Romance: B(u)y the Book

Ciao, Bellas: RBTB Says Arrivederci

2010-05-04T11:58:00.000-05:00

Well, OK. Not forever. Just, you know, for the summer.

My kids now are going through their second out-of-state move in less than two years, their third in the last six. And if you’ve got children or nieces/nephews or moved around a lot growing up, you know it can wear on a family’s spirit. So rather than drag my young’ns across state lines, killing myself working while trying to take care of them as well as set up new digs and everything that accompanies relocation, this go-round I’ve decided to take time off to attend to their needs.

Sure, it means putting on hold that cool, final phase of the RBTB project I’ve been telling you about. But last night, hanging out with my kids -- playing Bananagrams here at the hotel where we’ll be staying the next two months until we close on our new house -- I realized they don’t just need more of my time since my husband, aka Male Perspective Guy, is on the road so much. I need a little more time with them; I’m looking forward to upping my daily simple, silly pleasure quotient.

Knowing how greatly I value being alive – remember, we just celebrated National Transplantation/Organ Donation Awareness Month – you’d think I’d make every day count. But sometimes even I need something to drag me to a screeching halt, to make me slow it down and remember there’ll always be more romances to write about, so there’s no reason not to sit back and do a little nothing but love on my family for awhile. Oh, and I’ll probably send out a newsletter or two.

When fall comes back around, I hope you’ll head back this way, too, as I reach out to you again to spend time dishing on all the great stuff romance books bring to our lives. I surely have loved what they – and you -- have brought to mine since 2005.

Before you head back out to the rest of your day – and enjoy your spring and summer -- you may wanna’ click here to take a listen to Black Sunshine’s powerful “Once In My Life,” my new favorite crank-the-karma tune. See you soon!

Encore! What do I suggest you read this summer? Anna Campbell’s “My Reckless Surrender,” Toni Blake’s “Sugar Creek ,” Julianne MacLean’s “The Mistress Diaries,” Mary Balogh’s “A Secret Affair,” Lori Handeland’s “Chaos Bites,” Michele Hauf’s “Her Vampire Husband,” Annie West’s “Forgotten Mistress, Secret Love-Child,” Kaki Warner’s “Open Country,” Lori Foster, et al benefit anthology “The Gift of Love.”
Encore due! Si! I will be watching Italia spank everyone in sight at the FIFA World Cup from South Africa. Azzurri Rules! But, sadly, I think Canna, he will not play…
Encore tre! Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!

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Vanessa Kelly GuestBlog: It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

2010-05-03T08:00:00.009-05:00

Danny, you've won a copy of Vanessa Kelly's "Sex And The Single Earl!" You'll be receiving an email soon w/more info! Congratulatzione, and thanks everyone for your great discussion today! SATSE is one of Michelle's picks for Historicals Not To Be Missed in '10!

I’m so thrilled to be celebrating the release of my latest Regency-set historical romance with Michelle and the Bellas. “Sex And The Single Earl” is a sexy, fun read with a beautiful setting -- the ultra-elegant resort town of Bath, England. Sounds like a bit of a romp, doesn’t it? Well, in part, but my characters experience their own dark and stormy night, and it’s touch and go as to whether they’ll survive it. But, hey, it is a romance, so eventually all will be well. And thank God for that, because who wants to see the heroine and hero go to hell and back only to be robbed of a well-deserved HEA? Not the readers of romance, that’s for sure!

Knowing that readers crave happy endings, why, then, do more and more romance writers seem to be penning such dark stories? Ones filled with pain and suffering that push the protagonists to their limits? What purpose can it possibly serve to put readers through the emotionally vicarious torments of the hero and heroine? I have a few thoughts about that.

Because darker stories allow us to explore forbidden, even dangerous emotions. We live in a politically correct culture where so many judgments -- positive and negative -- are attached to feelings. Reading dangerous romance helps us to understand emotions that can be unsettling, but which ultimately enrich our psychic landscapes. Sometimes it’s good to push the envelope!

Because it’s sexy. Romances that push the envelope can be very sexy, allowing us to explore fantasies that others might frown upon (see political correctness in preceding paragraph). Michelle has written about this on more than one occasion -- much more eloquently than I could -- so I’d love it if she weighs in.

Because it’s fun. Like riding a really scary roller coaster or doing those things that mom told us never to do, reading dark and edgy romances can be a thrill. There’s nothing like a good Karen Rose romantic suspense, for instance, to keep you awake at night, with heart pounding and your interest totally engaged. You forget everything in the thrill of the chase, or the terror of knowing a really, really bad guy is about to kidnap our heroine. How will she overcome her nemesis and restore the balance of justice? We’re with her every step of the way.

Because it gives us hope. This is the brass ring. Life these days can be pretty tough, and it seems that inspiring role models are few and far between. But romance writers are a wise and compassionate bunch, and they have the ability to craft heart-felt stories that bring us through the storm and into the light. Sure, sometimes the plots can seem very dramatic, but that’s how we tap into those deeper emotions which lead us to those a-ha! moments that make reading such a worthwhile endeavor. In Anna Campbell’s last book, “Captive of Sin,” for instance, her hero is a much-abused soldier, suffering from what we now call PTSD. His path through torment to healing -- and the heroine’s abiding faith in him -- makes for a highly emotional, truly satisfying read. These kinds of stories provide hope that redemption is possible, if we will only be brave enough to open our hearts to love and keep our eyes steadfastly fixed on what is good in the world.

In “Sex And The Single Earl,” my heroine, Sophie, is a wealthy young woman who comes from a sheltered background. Simon, the man she loves, wants to keep her that way, but that just isn’t possible -- or even desirable. Sophie and Simon will confront some very harsh realities. It will bring out the worst and the best in them, forcing them to grow as individuals and as a couple. After all, there’s nothing like the threat of danger, or even death, to clarify how you feel about something. Or, in this case, how my hero and heroine feel about each other.

So, Bellas, how dark do you like your romance? Do you go right to the edge, pushing those dangerous feelings to the limit? How much is too much for you?

Feature Review: "Running Scared," By Shannon K. Butcher

2010-04-27T11:52:00.005-05:00

By Amy Kennedy, RBTB Contributing Editor

I like tough guys in romances, big strong men who handle any situation or danger. I especially like it when the big guy falls for the heroine, and it undoes him; not so tough now. But I’m thinking I might like best of all a hero who literally can’t live without her. Kind of ups the tension, and as a placeholder, his need gives me a nice sense of power.

In her gutsy, intense and arousing “Running Scared,” Shannon K. Butcher gifts us with Sentinels, a plethora of hard-edged heroes who guard humanity against the Synestryn, monsters who see humans as cattle. Yet these tough guys’ lives hinge on the love of the right woman; each warrior must find a compatible woman in whom the Sentinal can channel his building energy, a force that transforms into his woman’s magic. If a Sentinel fails to find his woman soon enough, his soul dies.

Sentinel warrior Zach’s been chasing after Lexi Jordan for what seems like forever and, when he finally catches her, she feels to him like the beginning of his salvation. Now all he has to do is convince her he’s not a monster and they’re meant to be together. No easy task, considering she was reared by a mother who taught Lexi the Sentinels were the bad guys. Lexi’s been running from them since she was a little girl.

When the Sentinels kidnap her best friend, Lexi needs a plan, and thanks to the Defenders -- a group of humans out to destroy the Sentinels -- she gets one. She tricks Zach into thinking she’s in trouble, knowing he’ll find her and take her to his compound to brainwash her so she’ll stay with him. But once Lexi’s at the compound, she plans to rescue her friend and blow the place to hell with explosives the Defenders gave her.

It’s a perfect plan – except for her nearly uncontrollable desire for Zach, his unconditional kindness and his willingness to protect her against the Synestryn. Lexi sees the good in Zach, and she wonders: If she’s been wrong about him, might she be wrong about all Sentinals? Doubting everything her mother taught her,, Lexi’s on the brink of fully trusting Zach when he finds out about her plan.

In Lexi, Butcher takes a possibly unsympathetic character and gives us a glimpse of how a person might be good while thinking wrong-minded thoughts. And Butcher’s secondary, ongoing story arcs add intrigue; Butcher hints at coming storylines just enough to make us do happy dances while waiting for – and hoping – the next book in the series is about our new favorite couple. Do your own happy dance after you –

Buy the book.

It’s not always easy liking the “before” Lexi, but we know she’ll come around to the side of Zach and the Sentinels. Who’s the character you loved to hate, and then loved for real?

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!

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Sunday Morning Don't-Forget-To-Daydream Video

2010-04-24T23:00:00.009-05:00

VH1 TV Shows Music Videos Celebrity Photos News & Gossip

Dianne Castell Winners: chelleyreads; soft fuzzy sweater; lois
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Feature Review: "Hot Southern Nights," By Dianne Castell

2010-04-22T08:19:00.008-05:00

By Becke Davis, RBTB Contributing Editor

CONTEST TODAY!!! Dianne's giving 3 lucky, randomly chosen commenters win copies of her sexy, funny new read, "Hot Southern Nights!" Please have your email addy in your comment or blogger profile to enter.

“Mayhem and Magnolias”

Take it from me, it takes more than being born below the Mason-Dixon Line to make you a Southerner. I was born where the local speech is slow as molasses, but I grew up a fast-talking Yank. What I know of the South, I’ve mainly learned from books. Some authors bring the South to life so clearly I can taste the salt spray from the ocean, smell the magnolias and feel the sweat on my brow. After reading a couple of Dianne Castell’s books, like her I find myself wanting to say, “Butter my butt and call me a biscuit," and "Y’all can call me 'Miss Becke,'” too.

In Castell's new "Hot Southern Nights," Librarian Churchill McKenzie is Southern as sweet tea, but she’s no Scarlett O’Hara; she’s a good girl, or she tries to be. Is it her fault things go wrong whenever she tries to do right? Taking on the New Jersey mob was the right thing to do, because it led her back home to Savannah. And it was right to label Cal Davis a thief after she caught him running from the church where thousands of dollars were missing. But sending Cal to prison for three years was all wrong, and she intends to put that right once and for all. If only Cal weren’t so blamed stubborn, insisting she leave it alone now that he’s free.

Ex-con Cal Davis knows he’ll never be good enough for Churchill McKenzie, who’s smart as a whip and Savannah’s sweetheart to boot. It was pure luck he’d had one amazing night with her, burning up the backseat of his ’67 Mustang with their bare behinds. He tries to leave Churchill alone, but the woman is a magnet for trouble – she might have sent him to jail, but now she’s intent on proving his innocence. If she succeeds, she’ll put herself in danger and the three years he served will all be for nothing.

Dianne Castell’s “Hot Summer Nights” will make you crave moon pies and martinis, two olives, as she spins a honeyed tale of a mismatched couple whose road to romance is paved with mystery, mayhem and a mutual attraction that just won’t quit. A secondary romance offers a riotous primer on How to Be Southern and features a bathroom scene that will make you cry – with laughter. She surrounds Cal and Churchill with a cast of lovably quirky friends and family, a sort of Walton’s Mountain-comes-to-Savannah. “Hot Summer Nights” comes out in early May, but you can read Dianne’s “Hot and Irresistible” while you’re waiting for it. I’m not just whistling “Dixie” when I say you should --

Buy the Book!

Just what is it that makes the South sizzle? Is it the heat that makes roses smell so sweet? The slow, sultry way the natives speak? What about you – are you a Southern belle at heart?

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!

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Nutty Buddy

2010-04-19T05:08:00.010-05:00

Later this week, learn all 'bout Friend of Bella -- and one of the most lovely, genuine people I know -- Dianne Castell's sexy/zany new read, "Hot Summer Nights." Becke Davis tells why you'll love the unlikely hero.

But in the meantime, I want to remind you that the Lori Foster-Dianne Castell Reader and Author Get Together is just around the corner, June 4 - 6! This is literally THE -- and I rarely write all caps, Bellas -- conference I'd go to if I only could choose one to spend my hard-earned cash on. Plus, proceeds from awesome basket raffles this year benefit One Way Farm home for abused and abandoned children.

Readers, you'll meet tons of top authors, your online cyberpals and make new reader friends in an atmosphere that's fun enough to make it worth the trip away from home -- yet intimate enough that you get to spend serious elbow-rubbin' time with your faves. And authors can set up sit-downs with top agents and editors, as well as meet an incredibly eager and respectful bunch of readers.

Check out cool vid action with readers and authors at last year's Get Together -- and Stella Cameron giving a book pitch to HQN editor Margo Lipschultz! -- here. But below's a little piece with Dianne in which she gives the inside scoop on what it's like to be best pals with Lori Foster. It's exactly the kind of convo you might end up having with her if you attend the Foster/Castell Get Together June. She's kind of a nut. But in a really, really good way.

Finally! The winners of the Lydia Dare "A Certain Wolfish Charm" Contest are: Catherine Gayle; Shoshana;Eva S; Nicole Z; Drew s; Amanda; Carol L; Gladysmp; Jedisakora; DianaO-E ! Congratulazione, Bellas! Thanks for your patience. You're being contacted for your snail mails now.

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!

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Feature Review: "She's the One," By Kate Stockham

2010-04-16T06:45:00.004-05:00

By Becke Davis, RBTB Contributing Editor

"Size Matters"

Did you know Alaska is the largest state in the nation – twice the size of Texas? It contains twenty-nine volcanos, 100,000 glaciers, 33,904 miles of coastline and its capital, Juneau, can only be reached by air or sea. Alaska has the tallest peak in North America and has the eastern, western, northern most points in the U.S. Everything about the 49th state, once called “Seward’s Folly,” is larger than life and everyone I know who’s been there talks about its majestic beauty in capital letters and exclamation points.

In Kay Stockham’s lyrical ode to the Alaskan wilderness, “She’s the One,” Alexandra Tulane is far from her Tennessee home – and that’s the way she likes it. Her photography work is a good disguise for her secret life as a travel writer, and she’s well prepared for anything Alaska has to offer. What she’s not prepared for is Dylan Bower, a handsome bush pilot hiding behind a Grizzly Adams-type beard; a guy whose wounds make him distrust everything about her. Sparks fly whenever they’re together, but Dylan won’t leave his solitary home and Alex can’t stay.

Dylan’s heart has been encased in ice until Alex’s warmth begins to thaw him, but he can’t let his feelings guide him. Others rely on Dylan – his father is recovering from a heart attack and his young son, Colt, is fragile and withdrawn. He has his own reasons for escaping from the world, reasons he’s not ready to share, no matter how strongly Alex tempts him.

Kay Stockham will have you grinning before the end of page one, chuckling as her heroine later “pokes the bear,” and by the time you’re halfway through the book you’ll be planning an Alaskan vacation. “She’s the One” is a love affair on two levels – it’s a romance between a self-sufficient heroine with wanderlust and an outdoorsman hero who gives so much he doesn’t know how to take what he wants. But it’s also a love affair with a simple way of life that’s lost to most of us. If you read for escape, you’ll get double your money when you --

Buy the Book!

What is it about those huntin’ and fishin’ outdoorsmen that appeals to us, even though they seem able to survive perfectly well without women in their life? Or is that the attraction – the challenge they offer in both romance and real life?
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Miss Information

2010-04-12T12:10:00.016-05:00

Oh, it’s lovely to be back from Spring Staycation! And what better way to return after two weeks of frolicking among daffodils and gnawing the heads off tiny marshmallow peeps than to celebrate National Organ/Tissue Donor Awareness Month or, as I and others who cherish every extra moment we live and breathe because someone else had the courage to front us some organ or tissue like to call it:

National Donate Life Month.

A year before the pic on the left of my oldest brother and I was taken at the 1990 Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, I wasn't thinking swimsuit competitions and scholarship. In Sept '88, Stan and I were seven months out from the day he gave up one of his kidneys so I wouldn't die, so I could live, finish college, fall in love and marry, one day give birth, stumble across romance novels...mostly, so I simply had a chance to survive past my early 20s.

Compared to "the gift of life," the fact that a year after my kidney transplant I ended up winning Miss PA, earning Top 10 honors at Miss A (See video below), scored more than $20,000 in scholarship to finish the degree waylaid by kidney disease, got NY Times praise on my talent-competition aria (photo, right) and wore the crown may seem fairly incidental. That I my year-of-service as Miss PA allowed me to travel the country spreading the gospel of organ donation and transplantation is not.

For in doing that as Miss PA and for the next couple years as a "celebrity professional patient" and motivational speaker, I didn't just encourage tens of thousands of folks to sign organ-donor cards and share with their families their choices as I hope you'll do today here. I cried and sometimes laughed with parents whose children's organs saved lives of other adults so those men and women could live to watch their own kids grow up. I heard the news that people awaiting transplantation, with kidney disease or on dialysis whom I'd met on my travels had received the organs they'd long awaited. Folks with donor cards proudly waved them at me from audiences, passing cars and at conferences -- and wrote to tell me how mine and my brother's story encouraged them and their families to sign donor cards. And hundreds of transplant recipients and I connected and supported one another in exactly the same ways veterans of wars do.

I'd gladly live through again and again the worst days of pain or illness following my transplant -- when I contracted a funky virus and had weeks of debilitating, high-grade fevers, when I dealt with depression, lost my hair or later have had issues with sepsis, etc. -- simply to be alive today. I've known folks who couldn't get an organ when they needed one or whose transplants failed. Yet here I am, 22 years post transplant with a beautifully functioning kidney, perfect health and excellent prognosis for keeping the organ for a long time to come. Believe me, I never for a second forget my good fortune and blessings; that's why I live and do things the way I do.

So please take a second to think about signing an organ donor card, then tell your loved ones about your choice. If you've got yours already, grazie! Thank you so much! Myths abound about donation and transplantation -- like after surgery you'll automatically grow big hair and crave watching "Little Miss Sunshine" over and over -- but you can check out the facts here.

Why are you glad to be alive on this very day? And, how big was your hair in 1989?

Hey, Peeps! RBTB's On Spring Staycation! Win!

2010-03-29T17:54:00.007-05:00

In the spring, a romance lover's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of young men.

Michelle here, and let me tell you, this chick's ready for some sunshine, flowers and naughty goins on among the characters of the great new romances lined up on my to-be-read piles. I've got them neatly stashed where folks touring our on-the-market home can't see them! Oh, not because I'm ashamed of them. But in "staging" my home, I'm attempting to give the impression my house regularly is neither unkempt nor decorated with anything but artfully displayed hard-bound novels, sans dust jackets. Makes me feel a little like those silly aristocrats in historicals who buy books by the pound to fill their libraries.

