THE SCANDALOUS ADVENTURES OF THE SISTER OF THE BRIDE by Victoria Alexander

August 8, 2014

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Millworth Manor #3

While this is the third book in the series, it’s my first look at this author. I have learned that while I generally prefer to read series in order, with romances, it’s not absolutely necessary since the main characters usually differ in each book, as is the case here.

Lady Delilah Hargate is a young widow who has traveled to America as chaperone to her sister. While there she indulges in an “adventure,” a one night stand with an American named Sam, who she believes is a low level employee of a friend of her sister’s affianced, and he believes the chaperone, “Mrs. Hargrove,” to be a distant relative of his friend.

Delilah has always been very proper so this was a shocking escapade for her. In the morning, she slips out, determined to never see him again. She returns to England to help her sister Camille prepare for her wedding and finds out that her fortune is in danger. Someone is claiming to be her late husband’s heir, and her funds will be tied up until it is resolved.

Several weeks ahead of the wedding, the groom’s best friend Sam shows up, along with a business proposition – he wants to invest in Mr. Benz’s new horseless carriage business. He is shocked to find out the woman who has preyed on his mind since their night together is the lady in residence, and she is horrified to find herself sitting across the table from the dalliance that has plagued her dreams.

I really enjoyed the humor here, the characters were warm and engaging, and the story had some depth to it. All in all, this was a Victorian romantic comedy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be looking for more from this author.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SCANDALOUS ADVENTURES OF THE SISTER OF THE BRIDE by Victoria Alexander. Zebra Books (Mass Market) (April 29, 2014). ISBN 978-1420132243. 400p.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT LEO by Katie MacAlister

August 6, 2014

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I was not familiar with the author, but when this book appeared on the Library Reads August list, I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, this is the first book I’ve gotten from a Library Reads list that was disappointing.

Purportedly a Regency romance, this didn’t feel that way at all. I would describe it more as a screwball comedy that happens to be set in Regency England, but the humor and especially all the sexual innuendo felt much too modern to fit the time period.

Dagmar, an impoverished princess of Danish and English descent, is forced to flee her home in Copenhagen, when her cousin, the Prince Regent, threatens to send her to a French convent unless she leaves his house and country. Not having any other family to rely on, and no money for passage anywhere, the solution to her problems just falls into her lap – or rather, her garden.

Julia, her companion, tells her there is an unconscious man lying in the garden. The doctor says he won’t last the night, but Dagmar puts her nursing skills to the test. When he is finally able to mumble a bit, she ascertains that Leo is an English soldier and unmarried. She gets the Prince to send over the Bishop to marry them, thus securing passage to England with her soldier/husband.

Weeks later, when he finally shakes off his fever and regains complete consciousness, he finds himself married with no recollection of the woman or the wedding. Upon arrival in England, Dagmar explores her sexuality freely and they fall in love, but she  is feeling guilty about how she married him and is constantly offering to set him free.

Meanwhile, they are houseguests of the Daltons, whose relative was murdered years earlier in Copenhagen and they are hopeful that Dagmar can help them find the murderess. Leo’s friends, the Brittons, add a lot more crazy to the story and madcap hijinks ensue until the happy ending.

This was a quick, silly read and I doubt I’ll read anything else by this author. Not my cup of tea for sure.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE TRUTH ABOUT LEO by Katie MacAlister. Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 5, 2014). ISBN 978-1402294457. 384p.

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NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

August 4, 2014

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Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the queens of the romance world, one of the elite few that have crossed over from original paperback publication to hardcovers, along with the likes of Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie, and Jayne Anne Krentz, AKA Amanda Quick, AKA Jayne Castle and who knows who else. Phillips’ crossover has been hugely successful; her books are best sellers.

The main hunk in this book was apparently introduced in her previous book, Match Me if You Can. Dean Robillard is the “natural born charmer” of title fame. A star quarterback for the fictional Chicago Stars, he’s gorgeous, rich, and famous – a deadly combination for Blue Bailey.

Blue is our down-on-her-luck heroine, who Dean rescues after her boyfriend dumps her for a blonder model, and effectively strands her in the middle of nowhere. She allows Dean to rescue her, and they embark on a road trip to his vacation home in rural Tennessee, bantering all the way.

Of course, nothing is more attractive to a man like Dean than a woman he thinks is playing hard to get. Little does he know that Blue is determined to be impossible to get.

The small town setting in Tennessee adds to the appeal; there are no malls and no chain stores, and the dowager who inherited the town is determined to keep it that way. Lots of crisp, witty dialogue highlight this warm, fast-moving story that draws the reader in. The characters are sympathetic and believable, and we get to know them well.

