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Showing posts from 2016

Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare #review

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Pages -   224 pages Publisher -  Avon Impulse Published -   April 30, 2013 Amazon -   Link Genre -  Regency Romance Series -  Book 2 of 5 in the Spindle Cove series Language -  Irrelevant Sexual Content -  3/5     Beautiful and elegant, Miss Diana Highwood is destined to marry a wealthy, well-placed nobleman. At least, that’s what her mother has loudly declared to everyone in Spindle Cove. But Diana’s not excited by dukes and lords. The only man who makes her heart pound is the village blacksmith, Aaron Dawes. By birth and fortune, they couldn’t be more wrong for each other…but during stolen, steamy moments in his forge, his strong hands feel so right. Is their love forged strong enough to last, or are they just playing with fire? (This is a novella of approximately 36,000 words. Also included is a two-chapter preview of Do You Want to Start a Scandal ,  9/27/16.) My first Tessa Dare novel, and I'm still not ready to decide if it will be my last. S

For Love of the Duke (The Heart of a Duke Series 1) by Christi Caldwell #review

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Pages - 309 Publisher - Christi Caldwell Publications Published - October 9, 2014 Buy Link - Christi Caldwell Genre - Historical Romance, Regency Sexual Content - 3/5 Language - Irrelevant After the tragic death of his wife, Jasper, the 8th Duke of Bainbridge, buried himself away in the dark cold walls of his home, Castle Blackwood. When he’s coaxed out of his self-imposed exile to attend the amusements of the Frost Fair, his life is irrevocably changed by his fateful meeting with Lady Katherine Adamson. With her tight brown ringlets and silly white-ruffled gowns, Lady Katherine Adamson has found her dance card empty for two Seasons. After her father’s passing, Katherine learned the unreliability of men and is determined to depend on no one except herself. Until she meets Jasper… In a desperate bid to avoid a match arranged by her family, Katherine makes the Duke of Bainbridge a shocking proposition—one that he accepts. Only, as Katherine begins to love Ja

Author's Blog Challenge - My #Top10 Movies List

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This week I'm asked to list my top-ten movies (of all time) and the challenge isn't as difficult as it might seem to some. Being an Oldies Movies buff and regularly tuning in to TCM and the Retro channels on cable, it is never a challenge to find some thing good to watch. But, not all of my favorites are B&W or released any time prior to 1950, either. Let me get Series films out of the way first and then on to my top-ten list. James Bond 007 I've watched them all, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig (and love Craig best), so to pick just one as a favorite is impossible. The Thin Man I'll be honest and say I love everything that starred William Powell, but this first in the series will always be my go-to movie when I need a pick-me-up. Miss Marple Not only have I read every Agatha Christie novel, I've also watched most every movie ever made about one of her mystery novels, and my favorite co

Kisses and Rogues: Four Regency Stories by Anthea Lawson #review

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Pages -  221 Published -  Sept 28, 2012 Author Page -   Anthea Lawson Amazon Buy -   Link Genre - Romance, Historical, Victorian, Collections & Anthologies Language -  irrelevant Sexual Situations -  2/5 Perspective -  3rd P SYNOPSIS ~Four sweet-to-spicy Regency Stories by USA Today bestselling author Anthea Lawson~ FIVE WICKED KISSES To pay off her father’s debt, Juliana Tate must accept five kisses from the Earl of Eastbrook... but she never suspects how delicious each kiss will be. MAID FOR SCANDAL Miss Anna Harcourt disguises herself as a maid to be near the man she think she loves, but little does she know how far this charade will lead her ... or how close to scandal. THE PIANO TUTOR Encouraged by her scandalous friend to take a lover, Lady Diana Waverly finds that the new piano tutor is more than he seems – especially when it comes to passion. TO WED THE EARL Miss Miranda Price detests her neighbor Edward Havens, the rakish Earl of Edgerton—bu

Almost Forever: An Austin Heroes Novel by Kathy Clark #review

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Genre -  Romantic Suspense Series -  Austin Heroes #2 Pages -  246 Publisher -  Loveswept Pub Date -  July 26, 2016 Kindle Edition -   Link Voice -  3rd P Sexual Content -  3/5 Language -  mild A cold case leads to blazing-hot temptation in this novel of romantic suspense from bestselling author Kathy Clark. For readers of Nora Roberts and Karen Robards, Almost Forever pairs a rugged lawman with a woman who may just be a murderer. Justin Archer is a Texas Ranger through and through, a loyal man devoted to the dangerous job he loves. But when the grisly discovery of a skeleton in a local vineyard turns an old missing-persons case into a vicious homicide, Justin finds that the toughest challenge of his professional career will be keeping his hands off his chief suspect: the dead man’s beautiful, young trophy wife. Did Lori Roberts kill for vast material gain? The only thing Justin knows for sure is that their chemistry is instantaneous—and overpowering. Lo

A #ReaderReviews Post

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I'll jump right in on this one because it's been on my mind for a while now and today encountered another 'trigger' instance that pushed me to write about it. I'm talking about Romance Reader / Reviewer reviews again. It's obvious (to me) that there are quite a few Romance readers (perhaps readers of other genres, too) who are very narrow-minded and live in-the-moment so as not to be taken seriously. However, when they under-rate a novel based on that way of thinking/believing, it does the author no justice -- which is why I've decided to speak my mind on the topic. If you follow me (lol) then you're aware of my having read a number of novels in a variety of genres. However, my favorite remains Romance novels, and I write Contemporary. On a daily basis, I browse this category in search of new reading material and will habitually scroll down to the reviews section and read them. I'll admit that most reviewers are honest when they

Weekend Wrap-Up #SundaySnippet #WWR

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Transition Week With my 2003 Hyundai Elantra finally repaired, insured, and road-worthy after nearly two years sitting idle in the driveway, I am once again a Road Warrior as well as a Weekend Writing one. And with that awesome fix comes new job opportunities. I started a new ParaPro assignment at another Preschool, but this time the students are not special needs so... no biting, kicking, punching, random screams to induce heart attacks, and no child's general lack of social engagement. However, one of the three educators I help has a very bad attitude toward the parents of these At-Risk preschoolers, which is sad, but I'm learning how to ignore negative vibes. New News I have a new camera (Nikon), so on overcast days I'll be back to my old habit of hunting down the ideal images to shoot, and with Fall in full swing now, this should be an exciting and (hopefully) impressive endeavor. Also acquired a new work space. Which isn't nearly as clunky