Review & Giveaway: Dining With Joy by Rachel Hauck

Joy Ballard fell into television by accident. Well, sort of. Her dad had a local cooking show, Dining with Charles. But when he died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 56, his last wish was that Joy take over. There was just one problem with that, Joy is a total klutz in the kitchen. She can't cook, if it was possible to burn water, she would find a way.

But, for her dad and the crew who made their living from the show, Joy stepped in. And she turned out to be great on television. Funny, smart, full of ideas that made the show a success, taking it out of the kitchen making it more about the viewers and their experiences. For three years, everything was fine.

Then, disaster. The owner of the show sells to a big reality show production company. They love Joy, love the show, and are going to take it national. She has hit the big time...but that secret of hers just keeps getting bigger.

Luke Redmond looks like he might be her way out of the lie that threatens to ruin everything. He recently moved to Joy's hometown of Beaufort, SC after his New York restaurant failed. He's a great chef but a bad businessman. They hit it off from the start and soon Luke is the new co-host of Dining With Joy.

Unfortunately life is never so simple and lies as big as Joy's have a way of blowing up spectacularly.

Dining with Joy is published by Thomas Nelson, ISBN 978-1-59554-339-4. I received this book as part of the TLC Book Tour, for a complete blog tour list, click here. For more information about Rachel Hauck and her books, visit her website.

Up for grabs is my gently read copy of Dining With Joy. To enter just leave a comment that includes your email address. Open to anyone with a US or Canada mailing address. You can enter until midnight eastern time on December 9. Thanks for visiting and entering!

Review: Highland Rebel: A Tale of a Rebellious Lady and a Traitorous Lord by Judith James

James Sinclair is that most common of English Lords, possessed of titles and land but completely devoid of cash. He desperately needs a rich heiress for a wife and thinks he will earn one in the mercenary service of the Stuarts, though they are making it hard for him. It took a cunning mind to serve both Protestant King Charles II and his successor, the Catholic King James II. But Jamie managed it, though he was required to fight yet another war in the process.

In the bloody aftermath of a battle against Scotland, the mercenary troop has taken a prisoner of war, a boy that they are planning to torture. When his helmet is removed and long hair tumbles out, they realize that they have captured a woman. And they plan to make the most of their prize. Jamie is sickened by their violent intentions and saves the woman from rape and worse the only way he can, by fetching his priest and marrying her on the spot. He is only able to learn her name - Catherine Drummond - before she escapes out the back of the tent and is gone.

Catherine finds her way back to her men and the party make their way to their home in the Highlands of Scotland. Since her father, the Earl of Moray, died, Catherine has been fighting for her place. If she had been male, she would have been his heir. And she is as able as any man, even in combat. But she is a woman and most of her father's people refuse to follow her. They want to marry her off, she is an irritating encumbrance that the current heir would be glad to be rid of. Her battlefield marriage turns out to be a godsend, they can hardly force her to marry when she is already wed.

While Jamie was relieved to have saved Catherine from her fate, she is a hindrance to him and his plans. He sets off to follow her, when he finds her he fully intends to have their marriage annulled so that he can marry his heiress. It proves to be much harder than he thought it would be, Catherine is unlike any woman he has ever met. For her part, Catherine is reluctant to release Jamie, the marriage is all that is protecting her from a distasteful, forced union. And there is the little matter of her family trying to kill him so that she will be a widow and free to marry again. Their journey will be fraught with excitement and danger, there are forces at work that are greater than their own desires.

I don't think the cover does this book justice. I suppose it is a historical romance, but I think it leans more to historical fiction. It even has a very informative "Historical Note" in the back. It is NOT a typical "bodice ripper" romance. (There are no ripping bodices here!) The author is an excellent writer who did extensive research and it shows in the depth of her characters and the liveliness of her settings. Jamie is hard on the outside but on the inside he is a little boy who never had the love or support of a family. He is strong and capable with a caustic sense of humor. Catherine is not a typical heroine and is far from a shrinking violet. She is a revelation to Jamie, independent and courageous, more than a match for him. Their verbal sparring, at turns funny and biting, were my favorite parts of this excellent novel. Add the sweeping vistas of the Highlands and the lush valleys of Ireland and you have a winning combination. If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy Highland Rebel. I know I did!

