Christmas Awards 2011

Thursday 25 February 2010

Lord Dancy's Delight


LORD DANCY’S DELIGHT

BY

EMILY JOHNSON

PUBLISHED BY ROBERT HALE LONDON.

ISBN 978-0-7090-8628-4.



Amelia Longworth, daughter of Sir Oliver Longworth, was on her way to England to make a proper ‘come-out’ and learn about the English and the ways of polite society, her Aunt, Mrs. Spencer was to be her sponsor . Amelia was born and reared in Macao, by her parents, but when her mother died, a Cantonese woman called Chen May, had taken over the task of looking after Amelia and was very protective of her. Amelia’s father travelled most of the time, so was rarely at home.

Arriving in Lisbon, after six months of sailing, Amelia was relieved to be on firm ground again but was very disappointed in what she saw there. She found Lisbon a dirty place, the streets strewn with rubbish and rotting food. It was hot and smelly and she longed for some cool water in which to bathe. She watched the water carriers with their large casks on their shoulders; suddenly a stray dog attacked one of the carriers, causing him to drop his cask. The cask was rolling towards Amelia when suddenly she felt herself snatched from its path and held against a broad chest. The cask smashed against a stone wall and a fountain of water sprayed the area.

It was Geoffrey, Lord Dancy, returning to England to claim his title, who witnessed the incident with the water carrier and who snatched Amelia from certain injury or worse. She thanked him and realized what a very attractive man he was.

Lord Dancy was destined to save Amelia’s life not once but three times before they reached London. According to the unwritten laws in Macao, this Amelia informed him meant that her life now belonged to him.

But it was not Amelia who was in danger in London. After over hearing a conversation, Amelia realized that Lord Dancy was in some grave danger. Now she would be able to repay his kindness and would work with Chen May to keep him safe. Amelia wondered if Lord Dancy could have been a spy for the English army when he was abroad, perhaps that was why someone was plotting to kill him.

Will Amelia be able to save Lord Dancy, even with the help of the resourceful Chen May?

You must read the rest of the story to find out what adventures Amelia is to have before it comes to it's conclusion.

This is a fascinating story and will be an enjoyable read for lovers of this genre, I am sure. I award this book 4.5 Red Roses AS.

Turning Twelve-Thirty


Turning Thirty-Twelve by Sandy James



Publisher: Book Strand



December 2008



ISBN: 1-60601-214-2



Pages: 200





Jackie Delgado is turning what her and her friends like to term Thirty-Twelve. So on this birthday she makes a vow to make some changes in her life. Her youngest son just started college and she now has the house to herself. Finally putting her divorce behind her and trying to not let her ex bother her, she is ready to start living her life. Starting the new school year and getting ready to teach her classes she goes to the local office supply store, where she meets a man with two daughters one of which goes to the school where she teaches. Wishing she had the courage to act on her attraction to the father she lets the opportunity pass her by. When her friends try to set her up on yet another blind date she is at first very reluctant but finally agrees to go.



Mark Brennan is detective on the police force coming back to town after the death of his wife two years earlier. He sees one daughter off to college and sees the younger one starting high school. He agrees to go on a blind date only to find out it was the woman he met at the office supply store that he missed his chance to ask out. Realizing that he is getting a second chance with Jackie he decides to see where it can all lead.



As Mark and Jackie work through the problems of both having children from previous marriages they try to see just where they are heading. Mark tries to make Jackie see herself as he sees her but first has to get her over her low self-esteem. As Jackie dates Mark she is finding out that she really is over her first marriage and starting to see things in her life a lot differently than she has always seen them.



As Mark and Jackie fall in love they have to work through all the problems life is throwing and how to bring their families together and make things work. It is interesting to see how they handle each problem together and to see that when a crisis is thrown at both families how when it really matters they are there for each other and are willing to set aside their disagreement to be support for each other. This is great book that takes you on the emotional roller coaster as the character go through the emotions and you feel what they are feeling. This is definitely worth reading.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Featured Book


Eternal Press March 7th release of :





I Came Up Stairs: A Victorian Courtesan’s Memoirs, 1867 to 1871

by MC Halliday

Word count: 88,550

Genre: Historical Erotica

Heat Level: 5 sensual flames: f/m, f/f, m/m/f, f/f/f

~The erotic adventures of an enchanting seductress

Led from filth and poverty by a gentleman in the hopes of gaining coin for his purse, Mae is shaped into a lady and tutored in the arts of pleasure. With raw sensuality, she creates a seductive dance that entices the peerage in puritanical England, and she quickly becomes favored courtesan to Prince of Wales. Her renown and riches ever rising, she continues to romp with gamely men and women of both the nobility and the lower classes. Eventually, Mae’s bohemian ways cause suffering for those she loves and her own heartbreak. Must she conform to Victorian mores, or can she remain true to her sensual desires?

These intimate memoirs reveal a young woman’s journey from the slums of Whitechapel to celebrated dancer of the Victorian music hall, and courtesan to the highest peers of the British realm. >From the years 1867 to 1871, Mae recounts her varied lovers and false loves, and her heartbreaking losses in a quest for happiness.



