DIK Reading Challenge Review: To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: To Seduce a Sinner
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Series: Book #2 in The Legend of the Four Soldiers
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Forever Romance
Format: mass market paperback
Date/Year:  November 2008

This book was procured from my local library for  my reading pleasure and review for my participation in the DIK reading challenge

Summary from the publisher:
 

THE ONE THING HE CANNOT REVEAL

For years, Melisande Fleming has loved Lord Vale from afar . . . watching him seduce a succession of lovers, and once, catching a glimpse of heartbreaking depths beneath his roguish veneer. When he’s jilted on his wedding day, she boldly offers to be his.

TO THE ONE WOMAN HE MOST DESIRES

Vale gladly weds Melisande, if only to produce an heir. But he’s pleasantly surprised: A shy and proper Lady by day, she’s a wanton at night, giving him her body—though not her heart.

IS HIS DEEPEST NEED . . .

Determined to learn her secrets, this sinner starts to woo his seductive new wife—while hiding the nightmares from his soldiering days in the Colonies that still haunt him. Yet when a deadly betrayal from the past threatens to tear them apart, Lord Vale must bare his soul to the woman he married...or risk losing her forever.

My Musings
 

I loved this book.  Matter of fact I've enjoyed all the books in the Legend of the Four Soldiers series by Elizabeth Hoyt, but this one is my absolute favorite. 

Melisande is a spinster who has jaded experiences in love, but despite that she has secretly loved Lord Vale from a distance for years, while he barely knows she exists let alone knows her name, even though they share friends and acquaintances. After Lord Vale has been left at the alter once again, Melisande decides that she must try and guide her own fate and asks Lord Vale to marry her.  Despite this being unconventional for a woman in her time ,I love that she worked up the nerve to grasp for the chance to marry the man she loves before he can try to entice another woman to marry him.

Lord Vale accepts her offer of marriage...after all he believes one woman is just as capable of having his heir as the next and she seems an agreeable sort.  And most importantly he believes that this woman will not leave him at the alter because she is desperate to be wed.   But the only thing Melisande is desperate for is to marry him before someone else does even though she believes that she must never let him glimpse her love for him and let him hold her heart for fear that he will break it.

This was a true love story filled passionate love scenes, anguish, secrets and just enough danger to make the hero realize how much he desperately loves and needs his wife.  The reader gets to experience the hero and heroine fall in love, which sadly is not always the case in romance novels.  I think this is best illustrated in the gifts that Lord Vale gives his wife, Melisande.  The first gift is given on the morning after their wedding night.  After a passionate night, Melisande awakes alone, breakfasts by herself, but is eventually given the gift of a beautiful pair of earrings.  It is the type of gift a husband of the ton is expected to give his wife.  But however generous the gift is, it exemplifies how little he knows and notices HER...since her ears are not pierced.  Yet by the end of the book, after each have confided to each other their darkest periods in their life that have shaped the people that they have become, and love has grown between them he gifts her with another present.  This one is perfect, and made just for her.   It is a plain tin box on the outside, in fact it is much like one that she used to keep sentimental tidbits, but on the inside it is adorned with precious jewels...it represents how he sees her now.  Why most people might consider her plain, he considers her to be a hidden gem that he treasures as his own.  Recognizing her worth, while showing her that she is irreplaceable to him.  That he does KNOW her and loves her for who she is.

However, this is not the only instance of tenderness between the hero and heroine. Even more touching is how Melisande helps heal Lord Vale as he learns to cope with the horrors he experienced in war while trying to find the traitor that orchestrated the massacre of so many friends and comrades.  Like I said before...this book has it all, anguish, torment, misunderstandings, reluctance to love, undeniable passion, and just enough danger to make each of them realize and profess their love before it is too late.  I really enjoyed it, and if you love historical romances than I definitely recommend To Seduce a Sinner....really all of the books in this series, but I love this one the most.

Ratings: 4.75 stars

*I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small (and I mean very small) referral fee for purchases made using a link on this blog. I don't use Amazon to earn money, I use it because the widgets are cool, easy to use, and serve my purposes to showcase books & such with minimal effort, but most importantly they have great prices and offer both new and used items. As a book addict I love that I can find just about anything I want in one place. If you are going to purchase a featured book anyway, and you know you won't pay more by using the links on this blog than you would by visiting Amazon on your own, I will be eternally grateful for supporting this blog by using the links :)

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Review: Sweet and Dirty by Christina Crooks

Title: Sweet and Dirty

Author:  Christina Crooks

Series:N/A

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Aphrodisia

Format: Trade size paperback
Date/Year:  December 2009

This book was provided to me by the author for review

Summary from the publisher:

Embrace your most illicit desires...

"Baring It All"

From her relationships and her home life to her job as a dog trainer, Michelle Gray is too often the obedient one. So when she crosses paths with Ro Kaliph, the owner of an S&M nightclub, she decides to take a few lessons in being more dominant -- but discovers instead that surrendering to Ro's every command brings her the most intense, satisfying pleasure.

