Thursday, August 30, 2018

Author TERESA MEDEIROS--fabulous, fantastical, magical romance--sure to stir your reader's imagination!


Yours Until Dawn



Gabriel Fairchild's valor during battle earns him the reputation of hero, but costs him both his sight and his hope for the future. Abandoned by the fiancĂ©e he adored, the man who once walked like a prince among London's elite secludes himself in his family's mansion, cursing his way through dark days and darker nights. 

Prim nurse Samantha Wickersham arrives at Fairchild Park to find her new charge behaving more like a beast than a man. Determined to do her duty, she engages the arrogant earl in a battle of both wit and wills. Although he claims she doesn't possess an ounce of womanly softness, she can feel his heart racing at her slightest touch. As Samantha begins to let the light back into Gabriel's life and his heart, they both discover that some secrets -- and some pleasures -- are best explored in the dark ...


After Midnight (Cabot, #1)



"Our sister is marrying a vampire."

When the ever practical Caroline Cabot first hears those words from the lips of her fanciful youngest sister, she accuses Portia of having a wild imagination.

But when she discovers their sister Vivienne is actually being courted by Adrian Kane, the mysterious viscount rumored to be a vampire, she decides to accept his invitation to a midnight supper and do some sleuthing of her own. To both her delight and her dismay, she soon finds herself falling under Kane's bewitching spell.

After all, what's a proper young lady to do when her sister's suitor arouses more than just her suspicions?


The Vampire Who Loved Me (Cabot, #2)

by

Julian Kane is back in town.

Once, as a girl of seventeen, beautiful, headstrong Portia Cabot saved the cursed life of the dashing vampire Julian Kane—who marked her forever, then left to go in search of his soul. He returns five years later to find the enchanting young girl he left behind grown into a bewitching woman with a woman's heart . . . and a woman's desires.

Portia quickly discovers that Julian's seductive and forbidden kiss can still make her crave the night . . . and his touch. But the Julian who has returned to London is not the vampire she remembers. His fruitless pursuit of his stolen mortality has reduced him to drunken debauchery. And a recent spate of murders makes Portia fear that the man she has always adored may truly be a monster.

Julian knows he must drive Portia away—but his passion and hunger for her grow more irresistible every time they touch. For years he has fought the temptation to embrace his dark gifts, never realizing that Portia's love may give him the most dangerous gift of all . . . a reason to live.



Charming the Prince



He never lost a battle until he met the one woman who might succeed in...Charming the Prince.

Dear Reader,

My enemies know me as Lord Bannor the Bold, Pride of the English and Terror of the French. Never in my life have I backed down from any challenge or betrayed so much as a hint of fear—until the war ended and I found myself a reluctant papa to a dozen unruly children.

Realizing that I couldn't lop their little heads off or throw them in the dungeon, I sent my steward out to find them a mother and me a bride—an attractive, meek, maternal creature too plain to tempt me to get her with child. You can imagine my horror when he returned with Lady Willow of Bedlington, a spirited beauty who made me think of nothing else!

With her cloud of dark curls and the sparkle of passion in her eyes, Willow was everything I'd sworn to resist. I never dreamed she would join forces with those mischievous imps of mine to teach this cynical warrior just how sweet surrender can be.

Bannor the Bold,
Lord of Elsino



The Bride and the Beast (Once Upon a Time, #2)



Dear Reader,

I'd been prowling the crumbling ruins of Castle Weyrcraig for so long that I could no longer remember if I was man or beast. Then one stormy night the superstitious Highlanders of Ballybliss decided to leave a helpless virgin bound to a stake in the castle courtyard to satisfy my insatiable appetites.

My demands might strike terror in the hearts of men, but this bold beauty dared to defy me. After she informed me that she didn't believe in dragons, I had no choice but to make her my prisoner--or risk being exposed to those I had sought to deceive with my dangerous masquerade.

