THE UGLY DUCKLING'S VALENTINE by Julia Parks

Publisher: Musa
Date published: February 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61937-562-8
Regency/Historical
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Weblink: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=752
Obtained via publisher
Rating: 4

Claire is not a traditional beauty like her two older sisters. All she hopes for from her season is someone nice who will marry her. Instead her valentine’s box is filled with notes and cards from secret admirers. Only one of them interests her. Only one person seems to understand her. Lord Kittridge thinks of Claire as his little sister and wants her to have a successful season. It’s only when he realizes she’s falling in love with her secret admirer that he understands he’s actually loved her for years.


I really liked Claire. She had her feet firmly planted on the ground and clearly understood her worth as a person even though she wasn’t stunningly beautiful. She also fully understood her doting family’s attempts to tell her she was a beauty. She knew they loved her and didn’t see her through society’s eyes. Through everything Claire’s sense of fun and her good humor remain intact and her ploys range from the very clever to the very funny. The puppy was also a brilliant addition to the story.
Kit was a great character, too. He’s so busy being thoughtful and helpful and supportive it takes him a while to work out what is right in front of his nose.
This is a great story, a really fun read. I liked the book design as well with the color here and there, and it was a nice clean manuscript.


This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

Most Romantic Love Scene Contest: Entry Two

Entry Two:

Title:  The Antique Love

Author:  Helena Fairfax

A small bead of perspiration trickled down Penny’s back.   The stone stairs that led up to the Piazzale Michelangelo were never-ending, and the early evening air was hot and dusty.

Why on earth am I doing this? she asked herself, allowing a giggling group of teenagers to overtake her.  She’d had an odd call from Tehmeena that morning, asking her to take a photo of the sunset over Florence.  And it had to be taken from the top of the longest climb in probably all of Italy.  It would be romantic, Tehmeena had promised her, and wasn’t she looking for romance?  Penny just snorted. 

She’d just spent a week in Venice—the most romantic city in Europe—photographing everything she saw, only to realise that for her, romance must be dead.  She’d stood in St Mark’s Square and felt nothing.  She doubted Michelangelo’s square was going to make her feel any better.

There was a small crowd milling in the enormous, dusty Piazza when she finally reached the top.  She pulled out her camera and made her way to the stone balustrade on the western side to where the sun was making its descent.

“Actually, this was worth the climb,” she admitted grudgingly.  To the west flowed the River Arno, with its three ancient stone bridges arching gracefully across, and a little beyond was the magnificent red dome of the Duomo Cathedral.  A row of tall ochre and red stone buildings lined the river.  Penny put her elbows on the wall and leaned out.  A faint breeze stirred the warm air.  The sun was sinking lower over the horizon, the gathering dusk creeping in softly behind it. The reflections of the city lights were beginning to ripple in the waters of the river.

A footstep behind her caused her to stiffen.  She hoped she wouldn’t have to fend off any male attention.  Since she’d arrived in Italy, she’d noted with irony that just when she’d decided to devote her life to being a spinster and a mad cat lady, men seemed to pop up from all over the place intent on getting to know her.  She was forever fending off advances.

She turned a cold shoulder and leaned further over the wall.

The steps came nearer, and she caught a familiar scent.  Like the skin on fresh apples.  Her breath caught in her throat. 

“Penny.”

She whirled round at the sound of his voice, dropping her camera to the ground.  The leather case hit the stones with an expensive thud.  It was no dream.  He was standing there in front of her, a little leaner, the shadows a little deeper under his eyes.  She stared, not speaking.

He took another step forward.  “Tehmeena told me where you were.  I had to see you before it was too late.  I wanted to tell you…”  He took a breath.

In the mad whirl of her thoughts, Penny noted he had a slim, rectangular box in one hand, and that the fingers holding it were clenched tight.  His eyes were steady on hers. 

