Title: Bound by Your Touch (advanced readers copy)
Author: Meredith Duran
Publication Info: Avon June 2009
Genre: Regency Historical Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Ms. Duran’s sophomore try is even better than DUKE OF SHADOWS, and that’s saying a lot.

Plot:
Lydia Boyce manages all the affairs for her egyptologist father, so when some of his artifacts are exposed as fakes, she is determined to uncover the true villain and save her father’s reputation. Viscount Sanburne is the man who purchased the fake. Lydia accuses him of perpetrating the fraud. He is just as determined to uncover the truth. When a blue-stocking spinster and notorious rake go head-to-head, someone’s reputation is bound to be ruined.

Sanburne is plagued by guilt over failing to save his sister from an abusive marriage. As he accompanies Lydia to the darkest parts of the city in search of clues, she slowly discovers that the irresponsible rake has a deeper side to him. But she’s been burned before, and she hesitates to become another notch on Sanburne’s long list of conquests. They search the dark streets of London for the missing jewels with assassins hot on their heels. Neither is willing to risk his or her heart again.

Discussion:
An excellent adventure filled with rich prose, sparkling wit, and period details. Ms. Duran’s historic commentary makes this a book you can sink your teeth into. Clever and passionate, with a hero and heroine equally matched in stubborn determination, Bound by your Touch is sure to delight all readers of Historical Romance. (Especially fans of Loretta Chase!) I look forward to watching Ms. Duran’s star hit the New York Times best seller list and capture a RITA or two in the near future. Her third book is due in July: WRITTEN ON YOUR SKIN.

The new NEW MOON cover featuring the man who should have been Bella’s hero. Much more handsome, more loyal, better cuddle-er….not to mention alive. Besides, he takes showers. We can’t say the same for Robert Pattinson.

Calling all aspiring authors with polished manuscripts to sell! The lovely ladies at BookEnds Literary Agency have joined twitter. To celebrate, they’ve announced a new opportunity to pitch your book in 140 characters. Follow @BookEndsJessica and @BookEndsKim this week and be ready for the windup when they ask you to “Start Twitching!” Respond to the agent who announced it with your pitch. Remember, you can use no more than 140 characters and must complete your thought. @ replying to the correct agent takes up valuable space, but you can’t reply to Kim when Jessica sent out the call. Check out their blog for more info.

Let’s practice, shall we? Describe the last book you read in 140 characters:

“Regency star-crossed lovers reunite after botched elopement. Must forgive meddling fathers, realize big misunderstanding & risk hearts again.”

(EVERYTHING AND THE MOON by Julia Quinn)

Dorchester, the publishing house that brought you the American Title and Mr. Romance contests, is again looking to social networking for their next publishing contract. (Marie Claude Bourque, the winner of American Title V, will be published in February 2010.) Dorchester is bringing cell phone novels–popular in Japan–to America by inviting aspiring authors to post their novels in short increments online. Fans and readers will download, read and vote on their favorites. The winner of the NEXT BEST CELLER CONTEST earns a coveted publishing contract with a $2000 advance.

“Our increasingly fast-paced and chaotic lifestyles have created challenges for many individuals who can’t or won’t make the time to read.  Between fragmented attention spans, the enthusiasm and devotion cultivated by fan participation in reality television and the social networking revolution, we think the time is perfect to bring readers and writers together through Textnovel and we hope to discover America’s Next Best ‘Celler’.” -  Brooke Borneman, Dorchester’s Sales and Marketing Director

The serial novel was popular in the Victorian era, with now-famous authors Charles Dickens and Louisa May Alcott making a career out of it. Dorchester’s latest contest pairs Victorian romanticism and futuristic technology; Did someone say Steampunk?

Title: Some Like it Wild
Author: Teresa Medeiros
Publication Info: Avon March 2009
Genre: Regency/Scottish Historical Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

When I want a good dose of happily ever after with a dashing hero and a clever heroine I always turn to Ms. Medeiros. She never disappoints. Her latest tale is particularly excellent. Pamela and Connor are a matching set: both devious and crafty, but with hearts of gold. Their banter surprises and delights. Their chemistry sizzles.

Plot:

Pamela Darby and her younger sister Sophie are down-on-their-luck orphans who seek the long-lost son of a Duke to claim the reward money. Their mother trod the boards of Drury Lane before it burned to the ground with her inside it. All they have left is a letter that claims the son is in Scotland. They dress in their finest costume jewelry to search the Highlands, only to be set upon by a notorious highwayman. Pamela decides that with a little stage polish this prince-of-thieves could pass for a Duke’s son. Connor Kincaid is only too happy to swindle an English swine out of his money.

When they arrive at the Duke’s door, the feeble old man is won over by Connor’s charade, but his wily sister and her son (the displaced heir) are not so easily persuaded. Pamela hoped to get the reward and run, but Connor announces that she is his fiancee. What woman could say no to a devilishly handsome Scotsman in a kilt? In staying, she risks her neck to the handman’s noose if the ruse in uncovered. She may not have a choice; this thieving blackguard has already stole something far more dangerous: her heart.

