An Unlikely Alliance by Rachel Van Dyken

So, I have to admit that the cover kinda made me wonder what went on within the delicious pages of the book, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's intense, hilarious and also very tasteful.  This is honestly my new favorite novella.  I posted a review on amazon, here it is!

spectacular!, February 1, 2012 By Eden Bridgman "EB" This review is from: An Unlikely Alliance (Kindle Edition) Evelyn is one of my favorite heroines of all time! Strong, confident and beautiful she won't give into Royce's many charms. This of course, is irresistible to Royce and their incredible story begins. As I was reading I felt like Royce was channeling Huge Grant and it made me smile the whole way though. I can't remember a novella that had such fireworks between the characters! This is a great story, and you won't want to put it down till you're finished. I read it, then re-read it and I know I'll be reading it again soon...it was that good. Go Rachel Van Dyken, you've done it again. Rachel was kind enough to include the blurb when I asked her for more information..plus a surprise...Keep reading!

Spoiled New York rogue Royce Mc Arthur lives a charmed life. He sees no reason to settle down, until his mother issues her decree that he must grow up, find a wife and produce some grandchildren?preferably before she dies of old age. But his choices are quite limited considering the only women of his acquaintance are ones of ill repute.

Meeting the beautiful Evelyn DeJarlias at a ball gives him hope he may have found the one. Her southern blue collar outspokenness and lack of refinement draws him like a moth to a flame. Unfortunately, she does not find him nearly as endearing -- consistently refusing his lavish gifts and his attentions, she poses a challenge he simply cannot ignore.

When his mother and her widowed father begin to keep company together secretly, it provides theperfect excuse for him to spend time with Miss DeJarlias. But figures from Royces past threaten to destroy the blossoming love between the couple. Evelyn must decide if she is willing to trust the man or hold his past indiscretions against him.

So, you ready for the surprise?  If you purchase this book, fwd the Amazon or Barnes and Noble receipt to love.rachele@gmail.com. The prize? Chances at one of ten free copies of Rachel's upcoming release of "The Redemption of Lord Rawlings." The exciting, climactic ending to the House of Renwick Series, her USA bestseller!

Don't you love a great romance?

As promised...the reviews!

Alright, here's my reviews of "The Whispered Kiss" and "The Light of the Lover's Moon." Both by Marcie Lynn McClure.  I can't tell you enough of how much I loved these books.  


"Light of the Lover's Moon" Review
I first found this author by accident and I'm so very thankful that I did! "The Whispered Kiss" was my introduction to Ms. McClure and I have now started to work my way through all her delightful books! In "Light of the Lover's Moon." You find a childhood friendship that comes to mature love that transcends distance and time. The characters, Stoney and Violet are not only relatable, but hilarious and exciting. The plot moves smoothly with a grace that makes reading a luxury. The editing was great, I didn't find any errors, and basically the story drew me in like a vortex. I read it, then read it again simply because it was THAT good. And I appreciate that while Ms. McClure is FANTASTIC at spinning a passionate moment, the moments are tasteful and don't progress to anything that makes me want to skip pages. Thank you! It's hard to find an author that has the romance aspect of writing so powerfully written while abstaining from the more risque.


"The Whispered Kiss" Review
Ok, if you've read the product description, no offense to it's author, but it's no where near where it needs to be in describing the fantastic writing and story line of this book. I almost didn't purchase the book based on it's description, and I'm thankful I disregarded it and bought it anyway. This is honestly one of the best books I've read in a long time. The characters were fantastic, well thought out and easy to relate to. The passion was intense but nothing that made me skip pages. (Thank you.) I loved the redemptive storyline that allowed one to see how bitterness and anger can turn even beauty, into a total nightmare of a beast. I read the book three times within three days because I enjoyed it so much, then loaned it out to my sister who devoured it. So, honestly, this book is worth every penny.

Next in line for me is "The Rogue Knight" by the same author...don't worry, I'll keep you posted on that one too!!! 

Ok, I've found a new author I'm crazy about... Marcia Lynn McClure.  Check her out.  Do it.  This past week I've shamelessly read two of her books, here's the shameful part, I've read the two books a total of about three times...each.  Yes.  These books are exactly what I think of when describing the lingering flavor of a delicious book I've finished whispering sweet-nothings into my ear.  Soon I'll be posting my reviews of the two books I've read, "The Whispered Kiss" and " Light of the Lover's Moon"  so be looking out for them!  Here's the links if you can't wait till I post my reviews!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Whispered-Kiss-ebook/dp/B004G08YF8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327965639&sr=1-1


http://www.amazon.com/Light-Lovers-Moon-ebook/dp/B004HO5U7S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327965695&sr=1-1

Escape literature is my favorite.  There's nothing better than to loose yourself in a book for a few minutes. It's my grown up version of playing dress-up and playing pretend.  Usually, historical or contemporary romances are my first choice, but I was told of a new author I simply had to check out, so I did.  Her genre would be considered paranormal romance, with a heavy dose of suspense and mystery.  I was game and it didn't hurt that I won a copy of one of her books on a blog-hop tour on her website.  "Jamas Vu" by Monique O'Connor James was a ride, A RIDE.  Honestly, I set my kindle down after finishing it and stared at the wall for a minute waiting for my  mind to stop spinning, in a wonderfully delicious way.  The woman can write.  While I would of liked a little more closure to some of the elements she brought up, I'm reserving the right to recant my opinion after I read her newest release in the series, "Deja Vu" which just released.  Here's an overview of the first book in the series.