“I wanted to tell you before it was too late that I love you.  And when I saw the room you made for me, I thought…that gave me hope that I might not have ruined everything.  I love you beyond distraction.  I love you, Penny Rosas, and the thought I may have lost you has me half-crazed.”  His words came in a trembling rush, so unlike his usual measured tones.  His eyes stayed fixed on hers.  She didn’t speak.  He took another step forward.

“I brought you this,” he said, holding the box out slowly.  “But if you tell me you don’t want it…” 

He was near enough now for Penny to make out the pulse beating quickly under the warm skin of his throat. He extended his hand, and she reached out her own to take the box from him wordlessly.

“If you tell me you don’t want it, I’ll leave.  But after that, I don’t know what the hell I’ll do.” 

There was a whiteness to his lips and in the faint lines around his nostrils.

Penny lifted the lid of the box.  Some crumpled tissue paper and then the dying rays of the sun caught a cluster of tiny rose diamonds.  She lifted the jewels in a hand that was suddenly shaking.  Two shimmering pearls caught in a silver heart.  The love token.

She raised her eyes to Kurt’s, brimming with tears of wonder.  “How…?” she asked.  The words caught in her throat.  She held the box away from her as though it were unreal.

“I wanted you to have your dream.”  He turned his head to take in the sunset and the lights of the city below them.  “I begged Tehmeena to get you to come here.  I wanted to ask you to marry me, and I wanted it to be perfect.”  His gaze roved her face and fastened on her wide eyes.  “I wanted it to be romantic for you.  I was scared I’d left it too late.”

Her eyes dropped to the love token in her hands.  The silver chain played out through her fingers.

“I want you to know how much I love you,” he said again, taking a step forward.

Her head lifted quickly, her eyes brimming with unimaginable joy, and she almost leapt forward into his arms.  His hands fastened around her, and his mouth was on hers, gently at first. Then his arms tightened, his hungry mouth devoured her, and she gasped with the most delicious burst of golden euphoria lifting and swirling her body.

A passing group whistled.  He drew back, looking down at her.

“What an idiot I’ve been,” he said, a tremor in his voice.  “I was frightened of losing you.  So frightened of ending up half-crazed, I was out of my senses.  I’m sorry I hurt you.”

She reached a hand up to his lips.  “Is this a dream?” she asked softly.  He shook his head.  The well of happiness within filled to overflowing.  “Then dreams can come true, after all,” she whispered.  She reached up and met his lips with her own, closing her fingers around the love token and wrapping her arms around his neck in a long, long embrace, whilst the sun set behind them  over the Arno.

Friday Guest Author Viki Lyn

Welcome to Love Romances & More Reviews Viki Lyn. Comfortable? Let’s begin, shall we? 

To get us started can you tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out?
My current books are John’s Match, Perceived Love and Sins of Lust. All m/m romances. John’s Match is the third book in my Woodland Village series, Sins of Lust is a paranormal and Perceived Love a novella for the Finally Ever After series at Musa Publishing. I will have a free read with my characters from Lover’s Trill this Xmas at Musa. This year has been a slow one for me, and I won’t be having any new books come out within the next few months, but I foresee 2014 as being very productive. :)

How would you describe yourself using only five words? Impatient, curious, accepting, seeker, sloth

If we asked your muse to describe you using five words, what do you think they would say? Imaginative, self-critical, organized, undisciplined, stubborn

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? On the Northern Pacific coast in California. Pacific Grove would be my first choice. I love water features, even if it’s as simple as seeing my pool from my living room window. Since I live in the desert, that’s as close as I’ll come to an ocean!

How do you get yourself in the mood to write? Before I start a new writing project I have to clean my desk. Then I begin with writing the first two or three chapters. After that, I fill out a character information sheet which helps me get to know my characters better. I never used to do this, but it helps with consistency and I don’t have to go back and rewrite as much as I did in the past. I’m the type of writer that edits as I go. I can’t just crank out the first draft without making changes.

If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why? I’d recommend Blue Skye if the reader prefers contemporary m/m romance. It’s the first book in my Woodland Village series and it’s a best friends fall in love story – which is one of my favorite themes. It also introduces the town of Woodland Village, a place where I’d love to visit. If the reader enjoys paranormal then Last Chance is a fun read – a Kresnik (vampire slayer) and vampire story with a twist. It’s not very ‘dark’ but it’s fun and fast paced and introduces the Hamilton brothers – sexy blue eyed slayers.

