eARC Review: How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back by Sophie Barnes

HOW MISS RUTHERFORD GOT HER GROOVE BACK by Sophie Barnes
FORMAT: PDF
GENRE: Historical
LENGTH: 368 pages
PUBLISHER: Avon Impulse (January 31, 2012)

Emily Rutherford is having a very bad day. Of course, having the man you’ve loved forever, announce his engagement to your (now very former) best friend will do that.

Emily is sure nothing good could possibly come out of this horrid situation. But she lets her sisters and Adrian’s cousin, Francis Riley, the delectable but brooding Earl of Dunhurst, convince her a season in London will be just the thing.

Now Emily has a choice: sulk in a corner while her sisters enjoy the glitter of the ton. Or become the belle of the ball, dazzling everyone on an earl’s arm. But as Francis helps Emily get back on her feet, she quickly realizes that a childhood crush is nothing compared to the power of true love.

Where To Find Sophie: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook

Where To Buy: Amazon(pb) | Kindle | B&N(pb) | Nook

Book Extras: Read the First Chapter

I loved it.

REVIEW & Book Trailer:

Welcome to the London ton where anything and everything is game and ready to be spread as gossip through ballrooms, drawing rooms, house parties, behind fans and over the breakfast table.

Spotted: One, Miss Emily Rutherford is having the most terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Turns out Lord Adrian Fairchild's promise of marrying her when they were younger were just thrown out there due to their comfortable camaraderie as children. And it goes something like this: E thought she had an unspoken (okay, so it was spoken. once) understanding that A would finally ask her to marry him. Everyone kept hinting at it. Why wouldn't they? They've know each other forever so it would only be a natural course their relationship would take. Well, turns out A has fallen in love with a certain Lady Kate whom he renewed his acquaintance with in London. Poor E is heartbroken. So what's a girl to do? Go to London and stay with A's cousin, Lord Francis Riley. That one's a bit of a broody sourpuss. Watch out ladies!

Goodbye Hardington, Hellooo London: Well, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to get over a broken heart. What better way than to jump at the chance than saying yes to staying with a certain F? Yes, the sisters Rutherford shall be staying right down the street from a dashing lord. With a chaperone of course. Turns out E isn't immune to F's charms. She may have disliked him when they were children due to his pulling away to deal with something a child shouldn't have to endure. That's right London ton. Get your bets in as to whether E and F will end up walking down the aisle very soon.

Spotted: A certain A is in town to make a big engagement announcement. E is looking a bit shocked. Why would he follow her? She did after all leave Hardington to get away from him. But a certain F is there to distract her. A source tells this girl that F has major feelings for a certain not so heartbroken Miss. It has been brought to my attention that E and F have been spending quite a bit of time. Alone. That spells trouble with a capital M (marriage).

Complication: Turns out F has gone home to Dunhurst to take care of a situation involving a lady. Uh oh. A little blackmail can go a long way. Watch out E! You might have to help your man get out of this one.

So the real question is: Will E finally get her happily ever after with a certain F and forget about A when F confesses his love for her or will a certain rumor about someone having a mistress send her into a tizzy?

Until next time... XOXO,
Romance Girl :)

FAVORITE QUOTE:

And then of course there was her opinion to consider. Would she ever care to entertain the though of kissing him, let alone marrying him? He was willing to bet his life that she wasn't. Not yet anyway. Therefore, he had made up his mind. He had devised a carefully thought-out plan, its sole purpose being to eventually ensure Emily's hand in marriage. And he would do it the old fashioned way--through trickery.

OVERALL: It's a laugh out loud story with a butterfly emerging out of her cocoon heroine and a scowling hero with a secret. Throw in a clueless ex-bff potential suitor and you've got a wonderful debut. There were times that I wanted to smack Emily upside the head, shake her and scream "Get over Adrian! Lookit this tall, dark and brooding sexy man who's got it bad for you. Like I'd-write-a-cheesy-pop-ballad-for-you bad." I like that Emily finally realized what was in front of her, even if it took a broken heart to shake her up a bit. Francis's secret threw me for a bit of a loop but with the help of Emily it got tied up and shipped to Newgate in a nice little bow. :) 

***review copy provided by Goddess Fish Promotions***

eARC Review: All the Pleasures of the Season by Lecia Cornwall

ALL THE PLEASURES OF THE SEASON by Lecia Cornwall
FORMAT: eBook via Netgalley
GENRE: Historical
FILE SIZE: 340KB
PUBLISHER: Avon Impulse (December 20, 2011)
ISBN: 9780062121417

On the first day of Christmas:
Lady Miranda Archer accepts a marriage proposal.

