Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood is the second book in the set of three novels, Guardian Angel follows on the heels of The Lion’s Lady. I didn’t know this when I started and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the book. Usually I dislike sets of romances because one couple or half of a couple ends up irking me due to their actions in a previous book. However, Lyon and Christina are already wedded by this point and I loved them in their story. I did wonder as to their purpose in this novel, but Lyon is clearly Caine’s friend and trustworthy ally which Caine will need before the novel is up. Speaking on ends, I thought the ending to Guardian Angel was lacking in some fashion. I can’t put my finger on it but the ending left me feeling vaguely like how the ending of The Wedding made me feel… unresolved I guess.
The Marquess of Cainewood is on a mission. Revenge coldly calculated, this ruthless man has set out to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of the notorious pirate known only as Pagan. The pirate would meet his maker, and then perhaps Caine’s father would get some peace. Sitting in the back of a pub that had become his haunting place since his brother’s death, Caine’s evening is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of an angel with fiery red hair. She’s scared, trembling, but determined.
Her first question is about his identity… is he Pagan?
His charade as the pirate was working, but instead of drawing out the real Pagan, he got a maiden in distress. She asks him to kill her before the men after her catch up and do the job themselves. She wants to die quick and painlessly and hoped the honorable Pagan would help her. Honorable indeed! Caine refuses and shoulders the burdens of the young woman.
Jade he will find leads him on a merry goose chase after criminals who do and don’t exist. And all the while she is flitting about trying to keep Caine occupied, a real mystery is brewing… but also passion. Can Jade keep her heart safe or has a man finally pierced her shields to the vulnerable girl inside?
Rating: 4 Stars
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Excellent, Love Romance Passion has it’s second entry for the Highlander Romance Novel Cover Contest. This entry was submitted by Sasha, who also participated in the Pirate Novel Cover Contest. Leave a comment to vote for this entry as the winner is chosen based on the amount of comments they receive. Feel free to vote more than once as new entries come in that strike your fancy.
Model: Florent (the fantastic Sir Flowee!) Designer:Sasha
Romance Novel Title: Laird of the Manor
The Tale:
Enchanting and alluring, Highland Laird Iain Buchanan was born to a clan of warriors. Living in the 21st century, he embraces his Caledonian heritage by reenacting the acts of his ancestors pasts each year in the Scottish Highland Games! He still lives in his family’s ancient manor housed in Northern Scotland aka the Scottish Highlands.
Artist Comments:
Image took about 20-25 hours over 3 weeks to manipulate.
I looked at the covers of Karen Marie Moning’s books for inspiration ([link]) and I spent way too much time listening to Blake ([link]) and Celtic Thunder to get *inspired* ([link])
**NOTE: yes, ALL parts of the graphic are manipulated together: Florent, Florent’s Shadow, the sky, the cuffs, the kilt, the manor, the Highland beach, the tattoo, the lights etc. etc. etc. Nothing came together, I composed the entire thing! **
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The Search for Mr. Romance is On! So I just learned that my "Search for Fabio" posts are part of a wider search for Mr. Romance. Variety announces that Mr. Romance is going to be a New Regency film and is about a skeptical guy entering the...
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Today I have the pleasure of presenting the first of the Highlander Novel Cover Contest entries. Be sure to vote by leaving a comment on the entries that you enjoy! The winner is determined by the amount of vocal support they receive before the end of the month!
Model: Alex, who is really Scottish. Designer: Zarabeth
Romance Novel Title: The Highlander’s Heir
The Tale:
Patrick Kelley, the bastard grandson of the Laird Joseph Kelley knew only two things. He needed a wife and he needed an heir. The passing of Laird Joseph Kelley left Patrick with a dilapidated castle in Edinbourough, a stack of debts, and responsibilities he couldn’t ignore. The fields needed new tenants and tenants meant new homes built with money he didn’t have. Despite his severe loathing of London Society he would have to venture there to find and wed an heiress.
Emiline Pembroke was a plump cousin and companion of the beautiful Jessamine Pembroke, the only heir to the fortune of the Earl, Byron of Pembroke. The Earl’s estate in Wales was Emiline’s preferred setting for her quiet and uneventful life as a spinster at the age of 26. Her cousin’s coming-out ball would only be the 1st tiresome event of the next season in London, where she would dutifully sit and sip in the companions’ corner, unnoticed and unwanted.
