In Honor of Book Blogger Appreciation Week: A GIVEAWAY!
BBAW Reading Meme
Book Blogger Appreciation Week: 10 Questions with Blogger Swapna from S. Krishna's Books
3) If someone wrote a biography of you, what would the title be?
5) If you were a book, what genre would you be?
Gothic mystery, with a dash of romance thrown in! I'd love to think that I'd be like a book from Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series - mysterious and fun!
7) A book you recommend to anyone and everyone, and they always love it?
8) If you could have dinner with one living author, which author would it be? Why?
Neil deGrasse Tyson - I have a bit of a nerd crush on him.
9) Why did you decide to start your blog?
I read so much that I found I was forgetting what I had read previously. I'd pick up a book at the bookstore or the library, get it home and start reading it and discover that it was very familiar - because I had read it before! I was already reading and loving book blogs at that point, so I decided I'd start my own in order to keep track of the books I read.
The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper. I absolutely love these books, I still re-read them now. Even as an adult, every time I read them, I discover something new. Though they are a bit dated, they really are timeless - I can't recommend these highly enough. The mix of fantasy and King Arthur mythology is excellent.
Winner Chosen: 1st Two Books of Darcy Saga
Booklover1335
Congrats! Please send me your snail mail information to cheekyreads @ gmail.com (no spaces).
Happy Reading and thanks to all who entered!
Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Blogs That Inspire Me
Romance Book Review: Broken Wing By Judith James
By: Judith James
4 Heart Review
Abandoned as a child and raised in a brothel, Gabriel St. Croix has never known tenderness, friendship, or affection. Although fluent in sex, he knows nothing of love. Lost and alone inside a nightmare world, all he's ever wanted is companionship and a place to belong. Hiding physical and emotional scars behind an icy facade, his only relationship is with a young boy he has spent the last five years protecting from the brutal reality of their environment. But all is about to change. The boy's family has found him, and they are coming to take him home.
Sarah Munroe blames herself for her brother's disappearance. When he's located, safe and unharmed despite where he has been living, Sarah vows to help the man who rescued and protected him in any way she can. With loving patience she helps Gabriel face his demons and teaches him to trust in friendship and love. But when the past catches up with him, Gabriel must face it on his own.
Becoming a mercenary pirate and a professional gambler, Gabriel travels to London, France, and the Barbary Coast in a desperate attempt to find Sarah again and all he knows of love. On the way, however, he will discover the most dangerous journey, and the greatest gamble of all, is within the darkest reaches of his heart.
Gabriel is most definitely a broken man coming from dire circumstances and readers will need to be open minded to warm up to this dark hero. It would have been very easy for Mrs. James to make Gabriel's path to love and redemption all roses and wine, but instead she made his romance with Sarah an epic journey on the path of his self-forgiveness.
Sarah could easily have expected Gabriel to forget his past and move forward with her, but again Mrs. James demonstrates excellent story-telling ability in showing Sarah's awareness, disgust, understanding and acceptance. It's through Sarah's reactions to Gabriel and his past, that Gabriel is able to understand what love really means.
A beautiful, but heavy, love story this book was completely unlike any other book I've read in years. If you want something bold and different this is for you. Just know that the subject matter might not be for everyone but it is handled perfectly and is essential to understanding Gabriel and celebrating his happy ending.
Broken Wing is Mrs. James' first novel and I'm excited to say her second book, Highland Rebel, is now available from Sourcebooks. Happy Reading!
Romance Book Review: TORTURED By Amanda McIntyre
By Amanda McIntyre
Harlequin Spice
4 Heart Review
In a time of chaos, darkness, and violence it is better to live only in the moment, lest your memories eat you alive.
A young woman blessed with “sight seeks vengeance against a tyrannical lord responsible for her mother's murder. Forced to become an executioner's apprentice, she encounters a Roman prisoner who offers her a away to escape her prison and find a future. Torn between desire, duty, and the chance for revenge, her choice to live or die leaves her TORTURED.First of all, check out that cover! If anyone has ever wondered if covers can sell a book, the answer can be found just looking at Amanda McIntyre's books. As soon as I saw the Diary of Cozette cover, I had to buy it. Had no idea what the book was about, but my mind was made up and to this day I still think that is my favorite cover of all time.
That doesn't make the cover of TORTURED any slouch, it's another winner and perfectly captures the time period and the passion of this book. The Harlequin Spice cover gods are definitely smiling on Amanda since I've seen the sneak peak at her next book, and wowsa! Click here to take a gander at the next cover.
One thing I love about Amanda's historicals, are that they always feature a time period not normally given much notice. TORTURED takes place in the Dark Ages of Briton around 500 A.D.
Another thing I love? Amanda's unconventional heroines. The heroine of Tortured is Sierra, a young girl who will eventually become the Saxon King's Head Executioner. Didn't know women served as executioners? Well they did, and Amanda loves turning this kind of unknown information into a story of passion and love.
Dryston and Sierra's story is both unconventional in its beginnings and lovely in its growth. Inside Dryston beats the heart of a warrior and that of a man who can love deeply. I enjoyed the interchanges between the two as Dryston strove to change Sierra's view of sex as a act of manipulation. A guide to help her rediscover how to live and love, Dryston was a hero through and through.
This is a very passionate and intense book that I easily became engrossed in. If you like your historicals with some real meat to the story and some intense heat, then you'll really enjoy this book.
As many of you know from reading this blog, I do my best to give my honest opinion of books while leaving as much of the story for you to discover as possible. Not only am I seriously against spoilers, but I don't like giving away plot points either. But, I have to say this – the ending to TORTURED was one I found very satisfying. The climax surprises in that it's not typical of romances and for that I literally cheered out loud. I've been waiting to find a book that would go there, and leave it to Amanda to write it!
Visit Amanda's website for information on TORTURED and her other Harlequin Spice releases. Also check out her blog called McIntyre's House of Muse.
Winners of The Harlequin Presents Giveaway
Throughthehaze
Mari
Brenda
Etirv
Email your snail mail address to cheekyreads @ gmail.com (no spaces) and I'll get your book in the mail to you! Congrats and happy reading!
A Vocabulary Lesson with Guest Author Sharon Lathan
A Vocabulary Lesson
Writing in an era some 200 years ago is a daunting task. Add to that the chore of tackling Jane Austen and it teeters on the brink of insanity! I haven’t decided yet whether I am crazy or brazen, but whatever the opinion, it is a very good thing that I am a lover of history and vocabulary. The research necessary to plausibly present a past world is tremendous. Writing in a style that is one’s own voice while also paying tribute to the original author is precarious. Using vocabulary that conveys a forgotten way of speaking while utilizing the language a modern reader will understand is rough.
Yet, as I said, I love history and I love vocabulary. I told a friend recently that I was a thesaurus addict! I absolutely love searching for new words to use and actually start to shake when I stumble across a new one. I have formed whole paragraphs around some really cool word, just because I have to use it! I try not to be overly obscure as I want my readers to enjoy the story and not falter when encountering a bizarre word. On the other hand, broadening ones vocabulary is a worthy endeavor and pausing to flip through the dusty dictionary is time well spent. Yes?
From time to time on my website I post an entry called “Vocabulary Rocks!” I share the origins and definitions of some of the cool words I unearth. I am going to share a few of my favs.
Décolletage – Often this word is used in such a way that one thinks it means the actual cleavage visible. In reality, décolletage is referring to the fabric neckline of the gown itself, but is only applied to a gown that is very low cut so that the shoulders and upper breasts are exposed.
Chatelaine -A set of useful items hung at the waist with a decorative chain. Commonly associated with the housekeeper who kept the keys to the Manor on her person at all times. A chatelaine was also worn by fashionable ladies and would secure a watch, sewing or writing implements, small coin purses, keys, scissors, etc.
Harridan - A bad-tempered, disreputable old woman. Probably from the French word haridelle meaning a worn-out horse. I used this word to describe Lady Catherine de Bourgh! Fits, don’t you think?
Inexpressibles – This one cracks me up! We would say ‘pants’ but that term was considered vulgar! So instead, this was the general, polite word for all the various types of male garments worn over the lower half of their bodies.
Accoutrements - The additional accessories, paraphernalia, and trimmings that are not a main part of the garment. For the Regency man and woman the accoutrements were as important as the suit or gown. Hats, gloves, walking sticks, pocket watches, jewelry, scarves, and so on.
Halcyon – It means calm, tranquil, happy, carefree, and prosperous. What is interesting is the origin: The fourteen days of calm weather at the winter solstice when a mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, was said to breed in a nest floating on calm seas. Identified in mythology with Halcyone, daughter of Aeolus, the ruler of the winds, who when widowed upon her husband, Ceyx the king of Thessaly, drowning at sea, threw herself into the sea and became a kingfisher, flying to be with her husband. OK, you have to admit that is cool!
Braggadocio –Vain, swaggering, pretentious bragging attitude or person. After Braggadocchio, the boastful character in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590)
Insipid and Vapid – I love both of these words! They sound exactly like they mean, that is to be without any distinctive or interesting qualities, dull and bland, no liveliness of spirit or zest for life.
Urbane – I love this word because it perfectly describes Mr. Darcy to me. Having the polish, elegance, sophistication, and suave refinement that comes from wide social experience. Oh yeah, that’s my hero!
Well, I could go on indefinitely, but I shan’t! I hope you have enjoyed my mini-English lesson. I have an extensive glossary of Regency places and terms on my website if this essay piqued your interest for more. And I hope you will dash over to my website to read about my sequel to Pride & Prejudice: The Darcy Saga by Sharon Lathan at http://www.darcysaga.net/ The first two novels are already available to purchase! And I promise you will learn some new words to dazzle your friends. Share with us some of your favorite words, especially if they are unusual.
About the Author
Sharon Lathan is a native Californian currently residing amid corn, cotton, and cows in the sunny city of Hanford. She divides her time as homemaker nurturing a husband and two children, plus the cat, dog, and fish; while also working as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. Somewhere in there she finds time to write! Sharon Lathan can be found on her website/blog at: http://www.darcysaga.net/, on Facebook as “Sharon Lathan, “ on Twitter as “@SharonLathan,” and on the Casablanca Authors’ blog at: http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com/
We have a fantastic prize to giveaway to celebrate Sharon's latest release. One lucky reader will win one copy of the first two books in The Darcy Saga - Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Loving Mr. Darcy! Just comment and tell us some of your favorite words of past or present and you're entered to win!
Tease Me Tuesday: Author Sharon Lathan Guest Blogging Tomorrow!
To make it a real celebration, we'll be giving away of the first two books in her series Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Loving Mr. Darcy. Be sure to stop by and enter to win!
Harlequin Happenings: A Smart Bitch Review and Presents Giveaway!
Yesterday, Smart Bitches featured my review of Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn. If you didn't already, head over and check it out and let me know what you think. Here's the link.
In other Harlequin news, I received 4 copies of Lynne Graham's The Italian's Inexperienced Mistress, a Harlequin Presents title, to give away to some lucky readers!
How to win? Just leave me a comment telling me if you have a favorite Harlequin line, author or book on this post (we love recommendations!), or comment on any post from this week. Every comment enters to win, but please only one comment per post. I'll randomly select comments to win on Tuesday Sept. 8th. Good Luck and Happy Reading!
Stolen Moments & Short Affairs: Welcome Guest Author Heather Long
Tease Me Tuesday: Louisa Edwards Free Read
Want to know something even cooler? Louisa is going to give us more free installments of this story, so be sure to keep checking her site for updates!
Oh, and for even more awesome goodness - here's an excerpt of Can't Stand The Heat and a deleted scene for your reading enjoyment courtesy of Louisa's website!
Tease Me Tuesday:
Coming up on Sept. 9th Cheeky Reads welcomes Sharon Lathan, author of Loving Mr. Darcy. Be sure to stop by for her special guest blog and the chance to win a copy for yourself!
Some exciting new releases in September that I'm looking forward to...
Debbie Macomber's 92 Pacific Boulevard (Cedar Cove) and Cedar Cove Cookbook
Christina Dodd's Storm of Shadows (Chosen Ones, Book 2)
Louisa Edwards'Can't Stand The Heat (A Recipe for Love)
Jana DeLeon's Mischief in Mudbug
A Lady of Persuasion by Tessa Dare
Barely Bewitched by Kimberly Frost
Make Her Pay (The Bullet Catchers) by Roxanne St. Claire
...more to come soon, including ebooks that are calling my name!
Be sure to visit on Thursday when we'll be giving away copies of The Italian's Inexperienced Mistress, a Harlequin Presents book by Lynne Graham.
Making It Through Monday
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
Something about the Lolcat photo above hit me as hilariously similar to how I've been feeling about some of the projects I've tackled lately. Love the look on his face!
Here area some great links to help make it though Monday a little easier!
Books on Board is now offering 20% off the monthly romance recommendations from Dear Author. Check out this month's top picks!
If you haven't heard, Borders launched a fantastic new romance blog called True Romance, that features great videos and blogs by your fav authors and bloggers.
Author Loucinda McGary is launching her Treasure of Venice blog tour and will be giving away a copy of her new release at most of her blog stops. Check out her tour schedule here.
On Sept. 9th, Cheeky Reads will be hosting author Sharon Lathan to celebrate the release of her latest book in The Darcy Saga, Loving Mr. Darcy. Be sure to join us and enter to win a copy!
Book Review: The Grand Sophy By Georgette Heyer
The Grand Sophy has arrived...
And when Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy is ordered to South America on Diplomatic Business he parks his only daughter, Sophy, with his sister in Berkeley Square. Sophy can immediately see that her cousins are in a sad tangle: Charles is engaged to a bluestocking, and Cecelia's in love with a poet of all things. It seems Sophy has gotten there just in time...
And the Hon. Charles Rivernhall's life will never be the same...
While Sophy is going to outrageous lengths to solve everyone else's problems, she finds that she herself might have some big surprises in store.
I was extremely excited for the chance to review Georgette Heyer's The Grand Sophy. Having heard so much about Mrs. Heyer and her books, I was sad to say I'd never read one before now. From the research I did, The Grand Sophy is beloved by readers. In fact, many deem it to be their favorite Heyer book. So, it was the perfect introduction into the world of Mrs. Heyer!
I was not disappointed! When an author and book are hyped so often, I sometimes worry that my expectations could never be met. This time though, they were exceeded and I had a very grand time reading this book.
Sophy was uterly charming character and managed to steal my heart as she does the family in the book. She was smart, sassy and meddlesome to perfection and unlike any other character I've read from writers of Mrs. Heyer's time period. It was a blast reading Sophy's exploits!
Heyer perfectly twisted a tale that includes a cast of characters you'll root for and some you'll root against, which makes it all the more fun. Through it all, you just know that Sophy will figure out how to set it all right and find her own happily ever after.
I can only wonder how I made it through advanced high school English classes and an English Major in college and not have been introduced to Mrs. Heyer. Mrs. Heyer should be required reading right alongside the likes of Austen and the Bronte sisters. Likewise, where are all the BBC adaptations of her books!
I'm very against spoilers, so I won't go into too much detail here except to say that if you haven't read The Grand Sophy you should do so immediately!Buy The Grand Sophy Here
Look for The Grand Sophy and other Heyer Classics to be reissued from Soucebooks Casablanca with gorgeous new covers! Speaking of those cover, Smart Bitches Trashy Books did a fantastic interview with the designer of the new covers and its definitely worth the read. Smart Bitches Interview Here.
What's Your Inspiration? Guest Blogger Debbie Mumford
Inspiration
by Debbie Mumford
As a published novelist, a question that pops up frequently in conversations is, "Where do you get your ideas?"
The world around me is a constant source of inspiration, though I rarely stay in the here-and-now for more than a few pages of a story. I’ve published a few short contemporary romance pieces, but they were flash fiction (1,000 words or less). If they’d been any longer, I’m positive something "unusual" would’ve crept in. So far, my longer fiction has always been fantasy or paranormal in nature.
I have a duet of short stories titled Glass Magic available through Freya’s Bower. Those two stories began on a cold winter day when the glass in the front door at my office fogged up. You could actually read a sign that had been removed as much as a decade earlier. The phrase “ghost in the glass” popped into my mind and simmered until I was asked to write those stories for Freya’s Bower.
Another question I've been asked regards whether my stories begin as a vague idea or arrive fully formed, needing only to be transcribed and polished. In all honesty, my fiction usually starts from a seed—a phrase or a picture that intrigues me. The seed germinates in my subconscious until it’s ready to work its way out through my fingers and onto the screen. I rarely know what I’m going to write until I’m actually in the process of typing. That’s part of the fascination for me—discovering what happens next!
Several of my published short stories began as writing exercises: Take three unrelated words and write for fifteen minutes with the goal of using all three words. Opening Her Eyes began as dragon-rickshaw-bifocals, though you’d never know it to read the final version!
One of my current works-in-process was born during a drive with my husband to admire the fall foliage. A tree sprite popped into my head and asked what would happen if she married a human and they had a daughter? Because of that question I imagined Nimue—a feisty teenage girl who is stuck between worlds. She's definitely not human, but she's not quite Fae either. As if those teenage years aren't hard enough…
Finally, there’s my newest release, The Silver Casket, a story inspired by my own Scots heritage. What would happen if a lonely, contemporary American woman were transported back in time to 15th century Scotland? I’ll never tell—you’ll have to read the novella to find out, but it was a blast to write!
So...Where do you find your inspiration? If you're not a writer, what inspires you about life? As a reader, what kind of storylines call out to you?
More Tease Me Tuesday: Chat with Jennifer St. Giles
Here are the details and the chat link directly from the Knight Agency Blog:
WHAT: Chat with Jennifer St. Giles
WHEN: Thursday, August 27th @ 9pm ET
WHERE: TKA Chat room
HOW TO CHAT: Visit TKA's chat room here: http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=115545
Enter a username and password (any combination). Login
Here's an extra treat - Head over to the Knight Agency Blog today and enter to win 2 of Jennifer's books today!