Month: October 2012

Wicked Romances Blog Hop

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Wicked Romances Blog Hop

sign up wicked romances giveaway hop

Wicked Romances Giveaway Hop was organized by Reading Romances!

When it comes to romance, what’s the difference between wicked and naughty?

When I say the words “wicked romance”, what vision does that conjure up? Does wicked automatically mean paranormal, or does it just define romances with bad boys doing, let’s say, “wicked things” to girls who are about to be “formerly” good? Or oh so very definitely vice absolutely versa?

But if there’s not something special to make them “wicked”, then what’s the difference between “wicked” and “naughty”? Is it the type of hero or heroine (vampire, demon, werewolf, etc.) or what the twosome, threesome, or moresome do together that makes things wicked?

Or is it something else?

What you can win here: US $15 Amazon Gift Card

Number of winners: One (1)

How to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hop and enter the other giveaways!

Interview with Author Shiela Stewart + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> ebook giveaway> Giveaways

I’d like to welcome Shiela Stewart to Reading Reality today. Shiela is the author of The Naughty Angel, a title in one of my own personal naughty delights, the 1Night Stand series from Decadent Publishing. Shiela’s here to tell us about her devilishly decadent new book (review here), share our mutual love of J.D. Robb’s In Death series, (Wow!) and explain why she adores Halloween.

Take it away Shiela!

Marlene: Shiela, can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Shiela: I’ve been married for 27 years to a wonderfully supportive man who has stuck with me through the good and the bad.  If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today as an author. He pushed me to get my work published and for that I am forever grateful. We have three grown children, 17, 20 and 24 who always keep me on my toes. I love to write, which is obvious, but aside from that I love to create in other forms such as drawing, painting and knitting. I have a wicked sense of humor and love to scare people. My children are never safe. I’m not sure if I should be proud or annoyed that they inherited my sense of humor. LOL

Marlene: Could you describe a typical day of writing for us. Are you a planner or pantser?

Shiela: Often my ideas come from my dreams. I have very vivid dreams that are quite in-depth.

My typical writing day begins after I’ve cleaned my house, showered and returned emails. I put on dance music—a must have for me—grab a class of iced tea and get started. I don’t have a desk or an office. I prefer to write in my living room seated on the loveseat.

Marlene: I’ve noticed that a lot of your books are paranormal romance, including The Naughty Angel. What draws you to write about the “things that go bump in the night”?

Shiela: Having lived in a haunted house plays a big part in that. Aside from that it would be having an older brother who thought it was hilarious to hide under my bed and when I went to get ready to go to sleep he would reach out and grab my foot. He also loved putting his glow in the dark skull head in my closet. I guess it’s just in my blood because even as a small girl I was intrigued by scary stories. Halloween was and still is my favorite holiday. 🙂

Marlene: Where did your inspiration for this book come from? An angel and a demon, that’s an unusual combination for a love story!

Shiela: And precisely why I wanted to write it. It’s not a typical love story. Good and bad, Heaven and Hell. Such complete opposites.  I always like to throw a curve in my stories and what better way than bringing a demon and an angel together. It stemmed from seeing an episode of Supernatural where an angel surprisingly kisses a demon.

Marlene: Was writing a story for the 1Night Stand series different from your usual writing style?

Shiela: The Naughty Angel is the second book on the 1Night Series that I’ve written. The first was A Taste of Humanity. It was more difficult in that I tend to write longer works that range from 20,000 words to over a 100,000 words. Condensing everything I want to say into fewer than 10,000 is a bit of a challenge for me. But what is life without challenges. 🙂

Marlene: What projects do you have planned for the future? What is next on your schedule?

Shiela: Right now I’m editing a series I wrote a while back, and sharing chapters of it on my blog That’s What She Said. It’s a story of a woman who has the ability to see and speak to the dead (Shocker, it’s another paranormal lol) She’s visited by a deceased little girl seeking help in finding her killer. It turns out she isn’t the only victim and Samantha is suddenly bombarded by several more young victims. While searching for a killer, she becomes attracted to a married man in the midst of a nasty divorce.

I post two chapters a week on Monday and Friday. Curious, check it out. http://shielassays.blogspot.ca/

Marlene: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Shiela: I like to give the readers an escape from the real world by sharing a glimpse into a fantasy I’ve created.

