BOOK BLURB: What if you lost your true soul mate, the one person in life you were meant to be with? Would your love ever truly die? Not if you’re Noah Hartman, who refuses to let go of Robin after she inexplicably abandons their love and disappears from his life seemingly forever, her hidden secret yet to be discovered.
And when you finally accept your fate and do your best to move on with your life, what do you say when the unthinkable happens: your true love Robin reappears as your wedding ceremony to another woman is about to commence, looks deep into your soul with her loving, tear-filled eyes, and tells you the one thing you’ve desperately longed to hear for all of these years?
But the ending to this heart-wrenching love story has yet to be written, as Noah, old and sick in a hospital bed, tells his story of love and loss to Josh, a wise orderly at Mount Sinai Hospital. As his family members arrive to bid him goodbye, Noah discovers a far greater truth about his past, present, and future. Things are definitely not as they appear as the pieces of a shattered love are put back together in the remarkable final chapter of Noah’s life.
EXCERPT:
“It’s a sand dollar. I’m sure you’ve seen one, probably even held one in your hand, huh, Josh?”
Noah kicked his fins and dove down about ten feet, picking up the sand dollar and resurfacing to get air through his snorkel. From beneath the water’s surface, he proudly displayed his newfound prize to Robin.
“No two are exactly the same. Its simplistic design and imperfect form may appear somewhat… well, ordinary. Most people probably wouldn’t think twice about it. So why should this seemingly insignificant object capture so much of my attention?”
BOOM ! The precious sand dollar in Noah’s hand exploded. In what seemed like slow motion, the sand dollar disintegrated through his fingers into a thousand tiny grains of sand that evanesced into obscurity.
“Because for me, the sand dollar represents life, and how fragile life really is. What was once so very precious to me, suddenly and without warning, disintegrated and vanished before my eyes. Just like the sand dollar, life holds no promises. Seemingly solid and secure in our grasp, the blessings we have in our lives today are easily shattered tomorrow. The lesson learned: never take your loved ones for granted. And if you’re ever lucky enough to find that one person in life who makes you love more than any other person could possibly make you love, you treat every day together as if it were your last. You cherish every moment.”
“However, for me, this lesson came too late, for she was already gone, seemingly lost forever. And there was nothing I could do to put the pieces back together. I would spend my life wishing I could somehow travel back, back in time, to the day I first laid eyes on that precious beauty.”
The precious beauty of Robin’s young face was shadowed by sadness as she nervously searched Noah’s worried eyes for reassurance.
“If only I’d known how fragile she really was. If only I’d known her hidden secret. I would have held onto her so differently… never letting go…”
BOOK BLURB:“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is Shelby Atwood’s personal credo. She’s managed to avoid commitment all her life — no pets, no plants, not even a long-term lease. Heck, she’s had colds last longer than her romantic relationships. How could she be any other way when she has a gigolo for a father? But then gunfire erupts at the latest wedding she’s agreed to be in, and it ends up being the best thing to happen to Shelby’s love life.
Detective Ryan Nichols is assigned to the case, and when the shootings don’t stop, he becomes her 24-hour bodyguard. Shelby wouldn’t mind except Ryan is too appealing, too sexy, and too happy to remind her of the raucous bachelorette party when she mistook him for a stripper.
Shelby’s plan is simple: find the shooter, have a fling with Ryan, and return to her non-committal life. Unfortunately, the shooter is very elusive. Shelby’s feelings for Ryan are way more than adrenaline-fueled lust. And returning to her normal life is now impossible since, despite her lifelong resistance, she’s managed to put her heart smack dab in the line of fire.
EXCERPT:
You just don’t expect to see gunfire at a wedding.
I know, because I’ve been in a lot of weddings, despite my well-known aversion to them. “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is not just a cautionary adage, it’s my personal credo.
Having a gigolo for a father might have contributed something to that philosophy. Who really knows for sure?
Today Alexa, my best friend since grade school, glided down the aisle of the chapel to the accompaniment of a string quartet playing an elegant Handel air. For this wedding, she wore a white strapless dress, complete with tulle and beaded embroidery that made all the women sigh as she passed. The low v-back and body-hugging mermaid shape, along with her icy blonde beauty, provoked quite a different response from the males in the congregation.
I clutched my single calla lily, watching her entrance with a mixture of awe and disbelief. How had Alexa persuaded me to be her maid of honor, again?
