‘Illicit Love’ by Jane Lark

STORY: Trapped under the reign of a cruel keeper, Ellen Harding longs to be free. Under his oppression, her soul and conscience have died while her body lives on, fulfilling his dissolute desires. She is empty––a vessel––deaf to the voice of morality and blind to shame.

When her eyes are drawn to a beautiful man for no other reason than his looks, she imagines what it would be like to escape her chains for a night by giving her body to him.

But Edward Marlow is kind and gentle when he touches her, and her subconscious whispers, this man could be her salvation. Yet how can he help her when she has secrets which prevent her freedom?

Edward is restless, lonely, and a little angry with his lot in life—it is his only excuse for being drawn to another man’s mistress.  The woman’s dark hair and pale eyes are striking, and he cannot take his gaze off her while she watches him over the top of a fan with an illicit intent in her eyes.

Once he’s known her, he cannot forget her, and once he’s seen the evidence of her supposed benefactor’s brutality, he wants to help her. But how can he when she will not run any more than she will speak of her past?

When a desperate Ellen finally relents and shocks Edward from his sleep, he doesn’t hesitate, he helps her flee He just doesn’t know he’s running headlong into the secrets of her past.

REVIEW: If you’re in the slumps of late and are looking for a new author, I’m more than happy to point out to you Jane Lark and her début novel ‘Illicit Love’.

She just blew me away with this romantic, sensual and heartbreaking story of true love. This story truly makes you believe that true love can conquer all obstacles in its path.

Jane Lark creates a pair of lovers that are refreshingly honest in their desires of each other, and that in itself is unique.

Everything about this novel impressed. The unique plot added intrigue to the fast paced and very emotional drama and the characterization of the main players enhanced the story and added another dimension to this tension filled romance. Her prose is rich and the story was engaging from the very start, which kept me enthralled until the end. I honestly couldn’t put it down. The characters were well-rounded, complex and believable. The dialogue is crisp, entertaining, and captivating.

Ms. Lark set out to share with her readers a story of true and unconditional, as well as unconventional, love; love that defies all odds, and I am happy to have discovered this little gem of a novel.

This is one romance novel that must be added to your TBR!

‘Prophecy Girl’ by Cecily White

STORY: Amelie Bennett. . . . Ending the world, one prophecy at a time.

I was born to slay Crossworld demons.

Big black flappy ones, little green squirmy ones. Unfortunately, the only thing getting slain these days is my social life. With my high school under attack, combat classes intensifying, and Academy instructors dropping right and left, I can barely get my homework done, let alone score a bondmate before prom.

Then he shows up.

Jackson Smith-Hailey. Unspeakably hot, hopelessly unattainable, and dangerous in all the right ways. Sure, he’s my trainer. And okay, maybe he hates me. Doesn’t mean I’ll ignore the wicked Guardian chemistry between us. It’s crazy! Every time I’m with him, my powers explode. Awesome, right?

Wrong.

Now my teachers think I’m the murderous Graymason destined to bring down our whole race of angelbloods. Everyone in New Orleans is hunting me. The people I trusted want me dead. Jack and I have five days to solve the murders, prevent a vampire uprising, and thwart the pesky prophecy foretelling his death by my hand. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

Getting it done without falling in love. . . that might take a miracle.

REVIEW: As many of you know by now, I’m not a big fan of this genre and I did was a bit apprehensive about reading this book because of it. Never the less, I thought to challenge myself and try something new. I did that once before with ‘Interview with a Vampire’ by Anne Rice, which I liked and with Lydia Dare’s Westfield trilogy, which I thought of just cute. Those are the only ones I read in that genre and I had hoped this one would be similar to them.

In the end I found out that this genre is not something I enjoy much.

Don’t misunderstand, this was a fast [maybe even too fast for me] paced, somewhat entertaining and decently written story that would for sure appeal to everyone that’s a fan of this kind of story, it just happens that I’m not one of those, and frankly, that’s okay. We all have our preferences, likes and dislikes.

I found that the characters were well-developed and the book had plenty of action, romance and a lot of magic [which at times confused the heck out of me].

I do recommend it to all paranormal genre lovers, but if you’re not a fan of the genre, this might not be the book for you.

Book provided by the author.

‘Dark Angel’ by Tracy Grant

STORY: Adam Durward is an outsider in both his mother’s India and his father’s England. Too much of an outsider for his childhood sweetheart, Caroline, who turned her back on their forbidden love to marry the wealthier, safer Jared Rawley. Taught a bitter lesson about not belonging, Adam left England as a diplomat and spy in the Peninsular War. But even then he could not escape Caroline. When he learned her husband, Jared, had betrayed crown and country, he exposed Jared as a traitor despite Caroline’s pleas.

Sheltered, pampered Caroline grew up and found unexpected courage in the wake of her husband’s disgrace. She left her decorous life in England and followed Jared into war-torn Spain. Now a widow with a young daughter, she is trapped behind enemy lines. Adam sets out to rescue the woman who still haunts his dreams. In a landscape set with treachery and intrigue, Adam and Caroline’s only hope of survival is to rely on each other. They brave bandits, enemy soldiers, and harsh terrain, but the greatest danger they face may be navigating the web of love and betrayal that still binds them together.