Darby is back from the dead, literally and she has no clue why except that she was sent back by God for a reason she can't quite figure out.  She dreams about situations that either have happened or will happen and she feels it's her job to save these people from certain death.  The demons that haunt her dreams are written with a tangible disgust that makes you want to take a shower.  The love she experiences is heart wrenching as she fights for those in her dreams to overcome struggles with cancer, addiction, and love lost.  There's no way I could put into words what Ms. James does in describing the other worldly happenings that take place in the book, especially with the finesse she so easily writes with.  For lack of a better way to describe it, its a trippy book. Messes with your head, and makes you not want to blink in case you miss something.


I highly recommend checking it out, you can either purchase it or download a sample here:

http://www.amazon.com/Jamais-Vu-ebook/dp/B005SG02FE/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326781633&sr=1-1-spell


Have fun and leave me a comment on what YOU thought about when you read it...I'll pass it along to the author!

I learned a lesson.  It was a difficult one and I broke a cardinal rule to finally figure it out, but I came out all the wiser.  Ready?  Finish a book.  Ok, before you start to roll your eyes and close the window, wait a second and let me explain myself.

A few nights ago I went through the thirty plus pages on my kindle and moved all the stories I hadn't read yet to the front so I could start to read them.  One had a great little blurb and I couldn't wait to start it.  Beginning the book with enthusiasm, I was quickly disappointed with a long winded background and characters that were slowly killing me.  By the time I got to page 70 of the around 300 pages, I gave up, deleted it from my kindle, and then went to bed.

The next day I was nagged by a feeling that I couldn't ignore, I wanted to at least know what happened.  Here's where I broke the rules, I skipped ahead, read the last twenty-five pages, and was blown away.  What in the world!  The author made up for lost time in the beginning and the book was a breath-stealer.  Quickly, I backed up one hundred pages, then read ahead, then backed up to where I had left off the night before and to my chagrin, I was only three pages away from where the book took off.  It's honestly one of the best books I've read in a long time, and to add to it, I got it for free on Amazon.  I'll post the link later. While the beginning of the book was slow, and honestly, quite uninteresting, the author laid some fantastic groundwork for later developments in the book.  While I wouldn't recommend writing that way every time, it worked and she pulled it off with a fantastic read that left me wanting to start all over again when I had finished.  So I learned my lesson, finish the book, you never know until you've read it cover to cover.

The book was "The Mayne Attraction, In The Spotlight" By Ann Mauren

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3U8ZVNFLJZ0JS

Word to the wise, learn from other's mistakes!

Thanks to all the delightful people who entered my first giveaway!! Below in the Widget are the announced winners!  If you're a winner, check your mail, I've sent you an e-mail!  Stay tuned for more giveaways!

I'm so excited!  My FIRST GIVEAWAY!  Ok, So I've posted about Rachel Van Dyken before, she is truly one of my favorite authors.  Her newest release, "The Seduction of Sebastien St. James," was just released last week and she has agreed to sponsor a giveaway on my blog!  Here's a little blurb about the book!

When the angelic Duke of Tempest, Sebastian St. James, appeared unexpectedly at his boyhood friend’s home, he had but one goal: Find a suitable wife as soon as possible. However, his impeccable reputation made him a prime target for ambitious mothers of debutante daughters. He needed a plan.

Help came in the form of an unlikely alliance with Miss Emma Gates, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy viscount, who has deemed herself on the shelf, and only wants to marry in order to appease her parents. Together they could sort through the mire of would-be mates to find their perfect matches. That is, if they could keep their hands off each other long enough to pursue likely candidates.

When a man from Emma’s past makes a play for her hand, the truth about her life threatens to destroy Sebastian’s reputation, a reputation he has carefully guarded since his youth. In the end, the Angel Duke has to make a choice that will end up changing his reputation forever.


I've read the book, it was an experience! There were times I would put my kindle down in my lap and gasp, covering my mouth and mouthing, OH MY WORD, THAT DIDN't JUST HAPPEN!  Books like that are my favorite, like we've talked about before, they whisper their sweet lines long after the books finished.  Just talking about it makes me want to re-read it.   So, without further adieu, enter the contest, and Good luck! 

For those of you who can't wait, here's the link to purchase the book from Amazon.


http://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Sebastian-James-Renwick-ebook/dp/B006PHASZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325030510&sr=8-1