I create likeable realistic characters that draw the readers in and make them feel like they can relate to them.

And lastly–nothing more needs to be said for this one other than, my vampires don’t sparkle.

Marlene: What book do you recommend everyone should read and why?

Shiela: Every one of my titles of course. LOL Aside from my books I recommend anyone who loves a good mystery with romance to check out JD Robb’s In Death Series.
For those who want a steaming erotic novel check out any title by Faith Bicknell Brow.
And for those who like Non-Fiction I recommend Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony by Jeff Ashton.

Marlene: After reading your journey to becoming a writer, I was wondering if you had any words of advice that you would want to give to aspiring authors?

Shiela: Never give up. Don’t let rejections bring you down and never stop learning and perfecting your craft.  There are plenty of groups out there where you can get your work looked at and critiqued for free. I strongly suggest finding someone to look at your work before submitting it to a publisher. But also be cautious in who you have looking at your work. If the person has nothing but negative things to say, find someone else. There is nothing more discouraging than hearing someone rip your work apart and not give you any positive feedback.

Marlene: Before I let you go, would you like to tell us a little bit about your artistic hobby?

Shiela: I love to draw. My specialty is faces. I find faces so interesting, how each one is so different.  I also love to draw nudes and animals. I find the art of drawing very relaxing.  If you’d like to check out my drawings go to my artwork page in my website.  http://www.shielasbooks.ca/Art%20work.htm

Marlene: One last question: Coffee or Tea?

Shiela: Coffee.

