Save the School of Gallantry Series

I met Delilah Marvelle at RT in Orlando this spring. I had not read her debut release Mistress of Pleasure and to be honest, I had never heard of it. But she was really friendly and we hit it off talking about all kinds of things. We kept bumping into each other, literally on the dance floor in the evenings and found ourselves together at some of the other daily events. I even had the chance to go out to dinner with her the last night of the convention. We talked about books (of course) but we also talked about ourselves and our families. As we were sitting there I thought to myself, "Man, she sure is a good storyteller."

Delilah and Me

After I got home from RT, I hesitated to read her book. What if I didn't like it? If I did like it maybe it's because I am biased since I had such a good time hanging out with her. Then Delilah sent me an email asking for help because Kensington has decided to drop her School of Gallantry series. Well, that was the incentive I needed to read the book and so I did. I was happy to say that Mistress of Pleasure was a FUN read. You can read my review here. Now, I am hooked on these characters and I want to know what will happen to the other men in the School of Gallantry. It would be a real shame to not have the whole series published.

Delilah is having a contest to try and encourage readers to purchase the second book in her series, which will be out in stores August 4th. Click on the link below for details on how to enter the contest and help Delilah save her series.

Enter Contest

Review - Burn

Title: Burn
Author: Linda Howard
Publishing Date: July 2009
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm

Jenner Redwine is twenty-three working second shift in a meat packing plant. On her way home from work as she stops to buy a six pack for her moocher boyfriend she also buys a few lottery tickets. Believe it or not, Jenner wins the lottery. Jenner knows that her life is about to change drastically. Even though she might not be well educated, she is no dummy. She takes the proper precautions to ensure the safety of her winnings before claiming the winning ticket. Fast forward seven years later and Jenner is traveling on a charity cruise to Hawaii with her best friend, Sydney. Only Sydney is kidnapped and held captive to ensure Jenner's participation in the surveillance of the cruise's owner without any missteps.

Burn is classic Linda Howard, maybe not at her best, but damn entertaining that's for sure. The first part of the book tells the story of how Jenner went from poor white trash, to hob knobbing with the filthy rich. What is so awesome about Howard's writing style is that the reader is not just told how diligent and smart Jenner is, but shown through the actions she takes to prepare herself for the changes to her new life after she claims her winning lottery ticket. This part of the book has clearly shown the reader what type of person Jenner is and what she is capable of.

Then Jenner is thrown into a stressful situation on the cruise and she doesn't panic at all. Instead she gets angry and fights back. Cael Traylor needs access to Jenner's suite in order to keep tabs on what the ship's owner is up to. He is impressed and yet annoyed with Jenner's prickly personality. These two are like two dogs in a kennel circling each other, snipping and snarling and waiting for an opportunity to pounce. The dynamic between Cael and Jenner is laced with lots of sexual tension and is a lot of fun to read.

I found the suspense to overshadow the romance to a certain degree. The suspense is the main momentum for the story and the most important aspect. I prefer it to be the other way around with the romance leading the way. But even with this as the case, Burn was a very enjoyable read. Jenner has definitely made the top of my list of favorite heroines by Ms. Howard.

This book can be purchased in hardcover or kindle by Amazon.

Review - Loving a Lost Lord

Title: Loving a Lost Lord
Author: Mary Jo Putney
Publishing Date: July 2009
Genre: Historical
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm

Loving a Lost Lord is the first book in a new series by Mary Jo Putney, Lost Lords. It is about a group of unconventional school hood boys who grow up into upstanding men who find their true love. When the Duke of Ashton goes missing, the group presumes the worst that he is dead and begins a search to recover his body. Meanwhile off the coast of Northwestern England, Mariah Clarke finds the body of a man barely alive hanging onto a piece of driftwood. She manages to get him into her house and into bed. Mariah's father has just passed away and to keep a persistent suitor at bay claims the man she rescued was none other than her husband. Since Adam has no recollection of whom he is and this seemed like a smart plan at the time. Only, one lie leads to another and Mariah is quickly in over her head.

I love a good amnesia story and Loving a Lost Lord easily caught my eye. Even more fortunate for me, the book was free through Amazon last week as an e-book. The first part of the book I really enjoyed. It focused on Adam and Mariah getting to know each other as Adam struggled to recall his past. Mariah and Adam were instantly drawn to one another. Even though Adam couldn't recall Mariah being his wife, it felt right to him and gave him hope. Mariah felt guilty perpetuating the lie, but she couldn't seem to find a way to correct it without dashing Adam's hopes. She finds herself falling in love with him and hopes he will be able to forgive her when she reveals the truth.