You can find more information on Judith James and her books at her website. My thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for sending me Highland Rebel for review!!

Highland Rebel is published by Sourcebooks. ISBN 978-1-4022-2433-1

Review: The Diary by Eileen Goudge

While sisters Emily and Sarah are completing the heartbreaking task of emptying out their dying mother's home, they come across an old diary. It was at the bottom of a box, long forgotten in the attic of the house they both grew up in. As they crack it open, they recognize their Mom's handwriting and are astonished by the dates the diary covers, June to November 1951. Just prior to their parents wedding date of December, 1951.

As they begin to read, the women are shocked to realize that the diary reveals their mother Elizabeth's love for another man. She was all set to marry her high school sweetheart, Bob, when a young man she had known since she was five years old came back to town. A.J. is a cartoon artist at the county fair and he certainly is not the type of boy that Elizabeth's mother would approve of. He has no steady job, his parents died when he was nine and he has been abused by the relatives who raised him. He has had a hard life. Of course, Elizabeth falls for him practically on sight.

A.J. and Elizabeth begin to sneak some time together, carefully avoiding the prying eyes of their small town. When a fire erupts near their rendezvous spot, A.J. doesn't hesitate to jump in to help fight the blaze. His quick presence on the scene throws suspicion on him and he is arrested for the crime. Elizabeth has no choice, she admits to Bob that she has been seeing A.J. and then she goes to the police and provides him with the alibi that he needs to prove his innocence.

Emily and Sarah are shocked to their cores as they read the events in the diary. Did they never really know their parents? They had seemed so happy together, so completely content. It is overwhelming to discover this hidden past that they had no idea existed. What happened to A.J.? If Elizabeth loved him enough to ruin her reputation for his sake, why didn't they get married? How could their Dad have forgiven her so completely as to never once hint at what had happened? They can't ask their Mom, she is unconscious and gravely ill. So, they resign themselves to not knowing, to always wondering what happened. Until an unexpected event reveals something wonderful.

This was a joyful book that I read in one sitting, like Emily and Sarah did in the book, because I just had to find out what happened. It is an excellent combination of tender romance and complex emotional drama that I found to be intensely satisfying. Indeed, this book is an eye opening reminder of the stories and history contained in each elderly twinkling eye. Let us not forget the valuable stories, big and small, that our elders have to pass on.

The Diary is published by Vanguard Press. ISBN 978-159315-543-8

This review was originally published at Curled Up With a Good Book.

Review & Blog Tour: Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London

Macy Lockhart has been through the ringer. Her beloved husband was killed in Afghanistan while on deployment there with the Army. After two years of trying to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning, she met Wyatt Clark, who pulled her out of her deep grief. She fell in love with him and married him, happy to move on with her life.

She has been married for seven months and is busy preparing for a charity function that she is hosting for a Veterans organization when an Army official walks up the drive. He has news, big news. Macy's first husband, Finn Lockhart, is not dead. He has been a captive of the Taliban for the last three years and has just escaped and made his way back to the Coalition troops. He is coming home!

Macy is elated, as anyone would be. But she knows that things will be difficult, how is she to break the news to Finn that she has remarried? She couldn't be happier that Finn is alive, but she is horribly confused about what she should do next. Once Finn is home, Macy moves out of the house she shared with Wyatt and in with her aunt, to give herself time to think. She has two husbands. She has never stopped loving Finn but she loves Wyatt, too, and can't stand to see either man hurt. Whatever she decides, lives will be changed.