"Forbidden Heat"

Workaholic Nora Sabine has finally made time for a vacation with her fiance. And she's pleasantly surprised to learn the B&B where they'll be staying is actually a Bondage & Breakfast. Indulging in every blissful sexual punishment, Nora can't seem to get enough. But when she meets the inn's owner, Sylvester, he takes her over the edge as he introduces her to a fantasy world where ecstasy has no boundaries...

My Musings:

I enjoyed many aspects about this anthology of two novellas by Christina Crooks, and there were definitely some elements that pushed the boundaries of my comfort level (not that there is anything wrong with that).  That being said, there were also a few things that were disappointing.

"Baring it All" was much more of a traditional BDSM romance.  I liked Michelle and Ro's story and liked that the heroine was trying out the lifestyle in order to learn to be more in control of her life.  However, I thought the secondary story about her ex-boyfriend exploring and discovering his homosexuality was unnecessary and distracted from the main love story that I was more interested in.  Considering this was a novella instead of a full length novel I wished that this time would have been spent on the developing relationship between the hero and the heroine because I felt that we were left with the possibility of love, rather than having the type of HEA that I like at the end of a story.

The second novella in this anthology is "Forbidden Heat".  It is a more extreme and intense story than "Baring it All". And while some of the BDSM practices left me uncomfortable and pushed the boundaries of what I like to read in romance (questioning how something described as pain could in fact be pleasurable) I was immediately drawn into this story.

"Forbidden Heat" is mostly about Nora's self discovery within the context of the BDSM world.  Nora is a heroine, much like many women today, who struggle with the demands of a successful career, and being able to give up control, and trust to someone else in their personal life.  Sylvester, was a very interesting hero.  He embraces the lifestyle and has created the B&B as a safe and consensual environment for people like himself to enjoy themselves, while also using it as a way to distance himself from his own desires.  One past experience that went amiss has left him shaken and wary of letting go to his baser instincts, which prevents him from engaging the way he would like with a submissive partner like Nora.

Even though Nora didn't expect to spend the weekend in a BDSM resort, she embraces the experience and explores bondage, electric shock stimulation, and her most secret desire...to enact a rape fantasy.  As previously mentioned this story is much more extreme and intense (at least for me), and while some of the situations the characters find themselves in made me uncomfortable, I did feel that this was the stronger of the two stories.  

Sylvester's need to dominate Nora, yet his lack of trust in himself because of his past makes this story much more compelling.  I wish however, that Nora's exploration of the BDSM lifestyle would have happened only with Sylvester instead of with multiple partners.  I would have liked to see him struggle with his self imposed restrictions while tutoring and mentoring Nora in her discovery rather than avoiding her and the temptations she presents to him.  And since trust is a such a large part of a D/s relationship I think it could have provided more of an opportunity to establish a stronger connection for just the two of them instead of him fostering her education to the additional partners that Nora had.  I also believe that this particular novella would have worked much better as a full length novel.  There was so much potential here between Nora and Sylvester, with their personal demons, that I was disappointed and felt that their love story was short changed due to the length.  

Like "Baring it All" I felt the story was much more a journey of self discovery and exploration into the BDSM world for the heroine, than a true romance.  I didn't feel that Nora and Sylvester had enough page time together to develop the relationship that was intended and the deeper love that was possible.

Despite these criticisms, overall I enjoyed both of these novellas and the authors writing style. I am sure readers who enjoy erotic romance with BDSM elements will also enjoy them, especially with some of the more unconventional practices (at least for romance novels I've read) described in "Forbidden Heat".  I just felt they were both more erotica;   exploring and discovering personal desires and limits verging on romance, rather than erotic romances resulting in what I like to have in a HEA for the hero and heroine in each story.

Ratings: 3.5 stars

*I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small (and I mean very small) referral fee for purchases made using a link on this blog. I don't use Amazon to earn money, I use it because the widgets are cool, easy to use, and serve my purposes to showcase books & such with minimal effort, but most importantly they have great prices and offer both new and used items. As a book addict I love that I can find just about anything I want in one place. If you are going to purchase a featured book anyway, and you know you won't pay more by using the links on this blog than you would by visiting Amazon on your own, I will be eternally grateful for supporting this blog by using the links :)

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Guest Author & Giveaway: Chloe Harris featuring Secrets of Sin

***This giveaway has ended, but you should still read the post...it's worth your time:)

Thanks for joining the fun!***

If you've looked at the cloud tag recently you will have noticed that I tend to gravitate towards historical romances and erotic romances...so I guess it should not come as a big surprise that I was instantly enamored with SECRETS OF SIN,  a new historical erotic romance by Chloe Harris.

I recently found out about this book on the Aphrodisa blog when Chloe Harris, or rather one of the authors that comprise the Chloe Harris writing team, posted the five reasons NOT to buy SECRETS OF SIN which I thought was so clever and absolutely loved.  Reasons like....if you want a perfect hero, or if you don't think that love can redeem.   I immediately put it on my wish list.  Especially after reading the blurb and the excerpt.  Do yourself a favor and read all of the reasons why you shouldn't buy the book, which really are reasons why you will probably LOVE the book.  I think you will enjoy it and will see why I couldn't keep this book a secret.  You can thank me later, however I believe your TBR will not.

