A BETTER MAN by Candis Terry

May 18, 2016

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A Sunshine Creek Vineyard Novel, Book 1

Romance in a vineyard? Count me in!

Jordan Kinkade is a hockey star in the NFL, but when his parents die, he returns home. The whole family is grieving, and it’s good for them all to be together.

Jordan’s brothers are taking care of the family vineyard, and he wants to pull his own weight, so he decides to help care for his teenage sister, Nicki, that the brothers have nicknamed “Baby Dragon” due to her teenage moodiness. Jordan and Nicki are not close at all, as he hasn’t been around for most of her life. But she is definitely having some problems and first up, he needs to chat with her teacher, Ms. Diamond.

Lucy Diamond really likes Nicki, and realizes she needs help. When Nicki’s big brother Jordan comes to see her, he is startled to find out he knew her when they were both younger. He realizes she probably hates him for the way he treated her, and he’s not wrong. She has some real trust issues, due to Jordan in part, and a bad first marriage. She’s determined to help Nicki and ignore Jordan’s flirting, but she may be ready for another relationship…or not.

I love that these characters all had realistic flaws and I couldn’t help but care about them. I can see why Candis Terry is so popular. This is the first book of a new series, and I am looking forward to the next.

5/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A BETTER MAN by Candis Terry. Avon (March 29, 2016). ISBN 978-0062351173. 368p.

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THE GIRL FROM SUMMER HILL by Jude Deveraux

May 16, 2016

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A Summer Hill Novel, Book 1

This is my second Jude Deveraux book, and I’m actually starting with the first book of new series, most unusual for me, but I like it!

Let me start with a platitude; everything old is new again. And there are a couple of theories espoused (former English major here) that every novel is based on either the Bible, or a combination of the Bible, Shakespeare and Homer. In this case, Summer Hill is literally based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Let’s call it the circle of literary life.

Summer Hill is a small town with an increased summer population. The town is preparing to put on a play to raise funds for various local charities. The play is based on Pride and Prejudice. So this is sort of a book within a book, both based on the same book. Sounds confusing but it isn’t. In Deveraux’s skilled hands, it is entertaining, fun, and fresh.

Casey has escaped from an overwhelming chef job in Washington D.C. She’s living in the guest house on an uninhabited plantation, cooking for the cast of the show and baking and preserving to her heart’s content. So she is shocked to walk into her kitchen one morning and find a gorgeous man on her porch, stripping naked and using her outdoor shower. She enjoys the show until her phone rings, and the man breaks her screen door and threatens her, seeming to think she was taking pictures of him.

That man is Tate Landers, Hollywood leading man and mega movie star. Casey hasn’t seen any of his films, but her best friend adores him so she knows who he is. And we have our Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. They end up playing those parts in the town production, as well as living them.

There are several subplots that really keep the pages turning, some mystery and lots of romance, not to mention the stress of a small town production starring Hollywood’s most popular leading men. I read it in one night and enjoyed every page, so I’m looking forward to the next Summer Hill book.

If you like this sort of thing, check out HarperCollins’ Jane Austen Project. Curtis Sittenfeld has a new book out, Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice.

5/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE GIRL FROM SUMMER HILL by Jude Deveraux. Ballantine Books; First Edition edition (May 3, 2016). ISBN 978-1101883266. 384p.

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DARE TO TAKE by Carly Phillips

May 11, 2016

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A Dare to Love Novel, Book 6

I can hardly believe it but this is my first Carly Phillips book. She is a hugely popular contemporary romance writer, and now I understand why.

This series is about the Dare family, and this book is about the last bachelor in the family, Tyler. Tyler and his sister’s best friend, Ella, have some history. She’s always had a crush on him, and one drunken night she crawled into bed with him and lost her virginity. He was drunk too, and in the morning, he freaked out and took off, and they’ve been avoiding each other ever since.

Until Ella is stuck in the Caribbean with a hurricane on its way. She was mugged, lost all her ID, and her best friend insists Tyler, who heads a security company, go rescue her. The Dares are a wealthy family, so he takes the private jet, knowing that is the only way she’ll be able to get off the island without her passport.

They both still have feelings for each other which bloom right from the get go. But they also both have a lot of baggage, and need to work things out before they can have their happily ever after.

Unfortunately, this is the last book in the series so apparently I missed quite a bit. This was a fast, fun read with a lot of great sex. My only complaint was the epilogue, which apparently only served to introduce a character that will be in the first book of a new series. I would have liked this couple’s happy ending instead.

DARE TO TAKE by Carly Phillips. CP Publishing (May 3, 2016). ISBN: 978-1942288701. 292p.

