tumbas lek: novella

Showing posts with label novella. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

eARC Review: Once Upon A Wicked Night by Jennifer Haymore

ONCE UPON A WICKED NIGHT by Jennifer Haymore
FORMAT: eBook via Netgalley
GENRE: Historical
LENGTH: 8.096 words (novella)
PUBLISHER: Forever Yours (February 1, 2012)

All of London looks forward to the Dowager Duchess of Clayworth’s annual ball. For no matter how hard the serious society matron strives to host an elegant event, scandal always ensues…

Seven years ago it was a young Serena Donovan and Jonathan Dane who shocked the ton when they were discovered in a most compromising position. Tonight they return for the first time as the Earl and Countess of Stratford. And while Serena hopes for a quiet evening to introduce her younger sister Olivia to society, Jonathan’s only desire is to pick up where he and Serena left off…

Though innocent Olivia secretly longs for the kind of passion her sister shares with her husband, none of the men she’s met spark a fire inside her heart—least of all the notorious Marquis of Fenwicke. When his request for a waltz turns into something sinister, Olivia must use her wit and wiles to evade a powerful peer who vows if can’t have her, no man shall…

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

I love it

Other Books in Series(click for more):

available now

coming 8/2012

REVIEW:

Spotted: One, Miss Olivia Donovan getting leered at by a certain Marquis in a dark alcove on the second story of the Dowager Duchess of Clayworth's annual ball. Will they be found by the London ton and will OD be shunned? A source informs me that the Marquis is a married man but tends to step out on his wife. Ladies, keep your legs closed and your virtue well guarded!

Hello lovers... Seven years to this day, Miss Serena Donovan the newly wedded Countess of Stratford and her Earl were caught in a most compromising embrace. Well, a source has discreetly informed me that they're at it again and a certain sister may or may not have gotten quite an eyeful. Oh, haven't either of learned from the past?

Certified Grade A Creepy Marquis... The Marquis mentioned earlier is quite the ladies man and has taken a shine to poor OD. Hello Marquis dude, you're married. Oh wait, this is a normal occurrence for men of your station. But for goodness sake, never tell an innocent lady all the lurid things you'll do to her when you get her alone. That just makes you a total creep. And informing a certain lady that if you can't have her, no one else can, that's just stepping over that fine line of sleazy into Edward Cullen watching you in the corner creepy. Yikes!

Enjoy it while you're young... Miss Jessica Donovan giving it a whirl around the ballroom. This young lady looks like the only Donovan sister who will have the time of her life this season.

Now the real question is: Will the sisters Donovan take the London ton by storm or will complications arise that could put their lives in danger? You'll have to read the full books after this novella because I'll never tell...

XOXO, Romance Girl

FAVORITE QUOTE:

It was the truth. She didn't even want a man's mouth—his saliva—on her again. She didn't want anyone breathing oysters and champagne, hot and moist and heavy, onto her skin. She didn't want someone's arms trapping her, imprisoning her in such a tight web of limbs that they stole the breath from her lungs. She heaved in a great breath and released it on an angry sob.

OVERALL: This was a short, fast read that gave a little insight to what happens after Serena (Meg) and Jonathan's happily ever after (Confessions of An Improper Bride) and the showdown between Olivia Donavan and that creepy Lord Fenwicke. It sets up Olivia's book, Secrets of An Accidental Duchess. I wish it was a bit longer with a little more Jessica and Phoebe time but the ending definitely leaves you wondering what Olivia will do to keep herself from running into Fenwicke.

***review copy from Netgalley***

eARC Review: Ember by Kristen Callihan

EMBER by Kristen Callihan
FORMAT: eBook via Netgalley
GENRE: Historical
LENGTH: 21,850 words (novella)
PUBLISHER: Forever Yours (February 1,2012)

After a fire consumes the Ellis family fortune, the beautiful and resourceful Miranda finds herself faced with an impossible dilemma: enter a life of petty crime or watch her family succumb to poverty. But once her fiancée learns of her descent into danger--and of the strange, new powers she’s discovered --saving her family may come at the high price of her heart.

