Sunday, June 26, 2022
Review: The Welsh Lord's Convenient Bride
Saturday, June 18, 2022
Run Wendy Run: Incoming Unusual Historicals for June 2022
In close quarters…With the Viking she’d loved and lostAShieldmaiden Sisters story - with her family fallen on hard times, Valda’s forced to join the crew on Halfdan Ulfsson’s merchant ship as he sets sail on the treacherous silk route. But this handsome jarl’s son is the man she’d planned to wed, until his bitter betrayal. Knowing she can never trust him, she must focus on saving her sisters…and not the intense connection that still burns between them!
Marian Hayes, the Duchess of Clare, just shot her husband. Of course, the evil, murderous man deserved what was coming to him, but now she must flee to the countryside. Unfortunately, the only person she can ask for help is the charismatic criminal who is blackmailing her—and who she may have left tied up a few hours before…A highwayman, con artist, and all-around cheerful villain, Rob Brooks is no stranger to the wrong side of the law or the right side of anybody’s bed. He never meant to fall for the woman whose secrets he promised to keep for the low price of five hundred pounds, but how could he resist someone who led him on a merry chase all over London, left him tied up in a seedy inn, and then arrived covered in her husband’s blood and in desperate need of his help?As they flee across the country—stopping to pick pockets, drink to excess, and rescue invalid cats—they discover more true joy and peace than either has felt in ages. But when the truth of Rob’s past catches up to him, they must decide if they are willing to reshape their lives in order to forge a future together.
A wedding between enemiesA marriage to heal their scarsHiding a disfigurement, Eleanor de Vraille is already lacking confidence when she arrives at her future husband’s cheerless Welsh castle. And Rhun ab Owain’s open disapproval of her does nothing to make her feel at ease. Their union is to seal peace between their families, nothing more. But Eleanor’s heart rebels—is she a fool to hope for any affection from this strong-willed nobleman with the dark glittering eyes?
In this enemies to lovers romance, Jessica and a daunting Mountie are forced to travel together on a perilous secret mission.Jessica Haven desperately needs Mountie Travis Reid to escort her across the Rocky Mountains in secret search for the baby she’s lost. No one else believes her story, and the cold-hearted Mountie who doesn’t think much of her is her last hope.Travis knows Jessica as the mayor’s spoiled daughter. Travis is already on a deeply personal journey to deliver extraordinary horses to the other side of the Rockies. He doesn’t want to spend his days—and heated nights—on the trail with a woman he dislikes. Yet when Jessica discloses her tender story, it rings an emotional truth inside of him in a place he thought was long buried. She displays courage, grit and sensuality. While their risky path narrows and intimacy deepens, can Travis and Jessica lower their defenses to trust each other?
This is a reprint of The Proposition, which was originally published by Harlequin Historical in 2004. While it's the first book in what was the Reid Brothers trilogy back then - Bridges wrote several Canadian-set stories for Harlequin featuring Mountie heroes, and has been self-publishing them under a rebranded Mountie Brides umbrella. This is one I haven't read, but I've enjoyed other books by Bridges and mama needs more historical westerns y'all.
What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to this month?
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
#TBRChallenge 2022: In the Arms of the Heiress
Sunday, June 12, 2022
RIP: Emma Holly
Emma Holly will be there. Yes, the Emma Holly. I'll be lucky if I can manage any words over two syllables. Those two college degrees I have will immediately go flying right out of my head and I'll start talking like some slack-jawed yokel whose family has been swimming in the same shallow gene pool for six generations. Actually what's more likely to happen is I'll stand there looking like a dumbass and will probably say two words to the poor woman.
I'm pleased to report that I did alright. I think I said "I love your books" just two times! I got a signed copy of All U Can Eat (which I had already read and loved) and picked up some promo/swap for my younger sister. I wish I had the opportunity to meet her again, but alas, it never happened. I like to think I would have been more confident and self-assured and managed a more thoughtful conversation with her. But who am I kidding? I'm a fan. A blithering, starstruck fan. One who still has some books in my TBR in a break glass in case of emergency event. Folks, life is short, the time is now, break the damn glass already Wendy!
I hope wherever Ms. Holly is she knew how loved she was by readers, fellow writers she greatly influenced, and that she was a true genre trailblazer. She was a very big deal and the loss feels immeasurable.
Friday, June 10, 2022
Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is Wednesday June 15!
Hey, hey, hey it's that time of the month again - #TBRChallenge time! The next Challenge is set for Wednesday, June 15. This month's (always) optional theme is After the War.
This was another suggestion that came out of the theme poll I ran last year and there's a lot of ways this one can be interpreted. Path of least resistance would be a story that takes place after a literal war, perhaps with a military veteran protagonist. Or you could get a little more metaphorical about "war" - maybe a book featuring a heroine recovering from a messy break-up/divorce or a character with a traumatic past of some sort? Put your thinking caps on and get creative!
But remember, the themes are completely optional. Maybe this all sounds too angsty to you or like too much work. Remember the goal of the challenge has been, and always will be, to read something (anything!) that's been languishing in your mountain range of unread books.
It's not too late to participate in this year's Challenge! If you're interested or you just want to follow along with those participating, be sure to check out the TBR Challenge 2022 Information Page.
