How to Disgrace a Lady

06 Thursday Sep 2012

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Book Review, Bronwyn Scott, Harlequin Historical, How to Disgrace a Lady

Merrick St Magnus is a second son without clear direction, who survives on his charm and what money he wins from bets. He’s notorious for his womanizing and daring activities. Alixe Burke firmly believes herself to be on the shelf, and she’s happy to be there. When her parents throw a country party in the hopes of luring eligible men, Merrick gets an invite based on his association with Alixe’s brother. The two find themselves in a compromising (and totally innocent) situation, but since his reputation is well known, her father offers a deal. He has until the end of the season to make her the toast of the Ton, and secure her a suitable husband, or Merrick has to marry her himself.

How to Disgrace a Lady is the first in a new trilogy by Bronwyn Scott called Rakes Beyond Redemption. Readers are given the typical – an outlandish rake trading on his looks but hiding something from the world and a beautiful bluestocking who doesn’t want a Ton lifestyle. Working within a well-used structure, Scott still keeps it engaging by giving her readers interesting characters and a fast-paced story. Proving that just because it has been done before, doesn’t mean that it can’t be done with style.

I like Merrick. He’s funny, charming, and bold, but of course all the best rakes are. He’s not all that happy with where he’s heading, which opens him up to the influence of the right woman. Alixe is sweet, but she’s also saucy, with a daring side that Merrick brings out. His reputation, most of it deserved, makes him a less than appropriate suitor, but then, in true romance style, reformed rakes make the best husbands.

Merrick’s friends, Ashe and Riordan, also make an appears which sets up the next two books in the trilogy (How to Ruin a Reputation due in October and How to Sin Successfully due in November). Though you don’t get a lot of detail, you learn enough to know these two have problems of their own.

If you are looking for a historical romance, this is a perfect choice. The characters are fun and appealing, and they’ll have you turning pages well after you should be asleep.

When Lightning Strikes

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Book Review, Brenda Novak, When Lightning Strikes, Whiskey River

In Brenda Novak’s When Lightning Strikes, Gail DeMarco is about to watch her dreams go up in smoke. Her Hollywood PR agency is going to fold unless she can convince superstar Simon O’Neal to help her. It just so happens that Simon needs her too. In order to gain custody of his son, he needs to clean up his image and Gail is just the one to do it. To make it believable, though, they must fake a storybook marriage.

For all his star power, Simon is not happy. His life has not been easy, although that is not an excuse for bad behavior. It’s to be expected in a romance that Gail is the perfect foil for him – that through her love and understanding (and toughness) he gets back on his feet. In real life, he’d need a little therapy too, but in Whiskey River she’s enough to help him heal and that’s ok by me.

Gail can’t imagine that Simon would really be interested in her under normal circumstances but once she sees the wonderful man he hides underneath, she’ll take what of him she can get. That kind of happiness is worth some pain.

Novak does an incredible job of bringing her readers characters that are believable in both their good and bad moments. They have depth and heart, pain and folly, and are all the more lovable for it all. The story flows so seamlessly, with a great mix of highs and lows, that it keeps you going until the end.

This is technically the first book in Novak’s new Whiskey Creek series, although there is a free novella available called When We Touch that introduces the group of friends that will be featured in the series. If you haven’t gotten it yet, I recommend you go out right now to download it – both of these books are fantastic. I haven’t read one of Novak’s books before, and if the rest are anything like this, I have been missing something great.

When Lightning Strikes is a lovely story about two people finding their own worth in a world so ready to tear them to pieces. It’s a great beginning to what I expect to be an amazing series. Whiskey River is on par with Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold or Jill Shalvis’s Lucky Harbor – places full of heart and soul and the wonderfulness of love.

Labor Day Hop

31 Friday Aug 2012

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Come join us for a Labor Day Hop – Free books and fun!

To enter, visit a Rafflecopter giveaway from 9/1 to 9/15. For more details and a link to all the participating sites, click on the box below.

You’ll want to visit as many sites as possible to increase your chances. Good Luck and happy reading!

For Men Only

26 Sunday Aug 2012

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Book Review, For Men Only, Sally Goldenbaum

In Sally Goldenbaum’s For Men Only, Ellie Livingston first met Pete Webster on what she dubbed the blind date from hell. Now Ellie is giving cooking classes to men and Pete is in her first class. Will spending so much time together change things?

This book was originally published in 1994 and shows its age just a little. Ellie’s big problem comes from her wanting to make a success of herself and having some issues with the attitude that women belong in the home, not in the work place. I was in college then, not trying to make my way in the job market, but I remember the time as being more open than this. I expected to find the book written in the 80s instead of the 90s based on this issue, but it has been almost 20 years so I may not be remembering things as they actually were.

Pete’s views are more understandable and stem from a childhood of neglect, plus a wife that left him and their kids for her career. I didn’t really see it as so much of a belief against women’s equality as I did one of a man that had certain expectations of what he wanted his family dynamic to be like. And it is one that is very understandable and accepatble based on his history. I don’t think it is explicity stated that he wants a wife to stay home and not have a job, but he does want someone that will be there for him and his kids when they need her.

Overall, the book is very enjoyable. The characters are well-developed and believable, just remember the time the book was written. Ellie and Pete have good chemistry and their interactions have just enough steam to heat things up. For Men Only is a touching and humorous read, with enough heart to keep readers going.

