Romance Novels

The best books you should be reading right now! Each fortnight we will be recommending five of our favourite releases that we think you will love. Just click the book cover to be taken to our full review or its Goodreads page. We hope you find some fabulous reads and maybe a few new authors too. Happy Reading! 1. TANGLED by Emma Chase A funny, sexy romp of a romance that will have you laughing out loud one minute and all hot and bothered the next. Written from the view point of the hero, we get an insight into the male psyche and oh what fun it is. The first in the Tangled series, once you’ve read it you’ll be begging for book two. (Contemporary Romance)  2. THE QUEEN OF THE DEAD by Kate Locke A fast-paced and witty adventure featuring a feisty heroine. This latest instalment in The Immortal Empire series will leave you laughing out loud at the brilliant one-liners. With a plot full of twists and turns, a hot and steamy romance, and action scenes that never fail to pack a punch. (Urban Fantasy)  3. RIVER ROAD by Suzanne Johnson A great second instalment in the Sentinels of New Orleans series, combining supernatural mystery and sexual chemistry between the heroine and several male characters. A cracking read full of wizards, shape-shifters, hot Mermen and more sexy leading men than you can shake an elven stick at! (Urban Fantasy)  4. DOWN LONDON ROAD by Samantha Young A romance novel that takes you to hell and back with all the emotional highs and lows, but one that will also leave you with a warm feeling inside. A fantastic read that combines love and lust with tension and suspense in equal measure. And a conclusion that will leave you perfectly satisfied. (Contemporary Romance)  5. COMING HOME by Christine S. Feldman  A very well written romance, with a hero who’s strong, sexy and hilarious, and a heroine on a journey of self-discovery, individual struggles, getting past personal barriers and two people coming together despite everything they have been through. A short read but one that packs a punch. (Contemporary Romance)

I am running out the door to a hair appointment, and then diving back into copy edits, but I wanted to mark the 198th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo today.  When I was in high school, I thought about becoming an archaeologist, and I’m still fascinated with the profession!  A few months ago I read an article in “Archaeology” magazine about an unknown soldier’s skeleton found on the battlefield in Belgium, still with the musket ball that killed him in his ribs.  It was an amazing story (and it seems the search for the soldier’s ID is still going on).  Here are a few articles about the find: From the Daily Mail (“Early analysis suggests the remains are of a 20-year-old man, who was 5ft 1in tall with teeth worn by biting open gunpowder tubes.”) From the Huffington Post From the History Blog And a soldier’s letter from the battle at the British Library…. I wasn’t able to find any info on whether they had identified this man yet or not–if you know anything else, let me know! What are some of your favorite events and mysteries from history???

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at the Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is the Top Ten Books On Your TBR List For Summer 2013. I have loads, mainly review books, but lets see if I can pick just ten. Woot, woot!*All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry- I have heard insanely amazing things about this book! (goodreads/amazon)*Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan-LOOOOVED I'LL BE THERE (goodreads/amazon)*Reality Boy by A.S. King- Seriously love this woman's work! (goodreads/amazon)*Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney- Because summer wouldn't be summer without a bit of art and romance (goodreads/amazon)*The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas- The fantasy fan in me gets giddy just thinking about this book. (goodreads/amazon)*Where The Stars Still Shine by Trish Dollar- Love the cover! (goodreads/amazon)*New Money by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal- It's not summer without a southern gal moving to the big apple (goodreads/amazon)*This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales- Friendship, self discovery, AND music? Sold! Plus, MOSTLY GOOD GIRLS is amazeballs so...ya know. (goodreads/amazon)*Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young- Love this Sliding Doors concept. Go to a party, stay at home, live both lives? Awesome. (goodreads/amazon)*All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry- Two best friends in love with a guy who's music can awake an ancient evil? Sign me up! (goodreads/amazon)There you have it! What books are on your Summer TBR list?