REVIEW: Let me start off by telling you I’ve never read this author before, and I came by this book via someone’s post on Facebook. It sounded like something I might like and I bought it. I honestly never expected to like it as much as I did. The writing was so good, that finding out of it being a part of Lescaut Quartet, I bought the other four not even knowing whose stories they were about. I’ve never done that with ‘new to me’ authors before!

I was impressed the most with its well-developed and solid plot. It was something to behold.

‘Dark Angel’ is without a doubt a historical romance yet its heavy emphasis on espionage in Peninsular Wars it reads well as a mystery too.

Its historical background is well researched and because of it, as a reader, I was deeply touched by the reality of the period. As most of this story develops in Spain and Portugal, behind enemy lines and it’s filled with action, adventure and intrigue.

Despite its typical, predictable secrets and misunderstandings between the hero and heroine [at one point I wanted to slap Caroline around for her selfishness, but in the end I realized that the more these characters had their flaws, the more I liked them as human beings; no one’s perfect and they certainly were not], I found the book well written, well researched, fast paced and vastly engaging and entertaining.

If the rest of the series is as this first book, I’m in for some great reads this summer! Highly recommending you give it a try!

Book purchased from Amazon.

Spotlight on Danelle Harmon and…

Taken by Storm

BOOK BLURB: Ex-naval captain Colin Lord has had his fill of hot-headed adventure. Now, he wants nothing more than to put his tragic past behind him and pursue his career as a London veterinarian.

Heiress Lady Ariadne St. Aubyn is on the run. She wants nothing more than to get the last of a rare breed of racehorse safely away from her wastrel brother before he and every reward hunter in England can catch her.

But when the fiery noblewoman convinces the reluctant veterinarian to oversee the health of her equally temperamental stallion, both Colin and Ariadne find themselves caught up in a wild chase across Regency England in which love, passion — and the Fastest Horse in the World — are all part of the stakes. A treat for animal lovers everywhere!

EXCERPT:

For some odd reason that he couldn’t explain, Colin wasn’t surprised to find the same young woman who had piqued his curiosity and plagued his thoughts from the moment he’d seen her sitting astride that same stallion, waiting for him outside in the street.

No, not surprised at all.

“Colin Lord,” he said, taking off his hat and bowing. “And whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

“How gallant you were today, saving that little boy’s dog as you did!” she said hurriedly, ignoring his question. “I commend your persistence, your skill, and your knowledge. I have never seen anything quite like it in my life. You were magnificent. Simply brilliant!”

Magnificent?

“Where did you learn such a thing, sir? You must be appropriately educated.”

“VeterinaryCollege, London.  I graduated from there, and did an apprenticeship with Delabere Blaine— ”

“Ah yes, the VeterinaryCollege. My father, God rest his soul, had great faith in the future of the veterinary art and gave much money to support that institution. Always said it was a pity that France had a veterinary college before England did . . .  After today, I can certainly see why he harbored such belief in your profession. Your knowledge far surpasses that of the common farrier and I think you’ll do quite nicely.” She smiled nervously, and glanced over her shoulder down the darkened street. “Are you ready to leave, Mr. Lord?”

“Leave?”

“Why, yes, leave. I trust Simon and Daniel told you that I have need of your services, and that there is no time to be lost. We must be on her way, and immediately.”

“To be fair, Madam, your two lackeys here were not entirely forthcoming or persuasive in their attempts to convince me to accompany you. I understand that you want something from me—”

“Yes, but I am willing to pay handsomely for it.”

“And I also assume that you are the ‘employer’ whose whereabouts were unknown to your two friends here.”

“Well, yes, but—”

“They said something about Norfolk, sick horses, and payment. Pray, madam, do not keep me in suspense.”

She was obviously not accustomed to such direct and relentless questioning, and he saw her pause for a moment before she finally tightened her mouth, stood up, and pulled off her cap. In the lantern’s soft glow her hair tumbled down, gleaming rich and red and lustrous, like a warship’s new copper. She drove a hand through it, obliterating the flat imprint left by the cap and making the glossy tresses spring and bounce to life around her shoulders. For the first time, he saw her features in all their glory—the impudent little nose, the high cheekbones, the saucy tilt to her perfect mouth. Her skin was the color of his mother’s finest china, her eyes alight with piquancy. She was more lovely than he’d imagined, and he suddenly found it too hard to breathe.

“What?” Her eyes sparkled, and he caught the challenging, almost teasing, note to her tone. “Have you never seen a lady before?”

“Not . . . garbed so charmingly.”

It was a bold reply, and he saw her brows shoot up, the quick burst of color in her cheeks before she quickly turned her back on him and moved to stand beside the stallion, her hand stroking the horse’s muzzle with rapid, nervous movements.

REVIEW: This story is a revision of the paperback version and the author herself had said that she had “extensively revised” it from the original. As I never read the earlier version, I can only comment on this one, and in my opinion, this is such a heartwarming, sweet and utterly cute romance story.

It truly melted my heart. Our hero Colin is such a mix of Alpha & Beta hero that comes of so human and likable that I just wanted to hug the guy!

Ariadne was a perfect little minx for him and someone with an enthusiastic, flirty and charming nature like hers was the only one that could draw him out of his suppressed state.

Their little adventure is a mix of expected to the unexpected [and no, I’m not going to tell you what that is!].

The author’s knowledge of horses is clear and she makes even someone like me that knows nothing of horses, wishing to learn more of those scary beasts!