There are multiple story lines that mesh well together, creating a heartwarming, romantic tale that is fast, sexy and fun yet still emotionally appealing. This terrific diversion is as light and sweet as a snow cone, perfect for a summer day.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Avon (April 29, 2014). ISBN 978-0062118196. 384p.

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LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell

July 28, 2014

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UPDATE:

Win a copy of the Landline audio book!

Macmillan Audio has offered up an audio book on CD for one lucky reader! Check out this excerpt read by the extraordinary Rebecca Lowman.

Send an email to contest@gmail.com with “LANDLINE” as the subject. You must include your snail mail address in your email.

All entries must be received by August 12, 2014. 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. 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.

Review:

Rainbow Rowell seems able to shift between Young Adult and Adult books seamlessly. This is her latest, and while ostensibly for adults, those who love teen books will undoubtedly enjoy this one too.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Rebecca Lowman, who also narrated Rowell’s Eleanor and Park.  She does a fine job here.

Georgie McCool is a comedy writer working with her writing partner, Seth, on a hit TV show she hates. Seth and Georgie have their own idea for a sitcom and a week before Christmas, finally get a call from the network looking for several scripts.

Georgie panics as she, her husband Neal and their two young daughters are supposed to go to Neal’s parents for Christmas, out in Omaha.  Georgie needs to stay home and write, so an unhappy Neal takes the kids to Omaha himself.

When Georgie calls, her calls all go directly to voicemail until the mailbox is full. Her daughters call her sporadically, but she never talks to Neal. That is, until the night she crashes at her mother’s house and uses the landline in her old bedroom to call Neal’s house, not his cell. Somehow, she ends up talking to Neal – but not present day Neal, this is Neal back in 1998, a week before he proposes to her.

Suspend your disbelief and go along on an adventure through Georgie & Neal’s past to their present, and let me warn you that you will be laughing and crying along the way. Rowell writes these amazing characters that are warm and loveable yet still feel real,  but most of all, they are simply unforgettable. Teen book or adult, all her books are just a joy to read.

7/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell. St. Martin’s Press (July 8, 2014). ISBN 978-1250049377. 320p.
Audiobook: Macmillan Audio; Unabridged edition (July 8, 2014). ISBN: 978-1427239327
Downloadable: Audible Audio Edition. Macmillan Audio. Listening Length: 9 hours and 3 minutes.

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THE DANGER IN TEMPTING AN EARL by Sophie Barnes

July 28, 2014

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At the Kingsborough Ball (Book 3)

This book is a Regency romance, which Wikipedia defines as follows:

Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency (1811-1820) or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency romances are a distinct genre with their own plot and stylistic conventions that derive from the works of Jane Austen (and to some extent from distinguished Austen progeny such as Georgette Heyer and Clare Darcy), and from the fiction genre known as the novel of manners. In particular, the more traditional Regencies feature a great deal of intelligent, fast-paced dialog between the protagonists and very little explicit sex or discussion of sex.

I’m bringing this up because it seems to me that this definition is now in a state of flux, due to the enormous popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Or more to the point, the profitability of romances with explicit sex seemingly has changed the Regencies from tame to taking a walk on the wild side. I, for one, am enjoying the change.

According to the author’s Goodreads page, this is the last book in the Kingsborough Ball series. The books all begin at the same lavish affair, a hugely popular ball given by Anthony Hurst, the Duke of Kingsborough. As this is the first party held at the estate in more than five years, it is a very big deal and the ton are out in full force.

Lady Katherine and Lucien grew up together, neighbors who played together. But as they grow up, Lucien realizes that he is in love with Katherine, but they cannot marry. She is destined to marry a man with a title, and he is the second son. He joins the army to escape, and she marries Lord Crossby, Lucien’s rival all through school.

But Lady Crossby is desperately unhappy in her marriage, although she doesn’t let anyone know about the abuse she endures. Then several events conspire to bring Lucien and Katherine back together – his elder brother and father die, and Lucien inherits the title of Earl. And Lord Crossby dies as well, leaving Katherine a widow with a young baby.

Katherine is convinced that Lucien just regards her as a friend and after her horrible marriage, she has no desire to be married again. Lucien needs a wife, but he only wants Katherine. They are at crossed points until she slowly realizes that her childhood friend has grown up to be a most desirable man. There is also a mystery that runs through all these books that is resolved here, so the mystery is a much larger part of this story.