Sneak Peek – Elisabeth Barrett’s Blaze of Winter

24 Friday Aug 2012

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Blaze of Winter, Elisabeth Barrett, Sneek Peak

Elisabeth Barrett’s next release is just around the corner, BLAZE OF WINTER (on sale 9/10) – Winter heats up in this hot new Star Harbor romance as another sexy Grayson brother, a wickedly handsome writer, plots his happily ever after with a sweet stranger. Theo is a hero that beats all – you’ll love him! Here’s something special, a Sneak Peek FREE excerpt from Scribd.

Elisabeth’s book will be featured in our Labor Day Hop so check back on 9/1 for details!

There’s also a Sneak Peek of Emily March’s NIGHTINGALE WAY at Scribd. And click on the link on the right for information on a special Nightingale Way giveaway!

Etiquette for the End of the World

19 Sunday Aug 2012

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Book Review, Etiquette at the End of the World, Jeanne Martinet

In Jeanne Martinet’s Etiquette for the End of the World, Tess Eliot’s world as she knows it has ended – she’s suddenly without a boyfriend or a job. Low on funds, she takes an offer to ghost-write a how-to manual for a survivalist group who believes the world as everyone knows it will end on December 21, 2012. Although she doesn’t start the project as a believer, doing research leads her to information that could prove that society may be in jeopardy after all.

The cover touts this as ”Bridget Jones for the New Millineum” and I see the similarities. Both are full of quirky characters and outrageous situations. And like Bridget, Tess starts her journey with a new relationship involving a man that seems too good to be true and who is definitely hiding something. The romance is secondary, though. The main plot of Etiquette for the End of the World involves a mystery over the feasability of one of the ways civilization may end and how WOOSH, the group that hired Tess, may be involved.

The funniest parts of the book are the snippets of Tess’s how-to manual that are scattered throughout – with titles like “How to Rob Someone with Style” and “Dating as if Your Life Depended on It (Which it Acutally Does)”. Although told with a large dose of snark and humorous from the perspective of a post-apocalyptic world, there is some great advice in them, especially “Twelve Rules to Live and Die By” found at the end of the book.

Etiquette for the End of the World is a humorous, light-hearted book that takes on the latest doomsday theory – the end of the Mayan calendar. Martinet does a good job of keeping the story moving quickly and making it playful without it getting ridiculous. If you are looking for a fun distraction, this is the book for you.

Two new reviews

18 Saturday Aug 2012

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Book Review, Deserving of his Diamonds, Within Reach

Two new reviews have been added to BookTrib:

http://juliejohnson.booktrib.com/reviews/within-reach/

http://juliejohnson.booktrib.com/reviews/deserving-of-his-diamonds/

Hero of My Heart Hop is now on

16 Thursday Aug 2012

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contest

Today’s the day so come join Romance at Random for another exciting hop with fantastic prizes! Enter here for your chance to win:

5 eBook copies of HERO OF MY HEART! by Megan Frampton (on sale 4/8)
3 eBook copies of A VAMPIRE SALVATION by Virna DePaul (on sale 4/22)
2 eBook copies of Taking Shots by Toni Aleo (on sale 4/23)
AND . . . . . one (US only) prize winner receives a BOX of books! INCLUDING, Debbie Macomber’s STARTING NOW!

Don’t forget to visit each of the sites found here for more chances to win.

And keep an eye out because I will be posting a review of Hero of My Heart soon. It’s a sizzler with heart so you won’t want to miss it.

Kevin’s Story

16 Thursday Aug 2012

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Book Review, Kevin's Story

In Kevin’s Story, Kevin Ross is a deaf man who has built a successful cookie business. He is now looking for the perfect model to be the Kevin’s Kookies girl. Enter Suzy Keller. She easily convinces him that she’s the perfect woman for his national marketing campaign but can she convince him she’s the perfect woman for his heart?

This is another book that I wish I could give 3.5 stars. It was originally released in 1986 and it feels like it is 25 years old, but not in a bad way. There is just a kind of vibe about it that marks it as an older story – something in the way the words are put together but again this isn’t a bad thing, just something readers may notice. There is nothing overt about it that gives a time frame, although I did notice the lack of technology (like cell phones or laptops).

The only issue I had was with some of Suzy’s actions. She’s fun-loving, humorous and caring, very earnest and sometimes a little naive. However she can be pushy about her relationship with Kevin. Readers are given his side of the romance too, so you understand that he is conflicted about it, but Suzy refuses to take no for an answer and disregards Kevin’s wishes. She does it with flair but if she was a man there might be a call for a restraining order.

For his part, Kevin is immediately attracted to Suzy and finds it hard to fight that. He doesn’t believe that a deaf man who grew up in foster care (and worse) deserves someone like her and that he will only hold her back from having a fantastic future. Suzy overrides these concerns at every turn, believing that they are made for each other and can handle anything that life gives them. She is his biggest cheerleader, believing that he is an amazing man that has a lot to offer. I was touched by the way that Suzy champions Kevin at every turn, showing him that he is an asset in their relationship regardless of his deafness.

At it’s heart, Kevin’s Story is a very sweet tale about a woman showing a man how valuable he really is. I may have had a little trouble with the way she goes about it sometimes, but overall I enjoyed it and freely recommend it.