This is a lighthearted, fun and entertaining book, yet sensual as well. I loved the adventure, suspense and despite its predictability, it had some surprises and I loved the suspense built with it [not going to tell you that either!].

This should be a fun, fast-paced and steamy summer read and I highly recommend it to all, but animal lovers especially! To buy it, click on the cover!

AUTHOR BIO: Bestselling, multi-award winning and critically acclaimed author Danelle Harmon has written ten books, previously published in print and distributed in many languages throughout the world. Though born and raised in Massachusetts, she and her husband, a native of southwest London, were married and lived in England for several years.

These days, Ms. Harmon and her husband make their home in New England with their daughter Emma and numerous animals including four dogs, an Egyptian Arabian horse, and numerous pet chickens. Danelle welcomes email from her readers and can be reached at her Email or Facebook.

Everyone’s a winner!

Hey my bookworms!

I hope all of you are ready for summer [or if you can call it that here in Chicago]. The weather has been crazy and I’m not sure if some days I have heat or air on!

I know my reviews have been sparse, and some way overdue but I had too many health issues and my blog had suffered for it.

I’ve ‘seen’ some of you here and there on the blog and on FB but for the past couple of months I stayed away from everything and concentrated on healing my back. My chiropractor visits are currently three times a week and they seem to be working, for now.

I was on some really bad BP meds and they messed me up pretty good [I'm off of them now], but I also ended up in the hospital with some chest pains after the food poisoning [I ate a Salmon on the BBQ], so I’m feeling like I’ve been falling apart piece by piece.

The good thing is that all these are reversible with healthy diet and exercise, and all the testing they’ve done showed a healthy heart, liver and kidney, so no complaints, right?

As you’ve probably noticed, something had to give, so my b2b suffered [and my reviews for Christine and RCJR eZine as well, which I am mortified about], but I had to prioritize and running a blog takes a lot of ‘sitting around’ time that I had to give up for the interim.

I am getting back to it slowly, but I do need help and I’m not sure how to go about it and find a reliable person to help me out….Know someone that knows someone that would like to help me on a regular basis, PLEASE send them my way. I’ll welcome them with open arms!

I did get to read a lot [walking slowly on a treadmill allows me plenty of reading time], and now all I have to do is review all of those read books!

I promise to do them as soon as I can, but in the meantime, I’ll be giving some books away as I’m running out of room for them.

I’d like to thank you all for your continued follow and support by starting a giveaway that will run until I run out of the books I decided to giveaway.

I’ll start with Karen Hawkins’ books. I love her prose, her stories and I’ve hugged these to my bosom for too long, and now they need to find a new and loving home.

To make room for her new series, I’ve decided to gift these to one of you [well, one per, and US only/ sorry but international post is just too much for me right now].

Please, Spread the word through the Kingdom of Romance to stop by b2b and comment as to what genre, authors and books they might want and I’ll dig through my box’s to see if I have those to send out!

‘Love’s Promise’ Scavenger Hunt Blog Tour!

BOOK BLURB: New York Times bestselling author, CHERYL HOLT, will sweep readers away with the first novel in her new and breathtaking ‘Lord Trent’ trilogy…

With the death of his older brother, Michael Wainwright, Viscount Henley, has become heir to his father, Duke of Clarendon.  The Wainwright men are renowned cads, and as his brother’s will is read, it’s discovered that he sired an illegitimate son and has left the eight-year-old boy his entire fortune.  Michael decides to bring the boy to London so he can be showered with all the wealth and status guaranteed by his inheritance.  But first, he has to gain custody from the boy’s aunt, who is determined to keep her nephew away from Michael’s dissolute family.

Frances “Fanny” Carrington has always lived in a small village in the country.  As a newborn, she was left in a basket on the church steps and raised by the vicar and his wife.  But they’ve died, and Fanny is in dire straits, struggling to raise her nephew, to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.  When she begins to receive correspondence from Michael, asking for custody, she can’t help but be suspicious.  For years, the Wainwrights have refused to claim her nephew or provide financial assistance to him.  She’s alarmed by their sudden interest.  What can it mean?

As Michael finally meets Fanny, their attraction is swift, blatant, and dangerous.  He can’t fight the need to have her at any cost, and gradually, he lures her into his decadent life of affluence and privilege.  But she’s never possessed the callous nature required to thrive in the cut-throat world of the aristocracy, so she can never understand the peril she faces from those who would do anything to keep them apart…

“…a master writer…”

Fallen Angel reviews

“Best storyteller of the year…”

Romantic Times Magazine

BUY LINKS: AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLES

EXCERPT 7: 

Fanny spun around, smiling.

Thomas was an amazingly sweet and winsome child, and it was impossible to understand how he’d sprung from such an unpleasant mother.  Luckily, he was nothing like her.

While Camilla was blond and blue-eyed, her face wasn’t flattering.  Her eyes were too narrow, her nose too large, her chin too square.  Previously, she’d been plump with good health, but her figure had gone to flab, and her forehead was creased with frown lines that were evidence of her dour temperament.

In contrast, with his rosy cheeks and pert nose, Thomas’s features were so appealing that he resembled a cherub painted on a church ceiling.  His hair wasn’t blond, though, as an angel’s might be, but a dark brown that was almost black, and his eyes were very blue, traits that Camilla claimed made him the spitting image of his aristocratic father, John Wainwright.