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The great thing about a series is that the writer has the freedom to explore themes and develop characters in greater detail than in a single average sized novel. This is true of Lora Leigh’s ‘Tempting Seals Series’. Durango Team, of the Navy Seals, is working for Homeland Security trying to shut down a drug cartel and capture a mysterious terrorist. Each novel in the series follows the members of Durango Team as they meet and fall in love with their soul mates. Of course, love never runs smooth. Killer Secrets is the third novel in the series.
Ian Fuentes is the illegitimate son of Diego Fuentes, the leader of a very successful drug cartel. He is also a sadist and murderer. Ian hates him and has vowed to kill him for not protecting him as a child and for kidnapping and torturing a fellow Seal, Nathan. He is working, alone and undercover posing as traitor to the U.S., in his father’s drug cartel. In return his father has agreed to help him trap and kill the terrorist known only as Sorrell.
Kira Porter is an independent undercover operative for DHS known as the Chameleon. Her disguises are so good than no one has ever recognized her as the very wealthy socialite and niece of a very powerful Washington politician. She and Ian have crossed paths on occasion and he always recognizes her by the way her body moves and the shape of her ears. They have long ignored the attraction they feel for one another since the job always comes first.
This time they meet in Aruba at a weapons deal gone wrong. Kira has infiltrated a terrorist group with ties to Sorrell and has accompanied them to what is supposed to be a weapons deal. Unknown to her, the real objective is to kill Ian. In the mist of the action she recognizes Ian and quickly changes sides, helping him turn the tables on the terrorist group. Afterward, instead of disappearing, she rents a villa under her real identity with the intent of joining Ian’s operation. DHS has agreed and asked that she keep Ian from killing his father or Sorrell since both are wanted for the information they can provide. Ian is an admitted chauvinist and does not want a woman in his operation, especially Kira.
The themes of betrayal, trust, fear of intimacy and commitment unfold in a highly erotic, sexual arena. Leigh’s dialog is bold and her bedroom scenes leave nothing to the imagination. Romantic Times BOOKreviews is quoted on the cover as saying, “Leigh’s books can scorch the ink off the page.” This is certainly true. This book is HOT, HOT, HOT!
Four Stars
LRP relies on its readers, we want to feature novels you like to read and we can only do that with your help. Suggest novels in the forum or write us a review and get posted on the blog! We look forward to hearing from you!
Originally posted 2008-09-04 05:35:04. Republished by Old Post Promoter
The costumes are absolutely gorgeous. Cuffs are seriously sexy. Taylor Swift is a beautiful woman with a wonderful voice. She’s a country music singer. When I saw this on Youtube I just had to share with everyone. The song is about a young girl’s love story (Romeo and Juliet). What I like best is the contemporary / historical dynamic and the play on the inevitable also known as the soul mate factor. You can find Love Story on her latest cd, Fearless.
I love to see the aesthetics of romance novels come alive and this is certainly better than the WTF Smart Bitches found…
Shine on Me by Chris Dane Owens:
Shine On Me’s video is like romance on crack. It has horses, fantasy, princess, knights, sword fighting, split screens, an elf like hero trying to be Orlando Bloom from LotR, spin off of Princess Bride, and 80s hair/music. Seriously scary. The kind of scary where you don’t want the prince to rescue you in the end.
What other music videos have you found on youtube that include the romance novel aesthetic?
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This is a book I really enjoyed. Chantal Thibaudet is a princess, but leading an unhappy life. Her marriage was loveless (and included physical abuse, so be warned) but she is now widowed with a four year old daughter. Her in-laws are power hungry, including a pre-nup that basically holds her daughter captive while forbidding her to remarry. The world sees her as glamorous, which she is, and doesn’t see the negatives.
But life is about to change. Returning home by airplane in very rough turbulence she is befriended by Demetrius Mantheakis, who has been hired, unbeknownst to her, to be her bodyguard because her life has been threatened. The plane goes down; they begin an affair; she finds out he was hired — and her life is in danger.
How are they going to protect her from a crazy person — who might even be one of the inlaws?
