The Book Girl

2009 New Author Challenge 4/5 Contemporary Romance Contest

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Review and Giveaway: Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

402969451 A MARRIED MAN IN POSSESSION OF A DARK FORTUNE

MUST BE IN WANT OF AN ETERNAL WIFE…

I have to admit that I struggled with this book. It took me a while to get into the story. But once I did, I was thoroughly entertained. The story is told from Elizabeth’s point of view and gives the reader the details of what happens after the wedding while Darcy and Elizabeth are on their honeymoon. I really would have liked it if the story had given both Darcy and Elizabeth’s point of view. There isn’t really a lot that I can say without giving away some spoilers. I think this book would be good for any fan of Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice.

To find the book:

2009 New Author Challenge Contest

To find out more about the author:

Amanda Grange

To win a copy of your own leave a comment on this post. US residents only. Contest will run through Saturday night with the winner posted on Sunday.

Here is a trailer for the book:

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Review and Giveaway – According to Jane by Marilyn Brant (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

38226949 From the back of the book:

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett’s teacher is assigning Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet “tsk” of displeasure. The target: Same Blaine, the cute bad boys who’s teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author’s ghost has taken up residence in Ellie’s mind, and seems determined to stay there.

Jane’s wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go – sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane’s counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is you Mr. Wickham.

Still, everyone has something to learn about love – perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie’s head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she though she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending…

This book will definitely be on my top ten list for this year. The story follows Ellie from a teenager to her college years and beyond. I loved how we got a whole look at her life instead of just the glimpse we are usually given in books. Ellie’s relationships with Jane, her family, and men are complicated and real. There is a lot of kissing frogs and trying to find out who she is and what she wants. Jane gives her advice that sometimes is right and sometimes is wrong. I don’t want to give away to much, because I think EVERYONE should read this book.

And three lucky commenters will get a chance to win their own signed copy of ACCORDING TO JANE. Ms. Brant was kind enough to send me some extra ARCs to give out as prizes during my Jane Austen week. Leave a comment on this post with a what you would want your internal Jane to say to you. I would want her help in knowing the right thing to say in hard situations. I never know what to say. Contest will be open until Saturday at midnight. Winners must check back to see if there name is drawn. US addresses only please.

the book girl gives ACCORDING TO JANE 5/5!

To find the book:

2009 New Author Challenge 5/5 Contest

To find out more about the author:

Marilyn Brant

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Review: Gotcha by Christie Craig (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

35635436 From the back of the book:

Macy Tucker was five years old when her beloved grandfather dropped dead in his spaghetti. At twelve, her father left his family in the dust. At twenty-five, her husband gave his secretary a pre-Christmas bonus in bed, and Macy gave him the boot. To put things lightly, men have been undependable.

That’s why dating is off the menu. Macy is focused on putting herself through law school – which means being the delivery girl for Papa’s Pizza. But cheesier than her job is her pie-eyed brother, who just recently escaped from prison to protect his new girlfriend. And hotter than Texas toast is the investigating detective. Proud, sexy…inflexible, he’s a man who would kiss her just to shut her up. But Jake Baldwin’s a protector as much as a dish. And when he gets him man – or his woman – Macy known it’s for life.

This was a really fun book. I hadn’t read anything by the author before and loved the humor in her writing. Macy and her crazy family are really fun characters and Jake is just HOT! His protective streak and the way he wouldn’t give up on Macy were very sexy. The “mystery” to the story isn’t the main plot, it is much more about Macy and Jake then her brother’s escape from prison or the murderer after Macy. I loved reading how Macy came to terms with Jake and their relationship. I immediately ordered more books by this author.

the book girl gives GOTCHA 5/5!

To find the book:

2009 New Author Challenge 5/5 Contemporary Romance

To find out more about the author:

Christie Craig

2 Comments »

Review: The Duke’s Cinderella Bride by Carole Mortimer (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

40520646 From the back of the book:

Brooding Hawk St. Claire, Duke of Stourbridge, believes Jane Smith to be a mere servant girl – albeit a remarkable attractive one! So when genteel Miss Jane is wrongly turned out of her home for inappropriate behavior following their encounter, the duke takes her in as his ward.