For the next week, those of us here in the pink'll be spending time relaxing, doing a little business gettin' ready for the next phase of RBTB -- register for the quickie newsletter here, please, to stay utd on deets -- reading a lot of great new romance and trying to catch those first signs that spring is here to stay. In the meantime, you can check in to say hi and WIN, 'cause one randomly chosen commenter wins a Jenny Crusie 3-Pack: Hot new reissues of "Tell Me Lies" and "Crazy for You," plus her new wild read w/ wild-man Bob Mayer, "Wild Ride." You know the drill; have email available in comment or blogger profile to enter, please. Non-US resident w/in BookDepository delivery area chosen wins up to $10 book from BD.

Spring Housekeeping: Winner of "To Sin w/A Scoundrel" from Cara Elliott: deb. Winners of Lydia Dare books tba/notified soon. If you're waiting for another prize, please write michelle @ mbuonfiglio@rbthebook.com.

What says "springtime" to you like nothing else? What types of romances get you in a springtime mood? What spring releases can't you do without?
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Cara Elliott GuestBlog: Those Who Can Teach, Learn

2010-03-26T11:30:00.011-05:00

CONTEST TODAY!!! One randomly chosen commenter wins a copy of Cara Elliott's marvelous debut "To Sin With A Scoundrel!" Pls have your email address available in your comment or blogger profile to enter.

From Cara: Elliott here, feeling absolutely delighted that Michelle invited me to stop by to chat with the Bellas about books! As some of you may know, I’ve been doing a lot of talking about romance novels this spring, as fellow author Lauren Willig and I have been teaching a undergrad seminar at Yale on the Regency Historicals. (You all heard about it here first from Michelle in December)!

Well, in addition to talking, I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking, and lot of listening. To prepare for each class, Lauren and I draft up a worksheet or the book assigned, with detailed questions about characterization, plot. POV (Point of View) and style, designed to provoke student discussion. It’s been such a fascinating learning process for me to re-read books I’ve enjoyed just for “fun,” for now I have to step back and look at them from a different perspective. Analyzing the elements of a story, as well as the historical trajectory of the genre as a whole, has made me see so many new nuances of voice and style.

But even more fun has been listening to eighteen college students discuss romance novels. For two hours, they engage in a spirited debate about the elements that create a compelling book, talking about such things as what makes a great hero or heroine, how does an author ignites emotional “chemistry”, and all the ways in which love is portrayed. As you can imagine, the opinions are . . . inspiring, especially for an author like me. They are fresh, funny, original -- and sometimes unexpected. The energy and enthusiasm just lights up the room! (BTW, we meet in a wonderful wood-paneled seminar room, with fabulous stained glass windows—here’s one of them, left). I come out of class smiling, feeling that I’ve learned as much as my students.

So what about you, Bellas? What do you like about sitting around with fellow romance readers and discussing what works and doesn’t work for you in a story? In our class, we’ve had the most fun in talking about the characters. Do you like Alphas or Beta heroes? Or a mix of the two? How about heroines -- do you prefer a hellion hoyden or a lady who keeps her talents under wraps?

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!

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Feature Review: "His Darkest Hunger," By Juliana Stone

2010-03-25T09:30:00.005-05:00

By Gannon Carr and PJ Ausdenmore, RBTB Correspondents

Have you ever seen a man who moves with the predatory grace of a sleek jungle cat? We’ve never been fortunate enough to see such a sight in person, but Jaxon Castille is just such a man...and a jaguar shifter to boot. PJ and I were lucky to have read a gripping debut novel this month, “His Darkest Hunger” by Juliana Stone. Jaxon has been plotting his revenge against his former lover, Libby Jamieson for three long years. When the time comes for him to pull the trigger, he realizes he can't do it without confronting her first. But when he comes face to face with Libby, he finds that she’s not the same woman he once knew.

PJ: Stone had me hooked from the first few pages of this book. I was stunned when I realized that Jaxon’s target, the person who had betrayed their anti-terrorist team and caused the death of his cousin, was his former lover. I could understand his pain and rage, his need for revenge, but my heart about stopped when he raised the gun and I realized that he was going to kill Libby...and then started again when he changed his mind -- the first time he had ever disobeyed a direct order. As you said, Gannon, Libby has changed dramatically. She’s no longer the strong, vital woman Jaxon once knew. Even more shocking is the fact that she has no idea who Jaxon is -- or who she was -- but she’s about to find out more than she could have imagined when someone tries to kill both her and Jaxon!

Gannon: Talk about starting a story off with a bang! Instead of getting rid of Libby himself, Jaxon protects her from a sniper’s bullet and realizes he’s become a target himself. Suddenly, the hunter has become the hunted. Despite the fact that Libby doesn’t remember anything about her past and she’s sick and emaciated, Jaxon is not letting her off the hook for her role in his cousin’s murder. But now they’re literally running for their lives, and the safest place for them to go is Jaxon’s compound, where he and his fellow team members can discover the identity of his attacker. But his biggest fight is controlling the attraction he still feels for Libby. And, boy, does that piss him off!

PJ: Does it ever! By this point in the story, the sexual intensity and his internal battle between hatred and desire are spiraling out of control. Add in the bad guys, who are determined to kill them all, and the action escalates to a boiling point. But that’s nothing compared to what happens when Libby begins to regain her memory!

Gannon: You said it, PJ! Once Libby’s memory kicks in, she goes from frail and damaged to kick-butt with a vengeance. If you want to know who the bad guy is -- and he’s very, very bad -- and if Libby and Jaxon get their HEA, you’ll have to --

Buy the book!

If you thought that someone you loved had betrayed you, what would make you willing to give them a second chance?

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!
***

Tomorrow: Cara Elliott -- debut author and half of the classy Yale romance class teachin' team you read about here first -- visits RBTB to chat! Make sure to check out her "To Sin With A Scoundrel!" It's getting lots of great praise!
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Feature Review: "The Officer's Girl," by Leigh Duncan

2010-03-22T10:08:00.016-05:00

By Becke Davis, RBTB Contributing Editor

“Taken by Storm”

When my daughter moved to Orlando, I insisted she buy a camping lantern and keep plenty of bottled water on hand – not to mention duct tape to criss-cross the window glass – in preparation for all the hurricanes I felt sure she’d have to endure. Orlando is pretty far inland, and hurricanes have only come close twice in the five years she’s lived there. At nearby Cocoa Beach, her favorite spot to get sunburned, it’s a different story.

Like my daughter, Stephanie Bryant, the heroine of Leigh Duncan’s sweet-and-sultry upcoming release, “The Officer’s Girl,” is an Ohio native transplanted to Florida. Her realtor, eager for a sale, has slightly exaggerated the safety of living on a barrier island, so Stephanie mistakenly thinks she is safe when storm clouds roll in. She worked hard for the promotion that brought her to Cocoa Beach, and endured a makeover to give her a look of authority. No way is she going to let a little wind and rain make her late for her first day at her new job.

Officer Brett Lincoln is doing a final pass through town to make sure no clueless tourists try to ride out the fast-approaching hurricane when he spots a pint-sized dynamo blithely stacking moving boxes outside her ocean-front house. He insists she must evacuate, but the expensively dressed “me-me” type – who reminds him of his self-centered ex-girlfriend – cops an attitude. What choice does he have but to slap on the cuffs? The woman is hot as blazes, but the last thing Brett wants is to connect with another woman whose whole focus is her career.

Leigh Duncan gives the term “beach read” a whole new meaning when she shows us Cocoa Beach as a cozy small town and not just a spring break destination. She makes you feel the sultry Florida heat, but the story – true to the Harlequin American Romance style – is heartwarming, sexy and sweet rather than steamy and graphically erotic. Whether you read this at the beach or in your living room . . .

Buy the Book!

Watch for “The Officer’s Girl,” winner of the 2007 Golden Rose Contest for Short Contemporary Fiction, in early April, 2010. In the meantime, let’s talk cops and cuffs – why are they so hot? Are you a fan of romances where the hero wears a badge and a gun?

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!

***

Thursday: PJ Ausdenmore and Gannon Carr invite you to join them here as these darlings from TheRomanceDish.com show us the mysterious, sexy side of "His Darkest Hunger," byJuliana Stone.

Friday: Cara Elliott -- debut author and half of the classy Yale romance class teachin' team you read about here first -- visits RBTB to chat! Her "To Sin With A Scoundrel" is getting lots of great praise! I've just started it, and I can see why...

Feature Review: "If You Were My Man," By Francis Ray

2010-03-19T06:05:00.008-05:00

By Tracy Montoya, RBTB Contributing Editor

When beloved author Francis Ray first approached me to request a feature review, it was for her 2009 release, “And Mistress Makes Three.” I have to confess, her e-mail was so adorable, it kind of cracked me up. She wrote, “[The book] might have a risqué title, but the main characters are good, moral people, as are all my main characters in my romances.”

Sadly, I was in the middle of a cross-country move, and by the time I was ready to open that book, Ray had another romance ready to hit the shelves. So I ended up reading “If You Were My Man” instead, leaving my curiosity about the mistress as yet unsated. But I definitely can’t say I was disappointed – “If You Were My Man” is a beautifully written, emotion-driven page-turner, featuring a hero and heroine who feel like your best friends.

Police hostage negotiator Rafael Dunlap has a reputation among his colleagues as a ladies’ man. And true to form, when a group of officers decides to relax together at the upscale seafood restaurant Fontaine, Rafael’s wandering eye zeroes in on its elegant, accomplished owner, Nathalyia Fontaine.

Obviously relying on his devastatingly handsome looks, Rafael tries a line on her that’s just a slight improvement on, “Hey, baby, what’s your sign?” (The scene where Nathalyia takes his considerable ego down a notch had me doing a little cheer in my seat. Which happened to be on an airplane -- always embarrassing). Widowed three years earlier, Nathalyia has her hands full ensuring the continuing success of her late husband’s restaurant, and she simply doesn’t have time to waste on a Casanova-type.

But underneath that touch of swagger, Rafael is pure gentleman -- the kind who stands when a woman enters the room, plans swoon-worthy dates worthy of an episode of “The Bachelor,” and has a heroic selflessness that makes him exactly who you’d want serving and protecting you. He’s also persistent, thankfully, so Nathalyia gets to learn this firsthand. When she watches the aftermath of one of his hostage negotiations on TV, she realizes that life is too short not to take a chance on such a good man.

But Rafael has his flaws, and one threatens to derail their promising relationship. His job is dangerous, and thanks to some family-related emotional baggage, he’s determined never to put someone in the position of loving him and losing him to violence. In one of his more boneheaded moments, (sorry, guys, you know you have them), he tells Nathalyia outright that their time together isn’t forever.

Although Nathalyia decides at first that a little time with Rafael is better than none at all, she soon shifts gears after receiving a life-changing shock. Though it’s even more painful than losing her first husband, she chooses to walk away, aided by her manipulative sister, who’s always tried to sabotage Nathalyia’s happiness out of jealousy.

The question of whether these two stubborn souls will overcome their very real flaws and have their happily-ever-after kept me reading into the wee hours -- and given the guaranteed upbeat ending in romance, that’s an accomplishment indeed. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a contemporary romance author I’d pit against the divine Francis Ray.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, while Ray’s characters may be “good, moral people,” that doesn’t make them annoyingly perfect or repressed. I love that theme in Ray’s work -- steamy love scenes included – which conveys you can be a person of good character and still fully embrace your sexuality.

One thing I didn’t have room to mention was the charming subplot/secondary romance between a Fontaine waitress and bartender. Have you read a romance lately with a really good subplot? And what turns you off when it comes to subplots?

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!

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Monday: Becke Davis brings you the delish deets on Leigh Duncan's "The Officer's Girl." Yes. Apparently handcuffs are involved.
Thursday: PJ Ausdenmore and Gannon Carr invite you to join them here as these darlings from TheRomanceDish.com show us the mysterious, sexy side of "His Darkest Hunger," by Juliana Stone.
Friday: Cara Elliott -- debut author and half of the classy Yale romance class teachin' team you read about here first -- visits RBTB to chat! Her "To Sin With A Scoundrel" is getting lots of great praise! I've just started it, and I can see why...
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Lydia Dare GuestBlog: 2 For 1 -- Or -- My Shocking Secret Revealed Here First!

2010-03-17T05:50:00.014-05:00

CONTEST TODAY!!! 10 randomly chosen commenters win copies of Lydia’s “A Certain Wolfish Charm!” Pls have email in comment or avail in blogger accnt to enter.

From Lydia: Psst! Have we got a secret for you! That’s right, we said we. Allow us to introduce ourselves. I’m Lydia Dare, and well…she’s Lydia Dare too. There are two of us that make of the writing team of Lydia Dare – Jodie and Tammy or Tammy and Jodie.* (We’d hate for one of us to get top billing over the other).

Our first book, "A Certain Wolfish Charm," hits shelves April 6th. It’s set in a world that combines the elegance and refinement of Regency England with that of mysterious and secretive Lycans -- Or werewolves for you non-paranormal readers. At first glance these two worlds are vastly different, which was why it took two of us. Neither of us could have created this world without the other one.

You see, Jodie pretty much lives in the nineteenth century and can quote more truths about the Regency Era than an encyclopedia. And Tammy lives in a world where alpha-beast howl at the moon or bite their lady-love, in the most pleasurable and hottest ways of course.

But together, well, together we can combine our strengths and create something that is truly magical. At least it is for us when we write together, and we hope it’s magical for readers as well. The two of us have been friends for a few years and when we decided to embark on this quest together, neither of us was quite sure it was going to be successful. But we had nothing lose and a lot to gain.

It has been quite the journey. There is something special in having a partner to share this wonderful experience – from The Call, to the editorial notes, to the line edits, to the… ok, most of this is wonderful and some a little painful. But even in that, it’s reassuring to know that when you want to pull your hair out and cry, your writing partner is right there beside you, experiencing the same things.

Honestly, that’s about all we have in common, however. We are vastly different people with very different lives. How we are able to make this work is as much a mystery to us as it is to everyone who knows us. Yet it does somehow work. A "Certain Wolfish Charm" is only the first in our back-to-back-to-back trilogy chronicling The Westfield Wolves. And we are currently working on four more books that start up where the Westfield brothers leave off.

How about you? Have you ever thought of pairing up with a friend to create something, a bit out of each of your comfort zones? And if so, was it magical? Or a mess?

*Jodie Pearson and Tammy Falkner

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!
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The Art Of The Sale

2010-03-14T10:41:00.012-05:00

TODAY, Monday, March 15, I’m visiting RomanceUniversity.org to teach Media Kits 101!

Even if you’re not a romance author, please join us to learn about collecting/creating stuff for a media kit that helps you sell your product, whatever that might be. And I’ll give you a little perspective on how and when to use your digital- or hard-copy media kit.

The rest of the week is really wild fun! Wednesday, meet Lydia Dare, author of a wild new back2back series that begins with "A Certain Wolfish Charm." Lydia's got a double-secret-insiders-only bit of scoopy dish for you!

Friday, RBTB Contributing Editor Tracy Montoya's got another great read to start your weekend right!

In addition to this fun, I'll be enjoying more tedious hours of packing and "staging" as we put our house on the market in a little over a week. Yikers.

Now, if you've ever sold a home, you know the experience runs the gamut from ridiculously tedious to majorly frustrating. This being the third time we've in six years, we should really know the drill. But in this market, who knows what's gonna do the trick of moving a home.

Some folks say we should bury a statue of St Joseph in the yard, because it always miraculously speeds up the sale process. But nobody can quite agree the orientation at interment. Head up. Definitely. No, rather he's supposed to be buried near the For Sale sign, feet to the sky. Or is that feet facing the front door...

At least it's not like the old, old days, when folks buried a cat under the threshold for good luck. Although that would solve the problem of what to do with the ornery, 16-pound Sophia when potential buyers walk through.

One of the hardest parts about moving is culling and packing books. It seems that after a couple years, the "keepers" I thought two years earlier I needed so I could read them into my dotage, aren't as alluring. And that's sad; I want to box em' all. But that's not possible.

So I'm wondering, when you've moved, how did you decide which books to pack, and which to hand off to others? And what's your take on the St. Joe orientation? What other tricks have you heard are sure to sell a home?
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Dead. Sexy.

2010-03-10T09:23:00.007-06:00

Recently I read an historical romance* in which the still-feisty, aged heroine is telling her spirited, dear-to-her granddaughters of the adventurous life she lived, regaling them with tales from her childhood and adolescence, as well as the tumultuous story of the merry chase she led the gorgeous man who would be her forever love. And a few pages in my heart literally stuttered because I realized the author’d broken romance convention; the heroine’s a widow, and the hero of this “reminiscence” romance now is dead!

We must assume the poor guy lived a long, happy, lusty life with the lovely old gal, for she’s still full of mischief ‘n vinegar. Yet the reality is, he’s toes up when we begin the book. How do I know this? I did the unthinkable: I flipped to the end of the novel.

Now, I really liked this book. And it’s not like we watch the hero die on the page; we simply understand from the grande dame’s later comments. Yet as I mentioned, I was saddened a little that I was going to have to face in black and white what I like to avoid by reading romances.

The device of foreshadowing death of a prominent character isn’t new, it’s simply one not used all that often in romance. It’s a snazzy trick, however, and one of my favorite fiction reads, “Slammerkin,” by Emma Donoghue, uses it as well. My coronary palpitation at the realization I’d be losing a leading protag in that one added to the sense of desperation and hopelessness conveyed in the novel. Still, the burgeoning HEA addict within me – I read it before I’d begun reading romance – was really stirred.

I remember thinking at the time that using foreshadowing in that novel – as well as other devices that add to that kind of maudlin, bleak feel I absorb from a lot of popular women’s fiction – is kind of a cheap way to tug at women’s empathy genes. Pretty condescending when one considers the same criticism sometimes is lobbed at romance-fiction writing.

Some say that the death of any major lovable character in a romance breaks the reader/author HEA contract. Yet I’ve read an old-school novel in which a secondary heroine sort of euthanized her lover when he fell in battle, then killed herself, as well as a romance in which a female warrior-heroine from another novel was reported as having died with honor while in combat. I remember feeling really sad and teary, yet accepted the storytelling “as is.”

Maybe 30 years ago we didn’t need the strict HEA as much as we do today. I know I’ve been more than happy to avoid harsh life’s realities with marvelous romance during the last year’s economic craziness. Yet I’ve got to say that, while it shook me a little, I enjoyed the rattle and roll our matriarch heroine provided in the book I first told you about today.

