If you’re in the mood for a light, enjoyable romance, check out No Reservations.This 2007 release starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart is the story of Kate, a top NYC chef who runs her kitchen and her life with clockwork precision. Both are turned upside down at once when Kate’s niece Zoe comes to stay with her the same week that Nick is hired on as her new sous chef. In contrast to Kate’s cool, controlled style, Nick likes to have fun and belt out his favorite operatic arias while he’s working. Though he could easily be running a kitchen of his own, he wants to learn from Kate, while Kate believes he really just wants to steal her job. Sparks fly between the two on a lot of levels. The always fabulous Patricia Clarkson plays the restaurant owner, and Abigail Breslin does a great job as Zoe. This is a sweet, funny little romance that's nice to unwind with. Click here to place a request.Monday, March 17, 2008
New on DVD: No Reservations
If you’re in the mood for a light, enjoyable romance, check out No Reservations.This 2007 release starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart is the story of Kate, a top NYC chef who runs her kitchen and her life with clockwork precision. Both are turned upside down at once when Kate’s niece Zoe comes to stay with her the same week that Nick is hired on as her new sous chef. In contrast to Kate’s cool, controlled style, Nick likes to have fun and belt out his favorite operatic arias while he’s working. Though he could easily be running a kitchen of his own, he wants to learn from Kate, while Kate believes he really just wants to steal her job. Sparks fly between the two on a lot of levels. The always fabulous Patricia Clarkson plays the restaurant owner, and Abigail Breslin does a great job as Zoe. This is a sweet, funny little romance that's nice to unwind with. Click here to place a request.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Real Readers Writing Reviews
As far as I’m concerned, there can never be too many good sources to help me narrow down the options on my “To Be Read” list. That’s why I like the Paperback Reader. A group of voracious readers post their honest opinions of what they are reading in a variety of genres, romance included. In addition to a variety of reviews, there are also links to other sites and blogs of interest to readers. Visitors can post comments and even enter the occasional contest. So if you are looking for a new source of information about books or a congenial virtual group of readers, check out the Paperback Reader today.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
On the Book Cart
If you are a fan of Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalker series, you’ll want to pick up Predatory Game. The story features Saber and Jess, two Ghostwalkers who have been damaged in different ways, and have to work through issues from their pasts in order to move forward together. Historicals include the dark, somewhat gothic Shadows of the Night by Lydia Joyce, and Sophia Nash’s more traditional The Kiss. Nash is also the subject of the April Romantic Times cover story. Tumbling through Time, by Gwyn Cready, takes a contemporary heroine and sends her back to an eighteenth century pirate ship, all courtesy of the magical powers of a pair of pink stilettos. And I thought ruby slippers had power! Last but not least is Robin Wells Between the Sheets, the story of a young woman who retreats to her hometown after being mistaken for the call girl who gave the president-elect a fatal heart attack. This one combines plenty of humor within the story of love, sex and politics, and so far as I can tell, there is absolutely no mention of the Mayflower Hotel....
Monday, March 10, 2008
Secrets and Spies
Distracting the Duchess
By Emily Bryan
By Emily Bryan
Distracting the Duchess has all the elements I like in a historical romance: a strong minded heroine, a hero with a real job, eccentric supporting characters, and a masked ball and wild carriage ride or two. 
Her Grace the Duchess of Southwycke, Artemisia to her friends, is a young widow and an artist of some renown. Artemisia is in the middle of a series of paintings of the gods of Olympus when Trevelyn Deveridge arrives at her door. Mistaking him for a new model, she tells him to take off all his clothes and try a few poses. Trev is actually there looking for information, but as one of Her Majesty’s intelligence officers he has been trained to roll with the punches. So he assumes one of his many false identities, shucks off his clothes, and becomes gainfully employed as Mars, God of War. Baring all for Queen and country was not what he expected to be doing when he came looking for information, but Trev doesn’t have a lot of options and so makes the best of it.
Trev, however, is not the only one with more than one identity. Artemisia has a few secrets of her own. Since her father became mentally incapacitated after an illness, and her elderly husband died, Artemisia has been managing her family’s business and her late husband’s estate. Unfortunately, she needed to create a male alter ego to do so. And so the persona of Josiah Beddington was created. With the help of a loyal clerk who runs Beddington’s office, Artemisia manages to keep her role in the business a secret. All goes swimmingly until her business prowess attracts attention to the elusive Mr. Beddington, and some very rough customers want to find him. So does Trev. But why?
Unbeknownst to Artemisia, her father was also a spy, right up until a serious illness robbed him of his senses and left him somewhat delusional. His last coherent message, sent when he knew he had an illness he might not survive, was “Beddington holds the key.” So everyone is looking for Beddington, convinced he has the elusive key to a vast network of spies on the Indian subcontinent. But Artemisia is Beddington, and she has no idea what the message means.
So, what can a headstrong duchess and a determined spy do? Well, the obvious things:
fall madly, passionately in love; break into the Russian ambassador’s residence; steal a few things; have assignations in inns; threaten, evade and eventually manipulate a member of the press; get abducted, shot at, and generally beaten up; and above all, find the key. All in a day’s work for the intrepid Artemisia and Trev.
This story is a lot of fun. Though I wouldn’t classify it as romantic suspense, the search for the key and the meaning behind the cryptic message add a strong adventure storyline that serves to throw the hero and heroine together in a variety of circumstances, allowing their relationship to develop. The fact that both are passionate about something other than each other adds a nice dimension to the characters and serves to create conflict. The secondary characters, particularly Artemisia’s father, are nicely drawn and are vivid in spite of making brief appearances. If you like historicals with a dose of humor and a fair amount of mayhem, you will enjoy Distracting the Duchess.
Her Grace the Duchess of Southwycke, Artemisia to her friends, is a young widow and an artist of some renown. Artemisia is in the middle of a series of paintings of the gods of Olympus when Trevelyn Deveridge arrives at her door. Mistaking him for a new model, she tells him to take off all his clothes and try a few poses. Trev is actually there looking for information, but as one of Her Majesty’s intelligence officers he has been trained to roll with the punches. So he assumes one of his many false identities, shucks off his clothes, and becomes gainfully employed as Mars, God of War. Baring all for Queen and country was not what he expected to be doing when he came looking for information, but Trev doesn’t have a lot of options and so makes the best of it.Trev, however, is not the only one with more than one identity. Artemisia has a few secrets of her own. Since her father became mentally incapacitated after an illness, and her elderly husband died, Artemisia has been managing her family’s business and her late husband’s estate. Unfortunately, she needed to create a male alter ego to do so. And so the persona of Josiah Beddington was created. With the help of a loyal clerk who runs Beddington’s office, Artemisia manages to keep her role in the business a secret. All goes swimmingly until her business prowess attracts attention to the elusive Mr. Beddington, and some very rough customers want to find him. So does Trev. But why?
Unbeknownst to Artemisia, her father was also a spy, right up until a serious illness robbed him of his senses and left him somewhat delusional. His last coherent message, sent when he knew he had an illness he might not survive, was “Beddington holds the key.” So everyone is looking for Beddington, convinced he has the elusive key to a vast network of spies on the Indian subcontinent. But Artemisia is Beddington, and she has no idea what the message means.
So, what can a headstrong duchess and a determined spy do? Well, the obvious things:
fall madly, passionately in love; break into the Russian ambassador’s residence; steal a few things; have assignations in inns; threaten, evade and eventually manipulate a member of the press; get abducted, shot at, and generally beaten up; and above all, find the key. All in a day’s work for the intrepid Artemisia and Trev.
This story is a lot of fun. Though I wouldn’t classify it as romantic suspense, the search for the key and the meaning behind the cryptic message add a strong adventure storyline that serves to throw the hero and heroine together in a variety of circumstances, allowing their relationship to develop. The fact that both are passionate about something other than each other adds a nice dimension to the characters and serves to create conflict. The secondary characters, particularly Artemisia’s father, are nicely drawn and are vivid in spite of making brief appearances. If you like historicals with a dose of humor and a fair amount of mayhem, you will enjoy Distracting the Duchess.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
On the Book Cart
There’s a wide variety of romance on the new book cart this week. The first title in Celeste Bradley’s new “Heiress Brides” trilogy, Desperately Seeking a Duke, has arrived; the next two will be coming out in April and May. Other historicals include Distracting the Duchess by Emily Bryan, a tale of art, espionage, and mistaken identity set in Victorian England, and The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall, set in China in the 1920’s. If you prefer paranormal, pick up Vampire Interrupted, the latest Argeneau novel from Lynsay Sands. Romantic suspense fans will enjoy Patricia Potter’s Catch a Shadow, a contemporary story based on the premise that no good deed goes unpunished. Divorced, Desperate and Delicious, by Christie Craig, is a more of a romantic comedy caper. Last but not least, Sherryl Woods Seaview Inn tells the story of two people who find that you can go home again, and may just find love in the process. There’s a little something for everybody, so check the catalog to request the books you want.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
April Romantic Times on the Shelf
Author Sophia Nash is the topic of this month’s RT cover story; her new novel, The Kiss, is a story of unrequited love that was inspired by one of her ancestors. Also featured is an analysis of chick lit past and present, proving that Bridget Jones is alive and well and showing up in some unusual places. Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy an interview with Iris Johansen. If you are counting the days until the dreaded March “mixed precipitation” melts into memory, check out the “Summer Books Preview,” a three month calendar detailing release dates for some great beach reads. And, as always, there are 250 reviews of books in several genres – romance, suspense, paranormal, mystery, and mainstream fiction – that are being released in April. Request your copies now!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Highly Improbable and a Whole Lot of Fun
The Mercenary
By Cherry Adair
By Cherry Adair
Cherry Adair’s T-FLAC operatives are the ultimate alpha males, combining the sexiness of James Bond with the kind of “Mere bullets and bad guys can’t stop me sweetheart” toughness of the classic hardboiled PI novels. Marc Savin, the original, baddest, sexiest operative of them all, is back in an expanded version of The Mercenary, the story that launched T-FLAC in 1994.
The premise is this: Marc has retired from the elite counter-terrorism unit due to personal tragedy. On his last mission, he shot and killed his lover, believing her to be an assassin sent to kill him. He sinks into guilt, believing that it was a case of mistaken identity. For two years he tries to get a grip on his anger and guilt by giving up the spy game and becoming a cattle rancher in Montana. One day Alex Stone, his former protégé, shows with evidence that Savin’s ex had been a rogue agent, and if he hadn’t killed her first she would have killed him. Stone also wants Marc’s help with an assignment: taking out a terrorist cell that has taken over a small Mediterranean island. Still heartbroken and angry, Marc says no, and Alex goes without him. By the time he finally looks at the evidence and is able to acknowledge the truth about his past, he gets word that Alex Stone is dead. Case closed, with yet one more thing to feel guilty about, until Victoria Jones shows up.
Tory Jones claims that she is Alex’s twin sister, and that her brother is still alive and being held captive by the terrorist group. At first Marc doesn’t buy her story, but after she provides him with the kind of information only Alex would have he starts to come around. He agrees to go after her brother, but takes her along as insurance in case she turns out to be part of an elaborate trap. Through rough seas, over rocky beaches, into caves, markets, dungeons, and palaces, and in spite of beatings, bullet wounds, and broken bones, Marc and Tory manage to not only rescue Alex, but fall passionately in love as well. Nothing like a little adrenaline to kick the chemistry into high gear….
Marc and Tory’s adventures in this book are over the top in the same way as Bond and Bourne – you just can’t believe what’s happening but you’re having too much fun to care! Both hero and heroine are appealing, which is more important than ever in this book because the secondary characters are few and far between. This is the biggest giveaway that this story was first published as a category romance. Fortunately, Adair fleshes out the characters and puts in plenty of action. She nearly always manages to show rather then tell, avoiding long winded explanations that would have dragged down the pace. In the few instances where explanation is necessary, such as when she is filling in a character’s back story, she works it in well enough so that it seems like a natural extension of the plot.
Overall, this book is fun and fast-paced with a nice amount of romance to balance the adventure. If you haven’t read any of the T-FLAC books, this is as good a place as any to start. Better yet, if you want to choose your Alpha-Male-Du-Jour from a menu, go to the author’s website and click on “Profiles.” You can view a complete dossier on each operative and get book synopses as well. Adair does a great job of continuing the high tech, guns and gadgets feel of her books right into every element of her website. Even if you’re already familiar with the books it’s fun to visit the site just to play with all the cool features!
The premise is this: Marc has retired from the elite counter-terrorism unit due to personal tragedy. On his last mission, he shot and killed his lover, believing her to be an assassin sent to kill him. He sinks into guilt, believing that it was a case of mistaken identity. For two years he tries to get a grip on his anger and guilt by giving up the spy game and becoming a cattle rancher in Montana. One day Alex Stone, his former protégé, shows with evidence that Savin’s ex had been a rogue agent, and if he hadn’t killed her first she would have killed him. Stone also wants Marc’s help with an assignment: taking out a terrorist cell that has taken over a small Mediterranean island. Still heartbroken and angry, Marc says no, and Alex goes without him. By the time he finally looks at the evidence and is able to acknowledge the truth about his past, he gets word that Alex Stone is dead. Case closed, with yet one more thing to feel guilty about, until Victoria Jones shows up.
Tory Jones claims that she is Alex’s twin sister, and that her brother is still alive and being held captive by the terrorist group. At first Marc doesn’t buy her story, but after she provides him with the kind of information only Alex would have he starts to come around. He agrees to go after her brother, but takes her along as insurance in case she turns out to be part of an elaborate trap. Through rough seas, over rocky beaches, into caves, markets, dungeons, and palaces, and in spite of beatings, bullet wounds, and broken bones, Marc and Tory manage to not only rescue Alex, but fall passionately in love as well. Nothing like a little adrenaline to kick the chemistry into high gear….
Marc and Tory’s adventures in this book are over the top in the same way as Bond and Bourne – you just can’t believe what’s happening but you’re having too much fun to care! Both hero and heroine are appealing, which is more important than ever in this book because the secondary characters are few and far between. This is the biggest giveaway that this story was first published as a category romance. Fortunately, Adair fleshes out the characters and puts in plenty of action. She nearly always manages to show rather then tell, avoiding long winded explanations that would have dragged down the pace. In the few instances where explanation is necessary, such as when she is filling in a character’s back story, she works it in well enough so that it seems like a natural extension of the plot.
Overall, this book is fun and fast-paced with a nice amount of romance to balance the adventure. If you haven’t read any of the T-FLAC books, this is as good a place as any to start. Better yet, if you want to choose your Alpha-Male-Du-Jour from a menu, go to the author’s website and click on “Profiles.” You can view a complete dossier on each operative and get book synopses as well. Adair does a great job of continuing the high tech, guns and gadgets feel of her books right into every element of her website. Even if you’re already familiar with the books it’s fun to visit the site just to play with all the cool features!
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