Super Cute Time Travel Debut!

I love both regency and contemporary romances alike. Over the years I have read many outstanding time-travel romances and a few others that simply fell flat. The Geek Girl and Scandalous Earl lived up to my expectations. I found it to be a very well written and charming time-travel romance. It’s a predictable romance but very cute in the way it was written.  It’s filled with plenty of sweet and sexy romance between the geek girl (Jamie) and the devilishly albeit grumpy Earl (Micah).

Jamie is a very modern girl who loves her music and video games. She lands in the 1800’s after falling through an antique mirror. She’s headstrong if you tell her not to do something; she is going to do it anyways. Micah has just split up from his current mistress and he’s still suffering from the heart ache of losing his first love. Micah is drawn to Jamie after discovering her half dressed and in his bedroom, but truth be told he is set on finding a proper girl and getting his heir. His only concern for Jamie is to act as a protector, but as these two come together the sparks begin to fly.

Gina Lamm has managed to blend the regency and modern worlds together into a sweet and humorous book. She has included everything from a beautiful masked ball to Angry Birds into this well penned romance.

If you enjoy a funny, sexy sweet and thrilling romance then this is the book for you. It appears to be a start to the Geek Girl series as the book includes a blurb to Geek Girls Don’t Date Dukes. Don’t wait grab yourself a cup of tea and a copy of this book and dive right in. You won’t regret it.

Spring Time at The Book Bin!

Hey all as you can see I have decided it was time to give the blog a new look. Think spring! I have some exciting things coming to the blog in the next couple of weeks. We will be hosting Darynda Jones’s blog tour and I’ve a ton of reviews to get posted.  Hope to see you all soon! Photo credits go out to Model Jason Baca and photographer Mark Jenkins to find these and much more be sure to check out the following link!

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Jason-Aaron-Baca-a4919-312375766

A Beautifully Dark Delight

I have been anxiously awaiting Máire Claremont's debut from the moment I first spied the cover. The lush art work led me to believe that the contents inside would certainly be even better. The Dark lady had me from page one and kept me entranced right through the final pages. The writing is solid. The Dark Lady’s hero and heroine are equally matched in strengths and tragedies.  The story weaves its way through the dark side of Victorian England, a side which is often forgotten.  Claremont draws readers into the dark recesses of an often cruel era where those who have power often abused such power. From a country side madhouse to the beautiful ballrooms of London this book takes readers on ride that so few historical romances do.
They had been friends since early childhood but destiny and duty fell in their paths. Lady Eva Carin has not only lost her husband but soon after suffers a much greater loss than that, the loss of her infant son in an accident of her own making. Her brother-in-law Thomas, the new Lord Carin sees fit to commit Eva to an asylum of which she has endured many cruelties including a regular dosing of laudanum and many pain filled beatings.  Lord Ian Blake has returned from India haunted by the events that led to the former Lord’s death and dreads coming face to face with Eva, but he knows he owes her the truth about what really happened to her husband. Ian is stunned to learn that she’s been committed, but upon entering the halls of the asylum that she has been placed in, he becomes livid and enraged. The only thing that stops him from committing murder is the thought of never being able to see Eva again. This sets off a chain of events that puts them both in danger as they each try to overcome the torments that life has thrown at them.
I was drawn into the story from beginning and my heart went out to Eva and Ian. The story telling is lush and simply draws you into the period. There are many strong secondary characters that will make you want to come back for a second helping. Beautifully crafted, and has been written in a fashion that believable for its time period. For a novel that has an overall darkness to it, the light soon begins to filter in.
Easily a Five Star

What Sweet Debut Just In Time for Valentine's Day!

I absolutely loved Anne Barton’s When She Was Wicked. Her characters were well developed, believable and likeable. Annabelle Honeycote is a seamstress in a Bond Street dress shop where she barely earns enough money to make ends meet for herself. Working for the dress shop however does not earn her enough to support her sick mother and younger sister.  By working in the dress shop Belle becomes privy to the sorts of gossip that the Ton would be willing to pay to keep a secret, these secrets all Belle to add to her small income via way of blackmail. Belle has rules though, only ask those who can afford to lose a small sum, only use a target once, and do not form a personal relationship with said targets.

