Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone (ARC)

Publisher: Spice, Imprint of Harlequin
Pages: 360

From the Cover: In Victoria England vice of every kind can be purchased, and Matthew, the Earl of Wallingford, makes certain he avails himself of every possible pleasure. Bored and jaded, he is as well-known for his coldness as for his licentious affairs with beautiful women.

While these numerous dalliances fulfill Matthew's every physical need, they secretly leave him numb and emotionally void. Until one night when he finds himself beaten, eyes bandaged and in the care of a nurse with the voice of an angel - and a gentle touch that soothes the darkness in him and makes him yearn for more.

Yet Jane Rankin is a lowly nurse, considered shy and plain by most. There is no place for her amongst the lords and ladies of the aristocracy - despite Matthew's growing craving for the fire that burns behind her earnest facade. And then there is Matthew's secret. A secret so humiliating and scandalous is could destroy everyone he loves. A sin, he fears, not even the love of a good woman can take away...

***May Contain Spoilers (though I try to avoid all spoilers, beware)***

Lord Matthew Wallingford wants nothing to do with proper society. He's a lost soul, abused and used, and he can only endure when he uses as well, to chase away the demon. He's dirty, sinful, outrageous to society, and that's the way he likes it. No attachments, no strings. If he wants a body, there are plenty available willing to abide his rules. No touching, no bed, and certainly, no words of love. What is love but the confinement that he can't bring himself to endure. He has only seen love once, between Lord Raeburn and Anais, childhood friends turned lovers waiting for the bonds of marriage to claim them. Wallingford has no illusions of marriage for him, he can't begin to imagine himself tied down in the restraining noose of marriage.  Especially with the sins he has committed, he is unfit.

Miss Jane Rankin, lady's companion to one Lady Blackwood who has been shunned herself by society in disgrace for having divorced her vicious husband. Jane has little time for the foolish desires that some call love. She's always been a plain Jane, she has no illusions about herself as well as the knowledge that she rarely draws the attention of a roving male eye. But, she's determined to make the best of her world and of her worth. Working as a nurse at the London College Hospital has given her a purpose as well as a skill to allow her independence when Lady Blackwood is no longer with her. And with Anais as her best friend, she'll get to watch true love from afar.  She realized long ago that no one in improper society would ever greet her as an equal or truly see the person that she is.

Jane's life abruptly changes when a Lord is brought to her hospital after a mad attack. Matthew is injured and ravaged by fever, and only one voice can penetrate his fevered ramblings and desires, only Jane can bring calm to his body. She's like nothing he has ever heard or felt. As he heals, he realizes that he will never fully recovery without the voice of his angel, Jane. But, can the rake that Wallingford is take plain Jane for what she is? Can he become what his angel of mercy needs? Can they accept each for the other, damaged goods and all?

Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone is the telling of Wallingford's story who we met and loved for his disdain in Addicted. Wallingford is a tortured soul with a secret history. He has never felt love, safety, and peace in his life, making him into the maladjusted man that society finds before them.  He hides behind the slick veneer of a wasted life, pleasure bound.  Jane is the daughter of an aristocrat thrown from his house when he tires of her mistress mother. Forced to live on the street, and with the death of her mother, sold as if a possession.  This she cannot live with and this is what brings her into the employment of Lady Blackwood. She hides behind her plain appearance, unable to let the world see her beauty.  When Matthew and Jane discover each other, they bloom together into what could become love. But, Matthew is used to the finer things in life and plain Jane is nothing like what he's had before. Jane has grand expectations for her handsome Lord and she's crushed when Wallingford can't see her true self when it is before his eyes.

Sinful was a very quick read, one that I found impossible to put down. Ms. Featherstone's voice sings from the pages that turn without your knowledge. I was very much looking forward to Wallingford's story with the completion of Addicted, and I was not disappointed.  Thank you Ms. Featherstone for the Sinful breadcrumbs.  It was not at all what I expected it to be, and my heart broke for Wallingford. He is very much the tortured soul, but with a good heart if only the pieces can be put together and healed.  It is fear and disdain that drives Wallingford's destructive behavior.  He finds himself in impossible situations throughout his life that are not of his own making, making the reader love him all the more. This is a beautifully told story and I've found once again another book to add to my keeper's shelf. This book is the continuing story from Addicted, but easily read as a stand alone. If you'd like background information and an introduction to Wallingford as well as a glimpse of Jane, I would read Addicted first. I highly recommend Sinful to lovers of romance, historical or not, in need of well spun story. Warning: Burning hot romance, sensually told, and tugs at your heart strings.