From living in a haunted house to writing paranormal romances, that’s one fantastic journey. Thank you so much, Shiela, for sharing a bit of it with us.

~~~~~Tourwide Giveaway~~~~~

And speaking of sharing, 5 winners will get to share the deliciously naughty fun of The Naughty Angel by winning an ebook copy of the book. Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Naughty Angel by Shiela Stewart

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: paranormal romance, erotic romance
Series: 1Night Stand
Length: 38 pages
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Date Released: July 24, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Even the good turn bad sometimes…

A life of servitude to God has left Ariel Raine feeling worn out. Being an Angel isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Day in and day out of the same routine tends to get tedious. Wanting some spice in her life, she sets her mind on discovering the allure of a sexual encounter. With the help of Madam Eve and her 1 Night Stand dating services, Ariel is about to have her world rocked.

Only problem is…her match is a demon.

Edison Grey has relied on dating services to claim minions for not only him, but for his master Satan as well. 1 Night Stand just happens to be this week’s preference. No use wasting a good service, Edison decides to have a little fun while he’s at it.

Stripping an angel of her purity is an added bonus…

What happens between Ariel and Edison is a surprise to both. Even with the threat of punishment looming over top of them.

An angel who wants more than she has. She doesn’t want to just watch humans fall in love (and consummate that love) she wants to experience those feelings for herself. Any resemblance between the angel Ariel’s desire to explore human emotions and sensations, and the mermaid Ariel from The Little Mermaid, and her desire to experience the human world, may not be accidental.

They both wanted more than they had. And their perfect match to experience that “more” turns out to be their opposite. In the mermaid’s case, it was a human. In the angel’s case, it’s a demon. Who else would understand the supernal world she springs from, the pressures that she serves under?

And is it any wonder that the demon’s name is Edison? A name that we humans associate with discovery? Or that they are brought together by Madame Eve? Eve, who tempted Adam to eat from the Tree of Knowledge?

Because what Ariel wants is knowledge. She wants to know and experience more than she has, more than she is. Who better to teach her about desire than a demon? No other angel is remotely tempted to defy heaven, even in secret.

But Edison also wants more. He thinks he’s booked his 1Night Stand to harvest another soul for his master. He’s used dating services before for just such a harvest. But it’s all getting humdrum.

Instead, Ariel finds a demon who has a bit of sweet mixed in with a whole lot of naughty. And Edison discovers an angel who is hiding a surprising amount of naughty under her halo.

Can they stop fighting what they feel long enough to see if this insane match might work?

Escape Rating B-: Angel meets demon is probably the ultimate in opposites attracting. Ariel and Edison are on opposite sides in the definition of the war to end all wars. Her boss saves souls and his boss damns them. But they’re just foot soldiers, and they have been for centuries. And like soldiers everywhere, they have an awful lot in common.

Madame Eve has some seriously cool superpowers, whoever she is, to make this work.

But Ariel’s personality is pretty clear from the beginning. She likes her job (she watches over children) but she wants something more out of her life. She has a rebellious spirit that doesn’t quite fit. We don’t get quite as clear a picture of Edison, and why he’s willing to rebel.

The scenes where they begin their relationship are hilariously funny as well as hot. Edison is a foul-mouthed, well, demon. It’s expected. He’s also handsome as sin. Again, expected. But his attraction to Ariel’s innocence is a surprise. Maybe more of a surprise than her attraction to him. Good girls always fall for bad boys, at least in fiction.

Still, this is one pair of opposites that you want to see ride happily off into the sunset. But I wonder what happens after that?

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Interview with Author Louisa Bacio

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours

My special guest today is Louisa Bacio, the author of A Date with Death. (This is a not as gruesome as it sounds! In fact, the date both does, and doesn’t, happen. To learn more, read my review. But if you like your love stories hot, sweet and bittersweet, go on A Date with Death)

Louisa was gracious enough to answer a few of my usual pointed questions. Here are her answers…

Louisa: First, Marlene, thanks so much for hosting me, and for the targeted and specific questions! I can really see the time that you put into them.

Marlene: Thanks, Louisa! Now, can you please tell the readers a bit about yourself?

Louisa: First, I love to tell stories, whether they are nonfiction that I share, or ones that I create. I also wear many hats as a wife, mother, professor, editor, freelance writer. I believe in putting everything that you have into a project with passion. And, I love animals and to cook.

Marlene: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Louisa: It all depends upon what I have to do that day. Today, I went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch for my 5-year-old daughter, then had to prep class, and I taught from 7 to 10 p.m. The writing time will probably come about midnight. But it’s an absolute passion. While walking to class, I was wondering about what would happen if one of my vampire characters cut his long hair. Would it grow back over night? And why? I think it’s a scene for a 2013 novella … so even when I’m not writing, I’m still creating. I’m a pantser who knows specific scenes, such as the one mention.

Marlene: What can we expect of A Date with Death?

