THE PROPOSAL BY MARY BALOGH

Mary Balogh has long been a favorite author of mine.  Her latest book The Proposal does not disappoint.  It was fun to meet again some of the characters from her other books.  It was so good to know Lady Muir's (Gwen) story.

Her fateful meeting with Lord Trentham (Hugo) on a deserted beach at the Pendarris estate and the subsequent development of their relationship made for good reading.  Gwen always seemed so aloof and not quite alive and it was great to see her growth into a wonderfully alive and caring person.

Lord Trentham was a big, burly man who seemed at times so crude and rude but then so tender.  He was a very plain speaking man who had been through the horror of war and came back a titled hero who was wounded inside.  His care for his sister and stepmother was admirable.

I really liked the humor that was apparent from time to time especially as Hugo would say he hadn't decided if he was courting Gwen even as he actually was.
The secondary characters were well done and at times helped moved the story along but it was Gwen and Hugo that made this book!

Mary Balogh writes some of the best sex scenes.  She handles them with taste but does not leave out the feelings of passion and love  The way Hugo and Gwen traversed between two worlds was somewhat amazing although at times I was not sure whether they would be able to do that.
All in all a very satisfactory story that I highly recommend.  It is also available in audio from Audible.com

Beyond Seduction by Stephanie Laurens - Narrated by Steven Crossley

This sixth book in the Bastion Club series by Stephanie Laurens is a great book and I loved the series.  I have waited for along time for this book and Mastered By Love to come out in Audio.  What a disappointment to have Steven Crossley as the narrator.  He is terrible at women's voices and not much better at men's.  His children's voices are even worse than the women's.
Jill Tanner narrated the first books in the series and she did an excellent job.  Simon Preble has narrated the rest of Lauren's books and he is superb!
The narrator makes the audio book ands when Blackstone contracted with Crossley they made a big mistake!  Now I have the audio books I will listen to them but not with the enjoyment that I had anticipated.  It is a shame to take such a good book and give it to such a poor narrator.
Take note Blackstone and chose your narrators very carefully.

BRIDE BY MISTAKE by Anne Gracie

OMG, I just finished Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie.  I loved this book!  I have been waiting for Luke's story and it was worth the wait.
Luke Ripton married a young thirteen year old Isabella to save her during the war.  She is sent to live in a convent where her aunt is a nun.  When Luke applies for an annulment it is denied.  He begins his journey to Spain to collect his bride after 8 years.
Isabella has been dreaming of the day when he would come and has had very romantic dreams about how that would all work out.
Well it didn't work out the way either of them thought.  Luke thought he would find a very obedient, passive woman and was he ever surprised.  Isabella thought he would be so happy to finally see her and her disappointment and hurt was so obvious.
I loved seeing the way their relationship developed and how they came to trust and love each other.  These two characters were so well developed.  Luke from being withdrawn from all emotion and finally finding his heart and learning to trust and Isabella relatively open but hiding some secrets to becoming such a comforter and partner.
I didn't want this book to end as I was so drawn to Luke and Isabella, I wanted to know how their life developed after they reached England.  I am eagerly awaiting Gracie's next offering.

A PLACE CALLED HOME by Jo Goodman

As I have mentioned before I have been a big fan of historical romances but lately I have been drawn to contemporaries.  First, Emily March's Eternity Springs series and then I discovered Jo Goodman's A Place Called Home.


This story of Mitch Baker and Thea Wyndham becoming legal guardians of their friend's three children was not quite what I expected.  Gabe and Kathy have been killed in a car accident.  The children are living with Mitch.  No one has been able to get in touch with Thea for a month.  When she finally gets the notification of her responsibility to her friend's children her reaction is not positive.
I really liked Mitch's character from the beginning.  He remained pretty much the same person throughout the book.  He had a good sense of humor and a caring nature.  While Thea came across as a cold hearted snob.  But I really liked the way her character developed and once one knew of her childhood and upbringing it was easy to understand her.  The relationship that developed between Mitch and Thea was one of growing respect for each other and genuine caring.  The sexual tension between them gave me goose bumps.  You might call this a hot novel but it was nicely done.
The kids characters were well drawn and I loved Emilie, who was older in wisdom than in years.  Case and Grant, five year old twin brothers were great characters.
I absolutely loved the scene where Thea brought her mother and father to the twin's ball game and I chuckled as I pictured her dressed in her career suit with a baseball cap on her head, dragging her snobby mother and father through the crowd with foot long hot dogs and cokes.  It was surely not what they had expected as a dinner out.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary romances.  It is a winner!

