A Wonderful Christmas Romance From Janet Eaves ~

The Christmas Heart
Janet Eaves
Resplendence Publishing 2009

CATEGORY: Contemporary Romance, Ladies of Legend, Legendary Christmas series.

ELEMENTS: Moderate sexual content, adult situations.

HEAT LEVEL: Sapphire

LENGTH: Novella

FORMAT: E-BOOK

Price: $4.00

Ladies of Legend ~ 1944

Mary Ellen Chambers is facing an empty future...devoid of love and passion. She must choose between continuing her lonely life, working in a munitions factory, or marrying a man she knows she will never love, simply for convenience. Either way, her scarred heart will never know the depth of love she craves.

Having fallen in love with a soldier earlier in the war, and having lost him to the senseless killing in Europe, Mary Ellen is terrified of getting to know the soldiers who come through Legend on their way to various military camps before shipping out. She is sure that she will fall in love again, only to lose that love to the devastation of war.

She knows that Gerald will care for her. His obvious attraction to her is flattering, but despite his wealth, his connections, and the comfort he can offer her, she has never once wanted to marry him. She feels nothing when he kisses her. NOTHING. And Mary Ellen doesn't want to settle for feeling nothing.

Her best pal Allie has been begging her to get out and come with her to the Lodge where bus loads of lonely soldiers pile out every weekend to enjoy the dancing and the food and the company of the local girls before shipping off to the war. But Mary Ellen doesn't want to meet another soldier who will leave for the war and never return.

Gerald's attentions become overwhelming, and he informs his parents (and the entire town) that she has agreed to marry him. Too shocked and embarrassed to tell his parents he has never asked her and she has never said yes, she goes home and then goes hunting for Allie over at the lodge, desperate for advice on how to let Gerald down without hurting him too badly.

Instead of Allie, she runs headfirst into Captain Austin Watkins, US Army...and the connection is instant between the two. Neither is looking for a relationship because it wouldn't be fair to make someone love you and then vanish and never return. But both desperately need to feel needed...wanted...loved.

Ms. Eaves brings us the sound, feel, and taste of the war years in her finely-drawn tale of innocence, love, and passion. Memories of rationing, silk stockings, war movies with Spencer Tracy, and the terrible loneliness and fear of waiting for word of a loved one's death in war brings the reader face to face with the realities of the war years and the lost innocence of the era. She weaves a love story that shows the depth of passion that can happen in an instant, and the heartache and fear for a future that is uncertain and fraught with danger.

I couldn't put this one down until the last page, and I found myself fighting tears. I would recommend this Christmas Romance to anyone who loves a HEA.

I enjoyed this heartwarming story, and am looking forward to more of her works. Well done, Janet!

The Dream House ~ Visions and Nightmares

The Dream House ~ Visions and Nightmares

Ayslett Press

Victoria Roder

Released: July 2009

e-book: $3.59

Trade paperback: $7.10

Length: 170 pages

Genre: Romantic paranormal suspense

Recurring dreams of a house Hope Graham’s family rented when she was a child taunt her nights with nightmares of a woman in a bloody nightgown pleading for help. Horrifying dream sequences of children metamorphosing into rats, blood spewing out of windows, and walking across decaying bones, bode of sins of the past and forewarn of danger in the present. In an attempt to end the agony of her sleep depriving dreams, Hope travels to her hometown...only to discover that the truth can be more frightening than all the terrifying nightmares of the past six months.

With chilling intensity and a fine hand, Ms. Roder weaves a tale that captures the reader’s imagination and keeps them spellbound until the final page. I read this novel in one sitting, and found myself trying feverishly to work out the puzzle boxes that the author has set in place, while rooting for the sweet romance that permeated the book with an infusion of delicious warmth, despite the icy suspense that held me captive.

Her main characters are strong and well defined, and, along with a marvelous array of secondary characters gave this read a scary, amazingly spine-tingling overtone that kept me on the edge of my seat until the final shocking moments.

Can a budding love survive the horrors of a scarred past? Will the nightmares that make her think she is going crazy lead her to a thirty-year-old secret so painful she will not survive its discovery?

If you love sweetly delicious romance, and terrific ghost stories, you will love this one!

The Dream House receives a firm 8.5 on Fran’s Richter Scale for spine tingling suspense!

Well done, Victoria!

The Haunting of the Sandpiper Inn

The Haunting of the Sandpiper Inn

by

Elizabeth Black

Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press ~ 2009

Heat rating: Erotic Romantic suspense

ISBN: 978-1-60313-620-4
Price: $5.99
Length: 38,740 words

Ellis McKay is a world-weary psychic. The kind that writes books about hauntings, rather than having her own ghost hunting TV show. Not because she isn't a genuine psychic...because she is. She just isn't the kind a phony baloney con artist that pretends she's something she isn't. Not like that blow hard jerk, Alan Horner, the star of GHOST (Ghost Hunters Of Scenic Thatcher's Island) fame. She is, herself a "skeptic", knowing that 95% of all "hauntings" can be explained by natural rather than supernatural forces at work. Very few are actually hauntings.

Ellis has come to the lengendary haunted Sandpiper Inn at the request of its owners to write a chapter about the old New England landmark in her new book. Whether there be true ghosties in the Inn is questionable...but a girl's gotta pay the bills and eat, right?

Unfortunately, the owners have also invited the GHOST film crew and its resident charlatan to investigate the ghostly residents of their inn, because with the lousy economy, tourism has taken a sharp downward turn, and in hard times, ghosts will bring in the tourists...right? So putting up with Horner may not be her cuppa, but she has little choice but to be civil to the "psychic" who is giving other psychics a bad name.

But the moment Ellis steps into room number 7, she realizes that Alan Horner or no, she isn't leaving until she talks to the ghost who genuinely IS haunting this particular Inn...

