February 2nd, 2010 — 4 Stars, ARC, Convict, Friends, Gentry, Great Britain, Heiress, J-L, Ranching, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Soldier, Spinster, Thief, Virgin Hero, Virgin Heroine
Lessons in French is a feel-good story. It’s cute, lighthearted, and full of whimsy. It was the right novel at the right time. I needed cute, lighthearted, and whimsy. I smiled a lot when reading it and rooted for both of the main characters. They’re imperfect, but that just makes them extremely likeable.
The heroine is as Laura Kinsale describes--an anti-kickass heroine. Callie Taillefaire is pretty shy. She prefers her animals to men and ballrooms. In ballrooms she’s an absolute wallflower without even trying. She was betrothed three times and all three men left her cold. The people of Shelford love her, but even they have to wonder what’s wrong with her when eighty thousand pounds won’t get a man to the altar. What’s great about Callie is that even though she’s not one of the kickass heroines running around in other romances, she can be fierce and courageous. She’ll even save the hero.
Trevelyn d’Augustin is a very interesting character. He is the son of aristocratic but impoverished French émigrés. Nine years approximately before the story starts, he was in love (or pretty darn close to admitting it anyway) with Callie. That her father did not approve of him is an understatement. One bad episode and Trev runs away to France where he does a lot of things from organizing fights, shooting at Englishmen, becoming a war prisoner, returning to England and organizing more fights, and getting in trouble with the law. He’s avoided Shelford for ages because he’s positive Callie is married with kids, but with his mother extremely ill he can no longer stay away.
They both get a second chance at first love. Trev pulls Callie out of her shell, one hilarious incident after another. Callie gives Trev comfort and quiet strength and a sense of purpose, but she can’t imagine that he feels anything beyond friendship and gratitude for her. So when her sister, Hermione gets engaged to Sir Thomas Vickery, Callie seriously entertains the attentions of an old fiancé. She won’t burden her sister and she won’t stick around with her cousin and his wife Dolly. Trev won’t pursue her romantically because of his legal troubles and because he feels she deserves more than he can offer… and certainly more than this idiot who’s back and sniffing after her eighty thousand pounds.
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Lessons in French
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January 15th, 2010 — 5 Stars, A-C, ARC, Cowboy, Firefighter, Friends, Guest Reviews, Kidnapping, Older Woman/Younger Man, Ranching, Soldier, Teacher, United States of America, Western
By Susan S., Guest Reviewer
Brown’s novel will warm your heart, and bring you characters so real, you’ll swear they’re flesh and bone. Getting Lucky will move to the top of everyone’s list of new comfort reads.
Getting Lucky is book three from Brown’s Lucky Trilogy. It stands alone, here’s why: In this novel the hero (Griffin Luckadeau) tells the heroine (Julie Donavan) fate stories. These stories will retell Milli and Beau’s fate in Lucky in Love. Griffin also goes on to retell Jane and Slade’s fate in One Lucky Cowboy.
Do we have “small” cameo appearances in Getting Lucky? Not just no, hell no! We got the whole family together!
In book three, which tells the story of another hunky Luckadeau cowboy named Griffin, we’ll stumble upon a chockfull of clichés, idioms, silly sayings, and similes. Here’s a glimpse:
Cliché: Don’t get your panties in a wad.
Idiom: The pot calling the kettle black.
Silly saying: One legged chicken at a coyote convention.
Simile: Her heart thumped in her chest like a bass drum.
This book reminded me of my first romances, First Love from Silhouette. I’m recommending this novel to anyone who enjoys romances, HEA’s, and heart-warming stories which leave you smiling.
Julie moves from Jefferson, Texas to St. Jo. As a single mom raising a daughter named Annie, she hopes to leave the gossip-mongers behind. She’ll soon realize she’s jumped out of the frying pan, and straight into the fire. Julie’s first day as a kindergarten school teacher has left her stupefied. Her new student Lizzy, is the exact double of her daughter Annie.
Lizzy’s single father Griffin feels perplexed over the girls' similarities. While the story unravels, the reasons for these similarities will begin to surface.
Getting Lucky gives us plenty of new characters to fall in love with. My favorite of these? Alvie, the love-stuttering rancher.
What will you love? References to Wild Sex Anonymous, bumping headboards, bull riding, women making bets, and the six sheets to the wind stories.
What did I love? In the barn, Julie’s heel gets caught on a loose board. She trips, Griffin grabs her, but ultimately they both fall to the floor. Is there more to this? Maybe.
Fundamental themes: Friendships are to be cherished, and fate will not be ignored.
Julie thinks Griffin’s egotistical, domineering, and too young for her (she’s six years older.)
He thinks all women are shrewd, conniving, with ulterior motives.
They certainly feel the attraction, but will they overcome prejudices, and stop letting their past cloud their judgments? Maybe.
This is a 5 Star Comfort Read!
Buy: Getting Lucky
Contemporary Romance, ARC, Trilogy, Sourcebooks, Inc., Casablanca, January 2010, Mass Market Paperback, Print Pages 393. ISBN# 978-1-4022-2436-2.
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November 4th, 2009 — 3.5 Stars, ARC, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Jane Austen, M-O, Regency
by Isabel G., guest reviewer
Marianne is one of the main characters of the story. She’s married to Colonel William Brandon, and although it is a seemingly perfect match, she becomes more insecure about their marriage. These feelings are tested when her old beau, and first love, Willoughby returns to town. Marianne learns that she still has strong feelings for Willoughby despite her attempts at denial. The fact that her husband is absent for long periods of time to aid another woman and her child does little to stifle her doubts.
Colonel Brandon is torn between duties to his own family and his duties of office. He goes to aid the child Willoughby abandoned, Lizzy, feeling it’s his responsibility to take care of her. However, one of Brandon’s trips drags out longer than any other and a letter he sends Marianne raises even more doubts in her mind. Of course, Willoughby is there to comfort her in her “time of need.” Yak! Can someone put up a stop sign?! What kind of woman would be turned on by a man who has abandoned his own child? Although the attraction and tension between Willoughby and Marianne worked for the plot, I couldn’t get past the idea. I don’t consider Willoughby a man for leaving his child and her mother behind to fend for themselves.
Marianne’s sister, Margaret, is a young lady with high expectations for a husband. She’s more concerned in being truly attracted and captivated by a suitor then with his wealth. Just as she begins to think there is no one who can capture her interest, Henry enters her life. He proves that looks can be deceiving when he begins to shower another young lady with his attention. However, the outcome is not what everyone expects.
Liked: The torn feelings some characters have towards each other. The book is also an easy read.
Disliked: In my opinion, the style of writing and some commentary does not fit the time period. It throws you out of the book at certain parts because it seems casual and modern. It also turned me off that Marianne gave in and was unfaithful in any way. What made it worse is that the attraction was to a man who had abandoned his own child.
If you ever found the idea of having two people interested in you flattering then, this book is for you.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN 978-1-4022-2267-2
Copyright 2009
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 345
Buy: Willoughby's Return
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October 31st, 2009 — About, Contests, Paranormal, Poll, Supernatural
This Cosmo style quiz is presented for your enjoyment and in conjunction with the newest release by Ravenous Romance, Hungry for Your Love, the first ever zombie romance anthology. Now if you're like me you've probably noticed some strange things about your boyfriend. You're pretty certain he's not a vampire or werewolf (some heroines just have all the luck), but is he part of the undead populace? Take this quiz to find out!
1) On the first date, he makes a move on you and you notice:
- His teeth are yellow, like he smokes a lot. There’s also some red stuff stuck in them.
- His skin is cold, almost too cold. Perhaps deathly cold?
- His cologne is kind of funky. It smells like rotting eggs. Phew.
2) When you get naked for the first time:
- He’s covered in discolorations. It’s weird but you figure he’s just been in a fight.
- He doesn’t seem overly interested in your body. He just wants to pick your brain.
- He’s not very talkative, but he does like to say repeatedly, “Mine.”
3) A typical Saturday you can find him:
- Doing household chores on autopilot so he can get out sooner to play a pick-up game.
- Acting like a bum and doing what he always does, hang out with the guys.
- On the couch. All he does is watch TV and mindlessly eat chips.
4) If you're really honest, your boyfriend dresses like:
- A rock star; his clothes are better than yours.
- A business man, because he knows you have this thing for ties.
- A corpse; really you don't think he even notices how tattered his shirt is.
5) Your boyfriend's sense of smell:
- Is really keen. He can smell brains a mile away.
- Is off, but it's probably just that 24 hr virus everyone has. He'll be fine.
- He has none. You swear he can't smell himself, but you can. Gross.
6) How many hours a day does he spend watching TV?
- Hardly ever, he spends his time doing other things.
- Same as you do you as you like all the same shows.
- Every waking minute, if it weren't for commercials the house would never be silent.
7) Does he notice when you dress up for him?
- Yes, he comments on everything. Isn't he the best?
- Sometimes he notices if you wear something new.
- Only when you show too much flesh.
- I could wear a sack and he wouldn't notice.
8) Is he adventurous in his eating habits?
- He'll try anything once, especially if it's raw.
- Monkey brains are his favorite.
- As long as it's pizza/take out.
- He thinks spaghetti and meatballs is gourmet food.
9) How's his conversation?
- Fascinating. He's always up to date about everything from politics to art.
- In the middle. He's not a sparkling conversationalist, but he's not a dead bore either.
- Yawn. There's no life there. He tells the same stories over and over again.
10) How's your sex life together?
- He wears me out on a nightly basis. Jealous?
- Sometimes it's great; sometimes not so much.
- It's bad and rotting at the core. Every night is like a dead repeat.
First answer = 1 points
Second answer = 2 points
Third answer = 3 points
Fourth answer = 3 points
- 1-10: He's a lively one, which means your boyfriend isn't a zombie - good for you both!
- 11-20: He might be zombie-like at times but your boyfriend's not one of the undead.
- 20+: Get away quick and wear a construction hat! Your boyfriend's a zombie!
How did your boyfriend do? Is he a zombie?
Hungry for Your Love Synopsis:
Zombies are everywhere. You can't escape. So you might as well fall in love.
In the pages of HUNGRY FOR YOUR LOVE, the very first zombie romance anthology ever, you'll find romantic stories about loving a zombie, love stories between zombies and a tale of love and lust during the zombie Apocalypse. There are funny zombie stories, a zombie story that will make you cry, and even a few that might make you blush. We have zombie noir and zombie paranormal romance. You will be amazed at the scope of zombie lovin'. There's something for everyone in this star-studded collection, including stories by New York Times best-selling authors John Skipp (writing as Gina McQueen) and Brian Keene.
Giveaway: One spooky commenter will win a copy of Hungry for Your Love. To enter share your zombie boyfriend story! Ends at the stroke of midnight US Pacific Time! 
Happy Halloween!
Photo Credits: http://commons.wikimedia.org/
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September 4th, 2009 — A-C, Author Interviews, Contemporary, Cowboy, Ranching, Secret Baby, United States of America, Western
Keira: I loved all the idioms, metaphors, and similes in the book. They make for a great voice! How on earth did you manage to fit them all in comfortably and which is your favorite?
Carolyn: My brain doesn’t run in the same groove as normal folks. It travels a warped pathway with wide ditches on either side. Once the characters take up abode in my head, they pretty much control things so it’s their voices you hear complete with metaphors and similes! One of my favorites:
Milli bared her claws and got ready for the catfight. Granted, she wasn’t very classy in her jean shorts and tee shirt. But she wasn’t sweating underneath panty hose and a business suit and the clip kept her long black hair out of her eyes. Even with a shot of self-applied confidence, she still felt like an ugly June bug that Amanda was about to step on with her fancy high-heeled shoe.
Keira: Are you pro Angus or pro white-faced heifers and why?
Carolyn: Angus. They make bigger and better steaks. I am not a vegetarian.
Keira: Milli is pretty strongly opposed to the word bitch, especially when it’s applied to her? Does Milli share the same attitude as you when it comes to term?
Carolyn: Milli and I are in complete agreement over that expression. Actually, that particular part of her personality comes from my middle child, a daughter, who really did not like to be called a bitch. Her younger sister called her that once when they were teenagers. Twenty years later she remembers the consequences and declares that she would never do it again.
Keira: Beau is lucky in everything but love. How and when did he first acquire this epithet?
Carolyn: Most likely when he was a teenager and his first love left him standing in the middle of a barn dance floor alone while she ran out behind the barn to kiss his friend. He’d already been tagged with it by the time Milli met him in Louisiana at his cousin’s wedding. It was what caused him to think that the night he spent with her was only a figment of his unlucky imagination. Poor old Beau! His women always saw greener pasture on the other side of the fence. At least until Milli came into his life and turned his luck around.
Keira: If you were to describe Beau and Milli in 5 words each, what words would you use?
Carolyn: That’s very difficult since I do tend to go on and on but I’ll try. Beau: Tall, sexy, determined, passionate and honest. Milli: Small, determined, passionate, lovely and fearless. Mix up that much determination and passion and it’s bound to cause problems.
Keira: What is your secret guilty plot or character trope that you love beyond reason?
Carolyn: Hmmm, well, that is difficult. I do love to hang bitchy characters or villainous ones out to dry on a tall oak tree in the middle of the town square.
Keira: You’ve written over forty books to date, why did you get started writing in the first place? Which is your favorite book of the ones you’ve published?
Carolyn: I started writing seriously in the fall of 1973. My third child would not sleep at night and there was this story gnawing at the back of my brain so I picked up a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The book I wrote during that fall did not sell. It has gotten enough rejection slips to wallpaper the White House. When my daughter started sleeping I put my writing aside for several years. In 1997 they’d all flown the nest so I picked it up again and sold two books the same day to Kensington.
Choosing a favorite book would be next to impossible. When I’m writing a book it becomes my favorite. Lucky in Love was so much fun to write and I’ve been involved with interviews and blogs these past few weeks so today it’s my favorite book. Next week the favorite could change.
Which reminds me of a personal story I’ll share: when my three children were teenagers I started hearing the old cliché words, “You love him/her better than me.” So I set them down and told them that I did not have time to love them all every day of the week so they each got two days and their father got Sunday. However, the days, except for Sunday, could change at my will and whim. So when I heard the old cliché words again I simply said, “It’s not your day, kid. Get over it.”
That’s the way with my books. Today I love Lucky in Love best. Next month it might be One Lucky Cowboy (in stores November 2009) and Lucky in Love will have to move over. Really, really, I love them all my books. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have written them.
Keira: How do you define romantic love?
Carolyn: Romantic love is the ability to trust the heart. The heart has no eyes and no ears. It doesn’t see outward beauty and it is not biased. It sees the inward spirit of a person and it does not lie.
Keira: In your opinion, what makes a great bedroom scene?
Carolyn: A great bedroom scene is a bikini. Picture this: a man walks out on a nude beach and everything is right there for him to see, nothing hidden, all hanging out. Ten minutes and he’s bored with it. Now picture him on a beach with bikini clad beauties all around him. Barely covering up the necessities but leaving something to the imagination. His imagination will go wild for the whole afternoon. That’s a bedroom scene. Give the reader plenty to see but leave a tiny little bit to the imagination.
Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Carolyn: Lucky in Love is the first in a trilogy. Picking out a Luckadeau cousin for One Lucky Cowboy and Getting Lucky wasn’t easy since the family is so big and widespread across Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Slade (hero in One Lucky Cowboy) and Griffin (hero in Getting Lucky) were the winners and I’m hoping you like their stories also. The heroines, Jane and Julie, have just as much sass, determination and passion as Milli!
Thank you very much for today’s opportunity to visit with you. It’s been so much fun. I love to hear from readers. Drop me a note at ccbrown66@att.net or visit my website at www.carolynlbrown.com and don’t forget that the Luckadeau story goes on even after the last page in Lucky in Love.