The second part of the story lost some steam after Adam's friends find him and tell him who he is. Slowly, Adam starts to recover some of his memory, but unfortunately he can't seem to recall what happened just before his ship blew up. His friends uncover that there was foul play involved. Adam can't imagine who would want him dead. I thought the mystery portion of the book was weak. It didn't hold my interest and took time away from the real conflict which was Adam and Mariah trying to work through their feelings for each other.

In summary, Loving a Lost Lord is a very sweet, warm hearted romance. The first half of the book is wonderful, but the second half stumbles a bit with the mystery. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy amnesia themed books and also to readers who like their heroes on the beta side.

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This book can be purchased in print or kindle format at Amazon.

Review - Dayhunter

Title: Dayhunter
Author: Jocelynn Drake
Publishing Date: May 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm

Dayhunter is the second novel in Jocelynn Drake's Dark Days Series. It starts off right where Nightwalker ends, with Mira and Danaus needing to recover after the battle they just fought. Even though they managed to win round one, the war is far from over. Now Mira will have to travel to Venice, Italy to stand before the Coven and work with them to find away to stop the Naturi. Of course that is easier said than done, when Mira isn't sure exactly who is on who's side. Mira hates court politics, but she will put aside her own reservations and do what is necessary to save her people.

So far, I am enjoying this urban fantasy series, Dark Days. Mira makes the book for me. Of course, Danaus isn't to bad himself. Although, since the book is written from Mira's point of view, she steals the show. What I love about Mira is that she is an incredible mix of strength and vulnerability. She is tough when necessary, especially when called upon to make decisions that will impact the lives of so many people. These are not easy decisions for her to make and her sadness and regret are palpable.

Mira is very different from most of her kind, especially the leaders. The members of the Coven all seem to have their own agenda and will stop at nothing to obtain it. They are cruel and are not opposed to torture and murder to get what they want. Mira is a natural born leader, even though she has no ambitions to be a leader. People just naturally follow her and look to her for advice and support. It is very interesting how Mira doesn't fit in and the secrets behind her differences. She also had powers that no other Nightwalker has and yet she doesn't ever misuse this power. Even though Mira is essentially good, she never comes across as too goody-goody. It is very easy to relate to her plight and sympathize with her.

One thing I would like to point out for romance readers, is that this is not a romance. So far Danaus and Mira are enemies, who for the time being are setting aside their differences in order to fight a common enemy. When the war is over, they each plan to kill the other. But along the way, they are learning that they may have more in common than they previously thought and the lines of good and evil are becoming more and more blurred. I love seeing Danaus struggle with his feelings for Mira. He essentially believes that she is evil and has no soul, yet as he spends time with her he is becoming disabused of his preconceived notions. Having said that, things might be moving to slowly for some fans of romance. Personally, I am still enjoying the series and have plans to continue reading it.

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This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon.

Review - Mistress of Pleasure

Title: Mistress of Pleasure
Author: Delilah Marvelle
Publishing Date: September 2008
Genre: Historical
Rating: B
Sensuality: Hot

Maybelle de Maitenon is the granddaughter of a famous courtesan and went to live with her after her father's death when she was twelve-years-old. It has been her grandmother's dream to open up a school to teach men the art of pleasuring a woman. Finally, that dream is made a reality but she needs Maybelle's help after suffering a stroke. Maybelle might be knowledgeable about sex, but her experience comes from books, not the actual act of participating in it. She doesn't want to have anything to do with the school. She would much rather be exploring the pyramids of Egypt or traveling the world, but out of obligation to her grandmother she gives in to her cajoling.

Maybelle decides it is time for her to loose her virginity and notices a very handsome, regal man at a soiree. She sets her sites on the Duke of Rutherford and promptly proceeds to seduce him. Things don't go according to plan and their encounter is made public. Edmond worried about the scandal that will befall Maybelle offers her marriage. Maybelle fears loosing her independence and refuses. The Duke left with no other choice, decides to enroll in The School of Gallantry and sets his sites on changing Maybelle's mind.

