Review + Giveaway: Falling Into Bed with a Duke

FALLING INTO BED WITH A DUKE
The Hellions of Havisham #1
Lorraine Heath
Historical Romance
384 pages
Avon Romance
Available Now
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
In the first in a dazzling new series, New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath introduces the Hellions of Havisham—three charismatic rogues destined to lose their hearts...

After six unsuccessful Seasons, Miss Minerva Dodger chooses spinsterhood over fortune-hungry suitors. But thanks to the Nightingale Club, she can at least enjoy one night of pleasure. At that notorious establishment, ladies don masks before choosing a lover. The sinfully handsome Duke of Ashebury is more than willing to satisfy the secretive lady's desires—and draws Minerva into an exquisite, increasingly intimate affair.

A man of remarkable talents, Ashe soon deduces that his bedmate is the unconventional Miss Dodger. Intrigued by her wit and daring, he sets out to woo her in earnest. Yet Minerva refuses to trust him. How to court a woman he has already thoroughly seduced? And how to prove that the passion unleashed in darkness is only the beginning of a lifetime's pleasure?

MY THOUGHTS
Falling Into Bed with a Duke is a quick, fun read with a standout leading lady; one of those ideal historical romances that utterly satisfies while leaving us in a state of anticipation as we begin the wait for a few of the secondary characters to step forward and have their moment in the spotlight.

Minerva is a true gem of a heroine, a woman utterly uncompromising in terms of marrying only for love who sticks to her guns in humorous fashion throughout. Because her hand in marriage comes with an impressive dowry attached, she's been forced to fend off suitor after suitor suffering from any number of financial ailments, leading her to become understandably distrustful of a man's motive. Though trust doesn't come easily to her, she thankfully doesn't analyze Ashe's every word or action looking for deception, instead she simply approaches with caution while allowing herself to enjoy their relationship for what it is as well as what it isn't.

Her sharp mind and quick wit–while marks against her in the eyes of Society–endear her to us immediately, and we can do nothing but sit back and enjoy as she goes toe to toe with the men of the aristocracy. Where other ladies giggle and swoon, Minerva asks questions and gives her honest opinion, but she does so politely and often with a laugh, never coming across as overly blunt or critical as a result. She has a mean left hook and a knee she knows how to aim with unerring precision to boot, making her a force to be reckoned with in the best possible way.

Overall, Falling Into Bed with a Duke will delight lovers of historical romance, giving us a strong woman who fully accepts what Society considers to be flaws and refuses to carve out pieces of herself to fit into a more biddable mold. Watching as Ashe begins to see beyond what the peerage has taught him to look for in a woman is a joy, and I simply can't wait to scoop up whatever Ms. Heath decides to write next.

Rating: 4/5

Buy Falling Into Bed with a Duke:

HarperCollins • Amazon • B&N • iTunes • Google Play

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LORRAINE HEATH

photo courtesy of Kayla Marie Photography

LORRAINE HEATH always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals and computer code, but something was always missing. After reading a romance novel, she not only became hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She’s been writing about them ever since. Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including RWA’s RITA® and a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her novels have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times best-seller lists.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

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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!

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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)

The Big Love Letter Event

Today I'm absurdly excited to announce an upcoming event taking place here on Supernatural Snark as well as over at Bewitched Bookworms. Danny and I are what some might called mildly obsessed with romance. Or hugely obsessed. Whichever. Given our let's-call-it-moderate love of all things romance-related we thought good times might be had by all if we tied that love in with a certain upcoming holiday.

In celebration of Valentine's Day (but really, more in celebration of how much Danny and I love to swoon over sexy bad boys and adorable good guys), we've asked some of our very favorite authors to write love letters that will appear on our blogs every Friday during the month of February. We proposed letters written from one character to another, from author to character, character to readers, or anything else the authors might be inspired to write that would help us honor our love of love, and the result is something truly fantastic.

Be sure and check both here and Bewitched Bookworms every Friday as we'll be featuring letters from different authors on each blog, and throughout the event we'll also be hosting a fabulous giveaway, so I hope you guys are as excited about this as we are!

I'm sure you would like a sneak peek at some of the authors who have so generously given their time and their beautiful words to help us put together what should be a really fun event. You can expect to hear from the following authors or their characters:

•      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)

Wendy Higgins will be kicking things off here next Friday the 7th with a VERY special something from one Kaidan Rowe, and I absolutely cannot wait to share what's he's put together. *fans self* Danny and I hope you guys will join us for lots of fun, flirting, maybe crying, and most definitely swooning!