Unwrapping: Review of FEVER by Joan Swan

It's said that when a person is kidnapped that they may fall subject to the effects of Stockholm Syndrome - that's a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them.
It's what you expect to have happen when you first start reading FEVER by debut author Joan Swan.
What actually happens is that the reader becomes so entangled in the story and involved with the characters that the reader, like a kidnap victim, falls victim but not to Stockholm Syndrome but to Teague Creek Syndrome!

Blurb for FEVER by Joan Swan:

Dr. Alyssa Foster will admit to a bad boy fetish…
But when she finds herself face to face with a convicted murderer with a ripped body, a determination for freedom and an eye on her as his get out of jail free card, Alyssa knows she’s in deep trouble…. Not just because Teague Creek is a prisoner desperate for freedom, but because his every touch makes her desperate for more.

A man with a life sentence has nothing to lose…
Teague Creek has one shot at freedom, but his plan to escape with a hostage develops a fatal flaw: Alyssa. On the run from both the law and deadly undercover operatives who know of his strange abilities, he needs to avoid trouble, but every heated kiss tells him the fire between them could be just as devastating as the flames that changed him forever.

                *                    *                      *                        *                        *                       *

As I've mentioned more than once or twice, I love reading debut authors and now I think I know why I'm so partial to them - they are always so amazing and it gives me another reason to procrastinate on getting my own WIP finished. I feel that some, like Joan Swan, will just put my writing talent to shame.

FEVER by Joan Swan is such an amazing work that I doubt my work would even begin to come close to what she has created. I had been eager to read this debut work ever since I read an interview she did for another blog early last fall. The whole premise of the book, a convicted murderer with exceptional powers escaping prison to find his young daughter and taking an innocent bystander hostage intrigued me in the same way that most novels by Stephen King do. Contemporary with the added bonus of romance and suspense with a touch of the extraordinary. I thought, wow, it should sizzle, and boy, oh boy, was I right.

From the first moment we meet Teague Creek, he grabs our attention as well as that of Dr. Alyssa Foster and never lets go. Teague takes poor innocent Alyssa, whose life hasn't been going exactly as planned, hostage after a mistake in identity. The second Teague wraps his cuffs' chain around Alyssa's neck and tells her, Don't make a sound, her life will never be the same. She pleads to be let go. She fights when she can. She even ends up getting stabbed with only Teague to care for her. The more time she spends with Teague, the more she begins to believe in his innocence. The more she believes in his innocence, the more she pushes for answers to an increasing number of questions that have her more and more interested in learning the truth about both Teague and the crime of which he was found guilty and sentenced to life for committing.

Teague Creek is a fierce and angry man with a talent for heating up situations that don't need any more incentive. But for all of his fierce anger and need for retribution, he's got a gentler more caring side that Alyssa begins to recognize and appreciate. Her attraction to him began before he took her hostage and put her life in danger but it's her feisty nature that incites Teague's growing attraction for her.

FEVER is exactly what the title infers. This story is hot, engulfing, action-packed, edge of the seat suspenseful and addicting. I originally started reading FEVER inadvertently. I was already reading another novel and quite immersed in it when FEVER came in the mail. That night, instead of delving into the other novel, I decided to take a peek at Chap 2 since I had already read Chap 1 online many times before. My peek ended with me reading clear to page 182 and the clock reading nearly 4 in the morning. Addicting, I tell you, addicting!

I found myself constantly thinking about getting back to the book to get some more of Teague Creek. I found myself in love with this man and wishing I was Alyssa Foster. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to replace Alyssa, I wanted to be Alyssa. I found her amazing. She is tough, feisty, and even though she hated cursing, which she heard a lot of from Teague, she wasn't shy about speaking her mind - even with a gun to her head. I found myself identifying with her even as I was falling in love with Teague just as she was. Joan Swan has created a set of characters in this story, including secondary characters, that come alive with expression and emotion. The story is the star but the characters bring it to life in such a way that you wish the end will never come.