Soon I found myself stealing into the moonlit tower just to watch her sleep. Little does she know that beneath this beast's gruff exterior beats the passionate heart of a man. Gwendolyn Wilder may not believe in dragons, but I intend to use all my sensual wiles to teach her to believe in something even more magical--true love.

Eternally yours,

The Dragon of Weyrcraig



A Kiss to Remember (Once Upon a Time, #3)

  by

AWAKENED BY A KISS

Laura Fairleigh needs a husband. If she is to keep a roof over her siblings' heads, the prim rector's daughter must wed by her twenty-first birthday. When she finds a mysterious stranger with the face of an angel and the body of Adonis unconscious in the forest and with no memory of his name or his past, she decides to claim him for her own. Little does she know that her fallen angel is really the devil in disguise.

Sterling Harlow, the notorious rakehell known as the "Devil of Devonbrooke," awakens to the enchanting kiss of a lovely young woman who informs him he is her long-lost betrothed. With her sun-kissed cheeks and smattering of freckles, she looks every inch the innocent, but her curves possess a woman's allure. When she assures him he is the perfect gentleman, he wonders if he's lost his wits as well as his memory. He would have sworn he was not a man to be satisfied with mere kisses--especially from lips as sweet and luscious as Laura's.As he attempts to uncover the truth before their wedding night, A Kiss To Remember ignites a passion neither of them will ever be able to forget....



One Night Of Scandal (Fairleigh Sisters, #2)



Proper decorum has never come easily to Carlotta Anne Fairleigh --- not even tonight, when the lovely, impetuous miss is finally making her debut. As she waits to make her entrance, she can't help wondering about the darkened house next door, the supposedly abandoned home of Hayden St. Clair, the man society has dubbed the "Murderous Marquess." Certainly one small peek through his window before the festivities would be harmless ...

And, naturally, this latest "adventure" ends in disaster, thoroughly compromising the budding debutante's reputation and leaving her suddenly, unthinkably ... betrothed! Soon she's en route to the wilds of Cornwall in the company of the handsome, mysterious marquess whose name the ton whisper with fear and loathing.

Yet there is something thrilling --- and surprisingly tender --- about her dark, unreachable groom, and the desire in his eyes is undeniable. But before Lottie will surrender to the yearnings in her heart, she must unlock the secrets of Hayden's past, no matter how scandalous --- or perilous --- they may be.



Teresa Medeiros

Teresa Medeiros

New York Times bestseller Teresa Medeiros wrote her first novel at the age of twenty-one and has since gone on to win the hearts of both readers and critics. All of her books have been national bestsellers, featured on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She currently has over 10 million books in print.

She is a seven-time Rita finalist, two-time PRISM winner, and two-time recipient of the Waldenbooks Award for bestselling fiction.

GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART was released in January 2011 and her latest historical THE PLEASURE OF YOUR KISS is coming from Pocket Books in December 2011. Teresa lives in Kentucky with her husband and her cats, Buffy the Mouse Slayer and Willow Tum-Tum.


 

" Move Heaven and Earth"--by Christina Dodd--a touching love story between a man and woman both scarred by the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Waterloo

Move Heaven and Earth


Miss Sylvan Miles dreaded the moment she'd see Lord Rand Malkin again. Once a dashing rogue, he'd returned from a battle a changed man. Sylvan, too, has suffered. Sharpened by scandal and tragedy, she vows to heal Rand's body and spirit.

But when Sylvan arrives at Clairmont Court, the man she encounters is far from the shattered ex-soldier she expects. Rand takes great pleasure in taunting her with stolen kisses and the legend of his ancestor's ghost. But Sylvan isn't fooled by his bravado and sets out to break down his defenses ... while she fortifies her own against temptation ...



