New Covers

Some new covers shared recently. . .

I love Lila DiPasqua's super steamy fairy tale retellings so I am very excited she has a novella hopefully out this month!  She shared the cover for The Duke's Match Girl on her website and I can't wait to read it!

What a perfectly festive cover for a holiday novella!  Deck the Halls with Love is part of Lorraine Heath's current series, Lost Lords of Pembrook and will be out Dec 18th.

Well, this cover is certainly different from Christina Brooke's previous covers (which I loved)!  I'm a bit on the fence about it...I like the pretty dresses better I guess but since these upcoming books focus on the men I guess it makes sense.  Oh well I have London's Last True Scoundrel preordered for its June 25th release as I loved the previous books!

For all you Stephanie Laurens fans she shared her newest cover in her newsletter this week.  I have not read a lot of her writing but what I have, I have enjoyed.  Look for And Then She Fell March 26th.

Maggie Robinson also shared her newest cover via her newsletter this past week and its another good one!  I enjoyed the previous book in this series so I look forward to Captain Durant's Countess and will pick it up on its Feb 21st release.  Bonus the ebook is only $5.94 instead of tenish for a trade paperback!  This makes me really happy and I hope to see it happening more in the future!

And lastly Delilah Marvelle is continuing her School of Gallantry series with three new books she will be self publishing!  The first is Lady of Pleasure which she shared this week.  I have not yet read the previous two books in this series but they are on top of my list for the new year as I have come to really enjoy her wicked sensual unique stories!  Look for this around March.

Well, thats all for now!  Which of these covers caught your eye?

Mad About the Earl by Christina Brooke

Lady Rosamund Westruther has no qualms about her arranged marriage to the Earl of Tregarth.  In fact, she has many grand romantic allusions in her mind but those are all quickly forgotten when she arrives at his estate to finally meet Griffin.  Rosamund is shocked that her betrothed is not waiting anxiously for her arrival and is actually in the stables.  Filthy and having no intention of cleaning up and meeting her properly, Griffin is big, gruff to the point of mean, and visibly scarred.  Hoping to scare her away, because, really, how can this beautiful woman love someone who is so clumsy and scarred, he gives the lovely Rosamund a searing kiss that neither can forget.  It steals Rosamunds heart and it shakes Grifiin to the core to be so affected.  Rosamund leaves and returns home to await word of her wedding.  And waits and waits for three years until a letter arrives telling her to arrive in due haste for the wedding.  Well, this puts all of Rosamunds feathers up and she refuses until Griffin returns to London and properly courts her.  As Griffin has no clue how to court a woman, he is beyond exasperated but as he needs this marriage to finally happen, he is reluctantly pulled into the world of London.

I was so happy with this Beauty and the Beast romance.  Rosamund starts off a bit childlike in her dreams of a perfect happily ever after, but the time apart has made her stronger and realize that even in a marriage of convenience, respect must be given and earned.  Griffin is a delightful 'beast'.  He grew up with an abusive grandfather and was always told how clumsy and unloveable he was so he finds it very hard to believe that someone can see past his scars and truly love him, to want to be around him.  I loved watching Griffin get cleaned up from his causal country living.  His shopping expeditions with Rosamunds cousin were quite fun to read!  I loved seeing more of the relationship between the cousins and how Rosamund came to be under the Dukes care was quite unusual I thought and added a bit of freshness to the storyline.  I really hope her brother has his own story coming soon as he seems like a tortured soul that needs his own HEA.

Overall, this was another wonderful book from Christina Brooke and as I was really excited to read this one, that makes me happy :)  I enjoyed how we got to watch Rosamund grow from a silly young lady into a more mature, realistic woman who knew just the thing to say to help her scarred hero believe in her and himself.  Griffin comes across very gruff and uncaring but underneath all that, he just wants to protect his sister and prove to Rosamund he is worthy of him.  The only thing that I would have liked a little more depth too was how Griffin got his scars.  It is mentioned a few times but I would have appreciated more flashbacks to his childhood to really get more of an understanding of his horrible childhood.  And even though this is book two in this series, it stands well on its own.  In fact, it will just make you want to read the first book if you have not already!  I am very eagerly anticipating the next book in the series and hopefully many more to come!  4 1/2 stars

Ministry of Marriage series (Hello gorgeous covers!!)

