A SECRET IN HER KISS by Anna Randol

JCP

~*~*~

MY WICKED LITTLE LIES by Victoria Alexander

CANDICE ROYER

~*~*~

SECRETS OF AN ACCIDENTAL DUCHESS by Jennifer Haymore

MOLLY

Congratulations, ladies! Please email your snail mail address to me at contests at theseasonforromance dot com and don’t forget to include the title you won. You have one week to collect your prize.

My Wicked Little Lies
Author: Victoria Alexander
Publisher: Kensington
Pub. Date: February 1, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1420117066
Pages: 352
Digital Price: $4.96
Print Retail Price: $7.99
Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBookstore

Evelyn Hadley-Attwater has it all—a genteel Victorian life replete with loving husband, ball gowns and elegant parties. No one, including the man she married, suspects that she was once “Eve,” a spy for England’s most enigmatic intelligence agency. Summoned for one final assignment, the excitement of her former life and memories of her mysterious, flirtatious boss “Sir” prove too tempting…

Adrian Hadley-Attwater is a respectable, dignified gentleman. But even the most proper gentlemen have secrets of their own. Secrets from the rest of the world, from their families, from their wives. Secrets that have a price. Now, as a veil of secrecy frays, a tantalizing game of cat and mouse will test the bounds of unfailing love…

~*~*~

REVIEW

“…but at the length truth will out.” – William Shakespeare

Evelyn Turner Hadley-Attwater, Countess of Waterson, has the perfect life. She is in love with her husband Adrian, his family and her responsibilities as a Countess. Since Evelyn’s parents died when she was young, leaving her to the care of a distant relative, Evelyn finds herself content in her settled and “normal” life. Normal life is appealing to Evelyn, who has a past full of secrets that threaten her marriage and life as she knows it, should her husband ever uncover the truth. Little does she know, he knows more than she knows, he knows.

Adrian Hadley-Attwater, Earl of Waterson has become slightly anxious since leaving his rogue lifestyle and assuming the position of Earl after his brother’s death. Adrian, who married the love of his life, has noticed Evelyn’s recent change in manner and is determined to find out what is causing her distraction and inattentiveness. Convinced his wife is having an affair; Adrian continues to search for the truth, only to uncover hidden secrets of the past that could ruin life as he knows it.

My Wicked Little Lies is a deliciously original story that kept me turning the pages in order to discover the truth of the past. The novel focuses on Adrian and Evelyn’s marriage and the lies of omission that are festering beneath the surface of their relationship. Both characters are extremely likeable, well developed and interesting, to say the least. The heat between these characters is evident without the in depth love scenes or spicy content. In fact, the first sexual scene is not revealed until the last half of the book. This enables the reader to feel the sexual tension and desire between the two characters before actually reading about their steamy interactions.

While I had this book figured out for the most part, I was still sitting on the “edge of my seat” waiting for the climax and, surprisingly, discovering it more than once. The author threw in a nice surprise near the end that I enjoyed and didn’t expect. Victoria Alexander has written an exciting and original historical romance that holds mystery, suspense and secrets that are sure to entice most every reader. I highly suggest reading this book. When you finish, come back and comment on this post. I’m itching to discuss the book!

Rating: 4.5 (Excellent)

Heat-Level: 3 (Sensual)

Reviewed by Tiffany

Comment and enter to win your own copy of MY WICKED LITTLE LIES

Cynthia Eden’s ANGEL OF DARKNESS

MISSY

~*~*~

Elizabeth Essex’s THE DANGER OF DESIRE

BEEBS

~*~*~

Stephanie Laurens’  VISCOUNT BRECKENRIDGE TO THE RESCUE,

IN PURSUIT OF ELIZA CYNSTER & $10 eGift Certificate 

JEANETTE JUAN

Congratulations, ladies! Please email your snail mail address to me at contests at theseasonforromance dot com and don’t forget to include the title you won. You have one week to collect your prize.

