Title:

Series: The Christies #1

Author: Carrie Lofty

Genre: Historical, Victorian, South Africa

Sir William Christie, ruthless tycoon and notorious ladies’ man, is dead. Now his four grown children have gathered for the reading of his will. What lies in store for half-siblings Vivienne, Alexander, and twins Gareth and Gwyneth? Stunning challenges that will test their fortitude across a royal empire…and lead them to the marvelously passionate adventures of their lives.

Lady Vivienne Bancroft fled England for New York, hoping to shed the confines of her arranged marriage to unrepentant rogue Miles Durham, Viscount Bancroft–though she never forgot the fiery desire he unleashed with his slightest touch. And when the gambling man arrives on her doorstep for a little sensual revenge for her desertion, he is met with Vivienne’s dilemma: she must earn her father’s inheritance by profitably running a diamond business worth millions in colonial South Africa.

Swept together in an exotic undertaking filled with heated passion and hungry temptation, will Vivienne and Miles discover that the marriage vows they once made are the greatest snare–or the most treasured reward?

There’s no denying that the book cover for FLAWLESS is gorgeous. In fact, it was what brought the book to my attention in the first place–that, and the fact that I read Ms. Lofty’s SONG OF SEDUCTION in the past and very much enjoyed it for her characterizations and historical detail.

The setup for this series is that the four Christie siblings (who get along and actually seem to love each other, which was refreshing) are brought together for the reading of their rich father’s will. A self-made man, he gives them each a task to complete related to his businesses. If they are successful with their tasks, they will reap the rewards and receive their portion of the will. Vivienne (who is actually an illegitimate half-sister to the others) has the task of making her father’s diamond brokerage in South Africa successful. She must stay at the helm for two years; if, at the end, the brokerage is turning a profit, then she will win. If it’s still operating at a loss at the end of the two years, then she receives none of her inheritance.

The bigger picture, though, is that this is a reunion story between Vivienne and her husband Miles. Put off by her husband’s past reckless behavior and also threatened by it due to her illegitimacy, Vivienne left Miles to return to America before the book began. Miles attends the reading of her father’s will, believing that it’s all over–she’ll receive her inheritance and will be able to free herself from their marriage–but when it becomes apparent that this won’t happen for at least two more years, he determines to go to South Africa, prove to her that he can be the man she wants, and win her heart again. (Actually, he at first convinces himself that he intends revenge by getting her to fall in love with him again and then leaving her, but it’s clear this is just his way of protecting his own heart, and the revenge angle soon goes away.)

There were many things to love about this book. For me, the best aspects were the historical details and the characterization between the hero and the heroine (which I’m always a sucker for). Viv (as she calls herself) and Miles both have their flaws and vulnerabilities, and it’s wonderful to see how they each rid themselves of their armor to reach out to the other. The trouble with their marriage in the past hangs on secrets and assumptions, but it seemed to be the workings of a genuine relationship, not just random conflicts thrown in by an author’s pen. Perhaps that’s another thing I really enjoy about Ms. Lofty’s work: her characters seem very real and genuine, not just stereotypes or shadow characters.

I would have liked to have seen perhaps one or two flashbacks to the time during their marriage to get a better sense of Viv’s heartbreak, as some of Miles’ explanations didn’t completely satisfy me (mainly, the reason why he behaved the way he did), but I don’t think that their absence detracted from the book; I just feel that it would have added to it.

If there is anything that bothered me about FLAWLESS, it’s the changing focus to setting. Toward the beginning of the book, when the reader first arrives in South Africa along with Viv, we are swept away in the setting. This is one of Ms. Lofty’s greatest talents, in my opinion, and her ability to throw the reader into an unfamiliar scene was just breathtaking. However, after they arrived in Kimberley, the city in South Africa where the Christie brokerage was located, it felt as if the background of the rest of the book in terms of setting became a little stagnant. Although the scenes moved from place to place–their house, the brokerage building, and more–I didn’t really get a sense of movement or, if it makes sense, even placement. The settings didn’t feel unique, but easily exchanged. This might not have been noticeable at all if I hadn’t been so stunned by how well she swept me away at the beginning of the book, but because I was aware of how well she managed to do it before, this change was keenly felt.

However, in view of the whole, this is a very minor complaint. The hero and heroine and their romance was so compelling–a story about redemption, forgiveness, and trust–that I think any other reader reading simply for enjoyment and not specifically analyzing things for a review <grin> might not notice it.

