The Magic of "I Do"

(Faerie #2)

by Tammy Falkner

Publishing Date: 6/4/13

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Genre: Historical Regency Romance (with PNR)

Description:

Desperately Seeking Excitement... 

With the temporary prohibition on magic on the land of the Fae, Claire Thorne might as well go back to the Regency world. The haut ton has just as many annoying rules as her world, but at least they have parties and dances. Plus, the roguish Lord Phineas "Finn" Trimble is there...

When the feisty faerie tumbles into his room through a magical portal, Finn can't believe how completely unpredictable she is. Even before the two stumble into a dangerous intrigue that threatens both their worlds, Finn discovers that his hitherto carefree life is about to go up in smoke...

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Praise for A Lady and Her Magic:

“A dash of Jane Austen and a sprinkle of faery dust make this book a treasure.” —Kathryne Kennedy, author of The Elven Lord series

“Charming and filled with the magic of love and faith...Falkner's tale whisks readers into a realm of enchantment.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars 

“Marvelous magical mayhem.” —Midwest Book Review

“Absolutely enchanting...a delicious Regency fairy tale beautifully written.” —Romance Junkies

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Purchase at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Chapters/Indigo | Discover a New Love | Sourcebooks

As half of the Lydia Dare writing team, Tammy Falkner has co-written ten books, including A Certain Wolfish Charm and In the Heat of the Bite. A huge fan of Regency England, her regency paranormal series combines the magical elements of both mystical faeries and the glittering regency ton. Tammy lives on a farm in rural North Carolina with her husband and a house full of boys, a few dogs, and a cat or two. Visit her website, www.tammyfalkner.com, for more information.

Winner will be announced on July 5th.

After the Storm

by: Claudy Conn

Publishing Date: 2/4/13

Publisher: Self Published

Genre: Historical Romance

Source: Personal Copy

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Description:

No matter what her family and friends say, Jenny knows she will never fall in love again. How can she, when her childhood sweetheart was one of the countless killed at Waterloo? 

So when the Earl of Danfield proposes a marriage of convenience, it seems the perfect solution. He will secure his inheritance, and she will be spared the necessity of being paraded in society, forced to dance and flirt and do all the things her broken heart cannot do. His proposal will give her what she wants most. Peace. 

But peace is the last thing she finds in her marriage. Her growing attraction to the earl brings with it guilt that she’s betraying her beloved Johnny. Her mother-in-law considers her an interloper. Her husband’s former lover makes it clear she doesn’t want it to be former. And when a supposed prank nearly kills her, Jenny has to wonder—now that the earl’s inheritance is assured, has she become an inconvenience to be eliminated?

My Review:
I will say it over and over again....I LOVE Claudy Conn's historical romance books.  They are seriously addicting and make it feel like you go back to a time where men literally swept women off their feet.
"After the Storm" is a novel about Jenny and how she has lost her childhood sweetheart, Johnny during Waterloo.  She has told herself, she will never love another person again due to the fear of losing them.
Although, it will be kind of hard for her to not fall for the Earl of Danfield because the minute she is introduced to him, he is all that she thinks about.  Jason (the Earl of Danfield) gives her a proposition of marrying him.  If she marries him, he will finally receive his heritance and she will not have to endure going out during the London season like her father wants her to.
The Earl also wants to try to win Jenny's heart over even though she says she will never love again.  He knows in the bottom of his heart, she is falling for him.
When the Earl and Jenny marry, he takes her to one of his home and she meets his step-mom and step-brother.  While there, Jenny is almost killed and someone is out to kill the Earl.  Jenny is determined to find out what is happening at the Earl's castle and get to the bottom of who wants her husband dead.
When she finally finds out who it is, she will find out the truth on what really happened to her beloved Johnny.

Claudy writes a book that is full of passion and love and how it is possible to love again after a tragedy.    What I adored most about this book is that I could not figure out who was causing the trouble and trying to kill the Earl.  I would think it was the step-brother and then another time I would think it was the step-mother.  When I finally found out who it was, I was in shock just like Jenny was in the story.
Claudy also knows how to make readers fall in love with her characters.  I had so much sympathy for Jenny and as well as Jason. Jenny for losing her loved one and Jason for trying to win over Jenny the minute he realizes he cannot live without her.  They both were destined to meet each other.  =)
I even fell for some of the secondary characters in "After the Storm"...one being in particular...the Earl's stepbrother.  Even though, there were times I thought he was the one causing trouble, he still won my heart over.  He had a way with words.  =)

If you love a historical romance that has passion, mystery, romance, humor, and action, you will enjoy reading "After the Storm".