MY REVIEW:   MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH is a touching love story between a man and woman both scarred by the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Waterloo. Sylvan Miles was revered by the injured men she tended. However, society looked upon nursing as not suitable for a lady, and Sylvan was a victim of malicious gossip. Rand Malkin was a veteran who came home confined to a wheelchair. His brother Garth recoginzed that Sylvan could help Rand overcome his physical injuries and regain his peace of mind. In return, Garth and his family would provide a safe haven for Sylvan. As time passes, family secrets are revealed, and a restless spirit haunts the ancestral home. Danger lurks in the form of an unknown enemy bent on destroying the Malkin empire. Sylvan and Rand are drawn together not only by love and desire, but also by the bond they share as survivors.


Christina Dodd 


Christina Dodd 


New York Times bestseller Christina Dodd writes "Edge-of-the-seat suspense." --(Iris Johansen) with "brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd." (ALA Booklist) Follow Christina on Amazon to receive notices about her upcoming and new releases, and join her mailing list at christinadodd.com for a barrage of bad jokes, treehouse updates, dog photos & book sales.

Christina's 57+ novels have been translated into more than twenty-five languages, won the prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards, and been called the year's best by Library Journal and Booklist. Much to her mother's delight, Dodd has been a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. And let us not forget the infamous three armed cover... You can find more information on her website, ChristinaDodd.com

" The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After"--As a young mother facing a terminal diagnosis, Julie Yip-Williams began to write her story, a story like no other

The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After


 
As a young mother facing a terminal diagnosis, Julie Yip-Williams began to write her story, a story like no other. What began as the chronicle of an imminent and early death became something much more--a powerful exhortation to the living.

That Julie Yip-Williams survived infancy was a miracle. Born blind in Vietnam, she narrowly escaped euthanasia at the hands of her grandmother, only to flee with her family the political upheaval of her country in the late 1970s. Loaded into a rickety boat with three hundred other refugees, Julie made it to Hong Kong and, ultimately, America, where a surgeon at UCLA gave her partial sight. She would go on to become a Harvard-educated lawyer, with a husband, a family, and a life she had once assumed would be impossible. Then, at age thirty-seven, with two little girls at home, Julie was diagnosed with terminal metastatic colon cancer, and a different journey began.

The Unwinding of the Miracle is the story of a vigorous life refracted through the prism of imminent death. When she was first diagnosed, Julie Yip-Williams sought clarity and guidance through the experience and, finding none, began to write her way through it--a chronicle that grew beyond her imagining. Motherhood, marriage, the immigrant experience, ambition, love, wanderlust, tennis, fortune-tellers, grief, reincarnation, jealousy, comfort, pain, the marvel of the body in full rebellion--this book is as sprawling and majestic as the life it records. It is inspiring and instructive, delightful and shattering. It is a book of indelible moments, seared deep--an incomparable guide to living vividly by facing hard truths consciously.

With humor, bracing honesty, and the cleansing power of well-deployed anger, Julie Yip-Williams set the stage for her lasting legacy and one final miracle: the story of her life.



Julie Yip-Williams


Image result for Julie Yip-Williams 

Julie Yip-Williams died in March 2018 of colon cancer. She was born in Tam-Ky, Vietnam, just as the war was ending, grew up in Monterey Park, California, and graduated from Williams College and Harvard Law School. At her death she was forty-two, and lived in Brooklyn with her husband, Josh, and their daughters, Mia and Isabelle.

https://julieyipwilliams.wordpress.com/

"BURNING BRIDGES"---by Anne Krist--Sara Richards' world is rocked when three love letters from 1970 are delivered decades late. Picking her way through the minefields of distrust and betrayal, Sara finds that putting her life together without burning any bridges will be the hardest thing she's ever done.


Burning Bridges

Burning Bridges by Anne Krist


Love letters delivered decades late send shock waves through Sara Richards' world. Nothing is the same, especially Sara's memories of Paul, a man to whom she'd given her heart years before.

