Synopsis: British agent Cora deBeau has spent the last three years seducing secrets from the most hardened of French spies while searching for her parents’ killer. When her latest assignment goes awry, she suffers at the hands of her French captor until Guy Trevelyan, the Earl of Helsford and master cryptographer, saves her during a daring rescue. Scarred and wary of men, Cora shies away from the one man who could heal her savaged heart. After rescuing Cora from a French dungeon, Guy discovers it was one of his deciphered messages that led to her captivity. While her enemy tracks them across England, Guy strives to earn her forgiveness. But will he find the scars on her wounded soul run too deep?

Review: Espionage. Revenge. Romance. There’s a good deal of meaty goodness here for certain (but not so meaty that it’s bogged down and hard to follow) and it’s all wrapped in strong writing, vivid characters, and beautiful sensuality. A must-read for historical romance fans and definitely for those who want something different than the lighter Regency romances which focus more on courtliness and wooing. A Lady’s Revenge is bittersweet, dark and raw. 4/5.

Synopsis: A new sexy Regency paranormal trilogy by bestselling author Lydia Dare features hunky werewolves who need to learn how to behave in polite society. Can this pack of ‘gentlemen’ be trained in the ways of the ton, or is it too late to teach an old Lycan new tricks? Lady Madeline Hayburn is called upon to lend her respectability and introduce the Hadley brothers to society. Mr. Weston Hadley admires her from afar, yet his very presence draws her in…

Review: Regency Era and Werewolves? Yes please! The Wolf Who Loved Me was fantastically enjoyable escapist reading (with a nice plot twist!) even if it could have done with a bit more focus on the supernatural factor. Felt like the werewolves were more of a plot device than main part of the story. 3/5.

Note: While this book counts as Westfield Wolves #5, it also begins a sub-series that can be read as a stand-alone.

It this anthology, Kath Russell skillfully takes us through three normal mysteries that involve paranormal intervention. All three stories are set on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and inspired by local paranormal legends. The tidewater is a unique region with a distinct culture and a lot of history to provide fodder for these kinds of stories. These legends collide with the lives of modern characters to create some dramatic and entertaining stories.

The Ghost of John Wilkes Booth begins with the common tale of a greedy developer running rough-shod over a community’s history and natural environment and the struggle a group of local ladies trying to stop him. Told through the eyes of a journalist spending time in the area to write a novel, this story shows us a community of people working together to protect their way of life. Russell does a great job of creating characters both primary and secondary that are real and interesting.  Living in the tidewater of Virginia myself, I found these characters fit easily into the environment. They were very much like people I know. I  felt for them and wanted them to succeed. My only disappointment with this story was that there wasn’t more about John Wilkes Booth. This may be because I’m a history nerd and I live near where Booth was apprehended, but given the title I had expected more about him. 

Ghost of a Smile chronicles the trials of a local sculptor hired to create a statue based on a local witch legend in an effort to drum up tourism in her small town. I actually found this to be the most compelling and interesting story in the book. Corliss Griffith is a very sympathetic character dealing with the challenges of motherhood, recovering from her divorce and potential romance in addition to the mysterious and dangerous things that keep happening to her in the story. Like The Ghost of John Wilkes Booth, this story also includes complex and true to life characters that readers should identify with. I could easily have seen this story expanding into a novel on its own. More back story about Corliss and her involvement with her neighbor, Brady, maybe some flashbacks for a more direct telling of Moll Dyer story and this could have been a real page turner of a book. As it is, it’s a dramatic mystery with a lot of emotional punch.

The Ghost of Lyon Lodge follows college student, Darla Williams, as she is stalked by the obsessed and over-privileged, Dobbs Marshall. This story is full of drama and action and keeps the pages turning. However, I can’t say that the characters were as well-developed as in the other two stories. With the exception of Darla and her friend Chelsea, I saw very little depth in any of the other characters. Dobbs is one-dimensional and seems to only exist to torment Darla. The reason for his long-standing obsession is never fully explained and until the very end there is nothing at all that makes him human and therefore believable. Don’t get me wrong. Russell does a good job of writing the action of the story, I just found it hard to get invested in the characters. Fortunately, the richness of the characters in the other two stories made up for it.

Overall, this was an entertaining book. Russell does a great job capturing the uniqueness of the tidewater as a setting and of its people. For the most part the characters are well-drawn and very human. Though the title implies a certain amount of paranormal action, the real stars of these stories are the actual live people involved. Kath Russell does a good job of telling their stories and if she ever decides to develop Ghost of a Smile into a novel, I will definitely line up to read it. 4/5

First up we have three short fiction anthologies.