Noelle Henderson is my guest today (she's either the Chloe or the Harris part of the writing team...not quite sure which) to celebrate the release of SECRETS OF SIN and to talk about what gives you tingles when reading romance.  Read and enjoy :)

Romance on the Edge

It's funny the little things that end up having an impact. I once read a small article in a motocross magazine that had a big effect on the way I look at life. The article was about how anyone at any skill level could enjoy motocross because the thrill came in finding and pushing your own edge however far out or small it might be. So the young kid on his brand new bike doing flat laps in his backyard got just as much of a life affirming experience as the pro leading a race because each one was riding on and even expanding their own edge. I love that idea and I think it can apply to many things.  Almost any sport/past-time even reading can be exciting and fulfilling at any level if you find your personal edge and go there.   

In my upcoming book, Secrets of Sin, there are a lot of edges found, rode and pushed.  Captain Reinier Barhydt, the prodigal husband, knows his own sexual edge and pushes it as far as he can as often as he can. It's his emotional/love edge that he's shied away from for almost four years. But he must find and ride out that edge to find his Happily Ever After. And for Emiline, his wife, it's about discovering that after four years she's changed and both her emotional/love and sexual edges have reached expanding new heights that Reinier helps her find an conquer.  

As a reader, taking it to the edge can be part of what a great romance reading experience is all about.  And if you're like me your reading edge can be miles ahead your real life edge. That's what makes it so much fun. If we choose we can go much farther out with our sexual edge in our imagination.

Romance on the edge means reading something that takes you to that place where that little shudder goes down your spine, you give a little sigh and just adore how naughty or romantic it is. That edge for some could be as tame as the one or two fade to black scenes in a category or for erotic romance fans it could be as wild as a great bondage scene or ménage à trois. But each reader gets the same thrill when they read to their own edge.  

Conversely, "The fade to black" reader isn't going to enjoy a bdsm romance because it pushes them too far past their edge. On your edge and just past it is electrifying, too far is just uncomfortable.  And for the erotic romance reader, a category doesn't come close enough to theirs to find it very  interesting.  Unless that category pushes their emotional/love edge but that's another story. The point is, it's a wonderful thing that romance goes from Amish to erotica so that every kind of reader at every level can get that sizzle or sense of satisfaction that comes from taking Romance to the edge.  

Is this part of why you read romance? Have you read anything recently that gave you the tingles that come from skirting your romance reading edge?   

Two lucky commenters will be transported  into a world of charmingly wicked sea captains, dazzling strong women, warm exotic locales and deliciously sinful secrets by winning a copy of Secrets of Sin.

THREE DAYS… ENDLESS PLEASURE

On a Caribbean island of alluring delights, Emiline du Ronde-Barhydt commands a large estate, vast wealth, and unwavering devotion. Her inheritance and dazzling beauty insure that she’s granted her every wish… or almost. The one thing she can’t get is freedom from her proud wayward husband.

When her husband, sea captain Reinier Barhydt finally agrees to give his determined wife the divorce she craves - it’s for a price: three days of total submission to his every erotic demand. Both fall under the spell of the most forbidden sensations that reignite every delicious inch of their bodies… and Reinier soon realizes that he is no longer master of his carnal game. At the mercy of his own raw shattering needs, the three red hot days may just turn into a lifetime of smoldering passion…

Read an excerpt



 

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Many thanks to Noelle and Barbra, the writing team that comprises the author pseudonym Chloe Harris for being my guests here today, and congrats to both of you on the release of your first book together! Woo hoo!

You can find out more about these authors writing as Chloe Harris at www.authorchloeharris.com, their blog, on Facebook, or Twitter.  You can learn more about SECRETS OF SIN, as well as the next book they are currently working on the website, and while you're there enter to win their "Have You Seen This Hot Guy?" contest they are having to celebrate the release of SECRETS OF SIN....lots of signed books as well as other goodies are to be had.

In addition to their "Hot Guy" contest, they have also offered to giveaway TWO copies of SECRETS OF SIN to Musings followers in celebration.  Right now I could definitely use a warm exotic locale with a charming and wicked hero :)  How about you?

Ways to earn entries:

• Mandatory: Answer the question posed to readers in the post (good for 1 entry) 
• Mandatory:  You MUST be a Google Friend Connect (GFC) follower in order to be eligible to win (unfortunately an email subscriber, or subscription in Google reader, and a follower are not the same thing so make sure you are signed up as a follower if you'd like to win this book)
• Blog about this author's giveaway on your blog and leave a link with your comment (good for 15 entries)
• If you don't have a blog, don't worry you can earn extra entries by telling your friends. If they leave a comment on this post and mention that you sent them you can each earn extra entries (good for 5 entries for the referrer and the commenter for each friend) 
• Purchase any item from the Seductive Musings Amazon store by using this link, or the Amazon widget contained within this post and email a copy of your purchase receipt to me no later than the deadline to enter (email available in sidebar). Sorry purchases made prior to this date do not apply, and link contained in this post must be used. No faxes or snail mail copies are allowed. No purchases are necessary to win. (good for 25 entries, or 50 entries if a purchase is made from the featured author's available titles)

How to enter:

• You can choose to enter as many different ways that you want, but please place all of your entries in ONE comment
  

Rules and disclaimers: 

• This contest is open to US, Canada & European addresses
• Must be at least 18 yrs old, or of legal age in your country to be eligible to win due to mature content
  
• The contest will end on January 31st at 11:59 pm EST and winner will be posted after they have been selected
  
• Winner will be selected using Random.org
• The winner will have THREE days from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within three days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS
• The book(s) will be mailed directly from the publisher or author and no substitutions are allowed
• Seductive Musings is not responsible for prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit 
• All giveaways are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice 

Good Luck!

