Scarlet Lady: A Loveswept Contemporary Classic Romance by Sandra Chastain | 9780307817310 | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble

A Loveswept Contemporary Classic Romance

I spent this weekend reading  Sandra Chastain's novel "The Scarlet Lady".  This was a great story about Katie Carithers, a sister who is the only one who doesn't see her brothers addiction in determination to protect her after their parents' death. After her brother looses the family home on another gambling spree, Katie, a homely accountant, decides to dress up in a sexy distracting outfit and fleece the gambler whom she believes fleeced her "innocent" brother, in order to get their home back.  She didn't plan on the instant attraction to the gambler everyone calls "Montana" who is  the owner of the river boat casino called the "The Scarlet Lady". The attraction  gets so hot, she gives up on the game even though she is winning, only to meet him again later.

Overall this was a fun novel.  Chastain gets a thumbs up for this one.  At 240 pages long, it wasn't too long, and it was  a good story that wasn't too cliché.  It had a few surprises in it toward the end to keep it interesting and a really hot romance to keep it going.  While Katie does seem a bit naïve when she gives all the money she earns back to her brother to pay off his debts (I wanted to strangle her), she still was a great character and I found myself sympathizing with her. 

Overall Rating:

Story:  3 out of 5 stars 
Heat index:   2 of 5 stars. 

About the Author:

Sandra Chastain has published twenty-five novels under the Loveswept imprint. Not only is she the author of more than forty books, she is also one of the co-founders of BelleBooks, along with many other well-known authors. Over the years her work has received many accolades, including the Maggie Award for writing excellence.

You can purchase the paperback or Nook ebook at Barnes & Noble or get the paperback edition or  Kindle edition at Amazon .



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New Release: "Twisted"- Book 5 of the Dark Proctor's Series by Rebecca Zanetti

Release Date: June 20, 2013

Heat Index *** (3 of 5 Stars)

Overall Rating: **** (4 of 5 Starts)

Rebecca Zanetti does it again.  You can always count on her for a great story told in such smooth style and detail that you just don't want to put it down until it's done.  Again I found myself wishing that the story was longer.  Zanetti revisited the secret world of modern para-normals who are fighting against the Kurjans (an evil vampire group).  A decade after being kidnapped by the Kurjans  who experimented on her and being rescued by the Vampires  she has yet to regain her memory.  So when the King sends her to investigate problems in the Raze Pack of wolf-shifters she hopes to find connection to who she was in the past.  She finds Terrent Vilks, a wolf-shifter and deadly assassin she is very attracted to.  But she is not convinced when he declares that he is her mate.  This story was full of sparks and shows Zanetti's lighter and more humorous side. Maggie is an awkward deadly killer who suffers from panic attacks and runs away when she gets stressed.  While this seems like two extremes for one character, Maggie always finds the courage  and the skills she inherently possess inside when she needs it in a fight.

 This is a fun, quick read for all types of romance story lovers. Zanetti has become one of my favorite  writers, she never let's you down,  her stories have something for everyone.  No matter what type  of romance you prefer you won't want to miss a single one of her books.

Bedtime Reading That Won't Put You To Sleep!

Private Places        

by Robin Schone (Author) , Claudia Dain (Author) , Allyson James (Author) , Shiloh Walker (Author) 

                   

This book was a great was a collection of risqué erotic romance stories that are simply great reads that make awesome night stand stories.  I really enjoyed all of the stories (something that I cannot always say).  In Claudia Dain heats up this collection with the story of two voyeuristic young courtesans who boldly orchestrate a seduction in a public theater. Allyson James tells of a card-playing widower who rescues a former sweetheart (a desperate young widow) from  loosing a card game where she is  the prize only to learn that passion is the ultimate wild card. And finally, Shiloh Walker introduces a short story of a woman saved by a hot shape shifter, and how she repays him.  With four steaming short stories, by talented authors, this is nightstand reading that won't put you to sleep.

Read more about each author by clicking on their names.  You can  read a preview and purchase this  book at Amazon or at Barnes & Noble.

"The Officer and The Secret (Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful.)" - Southern Charm and Chivalry Make An Irresitable Read.

For those of you who think chivalry is dead, The Officer and the Secret by Janette Murray is a must read.  This was a fun, refreshing and simply well written book.  If you are looking for a hot and steamy love scenes, this story had a few, but the rest of the book was just a great story line with great writing skills.  This was my first time reading Murray's work, but I assure you that it will not be my last. 

The Officer and the Secret ( Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful.) is the story of a Captain Dwayne Roberts, a soldier who has come home and is struggling to assimilate back into civilian life, and finds the one person who made his life more calm is Veronica Gibson,  a small mousy,  homely but beautiful cousin of a close friend who wrote to him during a difficult deployment.   He finds her simple manner and beauty a refreshing change from the deceptive women he has dated in the past.  he knows that Veronica is very shy, but doesn't realize the extent of the secrets she is keeping.  They find themselves attracted to each other because of the very things that make hem both an oddity.  With stories of dominant Alfa males being the current romance trend, it was really refreshing to read about a dominant guy with real life issues and questions about himself, love and his future, and how to make sure that Veronica is a part of it all.
Murray is definitely on my "A" list.  She is one of those authors that every romance readers should follow.  Like a good home-cooked meal, her stories are simple pleasures to experience. She can really make an plot come alive.   I was eager to know what would come next as I turned each page.  Before I knew it, I was at the end of the book and still looking for more.  I can't wait to read the next soldiers story.  Readers won't want to miss even one book of this series.  This is a must read!

You purchase this book at Amazon,  or B & N Barnes & Noble, for a reasonable price of $6.99 for the paperback.  You can also find more books from the series at these links.   For more information about Jeanette Murray head over to her website at www.jeanettemurray.com, or  follow her on Twitter at @KJMurrayBooks, or find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/jeanettemurraybooks.  Jeanette also writes contemporary romance under the name Kat Murray.