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Sunday, March 29, 2015

IT STARTED WITH A SCANDAL by JULIE ANNE LONG


 
BLURB:
Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword and a stone-cold conviction: he’ll restore his family’s fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach—when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green.

An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. Shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.

The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe’s barricaded heart . . . and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both.
 
MY REVIEW:
 
I have been a fan of Julie Anne Long (JAL) since she wrote Beauty and the Spy. I read that one and backtracked to her first two, she is that kind of writer. The kind that sucks you into her world and you don’t want to leave. With each new book, she writes you get to come back to Pennyroyal Green where our friends live. For me it’s like seeing family and I am one of them retuning to check and see who is pregnant and how the children are doing. Oh and making sure the Redmond’s and Eversea’s have not killed each other just yet. This newest addition to the town did not disappoint in the least!
We all should remember Lord Levey from Violet Redmond’s adventure to find her brother but found love. Levey was a man I wanted to know more about and made me laugh. He had/has great loyalty and goals for his life that get thrown off because by an attack. Levey is almost killed and in the telling he makes it sound as though it’s any anther day, for him it is. He is forced to stay in Pennyroyal Green to recover but can’t find good servants. 
Elise let her guard down once and swore to be much more careful in the future. Scandal follower her in whispers and looks. She holds her head high and refuses to let go of the one chance she has at survival. Lord Levey is a challenge though, and so are the servants she has to get into shape as the new housekeeper. The house is coated in dirt, fires are not lit, things are being stolen, and it is Elise’s job to get everything to rights with in a fortnight or she is out of luck and a job… 
One challenge and surprise for both of them is the desire that flares every time they are around one another. Levey needs to marry for money and Elise has none. Elise is determined not to make the same mistake twice, but when LOVE is involved sometimes, you need to let go of pre-conceived ideas.
Julie did a fantastic job with this book, I loved it from start to finish and everything in between. If you have not read any of this series, it can be read alone but I don’t recommend it. This is a series that should be read all of and trust me you will be hooked!
 
IT STARTED WITH A SCANDAL CHAPTER ONE PART THREE
 
Philippe glanced up in time to see Mrs. Fountain take a quick little extra step at the doorway of his chamber as she departed.
            It looked suspiciously like the beginning of a...frolic.
            He frowned.
            God, how the little details of the running of a household bored him. Odd, when the details involved in running a ship were so very similar and he relished those.  It was just that one was a job for a man, and one was a job for a woman.
            Her doubted Mrs. Fountain was that woman.
            Why should she succeed when three others had already failed? He'd sacked two of them and the third had fled.
            He of course already knew certain things about her—the things the worthy Mrs. Winthrop had chosen to divulge, anyhow—that she was capable of the job, at the very least—and the fact that the quality of her character had allegedly been endorsed by the Redmonds. His closest friend, the Earl of Ardmay, happened to be married to a member of that esteemed family
            If there was any advantage to all of the people and events that had led to his convalescent exile in Pennyroyal Green, Sussex, England—cutthroats and kings, seductions and beheadings, exquisite pleasure and excruciating pain, sword fights, gun fights, pirate fights, the utter destruction of his way of life until all that was left of him was the stony-cold, ruthless determination to restore it—it was that he could read people as fluently and swiftly as he read five languages. Questions were merely a way to distract his subject while he quietly summed them up..
            Mrs. Fountain's posture, her diction, her ability to look him in the eye and string together formal, persuasive English sentences, to use a word like “politics”...all of it betrayed more breeding than the usual housekeeper possessed. She was proud. Proud  people often did excellent work; proud people often thought they were above their work. Proud people would find it difficult ot use the servant's stairs. His intuition told him she had a temper.
            And she blushed and pet the furniture, as if she'd never seen velvet before.
            Mrs. Fountain, was also, he suspected, a trifle desperate.
            He knew a bit about desperation.
            But whilst she spoke, a spiral of glossy black hair had escaped from its bondage of hairpins and settled against her temple like a treble clef. She didn't seem to be aware of it. It was so at odds with her precise speech and rigid spine that his mind had blanked and he'd almost forgotten what he was about to say. He'd almost forgotten to even think.
            He sighed. He'd unnerved her. It didn't matter. She would doubtless be gone within a fortnight, and hopefully the desperate Mrs. Fountain wouldn't take the rest f his silver with her.
            Charm had begun to seem superfluous in light of other urgencies. Certainly it had been no defense against the band of cutthroats who'd attacked him in London and left him with a lot less blood, a little less money, few more scars, and in debt to the last person on earth to whom he wished to owe his life.
            And he always, without fail, honored his debts.
            He stood again, slowly, stiffly and turned toward the window.
            The rain had ceased, and the sun was beginning to drop, and the sky was blushing.
            Pink had rushed into Mrs. Fountain's cheeks when he'd told her she could have the job. It had been rather like the sun rising to illuminate a delicate landscape. He'd ducked his head, feigning distraction, to spare her dignity.
            But not before he'd noticed a tiny impression, a dimple, in her chin. He'd imagined pressing the tip of his finger into it, just so.
            Perhaps further indication that he was right to ease up on his laudanum.
 
