I've selected four off my shelf that each have something to recommend them, but I have to pick one.
Please help me select the book I'll bring tomorrow night.
Island Flame by Linda Windsor author of The Knight and The Raven.
EVERY PARADISE...
Noreen Doherty trembled as she gazed up at the magnificent, half-naked savage who stood upon the precipice like some great island god.
She'd accompanied her guardian to Hawaii to bring back Kent Mallory, heir to one of England's grandest estates. And now capricious fate had suddenly left her alone with the man she sought...a fierce-eyed, sensual stranger who both terrified and tempted her.
...HAS ITS TEMPTATIONS
The son of a British nobleman and a royal native beautify, Mallory wanted only to drive away the bitter memories...along with the woman who'd intruded into his exotic realm. But Noreen's grace and spirit intrigued and intoxicated him.
From the shimmering sands of Hawaii to the glittering ballrooms of London's high society, they were a man and a woman haunted by a secret past--forced to choose between two worlds, and one magnificent love...
I was going to do the excepts too, but it's too much work. The prose isn't as purple as the back cover would lead you to believe. It was a fun read.
More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh (who keeps wanting to read that as Balrog? Be honest. There'll be a poll on this later.)
In her most captivating novel to date, Mary Balogh, the premier writer of Regency romance, invites you into a world of scandal and seduction, of glittering high society and intrigue, as an arrogant duke does the unthinkable- he falls in love with his mistress...
She raced onto the green , desperate to stop a duel. In the melee, Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham, was shot. To his astonishment, Tresham found himself hiring the servant his nurse. Jane Ingleby was far too bold for her own good. Her blue eyes were the sort a man could drown in- were it not for her impudence. She questioned his every move, breached his secrets, touched his soul. When he offered to set her up in his London town house, love was the thing on his mind...
Jane tried to pretend it was strictly business, an arrangement she was forced to accept in order to conceal a dangerous secret. Surely there was nothing more perilous than bring the lover of such a man. Yet as she got past his devilish facade, and saw the noble heart within, she knew the greatest jeopardy of all, a passion that drove her to risk everything on one perfect month with the improper gentleman who thought love was for fools.
A regency period novel with a rake in need of reformation. It's got all the elements of classic romance. A natural choice, and the cover is even red like Valentines day.
The Outlaw Heart by Vivian Knight-Jenkins.
A professional stuntwoman, Caycee Hammond was used to working in a world of illusions. Pistol blanks firing around her and fake bottles breaking over her head were tricks of the trade. But she couldn't believe her eyes when a routine stunt sent her back to an honest-to-goodness Old West bank robbery. And bandit Zackary (sic) Butler was far too handsome to be anything but a dream.
Before Caycee knew it, she wad dodging real bullets, outrunning the law, saving Zackary's life, and longing to share the desperado's bedroll. Torn between her need to return home and her desire for Zackary, Caycee had to choose between a loveless future and...THE OUTLAW HEART.
This one makes the list because it's a Timeswept romance and I know some people have a taste for that sort of thing.
And finally, Sheik by Connie Mason.
Princess Zara had been raised a warrior, always at her father's side in battle against the Arabs who had stolen their land. So when she was taken prisoner by Sheik Jamal abd Thabit during a raid, she was determined not to succumb to his wishes. She thought it would be easy, for rather than take her as his concubine then and there, Jamal struck a deal-- if he was unable to seduce her within four weeks, he would set her free. But Zara was more his slave than she'd thought, for she found herself mesmerized by the virile beauty of his muscular form and, at the slightest tough his capable hands, felt her body grow hotter than the dessert sun. Torn between duty to her people and the temptations of her Arab master, Zara wondered if she dared risk all she had ever known and trust her heart to this enemy...SHEIK.
This one makes the list for a couple of reasons. One, because I liked it, even though I thought it was a bit cliché (which never happens in romance novels), and also because it's by the same author who brought the book series I'm bringing to the romance club to talk about, although it's not in the same series, area, or location.
So there you have it. Let the voting begin.
Which book should I bring for the romantic grab bag?
Island Flame by Linda Windsor
0(0.0%)
More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh
4(50.0%)
The Outlaw Heart by Vivian Knight-Jenkins
2(25.0%)
Sheik by Connie Mason
2(25.0%)
Honestly, did you think for a moment that More than a Mistress was written by Mary Balrog?
Yes.
1(11.1%)
I'm so glad you said it first. I thought it was just me!
1(11.1%)
No, you psychotic madwoman. Anyone can see it says Bal, ahem, Balogh.
4(44.4%)
Not only did I read Balrog, in that instance, I relived the Balrog attack on the Fellowship. *sobs* Lost! Lost in the Mines!
2(22.2%)
Other
1(11.1%)
Your answer here
Superbowl
Watched.
9(56.2%)
Didn't.
7(43.8%)
Patriots
Dynasty.
4(25.0%)
Wow.
1(6.2%)
Amazing.
0(0.0%)
Feh.
4(25.0%)
Other.
7(43.8%)
On the Patriots (remember, these answers are visable, and there might be children reading)
Eagles
Better than I expected.
4(25.0%)
TO really did make a difference. Not enough of one, but still...
3(18.8%)
Wow, another amazing Brian performance.
0(0.0%)
Noone really likes Chunky soup.
1(6.2%)
Biggest heartbreak ever. Now they are like the Red Sox. They have experienced actual pain.
1(6.2%)
Feh.
4(25.0%)
Other.
3(18.8%)
On the Eagles (same language restrictions as before)
Commercials
Rather unimpressive.
5(26.3%)
Wow! BEST YEAR EVAR!
0(0.0%)
Lame.
2(10.5%)
Even the game was more interesting than the commercials this year.
1(5.3%)
What? No Bud Bowl?
0(0.0%)
What's the with 80s retro?
1(5.3%)
Feh.
4(21.1%)
Other.
6(31.6%)
Favorite commercials? Thoughts on commercials?
Finally. Halftime show?
Thank goodness for no wardrobe malfunctions. No one wants to see that.
0(0.0%)
Best. half time show. EVAR!
0(0.0%)
Sir Paul. It doesn't get any better than this.
4(25.0%)
I'm still in shock from "P Diddy, you're so fine." I can't even watch the halftime show until the snow melts on that nuclear winter.
0(0.0%)
Okay. Cool monitors.
2(12.5%)
Feh.
4(25.0%)
Other
6(37.5%)
Thoughts on Sir Paul McCartney or halftime shows in general.
One chance. One Love. Your chance to let me know.