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What a Lady Craves
What a Lady Craves by Ashlyn Macnamara is 99c! This is a historical romance and we’ve talked about (more like ogled) Macnamara’s cover designs on a previous podcast. For fans of second chance romances, this may be for you. But many readers had issues with the hero and his actions. Have you read this one?
Ashlyn Macnamara weaves a delicious tale of two souls torn apart by circumstance and reunited by fate—perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries.
Henrietta Upperton is about to marry Alexander Sanford when he rushes off to India to salvage his family’s fortune. Then comes the devastating news that he has wed another. Eight agonizing years later, a storm washes Alexander ashore—injured, widowed, and hunted—and one glimpse of his ruggedly handsome face reawakens the desire Henrietta thought she had buried deep inside. Her body still yearns for his touch, but she’s determined not let him wound her again . . . not this time.
For Alexander, honor always comes first. But only now does he realize that when given the choice between two virtuous deeds, he picked the wrong one. On the run with his life in tatters and a pair of daughters in tow, Alexander burns for Henrietta. He knows he does not deserve forgiveness. And yet he longs to wrap his arms around her warm body once again. What’s more, he is sure the lady craves the same.
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This Heart of Mine
This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is $1.99! This is a contemporary sports romance and book number five in her Chicago Stars series, which focuses on a football team, if you happen to prefer that brand of athlete. Several readers couldn’t get behind the heroine, Molly, at all, while others were glad she finally got her own book. Molly kind of grows up as a secondary character in previous books, FYI. Anyone read this book and want to give their opinions on dropping the $2? Trigger warning for rape, so please keep that in mind.
Molly Somerville loves her career as the creator of the Daphne the Bunny children’s book series, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. She has a reputation for trouble that started even before she gave away her fifteen-million-dollar inheritance. Then there’s her long-term crush on the quarterback for the Chicago Stars football team her sister owns—that awful, gorgeous Kevin Tucker, a man who can’t even remember Molly’s name!
One night Kevin barges into Molly’s not-quite-perfect life and turns it upside down. Unfortunately, the Ferrari-driving riving, poodle-hating jock isn’t as shallow as she wishes he were, and she soon finds herself at a place called Wind Lake. Surrounded by paintbox cottages, including a charming old bed-and-breakfast, Molly and Kevin battle their attraction and each other as they face one of life’s most important lessons. Sometimes love hurts, sometimes it makes you mad as hell, and sometimes—if you’re lucky—it can heal in a most unexpected way.
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The Sharing Knife: Beguilement
The Sharing Knife: Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold is 99c at most vendors! However, at some other places, it’s on sale for $3.99, so just be forewarned. This is a fantasy romance and the first in a series; I know Bujold is a bit of favorite around here. Some readers found the heroine a tad Mary Sue-ish, while others loved the growth of the characters and plot from beginning to end. It has a 3.7-star rating on Goodreads.
Troubled young Fawn Bluefield seeks a life beyond her family’s farm. But en route to the city, she encounters a patrol of Lakewalkers, nomadic soldier-sorcerers from the northern woodlands. Feared necromancers armed with mysterious knives made of human bone, they wage a secret, ongoing war against the scourge of the “malices,” immortal entities that draw the life out of their victims, enslaving human and animal alike.
It is Dag–a Lakewalker patroller weighed down by past sorrows and onerous present responsibilities–who must come to Fawn’s aid when she is taken captive by a malice. They prevail at a devastating cost–unexpectedly binding their fates as they embark upon a remarkable journey into danger and delight, prejudice and partnership . . . and perhaps even love.
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Far Too Tempting
Far Too Tempting by Lauren Blakely is 99c! This is a contemporary romance with a famous musician heroine. Readers loved that the story didn’t have a lot of unnecessary drama between the hero and heroine. That being said, other readers found the plot to be a little on the boring side. It has a 4-star rating on Goodreads. Anyone interested?
Jane Black has written the breakup album of the century, earning her a Grammy, a huge legion of new fans, and the pressure to repeat her success. Sure, the heartbreak from her husband’s unconventional abandonment might have been her inspiration, but it hasn’t done her any favors in the dating department. So when Matthew Harrigan, the toughest music journalist out there, asks for an interview, Jane agrees—as long as her personal life is completely off-limits.
British, gorgeous, and way too tempting, Matthew’s the first guy Jane’s been attracted to since her husband. As she spends more time with him and their relationship heats up, though, so does her writer’s block. How can the queen of the break up pen the perfect follow-up when she’s seriously in love?
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This Heart fo Mine is a difficult book. The heroine rapes the hero in the beginning of the book. There’s no ambiguity about it. There’s a lot of forgiveness and healing needed before that HEA and it definitely won’t work for a lot of people.
Get LMB’s Beguilement, it’s awesome! And it whispersyncs. (I really love listening to the audiobook as a comfort read/listen when I’m stressed.)