*I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small (and I mean very small) referral fee for purchases made using a link on this blog. I don't use Amazon to earn money, I use it because the widgets are cool, easy to use, and serve my purposes to showcase books & such with minimal effort, but most importantly they have great prices and offer both new and used items. As a book addict I love that I can find just about anything I want in one place. If you are going to purchase a featured book anyway, and you know you won't pay more by using the links on this blog than you would by visiting Amazon on your own, I will be eternally grateful for supporting this blog by using the links, and don't forget that the referral fees from your purchases will sponsor the "Reader Rewards" giveaways :)

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Hidden Gems: In Bed with a Stranger by Mary Wine

My Hidden Gem of Romance pick for January is In Bed with a Stranger by Mary Wine.  I read this book last August and gave it 4.75 stars which made it a top pick at the end year in 2009.  This was the first book I had read by Mary and I absolutely loved it!  It was close to perfection.

The heroine, Anne, is the illegimate daughter who is blackmailed into marrying a highland husband in order to save her very young sister from  being married to a man who is sadistically cruel.  All of this so that her selfish half sister Mary, who is legitimate, doesn't have to marry and produce an heir.  Anne is told that once she finds herself with child she must return home to have the baby so that Mary can claim it as her own and assume the position of wife to the laird and mother to Anne's infant, otherwise her adolescent sister will suffer marriage to a horrible man.

Of course love blossoms between Anne and Brodrick, despite her being English.  The entire plot of In Bed with a Stranger is addictive with lots of emotion. I couldn't put it down, and hated when I had to stop reading to do things like...work, clean and make dinner.  The love story is passionate and sweet at the same time, and the reader experiences the heartbreak and despair that Anne feels when she must make the decision to leave the husband she has come to love and return home to bear their child, thus giving them both up to her half sister whom she hates in order to save her innocent sister, or choose to abandon her family for the man she loves more than she ever hoped to dream for.  It's an impossible choice that leads to feelings of anguish, betrayal and hopelessness.

In the end all works out as it should.  Mary and her mother, who are cruel and selfish...really the perfect villians, and forced Anne into this impossible decision get exactly what they deserve and the reader gets exactly what they want....a happily ever after for Anne and Brodrick.  If you like historical romances with great plots, great romance, some steamy love scenes, truly vile villians set in the highlands with a kilted hero then In Bed with a Stranger will not disappoint.  And what's even better is that Amazon currently has In Bed with a Stranger as a Bargain priced book for only $5.60 for this trade sized paperback book published by Brava.  A steal I tell you....a steal!

Like I said, I absolutely loved it and I knew in August of last year when I read it that it was going to be a Hidden Gems pick.  I choose to feature it now because Mary's new book in this series, In the Warrior's Bed, came out this week.  She will be my guest here at Seductive Musings next week on Thursday February 4th to celebrate it's release so I hope you treat yourself to In Bed with a Stranger, and join me next week for In the Warrior's Bed.

A deception brought them together . . . but nothing can tear them apart

AN IMPERFECT MATCH

Brodick McJames is an earl in name only. To secure his clan’s future he needs an English wife. Mary Stanford, daughter of the Earl of Warwickshire, will suit perfectly. He’s never met her, but what matter? She’ll grace his bed eventually, and once she bears his child he need see her no more.

Anne Copper resembles her noble half-sister, but she was born illegitimate, and can never forget it. The best she can hope for is to stay a serving girl in her own father’s house. But when Lady Mary finds herself betrothed to a Scot, it seems there’s a use for Anne after all . . .

The woman who arrives in Alcaon is not what Brodick expects, and the passion that grows between them promises far more than a marriage of convenience. When fate draws two together, it may take more than a noblewoman’s plot to part them . . .

Read an excerpt 

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What's your Hidden Gem of Romance pick for January?

Hidden Gems meme is hosted by Seductive Musings on the last Friday of every month (barring any special events). Anyone passionate about romance novels can participate. Just do the following:

• Share a hidden gem that you've read and feel has been overlooked, or deserves to be brought to the attention of romance readers (please don't include books currently on blog tours). 
• The book can be a new release, a current release, or an older novel. As long as it is in print, it is available for purchase, and is classified as a romance then it qualifies (historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, erotic romance...). 
• Reveal your hidden gem on the last Friday of the month on your blog using the Hidden Gem icon and following the participation rules. Tell us why you feel so passionately about this novel, then link your gem back to the current Seductive Musings Hidden Gem post. You can include excerpt links, teasers, back cover blurbs, book trailers, interviews, giveaways...whatever you like. 
• The following Monday I will compile a list of the Hidden Gems posted and I'll have a poll where you can vote for your favorite hidden gems. At the end of the year I will compile the top hidden gem for each month and you can vote for the top 5 Hidden Gems of the year. Once the brightest gems are revealed I will invite the authors to guest at Seductive Musings to talk about their books, and upcoming releases.

