A few links and then, things on sale!
First: a friendly reminder that registration is still open for the RT Book Blogger Conference, which will be on 30 April 2013 at the Sheraton Kansas City, right before the start of the RT BookLovers Convention 2013.
The RT Book Blogger Conference is a blogger-organized one-day conference for book bloggers and online reviewers. You do not have to have your own website or blog, however. GoodReads reviewers, for example, are welcome.
But space is limited, and registration is first-come, first-served. I hope you'll join us!
…
I think I forgot to link to this last week – but I'm over at Kirkus talking about books I'm looking forward to in 2013, including The Ashford Affair and The Unknown Project of Great Mystery by Nalini Singh.
…
Ready for books on sale? Let's do this!
Bound By Your Touch is $3.79 – $3.99, depending on the retailer.
Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London's favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself, as she always has done. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous.
But Sanburne's golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath…and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within — in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | iBooks
Written on Your Skin is also $3.79-$3.99, depending on the retailer. Yes, this is a bit higher than some of the book sales, but all signs point to these being some extraordinary books to read. I've been meaning to read this one for months now.
(ETA: OOPS! The wrong description was online – thanks to Sandra for the correction!)
Beauty, charm, wealthy admirers: Mina Masters enjoys every luxury but freedom. To save herself from an unwanted marriage, she turns her wiles on a darkly handsome stranger. But Mina’s would-be hero is playing his own deceptive game. A British spy, Phin Granville has no interest in emotional entanglements…until the night Mina saves his life by gambling her own.
Four years later, Phin is finally freed by his new title from the bloody game of spycraft. But memories of the girl who saved him won’t let Phin go. When he learns that Mina needs his aid, honor forces him back into the world of his nightmares.
Phin is a man intent on control. Mina is fiercely devoted to her independence. As they match wits, their practiced masks begin to slip, kindling an attraction more dangerous than any treasonous conspiracy. For in two lives built on lies, love can prove the darkest secret of all…
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | iBooks
Blame it On Bath by Caroline Linden is $2.99 on sale right now.
A marriage of convenience . . . or of destiny?
Gerard de Lacey is determined to find the man who is blackmailing his family, but with his inheritance and status at risk, a hasty marriage to a wealthy bride also seems in order—just in case things take a turn for the worse. Charismatic and capable, Gerard knows he can win the hand of any lady he chooses. Still, he's not expecting a rich widow to find him and propose the very thing he wants: a marriage of convenience.
Katherine Howe's first marriage was one of dreary duty. Now that she's being pressured to marry her late husband's heir, she's desperate for a better option. Gerard de Lacey, with his sinful good looks, charming manner, and looming scandal, fits her needs perfectly. The fact that she's nursed a secret affection for him only makes it better—and worse. Because Gerard will likely marry her for her fortune—but can he love her for herself, as she loves him?
Several of Jennifer Estep’s books are 2.99 on Amazon.
Miranda
Nothing to do with romance novels, but I went with my son to the Scholastic Chess Nationals a few years ago in Kansas City. There is a wonderful museum near the hotels, which are all linked by walkways.
It is the National Museum of WW1. If you are a museum goer, it is not to be missed.
http://www.theworldwar.org/s/1…. It is a unique and moving experience and deserves a lot more attention than it gets. The hotel concierge told me the entire museum would take about an hour to do, I could have spent an entire day or more there. My son, now 20 still talks about some of the things we saw there,
Great food in Kansas City too for everyone to enjoy.
All great books and definitely worth it! P.S. to Vee, a friend of mine is one of the creators of GWPDA.org (Great War Primary Document Archive), so browse around there if you’re a WW1 buff.
I find the cover of Written on Your Skin so uncomfortable. That body language does not look like consensual fun sexytimes to me; the woman seems to be struggling to escape while the man is trapping her. Look at how his left fist is clenched tightly, like he’s either about to strike her or gripping her dress to keep her from escaping. I do not like it one bit—especially compared with the cover of Bound by Your Touch, where the woman is actively participating and looks like she’s enjoying herself.
Am I reading too much into that cover, or does anybody agree that it looks a little assault-y?
Note: I’m not making any judgment on the book at all, just discussing the pose. I’m sure it’s a fabulous book, and I don’t want my above observation to seem like I’m trying to discourage people from buying it.
I see what you mean, Dread Pirate Rachel. Looking at the cover closely he seems to be not only gripping her dress but ripping it off her. They might have meant her turned away head to be coy but she’s not looking at him and seems to be awkwardly leaning away from him. Yes, I agree, a little assaulty-y.
Don’t judge the book by the blurb, either. The blurb describes a good-sounding book, only it’s not Written on Your Skin. From Duran’s website:
Beauty, charm, wealthy admirers: Mina Masters enjoys every luxury but freedom. To save herself from an unwanted marriage, she turns her wiles on a darkly handsome stranger. But Mina’s would-be hero is playing his own deceptive game. A British spy, Phin Granville has no interest in emotional entanglements…until the night Mina saves his life by gambling her own.
Four years later, Phin is finally freed by his new title from the bloody game of spycraft. But memories of the girl who saved him won’t let Phin go. When he learns that Mina needs his aid, honor forces him back into the world of his nightmares.
Phin is a man intent on control. Mina is fiercely devoted to her independence. As they match wits, their practiced masks begin to slip, kindling an attraction more dangerous than any treasonous conspiracy. For in two lives built on lies, love can prove the darkest secret of all…
CRIKEY. Thanks, Sandra! I’ll correct that now. Egads.
Well, it’s not your fault. That’s what both B&N and Amazon have on their website. Obviously, some blurb copy-writer at Penguin got their books confused….
Please excuse the off-topic, but I just read a romance so good that I need to tell you about it—don’t you have that reaction? “Improper Holiday” by K. A. Mitchell is a m/m Regency, believe it or not, elegantly written, and offering both anguish and warmth. Mitchell is a genius, and this is the best one of hers I’ve read yet.