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THE VISCOUNT NEEDS A WIFE by Jo Beverley

May 8, 2016

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Company of Rogues Series, Book 17

Beverley is another new to me author who writes historical romance. As you can see by the heading, there have been many books in this series prior to the one I’m reviewing. But like most romances, it doesn’t matter.

Our heroine is Kitty, a young widow who lives with her in-laws. Her husband was a soldier who was severely injured, but Kitty is the empathetic type and was fairly happy in her marriage – other than the occasional bruises her husband gave her.

The mother-in-law is still in deep mourning, and probably always will be and wants Kitty to be there with her. But Kitty is getting very tired of it all. When an old friend writes and invites her for a visit, she jumps at the chance to get away. Especially when her friend tells her the recently inherited Viscount needs a wife to manage his country estate.

It turns out there is more than just the estate to manage. The Viscount also inherited the 5th Viscounts dowager mother and teenage daughter, both of whom resent him and make their displeasure known. Plus the teen is trying to marry him per her grandmother, to keep things all in the family.

Braydon, the new Viscount, is nobody’s fool. He works for the government in a sort of quasi pre-MI5 type undercover role. There is a mystery afoot when there is an attempt on the lives of three of the princes in near succession to the throne. Another mystery is the whereabouts of the 5th Viscount’s wife – she has disappeared without a trace.

There is a lot of history and a lot of details in this book so it moves rather slowly. There is not a lot of sex, and what there is seems rather perfunctory and more hinted at than explicit, although it does play an important part of the story.

If you are a fan of the arranged marriage trope, which I generally am, you might like this book. I found it slow going which is not why I read these books. I like to rip through them in a few hours and it took me a few days to get through this one.

05/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE VISCOUNT NEEDS A WIFE by Jo Beverley. Signet (April 5, 2016). ISBN 978-0451471901. 432p.

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WEDDING GIRL by Stacey Ballis

May 5, 2016

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Sophie Bernstein is an up and coming pastry chef in Chicago. Her fiance works at the same restaurant as the sommelier. Sophie is planning her dream wedding, and maxing out every credit card she owns, figuring her wealthy husband-to-be will take care of the debt after they are married.

If that sent up some red flags for you, pat yourself on the back. Theirs may be a match made in a restaurant, but like many restaurants, it is headed for disaster. Sophie is left at the alter when the news of fiance’s elopement hits social media practically during the wedding march.

Humiliated and deep in debt, Sophie moves in with her beloved grandmother, Bubbles. She finds a job at the neighborhood bakery, way beneath her skills but no one she knows will find her there and she can hide out and lick her wounds.

The bakery is barely breaking even. The menu hasn’t been updated in decades, and neither has the decor. So when word that a food TV star (think Martha Stewart) is opening a bakery a few blocks away, Sophie knows her days are numbered there.

Unbeknownst to her, the owner of the bake shop enters them in a city wide bake off, figuring with her skills they can win and that will help his business. But when he can’t compete, his son steps up. Sophie is none too fond of the businessman, but it turns out he has mad baking skills.

Meanwhile, Sophie helps out a bride with some wedding advice and that bride turns into her new best friend. To thank Sophie for all her good advice, she sets up a wedding advice website for her, WeddingGirl.com. Sophie gets emails and charges a few dollars for her advice. It’s a good way to earn some extra money to pay off her debt, but things get even more interesting when a best man planning a bachelor party takes her advice and starts an online flirtation with her.

Sophie is falling for this online romance, but also for her boss’s son and she is torn. If this sounds a bit like You’ve Got Mail, it should, and I enjoyed this book almost as much as that movie. This is a really fun read – just don’t read it while you’re hungry! Recipes included.

5/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

WEDDING GIRL by Stacey Ballis. Berkley (May 3, 2016). ISBN 978-0425276617. 416p.

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FINDING FRASER by kc dyer

May 4, 2016

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I’m going to start off by assuming you don’t know who Jamie Fraser is, that you haven’t read all the Outlander books or watched the series on Starz. But if you have, read on anyway.

In the simplest possible explanation of a series of 8 books (so far) that clock in somewhere in the neighborhood of 6500 pages (not a typo,) Jamie Fraser is a Scottish Highland warrior from the 18th century who is honorable, good looking and madly in love with his 20th century wife.

The Outlander series is superb and probably tops the list of books I would take to a desert island. They encompass action, adventure, time travel, history and one of the greatest romances of all time (see my review of the audio version of Outlander, and my review of the Outlandish Companions.)

Finding Fraser is a contemporary romance based on the premise that Emma Sheridan, a reader and fan of the series, has gotten the idea in her head to go to Scotland and find her own Jamie Fraser. A 21st century edition, if you will. This is not as far fetched as it may sound. You can book yourself on an Outlander tour of Scotland and see all the places from the book. Seriously.