Maybe we’re ready for a little peek at what comes after “Happily Ever”.

What novels have you read which jolted your HEA comfort zone, yet you found still worked for you? Why do you think older romances might have allowed for a little more tragedy?

*NO SPOILER ALERT: I’m not going to tell you which book I’m discussing because it’s new and I don’t want to spoil plot points. If you think you know which it is, thanks for giving the author the same consideration by not spillin'.

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Make sure you jump on board the RBTB NEWs so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming new stuff happening. You'll only get the advance deets if you take part. So please join here, won't you?!
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Goddess In The Machine

2010-03-08T10:03:00.007-06:00

There are times in life to be humble, and others when one wants all the credit due one. This is one of the latter. For I think I deserve a heaping helping of, “Oh, you’re brilliant!” for having the foresight to lure Becke Davis and her extraordinary talent and incomparable enthusiasm over to the Pink Side last year.

For by association today, we at RBTB can bask in Becke’s glory since Becke this weekend was chosen as a contender for top prize in round three of NPR’s Three-Minute Fiction Contest! NPR offers listeners/viewers a photographic prompt, then asks them to submit a 600-word max short story. NPR’s book critic chooses the contenders and winners.

Becke’s story, “Deus Ex Machina” was chosen from more than 3,000 entries, and when you read it you’ll see that Jonathan Railey of the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop had this to say about it

“Becke Davis' voice-driven 'Deus Ex Machina' is fun and meta-fictive. It's the literary equivalent of a basket of late night fried mozzarella cheese sticks.”

Now, we all know what cheese sticks are, and, since we’ve read Becke here awhile, you know how tasty her entertaining pieces can be. But are you goin, “Huh? Meta-whative?”

Well, just keep in mind as you read Becke’s short story, that within it her character refers to a literary device called “deus ex machina,” which is – simplistically put -- a kind of cheesy way an author ties up a sticky plot problem with an “out of the blue” character or solution. Because she uses the device later, her story then becomes a work of fiction that refers to a fiction device. That’s the “metafiction,” part, again, put really unsophisticated-like. Becke’s kind of poking fun at the idea of deus ex machina, then herself for using it.

Becke says she loves writing to prompts like the photo in this NPR contest, and recalls an 8th-grade teacher who inspired her love of this style of creative motivation. "It's like the event awhile back where the Romance Bandits wrote vignettes on TheRomanceDish.com," she says, "and asked people to complete them." She won that contest! And, believe it or not, Becke jammed out "Deus Ex Machina" in under an hour, thinking she was just limboing in under the deadline pole.

Becke's kind of a "Goddess in the Machine" 'round here, dropping into RBTB from out the cyberblue and helping to make things more fun along with the new RBTB team. We couldn’t be more proud of her, and are kind of bracing ourselves for when we lose her to her full-time writing career. In the meantime, we’ll look forward to more of her exceptional RBTB posts, short stories like her exclusive for RBTB, “Silver and Gold,” and to her dynamic presence here and elsewhere online.

Did I mention I discovered her?

Chat about Becke's NPR story here! Why do you love/not love the deus ex machina device? Is it ever ok to use? Like, you know, when the parish priest shows up and proves the hero's not a groom, but a duke, and the heroine's first-marriage lines weren't legal and...
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Feature Review: "Before I Let You Go," By Angie Daniels

2010-03-05T08:51:00.006-06:00

By Tracy Montoya, RBTB Contributing Editor

Get your free 2010 Kimani Hotties Calandar! 12 months of super-sexy, sensual and soulful heroes at your fingertips. Deets below.*

When it comes to books, I’m often drawn to superficialities. I’ve resisted reading romances that my friends have gone gaga over, simply because the hero on the cover has a Russian-figure-skater mullet or the heroine is the grown-up version of the class bully from my elementary school. My book club still hasn’t forgiven me for forcing them to slog their way through an interminable, 500-page funeral dirge of a novel, because when it was my turn I’d chosen a book based solely on its elegantly embossed cover art.

And when I got an envelope full of Kimani Romances this month, it was Angie Daniels’ "Before I Let You Go" that rose to the top of my to-be-reviewed pile. Why? Just LOOK at that man on the cover. Helllooooo, gorgeous.

Fortunately, Daniels is a terrific writer -- once my head cleared, I realized I actually knew this, having read her stuff before -- and the story more than lived up to the “Kimani Hottie” in the picture.

When devoted schoolteacher Kellis Saunders spends a rare night out at Wilmington, Delaware’s hottest new nightclub, Ja’Net, she’s drawn to a handsome stranger she spots walking among the crowd -- so drawn, she barely glances at the NFL football player her sister-in-law points out on the dance floor.

When the man approaches their table, Kellis is stunned to discover he’s actually her old high-school crush, Diamere Redmond, now the owner of Ja’Net. Her sister-in-law has set her up.

While “crush” might seem like a superficial word, there was nothing superficial about the way Kellis felt about Diamere. In high school, he’d been good friends with her brother, Mark, and she’d pined away for the older boy in silence for years, even after they’d all graduated and Mark had joined the military.

But Diamere had never noticed her -- until one night when Mark came home for the holidays and invited him to a family gathering. The way Diamere had looked at and flirted with her had seemed like so much more than friendship. But just a few days later, he’d announced that his girlfriend was pregnant with twins, and they were getting married. With that, Kellis firmly shut the door on her hopes for the two of them.

But now, Kellis learns that Diamere has been divorced for a year. And that fact forces her to confront old feelings that apparently have refused to die. While part of her wants desperately to prove to him that they’re meant to be, the other part is scared to death. Though he starts flirting up a storm the minute he lays eyes on her, he’s quick to point out that he doesn’t want “the emotional attachment that comes with relationships.”

Looking at his nightclub-manager lifestyle -- down to the Hooters-style uniforms on the waitresses -- Kellis has no reason to disbelieve him. He already broke her heart once -- does she really want to give him the opportunity to do it again?

Daniels has an array of strengths in her writers’ arsenal, among them her signature snappy voice, an emotion-driven conflict that sucks the reader in and love scenes so smoking, they’ll scorch your fingers as you turn the pages. If you have a pair of oven mitts handy, then stop admiring the cover and …

Buy the book.

People seem to have strong feelings about reunion romances, either loving or, in the case of a small-but-vocal minority, loathing them. How do you feel about them? I love them! And when choosing a book to read, have you ever let a great cover steer you way, way wrong?

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*To score a pdf of the smokin' 2010 Kimani Hotties calendar, shoot your email addy to mbuonfiglio@rbthebook.com. Toss KIMANI HOTTIES in the subject line, please.
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Feature Review: "Charming the Devil," By Lois Grieman

2010-03-03T06:40:00.004-06:00

By Amy Kennedy, RBTB Contributing Editor

My dad would often say, “Be brave and love each other.” Those words comforted me over the years, yet, today they take on a different meaning, and I wonder if he also meant, be brave enough to love each other.

Well, bravery is exactly what the hero and heroine need to find love in Lois Greiman’s warm, witty and sensual historical paranormal, “Charming the Devil,” third in her Witches of Mayfair trilogy. Rogan McBain, a former soldier and a mountain of a man, faces any danger as a natural protector, but a woman’s deception has him unsure with the fairer sex. Faye Nettles was abused by a father-figure and threatened by his giant henchman. Now she’s happy to hide in the safety of Lavender House, home of Les Chausettes, a coven of government witches.

Faye longs to be a full member of Les Chausettes, proving she can use her gift of sensing lies for good. So, when she’s asked to attend a ball to question McBain about the murder of a nobleman, she accepts the challenge. If only the thought of speaking to men didn’t paralyze her.

McBain never expects the faery-like beauty he defends from the unwanted advances of a “gentleman” to bash him in the face with a flower pot, nor to find her on his doorstep near dawn apologizing to him. While he doesn’t care she gave him a black eye, he does care that Faye’s come to him, and, wanting to see her again, he clumsily invites her to...a fox hunt.

Physically their differences are extreme, which makes it such a surprise that their personalities are alike. Now that Faye’s talking to McBain and not running from him, she hears truth rumbling from his lips, and sees the actions of a gentle, sensitive soul. McBain sees Faye’s bravery in her sticking up for those in need.

At another party, Faye’s accosted in a darkened library. As Faye tells herself it couldn’t have been McBain, she can’t stop herself from confronting him in the middle of the night. Even as she accuses him, she’s nearly undone by the sight of him in nothing but a plaid. Faye’s not sure if she’s overwhelmed or mesmerized by his size. Shaken by her appearance in his bedroom, McBain offers her only the truth: he would never harm her. But, now he’s determined to find out who did.

As their relationship deepens, and the investigation continues, each thinks the other has possibly killed. Yet neither gives a damn, at least not enough for it to stop them from falling in love, all the while knowing they can’t live a happily ever after together…if one of them is hanged for murder.

In “Charming the Devil,” Greiman wraps the reader in lush language as she makes us care deeply for Faye and McBain, then surprises us with laugh-out-loud moments. Greiman’s Witches of Mayfair series is enjoyed by historical and paranormal romance fans alike, but you won’t enjoy this love story unless you –

Buy the book.

Faye and Rogan had to overcome some deep-seated fears in order to love each other. What fears in your life were you willing to face in order to get what you wanted?

Kaki Warner GuestBlog: Best Westerns

2010-03-01T08:45:00.009-06:00

CONTEST!!! Win a copy of "Pieces of Sky" by Kaki Warner -- check out the stellar Feature Review here -- and get contest deets below!*

From Kaki Warner: Greetings from the Northwest, Bellas! And Michelle, thanks for inviting me to visit. The topic I’d like to address today is Writing With an Accent.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I don’t read western romances.”?
Me, too. And for a long time I didn’t read them either.

Then one day --we had just moved from the sunny Southwest to the rainy Northwest -- after reading a gawd-awful western romance replete with “colorful” dialogue that was so ludicrous I almost horked up my coffee, I decided to write my own damn book and people it with characters that didn’t sound quite so stooo-pid. It wasn’t the accent that got me. It was the way the author translated the spoken word into the written word. As in, “Now whar’d thet dang cow git off’en to?”

Maybe I’d seen too many “Aw, shucks” western movies in my youth. Or maybe, being newly arrived in the Land-of-No-Sun-for-Months-at-a-Time, I was tired of being looked at with condescension and told, “you talk funny” which meant “you sound highly ignorant and possibly unrefined, and what is that thing? An umbrella?” This from a guy who stood bare-headed in forty degree drizzle wearing scruffy jeans, socks with sandals, and a T-shirt under a down vest. Where I come from, even a pig gets out of the rain, but I said nothing, not wanting to add “rude” to the list of my shortcomings. Not then, anyway.

Admit it. If you read a back cover blurb where the hero rolls a sodden toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other, grins and says, “Ah’d sure like to strap a saddle on you, purty lady,” what would you expect to see on the front cover? Forrest Gump in a Stetson, that’s what. Or even worse, Larry the Cable Guy in a lip-lock with some hapless female (hopefully not his sister).

Luckily nowadays many western romance writers have changed how they portray their characters’ dialogue. So if you’ve shied away from the genre for the same reason I did all those years ago, then it’s time to come back. There are a lot of great authors out there -- Linda Lael Miller, Jodi Thomas, La Vyrle Spencer, Catherine Anderson, etc., and I’m about to be a nearly almost semi-famous author, myself. Give us another try. You might be surprised!

What are some other characteristics of western romances that you like or dislike?

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*Today's 20th new RBTB NEWs subscriber scores a copy of Kaki's stand-out debut "Pieces of Sky!" Click here to enter, and to keep up-to-date on romance-fiction fun -- and the exciting upcoming phase of RBTB.
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Feature Review: "Pieces of Sky," By Kaki Warner

2010-02-28T09:10:00.001-06:00

By Michelle Buonfiglio

***Catch Kaki's GuestBlog Here!***

When we think about storytellers who've shaped our contemporary images of the American Southwest, names like Larry McMurtry , Horton Foote , heck, even Louis L'Amour come to mind.

Their novels, stage and film work encompass themes and issues which can be stark, humorous, edgy, raw and even boldly romantic in a tumble-weed swashbuckler sort of way. Yet the trait those authors' pieces have in common is that they're all social histories of a sort, recording the desires, challenges, triumphs and tragedies of folks whose lives intersected amidst the unforgiving climate of some of the nation's most beautiful country.

Authors who create western-set historical romance novels set as their task celebrating women of the West who forged lives of independence and meaning almost out of necessity, yet in ways their sisters in other parts of the U.S. hadn't the opportunities. And today's western-set historical romance heroine can come from any strata of society, exhibiting self-determination that jibes with our modern sensibilities, especially because, as American readers, we know these characters depict women very close to those who paved the way for the lives we're living.

Jessica Thornton is an example of the kind of woman long depicted in western-set romances. The heroine of Kaki Warner's marvelous debut, "Pieces of Sky ," Jessica has immigrated to America from her comfortable home in England. The gently bred deportment expert and milliner has fled everything she loves after surviving a violent act which left her deeply shamed - and with what some would consider a disgraceful secret.

While traveling in New Mexico to reunite with her brother, Jessica is injured in a deadly stagecoach accident, and is saved along with several others when one of the passengers, cussing, rough-and-tumble rancher Brady Wilkins, nearly cripples himself heading to his home and returning with help.

At Wilkins' ranch, Jessica finds Wilkins' family and workers are pleased to care for and welcome her. She's enchanted and comforted by the humble beauty of the New Mexico terrain, and the awkward, but tender attentions of Wilkins himself. Yet Jessica's got demons to face - and a bit of maturing to do, despite her advanced "spinster" status and rather too much experience with hard knocks.

And Wilkins? Well, learning what makes Brady Wilkins tick and drives him to save everyone's day is worth the price of admission to "Pieces of Sky," which is saying something, because the love story is grand and the novel's one to savor.

"Pieces of Sky" begins a series of romances featuring Brady Wilkins and his brothers. If Warner's depiction of Jessica and other female characters as capable and multi-faceted remains true, we're in for some special reads as the Wilkins men find themselves in the hands of women who've met the challenge of life in the American West, and who're ready for love.

What qualities of the western-set romance heroine do you most admire? How do you see western-set romance having been influenced by popular western genre fiction? What do you enjoy about western-set romance fiction?
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Saturday Morning Power Breakfast

2010-02-27T06:00:00.002-06:00

Wicked kick-ass pipes. Brain-bleed sweet dynamics.

Good Morning! And, em, yes, as the kids say: crank it.
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Feature Review: "Wild Ride," By Jennifer Crusie And Bob Mayer

2010-02-26T03:37:00.007-06:00

By Becke Davis, RBTB Contributing Editor

CONTEST TODAY!!! Win a copy of "Wild Ride" or a $10 book gift card! Deets below.*

“Demons and Minions and Clowns – Oh, My!”

Carnivals have scared me ever since I saw Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train,” and Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” confirmed my conviction that fun fairs hide all manner of nasty things. Roller coasters terrify me, Tilt-a-Whirls make me nauseous and who wants some fake psychic to guess your weight, anyway? As to clowns – I don’t need Stephen King’s “It” to persuade me that clowns are just . . . wrong.

In Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer’s “Wild Ride,” clowns – one in particular – bedevil Mary Alice “Mab” Brannigan. Mab’s restoration of Dreamland is a labor of love, until she’s assaulted by the smiling robot clown she recently painted. After that, it hardly surprises her when a motherly fortune-telling machine gives her relationship advice and a helpful raven becomes her companion. Mab’s road to love is bumpier than most, as she struggles to accept that her mother’s admonitions about demons in the old amusement park were nothing but the plain truth.

Ethan John Wayne has come home to die at Dreamland, where his mother still lives, after a Taliban bullet lodged in his chest and stole his future. His mission changes when his mother starts spouting nonsense about demon Untouchables residing in the park and Guardia saving the world. Ethan can’t even save himself, but he’s the only one capable of dealing with the mass hysteria. Another shot to the chest makes Ethan realize the threat is no fantasy, but it’s going to take more than a mysterious shooter and a rattling roller coaster to make him a believer.

“Wild Ride” is as wacky and wonderful as a Frank Capra movie, if Capra had dropped acid and dreamed up a demon-infested Potterville crawling with evil minion teddy bears. The story is both warmly, weirdly familiar and totally original, infused with Crusie's and Mayer’s strong, uniquely recognizable voices yet unlike any of their other books. Mab has Crusie’s artistic vision, and Ethan has Mayer’s military ethos; their stories weave together in a tale that has everything: not one but two romances, mystery, magic, a voluptuary mermaid, an Etruscan devil and even a very un-Poe-ish raven.

Pull back the bar on your roller coaster seat and . . .

Buy the Book!

“Wild Ride” refuses to stay in the box called what-readers-expect. Crusie and Mayer successfully took the road less traveled, and with all the book’s unexpected twists and turns, I had a hard time imagining how the story would end. How do you feel when a story arrives at its happy ending by an unconventional path? Does it shake you up, or do sit back and enjoy the ride?

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*Becke's offering today's 30th new RBTB NEWs subscriber a copy of "Wild Ride," PLUS a $10 book gift card up for grabs for folks already on board RBTB NEWs! Click here to enter, and to keep up-to-date on romance-fiction fun -- and the exciting upcoming phase of RBTB.
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Monday: Kaki Warner -- "Pieces of Sky" -- GuestBlogs with the very funny tale of how western romance has changed the way we "listen" to dialogue.
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Feature Review: "In the Warrior's Bed," By Mary Wine

2010-02-25T04:00:00.002-06:00

By Gannon Carr and PJ Ausdenmore, RBTB Correspondents

What do you get when you combine a feisty lass kidnapped by a sexy Scot, feuding clans, and the machinations of the Scottish court? Our pick for February, “In The Warrior’s Bed” by Mary Wine! PJ and I love books set in Scotland. Men in kilts, anyone? In this new read, Cullen McJames’ honor has been besmirched by his enemy, Laird Erik McQuade, in front of the entire Court of Scotland. McQuade has accused Cullen of stealing his daughter Bronwyn’s virtue. Cullen decides that maybe a marriage could end the decades-long war between their clans. While he may not have stolen Bronwyn’s virtue, he has no problem stealing her instead.