Angel's Rest by Emily March

I am not a huge fan of contemporary romance but this book by Emily March grabbed my attention from the first page.  The book is the first in a trilogy called Eternity Springs which is set in the mountains of Colorado.  Eternity Springs is a peaceful place and it seems to change the lives of people who come there.
Gabe Callahan comes to an estate outside of Eternity Springs filled with grief and despair.  While hiking he comes upon a wounded dog and takes him into Eternity Springs to the local vet, Nicole Sullivan.  This dog becomes a big factor in the saving of Gabe Callahan.
Eternity Springs is a community in economic difficulty.  They are hoping to be awarded the site of a new prison which would improve the economic conditions of the community but might also ruin the peacefulness and healing power of the surrounding hot springs and of the entire area itself.
As Nicole and her friends, especially Celeste, begin to dream of a spa they draw Gabe into the project as he is a landscape architect.  The growing and sometimes turbulent relationship between Gabe and Nicole is interesting to watch.
The plot moves along at a good clip to keep the reader involved.  I fell in love with Gabe and my heart went out to him in his unresolved grief.  Nicole and the dog begin to touch his heart and he begins to live again.  I really liked all of the characters.  Nicole's circle of girl friends were just what every woman wants and needs.  They were so supportive of each other and had fun together.
This a a great romance and I can't wait for the next book.  March also writes as Geralyn Dawson so many folks would be familiar with her.  She says it is so nice to be a virgin again as these are her first boooks under that name.  I got a chuckle out of that comment.
The books in the series with their publication dates are:
Heartache Falls, May 2011
Eternity Springs #3
Mass Market Paperback
Hummingbird Lake, April 2011
Eternity Springs #2
Mass Market Paperback
Angel's Rest, February 2011
Eternity Springs #1
Mass Market Paperback
At least we won;t have to wait too long for the next two books.

Mary Balogh, My Author of the Month

 This month I am going to feature the books of Mary Balogh.  In this post I will focus on what I call her Slightly Series.  These were my introduction to Balogh's books and since them I have bought all of them and have the audios of a few of them.  I sure wish someone would do the audios for the Slightly series with Simon Prebble as the reader.
I have always loved Mary Balogh's books and always eagerly await her next book.  I have just finished rereading the entire Bedwyn series.  I read them all in order and I am sorry that I have reached the end of the series.  In fact I will have a hard time staying awake today as I read Slightly Dangerous until 1:30 this morning as I could not put it down and that is after having read it several times before.
Each book is the story of one the the six Bedwyns.  It would be hard to say which of the Bedwyns is my favorite but I have to say that I think it is Wulfric, the Duke of Bewcastle.  His influence is woven through all of the books and while he is a tyrant and at first seems to have no emotion but  in each book he plays a major role in securing the happiness of his brothers and sisters.
Each one of the Bedwyns is unique.  Aiden in Slightly Married seems stiff and unbending but honorable and intent on doing the right thing.  Rannaulf in Slightly Wicked, is a devil may care man who has not found his way in life until he finds his love of the land and the love of his life in Judith.  Initially I did not like Freja Bedwyn in Slightly Scandalous.  She was very high in the instep and could be quite rude.  As we learned her story you could understand her anger and the need to protect herself.  But I found myself laughing out loud at some of her antics and then almost crying when I learned the reason that she so protected her heart.
Morgan, the youngest of the Bedwyns, showed that she had real stamina and caring while she waited for her brother to return from a diplomatic mission during the Battle of Waterloo in Slightly Tempted.  Her romance with Gervase, the Earl of Rosthorn had it ups and downs but was fun to read about and see how bitterness and anger can be overcome with the telling of the truth.  Then there is Allyene, in Slightly Sinful, who seemed to have no purpose in life and took a position with the diplomatic corps as a last resort.  When he is wounded while on a mission and loses his memory and is rescued by Rachel he finds himself with a group of very different individuals than he would usually associate he begins to find out who he really is and finds love in the bargain.
Then we come to Wulfric, The Duke of Bewcastle in  Slightly Dangerous.  After reading the previous books I had no hope that he would be able to unbend enough to find love for himself.  His story is  wonderful!  How can he be two men, Wulfric and the Duke of Bewcastle?  It takes a lovely, animated and joyful widow, Christine, to show him how.  This book brings the series to a great conclusion and leaves the reader wanting more.
This has to be one of the best series written.  The characters as so well developed that the reader feels as though they know each one of the characters intimately.  The books are filled with humor, passion, some intrigue and a true caring of members of a family for each other.
I am so lucky to have a complete autographed set that I won in an auction on ebay.  I treasure these books and will surely reread them many times over.  I highly recommend them to anyone who has not read these and I give them all 5 stars.

The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne

Oh No!  I did not want this book to end!  Every once in a while a book comes along that just grabs you.  The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne is one of those books. This is a book that I wanted to hurry through but at the same time wanted to savor every page.  Bourne's writing is beautiful.  She has a wonderful way of putting words together so that they flow naturally making the reader want to read every word and not skip over anything.  Her research is excellent and her plot very well developed.  I loved her characters.  They are strong and  honorable while doing the sometimes dirty work of spies.
The book is set in France during the French revolution and is the story of Marguerite de Fleurignac, also known as Finch, and William Doyle known as Guillaume LeBreton .  Finch is the leader of La Fleche which is a group dedicated to helping those opposed to the French government of Robespierre escape France.  Doyle is an English Spy sent on an important mission for the British.  Maggie and Doyle's developing romance is nicely done with sensuality and tenderness.
The plot moves smoothly and quickly and the sense of intrigue and suspense builds throughout the story.  I was on edge at several points hoping all would work out.
While Maggie and Doyle are the major characters I loved Hawker!  He appeared in Bourne's other novels and it was good to see how he became a major player in the British spy network.  The other secondary characters were all well developed and portrayed.
The ending of this book is touching and quite moving.  There is nothing not to like in this book.  I would give it 5 stars and make it one of my keepers.  I highly recommend her other books The Spymaster's Lady and My Lord and Spymaster.  I have reread these several times while waiting for The Forbidden Rose.
I will anxiously await Joanna's next book!  When, When?