 
About JULIE ANNE LONG
USA Today bestselling author JULIE ANNE LONG originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up (and she has the guitars and fringed clothing stuffed in the back of her closet to prove it), but writing was always her first love. Since hanging up her guitar for the computer keyboard, her books frequently top reader and critic polls and have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Rita, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and The Quills, and reviewers have been known to use words like “dazzling,” “brilliant,” and “impossible to put down” when describing them. Julie lives in Northern California.

Visit Julie at http://www.julieannelong.com,
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJulieAnneLong, or twitter.com/JulieAnneLong
 

 
Where to buy IT STARTED WITH A SCANDAL


 
 

Friday, March 20, 2015

*****EROTICA**** Sinful Rewards 9 by Cynthia Sax

SYNOPSIS:
 
No longer torn between the billionaire and the biker, Bee has claimed her man, branding his skin with her scent, his soul with her care. He’s her ideal choice, building passion within her she didn’t know existed, supporting her dreams, and willing to do anything for her.

But is she the ideal choice for him?

An early-morning surprise attack and the arrival of a beautiful, witty, and regrettably nice rival make Bee question her decision. Does she step aside, forgoing her forever to ensure her man’s survival, or does she risk his life and her heart on love?
Releases: March 17th
 
 
 
PG Excerpt #1
 
I limp toward Dawg. “Here.” I hand him the phone. “Next time you tattle on me, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share every little detail.”
 
“He asked, miss.” Dawg doesn’t appear at all contrite.
 
“A distracted marine is a dead marine.” I quote Mack, one of Hawke’s men. “Whether Hawke asks or not, you’re not to call him with trivial concerns while he’s on an assignment. Got it?”
 
The older man maintains my gaze. “Got it.” He doesn’t look away, his lips silently moving as though he’s debating with himself.
 
I raise an eyebrow.
 
“He wants you to talk to Hawke, to tell him I’m ready to lead the high-profile assignments.” Ellen’s eyes glitter with excitement.
 
“That is Organization business,” Dawg barks. “He wouldn’t appreciate us discussing it.”
 
She shrugs.
 
Hawke knows she can lead the high-profile assignments, but I don’t relay this because Dawg’s right. My military man won’t appreciate them discussing Organization business, not with me, an outsider.
 
Plus I’m not certain he will ever delegate this responsibility. I won’t raise my new friend’s hopes.
 
“Do you really want to lead those assignments?” I gaze at her. How crazy is she? “They’re extremely dangerous.”
 
“They’re challenging, not extremely dangerous.” Ellen rolls her eyes. “The team is thorough. We reduce the risk of assignments to almost nothing.”
 
They reduce the risk of assignments to almost nothing. My lips flatten. There’s still a chance that Hawke could die, could leave me forever.
 
If Ellen was his girl, our relationship would end, but he might live.