I highly recommend FEVER by Joan Swan. FEVER is a suspenseful, action-packed, fall in love with, debut novel that you will find yourself wanting to read over and over. I am looking forward to Joan's upcoming endeavor, BLAZE - the second in her Phoenix Rising series due out this October - with great eagerness. If her next novel is written with as much care and passion as she put into FEVER, I know I will not be disappointed. FEVER by Joan Swan is an awesomely hot read and the cover is a ten on the drool-worthy scale.

Happy Reading!

FEVER by Joan Swan, book 1 in the Phoenix Rising series, published by Kensington Brava, released February 28, 2012, 354 pages, available in print or ebook format. For more information about Joan Swan and her books, please visit her at her website.

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF PASSION UNTAMED BY PAMELA PALMER:
............. Andrea Dickinson!!  Congratulations Andrea.  Thanks to everyone who played.

                                                                  

Unwrapping: Review of THE HUSBAND HUNT by Lynsay Sands

Having read the first two books in Lynsay Sands' Madison Sister series, THE COUNTESS and THE HEIRESS, I eagerly awaited the last book, Lisa's story, THE HUSBAND HUNT.  I was not disappointed.  After nearly a year of waiting, release day came on February 28, 2012 but I still had to wait for my copy to arrive even though I had pre-ordered it. When it did, I inhaled the book.  Have you ever noticed that reading a book or seeing a movie is like Christmas? The anticipation is so great and then [snapping fingers] it's over. The book is read, the movie watched or the presents opened.  Well, reading The HUSBAND HUNT was worth waiting for.

Blurb for THE HUSBAND HUNT by Lynsay Sands:

Let the hunt begin…
Lisa Madison wants a husband, and she has just the candidate in mind: Robert Langley. Trouble is, the infuriating man insists on seeing her as the impish girl she once was—even as every other gentleman in London has taken notice of her womanly…charms. When her beauty lands her in danger, it’s Robert who comes to the rescue…only to announce his affections are not of the romantic variety!

Robert saw enough sorrow in his parents’ union to know he wants nothing to do with marriage, which is exactly what he’ll be trapped into if he acts on his desire for the irksome siren. And then Lisa does what Robert least expects: gives up on him! As feigned indifference gives way, blistering passion burns at last. But just before the pair can give in to hard-won bliss, an enemy with unfinished business lurks threatening to destroy them both.

                        *                         *                          *                         *                          *

If you read the first two books in the series then you already know about Lisa Madison, her precocious nature and her infatuation for her neighbor, if you haven't then let me fill you in. Lisa is the youngest of the Madison sisters. Both her older sisters, Christiana and Suzette are happily married with their own stories behind them (read the first two books to learn their stories).  Lisa is, and always has been, in love with their neighbor and good friend, Robert Langley. He, on the other hand, still looks upon her as a little girl and treats her as such, even worse, he treats her like a little sister. Kiss of death for any girl in love. Having learned all that she believes she needs to know about love and lovemaking from the books she reads, Lisa is determined to get Robert to notice her.

After rescuing Lisa from the clutches of Mrs. Morgan, a woman that Lisa believed was her friend but who instead planned to sell her off to an anonymous suitor, Robert becomes brutally aware that Lisa is all grown up. With Lisa dressed in little more than nothing and wiggling seductively on his lap in the carriage, it's difficult for Robert to think of her as anything but a grown woman. When she drunkenly tells him that she loves him, he tells her he loves her, too, like a sister and will always protect her. His declaration is like a splash of ice water to Lisa. Unaware of Robert's fears of marriage stemming back to his family, Lisa believes he has no interest in her. He thinks of her like a sister, she reminds herself later. Lisa decides she has wasted entirely too much time on Robert Langley and, at twenty-one, she's not getting any younger. With the Season upon London, it is now or never for Lisa to find a husband or forever stay on the shelf.

As innocent Lisa presents herself to the eligible young men of London, Robert knows she's still in danger. He informs Richard and Daniel, Lisa's brothers-in-law, of the events at Mrs. Morgan's establishment and they agree to help - of course, their course of action is to form their own plan to bring Robert and Lisa together. They both know of Lisa's love for Robert and have figured out that Robert is very much in love with Lisa only he doesn't realize it - yet.