On the first day of Christmas, fifteen minutes later:
Miranda realizes she’s made a huge mistake.

For the next twelve days:
Miranda must find a way out of her engagement—which is harder than it looks, especially since her fiancé is pompous, mean, and desperate for her family’s jewels—and convince her true love that all she wants for Christmas is him.

Where To Find Lecia: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Blog
Where To Buy: Kindle | Nook | iBooks
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt

Go and Buy it NOW!

REVIEW:

Oh Lady Miranda Archer, what a dilemma: marry the golden boy of the ton (the Earl of Kelton) who seems perfect for her and make her grandfather and sister happy or try to make it work with the second son of a minor baron who she's had a tendre for quite some time.

5 Things I Loved, Liked or Wanted to Slap Silly:

1. Lady Miranda Archer: She's made the biggest mistake of her life. At first she seemed like a total pushover, wanting to please her grandfather and her sister. Her grandfather because well, he's the Duke of Carrington and he means a lot to her. Her sister because she seems quite happy with her matchmaking skills and Miranda doesn't want to disappoint her. She's accepted the proposal of the Earl of Kelton (er, Anthony-- she keeps trying to think of him as thus but has to correct herself into using his Christian name) and upon seeing Gilbert Fielding, she realizes she might not be as happy with Kelton as with Fielding. Miranda wants to marry for love and Kelton is in no way lovable nor can she see herself falling in love with him. (liked)
2. Gilbert Fielding: He's been in love with Miranda since first meeting her. Being the second son of a minor baron, he feels like he's overreaching if he tries to offer for her and he's afraid of the Duke of Carrington. Sure, he's willing to head into battle (he's got a commission lined up) but face the Duke? Are you crazy?? Seeing Miranda smiling after her betrothal to Kelton, he's heartbroken but knows that he would never have a chance with her. Determined to leave the country at the earliest opportunity possible, he goes to see the Earl of Westlake (Miranda's brother-in-law) to book passage. All he wants is Miranda's happiness, with or without him. How noble, now Fielding get your act together and get your woman! (loved)
3. Lord Anthony Stanwood, Earl of Kelton: He's a totally shallow pompous ass who's in it for the dowry (isn't that always the case?). I wanted to slap, slap, slappity slap him. Hard. At first, I thought he would be okay but as the story progressed he began to show his true colors. Being the ton's golden boy, it's accepted that he can squander money, take mistresses and gamble like there's no tomorrow. He demands that Miranda be the perfect, silent, biddable wife and he will mold her to be one. Hello! I wanted to call him out. (slap silly)
4. Marianne: Oh, where do I begin? Marianne is a terrible, horrible, no good matchmaker. Even with her sister protesting that Kelton might not be all that he's made himself out to be in the eyes of the ton, Marianne keeps pushing Miranda towards him. (slap silly)
5. Adam and Phineas: Phineas knows that Kelton is all sorts of wrong for Miranda and tries to get Fielding to change Miranda's mind. All Fielding has to do is show up at the ball and dance with Miranda. Adam on the other hand thinks Phineas is a little paranoid. After all, Kelton does what any other man of the ton does when Phineas tries to reason with Adam. In the end, both want what's best for Miranda. (loved, liked and slap)

FAVORITE QUOTE:

"The butterflies circled her stomach again, and it was not the pleasant flutter she felt in Gilbert's company, but the swoop of birds of prey, evil omens, the nauseating sensation of anxiety and dread. She had come to associate that sensation with Kelton since her betrothal." (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)

OVERALL: Christmas is truly a time for miracles. Lecia Cornwall has woven a magical story of love, laughter, betrayal and an ending that will leave you sniffling (in a good way) and sighing. After much deliberation, a pounding from Miranda's brother Phineas, a little push from Westlake and some lapel grabbing and a talking to by Marianne sets Fielding's intentions into motion. After Miranda realizes that Kelton is shallow, conniving and a total jerkwad, I kept wondering when the poor girl would realize that either she tell her grandfather she's calling the wedding off or take matters into her own hands and propose to Fielding herself. Definitely a sweet holiday romance that you don't want to miss.