Link to book page:

http://www.eternalpress.ca/icameupstairs.html

Monday 15 February 2010

Friends And Lovers


FRIENDS AND LOVERS

BY JOAN SMITH

PUBLISHED BY

ROBERT HALE LONDON.

ISBN 978-0-7090-7927-9.



Mrs. Harris and her daughter Gwendolyn live in an Elizabethan cottage, leased to them at a nominal rent by the elder brother, Lord Menrod, of Gwendolyn’s brother-in-law Peter Menrod. Unfortunately, lord Menrod did not believe in altering the authentic cottage in anyway, which meant that low ceilings, dark enclosed stairs and smoking fires had to be endured.

Lord Menrod was an autocratic and unfeeling person according to Gwendolyn and she hated the fact that they must live in the cottage, but after the death of her father, who was a Rector in charge of thee of lord Menrod’s livings, they could afford nothing more.

When tragically, her sister Hettie and Lord Peter died in a boating accident abroad, their two orphaned children would live with their Grandmother and their Aunt Gwendolyn, obviously, thought Gwendolyn. But Lord Menrod had other ideas. He intended to house the children with him on his vast estate.

It didn’t matter how much Gwendolyn asked, pleaded almost begged him to allow the children to live with them, Lord Menrod was adamant that he would take guardianship of his brothers children. Their Grandmother and Aunt would be given some rights to see the children, but that was all.

Gwendolyn decided to fight for the children through the courts, but the experience she had with a local solicitor did not bode well for the future of the case, she felt she could not trust any solicitor and did not know where to go to get help.

Gwendolyn had an ardent suitor, Mr. Everett, from Oakdene, a splendid establishment which he had had built with no expense spared. Her Mother tried to persuade her to accept Mr Everett, but Gwendolyn was adamant that she was not at all interested in him. If she accepted him, her mother pointed out, she then would be rich and more likely to be able to fight in the courts for the custody, of the two children.

Gwendolyn has her own ideas of how to prize the children away from Lord Menrod, but these ideas she was keeping to herself. What ideas does Gwendolyn have and will she be able to outwit the arrogant but breathtakingly handsome, Lord Menrod???? Read this book and you will see.

This is a regency story with a difference and must be read to enjoy the full story. I award this book 4 Red Roses.AS

Thursday 4 February 2010

Free Falling


Free Falling by Samantha James



Siren-Bookstrand



April 2009



ISBN: 1-60601-307-6



Pages: 305





Laurence “Laurie” Miller loves her job as a counselor. She feels she is helping people with the free clinic that she and her friend and partner, Andrew started. Laurie has a problem with her father wanting her to take over the family’s charitable foundation. While she likes that the foundation helps people she feels like she can help people better with her job. So Laurie has been dodging the lawyers that her father has been sending after her to get her signature on the papers so that she can finally take over the foundation. She decides to hide out on the family ranch in Montana which is as far as she can get from Chicago.



Ross Kennedy works long hours at his law firm so he can make partner. Now being forced by his boss to take some time off because he has been working too many billable hours and it is starting to show, he is sent to get a signature so that he can have a little time off. Now if he could just find the client Laurence Miller he would be very happy so he can get out of the snow storm in Montana.



Laurie can’t understand why anyone would be driving in a snow storm especially in a car not made to be driven in snow storms. Thinking the person has got to be crazy to be out driving in a blizzard she goes to rescue whoever it is that ended up in a snow drift before they freeze to death. Now if she could just get the man to help her get himself out of the storm and into the warm ranch house she just might be able to save him. When Laurie finds out why Ross is in Montana she decides not to reveal who she really is so she won’t have to sign the papers he has.



While they wait out the storm they find that even though they see the world differently they definitely have an attraction that is worth exploring and seeing where it will lead. When they find out that they are both from the Chicago area, and after the storm ends they make plans for when Laurie will be back in the area to get together and see where the attraction might lead.



Laurie knows that for her and Ross to have a relationship she is going to have to tell him who she really is but finding out about his past she realizes that she is going to have to be careful about telling him the truth. Knowing how much she cares for him she is afraid when he learns the truth she will lose him.



As if the trouble with Ross isn’t enough, now Laurie has another problem. Someone is targeting her and she doesn’t know why. Ross is determined to keep Laurie safe but since they don’t know who or why anyone is after her that is becoming difficult. When the truth comes out about Laurie’s identity Ross has to decide if what he feels for her is enough or if he is going to let his past destroy what could be the best thing to ever happen to him.



This story was interesting to see how the characters worked through the fact that they each were afraid to reveal how they felt about each other and to see Ross was going to let the past stand in his way or go after what he wanted. This also had a couple of mysteries that made the story move quickly and made you want to keep turning the page to see what happened next. The secondary characters really help make the story and got you pulling for the hero and heroine so that they could have their happy ending.





I give this one 5 red roses LW