**swoon!!**

Discussion:

I love Ms. Medeiros’ books because they always fill my chest with that warm glow of love, true love. Oh! Love. Connor and Pamela are my favorite pair yet, especially the dashing Scot. He’s like a much handsomer version of Liam Neeson’s Rob Roy. Medeiros even recreates the dueling scene between the broadsword and the epee. Connor is delicious, and Pamela is a smart heroine worthy of him. (No TSTL here, thank goodness!) Just when I think I know the dialogue she’s going to say, she surprises me.

I hope Sophie gets her HEA next with similar bravado.

If you want a great book for lounging in the summer sun, drinking mint juleps and dreaming about happily-ever-after, this is it!

Are you a fan of Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER? (or Cross Stitch, if you’re across the pond.) Do you dream of six-foot, brawny red-haired men in kilts? Have you ever donned all your precious jewels and waltzed around the local standing stones after Beltane? Look no further, here is the vacation of your dreams:

The Diana Gabaldon Tour

“The novels of Diana Gabaldon have prompted a surge of interest in Highland life as it was at the time of ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ and the 1745 Rising. The waves made by Jamie, a gentleman of Clan Fraser, and his alluring wife Claire, a stranger in the 18th century, have rippled through lovers of Scotland worldwide. If you have yet to visit Jamie Fraser country, then this is a suggested schedule. The cost for two people over the nine nights is £1950.”

Visit Fraser country and MacKensie land. See a potential inspiration for Lallybroch. Tramp “off the beaten track, and into the remnants of the Great Caledonian Pine Forest where Jamie and Claire wandered after their wedding.” Visit Lock Ness and wonder at the horror of Culloden Field. Though “It is not recorded that Jamie and Claire visited Skye,” you can go there too.

My favorite thing to do on vacation is visit the settings of great books. When I was in London, everywhere I turned was another scene from a Regency Romance: Half Moon Street—Oh! The Bridgerton’s live here! The Serpentine in Hyde Park–Hey! That’s where Kate fell in! Almacks, Whites, Covent Garden, Drury Lane Theater…the list goes on and on. I dearly hope someday to visit Scotland, and you can bet your knickers I’ll be visiting some of these Outlander landmarks. (As well as buying Mr. Wonderful a kilt!)

Title: The Dream Thief
Author: Shanna Abe
Series: The Drákon book 2
Publication Info: Bantam, August 2007
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3

The sequel to the excellent SMOKE THIEF follows Rue and Christoff’s youngest daughter, Lia, who is born with the rare Drakon gift of dreaming the future. Her hero is Zane, her mother’s street urchin sidekick, who has grown up to be a dark, powerful criminal in London.

Plot:

There is a legendary diamond that has the power to enslave the Drakon’s minds. Lia hears it calling her from a very young age, accompanied by disturbing sexual dreams of her mother’s dangerous apprentice Zane. No one believes her, so she grows up hiding her future-telling dreams and her slow-to-come Drakon powers. Her parents learn of the diamond when Lia is off at finishing school in Scotland and send Zane–a human–to find it. He runs into Lia, who has escaped school to find the stone herself. She has dreamed this. Regency road trip!

After a number of misadventures, they find the legendary Drakon castle and its twisted lord. Lia knows that Zane cannot have the diamond, because she has dreamed he uses it to kill her parents and everyone close to her. But she is Drakon, so the diamond enslaves her. Is there enough goodness in Zane’s black heart to set her free?

Discussion:

Ms. Abe’s writing is very good. I have always been a big fan of road trip books, especially when the protagonists get stranded out in the middle of nowhere and must tough it in the wilderness.

There is a lot more of that airy, poetic narration in this book. In The Smoke Thief it was only a long prologue. In The Dream Thief it comes every other chapter or so. I skimmed it.

The hero/heroine age difference bothered me. Zane is 12 in The Smoke Thief, when her parents meet. Lia is 19 in The Dream Thief. Lia has dark, sexual dreams of Zane since childhood. Does she actually love him, or is she merely obsessed? Does Zane take advantage of her youth and inexperience? Should maybe he have woken her up first? These and more questions weighed on my enjoyment of the book. In the first book, I felt Ms. Abe did a good job on coming right up to the forced-seduction line, but not crossing it. In this book, well, you’ll have to make up your own mind. I enjoyed the book, but certain parts made me a little morally squeamish.

I enjoyed The Dream Thief and plan to read book 3. Ms. Abe is a masterful storyteller. I just hope the heroine in The Dragon Queen finds healing and psychotherapy from what she endured in book 2. Maybe she should talk to Hardy Cates?

Title: The Smoke Thief
Author: Shanna Abe
Series: The Drákon book 1
Publication Info: Bantam, Oct 2006
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

Ms. Abe combines my favorite two romance genres, Historical and Paranormal, for a delightful adventure that soars through the star-strewn sky and delves deep into the fire of the human heart.