Sara Richards' world is rocked when three love letters from 1970 are delivered decades late. The letters were written by Paul Steinert, a young sailor who took her innocence with whispered words of love and promises of forever before leaving for Vietnam. Sara is left behind, broken-hearted and pregnant, yearning for letters she never received. Now, years later, she discovers the betrayal wasn't Paul's when her mother confesses to a sin that changed their lives forever.

How can Sara reveal to Paul's parents they have a granddaughter they've missed the chance to know? Even worse, how will she find the words to tell her daughter that she's lived her life in the shadow of a lie?

Picking her way through the minefields of distrust and betrayal, Sara finds that putting her life together without burning any bridges will be the hardest thing she's ever done.   


MY REVIEW:   BURNING BRIDGES by Anne Krist is a powerful love story which reminds us that real love is imperfect and complex, but well worth having. Sara and Paul were young lovers kept apart by manipulation and self-doubt. Sara believes Paul was killed in Vietnam, and he never knew that she bore his child. Decades later, Sara receives recently discovered letters written by Paul from Vietnam. Her mother had blocked most of the letters they had written to each other. Her father had told her that Paul had been killed in the line of duty. Sara decides to visit Paul's parents to tell them that they have a grown daughter. When she reaches his family's farm, she finds Paul himself! Many deep emotional issues are faced before the love which Paul and Sara have always felt for each other burns old bridges and builds new ones into the future. 


Anne Krist

"Consider the role strangers play in your life. An unknown postman, for instance, who hides a bag of mail for decades. When I heard about this real-life event, I wondered how lives might change when those letters were delivered. Specifically, how they might affect two lovers. Add a war, a child, and a parent’s betrayal. I give you Burning Bridges." ~ Anne ~ 

"PRICELESS MEMORIES"--Television icon Bob Barker, beloved by millions for his charisma and charm, shares his life - both in front of the camera and behind the scenes

Priceless Memories

Television icon Bob Barker, beloved by millions for his charisma and charm, shares his life - both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

In front of the camera, he has been invited into the homes of millions of Americans as host of The Price Is Right, Truth or Consequences, Miss USA, Miss Universe, The Rose Parade, and many other programs and specials. Now Bob Barker shares stories of favorite contestants, episodes, celebrity encounters, and behind-the-scenes happenings.

Beyond his public persona, he will open up about his personal life. From being raised on a Native American reservation by a single mother through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, to training as a pilot in the Navy during World War II, through his romance with the love of his life and high school sweetheart, Dorothy Jo, and his success at retirement.

His support of animal rights has always been a central part of his life. Bob delves into stories of how he has taken on Hollywood and the government in his crusade, including his anti-fur stand-off with beauty pageants, his involvement in uncovering animal abuse in movies and television, and the legislation he helped to pass. He also shares personal stories of rescuing animals, from dogs to elephants.

For the innumerable fans who have welcomed Bob into their homes over the last fifty years, this book will be like catching up with a dear and familiar friend who continues to lead a full and endlessly interesting life.

"Bob's writing is just like his hosting--smooth and professional. I'm sure his many fans will be thoroughly entertained and delighted by these recollections of his life and his long and very successful career. I can only imagine what more he might have accomplished if only he could sing." (Alex Trebek, host, 'Jeopardy!')

"The readers of this book will be happy to find, as I was, that Bob Barker did more than host The Price Is Right for thirty-five years. A lot more, as it turns out. What a career! God bless you, Bob Barker. And I'll try not to wreck the car." (Drew Carey, host of 'The Price Is Right')

"From hanging pianos to flying elephants, Bob Barker's love of people and animals and his remarkable ability to play the game furnishes a book full of prizes for the reader. Priceless Memories provides a fascinating insight into his career during the heydey of television and his tenacious determination to alleviate the suffering of animals. The book is a conversation with Bob Barker, full of humorous anecdotes about himself and the millions of contestants, friends, fans, family, celebrities and animals who have made his life a compelling story." (Pat Derby, founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)) 
Image result for Bob Barker


Bob Barker is best known as the epitome of game show hosts, having recently retired after 50 years on television, and 35 years of hosting The Price Is Right--the longest running game show in TV history. Born in Darrington, WA on December 12, 1923, he currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

 “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

"Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast"--From Newbery Medal–winning author Robin McKinley, this beloved story illuminates an unlikely love story—Beauty and the Beast

Beauty

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast

by Robin McKinley

From Newbery Medal–winning author Robin McKinley, this beloved story illuminates an unlikely love story—Beauty and the Beast.