The Danger of Desire
Author: Elizabeth Essex
Publisher: Kensington / Brava
Pub. Date: December 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0758251589
Pages: 320
Digital Price: $8.96
Print Retail Price: $14.00
Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBookstore

AN UNLIKELY PARTNERSHIP

Naval Captain Hugh McAlden is accustomed to taking on deadly, high-stakes assignments – and being rewarded handsomely for his success. But to accomplish his latest mission, he’ll need someone more inconspicuous among his own ranks. Someone like the larcenous beauty who just relieved him of his pocket watch under his very nose…

Meggs is one of London’s stealthiest thieves and her livelihood depends on remaining untethered and unnoticed. But when she is caught by the icy-eyed Scottish captain, she sees a chance to escape her life of crime forever. Ever weary, she accepts his unusual proposition, even as she plots to cut and run at a moment’s notice.

AND AN UNCONTROLLABLE DESIRE

But as Meggs and Hugh come nearer to the danger at the heart of their mission, thoughts of betrayal and distrust begin to dissolve … overshadowed by a passion worth every risk…

 ~*~*~

Angel of Darkness
Author: Cynthia Eden
Publisher: Kensington / Brava
Pub. Date: December 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0758242174
Pages: 352
Digital Price: $8.96
Print Retail Price: $14.00
Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBookstore

As an angel of death, Keenan’s job is to collect the souls on his list. He’s carried out his duty for two thousand years and never faltered once. Until he meets Nicole St. James. When the moment of death comes, Keenan hesitates, and instead of taking Nicole, Keenan touches the vampire who’s attacking her.

Cast out of heaven for disobedience, Keenan plummets to earth. Six months later, he finally manages to track Nicole to a bar in Mexico. He’s stunned to discover that the woman he remembers has undergone a dramatic change–she’s become a vampire. And when he realizes that she’s the target of all manner of enemies–other vampires, demons, even shifters–he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, even if all hell breaks loose…

Comment to enter to win either book. 

The Gilder
Author: Kathryn Kay
Publisher: Kensington
Pub. Date: January 1, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0758263223
Pages: 304
Digital Price: $8.99
Print Retail Price: $15.00
Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBookstore

Art restorer Marina Nesmith’s life seems flawless, at least on the surface. But more and more, Marina is conscious of what she lacks – most especially, the courage to tell her teenage daughter, Zoe, the truth about her father. Then Marina is invited to return to Florence, where she learned her trade as a gilder years ago. In those heady days, she wandered the city’s picturesque streets and struck up a friendship with Thomas, an American photographer. He and his wife, Sarah, introduced Marina to a thrilling, bohemian world of art and beauty. Through them, she also learned about love, lies, and the way one mistake can multiply into many. Now, as past and present collide, Marina must move beyond the intricate veneer she’s crafted around herself and find the life that she – and Zoe – have been looking for…

~*~*~

REVIEW

If you’ve ever wanted to know what Florence, Italy is like, read The Gilder written by Kathryn Kay, who spent five years living there. The Gilder gives a descriptive look at the streets, houses, churches and so much more, enabling me to feel as if I was there rather than sitting on my couch. The novel tells the story of Mariana Nesmith, a highly skilled gilding artist. Mariana can take any worn piece and make it beautiful. The story is told through a series of flashbacks that mix the past with the present. The flashbacks take the reader back to young Mariana at an impressionable age, while she searches for love and definition of self as she studies under a master artist. This enables the reader to understand how Marian’s years in Italy molded her into who she is today, teaching her valuable lessons in love, betrayal, friendship and forgiveness.

Though Mariana’s life seems perfect on the outside, it deeply lacks on the inside. Mariana wants someone to share life’s sorrow and joys with. She wants a confidant, a partner and desperately wants the courage to tell her daughter Zoe the truth she’s kept hidden from her for so long. Only when Mariana is invited to return to Florence does she meet Thomas and his wife Sarah. Through them, she is introduced to a new world of art and beauty as well as lessons in love, lies and mistakes that multiply. Now, her present and past collide forcing her to find a way to have the life she’s been searching for.