“No, darling,” Fanny said, “you can’t come.  You have to finish your school work.”

“But I’ve been at it for an hour already.”

“Yes, and you need to do another two hours before you’re through.  Don’t you want to grow up big and smart like your father and grandfather?”

“No.  I want to be a dangerous pirate like Captain Westmoreland.”

Westmoreland was currently the scourge of the Seven Seas, and boys all over England were enthralled by tales of his violence, daring and bravery.

“The Captain attended school, too,” she maintained, having no idea if the vicious criminal had or not.

“He did?”

“Yes.  He can read and write better than anyone.”

Thomas digested this lie, then swallowed it.

“All right,” he ultimately grumbled, “but once you’re back, may we walk by the river?”

“Yes, we may.”  She nodded to the cottage.  “You go on now.  Keep your mother company until I return.”

At the suggestion, he scowled, his distaste obvious, but he didn’t remark.  He whipped away and went inside.

He was so obedient and clever, and he was astute enough to realize that his mother detested him.  They both knew it; they occasionally skirted the edge of the issue, but there was no way Fanny could justify Camilla’s behavior.

At age sixteen, Camilla had accompanied their neighbors to London for the social season, but she had been poorly chaperoned.  She’d thrived on the parties and gaiety, on the wickedness and immoral conduct.  She’d fallen in with a bad crowd, had come home pregnant and in disgrace.

The scandal had ruined their family.  Their father had been forced to surrender his position as parish vicar, which had cost them their income and house and status.  If that weren’t punishment enough, Camilla had refused to exhibit any remorse, which had shocked rural sensibilities, so they’d been shunned.

Even after the shame had killed their parents, Camilla still wasn’t sorry for the catastrophe she’d wrought.  She’d loved John Wainwright and had relished her indecent life as his paramour.  All these years later, she could talk of nothing but London, and if she’d had any notion of how to manage it, she’d move to the city and resume her decadent habits.

Thomas represented all that Camilla had lost.  Not her parents.  Not her home.  Not her reputation.  She wasn’t concerned about any of those things.  No, she mourned the loss of the whirlwind that was London, and Thomas was living proof of how she’d failed to retain what she craved.

Fanny sighed, wishing she had the temerity to leave Camilla to stew in her own juice, but she never would.

They had been reared as sisters, but they weren’t blood relations.  Fanny’s own birth mother had been a young girl, much like Camilla, who’d been seduced by a great lord.  As a tiny baby, Fanny had been left in a basket on the church steps, with a note requesting that she be placed with a good family.

The vicar and his wife had kept Fanny and raised her as their own daughter, so when her mother had begged Fanny—on her deathbed, no less—to watch over Camilla, it was a charge Fanny wouldn’t shirk.

She hurried on, wondering if there would be another letter in the morning post from pompous, horrid Michael Wainwright, which was the real reason she was walking to the village.  His threats were aggravating in the extreme, and she often entertained herself by conjuring visions of the ugly, vile ogre he must be.

His last missive had imperiously informed her that they had begun legal proceedings to take Thomas, and Fanny was determined that they would never have him, although she hadn’t breathed a word of the situation to Camilla.  She didn’t trust Camilla’s decisions regarding Thomas, and she was quite sure if the Wainwrights demanded custody, Camilla would be so flattered that she’d hand him over without batting an eye.

“Over my dead body,” Fanny muttered to herself, trudging on, murmuring oaths and prayers that she hoped would keep the Wainwrights at bay.

She approached the village, and her chores were swiftly completed.  There was no new letter, and the vicar’s wife was out and had left her no money, so she wasn’t able to buy any food.  Irked and disheartened, she started home, taking a shortcut through the woods.

At the stile in the fence, she climbed over and slid down the opposite side to follow the narrow trail that led back to the road.  It was criss-crossed with blackberry brambles, and after a half-dozen strides, her skirt snagged on the thorns, snaring her as tightly as a rabbit in a trap.

GIVEAWAY

Cheryl Holt is giving away ten (10) print copies of the first release in her historical romance Trent Trilogy, LOVE’S PROMISE.

 The giveaway is open to US, Can, and INTNL Readers

AUTHOR BIO: Cheryl Holt is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirty-one novels.

She’s also a lawyer and mom, and at age 40, with two babies at home, she started a new career as a commercial fiction writer. She’d hoped to be a suspense novelist, but couldn’t sell any of her manuscripts, so she ended up taking a detour into romance, where she was stunned to discover that she has an incredible knack for writing some of the world’s greatest love stories.

Her books have been released to wide acclaim, and she has won or been nominated for many national awards. She is particularly proud to have been named “Best Storyteller of the Year,” by the trade magazine, Romantic Times BOOK Reviews.

Her hot, sexy, dramatic stories of passion and illicit love have captivated fans around the world, and she’s celebrated as the Queen of Erotic Romance, which is currently the fastest selling subgenre of women’s fiction. Due to the ferociousness of some of her characters, she’s also known as the International Queen of Villains.

She received degrees in music, languages, and education, from South Dakota State University, and her juris doctorate was obtained at the University of Wyoming. Her colorful and chaotic employment history includes such variety as public school teacher, cook, bartender, lobbyist, and political activist. She also did brief stints in metro-Denver as a deputy district attorney and administrative law judge.

Cheryl lives and writes in Hollywood, California.