And again.
And yet again.
“Shelby, you’re my good luck charm,” she had cooed while I suffered through the circle of hell known as “trying on bridesmaid dresses.”
“How do you figure that?” I had asked, peeling off a poufy satin monstrosity the color of Mountain Dew. “Every time I’ve been your maid of honor, you’ve gotten divorced!”
“Oh, that has nothing to do with anything. Everything goes off without a hitch when you’re there.”
“Maybe that’s the problem. If I weren’t around, there would be some sort of hitch, and then you wouldn’t be hitched.”
I admired Alexa’s wildly unwavering enthusiasm for weddings, and commitment, and all that “’til death do us part” stuff. Especially since none of her marriages seemed to last very long. Two years was the record so far, and that was because her husband was working overseas for one of those years. Which was supposedly the reason for the end of that union.
That, and the next husband was already in her sights.
When the evil wedding consultant gleefully rolled in another torture rack crammed with dresses for me to endure, I shuddered. “Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, marriage isn’t right for you?”
“That one.” Alexa pointed to a strapless hot pink mini-dress that could have worked—if Hooters ever decided to cater weddings. “And why all these concerns? Don’t you like Jordan?”
“Of course I like him, silly. He seems perfect.”
He was handsome, loving, and completely ga-ga for his bride. Alexa told me during our numerous wedding planning get-togethers, which thankfully required a great deal of wine, about Jordan’s great sense of humor, and even greater job. Who wouldn’t want him for a husband? If I were the marrying kind, even I would want him for a husband.
Although, as I recall, Husbands One through Three were pretty darn perfect too.
Alexa smiled, spinning her index finger to indicate I should twirl in front of her. “Maybe, Shelby, you’re afraid all of these weddings will change your mind about marriage.”
“Ha!” I, the eternal bachelorette, scoffed, and quite eloquently. Alexa raised her eyebrow as if debating whether to get out of her chair and start the Heimlich maneuver on me.
In the end, I gave up trying to make Alexa see the multiple incredible benefits to staying single. I’ll probably be her bridesmaid when we’re bunkmates in the nursing home, although by then I’ll be adjusting the tapes of her adult diaper, rather than the tiers of her lace-edged wedding veil. I agreed to be her maid of honor this one last time.
Of course, I didn’t realize when I made the promise this would be Alexa’s final chance to stand at the altar.
At the minister’s signal, Alexa handed me her bouquet of cascading white lilies and then she faced Jordan, ready to promise to love, cherish, and obey the (fourth) man of her dreams. She beamed at him, eliciting a few more wistful sighs behind us at the evidence of true love. Or maybe it was for the handsome groom in his single-breasted designer tuxedo, beaming right back at her.
Reverend Deering asked Alexa to repeat the vows she most likely had memorized several ceremonies ago. I had heard them often enough that I could have stepped in to recite the words if either of them were prevented from completing their duties.
“I, Alexa, take thee Jordan—”
A ray of June sunshine chose that moment to burst through the chapel windows, highlighting the promise contained in the newlyweds’ expressions. Even I felt swept up in the optimism that accompanied each and every one of Alexa’s weddings. My heart beat with hopefulness, and I wondered if someday I would—
Out of nowhere, gunfire erupted, a quick succession of pop, pop, pop.
Screams quickly followed, along with the frantic sounds of the congregation scrambling for shelter under the wooden pews.
“Sonofabitch!” I tossed the bouquet over my shoulder, as I’d seen Alexa do millions of times, and darted toward my suddenly bleeding best friend, knocking her to the floor to prevent any further harm.
I looked up and saw the minister cowering under a pew, tugging at the tulle swag that moments ago had been decoration, not flimsy protection against wayward bullets. My heart pounded while my brain struggled with two wildly different thoughts.
One, the blood spurting from Alexa’s shoulder ensured I would never have to wear this peach-yogurt-colored dress again.
And two, who could possibly hate weddings more than I did?”
BOOK BLURB: What could a gypsy and a Vietnam veteran have in common?
Silvertown’s outcast, Poppy Tippen, has loved football hero Sam “The Force” Callahan forever. But he never seemed to know she was alive. Now he’s home from the war and she suddenly finds herself comforting him from the demons of “that damn war.” Is his attention merely an escape from the haunting nightmares? Or does she hold the interest of the only man she’s ever truly loved?
