Adult Review: A Rogue By Any Other Name

Life for Penelope hasn't been easy these last few years after her infamous broken engagement. Now her father's determined to marry her off. He's included recently acquired land in her dowry, which makes her more attractive to the men about town - and one man in particular. 

Twenty years ago, Bourne lost his entire estate (everything that wasn't entailed) in a game of cards. He's vowed revenge and he'll stop at nothing to achieve it. When his former lands become available through marriage, he kidnaps Penelope, forcing a marriage between them.

Penelope was overjoyed to see her childhood friend. However, she quickly realizes he's not the same boy she once adored. While they have a marriage of convenience, she negotiates a better life for her two younger sisters. Part of that negotiation involves selling their marriage as a whirlwind romance based upon a childhood love.

Will their feelings actually grow in time to reflect the love match they pretend for the ton?

My Thoughts: I LOVED the start of this new four book series! Of course, I adore the author. I loved her Love By Numbers trilogy and her YA book The Season. Honestly, I'll read anything she writes. I loved Penelope. She was tower of strength. I loved her negotiation skills. I loved her "sacrifice" for her sisters. I loved the moments between her and Bourne, especially the ice skating date. I enjoyed the gaming hell. I can't wait to read more about the Fallen Angel and the partners. I also loved the set up for the next book!


Cover Thoughts: Gorgeous! I love the color.

Source: Purchased (and signed by the author!)


Up Next: One Good Earl Deserves a Lover out in December

Meeting Sarah MacLean (again)

Last Tuesday I had an unexpected free evening, which magically just happen to coincide with the release of A Rogue By Any Other Name.  Isn't the cover beautiful????

 

This is the start of a new quartet.  I can't wait to dive into it. I've only held off reading it because I know I'm going to need to devout an entire day to it.

I first read Sarah's book The Season - her first novel, a YA historical romance. I LOVED it. I had the chance to meet her that year at BEA.

Then she came out with her adult regency romance trilogy, which I loved. She also started me reading regency romances.

So imagine my happiness at being able to meet her again last week.

Plus she gave me a big hug when she saw me.  

Details from the signing from notes I took on my phone.

* Jane Austen is the gateway author to romances

* Georgette Heyer wrote the romances that the world believes as fact, but it's not all true. She however, is still the master.

* Characters intertwined from various books

*Wanted the casino to be more like a character and not a setting. The casino - historically called gaming hells - is still surprising her with it's dark secret passage ways and other aspects.

*Swore she would never writhe a "marriage of convenience novel" but she did because it's the only way the story would have worked with Bourne.

*Bourne named from Jason Bourne (who doesn't love him?) Otherwise when she's in need of a name, she'll look at the streets of London. Sometimes she honors family friends by taking their last names too.


*The second book in the series will be out in December! And it's entitled: One Good Earl Deserves A Lover.

*She wrote The Season on a dare. She will also be returning to YA (after the quartet is complete) but it won't be a sequel to the Season. I can't wait to read more YA books from Sarah.

In all actuality I can't wait to read more books from her full stop.

Sarah and I

Wrap up of Romance Month

Back in the beginning to February, I vowed to read only romance books during the month.

And I did it. I have a hard time limiting my reading habits.

I confess it wasn't as easy as I thought. I had a few books from the library that I really wanted to read that had no romance in it. This book in particular:

Then there was this book that I read.

I was surprised by the romance angle in it.

Then I read Angie Frazier's blog - On Writing Romance - and loved it. It was exactly was I thinking.

I think Romance books surprise many people and that everyone seems to have a little bit of a different take on romance books.

Then I got hooked on Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series, except that my library didn't have them. I devoured these books (still waiting on book 7 to come in, but luckily I have book 8). I should have ordered them all at once, but I waited until I was almost done with the book to order the next two. Waiting for these books made me cranky and it was hard to read other books because they were NOT about the Bridgerton family (I long to belong a member of that family).

Also two books I was dying to read just came out at the end of the month:

I have them both now, so I'm off to read.

Adult Cover Reveal: A Rogue by Any Other Name

I just LOVE her books! Check out Sarah MacLean's new book cover. It doesn't come out until February 27th, which is SUCH a long wait.

Isn't it beautiful?????

Read about the book here at her site