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Side Dish with Carrie Lofty

January 12th, 2010

by guest author Carrie Lofty

bio_zoomI know that Book End Babes is all about girlfriends, especially with regard to reading. But I wonder if readers understand just how important girlfriends are to writing books, too!

My best friend and college roommate used to read my partially completed manuscripts. She would get upset when I’d inevitably stop around page one hundred. She believed in my stories and wanted more! In December 2008, upon the publication of my debut, What a Scoundrel Wants, she left messages on my phone whenever she found my book on the shelves. Meijer, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble–I practically figured out her route through town by those calls. Her faith in me over all these years has been immeasurable.

scoundrel_s_kiss_thumb_For my newest release, Scoundrel’s Kiss, I have nothing but love and appreciation for the women who form my critique group. These girlfriends are not only supportive but talented! Their dedication to my success rivals my own, and they offer wonderfully insightful perspectives on my work. After all the hard work is done writing and editing, then comes the reward of my friendship with these women. Like my college roommate with her phone calls, they send me links to great reviews, send their positive vibes when poor reviews get me down, and generally celebrate in the accomplishment.

Here at home, my non-writing friends and family are equally supportive. People who don’t even read romance, such as my mother-in-law and my husband’s co-workers, pick up the book. Some may just buy it as a show of financial support, but many have expressed their admiration for what I’ve created. Maybe, in a small way, my friendship with them was enough to turn them on to romance! I love that idea.

http://www.carrielofty.com
Follow Carrie on Twitter here!
Get Scoundrel’s Kiss.

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Soulless: The Parasol Protectorate

December 28th, 2009

by Malena Lott

41098430Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless came into my life like many great books do: by referral. It was a Book End Babes HoLITday gift guide recommendation by one of our book club queenBs, and I knew from the cover it would be a quirky fun read (kudos to the art director for that spot-on design).

Carriger say she knew she wanted to write urban fantasy (supernatural/werewolf/vampires) and noticed that a lot of the genre is contemporary. But she figured these creatures had to have been around for a long time, right? So she set her story in the Victorian times in England and gifts us with a wonderful protagonist, Alexia, who is a preternatural, meaning she has no soul. This doesn’t make her mean, but it does mean she can’t be harmed by vampires, and in fact, kills a vampire at the beginning of the book (self-defense, of course.)

The book has mystery (what’s happening to the vampires?), politics (BUR, where all vampires and werewolves must be registered), and romance (Alexia falls for the area Alpha, Lord Maccon, a handsome werewolf). I loved SOULLESS not just for the adventure, but because Alexia is so easy to love – she’s tough, no-nonsense and must work harder for her position because she is a spinster (and a homely one, at that) and she’s a preternatural, which she must hide from her family, as well as society.

Carriger knows how to world-build and suck us in to this delightful story of a co-mingling proper society where things like the full moon and daylight matter, but only as much as serving delicious tarts at your party. If you haven’t tried urban fantasy, but enjoy historical romance, this would be an easy add. If you like urban fantasy, but are looking for something different, give SOULLESS a try. While the spinsterhood, romance, Victorian angle seems ripe for women’s readership, I think men who enjoy historicals and urban fantasy would get a kick out of it, too.

Buy it at Amazon.

I’m looking forward to CHANGELESS, Carriger’s second book in the series, due in 2010.

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Posted in Historical Fiction, Mainstream, Romance, Uncategorized

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A Lady of Persuasion

November 23rd, 2009

by Kathy L Wheeler, BEbabes Romance Reviewer

39674507.JPGA Lady of Persuasion by Tessa Dare

First line: Sir Tobias Aldridge was contemplating an act of coldblooded murder.

The third book by this brilliant new author is a glittering historical jewel.

The hero is one helluva charmer. The women fall at his feet. Unfortunately, the beauty he was betrothed to ran away only to end up marrying a Privateer of the crown (Book two Surrender of a Siren).

In this story, the Privateer is partnering another young woman at a haut ton ball. Toby (our hero), rather than murdering the Privateer, decides to steal her away, instead. But, ahem, it’s his sister. Even better! He proposes marriage—she accepts, to her brothers’ dismay.