Sam Callahan’s only solace from the war nightmares wrecking his life comes in the unlikely form of a gypsy girl with stigmas of her own. He’s known Poppy his entire life, but there’s something different about her now. Something special he desperately wants to hold on to. Can he convince her she’s the only thing he needs to put the past behind him?
EXCERPT:
“I’ll always want you, Poppy.”
Her head shook in automatic denial. “You’ll want a girl who fits your life. Not some gypsy with no family lineage to brag about. Your momma won’t accept that, either. She’ll make you choose someone like Connie, someone who fits into your world. Not the girl everyone avoids and whispers about behind her back. You’re gonna be the town’s doctor. You need an uppity wife who will make you proud.”
When Sam laughed, his chest shuddered against her back. Deep, husky, real. He turned her in his arms and looked down at her, smiling. “Poppy, do you honestly think I give a damn what people think? Look at me! I’m the town outcast, the survivor who should have died saving the others, not be here planning a future that includes a wife, a medical practice. “I shimmy under park benches, run from my mother’s lipstick, for God’s sake. I wake up screaming and crying over nothing in the middle of the night, crawl under my bed and hide, shaking,
until morning. Hell, I can’t even be a doctor because I haven’t finished school yet.”
“I didn’t know. It must be awful for you.” No matter how it hurt Poppy to know he used her, it felt much worse to know how he hurt alone. “The only time it isn’t awful is when I’m with you. When I think of you.”
BOOK BLURB: Miranda expected to make her debut at Almack’s, but when her father’s death left her penniless, she chose to become an actress at her brother-in-law Edward’s theater instead. When Edward was arrested for debts he didn’t know he owed, Miranda and her sister Mary had to find a way to free him, or lose everything.
Lord Justin Devereux needed a fiancee–in a hurry! Trouble was, he didn’t want to get married. His solution: hire an actress who could act the part of his betrothed at a crucial family dinner party. Showing that he was ready to settle down would convince his relatives to give him
control of his inheritance. Then he could accomplish his dream of buying land in the country and living far away from the brittle, unsatisfying London social scene.
But when Justin hired Miranda, neither of them expected
to fall in love…
EXCERPT:
It was not until the second act that Miranda noticed him. She decided later that he must have arrived during the interval between acts one and two or at least during the first scene with the fairies while she was in the green room exulting over having gotten through the first act. At any rate, she just made it into the wings in time for her cue and was too flustered to take notice of new audience members.
She entered with Lysander-they were two lovers on the run, weary from their journey and looking for a place to sleep. George St. John was overplaying his role as he generally did and caught her in his arms as he addressed the gods in the gallery.
“‘One turf shall serve as pillow for us both’,” he shouted to them and was rewarded with hoots of delight. “‘One heart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth!’”
“One beast, two backs!” some wag shouted and laughter erupted throughout the audience.
With more force than necessary, Hermia shoved her overeager Lysander away and spoke her lines.
“‘Nay, good Lysander. For my sake, my dear, lie further off yet, do not lie so near’.” Groans of disappointment greeted her speech but she ignored them. Flinging her arm out dramatically, she pointed to a spot at the corner of the stage where Lysander should make his bed. As Miranda gazed in the direction of her extended finger, she happened to look into the box closest to the edge of the stage.
A man was sitting-no, lounging-in the box, his arms crossed over his chest. His dark blue coat and cream colored waistcoat were well cut but not noticeably fashionable. He had dark hair and his features were finely drawn but still masculine, with dark bristling eyebrows over deep-set eyes and a square jaw that hinted at a determined nature. There was a stillness about him that spoke of quiet confidence and complete self-control.
As Miranda’s eyes fell on him, he looked up and their gazes met. His eyes widened-they were a clear blue color and his gaze was piercing. She had the impression that he was truly seeing her-as if he recognized her somehow although she was certain they had never met before. Her heart gave a little flutter. The moment stretched out into a breathless eternity as their eyes locked together in wordless communication. She felt as though she knew him too, her own feelings echoing that odd sense of recognition she saw in his eyes. Miranda stood transfixed.
Suddenly she heard a hissing voice behind her. “‘Lysander riddles very prettily!’” Mr. Gregory whispered. She blinked and saw George St. John staring at her expectantly. Goodness, that is my cue!
“‘Lysander riddles very prettily’,” Miranda repeated loudly. She hoped that her distraction had not been too noticeable. What was the matter with her to allow her wits to wander in such a fashion? She resolved not to look at any more faces since it seemed it was too easy to lose track of what one was doing.