Blood and Other Cravings: Original Stories of Vampirism from Around the World, edited by Ellen Datlow. © 2011 Tor. ISBN: 978-0-7653-2828-1. Review: Unfortunately, this collection of vampire tales was just too metaphysical for me. It was too heavy on “Other Cravings” and not the “Blood” (which I prefer) and I was left a wee bored. Maybe it was because nearly all the stories felt as if they were bigger than their word counts allowed them to present themselves? *shrugs* Either way, it’s getting a 2/5 from me.

The Monster’s Corner: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes, edited by Christopher Golden. © 2011 St. Martin’s Griffin. ISBN: 978-0-312-64613-4. Review: The theme of this anthology is, in my mind, utterly brilliant: stories told through the POV of the monster or villain. You’ve now secured my undivided attention! I’m a huge fan of anti-heroes and stories with villains who—if the tables were turned—are as justified in their actions as the protagonist. Those are the best “villains” to me; human ones who grapple with their decisions. And this collection delivers, even if our monsters aren’t, well, human. Best story, you ask? Definitely Chelsea Cain’s “Less of a Girl” for creeping the daylights out of me (I don’t like reading about things under my bed or that move about when I’m sleeping…) and grossing me the feck out while doing so. Why are stories about children always so much scarier?!? lol. This terrifically horrific collection gets a 4/5.

Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery and Fantasy, edited by Dana Stabenow. © 2010 Ace Books. ISBN: 978-0-441-01966-3. Review: This was a very intriguing collection of stories. I quite enjoyed the mixture of fantasy and good ole fashioned mystery (which I’ve come to expect in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series and Simon R. Green’s Nightside series but the rest were new to me). Best story, in my humble opinion, was definitely Sharon Shinn’s “The House of Seven Spirits.” I really loved her humanization of the ghosts and how they are trying to find out the truth in order to be free and pass over, but we are also left with that bittersweet tinge at the end. Overall, I give the entire collection a 3/5.

FTC Disclosure: All the above titles were sent to me by their publishers in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my thoughts on each title.

Synopsis: Aurora Pettigrew has loved her neighbor, Reid Sinclair, all he life, but she hasn’t told anyone about it. When Reid professes his love for her, she thinks that her dreams are within her grasp. But Reid’s proud mother doesn’t believe that the Pettigrew’s daughter is good enough for a Sinclair. She conspires to separate the young lovers and sends Aurora on a journey into a world she had never imagined.

Review: I admit, that I have a weakness for historical romances. Yes, I know they’re formulaic and often predictable. One of the formulas that occurs in historical romances is what I’ll call the “unfortunate misunderstanding”. This is where the potential lovers are separated either physically or emotionally by a simple lack of communication. I find these to be some of the most frustrating romances to read because things could be cleared up so easily if the characters would just communicate. Sure, Reid’s mother manipulates the situation, but really it could all be cleared up with a letter or two. Of course, that doesn’t make for a very dramatic love story. I liked Aurora from the start in this story and found myself a little frustrated when this happened because in the beginning she seemed so intelligent. Still, I suppose first loves make us all do some ninny-headed things. She redeems herself in the end.

This book strayed from the typical formula in a couple of places. One is when Aurora flees to York and her financial circumstances change so drastically. Brear does a terrific job shifting from country drawing rooms to city slums. The characters and picture of Aurora’s life in York are rich and vivid. This is actually where the book shines. I found myself interested in the lives of the secondary characters and their community and in the relationships that Aurora builds with them. The conflicts and challenges of her life in York turn Aurora into a better person. The other key place that breaks the formula is one that I won’t mention because I don’t want to give away too much of the plot. I will say that it reminded me a bit of Charles Dickens and I found that I liked that very much.

I think the key difference is that this isn’t so much a love story about Aurora and Reid as it is a story of personal growth on Aurora’s part. She goes through some real changes in her circumstances and her thinking. I found this refreshing. The characters were rich and the story had some interesting twists, although I did find myself occasionally wanting to knock the character’s heads together to get them talking. 4/5.