So goes the adventure. Lisa hasn't given up completely on Robert. She even sets out to seduce him, even as she considers the advances of Charles Findlay, a suitor who isn't about to give up on winning her hand in marriage or allow Robert Langley to interfere.

So who is this mysterious anonymous suitor who attempts over and over to steal away Lisa for his own? Even though Robert is there each time to save her from danger, can he succeed in the end in keeping dear, sweet Lisa safe? I guess you'll have to read THE HUSBAND HUNT by Lynsay Sands to find out.

Delightful, humorous, and wrought with danger from the start, THE HUSBAND HUNT by Lynsay Sands is a must read especially if you've read either of the other two books in the series or both. To fully understand the plot, the characters, and the villians in this story, I do believe you need to, at least, read THE COUNTESS, the first in the series. Without the backstory, THE HUSBAND HUNT is not a good stand alone book.  If you haven't read THE COUNTESS, please do (it will have you crying tears of laughter) and then read THE HUSBAND HUNT even if you don't read THE HEIRESS in between.

Happy Reading!

THE HUSBAND HUNT as well as the others in the series are available in both print and ebook form.  To learn more about Lynsay Sands and her books click here. 

Don't forget the Giveaway of a copy of PASSION UNTAMED by Pamela Palmer is still going on, click here to visit the Giveaway post. 

                                                           

Unwrapping: Love Those Alpha Males + Giveaway!

Hugh as Leopold in KATE AND LEOPOLD

There is no doubt that readers of Romance love their Alpha Males! We love them all from swashbuckling pirates to devilish Regency Lords to shape shifting heroes that capture our hearts to rock stars that find themselves mucking out stalls.

Hugh Jackman, actor, sexy man extraordinaire, plays Alpha Males so well that even if we were to discover he wasn't one in real life, we wouldn't care. I once heard him tell a story about how he peed himself on stage and he laughed happily which told me - yes, this man is exceptional and a true Alpha Male.

Alpha Males may have HUGE egos but they also have humility and so are able to laugh at themselves as easily at the world. A sense of humor is essential to winning a woman's heart and he is able to with such ease that other men probably can't comprehend how he does it.

Hugh as Drover in AUSTRALIA

We love that Alpha Males are confident and a natural born leaders. They are responsible and caring, gentle beyond belief when it comes to those they care most about. They adore women but don't act jealous or possessive over them and never elevate them too high by putting them out of reach on a pedestal. But an Alpha Male knows what he wants. When he discovers what he wants, he will become determined to have it. He knows he can most likely have any woman he desires but will only settle for the one who can truly capture his heart.

Now, in Romance Novels, Alpha Male heroes take many shapes ... we've got the types like the splendid devilish Regency Lord such as Leopold above, or the rough tough cattle driving Drover but then there's some of my personal favorites, the shape shifters. Come on ladies, you have to admit there's nothing like the animal that lives within every Alpha Male! Hugh does this one to the hilt!!!  You've got it, WOLVERINE!      [sigh]     Give me a minute. 



Okay, I'm ready to proceed.

When I think of Wolverine, I think of all the lovely shape shifters in the paranormal romance genre. By the way, if you haven't discovered these delectable, sexy, dream worthy heroes, please do, I wouldn't want you to miss out on some of the best reading ever!

One of my favorite series featuring shape shifters of all sorts is Pamela Palmer's Feral Warrior series. And my dears, I have an extra copy of her PASSION UNTAMED to give away today.

I promised I'd make up for Monday's mishap and I believe you will enjoy this taste of the paranormal.


There are currently six books in the series and the seventh (Fox's story) will be released in Dec 2012, I hope because I might just keel over if it's late. 

PASSION UNTAMED is the third book in the series and although I do recommend you read the series in order starting with Lyon's story in DESIRE UNTAMED, I'm giving away this one because it's the one starring THE Alpha Male of the series. Oh, Lyon may be the Chief of the Ferals and a lion shape shifter but it's PAENTHER who is the oldest of the Ferals and, in my opinon, the most virile, the most male, and certainly, the most ALPHA.