I very much enjoyed FLAWLESS, and can’t wait for STARLIGHT, Alex’s story, which comes out in July.

Grade: A-

Here are a couple of our favorites:

Elizabeth Boyle

According to her family, Elizabeth Boyle has always been a storyteller. That is if you count the far-fetched tales she used to make up about her imaginary cow, John Clapper, or the fictitious accounts she’d conjure as to who exactly broke the cookie jar. So it was no surprise to them when Elizabeth’s first novel, Brazen Angelarrived on the scene with a great splash, snagging the Dell DiamondDebut Award (snapshot of the winning moment at left) and went on to win the Romance Writers of America RITA for Best First Book.

Since then, Elizabeth has penned eighteen more adventurous and romantic novels, with thirteen of them hitting bestseller lists including the New York Times (Confessions of a Little Black Gown, Love Letters from a Duke and Hero, Come Back) and USA Today (including How I Met My Countess, Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress, and His Mistress By Morning). In addition, Elizabeth has been nominated for the RITA twice more since 1997 (This Rake of Mine and His Mistress by Morning), won the Romantic Times Love and Laughter Award, a Career Achievement Award for Innovative Historical Romance, and been nominated for the National Reader’s Choice Award, numerous Romantic Times awards, the Bookseller’s Best award, as well as other honors. 17 of her 18 novels have been Romantic Times Top Picks. Elizabeth has been interviewed by The Chicago Tribune and Booklist, and seen her books mentioned in Writer’s Digest and The Economist. Elizabeth is a popular speaker, and was honored to keynote the Portland Reader’s Luncheon and the Richardson Library’s Buns and Roses Reader Tea, both in support of literacy charities.

Her numerous fans call her work “fast-paced” and “tremendously fun,” with the most common complaint being that her books have kept them up too late at night reading. Her most recent Avon titles include the back to back releases of How I Met My Countess(January 2010) and Mad About the Duke (October 2010) and her most recent book, Lord Langley is Back in Town (June 2011).

Prior to publishing, Elizabeth discovered that aspiring writers still had to eat and pay their rent while following their muse. Working as a paralegal, she compiled case profiles on insurance fraud (arsons, faked burglaries, faked accidents) and police misconduct cases (assaults by officers, shooting inquests). Eventually she was offered a position with a software firm as a paralegal handling software piracy cases in North America. During her time “pirate hunting” she participated in civil and criminal seizures with the FBI, US Customs and the Canadian RCMP. After years of these modern day adventures, it is no wonder that counterfeiting, forgery and espionage find their way into her page-turning tales of romance, which she now writes full-time.

In addition to writing, Elizabeth loves gardening, knitting, reading, traveling, exploring tea shops and trying to find low-fat recipes that taste like something her grandmothers would have made. When not writing, Elizabeth chases after her two active sons, or as she likes to call them, her “heroes-in-training.” She lives in Seattle with her husband Terry, and considers her hectic life the best slice of heaven one could ever wish for.

Elizabeth Hoyt

Elizabeth Hoyt is the New York Times,USA Today, and Publishers Weeklybestselling author of historical romance, including reader favorite, The Raven Prince.

Elizabeth was born in New Orleans but grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was fortunate to be able to travel extensively as a child, visiting St. Andrews, Scotland; Germany; France; and Belgium. She spent a year in Oxford, England and was a summer exchange student to Kawasaki, Japan.

Elizabeth has a BA in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and, as a result of having no clue what to do with her life thereafter, a career history as a barista, a (terrible) sales clerk, a Wisconsin Revenue Service data entry slave, and an archeological field work grunt. Fortunately, Elizabeth married relatively young and produced two children who kept her busy until her mid-thirties. At about this time, when her youngest was entering Kindergarten, Elizabeth’s mother hinted that perhaps Elizabeth should get a Real Job.

Sadly, Elizabeth was so delusional she thought writing a romance novel might qualify as a Real Job.

But! Five years later, to everyone’s surprise, she actually sold that romance novel (The Raven Prince) and began a rather successful career as a Romance Novelist. This was most fortunate since Elizabeth is singularly unqualified to do anything else but Make Up Stories.

Since then Elizabeth has written eleven books to critical acclaim: The Prince Trilogy (The Raven Prince, The Leopard Prince, and The Serpent Prince); the Legend of the Four Soldiers series (To Taste Temptation, To Seduce a Sinner, To Beguile a Beast, and To Desire a Devil); and the Maiden Lane series (Wicked Intentions, Notorious Pleasures, Scandalous Desires, and the upcoming Thief of Shadows.) All of Elizabeth’s books are set in eighteenth century England and all feature a fairy tale story that serves as a foil to the main story.