I enjoyed these characters and the while these books don’t stress the history of the era, they are fast, fun reads and this one was no exception. There was some explicit sex, so if you are used to traditional Regencies peeking through the bedroom door, keep in mind this door has been flung open wide, which works for me.

I’m not sure why Barnes has decided to end the series here. Each book stands alone and they do not have to be read in order. As I haven’t read a whole lot of Regencies, I’m not sure if this device of starting each book at the same ball is a common ploy, but I liked it and thought it was very well done. I’ll be looking for more from this author.

7/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE DANGER IN TEMPTING AN EARL by Sophie Barnes.  Avon (July 29, 2014). ISBN 978-0062245182. 384p.

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SILVER BAY by Jojo Moyes

July 25, 2014

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For Mike Dormer a trip to Silver Bay, Australia begins as just another work assignment. His firm has set its sites on the area as a location for a new, high-end family resort. The town has little to offer currently, with one exception – whale and dolphin watching – and the locals have almost everything resting on this industry. Even more so, they care about the animals that make their way past the bay every season.

Not only would the new development threaten Silver Bay’s main source of tourism, but it would also threaten the animals themselves. The more time Mike spends in Silver Bay, the more convinced he becomes that his company is making a mistake. Further complicating matters is the fact that his time in Silver Bay has also left Mike more than a little emotionally attached to the locals.

This is one of Moyes’s older titles, recently re-released by Penguin in e format. There are quite a few commonalities between this one and Moyes’s latest, One Plus One. Mike is quite reminiscent of Ed, for example, and the book shares the same multi-viewpoint format.

I did love Silver Bay as a setting and the added element of the whale and dolphin watching industry. These make the book stand out as unique, particularly considering I read both Silver Bay and One Plus One fairly close together.

Liza’s story was another great stand out. It’s clear from the start that she and her family are hiding things, but it’s not until close to the end that the gravity of her story really becomes clear.

The romance element is nice, and – again like One Plus One – evolves in a quite natural way. No love at first sight, insta-romance here. Instead, Mike and Liza warm up to each other gradually in spite of everything that stands in their way.

Silver Bay is out now as an eBook and will be available in paperback in August.

7/14 Becky Lejeune

SILVER BAY by Jojo Moyes. Penguin Books (August 26, 2014). ISBN 978-0143126485. 384p.
Kindle: Penguin Books (April 29, 2014). ASIN: B00GSB2F5S.

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SOMETHING SWEETER by Candis Terry

July 24, 2014

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I should have known from the name of this book and the name of this series, “Sweet, Texas” what I was getting into, but I forged ahead anyway. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series (that I can recall, anyway) but from the publisher’s info it could be read as a standalone. I did have the feeling that I would have appreciated it more had I read the earlier books in the series and been more invested in these characters.

Allison Lane is a wedding planner from Seattle who takes herself off to he tiny town of Sweet, Texas when her father tells her he’s getting married. Allie’s parents had a horrible marriage and an even worse divorce, and despite her occupation, she does not believe in happily ever after. She’s worried that her father is making another mistake and she wants to meet the woman who has ensnared him.

Her first night in town, she meets Jesse Wilder, one of five boys in the Wilder family and the town Lothario. There is instant attraction, but Allie has more important things to do that get into a one night stand, so she sneaks out on him. Much to her surprise, Jesse turns out to be her father’s fiancée’s son and they are thrown together quite a bit.

Jesse has never met a woman who didn’t believe in marriage, and he is determined to change her mind about love. Meanwhile Allie just adores his mother, and the rest of the family, and when one of the brother’s upcoming wedding gets severely off track, Alli steps in to help.

The basic boy meets girl, boy loses girl and then gets girl back again are all in play here, but at a very superficial level. This is a simple, sweet love story of what I call the fluffy as cotton candy type. And sometimes cotton candy just hits the spot.

7/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SOMETHING SWEETER by Candis Terry. Avon (June 24, 2014). ISBN 978-0062237262. 384p.

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HOW TO LOSE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS by Laura Lee Guhrke

July 10, 2014

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Laura Lee Guhrke is the latest author in my quest for good romance writers, but I haven’t decided whether or not to continue reading her. Guess it will depend on what the next book is about.

This book had an interesting premise; an American heiress engages in a marriage of convenience to an English Duke. Edie’s loaded, but her reputation has been besmirched back in New York, so if she doesn’t marry in England she’ll have to go home a spinster. Stuart, the Duke of Margave, has inherited his title and his family’s enormous debt. Properties are going to have to be sold unless he can marry money.

These two come together with the understanding that this is strictly a business proposition. Edie willingly offers to pay off the debt and take care of the family and their property – all she asks in return is that Stuart leave England, go back to Africa and never return.