Finn's life blood was always his sprawling ranch, Two Wishes. The land has been in his family for generations. It was never a huge money maker, but he loved the life and they were happy there. When Finn was dead, Macy tried to continue to run the ranch, but she just could not manage it herself. She eventually moved to town and when she met Wyatt, a land developer, she agreed to sell it. When Finn comes back, the land is just days from being sold to a company that will be building a resort.

Will Macy choose Wyatt, who can give her every material thing? Finn is starting over from scratch, the ranch is in disrepair and has no stock. He has no money to start it up again and it will be a lot of hard work to get things off the ground. Is she willing to go back to a life of hard work and struggle? Whatever she decides, hearts will be broken and someone will be unhappy.

This improbable but not impossible scenario makes a wonderful plot for this enchanting romance. The Texas setting comes alive with the author's descriptive prose and the characters seem to spring off of the page. I was rooting for poor Finn from the beginning, but there are a lot of surprises in this story and I enjoyed every twist and turn. A great summer read, take it with you to the beach or on vacation, it is a refreshing contemporary romance.

Summer of Two Wishes is published by Pocket Books. ISBN 978-1-4165-4708-2

My thanks to Sarah at Pocket Books for providing this book! Here are the rest of the blog tour participants:

My Book Views
Book Soulmates
A Journey of Books
Just Jennifer Reading
All About {n}
My Guilty Pleasures
Bookin’ with Bingo
Starting Fresh
Booksie’s Blog
Readaholic
Cheryl’s Book Nook
Bella’s Novella
Frugal Plus
Eclectic Book Lover
One Person’s Journey Through A World Of Books
Foreign Circus Library
My Own Little Corner of the World
Alpha Heroes
Pudgy Penguin Perusals
Seductive Musings
Bibliophiles ‘R Us
Park Avenue Princess
Power in the Blog
Books and Needlepoint

Giveaway: The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock

The new Americana romance from bestselling author Dorothy Garlock, this time set against the backdrop of WWII.

Sophie Heller's family immigrated from Germany to Victory, a small town in Illinois, before WWII began. Now that the war has affected the town, the townspeople discriminate against Sophie and her family. When a train derails, it is an accident but the Heller family is blamed. Coming to Sophie's rescue is a teacher from the high school, and despite their cultural differences, a romance starts to bloom.

Visit Dorothy's website at http://www.dorothygarlock.com/

I think this one sounds so interesting, I am looking forward to reading it. Anna at Hachette is providing copies for five lucky winners (thanks, Anna!) who will be drawn at random. To enter, just leave me a comment here with the title of any book you have read that was set in World War II. If you haven't read any you can leave a comment about why you would like to read this book. I will give one additional entry to anyone who becomes a follower (current followers get this automatically), blogs about the giveaway or tweets it on twitter. Subscribe via Feedburner and receive three extra entries! If you do any of these, please leave a separate comment. Winners must have a US or Canada mailing address (no PO Boxes) and you can enter until midnight eastern time on August 1. Please be sure to leave your email address if it is not part of your ID. Good luck everyone and thanks for visiting!

By the way, if you haven't entered my Mega Giveaway yet, please click on the link to the left and check it out. I am giving away boxes of ten books to as many as ten winners and I need more entries!!! Enter til midnight on July 21 and tell your friends!!

Review: The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer

When Waldo Hawkridge comes to inspect his newly inherited country estate, he causes quite a stir with the local gentry. Sir Waldo has an immense fortune and excels at sporting pursuits, he is well known to be the best driver in the country. Hence his nickname, the Nonesuch:

"It means being the greatest Go among all the Goers!' stated Courtenay. 'Particularly on the roads - though they say the Nonesuch is a clipping rider to hounds too...in harness and out no man can do more with a horse than the Nonesuch."

An admired and respected man who, at thirty five years old, is a great catch for all those country mamas with daughters to marry off. Accompanying him is his young cousin, Julian, a Lord whose love of the countryside and country life means that he is completely happy to fish and ride while Sir Waldo is seeing to his business.