Elizabeth lives in central Illinois with a trio of untrained canines and a garden in constant need of weeding.

Title: Deadly Vows

Series: Deadly Series bk 9

Author: Brenda Joyce

Genre: Historical

On the morning of her wedding to Calder Hart, amateur sleuth Francesca Cahill is lured away to a private viewing of a portrait that could destroy her entire family: the nude Hart commissioned of her. Her desperate quest to recover the scandalous portrait leads her into a dangerous trap with no way to escape—until it’s too late. And when Francesca finally arrives at the church, it’s vacant. She has unintentionally jilted Hart at the altar.

When Hart tells her their estrangement is for the best, Francesca is devastated. With a blackmailer intent on destroying her reputation, Francesca turns to Rick Bragg, the city’s powerful police commissioner. Together they scour the sordid streets of lower Manhattan, following a deliberately laid trail of clues in a race against the clock. And once it becomes clear that Bragg’s marriage is failing, Francesca must war with her feelings for him, battle Hart’s jealousy and escape a killer—all as she fights to win Hart back. But sometimes, passion just cannot be denied….

First off I’m writing this review to spread the word about this Deadly Series – so it covers my thoughts on all 9 books.

I owe my romance reading comeback to Brenda Joyce.  I took a break from reading romance in the early 90’s for a few years.  I picked up a Brenda Joyce novel in about 1995 and I’ve been on reading romance frenzy since.

This Deadly series actually has everything that I hate in a romance novel – BUT IT WORKS SO WELL in these books.  There is a love triangle (hate), misunderstanding between H/H (really hate) and TSTL Heroine (totally hate).  Brenda Joyce has made it work so well, that I’ve read these books twice.

The “who done it” in each book is actually a non event in my opinion.  But I really didn’t read this series for the mystery.  The characters are what brings readers back for each book.  Francesca is an amateur private eye who’s always getting kidnapped, shot at and other dastardly stuff.  She usually runs off on her own and is ether saved by Rick Bragg or his half brother Calder Hart.  So much stuff happens through out this series that you just can’t wait to read the next book.

In the first book you come to love police commissioner Rick Bragg – but wait until his brother, Calder Hart is introduced.  Wow – hands down he is one of my FAVORITE heroes ever written.  He’s so alpha, strong, damaged, sexy, hot, angry etc, etc…….  I would read this series again and again just to read about Hart.

If you are looking for something different in historical romance – I would take a look at this series.  One word of caution – the first book is kind of frustrating  and I almost didn’t pick up the second book.  Someone is introduced at the end of the first book and it made me continue.  So glad I did, because now I have a series that I will cherish and reread (and recommend to all of my reading friends).

GRADE: A

TBRG: Stephanie thank you so much for being her today.

ST: Thanks for having me!  Love what you said about In The Air Tonight!  I actually started writing that a long time ago, and then realized I had to go back and write other books first J

TBRG: Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

ST: I’d have to say my daughter.  Because she’s such a fighter.  And I always think to myself, if she can have all these operations and be so happy, what right to complain about living my dream do I have?  It makes me ignore the negative and really just concentrate on enjoying myself – and thinking about how I can make people happy with the books.

TBRG: What is the one thing your readers would be the most surprised to know about you?

ST: OMG – I have no idea!  But that’s a really good question…maybe that I would like to live in Africa.

TBRG: Where is the one place you have always wanted to go, a place on your bucket list?

ST: I’ve been there (see above) so I guess living in Africa would be considered a bucket list – I love it there – it’s so peaceful.

TBRG: What was the first romance book that you read?

ST: I know I snuck some when I was younger – my mom loved historical romance – but I can’t remember titles or authors.  The first one I read that made me go, I want to write this, was Tami Hoag’s Lucky’s Lady.  It had me at the first page.

TBRG: Who are some of your go to authors, and what are you reading right now?

ST:  Go to authors – Suz Brockmann, JR Ward for sure.  Always Larissa Ione and Maya Banks and Jaci Burton, because I adore their writing!  Now I’m reading some of the very first Lora Leigh Breed Books (I missed them – started in the middle of the series), Lara Adrain’s newest (LOVE her).

