the end and was a nice little twist, which you don't always get in a novella.  Another enjoyable story for one of my favorite authors.  Seriously, Courtney Milan could write the phone book in a way that would be enjoyable :)  4 stars

Solomon's Wisdom by Carey Baldwin

It was kind of weird going from historical to romantic suspense, but once I got my brain adjusted I enjoyed this debut novella from Carey Baldwin.  It is about two couples, one long estranged and one happily married with a son and what happens when some mysterious bruises appear on the child.  The chain reactions from this event make for a quick story and twists and turns that worked all right with the novella length, but I felt would have been better situated as a full length or slightly longer novella story.  It was an enjoyable, quick read and a nice taste for what is to come in the future.  3 1/2 stars


Overall, I enjoyed all the novellas and they seem to be a good taste of each authors work.  For historical romance fans, I would recommend them all.  They will make you smile and laugh and sigh and leave you with a happy heart...and your heart is sure to pound a bit with the last one.  Overall, 4 stars

It's Tuesday so it must be release day!

First up are two that were released this past Tuesday.  I've read the Kasey Michaels one and hope to read the one by Portia Da Costa.

And here are some of the wonderful books releasing today--

Yay!  Look at all of those books I think I need to buy, lol :)  I have only read four of them and if you have not read anything by Tessa Dare you must buy A Week to Be Wicked!  It is one of my favorite books of the year so far.  I am really looking forward to the Suzanne Enoch, Meredith Duran and Vicky Dreiling ones!  I know I will be buying them all.  Amanda Scott and Jenny Brown are on my list to read one of these days so thats where there new books will be shelved for me.  Also looking forward to the newest from Julia London but I have not read her previous newest release so I need to get caught up there.

So....which ones are you most looking forward too??  And if nothing has caught your eye there are a few more great releases on the 2nd from Jennifer Ashley, Tracy Anne Warren, Kate Noble and a debut from Tracy Devlyn.

New Covers!!

I thought it was going to be a quiet week for covers but I found a whole slew of them today! 

Love, love, love this cover!! I can not wait to see the stepback for it as I'm sure it will be smoldering!  It's a bit unfortunate there is not allusion to the heroines birthmark on her face but I guess you can't really have that on a romance cover.  So, so, so excited to read A Lady by Midnight at the end of August!  A beautiful midnight blue cover to match the title :)

Bam!  That's what I think when I see this cover, lol :)  She looks like she knows what she wants and how to get it and no one is going to mess with her.  Love the pretty blue.  I'm really looking forward to this one as well!  This one also releases August 28th.

Book four in Eloisa James' Fairy Tale series is obviously based on The Ugly Duckling and I love the swan on the cover. The Ugly Duchess will also be out August 28th (a month which I am going to go broke apparently!)

Lessons from a Scandalous Bride is book two in Sophie Jordan's Forgotten Princesses series and yet another eye-catching cover!  I really like the hot pink as a background.  I wonder if there will be a step back for this one?  This one will be out July 31st.

While I don't like this cover as much as Anna Randol's debut book, it still is giving me the feeling that it is set somewhere beyond just London/England area by the background.  Looking forward to more info about Sins of a Virgin before its August release.

The Warrior Laird will be July 31st.  I've read a few of her books and enjoyed them but this one looks to be more Scottish themed which is always a nice change of pace.

A Little More Scandal will be an ebook exclusive and is available for preorder at my favorite price, .99!  It will be out May 29th and is book 1.5 in her Christies series.  I have yet to read Flawless so I need to get on that soon so I can be caught up for her two new releases!  I really do like when publishers take the time to make even short novellas have lovely covers!

And then the next month (June 26th) we get the full lengthy release of Starlight!  Another pretty cover and I love the little sparkle of the stars.  Carrie Lofty sure has been blessed with some lovely covers!  (Flawless is one of my favorite covers ever)

When the Duchess Says Yes is book two is Isabella Bradford's debut series (under this pen name) the Wylder Sisters.  It fits in very nicely with the previous book and I love the fan :)  It will be out Sept 25th.

And lastly (seriously, I only had two covers until this morning!) is the upcoming start of a new self published series from Jess Michaels, who I have only read under her Jenna Petersen name but really enjoyed what I have read.  I'm intrigued by the series title 'Mistress Matchmaker' and can't wait until June to read this one!  I really love this cover as well!

As always, covers can change anytime :)

Whew!  What a bunch of lovely covers!  Sorry for your pocketbooks :)  I know mine will be crying, especially in August!  (Why, why, why does Avon publish so many great books in one month?!?  They need to spread it out a bit more, lol)