When his one chance for redemption is destroyed by corrupt London antiquarian Hector Ellis, Lord Benjamin Archer vows to take what Ellis values most—his daughter Miranda.

Forced to hide his face behind masks, Archer travels the world hoping to escape the curse that plagues him so that he can finally claim his prize.

But once Archer returns home to London, will it be revenge he seeks? Or will the flame-haired beauty ignite new, undeniable desires?

Go and Buy it NOW!

Other Books in Series(click for more):

available now

August 2012

REVIEW:

The beginning sentence pretty much sums up Ember and Firelight:

This is the story of a beast, so great and fearsome that he was reviled by all. And of a merchant's daughter, brave and beautiful, whose love for the beast redeemed his soul.

Doesn't that just send shivers down your spine? A classic Beauty and the Beast story that will have you tearing up and clapping at the end.

Ember is the prequel to Firelight in which Miranda's history is explained as well as Archer's and how he came to be banished from London society.

Miranda's gift of fire is both a blessing and a curse. She accidentally burned down her father's warehouse because of a dare and has been paying for it since. In the form of being a pickpocket and fencing the items to keep her and her father barely afloat.

Archer is trying to find a cure for his curse all the while dreaming a certain fire haired beauty who he is looking forward to claim as his own when he returns to London. She just doesn't know it yet. The deal is between Archer and her father due to her father's crew sinking the ship that contained Archer's friend and cure.

This novella was a peek inside Miranda's world before Archer came along to claim her as part of the bargain. She was practically engaged to her childhood friend Martin and they are about to make is official. Complications arise and one rash act using her deadly power send Martin fleeing.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

He needed a cure. Find the cure and he could claim her. Find the cure and his life could begin.

OVERALL: Gah! A little more time with Archer and Miranda put a smile on my face. Ms. Callihan definitely has a way of reeling me in and making me stay even though it's only 60 pages long. I wanted more and thought about re-reading Firelight just to get a new perspective as to why things are the way they are. From the hot sands of Egypt to the desert of Central Mexico to the dark alleys of London and bustling New York City, this novella packs a punch with danger, adventure, hallucinations, intrigue, heartbreak and a whole mess of under the table dealings that will change two lives forever. Well done, Ms. Callihan.

***review copy from Netgalley***

Saturday, December 10, 2011

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.

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:

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)
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)
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)
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)
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***

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Review: Infatuation by Melissa Schroeder

INFATUATION by Melissa Schroeder
FORMAT: PDF
GENRE: Erotic
FILE SIZE: 211KB (about 32,000 words)
PUBLISHER: Melissa Schroeder (November 13, 2011)

Francis McKade is a man in lust. He’s had a crush on his best friend’s little sister for years but he has never acted on it. Besides that fact that she’s Malachi’s sister, he’s a Seal and he learned his lesson with his ex-fiancé. Women do not like being left alone for long months at a time. Still, at a wedding in Hawaii anything can happen—and does. Unfortunately, after the best night of his life, he and Mal are called away to one of their most dangerous missions.

Shannon is blown over by Kade. She’s always had a crush on him and after their night together, it starts to feel a little like love. But, after the mission, Kade never calls or writes and she starts to wonder if it was all a dream. Until one night, her brother Mal drags him into her bar and grill and Shannon gets the shock of her life.

Kade isn’t the man Shannon knew in Hawaii, or even the last few years. Twelve hours of torture changes a man, especially one who had never felt so vulnerable. He still can’t shake the terror that keeps him up at night. Worse, he is realizing that the career he loves just might be over.

Shannon is still mad, but she can’t help but hurt for the man she loves. He is darker, a bit more dangerous, but beneath that, he is the Kade she's known for so many years. When he pushes her to her limits in the bedroom, Shannon refuses to back down. One way or another, this military man is going to learn there is no walking away from love—not while she still has breath in her body.

Warning: This book contains two infatuated lovers, some drunken dancing, a hard-headed military man, a determined woman, some old friends, and a little taste of New Orleans. As always, ice water is suggested while reading. It might be the first military Harmless book, but the only thing that has changed is how hot our hero looks in his uniform—not to mention out of it.

Go and Buy it NOW!

REVIEW:

Um, hello! It's been a while since I've read a Melissa Schroeder book and well, the hotness has been burned into my brain. My palms were sweaty, my toes tingled and I may have felt the need to drop ice cubes down my shirt but held off since I was sitting on a plane between a woman reading some mainstream fiction and a guy watching Captain America. Uh, yeah.

Francis *giggle*

Rule #1 of Friendship: Never, ever, ever mess around with your friend's sister. Don't touch her, don't lust after her, don't picture her spread out on a bed naked, don't accept her invitation to her hotel room. Just don't.

Well, Kade definitely broke all those rules and then some. He's been moony over Shannon for quite a while now and a wedding in Hawaii gives him the perfect opportunity to explore every single luscious curve of that gorgeous body he's been lusting over. Shannon invites Kade to her room, hoping for something, anything to happen between the two.

Kade accepts Shannon's invite and they spent a night of sultry kisses, sweat soaked sheets and multi-orgasmic sex. Being a Seal, Kade gets called along with Shannon's brother, Mal, on a mission. Shannon fully understands being the sister of a Seal.

Four months pass and no word from Kade. Shannon doesn't want to believe that Kade is over her because she's not over him. He comes back with ghosts he can't seem to shake. The light is gone from his eyes, he's quieter and he feels like he can't be man enough for Shannon. The man who made love to her in Hawaii died along with what went down during the mission.

Seeing Shannon flirt with Deke, one of the guys that was on the mission along with him and Mal, Kade gets jealous and knows he must win Shannon back. No matter what. Starting with dominating her in the bedroom. He loves how she willingly submits to him and Shannon knows that with any other man, she would put up a fight.

Shannon knows that if Kade talked about it, it would help. Instead, she engages in a physical relationship with him and they take it one day at a time. With some pushing from Shannon's mother, her brother Mal and friend Deke, Kade must reassess his feelings for Shannon. She's not like any other woman he's ever known and would he be willing to just throw it all away because he feels like he's not good enough for her?

FAVORITE QUOTE:

"Sorry," she whispered.
His lips curled up on one side."No problem. Use and abuse me any way you want to."

OVERALL: Good gorsh! I was waiting for my screen to melt into a puddle of goo and then go up in flames. Sexy, holy hotness doesn't even begin to describe this book. Thigh clenching pretty much sums it up. This story is a balance of fun, flirty and panty melting sexiness with the realities of war. I love how Ms. Schroeder gave Shannon some meat to her bones and it doesn't hurt that Kade is Australian. (Imma sucker for accents and kept picturing Alex O'Loughlin the whole time.) Bring on Deke's story!

**review copy provided by Brandy W***

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Review: Lady Northam's Wicked Surrender by Vivienne Westlake

LADY NORTHAM'S WICKED SURRENDER by Vivienne Westlake
FORMAT: Kindle
GENRE: Erotic
FILE SIZE: 155 KB (about 55 pages)
PUBLISHER: Vivienne Westlake (October 26, 2011)

A midnight encounter between two estranged lovers rekindles a passion beyond their wildest dreams…
Rowena, Countess of Northam, is surprised to find her former suitor has returned from India and is on his way to the very house where she is staying. When he appears in her room late at night, she can only believe it is a dream. Her fantasy soon becomes reality when Simon makes every effort to seduce her.
Despite his six year absence, and the fact that Rowena married his best friend, Simon is determined to have her back now that she is a widow. It soon becomes clear that while her body craves his affections, she doesn’t trust him enough to give her heart. Can Simon forget her past betrayal and convince her to surrender to the greatest love they’ve ever known? (source)

I really liked it.

REVIEW:
HOTTTT! I think my glasses were fogging up a little as I read this. I know my Kindle might have suffered a bit of abuse from my fingers clenching it so tightly. Sheesh!

Simon and Rowena were a thing once upon a time but she ended up marrying his best friend. After six years away, Simon is back and ready to make it work with Rowena. He comes to her in the dead of night, touching, teasing, tantalizing her senses only to leave her wondering if it was just a dream or if it was real.

Rowena's response to his touches sets Simon's blood on fire. He knows he must have this woman but in order for her to give him everything, including her heart, he must get her to trust him. Rowena isn't ready to open her heart to Simon. He left her without so much as a by your leave and the nerve! returning six years later wanting to have a another go.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "Foolish, foolish, foolish, she reminded herself. He had given no explanation for his cruel abandonment and she was going to let him back in so easily? Let him charm and seduce her and then discard her as he did before?"

OVERALL: Holy hotness! This is one steamy, sensual, Kindle gripping read. Vivienne Westlake has woven a sexually charged story of lost love, betrayal and second chances. Rowena's inner struggle with whether to keep guarding and protecting her heart (yes, yes, it's my favorite Bachelorette catchphrase) while Simon tries to break the walls down was heart tugging. Simon comes off as an obsessed, smug jerk who's talented with his fingers but in the end redeems himself. This series looks promising and I can't wait to read the next novella in this series. I do wish it was a bit longer. I wanted to know why Rowena's brother was such an a-hole of the first order.

***review copy provided by Vivienne Westlake***

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

ARC Review: Once Upon A Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare

ONCE UPON A WINTER'S EVER by Tessa Dare
FORMAT: PDF
GENRE: Historical
FILE SIZE: 258 KB (about 110 pages)
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (November 15,2011)
ISBN: 978609288822

Some wallflowers bloom at night...

A Spindle Cove Novella

Violet Winterbottom is a quiet girl. She speaks six languages, but seldom raises her voice. She endured bitter heartbreak in perfect silence. The gentlemen aren't beating down her door.

Until the night of the Spindle Cove Christmas ball, when a mysterious stranger crashes into the ballroom and collapses at Violet's feet. His coarse attire and near-criminal good looks would put any sensible young lady on her guard. He's wet, chilled, bleeding, and speaking in an unfamiliar tongue.

Only Violet understands him. And she knows he's not what he seems.

She has one night to draw forth the secrets of this dangerously handsome rogue. Is he a smuggler? A fugitive? An enemy spy? She needs answers by sunrise, but her captive would rather seduce than confess. To learn his secrets, Violet must reveal hers—and open herself to adventure, passion, and the unthinkable... Love. (source)

I loved it!

Other Book in Series(click on cover to read an excerpt):

REVIEW(may contain spoilers, read at your own risk):
You know, I've got stop taking peeks at some of these books I've been getting until I'm done reading older review books. But who am I to resist the temptation of a Tessa Dare story? Obviously, I keep coming back for more, like that poor girl, Violet Winterbottom. I don't know when to quit and I'm glad I didn't. My self restraint is as good as Lord Christian Pierce's, barely non-existent. At least when it come to the lovely Violet.

Violet Winterbottom gave everything away to The Disappointment a year ago and he left her with a note, 26 stinking words! Since then, she's been trying to get over him and now that she finally sort of has, He comes back into her life in the form of an injured crazed man, washed on to the shores of Spindle Cove.

Violet is very surprised when the man bursts through the door during the winter ball, babbling incoherently and grabs for her dress. Since she has a knack for languages, Lord Rycliff (the hero of A Night to Surrender) asks her what the man is saying. He keeps repeating the same thing over and over again. His name, where he's from, what he does and the fact he knows nothing.

As she sits and waits on what Rycliff will do with the man, Violet must try to get information out of him. Violet soon realizes that this man is none other than The Disappointment aka Lord Christian Pierce, third son of the Duke of Winford. The same man who she gave her heart and her virtue to and was left only a note to remember him by, never to hear from him ever again. At first, she tries to get him to confess to who he really is, telling him why she's in Spindle Cove. Then when the truth comes out, everything is laid out on the table: their feelings for one another, where he's been all this time, why he left, why she only got a note and how long she's been into him.

