THE EARL NEXT DOOR: The Bachelor Lords of London book 1 by Charis Michaels Giveaway

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Charis Michaels makes her Avon Impulse debut with the first book in her new historical romance series, The

Bachelor Lords of London...featuring a brooding earl and the American heiress who charms him.

American heiress Piety Grey is on the run. Suddenly in London and facing the renovation of a crumbling townhouse, she’s determined to make a new life for herself—anything is better than returning to New York City where a cruel mother and horrid betrothal await her. The last thing she needs is a dark, tempting earl inciting her at every turn…

Trevor Rheese, the Earl of Falcondale, isn’t interested in being a good neighbor. After fifteen years of familial obligation, he’s finally free. But when the disarmingly beautiful Piety bursts through his  wall—and into his life—his newfound freedom is

threatened…even as his curiosity is piqued.

Once Piety’s family arrives in London, Falcondale suddenly finds himself in the midst of a mock courtship to protect the seductive woman who’s turned his world upside down. It’s all for show—or at least it should be. But if Falcondale isn’t careful, he may find a very real happily ever after with the woman of his dreams…

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CHARIS MICHAELS is thrilled to be making her debut with Avon Impulse. Prior to writing romance, she studied  Journalism at Texas A&M and managed PR for a trade association. She has also worked as a tour guide at Disney World, harvested peaches on her family’s farm, and entertained children as the “Story Godmother” at birthday parties. She has lived in Texas, Florida, and London, England. She now makes her home in the Washington, D.C.-metro area.

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Contest and Guest post by author Jacquie Johnson

Rambling Reads would like to welcome author Jacquie Johnson, as she gives us some insight to her writing process.

How I Write

Most of my ideas come from a news story, an article or an interesting anecdote that someone shares. I mull the idea over while playing “what-if” games. If the characters come to life in my mind, I know I have something. They start taking on a life of their own and I watch the story unfold. 

 

While the story gels in my mind, I make notes and jot down scene ideas. Scratch pads, post-it notes, envelopes, and, yes, even napkins are used to capture these ideas. Once I know where I’m going and how I’m going to get there, I sit down and create a basic outline. After this is complete, I start chronologically with the beginning of the story but then jump to the ending. Once I have these bookends written, I work on the middle. This is where my imagination often adds the twists and turns which I didn’t visualize initially. 

 

Once I have a completed draft, I put it away for a month or two. This allows me to be less attached to what I have just done and view what I have written with a critical eye. I print a hard copy and read the initial draft all the way through, making notes before I start the editing and rewriting process. 

 

Then I sit down at the computer and make the appropriate changes. Entire chapters are sometimes discarded during this time. While there is nothing fun about deleting pages I have sweated over or to which I’m attached, it is a necessary part of the process. 

 

Once I’ve completed the first round of revisions, I reread the story. If I’m happy with it, I send it off to a friend or two for their review and feedback. I read their comments and make any needed revisions before sending it off to an editor for final review. The editor catches those pesky errors I’ve missed. Finally, I make any final adjustments and read through the novel one last time before submitting it for publication. 

Thank you so much for visiting with us, Jacquie.

To see Jacquie's writing in motion, check out  her first book Angel on Fire, and comment for a chance to win a copy of the ebook!

 

New Review: NO PROPER LADY by Isabel Cooper

Time-Travel / Paranormal / Historical (Victorian England 1888)

Sourcebooks Casablanca

 

Determined to keep demons from destroying her world, Joan travels back in time to Victorian England, where it all began.  She plans to seek out and destroy the magician, Alex Reynell, responsible for their release.

When the strange woman appears before Simon Grenville, he is startled by her peculiar garb and weapons, though he quickly learns they share a common enemy. The man who was once his best friend, until he let power get to his head and nearly killed his sister with a demon possession. 

Can Joan and Simon defeat Alex and save the world?

*****

Isabel Cooper's debut release NO PROPER LADY, consisted of very strong and solidly constructed characters in a vivid backdrop. I liked and felt we got to know Joan, Simon and his sister Eleanor very well, we also got an excellent picture of Victorian England. Unfortunately though, there was such limited interaction with Alex and what was shown of him I felt fell very flat.  I was more apathetic about his character than any other feeling like the hate or dislike that I should have felt for his despicable actions.

