12 Days of Giveaways – Day 7: For the Romance Lover

It’s Day 7 of our 12 days of giveaways and we’re giving away romance books! I’ve read so many great romances this year that it’s hard to pick just a few to recommend! Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino, When A Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare, The Billionaire Takes a Bride by Jessica Clare, Enslaved by Virginia Henley, Abigail Roux’s Cut and Run series, as well as Jessica Lemmon’s entire backlist are my top choices from 2015. They either had me laughing, sobbing, or falling head over heels in love. (And we all know how much I love love.) With that being said I hope that you too can love love by winning one of the three romance packages below!

Romance Package 1:

A Silver Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear – C.J. Silver is eager to help the new she-wolves in town renovate the old hotel in time for the holidays, especially if it means spending time under the mistletoe with the alluring Laurel MacTire.

The bustle in the long abandoned hotel attracts the attention of human ghosthunters out to prove the place haunted, but the bigger problem is keeping them from discovering the werewolves in Silver Town. CJ and Laurel have to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. Working together is a surprisingly hot holiday treat for two attractive and clever wolf shifters.

(Giveaway is a mass market paperback ARC)

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts – With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance. From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find both: a land of lush forests, dazzling lakes, and centuries-old legends.

Ireland.

County Mayo, to be exact. Where her ancestors’ blood and magic have flowed through generations—and where her destiny awaits.

Iona arrives in Ireland with nothing but her Nan’s directions, an unfailingly optimistic attitude, and an innate talent with horses. Not far from the luxurious castle where she is spending a week, she finds her cousins, Branna and Connor O’Dwyer. And since family is family, they invite her into their home and their lives.

When Iona lands a job at the local stables, she meets the owner, Boyle McGrath. Cowboy, pirate, wild tribal horseman, he’s three of her biggest fantasy weaknesses all in one big, bold package.

Iona realizes that here she can make a home for herself—and live her life as she wants, even if that means falling head over heels for Boyle. But nothing is as it seems. An ancient evil has wound its way around Iona’s family tree and must be defeated. Family and friends will fight with each other and for each other to keep the promise of hope—and love—alive…

(Giveaway is a paperback)

Romance Package 2:

Four Nights with the Duke by Eloisa James – As a young girl, Emilia Gwendolyn Carrington told the annoying future Duke of Pindar that she would marry any man in the world before him—so years later she is horrified to realize that she has nowhere else to turn.

Evander Septimus Brody has his own reasons for agreeing to Mia’s audacious proposal, but there’s one thing he won’t give his inconvenient wife: himself.

Instead, he offers Mia a devil’s bargain…he will spend four nights a year with her. Four nights, and nothing more. And those only when she begs for them.

Which Mia will never do.

Now Vander faces the most crucial challenge of his life: he must seduce his own wife in order to win her heart—and no matter what it takes, this is the one battle he can’t afford to lose.

(Giveaway is a mass market paperback)

The Wedding Vow by Cara Connelly – Sexy billionaire Adam LeCroix has a mission: hunt down the sultry spitfire he blames for his troubles, demand her help, and exact revenge while he’s at it. Maddie St. Clair will help him . . . or else.

Former prosecutor Maddie damn near nailed Adam for stealing, but the lucky bastard walked. Now, five years later, he’s back, arrogant as ever, giving her an ultimatum—work for him to collect the insurance money, or she’ll never work again.

Maddie’s all about right and wrong. Adam’s shades of gray. So when he uncovers the hot body under her hard-ass veneer and she finds he’s a thief with a heart, can the law-and-order lawyer and the fast-and-loose felon put their prickly past behind them?

(Giveaway is a mass market paperback)

Vision in White by Nora Robert – With bridal magazine covers to her credit, Mackensie “Mac” Elliot is most at home behind the camera—ready to capture the happy moments she never experienced while growing up. Her father replaced his first family with a second, and now her mother, moving on to yet another man, begs Mac for attention and money. Mac’s foundation is jostled again moments before an important planning meeting when she bumps into the bride-to-be’s brother…an encounter that has them both seeing stars.

Carter Maguire is definitely not her type: he’s stable, and he’s safe. He’s even an English teacher at their high school alma mater. There’s something about him that makes Mac think a casual fling is just what she needs to take her mind off dealing with bridezillas and screening her mother’s phone calls. But a casual fling can turn into something more when you least expect it. And with the help of her three best friends—and business partners—Mac must learn how to make her own happy memories…

(Giveaway is a mass market paperback)

Romance Package 3:

With Seduction in Mind by Laura Lee Guhrke – London Society is harsh for a young woman with no family connections who has to work for a living. But when Daisy Merrick is sacked from yet another job, the feisty and outspoken miss comes up with a plan that could give her a future beyond her wildest dreams. There’s only one problem. Her success depends on a man, the most infuriating, impossible, immovable man she’s ever met.

Sebastian Grant, Earl of Avermore, is England’s most infamous author. Known for his notorious reputation, he is more interested in play than work, and has no intention of cooperating when Daisy shows up on his doorstep with a mad plan. The provoking, fire-haired beauty stirs his senses beyond belief, and Sebastian knows he has only one way to stop her. Seduction.

