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.

Today is my two year blogging anniversary, when I finally decided “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” and started my own blog. My sweetie started his world-traveling evangelist job for Adobe three years ago this month–thanks to blogging non stop, usually all night long, coming to bed at 4 in the morning because he just had to write one last blog post. Eek! In the last two years I’ve tagged along with him to New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Switzerland, Ireland, Japan, and New Zealand. I’m still hoping for Scotland, one of these days, but we’ll see.

My favorite part of blogging is meeting the awesome community of book lovers on the internet. To celebrate my 2 year anniversary, I’m going to give away a fabulous book to 2 lucky commenters. Bound By Your Touch is the second novel by brilliant Meredith Duran. No sophomore slump here, Duran’s book is even more captivating than the first. If you want a superbly written romance with complex characters and witty dialogue, look no further. I predict great things from this rising star–a shelf full of RITAs and NYT Best Seller status.

Please leave a comment describing your favorite book by, oh, Sunday June 7. 2 comments will be selected at random to win a copy of this outstanding novel.

BOUND BY YOUR TOUCH by Meredith Duran (June 2009 – so you have to wait a few weeks to get it)

Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London’s favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous. But Sanburne’s golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath . . . and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within—in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.