Mariana learns about restoration of the emotional kind through her work as a gilder and a trip to the past. As she struggles with what she should reveal regarding to her daughter, regarding her past, she begins to understand the complexity of life only worsens with secrets. The novel is complex, so make sure you’re awake for this one. Mariana is a character who found herself caught up in deceit while young and in search of love, self-discovery and forgiveness. The book looks at how her choices spiraled out of control and turned into bigger issues.

Well written, yet not a light read, this book is great for those who want a thought provoking read or enjoy travel. It’s not your typical romance and is full of complex characters and situations to entice the reader. While it wasn’t exactly a book with a lot of re-read value for me, I did enjoy it and think others will as well.

Rating: 3.5 (Good/Satisfactory)

Heat-Level: 2 (Mild)

Reviewed by Tiffany

King of the Isles
Author: Debbie Mazzuca
Publisher: Kensington
Pub. Date: January 3, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1420110074
Pages: 352
Digital Price: $4.79
Print Retail Price: $6.99
Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBookstore

She’ll find him a bride if it’s the last thing she does.

And it very well might be. Evangeline may be powerfully persuasive in her way, but convincing the notoriously wild Highland king Lachlan MacLeod to strengthen his alliances with a strategic marriage seems to be asking the impossible. Stubborn and proud, Lachlan seems determined to go against her will, even if it means endangering the people he’s sworn to protect and the enchanted isle that has already seen so much discord.

Yet the battle-scarred Highlander cannot ignore his sultry advisor for long. When his mentor is kidnapped, forcing him to ride into combat alongside the beautiful Evangeline, he must choose between her safety and his own independence. It’s a choice he makes in an instant…but once wed to the woman he could not resist, he’ll soon find that his heart is in even greater danger than his kingdom…

~*~*~

REVIEW

A tale of a highlander king and a fiery Fae witch interests, but fails to enthrall.

The third novel in Mazzuca’s historical romance series tells the story of Fae witch, Evangeline, and the King of the Enchanted Isles Lachlan. Evangeline is considered an evil Fae due to her mother’s past transgressions, and seeks continuously to win the approval and support of her kin.  At the same time she views the Fae half-blood Lachlan to be a poor king, and is assigned the task of finding him a suitable Fae wife. In the midst of her search for a suitable bride, Evangeline must abandon the efforts to help Lachlan retrieve his wizard from the Fae of the North.  The cost of the battle is dear, and Evangeline soon discovers that her attraction to Lachlan is just as powerful as her magic.

Lachlan doesn’t want a wife, but the close proximity of Evangeline quickly erodes his disdain. When forced by the Fae King Magnus to choose a bride, Lachlan surprises everyone by naming Evangeline as his choice. What he doesn’t know is that his new bride has numerous secrets, some that could break the delicate weave of trust and respect Lachlan holds for her. As their enemies converge, and the secrets come spilling out the question is whether their bond of magic and attraction can survive.

Characters and action are Mazzuca’s strong point in this novel. There was never a dull a moment, and action ran rampant. Conflict and character friction were constant, but I enjoyed Mazzuca’s novel way of balancing male pride and anger with logic and rational reasoning.  Evangeline is the epitome of arrogance and male loathing. At first I didn’t really care for this heroine. As the story evolved I found her actions and manner more appealing. She’s rough around the edges, but the way she’s been treated by the Fae and her father lends credibility to her attitude.

Lachlan is all alpha male, with a presence that commands attention. Like Evangeline, at first glance I viewed Lachlan as the playboy king without a care or desire to rule competently. Once you’re inside his head that view is abruptly halted, and I came to love the highland king’s direct nature and protective nature. My biggest turn off in this book is the Highlander language. I had a difficult time reading through all the ‘ken’, ‘doona’, and ‘yer’. Let’s just say I don’t have the patience for it in the written form, verbally I probably would experience no difficulty.

The second thing that hurt this book for me is there is no resolution to some of the events that happen early in the story. I wonder if these may play a role in future books, but I can’t be a hundred percent sure.  There are plenty of other plot points left unresolved and pave the way for a fourth book. Readers will be happy to know multiple characters from the previous books are present.

