Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Autumn Masquerade Blog Tour

16 Oct, 2015 by in autumn masquerade, josi kilpack, timeless regency Leave a comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Autumn Masquerade Blog Tour

Autumn Masquerade

by Donna Hatch, Josi S. Kilpack, Nancy Campbell Allen
Series: Timeless Regency Collection
Published by Amazon Digital Services on October 1, 2015
Genres: Adult, Clean Romance, Historical Fiction
Pages: 235
Format: eBook
four-stars
Source: Publisher
Buy the BookGoodreads
Amazon Top 100 in Regency Romance**
**Amazon Top 50 in Victorian Romance**

From the publisher of the #1 Amazon bestselling A Timeless Romance Anthology series in Clean Romance.

Join three bestselling Regency romance authors, Josi S. Kilpack, Donna Hatch, and Nancy Allen, for three new Regency romance novellas in AUTUMN MASQUERADE.

A MERRY DANCE by Josi S. Kilpack. When Lila overhears her uncle talking about a man coming to look for property in the county, she doesn’t think twice, until her uncle says he hopes Lila will find enough interest to marry the man. How can she marry someone named Mortimer Luthford, not to mention that his advanced age of thirty-three, and especially since she’s already in love with her absent cousin Neville? But when Mortimer arrives, Lila has to try every trick known to women to act not interested in the rather fascinating man, which proves a very difficult façade to maintain.

UNMASKING THE DUKE by Donna Hatch. The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation and takes comfort behind a mask. She dances with a charming masked man, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of Suttenberg. No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful the kiss, he is the last man she’d ever accept.

WHAT’S IN A NAME by Nancy Campbell Allen. Penelope Timely has a terrible secret. She’s been writing letters to the Duke of Wilmington, pretending to be her ever-proper twin sister, Persephone. Now, the duke has written that he’ll be coming for the Autumn Masquerade Ball and Festival. Penelope will have to continue the charade while the duke is in town in order to protect her sister. The Duke of Wilmington isn’t fooled for a moment, but instead of confessing that he knows about the deception, he finds himself utterly charmed by Penelope and jumps into the game of deception to see how far the twin sisters will take it.

Other Timeless Regency Collections:
A Midwinter Ball (Coming December 2015)
Spring in Hyde Park (Coming March 2016)
Summer House Party (Coming June 2016)
A Country Christmas (Coming October 2016)

The timing of the release of Autumn Masquerade is perfect. Pick this one up for a reading by the fireplace with some mulled cider. The setting: Regency Era, the season: Fall, the characters: all dressed up for a Masquerade ball. Each of these stories is unique, clean and well written. They are long enough to give the reader a full taste and the plot line has time to fully unfold. I loved that they are short enough to digest in one sitting and that this time there are only three stories in the anthology so you don’t feel rushed. Well-known, experienced authors offer up historical fiction at its finest.

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TimelessRomanceAnthologies

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A Timeless Collection~ Annette Lyon Collection

31 Jul, 2015 by in adult, annette lyon, novellas, timeless romance Leave a comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Timeless Collection~ Annette Lyon Collection

Annette Lyon Collection

by Annette Lyon
Published by Amazon Digital Services on July 3, 2015
Genres: Adult, Clean Romance
Pages: 279
Format: eARC
three-half-stars
Source: Publisher
Buy the BookGoodreads
The ANNETTE LYON COLLECTION contains brand new contemporary romance novella OUR SONG, as well as five hand-picked readers’ and reviewers’ favorites of Annette’s popular Timeless Romance Anthology novellas. Readers will love this selection of three contemporary and three historical romance novellas.

In OUR SONG, a charming romance novella, Cassie and Matt have been dating in the Yellowstone area for two years, and things are, well, average. When Cassie meets up with two college friends who are visiting, their love lives like sound like fairy tales: rose petals, chocolates, candles on the beach… Cassie goes home feeling like she’s missing out. After all, repeatedly watching Old Faithful erupt and walking through sulfur-smelling gases at Fountain Paint Pot don’t exactly say “romance.” Maybe things with Matt aren’t going anywhere, and it’s time to move on. Then she discovers that perception and reality are completely different things. Now she can only hope it isn’t too late to show Matt how much she really cares.

In the sweet novella GOLDEN SUNRISE, Natalie takes time out of her crazy schedule to fly to Vegas for her best friend’s wedding. Sierra and Jason, high-school sweethearts, are finally getting married. Fortunately for Natalie, her old high-school flame, Adam, has a work commitment and can’t be there as best man. But when she arrives at the wedding rehearsal—late and ragged—Adam is there. When Adam makes a wild suggestion, Natalie just may take him up on it, even though she knows he’s moved on. A single choice may mean Natalie is taking a shot at reclaiming the past—or that she's putting her heart in harm’s way a second time.

FIRSTS AND LASTS, an enchanting novella, begins with Dani’s last week in New York. She’s failed in her dreams to catch a break as an actress and is now ready to return home and dust herself off. As she visits the places on her final to-see list, she meets Mark, another New York City transplant with big dreams. Except Mark hasn’t given up on his. As they spend the day together, Dani realizes that even though she hasn’t hit the “big time” she might be living her dream after all. Only problem: she has a one-way ticket back home.