(Giveaway is a mass market paperback)

The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine by Alex Brunkhorst – A modern-day Gatsby tale of forbidden love, family secrets and the true price of wealth.

The story begins with a dinner party invitation. When young journalist Thomas Cleary is sent to dig up quotes for the obituary of a legendary film producer, the man’s eccentric daughter offers him entree into the exclusive upper echelons of Hollywood society. A small-town boy with working-class roots, Thomas is a stranger in this opulent world of private jets and sprawling mansions.

Then he meets Matilda Duplaine.

Matilda is a beautiful and mysterious young woman who has never left the lush Bel-Air estate where she was raised. Thomas is immediately entranced by the enigmatic girl and the two begin a secret love affair. But what starts as an enchanted romance soon unravels a web of secrets and lies that could destroy their lives and the lives of everyone around them forever.

Filled with unforgettable characters and charm, The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine is a sparkling love letter to Los Angeles and a captivating journey beyond the golden gates of its most glamorous estates. Timeless, romantic and utterly absorbing, it is a mesmerizing and poignant exploration of life’s unexpected riches.

(Giveaway is a paperback ARC)

Giveaway Instructions – (Special thanks to Sourcebooks and MIRA for our ARC giveaway copies!)

Three lucky winners will have the opportunity to win ONE of the three packages listed above! For your chance to win simply leave a comment below about your favorite romance trope.  Comments will be accepted through midnight on Thursday, December 31, 2015.  The winner will be picked at random and announced on Friday, January 1, 2016.  Open to US residents only. Good luck!

#77 A Review of The Wedding Vow by Jillian Hart

Continuing on my historical fiction binge of sorts, I recently picked up The Wedding Vow by Jillian Hart.  Before you chide me on reading a book with a cover fit for the trashy romance novel section, I must admit that Hart’s work has left me impressed by the depth of the plot and character development.  With that said, there were also a few other instances of lackluster writing quality that balanced out the shining points, leaving me with a mixed overall view of the book.  However, I’ll leave it up to you to make a final decision on what you think of this book!

Gwyneth of Blackthorne was living a good life.  She had land, a title of nobility, and a loving family.  However, all this was shattered when her parents were brutally killed by a man who eventually took their titles and land.  Not only did he kill Gwyneth’s parents, but all of the guards and her brother, who were entrusted to protect the family at all costs, were killed by this man and his followers.  By sheer luck, Gwyneth was able to escape, forced to live with her cruel uncle, who works her night and day as a servant.  Her daily routine of misery is interrupted one day by Bran the Fair, who seeks her help.  Known as the greatest healer in the land, Gwyneth is enlisted to help the very man who killed her family.  She finds that the man, who is now a Barron, has been thrown from his horse and is in serious condition.  Not only this, but Bran is his bastard son.  The Barron, knowing he is near death, apologizes to Gwyneth and tells her that in order to repay her, she must marry his son and once again preside over her land which was brutally taken from her.  Although she dislikes the arrangement greatly, the King grants the Barron’s dying wish and Gwyneth marries Bran.  However, this is not Gwyneth’s first encounter with the Barron’s family, as she was previously married to Geoffrey, Bran’s half brother.  A savage man who attempted to beat her, Gwyn was freed from this marriage soon after it began.  Will Bran be as horrible as his father?  Will Gwyneth ever find peace again?

I won’t lie.  This novel needs a lot of editing/grammatical work.  There were times that characters would be in the kitchen and then three sentences later they were somewhere completely different with no transition.  It gave me an oddly paced feeling, and I feel that with the markings of a red pen this could easily be rectified.  Also, adding to the underlying grammar issues, I took issue with parts of Gwyneth’s character.  For someone who had lived her whole life hating “men” and thinking there was no good left in any of them, Gwyneth sure melted fast as soon as Bran was doing things for her (i.e. drawing her a hot bath, finding her a kitten).  Sure, she kept her guard up, but I felt like these actions portrayed her as a weak female that easily acquiesced to others wants and needs.  She was this strong female character that you could give props to, then boom – a man makes her weak in the knees and she’s his.  When Gwyn and Bran have sex for the first time a dramatic shift in the plot came about.  Suddenly everything revolved around making bonds with their bodies and about Gwyn and Bran’s need to possess each other, rather than about fighting Geoffrey and making The Keep (their land) stable again.  It made me sad that there was such a shift, because the storyline pre-sex was actually really interesting.

Putting aside the negative things mentioned above the storyline was compelling with complex characters scattered here and there.  The conflicts between Geoffrey and Bran as well as Gwyn and Bran were gripping plot points all on their own.  Add into that the relationship that Bran tries to begin with the townsfolk and with Gwyn and you have the makings of a dynamic plot.  With all that being said The Wedding Vow is a good read for those you looking to explore a historical fiction work with a bit of a romantic flair.

3 out of 5 Stars

This is my thirty-fifth completed review for the Historical Fiction Challenge

This is my eleventh completed review for the Chunkster Challenge

The Wedding Vow by Jillian Hart

Jillian Hart (2011)

eBook 589 pages

ISBN: 2940013019676