Book Binge

Billionaire businessman Jack Mason had devised the perfect strategy for keeping custody of his orphaned niece. He'd hire the right nanny and seduce her into marrying him. It should prove easy enough. He was, after all, irresistible.

Annalise Stefano was ideal. The attractive new nanny had quickly bonded with the little girl. And Jack was anticipating their wedding night more than he'd imagined. Even so, he couldn't have predicted that Annalise wouldn't want to become his wife. Or that the secret she was keeping could jeopardize his plans for creating the perfect family….

I have a review of Inherited: One Child by Day Leclaire up at The Good, The Bad and The Unread...

I'm always looking for new authors to try when I browse eHarlequin.com and the blurb for this one caught my eye. I'm glad I picked it up, because it turned out to be a good read. This story is told almost completely from the hero's point of view. That was kind of refreshing. Too often I think we spend too much time in the heroine's head speculating about the hero.

This book is available from Silhouette Desire. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

All the voting that's gone on over the course of this month has brought us to this moment. The heroes have battled it out week after week and dear readers of Book Binge, we have ourselves a winner.

With 53% of the votes, the winner of the month long Last Susan Elizabeth Phillip's Hero Standing contest is:

Congratulations to all of the Kevin Tucker fans out there for voting their hearts out and making their hero come out on top! Thanks to everyone who voted for making this month's Last Hero Standing contest such a huge success! It was a lot of fun and be sure to come back next month as we play again with a new author and a new set of heroes!

Today is the last day of September (October already?) and marks the final day of our Back-to-School Extravaganza. Today, we have a Harlequin Famous Firsts bag. Included are the following books:

Impetuous by Lori Foster
Moontide by Stella Cameron
State Secrets by Linda Lael Miller
Uneasy Alliance by Jayne Ann Krentz
Night Moves by Heather Graham

In honor of Famous Firsts, what was the first romance you ever read?

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Today is the last day of giveaways! Check back at midnight to see if you're the winner.

Thanks to everyone for making our first Back-to-School Extravaganza such a success!

XOXO,
Casee, Holly, & Rowena

Casee's review of Tempt Me at Twilight (Hathaway Series, Book 3) by Lisa Kleypas.

He was everything she’d sworn to avoid.

Poppy Hathaway loves her unconventional family, though she longs for normalcy. Then fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal—only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust.

And she was everything he needed…

Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy—except to open his heart. All his life, he has held the world at arm’s length…but the sharp, beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. Still, as desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. Now if Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul, once and for all...

Lisa Kleypas is one of the few historical authors that can make me want to read a historical when I'm not in a historical mood. It's pretty obvious that I go more for contemporary and/or paranomals. I do enjoy historicals (Hello...Jo Goodman), but have a hard time getting into them when I try to read one. After I read a Lisa Kleypas, I'm in a historical mood and can read anything historical for a few weeks after. I love that about her.

Poppy Hathaway thinks she's in lurve. Her and the man she lurves want to get married, but Michael has to convince his dad that she's not as kookie as everyone thinks she is. The good outweighs the bad when it comes to being a member of the Hathaway family. The bad being that every on London thinks of them as a little crazy. Even with the obstacles, Poppy is willing to stand by her man until he gets the balls courage to confront his father.

In the three years that the Hathaways have been guests at his hotel, Harry Rutledge had never met Poppy Hathaway. She intrigues him like few people do. She has an innocence about her that he finds refreshing. He also likes that fact that she knows how to talk about something other than gowns and ribbons.

So I was a little confused about Harry. At first he was a brilliant, eccentric inventor who was closed off emotionally. Then he became a man that was terrifyingly matter-of-fact when it came to getting what he wanted. In this case, he wanted Poppy and he would do anything (read: ANYTHING) to get her. So I suppose he was a brilliant, eccentric, devious inventor who was closed off emotionally. Maybe. I don't know, but something about him didn't jive for me. It's like he was two separate people.

When Poppy learns of Harry's deceit and how he was instrumental in taking away her one true lurve, she makes sure to tell him that she'll never love him. Never say never. I thought even fictional characters knew that.

Harry didn't intend that his marriage to Poppy change his life at all. He learns differently, especially when she's moved into his apartment and wormed her way into the heart of his staff. He's determined to maintain the status quo. It was actually amusing to read about Harry's discomfort with Poppy's openness.

I loved reading the scenes where the Hathaways were all together. Lisa Kleypas has created a truly special family, one that you want to continue visiting time and time again. Tempt Me at Twilight was a lighter read than Seduce Me at Sunrise. I feel like LK couldn't decide between light or dark with this book. It ended up somewhere in between.

4 out of 5.

This book is available from St. Martin's Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Other books in the series:

The winner for the Day 20 Giveaway is:

Congratulations to ddurance on winning her very own book bag complete with books, you won the following books:


Hallam's War by Elisabeth Payne Rosen
Kiss of the Phantom by Julie Leto
Seduced at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

You also won a variety of bookish things including book marks and other promotional items. Please email us at: contests @ the book binge . com (with no spaces) with your snail mail addy and we'll get your book bag shipped off to you just as soon as we can.

Thanks to everyone who participated and you have one more chance to win a book bag so please check back tomorrow for the last book bag giveaway for our Back to School Book Bag Extravaganza. Good luck!

Best,
Rowena, Casee & Holly

Whether you've got a taste for hunky football players or grieving husbands, Susan Elizabeth Phillips has something that will definitely entertain the socks off of you. If you were like me, after you read your first SEP, you went on a serious SEP binge. So I've got to ask...what is your favorite SEP book?

It's a lot harder coming up with an answer for this one than I thought it would be because there's so many books by SEP that I absolutely love for different reasons. But still, I've got to ask...which one is your favorite?