Louisa: A good, sexy story with heart. My editor at Decadent Publishing Kate Richards really pushed me to hone my craft. My background is in journalism, so fiction uses a different skill set.

Marlene: This is your first book in the 1Night Stand series. How was it different fitting the entire HEA into a one-night encounter?

Louisa: I enjoy writing short fiction. The 1Night Stand stories average 10,000 words or so. I’ve done flash fiction, and 2,500 word stories. The key to turning one night into a HEA is the dynamics between the characters. Even though Maise and Reese in A Date with Death don’t know each other, something unites them.

I teach a class on writing a short story based on a call for submissions. One former student, V.S. Morgan wrote the majority of her m/m 1Night Stand The Gift within my January class. In her story, the characters have a history together, and then their brought back together during this night. Another friend Sabrina Sol will release her first book Reunited in November. By that title, you should be able to guess the connection, right? Those elements help make it more believable.

Marlene: Most of your books are erotic romance, whether paranormal or contemporary. What drew you to writing on the erotic edges of romance?

Louisa: Hmmm, good question, and one I probably haven’t been asked directly before. Maybe it’s because it’s what I enjoy reading. I’ve always considered myself a very sexual person, and I like showing the reality of that relationship. Life isn’t I Love Lucy twin beds. What we hope for is the lifelong passion.

Marlene: What is your favorite thing about the writing experience and why?

Louisa: There really is so much. It’s that process of creating something from nothing. Of connecting with readers, and making them feel the way books have done for me. In some aspects, it’s having a character seem real to me, and “talk” in my head. At the same time, that’s maddening.

Marlene: Where is your favorite place to write?

Louisa: Absolute favorite has to be bed, where it’s soft and comfy and my butt doesn’t fall asleep as easily! Seriously, I also love those moments when I get immediate inspiration. I’m a member of OCC/RWA, my local chapter, and there’s nothing like a great guest speaker with a prompt that makes you come away with a new scene.

Marlene: What projects do you have planned for the future? What is next on your schedule?

Louisa: Earlier this week, I turned in The Wolfe Pack, book 4 in my The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf series. Next, I plan to focus on another 1Night Stand, A Dance with Death. (Notice the trend?) I already have the story and characters plotted out. I also have a new paranormal romance series that I’m starting to pitch to publishers so keep your fingers crossed for me. It’s really good!

Marlene: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Louisa: Passionate. Sexy. Caring. I love to read, and I writing stories that I enjoy, so hopefully that comes through.

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Louisa: Have you seen my Twitter feed? Definitely a night owl. The problem is with two school-age kids, I also have to get them up early for school.

Louisa, thank you so much for answering all my pesky questions! And I’m very happy to know that you’ll be writing another 1Night Stand with Death, because that first “Date” went very, very well!

Review: A Date With Death by Louisa Bacio

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: paranormal romance, erotic romance
Series: 1Night Stand
Length: 36 pages
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Date Released: August 21, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Death sucks. It’s boring, and there’s no chance of getting laid. Stuck in the waiting room of Heaven, Maise fantasizes about all the pleasures of the flesh she didn’t get to experience. When Maise discovers a business card for the dating service, 1Night Stand, she wonders if there’s still a chance.

Reece normally wouldn’t consider being set up, but after his brother buys him a certificate, he feels obligated. A romantic night on the Southern California coast, with the full-of-life Maise leaves him wanting more.

Will a 1Night Stand be enough to overcome death?

The trick, and sometimes it is a trick, with the 1Night Stand titles is to get the couple from meeting to happily-ever-after in the course (and definitely intercourse!) of one single night.

This doesn’t mean the couple can’t have met before, and it doesn’t mean that the HEA can’t be a work in progress at the end (the best 1Night Stand stories often use one or the other) but the story takes place in one night. And the author doesn’t have a lot of pages to work with.

Louisa Bacio uses one amazingly unconventional start for a 1Night Stand.

First, throw any preconception out the window. This is a paranormal, just barely. But there are no vampires, werewolves or any other creatures of the night involved, in spite of the suggestions sparked by that title.

The story opens with the heroine, Maise, finding one of Madame Eve’s brochures for her 1Night Stand service. What’s unusual is that Maise finds it while she is waiting for her number to be called in Limbo. Literally, Limbo, as in the waiting room for death. The last thing Maise remembers is the oncoming car, the one that killed her.

Cell phone service apparently reaches to this other-worldly waiting room, but only if Maise punches Madame Eve’s number before her own number gets called. Ironic, isn’t it?

Maise figures that she might as well take one last shot at living, especially since she’s already dead. What she can’t figure out is how Madame Eve manages to rescue her from Limbo, even temporarily, or what the absolutely gorgeous and definitely very much among the living man, Reese, could possibly need a 1Night Stand for. It’s all too obvious to Maise that Reese shouldn’t need a computer dating service.

But Reese’s life has gone into a grief-stricken tailspin for reasons that he isn’t willing to reveal to Maise, and a night of passion with a beautiful woman is exactly what he needs. He wants to feel and not to think. Not to think about the brother he just lost, the one who gave him this night as a present, just before he died.

