Goddess of the Hunt

Goddess of the Hunt
by Tessa Dare

This one was fun and a definite roller coaster ride of a story! It's also the first in a trilogy in the historical category, so more fun awaits.

Dramatic and impulsive Lucy is in love with Toby and has been for most of her life. Toby, a rake and flirt, is one her brother's best friends. So, naturally, she chooses his other best friend, Jeremy, to "practice" her feminine wiles on before she makes a play for Toby. (Makes sense to me, right?) Jeremy is perceived by Lucy, and indeed by all who know him, as a cold fish. Lucy thinks that if she can attract him, she can definitely win Toby away from the woman he seems about to propose to.

Jeremy's frigid demeanor, of course, is a cover for the poweful, roiling emotions he keeps tightly under wraps. The tragic childhood he endured has taught him to avoid everything to do with such messy things as feelings. Lucy is definitely in the "messy" category. He resents that he is attracted to her - and yet he cannot resist her. He is powerfully jealous of her love for Toby - and yet he doesn't want her for himself (or thinks he doesn't.) He hates that he can't control her impulsive behavior - and yet when he finally does have that power, he doesn't like who she becomes.

This author was a new find for me. I saw an interview she did on the True Romance section of Borders Media and found that we own all three in this trilogy. I plan to read the second in the set as soon as I have the chance.

~Submitted by Michele

Literary Love Scenes, Romantically Read

Once upon a time, explicit sex in books was unheard of, and even implied sex was frowned upon. The work of D.H. Lawrence was considered quite hot, the sort of thing that got one thrown in jail, or at least ostracized from polite society. Remember those college lit courses you took, when you eagerly picked up all those books on the reading list that had such racy reputations, only to get bored and drop them when you couldn’t find the smutty bits? Generations of students were left wondering what all the fuss was about. Well, wonder no more. The British coffee company Carte Noire has developed “a more seductive coffee break” by recruiting a trio of hotties to read classic literary love scenes. The readers are Greg Wise, Dominic West and Dan Stevens, all known for their film and stage work. Readings include selections from Sons and Lovers, The Age of Innocence, Sense and Sensibility and many more literary favorites. Being a huge fan of both coffee and handsome men with melodious voices, I decided to revisit the some of my collegiate required reading, courtesy of Carte Noire. Visit the site and have a listen – you may just develop a brand new appreciation of the classics.

More Romantical Reviews

Since the library (and its resident bloggers) will be keeping holiday hours in the next few weeks, you’ll need to check out some other sites to get your fix of all things romance related. In addition to the resources to the right, another great spot to read some romance reviews is a blog called The Good, The Bad and The Unread. TGTBTU covers mostly romance, but occasionally dabbles in other genres. There are plenty of reviews, Guest Author Days, contests, and other fun stuff. So grab some cookies and check out TGTBTU. Those gifts will get wrapped eventually….

On the Book Cart

Another light week in terms of new books. The last of the Christmas titles have drifted in, and if all the cookie-fueled happyhappy joyjoy holiday cheer is getting to be too much for you, dip into some romantic suspense and hunt down a few bad guys!

Historical:
Sophia James Mistletoe Magic
Susan Gee Heino Mistress by Mistake

Romantic Suspense:
Laura Griffin Untraceable
Gina Robinson Spy Games
Starr Ambrose Our Little Secret

Kill Bridezilla!!!!

Okay, let me state for the record that none of my friends have ever morphed into Bridezilla while planning a wedding. (Although there is one who got married before I met her, and based on the pictures, the potential was definitely there....)
Anyway, I've heard enough horror stories to have a zero tolerance for brides-behaving-badly. My only complaint about either of the first two books of Nora Roberts' Brides quartet is that some of the brattier wedding party members did not get the comeuppance I felt they deserved. I therefore read with great interest of a new video game based on Visions in White. The game will follow the general plotline involving the four womem who run Vows, and will include features like hidden object searches and mini-games. No word on whether or not you get the chance to blow up the white limo or, better still, lob a wedding cake at Bridezilla, but a girl can dream....