For the longest time, my favorite book was This Heart of Mine because I absolutely adored Kevin Tucker. I adored everything about him, from the way that he was with Molly at the end of the book and even the stubborn attitude he sported throughout the whole book where the campgrounds were concerned. I enjoyed watching Kevin and Molly fall in love over the course of their book and I totally adored the other characters in the story. It was just a well written, completely funny and charming story that I totally fell in love with. I've thought long and hard about this (for all of like ten minutes) and I have decided that even though there are books by SEP that I adore more than life itself, Kevin's book is still my favorite so you can see who I'm rooting for to win the SEP Last Hero Standing contest.

GO KEVIN!

So, spill the beans and tell us what your favorite SEP book is and why.

Beth Kery is with us today to talk about her October release, Paradise Rules. Her most recent releases include Wicked Burn, Daring Time, and Sweet Restraint. I've read Paradise Rules and have to admit that I want to visit Hawaii sooner rather than later.

Book Binge: Can you tell us about the first book you wrote?

Beth Kery: I wrote a romance when I was back in my twenties and submitted it to Harlequin. At one point, an assistant editor called to clarify a point in the manuscript, and I was so excited I almost couldn’t hold a comprehensible conversation. Later, she rejected it with all these handwritten notes on how to improve the story. I was so crushed that I threw away the manuscript and didn’t write for ten years. I was an idiot, and didn’t have enough experience to realize that was a promising rejection, and that the assistant editor probably expected me to resubmit with the suggestions. I still roll my eyes when I think about it.

BB: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

BK: I never had an ‘aha’ moment. It was sort of a gradual process. Even today, I have to remind myself that I’m a writer because it seems a little surreal.

BB: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

BK: I’d just do my other job full time, but for fantasy’s sake, I’ll say an FBI agent.

BB: What is your writing schedule like?

BK: I set a daily word count when I have a deadline. I usually try to get my word count done in the morning, but at times, it stretches to all day.

BB: Tell us about your upcoming release, PARADISE RULES.

BK: It’s a very sensual love story set in Hawaii about a woman who reluctantly falls for a man who sort of embodies the island and everything she’s been trying to escape for most of her adult life. It’s a story about facing your fears and coming to terms with the past, but it’s also a terrific romance. Sparks really fly between these two powerful, stubborn characters.

BB: What book was the most fun to write?

BK: Hmmm…I would say Daring Time. I loved researching early twentieth century Chicago and touring the Prairie Avenue mansions.

BB: Which one of your books do you think is your best work?

BK: Oh jeez…it changes with every book I write. At the moment, it’s a toss up between Wicked Burn and Paradise Rules, but Gateway to Heaven consistently remains in a top position.

BB: Is DARING TIME your only time travel?

BK: It is my only time travel. I loved it, but time travels are not the hottest thing on the market at the moment, unfortunately. I wrote a proposal for a follow up to Daring Time called Making Time, but I don’t know if it will ever be published or not. It’s kind of on the backburner at the moment.

BB: What’s up next after PARADISE RULES?

BK: I have a Christmas themed novella coming out from Samhain in early December called Holiday Bound and an erotic contemporary from Berkley in February 2010 called Release.

BB: Who is your favorite romance author?

BK: Well, once again hard to get a straight answer out of me. It’s a toss up between Jane Austen and Sandra Brown.

BB: Do you re-read? If so, what is your favorite book to re-read?

BK: I definitely re-read--it’s a comfort thing for me--any book by the above authors or any Harry Potter book.

BB: Is there any other genre you have wanted to write?

BK: I’d love to write straight contemporary, steamy but not erotic. I’d also love to try YA someday.

BB: For readers who haven’t read your books, which one should they start with and why?

BK: That’s another tricky question. I’ve had people start with Daring Time and be a little let down when they move to the straight contemporaries, and the opposite has been known to occur as well. People start with Wicked Burn and then get to Daring Time, which is a paranormal light/time travel and go…what’s this? If you enjoy contemporary erotics, I’d start with Wicked Burn, as I think it’s a good example of my writing style and voice.

BB: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

BK: I would say don’t be afraid of rejection. Consider it a mark of experience. Nobody likes rejection, but it is part of the publishing experience. Don’t be like I was when I was a naïve twenty-two year old and throw away a manuscript because of one rejection.  Put a different spin on how you interpret rejection. Think of it as a battle scar to be proud of, and know that you are one step closer to being published.

Thanks so much for the thoughtful interview, Casee.

BB: Thanks for being with us today, Beth!

Leave a chance to win one of two autographed copies of Paradise Rules. And if you have any questions for Beth, have at it!
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Edited to add: Leave a comment by Sunday, 10/4 at 11:59pm PDT.

We're down to our final two! There's a good mix in this bag, including:

Hallam's War by Elisabeth Payne Rosen
Kiss of the Phantom by Julie Leto
Seduced at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

If you were stuck in an airport for three days, what one book would you want to have with you?

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This is a daily giveaway, which means it ends today. The winner will be announced at midnight tonight, PDT. Because we'll need a little time to pick a winner, the contest will end at 10 p.m. pdt.

Remember, we'll be giving a Book Bag away every weekday (Monday-Friday) for the rest of the month!

Casee's review of Desire Untamed (Feral Warriors, Book 1) by Pamela Palmer.

They are called Feral Warriors—an elite band of immortals who can change shape at will. Sworn to rid the world of evil, consumed by sorcery and seduction, their wild natures are primed for release . . .

Kara MacAllister's quiet small-town life is transformed forever the night a powerful stranger rips her from her home, claiming she is the chosen one—the key to his survival.

Spiriting her away into the rain-soaked night, Lyon reveals a truth Kara can barely credit. She's immortal, and the only one who can save his race. And deep within her, he arouses a fierce, primal hunger beyond anything she's ever imagined.

But only when their lives are threatened by an ancient evil will Kara and Lyon realize they have found a love they would risk their immortal souls to claim . . . and a powerful desire that could never, ever be tamed.

I'm always interested in trying new authors. The blurb was enough to get me interested in giving it a try.

The Feral Warriors are immortal shapeshifter warriors. After years without their Radiant, the woman that is key to their survival, their strength is ebbing. With that goes their ability to protect the world from an evil that would destroy them.

