New Covers

New covers this week!

First up is a reissue by Sabrina Jeffries but the cover was so lovely I wanted to share it!  By Love Unveiled, written as Deborah Martin, will be out February 26th.  

Victoria Alexander returns with The Importance of Being Wicked and it also has a very lovely, bold blue cover.  I think this will be part of her latest series, Sinful Family Secrets, but I see nothing online yet to confirm that.  Look for this February 5th.

Samantha Grace is quickly turning into one of my favorite authors and she shared her newest cover for Lady Vivian Defies a Duke.  It features a hot guy, purple and a lovely backdrop--whats not to like?  This will be out in May.

I have not yet read anything by Renee Bernard but she certainly has catchy titles and beautiful covers for her Jaded Gentleman series.  Obsession Wears Opals is book five and should be out Dec 4th.

Meredith Duran is an author I also have yet to read and know I must soon!  That Scandalous Summer looks to be the start of a new series, Rules of the Reckless, so I plan to remedy that when this is released January 29th.  I like the simplicity of this cover and it will be a pop of color in the cold of winter!

I love stepbacks so I am always happy to seem them!  The Handbook to Handling His Lordship is book will be book four in Suzanne Enoch's Scandalous Brides series, one that I am enjoying.  Look for this book with its soft, pretty purple cover March 26th.

Well, another week and another batch of great covers!  Don't you think it would be a blast to help create them?  Too bad I am not creative in the least :)

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?!?)

Not Proper Enough by Carolyn Jewel

Lady Eugenia has come to London to continue on with her life after the death of her beloved husband by sponsoring a young lady.  What she does not expect is to run into the man that caused her so much pain when she married her husband.   The Marquess of Fenris was her husbands best friend and did not think Eugenia was good enough for his friend.  It also didn't help that he was immensely attracted to her himself but he stood aside and it cost him his friendship for some rude comments he made about Eugenia.  Seeing Eugenia again at a ball, he knows that he can not let her slip away again.  Fenris sets about to seduce Eugenia in any way possible.  Eugenia absolutely can not stand Fenris though and is frustrated by her attraction, both body and mind, to the man that seemed to despise her so long ago.  With Fenris' wicked touches and words whispered to her, she soon finds herself sharing part of herself with him.  However, can Fenris break down all the shell that Eugenia has surrounded herself in and show her that true love can happen twice, that one does not need to be proper at all times?

This was another delicious, detailed, smoldering romance from Carolyn Jewel.  Just like the previous book, Not Wicked Enough, I loved the attention to the fashion detail and surroundings.  I loved the snappy, almost bitter banter between our couple in the beginning and how that quickly turned into a smoldering, passionate affair that led to a whole new slew of emotions.  Eugenia loved her husband deeply and finds it hard to bear that she is moving on, and with a man that hurt her years ago.  She finds Fenris hard to resist though as he is always showing up, taunting her with promises of what they could share together.  Eugenia is always proper and then Fenris shows up, teaching her to smoke, sharing her first whiskey...tempting her to loosen up and let in a bit of un-properness.  The love they share is blazing hot yet tender and romantic all at the same.  There is a bit of a side story featuring Eugenia's charge and Fenris' father that adds in a dose of humor as the pair of them are enamored with botany.  I quickly saw where that relationship was headed and I would have liked to have seen a bit more of that, odd as it was.  Overall, a very strong battle of wills romance that is deeply sensual and breathtakingly enduring.  A satisfying treat for all romance readers!  4 stars

Review copy won from the author, thank you!

Reforming the Scoundrels series
Best enjoyed in order but could be read as stand alones

At least one more to come I think!

A Lascivious Lady by Jillian Eaton

**This review has some plot spoilers**

First, this story features a cheating heroine but that ugliness is balanced by the fact we have a virgin hero so while it does not forgive the cheating, it adds a new wrinkle to the story.  We have the stunning Josephine, married to the Earl of Traverson-a man devoted to studying bugs.  He is so far different from the bold, fiery Josephine when her father accepts his offer of marriage she is beyond furious.  It does not help matters that she was to be engaged to a duke soon, who wants a lowly, shy, nerdy earl instead?  Especially one that compares her eyes to dragonfly wings and gives her beetle pins as a gift?  Her heart hardened beyond measure, she strikes out at Traverson in the most hurtful of ways--having affairs and not making any secrets about it among the ton.  When confronted face to face with one of Josephines lovers, it goes off with a bang and the couple eventually find themselves thrown together by well meaning friends.  When they share a passionate kiss, the truth about Traverson's lack of experience comes to light and it helps Josephine finally see the light about her actions.  As Josephine is attempting to start fresh, it seems Traverson has finally had enough of her actions and he shoves her away.  But with the help of their friends, can this couple attempt to find happiness and move on from the past?  Or has Josephine damaged her relationship beyond repair?