I received this book for review from the publisher, Spice, Harlequin and Net Galley. All opinions stated are my own.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

Publisher:  Leisure Books / Imprint of Dorchester Publishing
Pages:  324

From the Cover:  What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Hidden in the dark heart of Victorian London, the Romanesque school was dreadfully imposing, a veritable fortress, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met its powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadows, of the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She saw simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gift. This arched stone doorway was a portal to a new life, to an education far from what could be had at a convent-and it was an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death... 

Six were called to soothe the spirits, six were called to protect the humans, and to them will come a seventh, the Balance.  The Healer, The Intuition, The Artist, The Heart, The Memory, The Power......  all await the Balance yet to come......

Alexi Rychman has been looking for the fulfillment of the Prophecy for two long decades, and as yet, his Goddess has not returned.  There is to be signs of her arrival, and London is thick with them, but not the most important of all....The portal to the other side, the doorway has yet to appear.

Rebecca Thompson, Headmistress of the Athens Academy has long sought the attention of Alexi, dear friend and confidante.  But to no avail, he only has eyes for his reluctant mistress, their missing Goddess.  The Grand Work has become a replacement for love and desire.  Her heart is squirreled away, begging for release.  All the Guard, all six have dedicated their lives to the Grand Work, but when is enough enough?

Miss Percy Parker, the ghostly visage of a young woman, sometimes mistaken for the spirits that dance on the Earth arrives at Athens from the Reverend Mother's care, hoping to find a place to belong.  Before long, Alexi finds himself drawn to this ghost girl, Persephone, holding the name of his long ago Goddess.  But can this wisp of a girl, a see through visage of a woman, be his Goddess returned?

 The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is a mythical journey of the lightness of being, a Gothic Victorian romance wonderfully told with beautiful words and detail, the voicing excellent. I fell in love with the storytelling and the characters, each for their own reason.  The story starts with the calling of the guard.  Six young people are possessed as the Guard, to learn the truth, wait for a sign, prevent the unthinkable; Hades' reign on Earth.  Without the six, the seventh would be lost or the foretold story claims.  The seventh is the fulfillment of the Prophecy on Earth.  The seventh is the return of the Goddess stolen by Hades, her Phoenix lover burned to dust and the Muses scattered.  Alexi, our masterful hero, must find the missing Goddess, but he has so little to go on, mysterious missives.  The one thing he does know is that with the finding of the Goddess, his true love will be returned to him.  Percy Parker, our wistful heroine, is like the Earthbound ghosts that seek her guidance and counsel.  She has always been different, but it's always been the ghostly shade of her skin and eyes that have held her apart, making her different.  The one thing that neither Alexi or Percy knows is that others roam the Earth release from the bowels of Hades in search of the missing Goddess, and her ultimate destruction, and with her, the Balance that holds the Earth, Good versus Evil for domination. 

Strangely Beautiful is a strangely wonderful retelling of the Greek mythology of old.  The Goddess Persephone and her lover, The Phoenix, torn apart and put asunder by the wrath of Hades, God of the Underworld along with the evilness of the Gorgon, the serpent headed she-demon sent by her Master to destroy the Balance, and effectively, the Goddess.  Strangely Beautiful retells the story with new twists and turns capturing the wonderment, the emotions, and dread of the unknown.  More than once I cried for poor Percy and more than once I wanted to shake the Guard, especially Rebecca who was blinded by what she wanted to see and have instead of what was before her eyes.  But it was such a long hard journey to take for all of the Guard, that I had to forgive her, and the other Guards, too long searching for what could not be found.  Strangely Beautiful pulls at the emotions of the reader, struck deep to their core.  I was left wanting more, needing to see the further journey.  I highly recommend this book to lovers of romance, paranormal, urban fantasy, those who love mythology and fantasy.  Strangely Beautiful is another book that has gained a spot on my keeper shelf to be re-read again and again.  As soon as I finished the story, I was immediately drawn back to read it once more through, yes, the story was that good. The best description is a bewitching story in an alluring rendition.  With each reading, something new will be found and that's what makes it special.  If you haven't begun to follow Persephone's journey, now is the time to let your adventure begin.  Book Two, The Darkly Luminous Fight For Persephone Parker will be released April 27, 2010. Watch for it, as well as the next two books in the series yet to come.

