REVIEW, INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Tall, Dark and Cowboy - Joanne Kennedy

 
GENRE: Adult – Romance/Western 
FORM: Mass-Market Book, ARC
PUBLICATION DATE:  October 31, 2011

While I was granted permission to read this book by Sourcebooks, I have received no compensation for this review other than the joy of reading! 

**Read to the end for an interview with the author, as well as a chance to win a copy of the book!**

SYNOPSIS: Lacey was always the beautiful, perky cheerleader, and even in her late twenties she feels like that is all her life has been as Trophy Wife. She was married and recently divorced from a crook real estate agent, and is now running from some of her previous husband, Trent Bradford's “business partners,” who want to use her to make sure Trent doesn’t talk to the authorities. So having her life already ripped apart, and refusing to have anything to do with the wealth Trent so illegally acquired, Lacey decides to run to the one person who was always there for her before she married.

Chase is a hardened, cynical, hot and sexy cowboy. His life has been ripped apart in multiple ways; by Lacey because she broke his heart, by Trent because of the loss of his love, and his father’s ranch as well as life. When Lacey comes stumbling back into his life, he wrestles with desire and compassion and the hatred stemming from the fact that it was her and husband that has put him in his current situation. Chase is ready to send Lacey packing until her situation proves to be dangerous, and the next thing he knows he is bringing Lacey to his home – a place where he has always been able to her permanently.

REVIEW: You’ve got to love a damsel in distress story.  Combine that with sexy ranch cowboy and you get a sizzlingly sexy book. Tall, Dark and Cowboy was hot, to say the least. Lacey and Chase are both dealing with issues. Lacey is desperate for some independence. She has always had to rely on someone to provide for her, so it is understandable that she struggles with a relationship that is so obvious that Chase wants. She is also utterly clueless that Chase has always been head over heels in love with her, despite the way that he has always been constantly at her side ready to drop everything for her.

Chase is a very sweet compassionate character, no matter how hard his exterior or the wall that he puts up between himself and anyone who would like to get close to him. It is really easy to understand his reluctance to help Lacey out in the beginning, given how she and her ex-husband has affected his life for that past several years, but watching him melt and love Lacey was my favorite part. He is overly understanding of Lacey’s back and forth “I can’t be with you, let me jump your bones” personality, but when he finally makes up his mind to have her forever, the victory is so very sweet.

Outside of the Chase/Lacey relationship, there was a bit of action, and a few funny characters. I loved Annie, Chase’s niece, who is bound to either be a law enforcer or serial murder when she grows up. Kristal was the girl you were very happy to see get what she deserved. The best action, however, was the end/climax. There’s nothing more satisfying than watching all the pieces fall into place and having the story wrapped up nicely.

And now for a special treat!  I was given the privilege of interviewing author, Joanne Kennedy!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 
JK: I’m a romantic who believes in love and happy endings. My contemporary Western romances celebrate small towns, wide-open spaces, and hot cowboys with big hearts.

As a child, did you have a favorite author?  Book?
JK: I spent most of my childhood with my nose in a book, so it’s hard to pick just one! I read a lot of older books my parents passed down to me from their own childhoods. Gene Stratton Porter was one of my favorite authors; I loved “The Girl of the Limberlost” and it gave me my love of nature and open spaces.  I also read my dad’s old Zane Gray westerns; Lassiter in “Riders of the Purple Sage” was my first and best cowboy love.

If you could live anywhere at any time (past, present, or future) what would you choose? Why?
JK: This sounds corny, but I love my life so I’d stay right here, right now. I guess that’s why I write about the modern West—it’s right where I want to be. I’d like to visit the old West and share the experience of traveling with a wagon train to start a new life, but I suspect that once I tasted the hardships of the frontier I wouldn’t want to stay long. I like my hot showers and warm bed!
 

Tell us one silly fact about yourself.
JK: If you’ve read my books, you know I love horses—but I am the worst rider in the universe. I’ve tried over the years, but I’m extraordinarily un-athletic and I always end up on my butt, watching the horse trot off into the distance. My cowboy friends tell me it’s not that easy to fall off a Western saddle, but somehow I always find a way. I love to groom horses, do ground training, even muck out stalls—but I stay out of the saddle.