A Bandit’s Stolen Heart by Michelle McLean (Blood Blade Sisters #1) Entangled Publishing (March 2013) Ebook, 254 pages Historical / Western Romance Cilla Richardson is a modern-day Robin Hood, well as modern as you can be in 1856. She robs from the rich, most notably her brother, Frank, the crooked sheriff and helps out the poor. Her life takes a change when she hits Leo, our hero, over the head during one of her raids. You can imagine he is a bit shocked when he finds out the bandit Blood Blade is Cilla and even more shocked at her proposition that he marry her sister. A Bandit’s Stolen Heart is a great book. I loved it! Imagine Robin Hood as a girl in the wild west. Cilla is Blood Blade, a notorious outlaw that is hired by the poor to steal back what was stolen from them. She is spunky, loyal and pretty. Leo is handsome, brave and married to her sister, Brynne. Oops! Cilla thought she was solving a problem by convincing Leo to marry her sister but created a bigger problem by falling in love with him. The author created a great love story with no sex and I didn’t miss it! Since Leo is technically married to Brynne, even if in name only, it would have created an even bigger moral dilemma if the two characters had sex. While I do love a nice steamy sex scene, it is a nice change when an author can keep things more historically accurate without the sex. Let’s face it, in the 1800′s sex before marriage was a no no for “nice girls”. Even though Cilla is a bandit, she is still a “nice girl”. The story itself also keeps you interested. I was more interested in what was going to happen next, than worrying about when or if the characters were going to hop into bed. The action was almost non-stop and I can say I was surprised by a few events. I honestly could not put the kindle down. VERDICT: Loved it! A Bandit’s Stolen Heart is almost non-stop action with a great love story. There are no steamy love scenes but the story does not need them, and it would have only hurt the characters to have included them. I can not wait for the next two books to come out. RATING:  MICHELLE MCLEAN ONLINE Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter BUY YOUR COPY

One of the things I’ve said for years was that readers would eventually love my longer stories.  A lot of the review sites have loved my stories but wanted more depth from the characters (This translates to longer stories, not better ones!) I’ve written bigger books, have had them shelved for years because I chased trends to make a name for myself.  But with the acceptance of Endangered from Red Sage Publishing, that trend slowly dies off. Sure I’ll still write shorter pieces, have to keep the name out, ya know? But Endangered is a story dear to my heart.  Joséf, the hero, is a man with secrets even he’s not aware of, and complex layers of character that required me to dig deep into both of us to find out who he is.  The journey took a long while and cost quite a lot in terms of struggling with inner demons.  Endangered starts off with him addicted to LS13, a highly addictive drug that hooks users on the first use. As an undercover cop playing rogue, Joséf was given a taste of the drug and forced to use, or blow his cover.  When we meet him he’s running from the crime organization he’d intended to tear down, only to be caught by Livía, famed Queen of San Francisco vampires. Of course Livía has her secrets too, in needing Joséf.  But when it comes to issues, she’s so far well adjusted, compared to him.  She knows her past, her future is always uncertain but for the one thing she needs of Joséf. Yet his addictive nature, which is what I really dug into, causes problems in both the relationship and the story outcome because he needed to see a different light.  He needed something inside to spark his desire to fight beyond the inner demons triggered by the drugs, the alcohol and the nature of his secrets….in that he’s got a beast of his own to contend with. When Livía brings out his true nature, she unleashes something powerful within him, something dark.  I had to really examine why the nature of Joséf’s beast was so violent and the only thing I came back with was that I was angry at the world. The difference between the 26 year old version of me who wrote that story and then and Joséf now is that both have learned to become comfortable with the darkness enough to let it out long enough that it gets acknowledged and dealt with, rather than buried.  In Joséf’s world, it took two women to show him what he needs. I hope you’ll join me on the ride with these characters in digging deeper to find what you’re looking for in a paranormal romance. Website:  Http://saschaillyvichauthor.com Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/author/saschaillyvich Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/saschaillyvich Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SaschaIllyvich GoodReads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2928546.Sascha_Illyvich YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/SaschaIllyvich?feature=mhee

