When She Was Wicked by Anne Barton

Miss Annabelle Honeycote has had to turn to a very unsavory way to get money to pay her mothers growing medical bills-extortion from some of her clients.  As many of the woman who are getting new dresses pay her no mind, they openly talk about some of scandalous stories about the ton.  So while it pains her to do it, Annabelle uses these secrets to her advantage to get some money (never exorbitant amounts!) to help take care of her mother and sister.  Unfortunately, her latest target, Owen, the Duke of Huntford, refuses to just hand over some blackmail money and sets out to trap her instead.  He will not tolerate any secret of his beloved sisters to be put out in society but he is very intrigued by the bespectacled woman he catches.  He decides the best way to keep an eye on Annabelle is to have her make new wardrobes for his sisters while staying at his home.  As much as it pains Annabelle to leave her sister and mother, she has to agree and quickly strikes up a wonderful friendship with Owen's two sisters...and finds herself desperately attracted to a man far, far above her station.  How will Owen and Annabelle find a way to be together, while Annabelle holds her shameful secret from his sisters and the full truth of it from Owen?  Can Owen forgive her when her secret keeping almost hurts his sister?

I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely debut!  I love stories with dressmaker heroines as they fall for someone above their current lot in life and also the attention to detail about dress construction.  So much work and time for one garment-and all by hand!  Annabelle is determined to do what she can to help her ailing mother, who seems to be fading away and while it pains her to turn to blackmail, it works to help pay for the medicines needed.  She is proud, clever, feisty, strong and loyal and I loved watching her fall for Owen.  I wish she had explained the full extent of her blackmail schemes as it comes back in a big way but that added some nice drama to the storyline.  Owen was a delicious gentleman who takes his responsibilities to his family seriously and I loved the way he took care of Annabelle and her family...even though she tried to resist his help.  His love for his sisters was wonderful but the subplot with one of them was a bit odd (how she came to stop speaking) and dragged on a little too long for my taste.  The banter between Owen and Annabelle was lovely and the writing crisp and enjoyable.  Recommended for fans of determined, fiesty,  loyal heroines who work for a living and fall for someone above her class, a hero who is protective, sexy and also determined mixed with lovely attention to details and fun banter and sizzling tension.  I know I will be picking up more from Anne Barton! 4 stars

eARC provided by Grand Central Publishing, Forever, by netgalley.com

Honeycote series
Once She Was Tempted
(Daphne's story, Annabelle's sister)
Release date to be announced

New Covers

Here are some of the lovely new covers revealed recently. . .

The first lovely, lovely cover is for an upcoming debut from Anne Barton.  But sigh...this one doesn't come out until Jan 29, 2013!!  Ah well, it is on my radar and I can't wait to read it!

Sweet Deception is book two Heather Snow's Veiled Deception series and also has a lovely cover that blends beautifully with her debut title.  This one will be out August 7th.

I can't wait to read this anthology!!  Courtney Milan, Sherry Thomas and Carolyn Jewel all in one?!?  Yes, please!  Ms Milan shared this on Facebook and said to look for it in August.

And yet another anthology with another great batch of authors!  Ok, fine.  I have not heard of Carey Baldwin and I'm wondering if she will be the murder story?  The other three authors write historicals so I'm interested to see a synopsis of this one.  Look for it in May.

Oh, I love this one!! I really enjoyed Tiffany Clare's previous serious for its blend of heat, romance and uniqueness so I am so excited to read this one. Wicked Nights With a Proper Lady will be out October 30th.

One more to add!  Gaelen Foley shared the cover for her upcoming release, My Scandalous Viscount, which will be out Sept 25th.  This will finally be the story of Beau and Carissa and is book five in the Inferno Club series.  I like this cover :)

Overall, another great batch of covers all for books I am looking forward to reading!  Did any stand out for you?