Lord Jarret Sharpe has spent a lifetime trying to make fate pay, wielding cards like a weapon at anyone who dares to mention the scandal surrounding his parents’ deaths. But he can only seem to win when he doesn’t care about the outcome, so he’s learned to be indifferent to everything. The only thing he’s passionate about is running the Sharpe family brewery.
Annabel Lake is determined to remain a spinster - running her family’s brewery is enough of a challenge. And when the brewery is in danger of going out of business, she needs help from her stubborn competitor, Lord Jarret. Knowing Jarret’s reputation as a gambler, she proposes a bet: a game of cards wagering her mother’s ring - and a night in her bed - against his help with the business.
When Annabel wins the bet, Jarret reluctantly travels to Burton to help her. There, he finds more than just a struggling female brewer - he finds his heart. And Annabel, who has nothing but contempt for inveterate gamblers, discovers that some men are worth the risk.
This is the second book in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series and I liked it as much as I did the first book (THE TRUTH ABOUT LORD STONEVILLE). Annabel is a fantastic character. She is feisty and at the same time very vulnerable. Her past has shaped who she is and has stunted her growth as an individual. Jarret brings out something in her that has been missing and she does the same for him. The story moves at a fast pace and the dialogue between Jarret and Annabel is fantastic. A must-read for historical romance fans.
I have seen this on many different blogs and decided to start posting the books I buy, win or receive for review each week. This past week was a big week for my mailbox. I ended up with over 20 new books!
These are the books that I won in contests. On Friday I got a huge package of books from St. Martins Press that I have won in one of their blog contests. The books included were: CAN’T STAND THE HEAT from Louisa Edwards, LOVERS & PLAYERS by Jackie Collins, STREET MAGIC by Caitlin Kittridge, ONE + ONE = THREE by Sasha James, THE FIRST SIN by Cheyenne McCray, ONE FOR THE MONEY by Janet Evanovich, TANGLED IN LOVE by Heidi Betts, TRULY MADLY by Heather Webber, and TIME FOR ETERNITY by Susan Squires. The other three books I won from Smexbooks.com. They are AWAKENED BY A KISS by Lila DiPasqua, PRIVATE DANCER by Sheri Whitefeather, and PASSIONATE PLEASURES by Beatrice Small. Last, I won a copy of A SEASON OF SEDUCTION by Jennifer Haymore on twitter.
These are the book’s I received for review. I also review for The Season and some of these books are to review on that site. For review I have: TAMING THE WOLF by Lydia Dare - HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS by Carolyn Brown - THE HEIR by Grace Burrowes - HELLFIRE by Kate Douglas - THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED by Lila DiPasqua - THE NAUGHTY LIST by Donna Kauffman, Cynthia Eden and Susan Fox - CLOSE QUARTERS by Lucy Monroe - DATING MR. DECEMBER by Phillipa Ashley.
I also bought two books this week. I bought NAUTI AND WILD by Jaci Burton and Lora Leigh on Kindle. The other book I bought was for my 7yo - THE ADVENTURES OF OOK AND GLUK, KUNG-FU CAVEMEN OF THE FUTURE.
Out of all the book’s I received this week I’m the most excited about A SEASON OF SEDUCTION by Jennifer Haymore. I just love her historical romances.
This week’s Fabulous Friday giveaway is for HOLLY’S INBOX: SCANDAL IN THE CITY. Check out my review from earlier in the week to see what the book is about. To enter: Leave a comment on this post answering the question - Would your emails make a good book? I know mine wouldn’t, lol. I don’t email a whole lot and most of them are to my mom or husband about kid stuff. Contest will run through 8/22/10 at 5pm cst. US addresses only, please.
Things are finally going Holly Denham’s way: she’s in love, she’s getting the recognition she deserves at work, and her friends and family have graciously opted to avoid disaster for the moment.
Just when Holly is starting to settle into her new life, scandal erupts and Holly finds herself - and her inbox - at the center of a gossip whirlwind that threatens everything she’s worked so hard for.
Written entirely in emails, this follow-up to the UK smash hit HOLLY’S INBOX will keep you glued to its pages as the scandal running rampant in the city threatens to ruin Holly’s hard-earned and long-awaited happiness.
I loved this book. There were a few times I wanted to email Holly myself and tell her to grow up, but that’s what makes the book so great. She DOES grow up through the course of the book. A lot of things happen to Holly and she learns to stand on her own (and with others) for what she believes in. The book moves incredibly fast. It only took me a couple of hours to read the 535 page book. The only thing that bothered me was that there are emails to Holly detailing her financial crisis, but she never addresses them. There are only a few, but I wonder why even have them if they aren’t really a part of the story. These emails stuck out like a sore thumb, but luckily there weren’t many. HOLLY’S INBOX: SCANDAL IN THE CITY is a fun chick-lit book that readers who like BRIDGET JONES will love.
Macy O’James stepped foot in Sugarland, Washington, everyone remembers what she supposedly did. The tiny town is still buzzing about her crime and lack of punishment.