Kara MacAllister is a school teacher that has no idea that paranormal even exists. When Lyon bursts into her home insisting that she is Radiant, she has no idea what that means. She just knows that he's crazy. Lyon realizes that Kara has been raised human and has no idea what she was born to be.

The warriors are thrilled when Lyon finally gets Kara home. All they have to do is the ceremony that will give her the power she needs to help them. Things start going awry when Kara's mate is shown to be a warrior other than Lyon. Kara's lack of knowledge about this world is bad enough. The fact that these men expect her to "mate" with someone she doesn't know is more than she can take. She runs.

Lyon is the only one that will always be able to find her. While he is devastated himself, his first loyalty is to his kind. Then the unthinkable happens. Lyon discovers that Kara is mage, their greatest enemy.

I enjoyed the world building in this book, but other than that it didn't really do much for me. The characters were kind of blah. I was hopeful when it started, but it just kind of fizzled out. There was action at the end, but by that time I was just trying to finish reading it and wasn't too interested.

3.25 out of 5.

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Other books in the series:

The winner for the Day 19 book bag giveaway is:

Congratulations! You've won a great little tote with a variety of bookish delights along with the following books:

Mistress of the Game by Sydney Sheldon
Taken and Seduced by Julie Latham
Red Kiss by Deidre Knight
Thirteen Chances by Cindy Miles

Please shoot us a quick email at: contests[at]the book binge . com with your snail mail information and we'll get your book bag sent out as soon as we can.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest and we'll be back on Monday to give away a few more bags before we call it quits. We'll see you guys on Monday!

Cheers,
Rowena, Holly & Casee

We were so saddened to hear about the passing of Kate Duffy. Her contribution to the romance community is undisputed and it won't be the same without her.

Follow @JoAnnRoss on Twitter for sweet and funny memories of Kate Duffy.

XOXO,
Casee, Holly, & Rowena

We're down to the last three days of our Back-to-School Extravaganza. Included in today's bag is:

Mistress of the Game by Sydney Sheldon
Taken and Seduced by Julie Latham
Red Kiss by Deidre Knight
Thirteen Chances by Cindy Miles

What is a series that you've given up on?

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This is a daily giveaway, which means it ends today. The winner will be announced at midnight tonight, PDT. Because we'll need a little time to pick a winner, the contest will end at 10 p.m. pdt.

Remember, we'll be giving a Book Bag away every weekday (Monday-Friday) for the rest of the month!

Rowena's review of Drawn into Darkness by Annette McCleave.

Hero: Lachlan MacGregor
Heroine: Rachel Lewis
Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Serving a five-hundred-year sentence as a Soul Gatherer—one who battles demons for the souls of the dead—Lachlan MacGregor keeps his distance from humans. That is, until the lovely Rachel Lewis knocks on his door, begging for help. As they struggle to rescue her daughter from the clutches of a powerful demon, Lachlan finds himself increasingly drawn to the artistic single mother. But when Death assigns him an unbearable task, he's left wondering who will provide more for his soul.

It's no secret that I haven't really been touching any paranormals in quite a long time and so when I finally do decide to pick one up, I've been pretty happy with what I've been reading. This book was no exception. I haven't been too wild about romance novels that talk about God and Satan and what not but in this book, I didn't seem to mind it as much as I thought I would.

Lachlan MacGregor is a Soul Gatherer and what he does is he gathers souls for Heaven. On top of that, he's got a job of protecting Emily. Emily is being wooed by a dangerous demon who is responsible for a whole lot of unhappy memories for Lachlan and when Rachel Lewis, Emily's Mom comes to Lachlan for help, at first he declines but then changes his mind. His job is made doubly hard by the fact that he's so attracted to Emily's Mom. Falling for Rachel is a big no no and he doesn't need the distraction but because this is a romance novel, he can't help himself. Rachel thinks that Lachlan is a priest and though she's trying to keep her distance, she can't help herself either...Lachlan is hot stuff!

Watching these two find their way to their happy ending was a pretty exciting adventure. I thought McCleave did a fantastic job of drawing the reader into her world and I am very excited about reading more from this author. She had a great storyline, a fantastic hero and heroine who had chemistry that steamed up the pages. The villain was interesting as well. Drusus was no joke and more than once, I thought, WTF are you planning with the linen?

There were parts in the book that I wanted to strangle the heck out of Emily but for the most part, I was captivated by the story and I thought the way that McCleave wove this story was great and made this book a total winner for me. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a new paranormal world that is sure to take off.

Lachlan was a great hero, one that I totally felt for. I mean, he lost his entire family at the hands of an evil demon and seeing him struggle to remain focused on the here and now had me sighing all over the place. I thought he was a very solid and strong hero, one that I just want to sink my teeth into because he was definitely a hot one as well.

Rachel was a great heroine, one that I could relate to being a single mother myself. She did what she could for Emily and she had the usual hang ups that most single mothers do, wondering if you're doing enough, wondering what they're up to and where their little girl disappeared to. I related to everything that Rachel went through in this book (well except for all of the paranormal stuff) and I thought her character was well written.

Kudos to Annette McCleave for writing a story that I could really get into.

This book is available from Signet Eclipse. You can buy it here.

Have you ever read so much good about a hero before you've ever read his book? That's how it was for me and Alex Markov. You see, Holly is a huge fan of Alex's and she thinks that he's totally underrated and I didn't know any better before but now I do.

And I agree with Holly.

I'm wondering why Alex isn't more popular with all of the romance readers. I mean, yes, he was a total ass but you could see before the story actually took off that Alex was special. He was going to be a fanfrickintastic hero and he surely didn't disappoint. He's a frickin' Romanov for crying out loud, how can you not love a man who comes from Russian royalty?