Naturally the moment they were offstage George St. John began to tease her about her distracted moment.
“In love with a gentleman, little Miranda?” he said soulfully, grabbing her hand and pressing it to his bosom.
“Ah, and I thought you loved only me! What fickle creatures women are, to play with a man’s heart.”
She rescued her hand. “I am not in love with anyone and definitely not with you. I was merely distracted. It won’t happen again,” she informed him and moved away with dignity.
The rest of the performance proceeded without incident. Miranda did not allow herself to look into the box again although she wondered if that man was still there. Sometimes she fancied she could feel the weight of his stare upon her. Then Kitty swept onstage, resplendent as the fairy queen Titania, wearing the diamond-studded white dress and with her long dark locks curling in artful disarray over her shoulders. Miranda glanced self-consciously down at her own simple white dress. It was folly to imagine that a man would look at her when such a gorgeous creature flitted about the stage. Briskly she smoothed out her skirts and reminded herself not to become distracted. It was time to make her entrance in the final scene at the Duke’s palace.”
STORY: The Beauty is Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms, a fiery and independent young widow who has won wide renown for her campaigns to aid the unfortunate and the oppressed. Fearlessly determined, she turns her passionate energy upon the prison hulks anchored in England’s harbors… unwittingly throwing herself against a ruthless adversary and into the most perilous fight of her life.
The Beast is Damon Andrew Phillip deWolfe, the rude and arrogant Marquess of Morninghall, a lone wolf of a man with devil’s eyes and a temper blacker than hell. Tall, dark, and very, very dangerous, the last thing he needs or wants is this intrepid virago interfering in his life. But only Gwyneth can exorcise the personal demons that haunt Damon’s black soul… and teach him to love, once again.
REVIEW: As this story opens, our young hero is only fifteen years old and we witness his first sexual encounter with an ‘older’ woman. This, combined with his childhood abuse, will turn him into a man who is in constant state of rage, anger and physical pain.
Damon de Wolfe, the sixth Marquess of Morninghall did everything he could to disengage himself from humanity. He embraced and fed his rage keeping it close for so long, that IT was the only thing that kept him going. He treated everyone around him with disdain and contempt and our heroine needed to be one strong female in order to see through all that pain and stand up to IT and him, to save this man’s broken heart.
Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms is a very likable heroine, but not to our hero. He sees her as an interfering and troublesome woman who he would like nothing more than to physically posses and humiliate. He is in for a rude awakening as this particular woman is not easily manipulated. She is on a mission to help mistreated prisoners who are on his ship. To say that the sparks fly when these two strong-minded people clash, is an understatement!
The above blurb adequately summarizes the story and it’s not necessary for me to elaborate more on it, however I will tell you of my reasons why I liked the story, and disliked the hero (well, through almost half the story).
Ms. Harmon, through her previous four books I’ve read from her, has proven to me that she’s a great story-teller. Through her writing she can engage a range of my emotions and that’s a sign of a good author. This story made me angry, smile and cry. And then, at the very end, it left me confused and I felt let down. Our hero and heroine have their well deserved happy ever after and in the end, that’s what counts, yet the ending might have been just a tad clearer.
Despite it, I really enjoyed this highly emotional story. Its pace was fast and characters interesting, so it kept me engaged all the way through the end. This is not your cookie cutter story and its hero is someone you’ll need to have patience with. His journey from deep darkness was worth taking and I was glad to have watched him come out better for it.
Last couple of weeks I felt like I entered a ‘read-a-thon’ and ‘crammed’ a lot of books. Some were just okay and some good, and then there’s ‘A Gentleman Undone’by Cecilia Grant. Have you heard of her? If you haven’t, I’m here to tell you that you NEED, HAVE to read her work. She debuted a few months ago with ‘A Lady Awakened’ and now she gifted us with ‘A Gentleman Undone’. Her covers are amazing and I truly can see Martha, the heroine (sister of the hero on the second cover) to be this woman, as I could easily imagine Will to be lying there as one scene in particular brings this cover to life!
Here are some of the reasons behind my enthusiasm and why I’ve become such a fan of this author: her prose and characters make my heart flutter with anticipation and joy; her plots that set the pace of the story make me feel the angst so acutely that I don’t even realize that I’m holding my breath; she doesn’t just write romance, she writes love stories that are deep, complex and ooze passion, compassion and humanity.