Saturday, June 4, 2022
Library Loot Reviews: Two "It" Suspense Novels
Monday, May 23, 2022
Make It Rain: Unusual Historicals Landing May 2022
Rose Wickes-Barnes has a plan to establish herself as an independent woman of good standing.Move away from Gold Sky.Join one of New York City’s most prestigious theater companies.Establish herself in society as an up-and-coming costumer with said theater company.Thusly, she aims to enjoy the fruits of her labor just as any woman should. What she never anticipates is the scandal, paparazzi storm, and subsequent whirlwind marriage she finds herself in.Rose and her new husband, the gentle, soft spoken and earnest Samuel Walker, who selflessly put himself in harm's way to keep her safe one fateful, rainy, day, are forced to flee the city and marry to keep their reputations in tact. All the while Rose suspects there is far more to her new husband than the man she’s coming dangerously close to falling in love with.People on the streets of New York give him a wide berth, and they call him ‘Wicked Walker’. Rose has never known him to be anything but a gentleman and her protector, but she can’t help but admit she is curious to see just what’s so wicked about ‘Wicked Walker.’
Paris, 1889The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe…including Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, heiress to the Caña Brava rum empire.Luz Alana set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three hundred casks of rum, her two best friends and one simple rule: under no circumstances is she to fall in love. In the City of Lights, she intends to expand the rum business her family built over three generations, but buyers and shippers alike can’t imagine doing business with a woman…never mind a woman of color. This, paired with being denied access to her inheritance unless she marries, leaves the heiress in a very precarious position.Enter James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, who has spent a decade looking for purpose outside of his father’s dirty money and dirtier dealings. Ignoring his title, he’s built a whisky brand that’s his biggest—and only—passion. That is, until he’s confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.From their first tempestuous meeting, Luz Alana is conflicted. Why is this titled—and infuriatingly charming—Scottish man so determined to help her?For Evan, every day with Luz Alana makes him yearn for more than her ardent kisses or the marriage of convenience that might save them both. But Luz Alana sailed for Paris prepared to build her business and her future; what she wasn’t prepared for was love finding her.
Working in close quarters…With an employer she can’t resist!Thomasia Peverett is dreading her return to society, but when she’s offered a secretarial role by Member of Parliament Shaw Rawdon, he tempts her to leave the safety of her home. Shaw’s unlike anyone she’s ever met, and their attraction is undeniable. Even the revelation of her scandalous secret draws him closer! Thomasia knows it’s foolish to trust the wrong man, but will Shaw prove he’s worth it?
Sebastian Moncrieff is a villain, a traitor, and a pirate, who has recently inherited an Earldom he never wanted. As a man who’s committed every sin imaginable, he knows his only chance at redemption is the one woman who ever reached through to his soul of ice. He’s kidnapped Veronica Latimer once before, and was enchanted by everything about her... This time, when he takes her, he’ll have to admit that she’s kept his heart captive since the moment they met. But can he convince her to forgive his past in order to claim a future?
Her tempting enemy...Is a chink in her armor!Viking shield maiden Svea Ivarsson would far rather face Saxon warriors than be on the run with the fiercely captivating Lord Ashford Stanton, protector to the Saxon king. Reaching Ash’s family castle, Svea must swap her chain mail for life as a lady. She can wield a sword like an expert, but no training has prepared her for craving the touch of her greatest enemy…
William Hartley’s wealth and social standing often make up for his short temper, but they can’t cure his claustrophobia. He’d lost hope of finding help for it, until meeting Josiah Balfour. In a moment of panic, Josiah’s presence is a balm to his senses, leaving Hartley calm for the first time in months.Josiah Balfour knows his place—and it’s not in the bed of a gentleman. As the administrator for the Society of Beasts, he’s responsible for the club’s well-being. When a threat to the Society emerges from an unexpected quarter, it falls to Josiah to deal with it. But Hartley is willing to help, even if it involves posing as a couple to infiltrate a rival club.Josiah needs Hartley’s prestige to help him save the Society, while Hartley simply needs Josiah. Their relationship might be a sham, but the desire between them is all too real. Stuck in close quarters with everything they love on the line, they discover that everything might just include each other.
TWO ENEMIESCarys Davies is doing everything in her power to avoid marriage. Staying single is the only way to hide the secret that could ruin her―and her family―if it was revealed. For the past two seasons she’s scandalized the ton with her outrageous outfits and brazen ways in a futile bid to deter potential suitors. Outwardly confident and carefree, inside she’s disillusioned with both men and love. There’s only one person who’s never bought her act―the only man who makes her heart race: Tristan Montgomery, one of her family’s greatest rivals.ONE SCANDALOUS BARGAINWickedly proper architect Tristan needs a respectable woman to wed, but he’s never stopped wanting bold, red-headed Carys. When she mockingly challenges him to show her what she’s missing by not getting married, Tristan shocks them both by accepting her indecent proposal: one week of clandestine meetings, after which they’ll go their separate ways. But kissing each other is almost as much fun as arguing, and their affair burns hotter than either of them expects. When they find themselves embroiled in a treasonous plot, can they trust each other with their hearts, their secrets…and their lives?