The Reluctant Countess

by: Wendy Vella

Publishing Date: 1/14/13

Publisher: Loveswept

Genre: Historical Romance

Source: Provided by Publisher (Netgalley)

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Description:

From rising romance star Wendy Vella comes a Cinderella story of whirlwind passion between a dashing earl and a beautiful countess—and the secret that threatens to tear them apart. 

Regal, poised, and elegant, Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is everything that a highborn lady should be. But Sophie is hiding a past that is far from royal. When Patrick, Earl of Coulter, realizes that her story doesn’t add up, he resolves to find out the truth of what Sophie and her sister-in-law are concealing. Although Sophie has every reason to avoid him, the handsome and charismatic Patrick awakens something wicked deep within her soul . . . a powerful need that Sophie must stifle in order to protect her place in society. 

Despite Sophie’s humble background, the raven-haired beauty has won Patrick’s heart. But what Sophie needs now is an ally. Viscount Myles Dumbly, the disgruntled former heir of Monmouth, is determined to expose Sophie as a fraud to recapture his lost inheritance. Soon Patrick is drawn into a fight for both their lives. Somehow he must find a way not only to rescue Sophie from poverty once and for all, but to keep her in his arms forever.

My Review:
"The Reluctant Countess" is from the upcoming new Author, Wendy Vella, who definitely makes a great and memorable entrance into the regency historical romance genre .  I fell in love with her writing style and the characters she wrote in "The Reluctant Countess".  Wendy actually made me feel like I was back in that time frame and how I wish some guys from this era would take notes from how men should treat women.  (*just saying*)

Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is trying everything to keep her secret from coming out, but it is kind of hard when you have the sexy Earl of Coulter, Patrick, always there asking questions and making her feel flustered.  Sophie has a deep secret and with the help of her sister-in-law, she is trying everything to have it from coming out during the season.  The Earl knows something is up with the Countess and it is up to him to find out what it is....although in the meantime, he is finding it is hard to resist Sophie and when the truth finally comes out, he wants to be there for her and protect her.
Sophie is not only dealing with keeping her secret from coming out, but trying to keep her brother and herself safe from her past.  She also has the Viscount to worry about, who he feels he was tricked out of getting what he deserved.

"The Reluctant Countess" takes you into the world of where romance can overcome anything, especially when two characters come from different classes.  Wendy gives you a different kind of Cinderella story that will have you wanting that happily ever after for the characters and wanting to find out who wants Sophie killed.
I loved Patrick for his determinedness to win over Sophie even when he found out the truth.  He definitely loved her from the beginning, but just took him a minute to find it out for himself.  Sophie had a little trouble trusting Patrick, but she had her reasons for what she went through.
I also enjoyed Wendy's secondary characters who kept a very interesting storyline for themselves as well.
I look forward to reading more books from Wendy Vella in the near future.  This regency romance will have you wanting your own Earl of Coulter...at least I know I do now.  =)
I received a complimentary copy of "The Reluctant Countess" from Netgalley (courtesy of the publisher) in exchange for an honest review.  

Runaway Heart

by: Claudy Conn

Publishing Date: 9/24/12

Source: Bought for Kindle (Amazon)

Genre: Regency Historical Romance

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Description:

Spirited Chelsea decided she’d sooner run away to London than return to her vain and selfish guardian, Aunt Augusta. But in her wildest dreams, she never imagined her dear godmother would arrange a Season—or convince the ton’s most eligible bachelor to take her under his wing.

Lord Wainwright was a handsome rogue who was not interested in coy games and missish airs. He expected a country mouse with no polish, but instead he found a thoroughly engaging minx, and was oddly irritated by all the male attention she received. 

 Chelsea with her unspoiled eye saw beyond Wainwright’s pursuit of hedonism to the intriguing man underneath. But to her shock, it appeared his heart belonged to her horrid Aunt Augusta! 

 Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages.

