Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary

Dear Ms. Winstead Jones:

First off, the cover on this book is a bit deceiving.  The setting of the book is a fantasy historical world set in a made up kingdom (I always think of this kind of setting as middle earth but have also considered it to be medieval but does medieval imply some political structure?).  There are two romances told within this story and the two serve as a sort of foil for one another.

The main protagonists are General Merin, a high ranking official for the Emperor Jahn, and Belavalari Haythorne of the Turis.  Emporer Jahn has determined it is time for him to marry.  His advisors have compiled a list of six brides and one of them is Bela due to the fact that her family has recently come into a great source of wealth via mining.  Merin has a history with Bela and the Haythorne family and offers to go and fetch her.   The Turis are a fierce clan and is not likely to welcome a courier from the Emperor.  

When Merin arrives, he finds out that Bela had tricked him six years ago and married him via …

Unlaced, as you might have guessed by the number of authors in the title of the post, is an anthology. It is an erotic romance anthology of three contemporary stories and one paranormal contemporary story. I admit that I did not read the last story by Denise Rossetti. I just haven’t been in the mood from something otherwordly and thus I skipped it but since I did read 3/4 of the anthology, I felt it was sufficient to give a review.

The Ties That Bind by Jaci Burton. Dear Ms. Burton:

I’ve always enjoyed your anthologies and this entry is no exception. Lisa and Rick Mitchell were irresponsible high school sweethearts whose youthful love and lust led to Lisa getting pregnant at age 16. Lisa and Rick tried to get married but because of their youth, their marriage fell apart and they divorced when their daughter, Kayla, was three. They remained a tightly knit family with Rick providing what he could to Lisa and their daughter until Lisa got an education and began providing for herself. But now there daughter is graduating and Rick has met someone …

Drop Dead Gorgeous by Kimberly Raye. The premise was that geek girl saw her geek boy bestfriend get super hot, super confident, and super sexy and she wanted that too. Except the reason that the geek boy bestfriend got super everything was because he got bit by a vampire and now he too was a vampire. As a vampire, he could make a woman want him. His nerd body transformed into a hard body that everyone in town wanted. I was disappointed that there was no emotional makeover other than that incited by his paranormal makeover. In other words, this guy would have never broken out of his shell if not for his supernatural power.

Geek girl, Meg Sweeney, has been making herself over since high school to turn from jock into girly girl, but she hasn’t been successful enough to make it onto the hot bachelorette list, “Tilly Townsend’s infamous Hot Chicks.” This bothers Sweeney so much that she attends humiliating classes with other members of her small town to discuss her orgasms and lack thereof. This book is over the top in …

Mistress to the Tycoon by Nicola Marsh. Ariel Wallace is an artist struggling to fulfill her aunt’s dream of sponsoring young troubled locals into launching an art career. The dream is in jeopardy due to the plans of a rich real estate developer. The straight laced dude v. the free form spirit is a worn trope and there is nothing new to see in this book.

The one thing that elevated this story, however, was the relationship that the hero had with his dad. Cooper Vance wants to close this real estate buy because it is his ticket out of his dad’s firm. The relationship between his father and Cooper has become increasingly strained over the years due to Cooper’s successes. The reader gets glimpses that both cooper and his dad regret the way their relationship has disintegrated but neither really is brave enough to speak out and try to mend it. C+.

This book can be purchased in mass market or ebook format.

The Mediterranean Rebel’s Bride by Lucy Gordon. This book was recommended by Sherry Thomas …

Dear Ms. Cullars:

The Object of Love turned out to be a big surprise for me. The past Bravas I’ve read have been fun but without a great deal of depth. This book had a lot of depth that drew on more than its unconventional romance. The story has a romance but its primarily about learning to live with oneself and one’s choices in the face of the consequences. When the book focused on Lacey, Calvin, and Sean, individually, the book was at its most interesting. It was the romance, ironically, that I found least emotional.

Lacey Burnham has suffered the worst blow that a mother can endure–the loss of her child. Calvin Burnham was a bright star at Columbia whose athletic skill made him a sure bet to get to the big leagues. Unfortunately, his penchant for recklessness resulted in a high speed collision which ended his life. At the funeral, Sean Logan, Calvin’s estranged best friend appears to lend support to Lacey. Sean has long had feelings for Lacey and, while this may not …