Is music a factor for you while you are writing? Do certain songs put you in the right frame of mind to write certain stories? Yes, I love writing to music. When I wrote Lover’s Trill, I played a lot of Vivaldi :) since it was set in Vienna and had a classical theme. When I wrote Sins of Lust, I listened to angst-inspired songs, Come Undone by Duran, Duran for one...my playlist is VERY eclectic.

Are your characters able to love or do they need to be taught? Most of my characters are afraid and need to be taught that they can love and have a relationship despite their past. I usually have one of my characters wanting a relationship and willing to fight for it (Uri from Sins of Lust, Skye from Blue Skye, Antoine in The Tiger Within) and the other having to work at accepting love in his life and being okay with it. *grin*

Thanks for coming. Is there anything else you want to add? 

Thank you Dawn! Here are my links where you can find me:

http://www.vikilyn.com

http://www.vikilyn.com/blog

http://www.facebook.com/VikiLynRomance

http://www.twitter.com/VikiLynRomance

Here is a blurb from Ellora’s Cave: Sins of Lust:

Line/icons: Twilight/MM

ISBN: 9781419941573

Thou shall not kill.

For archangel Razi-el, he had no choice. He would break God’s commandment again if it were to save Uri-el from a demon’s talons. Yet even God’s most trusted archangel cannot avoid punishment. No longer Razi-el, he is now Izar, a Protector sworn to kill for the angels.

When a Protector kills an angel, Izar is summoned to work alongside Uri-el to capture the killer. Izar is shocked when his bloodlust spikes hot for the archangel. He knows better than to go after forbidden fruit. Refusing to give in to temptation, he ignores his body’s tempestuous arousal for Uri-el until a heated argument turns his blood into molten lust.

As they rush to find the killer, their passion plays into the demon’s plan. Izar will have to make a choice between life and death if he is to save Uri-el again.

Excerpt and buy link: http://www.ellorascave.com/sins-of-lust.html

Check out our reviews for Viki's books....

Blue Skye (Woodland Village Series)
Ryan's Harbor (Woodland Village Series)
Last Chance

Welcome Susan Rae today and a Contest

Welcome to Love Romances & More Reviews, Susan Rae.  Please make yourself at home. Comfortable? Great…now let’s get down to business.

So tell us about yourself.  What got you interested in writing?  Who is your publisher?

My interest in writing started at a very young age.  Although my first thought of who I wanted to be when I grew up was a doctor—a pediatrician to be exact, I was a voracious reader and found myself gravitating more and more to the written word. I penned my first melodrama in fifth grade, not so different really than the romantic suspense I write now! In eighth grade I played the role of Jo in Little Women. By then, I felt it was type casting.  My first novel, heartbeats, was published originally in paperback by Berkley publishing.  I am currently with eBook publisher, Musa Publishing.

Tell us about your favorite character from your books.

Oh my, so hard to say.  They are all my children, my creations, and I love them all, even though some don’t always act in a perfect way.  I guess my favorites are the ones I happen to be working on at any given time, but my true first love has to be Drake, the hero in heartbeats. He isn’t a DeLuca by name, but a McGuire.  He came to live with his cousins at the tender age of six when his parents died in a car crash on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive.  He turned out to be the perfect hero for Dr. Elizabeth Iverson, my heroine in heartbeats.

What was the first scene or character you started with when you began ICE blue?  

The first character would be Angela DeLuca, the youngest DeLuca sibling. I knew I wanted to write a sequel to heartbeats and I knew I had written a sibling who was a paramedic.  I actually had to go back into my own novel to find her name. As for the first scene, it was Angela finding an abandoned newborn of Chinese descent on her doorstep, although I have to say, the love scenes were percolating in my head, too, once I figured out who the hunky hero was going to be!