For a novella featuring a storyline I dislike-cheating, and blatant cheating at that-I was surprised how much I ended up enjoying this romance.  Josephine is a tough woman to warm up too.  She is stubborn, dramatic, bold and bossy and how the sweet, shy Traverson fell for her was a bit of a stretch but opposites do attract, as is the case here.  I do feel like I needed a bit more of their backstory, though.  Parts are just alluded too and I would have liked to have seen something about how Traverson decided that Josephine was the woman of his dreams beyond just her looks.  They barely spoke before their marriage and I felt like it just needed...something more there I guess.  I enjoyed how Traverson stood up to Josephine in the end and didn't just welcome her back into his life when she realized the truth of her heart.  Overall, another wonderful novella from Jillian Eaton and I feel she did a good job tackling a sticky storyline.  It is a story of flaws and forgiveness, heartbreak and hope and most of all, a opposites attract love story.  We get just a teaser for the final novella in this quartet and it looks to be just as good as well!  Grab your ereader and settle in for a treat!  4 stars

Review copy provided by author, thank you!

The Wedded Women Quartet
Best enjoyed in order but can be read as stand alones
 
A Gentle Grace--exp pub in December

New Covers

New covers from out and about this week. . .

Having read and enjoyed the first books in Jess Michaels' Mistress Matchmaker series, I am anxious for book two--For Desire Alone.  She shared the upcoming cover and it is rather lovely but I do like the green pop from the previous cover a bit more.  Look for this one November 6th as an ebook.

Delilah Marvelle sure seems to have gotten some pretty sexy covers for her Rumor series!  Book three, Forever a Lord, is no exception.  I still have not read the first two books (hanging head in shame) but I am determined to be caught up by the release of this one, December 18th.

Wendy Vella is a debut author with Loveswept and she has grabbed my attention with this lovely cover!  The Reluctant Countess will be an ebook set for release January 14th and is a "Cinderella story of whirlwind passion between a dashing earl and a beautiful countess—and the secret that threatens to tear them apart."  You know how I love Cinderella stories :)

Lecia Cornwall has a new book this November (27th) and it features a woman who takes her sisters place at the altar to save her family.  I really enjoy those storylines!  I'm not quite sure about the cover but it fits in nicely with a mysterious bride theme.  Anyways, I can't wait for How to Deceive a Duke!  Looks like lots of hijinks :)

Well, I hope I padded your wishlist a bit more :)  I know I will be picking up all these titles either on my own or maybe as a holiday gift.  Time to start working on that list. . . :)

A Lady Never Lies by Juliana Gray

Lady Alexandra Morley, along with her sister and cousin, travel to a remote castle in Tuscany in an attempt to find a solution to her new found money problems.   They are all a bit startled when three gentleman also seem to have let the same castle but since it is large enough to be in separate wings, they agree to carry on.  What especially captures Alexandra's attention is one ginger-haired man, Phineas Burke along with his dedication to finding a way to run a horseless carriage.  Since her money is now tied up in a similar business, she hopes to gain some knowledge that she can pass on and earn her money back and get back to her life as she knows it.  What she does not expect is the growing attraction blooming between herself and Finn.  With a nosy duke and his lovestruck brother, along with her too-smart sister and too-quiet cousin, this group is sure to have lots of fun, heartbreak and hopefully triumph.

This was another wonderful debut I have read this year!  The writing is smooth and flawless and peppered with lots of British words that I love--rubbish, jolly, sodding and bloody hell.  I loved that this book is set in 1890 and we get a fresh perspective on the rise of the automobile.  I feel like there are not enough books set in this time period so I am so happy to have found another author setting her stories here!  Finn is a delightful scientist.  First, he is ginger haired--love, but he is also intelligent with a dash of nerdiness, passionate and thorough (in more areas than one).  Alexandra comes off a bit bossy at first and I wasn't sure about her but as time passes her true nature emerges.  She is still a bit bossy but she is also fun and adventurous, bold and stubborn and wary of tying herself to another man after the death of her husband.  Together, Finn and Alexandra explode but also bond over Finn's work with his battery for the automobile.  But Alexandra is still holding out her secret and it may end up costing her in the end...and if that doesn't, her stubbornness will.  Overall, I really adored this book.  The setting, the characters, the dialogue, passion, intrigue--all of it was done so well, it is hard to believe this is a historical debut.  The next two books will take place at the same time as this one and while that is usually not a favorite of mine, there were just enough snippets of the other couples that I think it is going to work out well.  Plus, there is not major mystery linking the stories so I don't think there will be much rehashing.  Juliana Gray has made it onto my auto-buy list with this debut and is an author all historical romance readers should read!  4 1/2 stars

Affairs by Moonlight series

   Nov 6th                         Feb 5th