Isabel (our heroine), is very faith driven. Her charity works identify her persona. She sets out to find a marriageable man who will further her charitable efforts. A man with political aspirations to help her become A Lady of Much Influence.

Toby decides he will be that man, or at least pretend until he’s capitulated Isabel to the alter. She is not swayed by the normal means, however. No dice, because the sugar was probably harvested by slaves. Eating little because servants are treated unfairly, she is not turned by flirty phrases, nor she doesn’t understand teasing. Too serious, by far.

Toby is determined to find way into her heart—not by charm. She is certainly a challenge. So he tells her he is running for Parliament. Against an old family friend, no less. But on his wedding day he and the family friend strike a deal for Toby to lose. Of course, Isabel would be none the wiser. Well, you get the picture. It’s a disaster.

I must admit my surprise in Isabel’s character. The underlying reasons behind her devotion to her faith and charity-driven obsessions are subtley drawn, but compelling, all the same. The same with Toby. What could he possibly have to be insecure about when women throw themselves at him? But he is, and in this he reaches our hearts.

The depth and characterization in this and Ms. Dare’s two previous books are just…well—insightful. The individuals are true to form and follow through in all three stories. She does an excellent job with verbal sparring and drawing pictures in your head.

My recommendation is to read all three. You would not have to read them in order, but you will learn to love them all from beginning to end.

Excellent job, Ms. Dare.

For: Readers who love getting to know the characters. Seeing them grow and learn about themselves. – Kathy L. Wheeler

Get Persuasion Now

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Captive of Sin

November 6th, 2009

by Kathy Wheeler

captive of sin smallCaptive of Sin by Anna Campbell

First line: “Good God, what have we here?”

The first line of this book is deceiving. No one would ever be able tell that the heroine has been beaten within an inch of her life; and that the hero cannot abide being touched. It makes him violently ill.
We’ll start with Her: Only three weeks until she comes into her majority to receive a substantial inheritance when she’ll become one of the richest heiresses of the time. The crux is her stepbrothers need to marry her off to take control of the money to pay off their debt.
Next Him: When he stumbles across her, her face is swollen, bruised and battered, her clothes torn and dirty. His recent return from the Continent after years of war as a spy, is to take over his new title now that his father and brother are dead. The horrors he faced when he was captured turn him into a British hero, but he doesn’t feel like a hero. His compatriots did not survive. (I will not divulge why he cannot be touched).
He hides Her from her stepbrothers, which makes him a criminal. His solution is to marry. But that is a dilemma for her when he cannot stand the touch of another human.
This story is a new twist. Very dramatic. Not much in the way of comedic relief, but well worth the read.

For readers who love the intrigue, drama and emotional pulls. — Kathy L Wheeler.

Get Captive now.

Get to know the author here.

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Girlfriend (and Debut author) Marilyn Brant

October 5th, 2009

MarilynBrant[1]Marilyn Brant is in the reading lounge with me today, and we’re wearing our bunny slippers and drinking hot tea. (Don’t you think Jane Austen would approve?) See, in Marilyn’s creative debut, her protagonist hears the voice of Jane Austen, guiding her every move in her love life. Marilyn, thanks for coming by, especially on your debut week! So girlfriends, leave a comment on the best love advice you’ve ever been given and one lucky commenter will win an advanced reading copy of ACCORDING TO JANE signed and mailed by Marilyn herself. (randomly drawn at 9 p.m. CST and announced in the comments. Per usual, all BEbabes chapter members get one extra vote.)

If Oprah invited you on her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of that show be?
How becoming your “Best Self” can require many long years of soul searching and endless hours of listening to sappily sentimental ‘80s tunes.

What was the most fun scene in your book to write?
One scene I had a lot of fun with was the bar scene in the first chapter where my main character runs into her ex-high-school boyfriend for the first time in four years. It was a situation I had never experienced personally, but I could imagine the comical possibilities so clearly and feel and the frustration of my heroine as if I’d been the one standing there, facing the jerk and his latest girlfriend, while Jane Austen ranted about how “insufferable” he was.