I think the best word to sum up my experience with Mistress of Pleasure is fun. This story is just an all around entertaining, pleasant read. The tone is much more light-hearted than I am used to when reading historicals and made for a refreshing change. Maybelle and Edmond are fighting a battle of wills. The intending battle has a few mishaps that end in folly and mayhem. Maybelle thinks they are too different, he being a Duke and she the daughter of a bastard. Edmond sees things a little differently. At this point, what is one more scandal in his eyes? His father already alienated his family from the ton. He has no love for society and he would be happy to thumb up his nose at the lot of the pretentious morons.

There are some great scenes in Mistress of Pleasure. One of them is when Maybelle is hosting her first class at The School of Gallantry. Aside from Edmond, she meets four other interesting men and they each have a different reason for attending. Maybelle assigns them homework and she and the students reactions are laughable. There is just a lot of fun material in the book. The only thing I would warn readers about is that some suspension of disbelief will be needed when reading this book. Maybelle does not act like a typical heroine of this time period. She has very modern thinking. It fits with her upbringing, but it would be hard to imagine a woman of that time doing some of the things she does. The whole idea for The School of Gallantry is pretty far fetched in of itself, even though is does make for rather entertaining fodder.

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This book can be purchased in kindle format from Amazon for the astonishing low price of $2.55!

Series Sunday - Fast Track by Erin McCarthy

The Fast Track Series by Erin McCarthy revolves around NASCAR and their sexy drivers. I'll admit when I first heard about this series, I was turned off by the fact it revolved around NASCAR. To me it is a redneck sport and I don't find anything remotely sexy about it. I usually picture guys with that hold two cans of beer with straws that run down the side of their faces and into their mouths. It's not a pretty sight, that's for sure.

Then when the first book Flat-Out Sexy started getting positive reviews in the blogosphere, my interest was piqued. Could I set aside my preconceived notions about NASCAR? Yes, I am excited to say that I can!

This series is straight contemporary romance and is very sexy, bordering on being erotic romance. McCarthy is known for her great characters and fabulous dialogue which come alive through her use of humor. Each book has a different male and female protagonist with it's own romantic conclusion. These books do not need to be read in order. There isn't a connecting plot, other than the characters reappearing in other the books in the series.

Erin announced last month in a post on her Facebook page that she has extended her contract for three more books! She stated that now Elec's brother and sister can get their own books too. Congratulations Erin!

Series Reading Order:

1. Flat-Out Sexy (Tamara and Elec)
2. Hard and Fast (Imogen and Ty)
3. Suzanne and Ryder's book (releases 2010)
4. TBA
5. TBA
6. TBA

Review - Just the Sexiest Man Alive

Title: Just the Sexiest Man Alive
Author: Julie James
Publishing Date: 2008
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Warm

Taylor Donovan is a very ambitious young lawyer working her way up the ranks of a prestigious Chicago law firm. She has been assigned to a sexual harassment case based out of Los Angeles. She moves temporarily to the LA branch and gets set up in a nice apartment. In addition to her sexual harassment case she has been assigned to coach the famous actor Jason Andrews for his new role in a law drama. Unimpressed with Jason's celebrity, she puts Jason in his place when he rudely fails to show for a meeting. Jason is shocked and intrigued that Taylor isn't drooling all over him. He has finally met his match in the sharp, beautiful Taylor.

Just the Sexiest Man Alive is a solid new addition to the contemporary genre. It has solid, well developed characters. Taylor is a little prickly with her ambitions to reach the top. She is all work and no play and might be hard to relate to for some readers. She still had enough vulnerability for me to like her. She lightens up when she is with her two girlfriends. At first glance, Jason is arrogant and self-centered, but eventually the reader learns more about him. As his relationship grows with Taylor he gets his humanity back and becomes a person, not just a celebrity.

Two things about this book I would like to highlight. First, is that it is extremely apparent that Ms. James knows her stuff when it comes to the courtroom. My knowledge is limited, but the author was very descriptive with the court case Taylor was working on and James's expertise shined like a beacon. Secondly, I want to commend Ms. James on her ability to create incredible sexual tension between Taylor and Jason without them actually having sex. I was surprised to realize that with only a handful of pages left, Jason and Taylor hadn't actually done the deed. This was an excellent debut and I will be looking forward to more by her in the future.

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You can purchase this book in print or kindle format from Amazon.