PJ: Fess up, Gannon. I can’t be the only one who’s had this particular fantasy: There I am, fresh from my bath, standing in the kitchen drying my hair by the heat of the fire. The door opens and before I can turn around, I’m pulled against the tall, hard body of a brawny, handsome Highland warrior. I fight against him but, secretly, my body sizzles with awareness and anticipation as he throws me over his shoulder and carries me off into the night to have his wicked way with me. Sigh Oh! Uh, sorry, got carried away there. It’s Bronwyn who’s spirited off into the night and she’s mad as spit about it.

Gannon: Moi? Have fantasies about being kidnapped by a sexy, buff Scottish warrior?? Well, maybe once or twice. Apparently Bronwyn doesn’t share our wouldn’t-it-be-hot-to-be-abducted-by-a-yummy-Scot fantasy. She sees her abduction as punishment for something she didn’t do. Her father and brothers have viewed her as nothing but a nuisance her whole life, and she has no intention of going quietly with Cullen to his home to be treated far worse by him and the rest of his clan. Cullen really throws her for a loop when he treats her with kindness and respect, something that is completely foreign to her. And when he sets out to woo and seduce her as his beloved wife? Well, let’s just say I envy her.

PJ: Ah yes, I was especially envious of those “riding” lessons he gave her! While Cullen and Bronwyn grow closer physically and emotionally, pride and lack of trust still stand between them, not to mention Bronwyn’s murderous father and brothers. The couple’s love, their lives and the future of their clans hang in the balance. Only by opening their hearts to one another, and trusting completely, will they have a chance at happiness and a life together. If they live long enough…

“In The Warrior’s Bed” is a captivating follow-up to Mary Wine’s charming debut, “In Bed With A Stranger.” It’s a classic historical that brings medieval Scotland to life with its warring clans, men of honor and spirited women. Get carried away by a handsome Scot when you --

Buy the book!

Do you dream of being kidnapped by a brawny Scot or maybe a mysterious sheik? Trapped at sea with a bold pirate? Or do you fantasize in the contemporary world? Maybe a rich boss/secretary fantasy lights your fire. Let’s share favorite romance fantasies!

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Click here to make sure you're signed up for RBTB NEWs! The final phase of what's happening here in the pink is in the works, and you won't want to miss out on the inside scoop.
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FRIDAY: Becke Davis takes us on a "Wild Ride" as she straps us into a front-row seat on the way-out roller-coaster trip that is the new Cruisie/Mayer fun fest.
March 1: Kaki Warner ("Pieces of Sky") GuestBlogs with the tale of how western romance has changed the way we “listen” to dialogue.

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Feature Review: “Bound, Branded, & Brazen,” By Jaci Burton

2010-02-24T09:52:00.008-06:00

By Michelle Buonfiglio

Let’s face it, shall we? There are many types of romance heroes to admire, but none one so consistently can count on to live rough, love hard and talk dirty as the western cowboy or ranch hand. They do nasty, tedious, back-breaking labor. They go long stretches without women while thinking about not much else but women and what they’ll do to those women when they finally – and it really must be said this way – get those women under them.

The persona of this guy in romance – especially erotic romance – allows for all the great dynamics of alpha-heading-toward-HEA behavior: lust; begrudging tenderness; jealousy; selflessness; irrational anger; emotional befuddlement; solo shower scenes.

So when an erotic-romance anthology comes along written by an author proven to be on the short list of best in her field, you’ve just gotta know about it, especially when it’s Jaci Burton’s dare-you-not-to-drop-everything-to-read-it fine and hot “Bound, Branded, & Brazen.” In it, the McMasters sisters reunite on the family ranch expecting to take care of some old business – and end up getting a whole lot of new love and life to look forward to.

-- Bound: Great sex may not be a good enough reason to keep a commitment-phobic girl home on the range, but it’s a great starting point for her ranch-foreman ex to lure her to take another look-see. So when Valerie returns from her big-city doctoring job to help her sisters, Mason reminds her what drew them together from the first should definitely be enjoyed for however long Valerie’ll hang around. But he’s counting on that intimacy opening her heart to how finally identifying and fulfilling her own needs may open her eyes to finding happiness she’s not scored by taking care of everyone else’s.

-- Branded: Brea’s found hiding behind her smart-girl job, and spending most of her free time buried in the pages of romance novels, good ways to avoid her perceived shortcomings, especially in the relationships and sexual intimacy areas. Yet time spent back home has her attention turning to Gage, the unassuming, self-proclaimed drifter who so masterfully, yet gently, tames wild horses. Gage works his magic on women, too, and soon has Brea in a lather, ready to act out her most secret, precious, fantasies. Brea understands Gage is the love ‘em/leave ‘em type, and works to enjoy, not go wild for him. Yet looks like this time around, Gage might be the one getting roped in.

-- Brazen: Model-gorgeous and ranch-hand-rough-talking Jolene McMasters has turned the family cattle business into a success through hard work and business know-how. Yet the bursting-with-confidence dynamo’s tied up in knots over ranch hand Walker Morgan, who seems to be playing hard to get, regardless of how she can tell he’s hot for her. He says it’s “bad business” to get involved intimately with the boss. But when Walker’s “yes” actions speak louder than his continued verbal rejections, Jolene starts wondering whether there’s something more to his story – and starts to worry he may simply see her as nothing more than “just one of the guys.”

Spy the name Jaci Burton on the spine of a novel, and you’re guaranteed not just a sexy, get-the-body-humming read, but also one that melds the sensual with the all-important building of intimacy and relational dynamics between partners. Oh, and Burton always fronts the reader some really fine writing.

So forget about silly male dancers in chaps, or any other dime-store cowboy imitations. Get you some grade-A, prime, down-home-and-dirty, Jaci Burton-style real men of the range. --

Buy the book.

What do you like about the "sisters/girlfriends find love" anthologies? Are they ever anything like the relationships you share w/your sisters/friends? Do you prefer this type of anthology to ones in which heroes play the larger roles?

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TOMORROW: Resident nice girls Gannon Carr and PJ Ausdenmore of TheRomanceDish.com reveal some shockingly naughty inside stuff in their RBTB cyber-pals’ column while singing the praises of Mary Wine’s sophomore hit, “In the Warrior’s Bed!”
FRIDAY: Amy Kennedy on the woo-woo and wooing within Lois Greiman’s “Charming the Devil.” March 1: Kaki Warner GuestBlogs with the tale of how western romance has changed the way we “listen” to dialogue.
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Feature Review: "The Hellion And The Highlander," By Lynsay Sands

2010-02-22T11:27:00.009-06:00

By Michelle Buonfiglio

This may surprise you. But inside the body of this natural blonde quivers the soul of a fiery redhead aching to burst forth and make her sensual mark on the world.

OK, spoilsports, so my moonlite-and-caramel angel-kissed highlights may be nurtured an itty bit by my girl, Miss Clairol. But, yeah, my total romance fantasy is to be one of those titian-tressed heroines who brings the lusty rake to his knees as she makes a grand entrance at a ton ball, her “unfashionable” auburn-threaded-with-sunset curls ready to tumble about her creamy shoulders, set off by a daring gown in a shocking scarlet hue.

To some, ginger locks also suggest a hot-tempered or sexually seductive nature. This leaves many a redhead feeling annoyed, misunderstood and, in the case of even an anthropomorphized cartoon character, uttering the lament, “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way.”

The flame-haired heroine of Lynsay Sands’ amusing and suspenseful “The Hellion and the Highlander” perhaps leans a bit toward the fiery version of the stereotype. Not that Lady Averill Mortagne would allow anyone to see the passion she’s painstakingly subdued. Regardless of whether she’s chatelaine of her father’s home and a respected healer, her lot in life is to become some preening English lord’s wife, and eventually her father hopes one will overlook the nuisance of her red locks.

Highlander Kade Stewart thinks Averill’s hair is astoundingly lovely, and can’t seem to get enough of her as she tends his wounds. Averill’s brother brought Kade to their home for Averill to heal after they and fellow Crusaders escaped enemy prison. Kade can’t understand what’s wrong with the foppish Englishmen who won’t have Averill. He thinks she’d be a bright, supportive woman to take to wife – and the honeymoon’d be no chore -- except for the fact that she’s just too biddable to be the spouse of a Highland laird.

Yet when Kade decides he can’t not marry Averill – smart, lusty young knight that he is – he finds Averill’s not exactly got some ‘splainin’ to do about her apparent feistiness, but rather is exactly the kind of woman who can help him as he seeks to restore honor to the role of laird within his clan.

But danger seems to hide in wait for Kade around every turn and turret, not just suspiciously linked to surprising suspects who may want him dead, but sometimes in the sweetly funny form of a red-haired hellion who might do him in first with her just-a-tad-too-enthusiastic approach to pleasuring her new husband.

Lynsay Sands’ Medievals always are reads to look forward to, because Sands creates in them a special brand of adventure-packed, yet lighthearted storytelling wrapped in period flavor. You’ll be treated to the addition of the always-appreciated braw Highlander – and the hopes for the love story of another awesome hero from “Hellion” in a book to come – when you --

Buy the Book.

What kind of heroine do you have lurking inside you, just dying to be let loose? What’s your alter-ego fantasy hair color?
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Feature Review: "The Sari Shop Widow," By Shobhan Bantwal

2010-02-19T04:00:00.000-06:00

By Tracy Montoya, RBTB Contributing Editor

When I’m deep into a book, I don’t often process how an author treats setting. Some rely so much on character and dialogue, readers barely notice where the story takes place.

Then there are authors like Shobhan Bantwal, who elevate setting into an art form. In "The Sari Shop Widow," Bantwal’s gorgeous writing and careful attention to sensory detail transported me to another world. Just a few pages in, you can practically smell the saffron and cardamom wafting from the family kitchen, run your fingers over the cool silk saris in the heroine’s shop, and admire their dazzlingly brilliant hues. But it’s the story itself that truly dazzles.

Anjali Kapadia is a young widow who has moved back in with her Indian-American parents since her husband’s premature death. It’s a decision made from equal parts tradition and practicality, not because she’s hiding from the world. Even though the pain of losing a spouse never goes away, Anjali has taken charge of her life, dedicating herself to updating her family’s sari shop into an innovative, chic boutique catering to Edison, New Jersey’s Indian population.

But just when her boutique is starting to show some promise, her parents blindside her with bad news: Due to her father’s poor financial decisions, the boutique is in serious trouble. Anjali is in danger of losing the center of her world for the second time in her young life.

Desperate times require desperate measures, so her parents call in Anjali’s rich uncle, who flies from India to bail them out in exchange for a majority share in Silk & Sapphires. But Anjali wonders if saving the shop is worth the price—Jeevan is boorish, overbearing, and not a little selfish. To her, it feels too much like a deal with the devil.

Especially when that devil brings along his business partner Rishi Shah to help overhaul the shop. Number one, the fact that he’s partnered with her self-centered uncle probably means she’ll be dealing with two overbearing alpha males for the price of one. Number two, Rishi is sure to mess with Anjali’s carefully thought out business plan, turning her dream of a one-of-a-kind boutique into a cookie-cutter chain. Number three, Rishi is much too handsome and confident for his own good, and the obvious attraction between them makes her really nervous.

As they all work together, Anjali is surprised by how much Rishi respects her ideas for the shop—everything he proposes reinforces her creative plans, rather than crushing them. He’s a calming force on her over-the-top uncle, and just as brilliant in business as Jeevan had promised he’d be.

But then he turns his charisma—not to mention a pair of striking green eyes—in her direction, and Anjali’s first impulse is to bolt. Can she trust Rishi with her fragile heart, when all signs point to the fact that he’s a love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy—one who’s set to return to the other side of the world in a matter of weeks?

"The Sari Shop Widow" is an emotionally complex, beautifully told tale of a quirky, tight-knit-family; a strong heroine who’s been through more than her share of emotional trauma; and the one man who can complete her already full life. You’re in for a treat when you …

Buy the book.

I confess, I’ve never been a fan of romances where a business partnership figures prominently in the plot, but The Sari Shop Widow gripped me from page one. Have you ever been surprised by a book, where you expected to be sort of “meh” about it and ended up passionately loving it? What turned the tide for you?
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Q: Are We There Yet?

2010-02-18T11:16:00.013-06:00

A: Almost!

You may not remember, but a year ago when RBTB moved back to these digs from myLifetime, I told you some big things were in store for RBTB. Well, we’re working into the final phase. Knowing that shift was coming, I made the decision recently to wrap up my time at BN.com, where I created with them their first romance fiction blog, “Heart to Heart.” I really enjoyed writing about romance there, but, as you know, Romance: B(u)y the Book’s been my heart since 2005.

Back in February of 2006, this blog was born in the RIP-form of Romance: By the Blog. And one of the first posts I wrote was called, “Toe Curling Hotties,” in which I asked my two viewers who was the hotter Olympic curling-team skip, TEAM USA’s Pete Fenson, or TEAM Canada’s Brad Gushue.

If you know anything about those sexy guys who brave the ice with sweepers in hand, who thrust their stones with gusto while their mates cheer them on, then you agree there’s nothing like a curling man to thrill a girl while he shows her a slow, easy and controlled slide to the button.

So in honor of the fourth anni of this RBTB blog, and our USA Men’s Curling Team from l’Etoile de Nord -- the great state of MN, soon to be my home-again home – I ask you:

Which team do you find hotter? Team USA (above, RT)? Or our Neighbors to the Nord, Team Canada (Left)? Hint: This team's got a cutie who realized if he let his hair grow out, he’d be ready for reality…*

*It’s actually a pretty moving story (photo, right).

***

Cheer on TEAM USA in all the events. Click the pic to head to the official site of the US Olympic Committee. Catch the latest news -- like whether the Dudes from Duluth can wing-and-prayer it -- and sign up for exclusive updates through the rest of the games.

Feature Review: "Dying Scream," By Mary Burton

2010-02-17T07:28:00.004-06:00

By Becke Davis, RBTB Contributing Editor

“Walking Dead Man”

My aunt died suddenly at age 52. My uncle was out of town and later swore that she’d called and talked to him on the phone an hour after the coroner said she died. He is a very matter-of-fact guy, not prone to vivid flights of imagination, and this bothered him a lot. He didn’t know what to believe – that the dead could talk, or that he was losing his mind

In Mary Burton’s gripping and suspenseful “Dying Scream,” Adrianna Thornton can’t trust her own senses. Just as she’s about to put the past behind her, she starts hallucinating. What else can she call it when she hears her dead husband’s voice, when the scent of his cologne haunts her?

As the last surviving member of the wealthy Thornton family, she wants to sell the estate and move on. When a corpse is found on the Thornton property, the clues point to Adrianna’s husband, Craig, as the murderer. Only he can’t be connected to the crimes – because women are still dying. Cards and flowers arrive purporting to be from Craig, and Adrianna fears she’s losing her mind. And the detective assigned to the case is not a man she’s likely to confide in.

Detective Gage Hudson never trusted Craig Thornton, and it wasn’t just because he married the woman Gage wanted – he suspected Thornton was a psychopath. Craig Thornton was bad news, and Gage hadn’t mourned when the creep died and left Adrianna a widow. But when bodies start turning up on the Thornton estate, Gage is torn. He’d give anything to prove Thornton’s guilt, but he doesn’t want Adrianna hurt.

Gage suspects Adrianna is at the core of the mystery – either she’s involved up to her pearl-clad neck, or she’s the next victim. Gage has to find the murderer before he strikes again – and there’s more at risk than he suspects.

In “Dying Scream,” Mary Burton has written a mystery/suspense/thriller wrapped in a romance. But while the romance is important, the mystery is the focus. You never forget that lives are at stake, and then there’s the 100-thousand-dollar question: is Craig dead or alive? If you like mysteries seasoned with romance . . .

Buy the Book!

As I read “Dying Scream,” the thought running through my head wasn’t “Will Adrianna and Gage get their happy ending?” It was “Who is killing these women, and how will they catch him?” But then I like mystery as much as romance. Do you like mystery with threads of romance or a romance with elements of mystery? How would you define romantic suspense?

It's In The Bag

2010-02-16T05:46:00.002-06:00

RBTB NEWs Winners!

Ro/Goddess10, you've won the fab LOVE bag from RBTB! Your books, bag and goodies will be on the way with love from Michelle and Becke!

Kirstin/Lotsofgingers, you scored the $10 BN card!

Bethany: You've got a copy of Kristan Higgins' "The Next Best Thing" coming your way.

Pam Keener: Enjoy Rekaya Gibson's "The Food Temptress!"

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TOMORROW: Becke Davis brings you the suspenseful story of Mary Burton's "Dying Scream!"
Friday: Tracy Montoya treats us to a hidden gem romance, Shobhan Bantwal's "The Sari Shop Widow."

Feature Review: "The Next Best Thing," By Kristan Higgins

2010-02-12T07:04:00.009-06:00

By Becke Davis, RBTB Contributing Editor

CONTEST!!! One randomly chsn commntr wins a copy of "The Next Best Thing!" Pls have your email addy avlbl in comment or blogger accnt to enter.

“A Family Affair”

If we could chose who we love – and who loves us – life would be a lot simpler, but it’s rarely that convenient. Even though my own romance has no angst, I instinctively understand the agony of loving the one person you just can’t have. Why else would Romeo and Juliet still ring so true?

In Kristan Higgins’ hilarious and heartbreaking “The Next Best Thing,” grieving widow Lucy Lang is content to wallow in memories until her sister’s newborn triggers her biological clock. Longing for a family, Lucy decides to marry without risking her heart. But there’s a complication: Ethan, her friend-with-benefits. He’s out of the running on two counts. #1 – she has dangerous feelings for him. And #2 – he’s her husband’s younger brother.

Ethan Mirabelli is resigned to living in his brother’s shadow. Dead five years, golden boy Jimmy is still first in the hearts of his parents. And Jimmy’s widow refuses to let him go. When lovely Lucy’s maternal instincts are aroused, Ethan hopes he’ll finally get his chance. After all, they’ve been burning up the sheets for two years. When he discovers Lucy’s plans for a loveless marriage, Ethan takes an arrow to his already battered heart. It seems the only way to ensure Lucy’s happiness is to sacrifice his own. Again.

Kristan Higgins excels at hot-and-heartwrenching forbidden romance – her heroines are often modern day Juliets, her heroes strong Romeos who care too much to be ruled by convention. In “The Next Best Thing,” Lucy fights her feelings with everything she’s got, but Ethan is tired of being second best. This is one battle he intends to win. Do yourself a favor --

Buy the Book.

Kristan’s books are auto-buys for me, and every one has a place on my keeper shelf. I have a special fondness for the tortured hero, especially when he is the best friend who kept his feelings hidden.What about you? What is your favorite type of hero – the best friend, the first love, the bad guy on the Harley? Tell me more!

