Review: The Darkest Sin by Caroline Richards

Desperate Deceptions

Lord James Rushford is the only man in London who can lead Rowena Woolcott to the villain who has been tormenting her family for years, and she will stop at nothing to enlist his help. Even if she must pretend to play a dangerously enticing role: his mistress.

Shadowed Secrets

Rushford has demons of his own—a dark past that haunts his memories. Yet the temptation that Rowena presents is more than he can resist.

Relentless Desire

Claiming to be lovers should not be so easy—or feel so achingly appealing. But as Rushford ushers Rowena through London's most elite clubs and sinister underworlds, truth and fantasy blur. And as the threat to Rowena grows near, the masquerade of passion begins to feel startlingly real. . .

Rowena Woolcott was kidnapped from her home, drugged and left for dead. She was rescued by a stranger as she was drowning, but as a result part of her memory is gone. However, Rowena knows that someone wants to hurt her family and she can't return home. For a year she has been hiding as a governess in London and accumulating money to find help. After reading newspaper accounts about the Cruikshank murders, she decides to hire Lord James Rushford to help her find the culprits so she can eliminate the threat to her family. What she doesn't expect when finally meeting Rushford, is his reluctance to help her or the almost instant and familiar passion she feels for him.

Lord James Rushford has personal baggage and leads a guilt-ridden life. He's also known throughout London as a kind of sleuth after solving the Cruikshank' murders where Sir William Hutcheon was found guilty and hanged. None of these events make him a well-liked member of the aristocracy, but they do make him the perfect man to help Rowena Woolcott solve her problem. Rushford, however, is more than reluctant when he refuses to help her, and it's perfectly obvious that there's something more to his reaction to Rowena from the beginning.

The Darkest Sin by Caroline Richards is a bit Gothic(ky) with great atmosphere and good characters. Rowena Woolcott as the heroine is likable, although she displays lack of judgment more than once due to her stubborn belief that she can handle anything on her own, even after she goes to Rushford for help. Rushford as the hero is mysterious, yummy and likable, if a bit too riddled with guilt and obsessed with his dead ex-mistress. The sexual encounters between Rowena and Rushford are sensual and passionate, beginning with tension and ending with some excellent desperate sexual encounters between these two.

The plot is slightly convoluted with a romance that focuses on the couple, a suspense with action, and a villain that is a bit mad and over the top. The reader is left in the dark as to what's behind the villain's real motivations, with the reveal possibly coming out in an already planned sequel. I recommend this historical romance for those who enjoy a bit of the Gothic atmosphere and suspense weaved in with their romance, as well as some excellent sensual and passionate scenes.

Category: Historical Romance
Publisher/Release Date: Brava - June 1, 2011
Source: Kensington Publishing
Grade: C+

Visit Caroline Richards here.

Series:
The Deadliest Sin
The Darkest Sin
The Deepest Sin - Releasing January 1, 2012

Catching Up on June's Events, Books & Bloggers!

June was a very busy month filled with exciting events, and a few contretemps. You've heard all about my meeting Ms. Nalini Singh earlier during the month for the book signing of Kiss of Snow, and how I lost my glasses and couldn't read for almost a week due to blindness. Ugh! But this last week... well, this last week was just plain fun!

Books from Nath:
Jill Shalvis, Gini Koch, Katie MacAllister

Nath and her sister Emilie came down last Saturday night, June 25th to stay with us prior to the RWA Conference. Nath came bearing gifts... yummy, out of this world sweets from Canada that we all love, and, well... books!

Sunday we went shopping at one of our big outlet malls in New Jersey for about six hours or so. The ladies are seasoned shoppers, and I promise I didn't faint, lol! Then I rushed over to my brother's house to visit with my youngest brother and sister-in-law who arrived from Orlando at the same time as Nath and Emilie. On Monday, I left work early and Nath and Emilie and I went over to my family's house for a get together and a family dinner with everyone, this way combining both visits for me. No time to read or blog people, but a great time!

