Review: The Girl with the Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir

This book is almost entirely told from a cat’s POV. If that didn't send you running the other way, you’re probably getting it now, just like I did when I first heard about it. It sounds a bit wacky, and it is, but it’s also funny and unique. 

Max’s human is Melody. He’s worried about her because she keeps bringing men to their home, men that just spend the night and leave. Thus Max does what any cat would do and pees on the men’s clothes so they know that they are not welcome. But he also knows that Melody hasn't been happy since her husband died two years ago. So he decides to take matters into his own hands --or paws-- and goes out in search of a mate for her. What follows is a bit of an oddball romance that includes a mystery, kitty shenanigans, Ellen DeGeneres and cupcakes.

Winner: The Waiting Room

The winner of our lightning giveaway was ClaudiaGC. Congratulations! I've already emailed you.

To everyone else who was part of the contest, thank you. And to those who celebrate it: Happy Thanksgiving!

See you next week.

New Adults and an Unrelated Giveaway

Hello, guys!

I have a new post on Heroes and Heartbreakers, this time about New Adult. Have you heard that term before? I bet you have. One of the reasons I wrote the post was because I've seen a lot of negativity and cynicism directed towards New Adult, and even though most of them are quite valid, I wanted to talk about it in a positive way, because I feel that it has a lot of good things to offer. It’s a very new label that’s been misused in order to exploit it, but there are a lot of great stories being told, and that’s what I was trying to convey in that post. 

Review: Rescue My Heart by Jill Shalvis

Source: A review copy was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

I’ve been a fan of this series since the first book, and as usual, the most intriguing character always gets the last book. The anticipation was high, and unfortunately the book wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. But it was entertaining, and the hint to a new couple brought me back to the place I was before reading the book: anticipating the next entry.  

Adam and Holly used to be lovers a long time ago, but he left her because they were too young, to save her from himself, etc. The being too young was reason enough to me, but we need more to justify so many years of not moving on. So as you probably can guess, especially if you have read the books, once he comes back he ignores her while she gives him the evil eye (which is Romance code for “I want to have dirty sex with you, but I totally don’t love you anymore so don’t get any ideas”). We know that they should just talk about their unresolved feelings, but Adam is suffering from PTSD and is trying to avoid any type of human contact.

Review: The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne

My Historical Romance kick continues with a book I've been meaning to read for a while. Last year the final book in the series was published and blogland went crazy with love. It seemed like the hero was a favorite character of many, and he was finally getting his book. But I don’t like reading books out of order so I put it on hold. 

What finally convinced me to start the series was the lack of spoilers. Every single review mentioned how great the story was, and how giving away the details would mean ruining the book. For such a popular book, I’m surprised that I couldn't find spoilers anywhere. I had to know what happened, so I did the next best thing: I read the book.

Annique is a French spy charged with a very important secret. It’s so important that everyone wants it, and by everyone I mean the British, the good French and the bad French. When the book opens, she’s been captured by the bad French and about to be tortured. There she meets a set of British spies and helps them escape. But of course the spies know who she is and decide to keep her for themselves. These are good spies, though, so instead of torturing and raping her, they will fall in love with her. Or at least one of them does, our hero, Grey. What follows is a game of cat and mouse in which each character tries to one-up the other.

Review: All He Ever Desired by Shannon Stacey

Source: A review copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

The Kowalski books keep getting stronger. This new trilogy almost feels like a different series, maybe because it features a new set of brothers living in a different town. I’m very glad because it keeps the books fresh. This new installment also features a role reversal in the main couple, and a heroine that pushes some genre boundaries, or at least has a set of goals that are quite uncommon in Romance.

Ryan Kowalski left town and never looked back. But unlike the typical Romance hero, wanderlust had nothing to do with his decision. The real reason he never came back was because the woman he loved married his best friend, and it was too painful for him to live so close to them. He did make a last effort to lure her away, but she shut him down because she was truly in love with her husband. So right there you have the role reversal: the hero is the one suffering from unrequited love, and she never saw him as anything but a friend. He became successful in his profession, whereas her personal life imploded.

Can a Bad Romance Be a Good Romance? Room at the Inn by Ruthie Knox

Dysfunctional relationships are a dime a dozen in Romance. They make the journey entertaining and the emotional payoff sweeter. Damaged characters mean internal conflict, so the story can focus on its characters and their path to the happily ever after. It’s certainly not the only type of relationship portrayed in the genre, but it is one of the most common. We usually see these people falling in love and finding emotional stability in each other. Some of them have to redeem themselves, some have to grovel, but in the end we know they are going to be happy, and that they deserve it. 

But sometimes I find a romance that, regardless of how much I want to see the characters happy, is so dysfunctional that the idea of them together makes me uncomfortable. Books like that never work for me because bad romances make bad Romances. But is that always the case?  Can a damaged relationship with deeply flawed characters still be a good book and a good representative of the genre? Ruthie Knox’s newest story, Room at the Inn, is a perfect example of a bad romance that thoroughly worked for me as a reader. I’m sure I liked it, but I wonder why, and if liking it is enough to make it good.

Winner! A Night of No Return by Sarah Morgan

The winner of A Night of No Return by Sarah Morgan is Elena.

