Celebrating Read-a-Romance Month!!!

Posted in For the love of books by rebeccabook17

I was asked to participate in the “Blogger Day” for Read-a-Romance month (http://www.readaromancemonth.com/). My essay, interview, recommendations, and bio are listed below.

What does romance mean to me…

I like to think that I am romantic in nature. Romance really is essentially thinking about the person you love, and thinking about what you can do to make them happy. It’s not rocket science and it isn’t really a difficult thing. I believe that through the years, romance is the glue that holds a relationship together. It’s not necessarily about the grand gestures, but about finding time to care about one another in little ways every day. Through the month of August so far I have been reading the essays from different romance authors on the readaromancemonth.com website, and I have found that a number of the essays have had a common theme – that romance isn’t always the dramatic, over-the-top gestures that we see in some novels but the little things that people do every day to show their love for you. Especially when you consider your partner of 30 years, something as simple as holding their hand becomes meaningful and romantic. As you grow older things are constantly being added to your life; more responsibility at work, kids, pets, house, etc. This leaves less and less time for you to think of your spouse and of the things that you can do to make them happy. There is no longer time to plan a romantic 3 day getaway weekend, you’re lucky if you can find 5 minutes when you can be not only together but also alone. And not only that, but after dealing with all of the problems and issues you encounter during the day, there isn’t always a lot of energy left to think about the other person in your relationship. I really believe that it is important to take those 5 minutes every day to really focus on your spouse and think of something nice you can do for them, even if it’s as simple as vacuuming the house. Those little things can really mean a lot to the person that you love. I have found that romance novels really both remind and encourage me to think of my spouse. I read about these great loves and these dramatic romantic overtures and I think that the least I can do for my husband is something little, like making him his favorite dinner or picking out a movie to watch that I know he’ll like even though I won’t really.

I get asked a lot why I bother reading romance novels. Many people say that they’re just trash and that they have no real substance. Every book is different though, and while I agree you could argue some items are missing from romance novels that you might find in a book of “substance”, I believe that romance novels have a great deal of substance. They have a never-ending depth of human emotions. Great authors will draw you into the story and trap you there, make you feel what the hero and heroine are struggling through together. You get to personally experience their happiness at the end of the story when they discover love.

One of the books that I most remember losing myself in is Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James. At the time I read that book I was going through a difficult point in my marriage and I very much related to the heroine in the story and her struggles with the hero. I can distinctly remember getting lost in that story and connecting with the heroine at such a depth that I couldn’t distinguish her emotions from my own because they were one in the same. I would stop reading to get a snack or something and my mind would still be stuck in the story.

Getting to the ending of that story and finding Edie and Gowan’s happy ending gave me hope for my happy ending. That’s what I really love about romance novels, that there is always a happy ending and the readers are always left with a deep sense of hope. Life can be really tough sometimes, and there are days that I come home from work feeling defeated and beat down. Life can be overly depressing when you think too hard about how much you work and how little time there is to actually do the things you like to do. Romance novels help me to escape that. Instead of my life, I’m suddenly dropped into London society in 1810, in the midst of a torrid affair between a rogue and a daring young miss. Having that escape is a form of relief for me. It helps me to be better prepared to deal with the rest of my day when I can have that half hour at lunch to go into a different world.

I have been an avid reader my whole life and enjoy reading a multitude of genres. Through the years though, romance novels seem call to me in a way that no other genre really has. The romance niche has it all and has a genre for everyone: suspense, paranormal, historical, contemporary, cowboys, pirates, there is absolutely something for everyone. And I think everyone needs a dose of love and of hope in their lives to get through the day.

Interview:

1 – Describe the most daring, adventurous or inspiring thing you ever did.

Probably the most daring thing I ever did was fall in love with a Marine who lived 3,000 miles away from me. We met at a graduation party of a mutual friend and exchanged phone numbers. From there we became good friends and correspondents. And from there we fell in love. Before I met my now husband I never knew I liked to travel or that I was slightly adventurous. I ended up driving cross-country to CA for a summer and that was probably one of the most adventurous experiences of my life thus far.