I think my favorite part of this story was watching Alex humble himself. When we first meet Alex, he's so set in his ways that nothing and nobody would or could change his mind. He knew his own mind, he knew what he knew and that was that. He was a hard man, so strong and decent. He ran the circus with a fair hand and
people respected him. Alex was many things, strong, independent, a bit of a loner and very prideful. His pride was everything to him. It was really the only thing he had with him so he held on to that pride like a life shield and then one day he marries Max's daughter and she turns his life upside down and shows him that being in love doesn't have to be a bad thing.

To see Alex go from thinking and believing things like in this scene:

"I am what I am, Daisy. I don't play games with anyone. Ever."

"They were trying to do something nice. Would it have hurt you so much to go along with it?"

How could he explain it to her so she'd understand? "You grew up soft, Daisy, but I grew up rough.

Rougher than you can imagine. When you grow up like I did, you learn that you have to find something to hold on to that'll always be there for you, something that keeps you from turning into an animal. For me, it was my pride. I don't give that up. Not ever."

"You can't build your life around something like that. Pride isn't as important as a lot of other things."

"Like what?"

"Like . .." She hesitated, as if she knew he wouldn't like whatever she was about to say. "Like caring and compassion. Like love."

He felt old and tired. "Love doesn't exist for me."

"It exists for everyone."

"Not for me. Don't try to romanticize me, Daisy. It'd only be a waste of time. I've learned to live by my own code. I try to be honest, and I try to be fair. That's the only reason I'm overlooking your stunt with the cake. I know this is a hard adjustment for you, and I guess you're doing the best you can. But don't confuse fairness with sentiment. I'm not sentimental. All those soft emotions might work for other people, but they don't work for me."

To seeing him change into the strong and prideful man who would do anything for his one true love:

From inside, they heard Alex's scornful voice, only slightly muffled by the nylon sides of the big top.

"You're a businesswoman, Sheba. If you sell Sinjun to me I'll make it worth your while. All you have to do is name your price."

Both she and Brady stood rooted to the spot, knowing they should leave but unable to. Then Brady grasped her hand and pulled her into the shadows by the back door, where they couldn't be seen but had a partial view of the center ring.

She saw Sheba stroke Alex's arm. "It's not your money I want. You should know that. It's your pride."

He pulled himself away, as if he couldn't bear her touch. "What the hell does that mean?"

"If you want that tiger back, you're going to have to beg me for him."

"You go to hell."

"The great Alex Markov is going to have to get on his knees and beg."

"I'd die first."

"You won't do it?"

"Not in a million years." He splayed his hands on his hips. "You can do whatever you want with that damned tiger, but I'm not getting on my knees for you or anybody."

"I'm surprised. I guess I thought you'd do anything for that little simp. I should have known that you don't really love her." For a moment she looked up into the shadows of the rigging, then she returned her attention to him. "I suspected it all along, and I guess I should have followed my instincts. How could you love her? You're too damned cold-hearted to love anybody."

"You don't know the first thing about the feelings I have for Daisy."

"I know that you don't love her enough to get on your knees and beg for her." She regarded him smugly.

"So I win. I guess I win either way."

"You're crazy."

"And you're smart to refuse. I got on my knees once for love, and I don't recommend it."

"Jesus, Sheba. Don't do this."

Her voice lost its taunting quality. "I have to. Nobody humiliates Sheba Quest and gets away with it.

And either way, you're going to be the loser today. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"

"I'm sure."

At that moment Daisy knew she'd lost Sinjun. Alex wasn't put together like other men. He was held together by steel and grit and pride. If he demeaned himself, it would destroy the man he was. Bowing her head, she tried to turn away, but Brady blocked her path.

Alex spoke in tight, hard tones. "You know what the irony in all this is. Daisy'd do it. She wouldn't even think twice about it." He gave a rough bark of laughter that bore no trace of humor. "She'd be on her knees in a second because she's got a heart beating inside her that's strong enough to take on the world. She doesn't care about honor or pride or anything else when the well-being of the creatures she loves is at stake."

"So what?" Sheba sneered. "This isn't about Daisy. It's about you. What's it going to be, Alex? Your pride or the tiger? Are you going to lay it all out for love, or are you going to hold on to everything that's important to you?"

There was a long silence. Tears had begun to stream down Daisy's face, and she knew she had to get away. She pulled back from Brady, then froze as she heard his angry sputter.

"That son of a bitch."

She whirled back and saw Alex still standing in front of Sheba with his head high. But his knees were beginning to bend. Those mighty Romanov knees. Those proud Markov knees. Slowly, he sank down into the sawdust, but at the same time, she knew she had never seen him look more arrogant, more unyielding.

"Beg me," Sheba whispered.

Alex Markov is the kind of hero that us romance readers love to read about. His journey is the kind of journey that us romance readers love. It's why we read romance novels. His happy ending wasn't easy to come by but it was well worth it in the end. When you first read this book, you'll wonder why we chose Alex for this month's Hero of the Month but by the end of the book, you'll know. You'll know exactly why we love him and why he deserves to be spotlighted. You'll also fall madly in love with him and want one of your very own.

Alex was a hard man, one who didn't suffer fools but he grew into a man who was all things good. His story was one story that I didn't think I could ever possibly like or enjoy because I'm not a fan of the circus but he made this story for me. Alex caught and kept my attention throughout the entire story and I'm so very glad that I gave his book a chance, I'm glad that I gave him a chance because he was a great hero. He's under appreciated but here at Book Binge, we love him all the same.



If you haven't read KISS AN ANGEL, you definitely should. It is available from Avon. You can buy it here.

Jane Day is on the run from the paid assassin who had been her fiancé. In Wichita Falls, Texas, she meets Nellie Luckadeau, a spitfire of an old lady who desperately needs someone to work on her ranch. But Nellie's drop-dead gorgeous grandson "Lucky Slade" is sure he can spot a con artist a mile away. He's determined not to let some upstart like Jane fleece his granny.

When his signature intimidation methods don't convince Jane to leave, he pours on the charm to make her spill what she's up to. She's happy to play along, but she's not going to let this hot, hostile cowboy run her off his land when all she needs is a lucky break...