***

We've got Wedding Day Pix of Favorite Romance Authors here!

In The Beginning...

2010-02-11T06:22:00.010-06:00

Are these valentines' romance stories inspired by the love they share? Maybe their wedding-day memories tell the tale...

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Authors, Bellas and RBTB teamers, thanks so much for sharing this almost-Valentine's Day treat with us here in the pink! We wish you happiness and love: the stuff already in your life, and the happily ever afters just waiting to happen.

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Tomorrow: Please join us as Becke Davis offers us her valentine, a lovely feature review of Kristan Higgins' "The Next Best Thing." Grazie, Becke, for hatching the idea for today's event!

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CONTEST!!! Michelle and Becke want to share the love! Join us to receive the RBTB newsletter and you could be the lucky winner of the "LOVE" bag chock full 'o books and other goodies! PLUS, the 10th person who signs up wins a $10 Barnes&Noble gift card!

Feature Review: "My Zombie Valentine," By MacAlister, Fox, Mancusi, Cach

2010-02-10T04:43:00.006-06:00

By Amy Kennedy, RBTB Contributing Editor

When I was a kid, Valentine’s Day in elementary school meant heartbreak, ‘cause it was never a given that I’d get a card from the boy I liked. I always liked someone who didn’t like me. Oh, they liked me, they just didn’t like me, like me. Rats.

I realized after reading the last story in “My Zombie Valentine,” all the men in these stories – hunks, every last one of them – fall in love first, and then make it their mission to convince their ladies to love them back.

Ysabelle Raliegh’s a zombie counselor and a tutor in her spare time, in Katie MacAlister’s hysterically hot “Bring Out Your Dead.” On her way to a tutoring gig, Ysabelle runs into and falls onto Sebastian, tall, dark, and a definite stranger. They share a passionate kiss until she remembers she doesn’t know him and bolts. Once Ysabelle reaches her student’s house, who walks in but Sebastian, surprised to see her, yet ready to kill the kid’s father.

Sebastian, a disgruntled vampire, seeks the father of Ysabelle’s student. He’s waging a vendetta against the man responsible for turning him. He’s happy to find Ysabelle, his “beloved,” and once they ‘join’ not only will he reclaim his soul but also exact his revenge. Sebastian may be hot, but, Ysabelle wants nothing to do with vengeance. Now Sebastian must decide which means more: getting even or winning his beloved?

Angie Fox’s “Gentlemen Prefer Voodoo,” gives new meaning to the phrase: Beware what you wish. Tired of waiting for Mr. Right, Voodoo practitioner Amie Baptiste takes love matters into her own hands and concocts a spell to attract her soul-mate. She never expects his previous address to be St. Louis Cemetery Number One. And while Dante Montenegro may be a fine looking zombie, he has only three days to convince Amie he really is the love of her life or it’s back to the grave for eternity.

Marianne Mancusi’s “Zombie Confidential,” is a veritable feast of tongue-in-cheek jokes, and a perfect girl-next-door-gets-the-movie-star story. Make-up artist Scarlett Patterson can’t believe her luck in landing a job on the location of a movie starring Mason Marks. Too bad there’s some bad luck involved also. Sure, Mason flirts with her, but she’s a nobody, her best friend is missing and the extras are staying in “zombie” character way too long. Mason thinks he’s never seen anyone as beautiful or as sweet as Scarlett. As the zombie extras wreak havoc, Mason thinks if he can save the day for real, he can win her love.

In Lisa Cach’s sexy and surprisingly thought-provoking “Every Part of You,” we meet Angelica Sequiera and Tom Haggerty in a noted plastic surgeon’s waiting room. While Tom stuns Angelica with his matter-of-fact comments, like: Seems like no one in L.A. can appreciate a nice little pair of half cuppers like Angelica’s, she can’t help but be attracted to his surfer-boy good looks, even though she finds him nothing more than a dumb jock.

Turns out Tom can’t stop thinking about Angelica , and they end up on a date where he proves not only he’s way more than a pretty face, but also that he likes her just the way she is. But since her visit to the plastic surgeon, Angelica’s noticed something weird going on with her face – and some insatiable cravings.

Apparently all the surgeon’s patients are acting like Angelica, and soon she and Tom race against time to find a cure for this new kind of zombie she’s become – craving caandyyyy, instead of braaaainssss.

“My Zombie Valentine” is funny and satisfying. Each author has her own brand of humor and uses it well. I think we could all use a laugh this Valentine’s Day, so get yours when you --
Buy the book.

These women got their hearts' desires, even if they didn’t know those are what they wanted. But what I want to know is: What’s the worst Valentine’s card or present you ever received? – and -- Who do you wish would give you a Valentine – or wish would have given you one in the past?
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Rekaya Gibson GuestBlog: The Romance of Food

2010-02-09T06:36:00.005-06:00

CONTEST !!! 1 Randomly Chsn Cmmntr wins a copy of Rekaya's "The Food Temptress!" Pls have your email available in comment or blogger accnt to enter.

From Michelle: I e-met Rekaya Gibson when she became involved in TEAM RBTB @ Brenda Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes. Since then, she's become a Bella, and this author of the upcoming "The Food Seductress" came to mind immediately when I was looking for someone to get us all riled up and thinking about the sensuality, romanticism and plain good sexy fun of food. Please offer her your sultriest, "Chocolate and I have become rather close" Bella buongiorno...

From Rekaya: Hi Bellas! Do you remember the first time you met a smooth chocolate cake? Your eyes widened; your lips moistened; and your heart pounded. All you managed to say was “Oh!”

When was the last time you felt that way about your mate? A nice dessert will do it to you every time. You don’t even have to taste it first. You can simply imagine what it would feel like touching your tongue.

If you have ever experienced this, then it is more likely than not that you have experienced the romance of food. Sure, it nourishes the body and mind, but it also plays on our five senses and emotions. For example, the scent of cinnamon and sage during the holidays make you feel safe and warm no matter if you are at home or at someone else’s house. You give the pumpkin pie and the turkey your undivided attention no matter what – I know I do.

When you pull those homemade biscuits out the oven, you quickly place them on a plate. What is the first thing that you do? You feel them. Their hot, soft, and round bodies excite you. Before you know it, you are having an unhealthy relationship with the dough man!

Try dangling steak, gravy, and potatoes in front of a man. He will follow you to the ends of the earth just to get a taste. The grin on his face takes him some place special. Perhaps the love that goes into preparing meals transmits pheromones to the souls of its diner – you never know.

Don’t get me wrong, the romance of food will let you down. Your unconditional love will fall by the waist side – literally. The crunch of your favorite chips will fade over time. Then you will end up writing romance novels about food!

Have you experienced the romance of food? If so, what food did you carry on a love affair with? Is it over or are you still in a relationship?

Feature Review: "Provocative in Pearls," By Madeline Hunter

2010-02-08T05:42:00.005-06:00

By Melanie Murray, RBTB Correspondent

Historical romance heroines come with a variety of faults: excessive naiveté, outrageous independence, lack of acceptable breeding. It isn’t every day you read about a heroine who is too practical.

Now, sometimes practicality can cause one to take a rash action. Like, say, arranging for it to look like you’ve died only hours after taking wedding vows. But what else can an untitled, not-yet-of-age woman do after she’s forced into a marriage she knows will fail?

That’s the central story in Madeline Hunter’s “Provocative in Pearls.” Hunter’s protagonists are two people who have allowed logic to lead them into a messy situation, and, lucky for us, only passion, emotion, and a few extorted kisses will lead them out of it. The result is a beguiling blend of sensuality and angst.

Verity Thompson grew up knowing her future. She’d marry a man who could take over her father’s ironworks and live happily in her hometown. But her father died suddenly, leaving Verity in the care of a greedy, abusive cousin who conspired to marry her off to a poor peer.

Taking matters into her own hands, Verity ran away on her wedding day, leaving behind evidence that she had drowned. She has been in hiding ever since, with plans to reenter the world after her twenty-first birthday to petition for an annulment and take back control of her father’s business from her cousin.

Grayson, Earl of Hawkeswell has been living in a terrible limbo since his bride disappeared. Not only have the funds promised upon his marriage been tied up in legalities, making it impossible for him to care for his family and tenants, but he has been a favorite topic of gossip. When he discovers Verity completely by chance, he is overjoyed that this terrible situation will finally be set to rights.

Except Verity is not willing to live as his wife, and she is no longer the meek girl he wed. She is strong, clever, articulate, and fiercely attached to her independence. Hawkeswell is equally adamant that they will stay together, and he’s shocked to realize that this is not just because of her wealth. The truth is that he is instantly and thoroughly attracted to her.

He aims to seduce her, demanding three kisses a day while they are married. Verity has never felt desire before, and she forgets herself in the face of Hawkeswell’s handsome face, maddening caresses, and domineering masculinity. Yet Verity firmly believes that a man such as this would never let her live the life she was meant to, while Hawkeswell is frustrated by his young wife’s refusal to give in to her feelings and submit to his authority.

Hunter weaves a tale where the characters’ sense of duty is in conflict with their passion, where their heads are at war with their hearts. Despite their feelings for each other, Verity and Hawkeswell truly want different things from their lives, and the resulting love story is all the more rich and moving because of this. You'll wonder how in the world these two people can overcome what’s standing in their way as a couple.

So, want to know if Verity and Hawkeswell will live happily ever after? To find out if they do, you’ll have to --

Buy the Book.

What are your favorite romances where the hero and heroine are married but not in love? And why do think it’s so darned romantic to read about a wife and husband who fall for each other?

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Get Set for Valentine's Day with RBTB Team & Friends:

Tomorrow: Feel the Love; Feel the Food as "The Food Temptress" author Rekaya Gibson treats us to a funny/sexy tribute to the Romance of Food, one we all can relate to w/ a smile. Win a copy of Rekaya's read.
Wednesday: Zombie cuisine may not be as romantic as Rekaya's, but Amy Kennedy's got the deets on kinder/gentler zombie fare from "My Zombie Valentine."
Friday: If you read one romance to get you in the Love-Day mood, Becke Davis tells you why Kristan Higgins' "The Next Best Thing" is the one to choose. Win a copy of the book!

The AuthorView: Patricia McLinn

2010-02-05T05:25:00.007-06:00

As we gear up for the 2010 Winter Olympics, sports reporter turned romance novelist Patricia McLinn dishes to Becke Davis about the beauty of the event, the role of pets in our lives and going for the gold with the re-release of her taut, fast-paced tale of the top athletes who live for “The Games.”

Becke Davis: What do you like most about your behind-the-scenes Olympic romance, “The Games?”

Patricia McLinn: While I was writing “The Games,” I liked the characters the most – can’t imagine spending that much time with characters I didn’t like a LOT. They’re passionate, determined, dedicated athletes. But holding up those disciplined bodies are very human feet of clay, and that’s what I love about them.

BD: Who or what inspired “The Games?”

PMcL: As a brand new sports writer I covered a skating event with participants from a 5-year-old on up to a heading-for-stardom Scott Hamilton. I asked the 5-year-old about the best part of the event, fully expecting him to say it was skating with Scott Hamilton. The kid looked soulfully up at me and said, “Using the porta-potty.” That might seem like a strange inspiration, but it puts even famous Olympic gold medalists in a human context.

The devotion and discipline required for an athlete to reach the Olympics is far beyond what most people imagine – and it’s required of every single athlete, not only the stars, not only the medalists. But I also realized the training and competing were only the beginning of the story.

BD: Who’s the most heroic person you know?

PMcL: I have to pick two – my parents. Both were raised financially-poor and family-rich. Six months after they married, Dad was called into the Army for WWII. Mom went -- eventually with two babies -- wherever he was posted in the U.S. And she held down the home front while he was deployed in North Africa and Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge. They’ve been married more than 69 years and are people of honor, who raised three kids with emphasis on family, education, responsibility, good sense and humor. That’s heroism in my book.

BD: Who’s your romance hero: dark, brooding bad boy, or white knight in shining armor?

PMcL: What it depends most on is who’s the right guy for the heroine – not a perfect guy, but one who helps/prods/irritates/complements her into being a better person after knowing him than she was before. And vice versa.

What the heroes you describe and my romance hero share is a sense of being comfortable in their own skin, at ease with their own individuality. And a sense of humor that finds my jokes funny sure helps.

BD: What are you up to these days?

PMcL: I’m settling back down after a multi-level life upheaval. Two years ago, when I was president of Novelists, Inc., I left my job at the Washington Post, packed up my long-time home in Virginia and headed to the Midwest to house-hunt, grateful my sister and brother-in-law opened their home to me for several months.

The changes gave me the opportunity to write full-time. My companion in all this and more was my collie Riley – he was the model for “Sin” in "Match Made in Wyoming" and an artist’s rendition of his puppy picture is on the cover. He died 18 months ago at 12 1/2. He is much missed.

I lasted about two-and-a-half months, and adopted another rescue collie I named Kalli – like Riley, a character from "Rodeo Nights." (Photo, right)

I’m working on a humorous western, a short contemporary romance and what I’m calling an ethical suspense. Then there’s a series of historicals in Wyoming, and I’m playing with some mysteries, teaching writing classes and gearing up for the Vancouver Games. The biggest thing is a major project with a number of other authors that will be going public in early 2010 . . . don’t you just love cliff-hangers?

Check out an excerpt from "The Games" here!

***

Dying to get the d.l. on Kresley Cole's new
"Pleasure of a Dark Prince?" Click here.

***
Be Our Valentines next week here in the pink!
Drop in to hang and talk hot reads:
Monday 2.8: Melanie Murray's take on Madeline Hunter's newest
Wednesday: Amy Kennedy brings you "My Zombie Valentine"
Friday: Becke Davis on Kristan Higgins' "Next Best Thing"
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Kresley Cole's "Pleasure of a Dark Prince!" Feature

2010-02-04T18:04:00.005-06:00

Even as a sane, self-sufficient, contemporary professional woman, you may find it tricky to explain to friends and colleagues why the idea of a guy hunting you down and trailing you because he’s convinced you’re his life mate to guard – and maybe, um, mark as his by aggressively latching on to your neck from behind in a moment of passion – is really flippin’ romantic.

To help them understand the classic appeal of the mating bite, you could give em a copy of Kresley Cole’s much-anticipated “Pleasure of a Dark Prince,” the newest in Cole’s wholly kick-ass, genuinely fun and entirely addictive Immortals After Dark (IAD) series. READ MORE, BELLAS!

***

TOMORROW: The AuthorView returns when Becke Davis chats with Patricia McLinn just in time for the Winter Olympics and the reissue of McLinn's olympic-themed romance, "The Games!"

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Monday 2.8: Melanie Murray's take on Madeline Hunter's newest
Wednesday: Amy Kennedy brings you "My Zombie Valentine"
Friday: Becke Davis on Kristan Higgins' "Next Best Thing"

Skin Deep

2010-02-03T04:19:00.003-06:00

There’s a trend in romance toward heroines who are imperfect, and who are more “real life” sized. While that’s refreshing, many readers still dig a gorgeous, seemingly “perfect” heroine. But do we lack self-esteem if we dream of being in her pretty place as we read? READ MORE, BELLAS...

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Dying for Romance?: Every day this month, meet a different top romantic suspense author at BN’s Mystery boards as moderator Becke Davis celebrates Valentine’s Day with a Month of Romantic Suspense! Today: Sharon Sala. Catch up with: J. Crusie/B. Mayer, Jayne Ann Krenz, Suz Brockmann (Valentine's Day!); Hank Phillipi Ryan and more!
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From Schmear To Modernity

2010-02-01T07:55:00.004-06:00

Not everyone agrees, but after much reflection and considerable practical experience, I am of the opinion that one most assuredly can lie supine, read a paperback, and dip Oreo® Double Stufs into icy-cold milk without their glopping to the bottom of the glass, depositing under one’s French manicure, or soiling one’s chaise longue.

If one, in fact, owned a chaise longue. In the same way some folks have flashbacks when assailed by certain scents or sounds, sometimes I’m reminded how much I enjoyed a particular section of a beloved novel by the junk-food smudges schmeared across the page. But with the advent of e-readers... READ MORE, BELLAS!

***

Lori Wilde Winner: lastnerve, you've won a copy of "Sweethearts' Knitting Club" + limited-edition needles. Congratulazione! Thanks to all for visiting for Gannon's and PJ's cyberpal's day. Next month, they've got something hot in store for you!

Feature Review: "Dyad Quest," By Ann Hinnenkamp

2010-01-29T07:31:00.005-06:00

By Amy Kennedy, RBTB Contributing Editor

Band-of-brothers romances…there’s something about all those manly men living, loving, and working together to fight against a “big bad” and then felled by the love of a perfect placeholder heroine. It just makes me want to…sigh.

No wonder I delved happily into Ann Hinnenkamp’s sexy, satisfying, and sometimes zany “Dyad Quest,” second in her Dyad series. The Dyad, males, born in pairs and immortal, each choose a human partner to work with to help keep the Earth and its inhabitants safe. A Dyad pair raises their partner’s "Balance," which is like super-energized chi. The human partner runs faster, fights stronger, and lives longer.

Five hundred years ago, the Dyads recruited Aiden Rawlings as a human partner. Mired in the tragedy of losing his wife and child, Aiden joined them, vowing to never care deeply for anyone again. Now Aiden and his Dyad partners are investigating Meir Industries when they find Jude Kapfor bleeding to death on the street. A visceral reaction to the woman has him begging his Dyad to bring her back from the edge of death.

His Dyad agree, on the condition that Aiden watches over her. Suddenly, Aiden, a man of temporary and uncomplicated relationships is responsible for Jude’s safety, and her life. She’s brought to a safe house where other Dyad and their human partners live to continue her healing.

At the ‘almost moment’ of her death, Jude, ironically, wonders where this gorgeous Aiden has been all her life. Once healed -- huge surprise for Jude -- she agrees to work with the Dyad, spying for them at Meir Industries, where she’s a scientist . Jude goes back to the lab with Aiden as her live-in bodyguard, and tries to get used to living with a larger-than-life alpha protector, and an attraction to him that’s immediate, intense, and unexpected.

But snooping at Meir Industries leaves Jude in increasing danger. Aiden knows he has to be vigilant, yet feels he’s too distracted to protect her like he wants. If he’s not thinking about kissing her, he’s imagining about all the ways she can die as he lives on. Aiden’s sure a different partner can protect her better.