Overall, the plot gives the desire to read the entire book, but curves onto so many paths that I couldn’t say I was thoroughly enthralled. I enjoyed the characters, action sequences, and the resolutions to the conflicts that Lachlan and Evangeline faced. If you’re a fan of Mazzuca’s previous books in this series or a huge fan of highlanders in kilts then I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Rating: 3.5 (Good)

Heat-Level: 3 (Sensual)

Reviewed by Landra

Sugar Rush
Author: Donna Kauffman
Publisher: Kensington
Pub. Date: January 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0758266347
Pages: 336
Digital Price: $8.69
Print Retail Price: $14.00
Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBookstore

Devil’s Food. . .Angel Cake. . .Red Velvet. . .Praline Crunch. . .Lemon Chiffon. . . How’s a woman to choose?

Luckily, the members of the Cupcake Club are about to taste it all. . .

When baker extraordinaire Leilani Trusdale left the bustle of New York City for Georgia’s sleepy Sugarberry Island, she didn’t expect her past to follow. Yet suddenly, her former boss, Baxter Dunne, aka Chef Hot Cakes, the man who taught her everything pastry, wants to film his hit cooking show in her tiny cupcakery. The same Chef Hot Cakes whose molten chocolate brown eyes and sexy British accent made Lani’s mouth water and her cheeks blush the color of raspberry filling–stirring all kinds of kitchen gossip, much of which Lani wished was true. . .

Lani’s friends are convinced that this time around, Baxter is the missing ingredient in her recipe for happiness. But convincing Lani will be a job for Baxter himself. And he’ll need more than black velvet frosting to sweeten the deal. . .

~*~*~

REVIEW

“What happens in Cupcake Club…stays in Cupcake Club?”

These are the words that Leilani Trusdale is learning to live by. After leaving her high-stress job in New York and moving to the small Sugarberry Island, Lani is learning a new way to live. Her life is her own and the stress of working in a famous restaurant is behind her.  Lani has opened her own cupcake bakery and is living the American dream. Everything is going well until Baxter Dunne comes to town and turns her whole world upside down.

Baxter Dunne comes to Sugarberry to get back the one person that calms him down. The person that makes him feel centered and grounded – Lani. He knows that she won’t be one hundred percent excited to see him, but he has to try and convince her to come back to New York. He doesn’t believe that she could really be happy running a cupcake bakery when she was a celebrated pastry chef.

These two have intense chemistry and have trouble staying away from each other. Lani and Baxter both had feelings for each other while in New York that neither of them acted on. Now that they are on the island together and not working together these feelings begin to be explored.

It took me awhile to warm up to Lani. She is so anti-Baxter in the beginning that it is hard to get passed her reactions to him. Baxter, although arrogant is a likeable character from the first. I enjoyed the bantering between them and their heated exchanges.

I enjoyed the secondary characters in the book – Charlotte and Alva especially. Their “Bake and Bitch” sessions added so much to the story. I loved the way they brought out something softer in Lani.

The writing is fantastic and the story moves at a good pace. Donna Kauffman books are usually a hit or a miss for me and Sugar Rush was definitely a hit!

Rating: 4 (Very Good)

Heat-Level: 3.5 (Sensual/Hot)

Reviewed by Carrie

If you didn’t know, I’m giving away an iPad 2 on my website. Since I announced the drawing back in the summer, there have been only so many ways to enter to win. Today,  I’m opening it up so there’s now a third way to enter.

I’ll start off my saying, before I’m a blogger, I’m an author. I write books. I’d love to do so for a living. I want readers to at least give my books a try, which is why my novella, ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE & SEDUCTION is currently free.

So for the next 3 days (December 14-16), if you post the below ad on your website or blog and send me the link at contests at theseasonforromance dot com, you’ll receive 10 entries to win the iPad 2. The winner will be announced December 17th.

