Coming Soon: Anticipated Releases for May 2011

I hope you all have enjoyed The first week of May! While some of us (looks around guiltily) have been falling behind, most of you have already pounced on the anticipated release that have made their way to the shelved this week. Kudos! This will be a big month because the highly anticipated Smythe-Smith book by Julia Quinn will hit shelves- but along side her release will be some fab books by newbies, oldies, and in betweenies. Make sure you get that credit care ready, cause you're going to need it!!!

Here are the Anticipated Releases for May 2011 !!!

Recommendation of the Week: 09/12/10 - 09/19/10

'Bride Of The A Scotsman' by Samantha James

"Lady Maura O'Donnell swore to her father on his deathbed that she'd recover the Circle of Light, an enchanted Celtic relic that had brought the family prosperity - until it was stolen a century earlier by a notorious pirate. Now the pirate's descendant, the Duke of Gleneden, holds this rare treasure, and Maura would give anything to get it back . . .

Alec McBride knows when he's been had. Lady Maura tricked him into marriage with the expertise of a born seductress, and now she'll pay for her treachery. He'll ravish her, tempt her, tame her - until she sorely wishes she'd never heard of the Duke of Gleneden. Caught up in their game of revenge, Alec and Maura never notice what is happening in their hearts - until it's too late.

Their marriage may have been a farce, but there is nothing truer than their desire . . ."source

[Read an excerpt: here]

-"The ending chapters of this book and the myriad of twists in the plot have solidified my full recommendation to all you book lovers out there!"
-read more of My Review of 'Bride Of A Scotsman': here

This is your Recommendation for the Week of September 12th, 2010 thur September 19th, 2010

Until Next Post<3...

Author of the Month: July 2010

Samantha James

   At a young age, author Samantha James had a lot of ideas as to what she wanted to do when she grew up. Becoming a Best-selling, award-winning author was oddly not one of them. Samantha entertained ideas of becoming an astronaut, archaeologist, detective, nurse, history teacher and (briefly) a flight attendant (until she realized she did not like to fly). Most of her choices were inspired by series and novels she had been reading at the time (funny how life works, eh?). Trixie Belden mysteries inspired her to try detective work and the Cherry Ames series compelled her to think of nursing.
   She met her Mr.Right during a set-up semi-blind date (mouthful) at an office Christmas party. Six-months after that meeting, Mr.Right was shipped off by the U.S Army to Germany and Samantha jokes that her writing career began by the penning of her 3 times-a-week letters to him.
   Upon marring and welcoming 3 daughters into the world, Samantha left detective work to Mr.Right and settled into the blissful mom-role.
   She accredits two happenstances when her youngest daughter was six-months old with the sparking of the 'bright idea' bulb for writing in her: 1.) Her historical romance bug finally bit her in the form of Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain. and 2.) Her brother revealed his secret author ambitions of writing and submitting short-stories (and subsequently, getting rejected many times).
   Rejection didn't scare Samantha off, and if her brother could face it and live to tell about it, then she could too. That summer she wrote 3 books (during her kids nap time and bedtime and any other free time on hand). On the fourth book, she struck some success and her light has been shining bright ever since.Source
   She writes under two other pseudonyms: Sandra James  and Sandra Kleinschmit 
for contemporary romance ( the first pen name being published by Harlequin's Super Romance series and the second being published by Silhouette Desires and Mills & Boon Desires [one novel published by Loveswept] )

-- My First Samantha James novel was 'A Perfect Hero'. I feel in love with James' books instantly and began hounding my local librarians with patron request forms to add more of her titles to their holdings. I was just browsing the romance rack and saw a book with a quote by Lisa Kleypas on the cover and figured (I Love Kleypas, so if she says your boss', I gotta give you a try!) so glad that I did! Check out some more Samantha James content on this blog (reviews, ect): here

And there is your Author of the Month for July 2010!!

*Head on over to Samantha James' Website for more info on this stellar author!  

'Bride Of A Wicked Scotsman' by Samantha James -Review-

Very Endearing! This is a good read!

   Staring off with a prologue dating back a few generations from the books setting time (which was more of a visual 'info drop' for me), we learn of the conception, protection and subsequent robbery of the 'Circle of Light'. It is known that 'The Black Scotsman' is responsible for the thievery. The ancestors of Lady Maura O'Donnell believed the abduction of the Circle, which has always brought them happiness and prosperity before, has now brought them pain, sufferings, and all around bad luck for being neglectful in their guardian duties to it. 