*I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small (and I mean very small) referral fee for purchases made using a link on this blog. I don't use Amazon to earn money, I use it because the widgets are cool, easy to use, and serve my purposes to showcase books & such with minimal effort, but most importantly they have great prices and offer both new and used items. As a book addict I love that I can find just about anything I want in one place. If you are going to purchase a featured book anyway, and you know you won't pay more by using the links on this blog than you would by visiting Amazon on your own, I will be eternally grateful for supporting this blog by using the links, and don't forget that the referral fees from your purchases will sponsor the "Reader Rewards" giveaways :)

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Guest Author & Giveaway: Lucy Monroe featuring Moon Craving

 ***This giveaway has ended, but you should still read the post...it's worth your time:)

Thanks for joining the fun!***

Three years is a looooong time to wait in between books in a series.  But that's exactly how long I've waited for the next story in the Children of the Moon series by Lucy Monroe. I think this is why I prefer to wait and read a series once it's well established...that way I can have my book binge fest all at once :)

Thankfully, my wait is almost over.  Moon Craving is being released next week. Yay!  I can hardly stand it I'm so excited, especially after reading the excerpt.  In the meantime, Lucy is my guest today and she is here to talk about Moon Craving...the book I've been craving for three years.

Welcome to Seductive Musings Lucy! I am so glad to have you as my guest today. I’ve been a big fan of yours since finding 3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys (still one of my favs) and have been eagerly anticipating a new book in the Children of the Moon series for what seems like forever! 

For you, what makes a romance novel a great love story, and who are some of your favorite authors to read? Who's your new favorite find?

A great love story, for me, must always include copious amounts of emotion.  I want to feel something, whether I’m writing, or reading a book.  I don’t want to be able to skim whole pages because nothing is happening in the hearts or minds of the characters.  I also love spice...I want to know the characters are sexually compatible because that’s such an important element of romantic relationships.

Favorite authors?  Christine Feehan, Kate Davies, Sean Michael, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lori Foster, Susan Andersen, Josh Lanyon, Dianne Castell, Lora Leigh, Lorie O’Clare, Lynne Graham, and the list goes on. :)

New favorite find?  Dakota Rebel.

I love Lori Foster and Lora Leigh too....in fact now that I think about it, I think I first found you in the Star Quality anthology because of Lori's short story.  I was going through a Lori Foster reading binge at the time.  Seems to be a recurring reading theme :)  I loved your short story Moon Magnetism, and then found The Real Deal and 3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys and have been hooked ever since on not only your contemporary, but your historical and paranormal novels.

You are most known for your contemporary romances both with Harlequin and Brava romance.  Tell us some of the compelling reasons you had for writing your Children of the Moon paranormal shape-changer series as well as setting it in medieval Scotland.

I fell in love with werewolves when I read Lorie O’Clare’s first books (2003).  I glommed werewolf stories after that and knew I wanted to create my own world of shapechangers.  The larger than life characters, the concept of a lifemate, all of it enthralled me and still does.  As far as the historical setting, I started off writing both contemporaries and historical.  I’d written four Regency era single titles, when it came time to write the first Children of the Moon book and I knew I was ready to change eras.  I settled on the Middle Ages because to me, werewolves just seemed to fit naturally into that part of history.

Moon Craving is the second book in the Children of the Moon series. Can you give us a brief summary about each of these novels, and maybe a sneak peek at who the next hero will be in this series?

I don’t write back cover copy nearly as well as my publishers, so....

Moon Awakening

When Emily Hamilton's family is ordered to send a woman to the Scottish highlands for marriage to the laird of the Sinclair, Emily volunteers in order to save her younger sister from such a fate. But at her new home, the only friend she finds is the laird's sister-especially after Emily's stubborn streak causes the laird to cancel the marriage. And though her plans have gone awry, she refuses to return home...

Lachlan Balmoral is laird of his clan-and leader of his pack. One of the most feared werewolves prowling the Highlands, he is on the march against the hated Sinclair, who have abducted a Balmoral woman. He kidnaps the sister of the Sinclair laird, planning to marry her off in revenge-but the woman he takes along with her proves to be the greater prize...

For Emily feeds a desire he has never known existed. And though Lachlan would not think of touching his enemy's betrothed, he must know how a mere woman could tame his heart so easily... 