2 – Tell us about your journey to becoming a writer. (How did you decide to get started? Did you always know or was there a specific moment when you knew?)

I have trouble thinking of myself as a “writer” even though I end up writing a blog post almost every day some weeks. Compared to the authors I read though, I couldn’t imagine writing something as interesting as they do. My journey as a blogger began this past year. My mom and I both set goals for this year (hers was in quilting, mine was to read 60 books). I suggested that my Mom start a blog on her quilting to help her keep track of her completed projects through the year (you can see her blog at http://joanne94w.wordpress.com/). And in about February of 2014, my husband also suggested that I start a blog for my book challenge.

3 – Tell us about The (or A) Book That Changed Your Life. (Why?)

It’s hard to pick one. Romance novels have gotten me through some tough points in my life and I’ve loved a good variety of genres. I think if I had to pick a book I would have to say that I was really drawn into the world of romance novels when I started reading Linda Howard’s romantic suspense. Now You See Her and Mr. Perfect both drew me in and I think were the first books that I really got caught up in the emotions and the drama of the heroine. Both are great romantic suspense novels.

Recommendations –

I’m new to the world of blogging so I haven’t been able to explore other blogs as much as I would like yet. I do really enjoy the Rakes and Rascals blog (http://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com/) which also features mostly romance novels.

As for authors, I probably have too many favorites to name. Stephanie Laurens, Jennifer Ashley, Elizabeth Hoyt, Julie Garwood, Linda Howard, Sandra Brown, Jayne Ann Krentz (and all her other pen names), Kristan Higgins, Meg Cabot, Nora Roberts, Vicki Lewis Thompson (the nerd series is one of my absolute favorites) are some of my all-time favorites.

I’m becoming more interested in different authors lately as well: Elizabeth Lowell, Elizabeth Boyle, Jane Graves, Eloisa James.

I could probably keep naming but you get the idea 🙂

Bio –

Rebecca Lyman began blogging in February of 2014. Since then she has posted a total of 83 blog posts, including both book reviews and articles on other book-related topics. By day she works as an accountant at a national auditing firm. She has been an avid reader since she was very young and always has at least one if not two books with her at all times. She is well known at her local library and worked there during her high school years. She hopes to someday return to working at a library as an accountant.

7Aug2014

2014 – Book #67

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Cynster family series, Danvers family series, Governess Brides series, Historical Romance by rebeccabook17

The sixty-seventh book I read in 2014 was Hero, Come Back. This is an anthology of books written by 3 romance authors, and all 3 stories are set in the 1830’s in England. I finished this book on 8/6/14.

Lost and Found by Stephanie Laurens is a story connected to the Cynster family series written by this author. I rated this story 4.25 stars out of a scale of 5. This story is about Reggie Carmathean (best friend to Amanda and Amelia Cynster from 2 books in the Cynster series) and Anne Ashford (sister to Luc, Penelope, and Portia, all of whom have their own books in the Cynster or Barnaby Adair series). This story was brief (only about 75 pages) and therefore was fast-paced, especially compared to Laurens’ other work. The story itself was good though and i thought it was a good addition to the overall series.

The Third Suitor by Christina Dodd is a story connected to her Governess Brides series, which I have not yet read but hope to now in the future. I rated this book 4 stars out of a scale of 5. This story is about Lady Jessie Macmillian and Harry Chamberlain. Jessie’s father has set her up with three suitors and told her that she must choose one to marry. Unfortunately she is repulsed by all of them, and enlists the help of Harry Chamberlain, another resident of the inn she is staying in, to help her hide so that her suitors can not force any more of their kissed on her. This was a very good story, I thought the heroine had a great strength of character. I would’ve liked to delve a little more into Harry’s psyche but you can only go so far with a short story. I look forward to reading more in this series in the future!

