Chat with Deborah Cooke on Wednesday at RRT!!!!

Come chat with Deborah Cooke!

Date: Wednesday November 11, 2009

Time: 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm EST

Location: http://client0.addonchat.com/sc.php?id=102122
Notes: Paranormal author Deborah Cooke joins us to discuss her book, WINTER KISS. Door prize: One lucky winner will receive a signed copy of WINTER KISS! Moderated by CrazyMo.


Learn more about Deborah Cooke and WINTER KISS by visiting her website at http://www.deborahcooke.com/

Spotlight Review: Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts

BED OF ROSES - Nora Roberts
Bride Quartet, Book 2
Berkley Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-425-23007-7
November 2009
Contemporary Romance


Greenwich, Connecticut - Present Day

With Spring struggling to the surface and the wedding season in full swing, Emmaline Grant couldn’t be happier. Sure, her workdays are longer and Vows, the company that she and her three best friends own, often has back-to-back bookings making free time almost non-existent, but there’s nothing more joyful than weddings. The lack of time for a social life isn’t much of a concern to Emma, as she’s yet to meet a man who hits a ten on her “spark-o-meter” and, having been successful in redirecting her latest date’s attention elsewhere, Emma is content. Then, the strangest thing happens: she has a moment with Jack Cooke. She and Jack have been friends ever since her best friend Parker’s brother introduced them, but she’s never come close to kissing him before.

Jack’s dreamed of Emma for a few years now, but figures if he ever made a move on her she’d laugh in his face. Shortly after the almost-kiss though, he decides to take the plunge and kisses her during one of the wedding receptions. Their chemistry is hotter than he’d imagined and, since she doesn’t laugh in his face, Jack can’t wait to take things further than a kiss. Can their friendship survive the heat?

Four best friends are building a successful wedding-planning company and finding happiness for themselves along the way in the Bride Quartet. If you were to label each of the friends, Emma, the heroine of BED OF ROSES, would be the romantic one. The fairy-tale story of her parents falling in love and marrying has set the bar high for her, and she’ll settle for nothing less than the same. Jack, on the other hand, was devastated when his parents suddenly divorced, and he enjoys casual, short-term affairs. The long-standing friendship, not just between Jack and Emma, but also Parker, Del, Laurel, Mac and now including Mac’s fiancé Carter, may complicate things, but it also makes some things easier. Emma and Jack are comfortable with one another and, despite having known each other for so long, still find occasional surprises. Of course, having three best friends that know you so well means that they all have opinions and curiosity that knows no bounds.

A charmingly sweet romance, BED OF ROSES is a treat.

Jennifer Bishop

A Perfect 10: Skin Game by Ava Gray

SKIN GAME – Ava Gray
A Perfect 10
Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-23153-1
November 2009
Paranormal Romance

Multiple States across the Mid West United States - Present Day

Kyra Beckwith has screwed over a dangerous man, and she did it on purpose as payback. The man in question is casino owner and small time mobster Gerard Serrano who had Kyra’s father killed. She made him fall in love with her. He even wrote her poetry and was going to ask her to marry him. But Kyra got the last laugh and was able to steal a good chunk of his money right under his nose. Now Serrano is out for her blood and hires Reyes, a hit man, to retrieve his money and get rid of Kyra permanently.

Reyes may kill men for a profit, but he’s not comfortable killing a woman like Kyra, especially when he sees her in action hustling a pool game. Kyra is a hustler, a con artist who travels from dinky town to dinky town in her Mercury Marquis looking for the next score. Kyra lives for the action, much like her father did. But it got her father killed, and Kyra is not sure how much longer she can stay in the game. When Reyes comes to her aid, she decides to take him along for the ride. She thinks they will have one hot night together in a squeaky motel room bed and that will be it. What she doesn’t know is that Reyes is a hard man to outwit, and he won’t allow Kyra to skip out on him.

When Reyes tracks Kyra down again, she is wary, but there is something about him that makes her want to keep him. Not only can she touch him without draining her energy because of a secret, special ability she has that helps her with her cons, but she feels safe around him. She decides to make him her partner until she has had enough of the game and wants to drive off into the sunset. As Reyes gets to know the enigma Kyra is, he wouldn’t mind going off in the sunset with her also. He just has to figure out a way to keep her alive as well as find a way to tell her he was hired to snuff her out.

Talk about a book where you can feel the heat coming off the pavement! SKIN GAME is a thrilling read with a touch of paranormal, suspense and a steamy romance that will have you panting. The chemistry between Reyes and Kyra is hotter than hot. I knew things were going to be oh so good the moment Kyra asks Reyes what he wants with her and he thinks how great it would be to have her up against a wall.