Though the Mage witch Skye has a gentle heart, demonic forces have enslaved her, forcing her to kidnap Paenther, a powerful and dangerous Feral Warrior. Even chained and naked, Paenther is a cunning prisoner who seduces her, body and soul, turning captive into captor. Paenther's pride demands revenge against the enchantress who emerged from the deep woods like a sensual vision and enthralled him, even as she makes his body burn with passion. Despite his fury over her treachery, Skye's gentle beauty calls to his soul, calming the wild chaos within him, and stealing his heart. But when evil threatens, Paenther and Skye's only chance at survival is to trust in one another…and the power of love.            

So ....

If you would like a chance at winning a copy of PASSION UNTAMED, please answer me the following question and include a valid email address in the comment and you will be entered in a random drawing to win PASSION UNTAMED by Pamela Palmer.  You'll love it!!!

Back to Hugh Jackman then ... we've seen him in so many roles that dreams were made from, my question to you is this:

Which Romance Novel Hero would you like to see Hugh Jackman recreate on the big screen?

Happy Reading!   THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! GOOD LUCK!

If you'd like to learn more about the Feral Warrior Series, please click here.  : )

GIVEAWAY rules:  You must leave a comment with a valid email address to be entered in the random drawing. The Giveaway will run until 11:59PM ET Saturday, March 10, 2012 (by the way, don't forget to turn your clocks forward that night). A winner will be randomly chosen on Sunday and the winner will be announced on Monday's blog. I will, of course, contact the winner by email - if you leave a valid email address, that is.  This Giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY.
                                                                       

Unwrapping: Computer Attack - No Romance There

My deepest apologies for not having a blog today. My computer was attacked by a nasty virus over the weekend and the only way to get rid of it was to reformat the computer. I lost everything except what I had backed up on a separate hard drive. Thankfully, my two WIP's were backed up. However, the blog I had planned for today was not. Then to compound things, when I went on the other puter to write a quick blog, the internet was down. Believe me, I was in tears and frustration doesn't begin to describe what I was feeling.

I think if my WIPs hadn't been backed up, I would have smashed the computer and slit my wrists. 

I'm still working on getting my writing puter back online and up to speed but I will try to make it up to you all. I promise. Perhaps a giveaway is in order for Wacky Wednesday! ♥

Don't forget that tomorrow is the release day for WRONG SIDE OF HELL by Juliana Stone and others as well. If you haven't read my review of Juliana's fabulous paranormal romance novella and introduction to the League of Guardian series, please click here and do.
I highly recommend you read it. It's the best in writing I've read in some time.

I'm reading THE HUSBAND HUNT right now and will have a review of it very soon. 

Happy Reading and see you Wednesday!

Unwrapping: Review of WRONG SIDE OF HELL by Juliana Stone

I count myself most fortunate that I was allowed to read WRONG SIDE OF HELL by Juliana Stone ahead of its ebook release date, March 6, 2012. This Avon Impulse paranormal novella is AWESOME! Juliana has created her best work yet.

Blurb for WRONG SIDE OF HELL:

With battle lines drawn and evil forces gathering in the shadows, the League of Guardians is all that stands between chaos and the human realm . . .

Logan Winters, an elite hellhound shifter, wants to forget his allegiance to the League and the pain he's suffered because of it. But when he's ordered to retrieve Kira Dove from purgatory and bring her back to life, he can't refuse. Not only will her death affect the balance between the realms, she's also linked to a past he can't forget.

Kira Dove, a young woman murdered before her time, wanders the gray realm, alone and vulnerable. The one bright spot in her life is the memory of a mysterious protector who saved her once before. As she makes her way through this terrifying place, she can't help but wonder... will he come for her again?

As Logan races to save her, he knows he faces a nearly impossible task: How can a hellhound survive in the one place he shouldn't ever be? The wrong side of hell . . .