Moon Craving

If it were up to him, Talorc—laird of the Sinclair clan and leader of his werewolf pack— would never marry. But when the king orders that Talorc wed an Englishwoman, the lone wolf is shocked to find his mate in the strong-willed Abigail. And after an intensely climactic wedding night, the two fiercely independent souls sense an unbreakable bond…

Deaf since childhood, Abigail hopes to keep her affliction from Talorc as long as possible. And for his part, he has no intention of telling her about being a werewolf. But when Abigail learns that the husband she’s begun to love has deceived her, it will take all of his warrior’s strength—and his wolf’s cunning—to win his wife back. And Talorc will have to face his biggest challenge yet: the vulnerability of a man in love…

The next hero will be Barr, the 2nd in Command to Talorc, Laird of the Sinclairs.  He’ll be taking over his own clan...should be interesting, yes?

Tell us more about your hero in Moon Craving, Talorc Sinclair? What do you think will make readers, much like his heroine Abigail, fall in love with him despite his reluctance to marry, his bitter prejudice against the English and his secret ability to shape change into a wolf?

Talorc is loyal.  He is strong.  He is protective.  He is smart.  He is independent.  And he is gorgeous.  What’s not to fall in love with? LOL

Your right, with all of those traits it would be oh so easy.  I can see why Abigail fell for him.  

However, their love story wasn't an easy one.  Both Talorc and Abigail keep secrets from each other.  His…that he is a werewolf.  Hers…that she is deaf.  He is Laird of the Sinclair clan which abhors weakness, and in their medieval world deafness is definitely a weakness even though she is strong in character and spirit; especially considering her cunningness in managing to keep her deafness a secret.  How does her deafness affect her relationship with Talorc and their ability to communicate with each other, and how she is accepted by his clan?

Abigail hides more than just her inability to hear from Talorc in her effort to hide it.  At first, he believes she is timid and unwilling to stand up for herself, which could not be further from the truth.  She finds acceptance through her strength of spirit and loving heart.  No one, least of all Talorc, can resist her.

I can't wait to learn what those secrets are.  What's your favorite scene or moment from Moon Craving, and why? Can you describe it for us without giving too much away?

My favorite scene is the second wedding – the Chrechte ceremony neither expected to participate in.  Abigail because she has no clue it even exists and Talorc because he has no clue she is his mate.

I love that you have the Chrechte Marriage Blessing on the Children of the Moon website, even reading the words outside the context of the story is touching.

What are some of your upcoming releases in this series, or any new novels or projects you are working on, and who are some of the most requested characters that readers want you to write stories for?

I have a Traditional Greek Husbands duo out from Harlequin Presents in July and August and my next Goddard Project book will be out from Brava in September.

Currently, the most requested character is Zahir, the eldest brother in one of the royal families in my Royal Brides miniseries for Presents.

For me it wasn't just one character, it was this series that I have been eagerly anticipating...I can't believe it's FINALLY here :)

If you could ask readers a question, what would it be?

What is your favorite romance theme?  I know what mine are and I tend to write them, but I’d like to know what concepts or themes that other readers find particularly intriguing.

Finally, just for fun…if you could write the “fortune” in a fortune cookie what would it be?

I prefer the proverb type of fortune cookies.  Mine would say, “Following your dreams leads to both joy and pain, but the joy will outweigh the pain.”

Bestselling author Lucy Monroe pens a scorching tale of passion, deception, and a wild love that can’t be tamed…

If it were up to him, Talorc—laird of the Sinclair clan and leader of his werewolf pack— would never marry. But when the king orders that Talorc wed an Englishwoman, the lone wolf is shocked to find his mate in the strong-willed Abigail. And after an intensely climactic wedding night, the two fiercely independent souls sense an unbreakable bond…

Deaf since childhood, Abigail hopes to keep her affliction from Talorc as long as possible. And for his part, he has no intention of telling her about being a werewolf. But when Abigail learns that the husband she’s begun to love has deceived her, it will take all of his warrior’s strength—and his wolf’s cunning—to win his wife back. And Talorc will have to face his biggest challenge yet: the vulnerability of a man in love…

Read an excerpt (it's a good one too)

(amazon widget)

Many, many thanks to Lucy Monroe and her staff for arranging this interview.  She is one busy writer and her daughter is just weeks away from getting married so I can't thank her enough for taking time to be here with us today!  She's had about fifty books  published since 2003.  That's only seven years, and approx 50 books (yes, as in 50, and no it's not a typo I counted and read almost all of them).  Are there really that many hours in a day ?  Because right now I am feeling like a MAJOR underachiever!  Seriously.

I need to feel better....so I'm gonna check out that cover....one. more. time.

OK, I'm back.  Now that I'm smiling we can move on to the rest of the good stuff.  Speaking of good stuff, if you haven't checked out the Children of the Moon website, you are missing out.  Didn't know Lucy had a website just for this series....well here's what you will find:

• Glossary of terms.  which I always like to have when reading a paranormal series
• The Beginning:  tells how the world that the Moon stories are set in came to be.   It's details like this that helps readers understand the books better
• Character profiles:  I personally love these
• Chrechte Marriage Blessing
• Seasons of the Moon
• and last but certainly not least considering our Muse this week are the Pack Markings....i.e. tattoos!

If you'd like to find out more, not only about the Children of the Moon series, but Lucy Monroe's contemporary, romantic suspense, and historical novels you find find her at her website and blog at www.lucymonroe.com, or you can also connect with her on Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.