But Maise and Reese have a connection, and not just the instant-lust that they feel for each other the moment they meet. It’s that real-world connection that will be the saving of them both…if they are willing to believe in what they experience in just one night.

Escape Rating B+: The author did an amazing job with this short erotic romance. She did a deft job of mixing the bittersweet sadness that begins the story for both Reese and Maise with the hot encounter of their one night that leads to the sweet ending.

I find Madame Eve’s powers occasionally beyond belief, but the story works beautifully. My only regret is that it wasn’t longer. I’d love to know how things worked out for Maise and Reece.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Down for the Count by Christine Bell

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | A Reviews> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the publisher
Formats available: ebook
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Dare Me #1
Length: 128 pages
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Date Released: October 1, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Truth or dare…

When Lacey Garrity finds her groom in flagrante delicto in the reception hall closet with her bridesmaid, she’s saved by her best friend’s older brother—childhood tormentor, crush, and boxing bad boy Galen Thomas. Galen’s solution is both exciting and dangerous. What better way to forget the mess of her life than go on her honeymoon with a hot guy who can’t promise anything beyond today?

…or TKO?

Galen had been counting on Lacey’s wedding to put her out of reach—and out of his mind—once and for all, but their steamy Puerto Rican escape is testing all his boundaries. Now that Lacey’s embracing her inner bad girl, Galen is tempted to throw in the towel and claim her for himself. But with the biggest fight of his career on the line and an important business merger threatening to derail Lacey’s resolve, their romance might be down for the count before it even begins.

It’s not so much that Galen Thomas is a bad boy, so much that Lacey Garrity has been way too much of a goody-two-shoes for most of her life. Lacey has been so busy attempting to please her impossible mother, and everyone else around her, that she’s never let herself figure out what it is she really wants. She’s too busy being worried that something might go wrong, and that she’ll get blamed for it.

Lacey just knows that her mother (whom her friend Cat properly nicknames “The Admiral”) is going to blame her when she finds her just-married groom in the linen closet of their reception hall with her other best friend, Becca. And, oh yes, he was banging her bridesmaid.

Lacey’s marriage to Marty the bridesmaid banger is so over. And it should be. (Men named Marty are so seldom any good. The last decent guy named Marty was Marty McFly. Back to the Future was a LONG time ago.)

But Lacey needs a quick rescue from the reception, before Mother Admiral swoops down on her. Enter Galen Thomas, who is not just her best friend’s older brother, but the guy she’s had a crush on since she was about 10. Of course, she’s not 10 anymore, and what Lacey feels is a lot more than a crush. But she’s been so beaten down by failing to meet everyone’s expectations that she can’t see what’s right in front of her.

She is way better than Marty ever deserved, and that Galen sees her as a whole lot more than just his sister’s best friend. When Lacey was 10 and he was 13, that would have made him a perv. But they’re all adults now, and he hasn’t seen her as just a kid for a long time.

But hitting on your sister’s best friend is usually a way for a guy to end up dead, in a manner of speaking. So Galen has tried to just be friends.

In the moment where Galen has to choose between getting Lacey out of that awful reception, and breaking every bone in Marty’s body, Galen chooses to save Lacey. And that’s where Down for the Count turns into a marvelous friends-into-lovers romance.

It’s also Lacey’s journey out from under the Admiral’s command. Because she has to get all the horrible messages from her mother out of her head, as well as get rid of her ill-considered marriage, before she’s ready to be in love with the man who has always wanted her.

Escape Rating A-: Christine Bell has written a terrific friends-into-lovers romance in Down for the Count. The opening scene at the wedding reception, where Lacey finds her erstwhile groom in the closet, just made you feel for Lacey, and want to deck Marty. But you can feel Lacey start to grab her own life for the first time.

Lacey is a “poor little rich girl” character, but once she starts to break from the mold, she really breaks out. At the same time, you do see her struggle. It’s hard to stop hearing all those little voices that tell you people will judge you if you don’t do everything just right. The author has captured her internal struggle excellently.

The central core of the story is Lacey and Galen’s romance, and it’s both steamy and sweet. Lacey’s always had a crush but never felt good enough, lively enough, pretty enough for him. And until they were adults, that three-year age gap was a yawning chasm. But now the timing is almost right. Watching them work for a relationship makes this story sing.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Sacred Treason by James Forrester

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | 4 Stars> book reviews> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format Read:ebook provided by NetGalley
Number of Pages: 480 pages
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Historical Fiction
Formats Available: Trade Paperback, ebook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Book Depository US | Book Depository (UK) | Author’s Website | Publisher’s Website | Goodreads

Book Blurb:

London, December 1563. England is a troubled nation. Catholic plots against the young Queen Elizabeth spring up all over the country. At his house in the parish of St Bride, the herald William Harvey – known to everyone as Clarenceux – receives a book from his friend and fellow Catholic, Henry Machyn. But Machyn is in fear of his life, claiming that the book is deadly… What secret can it hold? And then Clarenceux is visited by the State in the form of Francis Walsingham and his ruthless enforcers, who will stop at nothing to gain possession of it. If Clarenceux and his family are to survive the terror of Walsingham, and to plead with the queen’s Secretary of State Sir William Cecil for their lives, Clarenceux must solve the clues contained in the book to unlock its dangerous secrets before it’s too late. And when he does, he realises that it’s not only his life and the lives of those most dear to him that are at stake…

My Thoughts:

This was originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

Reading Sacred Treason was like being completely immersed in the world of 16th Century England (without the smells). It was bracing and marvelous and compelling from beginning to end.

It wasn’t so much the characters that drew me in as it was the evocation of the time and place. Clarenceaux finds himself in the grip of events, and for most of the book, the events he thinks he’s being gripped by aren’t the ones that are actually happening.

That’s because no one has a handle on the conspiracy that he is supposed to be ringleading. And Clarenceaux isn’t the ringleader of a conspiracy. But just as it is difficult, if not impossible, to prove a negative, it nearly proves impossible to prove that he isn’t. Especially as he begins to act guilty. Because he IS being hounded by the law.

And he is guilty of something. He is a Catholic at a time when that was, if not illegal again, certainly on its way to becoming so. The deadliness of the religious persecutions of the Elizabethan Era are not what we remember best about the same period that also gave rise to Shakespeare’s plays, but they are part of that same time and place.

Believers on both sides were burned at the stake for their faith, and which side was the wrong side had changed all too frequently in Clarenceaux’s lifetime.

Elizabeth was not yet secure on her throne in 1563, when Sacred Treason begins. Her ministers feared threats to her reign from every quarter, and with good reason. Her nearest heir was the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots, and a rising in Mary’s favor was not impossible.

It’s this backdrop, and more, that leads to the fear and plotting behind Sacred Treason.

The story of Sacred Treason is tied up in the history of the era. And the politics. And the plotting. And the ministers of government, particularly Wiliam Cecil and Francis Walsingham, making sure that Elizabeth stayed on the throne, because the thought of anything else was unthinkable.

Could they have been this paranoid? Why not? Politicians are now. Why not then?

Verdict:

I was riveted, to the point of staying up half the night to finish (this is almost a 500 page book!) The key difference between Sacred Treason and Before Versailles (reviewed here), a different but equally complex historical fiction epic that revolves around political plotting, is that Sacred Treason made sure to explain who the historic figures were and why they, and their actions, mattered to the non-aficionado reader.  Although the plot is key, because Clarenceaux doesn’t know what the supposed conspiracy is, everything gets explained to the reader as he figures out what is going on.

The author’s profession as a historian shows in his ability to make the era live again. The amount of detail, builds up a totally immersive experience. Clarenceaux’s world came to life as I read.

However, Clarenceaux himself sometimes didn’t. His relationships, particularly the relationship he almost has with the widow Rebecca Machyn, seemed somewhat forced. Clarenceaux is a more realistic character when he shows us what he sees and does than when the author tries to tell us what he feels.

The conspiracy and the plotting carry this story along fabulously. I give Sacred Treason four rather bloody stars. (When you read the book, you’ll understand)

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Of Blood and Bone by Courtney Cole

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the tour company
Formats available:ebook
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: The Minaldi Legacy #1
Length: 226 pages
Publisher: Lakehouse Press
Date Released: September 14, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Luca Minaldi is powerful, rich and mesmerizing. But he is also a reclusive enigma. He lives in Malta, a fairytale-like place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets. And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best kept of them all.

Eva Talbot is spending the summer in Malta to finish up her doctoral dissertation. When she meets Luca, a mysterious and handsome shipping magnate, there is an instant attraction. He has a disturbing and beautiful energy that she has never felt before. But she senses the darkness that lives within him.

Eva is hired to care for his mother, a woman who suffers from dementia, but it is Luca who Eva will eventually risk everything to save. She desperately wants to reach inside of him and fix what is broken, while at the same time, she knows that she is falling for him. Her life becomes a swirling chaos of darkness and romance, of secrets and mystery. And the question that emerges will become the most important answer of all.

Can she save Luca from the darkness that plagues him without losing herself?

The answer is a matter of life or death.

Be prepared to be surprised. From the description, even from the title, I expected Of Blood and Bone to be a paranormal romance. It isn’t. Think of it as romantic suspense, but of the old-fashioned gothic school of suspense.

Except that the heroine is a psychiatrist. One who falls in love with her patient, even after he has slightly kinky sex with her, and then doesn’t remember it the next morning. But Eva’s not licensed to practice yet, so she’s not violating any rules.