                           *                         *                       *                        *                          *
In WRONG SIDE OF HELL, Juliana Stone takes us on a journey through the depths of purgatory, the gray realm, as Logan Winters attempts to save Kira Dove from a permanent death within the depths of Hell. This novella is amazingly fast-paced, gritty, and at times, a little bit terrifying. The action never stops! The sizzling attraction and emotional sensuality bouncing back and forth between Logan and Kira draw the reader in so fully that you feel as if you'll burst with anticipation if the two don't resolve their need for each other.

Logan, a shape shifting hellhound, is tough, guarded, and wants nothing more than to retrieve Kira Dove from a place he has no business going and isn't even sure he can enter much less leave again. His plan is to bring her soul back to her dead body in the morgue so he can be on his way and his secrets remain secret. What he hadn't counted on was how being near Kira brought forth a need to protect her so completely that he ends up putting both their souls in danger.

Kira has always felt like a victim. With nothing but some vague memories of a beast and a saviour to explain her fears and what she's been told are delusions, she's never felt in control of her life. Locked away in a mental institution, the one thing that has kept her grounded is the thought that her saviour will return to save her once more. Having awakened in a strange place that feels oh, so familiar, she also awakened with a new strength and a new attitude. She is determined not to play the victim ever again. So when Logan shows up to protect her as he leads her back to the real world, she makes it clear that she will fight right alongside him and not runaway from that which threatens her.

Mix together a story that is dark, gritty, and has the feel of a nightmare you can't escape with a romance brimming with steamy on-the-edge sensuality and you've got yourself a sexier than hell paranormal romance in WRONG SIDE OF HELL. I've been a fan of Juliana Stone through her Jaguar Warrior series but I have to say that she outdid herself with this novella. Novellas can be difficult to write because of the constraints of word count and the desire to include all the aspects needed to make it a good story. Well, Juliana did it and then some. She has created 100 pages of incredible storytelling that will keep you on the edge of your seat and unable to put it down.

I more than highly recommend this novella to everyone who enjoys excellent writing and incredible storytelling. I am, personally, eagerly awaiting the League of Guardians series and I'm hoping we see Logan and Kira again.

Happy Reading.

WRONG SIDE OF HELL by Juliana Stone, Avon Impulse, ebook format, release date - March 6, 2012, ASIN: B0070XAUKU, print book coming March 27, 2012.

                                                                        

Wacky Wednesday: LEAP DAY!!

Every four years we get an extra day tacked onto the month of February ... gee, thanks! I'm not a big fan of February to begin with because it's short which messes up my brain calendar for the month of March which always feels too long to begin with because it's the end of winter and thirty-one days. But this year is a Leap Year which means we have that extra day. So what to do with that extra day - that Leap Day?

Did you see the movie LEAP YEAR? Cute romantic comedy with amazing scenery!

Well, interestingly enough there is a sweet and romantic tradition attached to this once in every four years day. According to Irish folklore, it's the one day in the year when it's totally proper for a woman to propose marriage to a man. It's said that St. Bridget brokered a deal with St. Patrick to allow women to propose to men once every four years rather than it always being left in the hands, and control, of the men.

Historians, of course, set aside the folklore and lean toward the premise that it was introduced to balance out the traditional roles of men and women in much the same way that Leap Day balances the calendar every four years.

In some places in the world, Leap Day is referred to as Bachelor's Day. Again, women are allowed to propose marriage instead of waiting for the man to do it. However, if a man refuses a proposal of marriage from a woman on Leap Day, he's expected to pay a penalty. The penalty can be anything from coins to a kiss or a new gown. In many European countries, it was tradition especially in societal upper classes that any man who refused such a proposal must buy the lady twelve pairs of gloves. The reason behind the gloves - no engagement, no engagement ring - twelve pairs of gloves would allow her to hide her embarrassment of not being engaged after foolishly proposing to a man who didn't want to marry her. Somehow, I think it would take more than a new pair of gloves for each month in the year to erase that embarrassment. I think I'd go for a way to embarrass the man.

Of course, where Leap Day may be a lucky day for a woman to ask a man to marry her, in some countries like Greece, it's considered bad luck to get married at all in a Leap Year but especially on Leap Day. I would think men would love that ... they only have to deal with remembering an anniversary every four years instead of every year!! Of course, they still wouldn't remember.