Julian's eye is caught almost immediately by the beautiful Tiffany Wield, who lives with her aunt, Mrs. Underwood, her cousins, and her governess, Miss Ancilla Trent. Tiffany is the most beautiful girl around, easily eclipsing every other girl in the county. Too bad she doesn't have a disposition to match her lovely face. Miss Trent is constantly trying to gently make Tiffany aware that her scheming and her selfish, boorish behavior are unbecoming, but to little avail.

It surprises everyone that Sir Waldo seems to be interested in the penniless but lovely and levelheaded Ancilla. He has been known to be something of a flirt in the past, mostly turning his attentions to married ladies, which hasn't helped his reputation. But he sees, much to his own surprise, something special in Miss Trent. She, in turn, is irritated by her own inability to control her emotions as she falls deeply in love for the first time in her twenty six years with a man whom she knows will never be hers.

There is no doubt that Georgette Heyer is the queen of witty banter and sparkling repartee. Her wonderful use of language leads to a light and frothy novel that is so enjoyable that it is impossible to read it without smiling. The convoluted romantic entanglements are delightful and the use of period slang is nothing but pure fun:

"A very good sort of boy: nothing of the rum 'un about him! But as for Laurence -! Upon my word, Waldo, I wonder that you should bear with him as you do! Well, I was used to think him more flash than foolish, but after listening to his damned insolence today I think him the most buffleheaded clunch I ever saw in my life! If there's one person anybody but a sapskull would have taken precious care not to rub against, it's you! Good God, where does he think he'd be, if you was to abandon him? Don't you tell me he hasn't cost you a small fortune, because I'm not a gapeseed!"

Delightful and so, so enjoyable! If you haven't tried Georgette Heyer yet, you are missing out! She wrote fantastic romances, historical fiction novels and mysteries, over fifty books in her lifetime! Sourcebooks is reissuing these classics in lovely trade paperbacks. Thank you Sourcebooks, and to Danielle for sending me The Nonesuch for review!

The Nonesuch is published by Sourcebooks Casablanca. ISBN 978-1-4022-1770-8.

Review: In Over Her Head by Judi Fennell

Ever since she was eight years old, Erica Peck has been terrified of the ocean. Something scary happened to her when she was swimming (she can't quite remember what) and she hasn't been near the water since. Which is a bit of a difficulty because her family runs a marina in New Jersey. Since her brothers are away on military service, the running of the place falls upon her shoulders. And she was doing okay, really. She even got up the gumption to take the urn with Grandpa's ashes out and scatter them. Overcoming her demons. Way to go, Erica.

Except. Ex-fiance Joey, skirt chaser and cheater (hence the ex) apparently hid some diamonds in Grandpa's urn and he's not too happy that Erica has dumped them in the sea. So not happy that he drags her out to the site at gunpoint and forces her into shark infested waters to retrieve them. When she is unable to find them an infuriated Joey shoots at her, grazing her temple and knocking her out. Then he takes off (what a charmer), leaving Erica to be eaten by a circling shark.

Named Vincent. Fortunately for Erica she has been admired from afar for years. Well, since the aforementioned incident when she was eight, at least. Reel Tritone, second son of the under sea's version of the royal family, fell for her that day and has been hoping she would return ever since. And here she is, about to be eaten by Vincent the shark or drowned, dead either way. He talks Vincent out of eating her and then saves her the only way he can, by kissing her to turn her into a water-breather. Never mind that it breaks every rule of the Mer-people and could lead to the punishment of death for both of them. He'll tackle that later.

You see, Reel is the only mer-person to not have a tail. He has legs, just like humans. In the Mer world the oldest royal son is born with a tail and younger sons are born with legs to dissuade them from trying to grab the top spot. Makes sense, but also means that Reel has felt like an outcast for much of his life and is fascinated with humans, who look more like him.