   In the abruptly emotional first chapter, we look in on the curse swiftly taking yet another O'Donnell life. Lady Maura's father becomes suddenly ill and dies; coincidentally on the same day he reads of 'The Black Scotsman's arrival in Ireland and a masquerade to be held in his honor. Alec McBride received the nickname from the hordes of admiring misses, but that doesn't change the fact that he is indeed a decedent of 'The Black Scotsman'. 

   After the funeral of the Earl, Maura's father, she and the family butler (a long-time friend, and more like family) head off to a town near the Baron who is hosting the masquerade in McBrides' honor. Maura promised her father on his death-bed that she would do whatever she could to bring the Circle back to their homeland and to their people. Through some deception she feels keenly regretful for, Maura manages an invite to the party; and also secures herself a room to retire in afterward, before she 'continues on her nomad's  traveling journey'(a convenient lie). 

   Serendipitously, Maura spots the man she seeks dressed up for the masquerade exactly like her; like a pirate. After some flirtatious banter about pirates looking for booty and dancing around fires naked, Maura's plan proceeds precisely as she hopes, and she is invited into Alec's room. 

   Some hot and steamy interludes almost detract Maura's plan, but she's able to salvage all with a little trickery and well placed blood smears on the sheets. (Sorry to be so ominousness, but you will enjoy the book far more if you find out the means and mechanics to the deceit on your own.).Also according to her plan; she awakens in his bed as they are discovered by the Baron and her 'Uncle Murdoch' (the butler). Honor dictates a marriage, and so there is a marriage.   

   Reluctant at first, having no memory of taking Maura's virginity or desire to wed her, Alec follows through and can't escape the nagging feeling that he has been 'had'. They continue on to his Scotland estate and Alec inwardly vows to make Maura pay for whatever deception she has played at. In between through searches of the estate, and doing everything in her power (save beating Alec over the head with a stick) to avoid her husbands advances, Maura find herself playing a very dangerous game with her loyalties and her heart,

   Eventually, Alec puts two and two together and realizes that her never slept with Maura (ever!), but the realization comes on the heels of an incendiary, playful 'romp' on the estate grounds which leads to kisses, which leads to deflowering. Calmly angry, Alec demands the truth and is part relieved, part angered beyond comprehension with the discovery that Maura's whole motivation for wedding him was over a 'Myth'. Also revealed is the fact that Maura purchased the services of a priest stripped of his privileges of office and thus their marriage is a false one.

   Tender feelings between the two were already present before Maura's deflowering, but like a dam, once such feelings are released and explored once, they can never be reigned in, and passion soon takes precedence over everything else.

   A scary moment at the bottom of a well, the discovery of the true whereabouts of the 'Circle of Life' and Alec's unnecessary jaunt back to Ireland to fetch his 'Irish' ends the book SMASHINGLY!

Rating: 3 1/2 "Aww's"

My Favorite Part of the Book: Is how Maura comes to care for Alec. More specifically, the realization that her search for the 'Circle of Light' has changed from being for the sake of her father to being for the sake of Alec (her love). The curse of the Circle effects not only the family that failed to protect it, but the family that stole it in the first place; and having recently witness the sudden quickness with which the curse consumed her father, and hearing how it took Alec's father, Maura is heartbroken with worry. This is a thought-line that if I were writing this book, I wouldn't think of at first or maybe not at all. It really resonates somewhere and helps translate for the reader the depth of Maura's affection for Alec!

Overall, I enjoyed the book; a lot more than I thought I would, seeing as to the fact that I don't really indulge in Scottish or Irish themed romances. The dialogue lacked in certain spots and lost me a time or two during the 'Hey look, your dressed like a pirate, I am dressed like a pirate' banter. It really began to pick up as you moved along in the story, and the epilogue is just DARLING! I enjoy Sam Jam a lot and have read a few of her titles so far; while this book doesn't disappoint necessarily, it left a little to be desired (in my opinion). The ending chapters of this book and the myriad of twists in the plot have solidified my full recommendation to all you book lovers out there! 

-An excerpt from the book can be found on SamJam's website:excerpt of 'Bride of a Wicked Scotsman'

*Also check out the companion books to the McBride Trilogy series! 'The Secret Passions of Simon Blackwell', Alec's sister Anne's Story!

*And (a personal favorite) 'The Seductions of an Unknown Lady', Alec's brother Aidan's Story!