There’s no future for them and Jude knows it. She can’t ask Aiden to leave the Dyads – it’s who he is – and she’s a mortal woman destined to age and die. They both think to do the right thing, and let each other go. The only chance for them to be together is if the Dyad intervene.

Ann Hinnenkamp’s “Dyad Quest” is a joy to read, with laugh-out-loud moments, and hot guys fighting for justice -- and our planet; Hennenkamp shows us heroes who care about our environment are cool.

Falling in love with Aiden and the other ‘brothers,’ is easy, ‘cause not only are they sexy and good, they’re full of pranks and laughter. And is there anything sexier than a funny man? Find out when you –

Buy the book.

What’s your favorite thing about Band of Brothers books? What are some of your faves and why? And is there anything sexier than a funny man?

Feature Review: "Sweethearts' Knitting Club," By Lori Wilde

2010-01-28T05:56:00.007-06:00

By PJ Ausdenmore and Gannon Carr, RBTB Correspondents

CONTEST TODAY!!! One randomly chosen commenter wins special-edition knitting needles plus "Sweethearts' Knitting Club!" Pls have ur email addy available in comment/blogger accnt.

Gannon and I both love a misunderstood bad boy who loses his heart to the good girl, and Jesse Calloway, the steamy hero of Lori Wilde’s new contemporary romance, “The Sweethearts’ Knitting Club,” sure revs our engines! After spending ten years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, Jessie returns to the small town that never trusted him and the one girl who never left his heart only to discover that she has finally accepted a marriage proposal from the town’s sheriff, who just happens to be the man Jesse believes framed him all those years ago.

Gannon: Jesse most definitely gets my motor running! And Flynn MacGregor has never forgotten Jesse and how he made her feel. But she realizes she can’t pine for him forever, so she finally says yes to Beau Trainer after ten years of turning down his proposal. No sooner is Beau’s ring on Flynn’s finger than Jesse strolls back into town. There she is, waiting tables at her family’s restaurant, Froggy’s, carrying a tray of fried catfish, hushpuppies and mashed potatoes, and in walks the bad boy who stole her heart. My heart just fell and I thought, “If she’d just waited a little longer, she could have had her true love.” I love how the line when she first realizes it’s Jesse illustrates that: The bridge of time snapped, butting her past up against her present, the future weighing heavily on her ring finger.

PJ: That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Flynn could be the poster child for doing what’s expected of her: caring for her younger sister and twin brothers, as well as their alcoholic father; running the family restaurant; taking her late mother’s place in the Sweethearts’ Knitting Club; even sacrificing her own dream of teaching to fulfill her mother’s dream of opening a yarn shop. Her only rebellion, her entire life, has been that brief period in her teens when she secretly spent time with Jesse. But now her family, the ladies in the knitting club, heck, the entire town expects her to marry the upstanding sheriff, not take up with the “no good ex-con.”

Gannon: Poor Flynn. Always trying to do the right thing, pleasing everyone instead of doing what she really wants. And now Jesse’s there every time she turns around, tempting her with those bad boy looks and passionate kisses. Jesse wants Flynn to break up with Beau and be with him, but he knows she has to make the decision on her own if their relationship is going to last. Will the ongoing animosity between Jesse and Beau drive Flynn away or will she finally do what she wants most and follow her heart?

I can relate to Flynn’s dilemma of being pulled in multiple directions by family obligations. As a lifelong “people pleaser,” it took me a long time to learn to put my happiness first sometimes. We women instinctively put the needs of others before our own, but if the reward was a hot guy like Jesse, putting ourselves first might be a whole lot easier.

PJ and I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story of love, friendship and redemption, and the sweetness of first love. Treat yourself to a touching, curl-up-by-the-fire-with-a-cuppa read and--

Buy the Book!

Do the opinions of family and friends have an influence on the life decisions you make? Have you ever given up on a dream, job or guy because of someone else's expectations?
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Ann Herendeen GuestBlog: Darcy/Bingly Love Affair: A Truth Universally Acknowledged?

2010-01-27T05:11:00.010-06:00

From Michelle: Ann Herendeen is delightful and intelligent and loves to talk about sexy stuff, especially the hotness that is boy-on-boy. Her groundbreaking "Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander" redefined for us the term Regency Alpha/Corinthian. Ann's new riff on the iconic Austen Classic is as erotic and brash as a romance that includes hot guys acting out our naughtiest English-class fantasies should be -- and the writing'll knock your socks off.Please offer Ann your warmest "And what of Knightly?" Bella buongiorno...

From Ann: Good morning, Michelle, Bellas and Bellos! It's a pleasure to be back here, chatting about my new novel, "Pride/Prejudice."

As Michelle has mentioned, many of us have long suspected that Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley were more than just good friends. When Mr. Bingley says that “if Darcy were not such a great tall fellow, in comparison with myself, I should not pay him half so much deference;” and when Mr. Darcy goes to such lengths to prevent Mr. Bingley from marrying, you have to wonder if there might be the teensiest hint of jealousy or possessiveness in their relationship.

Well, I decided the answer to all that speculation was a resounding Yes! And I wanted to see what this relationship would be like if we could read about it explicitly, not just between the lines. My first novel, "Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander," was a bisexual m/m/f ménage, so writing P/P came very naturally to me.

Still, I know not everybody will be as excited as I am. In the interest of sparing the sensibilities of the fans of Colin Firth and his perfect tall, dark and handsome Mr. Darcy, I imagined my bisexual Darcy as tall, handsome and—“fair.” Jane Austen didn't go in for description; all we know of Mr. Darcy's appearance is “his fine, tall person, handsome features and noble mien.” Why shouldn't he have, as I've written him, dark blond or light brown hair, gray eyes, a muscular build and a very large...intellect? Think Russell Crowe or a more sophisticated Albert Finney in Tom Jones. He's still clever and proud, still looking for that one person, man or woman, who can satisfy his greatest desire: intelligent conversation.

I see Darcy and Bingley as “married” to each other, while having passionate affairs—with their wives. These men complement each other, one dominant, one submissive, and they're comfortable together, like longtime domestic partners. But the women they eventually marry—spirited, witty Elizabeth and sweet, gentle Jane—are too much like their husbands for comfort. Like most of us, these men want both, passion and comfort. Once they've worked out their petty jealousies, I think they'll live, all four of them, as Austen implies, in an unusual, but very happy ever after.

My idea for Pride/Prejudice was to expand Austen's novel, not change it. Do you think portraying the main characters as bisexual changes the story, or, as I thought of it, simply shows us previously hidden aspects of the characters?

In the story of P/P, Jane Bennet tells Elizabeth that Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy believe that "loving" each other is different from "being in love with" a woman (their wives)--and that this allows the men to go on loving each other after marriage. Do you think this kind of distinction is or can be valid in some cases?

Feature Review: "Kismet," By Monica Burns

2010-01-26T00:00:00.002-06:00

By Melanie Murray, RBTB Correspondent

Historicals are my romance sub-genre of choice. Big revelation, huh? I also enjoy a strong-minded heroine. This can present a bit of a challenge in my reading. If a book’s true to history, then its female characters, by virtue of when the story takes place, aren’t always in the driver’s seat of their own lives.

Nowhere is this truer than in the bedroom. And often, in romance fiction, this creates much of the conflict between the hero and heroine. How can an experienced man keep from harming an inexperienced woman?

Wouldn’t it just tickle you to read about a woman who fits the time period but is in charge when it comes to the boudoir?

That’s exactly what you get in Monica Burns’ alluring and steamy “Kismet.” Set in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Middle East, Burns’ romance pits a determined, self-sufficient lady against a man so resolute and confident and sexy that he melts her resolve. It’s great fun watching her confront the one thing she’s not used to – a challenge – and some of their scenes will linger in your memory long after you’ve closed the book.

One of the most sought-after courtesans in all London, Allegra Synnford has accrued wealth, education, and, most important, the power to pick her own lovers. In Marrakech, Morocco, for a friend’s wedding, she catches the eye of a sheikh with hypnotic eyes and a kingly bearing, a man the mere sight of whom excites her. She decides immediately to steer clear of him; if they were to spend even one night together, she knows she would be at the mercy of her own desires.

The sheikh who sets her blood on fire is known as Shaheen. An Englishman by birth, he has escaped the memories of his old life by staying among the Bedouins for fifteen years. Allegra stirs up painful thoughts; he was once burned badly by her kind. Yet he’s determined to seduce her, if only so he can get her out of his head.

The two embark on a sexually-charged game of push and pull, each overwhelmed by their attraction and burdened by their refusal to give in. Allegra is determined to not choose a man who will threaten her independence. Shaheen can’t quite get over his past long enough to contemplate a future. And complicating everything is danger of a different sort. One of Shaheen’s great enemies is ruthless, amoral, and dead-set on having Allegra for his own.

“Kismet” presents us with a classic a battle of wills between two characters unafraid to use sex as a weapon. They fight their temptation and the consequences of falling in love against an exotic, sensual background that’s beguiling and seductive. You’ll wish you were booked on the next plane to Morocco, when you

Buy the Book.

Do you like it when a heroine is as experienced in the bedroom as her male counterpart? What memorable romances can you recommend where this is part of the premise?

***

Please hang with us here in the pink this week, cause there's big doins with your fave RBTB teamers and authors:

Tomorrow: Ann Herendeen returns with the true story of Darcy/Bingley and "Pride/Prejudice!" Great fun to welcome her back. Feature Rev. of the read here.
Thursday: RBTB correspondents PJ and Gannon call all cyber-pals to gather as they dish Lori Wilde's "Sweetheart's Knitting Club," when you can win a cool knitting/book set.
Friday: RBTB Contrib Ed Amy Kennedy brings you the d.l. on Ann Hinnenkamp's BOB para, "Dyad Quest."
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American Ingénueity

2010-01-25T08:49:00.006-06:00

I've come up with the only plausible reason we American chicks so adore tales of the lives, lusts and loves of those precocious Peers of the Realm: Spanking. Oh, not all that Monty Pythonesque, slap-me-a-tickle-while-I wear-my-wife’s-knickers foolishness. More like the stuff that brought about the British Invasions -- and a new heroine inspired by everything good and sexy about... READ MORE, BELLAS!
***
Please hang with us here in the pink this week, cause there's big doin's with your fave RBTB teamers and authors:

Tomorrow: It's "Kismet," RBTB correspondent Melanie Murray sheikhs up the place with her feature of Monica Burns' new read!
Wed: Ann Herendeen returns with the true story of Darcy/Bingley and "Pride/Prejudice!" Great fun to welcome her back. Feature Rev. of the read here.
Thursday: RBTB correspondents PJ and Gannon call all cyber-pals to gather as they dish Lori Wilde's "Sweetheart's Knitting Club," when you can win a cool knitting/book set.
Friday: RBTB Contrib Ed Amy Kennedy brings you the d.l. on Ann Hinnenkamp's BOB para, "Dyad Quest."
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Feature Review: "Early Dawn," By Catherine Anderson

2010-01-20T00:00:00.001-06:00

By Melanie Murray, RBTB Correspondent

Remember the opening of “Little House on the Prairie?” Laura, Mary and Carrie run carefree through fields of wheat, pigtails flying, brightly colored gingham swirling… This image always gave me a warm feeling inside. Then the show would start, and suddenly you were contending with life-threatening calamities:

Outlaws. Disease. Nellie Oleson.

Catherine Anderson’s “Early Dawn” is much in the vein of “Little House on the Prairie” in that it celebrates the resilience of those who lived in the untamed West. Anderson’s world has gunslingers and cowboys and damsels in distress, but she doesn’t glamorize it. The perils her two main characters face are very real and very deadly, and how they overcome their trials will inspire you and even give you a little burst of American pride.

Eden Paxton is on a train bound for No Name, Colorado, when she’s kidnapped by the ruthless Sebastian Gang. Intending to sell her across the border, they beat her during the day and force humiliations on her at night. After five torturous days her prayers for rescue are answered, but her savior is a mysterious stranger, a man who’s quiet and dirty and as disreputable looking as her previous captors.

Oregonian Matthew Coulter has been tracking the notorious Sebastian Gang since the day they murdered his wife. For three years he’s been alone on the trail, with only his horse and a mule named Herman for companionship. He’s sent one Sebastian brother to meet his Maker, but each time he gets close to the others circumstances get in the way. This time they come in a beautiful, red-haired, blue-eyed package, one who looks at him as if he were a criminal.

But it doesn’t take long before Eden learns how deep still waters can run. As they travel together trying to elude the Sebastians, Matthew’s caring manner and silent strength stir her desires. Though she wants more than friendship from Matthew, she can’t entirely trust a man’s touch so soon after her ordeal.

And while Eden’s spirit, beauty, and honesty begin to shake Matthew from his comfort with solitude, he has sworn to never marry again. He failed to protect his wife, and doesn’t feel worthy of another’s love.

Catherine Anderson creates a pair of characters as tough as the countryside she so lovingly describes. Matthew’s and Eden’s physical journey mirrors the emotional one they take toward each other. Anderson doesn’t whitewash the dangers they encounter, and it’s because of this that their happy ending seems so well-earned. You’ll root hard for good to triumph over evil when you --

Buy the Book.

What are your favorite Western love stories? And why do you think the setting becomes such a big part of these romances?

Things That Make Me Go Baa -or- Winners!

2010-01-19T05:42:00.001-06:00

Offered sheepishly -- because it's taken oh, so long to get them to you -- here are the winners of recent contests during wicked fun days here at RBTB, made that way because you came to hang out with us here in the pink:

Liz Maverick’s “Crimson & Steam”
jacabur1; Cris; Bethie; mariska; Spav

Laura Kinsale
2 Grand Prizes
Linz Pickles
Jennifer M (NYC)

5 Nextra Prizes
Scorpio M; Rebekah E; Kara; Mitzi H; Eva Gale

10 Extra Prizes: “Lessons in French” Copies
LuAnn; Beth W; Princess Bumblebee; Carolyn; PG; Nunahboop; Virginia; Helen L; Jane; Amanda

Robin Kaye’s Italian-Spiced Trio
Louisa Cornell ; Pamela Keener

Steph Tyler’s “Hard to Hold”: Pat L

Michelle’s Love Day
$75 Nordstrom Card: DiamondM
$50 Nordstrom Card: Playground Monitor
$25 BN Card: Pat Cochran
$15 BN Card: Rekaya Gibson

Winter Staycation $25 BN Card: suehussein

Congratulazione to all! We'll be contacting you soon! And we're looking forward to lots more RBTB fun with you like:

TOMORROW: RBTB Correspondent Melanie Murray brings you a big scoop of fan-fave Catherine Anderson's "Early Dawn!" -- and -- Look for Ann Herendeen ("Pride/Prejudice") Jan 27, and PJ's and Gannon's chicks' take column, Jan 28!
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Reading the Story of Haiti

2010-01-15T10:42:00.004-06:00

I’ve wondered whether to a Haitian, the loss of a manuscript or collection of novels or children’s primers means anything next to losing one’s home, kids, lover or parents. Yet when I saw a photo this morning of a young girl reading amidst the rubble, it occurred to me that I’m probably naïve in assuming a reader wouldn’t think about escaping into a book during the most dramatic, horrific experience of her life. READ MORE...

Please click on article for news of writers in Haiti and list of vetted aid organizations.

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Steph Tyler GuestBlog: 2 Good (Not) 2 B True

2010-01-13T06:22:00.007-06:00

CONTEST!!! One LCB (Lucky Commenting Bella) wins a copy of "Hard to Hold," book one in Steph's hot new Navy SEALs back2back trilogy! Pls have your email avlbl in comment/blogger profile to enter. Winner randmly chsn.

From Michelle: Happy to have Stephanie Tyler back in the pink, not just because we loves her, but because her books -- including her alter ego Sydney Croft's hotties -- are just marv. Her new Navy SEAL rom susp trilogy is not 2B missed. "Too Hot to Hold" is out now." Please welcome Steph w/your fondest, "He exists if I say so" Bella buongiorno...
From Steph: Hello, Michelle, and thank you for having me today at RBTB! And a special shout out to the Bellas!

Today, I’m talking characters. I fall for mine all the time – I have to or else I can’t write about them. I fall for other writer’s characters too (can we say Sam from Brockmann’s Troubleshooters? Hello, the man had me from the first curse word he uttered! And although he scares me a little, Tig from Sons of Anarchy is another character I adore.)

My Navy SEAL trilogy, Hard to Hold, Too Hot to Hold, and Hold on Tight, centers around three brothers by adoption and the close-knit bonds formed over years of friendship and tough pasts. One of the heroes, Chris Waldron, begins his story in book 2 and it continues in book 3, which comes out Jan 26th.

I love all of my heroes, but man, Chris was just a blast to write about. The man sings whenever he can – loudly – and he delivers babies. And he’s a sniper. And he’s psychic. I mean really, he’s just damned fun, you know? And I’ve been talking about all the brothers on my blog for a while now, explaining how they’d come visit and tell me their stories, so readers got to know them long before they began to read their books.

Anyway, in the space of two months, three different women emailed me to ask if I had any information on Chris Waldron – where could I find him, did I have his phone number?

Um, well, he’s real to me, but he kind of only exists inside my mind, I told them.

They all wrote back and told me a similar story – they’d all met Chris Waldron – he was Cajun, from Louisiana, was in the Navy. He was superstitious. They even mentioned his height and his different colored eyes. They’d all dated him.

And they all wanted him back. Badly. They didn’t believe me when I told them I didn’t have any way to get in touch with him.

I mean, I could get in touch with him, but not exactly in the way they wanted. But with my trilogy, now the wait is over. All of you can have your own little piece of Chris Waldron.

So when I tell people that I feel like I channel characters rather than creating them, I often tell them this story. This usually think I’m a little crazy anyway, which is okay, because it’s the good kind of crazy that makes my job a whole lot of fun.

So tell me – what makes a memorable character for you? Is he tortured and angsty? Is he just a little bit crazy? Any character instantly spring to mind?

Publishing 2010: The Hard-Core Facts

2010-01-12T16:16:00.006-06:00

Thousands of publishing industry jobs were lost in 2009. In 2010, CEOs to mail-room workers worry how e-publishing and declining sales will affect their employment. Yet pub-industry workers seem to be overlooking the simple solution to reducing bottom-line stress, and I’ve got the no-brainer solution to the problem. READ MORE, BELLAS!