Tell us about your current/upcoming release.  What inspired it? 

The suspense plots for my novels are usually inspired by articles I read in the newspapers.  ICE blue, in particular, was inspired by articles on illegal immigration and human trafficking and also my fascination with medical and police procedures.  It’s awesome that I can write all these interests into my books.  The human factor is inspired by the people I know and meet and their stories of hardship and survival. 

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work? 

Only that I love a good sexy romance with a gritty suspense story, and that’s what I try to give readers with my novels. A try to bring a plot with a lot of meat to it and well developed characters that will bring joy, fear, laughter, and even tears to readers while possibly raising their awareness of things outside their normal everyday life.

Who’s more fun to write: bad boys or perfect gentleman and why?

Neither.  I think the most fascinating characters to write are flawed heroes—heroes with ghosts in their past who aren’t perfect, but do heroic things, sometimes in spite of themselves.  The same goes for villains—to me there is nothing more fascinating than a villain with a good side, too, but the devil wins out.  I guess that comes from my interest in psychology.

If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be and what would you do together?

Hmmm… I’ll say Achilles, from Troy, the movie version of Homer’s Iliad, especially if he really looked like Brad Pitt!  We’d go on adventures and spend some pretty amazing nights in the tent, before he got killed. (I think this is the reason as I chose Troy as the name for my hero in ICE blue!)  Or, I could go with Legolas from The Lord of the Rings.  Basically, same reasons, but we would explore the fantastical world of Middle Earth together.

Out of all your books, do you have a favorite one?  If not, then which one is closest to your heart?

If you asked me a year ago, I would have said freefall, because I the idea for that novel came from my husband’s part ownership in an airplane repair shop and I picked his brain for the technical aspects.  Now, though, I will have to say, ICE blue, because I poured so much of the emotions from the experiences of my friends and family into it.

What character out of all your books is the closest to your personality?

I would like to say, Angela, from Ice Blue. Her heart is so big she can’t help but jump in to help others, even when it isn’t necessarily in her best interest.  I’m afraid, though, that I am more like Elizabeth from heartbeats.  I try to keep things under control, even though, I too, can sometimes have a heart that some people say is too soft.

Anything else you would like to add?

ICE blue is billed as DeLuca Family 2, but don’t let that throw you off.  Even if you haven’t read heartbeats, you can enjoy ICE blue.  Each novel has its own hero and heroine, and a romance and suspense storyline that is complete within the novel.

Thank you for being my guest today and may you have lots of sales.

Thank you, Dawn, for having me.  I’d also like to offer your readers a chance to win one of my novels in a giveaway.  If they go to me website, www.susanrae.com, in the next three days and leave a comment regarding something in this interview by Tuesday, May 7^th, their name will be entered into a drawing to win an eBook of any one of my novels, their choice!

About Ice blue

When lives are on the line, sometimes the wrong thing is the right thing to do.

Born into a Chicago cop family, while her brothers get their rush from catching bad guys, paramedic Angela DeLuca gets hers from saving lives.  A tough beauty with a heart perhaps too big, Angela champions the underdog because, as the youngest of six siblings, she often felt like one.

ICE Special Agent Troy Deavers became a cop to prove he wasn’t like his father—a southern politician who brought his family down with greed and corruption. Troy doesn’t suffer victims well.  At first intrigued by Angela’s passion, he soon fears that the fire in Angela’s heart will be her undoing.

What happens when Troy falls in love with the lovely but infuriating Angela, the Chicago paramedic who insists on protecting a young witness and her unborn baby—a witness who could break his case wide open?

If you haven’t met the DeLuca’s yet in heartbeats, get to know them in ICE blue.