Ms. Black writes a suspense filled, tightly-woven, and tingling tale of ghosts and murders and hauntings...oh, my! Toss into the mix a hot, wonderfully erotic romance with a self-proclaimed skeptic who is out to prove things such as ghosts don't really exist, and you have a wonderful read that kept me turning pages until the wee hours!

With delightfully wicked and funny characters like Lealand Ward, only one of the several ghosts who run amok at The Sandpiper Inn, and who loves to watch the ladies undress and enjoys copping a feel whenever his ecctoplasm is up to the task, Ms. Black weaves a wicked and tingly tale of murder, sex, and ghostly revenge with a master's hand!

Well worth the read, and well worth the 8.0 on Fran's Richter Scale!

Okay, Fran...Where Are Those Three Book Reviews A Week?!

Damn, but I got myself caught up one more time...

I feel like the damn chipmunk that runs forever in that ridiculous little wheel in the bottom of its cage! Good intentions just seem to die and wither away!

But have heart! I will be upping a new review shortly, and this time I will be back on track. (Yeah, I know you've heard that one before!)

But I am really, truly, totally serious this time...sorta. And I really, truly, totally will have a new review up by Friday...sorta. Promise! Okay, so I have my fingers crossed behind my back, but trust me...I will!

The Sword and the PenElysa Hendricks

The Sword and the Pen

by Elysa Hendricks

Love Spell ~ Dorchester
2009

I instantly fell in love with this fast-paced and unique rendering from Elysa Hendricks! Using a style that incorporates both narrative and first person, she draws the reader in quickly and keeps them enthralled.

Brandon Alexander Davis has created a fabulous series of fantasy books over a lucrative ten-year period, but he is ready to quit. He wants out. But before he can get out, he must finish writing one final book, and that book must put an end to the exciting life of the fantasy heroine he has created...Serilda D'Lar.

A warrior woman who has become his fantasy creation, taking up his every thought to the exclusion of reality, Serilda has become a cult favorite among fantasy fans, and now her creator must kill her off in some noble manner to finish the series and get his life back in order.

But Serilda doesn't want to die. And when she appears suddenly in his living room, clad in the skimpy leather outfit he created for her, and waving her very real sword, Brandon isn't sure if she's some demented fan who overdosed on his books, or if she is something...else...

Has he driven some poor woman crazy with his fantasy books, or has his fantasy somehow come to life? Refusing to believe the latter, he is determined to find out who the poor delusional beauty is, and then the fun really begins!

Being magically pulled from her world by this sorceror is bad enough...but when her creator refuses to believe who she is, and threatens to turn her over to the looney bin , Seri must take desperate action to save herself and her world from the destruction planned by this powerful sorceror who refuses to believe a word she says, and considers her to be mad.

I found Ms. Hendricks' characters to be engaging and funny, and found it impossible to set the book down. She has drawn her hero with a loving hand, and has given him a woman he can't resist...or control! The romance was delicious and filled with heat...the sex was enough to make me start fanning...and I loved every minute! I was held captive at swordpoint for the duration, and will be recommending this one to anyone who loves a spirited, sexy read.

This one definitely rates an 8.5 on Fran's Richter Scale!

Serious Book Reviews Coming...

I have been taking a much-needed rest from all the myriad activities that I had undertaken over the past few months. But now it is time to pick up the traces and get going again.

Why did I start doing book reviews?

I wanted to showcase books that I thought were great reads, especially those that have never been reviewed before. At first, to conserve time and space, I simply did what I referred to as "Short But Sweet Book Reviews", and "Better Late Than Never Book Reviews". It was just a bit of promo for other author's books, and it was fun. But I believe I did those authors a disservice by making the reviews short and basic. I really needed to get into more depth to show what I was talking about, and later reviews were given more thorough treatment.

Beginning August 15, I will be doing three book reviews a week. I will, of course, be reviewing books that I already have purchased (269 to be exact), but if you would like me to review your book, e-mail me and ask. I have a helper now, and she will be assisting me with reviews, because the little darling devours about three books a week (and we are talking 600 page books!). When she does a special review, it will be listed as "Cassie's Favorites".

So mark your calendars (if you have been following my review pages), and drop by August 15, 2009 for the first of many in-depth reviews of books that are loads of fun to read!

Secrets of The Jin-Hakku by Kate Willoughby

Secrets of the Jin-Hakku

by

Kate Willoughby

Ellora's Cave 2009

In the erotic world of the Shinwa, in which this unique offering from Kate Willoughby is set, a deep personal dilemma is being played out in the Triad marriage of Hana, Joran, and Kai. Their deep love and painfully unfulfilled desire for children are tearing at each member of the Triad, especially Joran and Kai, who know that if they do not jointly manage to impregnate their beloved wife Hana, they will eventually lose her to the dread consequences of the state of near-death called sakei-ma-sah...a fatal torpor that results from the inability of a woman to conceive a child during her marriage.

Desperate to save their woman, Joran seeks knowledge from the great religious tomes of the Jin-Hakku, and finds an ancient book that gives them hope. It entails finding a perfect gem Topaz, and from that perfect gem, distilling medicines that will unlock their ability to create life during a three-day marathon of hot, continual sex.

Ms. Willoughby has created a world and a society that parallels the Asian cultures of centuries past, and she weaves a wickedly erotic magic around her reader with a skilled and sure hand, ensnaring the reader in the first few moments, and keeping them turning pages until the last page has settled into place.

The narrative is well-honed...the characters are delightfully crafted, and the sex is..well..mind-bending! No under-18's in this audience. Congratulations, Ms. Willoughby, on a well-written, hot piece of work.

~A definite 8.0 on Fran's Richter Scale~