Now back to lend her family a hand, Macy vows to hold her head high-especially at her high school reunion. But forget about the hottest man in Sugarland escorting her. Though she and fire chief Gabriel Donovan generate enough sparks to burn down the town, he’s a law-abiding, line-towing straight arrow. So not her type.
But maybe-just maybe-he can change her mind about that.
I am a huge Susan Andersen fan and have been waiting for a new book for what feels like forever. BURNING UP is a fun contemporary. Macy is sassy and I love her costume changes, but underneath she is extremely vulnerable. The two halves of her personality were very interesting. Gabe is completely blindsided by sexy Macy and she throws his orderly world for a loop. These two are fun together. The dialog between them is fantastic and I like how Macy changes as she becomes more comfortable in their relationship. I did have a couple of issues with the story. There is a secondary romance between Gabe’s ex and Macy’s friend that seemed inserted into the book only to make Gabe’s reaction to Macy okay (even though he has a girlfriend in the beginning of the book). There are also a lot of characters introduced that have no bearing on the story and just seemed to be filler. BURNING UP isn’t my favorite Susan Andersen book, but was a fun read for a hot summer day.
This week’s Fabulous Friday isn’t for a book. I’m giving a $10 amazon gift card to one commenter. Just answer the following question - WHAT BOOK(S) ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS? Contest will run through Sunday the 15th at 5pm cst.
I’m looking forward to several books, but none more than INSIDE OUT by Lauren Dane. Here is a link to the excerpt on Lauren’s site - EXCERPT. I absolutely loved LAID BARE and COMING UNDONE, so I’m itching to get my hands on INSIDE OUT. Lauren writes with such emotion and sensuality. I’ve read LAID BARE at least 5 times. It is my go-to book when I’m looking for something that will make me feel something or if I’m in a reading rut. It is the one book I know I will love no matter how many times I’ve read it.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t come out until November so I have to wait a while longer.
Maybe one of the books someone else is really excited about will help me in my long wait till November:)
It’s an absolute scandal when Captain Matthew Leland a
rrives at Madingley Court. Presumed dead in battle, his sudden appearance gives the ton quite the shock. But no one is more surprised than Matthew, because waiting for him at home is a bewitching, blue eyes beauty - and she claims to be his wife!
Miss Emily Grey was almone in the world when a knight in shining armor came to her rescue, claimed her heart, and then disappeared. But now her little white lie, a desperate act of self-preservation, has come back to haunt her. Her husband, once a far-off fantasy, is now a flesh-and-blood man who insists she share his bed…
Matthew has no memory of any marriage to this scheming seductress, and he’s determined to expose her in every way. But a life with the exquisite Emily will prove irresistible…and a marriage of deception will becomes a marriage of sweet, sweet surrender.
NEVER MARRY A STRANGER is a very fun historical. The characters are enchanting and the story fantastic. I loved Matthew and Emily. His sense of humor and acceptance of an odd situation made him very lovable. His understanding of Emily and the situation that led to her claiming to be his wife was not very realistic, but fit the tone of the story perfectly. Emily is also delightful. I really liked the way she had made herself a part of Matthew’s family and brought certain members back to happiness. I recommend this for anyone looking for a light, happy historical.NEVER MARRY A STRANGER is simply fantastic!
From the back of the book:
I have seen this on many different blogs and decided to start posting the books I buy, win or receive for review each week. This past week was a big week for my mailbox. I ended up with over 20 new books!
These are the books that I won in contests. On Friday I got a huge package of books from St. Martins Press that I have won in one of their blog contests. The books included were: CAN’T STAND THE HEAT from Louisa Edwards, LOVERS & PLAYERS by Jackie Collins, STREET MAGIC by Caitlin Kittridge, ONE + ONE = THREE by Sasha James, THE FIRST SIN by Cheyenne McCray, ONE FOR THE MONEY by Janet Evanovich, TANGLED IN LOVE by Heidi Betts, TRULY MADLY by Heather Webber, and TIME FOR ETERNITY by Susan Squires. The other three books I won from Smexbooks.com. They are AWAKENED BY A KISS by Lila DiPasqua, PRIVATE DANCER by Sheri Whitefeather, and PASSIONATE PLEASURES by Beatrice Small. Last, I won a copy of A SEASON OF SEDUCTION by Jennifer Haymore on twitter.
These are the book’s I received for review. I also review for 
This week’s Fabulous Friday giveaway is for HOLLY’S INBOX: SCANDAL IN THE CITY. Check out my review from earlier in the week to see what the book is about. To enter: Leave a comment on this post answering the question - Would your emails make a good book? I know mine wouldn’t, lol. I don’t email a whole lot and most of them are to my mom or husband about kid stuff. Contest will run through 8/22/10 at 5pm cst. US addresses only, please.
From the back of the book:
About the book:
I’m looking forward to several books, but none more than INSIDE OUT by Lauren Dane. Here is a link to the excerpt on Lauren’s site - 