June 26th

Happy Release Day!!

Here are some of the great sounding books that are releasing today!


First up is one of my most ancipated reads for this year, Mad about the Earl.  Can't wait until I can read this one!





Another one I am looking forward to is Twice Fallen. I have enjoyed Emma Wildes previous books that I have read and I enjoyed the previous book in this series...and the title sounds like a perfect fit again. 



This is another one I have been waiting for.  Sunrise with a Notorious Lord is book four in Alexandra Hawkins hot Lord of Vice series.  And I love the cover as well :)




And one last book on my radar on a new to me author is Anne Gracie's Bride by Mistake. I have yet to read anything by her but the premise of this one sounds good so I hope to give her a try soon.


So, any of these catch your attention?  It seems pretty quiet for the rest of the month until the 31st when another great sounding batch will be released!

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!

Oohh, look at all the pretty new covers that I've seen!

First up is a book I can not wait to get my hands on!!  Three Reckless Wishes promises to be a hot, sexy, sexy fiery tale from the awesome Lila DiPasqua.  If you have not read any of her previous Fiery Tales...go do so....now! A Midnight Dance (the previous book to Three Reckless Wishes) was one of my favorite books of the year and I can't believe we have to wait until summertime 2012 for this one.  Sob!

ETA:  OMG!! Lila has also posted the cover for her fall release of Undone on her website!!  Gorgeous!!  This one is going to be based on the fairy tale Rapunzel.  Can.Not.Wait!!!  Also, she has announced these are both going to be self published, both in print and e formant which was a surprise to me but I will follow Ms DiPasqua wherever she goes :)

Next up is a really bold cover I think with our heroine front and center and a sexy pair of abs as a backdrop ;) This is book two in Julia Londons The Secrets of Hadley Green series and I did enjoy the first but I think it left a bit of a cliffhanger so I will need to refresh myself on it. Look for The Revenge of Lord Eberlin Feb 21st.

The Husband Hunt is book three of Lynsay Sands Madison Sisters and one I am quite eager to read.  Another pretty white cover (I'm noticing alot of white dresses for covers lately and liking them all!) which releases on Feb 28th.

A Duchess to Remember is yet another stunning white cover and another book I am dying to get my hands on!  Christina Brooke has had an awesome set of covers so far and I love how they all go together.  Look for book three of the Ministry of Marriage series June 26th.

Sigh, another winner from Grace Burrowes in the cover department. I mean, seriously, her covers for her books have been some of my favorites. I love the green and the handsome..almost naked looking man behind her . Look for Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal (The Duke's Daughters, #2) on May 1st.

Here is the newest cover for Jenny Browns upcoming release, Perilous Pleasures which releases March 27th. I have yet to read anything by Jenny Brown but have heard good things about this series which has some interesting ties to astrology.

One Naughty Night is the start of a new series from Laurel McKee called The Scandalous St. Claires. The cover has caught my eye as well as the premise so I'm looking forward to May 22nd.

And lastly here is the cover for debut author Erin Knightley. I believe More Than a Stranger: A Sealed With a Kiss Novel is the start of a series and I am always enjoy reading debut authors. This one releases June 5th.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a a weekly blog hop hosted by Breaking the Spine where we all mention one upcoming book release we are waiting for.