When bell overheard the type of gossip that could ruin the Duke of Huntford’s sister, she develops full intentions to make Huntford pay to keep the gossip a secret. Owen Sherbourne, Duke of Huntford doesn’t take kindly to extortion of any kind.  Following his father’s suicide and his mother’s desertion he is tasked with raising his headstrong younger sisters. When he catches Belle in the act, he decides to make her work off her debt versus sending her to Newgate. His sisters are coming out and each needs new wardrobes.  Annabelle’s sweet personality helps the Huntford sisters to form a close knit bond with Belle. All Huntford wants is to do right by his family and right the wrongs from his parents mistakes. He has no intention of falling in love with Belle, but as Belle works her magic on fabric Huntford discovers a diamond in the rough. Huntford finds himself drawn to Belle’s sweetness and beauty.

Barton has written one of the sweetest romances I’ve read in a long time. The characters are well written and easily believable. The romance between Owen and Belle is natural and not forced. I found myself rooting for these two long before the end of the book. I can honestly say that I would highly recommend any romance reader to try Anne Barton’s debut. When She Was Wicked is the first in Barton’s Honeycote series and if the first one is any example I cannot wait for the follow up book.

Arc provided by Grand Central Publishing.

A Medieval Winner

There has yet to be a book from the pen of Colleen Gleason that I haven’t enjoyed and Lily on the Heath did not disappoint. What a delightful romance this book is! Colleen Gleason has a knack for combining all of the right mixes of mystery, comedy and historical romance all into one. Lily on the Heath is a medieval romantic tale of Judith of Kentworth and Malcolm de Monde.  Judith is a Falconer and a good friend to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Malcolm is the Lord of Warwick. Malcolm has watched Judith from afar since they were young. They meet again when Malcolm comes to King Henry II’s court to petition for a wife. Gleason includes some well researched information on the Falconers and the royal court of Henry II. With a side romance that includes secondary characters Judith’s maid and Malcolm’s Master at Arms this book is as charming as all of Gleason’s previous novels.  In her true writing style Ms. Gleason’s characters each have strong personalities that make this book shine. This is the perfect novel for both romance readers and history buffs alike.

ARC provided by the author.

Interesting Conclusion to Shadowlands

 I love the Goblin series but the third installment of Shona Husk’s Shadowland is quite likeable but I didn’t quite love it.  I had a difficult time connecting with either Meryn or Nadine.  Perhaps it was because they don’t spend a lot of time in each other’s company.  In many instances the book simply rehashed a lot of story that had already been told in her previous Goblin King novel.  It’s a typical sweet romance when the pair is together, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance. Overall it is a decent book I just didn’t reach an honest connection. 

Fantastic Contemporary Release

What a fantastic start to a brand new series from Juliana Stone. I am typically a sucker for Michigan romances as it is after all my home turf. This is a typical reformed bad boy returns home contemporary romance.  However there is a lot of heart and depth to this book. It kicks off the tale of three lifelong friends who return home to Crystal Lake Michigan in order to bury one of their own. Rocker Cain is at a turning point in his life, he is recently divorced following the betrayal of his wife and band mate. It becomes clear that he needs his small town, and the love of one woman to help him heal. Cain is drawn to a pretty red head and her young son.

Maggie is a beautiful, southern belle who cleans homes around town in order to make ends meet. Maggie and her son are a mystery to the Crystal Lake residents and it is clear that she is on the run from something or someone. She has been badly burned in love and turns Cain’s romantic advances. Cain didn’t earn his reputation by being a choir boy, and soon these two are burning up the sheets. These two have some monumental road blocks to overcome on their path to love. As they begin to work out their differences, Maggie’s dark past returns to haunt her. Each will have to deal with their exes from hell before, the road becomes clear.

I highly enjoyed this book. The Summer He Came Home struck an emotional chord within me.  As usual Juliana’s characters are vibrantly strong and very likable.  I cannot wait for the follow up books in the Bad Boys of Crystal Lake series If Jake and Mac are anything like Cain the follow ups are sure to be as heartfelt  as this one was. Without a doubt I would strongly recommend this book to my romance loving friends and customers.

A special thank you to Juilana Stone and Sourcebooks for making it possible for me to read this ARC.