***

TOMORROW: Steph Tyler GuestBlogs to dish heroes w/character -- and her characters that readers won't accept aren't really "real!" Drop by for a shot at a copy of "Hard to Hold," book 1 in her new Navy Seals back2back. "Too Hot to Hold" is great, and out now!

Bi, Bi, Mr. Darcy. Hullo, Pride/Prejudice!

2010-01-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an erotic romance reader in possession of a Jane Austen passion must be in want of a riff on Austen’s most popular novel that a) doesn’t include characters succumbing to putrefaction; b) doesn’t make them think of treacly pop-music movie soundtracks; and c) spins out the rest of the sexually fluid story they already suspected – with delight – is behind the seemingly enmeshed relationship between Misters Darcy and Bingley.

How did I miss this?! I mean, I like to fantasize about romance heroes kissing as much as the next girl. But as a student of literature, I... READ MORE, BELLAS ...of the FIRST LOOK at our friend, Ann Herendeen's "authentically voiced, delightfully genteel and fabulously dirty/brash" take on the P&P she promised us back in '06!

Robin Kaye GuestBlog: The Nice Italian (Bad) Boy's Guide To Breakfast In Bed

2010-01-08T01:45:00.011-06:00

CONTEST!!! Molto Bene! 2 randomly chosen lucky commenting Bellas (LCBs) each win a set of Robin’s Italian-spiced trio "Romeo, Romeo," "Too Hot to Handle" and "Breakfast in Bed! Pls have your email in comment or blogger profile to enter. Grazie!

From Michelle: If you've spent any time round this joint, you know the place has a little Italian flavor to it, and in 2008, RWA Golden Heart winner Robin Kaye's "Romeo, Romeo" won the first Year's Best Contemporary ItRom (ITalian-themed ROMance). Today, Robin introduces us to a nice Italian (bad) boy who can sweet-talk his way into just about any woman's -- kitchen? Please offer Robin your warmest "TGIFlippin-hot Italian Hero Day" Bella buongiorno...
From Robin: Ciao, Bellas! Buon anno! Or as my Grandfather would say in broken English “Hoppin-you-ass!” (You have to say it fast to get the full effect.)

As you can probably guess, I’m Italian. All my books, "Romeo, Romeo," "Too Hot to Handle," and my latest release, "Breakfast in Bed" take place in Brooklyn, New York, and a majority of my characters are Italian. I took the old adage "write what you know" literally.

Believe me when I say I know Italian men like my hero in Breakfast in Bed, Rich Ronaldi. Growing up Italian for him meant that while his sisters were busy learning to cook and clean, Rich was treated like the second coming, or was getting into trouble. Over the years, he’s cleaned up his act—in a matter of speaking. He stopped getting arrested and now has three post-secondary degrees and is a psychology professor at an Ivy League college; too bad he’s still a Domestic Dud.

Rich is pressured by his boss to settle down and then dumped by his girlfriend for not being marriage material on the same day. He decides it’s time he learns the fine art of becoming a Domestic God to win back his girlfriend and secure his job. After all, a man can only expect his mother to do his laundry, clean his apartment, and cook his meals for only so long.

So how does a man go from Domestic Dud to Domestic Stud? He enlists the help or blackmails (depending upon how you look at it) his sister's best friend Becca Larsen to be his coach.

What would you do if you were Becca Larsen and due to no fault of your own, found yourself stuck living with a man you don't like? Sure Rich looks like the Italian version of a Greek God, but he comes complete with cocky attitude, a killer smile, and absolutely no idea how to do anything but teach psychology and charm the panties off women. The answer is simple; you have fun watching the show while he learns the ins and outs of cleaning and housework. The best part is you don't have to do any of it yourself. You get to supervise.

And tell me ladies, what is sexier than a man scrubbing the bathroom? If that man looks like Rich Ronaldi—not much.

So if you were training your very own Domestic God,
what would you put on his to do list?

***

This week's contest winners w/be announced Monday! Thanks for your patience. :)

Laura Kinsale GuestBlog: Revenge Of The Non-Kick-Ass Heroine

2010-01-06T04:00:00.002-06:00

CONTEST TODAY!!! Begin your "Lessons in French" (LIF)with a shot at 17 Extraordinary Prizes from Sourcebooks!: 2 Grands of LIF + Laura's Current Sourcebook Library + ARC of her May re-issue + Godiva chocolates! 5 Nextra prizes: Laura's Sourcebooks 'brary: "Lessons in French," "Seize the Fire," "Midsummer Moon," "Prince of Midnight"; 10 Extra Prizes: Copy of "Lessons in French!" Pls. have your email addy in your comment to enter.

***Please check out Michelle's EXCLUSIVE pre-release feature on "Lessons in French" here! You won't find one anywhere else!***

From Michelle: Out of the many special moments and delightful times we've shared here in the pink, it's one of my greatest honors to join you in offering Laura Kinsale our warmest, most welcoming "What's a nice heroine like you doing in a place like this?" Bella buongiornos...
From Laura:

It was the zombies that alerted me.

Female cops, spies, witches, vampires, werewolves, demons, demi-gods…they’re as common lately as dukes in the Regency. But if we’ve come to Lizzie Bennet hurling nunchucks, which it seems that we have, I’m forced to issue a strong warning regarding my upcoming historical romance, "Lessons in French":

Do Not Open This Book Unprepared.

The heroine is not kick-ass.

You won’t be whirled into a battle for your life in the first three paragraphs. Callie is shy. She’d far prefer to feed a bottle to an orphan calf than make conversation with a gentleman. (Gentlemen and the undead would be pretty much equally menacing in Callie’s view.) She is plain. She has no special hidden powers. She’s been jilted three times, and she took it deeply to heart. What's more, she doesn't open her own business in response, or decide to make herself the most notorious female in London. Her greatest desire is to win the silver cup at the agricultural fair with her prize bull, Hubert. She’s sure of success there, at least—until her cousin gambles away Hubert just before the fair.

All the ass-kicking in "Lessons in French" is provided by the elegant Trevelyan d’Augustin, son of aristocratic but impoverished French émigrés. It only gets him in trouble, but he’s very much in the mood for trouble when he returns from a mysterious nine-year absence to find his beloved mother dying and Callie being courted by a cad. Trev just might be to blame for this situation himself, but that doesn’t stop him from doing everything in his power to protect Callie, even if his methods are as illicit and unconventional as they ever were. When Callie finds the constable pounding on the door and her bull stuck in the kitchen, she can be reasonably sure who’s responsible.

Callie may not be fierce, but she’s reliable. When you can't depend on your ninja skills or your corporate power plays, you have to find another sort of courage, the kind that comes from the heart. Sometimes carrots work when nunchucks and plastic explosives are useless. Callie is kind. She has a sense of humor. She cares for her animals and her village and her sister. Trev not only loves her--he actually likes her.

This sort of heroine seems to be an endangered species lately. Maybe the zombies got them. But there’s one alive and well in "Lessons in French," and she saves the hero’s neck in the end without a sword drawn or a kick boxed.

So what’s the Revenge of the Non-Kick-Ass Heroine? That she’ll make you giggle, and experience that little warm glow, that inner smile when you close a book—you’ll feel a bit better about the world, and the people in it...and maybe even yourself.

Laura

PS - I do enjoy a good barbaric heroine myself, mind you. My favorite swordswoman, the first red-haired she-devil in swimsuit armor, mother of all to come, was created in 1934 smack-dab in the male dominion of sword and sorcery by an author with the initials C.L. Moore. If you think she’s Red Sonja, think again!

Non-kick-ass heroine fans: Why do you like them? What are the ways you think heroines can be strong? What kinds of heroines do you prefer to read about -- or would you most like to be like in real life?

"Lessons in French" is available in stores Jan. 26!

***
Join RBTB News in the sidebar for quickie bits on what's hot in romance -- and don't-wanna'-miss features, columns and interviews from the RBTB team!

4th Annual Show Michelle The Love Day (For Swank Swag)

2010-01-05T07:01:00.007-06:00

It occurs to me that, what with all the talk about great romances and sex and pretty young boys here in the pink, there simply never is enough time to remind ourselves of all the wonders that is me.

So once I year to celebrate my birthday, I like to take a break from my continued and meteoric rise to mediocrity and give you a chance to reflect on all the things you love about Michelle Buonfiglio. Hence, I welcome you to our 4th Annual Love Day, in which I encourage you simply to offer in the comment boxes below flattering comments to me and about me in exchange for a shot at prizes.

Feel free to praise me in any form: poem, haiku, limerick, romance plot involving my life story, etc… And remember our motto: All praise welcome, the more outrageous the better, and feel free force it, feign it or create it from fantastic whole cloth.

Since our first Love Day, I’ve tried to offer you prizes of my favorite things. This year, I’d like to share with you love that includes some from my most special place: Nordstrom.

Grand Prize: $75 Nordstrom Card
1st Prize: $50 Nordstrom Card
2nd Prize: $25 Barnes & Noble Card
3rd Prize: $15 Barnes & Noble Card
(Non-US residents may rec've alternate prizes)

Please make sure your email addy’s available in your comment box or blogger.com profile to enter the contest!

Let the Love begin! And please, don’t thank me. Just go forth filled with all the beauty of having been touched by my life for one day.

***

TOMMOROW: LAURA KINSALE GuestBlogs at RBTB, kicking off her "Lessons in French" cyber tour! Guaranteed you will not expect what she has to reveal about her eagerly awaited new novel or the current state of romance!

Liz Maverick GuestBlog: Once In A Blue Moon

2010-01-04T00:00:00.001-06:00

CONTEST TODAY!!! 5 Randomly chosen commenters each win a copy of "Crimson & Steam!" Please have your email addy available in comment or blogger accnt. And Please Join Michelle Tomorrow!*

From Michelle: Have we ever got a ab fab kick-off 4 2010! Liz Maverick's here today because she generously "won" a high bid in the 2009 Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research. But Liz would have ended up here in the pink anyway, since I can't seem to keep quiet about her wicked hip and hot new romance, "Crimson & Steam." There's just no reason not to place scoring it at the top of your To Do in '10 list. So please offer Liz your lustiest "Ring in the New" Bella buongiorno...

From Liz: Happy New Year, Bellas! Resolutions tend to be rather specific things like a promise to lose weight, a pledge to go out more and finally meet that someone or a vow to be a better person in some specific way. As I wrote in my newsletter earlier this week, I used to make plenty of resolutions. Then it dawned on me that I was not actually getting progressively richer or skinnier—nor was I becoming imbued with a greater sense of inner peace as planned.

I still make a few token resolutions just to make sure I clean my apartment, floss and ingest enough Omega-3s during the year. But I now prefer to think of New Years as a reminder to take a really deep breath. The clicking sound coming from one of those old analog clocks with the black-on-white numbers as it flips at midnight is a sweet sound, indeed. It’s as if the whole world agrees on something for a second in time—fresh start, anything is possible, something good is going to happen and we’ve turned the corner. That sometimes life is hard—maybe this last year was particularly hard for a lot of people—but we still have optimism in our hearts, and we still believe that good things are ahead of us.

If you think about it, New Years sort of like Thanksgiving crossed with a tarot card reading about the future, but with fancier cocktails and the potential for making out with a really hot guy. And if Thanksgiving is about appreciating what is already right in front of you, New Years is about opening your eyes to what you can set into motion and bring to the front.

I’m a big believer in reinvention, grand adventures and giving oneself permission to do out of the ordinary things, and this happens to be a Blue Moon New Year. The phrase “once in a blue moon” suggests a rare event. So more than ever, this is the time to do something extraordinary and step out of your comfort zone—whether it takes a phone call, a couple of steps outside your door or a long plane ride.

"Crimson & Steam" is actually the result of just such a reinvention. It’s a hybrid book, an “out-of-the-box” book, as they call it. It combines romance, paranormal, futuristic, and steampunk historical elements. In short, it’s not normal. None of the books in the Crimson City series are normal, LOL. And at the time that I conceived the idea for the series, it felt exciting, of course, but risky and scary too. Fast forward several years, and it was the best decision I could have made. I truly love writing hybrid books. It allows me to experiment with all kinds of subgenres, and I think my writing is better for it.

"Crimson & Steam" ties up the series nicely—but also establishes an amazing new path I could take to continue the series. It’s funny to look back now and remember that Crimson City was way out of my comfort zone and a huge risk. It reminds me how important it is to take that big breath—and then take that big chance, because it so often leads to wonderful things

I hope this is a true Blue Moon year for all of you. Happy New Year!

Did this New Years feel different to you from years before? Did you make resolutions? Did you breathe a sigh of relief that we could put the 00’s to bed or were you sorry to see the year end?

***
*TOMORROW: Swap flattery for swag during the
4th Annual Show Michelle the Love Day!
All forms of praise -- faint, forced and flat-out fictional -- get you a shot at prizes, and help you celebrate Michelle's birthday.

WEDNESDAY: Michelle shows YOU the love by bringing you
Laura Kinsale in the kick off to Laura's "Lessons in French" cyber tour! Meet Laura. Worship Laura. Check out her hot-button topic!

RBTB Winter Staycation 12.25 Thru 01.03!

2009-12-27T09:20:00.005-06:00

Hey! RBTB's on Winter Staycation! But you're welcome to hang here to chill while we're keeping toasty and spending time with our families.

Anybody commenting between now and 01.03's entered to win a $25 BN gift card! Leave a note about what romance you're reading and what you're liking about it. Have your email addy available in your comment or blogger profile.

Please join us in 2010:

Jan 4 -- Liz Maverick rocks the New Year "Crimson and Steam" style
Jan 5 -- Show Michelle the Love Day returns! U can win swag by celebrating Michelle's birthday and self centeredness!

Then, Jan 6, RBTB's honored and jazzed to host
Laura Kinsale's Kick-Off to her "Lessons in French" cyber tour!

So, what are you reading and what are you loving about it?

During winter staycation, you still can read Michelle at H2H and Tuesday at Unabashedly Bookish ,catch Becke at BN's Mystery boards , Melanie at BN's Romantic Reads and Gannon/PJ at TheRomanceDish.com.

Congrats, Winners: Hunt Her Down/marlene; Highlander Christmas/gina; Seducing the Heiress/LisaK

Rocki St. Claire Christmas EveBlog: Feast On This!

2009-12-24T09:05:00.010-06:00

CONTEST TODAY!!! One randomly chosen commenter wins a copy of "Hunt Her Down" from Rocki! Pls have your email addy avlble in comment/blogger profile.

Buon Natale, Bellas! The halls are decked, the presents are wrapped, the cookies are baked, the cards are sent. Is it possible…we’re done? There’s only one thing left for me to do: my annual Christmas Eve Blog at RBTB!

Four years ago, I whispered my darkest secret as an RBTB GuestBlogger (so maybe not such a whisper, and not so secret)…that I didn’t completely love Christmas. Not in the way I loved, say, George Clooney. That morphed into my first RBTB Christmas Eve blog (still lovingly known as “Christmas and Clooney”) and I’m just tickled that Michelle has asked for an encore year after year. I love tradition – but never thought I’d be one.

Of course, we all have special traditions at this time of year, but none is stronger for the Italians than La Vigilia. And since we Bellas are all Italians -- some by marriage, some by birth, some just by association, I wanted to use this year’s blog to share the most magical night of the year that takes place every Christmas Eve at our (mostly) Italian home.

Let’s just get this out of the way right now so you can hate me. My husband is an incredibly gifted cook. But that’s not all. He happens to look like this:

Okay, stop hating me. He snores. But he does give ol’ George a run for his money in most rooms of the house….including the kitchen. Especially on Christmas Eve when we celebrate what Italians call The Feast of the Seven Fishes or La Vigilia. This is a multi-course affair that must include at least seven different kinds of fish. No one really knows why seven is the magic number, but theories include the possibility that they represent the seven Sacraments or the Seven Hills of Rome. I suggest the number is for famous Seven Pounds of December that we all gain.

Whatever the history, La Vigilia (the vigil) is the biggest food night of the year for us, a gathering of about twenty friends and family a group of about 20 who eat, drink, and make merry until the kids crash and Santa arrives.

Just to get you salivating, the menu's to the left.

As a special gift to those of you who love food as much as romance, my husband has offered up his recipe for the Scampi Fa Diavolo on the right, a huge hit with anyone who prefer things on the spicy side. And what Bella doesn’t? Click on it for a larger version.

Let’s talk holiday feasts! What is your absolute favorite Christmas food? Leave a comment and one lucky winner will start the new year with a copy of HUNT HER DOWN, a fan favorite in the Bullet Catchers series. (This one has the real honor of being selected by Michelle for Barnes & Noble's Best of 2009’s Hottest Love Scene…AKA “the shed scene.” Trust me, this is a whole different kind of feast.)

Buon Natale, Bellas, and thank you again for letting me share the holiday spirit with you!

Feature Review: "Holiday Brides," By Amethyst/Rochon/Worth

2009-12-23T00:00:00.004-06:00

By Tracy Montoya, RBTB Contributing Editor

Everyone has their holiday traditions, and here are some of mine: decorating the tree the minute Thanksgiving is over, choking down and loving my grandmother’s hard-as-a-rock Christmas bread, and indulging in a holiday-themed romance novel as a reward for finishing my shopping.

This year’s book is “Holiday Brides,” an anthology from Farrah Rochon, Stefanie Worth, and Jewel Amethyst that doesn’t disappoint. The authors deliver a holiday confection as warm and satisfying as a cup of hot chocolate after a day in the snow.

Jewel Amethyst’s “From SKB with Love” is as much of a love letter to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts as it is a poignant love story. Five years ago, Venetta David lost her childhood sweetheart to leukemia, and she’s still mired in grief. In an attempt to help her get her groove back, a group of friends whisks her from New York to St. Kitts for Christmas, where she has a brief flirtation with a gorgeous stranger she calls “the phantom of the beach.” She’s pretty sure she’ll never see him again, but fate has other plans.

When Sean Kevin Bryan—whose initials are also cleverly the St. Kitts airport code—shows up at an island dinner party she’s attending, sparks fly. But Venetta isn’t sure she’s ready to love again, especially since she knows they’ll have to face the challenge of a long-distance relationship once she leaves both SKBs.

Farrah Rochon shows off her flair for snappy dialogue and jump-off-the-page characterization in “No Ordinary Girl.” When Tyson Crawford broke up with Kemah Griffin via text message, her head wrote him off for good—but her heart mourned the fact that she’d been in love with the jerk.