On the Book Cart

A little light on romance this week -- but that just leaves you more time to shop and wrap and bake....

Historical:
Victoria Alexander Believe
Liz Carlyle One Little Sin
Suzanne Enoch Something Sinful

Romantic Suspense:
Christina Skye Bound by Dreams
Mary Burton Dying Scream
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Did you ever wonder what your favorite authors were thinking? Where they got their ideas? What inspired them?

Well, apparently Borders does. They have been producing a series of original programming housed on the Borders.com website. There are all kinds of goodies here - interviews with authors, musicians performing songs from their cds, chefs preparing recipes from their latest cookbooks, even a section of yummy Book Club Recipes in the Kitchen section. The most innovative is a section where various authors are filmed in a sort of "home movie" mode walking through a Borders and pointing out their own favorite books, movies and music.

But the best part? The romance genre has its very own section called Borders True Romance. Sue Grimshaw is the romance buyer for Borders. She hosts not only a romance blog and a monthly list of "must reads", but also a great video interview program. Each interview runs somewhere between 10-15 minutes and is remarkably in-depth. I think the reason the quality is so high is because the questions are asked by someone who knows romance, someone who has probably read every book the author has written rather than just a quick perusal of the latest one for purposes of preparing for an interview.

It is fun to watch the interviews with some of my favorite prolific authors like Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts, both of whom seem just as fun as the women they create in their novels. However, they are crossover authors who are often on the mainstream interview shows. I think it's really great to see the authors who are strictly in the romance genre get the attention their work deserves - authors like Debbie Macomber, Lisa Kleypas,
Stephanie Laurens, and Sherrilyn Kenyon just to name a few. I even discovered a new author that I really enjoyed - Tessa Dare. (More about her in a later post.)

So check out Borders True Romance. And by the way, should anyone actually make the Crisp Chocolate Biscotti from the Book Club Recipes section, PLEEEEEEASE bring me some!!

~Michele

Cool Krentz Quick Castle website update!

As a big fan of the Arcane Society novels, I was thrilled to see the latest updates to Jayne Ann Krentz's website. Krentz, who writes the contemporary Arcane Society novels under her name, and who pens the historical entries under the name Amanda Quick, has added some nice features for fans of the series. In addition to a look into Arcane House, there is now a Society Museum and a J&J security "job application". That last is one of the more entertaining ways to sign up for an author's newsletter that I've seen. You can also follow Fallon Jones on Twitter; interesting to see what the secretive head of J&J would be willing to tweet about...
Those of you who also enjoy the Harmony series written under the pen name Jayne Castle will find much to enjoy as well -- the dust bunny book trailers alone are worth the visit. So while you're waiting for that next book to come out (Fired Up on 12/29) stop by the website visit some old friends.

On the Book Cart

There's a little bit of everything on the cart this week, with most of December's titles having arrived. New additions as follows:

Historical:
Sophie Jordan Sins of a Wicked Duke
Caroline Linden For Your Arms Only
Karen Ranney Sold to a Laird
Kathryne Kennedy My Unfair Lady

Contemporary:
Christie Craig Divorced, Desperate and DeceivedSusan Donovan Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Paranormal:Christina Dodd Storm of Shadows

Romantic Suspense:
Brenda Novak Stop Me
Carla Neggers Cold River

New RT Book Reviews Has Arrived

The January (!) RT is here, with cover stories on authors Jude Deveraux and Tami Hoag, and a look at Post-Apocalyptic fiction and the revivial of the medieval romance. There is also a nice article on the late Kate Duffy, a romance industry editorial icon. Author spotlights include Catherine Anderson, Julie Kenner, and Margaret Ronald, as well as the "Debut Corner" where you can meet a handful of newly published authors. Ever pictured yourself starring in a romance novel? Take the Romance Heroine Quiz and find your perfect story. Also included are the monthly Pros on Prose and Fan Forum section, as well as more than 250 book reviews.