If you could only own three books for the rest of your life, which three books would you choose?
JK: I have trouble getting through a week with only three books, so this would be a real challenge. I’d pick the Bible first, because it’s huge and you can read it over and over and find something new every time. I’d pick Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove because if I can only hang out with one fictional character the rest of my life, I want it to be Gus McCrae. And I’d pick Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study, which is another book I loved as a child. It’s a weirdly poetic and endlessly interesting encyclopedia from the 50’s full of birds and bugs and other critters. Mostly, I’m going for page count and word density, because three books is nowhere near enough!

What inspired you to become an author?
JK: Books have been such an integral part of my life. I was a shy child, and stories let me be whoever I wanted to be and go wherever I wanted to go. I always had stories in my head, and when I finally started to share them I was surprised to discover other people wanted to go along for the ride. Books have gotten me through some tough times. To be able to do that for other people is just awesome.

What has been the most difficult part of the writing/publishing process?
JK: Reviews! I’ve been lucky enough to have mostly good reviews, but it can be really tough to pour so much of yourself into a story and find out you disappointed someone who just doesn’t see the world the way you do. My relationship with my characters is probably not normal; I fall very much in love with them and if someone doesn’t like them, I’m hurt more deeply than I should be. Don’t get me wrong; I’m grateful to the people who take the time to write thoughtful, honest reviews and help readers choose books that are right for them. But waiting for those responses on a new book is a real nail-biter!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
JK: If you truly love to write, you’re probably good at it—or you will be with practice. Read a lot, take time to develop your craft, and don’t let anything deter you from following your dream. Ignore the nay-sayers and that inner voice that says you’re not good enough, but find people who will give you constructive criticism and be open to learning from them.

Of your own books, do you have a favorite?
JK: That’s like asking me to name my favorite child! I love Cowboy Trouble because it was the very first book I ever wrote, and the experience was just magical. I love One Fine Cowboy because it won me a RITA nomination, and because readers responded so wonderfully to the characters. I love Cowboy Fever because it let me use my experiences with disabled kids and horses, and because I really admire the heroine. And I love Tall, Dark and Cowboy  because—well, that’s the next question. 

What makes Tall, Dark, and Cowboy special to you?
JK:  In some ways, this book saved me. I was having serious health issues when I wrote it (don’t worry, I’m all fixed now). I was in a lot of pain in real life, but every time I entered the world of the book all my troubles faded away. Chase and Lacey are so hot together I could barely get them to keep their clothes on, but they had a lot to learn outside the bedroom before they could be together. Wrangling those two stubborn people into a love affair was a real challenge, and it was impossible to dwell on my own problems while I was doing it. I hope the book does the same thing for readers.

 

A Midsummer Night's Sin - Kasey Michaels

GENRE: Adult Historical Romance
FORM: e-Book, NetGalley
SERIES: Blackthorn Brothers
PUBLICATION DATE: November 29, 2011

SYNOPSIS: A book of mischief and curiosity gone wrong, Regina and Miranda were just looking to have a little bit of fun when they showed up to a risqué masquerade ball, but the consequences of that bit of fun will mean unearthing a crime spree that has been, until recently, been kept secret from London’s elite. A horror that ends up hitting too close to home for Regina’s sake. Thankfully she has the clever Robin Goodfellow Blackthorn to come to the rescue, and provide his good humored services as well.

REVIEW: Robin Goodfellow Blackthorn, aka Puck, is an amusing, fun, easy going, life loving character. He made me smile…a lot. He sees the humor in life and knows how to banter with the best of them. The only way that I would have liked his personality any better is if it were combined with a little bit more dry sarcasm. Combine this with the strong, confident Regina, and you’ve got bliss.

Regina had every reason to hate her life. Her mother’s an alcoholic, her father is overbearing, demanding, and sees people as possessions rather than…well people. She was groomed and fashioned to marry into a title, and presumed she would end up married to a Duke. It is the knowledge of these responsibilities and the fact that her life is laid out before her eyes that causes her to throw caution to the wind and go to a Masquerade Ball unchaperoned with her cousin, Miranda. Despite the horrific result of this decision and the unknown torment that Miranda is to face, some good does come of it, as it also lands her into the playful, and capable arms of Puck.

I love the idea of taking literary characters and turning them into real people. Even if Puck were simply named after the famed Shakespearian character, he also possessed many of his best qualities. The book was very entertaining and fun. The mystery was intriguing and kept me reading. I loved the relationship between Puck and Regina, they were a light playful couple, even in their banter they were picking at each other all the while fighting to keep their hands off. I also really enjoyed the description of what Puck or Regina was wearing, as well as their surroundings, it helped me to create a vivid mental image of each scene.