A Matchmaker’s Bargain by Elizabeth Boyle is a story connected to her Danvers familly series. I rated this book 4 stars out of a scale of 5. This story is about James Reyburn and Miss Amanda Preston. Amanda has run away from home and after getting caught in a storm manages to unwittingly enter herself into a bargain with a matchmaker. Apparently its against the law to leave the town of Bramley Hollow until this bargain has been fulfilled, and since Amanda was only passing through on her way to Brighton this is especially unfortunate for her. James Reyburn tries to help her escape but when his mother gets involved in planning a betrothal ball for Amanda, he realizes that it will take a great deal of stealth to get Amanda out of town without getting arrested. This was an entertaining story, though I thought both the hero and heroine could have used a tad bit more confidence. Overall very good story though, I might read the rest of the series as well!

Link to author website – Stephanie Laurens: http://www.stephanielaurens.com/

Link to author website – Christina Dodd: http://christinadodd.com/

Link to author website – Elizabeth Boyle: http://www.elizabethboyle.com/

Link to Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Come-Back-Stephanie-Laurens/dp/0060564504/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1407376775&sr=8-1

4Aug2014

2014 – Book #66

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Guinevere Jones series, Romantic suspense by rebeccabook17

The sixty-sixth book I read in 2014 was The Chilling Deception by Jayne Castle. This is the second book in the Guinevere Jones series by this author. I finished this book on 8/4/14. I rated this book 4.0 stars out of a scale of 5.This book continues the story of Guinevere Jones and her investigator boyfriend Zac Justis. Gwen is concerned about her current client, Mr. Vandyke, and his current stress level. She convinces Zac to offer his security services on Mr. Vandyke’s upcoming buisness trip to the San Juan islands.

Zac is not thrilled about being a bodyguard to Gwen’s client. Especially when it means being at Mr. Vandyke’s beck and call and not getting any alone time with Gwen. Gwen was hoping to get some alone time this weekend as well, but not for exactly the same reasons as Zac. Gwen was hoping that she might be able to talk to Zac this weekend about their relationship status. But things seem to keep getting in the way.

Overall I thought this was a good story. It was a quick read at only about 165 pages and the plot was interesting and well-paced. The climax was riveting and well done, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. As I said in my post on the first story in the series though, the hero in these stories is a little too heavy-handed for me. He was almost mean in this story, calling the heroine names and stuff. I’m excited to read the next in the series!

Link to author website: http://jayneannkrentz.com/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chilling-Deception-Guinevere-Jones-Book-ebook/dp/B007P7HV9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407191209&sr=8-1&keywords=the+chilling+deception

3Aug2014

2014 – Book #65

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Guinevere Jones series, Romantic suspense by rebeccabook17

The sixty-fifth book I read in 2014 was The Desperate Game by Jayne Castle. This is the first book in the Guinevere Jones series by this author. I finished this book on 8/2/14. I rated this book 3.75 stars out of a scale of 5. This book introduces us to Guinevere Jones, the owner of a small-business temp agency. While covering one of her assignments, she encounters a man named Zac Justis, who she discovers has been looking for her.

Zac has been hired to get to the bottom of some equipment shipment thefts that were discovered due to a new inventory computer program. Starr Enterprises is Zac’s first big client of his brand new investigation/consulting firm and he wants to make sure this customer walks away happy. He decides to use Gwen to infiltrate the computer programming division of Starr Enterprises and find out who is behind the thefts.

Gwen’s not thrilled about being blackmailed into helping Zac, but what forms as a result is an unlikely alliance. But after Zac begins to doubt whether Gwen is actually involved in the thefts. Gwen is hurt by Zac’s accusations and sets out to prove him wrong.

This was a really a very good story. It was well-paced and the plot was interesting. I very much liked the heroine, but i did find the hero to be a little heavy-handed. Since this story was originally published in 1986, the alpha-male character is a little different than those of today. For instance, at one point in the story the hero knocks the heroine over the back of the head (thinking she is someone else) and the heroine never brings this up later on and the hero never even apologizes. I found this to be an issue. Other than that though I did enjoy the book!