This book comes out on November 1, 2009 and I pretty excited to read this book because the first book, Lucky in Love has definitely made me curious about the other Luckadeau's out there. This book is Slade's book and woo hoo, I'm excited! I was mighty curious and very interested in Slade in Beau's book so I'm really excited to read this one. Will anyone else be reading this book?

This book is available from Sourcebooks. You can buy it here.

The winner for the Day 18 book bag giveaway is:

SusiSunshine

CONGRATULATIONS! You've won a nifty little book bag filled with assorted bookish delights with the following books:

Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead by Saralee Rosenberg
Sweet Restraint by Beth Kery
Her Ladyship's Companion by Evangeline Collins

Please shoot us a quick email at: contests[at]the book binge . com with your snail mail information and we'll get your book bag sent out as soon as we can.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest and we'll be back on Monday to give away a few more bags before we call it quits. We'll see you guys on Monday!

Cheers,
Rowena, Holly & Casee

Rowena's review of Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Hero: Heath Champion
Heroine: Annabelle Granger
Grade: 4.5 out of 5

In This Heart of Mine, you met Kevin Tucker. Now meet Kevin's shark of an agent ... and Annabelle Granger, the girl least likely to succeed.

Annabelle is tired of being the lone failure in a family of overachievers. She's endured dead-end jobs and a broken engagement. But that's going to change now that she's taken over her late grandmother's matchmaking business. All Annabelle has to do is land the Windy City's hottest bachelor as her client, and she'll be the most sought-after matchmaker in town.

With his money-green eyes and calculated charm, Heath Champion is the best sports agent in the country. He's wealthy, driven, and gorgeous, so why does he need a matchmaker, especially a red-haired screw-up like Annabelle Granger? True, she's entertaining, and she does have a certain quirky appeal. But Heath is searching for the ultimate symbol of his success—the perfect wife. And to make an extraordinary match, he needs an extraordinary matchmaker, right?

If Annabelle isn't careful, she just might find herself going heart-to-heart with the toughest negotiator in town -- a man who's beginning to ask himself ... exactly how perfect does perfect have to be?

The first time I read this book, I loved it and I'm glad to say that after my first re-read of this book, I still love the book almost as much as the first time I read it. There were quite a few things that I had forgotten while reading this book but after picking it up again and skimming through it at first and then going back and just reading it all over again, I'm happy to say that I loved this book all over again.

It starts out with us meeting Annabelle Granger, a firecracker of a woman who is frowned upon in her family. She's the "black cat" of her family. She's got 2 successful brothers and a mother who nags the ever living daylights out of her because she's 31 and hasn't settled down into a career. Annabelle's had a few businesses that have gone under and she's trying to turn her grandmother's matchmaking business around and make something of herself. She's very passionate about life and just reading about her attacking the venture of making a success out of her grandmother's business, modernizing it and everything was just a crack up.

She was a very quirky heroine and she kept me laughing and just feeling for her. I loved her sense of humor, I loved all of her little gripes against Heath and what I most liked about her was the way she handled being handled by him.

The chemistry between Heath and Annabelle is unmistakable to the reader, even if it was farthest from Heath's mind. I loved the way SEP wrote these two's relationship. I loved how at the very beginning they were so at ease with each other, the scene where Heath makes her ride with him somewhere and she thinks he's gonna leave her and she's running through traffic hollering for him to wait and she's got her Mocha frap and how he just kept taking it from her and drinking it, the SECOND time he met with her...I loved that kind of business.

I liked seeing the old characters from the previous books actually having reasons to be in the story and not just talked about. Those are some of my favorite characters and to see them back in action right along with Heath and Annabelle scored major points with me.

I loved revisiting the campground from This Heart of Mine. I loved seeing Kevin (my favorite SEP hero) and Molly again and more over, I loved seeing little Hannah again. Goodness, that little girl is just about my favorite kid character ever, she's so great! You know, a couple of weeks ago, Casee put up a post about your favorite SEP secondary character and I should have remembered to put down Hannah because Hannah is such a great character and I absolutely love her. I wonder if SEP has anything in the works for her..in the future. That would be nice.

Heath Champion, there were times when I wanted to take him by the shoulders and just hold him still for a minute, he so reminded me of Jerry Maguire in that, I move faster than my feet can take me and I'm eager to please all of my clients to the point where I am in dire need of therapy way. The transformation from first class jerk to the insecure manly sexy man at the end was great. I loved seeing him grow attached to Annabelle, it was a treat to see him all wanting to make things right Annabelle.

I even loved little Pippy...she was so cute with her phone fettish...with her Heath's phone fettish. haha.

Annabelle's family got on my hot damn nerves so I was really happy that Heath came into her life and became her Champion...even if he didn't see her family the same way she did. I loved that finally, Annabelle was one up on Candace that conniving little bitch.

The way the story was told had me reading early into the morning, I didn't get to sleep until 3:00am on the dot and I can't say that I'm mad about it. The only thing that I didn't care for was that I felt the end was sort of rushed and kinda fell flat with Heath's realization of his love for Annabelle, I wanted more from that but as a whole, this book was a really great read for me.

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Today we have the following for you:

Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead by Saralee Rosenberg
Sweet Restraint by Beth Kery
Her Ladyship's Companion by Evangeline Collins

If we asked you to recommend an author, who would it be?

_________________
This is a daily giveaway, which means it ends today. The winner will be announced at midnight tonight, PDT. Because we'll need a little time to pick a winner, the contest will end at 10 p.m. pdt.

Remember, we'll be giving a Book Bag away every weekday (Monday-Friday) for the rest of the month!

The winner of Day 17 is:

You win a bunch of assorted book goodies and 4 books. The books include:

To Catch a Bride by Anne Gracie
Witch Fury by Anya Bast
Undercover by Lauren Dane (Federation, Book 1)
Relentless by Lauren Dane (Federation, Book 2)

Congratulations! Please shoot us a quick email at contests @ the book binge . com (no spaces) with your snail mail address so that we can get your book bag sent out. Please be sure to include Book Bag #17 Winner in the subject of your email.