He takes her to his private island where the villagers are completely loyal to him, and he is able to ensure her safety until they get a better handle on the enemy.
How is she going to keep her love for Demetrius, who also loves her, without losing her daughter in light of the pre-nup.
All’s well that ends well. Love finds a way.
I rate it 3.5 stars.
Writing reviews are easy! Submission guidelines are simple enough, contact me if you have any questions!
Originally posted 2008-09-01 05:16:42. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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This one had a few twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and it was more believable. The background of the leading characters unfolds throughout the book, and some of it you don’t find out until mid-point.
Samantha van Bergen is in a disastrous marriage, mothering a step-daughter that she dearly loves. This little girl is bright and precocious, and knows more than anyone realizes she does. Her mother died, and Samantha had been her nanny.
The book begins with a bang. Samantha’s husband, Johann, is a compulsive gambler, who has gambled away a family fortune. He loses it all to Cristiano. And come to find out, he has tossed in Samantha to sweeten the pot, but only after he offers his daughter first (nice guy, right?!) but Cristiano rejects this.
Of course, Cristiano has fallen in love with Samantha at first sight. He knows that the little girl will come with her stepmother.
The question is why is he going to this trouble? And what other unfoldments might we find along the way that unlock the puzzle?
Sam takes Gabriella and goes to England from Monte Carlo. When she is there, we learn more about her early life. She is definitely worthy of the best.
Lucky for her, Cristiano agrees with this. He wants to settle a fortune on her in a pre-nup, but she isn’t interested in his money. They marry without a pre-nup, and when a divorce seems imminent, he wants her to use an attorney to guarantee her rights.
Instead, she decides to fight her fears, and she is successful.
She is a plucky heroine and you root for her when she comes out on top. There’s very little fighting or whining; there is a strong, wealthy and scarred hero.
Originally posted 2008-08-26 05:44:56. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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“Every age embraces the vampire it needs,” said Mike Deloney. Read on here.
The Top 3 Young Adult Books From 2008:
in no particular order…
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (vamps),
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (dragons),
Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (wizards).
What this means:
While it’s nearly impossible to be more formulaic than Paolini’s Inheritance Series, the key to big time success is to appeal to the group that rarely picks up a book unless forced… teens. If teens love your book, word of mouth will spread like wildfire.
How do you appeal to teens?
By combining a quest with finding true love. Don’t believe me? Look at the trend, it is obviously fantasy with a dash of romance. The element of fantasy is most needed, something to draw people out of the normal everyday world and into a new world. This is done literally in Paolini’s case and figuratively in Meyer and Rowling’s case because fantasy exists beside the normal world to the ignorance of the masses.
What romance?
Harry/Ginny (very little, confined to mostly book six)
Bella/Edward (the whole series is about them as a couple)
Eragon/Ayra (don’t shoot me I haven’t read the third one but this is where it looked like it was headed)
Now you’ve appealed to teens, but you can’t stop there…
It’s not enough to appeal only to teens. In order to achieve the kind of fame these three authors have had an aspiring author is going to have to appeal to both young and old, male and female. You do this through great inspiring writing by creating characters and a plot to grab our attention. In the end you must give us a lead to get behind, a purpose to support, and someone to fall in love with.
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Sarah from Smart Bitches and Jane from Dear Author are co-hosting another contest. The prizes are pretty sweet and well worth the time to get involved.
First things first, what contemporary romance started this contest?
The answer to that is Victoria Dahl’s debut novel Talk Me Down. The heroine in this novel, Molly Jenkins, is an erotica romance author. She publishes under a pen name, not because she’s ashamed of writing erotica, but because she knows how awkward it would be for family and friends. Molly Jenkins leaves city life to return to her small home town after some unpleasant activity with her law enforcer ex-honey/stalker. A small inheritance makes moving back home easy, but Molly is stuck. She’s not inspired to write again until running into an old high school hunk, Ben Lawson, now chief of police.
Sarah says this about the sexual interactions within this book: “This, folks, is realistic sex. Gritty sex. Passionate pent-up sex. And most of all? FUN sex.” While the Romantic Times reviewer labeled the heroine “as a dog in heat.” In response to the RT comment Jane says, “I’m not going to even try to rebut it because that’s one of the things I liked best about this story.” Based on these different reviews, the conclusion to be drawn from this is that the sex is frank, up front, and enjoyable if you like your sex in romance novels to be frank and up front.