My Review:
Claudy Conn has done it again...she sucked me in another Regency Historical Romance and made me fall in love with the characters and their world.
Lord Wainwright is now going on my list of FAVE sexy, male characters that I would to marry...Oops...do not tell my hubby.  =)
Chelsea is wanting to make her mark in the world and find the man who will sweep her off her feet, just like her friends keep talking about.  She's about to turn 19 and she wants to meet the one person who will make her happy for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately, she's dealing with Aunt drama who has not even been there for her since she received guardianship of Chelsea.  She just wants Chelsea because of the trust money she has.
Chelsea runs to her Godmother's house to be around someone who really adores and loves her for who she is.  Daisy, her godmother, wants to find a perfect suitor for Chelsea and enrolls her nephews help to get Chelsea out there in front of the eligible bachelors eyes.
Lord Wainwright does not want to watch over a child, at least that is what he thinks of her when he first sees her, until Chelsea has a make over and now Lord Wainwright cannot keep his eyes off of her.  He knows it is wrong to have feelings for Chelsea, but he cannot help himself.  There is something about the beautiful Chelsea that has him in a bind.
Augusta, Chelsea's Aunt, who is nothing, but a vindictive woman is even more angry with Chelsea since Chelsea seems to be stealing away Augusta's handsome rogue.  Now Augusta wants Chelsea out of the way and she has recruited her brother to help her sweep Chelsea away from the man she has had her eyes on for awhile...and her brother is ruthless enough to do anything to have Chelsea for himself since money is involved and his greedy for more.
Chelsea is about to be thrown in a world she has to become adult quick and she finds herself in love with a man who may belong to another and a world where men will do anything to have her because of how much she is worth.

Seriously...I love Claudy Conn's regency romances.  She has me fall in love with the rogue every time and she also has me loving the female characters as well.
Even the secondary characters are ones that I fell in love with.  Not only is Chelsea having her moment of love...but so is her Godmother, Daisy, which is definitely a match made in heaven.  Daisy deserved a happily ever after as well for everything she had gone through.
The villains in the story are ruthless and it seems it is a family trait.  They will do anything to get what they want.
Claudy Conn definitely knows how to transport you back in time where men tried everything to sweep a woman off their feet so they can marry them.  I will say this, Lord Wainwright can sweep me off my feet anytime.  I'm jealous over Chelsea.
The steamy scenes between the characters will require you taking a cold shower afterwards though, so be prepared ahead of time.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading historical romances, is a fan of Claudy Conn, and loves to fall in love with a rogue who becomes tamed because of one beautiful young lady who changes his ways.
Claudy Conn even gives you a sneak into other stories that she has written after you read, "Runaway Heart", which will make you want more anyways.
I know I cannot get enough of Claudy's books.  =)  

Oh, Cherry Ripe

by: Claudy Conn

Publishing Date: 2/23/12

Publisher: BC Publications

Genre: Historial Romance

Source: Bought (Amazon) (Freebie)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance Books | Smashwords

Description:

Cherry Elton was beside herself! Her own mother had arranged a marriage for her to a man she had never even met. She had no choice but to run away. 

 Sky Westbrooke had no wish to marry, but his mischievous siblings sorely needed a firm maternal hand. Yet, how could he court his unseen bride, when into his employ had come the most remarkable, enchanting governess? 

 And Cherry, playing at being a governess was smitten by the handsome, cavalier Lord Westbrooke. His stolen kisses left her breathless—yet, he was betrothed to another. Whatever was a love struck governess to do?

My Review:

This is my second historical regency romance from the fabulous author, Claudy Conn.  She delivered yet another great regency romance that makes me want to read even more regency romances.  I absolutely adore reading about Lords and Ladies. 

Cherry Elton has been told by step-mother that she is to be married to a stranger.  Cherry is not having it.  She feels that her step-mother has done her wrong and runs away one night.  The night when she runs away is when she is comes across a very handsome man who helps her get to her destination and away from what her step-mother wants to do.  When she arrives at her destination, she gets the idea to be a governess to a family that is looking for one.  

She ends up running into the man who helped her that one night when she ran away when she becomes his family's governess.

Sky Westbrooke, otherwise known as Lord Westbrooke, has decided he needs to get married so his younger siblings can have a maternal hand in the household.  He has agreed to marry a woman he has never met before so he can finally make his family whole again.  When he tries to visit his soon to be bride, supposedly she is sick and not well enough to be seen by him.  

But..what he does not realize is that his soon-to-be bride is the woman he has already met and from day one, he has been falling in love with her.

