Covers to Covet

Lucy Marinn, a glass artist who lives on San Juan Island, has just been dumped by her boyfriend Kevin. Needing some privacy and time to think, she goes to a nearby beach and meets a dark-haired stranger . . . 

Calling all Kleypas fans!!!! The US cover for Rainshadow Road has been released! This is the second book in her Friday Harbor series! There is no official blurb out yet, but Kleypas has posted an excerpt to this book on her website. You can find that here.


This is my favourite part of the whole excerpt:
"This is going to sting," he said as he began to clean the cut with gentle strokes.
The breath hissed between her teeth as the antiseptic burned.

Lucy waited quietly, wondering why a stranger would go to this amount of trouble for her. As his head bent over her hand, she stared at the thick locks of his hair, a shade of brown so rich and dark that it appeared almost black.

"You're not in bad shape, considering," she heard him murmur.

"Are you talking about my hand or my breakup?"

"Breakup. Most women would be crying right now."

"I'm still in shock. The next stage is crying and sending angry text messages to everyone I know. After that is the stage when I'll want to rehash the relationship until all my friends start avoiding me." Lucy knew she was chattering, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. "In the final stage, I'll get a short haircut that doesn't flatter me, and buy a lot of expensive shoes I'll never wear."

"It's a lot simpler for guys," Sam said. "We just drink a lot of beer, go a few days without shaving, and buy an appliance."

"You mean . . . like a toaster?"

"No, something that makes noise. Like a leaf-blower or chainsaw. It's very healing."

That drew a brief, reluctant smile from her.


The excerpt is perfectly Kleypas. Witty, sweet and smart, she really does it all in this little tease of a chapter! I cannot wait until this book comes out. The first book, Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor was much too short. And I feel like Sam Nolan's book will be better than the first!


Rainshadow Road releases February 28, 2012

Purchase links: Rainshadow Road

Review: Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas

Lady Sophia's Lover (Bow Street Runners # 2)

by Lisa Kleypas

Historical Romance

Find it on Goodreads!

I read the first book in this series a while a go and it was one of the few Lisa Kleypas that I didn't fall in love with, which is why it took me so long to get started on this book, that and the cover where it looks like the woman is being strangled to death!!!! This was a mistake, I adored this book!

We met Sir Ross Cannon fairly briefly in previous book, Someone to Watch Over Me, and he seemed staid and slightly cold with his wintery grey eyes, that just goes to show you that it is always the quiet ones! As we see Sir Ross come out of his shell under the care of Sophia we find out that he is a passionate but lonely man, who has crushed all his human desires under his massive pile of work. Sophia was also a great heroine, originally she has come to Bow Street to try and destroy the man who she believes responsible for the death of her younger brother, Sir Ross Cannon, but as she gets to know the man she is finding it more difficult to carry put her plan of revenge.

Once again LK has managed to write a love story that is both sweet and caring but also hot as hell, you could feel the tension between the two characters from the first moment they laid eyes on eachother, and I thoroughly enjoyed Ross' wicked thoughts about Sophia when he first saw her across his desk.

There was also a small mystery, but I thought Sophia's "stalker" was fairly obvious but I don't mind that too much, honestly I was so enthralled watching Sophia and Ross together that it paled in comparison. But having said that, it has made me look forward to the next book very much.

Favourite Sir Ross Quote:

"I am not overbearing," Ross counteres evenly. "I merely happen to know what is best for everybody."

Review: Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas

Grant Morgan, London's most eligible bachelor, insists the temptingly beautiful woman he rescued from the Thames is the notorious Vivien Rose Duvall -- but she's not so sure. Now her life is in his hands, and he's determined to unravel the secrets of her past, no matter what.

She couldn't remember who she was...A temptingly beautiful woman awakens in a stranger's bed, rescued from the icy waters of the Thames, her memory gone. Told that she is Vivien Rose Duvall, one of London's most scandalous beauties, she finds herself under the protection of enigmatic, charming Grant Morgan. Her life is in his hands. Deep in her heart, she knows he has mistaken her for someone else...

He was the only man she could trust. As one of London's most eligible, and unattainable catches, Grant Morgan is a man who has known every kind of woman. And the one in his arms now seems so innocent, so vulnerable, that he can't help but be enchanted. And as his love for this mysterious beauty grows, he's determined to unravel the secrets of her past and discover the truth--no matter what. (Taken from GoodReads)

Normally I am a huge fan of Lisa Kleypas, I adore her Wallflower series and it has remained a favourite of mine since I first read it. However, this book has not lived up to my expectations. For some reason the characters seemed to lack that spark that makes Lisa Kleypas books so brilliant. Although I liked them I didn't fall in love with them.

The romance between the two characters was good, but I couldn't help getting frustrated with Grant's treatment of the heroine and I kept wondering when his supposedly amazing sleuthing skills were going to realize that perhaps there was something a bit more then amnesia going on. As for the heroine of the story, well it is always harder for me to like a heroine rather then a hero, and well she was okay kind of standard historical romance fare!

This all makes it seem like it was a bad book, but it wasn't, infact I am not sure if my high expectations of Lisa Kleypas had perhaps brought it down a feather but neither was it outstanding.

Review: Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor

There is a reason why Lisa Kleypas is a New York Times Bestseller. For those of you who read historical romances, I’m sure you are aware of Kleypas’s amazing Wallflowers and Hathaways series. Kleypas is simply the queen when it comes to historical romance. Her cunning wit and endearing characters jump out of the pages and settles in your heart where you find yourself scouring her backlist to get that feeling back!

I will admit, I was terrified to read her contemporary novels just because I didn’t think they would live up to her beloved historicals. Contemporary romance isn’t a genre that I read often and so there isn’t much for me to compare this to, but nevertheless, this book charmed me to my toes!

Mark Nolan lost his sister in a car crash and was thrust into the world of parenting without warning. Handling six-year-old Holly was the last thing on his to-do list. As if cooking and cleaning wasn’t enough, little Holly chose not to say a single word to anyone, scaring Mark to the point where he questioned if she would ever speak again.

Kleypas has a way of making me love all her characters. Mark was SUCH a great guy! He was charming and funny. He was persistent, but never overbearing. And even as his other relationship crumbled, he was still optimistic about that failed relationship, never regretting any of the events. Mark Nolan was just an all-around good guy, the kind that made this book so easy to love.

Maggie is such a sweetheart. Being a widow for two years has stripped some of her hope from her life. But there was still a spark inside her that Mark saw and the two of them had unbelievable chemistry! And although there’s not a lot of steamy sex in this one, their conversations are just as passionate. I especially loved the conversation about coffee. So unbelievably cute!

Then there is Mark’s younger brothers, Sam and Alex who need to have their own books! Sam had the best sense of humour and Alex was already showing some growth as a character.

Holly, of course, was the light of this book, overcoming a personal barrier that had nothing to do with her selective mutism. In the beginning, she asked Santa for a mother, one that wouldn’t replace Victoria. But another one that could guide her through life and I thought Maggie fit that role from their very first encounter with one another.

Christmas Eve at Friday Habor was a book that warmed my heart. I loved it, and if you’re wondering if Kleypas’s contemps are worth the read...THEY ARE! Everything that I loved about her historicals was in this book. It was perfect!