I anticipated more action and fighting throughout this book, but the story just moved soooooo slowly. There was so much time spent on Joan learning to integrate into society and her amazement with day to day life that I became bored.  I could have been reading any historical romance, with a few little twists of magic and demons sprinkled in.

I could feel the spark between Joan and Simon, but things just seemed to fizzle more than burst into flame. There was no real passion in the pages of this book other than between those two. I know that Joan, Simon and Eleanor had strong feelings about the situation with Alex and the future, but it never really came through where I felt an emotional grip of the characters and situations. There was no great anticipation for the turn of events.  Something would happen, but the build up was weak and it would just seem to happen.  Except during the last battle, I was on the edge of my seat as I read through the final fight, as it seemed like the worst could happen.

Because of the solid characters and strong portrayal of the surroundings, I will read Ms. Cooper's next book, mainly because Joan, Eleanor and Simon were engaging, and I think that there is great potential for her to improve her storytelling.

Rating: 3

Review: NIGHTFALL by Ellen Connor

A Dark Age Dawning Novel  #1

Post-Apocalyptic / Paranormal (shifter)

Berkley Sensation

336 Pages

When Jenna is kidnapped and taken to a remote cabin, she is not surprised that her mysterious abductor is fulfilling a promise to her crackpot father. What does shock her is the indisputable proof that maybe her dad wasn't crazy with his preaching of the end of the world.

Mason will do whatever is necessary to save Jenna, his repayment to the man who saved his life. He has the perfect plan to keep them safe throughout the change and the coming winter. Their confinement forces them to realize a mutual attraction, one they are not yet ready to face. 

 

Until five strangers stumble into their shelter searching for safety from the chaos that was once their world. Unable to leave them to the ferocious demon dogs populating the world, they find themselves seeking a new haven.

As the mystical forces change them, can Jenna & Mason learn to trust their instincts in each other and themselves? Will they continue to ignore their flaring desires or will it help them keep their sanity throughout the bleak winter? But most importantly, can they survive the New Dark Age?

*****

Ellen Connor, the fantastic collaboration of authors Ann Aguirre/Ava Gray and Carrie Lofty, debuts a novel that successfully sucked me into the vortex of a fascinating new series. NIGHTFALL was an extraordinary introduction to a new post-Apocalyptic mythical world.

Jenna and Mason's chemistry was explosive, not only sexually, but also their personalities as they learned the keys of working together. Mason's unexpected vulnerability, added an emotional complexity to his otherwise stoic personality, making him more realistic and likeable. I liked that while Jenna showed a few bouts of stubbornness, she was intelligent enough to get over herself, and listen to reason. She knew that Mason was truly thinking of what was best for everyone, not just himself...most times. They had so much to learn about each other and about their new world. While they did that I found that theirs was a love that I could believe in being everlasting.

I loved all of the characters introduced throughout this book. They were so completely fleshed out that I found it easy to picture them as they strived to work together toward survival. I liked the dark edge of this book, as not everyone would survive. The demon dogs were truly menacing, and I loved the explanation for their transformation and that of the other mystical creatures.

This was a book that I just could NOT put down, and once it was over, all I could think was that I cannot wait to re-enter the New Dark Ages! I can't wait until this fall when Books 2 and 3, MIDNIGHT and DAYBREAK come out and I can see what the future holds for Welsh, Tru & Penny!

Rating: 5 / 5

Author's Website 

What I'm Reading . . .

On this chilly freezing Michigan winter night, I'm going to curl up with my fuzzy blanket and a book.  Top of my TBRR (To be read & reviewed) pile is an ARC of :

THE HIGHLANDER'S SWORD

by Amanda Forester

Blurb straight from http://www.amandaforester.com/ :

Swept up in the turmoil of 14th century Scotland, Lady Aila Graham is destined for the convent until her brother’s death leaves her an heiress. Soon she is caught in the conflict between the hastily arranged marriage with a Highland warrior, the Abbot’s insistence that she take her vows, the Scottish Laird who kidnaps her, and the traitor from within who betrays them all. Her new husband, Padyn MacLaren, is a battle-hardened knight, scarred by betrayal, who seeks Aila’s fortune to save his clan. Yet Aila is not what he expected and has secrets of her own.

This is Ms. Forester's debut novel, available March 2010. I'll be posting a review when I finish at http://www.nightowlromance.com/.