Because Ava Gray has such a talent writing great character interaction, SKIN GAME excels in so many ways. The majority of the time the reader is witness to Kyra and Reyes on the road driving, playing their cons, or just eating. This may seem boring, but because Ms. Gray is able to expand on these actions, the reader can’t help but stay interested.

Even though Reyes and Kyra have made such an impression on me, there are other secondary characters to take note of. Serrano is a sad man so obsessed with power that it almost ruins him. He doesn’t realize that he is being played and played well by Addison Foster, the security chief for his casino. Foster is one of the biggest mysteries in SKIN GAME. He has deep-rooted secrets and may or may not have an ability much like Kyra has. His ambiguity will have readers wondering what his reasons are for the things that he does. Foster’s story, SKIN TIGHT will be out next summer, where he battles wits with Kyra’s dearest friend, Mia Sauter, who is also introduced in SKIN GAME and has some interesting interactions with Foster.

For those who don’t know, Ava Gray is also known as Ann Aguirre who writes outstanding science fiction as well as urban fantasy books. Her skills at writing a taut masterful tale have become well known, and as Ava Gray she has definitely done that here with SKIN GAME. SKIN GAME deserves RRT’S Perfect 10 for excellence.

Kate Garrabrant

Book Giveaway: THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS

The Heart of Christmas - Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick and Courtney Milan

HQN

Out now, at most book stores

Blurb:

A Handful of Gold

A love story from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh

Not only is Julian Dare dashing and wealthy, but he's the heir to an earldom. So what do you get a man who has everything? Innocent and comely Verity Ewing plans on giving Julian her heart—the most precious gift of all.

The Season for Suitors

An original romance from Nicola Cornick

After some close encounters with rakes in which she was nearly compromised, heiress Clara Davenport realizes that she needs some expert advice. And who better for the job than Sebastian Fleet, the most notorious rake in town? But the tutelage doesn't go quite as planned, as both Sebastian and Clara find it difficult to remain objective when it comes to lessons of the heart!

This Wicked Gift

An original romance from Courtney Milan

Lavinia Spencer has been saving her hard-earned pennies to provide her family with Christmas dinner. Days before the holiday, her brother is swindled, leaving them owing more than they can ever repay. Until a mysterious benefactor offers to settle the debt. Innocent Lavinia is stunned by what the dashing William White wants in return. Will she exchange a wicked gift for her family's fortune?

Want to win this? Just tell me what books you are looking forward to for December and your name will go into the 'pot' for a chance to win The Heart of Christmas.

Winner announed Wednesday night, November 11th. Good luck!

The winner of UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL is...

Congratulations to EMMA!

Emma, please email me at pattifischer@yahoo.com by 11/18/09 to claim your prize.

New Reviews Posted at Romance Reviews Today

Romance Reviews Today,

Issue 75, Volume 1, November 2, 2009

Contest:



Congratulations to Virginia Campbell - the Winner of the October Contest!


November Contest To Be Announced.

News/Information:

Romance Reviews Today is seeking enthusiastic readers to review. Must be willing to read / review from electronic ARC’s. Contact

mailto:terrie_figueroa@romrevtoday.com


REVIEWS:



We have 28 new reviews for your reading pleasure:

Anthology

A HIGHLANDER CHRISTMAS – Dawn Halliday, Cindy Miles, Sophie Renwick – Jani - Holiday Romance


Contemporary Fiction

SCANDAL SHEET – Gemma Halliday – Marilyn

SPINNING FORWARD – Terri Dulong – Marilyn

Contemporary Romance

A GREAT KISSER – Donna Kauffman - Jane

BED OF ROSES – Nora Roberts – Bride Quartet, Book 2 – Jennifer

HOT ON HER HEELS – Susan Mallery – Lone Star Sisters series, Book 4 – Carolyn

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT – Lisa Dale – Patti

THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS – Debbie Macomber – Diana –Holiday

Fantasy

HEROES AT RISK – Moira J. Moore – Courtney – Fantasy

Fantasy Romance

ON THE EDGE – Ilona Andrews - The Edge series, Book 1 – Lori – Fantasy Romance

WINTER KISS – Deborah Cooke – A Dragonfire Novel – Jani –Fantasy Romance


Historical Fiction

THE MEMOIRS OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS – Carolly Erickson – Amy

Historical Romance

ALASKAN RENEGADE – Kate Bridges – Jani – HSR #968

LORD SIDLEY’S LAST SEASON – Sherry Lynn Ferguson – Jane

SEDUCED BY HIS TOUCH – Tracy Anne Warren – Byrons of Braebourne Series, Book 2 – Diana