Our modern society has removed most of the stigmas surrounding courting and unmarried relationships but just how brave are women even today? I wonder how many women have the courage to ask a man to marry her on any day of any year even if she knows he might be thinking about it? That's one rejection I don't envy any man. I'm brave enough to ask most anything from a man but marriage, I don't know about that one. Would I have had the courage to ask my husband to marry me if he hadn't done it first? Well, perhaps on Leap Day!

How about you? Brave enough to make that 'Leap'? Were you?

Hope you got yourself some great new reads and are enjoying them. Happy Reading!

Unwrapping: Big Release Tuesday - A Day Early!

I know, I know, it's Monday and tomorrow, Tuesday,  is the day for releases but this Release Tuesday is soooo huge, I couldn't wait to tell you about what is coming our way - romantically Romance Novel speaking! February turned out to be one heck of a great reading month and it's only going to keep getting better as we move into March and April.

As I already mentioned, THE RANCHER AND THE ROCK STAR by Lizbeth Selvig is a debut novel available in ebook format and later this coming month in print format.  Click here to read my review of this delightful contemporary from a bright new romance writer.

AGAINST THE NIGHT by Kat Martin 

   

She's got the face of an angel and the body of…well, isn't that what he'd expect from an exotic dancer? But there's something about this girl that Johnnie Riggs can't shake. The former army ranger is hot on the trail of an elusive drug lord—and suddenly very hot under the collar, as well.

Amy's got her own agenda to pursue: her sister is missing and Amy seems to be the only one who cares. She'll enlist Johnnie's help and do her best to ignore her growing attraction to finally get some answers. But when the two trails begin to converge and reveal something even more sinister than they imagined, their mutual desire is the least of their problems. They'll bring the truth to light…or die trying.

A ROGUE BY ANY OTHER NAME by Sarah MacLean

What a scoundrel wants, a scoundrel gets. . .

A decade ago, the Marquess of Bourne was cast from society with nothing but his title. Now a partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance—including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury.

A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to an unexplored world of pleasures.

Bourne may be a prince of London's illicit underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness—a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them . . . .even her heart.

BLAME IT ON BATH: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DUKE by Caroline Linden

A marriage of convenience . . . or of destiny?

Gerard de Lacey is determined to find the man who is blackmailing his family, but with his inheritance and status at risk, a hasty marriage to a wealthy bride also seems in order—just in case things take a turn for the worse. Charismatic and capable, Gerard knows he can win the hand of any lady he chooses. Still, he's not expecting a rich widow to find him and propose the very thing he wants: a marriage of convenience.

Katherine Howe's first marriage was one of dreary duty. Now that she's being pressured to marry her late husband's heir, she's desperate for a better option. Gerard de Lacey, with his sinful good looks, charming manner, and looming scandal, fits her needs perfectly. The fact that she's nursed a secret affection for him only makes it better—and worse. Because Gerard will likely marry her for her fortune—but can he love her for herself, as she loves him?

BETWEEN THE DUKE AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Sophia Nash

Six Regency heroes—One royal hangover.

An infamous night has been lost to memory. The scandalous Dukes of the Royal Entourage must make amends. The first step is a heroic rescue.

One of England’s most disreputable peers, Alexander Barclay, Duke of Kress, has stumbled upon a perfect opportunity for redemption. Having been exiled to Cornwall by the Prince Regent himself, Barclay discovers lovely Roxanne Vanderhaven clinging to the edge of a cliff, stranded there by her murderous blackguard of a husband . . . just waiting to be rescued.

Back on solid ground, Roxanne is desperate for a new life— once she’s retaliated for her husband’s despicable actions. Surprisingly, she finds herself drawn to her unlikely champion, certainly the last man in England she could count on. Yet, the infamous Duke of Kress isn’t quite the scoundrel he seems . . .

FEVER by Joan Swan   (another debut author) 
    [My Pick for HOTTEST COVER!]