Buy Links

MusaPublishing      Amazon.com     Barnes and Noble Nook

BLUE SKYE by Viki Lyn

Woodland Village Series
Book 1
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Date published: January 26th, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61937-241-2
Contemporary M/M
E-book
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Skye-WoodlandM-Village-ebook/dp/B00728D3V6/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345047853&sr=1-5

Skye Taylor and Drew Adams were once best friends until one night, their friendship changed and fractured beyond repair. Now years later, Skye is living the artist’s life, proud and out as a gay man while Drew has done what his wealthy father wanted and married a woman even though he longs to let his secret desires out in the open. When Skye and Drew cross paths again in Woodland Village, sparks fly and desire builds between them but problems start to draw near on the horizon. Will Skye and Drew be able to reconnect as friends again or will the life Drew made for himself unravel to the point of no return?

BLUE SKYE is one of those emotionally charged stories I absolutely adore to read. It is full of wonderful characters that we are introduced to here and we get to see just what happened between Drew and Skye. Ms. Lyn is a fabulous storyteller who knows how to keep the tension high and let her characters tell their story. There are a few twists and turns I didn’t anticipate so be aware your jaw will hang open in shock in spots. I know mine did. The story flows smoothly, writing is tight and the characters are out of this world. They are flawed, emotional beings that the reader falls in love with.

Meet Drew and Skye. Two guys who were the best of friends, did everything together and enjoyed their friendship until one night it all changed. One act leaves their friendship fractured beyond repair...or is it? It will take all their strength to figure themselves out and where to go from here when these two cross paths years later. I love Drew and Skye. You get a sense of who they were before the big issue between them and you get a sense of who they are afterward. Their relationship is complex with things being unfinished between them and I loved how this author had the sense to let these two figure it out. There are some characters I detested while I was reading this introduction to the Woodland Village series and I am eager to see what the next two books will be about.

Viki Lyn delivers an emotional story of two people coming to grips with their relationship, their choices and desires that were suppressed. The reader goes on this amazing journey between Drew and Skye and I, for one, didn’t want to get off. The characters are amazingly life like and real with flaws, issues and more they have to deal with. The author does an amazing job in creating these characters and the reader will fall in love with them just as I did. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.

Run-don’t-walk-to grab BLUE SKYE and settle in for one emotional ride from start to finish. This is an author who is one of my favorites to read and you won’t be disappointed in BLUE SKYE.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement.

EXECUTIVE DECISION by Holley Trent

Publisher: MUSA Publishing
Date published: 2012
ISBN 9781619372016
Contemporary erotic romance
E-book
Reviewed by Helen


Ellen has a master's degree in urban planning, but ended up working as an administrative assistant in a tiny town. The office is in the boss' backyard and clients are dealt with mostly by phone and the internet. Until one drops in and the sexual magnetism is overwhelming.

Christian wants Ellen and the feeling is mutual. But life is never that simple.

This is a very short, very fast read. Ellen is a complicated person, and Ms. Trent has done an excellent job in displaying so much of her character in so few words. We don’t see a lot of the hero, Christian, but he comes across as the strong, silent type, and the chemistry between them is scorching. Ellen's boss is also quite clearly depicted, giving the reader a good framework for the story. This book is a fun, fast read. Ms. Trent has done well to give readers so much in such a brief word count. Readers wanting a convoluted plot and detailed descriptions need to choose much longer stories. Ones like this give a short sharp burst of satisfaction, but, like the main characters' sexual encounter, leaves everyone wanting more.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

DARK DOMINO by Emma Lane

Publisher: Musa Publishing
Date published: April 2012
ISBN 9781619371552
Regency romance
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Obtained via publisher


Sarah Louise Montpearson and Ethan Williams have been in love with each other for ever, but she’s only fourteen when he goes off to war and although their parents would have agreed to a marriage, he refused to risk leaving her as a widow when she was scarcely out of the schoolroom.

When he returns six years later they have both changed enormously, but both still love each other. The question is whether they can overcome the intervening years to fall in love as the adults they are now.

I liked the main characters very much. Sarah Louise is a wonderful heroine, multifaceted and full of life and energy. Ethan is more quiet and staid, but a perfect foil for her and his love for her is evident. Minor characters Lawrence and Oliver are also well drawn and their brief entry into the story is well done.
I found the author’s refusal to use contractions in speech annoying. I assume why people do this is to sound more “period-like” but a quick look at the poetry and plays from the period will demonstrate contractions were used, and they flow much more smoothly to the modern reader’s ear.