Mystery

HOLIDAY GRIND – Cleo Coyle – A Coffeehouse Mystery – Jennifer


Paranormal Fiction

UNHALLOWED GROUND – Heather Graham – The Ghost/Harrison Investigation Series, Book 10 – Diana –Thriller

Paranormal Romance

BIG BAD WOLF – Christine Warren – A Novel of the Others – Lori

COVET – J.R. Ward – Fallen Angel series, Book 1 – Erin

GARETH’S GAMBLE – Jean Hart Stewart – Robin

GUARDIAN – Claire Delacroix – Robin

POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT – Shayla Black – The Doomsday Brethren Book 3 – Jennifer

SKIN GAME – Ava Gray – A Perfect 10 – Kate – Paranormal Romance

THE BEAUTIFUL BEING – Jessica Inclan – The Cygirians, Book 3 – Lori

WILD MAGIC – Ann Macela – Magic Series, Book 4 – Lori

Regency

VERACITY IN TRUTH – Rose Renee Shelley – Jane

Romantic Suspense/Mystery/Thriller

LUKE – Cheyenne McCray – Armed and Dangerous, Book 2 – Jennifer

THE GIFT – Deb Stover – Jane – Paranormal

Find the reviews at www.romrevtoday.com

Spotlight Review: THE MOST WICKED OF SINS by Kathryn Caskie

THE MOST WICKED OF SINS – Kathryn Caskie

Seven Deadly Sins, Book 2
Avon Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-149101-6
September 2009
Historical Romance

London, England – 1816

We’ve all heard of the seven deadly sins, but here we have a different kind of seven deadly sins. Here we are referring to the seven children of the Duke of Sinclair. The Duke, at home in Scotland, has sent his seven children into London with just enough monetary support to get by. Their shenanigans have tried his patience, and now he especially wants his daughter, Lady Ivy Sinclair, to get married to a fine, upstanding, moderately wealthy man and become the kind of daughter he can be proud of. To ingratiate herself with Papa, Ivy has finally settled on the oh-so-worthy Lord Tinsdale. At Almack’s one evening, Ivy is waiting for Lord Tinsdale to finally declare himself when he spies the Irish beauty Fiona Feeney and takes her lemonade to the chit. Ivy is dumped, but her mind is going a mile a minute until she comes up with a plan to get Tinsdale back before her father comes to town and casts her out of the family. Now all she needs is a man…

Ivy’s plot is something only one of the Seven Deadly Sins could come up with. She will hire an actor, rent the townhouse of the Marquess Counterton, who has recently died (and society is waiting for his heir to appear), and pretend to be enthralled with him. Then the actor will pretend to notice Miss Feeney and take her away from Lord Tinsdale, and Tinsdale will come back to Ivy. Surely this is a most brilliant plan, and after Ivy kisses her actor, Dominic Sheridan, she can tell from his kiss that he is everything a woman could want in a man and will perform his task admirably.

Nick Sheridan is nonplussed at the idea he is the center of Ivy’s plot, but after that first kiss he is willing to do whatever she wants. Of course, what else could we ask for than he actually is the new Marquess Counterton, just come into town to claim his estate. Now he can find out why servants in his house are renting it out to Ivy for the nefarious scheme. For some reason, Ivy’s siblings are helping her, and the plan is on to get Lord Tinsdale to offer for her before her father comes to town. But the longer Nick is in Ivy’s company, the more he wants her to forget her plan and take a chance on him. As Lord Tinsdale gradually notices Ivy again, and her plan is coming into fruition, her feelings for Nick keep coming up. Will Ivy’s crazy plan work, and can she accept Lord Tinsdale’s offer after she’s kissed Nick? Such a cute and sweet story is sure to keep you interested.

Kathryn Caskie introduces us to the world of the ton and the beautiful people in London, including the Sinclair brothers and sisters. Written from Ivy's and Dominic’s points of view, we can put ourselves in Ivy’s place as the plot thickens to regain the regard of her father. The story is different and takes many surprise twists and turns as Ivy waits for her plan to succeed, and Nick does his best to make her believe that they are meant for one another.

The secondary characters include Miss Feeney, Lord Tinsdale, and Ivy’s brothers and sisters who are all part of a totally unique family. I can just imagine that life with that family was a wild and crazy ride.

THE MOST WICKED OF SINS follows TO SIN WITH A STRANGER (brother Sterling’s story, November 2008), and sister Siusan’s story will come in 2010. If historic novels are your thing, THE MOST WICKED OF SINS is sure to pique your interest and give you a great reading experience.

Carolyn Crisher