Although Hawk is the first man to make Jane’s pulse race, she knows she cannot risk falling for his devastating charm. A marriage between them would be forbidden – especially if he were to discover the shameful truth about her…

This the first book in a new mini-series through Harlequin Historical. I really enjoyed it. The plot is simple and from the beginning I knew exactly how it was going to end, but getting there was an enjoyable read. Hawk is your typical alpha male Duke, who doesn’t want to be bothered with love even though he knows that he needs to marry in order to have an heir. Jane is a young woman who has been treated like a servant by her guardian’s family and sees a means of escape when Hawk is leaving the estate of her guardian. Neither one wants to fall in love with the other, not do they want to feel the way they do about each other. I liked this book enough to want to know what happens with the other family members, but probably would borrow from the library rather than buy them.

the book girl gives this book 3/5!

To find the book:

2009 New Author Challenge 3/5 Historical Romance

To find out more about the author:

Carole Mortimer

Review: Texas Heat by Debbi Rawlins (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

texas-heat From the back of the book:

Chiseled abs, rugged good looks…

Texas men never looked so sexy!

The Wild, Wild West

Irrepressible tomboy Dory Richards can change a tire faster than any man, yet when it comes to her love life she’s a lost cause. But sexy cowboy Clint Manning has a plan to uncover the woman she really is – and maybe a while lot more.

Wild at Heart

Ever since she accidentally walked in on rodeo star Ben Anderson in the buff Jessica Mead can’t get the memory of him out of her mind. But is topflight fashion editor Jessica another buckle bunny? Not a chance! Well, maybe just for this weekend…

Wildfire

Big-city reporter Lisa Stevens may have been rejected by hunky rancher Joe Manning five years ago, but she’s not about to give up the chase. She’s got a point to prove, even if she has to lasso the sexy stubborn cowboy to the bed to make it happen!

This is the first book in the Encounters mini-series that I’ve read. I hadn’t read the previous ones, because I like there to be more to the story than can be put in 70 or so pages. However, I really enjoyed this book. The three women are tied to a fourth (who will get her own story next year) who invites them all to her family’s ranch for the 4th of July. The three stories are short and get right to the heart of the couple. There isn’t necessarily a HEA at the end of each story, but the reader is led to believe that one will happen somewhere down that fictional road. Each couple is definitely HFN!

the book girl gives TEXAS HEAT 4/5!

To find the book:

2009 New Author Challenge 4/5 Contemporary Romance

To find out more about the author:

Debbi Rawlins

Review: Laid Bare by Lauren Dane (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

39481965 From the back of the book:

UNEXPECTED DESIRE

It’s been ten ears since clean-cut, sexy-as-hell police officer Todd Keenan had a white-hot fling with Erin Brown, the provocative, wild rocker chick next door. Their power exchange in the bedroom got under his skin. But love wasn’t in the cards just yet…

Now, life has thrown the pair back together. But picking up where they left off is tough in light of a painful event from Erin’s past. As Todd struggles to earn her trust, their relationship takes an unexpected and exciting turn when Todd’s best friend, Ben, ends up in their bed – and all three are quite satisfied in this relationship without a name. As the passion they share transforms Erin, will it be enough to help her face the evil she thought she had left behind?

This book is amazing! I was so engrossed in the book I couldn’t do anything but read. Even though it is labeled as an erotic romance it is really so much more. Yes, there is a lot of sex and it can be explicit (and hot), but it is the relationship between Erin and Todd that make the book so amazing. The emotional journey the characters in the book take had me laughing out loud and crying. The way Ms. Dane writes makes the reader feel. I could feel the love between Erin, Todd, and Ben. I could feel the despair of what Erin had gone through in the past and what she still had to recover after the horrific event that changed her life forever. This is the best book I have read this year. I can’t wait to read Brody, Erin’s older brothers, story next. I wish that the book was already out, but until then I’ll just have to hold on to LAID BARE and read it again and again.

the book girl gives LAID BARE a 5/5!!

To find the book (everyone should order a copy!)

2009 New Author Challenge 5/5 Contemporary Romance Erotic Romance

To find out more about the author:

Lauren Dane

Review: Can’t Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

390578971 From the back of the book:

She’s hungry for experience.