I have had numerous friends recommend John Green novels to me over the years, now I finally know what they were talking about! The Fault in Our Stars is the June selection for the FLICKS Book & Movie club, and we will have a lot to discuss at our meeting this week.I knew going in that this book would be sad. It is the love story of two teenagers that meet at a Cancer support group. Hazel has terminal Stage Four Cancer, but has been reprieved the past few years by a miracle drug. She still has to carry around her own tank of oxygen everywhere she goes in order to breath. She may be seventeen, but she has already graduated from high school and is taking classes as a local college. After deciding she suffers from depression, her mother takes her to a cancer support group. Hazel soldiers through it, until the fateful day that she meets Augustus Waters. Augustus is in remission after having his leg removed.Augustus and Hazel hit it off right away. They have hilariously witty dialogue and begin their relationship by recommending books to each other, which is my idea of a perfect way to meet! The book goes through their relationship and it is not always pretty, but it did show the humanity of the characters and what it means to live and love.I made the mistake of reading a review of this book before I wrote my own (something I usually avoid) and the one I read faulted the book for the two teenage main characters speaking at levels they thought were beyond their years. I disagree with that review. Why is it that teenagers are always assumed to be stupid by people older than them? Looking back at my teenage years from my thirties, I still think I was pretty adult and responsible for my age. I also think my friends and I had a good understanding of life and witty dialogue. All teenagers are not silly idiots that can’t have a deep discussion about literature or death. Besides all of this, I think that Augustus and Hazel are forced into wisdom beyond their years by having to face their mortality at a young age. Also hanging out in a cancer ward of a hospital and seeing other kids that you have befriended die, would have to age someone.As a mother, one point that struck me the most about this novel was Hazel’s overwhelming concern for her own mother and what would happen to her after her own death. While sick in the hospital, she had heard her mother tell her father that she wouldn’t be a mother anymore after Hazel died. Hazel was struck by this and the thought of herself destroying her own parents’ lives after her death consumes her. This makes her obsessed with her favorite novel, An Imperial Affliction, which is also about a teenage girl grappling with cancer. That book ends with an incomplete sentence and Hazel is consumed by the idea that she needs the answer to the fate of the protagonist (Anna’s) mother and the other people in her life, so much so, that she contacts the author. What ensues is both hilarious and painful.I don’t want to describe too much more and ruin the book for those that have not read it. I can say though that this was a wonderful novel, well worth the recommendations. I will definitely be reading more John Green novels. This book has stayed in my thoughts in the two weeks since I’ve read it. It was one of those books that I had a very hard time putting down to do anything else, it consumed me. I highly recommend this book, but keep the tissues handy.Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library

As a lover of all things Jane Austen, I am not sure why I have not signed up for the Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge yet. I love Austenprose.com, I loved the Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Challenge, and I love all things Pride and Prejudice. I blame my relatively new job and the family schedule with running kids around, but I am going to sign up before it’s too late!I would love to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice by reading/viewing the following:1. Listen to a Pride and Prejudice audiobook2. Listen to a Pride and Prejudice Radio Production (shortened like a play with various actors)3. Read the original Pride and Prejudice4. Watch the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice5. Read Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding6. Watch the movie Bridget Jones’s Diary7. Read a spin-off novel or twoThis puts me at seven items or so, which would make me a “Disciple.” I am looking forward to this!

I am having such a busy month! This past weekend we moved my daughter to Richmond, a feat that took up lots of time and energy in the last week. We also saw the Richmond relatives for Father’s Day and my nephew had this for his iPad–it’s a cover that looks like a vintage book. In search of something to talk about today, I went to Chambers Book of Days for today and found this entry– (it all seemed to fit….) THE ROXBURGHE CLUB This fraternity—the parent of the whole tribe of book-printing clubs which have occupied so broad a space in the literary system of our age—was formed on the 17thof June 1812. The plant shot forth from a hot-bed of bibliomania, which had been created by the sale of the Duke of Roxburghe’s library. On that occasion Earl Spencer, the youthful Duke of Devonshire, the Marquis of Blandford, and a whole host of minor men, lovers of old and rare books, were brought together in a state of high excitement, to contend with each other for the rarities exposed under the hammer of Mr. Evans, in the Duke of Roxburghe’s mansion in St. James’s Square. On the 16th of June, a number of them had chanced to dine together in the house of Mr. Bolland (afterwards Justice Bolland), on Adelphi Terrace. They had to look forward to the exposure on the ensuing day of a most rare and remarkable volume, a folio edition of Boccaccio, printed by Valdarfer of Venice in 1471. They agreed to meet again at dinner on the ensuing evening, at the St. Alban’s tavern, in order to talk over the fight which would by that time have taken place over the body of Valdarfer; and they did so. Earl Spencer, the unsuccessful candidate for the volume (which had sold at £2260), occupied the chair; Dr. Dibdin acted as croupier. There were sixteen other gentlemen present, all of them possessors of choice libraries, and all keen appreciators of scarce and curious books. The lively Dibdin tells us that they drank toasts which. were as hieroglyphical characters to the public, but’ all understood and cordially greeted by those who gave and those who received them.’ We may presume that the immortal memory of William Caxton was one of the most prominent; that sundry illustrious booksellers, and even notable binders (bibliopegists they called them), were not forgotten. The club was constituted by the persons there assembled; but by the time they had had two annual assemblages, the number was swelled to thirty-one, at which it was fixed. It was by an after thought that the club commenced its system of printing and reprinting, each member fixing upon some precious article, of which only as many copies were thrown off as afforded one to each, presented gratuitously. By this happy plan the friendly spirit of the brethren was of course promoted, at the same time that some valuable examples of ancient literature were rescued from oblivion. In the Scottish imitative societies—the Bannatyne Club, Maitland Club, &c.—the same plan was adopted; while in others of later institution the reprints have been effected by an equal annual subscription. The Roxburghe Club still exists today and has produced a remarkable number of books over the years. If you could have any antique book what would it be? Or do you own an antique book? (I own an 1815 edition of La Belle Assemblee!)

by Amy Wilkins, Harlequin Digital Did anyone else see Man of Steel this weekend? I did, and while I think Henry Cavill sure filled out those blue tights well, I have to admit my heart belongs to Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. What can I say, I have a weakness for billionaire playboy philanthropists Who is YOUR favorite superhero? All-American Captain America? Snarky billionaire Iron Man? Uber-manly Wolverine? Vote in the poll below, and tell us why in the comments! Take Our Poll

Looking for an easy summer getaway? Grab your girlfriends and head to Nashville for a special weekend with fellow book lovers in one of the South’s most vibrant cities! Held at the exquisite Opryland Resort from August 9–11, Debbie Macomber Fan Retreat offers the perfect way to experience the tastes, sounds and Southern charms of Nashville. Enjoy a weekend of fun without planning a thing Book your hotel room and your Fan Retreat ticket covers the rest! Get ready for an all-inclusive weekend of entertainment: listen to a country music band under the Tennessee stars; hop on a bus tour of Nashville’s landmarks and celebrity homes; dance the night away with friends at the Sock Hop Dinner; and spend time with one of America’s favorite authors, Debbie Macomber. Experience the famed Opryland Resort for less Fan Retreat guests will enjoy Opryland Resort‘s many amenities—luxurious guest rooms, acres of beautiful indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls, three pools to lounge by—all at an exclusive discount, making this the perfect weekend escape.   Exclusive perks at Fan Retreat At Fan Retreat you’ll also walk away with tons of swag: early access to Debbie Macomber’s new novel, Rose Harbor in Bloom; and special giveaways from event partners including FitBit, Celestial Seasonings and local favorite, GooGoo Clusters. Plus a one year subscription to ALL YOU. To lighten the load, we’re including a Debbie Macomber tote bag to help bring everything home!   Win a Consultation with Publishing Professionals Are you an aspiring writer? Sign up for the Fan Retreat between now and June 30th and your entered to win a consultation with a member from Debbie’s Random House publishing team. Meet with someone from editorial, marketing, or publicity to get an in-depth look at what goes on at a major publishing house and tips on how to navigate it all. For more information on Debbie Macomber Fan Retreat and tickets, go to MacomberRetreat.com.