Tuesday was nuts! I worked again and barely got out in time for the RWA Literacy Signing, and made it after an altercation with the bus driver who was giving us a tour of NYC instead of parking the bus at the Port Authority.... well, needless to say the New Yorker in me came out full force (but that's a story for another time, lol) and I finally made it. That was a really exciting and wonderful part of the week that I've been looking forward to for a year. Besides meeting the authors, I had a wonderful time with Mariana at the Blogger Bar Bash afterwards where we chatted for a while with other bloggers, Nath, Librarian of the Year Wendy, KristieJ, Lusty Reader, Christine, author L.B. Gregg and other bloggers  who came around on and off (although I missed meeting Rosie!). The table was grand central. It was such a pleasure to meet them all and lots of fun!

Books from Tabitha:
Patti O'Shea, Laura Griffin, Jill Shalvis
Kathleen O'Reilly, HelenKay Dimon

My week didn't end on Tuesday though. I went to a work-related event on Wednesday night and didn't get home until past midnight, but when I arrived home there was a box waiting for me! It was from our friend Tabitha who shipped a box of books to Nath at my address, but as it turned out most of the books were for me. Thanks Tabs!

Thursday I worked past 7:00 pm... got home and collapsed! Friday, I basically did all the things I should have done during the week at home, ran errands and actually saw that stranger I refer to as husband! (and finished a book, yay)

Madeline Hunter, Jodi Thomas,
Lisa Dale, Heather Webber,
Diana Gabaldon, Julie Kagawa

Saturday Nath and Emilie came back from the RWA conference to New Jersey to pick up their car. Nath came back bearing more gifts... books signed by authors I missed on Tuesday, plus books by other authors that did  not attend the signing, but whose works she knows I really enjoy. I was quite overwhelmed.

Later that same day, they decided to do some more shopping and twisted my arm convinced me to go with them, lol. Good thing too, I found some great deals! Then we all went to dinner together, and they were off!

So here I am... it's July and the long Holiday weekend's here. Time to relax. And after that long post, finally here are my June reads which thankfully are not many!

--------------------------------
Total June Reads: 10
Contemporary: 2 (Women's Fiction: 1, Romance: 1)
Historical Romance: 4
LGBT: 3 (Fiction: 1, Romance: 1, Mystery: 1)
Urban Fantasy: 1

1. Slant by Timothy Wang: B+
2. Sunset Bridge (Happiness Key Series) by Emilie Richards: B+
3. The Salisbury Key by Harper Fox: B+
4. More Than a Mistress by Mary Balogh: B+
5. Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5) by Ilona Andrews: B
6. Her Wyoming Man by Cheryl St. John : B
7. Come Unto These Yellow Sands by Josh Lanyon: B
8. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn: B
9. The Darkest Sin by Caroline Richards: C+
10. Bodyguards in Bed by Lucy Monroe, Jamie Denton, Elisabeth Naughton: C+
11. Pleasure Me by Monica Burns: DNF

Note that I have one DNF listed this month. I usually place books back in my TBR and read them later, but in this case I really tried to read Pleasure Me by Monica Burns. I read half way through before deciding that this book is not for me. :)

Upcoming reviews and minis for the books I missed reviewing in June. So how was your month? My top read in June was Slant by Timothy Wang... how about you? Which book was your favorite?

Review: Sunset Bridge (Happiness Key #3) by Emilie Richards

In Sunset Bridge, the third and last book of the Happiness Key trilogy, Emilie Richards writes a wonderful story of close friendships between five women, a romance for two of them and still manages to include a suspense story line with action that kept me interested until the end. Of course in this story the characters take center stage. Their lives are full of real life issues, their reactions are relatable and as in real life, there's humor to go along with all the drama.