For sharp-tongued food critic Miranda Wake, the chance to spend a month in Adam Temple’s kitchen to write an expose is a journalistic dream come true. Surely Miranda can find a way to cut the hotshot chef down to size once she learns what really goes on at his trendy Manhattan restaurant. The trouble is, she never expected Adam to find out her most embarrassing secret: she has no idea how to cook.

And he knows just how to satisfy her cravings…

Adam’s not about to have his reputation burned by a critic who doesn’t even know the difference between poaching and paring. He’ll just have to give the tempting redhead a few private lessons of his own – teaching her what it means to cook with passion…and doing more with his hands than preparing sumptuous food.

This is Louisa Edwards first book and it is really good. I loved how we first meet Miranda when she is most definitely not at her best. It made a character that came across a little harsh, instantly lovable. Adam is wonderfully written. He is a character with as much passion for life as one can possibly have. Everything is an adventure to him, even though his first love is cooking. The scene when he first teaches Miranda to cook a poached egg is my favorite. I was a little put off by Miranda’s initial attitude in relation to her job and how, even though some people may be hurt, she was willing to do whatever necessary to achieve her dream. There is a m/m subplot that could turn away some readers. However, I found it to strengthen Miranda’s character and the story. I can’t wait to read more by this new fantastic author!!

the book girl gives CAN”T STAND THE HEAT 4/5!

To find the book:

2009 New Author Challenge 4/5 Contemporary Romance

To find out more about the author/book:

Louisa Edwards

Review: So Into You by Sandra Hill (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

35767594 From the back of the book:

The Sinner

She’s been a nun, poker champion, treasure hunter, and folk healer. Redhead Grace O’Brian thinks life is one grand adventure – until her hunky friend Angel Sabato suddenly declares his love for her. That’s one risky business she’ll never want a part of, not if she’s going to keep her past a secret forever.

The Angel

With heartbroken Angel hightailing it out of town, Grace makes herself busy working with Tante Lulu. Together they agree to help a poor teenage girl who’s trying to raise her siblings after Katrina by building them a new house. And Tante Lulu knows the perfect man for the job: Angel!

The Cupid

Ange’s decided he’s not taking no for an answer from reluctant Grace. Tante Lulu’s convinced they need her Cajun style of matchmaking. And Grace has braced herself for a lightning bolt of trouble, one that could jolt her into heartbreak…or straight into Angel’s arms.

This is my first Sandra Hill book, but definitely won’t be the last. The book made me laugh and made me cry. The ups and downs of the relationship between Grace and Angel was beautifully written. And Tante Lulu is amazing – funny, kind-hearted, and someone to have on your side.

I hadn’t read the other books in this series, but it wasn’t necessary for understanding the main characters and their motivation. I will definitely read more by this author, including the rest of the Cajun series and her Viking series. I LOVED IT!!

the book girl gives SO INTO YOU a 5/5!!

To find the book:

2009 New Author Challenge 5/5 Contemporary Romance

To find out more about the series/author:

Sandra Hill

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Review: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (New Author Challenge)

by the book girl

lord-of-scoundrels From the back of the book:

ONE DETERMINED LADY…Tough-minded Jessica Trent’s sole intention is to free her nitwit brother from the destructive influence of Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain. She never expects to desire the arrogant, amoral cad. And when Dain’s reciprocal passion places them in a scandalously compromising and public position, Jessica is left with no choice but to seek satisfaction…

MEETS THE LORD OF SCOUNDRELS…Damn the minx for tempting him, kissing him…and then forcing him to salvage her reputation! Lord Dain can’t wait to put the infuriating bluestocking in her place – preferably in some amorous position. And if it means marriage, so be it! But Sebastian is less than certain he can continue to remain aloof and steel his heart to the sensuous, headstrong lady’s considerable charms.

I read this book because of a post on Book Binge and am I so happy that I decided to read the book. I loved it. Dain is the ultimate “bad boy” who is changed by love and Jessica is unlike many historical heroines. She is feisty and beautiful, and isn’t going to let the conceited Lord Dain win in any game they play. My favorite scene is when she shoots him. Yes, that’s right she actually shoots him. I will definitely be reading more by Loretta Chase in the future!!

the book girl gives LORD OF SCOUNDRELS a 5/5!

To find the book: