The Big Love Letter Event + Giveaway: Lorraine Heath

It's week four of The Big Love Letter Event, a joint month-long feature hosted by Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and myself, and I hope you guys are having as much fun with these letters as we are. If you haven't yet had the chance, be sure and take a look at the letters from Wendy Higgins, Kasie West, Tiffany Schmidt and A.C. Gaughen posted over the past three weeks!

Danny's letter today comes from Lynne Matson (I absolutely adored NIL!), so be sure and pop over to Bewitched Bookworms to check it out!

I'm thrilled to have the Big Love Letter Event take a bit of an historical romance turn today as it's one of my very favorite genres to read. I just love the more rigid societal structure and all the fascinating complications and sexual tension it causes, and of course a love letter is beautifully fitting of the time period so I can't wait for you all to read what the fabulous Lorraine Heath has brought with her.

Lorraine's latest historical romance, When the Duke was Wicked features a duke (obviously) who offers to help his childhood friend Grace see through all the games, ploys and politics in order to find a suitable matrimonial match. I think we can all see where this story is headed of course, but it's a setup I never tire of and I can't wait to watch as the Duke of Lovingdon inevitably discovers that he himself is the perfect man for Lady Grace. Let's take a peek at one of his lessons shall we?

(1st page)

My dearest darling:

It is time that I confess all that I feel for you. I no longer close my eyes in want of slumber, because sleep deprives me of thoughts of you. Upon awakening, I mourn the moments when I was not conscious of your existence. The dreams I have of you do not fulfill me for they are but fleeting gossamer. It is so much more fulfilling to be aware of you each second of each day.

Why should I bother to gaze on the dawn when your hair is more fiery and vibrant? Why should I be impressed with jewels, when your sapphire eyes put their sparkle to shame? Why should I nibble on a strawberry when your lips are as plump, as enticing? Why should I walk through a garden when your fragrance—rose and lavender—is sweeter? Why should I be impressed with marble statues when your porcelain skin is smoother and more flawless?

Do you not see that to me you are everything?

—Lovingdon

(Turning to 2nd page)

Honestly, Grace—

Tell me that you did not fall for such poppycock, not after I already advised you that a man whispering poetic drivel in your ear does not favor you more than he favors your dowry. The same applies to a suitor’s love letter.

It should not spout verbose trifle, not if he truly fancies you. It should reflect honest sentiments. Your humor delights him, your tart tongue challenges him, your skill at cheating at cards pricks his temper. He misses you. (But surely not overly much or to the point of weeping.) His words should be simple, to the point. As I said: honest.

Do not accept suffocating flattery as evidence of yearning. You are worthy of so much more. You deserve sincere forthrightness. Settle for no less. Bring him to his knees.

—Lovingdon, your reluctant advisor when it comes to matters of the heart.

Who's a little in love with Lovingdon already? *raises hand* Plus, he gets major bonus points for use of the word poppycock. *runs to Amazon to buy immediately*

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WHEN THE DUKE WAS WICKED

They are England’s most eligible bachelors, with the most scandalous reputations. But for the right woman, even an unrepentant rogue may mend his ways…

Lady Grace Mabry’s ample inheritance has made it impossible for her to tell whether a suitor is in love with her—or enamored of her riches. Who better to distinguish beau from blackguard than her notorious childhood friend, the Duke of Lovingdon?

With no interest in marriage, Lovingdon has long lived only for pleasure. He sees little harm in helping Grace find a proper match. After all, he’s familiar with all the ploys a scoundrel uses to gain a woman’s favor. He simply has to teach the lovely innocent how to distinguish honest emotions from false ones. How better than by demonstrating his wicked ways. But as lessons lead to torrid passion and Grace becomes ensnared in another man’s marriage plot, Lovingdon must wage a desperate gamble: Open his heart fully—or risk losing the woman he adores…

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

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LORRAINE HEATH

Lorraine Heath has always had a soft spot for emotional love stories. No doubt because growing up, watching movies with her mom, she was taught that the best movies "won't half make you cry."

She is the daughter of a British beauty (her mom won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero--Joker on the original Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan, and she enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.

When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today and the New York Times.

At the invitation of Laura Bush when she was the First Lady of Texas, Lorraine served on a romance panel at the Texas Book Festival in 1998. She gave a presentation at the Texas Library Association Conference in 1999. She also served on a panel during RWA's 2001 Librarian Appreciation Day. She has spoken at local libraries, to writers' groups, to readers' groups, and at small conferences.

The author of more than 60 novels, she writes historical and contemporary romance for adults and historical romance for teen readers. Under the names Rachel Hawthorne and Jade Parker, she writes popular contemporary, historical, and paranormal romance for teens readers. She also writes young adult with her son under the name J. A. London.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

Danny and I have an amazing giveaway to share with you all, one that will have 14 winners in total!

• Winners 1 and 2: Each will get a book of their choice from one of the authors featured during the event (open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you!)
• Winner 3 : Signed Copy of Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (open US/CAN only) – Prize is provided by the author – A huge thank you to Katie!
• Winners 4- 14: Sweet Trilogy swag packs from Wendy Higgins (open internationally) - Prize is provided by the author – Thank you so much Wendy!

The giveaway will run until March 7th and you can enter via the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check back both here and at Bewitched Bookworms every Friday in February for more letters and a whole lot more love from these fantastic authors:

•      Wendy Higgins (Sweet Reckoning)

•      Katie McGarry (Crash Into You)

•      Kasie West (Split Second)

•      Sara B. Larson (Defy)

•      A.C. Gaughen (Lady Thief)

•      Tiffany Schmidt (Bright Before Sunrise)

•      Gena Showalter (The Queen of Zombie Hearts)

•      Nichole Chase (Recklessly Royal)

•      Lorraine Heath (When the Duke Was Wicked)

•      Lynne Matson (Nil)

•      Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die)

Review: The Winner's Curse

THE WINNER'S CURSE
Winner's Trilogy #1
Marie Rutkoski
Young Adult/Dystopian/Historical
355 pages
Farrar Straus Giroux
Available March 4th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

MY THOUGHTS
The Winner’s Curse is one of those stories we read with great speed, turning the pages as quickly as possible to see how everything plays out, but it’s the hours, days and weeks following the flip of the final page that make us realize just how thoroughly tangled we are in the lives of Kestrel and Arin. Despite the backdrop of war as an empire seeks to expand, this is a quieter tale, the words layered with meaning and heavy with feeling, set in a beautiful arrangement that has the romantic in us smiling wistfully while our hearts simultaneously bleed from a thousand small cuts stealthily delivered as the forbidden and the impossible dance to a dangerous tune.

The romance between Kestrel and Arin is not one of bold gestures and impassioned speeches; not one that has us using and discarding highlighters at an unprecedented pace for all the heartbreakingly gorgeous sentiments given life through words, instead it's one of fragile whispers and haunting possibility. The two of them are would-be lovers standing on opposite sides of a frozen lake, and with every step they take toward the other a crack in the ice beneath their feet widens, forcing them to stay apart and keep their weight distributed rather than give in to temptation, meet in the middle, and risk falling through. Their relationship is one that keeps us up at night, analyzing every small gesture and look given we know them both to be skilled in the art of deception, searching for the truth hiding in and between their lies. Often we see what we want to see rather than what’s actually there, but the beauty of the two of them is that every once in a while, out of the corner of our eyes, we could swear we see love trying to grow underneath the crushing weight of their opposing forces.

What is so intriguing about the story itself above and beyond the romance between Kestrel and Arin is the way Ms. Rutkoski is able to make us root for both sides equally, not wanting to see either group enslave the other but yet understanding the desire to rule as easily as we understand the need to fight back. The tide of power shifts and rolls like water in a roughened sea as this story progresses, and we are swept along with it, as fascinatingly conflicted as both Kestrel and Arin are by the constant flux in our emotional reaction. We can never truly choose a side and so we remain on edge throughout, both anticipating and fearing the moment when a clear winner might emerge and help us finally figure out on which side of the line we stand.

We’re left, not necessarily reeling per se, but with hearts bearing definitive finger-shaped bruises courtesy of the shared grip Arin and Kestrel have on them, their fate something we know we'll learn of only through an epic journey over an extended period of time. The ending of this series is no doubt one worth waiting for though, and this first installment is a book destined for the favorites shelf where it will never have time to collect dust for constantly being taken down and re-read.

Rating: 4.5/5

Find Marie:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Amazon • Goodreads

*If you didn't get a chance yet, check out Marie's guest post where she talks about Kestrel's father and the research she did for the battle scenes!

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Night Broken

NIGHT BROKEN
Mercy Thompson #8
Patricia Briggs
Adult Urban Fantasy
352 pages
Ace
Available March 11th
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.

Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

MY THOUGHTS
The Mercy Thompson series is one of those series where returning to it is not a desperate, driving need, but yet once we’re there it settles around our shoulders with all the comfort of a warm blanket on a cold winter day. There’s a beautiful familiarity waiting for us from the moment we crack the spine, beloved characters ready to land themselves in various types of troubles for our amusement, and we can do nothing but smile when we settle down to read. Even installments that might have a particularly bothersome flaw don’t ruffle our feathers all that much or take away from our overall enjoyment because the strength of our tie to the series as a whole is simply too strong.

One of those aforementioned flaws is present and accounted for in Night Broken in the form of Adam’s ex-wife Christy, her manipulative and petty presence like nails on a chalkboard for the effect she has on Adam and the rest of the pack. Christy has an uncanny ability to render both Adam and majority of the pack completely docile, unwilling to say or do anything that might hurt her or cause her fake tears to flow, and while it’s easy to simply greatly dislike Christy and move on, it’s more difficult to do so with Adam's behavior toward her. Mercy is not the type of woman who needs a man to protect or defend her in any way, but there’s a point when Adam's lack of outspoken support for her becomes not simply a matter of keeping the peace within the pack, but rather shows a distinct lack of respect for his wife and mate. He expects Mercy to swallow behavior from Christy he himself would never dream of enduring were their roles reversed, so for the first part of this story Adam unfortunately loses a few of the points he's earned with us over the course of this series.

Where Adam loses points though, Mercy earns them with the way she handles herself, never fully backing down from Christy’s deliberate provocations but never rising to them either, instead she gives an inch or two before taking them back once again. We might wish for her to wrestle those inches back in more dramatic fashion as our anger on her behalf is quite impressive, but nothing knocks Mercy from the beautiful high road she’s so set on walking. Luckily for us though, about halfway through the focus shifts from Christy’s presence to the more pressing mystery surrounding her stalker, and we quickly leave all our frustrations behind in favor of diving headfirst into the adventure Ms. Briggs never fails to grant us with each Mercy Thompson novel.

Overall, even with Christy and her childish game playing this story is still delightfully entertaining, Mercy’s life as hectic and as dangerous as ever when she finds herself of interest to numerous very powerful entities. Adam does charm his way into earning our forgiveness by the end, so we're left with one of our favorite couples strong, in love, and back on track in our eyes by the time we reach the last page. We can only wonder what near-death experience awaits Mercy next, and I for one am greatly looking forward to watching her escape its cold, clammy fingers all over again.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Patricia:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Landry Park Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

I'm so pleased today to welcome author Bethany Hagen to the blog as part of the promotional tour for her new dystopian novel, Landry Park. I always love learning behind-the-scenes tidbits about an author's writing process, so I'm excited to share what made one particular scene in Landry Park so easy and fun to write for Bethany. I hope you all enjoy this peek behind the curtain as much as I did, and don't forget to check out the bottom of the post for a chance to win a copy of the book!

• • • • • • • • • • • 

I think that, as a general rule, it’s almost shamefully easy to write about dresses and food and boys in tuxedos. I loved writing the dinner and dance scenes in Landry Park, not only because I loved spending hours staring at ball gowns on the internet, but also because those scenes are the most vibrant representations of gentry life. With all the silk and pearls and bow-ties, it’s easy to see exactly what kind of delicious, enviable world Madeline lives in, and it becomes so easy to lose yourself in that kind of fantasy.

There are several dances and parties in the novel, but my favorite is Madeline’s own debut, where ivy and roses are twisted around the statues and stairs and the tables are heaped high with food. Most importantly, there are cute boys and angst (which are necessary components for any good ball.) Madeline’s debut is supposed to mark a turning point in her life as an heir to a gentry estate, but it also marks a turning point in her understanding of her world.

Thanks so much Bethany!

• • • • • • • • • • •

In a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish Gentry, sixteen year old Madeline Landry dreams of going off to the University. Gentry decorum and her domineering father won’t allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when her childhood friend is attacked and she witnesses Gentry golden boy David Dana secretly helping a Rootless girl, in spite of the fact that the Rootless, who maintain the nuclear power the country relies on, are exposed to dangerous radiation. As Madeline begins to question everything she has been taught her whole life, rumors of war and rebellion begin to swirl amidst Gentry courtships and extravagant debuts. Soon Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she is forced to make a choice: to stay with the Gentry—her family, her charmed life, and the estate she loves dearly—or to join David in the fight for Rootless equality.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

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Bethany Hagen was born and raised in Kansas City, meaning she can tolerate jazz for brief amounts of time and is offended by dry rub barbecue. She grew up reading Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur. When she's not working at the library or running around with her kids and husband, she's writing or thinking about writing. Landry Park is her debut book

Website • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the team at Penguin I have one hardcover copy of Landry Park to give away on the blog today. Woo hoo! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US only.

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Review: White Hot Kiss

WHITE HOT KISS
The Dark Elements #1
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Paranormal Young Adult
304 pages
HarlequinTEEN
Available February 25th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

MY THOUGHTS
White Hot Kiss is a book we both want to tear through as quickly as possible to discover how things play out and yet at the same time walk away from repeatedly, unready for our time with Layla to be over and also more than a little worried about reaching the last chapter as Ms. Armentrout is known for her gut-wrenching cliffhangers. There is no shortage of emotional pain in this first installment, Layla's status as a Warden/demon hybrid creating in her a palpable loneliness that practically suffocates us with its intensity from the beginning—a feeling only magnified by her heartbreaking love for full-blooded Warden Zayne—and we find ourselves laid low by our visceral need to protect and bolster her despite the barrier of fiction. She so beautifully takes everything in stride however, and though the persistent ache in our chests becomes our constant companion while reading, Layla's shining personality and strength of character serve to seal the cracks her situation causes in our hearts as soon as they're made.

Though the synopsis fully prepares us for a love triangle situation with the mention of both Zayne and Roth, what we find when we delve deeper into this story is the careful and stunning execution of the various feelings and relationships that can exist between three people without any type of geometrical shape defining them. The rawness of Layla's longtime love for Zayne hits us like a sucker punch to the gut from the very first chapter, and our desire to see her every romantic wish fulfilled with regard to him is strong and unwavering in the beginning. While Zayne seems to genuinely care for her however, the feelings between them appear to be weighed more heavily in Layla's direction, a fact that smooths Roth's entry into the picture as we want nothing more than for her to have someone in her life who appreciates every aspect of who she is.

Because the simple knowledge that Layla's love for Zayne has spanned years automatically has us hoping for a magical solution in which the two of them can live happily ever after, it takes us a little while to warm to Roth despite his undeniable charm and tattooed bad-boy glory; much needed time that gives us the opportunity to step back and see the relationship between Zayne and Layla for both what it is and what it isn't. As mentioned previously, there's clearly affection on Zayne's side, and as the story progresses the stirrings of something more, but Roth's arrival highlights for us all the reasons Zayne and Layla's romantic pieces have never fallen into place in the time they've known one another. There's no whining, pining, or waffling on anyone's part, instead we're left only with the painfully gorgeous tumble of emotions that accompanies the formation of new relationships and the progression of old ones.

While the romance is a focal point of this story to be sure, Layla is a highlight all on her own, strong enough to withstand the constant reminders from those she calls family that she is less-than—a taint on the purity of Wardens in general—and to physically battle those who want her dead. She goes toe to toe with Roth in a battle of wills and sexual innuendo, never letting on that his purposefully suggestive (and dammit, amusing) comments and ego strokes are working far better than she'd like, instead calling him out on them and hurling an insult back at him for good measure. She knows when to hold strong and when to back down, when to apologize to someone and when to demand an apology in return, and when to question or when to simply take a leap of faith. She's everything we could want in a young adult heroine, full of strength and vulnerability, merits and faults, and her growth throughout the series will undoubtedly be something special.

We're left a bit battered, a familiar state for those who are longtime fans of Ms. Armentrout, but accompanying our war wounds is the complete faith that we'll end up exactly where we want and need to be when all is said and done.

Rating: 4.5/5 

Find Jennifer:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Cover Reveal: Lamb to the Slaughter

I'm thrilled today to share the cover for Lamb to the Slaughter, an upcoming adult Amish murder mystery from Karen Ann Hopkins. Karen is the author of the fantastic YA Temptation series from HarlequinTEEN, but is self-publishing this new title releasing in March. I had the honor of working with her on the design of the cover and I'm so pleased with the way it turned out, I hope you guys like it as well!

LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER

Some Amish communities aren't so cozy.

Lamb to the Slaughter is a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a cornfield during the harvest. 

Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the country town of Blood Rock and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate. At first glance, the case seems obvious. The poor girl was probably accidently shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community and even the girl’s parents react with uncaring subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious. As she delves deeper into the secretive community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting. 

Serenity enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel Bachman, who left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up. Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life in the end. 

With the young girl's death taking place in a cornfield, we really wanted to play up the ominous feeling evoked by towering cornstalks, so we chose a stormy image that featured dry, eerie husks rather than green and healthy stalks, and I tinted them a touch red to make them appear even more sinister. I also wanted the murder to be reflected in the type, so I kept the word "lamb" a pretty, pristine serif font while the word "slaughter" contrasts with a gritty, distressed sans serif typeface. And now I've dissolved into designer-speak so I'm going to stop before I ramble on too much:)  

I hope if you're a fan of murder mysteries, you'll add Lamb to the Slaughter to your lists! There's a spunky sheriff, a case to solve, and the mention of a bad-boy contractor, what could be better?

• • • • • • • • • • • 

KAREN ANN HOPKINS

A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.

Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

The Big Love Letter Event + Giveaway: A.C. Gaughen

It's week three of The Big Love Letter Event, a joint month-long feature hosted by Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and myself, and I hope you guys are having as much fun with these letters as we are. If you haven't yet had the chance, be sure and take a look at the letters from Wendy Higgins, Kasie West and Tiffany Schmidt posted over the past two weeks!

*A note about Danny's letter: She will be posting her letter from the amazing Gena Showalter tomorrow (Saturday, the 22nd), so be sure and check back at Bewitched Bookworms then because you won't want to miss this one!

I'm positively giddy today over the fact that I have author A.C. Gaughen stopping by the blog to share a letter between Rob and Scarlet, two of her extraordinary characters from a series that has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. I read Scarlet last year and I couldn't have loved it more if I tried, I was just in awe of Scarlet's strength and determination, and that love only deepened after reading Lady Thief.

There simply aren't enough positive things I can say about Scarlet herself, she's everything I could ever want in a heroine and I HIGHLY recommend these books to those who have yet to experience them. I'm going to keep this introduction short and sweet because the below letter from Rob truly speaks for itself, and I hope it affects all of you as profoundly as it did me! *starts sobbing*

My Scarlet—

I know the moment when I knew for sure that I loved you. 

It isn’t an easy thing, Scarlet. To know love when your heart is this untrusty object in your chest. My heart went cold and quiet when I was in the war, and I confess I didn’t care much what it had to say. My heart made everything more difficult. 

You, of course, were no exception. I shouldn’t expect anything to ever be easy with you.  My love—my hard-won love. 

It was our first winter together. We’d been living in the tree, and then it got cold, and we found the cave. Then the snow came, and the cave wasn’t warm enough. John never seemed bothered by it—why would he, he’s made in the image of a horse—but you shivered cold every night. You shivered so hard you rattled the hay, and I’d stay awake, listening to the sound, wondering what I was meant to do about it. I tried to leave warm things—cloaks, a blanket—near your pallet but you’d never touch them. I practiced, whispering to the night, what I might say to you—here, take my blanket. Here, you look cold. Or more likely, Just use the damn blanket, Scarlet. And each attempt I made in my mind you pulled away from me, horrified that I knew you were cold, mortified that somehow you’d let it slip that you might need something from anyone, and I stayed quiet, because I wanted anything but you farther away from me.

Which made me feel like a proper idiot, even in my mind.  More than that—a moony idiot. And an unchivalrous idiot, that I had no idea how to help you.  And a guilty idiot, that I’d dragged you all up to Nottinghamshire and never thought of the damn winter snows. 

But one night when the fire went out and the cold had gotten so bad your teeth were chattering, you were quiet as a mouse as you rolled out of bed and took one of your blankets with you. Silent and still like the thief you are you went over to Much—he was so small back then—and you put your blanket on him. 

And I realized he wasn’t just cold—he was so cold he wouldn’t last many more nights. And I got everyone up and took us to the monastery—thinking it would just be for the night—and they took us in for the winter. 

And I stayed up many more nights, waiting for Much to sleep better, waiting for his chest to clear of the cough he’d gotten, and hating myself with every breath. Hating you, because you’d made me blind. You had filled up so much of my heart I couldn’t see him anymore, and I hadn’t seen his suffering.

I know I was mean to you. Cruel at times—those where the times when I hated myself the most, and it was easy to tell my heart that it was only full of darkness, that any feelings it might offer would only bring pain about in the world. I didn’t know how to love you and have it mean something good. 

And now we’re back in the cave. In a few weeks you’ll begin to shiver and I’ll move us to the monastery, and instead of hating myself, I hate that gold band on your finger. I hate the man who put it there. I hate the dreams that haunt me at night, of every pain and betrayal my heart has seen, and I wonder, Scarlet, if I will ever be free to love you without hate in my heart.

I can’t promise you that. I’m too afraid I’d break that promise—but every day when your gaze catches mine and I remember that I’m the one you love, that your pure heart chose my dark one, you give me hope. 

And hope is all I need to live another day. 

- Rob

*sobbing intensifies*

Do you see why you must read this series now? YOU MUST! I think I just died a little inside reading that and knowing I have to wait a full year before I can find out how things end for the two of them.

*leaves to go eat large amounts of chocolate*

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LADY THIEF

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.

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A.C. GAUGHEN

I’ve been madly in love with writing since I was in kindergarten. Not kidding–some of my earliest memories revolve around books and writing, like reading in front of the class, reading with my mother, and writing a story in first grade that was so funny (it dealt with a gorilla finding someone naked in the shower, and was, sadly, the culmination of my humor writing skills) it got me kicked out of class. Which was also the first and last time for that.
 

No that’s a lie. In third grade I got detention for ripping bark off a tree.
 

I know, I’m a rebel.
 

From there, it was a long road. I wrote all through middle school and starting submitting novels (I hope I still have those very kind, gentle rejection letters somewhere) when I was thirteen. ACK you have no idea how bad those novels looked. All through high school I was writing in a notebook instead of taking class notes (explaining the less than perfect GPA). It was always novels for me–the first time I seriously wrote short stories was at the end of my college career, to get into my graduate program, and it felt awkward and weird.
 

But I got in to grad school, wrote like a fiend, and when I graduated I spent three miserable years as a freelance writer while working on several different novels. I wrote them, prepped them, submitted them, and kept on working, because as far as I can tell, the actual writing is the only thing that I can control, and it’s the part that really makes me happy.

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GIVEAWAY

Danny and I have an amazing giveaway to share with you all, one that will have 14 winners in total!

• Winners 1 and 2: Each will get a book of their choice from one of the authors featured during the event (open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you!)
• Winner 3 : Signed Copy of Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (open US/CAN only) – Prize is provided by the author – A huge thank you to Katie!
• Winners 4- 14: Sweet Trilogy swag packs from Wendy Higgins (open internationally) - Prize is provided by the author – Thank you so much Wendy!

The giveaway will run until March 7th and you can enter via the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check back both here and at Bewitched Bookworms every Friday in February for more letters and a whole lot more love from these fantastic authors:

•      Wendy Higgins (Sweet Reckoning)

•      Katie McGarry (Crash Into You)

•      Kasie West (Split Second)

•      Sara B. Larson (Defy)

•      A.C. Gaughen (Lady Thief)

•      Tiffany Schmidt (Bright Before Sunrise)

•      Gena Showalter (The Queen of Zombie Hearts)

•      Nichole Chase (Recklessly Royal)

•      Lorraine Heath (When the Duke Was Wicked)

•      Lynne Matson (Nil)

•      Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die)

Porcelain Keys Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

Today I'm pleased to welcome author Sarah Beard to the blog as part of the promotional tour for her new contemporary young adult romance, Porcelain Keys. Sarah was nice enough to answer a few questions about the book, writing, and her love of music, so I hope you all enjoy the interview. Be sure and check the bottom of the post for all the details on a fantastic giveaway!

To help those of us who have yet to meet Aria get to know her a bit better, and because music plays such a significant role in Porcelain Keys, please choose either a set of lyrics or a song title that you feel describes her well.

What a great question! It would probably be a toss-up between two different songs: The Light by Sara Bareilles, and Dreamer by Jewel. Dreamer would best describe Aria at the beginning of the story, and The Light would be her at the end. Since there’s probably not room for both sets of lyrics, here are the ones for Dreamer by Jewel:

Don’t want to hear no sad songs
I say to the darkness
But it doesn’t respond
I ask if I sing a new one
Will I always sing alone?

For so long I have known only sorrow
How could I fail to hear?
The sound of all the sleeping hearts
The timid hopefuls
Waiting for a path to be clear

I can hear a sweet melody beneath it all
It says brave dreamer, dream anew
You won’t always dream by yourself
You won’t dream by yourself
Everybody’s gonna sing along

Loneliness has bit my heart
I know its wounded your heart, too
But our longing is our revolution
Its gonna bring a world anew

I can hear a sweet melody beneath it all
It says brave dreamer, dream anew
You won’t always dream by yourself
You won’t dream by yourself
Everybody’s gonna sing along

Well is it possible?
I say, yes, it’s possible.
Is it possible?

I can hear a sweet melody beneath it all
And it says be a brave dreamer, dream anew
You won’t always dream by yourself
No, you won’t dream by yourself
Everybody’s gonna sing along

If you and Aria were to swap roles and she was to pen a story that detailed a small portion of your life, what would the title of the novel be?

She might pen a dramatic story about my adolescence with a cryptic title like, “Quiet Storm.” Or maybe an epistolary-style novel with all the emails I exchanged with my friends during college, entitled, “Barefoot Love on a Rocky Shore.”

Let’s say Thomas was not in the picture for Aria. What character from another piece of young adult fiction do you think would make a good romantic match for her and why?

This is a hard one to answer, because going through my list of YA books made me realize that I read a lot of stories about bad boys. A bad boy definitely wouldn’t work for Aria. She needs a genuinely good and selfless person, and someone who appreciates music, because that’s who she is. So Trevor from Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett would do, or maybe even Adam from If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

If one of your characters was given the opportunity to interview you, who do you think would be the first to jump at the chance and what would they most want to know?

It would be Vivian, and she’d probably ask me for my favorite dessert recipe. She’s always on the lookout for new ones to make for the neighbors. Either that or it would be Thomas, demanding to know why I put Aria through so many hard things. He’s very protective that way.

Were there any other titles for Porcelain Keys that you could share with us, or was the title set from the very beginning?

There were many, many, other titles before I settled on Porcelain Keys. And they were all pretty terrible. I’m awful at titles. In fact, when I used to write articles for a campus magazine in college, my editor would always change my titles because mine were too lame. Some of the working titles for Porcelain Keys were Home to You, Snow Angel, and Winter Song. None of them stuck because they were either too sappy, generic, or irrelevant.

The final title didn’t come until I’d finished my book and was ready to start sending it out to literary agents and publishers. I knew I needed a unique title that encompassed the themes in my story. So I sat down with my husband and we had a serious brainstorming session. We listed all the themes and objects that were relevant to my story. Among the words we wrote down were “porcelain” and “keys.” Porcelain, because there is a porcelain music box in the story that is key to the plot, and Keys, for piano keys. But keys also unlock things, and in this story, many things are unlocked. Secrets of the past, and other things as well. The word porcelain also took on a double meaning, because my character starts out her journey very vulnerable and fragile. We put the two words together and tried it on for size. Porcelain Keys. It had a nice ring to it, and the more we said it, the more perfect it sounded.

In addition to writing fiction, you also compose music. How does the creative process for each compare or contrast?

Since music is mostly a hobby for me, I generally don’t put too much thought into my piano compositions—I just sort of let my heart lead the way. Whatever I’m feeling or thinking about comes out as music. Once I get a melody down I’ll usually add some depth to the piece, but for the most part they’re just simple, heartfelt compositions.

I guess the first drafts of my books are that way too. I just write what I feel without thinking too much about whether or not it’s going to work. Then once I have the story down, I go back and analyze it to death. I tear it apart and rework it over and over until I get everything just right—plot, characterization, pacing, setting, dialog, conflict, tension, etc. And each element has to be considered separately, then together as a whole.

A book could be compared to a symphony or concerto. You have all the different instruments playing different parts, serving different purposes, and when all put together you have something grand and beautiful. I don’t compose musical concertos, just little solo piano pieces, so it’s simple and easy. My books, on the other hand, are literary concertos. And if one instrument (pacing, plot, etc) is out of tune, it sours the entire work. Only when all the instruments work together and complement each other can a literary concerto become a moving masterpiece.

Just for fun: You, Aria, and Thomas decide to cut loose and go to a karaoke bar for a night of laughs. What’s the first song each of you would choose to perform?

Since Thomas, Aria and I are all a bit emotional and introspective, the “night of laughs” would probably quickly turn into a “night of joyful weeping.” Thomas would sing Jon Mclaughlin’s I’ll follow you to Aria. Aria would sing Sara Bareilles’ The Light. And I would probably sing something highly sentimental to my husband, like Sarah Mclachlan’s Answer.

Thanks so much for stopping by Sarah!

• • • • • • • • • • •

PORCELAIN KEYS

(available now from Cedar Fort, Inc.)

Aria's life is full of secrets--secrets about her mother's death, her father's cruelty, and her dream to go to Juilliard. When Aria meets Thomas, he draws out her secrets, captures her heart, and gives her the courage to defy her father. But when tragedy strikes and Thomas disappears, Aria is left alone to transform her broken heart's melody into something beautiful. Porcelain Keys is a captivating love story that will resonate long after the last page is turned.

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• • • • • • • • • • •

SARAH BEARD

SARAH BEARD is the author of Porcelain Keys, a YA contemporary romance. She has a degree in communications from the University of Utah and splits her time between writing and raising three energetic boys. She is a cancer survivor and a hopeless romantic. She enjoys reading and composing music, and lives with her husband and children in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Lady Thief

LADY THIEF
Scarlet #2
A.C. Gaughen
Historical Young Adult
304 pages
Bloomsbury/Walker Childrens
Available Now
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.

MY THOUGHTS
Lady Thief is a story we enter into with armor securely in place, fleeting memories of Scarlet reminding us how difficult life for our young heroine can be, but our preparation fails completely and utterly in the face of Gisbourne’s return, pain meticulously finding every crack and chink in our emotional plating to leave us bruised, battered and broken. While what Scarlet goes through is undeniably hard to read, what’s perhaps the more bitter pill to swallow is the way this story ruthlessly highlights the dichotomous nature of hope, detailing it in all its beauty as a balm on the severest of wounds while at the same time showing us again and again how it can be the most brutal tormentor of all. Scarlet’s unshakeable hope, to her credit or detriment, guides her in every avenue of this story; hope that someone’s word is their bond despite all evidence to the contrary, hope that each day is her darkest moment so the next can therefore only be better, and hope that in a world where power belongs to the cruel love can somehow find a way to flourish.

