Countess Claire Westcliffe has been exiled to her husband’s country estate for three long years while he’s been bed hoping all over London. Her banishment wasn’t due to some slight indiscretion—in fact, she was caught in bed with the Earl of Westcliffe’s brother. Oh my! Imagine finding your new bride in bed with your brother on your wedding night, I’m not sure the circumstances are forgivable. And as I continued to read, I wasn’t sure the author could get me past it, or make the heroine sympathetic enough for me to care. I knew this was a romance, and I knew with certainty it would end happy, but is that always enough? While reading, I wondered if the author would bring me to a believable conclusion I could accept. All…

This lush, sensual historical novel is at times heartbreaking, at times joyous, and always engrossing. Ultimately, this is a story of obsessions and in many instances the book was shocking… Ms. McDonnell’s ability to make this reader evaluate the moral compass of these characters was at turns startling and revealing. I became a voyeur anxiously waiting an outcome, furiously turning the pages, experiencing the gamut of emotions as each year passed and new choices were made. The Doctor and the Diva  reads like a film—each image beautifully painted on the page and coming to life. For me, this was not a casual read, but a consuming read—one that made me think long after I read the last page. MORE

I found myself with a weekend of no engagements, no ‘have to attend’ gatherings or commitments. A free weekend. Quite a commodity in my life. So I did what any normal woman would do finding herself sans commitments, I planned every waking moment and by Friday night it was all mapped out. I would start with an oil treatment to tame the split ends dancing around my face, a simple, yet elegant, do it yourself mani/pedi, and an oatmeal facial scrub to wash away the grime accumulated during this beastly hot NYC summer. But blast it all if Teresa Medeiros didn’t come waltzing into my life with nary a care and her latest release under her arm. Well, Teresa didn’t literally walk into my home, but her book sure did,…

I found a ‘must read’ in debut novelist Erin Kellison’s latest release “Shadow Bound”.  This book has been categorized as an urban fantasy/paranormal romance.  Personally I don’t think it can be categorized.  The plot and the writing are fresh and captivating, making this a book to put at the top of your list this summer.  See my review at the Barnes & Noble, Heart to Heart blog.

I’ve been trying to come up with clever ways to explain why I like reading Deidre Knight’s books. Instead of clever I’ve decided to go with straight forward; I read her books because I like her writing. READ MORE

What makes a good romance?  For each of us it’s different – but for me it’s the characters. I enjoy stories where the characters are three dimensional and practically leap off the page.

I recently read Rosemary Laurey’s Kiss Me Forever and was swept away by the characters she created.  I was also delighted to have found this ‘new-to-me author’.  You can read my full review at Barnes and Noble Heart to Heart Blog.