Sunday's Oldies but Goodies......

Good Morning!
Today's Oldie but Goodie is...

Say No to Joe?
by Lori Foster

Released 2003

When I read an author for the first time and I am hooked, I will go out of my way to buy all of the author’s novels.

Such was the case with Say No to Joe? by Lori Foster.

Say No to Joe? is the story of Luna Clark, psychic assistant, and Joe Winston, former cop and badass bounty hunter. Luna has just been informed that she is now guardian to two children (distant cousins) because their mother has died. There seems to be trouble surrounding the kids, and Luna enlists Joe’s help to keep things under control in Visitation, North Carolina. (I found out later that Joe and Luna met previously in Lori Foster’s book Wild)

When they arrive in Visitation, they find out everyone believes the trouble has been caused by the youngest, Austin, who has been running wild since the death of his mother, but things are not always what they appear to be. Add to the cast Jamie, a local recluse who appears to really be psychic - Scott, the sheriff who is floored when Joe’s sister Alyx shows up - Julie Rose, the local teacher - and Bryan, another bounty hunter who happens to be after the same guy Joe was after before leaving for North Carolina, and you have a recipe for a great afternoon read.

The best thing about this novel? It is the first in a series of books that take place in Visitation, and they include most of the characters introduced in this book, as well as a few others. (I now have them all – YAY!)

The heat level in this novel is very sensual, but done very appropriately – in other words, the love scenes are not just thrown in for the heck of it.

You can visit Lori Fosters website at www.lorifoster.com
Her website is a lot of fun, and she has her novels arranged so you can tell which ones are related to others.

Happy Reading!

ROWAN HOOD by Nancy Springer

Bear with me, Blog Buddies. I know this isn't a romance novel. The fact is we read a lot more books besides romances and it seems inevitible that this blog is going to branch out into other genres. I won't be changing the name, since it's already established. But, I may do some re-structuring to accomadate our occasional non-romance book. Besides, what is romance? To me, it's about love. And there is more to love than merely boy-meets-girl.

Recently, I began the process of Slashing & Burning a Young Adult story of mine into a submission-ready manuscript. So, I went searching for similar novels. ROWAN HOOD is more suitible for Middle Grade, I believe. Since I write that too, that's okay.

"Daddy loves me." This is a basic need-to-know for all children. Experts and cynics and deadbeat parents have tried to deny it since the origin of the species. Nevertheless, like food and water every human child needs to know it. If this is never confirmed, he or she will grow up emotionally crippled in some way. I know I did.

I would have adored this book as a 10 year old child. I loved the tales of Robin Hood, but was always annoyed that the girls didn't get to have any fun.

The story begins with Rowan's mother being burned as a witch, which is not actually shown. Fearing the same will happen to her, Rowan flees into the forest to search for her father - Robin Hood - whom she has never met. She makes a few friends on the way, helps rescue a princess running away from having to marry an old goat, but doesn't tell Robin Hood she's his daughter when she does find him. In fact, she doesn't even tell him she's a girl for fear he won't want her around at all.

Just after Rowan rescued the Princess, I was thinking, okay, this going to be lame. Rowan's heroics should be more personal in nature. And then Robin Hood is captured by the evil Sherrif of Nottingham and Rowan leads the plan to rescue him. There's another twist in the story before the end. The ending isn't what I would have written, but it is a happy one nonetheless.

I love a good story anywhere I can find it. I even read picture books for my own pleasure, whether my children are crawling on me or not. Besides ROWAN HOOD being a good example of an upper Middle Grade novel, it was also a fun read. My own darlings will be getting this one too, which is saying a lot. I'm very picky about what they read because, as a homeschool mom, one of my jobs is to help them learn what quality storytelling is all about. That way as they grow up and begin to choose their own books, they'll know how to find the good stuff on their own.

Sunday's Oldies but Goodies......

Greetings!

Today's Oldie but Goodie is....

Spellbound in Seattle
by Garthia Anderson

Released March 2003

In an alternate reality, Earth is inhabited by full-blown wizards, folks with just a dose of magic, and folks like Petra W. Field, who couldn't weave a spell if her life depended on it. She is new to Seattle, having moved quite abruptly from her hometown, and strange things have started happening to her.