Oliver’s son is almost four and pulling buttons off his coat. Oliver worries that the child might swallow them. He is also pleased that the boy is “talking already”. This made me wonder if the author had forgotten how old the child is, or else she hadn’t done her research on four-year-olds.

There was also a strange inconsistency in one of the secondary character’s actions. It seemed to me it was there just to move the plot along, because the reasoning for such an about-face wasn’t explained.

So, a middle-of-the-road book. Overall worth reading, mainly for the heroine, but not one I’ll reread.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE LOST HEIR OF DEVONSHIRE by Grace Gibson

Publisher: Musa Publishing
Date published: August 2011
ISBN 9781619370234
Regency Historical
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Obtained via publisher


Robert, Marquis of Denley, heir to the dukedom of Devonshire, has gambled away his enormous fortune, fought one (or more) duels, and earned a reputation as a social pariah. No society Mama will consider him as a husband for her daughter despite his title. Robert's uncle forces him to rusticate in Yorkshire for the purpose of putting his estate in order, avoiding financial ruin, and marrying him to the squire's daughter, thereby permanently removing him from Society.

But Miss Mary Fanley considers society pretensions absurd, has no interest in the marquis, and has a sharp wit besides. Not to mention her younger brother and his interests.

I was thrown right out of this book on the first page when the POV changed halfway down the page with no warning. As I kept reading I realized the author was simply following Jane Austen’s lead and writing in omniscient POV but it didn’t seem like it at first and caught me unaware.

I also found the title, both the hero’s and the book’s, highly unsuitable, even offensive, as Devonshire has been a dukedom since 1694 (and still is) and the family’s ancestry dates back to the 1300s. There are most definitely parts of this story the real family may not appreciate. It would have been much better had the author chosen another title for her hero.

There was some misplaced punctuation the copy editor should have fixed, and one annoying historical inaccuracy. American sayings and traditions did NOT exist in Regency England.

However, having said all that, once I settled into the book it is a lively, entertaining tale, and watching the hero and heroine grow and develop was fun. I liked the secondary characters too, and there were several really good lines that will stay with me.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

A CORNWALL NOVELLA 2: SIMPLE GIFTS by LB Gregg

Publisher: Musa Publishing
Date published: November 2011
ISBN 978-1-61937-056-2
ASIN B006E519RI
M/M Contemporary Romance
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Obtained via publisher.


Jason Ferris, now bar owner, former abandoned child moved from foster home to foster home, is dragged along to a family Christmas party by a close friend. Only when he arrives does he learn the only man he’s ever loved will be there.

Lt. Robb Sharpe has not received a hero’s welcome home. His father has his own agenda and the family party is painful for Robb. Especially when Jase appears. What happens next is a mixture of comedy, tragedy, drama and hope.

This story has some very common ingredients. The unloved child who overcomes his past. The poor rich boy, now a damaged hero. The managing, manipulative parent. The best friend who pushes the hero into a situation. But having said that, it also has some wonderful unique character distinctives, that lifts the commonality of the basics into the fresh and fun. I certainly couldn’t have predicted a hero with a talent for origami.

The beginning of the story is very evocative; it really draws the reader in, and has excellent use of imagery. The weather is applied to excellent effect, almost becoming an extra character in the story in several places, one of which sets the stage for romance, and the other which provides leavening humor and prevents the story becoming dark. In both cases it moves the plot forward in clever ways.The book was clean and neat with very few errors. The cat was a loose end I’d have liked to see tidied up, even with just a line of text.

This was another story told completely in one hero’s point of view. I truly believe every story is stronger if there is at least one scene from each main character’s POV. The only way the reader can genuinely get into their head and understand them, their innermost feelings and the underlying reasons for their thoughts and actions, is with a scene told by them, and I marked this very good book down from 4.5 to 4 because of this lack.Please note the heat rating. This story is MM but the sex is far more hinted and implied than explicit.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.