Link to author website: http://jayneannkrentz.com/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Desperate-Game-Guinevere-Jones-Book-ebook/dp/B007P7HZFE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407032368&sr=8-1&keywords=the+desperate+game

2Aug2014

Read-a-Romance Month!

Posted in For the love of books by rebeccabook17

For all of you who didn’t know, August is National Read-a-Romance month! And to celebrate, there is a website and Facebook page designed by Bobbi Dumas dedicated to all of us readers who just love romance novels. Each day multiple romance authors are interviewed about how they began writing romance novels and why the genre means so much to them. There are also contests, giveaways, and suggestions from authors on their favorite reads.

So make sure to check out the interviews as they are posted this month! Below are 2 of my favorites from last year’s interviews:

1. Kristan Higgins: http://www.readaromancemonth.com/2013/08/day-5-kristan-higgins/

2. Elizabeth Hoyt: http://www.readaromancemonth.com/2013/08/day-11-elizabeth-hoyt-adventure-and-spirit-and-love/

And if you’re new to romance and aren’t sure where exactly to start, I read an article recently that might be helpful! The article was written by Kelly Faircloth and posted on jezebel.com. The article gives good suggestions on books to read if you’re new to the romance genre. I’ve only read 2 on the list so far but the rest are on my TBR listing. Here is a link to the article: http://jezebel.com/so-you-want-to-get-into-romance-novels-start-here-1597552701

So make sure to read a romance novel this month! Or at least check out the interviews on ReadaRomancemonth.com. The authors being interviewed are all so inspiring and many of them last year reminded me why I love romance novels so much!

Link to Read-a-Romance month website: http://www.readaromancemonth.com/

Link to Read-a-Romance month facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ReadARomanceMonth

30Jul2014

2014 – Book #63

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Fairy Tales series, Historical Romance by rebeccabook17

The sixty-third book I read in 2014 was the novella Storming the Castle by Eloisa James. This novella is book 1.5 in the Fairy Tales series by this author. I finished this book on 7/29/14. I rated this book 3.5 stars out of a scale of 5. This book tells the story of Jonas Berwick (illegitimate brother of Prince Gabriel from book #1 in the series A Kiss at Midnight) and Miss Philippa Damson.

Phillipa is betrothed to a man that she realizes is just awful. Fleeing the confines of her betrothal, she finds freedom at Pomeroy Castle where she becomes a nursemaid to Princess Kate’s newborn son, little Jonas. The baby cries and cries and looks so sickly that everyone in the castle is worried he will soon die. Phillipa recognizes these symptoms to be from colic due to the knowledge she gained while helping her uncle. Phillipa helps Kate and Gabriel bring their son back to good health, all the while becoming more and more infatuated with the castle’s majordomo, Wick.

Jonas Berwick has always been treated as part of the royal family even though he is really only the bastard son of Gabriel’s father. Now that he is living in England and has become a servant to his brother (by choice) he can not offer for Miss Phillipa’s hand in marriage without bringing her down to the level of a servant as well. So he must formulate a way to be more than just a servant so he can spend the rest of his life with her.

Overall this novella was ok. I was very interested in hearing Wick’s story after being introduced to his character in the first book in the series and it was a quick read. It only ended up being about 125 pages and was well-paced for the length. While some of the plot was a bit choppy to accomodate a faster paced, it was a sweet story and a good addition to the series.