The strangest being the gigantic hole in the rug she just bought at the market. An ugly rug with pigs on it. (Petra thinks pigs are adorable).


The hole in the rug leads to a strange desert. (like having a regular desert in your rug isn't strange enough?)


Enter Vorador, Grand Wizard of Seattle, who arrives to help Petra figure out what the hole is doing there. What he doesn't tell Petra is that the rug belongs to an Amazon who was killed, and the hole in the rug may hide the clues to her murderer. (Vorador thinks pigs are cool.)


This story centers around the search for clues as to who put the hole in Petra's rug, but evolves into a search for a killer. Added into the mix is a feline with a really bad attitude, a wizard who like to use charm spells to make himself more...well...charming, and an Amazon with a chip on her shoulder. This may seem like a heavy-handed story, but it really is not. The entire cast of characters reminds me of the TV show Friends, but with a magical twist.


Right off, the interaction between Petra and Vorador had me smiling. She is kind of a smart-ass, and Vorador is quite solemn most of the time. The cutest thing is when Vorador tries to cast spells around Petra but they don't work. (She's kind of a 'black hole' around spells because she has no magical ability whatsoever) There are also a few surprises in store for this couple as they work out their differences and find the path to true love.


There are quite a few twists and turns in this story. It keeps you guessing until close to the end who exactly the killer is. The heat level is sensual, but is appropriate to the story. (Nothing kills a story for me quite like a random love scene thrown in for the heck of it.). Spellbound in Seattle is Garthia Anderson's debut novel, and it is a fun one!


You can find out more about the author at her website www.garthiaanderson.net


Happy reading!

Keeper Books

Good afternoon! A day early and a book review short. I meant to review THE PENNY TREE, Holly Kennedy's newest release. Between a busy week and a poor little Barfing Baby, I couldn't get to the store to get it. Sorry. Instead, I've decided to list my Keeper Books, some of which were featured on past months on my personal blog, Star Captains' Daughter. These are the books I'd cram in a suitcase before other essentials of life if I was allowed only one suitcase to move to an alien planet forever with no future access to new books.

Fiction:

RUMBLE ON THE BAYOU by Jana Deleon
- This was her debut novel. Her second, UNLUCKY, comes out in November, I think. Highly Sensual.

ONE GOOD KNIGHT by Mercedes Lackey
- I have the next in the series, FORTUNE'S FOOL, on order. Sweet.

SWEET SENSATION by Gwyneth Bolton
-Sensual

GAMES OF COMMAND by Linnea Sinclair
-Sensual

STAR KING & STAR PRINCE by Susan Grant
- I can never decide between the two! Sensual.

ACORNA The Unicorn Girl by Ann McGraffey & Elizabeth Bell
- Sweet.

BULLETPROOF SOUL by Michelle Buckley
- Highly Sensual.

Fiction from My Childhood:

BABY ISLAND
- Yes, I've been baby-crazy since I was born!

CHRONOCLES OF NARNIA by C.S. Lewis, especially THE HORSE AND HIS BOY and VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, especially ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK

Non-Fiction:

SECRETS OF THE BABY WHISPERER by Tracy Hogg

401 WAYS TO GET YOUR KIDS TO WORK AT HOME
- For some reason, my children don't like this one as much as I do.

TOILET TRAINING IN LESS THAN A DAY
- Yes, it works!

SOS! HELP FOR PARENTS
- A thorough guide on the Time-Out method of discipline.

THE WELL-TRAINED MIND by Jessie Wise & Susan Wise Bauer
- Our favorite book on home education.

*What are your Keeper Books and why?
:O)

Sunday's Oldies but Goodies......

And the pick this week for the Oldies But Goodies review is......

Ransom
by Julie Garwood

Released in 1999

Ransom begins at the home of the Lady Gillian and her sister, Christen. Their father’s estates are under attack, and Christen is able to get away with the help of her father’s soldiers. Gillian is not so lucky. Gillian witnesses her father’s murder, and is forced to go live with her uncle in the northern wilds of England.