Connect: Website / Twitter / Facebook /

Blog Tour Schedule

5/13:   Rambling from this Chic: excerpt 1 only/giveaway

5/14:    Harlie’s Book Reviews: review and excerpt 2/giveaway

5/15:    Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance: review and excerpt 3/giveaway

5/16:    Confession of a Romaholics: review and excerpt 4/giveaway

5/17     Romancing the Book Reviews: review and excerpt 5/giveaway

5/20:    Susana’s Parlour: review and excerpt 6/giveaway

5/21:    bookworm2bookworm: review and excerpt 7/giveaway

5/22:    Rockn’ the Muses: excerpt 8/giveaway

5/23:    Saucy & Sinful Reviews: excerpt 9/giveaway

5/24:  Romantic Crush Junkies Reviews eZine Blog: review and excerpt 10/giveaway

Spotlight on Anna Cowen and…

UNTAMED!

BOOK BLURB: Outspoken and opinionated, Katherine Sutherland is ill at ease amongst the fine ladies of Regency London. She is more familiar with farmers and her blunt opinions and rough manners offend polite society. Yet when she hears the scandalous rumours involving her sister and the seductive Duke of Darlington, the fiercely loyal Katherine vows to save her sister’s marriage – whatever the cost.

Intrigued by Katherine’s interference in his affairs, the manipulative Duke is soon fascinated. He engages in a daring deception and follows her back to her country home. Here, their intense connection shocks them both. But the Duke’s games have dangerous consequences, and the potential to throw both their lives into chaos…

EXCERPT: 

The Duke of Darlington was sitting in the bow window at Whites, when the Earl of BenRuin entered. The man was huge – almost ugly with it.

‘We’ll need another pot of coffee, after last night,’ Darlington said to Jewellyn, who sat beside him comparing three silk handkerchiefs.

‘Mother says the daffodil yellow makes me look consumptive, but the pale is just so joyless.’

‘Your mother knows best, darling.’ He took another sip of coffee, and didn’t look around. But he felt BenRuin’s eyes on him. He heard a hush follow the Earl through the room as he made his way over.

‘Darlington.’ BenRuin spat his name with a thick Scottish R.

He looked up and smiled sunnily. ‘What ho, old boy!’

BenRuin looked as though he wanted to crush Darlington’s throat and stop him from ever speaking again. Something woke, and shivered through Darlington, and he despaired because it was not fear.

He brushed a speck of lint from his cuff. ‘Coffee?’

BenRuin stared at him. ‘I am going to kill you,’ he said slowly, every word clear. Men looked up from their papers, frowning. BenRuin gripped the back of an empty chair, his hand a powerful, blunt instrument.

Darlington lowered his cup and wondered that his hands didn’t shake at all. He had been waiting so long for this. A month ago he had been given an old iron key that unlocked his father’s private papers with his father’s things. The key might as well have unlocked this sick, loose delight in him. It had brought him to this moment.

He screwed up his brow, and turned to Crispin, who sat at his feet on an ottoman. ‘Was I supposed to meet this man in a duel today?’

The boy looked back at Darlington with perfect trust, undiminished by the slight confusion on his face.

‘I don’t think so. No one’s come to see me about being your second. Unless—’ Crispin flushed and turned to Hopwell, across the table. ‘Hopwell, you rotter, you’ve not been approached, have you?’

Hopwell drew himself up. ‘And if I had? Are you the only one who could possibly represent him?’

‘But you know that I—’

BenRuin’s face clearly spoke his frustration – his disbelief that these boys, these butterflies would ignore him. His huge frame bunched and he threw the chair at the wall so hard it broke. Muted conversations broke off, and a footman’s half-sobbed apologies limped alone into the silence. Men rose from their seats, but left a wary space around BenRuin. Darlington couldn’t look away from BenRuin’s pale eyes.

He smiled as if his patience was wearing out. ‘Why do you suppose you want to kill me, old boy?’

‘You.’ BenRuin forced a couple of heavy breaths through his nose, like speaking the words was a feat of strength. ‘And my wife.’

‘Ah.’ Darlington let understanding dawn in his voice and spread his manicured hands out before him. At last. At last they had come to it. All this violence was his for the taking. ‘Look, she told me it was one of those marriages, you know. That you both found pleasure where you could.’

For a moment BenRuin couldn’t speak, like Darlington had cut his tongue out of his mouth. Then, ‘Stop talking,’ he said.

‘But I’m sure she…wait, so you’re back from your trip to South America, then? Did you collect any interesting new specimens?’

‘Stop talking,’ BenRuin said. ‘Stop.’

Crispin leapt up, relief clear in his smile, his voice. ‘You’re thinking of Lady Drysdale, Your Grace!’

‘Of course!’ The Duke placed slim fingers against his brow and made an apologetic face at BenRuin. At last. ‘All a misunderstanding, old boy!’

‘Call me old boy one more time,’ BenRuin said, his brogue making him almost unintelligible, ‘and I won’t wait to hear your explanation.’

‘Explanation?’ He had begun to shake with a kind of excitement. ‘Lady Drysdale and I had an understanding, and I don’t see that it’s any of your concern!’

‘And your carriage – in my driveway?’

He had forced a proud man to say this in front of other men. It was despicable. He would do it again in a heartbeat for what he wanted – needed.