I kept waiting for Violet to go all The Princess Bride whenever Christian kept repeating that he was just a farmhand. "Oh farmboyyy!" *giggle*

FAVORITE QUOTE: "And that was how Miss Violet Winterbottom, habitual wallflower, found herself in Sir Lewis Finch's Egyptian-themed library, keeping vigil with a hobbled youth, a tavern keeper, and an unconscious man who just might be a spy." (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)

OVERALL: Action, adventure, romance, a pistol packing heroine with a penchant for languages, a humble farmhand who isn't really a farmhand and a winter's eve that will live forever in the minds of the residents of Spindle Cove. Oh, did I mention all of this took place in one night? Yes, Tessa Dare has packed such a wonderful, intriguing, heart tugging read in the space of one night, all neatly wrapped in a story of a second chance at love. Now, I shall dive back into Spindle Cove with A Night to Surrender since I haven't gotten around to it.

***review copy provided by Tessa Dare***

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Review: Romancing Lady Cecily by Ashley March

Romancing Lady Cecily by Ashley March
Format: Kindle
File Size: 149 KB; 15,000 words
Publisher: Signet (August 2,2011)

A brand-new Victorian romance novella from the author of Seducing the Duchess!Follow acclaimed author Ashley March, praised by Booklist for her “elegant writing [and] sizzling sexual chemistry,” into the world of Victorian romance, where Lady Cecily Bishop—promised by her parents to a stranger—must fend off the seductive games and heady caresses of Baron Sedgwick….a task that becomes more difficult with each soul-searing kiss…

I loved it.

OTHER BOOK IN SERIES:

Click on book cover for more

REVIEW:

Since reading and re-reading SEDUCING THE DUCHESS by Ashley March, I had been hankering for another book by her. Here's a little confession before I share my thoughts on ROMANCING LADY CECILY: I participated in Ashley's First Annual March Madness Blog Party and never really made the connection until I discovered her book on my shelf. Apparently, I had pre-ordered it right before its release (October 2010), read it and loved Philip and Charlotte. Then I waited. Hoping she'd come out with something else. Well, here's the something else that ties in to her next book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS.

The story sets up the beginning of ROMANCING THE COUNTESS. At the beginning of this story, Cecily finds out her best friend, Angela, had died in a carriage accident while running away with her lover.

Lady Cecily Bishop must choose between the sinfully delicious Baron Sedgwick who pulls her in deeper with every kiss, every touch OR the mysterious August, the suitor who her father had signed her over to two years ago to cover an investment. Cecily's inner turmoil had me sitting on the edge of my couch (literally) wondering whether she would give in to Sedgwick, after he proposes to her OR be the good girl and do as her parents wish. Oh Cecily. What a dilemma.

Baron Sedgwick has been wooing and teaching Cecily the art of carnal pleasures, up to a point of course. She must remain intact *whispers--down there* for her future, faceless husband. He realizes that he has fallen for this woman and gives her a choice of marrying him, to complete the seduction OR follow through with the marriage to The Other Man. I found it endearing that he called her kitten.

Throughout this story, I crossed my fingers and hoped Cecily would choose Sedgwick. Well, being the good daughter, she lets Sedgwick go and heads towards the altar with the unknown suitor, soon to be husband. Dun dun dun!

Favorite Quote: "No musician could have played an instrument better. His voice was like a song of seduction to her senses, the husky invitation of a violin sliding beneath her well-guarded defenses."

Overall: Once again, Ms. March has captivated me. She had me laughing, sighing, wishing and egging on Sedgwick and Cecily towards a HEA despite that mysterious August, and in only 15,000 words. That is an amazing feat for an author to convey so much emotion and some sexiness going on, in a novella. Ms. March, I am very much looking forward to reading ROMANCING THE COUNTESS. You have set up the story beautifully.

***I bought this for Kindle.***