January 10th, 2010 — 3.5 Stars, 4 Stars, Book Review, Dukes and Earls, Farming, Great Britain, Historical Romance, Kidnapping, P-R, Suspense/Thriller, Virgin Heroine, Widow or Widower
This lovely little book was a quick and delightful read. I was sad to finish it because it meant that I would have to let the leads Julian Ravenwood and Sophy Dorring go their own way. The novel starts out with Julian accepting Sophy’s refusal to marry him. The word was passed down to him through her grandfather and Julian is stunned. Little Sophy could not hope to make a better match and his offer was generous to the extreme. Determined to gain an audience with Sophy Julian contrives of a way to do so. He tracks her down and demands to know her requirements to marry him. She spouts of a few outrageous ideas and he agrees and adds a few of his own turning the tables and leaving Sophy stunned.
Julian is an earl and all that implies. He’s the epitome of the controlling domineering alpha male. He’s also a widower; his late wife drowned. Not that this was a hardship, there was something wrong with the woman. Elizabeth, the dead wife, was for the lack of a better word a nymphomaniac. She loved to cuckold Julian, especially since she didn’t want to marry him in the first place. She took what was warm and good inside Julian and killed it. After the second duel to defend her honor, Julian came to the realization that his wife was not virtuous and didn’t have any honor. He labeled all women susceptible to the madness and vowed never to risk his fool neck for a woman again, but he needs a wife to supply him an heir and Sophy as far as he’s concerned is as different from Elizabeth as night and day.
Sophy is a typical unusual female for her times, but in slightly new way. She’s not put together and far from sophisticated. Pieces of her clothing and accessories like ribbons and feathers are always askew. She loves to read (mostly herbals and a treatise on women’s rights). She doesn’t trust seduction or lust without love. The reason Sophy doesn’t trust a man’s passion is because her sister, Amelia, was seduced and killed by one man’s passion. Sophy thinks sex without love is the epitome of masculine ruthlessness. She has the ring of the man who seduced Amelia and plans to find him and ruin him.
When Julian corner’s her for her list of demands she begs of him three things. One, that she not be forced into the childbed right away or more accurately forced into the marriage bed. Julian promises her three months of leeway. This is acceptable to her because she’s loved Julian since she was 18 not that the fool would notice, panting after Elizabeth as he was. She hopes to make him love her in the time they are not sharing a bed. Two, she wants to control her inheritance. Julian counters that his quarterly allowance for her exceeds the money her grandfather will leave her, but she insists. Three, she wants no interference from him on what she can and cannot read.
Sophy was quite loveable as a character I thought; Julian on the other hand at times was not. While his motives are quite known he still comes off as stern, intractable, and unwilling to reach compromises not in his favor… he breaks his side of the bargain while Sophy always keeps hers and dares to get mad when Sophy questions his honor. Depending on the reader you might be tempted to throw the book because of his outlandish behavior. Also true, however, is that you might enjoy his high handedness. In addition Julian is protective and concerned for his new wife. By the end I was persuaded to like him, but he was definitely ridiculous at times. Perhaps that makes him flawed realistically. Grin.
Rating 3.5 to 4 Stars
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Originally posted 2008-12-19 19:25:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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August 7th, 2009 — About, Authors, Writing Tips
There are many reasons authors write under two or more pen names. These nom de plumes are done to differentiate between publishers, book series, writing styles, genres, and more. It’s all about branding, making it "easier" on the reader to find what they're looking to read.
I don’t know about you but I need a cheat sheet to know which authors is really the same person! I cobbled together a quick list of some of the larger named authors, feel free to add the ones you know to the mix. See how 12 people make up 35 authors!
1-7: Jayne Ann Krentz is the perfect example of why an author switches names. She has 7 in total! When she isn’t writing contemporaries as Jayne Ann Krentz, she publishes historicals under Amanda Quick. On top of that she is in print under the names Jayne Bentley, Jayne Castle, Jayne Taylor, Amanda Glass, and Stephanie James.
8 & 9: Next is the most obvious NYT bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is also J. D. Robb.
10 & 11: JR Ward writes in addition under the name Jessica Bird.
12 & 13: Elizabeth Hoyt’s other alias is Julia Harper.
14 & 15: I love Julie Garwood! Did you know she also creates stories by the name of Emily Chase?
16 & 17: Amelia Grey, who has guest blogged here at Love Romance Passion, is Gloria Dale Skinner.
18-21: Big name author Sandra Brown goes by Laura Jordan, Rachel Ryan, and Erin St. Claire.
22-24: The lovely Victoria Holt writes for us also by the names Phillipa Carr and Jean Plaidy.
25 & 26: Emily Bryan and Diana Groe is the same author.
27-29: Sabrina Jeffries will scribble under the names Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas.
30-33: Hannah Howell writes lots of wonderful highlander novels. She is Sandra Dustin, Sarah Dustin, and Anna Jennett on top of that! Wow!
34 & 35: Suzanne Brockmann also publishes under the name Anne Brock.
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November 7th, 2008 — News
I’ve spent the last couple of days reorganizing my space (which is small) for several new (to me) books were coming my way. I got a second bookshelf (surprise, surprise) and cleared out a corner for it. This took some ingenuity as this used to be my junk corner. The corner I knew would contain anything I couldn’t find because I thought I wouldn’t need to anytime soon. It’s the corner or the drawer or space that accumulates undesirables that can’t be thrown out for some reason or another.
It started with reprioritizing a lot of it and finding new homes for it all one piece at a time. I did throw away a lot of paper and the ilk. By throwaway I mean I stuck it in the pile of papery/cardboardy things that I take over to my library’s dumpster reserved for such purposes. It helps them make some money and its recycling so two points for me.
Next I did the sweeping and the dusting. Unpleasant tasks, yes, but ones that must get done. I broke a ceramic mug in the process. Whoops. The pieces were very sharp and had to be taken care of immediately. Luckily it wasn’t a mug I was particularly attached too.
Now I was ready. Boy was I unprepared! I was gaining a new collection of novels today. My new collection filled out eight office crates and contained romance (enough to fill two shelves triple stacked give or take) and crime/western (enough to fill three shelves in a similar fashion.) I still have a crate and a half with books. Part of the books had been mine to start but wouldn’t fit on the shelves and part of the new collection.
There are some whoppers in this batch. I have been caught giggling over titles and covers as I uncovered them. Several titles from Nora Roberts, Amanda Quick, Danielle Steel, LaVryle Spencer, Sandra Brown, and Julie Garwood. I’m so excited. I can’t wait. I finally own my own copies of The Bride
and The Wedding
. Woo!
Of course with the books being double stacked in front of each other and then stacked on top of twice it’ll be a wonder to find any of them. I do have a system, sorta anyway in place to get through them. It’s very simple really. Start with one, read it, review it, keep it/offer it on paperback swap. Not only will I be getting several hours of reading pleasure, I’ll get to organize again. Double the joy… hehe.
What’s on your shelf?
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