And I kept reading...and reading...and reading.
When I was a teenager, I picked up one of my mom's romances and fell in love with books all over again. Throughout the years, I've collected a large amount of books and I have an extensive "keeper" shelf with books that I like to re-read again and again. Since I could write a whole book with that list, I'll just share a small selection of some of my favorite books here.
Working for over 12 years as a bookseller, I've recommended these titles to countless customers who've come back to tell me how glad they were for my suggestions. If you get a chance, give these books a try.
And please, please, please, when you're finished reading a book (any book at all!), if you enjoyed it, give the author of that book some love and write a review. Post it on places such as Amazon, Goodreads, your blog, or anywhere else appropriate. It doesn't have to be a lengthy dissertation, just a quick note about how much you enjoyed the book and why. Authors rely on readers to spread the word about their books. They need readers like you! After all, we wouldn't have some of these awesome books if authors didn't write them! Writing reviews is some of the best thanks an author can get!
A special thanks to Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay for hosting this event.
Check out her reviews and blog posts on b00kr3vi3ws.
(with a brand new cover!)
Bid by King Edward to marry one of his knights, Aisley de Laci hopes to avoid the altar by choosing Baron Montmorency. 'Tis a union she is certain none will endorse, especially the baron, who is rumored to practice the dark arts from his isolated keep.
Renowned in battle, the Red Knight has secluded himself at Dunmurrow for reasons of his own. And he does not want a wife, no matter how wealthy and beautiful she might be. But even he cannot defy the king's order, and what comes to him, he takes—and holds.
Although Aisely refuses to believe the tales that make Montmorency more myth than mortal, she begins to wonder whether he does possess mysterious powers. How else to explain her own growing feelings for her husband, a man so shrouded in shadow she has never seen his face?
Was she under a spell or truly the Devil's Lady?
My Lady's Dare by Gayle Wilson
Valentine Sinclair, the Earl of Dare, was an enigma, even to those who professed to know him well. For while his morals seemed suspect and his leisure pursuits as reckless as any of his well-heeled peers', there was something lurking beneath the facade of good looks, wit and charm that he so skillfully hid behind.
Or so it had seemed, until the night Dare wagered a small fortune for a French gambler's English mistress, and won. Now, with the stunning widow installed at his town house, even the Matchmaking Mamas of the ton were doubting that the Earl of Dare would ever recover his good name, for it appeared that the infamous Mrs. Carstairs was destined to become a Sinclair Bride.
Dear Reader:
Seductive and mysterious, Merlyn was the laird of Ravensmuir — never had a man so stirred my body and soul. I gave myself to him — willingly, trustingly, passionately — and we soon wed. Then a horrible revelation emerged, shattering my innocence and my marriage...
Five years later, Merlyn returned to my doorstep, desperate for my help. The scoundrel swore he was haunted by memories of me, that a treasure locked in Ravensmuir could clear his name. Yet I could not surrender to his will again. Now he is said to be murdered and Ravensmuir has fallen into my hands.
But even as I cross the threshold of this cursed keep, I hear his whisper in the darkness, feel his caress in the night, and I know that Merlyn has told me but part of his tale. Should I do as is right and expose his lair? Or dare I trust my alluring but deceptive spouse - the rogue who destroyed my heart?
— Ysabella
Gillian of Warewick knows no other treatment than the terrible physical and mental abuse issued by her father. When he arranges a match for Gillian with Christopher of Blackmour, she is fearful: Blackmour is rumored to be an evil sorcerer. When Gillian meets him, he proves to be far more of a man than her father is, yet he is unwilling to be a lover to Gillian. She finds that Blackmour has as many psychological scars to heal as she has physical scars.
Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .
The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.
AMAZON KINDLE
Frederica Merriville and her three siblings have come to London for the glittering social season, in order to give young and beautiful Charis a chance to make a good marriage. Frederica herself, a witty charmer, believes herself happily beyond marriageable age -- she is twenty-four, after all. But when they are introduced to London society by their distant "cousin" Lord Alverstoke, Frederica is amazed to find herself, unknowingly, falling in love. Likewise, Alverstoke, a cold aristocrat, finds himself thoroughly beguiled by Frederica and her young rascal brothers.
As a PRIZE for Celebrating
International Authors' Day
I'm giving away one of my favorite books written by AJ Krafton.
This stunning book hooked me with its darkly poetic writing. You can read the review I posted here.
Haunted by a crushing fear of death, a young Victorian woman discovers
the secret of eternal youth--she must surrender her life to attain it,
and steal heartbeats to keep it.
In 1860 Surrey, a young woman has only one occupation: to marry. Senza Fyne is beautiful, intelligent, and lacks neither wealth nor connections. Finding a husband shouldn't be difficult, not when she has her entire life before her. But it's not life that preoccupies her thoughts. It's death--and that shadowy spectre haunts her every step.
So does Mr. Knell. Heart-thumpingly attractive, obviously eligible--he'd be her perfect match if only he wasn't so macabre. All his talk about death, all that teasing about knowing how to avoid it...
When her mother arranges a courtship with another man, Senza is desperate for escape from a dull prescripted destiny. Impulsively, she takes Knell up on his offer. He casts a spell that frees her from the cruelty of time and the threat of death--but at a steep price. In order to maintain eternal youth, she must feed on the heartbeats of others.
From the posh London season to the back alleys of Whitechapel, across the Channel, across the Pond, across the seas of Time...
How far will Senza Fyne go to avoid Death?
In 1860 Surrey, a young woman has only one occupation: to marry. Senza Fyne is beautiful, intelligent, and lacks neither wealth nor connections. Finding a husband shouldn't be difficult, not when she has her entire life before her. But it's not life that preoccupies her thoughts. It's death--and that shadowy spectre haunts her every step.
So does Mr. Knell. Heart-thumpingly attractive, obviously eligible--he'd be her perfect match if only he wasn't so macabre. All his talk about death, all that teasing about knowing how to avoid it...
When her mother arranges a courtship with another man, Senza is desperate for escape from a dull prescripted destiny. Impulsively, she takes Knell up on his offer. He casts a spell that frees her from the cruelty of time and the threat of death--but at a steep price. In order to maintain eternal youth, she must feed on the heartbeats of others.
From the posh London season to the back alleys of Whitechapel, across the Channel, across the Pond, across the seas of Time...
How far will Senza Fyne go to avoid Death?
Be sure to check out the other posts on this Blog Hop
for Great Prizes!