So, Erica wakes up in Reel's bottom-of-the-sea home, breathing water, talking fish everywhere and a beautiful naked merman in front of her. It is a lot for a girl to take in all at once. Especially when they are almost immediately commanded to appear before the High Council to defend themselves. Reel has an ace up his non-existent sleeve, though. The council wants those diamonds, too. And he knows where they are. Better not to tell Erica that a sea monster, the mother of all sea monsters, actually, is hoarding them. If they can get those diamonds back the council will agree to cancel the death sentence. That's a BIG if.

This was my first paranormal romance and I read it because I loved the premise, it just sounded like so much fun. What mom who has been forced to see Disney's The Little Mermaid a hundred and fifty times wouldn't want an adult version to spice things up? (I'm not a mom, but I have seven nieces and nephews...my poor sister and sisters-in-law know the dialogue of those Disney movies by heart, they have heard them so many times). And this story is fun! The author has taken her unique idea and created a whole underwater society where the fish talk (where a human would say "Oh, man!" they say "Oh, fish!"), work (marlins are the equivalent of a team of horses pulling a stagecoach) and generally get up to the same kinds of mischief that humans do. There is action and excitement (especially the sexual kind) and quite a bit of humor, too. This one takes romance to a new height, er, depth. (Note that there is some rather explicit hot sex, rather well done, I thought, but needs to be mentioned). Take this one to the beach this summer, you will have a whole new appreciation for the waves lapping at your toes.

With a cast of such fun and interesting characters, it would be a shame to stop with just one book! Thankfully the author has sequels in the works already. Wild Blue Under and Catch of a Lifetime will be published soon by Sourcebooks. Many thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for sending me this one and to Judi for her fabulous guest post yesterday! Remember to stop by the author's website, she has a great Romantic Getaway contest going on right now!

In Over Her Head is published by Sourcebooks. ISBN 978-1-4022-2001-2

How about some other reviews?

Long and Short Reviews

Love Romance Passion

A Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Once Upon a Romance

Peeking Between the Pages

Review: Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton

You know those cute commercials on television, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"? Well, maybe that's true if you don't somehow manage to get yourself into a legally binding contract. You'd think those wedding chapels would know better than to perform ceremonies with inebriated participants. But then we wouldn't have a story...

Peggy Adams is in Las Vegas with her best friend Bex for a bachelorette party. She wakes up in a strange man's room after a night of too-strong margaritas, fully clothed (thank God!) and with no memory of the events of the previous evening. Mortified, she sneaks out without waking him and gets home to New York and her live in boyfriend of seven years, Brock, as quickly as possible. A worrier by nature, she can't help dwelling on what might have happened during the time she can't remember. But she tries not to think about it, it's over and done with, right?

Not quite. Peggy receives a phone call from Luke Sedgwick, who happens to be the sleeping man from the hotel room. Turns out they had impulsively gotten married during their evening together. Whoops. They agree that a swift annulment would be the best solution for both of them.

Luke, along with his ninety-one year old great aunt Abigail, is all that is left of the old Sedgwick family of New Nineveh, Connecticut. They have a crumbling old family mansion, their family name, each other, a cat, and not much else. Luke is trapped trying to juggle the frail family finances and Abigail's failing health. She has absolutely refused to consider selling the house. When she finds out about Luke's marriage, she makes the couple an offer that they can't refuse.

Abigail's offer? Stay married for one year, at the end of that year she will sign the house over to them to do with whatever they wish. With a value of three million dollars, they could split the proceeds of its sale and both have enough money to finance their dreams. Luke could provide health care for Abigail and finance his own poetry writing, Peggy could shore up the faltering New York store that she and Bex have owned for the last decade. A win/win situation for them both.

