First, a heads up from Darlene Marshall: this week, Amber Quill Press is having a 50% sale at their online store. Woot!
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Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
RECOMMENDED: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean is $2.99 right now. This is MacLean’s first historical romance, and was an instant bestseller. It has a 4+ star average.
It
wonwas nominated for (My mistake! Sorry!) the RITA® in 2011, and our RITA® Reader Challenge reviewer Diana wrote in her A- review, “This is one of those unputdownable books for me. One of those books that made me gasp/sigh audibly. One of those books that gave me those blasted butterflies in my stomach that seemed to turn pterodactyl-like in one of those heart-wrenching scenes.”A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen’s club.
Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she’s vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she’s been missing.
But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.
If she’s not careful, she’ll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love.
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Whiskey Beach
Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts is $1.99 right now. This is romantic suspense Nora, and it has a 3.8-star average on GoodReads. Readers who liked it said that the broody hero and the very caring and nurturing heroine were among their favorite parts, and that the mystery/suspense elements are very creepy.
It was nominated for a RITA® last year, and for the RRC, reviewer Betty Fokker gave it a B, writing, “This book was, no surprise, good. Eli was a nice hero and suffering real human doubts. The heroine was a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl yoga instructor, but she didn’t suck too badly. In fact, she had the sense to cut Eli some slack in some places because of his emotional recovery from depression and the signs of PTSD. There were historical pirates. There was a cool old house with secret passages. There was a reasonable and cogent solution to all mysteries. There was sex and a cute rescue dog with a name that Eli and Abra disliked, but were stuck with and took with good grace….
There was a lot of good in this book; can you tell?”
For more than three hundred years, Bluff House has sat above Whiskey Beach, guarding its shore – and its secrets.
To summer tourists, it’s the crown jewel of the town’s stunning scenery. To the residents of Whiskey Beach, it’s landmark and legend. To Eli Landon, it’s home…
A Boston lawyer, Eli has weathered an intense year of public scrutiny and police investigation after being accused of murdering his soon-to-be ex-wife. And though there was never enough evidence to have him arrested, his reputation is in tatters as well as his soul. He need sanctuary. He needs Bluff House.
While Eli’s beloved grandmother is in Boston, recuperating from a nasty fall, Abra Walsh has cared for Bluff House, among her other jobs as yoga instructor, jewelry maker, and massage therapist. She is a woman with an open heart and a wide embrace, and no one is safe from her special, some would say over-bearing, brand of nurturing – including Eli.
He begins to count on Abra for far more than her cooking, cleaning, and massage skills, and starts to feel less like a victim – and more like the kind of man who can finally solve the murder of his wife and clear his name. But Bluff House’s many mysteries are a siren song to someone intent on destroying Eli and reaping the rewards. He and Abra will become entangled in a centuries-old net of rumors and half-truths that could pull them under the thunderous waters of Whiskey Beach…
Passion and obsession, humor and heart flow together in a novel about two people opening themselves up to the truth – and to each other.
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Me Before You
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is $2.99 at Amazon. This is not a romance, though it’s tagged as such, and while it has a 4+ star average, there are as many reviews that are angry and upset as there are tearfully blissed out. I know a few readers who have loved this book to the point that when you ask about it, they make gestures and grunting noises. How about you? Have you read it?
They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
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Your Scandalous Ways
Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase is still $1.99. This is book 1 of the Fallen Women series, and features a weary and somewhat oversexed spy who is sent to retrieve some letters from a courtesan. The letters belonged to her former husband, and she has no interest in the hero – until she does have interest in the hero. Readers who liked it really liked the heroine, and that the story is set in Venice.
James Cordier is all blue blood and entirely dangerous. He’s a master of disguise, a brilliant thief, a first-class lover—all for King and Country—and, by gad, he’s so weary of it. His last mission is to “acquire” a packet of incriminating letters from one notorious woman. Then he can return to London and meet sweet-natured heiresses—not adventuresses and fallen women.
Francesca Bonnard has weathered heartbreak, scorn, and scandal. She’s independent, happy, and definitely fallen; and she’s learned that “gentlemen” are more trouble than they’re worth. She can also see that her wildly attractive new neighbor is bad news.
But as bad as James is, there are others far worse also searching for Francesca’s letters. And suddenly nothing is simple—especially the nearly incendiary chemistry between the two most jaded, sinful souls in Europe. And just as suddenly, risking everything may be worth the prize.
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Nine Rules … was my first “real” romance book and I adore it for showing me how wrong I was about the genre! Callie is a great heroine and I loved reading about her expanding her horizons and standing up for herself. Might be time for a re-read!
Love these “books on sale” post. But, from a UK perspective, my reading of them always goes something like this:
“9 ways…” – that looks good. Goes to Amazon UK – ah. £5.69. Not paying that, not on sale then. Adds to wishlist.
“Whiskey Beach” – love me some Nora Roberts and story does not seem familiar. Go to Amazon UK – ah. £3.66. Not on sale then. BUT Amazon tells me I bought it for my Kindle back in December. Bonus! Will shift up TBR pile.
Skip “non-romance romance” one. I am more likely to be one of the teeth-gnashers!
Loretta Chase – sounds good. Goes to Amazon UK – ah. £3.99. Not paying that, not on sale then. Adds to wishlist.
Anyone fancy doing a “books on sale in places other than the US” post at some point?!? My Kindle wishlist is getting HUGE!
I found Nine Rules randomly on my library’s e-book site and am now hooked on Sarah MacLean.