Now contest information:
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I was very excited to get my Breaking Dawn in the mail from Amazon. They managed to get it to me one day before they told me that it would arrive on my doorstep and I devoured the novel, all 700+ pages, in two days, which is consistent with how I’ve read the other three that came before.
The novel did many things I did not expect, and one thing in particular that I did expect. This review will contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. Suffice it to say I give Breaking Dawn four stars.
The wedding, surprisingly takes place within the first hundred pages. I thought that it would happen at the end after Jacob did something to delay it so he could win Bella for his own. This is not the case. The wedding is lovely and Bella gets through it just fine and afterwards can’t believe how uptight she was about the whole thing.
On their honeymoon, Bella and Edward make love successfully; unfortunately the scene fades to black, which annoyed me. The morning after Bella stirs and is blissfully happy but sore, Edward is composed and staring blankly at the ceiling and ruins her buzz by killing the mood. He won’t make love to her again, claims that she’s lying when she says she’s feeling fine—no great, all because he can see how rough he was with her. Bella only recalls that he held her tighter when she wanted him to, etc. Edward is sickened by how much of her skin is covered in bruises that match his hands.
Luckily, Bella manages to break him out of his funk through the use of sexy lingerie Alice packed for her and some innocent seduction. The second and third and so on times, Edward manages to ruin furniture instead of Bella’s skin, making him extremely satisfied… Bella too.
Meanwhile, I started to think about how much food Bella was consuming and came to the conclusion before it was revealed that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy is ridiculously accelerated and Edward freaks out. Bella knowing something is up, makes plans of her own to protect the life inside her and calls Rosalie for help, making the female vampire happy for the first time with her decisions.
From here the novel switches from Bella’s point of view to Jacob’s, which made me call up my friend and ask for some spoilers because I just don’t like the werewolf. During this part of the novel we witness Bella’s pregnancy, a break in the werewolf tribe as Jacob takes partial leadership, and Bella becoming very attached to Jacob’s presence.
The pregnancy takes a lot out of Bella until they realize that because the child is part vampire Bella’s diet needs to change from human food to a liquid diet of blood. Drinking blood immediately affects Bella’s health for the better, but also that of the baby’s. Everytime the child moves inside Bella it leaves bruises on her skin and potentially breaks a rib in the process.
Edward is seriously going crazy and blames himself at this point and goes as far as offering Bella to Jacob if she really wanted a child as long as she’d be willing to give their child up as it was hurting her so much. Of course Jacob thinks on the idea and manages to bring it up to Bella who denies that its children she wants so much as her and Edward’s child that she wants.
Bella dies during birth, but luckily Edward manages to successfully turn her into a vampire while Jacob does CPR to keep the venomous blood flowing through her veins before it activates. Jacob leaves when he thinks it’s failed and goes downstairs where he intends to kill the child, now in Rosalie’s care. He never does, because once he lays eyes on their baby girl he bonds with her. This ends Jacob’s point of view in the story and switches back to Bella’s viewpoint.
The rest of the story deals with what I thought would happen to postpone the wedding—the Volturi are coming and they plan to execute the Cullen family for their Immortal Child (which is not what Edward and Bella’s child is per se, the term refers to something else). Alice and Jasper leave after Alice gives some very stern instructions to the family. The whole Western hemisphere is being herded together to witness the growth and humanity of the child.
It ends happily and Bella has amazing control on her thirst and on her special gift. I love the last few scenes between her and Edward. I am looking forward to reading the series again from Edward’s point of view, starting with Midnight Sun.
What did you think of the series ending?
Rating: 4 Stars
Originally posted 2008-08-13 05:03:13. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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The Marriage Game by Fern Michaels is a light summer read.
I figured by the description it would have some humor, and it does.
Samantha Rainford returns from her honeymoon to find she has been served divorce papers. She is both shocked and heart broken. She is going to be paid off with a check for $5000. When she visits the attorney, she learns there are three other wives before her who have all been treated the same way. She determines that she will not get mad, she will get even. She enlists the aid of the other wives to extract their revenge.