***review copy via Netgalley***

ARC Review: Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry

ANY GIVEN CHRISTMAS by Candis Terry
FORMAT: PDF
GENRE: Contemporary
PUBLISHER: Avon Impulse (November 22,2011)
ISBN: 9780062105233

Dean Silverthorne’s mother may be dead, but she still has matchmaking to do.

When an injury dashes NFL Quarterback Dean Silverthorne’s Super Bowl dreams, he heads back to Deer Lick, Montana with a chip on his wounded shoulder and more determined than ever to get back in the game. He loves his kooky family, but his trip home is nothing but a very brief Christmas visit.

His game plan didn’t include an instant attraction to Emma Hart, a feisty kindergarten teacher who seems to be the only person in Deer Lick not interested in the hometown hero. Or his dearly departed mom popping up with mistletoe in hand and meddling on the mind. Now Dean can’t help but wonder if there’s more to love than life between the goal posts.

Where To Find Candis: Author Site | Facebook | Twitter
Where To Buy: Kindle | Nook
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt

I really loved it!

Other Book in Series(click on cover to learn more):



REVIEW:

Another great Christmas read. This one had me cracking up and rooting for the all star quarterback to be brought to his knees by a small town kindergarten teacher. A story of opposites attract and the magic of the holidays that brings people together. Plus, there's a friendly ghost involved. The quarterback's mother, to be exact.

Dean Silverthone, golden boy quarterback of the Houston Stallions can no longer play due to a hard sack resulting in a torn shoulder. He's in limbo, wondering when he can get back to playing with his team or if he ever would. He's returned home to Deer Lick, Montana for his baby sister's wedding to the local sheriff and to his surprise, find a woman who says no to him.

Emma Hart, kindergarten school teacher with a hussy for a mother, an unknown father and a loving grandmother with dementia, can't believe The Dean Silverthorne has struck up a conversation with her, much less ask her to dance. She's so over guys like him. The love 'em and leave 'em type. She's heard all the gossip and rumors, seen the tabloids with his picture splashed across it, skinny supermodels on his arm. Who was he to assume every woman would fall at his feet, tear off their clothes and beg him to ravish them. Not her.

At eighteen years old, Emma got her heart broken and since then, she's tried to stay away from any sort of relationship. She's focused on teaching, getting her Masters and spending time with her grandma even if she doesn't remember Emma. When Dean comes back into town for his sister's wedding, she wonders why he's paying so much attention to her. She does everything she can to keep him at arms length.

Dean returns to Deer Lick for the holidays since his shoulder is still healing. He hasn't forgotten Emma. Funny that. She's not his type. She's got curves, she's intelligent and she challenges him like no other woman he's know, excluding his sisters and mother. Driving the old clunker that once belonged to his deceased mother, he soon starts receiving A Christmas Carol-like visits from her. (Not as creepy as the ghosts in the original Christmas Carol). Apparently she's appeared to his sister before. At first, he thinks he's gone crazy and tries to rationalize his "hallucinations". Even in death, his mother is trying to play matchmaker with the help of his newlywed sister, Kate.

Emma doesn't want to have any sort of feelings for Dean but as she gets to know him better, there's a giving and compassionate side of him the rest of the world doesn't get to see. He's has a penchant for dealing with kids and is even able to break through to one of her autistic students. Emma keeps telling herself that once Dean's shoulder is healed and the doctor gives him the okay, he'd be on the next flight out. She tries to keep from falling but sometimes Fate has a way of bringing two unlikely people together.

Dean's life has always revolved around football, it's who he is. Now that his shoulder might force him to retire from what he loves, he's at a loss until Emma comes into his life and shows him that there's more to life than football.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "For twenty years he'd played it smart and safe. A guarded heart and reliable condoms. Emma Hart was his first without either." (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)


OVERALL: This book surprised me. I thought Dean was going to be one cocky, all too confident, look at my swagger kind of football player but he's been raised right by his parents and can be knocked down a peg or two by his 2 sisters. I liked Emma. She was never one to back down. Take one injured all star NFL quarterback, a small town kindergarten teacher with a secret and one Christmas they'll never forget. Simmer in a hot tub with a sprinkling of teasing touches and witty banter. Add a few toe curling orgasms and some endearing cartoon pajamas. Heat up until it's too hot. Cool with some time apart. Throw in a meddling ghost mother and newlywed sister and you've got a recipe for a laugh out loud, sigh worthy, heartbreaking holiday read.

***review PDF provided by J.Edwards at HarperCollins in conjunction with Candis's blog tour with Goddess Fish***