‘Which driveway would that be, old – er.’ Darlington leaned down to Crispin and said, ‘Do you know who he is? I’m not sure what name to address him by.’

And then it came. So fast that for a moment his whole body felt the shock of not being ready. Of needing a moment to think.

BenRuin came at him, all muscle and murderous intent, his eyes fixed on Darlington’s face.

And Darlington was greedy, his whole being a gruesome invitation. Everything he normally hid flared to life within him.

BenRuin saw it. He faltered.

The men who had leapt into action had their arms about BenRuin, their hands gripping him wherever they found purchase. BenRuin’s knife never reached Darlington’s throat.

Darlington felt so bereft that for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

A man was hurrying through the room. Perhaps someone had sent a boy to find him, because he spoke in BenRuin’s ear and BenRuin listened. Tension leeched out of BenRuin’s huge body, and he began to shake, like a horse after a hard race.

He pointed a finger at Darlington. ‘I’ll not hang for the sake of seeing your pretty blood,’ he ground out. ‘This time. But the next time you trespass against me, you will know what I mean to do.’

BenRuin left, and Darlington fluttered his hands about his throat, and went into mild hysterics and allowed Crispin to fuss over him.

REVIEW: You’re either going to love it or hate it. I don’t think there’s a middle of the road for this novel. I more than loved it! I adored the hero, heroine, plot…oh and the prose is so good that it borders on poetic. It brings to mind Julie Anne Long’s and Grace Burrowes’ writing.

As soon as I was done with it, I had to Tweet the author. My Tweet was “I am in awe of it. It’s intriguing, clever & exciting; romantic & sensual; breathtakingly delightful!”

This was one of those stories that made you unknowingly hold your breath, and then slowly exhale as you go from page to page. At the end of it, it brought to mind two movies I am such a fan of: “Pretty Woman” and “An Interview with a Vampire”.

“Pretty Woman” because of its ending as the heroine ‘rescues’ the ‘hero’, and “An Interview with a Vampire” because for some reason the Duke reminded me of Lestat [no he wasn’t a Vampire, just the characterization].

Let me also say that if you’re a stickler for historical detail, you might have to suspend your disbelief and ignore a couple of things in it [notably reform of the Corn Laws and Parliament’s involvement in the divorce] to enjoy the rest of the story. I had no problem with it.

Story’s prose and especially characterization of the hero and heroine, was what engaged me emotionally.

It really was a breath of fresh air. For a change we have an author that gave us a cross-dressing hero instead of a heroine, and the result was entertaining, intriguing and engaging.

It was a risk, but I think it paid off big time!

I recommend it whole heartedly!

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

You can buy Untamed at Amazon | Kobo | iTunes | Google | txtr | JB HiFi | Sainsbury’s | Destiny Romance (ePub)

AUTHOR IN HER OWN WORDS: I started writing when I was eight and my heroine thought the likeliest place to buy a horse was the pet shop.

I stopped writing when I was fifteen and my teen angst was too much, even for me. Also, boys.

Now I’m An Adult, and I’ve never wanted to work so hard at anything.

I live in a beautiful flat in the middle of Melbourne with special k – husband / coffee mogul / love of my life. We’ve started having weekly managers meetings where he says things like, “This is work, so there are no feelings, okay?” and I quake in my writerly boots. I couldn’t have done any of this without him.

This blog is where I think out loud about writing. I break down the things I watch and read – I try to figure out how they work, or don’t work. It tends to centre around love, romance, gender, feminism and writing.

I hope you enjoy the conversation!

You can catch Anna on: Tweeter / Website

Why Soren Kierkegaard is a Romance Junkie by Cecily White

I’ve been thinking about Soren Kierkegaard. I know, I know… why would anyone waste time thinking about Soren Kierkegaard. Anyway, he’s been on my mind, so I’m going to tell you his story. And brace yourself, because it’s possibly the worst love story ever.

Soren’s tale begins with his father, whose wife was dying a tragic, ugly, loooong, drawn-out death. Obviously, he couldn’t care for the kids and house alone, so he hired a maid. Fast forward a few months, the maid is pregnant, the wife is not yet dead, and here comes baby Soren, the newest and most hated member of the family. (I know. SOOOO Jerry Springer, right?)

Our hero passed a miserable childhood and adolescence, constantly wallowing in self-pity and religious turmoil. He never allowed himself to love – partly because he felt this would be cheating on his passionate love of God (groan), but also because he was uber-unattractive and had horrible posture. (Yes, your mother was right. Stand up straight and you won’t die a horrible, soul-crushing death.) The one comfort poor Soren took lay in the knowledge that his pain-riddled thoughts and observations were Pure and Important. In fact, he became so attached to his suffering he once noted that Depression was his most faithful mistress, thus, it was no wonder he returned her affection. (That quote TOTALLY reminds me of my college boyfriend, by the way.)

Pathetic? Yes.

Diagnosable? Absolutely.

(We’re still talking about Soren, here.)

Everything changed when our dear hero moved to a new city and encountered a girl (Get out! A girl? Soren likes a girl?!?!). Her name was Regine Olsen, and she captivated him. He’d not spoken to her, however, he found himself wanting to be close to her. So, poor Soren did what any desperate, socially stunted guy would do.

He stalked her.

He talked to her friends.

He figured out what she read, where she went to lunch, what kind of music she listened to, where she bought her undergarments.