TBRG: If you weren’t writing and keeping us in books (thanks for that by the way), what would you be doing?

ST: Maybe still teaching?  Hard to say because I really love my job now, so I can’t imagine.  I know I wouldn’t love anything as much.

TBRG: What is your guilty pleasure?

ST: Mob Wives.  Aka bad reality TV J

TBRG: Who is on your playlist when you are writing?

ST: I make different soundtracks for each book, so it varies.  There’s always some classic rock on there, because that’s my first love – Motley Crue / Def Lepard, etc.  You can see all the soundtracks for my books on my website – and you can listen to samples as well!

TBRG: Where do your ideas/characters come from?

ST: Ideas come from anywhere – a quote, a line someone says on TV, something I pass on the street.  But typically the characters come first and they just arrive in my mind, named and everything J

TBRG: Are you a planner or a fly by the sear author?

ST: Flying by the seat of my pants!  If I plot too much, I don’t want to write the book.  Life would probably be easier if I could plot – and I’ve tried.  But after almost 23 books written, I’ve come to the realization that I can’t change my process.

TBRG: How did you come up with Eternal Wolf Clan Series?

ST: A few inspirations, mainly because I read Twilight and couldn’t understand why the wolf didn’t win Bella’s heart – I mean, come on!  I like vamps as much as the next person, but wolves are warm.  And strong.  And…well, you get the idea…

TBRG: Tell us about the series.

ST: It’s about a pack of the last remaining Dire Wolves – they’re all alphas, all badasses and it’s their responsibility to save the world.  While doing so, they’re going to finally find their mates and get their shot at happiness.

TBRG: Tell us about Dire Needs.

ST: In Dire Needs, you meet Rifter, who’s the reluctant king of his pack – he’s recently been captured and experimented on by the weretrappers, thanks to a witch who was once one of his best friends.  So he’s not in the best place when the story opens.  But once he meets Gwen, he’s pulled to her, and he realized he needs to help her.  At heart, it’s a romance, but there’s a lot of suspense too.

TBRG: What do you want us to know about Rifter and Gwen?

ST:  They’re both kick-ass in their own way – I really like my heroes and heroines equally matches, not necessarily physically, but I love that they save each other, albeit in different ways.

TBRG: Using 3-5 adjectives describe Rifter and Gwen.

ST:  Fierce.  Sexy.  Lonely.  Loyal.

TBRG: What are you working on now?

ST:  I’m working on Reid & Grier’s book (which will probably be a long novella) and my 1^st new romantic suspense for the Section 8 series that starts next year.  And a couple of other secret projects, because if I don’t have a million things to work on, nothing gets done.  And I should be getting back some edits on Stray’s book (Dire Needs) soon too – I had the best time writing that one and can’t wait to dig back in!

To find our more about Stephanie Tyler and her amazing books visit her site

***Now for the really fun part Stephanie is giving away an ARC of Dire Needs and a swag bag, just leave a comment telling us why you love wolves as heroes. This is open world wide***

In closing – I guess I still love reading romance because even in today’s world there still are Prince Charming and Happy Ever After.  Even though I don’t get roses on Valentines day, it’s an awesome holiday which celebrates love.

There are quite a few authors attending RomCon this year that are new to me, it has been fun reading all kinds of books that I probably would not have picked up otherwise.  Of course there are tons of authors that we are very familiar with and super excited to see, hear are a few:

Melissa Mayhue

Faced with telling you all about me, I realized…I’m not very interesting! So, rather than bore you with useless trivia about my life, [I was an only child, born and raised in Texas], I’ll share the story of how I came to be a writer.

Gabi Stevens

My earliest memory is from before I turned three. I walked to the corner store and bought a pack of gum…for five cents. And I would play with my neighbor, Conchita. I had my third birthday party in the new house, which I also remember, and Conchita was not my neighbor any more. My next memory…

Teresa Medeiros

New York Times bestseller Teresa Medeiros wrote her first novel at the age of twenty-one, introducing readers to one of the most beloved and versatile voices in romantic fiction. She has appeared on every national bestseller list, including the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly lists. She currently has over seven million books in print and is published in over seventeen languages.She was chosen one of the “Top Ten Favorite Romance Authors” by Affaire de Coeur magazine and won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for “Best Historical Love and Laughter”. She is a seven-time Rita finalist, two-time PRISM winner, and two-time recipient of the Waldenbooks Award for bestselling fiction.