They agree and he goes off, until he is mauled by a lion and almost loses his life. He realizes then that there is more to life than adventure and he returns home. Edie is not happy to see him, to say the least, but women have no rights to speak of in Victorian England, so she makes him a deal; if he can get her to kiss him in 10 days, than he can stay. He has a few demands of his own, including that she spends at least 2 hours a day in his company, and take meals with him.

This is all well and good, but it turns out her baggage from New York is quite a bit heavier than her husband anticipated. Not all of this story rang true for me, especially the sex scene and the revenge story, which is the downside here. I did like seeing a strong, smart woman running this massive estate, and a Duke who was more concerned with his wife than with convention. I would think this would be good for fans of Downton Abbey.

7/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HOW TO LOSE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS by Laura Lee Guhrke. Avon (April 29, 2014). ISBN 978-0062118196. 384p.

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THE SWEET SPOT by Stephanie Evanovich

July 8, 2014

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This is the sequel to Big Girl Panties, which I really enjoyed. In the grand tradition of the romance genre, the sequel doesn’t follow the happily ever after of the first book, but rather is the back story of two of the minor but definitely interesting characters in that book. So really it is more of a prequel, with the possible setup of two more characters spinning off into their own book as well.

Amanda owns a very successful suburban restaurant. She comes from a politically influential and wealthy family, and her parents are very supportive. When baseball superstar Chase Walker’s nasty, supercilious agent makes a dinner reservation, she is prepared to hate Chase on sight. Instead, he falls for her and she finds him intriguing, but won’t admit to it.

He becomes a regular at the restaurant, always kind to his fans, and hanging around every night just watching Amanda. He finagles a meeting with her parents, who like him. And after a few weeks, her staff finally convinces her to give him a chance.

Their relationship sizzles from the first date, but Chase has a secret he is hesitant to reveal. He likes spanking women, but Amanda never gives him any indication that she is also into it and he finds himself in a dilemma until the night she mouths off at him. One thing leads to another, and she finds that she does like it but is afraid to admit it to herself.

This is another great romance from Evanovich, with a little humor and a lot of kinky sex. Fans of the 50 Shades of Gray trilogy should enjoy this – the writing is far superior.

7/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SWEET SPOT by Stephanie Evanovich. William Morrow (July 8, 2014). ISBN 978-0062234810. 272p.

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ONE PLUS ONE by JoJo Moyes

July 2, 2014

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It is always difficult to follow up a beloved book like Me Before You, but I think Moyes fans will be happy with her latest – I was. This is another contemporary romance, but in a more traditional way.

Jess is a single mom who is barely scraping by. Her husband walked out two years previously but is living with his mother and hasn’t sent any money or even seen his own kids. Jess’s daughter Tanzie is an 8 year old math prodigy, and she also takes in her stepson, Nicky, a teenager with some social issues who is getting beaten up on a regular basis by a neighborhood family of ne’er-do-wells.

Jess works all the time, cleaning houses by day and tending bar by night. She juggles her bills, keeping one step ahead by robbing Peter to pay Paul, and manages to keep food on the table, but just barely. When Tanzie’s math teacher calls to say that Tanzie has earned the possibility of a scholarship to a prestigious private school, Jess is dubious about even being able to pay the registration fee.

Then one of her cleaning clients, Ed, a rude dot com millionaire, gets drunk at the pub where she works. She manages to get a friend to drive him home, but when she gets back in the car she finds a wad of bills. Jess is a very moral character, but desperate for the registration fee, she takes the money and swears to herself that she will pay it back.

Ed has troubles of his own. In trying to dump a girlfriend, he inadvertently gives her inside information and she makes a killing in the stock market. He doesn’t make a dime but the cops come after him anyway.

Tanzie is offered the opportunity to participate in a math competition with prize money enough to cover the private school expenses, except it is in Scotland and Jess can’t afford the train fare. Desperate, she decides to drive, taking a an old broken down Rolls Royce that’s been stored in her garage for more than 2 years. No license and no insurance is a recipe for disaster and sure enough, the cops impound the car.

Ed happens by and stops to help. He ends up driving them all to Scotland, a four day trip, and Jess and Ed fall in love along the way. They both have a lot of baggage, but can they get past all their issues? Will these kids work out their problems?

Moyes writes great characters, and I will not be forgetting these anytime soon. This was a really enjoyable, fast read that should please her legion of fans.

7/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ONE PLUS ONE by JoJo Moyes. Pamela Dorman Books (July 1, 2014). ISBN 978-0525426585. 384p.

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