Meantime, she and a girlfriend attend an FBI training school — seriously, how remotely possible is that! where they both flunk out. But they’ve learned a thing or two.
Then they are recruited for a secret ops camp deep in the mountains of NC. How Samantha gets the better of her recruiter is one of the funnier portions of the book. The only way the two of them will join is if the other wives come along too.
The cast of characters in the mountain includes the head trainer who is endangered by his past if he comes off the mountain (Pappy), and the cook (who turns out to be his father), a dog that is part wolf (Alpha), and the other teams that are being trained.
This section of the book is interesting as the characters are developed. The better part of a year is spent on the mountain. Samantha passes with flying colors, but Pappy doesn’t want her to have the life that he has had. He is in love with her, though she doesn’t know it. And he doesn’t know she was ever Mrs. Rainford.
How she and the other women — they find he has a number of other ex-wives that they find out about, and that might not be all, who are also included in this — exact their revenge is a cute part of the story. And how it interweaves with Pappy’s story is believable.
I give it a 3.
I’ve never read any of her books before, but judging from this, I will see if I enjoy the others as much.
With all that FBI and special agent secret op going on The Marriage Game sounds like a cross with Miss Congeniality. What do you think?
If you have a novel that you finished and were thinking of writing a review on, LRP would love to have you as a guest writer. Please check out our submission guidelines for more details.
Originally posted 2008-08-11 05:26:24. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Some Nerve by Jane Heller promised to be an interesting book, but it turned out to be less than I had hoped for.
The cover looked intriguing, but alas, the story could have been summed up in about 10 pages.
Plus it is quite dated, printed in 2006, and opening with Britney Spears pregnant with her first child. It shows how careful one should be in including various trivia, even if the book is about the fictional Ann Roth, who writes about celebrities.
When Roth’s boss demands she go for the main man, the big get, Malcolm Goddard who refuses all interviews and thinks the worst of interviewers to the stars, she has every intention of being the killer journalist her boss expects.
Alas, she is afraid to fly. Goddard knows this too and says he will accept the interview only if she does it aboard his plane.
She can’t do it.
She is fired and goes back to her family, where Goddard ends up hospitalized to avoid the paparazzi. She, in turn, decides to become a candy striper in order to get close to him and get a story.
Of course, they fall in love. Goddard doesn’t recognize her. She doesn’t tell him at all. He thinks she is honest. She wishes she were. Someone sends her story, not her. But all ends well in the end.
There is humor, some laughs out loud, but for the most part this book details again and again and again and…you get the idea…about her fear(s). I ended up skipping huge sections of it except for a sentence here and there.
And there are some decidedly unlikeable characters and situations in the book.
I give it a 1.
I will read at least one more of her books.
If you would like to write LRP a review, we would love to have you. There are many romances and only me to review. Your participation would greatly help out RRN’s growing archive. Look here for submission guidelines.
Originally posted 2008-07-10 05:18:22. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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Have you ever wanted to switch bodies or lives with someone else? Even if it was only for a day? How about a month? Could you survive a month as another person? Switchcraft is just such a tale. Switchcraft is a fun book, sort of like the movie Freaky Friday. But it does make you think.
Aggie and Nely have been good friends for a lot of years, but they have drifted apart because Nely is married with a baby, and Aggie is living the high life, sort of. Each wishes what the other has. But both are withholding secrets. Aggie’s business is about to fall into the ground, not to mention a crazy stalker, and Aggie’s life is more complicated than it looks.
You guessed the rest! They take off for a weekend alone to visit a spa where the guru somehow manages to switch their identities. He is only able to switch back on a full moon.
Throw in two men who are over their heads. Kevin would love to be Aggie’s significant other, but they are best friends. Nely’s husband is afraid she is drifting away from him (which, as Aggie, she definitely is.)
Both Aggie and Nely learn how valuable friendship is. Each is able to help the other’s life out — which they could have done in RL if they had only known.
Definitely light fair for summer, but I enjoyed it. I give it a 2.5
If you would like to submit to LRP’s growing romance archive please check out the submission guidelines.