Teresa is a charter member of the Romance Writers of America Honor Roll, Kentucky Romance Writers, and Novelists, Inc. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and her cats Willow and Buffy the Mouse Slayer. THE DEVIL WEARS PLAID, her 20th novel and most recent New York Times bestseller, was released in August 2010. Her first contemporary women’s fiction novel GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART, a book about a man and woman who meet and fall in love on Twitter, was released by Gallery Books in January 2011.

TBRG: Thank you so much Donna for coming on.we have a just a few questions for you to answer ::wink wink::

DG:   lol.  Thanks so much for inviting me!

TBRG: Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

DG: Every author I’ve ever read.  Seriously.  Each author had shown me how to capture a reader’s attention, how to make a reader cry, how to make a reader care deeply enough that a character will stay with them forever, how to leave a reader gasping, and more importantly how to have a reader come back time and again for a book.  Its my favorite authors that I’ve learned from. J

TBRG: What is the one thing your readers would be the most surprised to know about you?

DG:  That I’ve visited Scotland for the first time last year

TBRG: Where is the one place you have always wanted to go, a place on your bucket list?

DG:  Too many to name!  I love to travel, and there are so many places I want to visit like France, Greece, Italy, and even Spain!

TBRG: What was the first romance book that you read?

DG: I don’t remember the title, but I do recall that it was Johanna Lindsey novel.

TBRG: Who are some of your go to authors, and what are you reading right now?

DG:  I’m reading for a contest, so can’t way what I’m reading.  My go to authors are Lisa Kleypas, Lara Adrian, Larissa Ione, and Kresley Cole

TBRG: If you weren’t writing and keeping us in books (thanks for that by the way), what would you be doing?

DG:    Probably still be an accoutant

TBRG: What is your guilty pleasure?

DG: Movies/TV.  I love watching movies with my hubby and family.

TBRG: Who is on your playlist when you are writing?

DG:  Mostly soundtracks from King Arthur, The Immortals, Troy, Three Musketeers (new one), Clash of the Titans (new one), Lord of the Rings, and even Harry Potter.  To name a few.

TBRG: Where do your ideas/characters come from?

DG:   I wish I knew.  They just spring up in my head at the oddest moments, like when I’m pulling weeds, mowing, or taking a shower.  lol

TBRG: Are you a planner or a fly by the seat author?

DG:  Oh, definitely a fly by the seat of my pants.   I can’t plot out a book, because when I do, to me its written, and then I can’t write it.

TBRG: How did you come up with this Highlander Series?

DG:  I love all the series in contemporary paranormal, but there wasn’t anything like it in the historical genre. I’ve been combining historical and contemporary for years, and I wanted to do something even bigger.  I knew I wanted it to be set in Scotland in the Medieval era, and I knew I wanted to create my own mythology.

I happened to be watching King Arthur and my daughter asked me if Rome really left Britain as it said in the movie.  The next thing I knew, I was doing the “What if” thing and developing my series.

TBRG: Tell us about the series?

DG:  The Dark Sword series about a group of Highlanders who have a primeval god within them that gives them immortality and powers, and women who are Druids and hold magic that can help – or hinder – the heroes.

The Warriors and Druids fight together to end the reign of an evil Druid, Deirdre, who wants to rule the world – and will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.

TBRG: Tell us about Darkest Highlander.

DG:  DARKEST HIGHLANDER features Broc who has been spying on the villain, Deirdre, for centuries.  Sonya, the heroine,  can use her magic to heal, but even better than that, she has the ability to communicate with the trees.

Broc has been in love with Sonya for years, but he’s stayed away.  Sonya wants Broc, but there’s too much in their past to move forward.  Until Deirdre puts them in a position that gives them no choice.  Sonya finds the inner strength she never thought she had, and Broc learns that though he might not deserve Sonya’s love, he’s not going to turn it away.

TBRG: What do you want us to know about  Broc and Sonya

DG:  Readers might think they know them after reading about them in the other books, but DH has many surprises in store.

TBRG: Using 3-5 adjectives describe Broc and Sonya

DG: Amazing, dedicated, daunting, loving.

TBRG: What are you working on now?

DG:  I’m working on the third Dark Kings novella.  The Dark Kings world is heavily connected to the Dark Sword/Dark Warriors world.

*** Now comes the fun part. Donna is giving away a copy of her book Shadow Highlander to one lucky commenter. Just tell us why you love Highlander books so much. Contest rules apply*** 

Darkest Highlander