Her heart also couldn’t let her walk away from him completely. He’s the director of the community center for which she volunteers, teaching dance to underprivileged children in New Orleans. She won’t leave the kids because of a bruised ego, especially when a lonely looking girl who reminds her of herself as a child starts hanging around the center’s front gates.

As she helps plan the center’s annual Kwanzaa ceremony, Kemah’s stunned when Tyson starts turning his charm level up to smoldering. She’d like nothing better than to fall back into his arms, but how far can she really trust a man who crushed her emotions with a Blackberry?

Finally, Stefanie Worth delivers “HeavenSent.com,” a sexy and fabulously fun take on “It’s a Wonderful Life,” complete with two angels who need to earn their wings by persuading two jaded professionals that they belong together.

Brenna Campbell seems to have it all: a high-powered job, a great group of friends, and excellent clothes. But as the holidays approach, the fact that she doesn’t have a gorgeous man waiting under her tree leaves her feeling melancholy.

She tries online dating, with disastrous results, and soon realizes that her handsome coworker Evan Shephard might be just what Santa ordered. Unfortunately, she finds herself downsized out of a job shortly after that revelation.

Evan’s there to offer a supportive arm—and the casual flirtation they’d shared in the office quickly turns hot. But Brenna’s luck continues to go south. The Morning After, he doesn’t call, he doesn’t write, and he mildly freaks out when they run into each other at a party. It doesn’t take long for strong-willed Brenna to walk away. Which leaves wingless angels Kay and Jay frantically trying to figure out how to make these two stubborn souls realize they’re meant to be.

By turns funny, steamy, and sigh-worthy, “Holiday Brides” is the perfect antidote to the frenzied crush of last-minute shoppers at the mall. So take out that credit card one more time and …

Buy the book.

Do you like to read holiday-themed books? What are some of your favorites? And while we’re at it, what’s your number-one favorite holiday film or TV show?

***

Exclusive: Laura Kinsale kicks off her "Lessons in French" cyber tour here at RBTB Jan 6! Win a copy of the read that's well worth the 5-year wait, and check out Laura's hot-button topic.

***

TOMORROW/DEC. 24: Roxanne St. Claire rocks her
Annual Day Before Christmas Visit!

Dec 24 - Jan 3: RBTB Winter Staycation! The RBTB team takes time off to hang w/our families and looks forward to hanging w/you in the New Year!

Feature Review: "A Highlander Christmas," By Halliday/Renwick/Miles

2009-12-22T00:00:00.001-06:00

By Amy Kennedy, RBTB Contributing Editor

I thought I wanted a sweet 1962 cherry red Gibson Les Paul guitar for Christmas – but, in these times, I need to simplify. So…I simply want a brawny warrior with dark braids at his temples and wrapped in a plaid – a simple plaid, for a simple girl. See? Is this too much to ask?
None of the heroines in this sweet-to-smokin’-hot anthology, “A Highlander Christmas,” thought it was too much to ask for either.

In Dawn Halliday’s lusty medieval “Winter Heat,” Logan Douglas saves Maggie MacDonald who’s on the brink of a frozen death. Abducted by the man she’s pledged to, Maggie uses her clan pin as a weapon to escape into a blizzard, and it’s this same pin that catches and draws Logan’s eye to the sight of Maggie’s body. They find warmth and discover each other in a cottage as the blizzard rages on. Logan will have Maggie as his own, if only for this short time.

Like a favorite fairytale all grown-up, Sophie Renwick’s lush Victorian “Yuletide Enchantment” is laced with magic and myth. Isobel MacDonald always sees her stag, the white hart, at every turning point in her life; she’s sure it’s magical and she’s right. Prince Daegon of the Sidhe -- magical Celtic fey -- would like to claim Isobel as his own, but he endangers the other Sidhe and her if he does. Her clan pin is the key to being with him…again and again and again.

Paige MacDonald is nobody’s fool in Cindy Miles’ tenderly sexy and funny contemporary, “A Christmas Spirit.” Paige reacts exactly the way any of us would when faced with dead (as in ghost) sexy highland warrior Gabriel Munro – she runs like hell, becomes a klutz, falls down and then wonders: What’s really so bad about a ghost? He wants her to stay, there’s a blizzard (yay!) and she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. But will he find out she’s one of “those MacDonalds” the ones who killed him? He will, if he sees her antique clan pin.

“A Highlander Christmas” is a great “light paranormal,” if you will, tied together by the MacDonald women and their clan pin handed down through the generations. Each story lends itself to the time period: the medieval story, earthy and harsh yet romantic, the Victorian, a bit more dressed-up, and the contemporary funny and full of banter. You’ll want your own Highland Warrior wrapped-up under the tree as soon as you –

Buy the book.

Who would you wish for all wrapped-up and waiting under the tree for you?

***

Tomorrow: Tracy Montoya brings you one more reason to add to your holiday-heavy credit-card bill: Treat yourself to the new anthology, "Holiday Brides!"
Thursday: Rocki St Claire joins us for her annual "last day before the holiday" visit!
Dec 24 thru Jan 3: RBTB Winter Staycation -- We're closing shop to hang with our families while you hang with yours! Comment over staycation and we'll choose a winner of a $25 BN card! We'll be back in '10 w/:

Liz Maverick, Jan 4
Show Michelle the Love Day, Jan 5 (Exchange flattery 4 prizes)!
Laura Kinsale's "Lessons in French" Cyber-tour Kick-Off, Jan 6 (Win a copy of the read)!

Exclusive: A(n Ivy) League Of Their Own: Elliott/Willig Bring Romance To Yale!

2009-12-20T23:30:00.001-06:00

By Michelle Buonfiglio

What began as a playful “wouldn’t it be funny if…” between two bestselling romance-author friends sharing some pretty good wine and a couple of laughs comes to fruition January when Cara Elliott and Lauren Willig present at their alma mater, “Reading the Historical Romance Novel,” the first seminar on romance fiction taught at Yale University and within the Ivy League.

According to Willig, author of the popular Pink Carnation series, the class is tailored around the Regency romance. “We didn’t do this only because we both write it and men in knee breeches are always a Good Thing,” said Willig, “It provides a self-contained field through which we can track the development of a genre in a comprehensive way.”

Beginning with Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey,” Elliott and Willig plan to examine some of the tropes and changes which are unique to the Regency romance, and those which, according to Willig, “mirror developments in the romance community as a whole.” From Austen, the course moves through Georgette Heyer and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, looks at changing attitudes towards sexuality and heroism in a variety of authors over a thirty-year time span, then continues through Regency paranormals to chick lit.

Elliott’s and Willig’s course syllabus and formal proposal to the University wended through a rigorous application process which culminated with their presenting both to a panel consisting of Yale faculty and students. While they describe the experience as “a bit surreal and incredibly invigorating,” it’s clear their academic creds and innate understanding of all elements of the romance fiction genre quickly won over panel members. Elliott – who’s written award-winning Regencies as Andrea Pickens, and an upcoming Circle of Sin series "as" Cara Elliott -- says panel members were “Incredibly enthusiastic, even the men!”

To that end, one of Elliott’s and Willig’s memorable moments from the interview came when they were asked whether they expected only women to register for the course. When they explained both male and female academics study romance fiction – indeed, that a man is among those at the forefront of the movement in the United States – the group took notice.

“That was a really interesting moment,” recalls Elliott. “You could see something click in both the men and women [on the panel]. The question had been asked half in jest, but I think the answer made them think—and in a very good way.” Elliott and Willig believe – and their proposal’s having been accepted seems to suggest – the Yale panelists came away thinking of romance as less of, as Willig puts it, “just a monolith known as ‘Oh, romance novels,” and instead, a serious literary genre and collection of sub-genres, “each with its own traditions and trajectory.”

Elliott’s and Willig’s ground-breaking seminar places Yale among the many universities and colleges in the United States and around the world which already offer romance fiction courses.

***

Exclusive: Laura Kinsale kicks off her "Lessons in French" cyber tour here at RBTB Jan 6! Win a copy of the read that's well worth the 5-year wait, and check out Laura's hot-button topic.

Holiday Short Story: "Silver And Gold," By Becke Martin

2009-12-18T05:45:00.011-06:00

Small-town bookseller Aiden Flynn doesn’t realize he’s put his life on hold until a pretty waitress and her little man remind him he’s got some hope left where his heart used to live. Golden memories are rekindled along with glittering optimism in this slightly sassy take on holiday heartwarming.

“Please, Mommy – please!”

Aiden looked up from his bowl of spicy goulash. The new waitress knelt down, shushing the boy who must be her son. “I’m sorry, Joey. The mall will be closed before I get off work. I’ll get you a sheet of paper and a pen – you can write a letter to Santa instead.”

The boy chewed his lower lip. “Grandma would’ve taken me.”

Man, the kid was good. What mother could resist that soulful expression? Joey’s mother, apparently; she closed her eyes briefly, but she didn’t respond.

“But this is important,” the young boy whispered loudly, emphasizing almost every other word. “Santa gets millions of letters. What if he’s a slow reader, like me? I need to tell him in person.”

Aiden was always intrigued by human drama, but the boy’s mother was clearly distressed to have an audience. Fair Meadows, Ohio was such a small town, anyone new was bound to attract attention. He took another bite of goulash and pretended to ignore them.

His waitress moved as if to push back her dark blonde hair, then stopped as her hand met the lacy headband that was part of her uniform. Her fingers flailed for a second as if at a lost where to go next, then she reached into her apron pocket and tore a page from her order book. “Here, you can write the letter on this.”

“But Mom . . .”

“Hush, Joey – Santa won’t care that your letter’s not on fancy paper. And I happen to know he’s a speed reader.”

The boy, who looked to be six or seven, had big blue eyes like his mom’s and hair several shades lighter – baby-fine, flaxen and softly curling around his nape. He’d bet the boy was teased about it unmercifully at school.

Aiden pointedly opened the local paper and flipped to the sports section before returning to his dinner. The high school scores weren’t nearly as interesting as his waitress, though, and the realization came as a shock. It had been years since he’d noticed a woman – really noticed her, down to his gut. Why now, and why this woman?

Well, there was the kid. He was a sucker for kids. These days, if a man admitted that out loud people thought “pedophile,” but Aiden had always been fascinated with the intelligence and curiosity of children. He missed kids. He missed being a dad most of all.

Tears swam in front of his eyes, blurring the headlines he pretended to read. It was just Christmas, damn it. He wasn’t normally this maudlin. He’d had ten years to get over his son’s death, eight to adjust to the loneliness, abandonment and guilt after his wife killed herself. There was nothing wrong with him that getting past Christmas wouldn’t cure.

He heard the rustle of paper as the boy slid into the booth in front of his, sniffling quietly and muttering to himself. “I’ll never get the book now.”

At the word “book,” Aiden’s attention was caught again. It could be any book, but he was willing to bet Joey was going to ask Santa for the next installment of "The Adventures of Billy and Buster," an incredibly popular series about a smart six-year-old and his Golden Retriever. Buster was really an alien from the Dog Star who helped Billy solve mysteries and save their town from an evil villain in every volume. The series had a special place in Aiden’s heart.

Every book ended with the boy and dog strolling through the front door of their small suburban home, where smells of a hot dinner wafted out to greet them. Billy’s mother’s question – “What have you two been up to now?” – was such a popular catchphrase, it had been co-opted on every show from "SNL" to "The Family Guy," as was Billy’s response: “Nuttin’, Mom. What’s for dinner? We’re staaaarving.”

As the owner of Chapters, the only book store town, Aiden was... Read On...

Feature Review: "A Highlander Christmas," By Janet Chapman

2009-12-17T05:24:00.004-06:00

By Gannon Carr and PJ Ausdenmore, RBTB Correspondents

CONTEST!!! One randomly chosen commenter wins "A Highlander Christmas!" Pls have your email addy available in your comment or blogger profile to enter.

PJ and I are big fans of Christmas romances and Janet Chapman’s “A Highlander Christmas” is a perfect “curl up by the fire” holiday read. Camry MacKeage has quit her job as a NASA physicist to tend bar and dog sit in Go Back Cove, Maine. Her family has no idea that she’s no longer working for NASA and she has no intention of letting them know why. Little does she know that her rival, hunky scientist Luke Pascal, has come to the States to talk to her, and he’s let the cat out of the bag about her leaving her job.

PJ: Talk about three strikes! Luke (using his real name Lucien Renoir) has been driving Camry crazy via email for the past year. Now he’s revealed her closely guarded secret to her parents and, if that isn’t bad enough, her mother’s decided Luke should be the person to travel to Go Back Cove and convince Camry to come home for the family birthday celebration. Did I mention that Camry and her six sisters were all born on the Winter Solstice and not one of them has ever missed their joint party? Poor Luke has some huge hurdles to overcome if he has any hope of getting close to Camry. Then there’s the fact that what we have here are two hopelessly analytical scientists who are so tuned in to their minds that their worlds are ruled by facts and figures. It’s going to take some mighty powerful magic to get them to listen to their hearts.

Gannon: Well the MacKeage family is certainly full of magic, but Camry’s spent the last few years running from it. What she doesn’t realize is that she can’t avoid what’s in her blood, in her heart, her destiny. Little does she know that her destiny is the tall, dark and handsome man she’s serving at the Go Back Grill while she’s wearing an embarrassingly revealing pirate wench uniform. When Luke comes face to face, or rather face to cleavage with Camry, he has no idea that it’s her. But when he realizes that Camry, the woman who he’s battling via the internet, is his beautiful, if somewhat surly pirate waitress, he thinks that maybe his luck has taken a turn for the better.

PJ: That’s what I thought too, Gannon! But, instead of the hot seduction of his dreams, they both end up injured, on pain killers and at the tender mercy of a well-meaning, teenaged matchmaker. Talk about your well-laid plans gone awry! The first half of this story is so much fun but it’s the second half that really touched my heart. Camry’s always believed in the magic but that same magic that she’s grown up with is at the root of deep fears she has to overcome if she’s to have any hope of opening her heart to love. Luke, on the other hand, believes only what he can see and touch. His scientist’s brain scoffs at the idea of “magic”, of an unseen power beyond his control. Will his inability to believe cost him the love of his life? Or worse, will it cause Camry to lose her life?

For a fun and emotional journey this holiday season, Gannon and I recommend you put a little Highlander magic in your life and --

Buy the Book!

Are you the logical type, believing in only what you can see? Or do you follow your instinct, that little voice inside you, even if it doesn't seem like the most logical path?

Exclusive Interview: Marjorie Liu's "Tiger Eye" Game A Reality!

2009-12-15T06:55:00.006-06:00

Today, our pal Marjorie M. Liu and PassionFruit Games announce the debut of Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box, the romance casual* game that launches the dynamic new PassionFruit Games company and caters to gamers and genre fans jonesin' to get a little more interactive with their happily ever afters.

Liu’s right there with the rest of us on that last part. “Nothing can ever replace the power of words when telling a story,” she said yesterday in an exclusive interview. “But at the same time -- as a voracious reader myself -- I'm always hungry for new opportunities to experience the books I love, especially romance novels. Adapting ‘Tiger Eye’ into this new format gives readers -- and gamers -- a unique opportunity to engage with the story.“

But knowing Liu – and you’re well acquainted with her sweetness, intelligence and earnest nature pretty well by now – she’s not just handing off her novel to some “corporate types” and letting ‘em have their digital way with it. Marjorie’s involved every step of the way and even wrote the script for Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box (TE:COTRB), in which a woman with psychic abilities buys a riddle box in Beijing’s Dirt Market and opens it to find an ancient warrior bound to serve as a slave to the person who has opened the box. The action moves between China and the U.S.

” It's been incredibly fun! I've already played parts of the game, listened to the voice actors record lines from the book -- seen the art and storyboards. I believe this is a wonderful new world for romance fiction, and those who love it.”

PassionFruit Games Studio Director Melissa Heidrich believes there may be a lot of similarities between romance readers and casual gamers, since the majority of the latter are women aged 25 to 65. That correlation, says Heidrich, may make the market “ripe” for PassionFruit Games. “[It’s] surprising that there are currently so few romance casual games on the market. That’s why we’re excited to bring ‘Tiger Eye’ to life as interactive entertainment.”

Of that interactive love play, PassionFruit Games designer Mari Tokuda – who helped translate Liu’s book to game format – says, “[We] are giving players a chance to experience the romance through fun gameplay and sensual cut scenes that further the relationship. And of course, we'll have a sexy leading man heavily featured in the game. ”

Liu is jazzed about the creatives team working on TE: COTRB. "I'm very excited and grateful to be part of this wonderful team of people who are truly dedicated to romance novels, and who are bringing them to life for both readers and gamers."

While the folks at PassionFruit are making sure TE: COTRB follows a romance-novel storyline in which the main characters’ relationship deepens, don’t expect any hard-core sex scenes. TE:COTRB's about casual-gaming fun for anytime escapist play.

You can pre-order Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box in 2010, and some readers will even be chosen to test the game in beta. In the meantime, you can get more deets about it – and PassionFruit Games -- at PassionFruitGames.com.

Oh. While you're a-waiting, I suggest you scarf up "Tiger Eye" and the rest of Marjorie's Dirk & Steele reads. Follow 'em up with her NYX and Dark Wolverine comics, then move on to her paras. I know you'll read each/every one. For while you may be a casual gamer, there ain't no such animal as a casual Marjorie Liu fan. Least not round these parts.

Are you a gamer? What kind, and what's your poison? How much time to you spend playing vs reading romance? Which are your fave Liu titles?

*A casual game generally is defined as a non-violent game that can be played in drips and drabs, again and again and one which doesn’t have a "finite" ending.

***

Thursday: Gannon and PJ are back 12. 17 to celebrate the “magic” of the holidays with their best-girlfriends take on Janet Chapman’s “Highlander Christmas!”
Friday: RBTBs Holiday Exclusive Gift for You! Read Becke Martin’s sweet n’ just-a-teensy-bit-sexy short story, "Silver and Gold!" The promise of healing love when one least expects it – and a little boy’s Christmas expectations fulfilled in just the right way – reminds us that hope still can glitter in anyone’s heart at Christmastime.
Dec 24: Rocki St. Claire returns for her Annual Holiday Kick-Off! We love to spend a few moments before everything goes holiday haywire to wish each other happy, and to Win Prizes!

PLUS: Jan 4 Liz Maverick visits to talk “Crimson and Steam” her wicked-cool upcoming release. I glommed it recently and now have to read the rest of the series!
– and – A huge RBTB contest is on the way w/deets soon.

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Exclusive Interview: Marjorie Liu's "Tiger Eye" Game A Reality!