Scarlet is someone we can’t help but feel proud to know despite the fact that she’s a fictional character, her unrelenting strength of will in the face of meaty fists and dull blades something that snaps our own spines rigidly straight in solidarity. Where we would likely rage against our abusers–tears and screams escaping unbidden–she remains outwardly stoic, refusing to give those who hurt her even a moment of satisfaction. It’s not to say she doesn’t fight back physically when attacked, because she more than once proves how her time as a thief has earned her a unique set of self-defense skills, and for every knee she lands in a sensitive place and every verbal blow she delivers the smile on our faces grows wider even though we know the price for her actions will be high.

She refuses to be cowed, head always held high despite the bruises and scars that mar her features, but she thankfully never reaches that place where she goes numb–blocking out everything, including us as readers–in an attempt to protect herself the only way she knows how. Instead she fights at every turn, but we are also granted quiet moments with her where the tears flow and her strength finally wanes, and it’s these moments that are the hardest to bear because we know her loyalty and her hope that a better life simply has to be possible will send her back to those who have brought her so low. Her brief interludes with an equally tormented Rob are a beautiful kind of torture, the love the two of them share poignant and enviable, tiny pin pricks of light in an expansive sea of darkness.

Ms. Gaughen pulls absolutely no punches in this second installment, forcing us to accompany Scarlet and Rob to a place where even the staunchest of believers will have their faith shaken, but their shared inability to give up imbues us with the strength we need to carry on with them, even to a very bitter end. We’re left with the two sides of hope clearer and more distinct than they have ever been before, soothing our hurts as we find comfort in anger and the promise of retribution while at the same time taunting us with the bloody ramifications of past hope gone terribly wrong.

Rating: 4.5/5

*Be sure and check back here on Friday as Annie is part of the Big Love Letter Event and is going to share a gut-wrenching letter from Rob to Scarlet!

Find Annie:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Nil

NIL
Lynne Matson
Young Adult/Adventure/Survival
384 pages
Henry Holt
Available March 4th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

MY THOUGHTS
Nil is a beautiful blend of elements, seamlessly weaving together adventure, romance and a little science fiction to keep the wheels in our minds constantly turning as we attempt to solve the many riddles the island has to offer. Ms. Matson keeps us on our toes throughout, the number of days Thad has left before his year runs out a pressure on our chests that grows more intense by the chapter, his impending doom making us twitch nervously with every flip of the page because we know it's bringing us one step closer to his end. As we struggle with the possibility of losing Thad when he hits day 365, we also take on an almost hyper-vigilance when we're with Charley, frantically trying to use her eyes to find the answers Nil seems intent on keeping from all of us, adrenaline pumping as we're constantly on the lookout for any clues that will see all Nil's inhabitants home safe and sound.

We spend our time evenly split between the perspectives of both Charley and Thad, the combination of island newcomer with island veteran a fascinating mix that allows us to approach the mysteries of Nil from a number of different angles rather than just one. As a result, we're able to see the island for the contrast it is: exquisite and cruel, safe and treacherous, and life and death; its secrets holding us transfixed as we wonder how everything for Charley, Thad and the rest of the young survivors will play out. This is a story where every page taunts us, daring us to flip ahead and learn the things we most want to know before we're meant to know them, and as the body count rises and the romance between Charley and Thad deepens, the harder that taunt becomes to resist.

Charley is an easily likable young woman, someone who takes her arrival on Nil in stride even when its dark side is fully revealed, jumping into the day to day life with both feet as she attempts to find her place amidst those who have been there far longer. She's a team player from the beginning, as is nearly everyone on the island, the sense of camaraderie between all of them both joyful and painful to see given the death sentence they all live with each and every day. Where Charley is all shiny newness, able to find some beauty in the island, Thad is more gritty realism, his time on Nil having taken its toll and robbed him of some of his hope. He's not overly negative by any means, but for him Nil is a sentient being–a prodigy in a game of survival being played unrelentingly, and one who has the decks stacked in her favor. Charley and Thad prove to fit together perfectly though, both opening the other's eyes to a way of seeing that increases their chances of making it home, partners in the truest sense of the word who we're rooting for with every fiber of our being.

The romance is prominent enough to make sure our hearts are in danger of breaking should things for either Charley or Thad not work out as we're desperately hoping they will, but the adventure and mystery aspect is the primary focus and the piece of this story that keeps us up late even though we know we'll pay for it the morning. The fact that the island of Nil remains as much a mystery at the end as it did at the beginning is both disappointing and not, our curiosity of course demanding answers for the how's and why's of everything we've seen, but in the back of our minds we know that any attempt at an actual explanation for Nil would have dulled this book's shine. Part of the appeal of the story is in the questions we're left with, ones that let us fill in the blanks as we see fit so that we become active participants rather than mere observers, and we can't help but find some satisfaction in the imagining.

Rating: 4/5 

Find Lynne:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon 

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.