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in appearance, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When her father comes home with a tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must travel to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father insists that he will not let her go, but she responds, “Cannot a Beast be tamed?”

Newbery Medalist Robin McKinley’s beloved and acclaimed novel has been delighting readers for more than forty years. ALA Booklist called Beauty “A captivating novel.”

“A reader feels as though it’s all unfolding for the very first time.”—The Guardian

An ALA Notable Book for Children

A Best Book for Young Adults


  
Robin McKinley


Robin McKinley 

Born in her mother's hometown of Warren, Ohio, Robin McKinley grew up an only child with a father in the United States Navy. She moved around frequently as a child and read copiously; she credits this background with the inspiration for her stories.

Her passion for reading was one of the most constant things in her childhood, so she began to remember events, places, and time periods by what books she read where. For example, she read Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book for the first time in California; The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in New York; The Lord of the Rings for the first time in Japan; The Once and Future King for the first time in Maine. She still uses books to keep track of her life.

McKinley attended Gould Academy, a preparatory school in Bethel, Maine, and Dickinson College in 1970-1972. In 1975, she was graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College. In 1978, her first novel, Beauty, was accepted by the first publisher she sent it to, and she began her writing career, at age 26. At the time she was living in Brunswick, Maine. Since then she has lived in Boston, on a horse farm in Eastern Massachusetts, in New York City, in Blue Hill, Maine, and now in Hampshire, England, with her husband Peter Dickinson (also a writer, and with whom she co-wrote Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits in 2001) and two lurchers (crossbred sighthounds).

Over the years she has worked as an editor and transcriber (1972-73), research assistant (1976-77), bookstore clerk (1978), teacher and counselor (1978-79), editorial assistant (1979-81), barn manager (1981-82), free-lance editor (1982-85), and full-time writer. Other than writing and reading books, she divides her time mainly between walking her "hellhounds," gardening, cooking, playing the piano, homeopathy, change ringing, and keeping her blog.
 

  

"THE STERLING TRILOGY"--The incomparable USA Today bestseller Samantha James cordially invites you to Regency England for a Sterling affair!


A Perfect Bride (Sterling Trilogy, #1) 



Perfectly marvelous...
 
Devon St. James must surely be dreaming! She closes her eyes in London’s poorest slum, and awakens wrapped in fine linens…staring into the eyes of the most gorgeous man she has ever seen! Sebastian Sterling, Marquess of Thurston, is clearly shocked to have a girl from the streets in his bed, though the heat of the desire burning in his gaze is unmistakable. But if he believes Devon will easily submit, he is quite mistaken!

What the devil has he done?

 
It’s bad enough their family is already mired in scandal, now Sebastian has to deal with the exquisite young beauty in rags he had impetuously carried into his home! Worse still, the lady is driving the serious, responsible marquess to distraction with her fiery spirit and breathtaking sensuality. But perhaps, just perhaps, with some of Sebastian’s private schooling, this low-born enchantress can learn refinement and manners – and be miraculously transformed from merely his passionate obsession into… A Perfect Bride




A Perfect Groom (Sterling trilogy, #2) 
 
 

Perfection is in the eye of the beholder…

Proud of his reputation as a rogue, Justin Sterling intends to be the first to bed “the Unattainable”--the Season’s most luscious debutante--and win the wager that’s the talk of the ton. However, he never expected the enchantress in question to be Arabella Templeton, who once stole his heart and owns it still. Now the notorious scoundrel will have to prove to her that his intentions are honorable…while protecting her virtue from every other rascal in London.