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About Love Romance Passion The goal of Love Romance Passion is to share with its blog readers recommendations, opinions, and reviews on romances. LRP encourages reader interaction - so explore, comment, and chat in our forums! We would love to hear from you! Love...
Bailey Wingate is living what many would believe to be a charmed life in Seattle, but she has problems. Not that she is complaining. She knows that she is fortunate. Having grown up impoverished, she became the personal assistant to James Wingate, a wealthy businessman and father of two extremely self absorbed, spoiled, greedy, adult children. After James’ wife died, he realized that his own will had not been updated since his children where very young. He also realized that turning over large estate to these two irresponsible people was not advisable. While in the process of setting up trust funds for his children, James found out he was terminally ill. He then approached his assistant, Bailey.
Bailey is now the widow of James in full control of all of his assets and his children’s trust funds. She did not inherit any of the estate, but is paid a very handsome salary. She also has use of several homes. Seth and Tazmin Wingate are unaware of all the particulars of the father’s arrangement with Bailey. All they know is that she controls their money.
Cameron Justice is part owner of J&L Executive Air Limo along with his best friend, Bret. Their largest client is the Wingate Group. He is a former Air Force pilot, calm and steady when under fire. Due to a series of unfortunate events, he is awakened early in the morning and asked to fly Bailey to Colorado where she is scheduled to meet her brother and sister-in-law and go on a white water rafting vacation. Early morning call not withstanding, Cam is not happy about having to fly Bailey anywhere. He thinks that she is a cold, haughty snob. Bailey thinks the same of Cam and they get off on the wrong foot when, while loading her luggage onboard, he appears to be critical of all the supplies she has brought with her.
As they are approaching snow-capped mountains in Idaho, the plane’s engines shut down. Only Cam’s flying ability keeps them from slamming into the rocky peaks. He is able to bring the plane down to the tree line hoping to cushion their fall. The wing is torn off and tree limbs come into one side of the plane. Both Bailey and Cam are knocked out. When Bailey regains consciousness, she discovers that Cam’s injuries are worse then hers. The temperature is below freezing and she must take care of Cam and build them shelter until Cam recovers. Not surprisingly, all the clothing and supplies she packed come in handy. They have to put their differences aside to survive and having to sleep together in order to conserve heat doesn’t hurt the road to love.
Linda Howard has researched her subject thoroughly. The detailed airplane crash and survival scenes add realism and drama to a humorous and sensual romance combining into a great summer read.
Rating: 3 ½ Stars
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The cover on this book describes Bet Me to be “wickedly witty, deliciously sexy.” More than that, Jennifer Crusie’s story is tender and full of Elvis (both varieties.) I enjoy this book immensely every time I read it. I think it’s the shoes.
Minerva Dobbs will never be described as thin, but her mother won’t stop harping on her to lose weight. The reason behind the nagging this time is her sister Diane’s wedding. What could be worse than being the fat bridesmaid forced into a too tight corset? Oh that’s right… she could not have a date.
David, the smuck, breaks up with Min three weeks before her sister’s wedding. It’s not her, it’s him… and the fact she won’t have sex with him. And even though she can’t bring herself to feel bad about the breakup, Min’s mad as hell at men. No man more so than that vile Calvin Morrisey who took David up on his bet to get her into bed. It really pissed her off that not only he took the bet but that he said it would be a piece of cake. The beast!
Cal for his part can’t stand being around Min. She called him Charm-Boy, Beast, and the Devil. Who would want to stick around the sharp tongue harpy? Not to mention her friend who can’t seem to stop herself from hitting him over the head with her handbag. If it weren’t for those shoes, the uptight little actuary would not be getting a call from him.
Cal never had a foot fetish before, but one look at Min’s sexy heels and he’s a goner. Of course it doesn’t hurt watching her eat… when she lets herself. He wants her to look at him with the same look of ecstasy on her face as when she consumes bread, or donuts, or hotdogs. Now how was he going to get her to stop harping and start laughing?
Janet Evanovich is one of my favorite writers. I really enjoy her Stephanie Plum series. So when I saw Wife for Hire, I figured I’d give one of her other books a whirl. It’s quite lightweight and fairly short (especially since the print is larger, which is a bit annoying to me.)
I give it a 2.5-3.