If you missed out on the first book in the Children of the Moon series, here is your chance to win it.  Lucy has generously offered to giveaway one signed copy of Moon Awakening.  Here's how you can enter to win:

Ways to earn entries:

• Mandatory: Answer the question Lucy posed to readers in the interview (good for 1 entry) 
• Mandatory:  You MUST be a Google Friend Connect (GFC) follower in order to be eligible to win (unfortunately an email subscriber, or subscription in Google reader, and a follower are not the same thing so make sure you are signed up as a follower if you'd like to win this book)
• Blog about this author's giveaway on your blog and leave a link with your comment (good for 15 entries)
• If you don't have a blog, don't worry you can earn extra entries by telling your friends. If they leave a comment on this post and mention that you sent them you can each earn extra entries (good for 5 entries for the referrer and the commenter for each friend) 
• Purchase any item from the Seductive Musings Amazon store by using this link, or the Amazon widget contained within this post and email a copy of your purchase receipt to me no later than the deadline to enter (email available in sidebar). Sorry purchases made prior to this date do not apply, and link contained in this post must be used. No faxes or snail mail copies are allowed. No purchases are necessary to win. (good for 25 entries, or 50 entries if a purchase is made from the featured author's available titles)

How to enter:

• You can choose to enter as many different ways that you want, but please place all of your entries in ONE comment
  

Rules and disclaimers: 

• This contest is open to US addresses only...sorry :)
  
• The contest will end on January 31st at 11:59 pm EST and winner will be posted after they have been selected
  
• Winner will be selected using Random.org
• The winner will have THREE days from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within three days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS
• The book(s) will be mailed directly from the publisher or author and no substitutions are allowed
• Seductive Musings is not responsible for prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit 
• All giveaways are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice 

Good Luck!

*I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small (and I mean very small) referral fee for purchases made using a link on this blog. I don't use Amazon to earn money, I use it because the widgets are cool, easy to use, and serve my purposes to showcase books & such with minimal effort, but most importantly they have great prices and offer both new and used items. As a book addict I love that I can find just about anything I want in one place. If you are going to purchase a featured book anyway, and you know you won't pay more by using the links on this blog than you would by visiting Amazon on your own, I will be eternally grateful for supporting this blog by using the links, and don't forget that the referral fees from your purchases will sponsor the "Reader Rewards" givaways :)

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Guest Author & Giveaway: Sharon Lathan featuring My Dearest Mr. Darcy

***This giveaway has ended, but you should still read the post...it's worth your time:)

Thanks for joining the fun!***

Mr. Darcy....my first romance hero that I fell for (but not my last).  I mean come on he's Mr. Darcy!  Reading Sharon Lathan's My Dearest Mr. Darcy brought back all of the reasons why I wrote my post Jane Austen and why we still love her...even though her Darcy Saga was inspired by the movie and not the A&E version ;)  I enjoyed her continuation of Pride and Prejudice, but I have to say she is much more compassionate than I am when it comes to Mrs. Bennett :)

The Universally Acknowledged Truth

Perhaps I am unusual, but I have always felt a bit sorry for Mrs. Bennet. Her flaws and failings are numerous, and most entertaining within the cinema adaptations, but she truly did have a rough occupation: Marrying off five daughters! Our modern eyes look at this dilemma and can’t quite comprehend why this would send someone into a nervous frazzle. I am also probably a bit unusual in that while I do applaud Lizzy Bennet for refusing the ridiculous Mr. Collins and arrogant Mr. Darcy, I also recognize that she was rather stupid. From a certain point of view!

A woman in the early years of the nineteenth century had few choices in life and was completely vulnerable. Securing a man who would protect and provide for her, and possibly her family, was the wise choice. We shudder at this reality, and I am sure there were many ladies of that time who did as well, but for most it simply was the way of it. Thus Mrs. Bennet was merely doing her job in focusing her energies on landing suitable mates for her daughters. And Lizzy was not particularly smart to refuse two worthy men. From a certain point of view!

We do not know if Jane Austen intimately knew how it felt to love a man, but we do know that never marrying created a situation of extreme hardship for her, her sister, and her mother. The beauty of Austen’s novels is that her heroines not only marry men who are financially and socially established, but are also men that they love. Debates rage on whether Jane was content in her chosen path not to marry and I doubt the mystery will ever be solved. Yet clearly she, like the romantics of that day, believed in the idea of love within marriage as worthier than a large pocketbook.

Personally I am of the opinion that no matter what century it is or what culture one is in, emotions are universal. Humans desire to find love, passion, respect, devotion, friendship, happiness, and so on. We especially want these emotions within our marriages. Pragmatism has its place, and it certainly did in ages when women had little recourse. Yet the driving force has always been the heart.

Lizzy was willing to live with the consequences of being a spinster rather than marry without love. We admire her attitude, of course, but are also approving when she and Mr. Darcy overcome their problems and admit their mutual love. I never doubted the passionate love between these two characters and this beautiful story inspired me to write my sequel.

However, do not forget while sighing over the romance that Mrs. Bennet’s dilemma was solved beyond her wildest dreams! Lizzy married for love, but man, oh man, did she score!