And Luca Minaldi technically isn’t her patient. His mother is. If Eva Talbot could technically have patients. Which she can’t.

Luca’s mother says he’s evil. Luca believes that he’s a monster. That he’s fated to be a monster, just like his father, and his grandfather, and his great-grandfather. That he’s cursed.

Eva’s sure that there’s a scientific explanation for everything. Even the murders.

And she’s right. It’s just not the explanation that anyone thinks it is. And just when everyone thinks it’s over…it isn’t.

Escape Rating B: Luca compares himself and Eva to Heathcliff and Catherine, except that he’s sure that his monstrosity is a real curse and not just a character flaw. Eva names his problem Jekyll & Hyde syndrome, but is certain there’s a real disease behind it. There will be a point in the story where most readers will be certain Luca is a werewolf. It’s not that simple.

Even when you start to figure out who, and you get the glimmer of how, you won’t know why. That was the suspense that kept me riveted to my iPad. But Eva the psychiatrist should have figured things out long before I did, no matter how distracted she was be her affair-gone-wrong with her all-too-hot would-be patient.

But the series is off to a absolutely fascinating misdirecting start. I was so sure I knew what book 2 in the series would be, and then, on the last page, the author totally threw me into another direction. Again. Whiplash. Wow.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Lady X’s Cowboy by Zoe Archer

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | 5 Stars> book reviews> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format Read: ebook provided by the author
Number of Pages: 322 pages
Release Date: September 7, 2012
Publisher: Zoe Archer
Genre: Historical Romance
Formats Available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Book Depository US | Book Depository (UK) | Author’s Website | Goodreads

Book Blurb:

The Lady Olivia Xavier, the cowboy who came to her rescue out of the foggy London dusk could have stepped straight from one of her favorite dime novels. But when she was thrown into his arms, his solid chest and strong embrace assured her he was very real indeed. She needed a helping hand to save her late husband’s brewery from an ambitions rival, and even though she couldn’t understand half of the American’s curious expressions, something in his gentle touch told Olivia she could trust this stranger from the untamed west.

My Thoughts:

This was originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

Lady X’s Cowboy begins with the lady in question reading a dime novel about the wild American west. Those novels are Olivia Xavier’s means of escape, not so much from the running of her late husband’s brewery, but from the supposedly high-minded, and certainly high-handed, opinions of the so-called right-thinking people who are just certain that they know what’s best for her.

After all, women aren’t intended to be managing businesses in 19th century London. Her late husband may have left her the business, but she’s supposed to have found someone else to run it for her, or sold it. Olivia should not be running it herself. Ladies don’t run businesses. Not even ladies whose husband’s titles are only a couple of generations old.

But Olivia not only runs Greywell’s, she’s damned good at it. And she enjoys the responsibility. She can’t go back to being just an ornament at society parties, or just a do-gooder at charities. She knows those things are empty.

So when George Pryce starts threatening her business, she tries to get the law to help her. But George’s family is old money, and no one will help her.

Until one night she steps out of Greywell’s, and into one of her dime novels. There, on the London streets, the hard men who threaten her get beaten down by a real, honest-to-goodness, Western cowboy. Complete with Stetson.

Will Coffin, born and raised in the West, simply couldn’t let a bunch of scoundrels rough up a woman. Any woman. Let alone a lady. And Olivia Xavier is a lady to Will, whether she has a title or not.

They need each other. Olivia needs Will, not just to keep Pryce’s men at bay, but to organize her own workers against the men of privilege. Will needs Olivia to help him on his quest. He came to London in search of his roots, and she can help him find them.

But the more time they spend together, the more they realize that they just need each other, as partners. As someone who sees them as they really are, and not as what society preconceives them to be.

But when Will finds out who his parents came from, it seems that society’s dictates just might rule the day after all.

Verdict: What made Lady X’s Cowboy so much fun was that the story worked on two levels. First, it is a terrific historic romance. Olivia and Will make a great couple, partly because they are so unexpected. They shouldn’t work, even before Will finds out where his parents’ came from. But they do. They grow towards a partnership. Some of that is because Olivia is unconventional; her widowhood allows her to break free of many of the strictures usually placed around women. And Will expects a woman to be more than London society allows because of his background. There are no parlors on the frontier. Everyone has to pull their own weight.

But their relationship develops gradually, out of their friendship and business partnership. It’s fun to watch and based on mutual respect and admiration and very, very hot.

The other aspect was that every assumption that everyone has about everything turns out to be wrong. From the very beginning, Olivia thinks certain things about Will because of the dime-novels she reads, and they’re all wrong. Society thinks certain things about her that are all wrong. Everyone’s expectations of everybody get stood on their head, over and over.

I am very happy to give Lady X’s Cowboy 5 bright shiny stars!

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.