The only thing I could have wished for was a bit more at the end. I hated jumping from the ending (concluding) scene and straight into their marriage. I actually wanted to see what happened with Regina’s mother, and perhaps her acceptance of Puck as a future son-in-law. Alas, it was not to be I suppose.

Blog Tour: Last Call - Jennifer Schmidt, Guest Blog, Review and GIVEAWAY!

A special treat for you today!!  Author Jennifer Schmidt is here to talk about how she is among the most unromantic  Romance Authors around!  

You know the saying ‘write what you know’? Well, that’s good advice…if you actually know something interesting. Me? I know how to type 82 words a minute, how to change a diaper without completely undressing a child, I’ve learned to become a fairly good cook since having babies and I also know how to make the biggest mistakes known to man – or woman in this case. Needless to say I live a fairly boring, ordinary life, definitely not book worthy. Although some of the other things I do know I wouldn’t want everyone to know I know so writing about that wasn’t an option either. So writing what I know wasn’t going to cut it.

But it turns out I can write what I don’t know. 

I’m talking romance. I am the most anti-romantic person ever. I hate Valentine’s Day. Hate it. Really, what is the point of it besides making single women everywhere dive head first into the nearest tub of ice cream? Yes, we know you’re in love, so am I. The difference is you won’t see me pawing him in the most inappropriate place. FYI, dry humping in front of my son’s elementary school would be one of those places.

PDA’s. Nope, not a fan of those either. I love you. You love me. Must we constantly declare it to the world?

Big weddings. Or weddings in general for the most part. Maybe I’m not only missing the “bride” gene but also the girly gene. A wedding will not make my bucket list. I prefer to live in sin. If I did do it though there would be none of that big, white dress type of thing. Jeans and t-shirts? Hell, yeah. Even better? My Scooby Doo lounge pants. Oh, yeah. Now that I could get behind. 

Flowers? Keep ‘em. They remind me of funerals. Although you can pass the chocolate any time you want.

Affection makes me nervous. Attention makes me nauseous.  Do you see where I’m going with this? I would be the least likely person ever to write a romance, let alone be good at it. But it turns out I’m not half bad. So how does someone who is so non-romantic write romance?

I have no idea! Surprisingly enough it comes naturally to me. As natural as the eye rolling I tend to do while writing it. I guess I can credit all my girl friends who are complete opposite of me. They are the ones who believe in fairy tale romances and happily-ever-afters, the ones who have seemed to have found those things with their husbands – for now at least. (Sorry, girls, couldn’t help but throw that one in there!) The thing is, just because I don’t like what most women do that doesn’t mean I don’t know about it. And let’s face it, romance sells. Whether it’s a human, blood lust vamps or some other kind of supernatural creature, as long someone is falling in love you’re going to hear the collective sighs of readers all over the world. 

Besides the sighs, I think the biggest compliment that an author can receive is a reader saying you made them cry. Yes, I like making people cry. And I don’t mean that in a ha-I-hurt-your-feelings-and-now-I’ll-laugh-at-your-misfortune type of way. I’m not evil! (All the ex’s who just opened their mouths can now shut them and keep their comments to themselves.) I like the emotion behind making a reader cry. Whether it’s out of frustration, anger, sorrow or love if there’s tears then I’m all smiles. 

And here’s a little secret: I like being one of the authors who make readers sigh and their hearts melt, too. I guess there’s a little girl in me after all.

Contact info:

Blog: www.jleeschmidt.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Jennifer-Schmidt/181909148531269

Twitter:  @jleeschmidt

SYNOPSIS: 

