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 Oscars of the Romance Industry, the RITAs, were announced yesterday. Books published in 2009 were eligible, but authors had to submit them to the contest to be judged. Seattle authors made another strong showing among the finalists: Alexis Morgan, Julia Quinn, Margaret Mallory, Susan Wiggs, Jane Porter, and Lakeside alumna Marjorie M Liu (Class of ’96). There were, as usual, many great books of 2009 that didn’t make the cut. Who knows if the authors submitted their works. RITA winners will be announced at the Romance Writers of America national conference in Nashville in July.

Here are the few I’ve read that I can recommend:

Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl
Contemporary Single Title
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN
Editor: Tara Parsons
ISBN: 978-0-373-77356-5

Wicked All Day by Liz Carlyle
Historical Romance
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books Romance
Editor: Lauren McKenna
ISBN: 978-0-4165-9492-5

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
Paranormal Romance
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books
Editor: Lauren McKenna
ISBN: 978-1-416-58094-2

The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu
Paranormal Romance
Dorchester Publishing, Leisure Books
Editor: Chris Keeslar
ISBN: 978-0-843-95940-6

Scandal by Carolyn Jewel
Regency Romance
Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation
Editor: Kate Seaver
ISBN: 978-0-425-22551-6

How many have you read? Which do you plan to add to your TBR pile? Which books from 2009 do you wish had made the finalist list?

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!

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: Passion Unleashed
Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica, Book 3
Publication Info: Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner), March 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The Demonica series is hands down one of the best dark paranormal series in print. Fans of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood and Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark take note. Readers will delight in this thrilling tale of demonic love and an epic battle of good and evil.

Plot:

Half vampire, half demon Wraith, the tortured brother of Eidoldon and Shade from books 1 and 2, has turned into a mature Seminous demon. He can’t run from his terrible past, and tries to drown his pain by recklessly killing bad guys and trying to impregnate everything in sight. His brothers have done all they can to save him from his destructive path, to no avail. An old enemy is out to kill the brothers, and Wraith is the first one of the hit list. He gets poisoned by a toxin with no cure. His only chance is to steal a survival charm from its keeper, but when he discovers her he finds the task isn’t as easy as he thought.

Serena Kelley has guarded the charm since her mother gave it to her–sacrificing herself in the process. Her life depends on keeping the charm, but she has to stay a virgin in order to do so. When she meets Wraith, pretending to be human, she thinks she might have found a man worth sacrificing for. But heaven and hell have a stake in the charm too. A fallen angel is bent on using the charm to unleash Armageddon, and heaven can’t let that happen.

Wraith is torn. Is his miserable life worth more than this woman he has come to care for? Wraith has never been the noble type, but the fate of the world rests on his decision.

Discussion:

Another brilliant novel from an excellent author! The world building in these books is rich with demon lore, inter-species political machinations and magic rules. The characters’ transformations are compelling and believable, and their interactions set the pages on fire. Ms. Ione is on my must-buy list. I love how complex the story is, with multiple plot lines and many potential-heroes I’m eager to read about in future books. Reaver is really intriguing, as is the newest Seminus brother, Lore. I also love how Armageddon is set in Jerusalem. Why aren’t more end-of-the-world type battles set where the last battle is supposed to be set? I’ve been to Jerusalem and seen the Dome of the Rock and other sites, which makes reading books set in those locations even more interesting to me.

My favorite is still book 1, because I love protective heroes more than tortured ones, but PASSION UNLEASHED is a close second.

My recommendation: READ THIS SERIES!! (in order-it’s important)

1. Book 1: Pleasure Unbound (Eidoldon’s story)
2. Book 2: Desire Unchained (Shade’s story)
3. Book 3: Passion Unleashed (Wraith’s story)

Title: Grimspace
Author: Ann Aguirre
Publication Info: Ace Science Fiction, Feb 2008
Genre: Science Fiction with romantic elements
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

A spectacular debut novel! This action-packed deep space thriller has luscious world building and enough romance to keep both sci-fi fans and romance readers happy.

Plot:

Sirantha Jax has a rare gene that allows her to navigate space ships through the Grimspace – bending time and space to allow them to reach their destination in a fraction of the time. (If you’ve read a Wrinkle in Time – think Tesseract.) Most Jumpers burn out after ten years, but Jax has lasted longer than anyone predicted. It’s the only thing she’s been lucky in.

The ship she’s navigating crash lands with a congregation of delegates onboard–killing everyone but Jax. Jax is arrested and imprisoned. She doesn’t remember what happened, but she knows she isn’t at fault despite what her employer, the Corp, tries to tell her. She is broken out of jail by a mercenary (March) who wants to build a new school for Jumpers in direct opposition to the monopolistic Corp. His team takes Jax to a number of inhospitable outskirt planets hoping to find unregistered Jumpers with alien genes.

The Corp announces that Jax and crew are dangerous terrorists who murdered the delegation and have blown up a number of space stations. Jax must discover why the Corp is trying to kill her before the Corp’s bounty-hunters complete the job. They’re not the only things trying to kill her. Everywhere she goes, destruction follows. There’s no one she can trust, no one who hasn’t tried to use her for their own ends. Jax is determined to live – but she might finally have found a cause worth dying for.

Discussion:

This is one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read. I often hear agents and editors talk about the importance of “Voice.” Ms. Aguirre hits that ball out of the park. Her narrator comes vividly alive through her language and word choice. Her eloquent descriptions paint a thrilling, enthralling world that the reader can almost reach out and touch. She isn’t afraid to tackle big themes or kill off secondary characters. The novel has a gritty, hard edge that I often find missing in dark books. (And movies. Terminator: Salvation should have had this edge, but for some unknown reason all the secondary characters lived happily ever after in what should have been a dark, gritty movie. What gives?) Thank you, Ms. Aguirre for killing off your non-protagonists. THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE THERE FOR. I can’t believe the main character is in danger if no one but the bad guy dies.

I really appreciated how Jax struggles to do the right thing. I believed her character. Her transformation was much more powerful and believable because the reader sees her struggle. When she finally finds something worth dying for, I know how important it is because I’ve seen her naturally self-serving tendencies. Human beings are naturally selfish. Her actions are realistic. (Unlike every character in Terminator: Salvation.)

I am eager to read more by Ms. Aguirre. WANDERLUST and BLUE DIABLO are next on my TBR list!

Title: Crooked Hearts
Author: Patricia Gaffney
Publication Info: Signet, Dec 2001
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

A delightful, crafty romp with two crooked souls who are perfect for each other. Picture George Clooney in Brother Where Art Thou or Ocean’s 11 and give him a female counterpart of equal cunning and skill. This book is refreshing; forget honor, forget morals, forget all those “typical” heroic traits we read about over and over again. These two con artists will steal every reader’s heart.

Plot:

1880′s, San Francisco. On a roadtrip to swindle poor shmucks out of their fortunes, Grace Russell runs into a con artist who could give her a run for her money. She may be dressed as a Catholic nun, but Reuben Jones knows a fake when he sees one. Though to be fair, without his disguise as a blind man, Grace would never have let down her guard (and her clothes). When bandits attack the stagecoach, the two must band together to escape before anyone uncovers their disguises. Who needs trust? Grace and Reuben join forces to recoup their lost money, despite the mountain of lies between them. They concoct a plan to sucker the mob boss of Chinatown for money. Instead of handing over the cash, the mob boss kidnaps Grace, and it’s up to Reuben to save her. They escape to Grace’s farm outside San Francisco and plot an even better revenge. Hijinks ensue.

Discussion:

This is my second Gaffney book (WILD AT HEART was the first), and I’m a fan. Fast paced plot, funny, playful dialogue and absolutely charming characters. Grace and Reuben’s sharp tongues are equally as intriguing as their sharp minds. I like especially when Grace makes fun of Reuben talking about wine. What’s with the cover though, really? Tasteful, but very booooring. The book is not boring. For a fun, fresh read, I highly recommend it!

Romance is the most maligned genre of literature, despite being the highest grossing. How do publishers afford multi-million dollar contracts for first time literary fiction authors? On the backs of romance. We, romance readers, are the most loyal fans. We are powering through the recession, earning even more profits for Harlequin despite the buying downturn through the rest of the economy. Unfortunately, most people who criticize the genre as “bodice-rippers” and “crotch novels” have never read one. I’ll leave the eloquent arguments to Smart Bitches who Love Trashy Books and Dear Author. Check out the stats on romance readers from the Romance Writers of America to see that we’re a highly diverse, highly educated bunch. Escapist fantasies? What book, besides a textbook, isn’t an escapist fantasy? That’s what reading is. That’s what TV and movies are. ENTERTAINMENT.

Romance novels are delicious. Nom…nom…nomnomnomnomnom.

What I want to share with you now is the time honored wisdom: Don’t Knock it till You’ve Tried it

Here are 13 recommended books (all of which I’ve read and loved) in each subgenre of your reading persuasion. Go ahead, try one. I double-dog dare ya.

1. Contemporary: This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
2. Paranormal: Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
3. Historical: It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
4. Regency: The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne
   
5. Science-Fiction: Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair
6. Fantasy: The Moon Witch by Linda Winstead Jones
7. Suspense: Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
8. Young Adult: Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (sigh, or Twilight…but who’s left who hasn’t read it?)
9. Women’s Fiction: Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
10. Erotica: Go Fetch! by Shelly Laurenston
11. Contemporary Category Romance: Marriage at the Millionaire’s Command by Anne Oliver
12. Paranormal Category Romance: Raintree Inferno by Linda Howard
13. Suspense Category Romance: Strangers in the Night by Kerry Connor

Help! I need to stock up my Stanza iPhone library for my upcoming trip to New Zealand (April 10-21). Since Mr. Wonderful and I are going backpacking, I can’t pack too many paperbacks. On the other hand, there may not be a place to plug in my iPhone. When someone invents an ebook reader that doesn’t need batteries (or one that lasts a week without being plugged in), I’ll be the first in line.

What eBooks can you recommend?

Extra points if the book has: werewolves, babies or New Zealand settings. (Super prize if it has all three!)

Yesterday I read Wolf Signs by Vivienne Arend, which was on sale at Books on Board. Yum!

Yesterday the Romance Writers of America announced the finalists of the coveted RITA award. Winners of the awards will be announced July 18th at the RITA and Golden Heart Awards Ceremony to be held at RWA’s 29th Annual National Conference in Washington, D.C. (Photo is of Regency romance author Julia Quinn with her RITA win last year for THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS MIRANDA CHEEVER.)

There are 12 categories and multiple Seattle finalists. The full list of GSRWA member finalists in both the RITA and Golden Heart should be up on the website soon. Congrats to Yasmine Galenorn, Susan Mallery, Anthea Lawson, Vivi Andrews, Cherry Adair, Julia Quinn, Susan Wiggs, Janice Kay Johnson, Debbie Malcomer and Lisa Kleypas (unsubstantiated rumor says she moved to Bellingham). Seatown represent!

So many books, so little time. How will you decide which finalists to read? Here are the 13 you should choose first (in order as they appear on the RITA finalist list):

1. Passionate by Anthea Lawson
   Kensington Publishing Corp., Zebra Debut
   Finalist: Best First Book
   
2. Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas
   Bantam Dell Publishing Group
   Finalist: Best First Book, Historical Romance
   
3. Strangers in the Night by Kerry Connor
   Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Intrigue
   Finalist: Best First Book, Contemp. series suspense/adventure
4. The Man Behind the Cop by Janice Kay Johnson
   Harlequin Enterprises, Superromance
   Finalist: Contemp. series suspense/adventure
5. Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
   St. Martin’s Press
   Finalist: Historical Romance
6. The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne
   Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation
   Finalist: Historical Romance
7. Dragon Wytch by Yasmine Galenorn
   Penguin Group USA, Berkley
   Finalist: Paranormal Romance
8. Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
   Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation
   Finalist: Paranormal Romance
9. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
   HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books
   Finalist: Regency Historical Romance
10. My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne
    Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation
    Finalist: Regency Historical Romance
11. “Only You” by Jacquie D’Alessandro in It Happened One Night
    HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books
    Finalist: Romance Novella
12. “Thicker Than Blood” by Meljean Brook in First Blood
    Penguin Group USA, Berkley
    Finalist: Romance Novella
13. “The Fall of Rogue Gerard” by Stephanie Laurens in It Happened One Night
    HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books
    Finalist: Romance Novella