This week my pick is book two in Christina Brookes Ministry of Marriage series, Mad about the Earl. I really enjoyed the first book, Heiress in Love, and the whole concept of the Ministry of Marriage and I am looking forward to that being, hopefully, explained more in the newest book.  And again, it has a very eye catching cover.  Look for this on January 3rd~

Goodreads.com summary:

Designed to arrange matches of rank and affluence, the powerful Ministry of Marriage has no interest in love. But when does the heart ever play by the rules? 

 Lady Rosamund Westruther has no objection to the match arranged for her by the Ministry—until she meets her intended. Gruff, stubborn Griffin, Earl of Tregarth, is hardly the charming nobleman the classic beauty has dreamed of for so long. While a proper lady can’t cry off, she can demand a proper courtship …

Griffin is aware of his duty to wed—and more convinced than ever that the lovely Rosamund has no place with a man like him. Built for fields and stables rather than drawing rooms, Griffin doubts he can win her in the polite manner society requires. But with every passing day, the attraction between them flares higher and hotter. Maybe there is more to love than meets the eye…

Heiress In Love by Christina Brooke

All right, I'm not going to lie and say I didn't have high expectations for this book based on the cover (yes, I judge a book by its gorgeous cover) and then the back cover blurb later on because I did.  And wow am I happy that it lived up to those expectations.  Just an absolutely wonderful, sexy, touching romance novel. 

Jane, Lady Roxdale, has already endured one marriage of convenience brought forth to her from the Ministry of Marriage, where one of the prominent members is her childhood guardian, the Duke of Montford.  Montford rescued Jane when she was a young girl and brought her to him home to be his ward, along with numerous other wealthy, titled, parent-less cousins and together with other prominent heads of the ton, this Ministry of Marriage arranges marriages based on land and title mergings, not on love.  So when the will of the late Lord Roxdale is read and Jane is left all the money and the new Lord Roxdale, Constantine Black is left the land everyone is outraged.  As a result of the late Lord Roxdales death, a loan on the mill on the property is called due and Constantine has no way to get all the money needed in time....unless he marries Jane.

The first time Jane sees Constantine he is like a prince arriving on his white horse to whisk her away from her perfectly proper life.  Too bad she doesn't want to like this man that is taking her home away from her and her young nephew, Luke.  When also at the will reading it is announced that Constantine is to have guardianship of Luke she know the logical conclusion is that she must marry Constantine to keep the boy that is like a son to her.  As Constantine refuses to marry Jane (and has even been warned from Montford that a marriage between them is unacceptable) she sets about to seduce him.  Jane is a bit nervous and terrified at this prospect as her marriage was far from passionate and happy.  As these two, albeit reluctantly, grow closer Constantine shows Jane just how passionate and happy a life together can be.

Sigh, this really was a wonderful story.  I find the whole Ministry of Marriage aspect interesting and something I believe could very well have happened during this time period.  All the characters were written and delivered so wonderfully as well.  I loved watching Constantine emerge from his protective barriers of his unfair past to show Jane what life could be.  Oh, so romantic, sweet...and hot when he does!  And Jane, it was great watching her emerge from her perfect shell, or Ice Maiden as Constantine first thought of her, into a passionate, loving woman.  And the addition of Luke was really well done as well and I was surprised at how well Constantine took to his new guardianship.  Yes there was a bit at the end that I just wanted to shake Constantine for his actions, but there were justified based on his past and I was very happy with how it was resolved.  We also get to meet a few of the other cousins of Janes that will be featured in future stories and they all sound promising already!  There also seems to be a small romance blooming for the Duke of Montford as well that will hopefully continue on in future stories as well.   I do wish we had gotten to see a bit more of Janes past and how all these cousins grew up together but hopefully that, too, is something that will be explored more in the future.  Overall though, if you are looking for a wonderfully romantic story that has no huge misunderstanding and shows true growth to your characters, Christina Brooke has delivered a winner in her debut novel and I can not wait for more from her!  4 1/2 stars

Series order so far:
Heiress in Love (Ministry of Marriage)
Mad About the Earl (The Ministry of Marriage) Jan 2012