In a narrative that spans fifty years, A Fond Kiss, is a much loved tale of love and devotion between Nancy Manney and Charles French taking place in nineteenth century America. Residents of Beaufort, North Carolina will be familiar with the true story on which this novelette is based. A Fond Kiss is the second piece of historical fiction in Meredith R. Stoddard’s Of Sound and Sea series of short stories based on the history and legends of North Carolina’s southern Outer Banks. The first, The White House, is based on the legends surrounding Beaufort’s Hammock House. Both ebooks can be found on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and other ebook retailers.

Excerpt

Charles shook the doctor’s hand, he hoped with confidence. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate the opportunity and the trust you put in me to see to the children. I have truly enjoyed teaching them.”

The doctor sat and returned his attention to the surveys with a sort of muffled grunt and said. “Good day then.”

Charles stood frozen for a few breaths, everything he’d planned to say careening through his head like a runaway horse. He tried desperately to grasp the right way to start. Finally arriving at, “Sir, there is one more matter that I wanted to discuss with you.”

The doctor also seemed to pause for a few seconds not lifting his eyes from the surveys. “Yes?”

“It’s about Miss Manney, sir…”

“Ah. Allow me to stop you there.” The doctor looked up at Charles. His tone was soft enough, but his eyes held steel in them and Charles knew right away that this conversation would not go as he had hoped. “I am aware of your little romance with my daughter, and I have to say that it is only the knowledge that you will be leaving us soon that has prevented me from throwing you out. I suggest that you say no more on the matter. You have reached the limit of my generosity.”

Charles gaped at him searching for the best thing to say. They had been so careful not to be discovered. “Sir, I have only the best of intentions toward your daughter.”

“Oh you are no despoiler, French. I will give you that. However you are forgetting one key fact.” He leaned forward pinning Charles with a glare and spoke deliberately. “You have been an employee in this house.”

Charles was taken aback. He had thought that they were not so different, he and the doctor. They were from similar backgrounds, northern families of just enough wealth to send them to college. He was about to make his own way in the world just as the doctor had done. He was caught off guard by Manney’s overt snobbery. “Sir, I am no longer an employee in this house and I am not without prospects, very good prospects that will enable me to give Miss Manney the…”

“Young man, let me make myself clear. I came here to Beaufort a hungry young doctor when I was not much older than you, and through hard work and good business sense, I have become a very prominent member of this community.”

“Sir, that is precisely why…”

The doctor cut him off again firmly. “When my daughters marry, they will marry into the best families in the state, and I will not tolerate anything less, surely not to a young man with little fortune to his name and an uncertain future. Nancy is a prize to be sure, but she is out of your sphere.”

Keeping a grip on his temper in the face of Dr. Manney’s autocracy was a challenge that Charles was not sure he would meet. “Should Nan-Miss Manney not have some say in the matter?”

“Of course she will.” The doctor made an expansive gesture. “She is welcome to choose among the young men that I introduce to her; young men who will not merely get by, but who will be the leaders of this state and possibly the country. What have you to offer her; a couple of years waiting for you to become a lawyer, and another three to four years struggling to establish yourself? You’ll pardon me if I choose something better for my eldest daughter.”

‘Love!’ Charles was screaming in his head though the words couldn’t seem to escape his lips. ‘I can offer her love.’ He knew there would be no convincing the doctor with words. He was a man who respected only position never mind how that position was achieved. Charles thought about Nancy’s eyes on him upstairs so full of uncertainty. He took a deep breath, and in his mind he smelled her hair as she leaned her cheek to his chest. He pulled his shoulders back and matched the doctor’s glare with one of his own.

“You will find, Dr. Manney, that Miss Manney has already made her choice. She has chosen me, and I dare say that she will prove just as immovable as you. When I have established myself and am able to support a wife, I will be back. If she will still have me, then we will marry, whether it is with your blessing or not.”

To this point the doctor had maintained a civil tone for all his words were cutting. Now, Charles had pushed him past civility. His face grew red with fury and his right hand hammered on the desk as he stood. “You will not remain under this roof one more night! Get your things and get out! I will see to it that you have no more contact with my daughter. Do you hear me? Your connection to this family is through!”

Charles got just a little satisfaction in knowing that he’d gotten under the doctor’s skin. He just hoped that Nancy wouldn’t suffer for it once he was gone. He tried not to sound mocking when he said, “Good day, Dr. Manney. I’m sorry that we couldn’t come to some kind of agreement.”

If you liked what you read here, A Fond Kiss can be purchased from Amazon, Smashwords, and other retailers.