Thanks to everyone who participated in today's giveaway and if you didn't win, don't worry we still have some book bags handy to giveaway so try again tomorrow.

Cheers,
Rowena, Casee & Holly

Casee's review of Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

She's Dr. Isabel Favor, America's diva of self-help. He's Ren Gage, Hollywood's favorite bad guy. She's lost her money, her fiancé, and her reputation. He makes his living killing people?one the the silver screen, that is. Sometimes all it takes is a special place . . . a special love . . . a little breathing room . . . for life to deliver all its glorious promise.

It wasn't until after Holly reviewed Breathing Room that I decided to re-read it. Breathing Room was the first SEP that I ever read. I enjoyed it enough to continue reading her, but it didn't have that wow factor that the subsequent books had. Or so I thought. This was the first time I re-read it and I loved it. I obviously didn't appreciate it as much as I should have the first time around.

From the moment of their first encounter, Lorenzo Gage and Isabel favor don't stand a chance. Thinking that he is a gigolo, Isabel actually pays Ren for sex. She doesn't realize who he is. It turns out to be the single most humiliating experience of her life. She flees and puts the whole thing behind her. Or so she thinks. When she arrives at the villa she's rented for two months, her landlord is none other than the man she never wanted to see again.

Ren and Isabel are complete opposites. She's control, he's chaos. She writes lists for everything, he takes life as it comes. He doesn't understand how Isabel can be so uptight and he delights in flustering her. He also likes how Isabel's attitude toward him doesn't change after she realizes who he is. It's refreshing to be looked at as a person, rather than an actor. Even knowing that, it's obvious that Isabel finds him lacking.

Isabel has no idea how she can be attracted to Ren. When he continually pops up during her vacation, she finds herself actually enjoying his company. She always believed the stories about him in the tabloids, though she's finding out that there is far more to Lorenzo Gage than meets the eye. Seeing herself through his eyes is what helps put her back on the path she's meant to follow.

The best part about this book is how Isabel and Ren make each other look at themselves and re-evaluate. Isabel isn't an uptight woman that has to follow lists all the time. Ren isn't the stereotypical Hollywood bad boy. Of course it takes both of them awhile to see what the other is trying to show them. I love the ending of the book when Isabel wears red and cuts her hair.

I loved this book from front to back. If you haven't read it, you're missing out.

4.75 out of 5.

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Earlier this year, thanks to Angela James, Moira Rogers made it onto my radar with the first novel in her Red Rock Pass series, Cry Sanctuary (see my review here). I really enjoyed it and picked up several of her other books afterward.

Not long after, I realized Moira Rogers isn't just one women, but two. Bree and Donna are best friends and writing partners, and together they make up the writing team of Moira Rogers.

Today they're here with us talking about being a writing team and their Red Rock Pass series (books 1 and 2 are currently available from Samhain Publishing and book 3 will be released in October). They're also giving away 5 digital books!

Bree: Hello, Book Binge readers! My name is Bree, and I am one half of the romance-writing, fictional-crime-fighting duo who writes under the shared penname Moira Rogers. And today I brought my other half...


Donna: Me! Today, we want to talk about how plotting and development is affected by partner writing.


Bree: And man, is it ever. Because no matter how clearly we each think we're seeing the full picture, the truth of the matter is we've always got a slightly different idea about how things are going to play out, and the most frustrating and fantastic changes erupt from those tiny details.


Donna: The classic, "Oh, uh, I thought we were doing something else there." We discuss our characters and plots exhaustively, and we still manage to surprise each other--and sometimes ourselves. It's not unlike the theatre, where even actors who've prepared their roles for months might see new and interesting nuances during the performances themselves.


Bree: We've had to learn to plot in generalities. Where we want a series arc to go, a book arc, the individual plotlines inside the book. Sometimes the basic ideas hold out. We always knew we wanted to write about Abby, Brynn & Dylan in our Red Rock Pass books, because they were the three newcomers whose arrival forced a stagnant community to do things differently.


Donna: And our fourth hero takes things even further out there, since many of the citizens of Red Rock probably don't know that vampire exist, much less that they're hanging out in Maine, lumberjacking. LOL


Bree: He was supposed to be a minor character, someone I'd been looking for a chance to sneak into a book. When we were tentatively planning how the series could go, we couldn't have predicted that our stealthy vampire lumberjack would steal the show and upset all of our plans, but three books out and we're learning to roll with the surprises.


Donna: The Red Rock Pass books have been a true series in every sense of the word. Not only do we have characters developing over the span of the four books, but there's an overall plot arc that our vampire lumberjack gets to help tie up...for now.


Bree: Yes, the ending is in sight, and it's not the one I envisioned when we started. There's always a point in the middle of the book where everything falls into place, where Donna makes a suggestion and I build on it and suddenly the answer is there and I can't imagine how we thought we were going to write the book before without knowing it. And those are the times I'm glad I don't have to do it alone.


Donna: Absolutely. It's weird, this partner writing thing. Because it's like being a plotter and a pantser all in one. We have to plot, for reasons Bree already mentioned--if we're not on the same page, a book can quickly dissolve into a hot mess. But we can also still be shocked (and yes, delighted) at the twists and turns our writing takes. Some of it is plot, but sometimes it's just golden. Like when a secondary character asks the one question that will pull out some hidden bit of the hero or heroine's personality. You couldn't have planned it, didn't even know it was there, but all of a sudden, there it is.


Bree: I think writing with a partner can be the most awesome and exhilarating thing ever, in spite of the hardships that come with it. (And we're never going to tell you they're not there--we fight, we yell, we hang up on each other and sometimes we throw snack foods.) But it's all worth it when you have the perfect random idea.


Donna: Like, "Hey, how about a world where corrupt alphas use and take from their packs, and only a handful of safe havens exist?"