While on vacation, a night out turns into a drunken haze, and Novalee Jensen wakes up hung over, confused, and… married? Fleeing Nevada, Novalee returns home to Montana to hide out, dreading the moment when her husband will show up to take her hard-earned business. But two years later just when Novalee thinks her secret is safe, guess who walks through her door? Now, face-to-face with the man she left in a hotel room two years ago, Novalee discovers the difficult part isn't having to explain her actions that night, or the questions that arise about the sexy stranger's arrival, it's keeping her hands off her husband. And what's Novalee to do when the hardest part turns out not to be confronting her past, but facing a possible future without her soon-to-be ex-husband?
Multi-millionaire Dean Philips wakes up in a Las Vegas hotel room to find the pretty blonde he married the night before gone. The piece of paper he possesses proves she served her purpose, and guilt ridden over his actions, Dean begins a battle with his father for a fight for his grandfather’s fortune. When Dean is ordered to have his wife appear in court, he finds himself in a small town in Montana, looking for the woman who ran off two years ago. Caught up in secrets and lies of his own, he has to find a way to persuade her to come back to Vegas with him without having her find out that she's the missing puzzle piece to everything he's been fighting for. But when Dean decides to mix a little pleasure with business, he suddenly finds himself in unfamiliar territory that could cost him everything.
Source: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House

MY REVIEW:

Last Call is chalk full of sex talk, innuendos and playful banter; it’s a lusty novel from beginning to end. On the whole the story was rather predictable, however it did not make it any less entertaining to read. I enjoyed the storyline, a spontaneous Vegas wedding for strangers who both have pain and causality in their lives, as well as successful careers. The two meet, are attractive and inevitably fall in love. (Of course, there is a lot more to it than that…) Really, the details of the story were written extremely well. I was able to invest interest into both Novalee and Dean’s lives, and found both of their stories rather believable.

Novalee comes off as innocent outwardly, yet she’s almost aggressive in her inward thoughts. She has a nice quiet, if not a bit boring life prior to Dean showing up. Dean has determination, first to keep everything he has from his father, but later to do what it takes to win Novalee’s heart. I enjoyed the relationship between Novalee and Dean, fiery and hot. I was not really fond of Calli’s character however; I found her too brass and a bit trampy. Thankfully, she did a bit of redemption for her character later in the story.

While I love romance novels, I’m really not so much into how casual and blasé the sex and sex talk was in this particular novel. It’s just not who I am, or what I like to read – so I can’t say that this is one of my favorite books ever, but I’m sure that there are many people who do and enjoy it, and who this book would be perfect for.

GIVEAWAY!!  Now here's your chance to win your own ebook copy of Last Call.  The publisher has granted me permission to give away 2 (YES TWO!) copies of this book.  This is open internationally.  Due to the content of this book - I request all participants be 18 and over!

Pride & Passion - Charlotte Featherstone

GENRE: Adult – Historical Romance
FORM: eBook – NetGalley
SERIES:  The Brethren Guardians
PUBLICATION DATE: November 15, 2011

While I was granted permission to read this book by a NetGalley affiliate publisher, HQNbooks, I have received no compensation for this review other than the joy of reading! 

SYNOPSIS: Lucy was born into society to parents who cared about nothing more than appearances and duty. At the present the duty calls for Lucy to get married, and her father has his sights set on Duke of Sussex. Sussex, in Lucy’s eyes, is a passionless pawn to society. Proper and stiff in all the ways of a ton gentleman. Lucy longs for passion and desire, something she had gotten just a brief taste of with her lover, Thomas.

Adrian wants nothing more than Lucy, will stop at nothing to have her. He was taught to be the Duke, to obey all that is right and proper. He was also trained to be a Brethren Guardian, protecting secret artifacts – a job that has recently become more dangerous. The secrets of his life, of his past and his duties keep bound and distant, but beneath the pompous exterior lies a wealth of feeling and desire that he is finding harder and harder to contain.

REVIEW: I simply loved this book! Charlotte Featherstone’s writing was so beautiful and captivating and seductive. It’s funny, because as far as graphic imagery goes, this book was a bit mild compared to some books I’ve read recently; but the sensations and feelings that are provoked with her writing go far beyond that of exaggerated descriptive words.

It was so easy to fall into friendship with both Lucy and Adrian. Their voices were so strong and believable. When you were with Lucy, you feel the frustration of being bound to society and all that it means, and the desperation of finding some sort of happiness and escape from it all. You understood her desire to stand up for herself, but also the need to bow to her duties. It was easy to see how Adrian didn’t seem like a good match, though he was the obvious one. On the other hand you felt nothing but frustration and fury toward Lucy when you were in Adrian’s head. It was so obvious that he loved her, in every breath and every move he was screaming it from the rooftops, and why oh why couldn’t she just see it. He had his own trappings in life, his own duties that were keeping him confined. Adrian’s emotions were at a constant simmer. He had a dark and almost poetic way about him, and his words. I want so badly to quote the book – to lay some out for you, but alas, I am going to keep it a mystery because half the fun of this book is to watch him torture and be tortured yourself with his brief touches and sexy vocalizations of his feelings and the feelings he’d like to provoke.