Tracy has come a long way from the person she used to be, the cold socialite with a con man ex-husband who left her broke and broken. Out of her little community of friends at Happiness Key, she created a close-knit family and also found Marsh Egan, a man who makes her happy. But things change between Tracy and Marsh once she realizes what her bouts of nausea really mean. An unplanned pregnancy is the last thing Tracy needs, especially when her relationship with Marsh is just taking off... now, how will she be able to tell weather he wants her for herself or for the baby?

Janya's seems to be content in her arranged marriage to Rishi and the life they've made for themselves at Happiness Key. They long to have a family and after a few years of marriage their hopes seem to be dimming. However, tragic circumstances bring two small children to Janya and Rishi... but, will they be able to keep them?

After years of being a mother and the wife of a cop, loud and opinionated Wanda finally realizes her dream and opens Wanda's Wonderful Pies. She's happy with her life, her husband and her friends, but things are about to change for her. Her daughter Maggie is moving back home after leaving her job and live-in boyfriend in Miami, and their mother-daughter relationship is not exactly a close one. Plus, her business is about to take off in unexpected directions.

Maggie quit her job as a cop in Miami after an investigation didn't go her way. To her way of thinking, long-time lover and cop Felo didn't back her up either, so she left him too. Now she's coming back to work with her mother at the pie shop and to live at Happiness Key. Her future is as uncertain as her feelings for Felo. When a couple is murdered, Maggie finds herself involved in an investigation after agreeing to help a friend... and her future might not be the only thing hanging in the balance.

Alice loves her granddaughter Olivia, but as she recuperates from her stroke keeping up with the young girl becomes harder each day. How will she manage to maintain the pace and her health?

In Sunset Bridge, Richards weaves a story of friendship, love and suspense that flows and that kept me turning those pages. Although at the beginning it took me a while to orient myself, soon the characters began to take shape and became people who interested me.

There's Tracy who with her hormonal changes, her insecurities and pregnancy issues drives Marsh nuts throughout the story. Marsh is a guy and of course clueless for much of the story, although I admit to feeling sorry for him more than once when well... he didn't read Tracy's mind or gave the right answer at the right time. Theirs is a humorous and frustrating situation that I enjoyed to the end. And then there's Maggie... with her angsty and very serious trust and control issues. I was pulling for Maggie to wake up and smell the roses, as I fell in love with her man Felo myself. These two story lines gave the book that touch of romance that I needed to really enjoy this book.

However, the central story is about the friendship, and I love the way the women support each other throughout all types of situations, both light and dire. Best of all I really enjoyed the way they tell each other the truth, and call each other out when they're wrong without being either pushy or interfering. The older women, Wanda and Alice, don't have a problem telling the younger ones, especially Tracy and Maggie, why they're decisions are questionable. Janya falls in between, she is young but has wonderful insight and wisdom, making her one of my favorite characters in this story.

Although Sunset Bridge is the last book of the series and the relationships have been developed throughout the first two books, Happiness Key and Fortunate Harbour, in my opinion it stands quite well on its own. This is a wonderful story about friendship between different women from different cultures, of different ages and ways of life. I really enjoyed it and recommend it as a great read.

Category: Women's Fiction
Series: Happiness Key
Publisher/Release Date: Mira, June 21, 2011
Source: ARC Planned Television Arts, Ruder Finn
Grade: B+

Visit Emilie Richards here.

Series:
Happiness Key, Book 1
Fortunate Harbour, Book 2
Sunset Bridge, Book 3

RWA Literacy Signing

Susan Elizabeth Phillips,

RWA Literacy Signing,

New York City, June 28, 2011

So I attended the RWA Literacy Signing in New York City on Tuesday after all. It was touch and go all day on weather I would make it or not, but at the end of the day I jetted out of work like rocket! Even with all the bad traffic and aggravation, I got to the Port Authority in time to meet Mariana and arrived at the hotel early enough that the lines were not overwhelming, yet. Although later on I heard they were incredibly long.