Emma doesn’t know about those tours though. She has lost her barista job, but saved up enough money to go the hostel route for a few months and hopefully find her Fraser. She plans on blogging about her adventure as she goes. Her sister thinks she’s lost her mind altogether but Emma ignores her and her parents and gets herself to Scotland.

Emma meets some interesting people, finds a guy who may her Fraser except for the fact he bleaches his hair and is obsessed with California, falls in love with Scotland, finds work in a coffee house, gets scammed out of almost everything she owns, helps a sheep give birth, has all sorts of adventures and finally finds her Fraser. Hey, it’s a romance, it has to have the happy ending.

This is a must read for Outlander fans, but also for anyone who has ever had an itch to travel and find romance as well. And it’s a fun read – if you’d like to win a copy, read on!

AUTHOR BIO:

kc dyer resides in the wilds of British Columbia in the company of an assortment of mammals, some of them human. She likes to walk in the woods and write books.

To win FINDING FRASER by KC Dyer, please send an email to contest@gmail.com with “FINDING FRASER” as the subject. You must include your U.S. street address in your email.

All entries must be received by May 15, 2016. One (1) name will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age in the United States only. Your prize will be sent by Berkley & NAL, Penguin Random House.

One entry per email address. Subscribers to the monthly newsletter earn an extra entry into every contest. Follow this blog to earn another entry into every contest. Winners may win only one time per year (365 days) for contests with prizes of more than one book. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.

FINDING FRASER by KC Dyer. Berkley (May 3, 2016). ISBN: 978-0399584367. 368p.

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A LEAF ON THE WIND OF ALL HALLOWS by Diana Gabaldon

April 30, 2016

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An Outlander Novella

This is the second Outlander Novella I’m reviewing. The first was Virgins, so please see that review for some background: VIRGINS

If you are not familiar with the series, I’m not sure how much you would get out of reading this novella. For reviewing purposes, I have to assume you are an Outlander fan and hopefully you will be as excited about this as I was.

Roger lost his parents when he was a young child, believing his father, a pilot for the RAF, was shot down during WWII and his mother died in the London Blitz. I don’t want to give too much away…

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

Go away and come back and read this after you read WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD!

Roger starts to learn what really happened to his father in that book, and the story he and his mother were told turns out to be much more complicated than they knew. This novella delves into his parent’s relationship, the London bombings, how his father knew Frank Randall, and how he really died.

It was really wonderful getting to know Roger’s parents a bit. I loved this novella.

If you’re an Outlander fan, this is a fun, albeit super short read. Then again, Kindle Singles only cost $1.99! And do check your library’s ebook collection, that’s where I got my copy.

4/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A LEAF ON THE WIND OF ALL HALLOWS by Diana Gabaldon. Dell (December 3, 2012). ASIN: B00A5MREAM. Print Length: 58 pages

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VIRGINS by Diana Gabaldon

April 29, 2016

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An Outlander Novella

I love the Outlander series. I’ve read all the books and watch the Starz TV series. I’ve also listened to all the books.

I’ve always heard that with a truly great reader, listening to an audio book can bring a great deal more to the story. I enjoy a lot of audio books, but never really felt that something was added until I read the Harry Potter books, read by the great Jim Dale. He makes listening to those books an immersive experience, and the same goes for the Outlander books. Davina Porter is the narrator, and she is simply transcendent. She takes me away on these amazing adventures – plus I learned the correct pronunciations for all the characters’ names, the various places and even the Gaelic.

But now that I’ve read all the Outlander books (and yes, some of them several times!) I was bereft. I know, I have more books on my shelves and my Kindle than I’ll probably ever read, but still, I love Claire & Jamie and I’m watching the Starz show and I want more! And we all know how long it takes for a new book to come out. But Gabaldon has been releasing novellas as ebook only, Kindle singles, and my library has them!

This is the first one I’ve read. If you’ve ever visited Gabaldon’s website or seen an interview with her or seen her speak at an event, you know she writes her books in chunks, then pieces them together to form a cohesive story. Some of the chunks end up in other books than the one she started them for, and I suspect these Kindle singles are chunks that just didn’t make it into her already super long books.

If you haven’t read the Outlander books, I’m not sure I would recommend you start here. It’s not a bad way to get a feel for the author, the way she writes and a few of her characters, but it is so much more meaningful when you already know these characters and their history.