Once he had all the deets sorted, it was time to make his move.

Soren: “Hello.”

Regine: “Hello.”

Soren: “That’s a lovely pink underfrock you’re wearing. May I buy you a cup of warm asses’ milk?”

Regine (laughing): “Oh, wait, you’re serious?”

Despite the rocky start, Soren had found love. And not just the kind of humdrum, run-of-the-mill love where the best part is when you file joint taxes. No, this was a passionate love. A love that defied reason and made people wonder whether Regine perhaps needed eyeglasses.

A happy ending, you say?

But no, that would be too easy for poor Soren. After a few months of bliss, he began to realize that his writing had lost its spark. No longer could he wallow in the doldrums, crucifying humanity for its many faults and exalting God’s impossible perfection. No longer could he wrestle with the dark plight of humanity. Regrettably, Soren was plagued with an illness more paralyzing than any plague.

He was… HAPPY.

Horribly, miserably, catastrophically happy!

He had to make a choice. Stay with Regine, and live his life in blissful mediocrity. Or leave her, and return to his lonely, anguished excellence and philosophical superiority.

Well, Soren being a man (and thus an idiot) made the only choice he could.

Soren: “I’m leaving you.”

Regine: “Excuse me?”

Soren: “I’m too happy. It’s not working out.”

Regine: “Is this because of the asses’ milk thing?”

Fast forward a few years, and Soren is living in an apartment (read: ManCave), writing book after book about why he left Regine and how true happiness without her is futile, etc, etc, wondering why she hasn’t come running back to him. Eventually, he goes to tell her he made a mistake, only to find that she’s married someone else, one of Soren’s fellow philosophers. (Awk-ward.)

At this point, Soren is so heartbroken, he can barely make it back to his dad’s house, let alone stop for a cup of asses’ milk. His father, of course, reminds him that if he would just stand up straight once in a while, maybe Regine would come back and it would all be okay. Soren shows his father what he thinks of this advice by promptly dying of a broken heart.

The moral of the story is summed up beautifully by some of the last words Soren Kierkegaard wrote in his private journal:

“To live without love is a mistake for which there is no reparation, either in this life or any other.”

So there you have it, my fellow romance writers and readers:

If Soren Kierkegaard were alive today, he would be the biggest romance junkie on the planet. He would be camped out with the Twi-hards, poring over Google, saying prayers for Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez to rekindle. (Even though Justin is gay and Selena is clearly his beard… Don’t lie, you’ve all thought it.) So if you ever doubt that romance novels have substance, just think of Soren Kierkegaard. Writer. Philosopher. Lover. Because he knows what we all suspect and what the Fab Four sang so long ago: Love is all you need…

…and maybe a cup of warm asses’ milk.

Have you a more tragic story then our poor Soren & Regine? Tell us about it! GIVEAWAY: One eCopy to one commenter [US only]

Here is where you can find the book: Amazon / B-A-M / Barnes & Noble / GoodReads.com / IndieBound / Kobo / Powell’s Books
AUTHOR BIO: Cecily Cornelius-White, Psy.D. makes a habit of avoiding boredom whenever possible. She has enjoyed careers as a hand model, GAP salesgirl, movie projectionist, psychotherapist, yoga instructor, university professor, artist, dance choreographer, eating disorders specialist, psych diagnostician, book reviewer and copy editor. None of which are as much fun as writing novels.

She currently lives in Springfield, MO with two FABULOUS kids, and a schizophrenic yet well-mannered cat. She can swear in Klingon, take down an alien aggressor using only her mind (or a pair of chopsticks), and kill giant spiders without getting schmutz on her shirt. When not singing to herself, she spends time creating new worlds and thinking up ways to make this one better…

Where you can find her: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Spotlight on Karen Erickson and…

Tempting Cameron/LONE PINE LAKE #2

BOOK BLURB: For Cameron McKenzie, Chloe Dawson has always just been his younger sister Jane’s best friend—a pesky annoyance who followed him around and acted like he hung the moon. It isn’t until Jane’s wedding to her firefighter beau Chris that Chloe reappears in his life…and she isn’t pesky or annoying anymore. In fact, the beautiful Chloe tempts him beyond reason. But Cam knows he’s damaged goods—not nearly good enough for Lone Pine Lake’s resident good girl.

Chloe’s always dreamed of a future with the dark, brooding Cam, and after they share an explosive kiss, she wonders if her dream could be coming true. Cam’s never stuck around his hometown for long, though, so she makes him an offer: one sweet summer romance with no strings attached. This good girl’s ready for an adventure…one that just might end up lasting a lifetime.

EXCERPT:

She started to walk away but he stopped her, curled his hand around the crook of her elbow. Her skin was soft, silky. His knuckles brushed against her chest, sent a shockwave through him that rendered him completely still.

“You’re not boring,” he murmured. “Everyone moves at a different pace. Everyone has a different purpose. I think you might’ve already found yours.”

She swallowed hard. He saw the delicate movement of her throat. Without thought, he drew his thumb across the inside of her upper arm, swore he felt her shiver from his touch. Electricity crackled and sparked between them, heady and fluid, and he drew her closer. Closer…

“I should go inside,” she repeated, her voice shaky. “I sound like such a baby, complaining when one of my dearest friends just got married. Your sister. God, you must think I’m completely selfish…”

He cut her off with his lips, rendering her completely silent. She did talk too much. Way too damn much…but she also seemed sad. A little lost.