To celebrate Miss Percy Parker's continuing story, Ms. Hieber is having a fun book giveaway, several wonderful books to be had.  For more information on her contest, click here.

The book trailer tells the story to perfection, I love it.

(Release Date: April 27, 2010)

Publisher: Leisure Books / Imprint of Dorchester Publishing
Pages: 320

To read excerpts from Book Two, click here to go to Ms. Hieber's blog.

Here's at peek at the awesome book trailer for Book Two, I can't wait to see how the story continues!



To pre-order The Darkly Luminous Fight For Persephone Parker go to:  here, here, or here.


I received this book from the author, Leanna Renee Hieber, for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Remember that Book I was Telling you about....Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

If you'd like to win a copy of the dynamic book, head over to Lea's @ Closetwriter.  She's has a great review up and .... wait for it ..... She giving away TWO (yay!) brand spanking new copies of Mind Games by Carolyn Crane!!!

I can't wait to get a copy, and what's better than winning a copy?  So, head on over and enter to win.  Contest ends March 22, 2010 (one day before the official release date).  Good Luck, I've already entered!

Drop by S.J. Edwards (Cassandra Cade) [ARC]

Publisher:  Crescent Moon Press
Pages:  302

From the Cover:  Lighthouse Inc. has traveled through time for thousands of years, hand picking employees to create a preferred timeline, known as the LPT. Lighthouse believes this careful planning will avert a cataclysmic disaster for humankind. But there are those who think otherwise and will stop at nothing to thwart its mission.

Darius the Assassin, a time trekking Dropper from the Crusades, teams up with feisty Tracker, Nicki Stone, from the present day. Together, they attempt to neutralize the rogue Dropper before the fabric of time is ultimately destroyed.

The battle for an alternate destiny rages as Darius, Nicki, and their nemesis William square off not only against each other and the very institution that keeps time intact... but most of all, themselves.

Nicki grew up with the Lighthouse, the security and wealth it provided.  She was one of the orphans, what happens when two Droppers come together and ignite.  Their lives are too complicated, too unsure to let children into the equation.  So, she became a Tracker, a soul to keep the Dropper anchored and grounded into the real world.

Darius is a age old Dropper, 1000 years old, born of the time of Persia, royalty by birth and an assassin by nature.  He was just what the Lighthouse needed to keep the LPT (Lighthouse Preferred Timeline) going in the right direction.  He was good at his job, happy in his own way until he meets Nicki, a force to be reckoned with all by herself.

Darius' life long friend and comrade, William, has come to realize that Dropping was no longer for him.  The Lighthouse with all their prophecies are wrong.  The world would be a better place left in God's hands rather than Man's.  But can he right the wrongs created by him and his follow Droppers?  Some will think that he's lost his mind, but others will recognize the truth.  If only he can convince Petra, his Tracker, that his way is the right way.

Drop by S.J. Edward/Cassandra Cade is a grippingly fast read, pages spun for me as I devoured the book.  Time travel has saved the Earth from it's devastating future, somewhere in the year 2800.  Humanity has been deformed by it's excesses and only the Lighthouse can fixed the carelessness of the past.  Our hero, Darius has lived several lifetimes scooped up from the sands of ancient Persia to save the New World.  William, his friend and fellow Crusader, remained at his side and both are brought to the future to avert what will be into what should be.  Darius handles his exposure well, but William begins to show cracks of an overused Dropper.  Our heroine, Nicolette, has lived her life for the Lighthouse, her fate has already been written in the Archives and only destiny is left to be had.  When fate brings Darius and Nicolette together, only destiny knows if these two will remain as one.  What no one is counting on is the dastardly William and his ability to charm, worm, and work his way into the mix.  Now, no one can predict what the future will hold, not only for Darius and Nic, but the rest of the world as well.

Drop is a very quick fun read, lots of action, and a sweet steamy romance between two forbidden lovers, the Tracker and her Dropper.  This book is character driven, told in the first-person POV of several different characters, each telling their side of the story.  The speaking voices of the characters are well defined both by mood and style.  I quickly became engrossed in the story.  It's one of those books, that when you're not reading, you're left wondering about what's happening.  As the plot begins to unfold, no one can see what the ending will hold.  This is the first of The Drop Saga, and I personally can't wait to see where this author will lead us in the future.  I recommend this book for lovers of Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance, all can be had in one book.  I had a blast reading it.  For a taste of the fun or to order the book, click here.