Do you have a muse, good luck charm, writing vice?
Before I sold According to Jane, the manuscript was a Golden Heart finalist and my son, an avid coin collector who was 8 at the time, gave me one of his “special quarters” for good luck. I won the award and now keep his quarter on my desk for good luck and inspiration. As for writing vices–I have a terrible tendency to “quote” things (not just in dialogue, but in narrative). Oh, and I also use too many ellipses…

What do you write on (type of computer, or notebook, etc.) and where do you write?
I use every possible type of writing tool, and I use them everywhere. I have a desktop HP for my home office (I’m there most of the time), a Compaq laptop for coffee shop visits and I actually still draft a lot of scenes by hand on notebook paper. I’ve been known to use the occasional carryout menu or paper towel when necessary, too.

Have you had a “rock star” moment regarding your writing career? If so, what was it?
I’m a debut author, so I don’t expect name or sight recognition yet (and I happen to love anonymity, so I’m not rushing it!). But, right after my photo and book cover were printed in the library newsletter, I did get a flurry of phone calls and people stopping me at the local Piggly Wiggly to tell me they’d seen it… That I was famous (!!) and that everyone was going to be coming to my Author Talk. While I’m fairly certain not “everyone” will actually be at that talk, I look forward to assuring those who are that I’m really, seriously NOT famous.

What do you do to celebrate your writing successes?
I’m a huge fan of Thai spring rolls and English chocolate bars.

Describe your personality with five adjectives that would make your 5th grade English teacher proud.
Curious. Persistent. Observant. Analytical. Creative.

accordingtojane[1]According to Jane by Marilyn Brant

In Marilyn Brant’s smart, wildly inventive debut, one woman in search of herself receives advice from the ultimate expert in matters of the heart. . .
It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett’s teacher is assigning Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet “tsk” of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who’s teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author’s ghost has taken up residence in Ellie’s mind, and seems determined to stay there.
Jane’s wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go–sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane’s counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham.
Still, everyone has something to learn about love–perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie’s head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending. . .

Praise for ACCORDING TO JANE:
“A warm, witty and charmingly original story.” –Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Tell us, dear readers, what’s the BEST ADVICE you’ve ever been given regarding love?

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Posted in Atta-babe, Romance, Women's Fiction, girlfriends cyber circuit

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Burn

September 25th, 2009

burnBURN by Linda Howard
reviewed by BEbabe Romance Reviewer Kathy Wheeler

First line: This was the vacation from hell.

Linda Howard — master storyteller. This hardback contemporary gives us a hard-assed heroine. Her life growing up was not an easy one. Her father, a user. So she picks men who are users. But at least she eventually sees through her mistakes and finally has enough. These are the things that create the person we become.

Then…she wins the lottery. Turns out she is not such an idiot, thanks to that user-father. Before she claims the ticket she sets herself up financially. A good thing, because the minute the news hits her father, he comes knocking. Cleans out her bank account, then of course, disappears. In life, as in Ms. Howard’s story, some things remain the same.

When the story moves forward by seven years, we find that she was really smart about the money, thank goodness. Always wary of friends, she accumulates just one. A very rich, very shy heiress who has booked the two of them on the cruise of a lifetime. Hence, the first line. This is all I will tell you. Except that….Linda Howard does not disappoint.

I buy all of her books—in hardback.

For readers who want to read long into the night. Long past time a normal person should be asleep. But only because you could not help yourself.

NOTE: This is a BEbabes September Top Pick. Get yours today by clicking on the cover in the sidebar or at your favorite bookseller.

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Posted in Romance

What Happens in London

August 14th, 2009

  

38007322What Happens In London by Julia Quinn

First line:  By the age of twelve, Harry Valentine possessed two  bits of knowledge that made him rather unlike other boys of his class in
England of the early nineteenth century. Give me an understated hero every time, and I am unlikely to go to bed at a decent hour until he convinces the heroine why he is right for her.

The hero in this story is employed by a boring branch of the War Office.  He translates documents from French and Russian to
English.  A desk job.  He did not like war.  Deep in his heart, he was an academic.

Due to gossip, the heroine takes it upon herself to spy on him from her home next door.  Her bedchamber is located a couple of stories above his home office giving her a direct view into his sanctuary.

