Review: A DASH OF SCANDAL by Amelia Gray

Not only scandal, but love, laughter, secrets and mystery abound in Amelia Grey's latest delightful Regency historical, A Dash of Scandal.

A mysterious thief has invaded the ton, stealing priceless objects d'art, including a gold raven sculpture from the Earl of Dunraven. Then the earl meets Miss Millicent Blair, who always takes notes at parties and secretes herself in dark corners. Could this charming young lady possibly be the thief? Not helping Dunraven's quest to retrieve his property are the daily doses of scandal offered by the ton's favorite gossip columnist, Lord Truefitt, who has the uncanny knack of skewering the rich and famous, especially the earl.

Millicent despises dashing young men of the ton--one of them ruined her mother. She wants nothing to do with the earl, even though he's the only man who has ever stirred her heart. But she also guards a secret not her own she must keep from him.

Ms. Grey has written another of my favorite type of story, romance plus. I prefer romances that contain another element in addition to the love story, and this one has plenty of mystery and humor to enliven the action. I also like honorable main characters, especially ones who are evenly matched, and Dunraven and Millicent are wonderful. Millicent, with her witty, spirited repartee, is the formidable earl's equal. And Dunraven honors her as a worthy opponent, even as he seeks to unravel her secrets.

Fresh and fast-paced, with abundant doses of humor, plenty of deceptive appearances, and a mystery to tantalize us until the end, A Dash of Scandal has everything.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: A RACE TO SPLENDOR by Ciji Ware

Ciji Ware sets off seismic waves of her own in A Race to Splendor, an earth-shaking triumph of a novel about a woman architect battling the male establishment in San Francisco in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake.

Amelia Hunter Bradshaw returns from completing her architect degree in Paris to find her drunken, irresponsible father has gambled away the Bay View Hotel, which her deceased grandfather left to her. To add insult to injury, her father lost the hotel to the disreputable J.D. Thayer, a card cheat and dealer in prostitution, a friend of shady businessmen, and a man who openly flaunts his Chinese mistress. And the courts, which uphold the condescending patriarchial view that logical men must administer flighty women's property, uphold her father's actions.

Although Amelia despises J.D, work together they must to rebuild the Bay View Hotel from scratch in the construction frenzy after the earthquake's devastation. In the process, each discovers the other may not be quite what he or she appears.

From the graft-taking city officials and the venal wealthy businessmen who run the town, to the poor abused Chinese and Italian immigrants, Ms. Ware's cast of realistic supporting characters enriches the many layers in this book. Last, but not least, is the City of San Francisco itself, which Ms. Ware has lovingly described in all its historical and physical grandeur, encompassing both the good and the bad.

In Amelia and J.D., Ms. Ware has created a Darcy and Elizabeth for the early twentieth century. Amelia fights against the male-dominated world that treats women as children whom men must protect, but often abuse. And a woman doing a man's job is an abomination. While J.D. needs and admires Amelia as both an architect and a woman, he nevertheless believes he is just as right in his patronizing views as she is. These two strong personalities lock horns in a titanic struggle that causes the pages to melt away.

I adored this book. Ms. Ware writes the kind of stories I like: historicals with women doing so-called men's jobs who take on the male-dominated world and win, and heroes who like these heroines precisely because they are the way they are. After reading A Race to Splendor, I ran out and bought Ms. Ware's Island of the Swans, Wicked Company and A Cottage by the Sea. Am I going to have a good time.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

A Tale of Two Books II

Time for another discussion of a book I liked and one I didn't. Here's my previous post on the subject.

The book I like is To Tempt A Saint by Kate Moore. To Tempt A Saint is the fast-paced, gripping story of the battle between good and evil, with good sadly making only a few inroads. The imagery is beautiful, the story is gripping and Ms. Moore knows the Regency era and Regency London well.

To Tempt A Saint is Book One of a trilogy about the three brothers, Xander, Will, and Kit Jones, the illegitimate sons of aristocrats. The book opens with Xander saving the life of the Prince Regent while someone kidnaps his youngest brother, Kit. Three years later, Xander, now the knight Sir Alexander Jones, along with Will, a Bow Street Runner, still search for the missing Kit. Xander is positive Kit is alive in St. Giles, the dark, dank, thieves' and murders' section of London. He seeks money to buy a gas works to light the gloomy evil of the area and find Kit.

Destitute, twenty-four year old Cleo Spencer lives in poverty with her younger brother because she cannot access her money until she reaches thirty or marries. She proposes to Xander and he accepts in a devil's bargain to solve both their problems.

Against the background of the increasingly desperate search for Kit, Cleo and Xander fall in love. Their quest uncovers the stench of the city's dark underbelly that reaches high to the kingdom's most powerful men, including Cleo's uncle, who aid and abet human misery for their own benefit.

This book is one for my keeper shelf. I loved everything about it, but especially Xander. Xander is the type of hero I love--a decent man whom the world has kicked around, and it's made him a better man. I look forward to Books Two and Three.

The book I didn't like is by an author whose previous works I love. She wrote this latest book under a new name because she adds more heat.

