Why Dukes Say I Do by Manda Collins

Lady Isabella Wharton and her friends were part of something they would dearly like to forget but her godmother has other ideas and holds the threat of revealing what really happened to have Isabella do her will.  As such, Isabella finds herself off to the countryside in order to summon home the new Duke of Ormond, a man who seemingly ignores his duties.  Yet when Isabella meets Trevor Carey, she finds the opposite.  Here is a man devoted to caring for his tenants and land.  He never expected to inherit the dukedom and due to some bad blood in the past, he has no desire to go to London and assume the duties.  Spending time with Isabella and seeing how his beloved sisters interact with her, Trevor slowly starts to rethink his decision.  When a threat on Isabella's life becomes known, Trevor takes steps to protect her.  Will he lose his heart in the end as well?

The start of Manda Collins newest series was an enjoyable, easy read and my favorite book by her so far!  Isabella was such a strong woman who has overcome a bad first marriage and somehow still keeping her spirit intact and becoming very resilient.  Trevor quickly notices this along with a sweetness underneath, especially in the way she bonds with his sisters.  Isabella comes off a bit rude in the beginning but she grows into herself with Trevor and together they just fit.  Trevor was a dedicated man and I liked seeing his layers unfold and I really enjoyed his interactions with his sisters.  After all, what man wants his sisters to grow up into ladies?  I was pleased with the mystery aspect of this romance as well.  It does not overpower the story at all and I was surprised at the revelation in this one but the overall arc continues on through the next books while still giving a nice conclusion in this one.  This book had me laughing, smiling and sighing and flipping the pages to find out what would happen next and I eagerly look forward to the friends' upcoming stories.  4 solid stars

eARC provided by St Martins Press via netgalley.com

Wicked Widows series

   Jan 28th 2014

The Perks of Being a Beauty by Manda Collins

Miss Amelia Snow, noted mean-spirited beauty of the ton, has had a turn of fate. After her mother dies and she is left with no money, she takes on a job as a companion where she tries to blend in and help her charge find a good match. When a childhood friend arrives at a country house party, she remembers how she broke his heart and how he has always had a piece of hers. However, Amelia turned into a different woman after she went to London with her mother, who always told Amelia that all other girls were her competition, and Lord Quetin Fortescue is unaware of the pain and humiliation she caused in the ton. Even though Amelia has made amends with the woman she hurt, she still has not forgiven herself and is a bit hard about life. A rainstorm forces this couple to seek shelter together and this, of course, leads to a good heart to heart and some heated moments. Can Quetion show Ameila she is not the woman of her past and ready to move forward, together? With the humor, depth and a dash of heat I have come to expect from Manda Collins, The Perks of Being a Beauty is a story of forgiveness, healing and heart. 4 stars 

eARC provided by St Martins Press via Netgalley

Ugly Ducklings series
Not necessary to read the series before this one, but you really get more of a sense of Amelia in the past before she grows in this novella

New Covers

Here is the latest (long) batch of lovely new covers. . .

This is the cover that was voted on for Kieran Kramers upcoming Say Yes to the Duke!!  Love it!  (Though it doesn't really 'fit' with the previous covers...) Very excited for this one!  Look for it Aug 27th.

Oh, look at this lovely red cover!  And a heroine with red hair.  Love the snow in the background :)  I really enjoyed Valerie Bowman's debut so I can't wait for Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage to come out Oct 1st!

Squee!!!  How eye catching is this green?!?  And a mask?  Ooh.  Beyond excited for this one and so happy the cover is just stunning.  Look for No Good Duke Goes Unpunished Aug 27th!

The Perks of Being a Beauty is a novella by the lovely Manda Collins set for release June 18th.  I believe this features a secondary character from her debut series.  I am so happy publishers are taking the time to make nice covers for novellas!

Miranda Neville is back with The Ruin of a Rogue.  Love that title and the cover is very sexy!  Look for it Aug 27th as well.

Grace Burrowes always has such lovely covers and Lady Jenny's Christmas Portrait is no exception.  (Christmas already?!? lol)  The green is perfect for the holidays and I adore the attention to the background detail.  Look for this one Oct 1st.

Wicked Little Secrets looks to be a new to me author.  The cover and premise have caught my attention so I hope to give this one a go on its release, Aug 6th.

Purple, my favorite :)  I like all the pretty scrollwork as well as the detail in the background.  Look for Love on a Midsummer Night Aug 6th.

Love!  The sky blue is just stunning!  Very impatient for the release of this one!  A Rake's Midnight Kiss will be out Aug 27th (boo).

And finally is the start of a new series from Sophie Barnes, The Trouble with Being a Duke.  I love that her dress has a pattern on it and masks are always intriguing :)  Look for this one Aug 27th.

Well, there you go.  Lovely, lovely covers from Avon, St Martins, Sourcebooks and Grand Central.  Now to wait. . . Which covers are your favorites??

New Covers

Some lovely new covers to share. . .

Lover Be Mine is the second in Nicole Jordan's Legendary Lovers series and based on Romeo and Juliet.  Since we all know how that ends, I am anxious so see how this story ends, as it will have to have a happily ever after!  Look for it May 28th.

Oh my.  I love, love, love this cover!  The attention to the background detail is fabulous and I adore the parasol and the green just pops!  I have yet to read anything by Kate Noble and goodreads shows this to be book five in a series so I will have to see if it will work as a standalone because I want to read it based on the cover alone!  Let It Be Me will hit shelves April 2nd.

Having just read the first book in this series, I know I will be picking up One Night with a Rake June 4th.  Purple, check!  Sexy dude, check!  Looking to share a drink, ok!  Shaping up to be another good read!