The relationship between Lucy and Adrian played out exactly as I thought – hoped – it would. Even though in the prologue and first chapter I thought for sure Thomas was our hero, in my mind I had started writing the story with Adrian coming out of the box that Lucy placed him in and becoming something so much more. Little did I know (obviously I didn’t read the synopsis very well, eh?!) I was in the same mindset as the author – happily so. I saw many of my thoughts on the story’s progression come to fruition but am still completely impressed with Charlotte Featherstone’s ability to draw out the story line, to hold on to the puzzle piece even when you think the idea is dead and gone. She does nothing but keep you captivated and reading until the very end – and then sets up the final novel in a frustratingly glorious way!

I haven't done this in a long time, but I've been listening to a lot of Adele lately, and I just really was feeling Adrian singing this song (if he sang, that is).

Support Breast Cancer, and Enter to win an Amazon Fire!

I'm excited to tell you about a chance to help support breast cancer awareness, prevention, and education, and also how you can enter to win an Amazon Fire, $150 gift card to Urban Outfitters or signed copies of (S)mythology.

After reading the synopsis of this book, I will tell you that I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!! And while I've been offered up a copy for review, I think I'm going to opt out to purchase a copy and do my part for Breast Cancer as well.

Below is a copy of a press release, and information about how you can enter to win an Amazon Fire!

Los Angeles, CA, October 18 2011 – (S)mythology author Jeremy Tarr has partnered with The Keep A Breast Foundation to raise money and awareness for breast cancer prevention, education, and support. One dollar of every copy of (S)mythology sold between now and November 30, 2011, will benefit Keep A Breast’s prevention and education programs.

“Keep A Breast does the incredibly important work of educating people my age that breast cancer isn’t a disease that only affects our moms and grandmas,” explains Jeremy Tarr, 30. “And they do it in a way that doesn't breed fear or worry. They bring awareness and joy – the joy of music and art and literature and the collective spirit of folks banding together to tackle this disease.”

In addition, an interactive contest will be launched to help spread the word about the partnership: readers can win cool prizes including the brand new Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, a $150 gift card to Urban Outfitters, and autographed lithographs from (S)mythology’s beautiful illustrations. (More info at http://whereissophie.tumblr.com.) (S)mythology was released this year and is available in digital and print formats at major retailers; for a limited time only, the eBook is offered at a special price of $3.99 at Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com.

Keep A Breast and (S)mythology are coming together to celebrate the partnership by joining together for a unique experience to benefit breast cancer awareness by casting (S)mythology’s illustrator, Katy Smail. Combining sculpture, philanthropy, and symbolic artistry, Keep A Breast Foundation Breast Casts™ are one-of-a-kind plaster forms of the female torso, and will be customized by Smail and auctioned off to raise funds for KAB’s breast cancer awareness programs.

“My mother recently had a breast cancer scare,” Tarr says. “All was well in the end, but there was a period of fear: of my mom's mortality, of the treatments and pain she'd go through, the toll it would take on her physically and emotionally. It was a terrifying prospect. I wanted to do something meaningful to help raise money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer.”

About (S)mythology

Charming, poignant and funny, (S)mythology is a tale of magical realism for these harsh times. The reader is whisked on a wild adventure to the far reaches of the globe…and to the depths of the Underworld. Twenty-one year old Sophie has spent her entire life in virtual seclusion in a London flat fearful of a curse placed upon her when she was a child, but when events beyond her control drive her out into the world she must combat her fears for the people she loves. Told with tongue-in-cheek wit and wry whimsy by Jeremy Tarr in his debut novel, and with sixty-four illustrations by Katy Smail, (S)mythology is about the mythology of love, life, and death.

(S)mythology website: http://www.smythology.co.uk
Contest website: http://whereissophie.tumblr.com
(S)mythology on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/smythologybook
(S)mythology on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeremyetarr



About Keep A Breast The Keep A Breast Foundation (KAB) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Their mission is to help eradicate breast cancer by informing young people about methods of prevention, early detection and support. Through art events, educational 

IN case you missed it...the link to enter the contest is here:   http://whereissophie.tumblr.com