New Covers

Quite a few great new covers shared recently. . .

What a lovely cover for a debut (and it has a sexy stepback, bonus!).  What Happens in Scotland is a debut from Jennifer McQuiston and since Sarah MacLean is endorsing it on the cover, you know I will be picking it up!  Look for this one February 26th.

I was excited to see this cover since I knew it would be red based on the title and what loveliness it is!  Shana Galen is one of my favorite authors and If You Give a Rake a Ruby is book two in her Jewels of the Ton series and I am eagerly awaiting its March 1st release!

Tiffany Clare has had gorgeous covers for all her books and Midnight Temptations with a Forbidden Lord is no exception!   A very lovely blue just a pop of purple!  This will be book two in her new series, Dangerous Rogues and should hit shelves April 30th.

The Prince's Bride will wrap up Julianne MacLeans The Royal Trilogy and it fits in beautifully with the previous covers.  I enjoyed the first book in this series so I am looking forward to this one when it releases April 30th as well.

Seduced by a Pirate is an ebook companion to The Ugly Duchess featuring Sir Griffin Barry.  Look for it Oct 30th and it is only 99 cents!  Woot!

Sally MacKenzie continues her Duchess of Love series with Surprising Lord Jack.  The cover fits in great with the previous titles but shoes featured so prominently always throw me.  They always look to modern to me, even though they are right.  Oh well, lol!  Love the dog peeking out.  This was is set for release March 4th.

Sarah MacLean shared her stepback for One Good Earl Deserves a Lover this week!  Love.  Love that her spectacles are still there.  Still waiting for it to be Jan 29th. . .

I'm not quite sure how they keep coming up with such lovely covers for Grace Burrowes Windham series!  Lady Eve's Indiscretion is book seven and should arrive February 1st.

I don't have any info about this title yet but I really like the simple holiday cover.  I recognize two of the names on here, Sophie Barnes and Karen Erickson, but the others are new to me and shorts stories are always a great introduction to new authors.  Five Golden Rings will be out as an ebook (and probably in print later I'm guessing) Dec 11th.

I have yet to read anything by Karen Ranney but The Lass Wore Black has captured my interest.  First I love the black and pink of the cover but she posted the full back cover copy on her site here and the blurb sounds good!  I think I will be picking this one up on January 29th and giving her a shot!

Well, this started off with I think four covers but quickly grew!  Which titles are you most excited about?  I thinking I need to win the lottery stat!

Happy Release Day!!

Here are some of the historical romances releasing today. . .

First up is a debut that I have been waiting for from Erin Knightley, More Than a Stranger.  I love that they are pen pals :)  The Scarlet Bride is book three in Cheryl Ann Smith's School of Bride series and one I plan to pick up as well as The Casanova Code by Donna MacMeans, who is a new to me author and start of a new series.  It's my birthday tomorrow so I put these three on my list for my hubby to get so we will see. . . :)  The next three are all ones I had the pleasure of reading early.  I highly recommend Samantha Grace's Lady Amelia's Mess and a Half, it hit all the right notes with me and I will be picking up my own keeper copy.  And while I did not love the last two, they were both light hearted and fun and have me anxious for the next books!

So any titles on your must read now list?  At the end of the month we see new releases from Elizabeth Hoyt, Loretta Chase, Katharine Ashe, Christina Brooke and Carrie Lofty!

Bedding Lord Ned by Sally MacKenzie

Miss Eleanor Bowman has been in love with Lord Edward for quite some time but when he married her best friend, she knew it was not meant to be.  Shortly after though, his wife dies in childbirth, it leaves Ned devastated and he lives in sort of a fog.  When his mother, aptly nicknamed the Duchess of Love, has her annual house party, he attends and decides he must remarry and start a family.  Thankfully his mother has invited some potential suitors for him and for Ellie, who has been like a daughter since they grew up together.  However, the Duchess of Love has a different agenda for Ned and Ellie and with the help of her mischievous cat, Reggie, she sets about helping this couple finally find the happiness they have both been looking for.

This was a delightful, fun book filled with laughter, hijinks, sexual tension and love.  I loved that Ned's parents (whose story is told in The Duchess of Love) get there own scene time in the bedroom.  That is not something often seen and I adored seeing the love still going strong between them.  We get introduced to the Ned's two brothers who add in some fun interactions and also have interesting set-ups for their upcoming stories.  Ned thinks of Ellie as a sister until Reggie drags in some red drawers of hers and all he can think of is what Ellie is wearing underneath her prim and proper gowns and the more time Ellie spends with some of the other men at the party, the more Ned gets jealous.  It finally takes a good talking to from his brothers to finally see the true light...after quite a funny proposal.  This is my first full length novel from Sally MacKenzie and I got a kick out of her use of such words as Zeus and Zounds and lots of Ah's.  I'm not sure if this happens in her other books, but I enjoyed it in this one.  Overall, this is a classic tale of childhood friends who grow to love each other but can not quite get to the same conclusion and the same time.  It has humor, jealously, an adorable cat and smoldering sexual tension (but only one true love scene) all wrapped up in a way that will leave you smiling.  I know I am eager for the two brothers books!  3 1/2 stars

Thanks to Kensington, Zebra imprint, for providing me with this ARC!

The Duchess of Love

Available as an ebook or printed in its entirety in Bedding Lord Ned (which I love, bravo Kensington!)
Plus two more books to come

The Duchess of Love by Sally MacKenzie

This was a short, fun, sweet novella that I really enjoyed.  Venus Collingswood decides to go for a dip in her neighbors lake one last time before the new owners arrive in a few days.  Besides, her dog is having fun in the water and it is blasted hot out.  Just as she is about to dive in, she slips and is grabbed up by some very strong arms....male arms of a man just as unclothed as she is.  Quite a fun interaction occurs and even though the man identifies himself as the new duke, Venus thinks he is jesting as he seems much to young and decides he must be the cousin instead.  As Andrew Valentine, Duke of Greycliffe, is hoping to just be himself, not his title, he sees no harm in letting her think this for the time being.  Naturally, problems arise as to him hiding his true identity and it puts the happiness of not just Venus in jeopardy, but that also of her sister.

This is a quick prequel novella to a new series that will feature Venus as an adult matchmaking for her sons and I found it delightful!  It is a wonderful mix of humor, sassiness, love, and warmth with just a touch of heat at the end.  This was my first read of Sally MacKenzie and if she can make a few hours fly by as fast as she did with this novella, I think I am in for a treat for her full length novels!  This is a perfect afternoon treat for a spring day that is sure to leave a smile on your face and I am anxious to see more of Venus and Drew!

I received this ARC from Kensington Books.  It is actually printed in the back of the upcoming book, Bedding Lord Ned but will be available as an ebook first and then will be printed in its entirety when Bedding Lord Ned releases on June 5th.

Duchess of Love

     June 5th
Two more titles to come!