I hope you are all enjoying this long weekend. If you’re looking for something  special to cap it off with, and you live in the NYC area, why not go down to Madame X and the Lady Jane’s Salon.  On Monday night at 7 p.m. Leanna Renee Hieber will be reading from her recently published book The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. Coincidentally this will be the first book we’ll be discussing in our Romance Novel TV/Lady Jane’s Salon Book Club starting September 28th.

Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Reviewed by Maria Lokken
4 stars

This was a very satisfying read, I would go so far as to say it’s a comfort read. Sunset Bay is a romance with a happy ending, some major pitfalls in the middle, and a lot of realism thrown in just to keep you on your toes.

Meagan Green has dreams of being a fashion designer. Unfortunately, her family doesn’t subscribe to those dreams. Her mother, a border line “mommy dearest” case, wants Megan to be practical, her sister will do everything she can to make Megan’s life hell, and her father is adoring, but wants to make sure she gets a degree and becomes an accountant. It’s clear that Megan doesn’t have much in the way of family support.

Megan’s in love with the…

Reviewed by:  PJ Ausdenmore
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
4.5 Stars

Venice, Italy is one of my favorite cities.  Beautiful during the day, Venice epitomizes romance with grand palaces, elaborate bridges and, of course, gondolas but when the sun goes down a faintly sinister atmosphere cloaks her dark alleys and canals.  When I wander through Venice in the daylight I can appreciate her history while remaining firmly in the 21^st century but when I walk her narrow, shadowy streets at night I can almost believe that I have been transported back to the 15^th century.   Those qualities make this ancient city by the sea the perfect setting for Loucinda McGary’s exciting new romantic suspense story, one with an intriguing paranormal twist.

Pretending to be the handsome Irishman’s girlfriend for the afternoon is Librarian, Samantha Lewis’s second impulsive act. …

I usually never read the back cover copy of a book . I really like to open the first page and be surprised. This weekend I have several books to choose from and with a limited amount of time and several choices, I went ahead and read the back cover copy:

Shoot to Thrill by Nina Bruhns a romantic suspense. The back cover copy says: “A sexy black ops hero and a beautiful ER nurse must fight for their lives – and for a love they never thought possible…”

Dark Legacy by Anna DeStefano another romantic suspense with a bit of the paranormal (psychic twins – I wish Maria and I were psychic, would cut down on the texting and email for sure). The back cover copy says: “Madie Temple can’t go through this again. Her twin has been in a coma for the last ten years. Their psychic link was severed. At least that’s what she thought. But there’s a lot Maddie doesn’t know – about the 200-year old curse on her family, about the shadowy group that wants to exploit the Temple twins’ powers for themselves, about the sexy psychiatrist offering to help her. The only way to find the answers and avoid being pulled into the abyss of madness is to trust her hear and confront her Dark Legacy.”

Holding out for a Hero by HelenKay Dimon a contemporary. The back cover copy says: “ Deanna Armstrong needs a hero – not for herself, but for the nephew all her money and time can’t seem to get out of jail. Unfortunately, the best hero in all the Hawaiian Islands is set on turning in his badge and getting his excellent butt into another line of work. If that wasn’t enough, Josh Windsor also has a big-time grudge against Deana herself. But if there’s anything being rich, smart and stubborn has taught Deana, it’s never settle for second best…

I’m not sure which one I’ll read – I’ll let you know next week. But I do have several books to give away (to people living in the U.S.) – and all you have to do is write a back cover copy of your weekend. I’ll pick two random posters. Meanwhile enjoy your weekend and happy reading!

If you ask my husband or anyone in my family, they’ll tell you I’m a major pain in the butt to watch a movie with. I can’t help it. I’m a writer—and I therefore think like one, always plotting. I’m also an avid reader, with suspense/horror/thrillers being among my favorite books. Finally, I’m also very competitive…I like being challenged,  playing a mental game against the movie makers to see if I can figure things out before they want me to.

Don’t get me wrong, I can’t figure everything out. Heaven help me if the kids aren’t home and I try to figure out how to set the TV and DVD player so I can actually watch and hear a movie at the same time. But once that movie’s on, I am…

A new month is upon us and September looks to be yet another great month for books! Which ones have you read? Which of those do you recommend? Which ones are you dying to read?

This month’s topic is SECONDARY CHARACTERS! We all know that the hero and heroine are the stars and main focus of the books we read. But sometimes a secondary character or two can steal our hearts as well. If done well, they enhance the romance and/or the story as a whole. Many eventually get their own story and some do not (though we wish they would). And some find their HEA as a secondary romance. Colin Bridgerton is one of my favorite secondary characters. We read about him and his wry humor in three books before…