 
MY REVIEW:
Once a choice is made can you really go back? Bee has made her choice to followed her heart.  If only her brain allowed her to be happy. Thoughts of being abandoned still plague her but in a different way now. She thinks all is going well; she is making friends, earning others respect only to be shot down buy the one person she thought would understand.  Still broke, no job and  no place that is truly hers to live, Bee still can’t get ahold of the things she craves… Stability, Dependability, and Security in her future.
 We get to see more of Hawke and Nicolas as this new installation continues. As we near the end (only three more sections left) I find myself drawn to Nicolas more. Don’t get me wrong Hawke is still holding his own but I am seeing more of a vulnerability  and human side to the once cold billionaire. I hope to see more people from Cynthia Sax’s other books in the last three, billionaires do seem to be cold and calculated until they meet the women that hold their hearts. I see why Bee sought out Nicolas so determinedly.
So far we have seen many ups and downs in Bee Carter’s life, along with learning about her men. It will be sad and thrilling to see what happens to the triangle in the coming books. Cynthia still has the secret of “who is Friendly” to reveal and the conclusion that we are all waiting for… Keep reading with me to learn all the secrets and future happiness or heartache that might come.   
 
Author Bio
CYNTHIA SAX lives in a world filled with magic and romance. Although her heroes may not always say “I love you,” they will do anything for the women they adore. They live passionately. They play hard. They love the same women forever.

Cynthia has loved the same wonderful man forever. Her supportive hubby offers himself up to the joys and pains of research, while they travel the world together, meeting fascinating people and finding inspiration in exotic places such as Istanbul, Bali, and Chicago.

Please visit her on the web at
www.CynthiaSax.com.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

In your Wildest Scottish Dreams by Karen Ranney


Blurb

New York Times bestselling author Karen Ranney's first novel in a brand-new series spins the intriguing story of a beautiful widow and a devilishly handsome shipbuilder...

 

Seven years have passed since Glynis MacIain made the foolish mistake of declaring her love to Lennox Cameron, only to have him stare at her dumbfounded. Heartbroken, she accepted the proposal of a diplomat and moved to America, where she played the role of a dutiful wife among Washington's elite. Now a widow, Glynis is back in Scotland. Though Lennox can still unravel her with just one glance, Glynis is no longer the naïve girl Lennox knew and vows to resist him.

 

With the American Civil War raging, shipbuilder Lennox Cameron must complete a sleek new blockade runner for the Confederate Navy. He cannot afford any distractions, especially the one woman he's always loved. Glynis's cool demeanor tempts him to prove to her what a terrible mistake she made seven years ago.

 

As the war casts its long shadow across the ocean, will a secret from Glynis's past destroy any chance for a future between the two star-crossed lovers?

 
 

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

The Cowboy Rock Star by KC Klein



KC Kline has a talent with words and tension build up I loved in this book.  DJ fell for her brother’s best friend when she was fifteen only to be heartbroken when she learned he was not who she wanted him to be. Brent had dreams of stardom, being more than his family and small town thought he was capable of. He made it all come true, but at the expense of losing parts of himself, he didn’t know he wanted or needed.  When writers block and a risk of losing his “rock star” career turns serious he heads home. Derrek, Brent’s best friend and DJ’s brother lets him use the bunkhouse of their ranch for as long as he needs. Brent thinks he is getting a free vacation on the peaceful ranch, until Derrek asks him to help get DJ out of the house more. Derrek is worried DJ will get to old and loose her fun side because of responsibility. What the big brother doesn’t realize is that the pair have a spark that never went out all those years ago. Brent can’t resist baiting DJ unlit she lets him kiss her. DJ tries to stay strong but Brent is just to much a part of her past and if he could grow up, maybe her future?

                I loved this book because the pair don’t fall into bed right away, they even make you wonder if it will lead there at all. The chemistry is there, the passion, but not the trust or the faith that Brent won’t leave. DJ is a woman who fears being left behind and Brent thinks he is only good enough for one night stands and “fun”. To read this book was to watch two people realize that no matter what you have accomplished in life if you can’t see yourself for who you really are, then you could miss out on something pretty amazing…  I truly hope KC writes more about Somewhere, TX because I can’t wait to learn about the rest of this wonderful towns people…

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Soon to come!

Hello all!!
I am reading a few books right now and will be reviewing them soon... If there is ever an author or book you would like me to feature on here please let me know. Since the move and new job I've been trying to find more time to read. So please stay with me and keep an eye out for great book news!!