She doesn’t just ‘tell’ me the story. Oh, no! She builds it with muscle and sinew, than adds the fat to it and Ifeel…I sigh…I cry and laugh…I savor. And when I’m done reading that last sentence, I feel full, my appetite satisfied and I catch myself…smiling.
If you’re still in doubt about reading both of these books [and you do not need to read them in order], here’s the Book Trailer for a Lady [which I hope will get you in a mood for a Gentleman] and two of the many, many awesome scenes from a Gentleman….
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“Again, the dark librarywith that moonlit bay window. His grip mangling the chair’s padded arms. He ought not to look this time. She’d be angry – she hadn’t liked him broaching the incident in their hallway conversation upstairs– and doubtless find a way to part him from more of his money. Fool that he was.
But he could no more stop himself than he could push back a tide. Slowly, inexorably, he came up out of the chair, angling for one illicit glimpse. Another inch– another–and he saw round the bookshelf into the bay.He could almost believe she was made of moonlight itself. Moonlight undulating, the way it did on an ocean when you’d sailed away and left shore behind.
Arms twisted up above her head. Face tilted. If only confound Roanoke weren’t there to spoil the view… and then, as though she’d read his thoughts, one pale arm sank away from the drapes. She sat her palm to the middle of the man’s chest and pushed.Roanoke stumbled backward and–most obliging of him–wavered and dissolved altogether.
She opened her eyes.Will’s heart lurched up out of his chest to thunder directly between his ears. Would that instant of awful vulnerability repeat itself in her face?– but no. She registered his presence, and her generous mouth quirked, just slightly, at the corners. He hadn’t caught her off guard this time. His heart rebounded to its proper place.She didn’t reach for her pushed-off sleeve. Steadily, without shame, she returned his gaze. Her arm lifted, and snaked back up the velvet. The other one drifted down and stretched toward him. She turned her palm up, crooking her forefinger.
Yes. He let go the bookshelf and stepped out into full view. And she did avail herself of the full view: her eyes raked down his form and went wide when they got below the waist.Don’t flatter yourself. She worked in a pleasure house. She’ll have seen all sizes. Whose intrusive voice was that? Ah. His own. That was certainly odd. No matter. Things were looking promising. He could straighten out the odd bits later.
He stood still a moment, to let her finish her perusal, and when her eyes came again to his face, he went to her. Shadow to moonlight, and they play exquisitely as shadow and moonlight always did.A sound… a bird? In this house in the middle of the night? No, that would be… he’d left a window open before he … for morning breezes and so he wouldn’t sleep too … No. No. To complete any of those thoughts would bring some dire result; he couldn’t quite lay his hands on it, but no, even that, to identify the dire result, might bring it about.
Urgency flared up in him as he took her face in his palms. A delicate rose-petal scent wafted from her, just as it had done whenever he got near enough in that dark hallway. Now he’d find out whether she tasted of roses too. He bent his head quickly, and brought his mouth to hers.But she was gone. His hands sat suspended in the air where her face had been. Despair clenched his innards in its fist–he’d been so close–and suddenly he felt a touch on his coat sleeve.
She’d got behind him somehow. Slipped away like quicksilver, but no matter, because here she was turning him, backing him up against the velvet where she’d been, and then … and then … she stared at him with her falcon ferocity, and sank to her knees.Yes. Oh, yes.‘Hurry.’ His unaccountably clumsy fingers stumbled over his buttons. ‘It’s a dream, you see, and we have to finish before I … ‘
But no, that had been a mistake, to say so out loud. Already the velvet was feeling like linens at his back, and the midnight darkness was beginning to lift. ‘Hurry, please.’ Though please, he already knew, had no affect on her. ‘If you could at least get–‘ No, she was wavering just as Roanoke had done, even as he moved frantically from one button to the next. She leaned toward him, slowly, her lips parting, but he could hear traffic from the street below.
Horses. Someone shouting. Confound his open window.He finally got himself free of his breeches and felt a single faint, dissolving touch from her lips …and it wasn’t enough. He came awake, hard and ravenous and alone in his bed.
*** *** ***
Lydia waited on a bench in the entry hall, wrapped in her cloak, until the creaking wheels and clopping hooves of some conveyance drew to a stop outside. She jumped up and pulled the door open.Mr. Blackshear – Will – was already out of the hackney and halfway up the steps, his face lit with a smile that would have exactly mirrored her own, had she the lopsided quality and the irregularity between the front teeth.