In the compelling novella WAR OF HEARTS, Anna, a journalist, is desperate to escape the magazine where Pete, her now-former boyfriend, also works. Heartbroken and still in love with him, Anna snags an assignment to cover the Winter War in Finland. She arrives at a snowy Finnish battlefront only to discover that Pete is already there—as her photographer. She’s determined to be professional about the situation until a battle breaks out in camp, putting her and Pete in harm’s way and putting their love to the test.

The captivating novella BETWEEN THE LINES follows Jane Martin, who is intelligent but extremely shy, especially around men. When the Aid and Cultural Society proposes a letter-writing program, Jane signs up, hoping she can find true friendship. The program doesn’t run as smoothly as expected, and unknown to Jane, one of the men in her city becomes her writing friend. Thomas Allred has always known shy and quiet Jane, but reading her letters written to his secret persona, opens his eyes to what an amazing woman she is. The only trouble is, Jane doesn’t know that the man who she is falling in love with through letters is also Thomas, the man who is falling in love with her in person.

In the charming novella A TASTE OF HOME, we meet Claire Jennings, who’s on her way to spend Christmas with her family. As she rides the train with William Rhodes, who grew up across the street, memories of the past flood her mind. He may be twenty-one now, but she can’t forget his torturous teasing from their school years. At the rail station, Claire discovers her home is under quarantine because her little brother has measles. She's stuck in town, away from her family, on her favorite holiday, with William.

This Timeless Collection is a great way to get a taste of several stories all in one sitting. Annette does a wonderful job of building the time and setting of each novella which I loved. I often struggle with novellas because I want to know more, and would recommend reading these one at a time because they are not inerrelated in any way. I truly enjoyed how unique each one is. Take this on your next trip or leave it by your bedside to enjoy. Clean with some kissing and drinking. Fun, sweet and well-written.

About the Author

Annette Lyon is a Whitney Award winner, a two-time recipient of Utah’s Best of State medal for fiction and the author of nine novels, a cookbook, and a grammar guide as well as over a hundred magazine articles. She’s a senior editor at Precision Editing Group and a cum laude graduate from BYU with a degree in English. When she’s not writing, editing, knitting, or eating chocolate, she can be found mothering and avoiding the spots on the kitchen floor.
Find her online at Annette‘s website http://www.annettelyon.com/
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Review~ Her Rebellious Heart: A Scottish Historical Romance

17 Jun, 2014 by in adult, book review, historical fiction, marian mcbride, scottish 1 comment

Review~ Her Rebellious Heart: A Scottish Historical Romance

Her Rebellious Heart

by Marian McBride
Published by Amazon Digital Services on December 25th 2013
Genres: Adult, Historical Fiction
Pages: 120
Format: eBook
three-stars
Buy the BookGoodreads
Bridget Campbell is more interested in music than men. In fact, she may be the only girl in the Scottish lowlands who isn't looking for a husband. But when her estranged grandfather's health begins to decline and he asks her to move into his castle, Bridget is introduced to a handsome Highlander who becomes a rival for her attention. Although perfect strangers, there's a connection between Bridget and Aidan MacLeod that she can't ignore. Can she stand up to the men in her life who are pressuring her to settle down?

At first uneasy about leaving her parents' modest home to live at Ty-Runach Castle, Bridget feels pressured to accept her grandfather's invitation. Robert had distanced himself from her mother when she married a man from a rival clan. The ancient feud between the MacDonalds and the Campbells broke her family apart, but maybe Bridget can heal the rift?

But someone clearly doesn't want her at the castle. Strange noises in the night and a frightening attack nearly send Bridget running from the keep. And then there's Aidan. Rumors of his reputation as a ladies man convince her to stay away lest she become the highlander's conquest. Yet her rebellious heart beats faster whenever Aidan is near. A single kiss lights a fire within that threatens to consume her. Can she resist Aidan's advances and rein in her runaway heart?

I purchased Her Rebellious Heart a few months a go as a free download on Amazon, and since we went to the Scottish festival this weekend, I wanted good a historical fiction with roots in Scotland. I was pleasantly surprised that this was clean, and the setting was authentic. I loved the descriptions of the North Sea, the crumbling castles, the tartans and feuds between clans. My only complaint is that at times the Scottish dialect was present and others times it wasn’t. Do not becomes “dinna” etc. Also, the flow could have been more smooth and the main villain definitely needed to be fleshed out more fully. It seems like the author cut the conflict short. It reads more like a novella than a full story. With more editing and filling out of story line this could have been much more. I did enjoy the surnames in the book…main man Aidan MacLeod carries my ancestral clan name!

Overall, if you want a short historical Scottish read as a small taste of the place, this may be a good pick, but I would wait until it goes up for free again.

Content: some tension and kissing, innuendoheather

About the Author

Marian McBride is an American author of Scottish descent. When she feels like honoring her roots, she plays her Celtic harp, but not as well as she’d like. Occasionally, she sings along, usually when she wants to punish her family.

Marian is not a particularly good Scot. She doesn’t enjoy haggis or bagpipes, but she does love a good Highland Games, particularly when men in kilts do the caber toss. “Her Rebellious Heart” is Marian’s sole novella. She hopes by showing some Scottish pride in her writing, her clansmen will forgive for not visiting home often.

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