Link to other novels in the Fairy Tales series: https://rebeccabookreview.wordpress.com/category/book-reviews/book-series-book-reviews/fairy-tales-series/

Link to author website: http://eloisajames.com/index.php

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Storming-Castle-Original-Short-Content-ebook/dp/B00486UF6G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406749186&sr=8-1&keywords=storming+the+castle

29Jul2014

2014 – Book #62

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Full series, Romantic suspense by rebeccabook17

The sixty-second book I read in 2014 was Full Bloom by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes. This is the fifth book in their “Full” series. I finished this book on 7/29/14 (partly due to the parking lot that was Highway 84 W traffic this morning). I rated this book 3.25 stars out of a scale of 5. This book is about small-town B&B homeowner Annie Fortenberry. Annie is extremely stressed out due to the high-profile upcoming wedding being held at the eccentric B&B she inherited from her grandmother. The last thing she needs to add to her to do list is clear herself of murder charges!

Wes Parker shows up at Annie’s B&B to try and find out what happened to Annie’s missing husband. And it takes Wes all of 5 minutes to realize that Annie couldn’t have murdered anybody. After the gardener finds Annie’s husband’s body buried out by the carriage house though, the police turn they’re eyes towards Annie. Wes has to figure out who actually murdered Charles before Annie gets put away for a crime she didn’t commit.

Overall this was an ok book. It was funny, witty, and a quick read but I thought that the ending could’ve been better. There wasn’t really a villain in the end, the killer turned out to be someone we already knew and honestly liked. I felt like it would’ve been better with a real villain in the end. And whatever happened to all the side characters? Many of their stories were left open, like Norm and Donna Schaefer’s. And I thought it was a little weird that Wes got there so fast after Annie called him. So while I thought the ending could’ve gone a little better, the book overall was a quick and entertaining read.

Link to author website: http://www.evanovich.com/

Link to “Full” series page: http://www.evanovich.com/novels/romance-novels/co-authored-romance-novels/charlotte-hughes/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Full-Bloom-Janet-Evanovich/dp/0312934300/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406652406&sr=8-1

28Jul2014

2014 – Book #61

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Fairy Tales series, Historical Romance by rebeccabook17

The sixty-first book I read in 2014 was A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James. This is the first book in the Fairy Tales series by this author. I finished this book on 7/28/14 (just past midnight). I rated this book 4.25 stars out of a scale of 5. This book tells the story of a girl named Katherine Daltry. Kate has lived practically as a servant in her own household ever since her father died and left her step-mother as her legal guardian. Kate has been managing multiple pieces of her father’s estate on her own for the last few years, as her step-mother has a tendency to fire most of the servants on the estate.

Prince Gabriel bundled up all the people who were thrown out of his country by his over-zealous religious brother and brought them all to his castle in England. The only problem with this is that now he has to find a way to pay and support this horde of family and friends. While the income from the estate will fund the castle’s needs in future years, the estate won’t make any income for the first year. Therefore the prince decides he must wed a wealthy heiress in order to care for the people living under his roof. When Kate arrives at the castle for the ball that is to be held in a few days time, Gabriel has a princess on her way from Russia with a significant dowry.

Kate ends up taking her sister’s place at the Prince’s betrothal ball through a twist of Fate, but she must attend while posing to be her step-sister Victoria, along with Victoria’s fiancee Algie. The whole thing reminded me slightly of a comedy of errors and it was very entertaining and funny. Once the prince figures out that Kate is.. well Kate and not Victoria, he begins to pursue her in earnest even though he is betrothed to a Russian princess.

Overall I thought this was a great book and I look forward to reading more books in this series. As Kate goes through the story she realizes she has many people she can consider family who support her. The story was very sweet and also was interesting.

Link to author website: http://www.eloisajames.com/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-at-Midnight-Eloisa-James/dp/0062232568/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406561491&sr=8-1

25Jul2014

2014 – Book #60

Posted in Book reviews, Contemporary romance by rebeccabook17

The past couple days have been a very difficult time for me. I find most that when I am working my way through a difficult time, I tend to turn to the escape of fiction more than I might at other times. There has been something inherently soothing today and yesterday about reading beside my grandfather’s bed as I struggle to say goodbye to him. And while this may not have been the best book I’ve ever read, I am profoundly grateful that for a few moments of time I can escape to a place where there is no pain, no sadness, and only happy endings. And as this was the book that I am meeting my goal with for the year, I can’t think of a better person to share this with than my Pop-pop. So I hereby dedicate the following blog post and my accomplishment of meeting my 60 book goal for 2014 to a man who watched over and cared for me my whole life, Henry Barnum.