My approach to the marriage and newfound life of Elizabeth Darcy was to explore the happiness possible when the relationship is based on deep love and respect. It was also to acknowledge the reality of marriage as it was then. Lizzy was now a wife in the early nineteenth century. Her independence, intelligence, sharp wit, and strength would assure she was a competent Mistress of Pemberley. Nevertheless, her role is as a support to her husband. As Mrs. Darcy I believe she would have understood and willingly performed her duties, and embraced her position as wife and eventually a mother.

We may not like it, but this was a male dominated society. It was also a culture centuries steeped in traditions of heritage and the importance of preserving the land. Men of the aristocracy and landed gentry, for the most part, took their duties very seriously. Devotion to their estates, their country, and their family was premier. The perfect husband, as my Mr. Darcy is naturally, would not only love his wife but would hold her in the highest regard. He would esteem her, trust in her instincts, welcome her opinions, and seek her advice. Their marriage would be a partnership with the pure emotions we hope for. Still, he would be the protector, ruler, and final authority, providing for his family as it was expected of him.

So at the end of the day everyone, including Mrs. Bennet, would live happily ever after! Now that is a great fairytale come true.

Married life is bringing out the best in the Darcys. Their mutual attentiveness brings readers into a magical world of love and wedded bliss.

Darcy is more deeply in love with his wife than ever. As the golden summer draws to a close and the Darcys look ahead to the end of their first year of marriage, Mr. Darcy could never have imagined his love could grow even deeper with the passage of time.

"I love you, my Elizabeth. You are my soul, my blood and bone, my very life."

Elizabeth is growing into her role as Mistress of Pemberley, and Darcy has mellowed under her gentle teasing and light-heartedness.  Lizzy is full of surprises. She is unpredictable and lively, pulling Darcy out of his stern and serious demeanor with her teasing and temptation.  Looking ahead and planning for celebrations and life events large and small, Lizzy can still catch Darcy unawares when he least expects it.

Pemberley becomes a true home and a welcoming environment for loving family and friends. The Darcys travel to the seaside, welcome their firstborn, celebrate their anniversary and second Christmas, and at every moment embrace the love gifted to them.  But surprising events force the Darcys to weather absence and illness, and to discover whether they can find a way to build a bond of everlasting love and desire.

The romance and bewitchment is never-ending...

Read an excerpt

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Sharon Lathan is the author of the bestselling Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, and Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley. In addition to her writing, she works as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. She resides in Hanford, California in the sunny San Joaquin Valley. For more information on Sharon and her saga, come to her website at: www.darcysaga.net.

Are you as enamored with Mr. Darcy and Jane Austen as I am?  If you are then make sure you comment to be entered to win a COMPLETE set of the Darcy Saga by Sharon Lathan.  That's right you can win all three; Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Loving Mr. Darcy, and My Dearest Mr. Darcy courtesy of Casablanca Romance.

Ways to earn entries:

• Mandatory: Answer the question:  What's your favorite version of a Jane Austen book that has been made into a movie or TV series?  (it's ok to pick someone other than Lizzy & Darcy)  (good for 1 entry) 
• Mandatory:  You MUST be a Google Friend Connect (GFC) follower in order to be eligible to win (unfortunately an email subscriber, or subscription in Google reader, and a follower are not the same thing so make sure you are signed up as a follower if you'd like to win this book)
• Blog about this author's giveaway on your blog and leave a link with your comment (good for 15 entries)
• If you don't have a blog, don't worry you can earn extra entries by telling your friends. If they leave a comment on this post and mention that you sent them you can each earn extra entries (good for 5 entries for the referrer and the commenter for each friend) 
• Purchase any item from the Seductive Musings Amazon store by using this link, or the Amazon widget contained within this post and email a copy of your purchase receipt to me no later than the deadline to enter (email available in sidebar). Sorry purchases made prior to this date do not apply, and link contained in this post must be used. No faxes or snail mail copies are allowed. No purchases are necessary to win. (good for 25 entries, or 50 entries if a purchase is made from the featured author's available titles)

How to enter:

• You can choose to enter as many different ways that you want, but please place all of your entries in ONE comment
  

Rules and disclaimers: 

• This contest is open to US and Canada addresses only...sorry :)
  
• The contest will end on February 6th at 11:59 pm EST and winner will be posted after they have been selected
  
• Winner will be selected using Random.org
• The winner will have THREE days from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within three days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS
• The book(s) will be mailed directly from the publisher or author and no substitutions are allowed
• Seductive Musings is not responsible for prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit 
• All giveaways are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice 

Good Luck!

*I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small (and I mean very small) referral fee for purchases made using a link on this blog. I don't use Amazon to earn money, I use it because the widgets are cool, easy to use, and serve my purposes to showcase books & such with minimal effort, but most importantly they have great prices and offer both new and used items. As a book addict I love that I can find just about anything I want in one place. If you are going to purchase a featured book anyway, and you know you won't pay more by using the links on this blog than you would by visiting Amazon on your own, I will be eternally grateful for supporting this blog by using the links, and don't forget that the referral fees from your purchases will sponsor the "Reader Rewards" givaways :)

Read more...