Download it here. Please link the ad to this url (http://beverleykendall.com/allsfair.html)

And since I know not everyone has a blog or website,  I’m also celebrating a really great year in digital  sales for SINFUL SURRENDER and A TASTE OF DESIRE. To everyone who took a chance on my book(s), thank YOU!!! You have made 2011 a fabulous year for me.  So today I’m also giving away a $50 eGift Certificate from an etailer of winner’s choice. Just comment to enter to win. 

If you’re looking for some recent historical romance releases, I’m giving away two today. One person will receive both.

WHEN A DUKE SAYS I DO
Author: Jane Goodger
Publisher: Kensington / Zebra
Release Date: December 6, 2011
ISBN: 978-1420111514
Retail Price: $6.99

Miss Elsie Stanhope resided in Nottinghamshire, an area so rich in titled gentlemen, so felicitous for marriage-minded mamas, it was called “the Dukeries.” Indeed, Elsie had been betrothed since childhood to the heir of a dukedom. She had no expectation it would be a love match. Still less that she would enter into a shockingly scandalous affair with an altogether different sort of lover. And the very last thing she imagined was that the mysteries of his birth would be unravelled with as many unforeseen twists and turns as the deepest secrets of her heart.

Amazon | B&N | iBookstore

~*~*~

Click to read blurb, review & buy links

Comment to enter to win.

**Continental U.S Residents only

by Kaitlin O’Riley

I know it’s a bit too soon, but I have Christmas on my mind already.  My newest romance, It Happened One Christmas, is being released this week and so I’ve been thinking about the most wonderful time of the year a little earlier than usual.

And because my Christmas romance is set in Victorian era England, I can’t help but long for simpler times when gifts were not the main focus of the holiday.  Back in Victorian times families spent the holidays in each other’s company and gifts were small tokens.  Children were content creating homemade decorations for the tree and finding a delicious orange and a shiny coin or two in their stocking. Today we are bombarded by commercials to start our gift shopping even before Halloween.  The message being that only by purchasing the biggest, brightest, and most expensive presents will we be able to make our loved ones happy on Christmas morning.

Choosing the right gifts for people is a tricky business and not one I particularly enjoy.  I stress about it too much.  There is always the worry that they won’t like what I’ve given them… What if they hate it?  Or already have it?  What if they think I’m clueless for choosing this gift for them?  Does the gift not show that I know them well enough?  Oh, the pressure to give the perfect present!

And it’s because we love our families and friends so much that we want to please them with special gifts.  Who doesn’t want to hear an exclamation of delight when your sister cries, “Oh, I love it!” upon unwrapping the framed photo of the two of you as children?  Or the shout of joy when your son tears open the new Lego set he so desperately had to have?

I love to give perfect gifts but it’s very hard to do every time.  I’m a planner by nature and hate doing things at the last minute, so I’ve already begun making my gift list. (But that is mostly because I have a very strong aversion to shopping in crowded stores and standing in long lines to pay for something.)  Oh, I haven’t bought anything just yet, but I’ve started getting ideas for what to get for whom.  There actually was one year when I had my all of my holiday gifts purchased and completely wrapped before Thanksgiving.  Yes.  I know.  It was amazing.  And a feat I have yet to accomplish again.  (I still hold out hope, almost twenty years later, that one day I will have the wherewithal to be that organized once more.)

But I realized something today as I stood in a shop filled to the rafters with pretty things and wondered what my family would want. This commercialized version of Christmas that is crammed down our throats each year doesn’t have to be this way.  I don’t have to live up to the idealized perfect Christmas and the giving the perfect gift…  I don’t have to do this to myself every year.   Although I love the spirit of Christmas: the mood, the decorations, the traditions, the scents and sounds, I don’t love the expectation of gifts.

But I could try a simpler version of Christmas this year.  Instead of the emphasis being on giving presents, I could just enjoy being with the people I love and the season itself and not worry so much about the gifts.

That would be the perfect Christmas present to myself after all, wouldn’t it?

Or I could just give everyone a copy of It Happened One Christmas…

What would be the perfect Christmas for you? Comment to enter to win an autographed copy of IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS.