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Category: Romance

Blog Tour & Kindle Giveaway: Licensed for Trouble by Susan May Warren

[ 2 ] August 26, 2010

Welcome to the blog tour for the third book in Susan May Warren’s PJ Sugar series, Licensed for Trouble!

Visit Susan at her website or at www.MyBookTherapy.com, a service she founded to help authors discover their voice. A complete blog tour schedule can be found here.

Reviewed by Vera (Luxury Reading)

Fresh from getting kicked out of her sister’s house in Double Trouble, PJ Sugar is living on her boss Jeremy Kane’s, couch and wondering whether he’ll ever mention their kiss, or kiss her again for that matter. Jeremy will not give her serious cases without a PI license (or so he says), so PJ is stuck chasing bail breakers and winding up in all sorts of embarassing photos in the local newspaper.

As PJ begins to reconsider her living situation, she receives the surprising news that she has inherited the Kellogg mansion. PJ has never had any connection to the wealthy Kelloggs – besides gawking at their house as a child – and is unsure why the late Agatha Kellogg made her the sole benefactor of the fortune. As PJ moves in, she finds the mansion in an utter state of disrepair and cloaked in the unsolved murder mystery of Agatha’s daughter. Adding to the unknowns, Max Smith, a man suffering from amnesia, shows up at her doorstep offering handyman services in exchange for PJ’s assistance in uncovering his true identity.

Licensed for Trouble is a worthy sequel to Double Trouble and Susan May Warren once again did a great job at combining a somewhat dark mystery with humor, making this book very fun and lighthearted. Licensed for Trouble is technically Christian literature, but the references to religion are so few and far in between that they do not take over the story line. At times, I felt that there were too many loose strings and that there was no way Warren could bring them together in a satisfactory way. However, she did just that and somehow everything tied together and made perfect sense in the end. Three books into the series, PJ Sugar is still a delightful character and I look forward to future installments.

Check out our review of Double Trouble!

Enter PJ Sugar’s “Sweet” Giveaway

Enter PJ Sugar's

Licensed for Trouble, Susan’s brand new PJ Sugar novel, is in stores now! To celebrate the release, we’re giving away a Kindle!! You can enter using Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail using the icons below.

One Grand Prize winner will receive a A SWEET Kindle prize package that includes:

A brand new Kindle (Free 3G, 6”, Latest Generation)

The entire PJ Sugar series by Susan May Warren

To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form, then tell 5 or more friends about the contest.

Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on September 2nd.

Be sure to check out the blog tour here or purchase a copy of Licensed for Trouble here!

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Review: She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter

[ 11 ] August 22, 2010

Reviewed by Vera (Luxury Reading)

Shey Darcy, a former top model, is left to pick up the pieces after her husband of seventeen years leaves her for someone else. Angry and hurt, she picks up her glamorous New York life and moves home to Texas, with her three teenage sons in tow. Back at the family ranch where she grew up, Shey attempts to make sense of what has happened while dealing with her nosy – but well meaning – brothers and overbearing mother.

When Shey was sixteen, she was madly in love with her brothers’ older friend, Dane Kelly. Fearing that their daughter was getting too involved too fast, her parents sent her away to a boarding school in California. Returning to Texas post her split, Shey runs into Dane – a rugged and handsome former bull riding champion – once again. While things between him and her brothers seem to have taken a wrong turn, Shey immediately knows that her affection for him has not changed. Now, on top of quelling her unhappy children and becoming reacquianted with her family, Shey is forced to confront the feelings that she has long ago put to rest.

Much of the so-called chick lit genre tends to be very predictable, so I’m always somewhat apprehensive about starting a new book. However, I was blown away by how fun She’s Gone Country was to read and it single handedly restored my faith in this genre.

Jane Porter is the author of other books like Flirting with Forty which was made into a Lifetime movie starring Heather Locklear. She’s Gone Country was my first introduction to her work and if it’s any indication of her writing style and story telling abilities, I will definitely keep reading. Shey Darcy was an inspiring character – smart, strong, sexy – and the delicious romantic tension between her and Dane only added to the book’s appeal. Was the story a bit predictable? Sure, but it didn’t make it any less entertaining or enjoyable.

This book was provided free of any obligation by BookSparks PR. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

[ 10 ] August 21, 2010

Reviewed by Alice P.

I’ll Have Who She’s Having is an engaging book about two very competitive sisters, and their takes on love, family and life in general. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have successfully blended the lives of women who are polar opposites in an easy read that is likely to absorb the readers.

Even though she is known for her fast lifestyle and crazy relationships, 32 year-old gorgeous blond Kate is ready to settle down. But when her long term boyfriend dumps her, she finds her life spiraling out of control; she succumbs to depression that consists of pigging out and staying home with a dirty martini and watching Pretty Woman, her all time favorite movie. Kate has a hard time understanding why her life can’t have a fairy tale ending like her sister’s or the other women around her who all seem to be getting married.

Seeing Kate’s miserable condition, in steps Kelly, Kate’s younger and married sister. As much as Kelly wants to help her sister, Kate’s down-in-the-dumps attitude grates on her nerves. After all, Kelly knows that her marriage isn’t the happy ending Kate makes it out to be; once the vows are done, lives move on, and time passes by. Craving her husband’s attention and overwhelmed with housework, Kelly feels herself wasting away. When a chance encounter at a Starbucks connects Kelly with Tim, a handsome volleyball coach, she finds herself encouraging Kate to join her in the volleyball class in the hopes of catching Tim’s eye.

I’ll Have Who She’s Having follows the sisters as they battle their inner selves and each other in their constant search for a happy ending. In the course of the book, they realize that they were looking for love in all the wrong places and come to appreciate life as it transpires. Both the readers and the characters learn that the concept of happy ending, after all, is not just a fairytale…

Visit Liz and Lisa at their awesome blog, Chick Lit Is Not Dead.

Alice, a.k.a. Sunny, is a full time student at LakeLand College. She is originally from India, but has been traveling the world with her mom and sister ever since she was two.

This book was provided free of any obligation by BookSparks PR. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall

[ 10 ] August 20, 2010

Reviewed by Jennifer J.

Set in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917, The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall is the story of aristocratic pianist Valentina Ivanova during a bleak period in Russian history. The daughter of a financial minister to Tsar Nicholas II, Valentina is expected to uphold a certain set of expectations. However, Valentina has no interest in the fancy balls, gowns, or handsome military leaders that are part of a young aristocrat’s daily life. Instead, Valentina’s interests lie in becoming a nurse and marrying Jens Friis, a Danish engineer.

Valentina’s father Nicholai has other plans for her, forcing her into an engagement with wealthy Captain Chernov to save himself from monetary debts. Torn between her duty to her family and her love for Jens, Valentina determinedly sets out to find a way to satisfy both her father and her own longings. As Valentina and Jens finally come together as man and wife, the Bolsheviks’ plot to overthrow the Tsar becomes a reality.

The Jewel of St. Petersburg was my introduction to Kate Furnivall’s works, and I found it a challenging read. As I was reading, I wanted to kick myself for not brushing up on Russian history. Furnivall makes it very obvious that there is friction between the working class and the aristocracy, but I wish she had provided more explanation on the political structure. There were a lot of titles used (Duma, for example) that I can’t remember having come across before this novel.

Though the characters were well written and easily distinguished from one another, I was disappointed to find that I didn’t care much for any of them, including Valentina. She is fiercely independent and outspoken, and clearly loves and would do anything for her sister Katya. Those traits are admirable, but there are other instances where Valentina comes across as naive, irrational, and even despicable.

Throughout it all, Jens remains steadfast in his love for Valentina, and she proves that she is willing to do absolutely anything to be with him. The working class is best represented by Victor Arkin, the Ivanov family’s former chauffeur. While I wanted to sympathize with him, he repeatedly did one thing after another to destroy Valentina and her family. The energy he spent hating aristocrats could have been put to better use by supporting causes that would peacefully improve the government.

The history of Russia and the fall of the Romanov Dynasty has always fascinated me, and because of it I will try Kate Furnivall’s earlier works. I am especially interested in reading The Russian Concubine, which follows the life of Jens and Valentina’s daughter, Lydia.

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Berkley Trade. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Emma and the Vampires by Jane Austen and Wayne Josephson

[ 8 ] August 15, 2010

Reviewed by Michelle S.

Emma and the Vampires, by Jane Austen and Wayne Josephson, is yet another work in a growing trend of “mash-up” books. This time, it seems that Emma’s world of Highbury has been infiltrated by vampires.

True to the original, our clueless heroine Emma spends her time matchmaking for her friends and neighbors. I say clueless, because despite Emma’s insistence that she knows everyone and everything, she somehow manages to misunderstand the actions and words of the residents of Highbury – as well as the fact that most of the men are vampires. Luckily for them, she’s better at wielding a stake than understanding love.

I hate to say it, but I really didn’t enjoy Emma and the Vampires. As much as I favor the original, I found the modernization of some phrases to be clunky, and longwinded. I also found many of the vampire references to be poorly added, in that even after re-reading it a few times I was still confused as to whether what was being stated was spoken or thought, or even understood or being kept secret. To that end, I was disappointed in the lack of explanation for the vampirism – some seem to be born vampires, others made vampires, some gentlemen and others wild. As far as the story goes, they just exist, end of discussion.

Also, I was disappointed in the lack of intelligence for all of the residents of Highbury (other than the vampires, of course). Emma is, by all rights, fairly clueless to begin with. However, neither she, nor any other non-vampire could see the differences between the ones she killed and the ones that walk among them. Could not one resident piece together the cold hands, black or red eyes, the lack of eating or the need for darkness to determine that others in their company were vampires as well?

Overall, to get past the lack of attention to detail and storyline, one would have to be as clueless as the characters in the novel.

Michelle recently returned to her West Virginia roots to re-invent herself. She is the principal (okay, only) web and graphic designer at Michelle My Belle Designs and uses the rest of her free time to write her own book blog 52 Self-help Books. Putting up with her madness is her husband Jason, dog Leo, and rabbit Macchiato.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Sourcebooks Landmark. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Blog Tour & Giveaway: Once in a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge

[ 258 ] August 3, 2010

Please join Eileen Goudge, author of Once in a Blue Moon, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours!

To learn more about Eileen Goudge, visit her website and check out her Q&A! A reading group guide for the book is also available here.

Reviewed by Melanie K.

Once in a Blue Moon is a book about decisions and the resulting consequences.

Lindsay and Kerrie Ann were born to Crystal – a drug addicted stripper who thought that her job as a mother ended with giving birth. Miss Honi Love, a retired stripper, lives downstairs from them and does her best to take care of the girls. Crystal dies in prison and Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are sent to foster homes despite Honi’s efforts to keep the girls.

Lindsay is adopted by an older couple who love her and raise her to be an honest and respectable person. When the couple passes away, Lindsay inherits their house and owns and operates a bookstore. Kerrie Ann cycles through foster home after foster home and eventually runs away to live on the streets. She finds herself following in her mother’s footsteps – she now has a drug addiction and has had her child taken away.

Lindsay searches for her sister for years and one day, out of the blue, Kerrie Ann appears at the door of her bookstore. She is desperate for help in getting her daughter back. The two have led very different lives and sometimes have a difficult time understanding and getting along with each other. Honi, who now lives with Lindsay, does her best to help them through their issues.

Kerrie Ann finds that changing her life and turning her downward spiral around is not an easy road, but will do anything to regain custody of her daughter. Lindsay discovers that not only are people not perfect, but that it is okay to not always do everything right. Together they form the sisterhood bond that was taken away from them many years ago and give each other the strength necessary to fight for what they believe in.

Once in a Blue Moon teaches us that life is not all about fate as some would have us believe. We are not destined to be “good” or “bad” just because things are not easy, and can easily turn our lives around if we so choose to.

Giveaway:
I have 1 copy of Once in a Blue Moon to give away, courtesy of the publisher!

Mandatory entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via e-mail, follow or subscribe to the feed. You must verify the subscriptions. (1 entry each)
- Enter another current giveaway and tell me which one you entered (1 entry each)
- Share this giveaway on a social network of your choice. Click the “Share/Save” button at the bottom of this post (1 entry each)
- Become a fan on Facebook (2 entries)

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on August 30th.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Vanguard Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Blog Tour & Giveaway: Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare

[ 207 ] August 2, 2010

Please join Tessa Dare, author of Three Nights with a Scoundrel, as she tours the blogosphere with TLC Book Tours!

To learn more about Tessa Dare and her steamy books, please visit her on her website or Facebook profile!

You can also read the first 60 pages of One Dance with a Duke online and watch Tessa’s hilarious book trailer.

Reviewed by Alice P.

Three Nights with a Scoundrel is not only heartwarming and enchanting, but also a passionate tale of two star-crossed lovers. Tessa Dare perfectly illustrates the struggles one faces when in love. One Dance with a Duke and Twice Tempted by a Rogue precede Three Nights with a Scoundrel and although I recommend reading all the books, they stand well on their own.

I rarely do this in reviews, but I would just like to commend Tessa Dare on her writing. She keeps you at the edge of your seat, your heart in your throat, butterflies fluttering in your stomach. The romance in this trilogy can truly light hearts on fire. Dare is able to clearly depict a scene, while leaving some space for the use of imagination. Moreover, she successfully blends together spices of a story line: suspense, romance, anger, fear, and love.

Three Nights with a Scoundrel is a tale of wanting and needing, and is filled with deciphering the meaning in between the words. Julian Bellamy, the bastard son of a nobleman, with rugged good looks and charms, is smitten by Lily Chatwick, a noble society woman. Their chemistry and instant connection is clear from the get go, however, this love can never truly blossom because of a tragedy that hits the family: the murder of Leo Chatwick, Lily’s twin brother.

All Julian wants to do is put aside his feelings for Lily in order to get her married to someone of his own class and stature. Julian knows that being the bastard son of a nobleman makes him unworthy of the lovely Lily. Yet, Lily has other plans in mind. She knows that Julian is seeking Leo’s murderer, resorting to his old treacherous ways. In order for Lily to win, she mustsave Julian from himself…from the man he’s becoming, before it’s too late.

Filled with anguish, pain, and passion, this book will satiate your thirst for a perfect romance novel. A must read!

Alice, a.k.a. Sunny, is a full time student at LakeLand College. She is originally from India, but has been traveling the world with her mom and sister ever since she was two.

Giveaway:
One winner will receive all three books in Tessa Dare’s trilogy!

Mandatory entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via e-mail, follow or subscribe to the feed. You must verify the subscriptions. (1 entry each)
- Enter another current giveaway and tell me which one you entered (1 entry each)
- Share this giveaway on a social network of your choice. Click the “Share/Save” button at the bottom of this post (1 entry each)
- Follow Tessa Dare on Twitter (2 entries)

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on August 23rd.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Ballantine Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Betrayal of the Blood Lilly by Lauren Willig

[ 7 ] July 29, 2010

Reviewed by Dimpel P.

In her sixth book in the Pink Carnation Series, Willig takes us to the exotic setting of Hyderabad, India. In this historical romance, Penelope Deveraux marries Lord Frederick Staines and moves to India. Once there, she learns that her husband is not the faithful man she believed him to be.

Penelope’s husband accepts a position as Governor General Wellesley’s Special Envoy to the Court of Hyderabad. He gambles away her dowry and has affairs with local bibi’s, the Indian counterpart of a mistress. Penelope, on the other hand, is a a brilliantly bold character.

The Betrayal of the Blood Lily starts slow and takes place during the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and France. It is filled with spies, emissaries and espionage, rich history and romance. It is a well-paced book with characters that are creative and vibrant. All the characters in this book are faced with questions of honor and principles. It is a novel that will keep readers who are mesmerized by romantic history interested from beginning to end.

Check out Lauren Willig’s website for more information about the Pink Carnation books!

Dimpel enjoys writing about Health &Medicine, Addiction & Recovery, and Self-Help. She previously worked as a medical assistant and did transcription and coding for medical and legal practices.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Berkley Trade. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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