And he could relate. Despite her thinking he had it together, he didn’t. He was as lost as she, maybe even more so.

MINI REVIEW: I love Karen Erickson’s steamy Historical novels, but lately I’ve been checking her Contemporary ones and I like them. A lot!

‘Tempting Cameron’ comes on the heels of ‘Jane’s Gift’ which I read and reviewed for Christmas, and is the second book in the Lone Pine Lake series. Don’t fret if you haven’t read the first as they’re stand alone, but you’ll be missing a great intro into McKenzie family and Lone Pine Lake residents.

Both characters are likable and just so very real and their happily ever after worth the read.

Karen Erickson has a knack for creating characters that are filled with humanity, for the lack of a better word. These people she populates her stories are just too real, and they just jump off the pages to grab you and pull you deep into their problems, their troubles that you can easily forget your own.

What may surprise you, as it did me, is that this author can write erotic, sensual, steamy and waaaay too hot romance as well as the sweet, touching and STILL sensual without that scorching hot factor, and you won’t even notice ‘till you’re at the end of the story. Oh and the endings of her stories will leave you with this feeling of utter awe and satisfaction…peace and contentment…and a wide smile!

Highly recommend and not to be missed if you’re into contemporary genre.

AUTHOR BIO: I’ve always loved the written word. From being one of the best readers in my kindergarten class to penning romantic stories that never ended about my favorite band members (Duran Duran!) in high school, I always had a feeling I wanted to write. It just took me a while to seriously pursue it.

With the birth of my third child came a realization – it’s one thing to talk about writing a book, another thing entirely to do so. So I decided to go for it and in 2005 I began my pursuit in writing toward publication. After completing a few clunkers that should never see the light of day, I was first published in 2006. I currently write for Samhain Publishing (sexy, glamorous contemporary romance), Entangled Publishing’s Bliss Imprint (sweet, small town contemporary romance), Avon Impulse/Harper Collins (historical romance) and Carina Press (historical romance).

On a personal note, I’m a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with my husband and three children, the dog and way too many cats.

Unlikely Partners In Crime By Amanda Berry

I’m so happy to be posting to bookworm2bookworm, even though I was a bit concerned because I don’t write Historical Romance. I love reading Historical Romance though. From Dukes to Scottish Lords, I can’t get enough. I don’t think I have the patience to do the research for a historical, but I love reading them.

I had to come up with a topic for this blog post and decided to talk about my partners in writing. I write contemporary short romance for Harlequin, Jeannie Lin writes historical set in the ancient China, and Shawntelle Madison writes urban fantasy/paranormal romance with a funny twist.

When we first met, we were all unpublished and looking for writing friends. We formed a critique group with some other friends, Kristi Lea and Dawn Blankenship. After a year or so of being together, I received a contract for my first Special Edition, Jeannie won the Golden Heart and received a contract for her first Harlequin Historical, and Shawntelle scored an agent and sold her Coveted series to Ballantine.

What makes our relationship work, even though we write in different genres, is that we respect each other’s work and read other books within those genres. The great thing is that every now and then our books release at about the same time. Like now.

My May release is Father by Choice. (Jeannie suggested the title should have been The Middle Manager’s Secret Baby) When workaholic Brady Ward finds out he has a seven-year-old daughter with Maggie Brown, he has to figure out what’s more important to him: His career in New York or his new found family in his small hometown in the Midwest.

Shawntelle’s May release is Bitter Disenchantment. This is a prequel to her Coveted series, Coveted and Kept. Werewolf Natalya Stravinsky’s outspoken sidekick, Aggie McClure, is featured in this prequel short novel. Before Agatha set foot in South Toms River, New Jersey, she had to fight for the one thing she’s never had: a choice.

Jeannie has two books coming out. In May she has The Sword Dancer. A romantic adventure tale about a relentless thief-catcher and the clever sword-dancer who keeps on evading him, set in Tang Dynasty China. And in August, her first single title release The Lotus Palace comes out. (BTW I think she always gets the most gorgeous covers) A notorious playboy and a lowly maidservant find themselves thrown together unexpectedly to solve a mystery in the infamous pleasure district of the imperial Chinese capital.

There’s a little something for everyone. If you are looking for werewolves with compulsions to eat or collect holiday ornaments, check out Shawntelle’s Coveted series and next month’s Bitter Disenchantment. If you want a quick read with family drama set in a small town, check out my Father by Choice. If you want to escape into a time of silk and political intrigue, check out Jeannie’s ancient China in Sword Dancer and The Lotus Palace.

Please leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Father by Choice, Sword Dancer, and Bitter Disenchantment. Don’t know what to say? I’d love to know what your favorite type of book is to read?

AUTHOR BIO: After an exciting life as a CPA, Amanda Berry returned to writing when her husband swept the family off to England to live for a year. Now she’s hooked, and since returning to the states spends her writing days concocting spicy contemporary romances while her cats try in vain to pry her hands off the keyboard.

Her Marlene award-winning contemporary romance, L.A. Cinderella, debuted from Silhouette Special Edition in June 2010. One thing she requires of all her books is a happily ever after. Amanda grew up in the Midwest, but recently moved to the Southeast with her husband and two children. For more information, please visit http://www.amanda-berry.com.