He cut a rather Byronic figure in his carelessly draped greatcoat, with his cheeks unshaven and one of those faddish handkerchiefs in place of a cravat. The very picture of a man poised to ruin himself in romantic fashion, a pigeon ripe for the plucking, which of course was the role they’d agreed he would play.
‘Come in.’ She stepped back. ‘I’m ready. Just let me fetch my reticule.’In fact she’d left it on the hallway table and had only to turn away, swipe it up, and turn back. But in that interval his countenance underwent a change. She faced him again to find his smile gone, his gaze pitched to the bottom of her cloak, his attention keen as a bird-dog’s.
‘I’ve never seen this gown,’ he said, and his eyes rebounded to hers with an unvoiced question.‘Ah, yes. Well, you’d better have a look now so it won’t distract you at some critical moment.’ Often enough she’d spoken flippantly of this gown and its powers, but her insouciance now rang false in her own ears. When she caught her cloak’s edges and swung them apart, she found she must look elsewhere than at his face.
Like him, she had a role to play: courtesan trolling for a moneyed protector. He knew that. He wouldn’t be shocked to find her wearing something a bit brazen. Still her nerves prickled along the cut edges of her too-short chemise, and the knots of her garters felt conspicuous as a man’s ill-timed erection. Well, he’d seen it. Now they could go.
She shrugged to flip the edges of her cloak to, and –‘Wait.’ His voice came out half strangled and his hand shot across to stop her covering herself.‘What is it?’ But she could imagine. You can’t possibly go out in that. Do you have any idea what sort of men frequent these places? At least put a petticoat on.
‘Nothing. Just… wait.”She let herself look at him. He didn’t notice. His hand still gripped her right wrist, holding that side of the cloak away, and his gaze ran over and over her gown as though he would never see it again and must fix the sight in his memory. She heard him draw a breath through his teeth.A sizzle ran from the nape of her neck right up over her scalp, and some base part of her brain scrambled to life. Take him upstairs. The hells can wait. You’ll never have a better chance.
That base part could say whatever it liked. What would her maid think of her, after all that talk of respectability, and Mr. Blackshear’s propriety? What would she think of herself, throwing off this worked-for, planned-for expedition to get a bit of what any man could give her? This man alone had put his trust in her abilities, his fortunes in her hands. She knew better than to misprize that.
‘Well, then.’ He let her cloak fall and took a step back. His voice wasn’t quite steady and his smile, when he raised his eyes to hers, seemed something he must sustain by force of will. ‘I presume that’s the gown a gentleman ought to like?’
‘It seemed appropriate for the occasion.’‘Exceedingly so. I think I just forgot my own name.’ His smile came naturally then, an easy admission of his own fallibility, an assurance that their partnership could absorb and transcend a scandalous gown and the animal response it inspired. He half-turned and crooked an elbow to her. ‘Ready to bring Oldfield’s to its knees?’ And indeed she’d never been readier for anything in her life.”
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I hope you took the time to read these special excerpts and I wish you’d let me know what you think of them. I have had the privilege to read both ARC’s and have reviewed a Lady and a Gentleman for Romance Reader At Heart website (clicking on the names will get you there) so please check it out. BUT, don’t take just my word for it! Check out some of the buzz around the blogosphere … Dear Author; Kay’s Blog; Rakehell; Happy Ever After/USA Today are just a few out there that are raving about Cecilia Grant and her impressive writing. I sure count her as one of the best discoveries of 2011, and can’t wait to find out what the future holds for her. Welcome to my Keeper Shelf, Ms. Grant. I have no doubt you’ll be there for some time to come.
STORY: Amelia Gladstone’s hopes are tied up in the Titanic–hopes for a reunion with her sister and an introduction to an admirer. But when she offers a spare ticket to a down-and-out young man, her fate is about to change.
Quentin Walpole is stunned when a sweet lady secures his passage to America–and even more surprised to find his wealthy father and older brother on board the ship. Suddenly Amelia finds herself caught between the attentions of two men, but who should she entrust her heart to? As the fateful night arrives, will Amelia lose everything to the icy waters?
REVIEW: This April marked a 100th Anniversary of that great tragedy known as sinking of the unsinkable Titanic. Ms. Goyer’s offer of a fictional story within this historic tragedy will touch your heart as much as James Cameron’s movie did.