Back Cover Blurb: Jason Stevens is growing up in picturesque, historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in the 1970s. Back when the roads are smaller, the cars slower, the people more colorful, and Washington, D.C. is way across the mountains – a winding sixty-five miles away.

Jason dreams of going to art school in the city, but he must first survive his teenage years. He witnesses a street artist from Italy charm his mother from the backseat of the family car. He stands up to an abusive husband – and then feels sorry for the jerk. He puts up with his father’s hard-skulled backwoods ways, his grandfather’s showy younger wife, and the fist-throwing schoolmates and eccentric mountain characters that make up Harpers Ferry – all topped off by a basement art project with a girl from the poor side of town.

Review: With a voice reminiscent of Raymond Carter, Cummings brings the small West Virginian town of Harpers Ferry to life through the eyes of a teenage boy. Ugly to Start With collects thirteen short stories that showcase different vignettes from Jason Stevens’ adolescence. The language is straightforward, allowing the reader to enter easily into Jason’s world. By using stand-alone but interrelated short stories instead of a novel, the reader comes to see how small, sometimes seeming insignificant events can shape a history. Observations are made casually and their weight is not apparent until seen in light of the grander scheme. While the stories individually are well crafted and worth seeking out, I think they can be appreciated even more in the larger context of this collection.

Click to view free excerpt

Congrats to Leslie!

If you would please be so kind, Leslie, and email me your mailing address I will pass it along to the publicist :D

I hope you’ll join me on my continued journey to the darkside…

How to Sign Up

• If you have a blog, you will need to create a sign-up entry and link that below in the comments to participate.
• If you do not have a blog, you are welcome to link your GoodReads, LibraryThing or Shelfari account in the comments (if you make a shelf/tag specifically for this event [i.e., Highway-to-Hell-Challenge-2012], please link directly to that so everyone can see what books you’ve chosen to read). Reviews posted on retail websites will not count.
• Those with no online presence – be it blog or other – can still participate by commenting below with a message like “Hi, I don’t have a blog or account but I’ll be reading along with you guys!”. However, you will unfortunately not be eligible for the grand prize since you have no venue to post your review. 

Rules

1. The challenge runs from March 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012. Only books read during this period will count.
2. Fiction and nonfiction can be read.
3. Your book choices can have anything in them, but them must absolutely at the core be dealing with demons, devils, and/or fallen angels (and no cutesy fallen angels either – which will probably leave most of YA out unfortunately). We are looking for villains, baddies, warriors, and anti-heroes; not the lovey-dove, cheesy Touched by an Angel variety.
4. A separate link-up post will be created on for reviews (these will count as entries to the grand prize). Link any reviews there – not on this post. This is for sign-ups only. The link-up post will go up a week after the challenge has officially begun.

Grand Prize

A winner will be chosen at random from the link-up post (this will be a separate post – do not link reviews below please) once the Challenge is over and receive a Hellish mystery book!

As an extra, I will be giving away an Arthurian-related book to one lucky reviewer so be sure sign up below! (Please be sure to read this page thoroughly!)

How to Sign Up

• If you have a blog, you will need to create a sign-up entry (linking back to this page) and then link up your post below in the comments to participate. It’s not necessary, but if you are so inclined, please add our button to your sidebar.
• If you do not have a blog, you are welcome to link your GoodReads, LibraryThing or Shelfari account in the comments (if you make a shelf/tag specifically for this event [e.g., Arthurian-Reading-Challenge-2012], please link directly to that so everyone can see what books you’ve chosen to read). Reviews posted on retail websites will not count.
• Those with no online account(s) – be it blog or other – can still participate by commenting below with a message like “Hi, I don’t have a blog or account but I’ll be reading along with you guys!”. However, you will unfortunately not be eligible for the grand prize since you have no venue to post your review – reviews will be the entries for the prize. 

Rules

1. The challenge runs from March 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012. Only books read (and reviewed, if you choose to do so) during this period will count.
2. At a minimum, you must read at least five books in order to complete the challenge.
3. Fiction and nonfiction can be read. And yes, retellings or alternate universes will count; as will the original legends.
4. Your fiction book choices can be contemporary or historical, but they must absolutely at the core be dealing with the Arthurian legends and/or characters – and not in a peripheral sense, but in the lead storyline.
5. Separate link-up posts will be created on Read All Over for reviews (these will count as entries to the grand prize). Link any reviews there – not on this post. This is for sign-ups only. The link-up post will go up a week after the challenge has officially begun.