The sixtieth book I read in 2014 was Black Ties and Lullabies by Jane Graves. I finished this book on 7/25/14. I rated this book 3.0 stars out of a scale of 5. This book was about Bernadette Hogan, body-guard extraordinaire, and her current employer, multimillionaire Jeremy Bridges. Jeremy grew up in the slums and now that he is successful he allows himself every comfort and luxury possible. Bernadette on the other hand scrimps and saves to be able to take care of her aging mother. As his bodyguard, Bernie watches for years as Jeremy works his way through all the blonde starlets and models that life has to offer.

But on one evening Bernie decides she has had enough of trying to protect Jeremy’s life and quits. The argument and the flaring passion that ensue are unexpected and unplanned, as is the pregnancy that follows. At first Bernie decides she wants Jeremy to have nothing to do with their child, but as the weeks progress and Jeremy shows her how much this child and her both mean to him, she begins to think that maybe she was wrong about Jeremy after all.

Overall I didn’t love this book. I have liked the other books I have read by this author but this one I just couldn’t connect with. A millionaire sweeps in and says he’s just going to take away all your problems? How often does that actually happen?? And while it might be more realistic, both of the main characters had some serious insecurities that they needed to work on. That being said, it was a fairly good story and I was interested the whole time in how the book would play out. And the ending was sweet, if unbelievable.

Link to author website: http://www.janegraves.com/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lullabies-Central-Publishing-Contemporary-Romance/dp/0446568473/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406318148&sr=8-1

23Jul2014

2014 – Book #59

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Cynster family series, Historical Romance by rebeccabook17

The fifty-ninth book I read in 2014 was The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens. I finished this book on 7/22/14. This is the second book in the Cynster Duo and the twentieth book in the Cynster family series. The Cynster Duo is actually a sub-series within the Cynster family series. I have read other books in the Cynster series and have many other blog posts on them (see link below). I rated this book 3.5 stars out of a scale of 5. This book tells the story of Mary Cynster and Ryder Cavanaugh.

Mary Cynster is the last unwed Cynster of her generation and as such is a great catch. The last available Cynster of her generation, she pretty much has her pick of who she’d like to marry. And her pick is not Ryder Cavanuagh, who annoys her and who she believes would be a dictator-like husband. The hilarious twists of fate though bring them together and Mary realizes that her and Ryder would actually suit, their strong personalities melding to form a powerful force.

Ryder has been looking for a woman to share his life with, a woman who will bring the broken pieces of his family together. And he knows that Mary Cynster, with her extended family and their obvious familial bond, is just the woman to help him accomplish that. But when an unknown villain starts threatening Mary’s life, Ryder knows he must do whatever it takes to save the woman he is falling in love with.

Overall this book was good and was an interesting addition to the series. Honestly as this point it is starting to get hard to get all the branches and members of the family straight because there are just so many of them. This book ends with all the Cynsters and connections gathering for a summer family picnic and the author spends like 3 pages alone just listing out all the children and who belongs to who and what not. It just gets to be a bit long. Otherwise is a good book and I look forward to hopefully seeing more books about the “Next Generation” of Cynsters from this author. Currently only one on the drawing board per her website is an in between book about the tutors of 2 of the Cynster Next Generation. I want to see Lucilla’s (future Lady of the Vale’s) story though.

Link to other reviews in the Cynster family series: https://rebeccabookreview.wordpress.com/category/book-reviews/book-series-book-reviews/cynster-family-series/

Link to author website: http://www.stephanielaurens.com/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Ryder-Cavanaugh-Cynster-Sisters/dp/0062068652/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406125599&sr=8-1