Buy: Lucky in Love
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May 28th, 2009 — Author Interviews, G-I, Love Triangle
Keira: Hi Jennifer! I'm so excited to have you with us today. Loved A Hint of Wicked; what was your inspiration?
Jennifer: My husband came up with the first idea for A Hint of Wicked.
We were on a long drive and stuck in traffic, and we and started tossing around book ideas. He suggested an irate husband walking in on his mourning wife with another man. The core concept has evolved since then, but I took that idea and ran with it!
Keira: Oh yes, two men! Sophie is in for a tough decision. Tell me a little about the men - what are their hero qualities?
Jennifer: Oooh! That’s a great question. You’re right—it’s an incredibly tough—and almost impossible—decision for Sophie.
Tristan is tall, dark, and handsome. He’s loyal to a fault, analytical, and completely devoted to Sophie and the family they’ve built together. He’s gone through years of grief and growth with her, so he understands how her mind works and what makes her tick. He “clicks” with Sophie—spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
Garrett is blond, blue-eyed, and powerfully built. He’s intense, emotional, and possesses a deeply ingrained sense of honor. He has suffered tremendously in the past years, and that gives him a very dark edge that comes through in his actions. He and Sophie have loved each other unconditionally since they were children.
Keira: Could she just have both? Would Garrett and Tristan do that for her? No?
Jennifer: Hehe, well, let’s just say that, as an author who feels a strong connection to all three characters, it was a strong temptation to try to push the three of them together like that.
Unfortunately, though, Garrett and Tristan would have none of it!
Keira: In one sentence how would you describe their marriages to her?
Jennifer: Her marriage to Garrett, before he left for war, was the epitome of the blush of first love—romantic, exciting, and full of discovery.
Her marriage to Tristan is a comfortable partnership during the day and fireworks-passionate at night.
Keira: Would you make the same decision Sophie did in A Hint of Wicked?
Jennifer: If I were Sophie, I would! As much as I love both heroes, however, I know they’re destined only for the heroines they end up with in their books. I couldn’t barge in and separate either couple! That would be so wrong!
Keira: What is your favorite type of hero to read/write?
Jennifer: Oh my, that’s tough. I like all kinds of heroes, but I guess my favorites are those who truly love their heroines beyond anything in the world, and will go to hell and back at hundred times to win them. The heroes with that pure, focused, unwavering love for their heroines always give me shivers.
Keira: You said both men are passionate, and we readers love that in our heroes! What makes a great (written) bedroom scene?
Jennifer: As a reader, bedroom scenes resonate for me when there is emotion involved, and when the scenes are crucial to the development of the plot of the story and the relationship between the characters. Mix that emotion and character development with big fireworks, and I’m a happy, happy reader!
Keira: What was the hardest part of writing a Hint of Wicked? The easiest?
Jennifer: I think the hardest part was straightening out the legal confusion while keeping my characters morally in the right and their children legitimate. I bought two books on the history of marriage and divorce in the UK, and wow, what a mire of legalities! The legal system in the UK at the time was extremely complicated, and this particular situation had very little precedent. The similar cases I could find were all associated with commoners, but with the aristocracy (especially dukes), things tended to be handled considerably differently. I finally consulted a legal expert who helped me straighten it out a bit. At times in the book, I found the characters beginning to talk in legal circles. In the end, I tried to keep it all as simple and clear as possible so as not to confuse the reader (or myself!).
The easiest part of A Hint of Wicked....hmmm. Well, it was probably finding the motivation to get it done! Not only was it my first contracted novel, it’s a story that’s very close to my heart. I finished it in record time!
Keira: Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Jennifer: The second book, A TOUCH OF SCANDAL, will be released in April, 2010.
My website is www.jenniferhaymore.com
Thanks!!
Keira: Thanks so much Jennifer! It's been a real pleasure to talk with you! For more information on Jennifer Haymore and her books visit her website and check out her blog.
Buy: A Hint of Wicked
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April 12th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, Book Review, Farming, Gentry, Great Britain, J-L, Victorian, Virgin Heroine, Widow or Widower
Great start. Mediocre middle. Great ending.