Bree: Or, "Oooh, can I add a vampire who was a French Canadian lumberjack in Maine at the turn of the century?"


Donna: And sometimes that's all it takes to subtly--or even drastically--change the direction of a series. Or even introduce a couple of writers to a whole new genre.


Bree: Like that time three days ago when I said, "Heeeey, you know That Thing that happened in 1934 that introduced our very old werewolf to our vampire? Sooooo...I know we've never written a historical, but what if the werewolf's thuggy friend and the vampire's sweet-but-tough werewolf associate had to work together..."


Donna: Yeah, like that. Suddenly, we're pitching a paranormal historical novella to our editor. LOL


Bree: So I guess the moral of the story is that you never know where you're going to end up when you get started.


Donna: Except it's a pretty safe bet that, no matter what, we'll be writing something all the time.


Bree: And before we get back to that, we'll leave you with a question. Would YOU follow a contemporary series into the past for a chance to see how everything started? Or do you think it's best to soldier bravely into the future?

Free Prequels:


The series:

Welcome to day seventeen! All three of these authors are fantastic. Today you'll find:

To Catch a Bride by Anne Gracie
Witch Fury by Anya Bast
Undercover by Lauren Dane (Federation, Book 1)
Relentless by Lauren Dane (Federation, Book 2)

Also included are other promotional items.

Name an author you like that has dropped off the map. For me, it's Katherine Sutcliffe. I eventually read that she retired, but she retired before she released a book I read about. Who's that author for you?

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This is a daily giveaway, which means it ends today. The winner will be announced at midnight tonight, PDT. Because we'll need a little time to pick a winner, the contest will end at 10 p.m. pdt.

Remember, we'll be giving a Book Bag away every weekday (Monday-Friday) for the rest of the month!

Casee's review of Up Close and Personal by Carla Cassidy.

Detective Jordan Sampson is struggling to maintain a relationship with her young daughter while enjoying a new romance with an old flame. But Jordan's personal life takes a dangerous turn when her old friends from school are killed off one by one.

I'm a big fan of Carla Cassidy, though I really didn't enjoy Broken Pieces which is the last book I read of hers. The blurb intrigued me and sounded more like the kind of book I've come to expect from Carla Cassidy.

Going through a divorce and then losing custody of her daughter, Jordan Sampson isn't in the best place at the moment. When a good friend convinces her to go to their fifteen year high school reunion, Jordan accepts only to have something to do. And while she enjoys catching up with a few of the people she went to school with, nothing prepares her for seeing Clint Cooper, her high school sweetheart.

The next day, Jordan is assigned to a new murder case. The murder of a woman that was on her cheer-leading squad in high school; a woman that she had just seen the night before. Jordan thought she had seen everything, but the brutal murder of someone she knew and recently spoke to horrifies her more than she will admit.

When another of the squad turn up murdered, Jordan and her team realize that they have a serial killer on their hands. They also know that as the former captain of the cheer-leading squad, Jordan has to be somewhere on the list.

In the midst of investigating multiple murders, Jordan is also re-discovering her feelings for Clint. He's much different from the boy she remembers, but she doesn't know if she can trust him. He was "the one" in high school and she can't help but remember all the times they broke up and got back together. At this point in her life, Jordan isn't sure that she wants another relationship.

The suspense aspect of the book was well written. It was a bit predictable, but not unbelievable. What I didn't like was the inconsistency about Jordan and her ex. At the beginning of the book, the ex basically screwed her in the divorce. He got custody just to get back at Jordan. He was poisoning her daughter against her. Which was completely different from how it was at the end. Dane was actually an ideal ex-husband. He wasn't trying to keep Jordan away from her daughter. It was all just very confusing.

It wasn't enough to ruin the book. It probably would only seem like a minor inconsistency to most readers.

Aside from that small problem, this book is what I expect to get from Carla Cassidy.

4 out of 5.

This book is available from Signet Eclipse. You can buy it here.

The winner of the Day 16 Bag is:

You win an assortment of promotional items and 4 books:


Warrior of the Highlands by Veronica Wolff
Model, Incorporated by Carol Alt
Fair Game by Jasmine Haynes
Girl Trouble by Holly Goddard Jones

***

Please email us at contests @ thebookbinge . com (no spaces) with your mailing address so we can send your Book Bag. Please put 'Book Bag #16' in the subject line.

If you didn't win today, have no fear. We're giving 5 more Book Bags away throughout the month. You could be next!

Rowena's review of His Other Lover by Lucy Dawson.

Grade: 2.5 out of 5

To Mia, the devastating proof is right there on her boyfriend's cell phone. In the dead of night she discovers Pete—her lover, her soul mate, her future—is having an affair. Instead of waking him with accusations, Mia begins to look for answers. What woman wouldn't want to know everything, after all? But her desperate search only beings a frightening series of lies and deceptions.

Everything important to Mia may be on the line, but she's also about to cross it. Desperation, obsession, and heartache can only lead to catastrophe, and if the cold, hard truth is not what Mia imagines, pursuing it could be the worst mistake she has ever made.

Just how far is too far?

When I first started reading this book I thought for sure that I was going to love it. When we first read about Mia's initial reaction to finding out that her boyfriend is cheating on her, I felt her pain. Bloodthirsty bitch that I am, I wanted her to kick him in the nads, make him hurt where it counts. Get a little revenge but what I got instead was Mia hurdling down this desperate journey that ultimately leads to me thinking that she is one crazy bitch and that I would have totally cheated on her as well.

I mean, the lengths that she went through to keep Pete pissed me off and while I thought I was going to get a story about revenge of the scorned woman, instead I got a tale of a pathetic woman who got cheated on and at the end I was pissed with the way the entire book ended. I get it, really I do. This isn't a romance and with the way that it ended, I can't even say that this book was a Chick lit novel because the ending just flat out sucked bid donkey balls but the author had me cheering on the main character, Mia. She had me wanting Mia to stand up for herself, she had me pissed to high heaven for her and then in the end, at her.