It was a fun and fast read, not nearly so complex in characters or plot as the Plum novels. But it was a good diversion.
Hank Malone, from Vermont, and Maggie Toone, from New Jersey, are made for each other. Both were trouble in their childhoods, neither wants a life that is particularly predictable.
Malone has advertised for a pretend wife in order to look stable enough to qualify for a bank loan to run his apple orchard. Malone is also hoping to avoid the women who are chasing him. What he advertises for and what Toone is are two different things.
Toone is in process of writing the memoirs of an aunt, who just happened to be a madam.
Throw in assorted characters, such as Elsie, the housekeeper, who is particularly funny, a bit like the grandma in the Plum novels, but different; both sets of parents, who in their own ways are characters themselves; long time friends and small town busybodies, and you have a recipe for a lot of fun along with some twists and turns.
Of course, they fall in love, getting involved very quickly, maybe a bit too quickly for me. Throw in some assorted (funny) kidnappings, due to a misunderstanding, and things get complicated, but are eventually sorted out.
All’s well that ends well. And it leaves you with a smile on your face.
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The first book in the Twilight saga as said by the author in the Amazon interview is about finding true love and is conveniently entitled Twilight. Stephenie Meyer was partial to calling it Forks, the name of the little town Bella goes to live. Her name was chosen because Stephenie Meyer would have named her daughter that if she had one. It fit so nicely with Edward. Bella’s full name is Isabella Swan.
Isabella goes to live in Forks, a little town that really does exist on the map on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Forks is full of rain. It never stops raining. It rains so much you never dry out. Isabella is horrified at the idea of returning to her childhood home to live with her father, Charlie, but she is going to go through with it. Bella is like that. Once she has made up her mind she won’t change it. The agonizing and worrying and doubting happens during the decision making process only.
Bella moves to Forks so her mother Renee can move around from place to place with her second (new) husband Phil and not feel guilty. She wants her mother to be happy and by going to Forks she’ll make Charlie happy. She’s going to miss the sunshine and heat of Arizona. But most of all, Bella is going to miss how easily she blended despite her pale skin into the crowds of her large high school. Forks is small and can not hold a secret. Bella is afraid of her first day of sophomore year. She doesn’t want to stick out like the clumsy sore thumb she is but knows she will.
At school things were going like she predicted and in ways she wasn’t expecting. Boys were paying attention to her, she was the center of attention, and at lunch the most beautiful kids were staring at her. Who were they? Why did suddenly, the most handsome look up and glare at her? At the table sat the Cullens. Each was adopted by Dr. Carlisle and his wife Esme. They didn’t hang out with anybody in school. Bella was told they thought themselves better than the rest.
But this did not explain the youngest Cullens’ behavior. Why did he act like he couldn’t stand her when she had done nothing to him? Why did he try to change out of biology before the school day was over? Why did he skip so much school? Was it to avoid her? Edward Cullens mystified Isabella Swan. That was until she found out he was a vampire. Then it made sense.
The Cullens are different from other vampires. The first of which I can’t say since it is fun to hear of it in the third book. The second is because they are in their own terms, ‘vegetarians.’ They choose to drink animal blood over human. You can tell when vampires shy from human blood because their irises are gold and not blood red. Bella can tell when Edward is thirsty or mad simply by the color of his irises. At first he is surprised, but then he relaxes. After all she was observant enough to notice he was a vampire when others simply ignored all the signs.
The sentence structure of Twilight is a little choppy and hard to get into. The story picks up, right where the author first dreamed about it. Stephenie Meyer wrote the scene in the meadow first and finished the story before returning to write the beginning. Beginnings are hard, and if you can push past the first one hundred to one-hundred-and-fifty pages then it gets good. That is when the story becomes captivating and hard to put down. Edward and Bella is a classic that only gets better.
Rating: 4 Stars
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). What I like best is the contemporary / historical dynamic and the play on the inevitable also known as the soul mate factor. You can find Love Story on her latest cd, 
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’s video is like romance on crack. It has horses, fantasy, princess, knights, sword fighting, split screens, an elf like hero trying to be Orlando Bloom from LotR, spin off of Princess Bride, and 80s hair/music. Seriously scary. The kind of scary where you don’t want the prince to rescue you in the end.