I have little time or brainpower to devote to anything less than stellar books these days, so if you’ve read something really fabulous please let me know! My TBR pile includes Meljean Brook’s THE IRON DUKE, Loretta Chase’s LAST NIGHT’S SCANDAL, and Virginia Kantra’s IMMORTAL SEA. In nonfiction I’m currently reading the ART OF HAPPINESS by the Dalai Lama. In general, I’m in a real historical romance mood. It’s my favorite subgenre to read, even though I write paranormal.
PROOF BY SEDUCTION by Courtney Milan
I’ve run across Ms. Milan online and had heard great things about her book, but only just picked it up. I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up late to finish it, and when one is as sleep deprived as I am, those hours are worth more than gold. This is one of the best Regency Romances I’ve read (and I love Regency Romance!). The characters are fully developed and layered. I couldn’t help but root for them from the very first page. They were smart, had realistic interchanges and dialogue, and beautiful personal growth and transformation. Really, the storytelling was delightful. I can’t wait for Ned’s book, coming at the end of this month.
Jenny Keeble masquerades as Madam Esmeralda, swindling the Ton out of their money in exchange for telling their fortunes and dispensing a little spiritual advice. Everything is going fine, until she meets Gareth Carhart, Marquess of Blakely. Blakely is the cousin of her best client, and he is determined to prove her a fraud. His cold, scientific approach is the antithesis of her hopeful mien. She refuses to go down without a fight. Sparks fly as these two lonely souls go head to head.
WHITE CAT by Holly Black
We listened to the audiobook on vacation while driving around the Olympic Peninsula, and liked it so much we drove further than we had to just to keep listening to it. I’ve been starting and stopping a number of Young Adult audiobooks recently. This was the first that grabbed me and didn’t let go. Even Mr. Wonderful, who doesn’t usually read fiction, was transfixed. I loved the details about the history of the curse workers and the way society treats gloves. The glove porn was a nice touch. The only complaint we had was that the ending didn’t tie everything up nicely. I imagine this is to set up future books in the series, but it was annoying. Otherwise, this was a compelling piece of storytelling.
Cassel in an admitted liar and cheat from a family of liars and cheats. He’s the only non-magic user in a family of curse workers. When he almost dies sleepwalking, he returns home to find the happy bonds of family are starting to unravel. The stories they tell each other don’t quite add up, and with the help of a mysterious white cat, Cassel begins to uncover a web of deceit.
THE DEVIL WEARS PLAID by Teresa Medeiros
Ms. Medieros’s books are like cotton candy–light, fluffy, and delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed following the brawny highland outlaw as he kidnapped his fair English damsel and set off into the wilderness of Ben Nevis. I was under the impression that Ben Nevis–the highest point in Scotland–is an easy walk up, so I don’t know why they were traveling by horseback for days, but who cares? It was a quick, engaging romp. The Regency-era characters had unusually modern dialogue and sensibilities, but at least they weren’t naive.
Emmaline Marlowe is abducted from her wedding by a highland bandit set upon revenge. With his band of merry men, they travel up the mountain, while they wait for the ransom from her elderly and conniving groom. Jamie Fraiser Sinclair might steal her virtue, but she steals his heart.
BONDS OF JUSTICE by Nalini Singh
The Lusty Wenches Book Club read Nalini Singh’s BONDS OF JUSTICE for August. We all love the Psy-Changeling series, but prefer the stories featuring Changelings. BOJ featured a human hero and a Psy heroine. I also thought there was too much internal dialogue of the sensual variety. It would have been more powerful to use it sparingly to build up sexual tension, rather than have it constant all the way through. Two of our Kindle readers complained about typos in the Kindle editions. Anyway, we enjoyed it, some more than others. One question–what is that strange octopus tentacle tattoo around the sword tattoo on the hero’s back on the cover?
September’s Book Club Book is SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready.
The American Library Association’s Booklist has published a list of the 
MAGIC BLEEDS by Ilona Andrews
The Oscars of the Romance Industry, 
Warm wishes and god jul to you and your kin!
) Mr. Wonderful and I bought ourselves a fancy new camera to take photos of our little bundle of joy. Three months to figure out how to use all the bells and whistles–we can do it!
On a non-baby-book-related note: December’s book club book was Nalini Singh’s 
The Emerald City Writers’ Conference was a fabulous success, but it was still nice to rejuvenate from conference fever on the beach in Kona on the big island of Hawaii. I wrote by the pool, read a stack of books, snorkeled with colorful fish and sea turtles, hiked through Volcanoes National Park, viewed lava rolling into the sea, and got up close and personal with manta rays.
WELCOME TO TEMPTATION by Jennifer Crusie
Title: 
Ms. Duran’s sophomore try is even better than DUKE OF SHADOWS, and that’s saying a lot.