When Dr. Alyssa Foster is taken hostage by a prison inmate, she knows she's in deep trouble. Not just because Teague Creek is desperate for freedom. But because the moment his fingers brush against her skin, Alyssa feels a razor-sharp pang of need...A man with a life sentence has nothing to lose. At least Teague doesn't, until his escape plan develops a fatal flaw: Alyssa. On the run from both the law and deadly undercover operatives, he can only give her lies, but every heated kiss tells him the fire between them could be just as devastating as the flames that changed him forever.

RAINSHADOW ROAD by Lisa Klepas

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington. She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal: her fiancé Kevin has left her. His new lover is Lucy’s own sister. Lucy's bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life. Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger. Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life—even after being broken—can be made into something new and beautiful.


THE HUSBAND HUNT  by Lynsay Sands 

Let the hunt begin...

Lisa Madison wants a husband, and she has just the candidate in mind: Robert Langley. Trouble is, the infuriating man insists on seeing her as the impish girl she once was—even as every other gentleman in London has taken notice of her womanly…charms. When her beauty lands her in danger, it’s Robert who comes to the rescue…only to announce his affections are not of the romantic variety!
Robert saw enough sorrow in his parents’ union to know he wants nothing to do with marriage, which is exactly what he’ll be trapped into if he acts on his desire for the irksome siren. And then Lisa does what Robert least expects: gives up on him! As feigned indifference gives way, blistering passion burns at last. But just before the pair can give in to hard-won bliss, an enemy with unfinished business lurks threatening to destroy them both.

THE TATTOOED DUKE by Maya Rodale

Breaking news, scandal fans:

You thought you knew the dangerous Duke of Wycliff, London's globe-trotting adventure addict. Here's what you don't know: he's penniless. Sebastian Digby's dukely lifestyle is over forever unless he finds a rich bride. But thanks to The London Weekly, everyone knows better than to tangle with this lothario. Besides (as one writer can testify), it seems that Sebastian has been unable to keep his hands of his own lowly housemaid...

And that's a problem. A big one.

Because that housemaid just happens to be me. Eliza Fielding. The same undercover Writing Girl who's been exposing the Duke's most intimate secrets to the world. And now I've gone and complicated everything by falling love with him. Passion and deception have never been so delicious, but now the truth could destroy everything. This is more than a conflict of interest. It's a seduction where love itself hangs in the balance.

Then coming very soon ... March 6th are:

WRONG SIDE OF HELL - a League of Guardians novella by Juliana Stone 

ebook format only, print book available March 27th.

Watch for my review of this novella coming Friday, March 2nd.

With battle lines drawn and evil forces gathering in the shadows, the League of Guardians is all that stands between chaos and the human realm…

Logan Winters, an elite hellhound shifter, wants to forget his allegiance to the League and the pain he’s suffered because of it. But when he’s ordered to retrieve Kira Dove from purgatory and bring her back to life, he can’t refuse. Not only will her death affect the balance between the realms, she’s also linked to a past he can’t forget.

Kira Dove, a young woman murdered before her time, wanders the gray realm, alone and vulnerable. The one bright spot in her life is the memory of a mysterious protector who saved her once before. As she makes her way through this terrifying place, she can’t help but wonder…will he come for her again?

As Logan races to save her, he knows he faces a nearly impossible task: How can a hellhound survive in the one place he shouldn’t ever be? The wrong side of hell…

LUST IN THE LIBRARY - an erotic novella by Amelia Fayer

Some like it hot, and some like it in the reference section.

Sara is having a love affair with books. But, since books can't make love to you, it means she's in the middle of a very long dry spell. Until a sexy Brit shows up. Suddenly she's learning just how stimulating a library can be—up against a bookcase, behind the card catalog, on the circulation desk . . .

Meanwhile, Veronica is incredibly frustrated. While Sara and her new man are using the library as their personal adult playground, she's stuck with only her thesis and her sexual fantasies. But Andrew, her crush, isn't above using his . . . assets to get Veronica right where he wants her: alone, in a darkened corner of the stacks.

Who knew reading could be this pleasurable?

Remember these are new releases and I have, like you, not read them with the exception of two so I can't be held responsible for whether or not you enjoy them but I hope you do!

Happy Reading!