This book definitely had me laughing and smiling at the same time because in the end, Cherry and Sky had no idea that they both were meant to meet anyways. 

I loved how Claudy Conn wrote this story and how everything developed at the end.  It was a very deja vu book for both characters.  They were destined to meet no matter what, but with different circumstances.  

I loved the ending the most and how the characters found out the truth.  

Cherry was a very spirited and free-will woman, who just wanted to live her life the way she wanted.  She didn't want her step-mother telling her what to do.  

Lord Westbrooke was a very handsome man, who just wanted to help out his family because he definitely needed help, especially with one of his brothers.  

This book shows what happens when you are meant to meet that destined someone, no matter what.  =)

Love it!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical romances and loves a great love story.  

"Oh, Cherry Ripe" is currently Free at this time at all sites that I mentioned above.  I don't know for how long though, so get your copy before the price goes back up.  

Claudy Conn will be attending the Indie Romance Convention in Tennessee next year. Feel free to click the image below to find out more about the Convention. =)

Wildfire Kiss

by: Claudy Conn

Publishing Date: 8/27/12

Genre: Historical (Regency) Romance

Source: Provided by Author (Smashwords)

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All Romance Books

Description:

Lady Babs had already done one unforgivable thing: she had written a novel. It was under a pseudonym, of course, but the story she’d thought would sell only a few copies to help stave off her father’s creditors was becoming a sensation. Passion’s Seed had the beau monde in a panic, because it was all about ‘them’! If it were ever revealed that she, one of the aristocracy’s own, was the author, she would be ruined.

Now she was contemplating doing something equally scandalous. The ‘rules’ dictated that, as a woman, she had to wait until marriage to enjoy pleasures men were allowed when single. Lady Babs, however, had other ideas, for she had fallen in love with the man known as Lord Wildfire, a dashing duke with a penchant for the ladies but not for marriage.

But while she yearned for Lord Wildfire, another man lusted after her. And Sir Edward was willing to go to any lengths to make her his—including following his hunch that Lady Babs was somehow involved in the publication of Passion’s Seed …

My Review:

I love historical romances and "Wildfire Kiss" definitely is an amazing regency historical romance that I had a hard time putting down.  The Duke actually prevented me from working on college assignments last week...but that was okay because the Duke was VERY worth it.  

Lady Babs has written a book, but she's trying to keep it a secret that she wrote it.  She never thought her book would be a big success and now she really has to keep it hush, hush that she wrote it otherwise it could make her family upset and ruin her reputation.  She just wanted to help her father out when she wrote it.

She's on her third season out, and she's trying everything to stay away from getting married to the suitors that her father and her Aunt want her to marry because she just wants to have fun. She knows she should get married before enjoying pleasures with a man, but Lord Wildfire otherwise known as Duke of Barrington is hard to resist when she first meets him.  Even Lord Wildfire is having a hard time resisting to the beautiful Lady Babs.  

There is another man, Sir Edward, lusting after Lady Babs though and he will do at anything to win her over and make her his wife.  

Lady Babs is going to have to make Sir Edward realize though that she is in love with another.  Of course Sir Edward is going to do the unthinkable to get Lady Babs for his own.

My thoughts on Wildfire Kiss are of course that I loved it.  I think I already said that in the beginning, but I thought I say it again.  =)  Claudy Conn's writing style is amazing. I actually found myself imagining going back in time when reading this book.  I love the regency romance genre and Claudy's book definitely kept me clicking on my Kindle to finish the book.  =)

I absolutely adored the Duke or aka Lord Wildfire.  His name "Wildfire" has a meaning, but you will have to read to find out why he is called that.  =)  He had certain qualities that suckered me in just like Lady Babs was suckered in.  

Lady Babs, is a female character I definitely clicked with because she did not let anyone change her when she went out during the season.  She had her Aunt trying to convince her she needed to be with a certain male gentleman, but Lady Babs just wanted to do her own thing.  Lady Babs even convinced her cousin on finding love when she was meant to.  

This is a book I do plan on reading it again because I know I will miss the characters.  

I highly recommend this to historical romance readers and readers who love the regency style romances.  You will fall in love with the Duke and Lady Babs just like I did.  

You also will fall in love with Claudy Conn's writing style and will want to read her other books that she has written.

I'm excited to meet Claudy Conn next year at the Indie Romance Convention.  If you want information on the Convention and Claudy just click the image below.  =)