Arabella will marry only for love--and she does not need her childhood nemesis to act as her self-appointed guardian! Though the arrogant cad seems sincere, she is well aware of his rakehell history and won’t be swayed by his considerable charm and disarming good looks. For it would be pure madness for Arabella to ignore the voice of reason that whispers “beware!” and heed instead a traitorous heart that insists Justin Sterling would make…




A Perfect Hero (Sterling trilogy, #3) 

A Perfect Hero (Sterling trilogy, #3) 

Can a perfect scoundrel be the perfect hero?

Since she was cruelly left at the altar at the age of twenty-two, Lady Julianna Sterling has resolved to have nothing to do with men. So she is shocked to discover she has unwelcome feelings for the very worst of the breed - a dangerous, unbearably handsome highwayman who has set upon her coach in the countryside and taken her captive. Worse still, her righteous ire turns quickly to disappointment when the irresistible outlaw sets her free.

Viscount Dane Graville knows he should not have revealed his face to the enchanting Lady Julianna - for he has compromised the secret mission he has undertaken for the Crown in the guise of the notorious Magpie. Now their paths are crossing once more, and Dane aches to taste again the sweetness of her kiss. But he must resist what his heart demands, for their passion can only lead to perils beyond imagining.
 


   
Samantha James

Samantha James 

Growing up in Joliet, Illinois, Samantha James had many childhood aspirations--being a writer was never one of them. When she was ten, she was certain she was destined to be an astronomer. That soon changed (happened a lot during those pre-teen years!) when she decided archaeology was in her future. Detective work was her next goal, thanks to the Trixie Belden mysteries she was reading, and before long, nursing beckoned (courtesy of the Cherry Ames series). In college, she set her sights on teaching history, then briefly entertained the notion of becoming a flight attendant, only to discover she did not like to fly.

Having been raised in a family of avid readers, she was rarely without a book in hand. Her tastes were rather eclectic. She got hooked on the Doc Savage series and Edgar Rice Burroughs after her older brother finished them, in her teen years, moved on to Agatha Christie, Daphne DuMaurier, and Phyllis A. Whitney.

In the meantime, the right guy came along. They met on a semi-blind date at an office Christmas party. She was told he wanted to go out with her, and he was told she wanted to go out with him. Six months later, the U.S. Army shipped him off to Germany--and she wrote faithfully at least three times a week--she often jokes this was the start of her writing career!

Marriage followed, as well as three daughters. Samantha left the detective work to her husband and turned her attention to raising their girls. When her youngest was six months old, two things happened: 1) she read Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain and scrambled to find every historical romance she could lay her hands on; 2) her older brother revealed he was writing and submitting his short stories to big-name magazines. As he put it, "I've been rejected by the best of 'em."

The seed was planted. Rejection was a dreaded word, but Samantha figured, "Well, if he can take it, so can I."

That summer, she wrote not one book, but three--longhand, in a notebook, during naptime. Bedtime. Any time she could. The burning desire to write was a long time in coming--she was nearing thirty by then--but she discovered that once she set pen to paper, she couldn't stop.

Those three manuscripts did get the dreaded rejection letter (they're still languishing somewhere in her attic), but she finally hit pay dirt with her fourth. Samantha's brother promptly proposed collaborating on a fantasy together--alas, still unwritten... Nowadays, she's firmly convinced she's the queen of rejected titles for her books. She's only managed to retain two original titles thus far, but writing is indeed a dream come true...

To date, her books have been published in numerous foreign countries (her daughters' number one choice for show-and-tell were always the foreign editions of Mom's books). Known for her heartfelt, emotionally charged "three-hanky reads", her books have been nominated for numerous awards, and have consistently hit the bestseller lists.

Maybe someday she'll do that fantasy-romance collaboration with her brother. For now, she's having a great time spinning dramatic, passionate tales of old...