Forward 14 years later, and Gillian is summoned back to her father’s home, where Baron Alford, the man who murdered her father, has been keeping house. It would seem that Alford has reason to believe that Christen is in possession of a jeweled box that he covets, and he charges Gillian to find her sister and bring him back the treasure. Alford has also kidnapped a small boy from the highlands – the youngest brother of the Laird he believes is hiding Gillian’s sister.

Gillian manages to escape, taking the boy, Alec Maitland, with her, and she is able to get word to the boy’s godfather that she is in need of his assistance. She gets his attention by claiming to be his betrothed, hoping it will bring him quickly.

Alec’s godfather is Brodick, Laird Buchanan, and he is stunned by the audaciousness of the Lady Gillian. He is also in danger of falling for this very English Lady, and he doesn’t quite know how to deal with that.

I do not want to go into too much more of this story, because there are quite a few twists and turns to it. They make the story that much more enjoyable. Ransom is the second book in a two-book series – the first being ‘The Secret’. Both Brodick and Ramsey are introduced as minor characters in that novel.

There is a side story happening in this book as well. Gillian befriends a sassy Scottish lady while in the Highlands by the name of Brigid KirkConnell, and Brigid has been secretly in love with Brodick’s best friend, Laird Ramsey Sinclair since she was a little girl.

Julie Garwood does a beautiful job describing the surroundings of the characters. There were times that I would swear I could describe Ramsey’s holding, down to the front steps, and everything inside the great hall. I love a good story that can pull me in with such beautiful detail, and Ms. Garwood definitely delivers.

The heat level in this book is very sensual, with all of the love scenes taking place…well, I can’t tell you, because it would give away the story too much! I will just tell you that the scenes are very appropriate to the story, and are not just thrown in for the heck of it.

Julie Garwood has a beautiful website as well. Please visit her at http://www.juliegarwood.com/ for a complete list of books, links to order, and some fun, interactive stuff!


Happy reading!

MY FAVORITE EARTHLING by Susan Grant

This is another one it seems like I’ve reviewed a bazillion times already, but I’ve actually only just finished reading it. This is what happens when several favorite authors release new books within weeks of each other! We tossed a wild Cyber-Launch party for it on starcaptainsdaughter.blogspot.com in March. Queen Keira showed up, skinned some Tribbles, and made herself a fur coat which she later vaporized because it had fleas. EARTHLING is a New Release on the Enduring Romance website.

Let me tell ya, Queen Kiera is the kind of girlfriend you want around to hide behind when people annoy you. She’s wicked with her throwing daggers. The heat level in this one is *Highly Sensual*, but, hey, the couple in question are newlyweds after all. Besides, galaxy queens don't find their little moon princesses in Rygalian cabbage patches, yanno.

Earth's gonna catch it over faking a fleet of spaceships if someone doesn't do something fast. The hero learns over six billion people are depending on him to marry Queen Keira as part of a peace treaty to head off conquest. His new wife has been known to castrate unsuitable suitors with her plasma sword. Providing he survives the honeymoon, will they find happiness on the Final Frontier?

MY FAVORITE EARTHLING is the second in a trilogy which started with YOUR PLANET OR MINE? The third is coming out this autumn, HOW TO LOSE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN 10 DAYS. You can learn more at www.susangrant.com. Ms. Grant also has a blog and MySpace you can connect with through her website.

Sunday's Oldies but Goodies......

Greetings, all!

And the pick this week for the Oldies But Goodies review is......

A Rose in Winter
By Shana Abe

Released January, 1998

The first time I read this book was 2001. I happened upon it while looking for some books for my boys at a local used book store. (Okay, so I wandered away from the children’s section ~ it couldn’t be helped.)

I was hooked before the prologue was over.

A Rose in Winter is the story of Lady Solange, the daughter of the Marquess of Ironstag, and Damon Wolf, orphan and future Lord of Wolfhaven. Solange and Damon have known since childhood that they were meant to be married, but Solange’s father has other ideas. The Marquess of Ironstag instead marries off his daughter to the Earl of Redmond, having to threaten Damon in order to win Solange’s cooperation.