I received this book from Crescent Moon Press.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

Monday Morning Mystery Meme: Play "Trapped in a Restaurant Meme Game" with Carolyn Crane To Win!

Lea @ Closetwriter has a new meme posted from Carolyn Crane's newest contest, check it out.

Trapped in a Restaurant Meme
(please go to www.authorcarolyncrane.com for more information and details) 

1. In MIND GAMES, hypochondriac heroine Justine Jones can’t figure out why tortured mastermind Sterling Packard never sets foot outside the Mongolian Delites restaurant. What if you were somehow trapped in a restaurant, what sort of restaurant would you prefer?


See, I'm kind of a chicken when it comes trying different foods.  I'm an all American girl, and I like a nice hearty meal and not always a healthy one.... though I do try to keep it carb lite and low sugar..... but if I was stuck in a restaurant with little hope of escaping, it would have to be Steak/Ribs for me.  I love a good steak and the messy goodness of ribs.


2. What if you won the fancy $100 dinner to a restaurant of your choice, and you could dine with any character from any book, movie, or history. Who would you choose?


Hmmm..... some many to chose from.... So many from history I could choose.... I love to get some pointers from authors.... and the characters!!  I loved to learn what makes some of them tick, books or movies.


I'd guess I'll go with John Hughes.  I loved his movies from the 80's.  He just recently passed away, but I would have loved an opportunity to speak with him.  He captured what it was like for all of us average people out there trying to exist with humor, a whimsical presence that engaged the viewer even when the subject matter was serious or not.


3. Choose three characters to dine with for a lively dinner party (you can define lively however you want).


Ivy Tamwood from Kim Harrison's The Hollow Series:  I'd love to get to know Ivy.  She's snarky, willowy, aloof, powerful, kick-ass, and she'd bring Brimstone, the much maligned vampiric wonder product that cures many ills and apparently tastes good in cookies (besides, she could give me the inside scoop on Rachel Morgan, Jenks, Kisten, Ceri, and Al)


Jean Claude from LKH's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series.  He gets off on tasting without actually eating and he enjoys it so much.  Besides, he's a tasty treat all by himself.  Dessert please.  And more scoop on the lovely shape shifting/blood drinking characters.  Yum!  (though not sure Ivy and Jean Claude would see eye to eye)


Harry Dresden of Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files.  He's close, Chicago is in my home state, and he has a vampire brother, Thomas, who dines on the energy of his prey, but only a little.  He is a wizard and detective by profession which I find is too cool.  Love to pick his brain, discover some of his secrets.  And besides, I think he would find Ivy's personality intriguing.

Thanks for the fun meme Carolyn!!!  I waiting patiently to pick up a copy of Mind Games...(if you haven't checked it out, WHAT are you waiting for?)  Here's another peek at the blurb:

(Release Date:  March 23, 2010)

While the citizens of Midcity are being terrorized by paranormal crime, Justine Jones is battling the paralyzing hypochondria that’s ruining her life. She’d do anything to break free. 


She gets her chance when Packard, a handsome mastermind with strange powers, peers into her soul and invites her to join his psychological hit squad, the disillusionists.

The disillusionists are hired by crime victims. The team zings their fears and anxieties into criminals; the result is a total collapse.


At first, Justine enjoys being part of the glamorous, thrilling world of neurotic vigilantes who battle Midcity’s depraved and paranormal criminals, though as a crimefighter, she’s far more like Monk than Anita Blake.
She also enjoys the unexpected affection that blossoms between her and Packard. But little by little, Justine begins to uncover strange secrets: like why Packard hasn’t set foot outside the Mongolian Delites restaurant for eight years. And the truth about the disillusionists. Soon their affection is destroyed in an angry inferno.

Things become more complicated when Justine falls for her most dangerous target, a dashing crime boss with a penchant for opera and paranoia about brain hemorrhages. Is he a ruthless criminal or her soulmate? How will she keep Midcity from sliding into a bloodbath?  

(from:  http://authorcarolyncrane.com/books/mind-games)