This book follows Mia through the different emotions she comes into contact with as she learns about her boyfriend's cheating and then it follows her throughout the different events that happen after she finds out. At first, there's that utter desolation and then there's the anger and the revenge but then the end happens and you're left wondering, WTF?

It's not a book that I'd likely read again but I was all captivated by this book because I could totally see this happening in real life and I've known people who thought like Mia did in this book. It did leave me wondering what the hell I'd do if I caught someone cheating on me the way that Mia did. I honestly have no idea. I'd like to say that I'd react differently but who knows? I never thought some of my good friends would do some of the things they did when they caught their spouses cheating. I'd like to think I'd handle it like an adult but I honestly don't know and this book proved that love seriously makes you do some seriously effed up things.

Would I recommend this book? I'm not sure because this is mainly a romance review site and our reader base is mostly romance readers. This is not a romance novel you guys. This is the darker side of love that we don't care for in our romance novels so for all of you romance novel readers out there, I don't think this book is for you because after all is said and done, I'm still pissed and I'm still not happy with the book as a whole.

Ugh.

This book is available from Avon A. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

I've become a fan of LuAnn McLane ever since reading A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action. That was such a cute and entertaining read and I couldn't wait for more from her. Then I read Redneck Cinderella and while it wasn't as good for me as ALLTAAMA, I still enjoyed it. I love a little redneck romance, I actually know the songs that she mentions in her books and they're always fun to read.

So once I found out that she was coming out with another book, I was all about reading it and I'm super excited.

Check out the blurb:

At sixteen, Dakota Dunn was America's Pop Princess. Now twenty-five, she's all grown up—and definitely washed up. She decides to head to her parents' lakefront retreat in Tennessee, fixing to write songs and transform her image from squeaky clean to kickin' country.

Turns out her folks have handed things over to sexy, if cranky, cowboy Trace Coleman—a former bull riding champion benched by injuries. He's none too happy about Dakota's arrival—and makes no secret of it. But though Trace is rough around the edges, Dakota feels a pull of attraction she can't quite shake. For all his brooding, Trace has an animal magnetism that may just lead Dakota to dig in her heels and hold on tight...

This book comes out on October 6, 2009 so mark your calendars because this book promises to be another fun adventure!

This book is available from Signet Eclipse. You can pre-order it here or here in e-format.

We're getting down to the final handful of days here. For today, we have the following for you:

Warrior of the Highlands by Veronica Wolff
Model, Incorporated by Carol Alt
Fair Game by Jasmine Haynes
Girl Trouble by Holly Goddard Jones

We're going to talk about epilogues today. What is your most memorable epilogue?

_________________
This is a daily giveaway, which means it ends today. The winner will be announced at midnight tonight, PDT. Because we'll need a little time to pick a winner, the contest will end at 10 p.m. pdt.

Remember, we'll be giving a Book Bag away every weekday (Monday-Friday) for the rest of the month!

Holly's review of Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas

Reporter Pepper Malone moved to Bailey, Texas, after a news story nearly got her killed. Now she wants to be left alone to do her job in relative peace and quiet. But when the newspaper’s staff is targeted by a madman with a grudge against the media, Pepper is drawn back into the public eye—and into the arms of the paper’s handsome owner.

I generally don't like books that feature journalists. Too often they're willing to sellout the people in their lives for a story. Obviously that isn't always the case, and Jodi Thomas is a great example to go by with Rewriting Monday.

Pepper Malone lost her job as one of Chicago Tribune's best reporters when a story goes bad. She ends up broke and alone in Bailey, TX and decides to stick around after seeing the local newspaper is hiring.

Mike McCulloch gave up his dream of being a teacher to run the newspaper after his father and older brother passed away. He's been kind of floating along ever since, not really connecting to anyone or anything. When Pepper blows into his office, it's like she slapped him awake. Now he can't get his mind off of her.

When bad things start happening at the paper, Mike and Pepper both believe each is the target. Pepper is surprised to learn the paper has been receiving threats for months, and Mike knows Pepper is hiding something about her past, but isn't sure what.

Pepper was kind of a breath of fresh air. She's had some hard knocks, but that doesn't take away from her sunny personality. She was an upbeat person without being annoying and I liked that she drew Mike out of his shell. Her innate curiosity came across well. Mostly she just seemed genuinely interested in people.

Mike was the strong, silent type who tended to push people away. It wasn't that he didn't care about the people of Bailey, it's just that he was struggling to raise his niece and to come to terms with his decision to stay at the paper.

Pepper and Mike worked well together. Not just personally, but professionally. They seemed to really feed off of each other. Their relationship was one that grew over time with lots of conversation. It wasn't like some where they jump right into bed together then try to work the details out later.

The town kind of took on a life of its own and provided a wonderful backdrop for the story. I think Thomas really excels at writing small town life. Once again I was transported to a small Texas town and really wanted to move there. The secondary characters also enriched the story, and I really enjoyed the secondary romance between the bakery owner and her estranged ex-husband.

As for the mystery, I think it really took a backseat to the romance between Pepper and Mike and the everyday life of the town. It didn't take me long to figure out who was behind the threats, so the end didn't surprise me. It almost felt kind of anti-climatic, but that's often how I feel when it comes to mysteries, so it could just be.

Overall I very impressed with the characters and the setting. Thomas really excels at writing smalltown romance that really sucks you in. Highly recommended.

4 out of 5

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The winner of the Day 15 Bag is:

You win an assortment of promotional items and 4 books:


Her Secret Lover by Sara Bennett
Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle
Secret Diary of a Call Girl by Anonymous
Return to Sullivan's Island by Dorthea Benton Frank


***

Please email us at contests @ thebookbinge . com (no spaces) with your mailing address so we can send your Book Bag. Please put 'Book Bag #15' in the subject line.

If you didn't win today, have no fear. We're giving 6 more Book Bags away throughout the month. You could be next!