 

This is a very funny story.  To top it off, when the hero happens to glance up and catch her watching she drops to the floor, where her twin brother finds her.

This story would not work if Ms. Quinn did not utilize the natural chaos between a brother and sister who each have their own agendas.  One of those being to drive the other crazy.  I’m sure you see what I mean.

For:  Readers who grew up with annoying siblings and live to see  the happy ending. –   Kathy Wheeler

Get it now! 

  

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Posted in Historical Fiction, Romance

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To Beguile A Beast –

May 15th, 2009

 

To Beguile A Beast by – Elizabeth Hoyt 

First line:  ”It was as the carriage bumped around a bend and the decrepit castle loomed into view in the dusk that Helen Fitzwilliam finally, – and rather belatedly, – realized that the whole trip may’’ve been a horrible mistake.”

Beast:  Man, disfigured in a terrible war he shouldn’’t have been a part of in the first place.

Beguiled:  A beauty whose need to hide is greater than her fear of the monster who opened the door to her and her two very tired children. 

Hiding from the powerful duke who fathered her two children,  Abigail, nine, and Jamie, five, the duke’s tentacles stretch as far and wide, as his money.

Abigail is a serious child with dark moods and deep introspection.

Jamie, however, is ruled by his stomach and stray animals.

I love how Ms. Hoyt’’s characters had to reach past a man’’s terrifying appearance to see his beauty.  How both children are still children, fearing the future, yet living in the moment.

Interesting twist for the heroine, as former lover of the duke.  How could you not be drawn in?

For:  Readers who want charm and emotion.  You will be swayed. -   Kathy Wheeler

 

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Posted in Historical Fiction, Romance

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Between the Devil and Desire

May 11th, 2009

 

Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath

First line:  When I was five years old, my mum sold me.

This is a tough story, full of emotional highs and lows, including the disturbing subject of child abuse, overcome.

The heroine’’s husband, the Duke of Lovingdon, died unexpectedly.  The death appears suspicious, and she is a suspect.  But the reading of the will in the opening of the story shows a hero who is not a smooth talker.  A hero who lives his life for money.  So when the duke bequeaths his entire unentailed fortune to this man who grew up in the stews of London as a pickpocket – a good one, no less  - no one is more surprised than he.  Or happier.  He’s richer than he’d ever thought possible.

The heroine is devastated, furious, blindsided.  Who wouldn’’t be when a stranger has invaded her life?  Follow a man who goes through her home evaluating the value of each and every object?  Her five-year-old son is now the ward of a man who abhors society and authority and good manners.  As London’’s most virtuous duchess, she may find she is all too human.

 

 

For:  Readers who want the satisfaction of circle completion.  A good read. -   Kathy Wheeler

Get it at Amazon. 

 

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Posted in Historical Fiction, Romance

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Highland Scandal

May 7th, 2009

Highland Scandal by Julia London

First line:  ”From his vantage point in the middle of a brambly thicket –- which Jack noted gloomily, had torn his best buckskins –- he could see the road through the branches.”

Jack Haines is running from the Prince of Wales.  Accused of adultery with the Princess, worthy of high treason.  The Prince’’s men are hot on his trail – in Scotland.  Suddenly, he is confronted by four men and taken prisoner.

Only it’’s not the Prince’’s men.  Lucky.  It’s Carson Beal, Laird Lachlan.  His choices?  Handed over to the Prince’’s men, or handfasted (literally bound by wrist, at least through the ceremony) to Lizzie Beal, the Laird’’s niece.  For one year and one day. 

Lizzie, of course, is furious.  Her first act of rebellion is slipping through a window, somewhat high, and dropping to the ground, almost giving Jack a heart attack.  Of course, she is caught and brought back.

While Lizzie is a very beautiful woman, her older sister even more so.  Only, she is crippled and cannot walk. 

Highland Scandal is a most entertaining story.  Definitely worth your time.  Suspense, trickery and humor guide your adventure along.

For:  Readers who want to see how a man and a woman might get a handfasting annulled.  Or not. -   Kathy Wheeler

Get it at Amazon.

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Posted in Historical Fiction, Romance

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