Amelia is one of the sweetest heroines I’ve read about and I really, really liked her. How could I not when she wore her compassion on her sleeve? She is a woman who is always driven to do the right thing and lend a helping hand to anyone that needs it, and our hero really needed it.
Quentin Walpole is one lucky man to have met our heroine as he’s being ‘escorted’ off ship and to his utter surprise, offered a ticket on the ship by a stranger who will change his destiny forever.
As their journey begins, so does our’s and while we know what awaits so many of the Titanic passengers, we hope and pray that our couple would be among those that survive this disaster.
This novel was very well written with a plot that will keep you glued to your device of choice (Kindle in my case) and its fast pace will definitely make this read unexpectedly short. You’ll no doubt recognize the parable of the prodigal son and if you’ll like me, it will make your feelings torn between the ‘good son’ and the ‘prodigal’. In the end, Ms. Goyer’s characterization and wonderful setting, pace and inspirational messages woven through this story of love, passion, loss and redemption will touch your heart and mind.
*To buy this book, click on the cover*
*To learn more about the author, click on the name*
* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
STORY: First in a thrilling military romantic suspense series based on the real-life elite helicopter pilots who transport Navy SEALs and Delta Force teams in and out of combat and covert missions. (SOAR are the heroes of Black Hawk Down.)
M. L. Buchman’s heroine flies the most dangerous military ops and tries to find the one man who can be a hero in her own life. Ace-pilot Captain Emily Beale goes undercover as bodyguard to the First Lady, with her rugged commander, Major Mark Henderson, who is determined to cover her back. Can she learn to keep her desire at bay before her covert mission implodes?
REVIEW: Let me come clean here and admit that the only reason I wanted to read this story was because a man wrote it. I was really curious if a man author can pull off a romance as well as a woman authoress. And before you all gang up on me, yes I am aware that there were men ‘pulling it off’ quite well long before M. L. Buchman, but that was very, VERY long time ago. In a time when women were ‘supposed’ to be ignorant and uneducated, so that doesn’t count.
As the book blurb tells us who our hero and heroine are, I’ll skip on summarizing the story and get right on and tell you what worked for me and what didn’t.
I thought both hero and heroine were great characters and the author made me believe that she’s as competent and brave as her male counterparts. As a matter a fact, she was one of those women that was good in almost everything she sets her mind on.
Major Mark Henderson, or the “Viper” as he’s known to his fellow soldiers was perfectly cast as the hero who is a total opposite of Emily and the chemistry between the two worked great. The Yin and Yang of the two was perfectly pitched, and you could feel the tension and the sparks fly off of the pages! He was one of those men that the phrase ‘never let them see you sweat’ totally applies.
As to the plot, in spite of its predictability, I found myself warming up to it and wanting to know who the villain is. I also liked the pace of the story and I enjoyed the suspense and action which were quite good.
Those are the things that worked for me, but there’s one thing that I found waaaaaaaaaaay over my head, and that is all the military ‘lingo’. Honestly, I was lost…in the desert…with no canteen!
The author has obviously done his homework on helicopters, flying and guns. While all of that gives the book its authenticity, in my case, it made me feel like an outsider…
Now, I’m going to come clean yet again and tell you all that I’m also lost in regards to cars. There are only a handful of car models that I can name, as for the rest, they are just ‘vehicles’ in assorted colors and sizes.
‘The Night is Mine’ is a fun, intriguing and suspenseful romance full of action. Once I got over all the military lingo, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and yes, is the answer to myself; an author of male persuasion, other than Shakespeare, can write a romance novel!
*To buy this book, click on the cover*
*To learn more about the author, click on his name*
* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I love nothing better than reading Christmas stories around Christmas time. I actually go out of my way to make sure my TBR is stocked up. This Christmas I’m recommending this short, sweet, funny and utterly romantic tear-jerker called ‘SECRET SANTA’ by Kristine Cheney.
Holly is a girl after my own heart. She’s bubbly, beautiful, determined and tenacious! For seven years she’s been a part of Ashton Falls Secret Santa Program, and she embraced her ‘task’ with all the enthusiasm and joy she possessed, especially because this particular time of year would remind her of lacking the closeness of her own estranged family.