Congratulations! I've already emailed you.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Sarah for providing the book, and doing the interview.

Happy reading everyone!

Giveaway: A Night of No Return by Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan, who's visiting today, has offered a paperback copy of her new book to give away to one lucky reader of Romance Around the Corner. For a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment with your email on this post, or on Sarah's interview. Comments made before this post went live also count, so Rebe and Debbie are in. This giveaway is open to all.

About the book:

Money, charm and sensual skills don't make up for a heart colder than ice… 

Wild parties, wanton women, relentless work—nothing helps tycoon Lucas Jackson escape his dark and haunting past. Arriving at his rural castle in a snarling snowstorm, he craves only complete isolation.… But it seems oblivion can take an unexpected and highly intoxicating form! 

Personally delivering the vital file left on her boss's desk, secretary Emma Gray starts to seriously regret her dutiful overtime mission. She never expected the dark side of the usually controlled Lucas could generate such a primitive, powerful—and entirely inappropriate—reaction.

Rules:

• Winner gets one copy of A Night of No Return by Sarah Morgan.
• Giveaway open internationally.
• Ends 11/11/12
• For more details read our Giveaway Policy.

Interview: Sarah Morgan

Image Credit: Florin Gorgan

ETA: Sarah is giving away a copy of the book, more info here.

Sarah Morgan is here! I've been a fan for a long time, so today is a special day. Let’s give her a warm welcome, and once you’re done reading the interview, go read her books.

Hello, Sarah! Welcome to Romance Around the Corner. 

SM: Hello and thank you for having me!

Q. First things first: tell us a bit about yourself and your books.

SM: I trained as a nurse and worked in the ER for a while, but always wanted to write. I suppose I like fixing people, but it’s much easier to fix them on paper! When I was at home with children I started writing Medical Romances for Harlequin, which was a logical choice given my background, then moved on to Harlequin Presents. 

Now I’m lucky enough to write full time. I live near London, which is a very cool city (cool in every sense, including the weather!). I love the buzz of the South Bank, the theaters galleries and museums. I have two boys and we have spent so many wet Sundays gazing at the Egyptian Mummies in the British Museum and dinosaurs in the Natural History Museum. It’s no coincidence that one of the first stories I wrote featured a family of dinosaurs.

I love walking, mountains, snow, Christmas, horses, my mountain bike, meeting up with family and friends, laughing, cooking, the smell of fresh coffee, opera, Paris, CW’s The Vampire Diaries, Homeland and, of course, reading.

Review: A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran

I’m on a Historical Romance kick for the first time in years, and I plan to take advantage of it for as long as it lasts. So I will be reviewing all the Historicals I read. I feel like I’m catching up on some highly praised stories and authors that I missed when they first were published. So you probably will be seeing some favorites. 

A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal served as a reminder of how great the sub-genre is. I bought it after Mean Fat Old Bat reviewed it. She is an experienced reader who just recently discovered the genre, so her take on Romance is fresh and interesting.

Our heroine is Nell. She’s very poor, works at a factory under inhuman conditions and has an evil stepbrother who wants to whore her out. But she knows how to read and is very proud, so regardless of how desperate she is, she won’t compromise her honor. And she’s quite desperate; her mother is dying and needs a doctor, but there’s no money to pay for one. Her mother tells Nell to search for Lord Rushden, her real father. She’s surprised to hear the news, but ends up writing to him, begging for his help. But when her mother dies without any response from the Lord, Nell decides to kill him. What she doesn’t know is that Lord Rushden died months ago, and the new bearer of the title is a distant relative with a black reputation who’s just as desperate for money as she is.

Review: Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp

Have you seen the United States of YA list? It’s a map with a book representing each state, and Knights of the Hill Country was Oklahoma. I liked what I saw, so I decided to read it. I enjoyed it, although it’s far from a perfect book.

The story is very simple: Hampton lives and breathes football. Everyone, including himself, thinks that being a football player is all there is to him.  No one bothers to see the boy behind the talent because he wins games and that’s all that matters. He’s rapidly becoming the star of the team, even outshining his best friend and quarterback, Blaine. But his new status also forces him to see beyond the football field. It gives him some insight into what he wants and the tools to stop being so passive.  

FeedBurner and Email Subscribers

Hello everyone!

Move over, FeedBurner.
There's a new Sheriff in town.

There have been some rumors that FeedBurner will disappear. FeedBurner is the tool we use to send our daily emails to those who subscribed. So far I haven’t seen any difference, but because is better to be safe than sorry, I've decided to move our mailing list to MailChimp. If you already subscribed, you don’t have to do anything (although you might receive today’s email twice). The content will be the same, but with a slightly different look.

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Review: Lean on Me by HelenKay Dimon

Source: A review copy was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Lean on Me is a short and sweet small-town Contemporary Romance, in which the small town is more intrusive than cute. 

Cassidy Clark’s dream was to leave her hometown behind and become a climber. She managed to accomplish just that, but in the process severed her relationship with almost everyone in her life. Things got even more complicated when after an unfortunate incident she made some pretty awful comments about her town, and she went from hero to villain. So when the end of her career --and a scam that left her broke-- forces her to go back, she has to redeem herself in front of family, friends and the man whose heart she broke years ago.