Unfortunately, the added heat comes at the expense of the story. There is so much added heat the story is dripping with it--multiple sexual references and innuendos per page, complete with a duke of slut as the "hero", a man approaching thirty who still spends all his time wenching and drinking like the overgrown adolescent he is.

Although the heroine is somewhat non-traditional--this author's trademark--she is so sex-starved she finds the hero attractive, which reduces her stature and appeal.

Although extraordinary physical specimens, both hero and heroine are unattractive. I read about eighty pages of the library copy and gave up. I'm glad I didn't spend my money on it.

Thank you all,
Linda

I bought To Tempt A Saint. I read the library copy of the other book.

Review: THE MAKING OF A DUCHESS by Shana Galen

French dukes, Regency spies and a prison breakout. Oh my!

What's a poor governess to do? Blackmailed into spying on an émigré French duke in order to prove him a traitor, untrained and unsure of herself Sarah must convince him she's the aristocratic French lady, Serafina, he's supposed to marry. Julien, forced to flee France for England to escape certain death in the Revolution, considers marriage to the so-called Lady Serafina a duty. As much of a duty as finding his long-lost brothers.

The plot twists and turns as Sarah's contact in the Foreign Office applies more and more pressure for her to prove Julien guilty. But as Sarah begins to know and love Julien, she finds it increasingly difficult to believe him a traitor.

Julien, attracted to Sarah, yet suspicious of the contradictions in her behavior, discovers her true identity. The only way to prove his innocence and give their budding feelings a chance is to find his brother. They join forces in a dangerous journey to France from which they might not return.

I like stories that contain elements in addition to the romance. The Making of a Duchess has everything I could ask for--romance (of course), spies (I LOVE spies), mystery (is Julien a traitor? And what about Sarah's contact in the Foreign Office? ), and even some adventure (a prison break-in).

The plot keeps you guessing until the last few pages where the story resolves with a tense, dramatic confrontation that ties up all the plot lines. For an enjoyable read, try The Making of a Duchess, which continues with The Making of a Gentleman, which is on my TBR pile.

Shana Galen will guest blog here on June 10. Return then and leave a comment for a chance to win one of two copies of The Making of a Duchess.

Thank you all,
Linda

ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Guest Steph Burkhart: Myths of the Moon

Today I welcome fellow Classic Romance Revival author Steph Burkhart. Steph blogs about her latest book, The Hungarian, a Victorian paranormal about those perennial favorites, werewolves.

Leave a comment today, May 3, with your email address for a chance to win prizes. See the end of the post for Steph's generous listing of the prizes available. Steph will select the winner. Check back here to see who won. The postcard winners are Karen H in NC and Mary Ricksen. Please send Steph an email to sgcardin1@yahoo.com or botrina_buchanan@yahoo.com with your snail mail address so she can mail you your prize.

Welcome, Steph!

I'm excited to be here at Linda's blog, the fourth stop on my mini blog tour for "The Hungarian." My thanks to Linda for having me today.

Beware. The Wolf is Coming.

"The Hungarian," is my latest paranormal release. Count Matthias Duma harbors a dark secret, but when he meets a young British noblewoman, Katherine Archibald, he risks everything for her love. What's his secret? He's a werewolf.

I love a good wolf. " *grin* Why? Because the wolf is also a man. He's alive, he's living and breathing. For me, it's not about the wolf, it's about how the man deals with the beast inside him.

Every paranormal creature brought to life in books is grounded in "myths." Without myths that the readers are familiar with, it's hard to connect to the story. I thought I'd talk about the myth of the werewolf as it pertains to "The Hungarian."

I consider myself a classic myth author. What are the classic myths when it comes to wolves?

#1 – Silver will kill a werewolf.
#2 – You make a werewolf when bitten by a werewolf.
#3 – You're only a werewolf during the full moon.

#1- Silver will kill a werewolf. Actually, any bullet with fierce stopping power could probably kill a werewolf. History also lists burning at the stake and cutting off the head. " *ick* I much prefer using silver as my weapon of choice. It's less gruesome. Silver has always been associated with the moon. Perhaps it's the color since the moon appears silver-gray in the night sky.

#2 – You make a werewolf when bitten by a werewolf. That's a pretty classic myth that's come down through the ages. In fact, that's how Count Matthias is created. A bunch of gypsy werewolves who were just passing through attacked him during the full moon.

#3 – You're only a werewolf during the full moon. The early movies took creative license with this, making it a "classic" myth. More historical myths state that once bitten, a werewolf stayed a werewolf. I subscribe the classic Hollywood myth. It's more fun. It allows me to explore the psyche of the man who is a wolf. Matthias also changes back into his human state by sunrise. The transformations are painful to his body. I built on this in that a witch, trained in herbs and roots, helps the wolf by preparing potions and balms to help him heal.

You can build all kinds of myths for the werewolf world, but for me, working within the confines of classic myths was very rewarding.

In that regard, I wanted a cover that taped into a classic feeling. I also wanted it to focus on the man, not the wolf.