But the deal requires Peggy to spend her weekends at the Sedgwick house in Connecticut, where she must pretend to really be Luke's wife while mixing with the Sedgwick friends and neighbors. She is as far from an upper-crust Connecticut socialite as it is possible to be and fitting in is not at all easy. Things become even more confusing when she begins to care for her new life, the town, the house, Abigail and especially Luke.

This is an endearing, witty novel whose characters will charm you. I loved the slow development of the relationship between Peggy and Luke and the revealing look at WASPY life the story provides. It is a perfect summer read: fun, with enough drama to make it interesting and even a little mystery thrown in. Though the ending is predictable (what romance ending isn't?), getting there is a treat.

For more information about the author, visit her website and blog.

Mating Rituals of the North American WASP is published by 5Spot. ISBN 978-0-446-19797-7

Some other reviews from Blogland:

All About {n}

A Novel Menagerie

Bermudaonion

Booking Mama

Devourer of Books

My Friend Amy

Pudgy Penguin Perusals

S. Krishna's Books

She is Too Fond of Books

Review & Giveaway: One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon

It seems that every small town has at least one dirty little secret. (Mine certainly does, it was publicly and famously brought to light in the 1950s, the ripple effects are still felt today).

Redbud, Tennessee has a big black angel in the cemetery and a deep, dark secret. Twenty years ago, the accountant of the Hammerbilt plant (the town's big employer) was accused of embezzling and committed suicide. Charles Swanford hurtled himself off of the edge of the town quarry, leaving behind a widow who descended into madness and a troubled ten year old daughter. The black angel marks his grave.

Now that little girl is grown up and she is determined to find out the truth behind her father's death. Edie Swann appears to be a wild child, with her skimpy clothes, tousled hair and Harley motorcycle. She has never believed in her father's guilt and isn't above a little intimidation to get what she wants. With a list of names and a bag of tiny black angels, she blows into town and lands herself a bartending job at the local bar. Soon she is anonymously distributing those tiny angels to the first few names on that list.

Until a run in with the local police chief, Holt Drennan, starts to unravel all of Edie's plans. She didn't expect to become involved with anyone but she can't deny the strong attraction she feels for Holt. As the two become better acquainted, it becomes clear that there is going to be more between them than just an attraction. A relationship with Holt has one big problem. Holt's Dad, James, is the last name on Edie's list.

And somehow the recipients of Edie's angels have started dying. If Edie wants to preserve her own life and a future that she never realized she wanted, she must find out the truth behind Redbud's secret before it is too late.

This book is a treat, a great example of romantic suspense. The characters are well rounded and interesting and the mystery satisfyingly knotty. I enjoyed every page and read the last third of the book without putting it down. It is perfect for those who like an engaging mystery or a sizzling romance and would make a great addition to your summer reading list!

For more about Annie Solomon and her books, check out her website.

This review is part of a Blog Tour. For a complete list of participating blogs, click here.

One Deadly Sin is published by Forever, a division of Hachette. ISBN 978-0-446-17844-0

So, would you like to win a copy? The generous Anna at Hachette has provided me five copies of to give away. To enter, just leave me a comment here. Please make sure there is an email address so that I can contact you if you win! Three extra entries to anyone who becomes a follower (or follows already), blogs about this giveaway or tweets it on twitter. (If you do any of these, please leave a separate comment to let me know). Enter until midnight eastern on May 20. Winners will be drawn at random and must have a US or Canada mailing address (no PO Boxes). My thanks to Anna and Hachette for providing my review copy!

Review: Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark by Donna Lea Simpson

When Lady Anne Addison's fiance dies in the war with the American colonies, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Though rather plain, Lady Anne is smart and independent and finds that she much prefers her life as a single, wealthy spinster to a marriage foisted upon her by society's expectations.

She receives a troubling letter from her fiance's sister, Lydia, in Yorkshire, who is a good friend. Lady Anne leaves London immediately and quickly makes her way to Lydia's new home, since her recent marriage, Darkefell Castle. Unfortunately, scatterbrained Lydia has failed to have anyone meet Anne, or even tell them that she has invited her, and Anne ends up walking to the estate as evening falls.