Plot:

Clarissa Rue Hawthorne was born an outcast, a half-blood in the mysterious and sheltered clan of dragon shapeshifters. She will never fit in, so she breaks the clan’s laws, fakes her own death and escapes to London. She spends nine-or-so years building a secret life for herself: the proper widow by day and a Smoke Thief at night. But her past catches up with her in none other than the dragon king himself, Christoff, Marquess of Langford, who comes to London dangling the most precious jewel of all as bait. She can’t help but visit the stone and is caught up in Christoff’s deadly claws.

Christoff has been raised for one thing: to rule his people with an iron fist and keep them safe from the human Others. He is the Alpha and must marry the Alpha female of the tribe, but no woman in generations has been able to Turn into Drakon. When he lays a trap for the outlaw who dares expose their secrets by stealing the Ton’s jewels, he never imagined he would find a female who could Turn, or the lost little girl who caught his notice so many years ago.

But there is another rogue drakon theif in London and he steals the drakon jewel from under their noses. Rue makes a devil’s bargain: her freedom for his. She must join forces with the indomitable Christoff to find the jewel before the week is up. Christoff is injured in their search. Rue has the chance to escape to freedom, or to try to save the Alpha. She might have won her freedom, but she lost her heart.

Discussion:

Christine has been telling me about this book for over a year and I don’t know why I didn’t get around to reading it until now. I couldn’t put it down! The attraction between Rue and Christoff burns red hot and their cat and mouse chase keeps the pages spinning. I loved the descriptions of the dragons flying through the clouds. This is a Cinderella story: Rue’s childhood crush comes to fruition, bringing the now all-grown-up domineering Alpha male to her feet.

The one thing I would have changed is the long airy prologue. I think that backstory could have been communicated through the book, or in a shorter prologue. I’m excited for the next one, The Dream Thief, which stars Rue & Christoff’s daughter and Rue’s street urchin companion Zane.

Thanks for all the congrats! I used the random number generator at random.org to select 2 winners for the contest for Meredith Duran’s BOUND BY YOUR TOUCH:

Renee, whose favorite historical is Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas (great choice!)

and

Mandi, whose favorite historical is Revealed by Kate Noble (I’ll have to pick that one up!)

Congrats! Please tell all your friends about Duran’s latest book and blog about it. It’s a fabulous read! The book will be released June 30, 2009.

In other fun news, while whiling away a sunny Sunday morning in downtown Ballard, I happened upon this adorable baby tee shirt (photo below left). It comes in a mystery package so you don’t know what occupation Mysterio will predict for your child. If you can’t read it, it says “Mysterio predicts I will be a ROMANCE NOVELIST.” I don’t care so much about the other professions, I just want this one.

Also, I won a contest a few weeks ago at Access Romance and today received a box of books in the mail, including three ARCs. Thank you AR!! The book that immediately caught my attention was THE VEIL OF NIGHT by Lydia Joyce, a debut regency historical romance, because Lisa Kleypas is quoted on the cover as saying the book is “absolutely riveting.” If Lisa Kleypas, goddess of regency romance, thinks it’s good, you know it’s gotta be great. Ms. Joyce debuted in 2005, but she’s new-to-me. Have any of you read these other books? Which should I start with?

Mr. Wonderful and I just got back from seeing Disney/Pixar’s movie Up. We both quite recommend it. So cute! Bring your tissues. I’m not sure how kids view it (we were some of the only childless people in the theater), but for adults it had an important message about life’s little adventures.

As a kid, Carl Fredrickson dreams of flying to South America to visit the land that time forgot just like his hero. He meets a little girl with the same dream, grows up, gets married and lives a really cute life of montages. They still dream of that trip, but life keeps getting in the way. At age 78, Carl’s wife dies, and Carl is left alone in their little house with the city closing in around him and life passing him by. Contractors and businessmen are knocking on his door trying to get him to sell his house so they can tear it down and build something big (like Trader Joe’s/LA Fitness). He decides enough is enough, ties a million balloons to the top of his house and flies UP to adventure.

Unfortunately an 8-year-old hitchhiker tags along. Russell is one merit badge short of graduating to senior wilderness explorer, the “helping the elderly” badge, and he is determined to get it. They fly to South America and land on the mountain where Carl’s childhood hero was last seen trying to find a mythic tall, colorful bird. They meet a pack of dogs, cue comic relief, and go toe-to-toe with the inhabitants of a very strange lost jungle. Carl want to move his house to the falls to fulfill his and his wife’s dream adventure. Life might have other plans.

In my neck of the woods, we have our very own little house that defied the encroachment of the city. Edith refused $1 million to sell her house near the Ballard Bridge to developers, even though the rest of the block was bought up. The developers built the five-story building around her. You can read the fascinating story here, or get your very own tattoo.

Edith’s house in Ballard (surrounded by LA Fitness & Trader Joe’s)

Carl’s house in Disney’s Up