And about the Mary Sueness—LMB has stated that Fawn is not her Mary Sue, Dag is! 😀
Although I really enjoyed This Heart of Mine, I agree that the opening is definitely not for everyone. I find that SEP writes brilliant dialogue, but her plots are often problematic and/or contrived. I love her books for the emotion and the funny dialogue, but I have to overlook a fair bit plot-wise, and this book is no exception.
I have read LMB’s entire Sharing Knife series, and it’s great! Dag is perhaps a bit Mary Sueish, but he’s awesome nonetheless. But my absolute favorite LMB books, which I can’t recommend highly enough, are Curse of Chalion, Palladin of Souls, and The Hallowed Hunt. My only regret is that I’ve already read – and reread! – them so I don’t have the joy of discovering them all over again! I fervently hope that LMB sets more books in their world, it is one of my absolute favorite fantasy worlds ever. The religion is awesome! Anyone know how to start an Internet campaign? 😀
I hope it’s not presumptuous to post a note that today (Monday Feb 15) is the last day of the Carina Press/Harlequin 99 cent sale on sooo many great books.
And I just checked at Amazon.ca, and His Road Home, Act Like It and the others DID show up as .99 Canadian, by the way! So that was fixed.
Happy Reading!
Second chance stories are my catnip, so I enjoyed What A Lady Craves though I wanted to smack the hero a time or two. I’ve read all three books in the series and there is a lot of humor with the naughtiness and plumber butt covers.
Karen – Bujold put out a novella in the Curse of Chalion/Paladin of Souls/Hallowed Hunt world last year called Penric’s Demon. Have you read it? I thought it was excellent. (I think it is only available on Kindle, at least right now.)
I love the Sharing Knife series! I like Beguilement a lot, but I think it’s the weakest book in the series, so if you read it and thought, “Meh,” I recommend giving the next book a shot anyway.
Also, in case anybody loves the Vorkosigans and hasn’t noticed. Ms. Bujold has a new book out: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. It’s a different direction for the series and, of course, awesome.
I was going to make the same comment Tabs did.
I loved the second half of This Heart of Mine and will occasionally re-read it, but I always skip the first half.
What pleased me with “What a Lady Craves” is that Alexander slowly comes to realize that his ideas of honour were really hurtful and, while can’t change the past, he can be a person who is both honourable and caring in the future. That and the pretty, pretty cover!
Well second chance romance is my catnip so I plan to pick up What A Lady Craves and The Sharing Knife as well.
I generally like Susan Elizabeth Phillips, but This Heart of Mine was difficult to like, given the premise of a relationship built on a rape. I’ve read the whole Chicago Stars series (despite not really liking jock heroes) and generally love her stuff–Match Me If You Can was probably my favorite. Although Heaven Texas was pretty good, too.
“Far Too Tempting” was very good; I enjoyed the way the famous heroine was trying to keep her life as normal as possible for her six-year-old son. Her ex-husband came out to her after they were married for seven years, and her pain and sorrow over the next year ended with her accepting a Grammy for the music she wrote as a result (a very angst-filled album). This book went into some depth about how she feels as a woman whose husband didn’t desire her at all, and how angry she was that her marriage was a living lie for so many years. So many times the “my ex was gay” is used as a plot device, but there are no real emotional repercussions. She had some healing to do, and with the hero’s help, there was a very nice HEA at the end.
What a Lady Craves was my first Ashlyn Macnamara and I thought it was terrific.
You made me buy What a Lady Craves ^^ Now I can only hope it is good!
I loved SEP, and loved the rest of the Chicago Stars books until I got to This Heart of Mine, which ended up a DNF. I couldn’t make it past the first portion of the book, and despite friends telling me how much they loved the book as a whole, I still haven’t been able to go back to finish. 🙁
@SandyCo, thanks! I was on the fence and you’ve sold me. I had a friend who had that marriage. It really screws with your sense of self and ability to trust your judgement.
Okay, now I’m curious about FTT. Bought!
@ SaraLC No, I didn’t know about the novella! I sense a one-click in my future Thanks for the info!
There should be a trigger warning beside THoM, Amanda.
@Patricia: Added!
Thank you everyone for the discussion, by the way!
I’m … I’m … conflicted, I guess, about “This Heart of Mine.” I always felt kinda sorry for Molly (and I have to say, I liked the first book in the series, Phoebe’s story, the least, so I’m glad I read that one after several of the others because I would have stopped there — and it also has a strong rape trigger) and was finally glad she got her HEA. (Holy crap that’s convoluted! Sorry.)
So, yes, while there is no getting around what happens initially, I truly felt like Molly grew as a character. She owns what she did, and she suffers greatly because of it.
I have less patience for the constant interference of her sister and brother-in-law, and Kevin can be a real asshat … there were several times I wanted to shake Molly and say he wasn’t good enough for her, she deserved better.
It’s not my favorite SEP in the series — that’s probably “Natural Born Charmer” or “Match Me If You Can” — but I’ll still root for Molly every time.