Before she even reaches the house, she trips over the newly murdered body of a servant. Chaos ensues as she tries to explain her presence to Lydia's in laws, including her brother-in-law, Anthony, the Marquess of Darkefell.

Anne is disturbed by her attraction to Anthony, who is darkly good looking and confident. But she is more intrigued by the mystery of the body and recent sightings in the area of a creature that sounds remarkably like a werewolf. She is compelled to investigate, incurring the displeasure of the family, the taciturn villagers, and of course, the Marquess.

I so enjoyed this mystery introducing Lady Anne. The author does a wonderful job of expressing the consternation of logical, serious Anne when she encounters the sizzle of passion for the first time in her life. Her feelings leave her bewildered and unsure, her practical mind has trouble reconciling with her wild emotions.

The ending leaves loose ends. While the mystery is successfully solved, the relationship with Anthony is not. There are two more Lady Anne mysteries that will be published this fall. I'll be tuning in to see what happens next!

Many thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for sending this book to me for review.

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark is published by Sourcebooks. ISBN 978-1-4022-1791-3

Check out some other reviews of this book:

Medieval Bookworm
Peeking Between the Pages
Marta's Meanderings

Review: Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer

Deb Grantham is twenty five years old, beautiful, feisty and unmarried. She lives with her aunt who has opened a gambling establishment in their home in order to cover their living costs. Needless to say, polite society does not approve. Deb presides over some of the tables and is very popular with the clientele. Several men have less than honorable intentions but one young man, Lord Adrian Mablethorpe, is madly in love with her and has proposed marriage.

Adrian's mother is horrified. How can he think to marry a hussy from a gambling den? She sends Adrian's uncle, Max Ravenscar, to buy Deb off. They take an instant dislike to one another and he soon discovers that Deb is more than she seems. Not only will she not take his money, she comes up with an inventive feminine battle plan, determined to best him.

I have heard about Georgette Heyer books for years but this is the first time I have ever read one. I don't know what was keeping me away, maybe they seemed a bit old fashioned. When I first started Faro's Daughter, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. The use of period slang does take a little getting used to but it adds such atmosphere to the book that it soon seemed a perfectly natural part of the narrative.

This is a witty, light story with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, set in a flawlessly evoked Regency London. Now I see why this author has had legions of fans for well over half a century. I'm thrilled to know that there are fifty more titles to choose from, I will be reading Georgette Heyer books for many years to come.

Faro's Daughter is published by Sourcebooks. ISBN 978-1-4022-1352-6

Order Faro's Daughter from Amazon

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Review: Dating Da Vinci by Malena Lott

Thirty-six year old Ramona Elise has been a widow for two years. Her husband died suddenly and she has been living in a fog of grief ever since. She goes through the motions for the sake of her two young sons, but the joy has gone from her life and she doesn't know how to get it back.

Ramona is a linguist who teaches English to immigrants who come from countries all over the world. One day a handsome young Italian man walks into her classroom with the unusual and famous name of Leonardo da Vinci. He is sweet and funny and he likes Ramona immediately, nicknaming her 'Mona Lisa', a shortened version of her own name. A happy coincidence.

Leonardo is just what Ramona needs, someone able to draw her out of the shell that she has built around herself. Her family and friends have been there for her all along, of course. But now she is just about at the point that she is able to let someone in and feel like it is okay to have fun again.

The result is a charming and funny book that is surprisingly thoughtful, as well. Though it may look like a romance novel, this book is more than that. The issues of grief and loss are respectfully dealt with and the story is richer for it.

Thank you to Danielle from Sourcebooks for sending me this lovely book!

Dating da Vinci is published by Sourcebooks. ISBN 978-1-4022-1393-9

Order Dating da Vinci from Amazon