And so begins eight years of Hell for Solange. Redmond is evil, and Solange is trapped, until one night when everything changed. Redmond dies, and Damon appears at the gates of Redmond’s estate in France with news of her father’s death. Solange uses the opportunity to escape back to England with him, and along the way, both of them re-discover what it truly means to be soul-mates.

I will not give away the ending. I will only say that all is not as serene as it appears, and Damon and Solange will have to overcome a lot of mistrust and hurt feelings between them before all is said and done.

This book is the reason I love a good historical romance. The story of Solange and Damon will break your heart, even as you see the two of them healing the rift that separates them after so many years. The heat level in this book is very sensual, with both characters falling in love all over again.

If you love a good, solid historical romance, then Shana Abe is your girl. You can visit her website at www.shanaabe.com and view her booklist. Ms. Abe also has links to amazon.com for each book should you make up your mind to purchase one. (or several!).


Ms. Abe has graciously agreed to stop on by today (YAY!) so please, if you have read this book, let her know ~ ask a question ~ or just pop in and say hi.




Happy reading!

Tomorrow's Review...

Greetings, Romance lovers!




Tomorrow, best-selling author Shana Abe will be dropping by!

So please stop in, say hi, and feel free to ask her a few questions.


I will be reviewing her very first novel, 'A Rose In Winter'. (One of my all-time faves!)



Happy reading!

New Review Tomorrow!!!

Don't forget to pop in tomorrow for Lady Bronco's review of a historical. She says the author is going to stop by to comment and answer questions. That's always fun.

Want to be linked to us? We need book recommendations for the Enduring Romance website! Please tell us about your favorite books in the comment section. If we list your recommendation, we will post your link on the front page of the website. Thank you!

GAMES OF COMMAND by Linnea Sinclair

Thought I might as well post this now, since it's ready to go.

It feels like I’ve reviewed this one a bazillion times already! My very first Cyber-Launch party was for GAMES. My first New Release graphic on the Enduring Romance website was for GAMES, and I wrote a little diddy for that too. Heck, I was even wearing my GAMES OF COMMAND sweatshirt when I bought my GAMES OF COMMAND book. It’s official. I’m a junkie. Truthfully, though, GAMES deserves it. If it was just an okay book, I wouldn’t have done any of that stuff.

Captain Tasha Sebastion is no Janeway. She has lots of secrets. She works behind her commanding officer’s back. No wonder her crew gave her a pink t-shirt that says ‘No No Bad Captain’ on it. But, she’s not the only one who has secrets.

Admiral Branden Kel-Paten’s been secretly in love with Tasha for years and he’s finally managed to get her as his second-in-command. The thing is, he’s half machine and half human. He’s terribly insecure about that around her and she has no idea about his true feelings.

A mercenary comes on board and blows everything apart. Tasha and her friends start working behind Kel-Paten’s back. She’s afraid he’ll kill her or something if he finds out she was once a very bad girl. Thankfully, she’s got her pet furzel Tank to help out.

Obviously, this is my favorite Linnea Sinclair book ever. I couldn’t speed-read it at all. It’s Kel-Paten who made it the story that it is. He’s the best hero I’ve read in a looong time. Ironically, he’s the most human hero and the most real. The pain and fear he harbors over his secret love for Tasha made me want to make him a cup of cocoa with marshmellows in it. Consequently, the love scene with Tasha is truly amazing. The entire story from the start built up to it and brought such dimension to their relationship. I understand that every reader has their favorite cup of tea, but Linnea got this aspect of the Romance novel as close to perfection as I’ve ever read. If you write romance, you should read this novel for the example she sets alone.

Linnea Sinclair’s next book comes out this autumn and is entitled DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES. You can learn more about her at www.linneasinclair.com. She also contributes to the aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com on Mondays.

Tune in next week for my review of MY FAVORITE EARTHLING by Susan Grant, another one I Cyber-launched and feel as if I've already reviewed a bazillion times even though I really just finished reading it. This is what happens when you have several favorite authors release new books in the same month!

Next Sunday....

Greeetings, fellow Romance lovers!


This Sunday, the author of the book I will be reviewing has graciously agreed to stop on over for a few and say hi, perhaps even answer a few questions.

So, Blog Buds...make sure to stop on over this Sunday ~
and if you love historicals, you are going to love this!


LadyB