Who doesn't adore Lorraine Heath?  She shared the cover for the conclusion of her current trilogy, Lord of Wicked Intentions this week.  Sigh...so lovely.  Dying for this one.  Hurry up April 30th!

This is a bit of a different pose than we normally see and I really like it!  With the cover reveal, it stated that this will be a city miss meets country duke story...ooh, definitely have my attention (as if the red did not already!).  I'm not sure if this will be the start of a new series or a stand alone.  Look for more details about Why Dukes Say I Do closer to its July 30th release.

Another lovely batch of covers and all are books on my wishlist for this coming year!  Hard to believe we are about to say goodbye to 2012!  Which of these books have caught your eye?

Have a wonderful holidays!!

Happy Release Day!!

I apologize in advance for your wallets. . .big release day!

 Wowza!  Quite a good load of books out today! :)  The first three, Forever a Lady, Once Upon a Ballroom (all new e-shorts) and An Unsuitable Bride were all released on July 24th but I didn't have time to write up a post.  I can't wait for Delilah Marvelles since she is wonderful about sexy and unique stories and I'm excited to read four new short stories from some of my favorite authors.  Jane Feather is an author I have yet to try and this book is book three in the series so I will need to catch up soon!

I have had the pleasure of reading some of these titles early and I would recommend them all:  Almost a Scandal (sexy times on the sea), How to Romance a Rake (delightful), When You Wish Upon a Duke (start of a new series) and Lesson from a Scandalous Bride (enjoyable fun).  The ones that are on top of my must buy list today are All Afternoon with a Scandalous Marquess (part of a series) and Pleasures of a Tempted Lady (also part of a series).  Both are authors I have enjoyed and I can't wait for more!  Return of the Viscount, Touch of a Scoundrel, The Bride Wore Pearls and A Scandalous Affair (ebook) are all titles I hope to get to sooner rather than later! 

Does anyone else need a vacation from life to read all these books?!?  Wouldn't that be grand :)  If there is nothing here to tempt you--I find that hard to believe, lol--next week we see new titles from Juliana Gray (a debut I'm excited to read), Michele Sinclair and Jade Lee.  So again, I apologize for your empty wallets! :)

How to Romance a Rake by Manda Collins

Miss Juliet Shelby has always made sure to blend into the background in society following an accident that now has her in need of the assistance of a walking cane.  Her mother has made it quite clear that no respectable man is going to want a disfigured young lady for a wife and does not allow her to call any attention to herself.  But when Juliet is being mocked yet again by some of the tons notorious bullies, she receives an unexpected offer of help from Lord Alec Deveril.  He comes to her defense and then offers to teach her to dance to help her feel more comfortable.  Juliet can not believe that one of the tons most eligible bachelors is paying her any attention but she sees no way to gracefully refuse.  Dancing in his arms is a dream and when Alec comes across Juliet in distress again, this time for a more personal matter involving her missing music teacher, the pair start a quest to find out the truth and along the way, discover some truths about each other that they both have tried to keep hidden.

Lord Alec Deveril has his own secrets to hide.  He has a great fear of ending up like his father, the Devil Deveril, and harming any woman he may come to marry.  He is adored and liked by all of the ton and knows he must marry but the quiet, unassuming Juliet unexpectedly captures his attention.  When he witnesses one to many acts of cruelty at the hands of her mother against Juliet, he steps in and takes matters into his own hands.  He has no tolerance for abuse and knows he must protect her, but at what cost to himself?

Manda Collins is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!  I adored this book!  Juliet was a true delight to read--she was strong, kind, compassionate and lovely.  And Alec, sigh.  He sees everything and forgets nothing in his bold, caring way and was the perfect person to help Juliet discover that her handicap was no handicap at all.  And wow, we usually see fathers doing low and dirty business involving their daughters but this time we had Juliet's mother, Lady Shelby.  This is a mother I would not wish upon anyone with her cold and heartless nature.  I believe she loved her daughter in a small way but her own happiness and importance in society was valued much higher.  I also liked the mystery aspect of this story involving Juliet's missing music teacher and the possible connection to some disturbing paintings.  I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong as to the nature of the villain and I thought the entire situation played out nicely.  It didn't overwhelm the story for me, the romance was still front and center, but it added some nice weight to the storyline.  If you are looking for a romance filled with warmth and wit (I was laughing quite a bit!) mixed with a bit of mystery to keep you on your toes, Manda Collins delivers!  4 stars

Review copy provided by author through netgalley.com

Ugly Ducklings series
Can be read as standalones, best enjoyed in order

                                 Jan 29th 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?

End of January releases!

Wow, I can't believe it is almost the end of January already!!  Here are some of the upcoming releases I am most looking forward too.

This one just came out on the 24th and it is the highly anticipated conclusion to Sabrina Jeffries Hellions of Halstead Hall series and it is already downloaded on my Kindle and I hope to read it soon.

Also releasing on Jan 24th, but just for you lucky Nook owners (the rest of us have to wait until Feb 21st, I think) is a debut from Sara Ramsey that sounds good!


Here is a look at all the great titles releasing on the 31st!  Four great debuts from Jillian Stone, Anna Randol, Manda Collins and Sophie Barnes.  Plus a the start of a wonderful new series from Lorraine Heath and a new series from Nicole Jordan, a continuation from Jennifer Haymore (a novella and a full length out on the same day) and from Victoria Alexander and a conclusion from Stephanie Laurens.

 

And if nothing catches your eye here (but I'm sure a couple have!) don't worry as there are some great releases in just a week on February 7th from Shana Galen, Samantha Grace, Heather Snow, Victoria Alexander and Carolyn Jewel!