Matthias is Hungarian and Budapest is the jewel of the nation. Nothing captures the pride and achievement Hungarians feel more than the Széchenyi Bridge. It was constructed in the 1840's, and was one of the first suspension bridges built.

Matthias also has unusual eyes, malachite-green with a gold ring around the iris. Jenifer Ranieri, the cover artist, was able to blend Matthias's eyes with the Széchenyi Bridge to set a gothicly romantic tone for the story.

What I love is how everything came together. While staying true to classic myths and creating such an expressive cover, the story inside keeps it's focus on the man who is the wolf, and allows the romance to shine.

Excerpt:

"Now it's time for you and Miss Archibald to dance," said Resa.

Katherine waved her hands. "I couldn't dance that."

"You don't have to. We can dance the Csándás," said Matthias.

Resa clapped her hands again. "Yes, it's perfect."

"I don't know how."
"I'll show you," said Resa.
"Go on, Kate," said Liz, smiling. "Give it a try."

Katherine took Matthias's hand, and he helped her to her feet. Martin and János played their music at a slow tempo. Resa showed her a couple of steps at a time. It took about ten minutes, but Katherine seemed to pick it up. Matthias danced it slow for her the first time. There wasn't much jumping, but it was a rather square-type dance, and there was clapping involved. When the song ended, Resa approached.

"Let me dance with Count Duma at the normal pace. Watch me. Try to twirl the skirt when I do."

Katherine nodded her head. Again, the music started, and Matthias danced with Resa. From time to time Resa would look at Katherine to make sure she was watching. Matthias was pleased at how Resa was trying to help Katherine learn the dance.

The dance finished in a flurry of moves, with Matthias wrapping his hands around Resa's waist and Resa resting her head against his shoulder. She quickly parted from him and looked at Katherine. "Remember, it starts off slow but builds up to a quick ending."

"All right," Katherine said.

Matthias took Katherine's hand again. The music began. They danced in front of the fire. Liz and Paul clapped to the beat. They danced around the pit, laughing and clapping. The guitar played faster, the flute hit higher notes. Resa sang in Hungarian. They danced quicker, and when the Csándás ended, Resa threw powder into the fire. The fire crackled. It hissed loudly and then the flames turned colors -- purple, blue, green, and white before slowly returning to yellow. Matthias held Katherine tight against his muscular body. He felt her heart pulsing with energy just like his was.

"How did you do that?" asked Paul.
"Magic," replied Resa.

"Well done, Resa," said Matthias. Then he looked down into Katherine's eyes. "I've enjoyed myself tonight."

"So have I."

"Ah-hum," said Liz.

Katherine reluctantly tore herself away from Matthias's all-consuming stare. He wasn't ready to let the moment die. They sat down and he offered her a glass of wine. Their hands touched. He felt a warm tingle slide down his arm. Encouraged, he leaned closer to her.

"Did you like the dance?"
"It's different."
"I haven't danced like that since--" he paused. "Since my wife died."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought her up."
"She was a part of your life."

"But she is no longer. You're here now," he said. He put his hand on her waist, and with his other hand lightly ran his fingers down her arm to her wrist, unable to tame his desire to touch her intimately. She wrapped a silent spell around him in that moment -- one he didn't want to be broken. He glanced over and noticed that Paul and Liz were busy asking Resa about her magic fire and refilling their wine glances.

He looked at Katherine. Their eyes met. Lost in her soft spell, he snared her mouth in a sensual trap. She kissed him back with equal passion. Their mouths opened and closed, tasting each other like they were savoring the sweetest tokaji. Matthias loved feeling her warmth so close to him. Lost in a sea of bliss, he trailed his kisses over her chin and down to her neck. His head spun. He groaned his delight. His hand cupped the nape of her neck, arching her toward him, giving him full access to her sensitized flesh.

The music started again. Katherine lightly pushed Matthias away, breaking their contact. Her eyes were filled with untamed desire, yet hinted at confusion.

Check out "The Hungarian's" Book Trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZwaF8hAdow

Goodie Time:

I'll pick two winners out of those who post on today's blog to receive an autographed postcard of "The Hungarian's" Cover.

To qualify for the GRAND prize: You have to post on every blog in the tour. I'll put your name into the "hat." Then I'll pick the Grand Prize Winner's name out of the hat.

The GRAND prize: A coffee mug with "The Hungarian's" cover, a mousepad with the cover, magnets, and a set of autographed postcards.

The Hungarian is available 1 MAY 2010 with Desert Breeze Publishing. Here's a link to the site: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-87/%3Ci%3EBudapest-Moon-Book-One%3C-fdsh-i%3E-cln-/Detail.bok

Guest Steph Burkhart and WEREWOLVES tomorrow

Stop by tomorrow when fellow Classic Romance Revival author, Steph Burkhart, guest blogs about her latest book, The Hungarian, a Victorian paranormal.

The Hungarian stars those perennial favorites, werewolves. Leave a comment on tomorrow's post for a chance to win gifts.

Thank you all,
Linda