Marcus is not looking forward to the Holidays nor is he in the mood for anything at all. His life has undergone a very dramatic change in the past few months and solitude is all he wants and welcomes, so finding an intruder on his porch, apparently delivering a gift, was something he isn’t much happy about.
SECRET SANTA was a very heartwarming gift that appealed to every romantic bone in my body!
Ms. Cheney has done such a great job in creating these two lonely souls who through unforeseen circumstances are drawn to each other and are clearly meant to be together. In a short span of time Ms. Cheney has managed to make me laugh out loud when reading of Holly’s deliveries, sighing every time these two just looked at each other, let alone touched! But most of all, Ms. Cheney had me in tears once I found the reasons behind our couple’s loneliness and heartbreak.
Like I said, for such a short story, Ms. Cheney’s managed to deliver a very rich and truly sweet romance that will leave you satisfied, happy and cozy all over!
This one is a Christmas MUST!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kristine Cheney is 39, and is an Arizona native. Now living in Surprise, she has been married 21 years to her high school sweetheart Brett, and is the mother of Taryn, Brett, and Zackary. A young grandmother, she is Grammy to Parker, Ivy, and Evely’nn. A huge labrador lover, she is mom to yellow lab Magnus and to the very naughty (and huge) white Labra-doodle puppy Brody.
Hobbies include writing passionate love stories that involve chivalrous characters, dashing adventure, forked humor, and the ever-true good vs. evil dilemma. Her favorite place to relax is anywhere within close proximity to a beach or wooded lake. A huge history buff, she plans to one day make a trek across the US to get her fill of American wonder (with hubby, labs, and lap top in tow). She loves a good hot cup of coffee with Creme Brulee liquid creamer and sugar. A maestro with a bag of frosting, Wilton cake decorating lessons only fueled her artistic fire. She is pretty darn awesome at crankin’ out a deluxe wedding, baby shower, or themed birthday cake that will make your toes curl.
Won’t you join our celebration by:
1) Telling us which ‘Hook-a-Book’ did/would you likely give your friends…
Andreas Merrick is the king of London’s dark underworld, having amassed unimaginable wealth and power…and a fierce reputation that leaves even the bravest men quaking in their boots. Yet one person is maddeningly unintimidated by his fearsome presence: the persistent Miss Phoebe Pace.
And one kiss always leads to another…
Equal parts honey and steel, Phoebe will stop at nothing to find her missing brother and save her family. Though associating with Andreas means peril and scandal, she never expects to experience a passion so intense that it threatens to consume her. But enigmatic Andreas is no ordinary man to love. He brings dangers from all sides – without and within – while tempting her beyond her wildest dreams…
REVIEW: This is my first time reading Anne Mallory, and I was glad to have stumbled on to her! As this was a part of her ‘Secrets’ series, I thought it best to read them all, and I was glad that I did. That’s not to say that the stories can’t be read or can’t stand alone. I chose to do it only because of my own personal preference. I found out that even though each book tells its own individual story, I always get the ‘feel’ for it by reading its predecessor first. “One Night Is Never Enough” helped me greatly to understand Andreas and his personality and I highly recommend it as well.
Andreas Merrick was one of those heroes that you can’t help but fall in love with, especially when introduced to his painful past. As for the heroine, Phoebe Pace, she will steal your heart with her gullible nature and sunny disposition. As I was reading it, I kept seeing Meg Ryan’s smile and funny banter while Toby Stephens’ throaty voice was Andreas in my mind.
The relationship between the two was developed in stages and that was perfectly fine with me. Their wit, their sparks, and their opposite personalities were very enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining. The chemistry, sexual tension and the anticipation created by the author, was so well written that once those two came together, I couldn’t help but sigh!
Anne Mallory’s style of writing was refreshing and every character she introduced us to was three-dimensional and the plot kept the story moving with measured speed. The author does an outstanding job in drawing you into the story and caring for the characters she created. If you love your hero intriguing, quiet and strong while he falls for a bubbly, bookish and brave heroine, you just can’t miss this story! It is a fun, moving and an overall exciting read.
*To buy this book, click on the cover*
*To learn more about the author, click on her name*
* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
BOOK BLURB: What if you lost your true soul mate, the one person in life you were meant to be with? Would your love ever truly die? Not if you’re Noah Hartman, who refuses to let go of Robin after she inexplicably abandons their love and disappears from his life seemingly forever, her hidden secret yet to be discovered.
FEATURED AUTHOR: Sebastian Cole