Virgins is a prequel of sorts to Outlander. Jamie’s father has just died, his back is a mess thanks to Black Jack Randall, when he meets up with Ian Murray (who still has all his limbs) and a band of French mercenaries. Ian and Jamie end up taking a job to protect a young Jewish woman and transport her, her dowry, and an extremely valuable Torah to meet her husband-to-be. But things go awry almost immediately, and hints of the canny Lord Broch Tuarach emerge. I loved the Jewish history, the way the French and the Scots saw the Jews, something that has not come up in any of the books (at least that I can remember!)

If you’re an Outlander fan, this is a fun, albeit super short read. Then again, Kindle Singles only cost $1.99! And do check your library’s ebook collection.

Virgins is also available in an anthology if you prefer print: Dangerous Women, edited by George R.R. Martin.

4/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

VIRGINS: An Outlander Novella by Diana Gabaldon. Dell (April 8, 2016). ASIN: B01BRFMCWU. Print Length: 86 pages

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SWEETEST SCOUNDREL by Elizabeth Hoyt

April 24, 2016

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Maiden Lane, Book 9

Way back in 2010, I read a couple of Hoyt books in The Legend of the Four Soldiers series and I liked them a lot. But I haven’t read her since; why, I’m not sure. After reading Sweetest Scoundrel, she is definitely back on my radar.

As my regular readers know, I work with a woman who is a huge romance reader and she often recommends books for me, which is how I found Hoyt originally. I picked up this book because it was short listed for the Romantic Times “Historical Romance of the Year for 2015. I’d actually read most of the other books on that list so now I’m trying to hunt down the few I missed. If you like historical romances, it’s a great way to find new books to try.

Sweetest Scoundrel is a very fitting title. This book was a bit different than the usual because the main characters weren’t titled. Our hero is Asa Makepeace, AKA Mr. Harte, owner of Harte’s Folly, a theater and garden of entertainment. He is in the process of rebuilding, using funds from his backer, a Duke, although we never actually meet him. Instead, we meet his man of business, who in this case happens to be his half-sister, Eve Dunwoody.

Eve’s father was a Duke, but Eve is a by-blow, but her half brother takes care of her. Eve suffers from a traumatic event that happened earlier in her life, rendering her terrified of dogs and men. Her brother has provided her with a bodyguard who has been with her for ten years.

When Eve approaches Harte about how he’s spending his money, she is quaking in her shoes. He is a big, virile man, just the type to terrify her. But she is resolute and determined to go about her business. She moves a small desk into his office and begins her accounting of his books – or lack thereof.

Eventually they come to depend on one another, and Harte teaches Eve about her body and sex. There are some very erotic scenes in this book and yes, Harte is the sweetest scoundrel who helps Eve find her happily ever after – and she, his. A wonderful read and I will be looking for more books in this series.

04/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SWEETEST SCOUNDREL by Elizabeth Hoyt. Grand Central Publishing (November 24, 2015). ISBN 978-1455586363. 368p.

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LOVE OF THE GAME by Lori Wilde

April 22, 2016

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Stardust, Texas Series, Book 3

Wilde writes a lot of different series and I have yet to read all the books in one of them. This isn’t a personal choice, but if the publisher doesn’t send me the books, I find them at my library and we rarely have all the books in a series. As they age, or get read multiple times, they tend to get ugly and we weed them (send them to the great big bookstore in the sky.)

Case in point, this third Stardust, Texas novel is my first in the series. Stardust is a fictional small town a couple of hours outside of Dallas. Axel Richmond is a pitcher for the Dallas Gunslingers, and dreams of pitching for the Yankees, which I can sort of understand at the baseball level but have a harder time understanding any Texan wanting to move to New York. I lived in the Dallas area for a few years and never met anyone who had anything good to say about New York. But I digress.

Our hero, Axel, has a serious shoulder injury that so far has not responded to physical therapy. His team of coaches, doctors, and PTs are trying to talk him into an experimental surgery that has no guarantees. The Gunslingers have a new PT on staff, the beautiful but mysterious Kasha Carlyle and she disagrees. They acquiesce and allow her a week of therapy but if there is no improvement, bye bye job and hello surgery.

Axel moves to Stardust and stays at his coach’s house and he is putting the moves on Kasha, but she is determined to maintain her professional distance despite her attraction. Meanwhile, Kasha finds out she has a half sister with Down’s syndrome living in a group home, and she wants to take guardianship of the orphaned young woman.

Lots of challenges in this romance but also some really sweet moments. Both Axel and Kasha have a lot of baggage, and as the physical therapy starts to work, they form a real attachment to one another. Plus the magic hope chest that the Carlyle sisters have been passing down to one another as they marry says that Axel and Kasha belong together, and who can fight magic?

4/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

LOVE OF THE GAME by Lori Wilde. Avon (April 26, 2016). ISBN 978-0062311436. 384p.

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