There was one discrepancy that was glaring to me... how probable was it to have two people to get married to cover a brewing scandal, get divorced/separated after a year (claiming annulment maybe?), and go about their lives as if nothing happened? It wasn't something I thought too much about because with romance you know they're going to stay together and find love so it wasn't really an issue.
What I didn't like was that the book spent too long repeating the same things. I was eagerly and desperately waiting for the point when Annabel McBride smartened up enough to realize she couldn’t make a man love her if he wasn’t willing or that she couldn’t compete with a dead wife and kids.
The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell is one of those widower plots that combine brooding hero and a fresh untried miss. I did like that Simon Blackwell generally and truly loved his late wife, but it was hard to read Annabel’s determination to win him over. She can’t if he isn’t willing to let go and the book took too long for Annabel to reach a quitting point that would force Simon to either give up his ghosts or to give her up.
This is too bad because I honestly love reading about heroes who find a second at love or get a second chance to find their first love as the case sometimes is. However I did believe Simon falling in love with Annabel even if he was a stubborn fool about the whole affair. If it wasn't for the middle section I would say this book was just about perfect.
Rating: 2.5-3 Stars
Buy: The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell
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March 25th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, Book Review, Great Britain, Jane Austen, P-R, Regency, Time Travel, United States of America
Emily Albright is a 29 year old romantic whose first love was Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This love affair started when she was 12 and no man has ever reached the bar that Mr. Darcy set. Of course if you were to look at her string of pathetic dates, you would agree with me when I say who in their right mind would want them? After a disastrous date with Mr. Hair-Plugs, Emily decides never again. She's tired of dating the worst of lot and refuses to put herself through another Dutch pizza date.
When Stella, her best friend and coworker hears this, she is shocked. Determined to put Emily back on the horse she insists that they go on a 18-30 vacation to Mexico. With images of wet T-shirt contests, drunken frat boys, and too much tequila in mind Emily grasps for an excuse to not go. A brochure to Jane Austen's England catches her eye and the idea is born. Better still there's an opening for the week of New Year's the time of the trip to Mexico and Emily leaps on the idea.
What follows is a story written with humor on par with a Stephenie Plum novel...delicious and wickedly witty. My one complaint with the tale is Spike and I'll explain. Spike is the only other young person on this tour and he's there to write a report on the incredible sexy Mr. Darcy, the one man all women would date and hop into bed with given the chance. Spike is set up to be a modern day Mr. Darcy, but let me tell you he is far from the dashing figure cut by the broodingly reserved Mr. Darcy. Spike has a flabby belly, is only kinda cute, and his style of clothing is far from impeccable. Same goes for his manners.
Meanwhile Emily has the incredible chance of meeting the real Mr. Darcy in a series of out of time experiences. Getting her in own way, she finds herself cross with Mr. Darcy for his 19th century mannerisms and breeding and feels self-conscious and foolish by her own 21st century idiosyncrasies. Instead of explaining to him that she's an American from the 21st and that from her perspective things have changed from style of dress to turn of phrases and what is considered good manners, she leaves him in the dark and always takes his silences as negative non-comments. The truth of the matter is, he finds her American "19th century" ways a breath of fresh air and falls in love with her. When he says as much Emily contridicts him and thinks to herself that the fantasy of Mr. Darcy is not as good as the reality of Mr. Darcy.
What an incredible nit-wit! She throws away the good catch because she can't be bothered to speak plainly to Mr. Darcy. I find it hard to believe that any woman greeted with a flesh and blood Mr. Darcy would not make the effort to be on the same page with him. Sure she thought he was a period actor for a time but when she discovered the truth Emily should have persevered to explain why she thought he was not telling the truth. Even if he thought she was crazy he would have come around, after all he loved her for her American ways already. So for the ridiculously stupid move on the heroine's part I have to rate the story below average, because I just can't reconcile myself to Spike the modern Mr. Darcy Emily Albright wanted.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-11-24 07:44:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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