@Emma: My Amazon wishlist is huge too at, so about once a week I sort it by items with price drops and see if I want to pay the new price also sometimes just sorting by low to high price shows things that don’t always pop up on the price drop list.
I thought McLean was ok. Her writing style REEEEAAAALLLLYYY grates on me. Her descriptions seemed…I don’t know, like they were trying too hard. I read her series about the gaming hell.
And then I followed her on Twitter, found out she refused to acknowledge that 50 Shades is abusive, and decided that was the end of that.
all of these are just great!!!
Me Before You is a tragic love story so it left me bereft for days. However, I recommend it because I feel it’s a worthwhile read (or listen on audiobooks) and I like Jojo Moyes style of writing. I believe the sequel, After You is about to be released in September.
I tried the McLean book and couldn’t finish it. It was a little too precious for me.
Ah, but does Darlene Marshall have a new book out yet? That is what I’m waiting for!
Like some of the other commenters, I tried the Sarah MacLean book and “precious” is a very nice way of putting it. It seemed like she took all the cliches from better romance novels and stuffed them into hers. I read the whole book and don’t remember one thing about the hero or the heroine except I thought she was silly and almost a caricature of a romance heroine. I guess I am the grinch at the Christmas party but I was really appalled to see her nominated for a RITA among other things. There are so many superior romance writers that deserve the recognition.
Argument in favor of not following twitter, or social media in general: I don’t have to know when artists I like suck. It’s much easier to live and let live, to believe that people have the right to their own opinions, if you don’t know what those opinions are.
I quite like Sarah MacLean, and Nora Roberts, and Loretta Chase. I think they’re all fabulous people, and it’s easy to think that because I know nothing about them but they’ve written books I enjoy.
Haven’t read the other one, but she’s probably a great person too.
Plenty of room where I live under this rock. Just saying.
Christine and nabpaw are right; precious is a good term. McLean is too cliché for me, and she lacks the genuinely good writing style of Henley or James. Her books just try TOO hard to be melodramatic, and it shows.
Emma, as another Brit with the same problem, I just got a ton of great books via thebookpeople.co.uk including 10x Nora Roberts for a tenner and the first 3 Phryne Fisher novels for a fiver.
@Jamie. To each his own. I adored the McLean book and noticed it on several recent “essential” romance book lists so it seems quite popular. I also don’t follow authors twitter accounts etc. (agree with kkw) and I like my opinion of them just fine the way it is. An author has to go out of their way to be a crappy person and not just express an opinion for me to actively avoid their work. If your someone who has’t read Chase or McLean I really think your missing out on some great writing. This sale would be a great start.
@Judy, Oh, I’ve read all of McLean gaming hell series, about The Fallen Angel. Can’t remember what it’s called, offhand.
I usually DON’T follow authors; she just kept popping up via some other people I follow, so I added her.
She has a total right to her opinion, and I have a total right to unfollow her because of said opinion.
The 50 Shades thing was just the straw that broke the camel’s back here; I’d already read enough of her books to realize I didn’t like her writing style or her plot devices.
I recently bought and read Your Scandalous Ways and it was fun to read a historical set in Venice! The hero and heroine were so jaded and so needed to find each other.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds Sarah Maclean’s writing style grating. I have read a couple of her books (including the above) and I never get the hype when I see her included on “best of” type lists. She.Does.This.Too.Much. It drives me bonkers.
I tried to read Nora Roberts, specifically Naked in Death (based on a recent SBTB recommendation), and couldn’t get through it on account of my deep loathing of the hero. He was such a perfect billionaire blowhard alpha asshole that my hand itched to reach through the page and punch him in the nuts.
I will never read another Nora Roberts novel if that asshole is her typical romantic interest archetype.
I read another Sara MacLean book, “Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing A Lord”, and while I can’t remember anything about it now, my notes say “Cute, but not amazing” and I rated it 3.5 on a scale of 1-5 (5 is best). I’m sure I read the first one, too, but didn’t list it.
I haven’t read a Nora Roberts novel since I tried to wade through “Chasing Fire” (I never did finish it). I should try again; she has written some of my favorites, and anyone can be “off” now and then.
I read “Me Before You”, and I wouldn’t call it a romance. Romantic, yes, but it’s missing that all important HEA! I bought two books by this author at the same time, and I have yet to read the other one, so I suppose I was less than impresse by this.
I wish we could edit our posts. I left off the “h” at the end of “Sarah”. 🙁
Me Before You was a love story though not a romance. It left me emotionally drained for days and yet I couldn’t stop talking about it and recommending it to my friends. There is no happily ever after. But it was still a great story. If you want a happily ever after by JoJo Moyes, look for the book One Plus One. It was very good.
@Shana F – Nora Robert’s heros really vary – many of them are not assholes, and a few of them are not alphas – and her backlist is huge. Her Chesapeake Bay series is good and full of non-asshole heroes. The second book is my fave.
I found “Nine Rules to Break…” unreadable. I didn’t like the hero, didn’t like the heroine, thought the story was badly put together. The whole thing just didn’t work for me.
Her second series (Scoundrels) was better – I managed to finish it – but still had a lot of problems.
@Kelsey C and @Roz – thank you! Will try both tips.
Blasphemers! Sarah Maclean is my favorite Maclean and in my top 5 favorite historical romance authors! 🙂
I have a soft spot for heroines who get away with behaving unusually. I can’t quite describe what I like about her writing… some of my favorite scenes have banter that’s script-like, but others describe what’s going on in the character’s head. She personifies weather occasionally. Several people said it was “too precious”; I’m not sure what that means but I think that’s what I like about it. Any other “too precious” suggestions? 🙂