I met most of the authors on my list, and a few more... they were all lovely and gracious and I must say it was the best experience. Of course I didn't really take loads of pictures, no time, inclination (or camera, lol), BUT I did take this little picture with Ms. Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She is the most gracious and lovely lady. Mariana and I later met her at the elevator as we were leaving and I had to make sure I didn't make a cake out of myself, we said hello but gave her the privacy she deserved after such a long evening.

My stash

What other authors did I visit? Well, I met the lovely Jacquie D'Alessandro whose book I just finished reviewing... Summer at Seaside Cove. I decided to get the print copy signed by the author... we chatted about the book, and she told me that the next one in the series will be coming out in 2012!  Jennifer Crusie was close by and she was just as gracious (well, they all were) but she took her time to chat a bit, and then she autographed Maybe This Time for me.

I was also quite the fan with Elizabeth Hoyt, Jill Shalvis, Eloisa James, Miranda Neville, Angela Knight, Tess Garritsen, and Thea Harrison, who were all gracious and accommodating! Mariana and I also had conversations with three wonderful ladies, L.B. Gregg (Lisabea), K.A. Mitchell who recognized Mariana from a previous meeting (what a memory!), and Victoria Jenssen who is just as lovely in person as she is online! It was such a pleasure meeting her in person.

What authors did I miss? Jodi Thomas and Madeline Hunter! I lost my list along the way and somehow missed meeting those two authors. :(

However, all in all it was a wonderful experience and I would do it again in a New York minute!

Review: Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D'Alessandro

Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D'Alessandro is the perfect summer read... at least it was for me. I was dreaming of a day, if not a long retreat, at the beach during and after reading this book!

Jamie leaves Manhattan for a month at Seaside Cove in North Carolina after her boyfriend leaves her for her half-sister Laurel. She hopes the time will afford her the opportunity to make important decisions about her future, but when she arrives at the island instead of finding a resort, she finds a rundown, smelly bungalow. And, she is stuck!

Her landlord Nick is both gorgeous and drool-worthy, but Jamie is more taken with his dog, Godiva, than with Nick's personality. They're attracted to each other, but initially develop a antagonistic relationship. Throughout the summer that attraction grows by leaps and bounds, and slowly a relationship grows between the two.

Jamie also gets roped into becoming involved with the community at Seaside Cove and loves every minute. She even begins to appreciate her little bungalow by the sea.  However, just when things are getting interesting, Jamie's mother who is very dependent and needy shows up with a whopper of a problem, her mother's boyfriend follows later on, and soon after her niece, and finally sister Laurel interrupt Jamie's retreat.

I really had fun reading this contemporary romance. The protagonists are likable, plus the setting and atmosphere are a perfect foil for the romance. The snappy dialogue that made the initial meeting between Nick and Jamie antagonistic and fun is maintained throughout the story as their relationship becomes friendlier and then moves to passion. And there is passion! D'Alessandro uses sexual tension that builds and makes you wonder when the yummy Nick and the beleaguered Jamie will finally go for it!

D'Alessandro's descriptions of the beach, the island, and the sense of community she develops give the story that excellent atmosphere that makes the reader feel part of the setting. The couple remains the focus of the story, even though there are those extraneous characters that are part of Jamie's life. As secondary characters, Jamie's family do make an appearance and make an impact in her life, but they don't really become central, although they do interrupt the flow a few times. The pacing is excellent throughout the first half with a lulling, slow middle and what I thought was a great ending.

Oh and how can I not mention Nick's dog Godiva! Godiva was the best secondary character in this book... gorgeous, friendly, drooling, Godiva! I fell in love with an imaginary dog, but who wouldn't?  Ms. D'Alessandro is writing another book set in Seaside Cove featuring Laurel, Jamie's boyfriend-stealing half-sister. I can't wait to see what happens to her.

Summer at Seaside Cove is a solid contemporary romance. I definitely recommend it for a hot, summer day... or even for a rainy day when you need to be transported to that imaginary sunshine. Enjoy.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Seaside Cove, #1
Publisher/Released: Berkley/May 3, 2011 - Kindle Edition
Grade: B

Visit Jacquie D'Alessandro here