Twelve Wicked Nights by

Nadia Aidan

Standalone

Genre: Erotic Romance

Releasedate: 2 November 2010
Publisher: NAL Trade

ISBN-10: 0451231317

ISBN-13: 978-0451231314

Website: Nadia Aidan

Blurb:

This season, the only gift attorney Isabella Andreu wants to unwrap is Navy SEAL Justin Rourke. And boy, is she about to get her wish.

 Twelve Wicked Nights begins when a blizzard traps Isabella in the home of her sexy childhood friend…and a steamy game of strip Scrabble lays bare some long-suppressed desires. Justin, it seems, has talents beyond killing. Hot, sensual talents. But when a phone call lets them know that they only have 12 days before his next mission, things get even more interesting. Determined to make the most of their time together, they draw up a list of fantasies so naughty, it pushes all their buttons and leads to something wholly unexpected….

When Harry Met Molly by
Kieran Kramer
Impossible Bachelors Series
Book 1 of 4

Genre: Historical Romance

Releasedate: 2 November 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

ISBN-10: 0312611641
ISBN-13: 978-0312611644

Website: Kieran Kramer

Blurb:

He’s always been a player.
Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he’s named by the Prince Regent as one of society’s “Impossible Bachelors,” Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: The bachelor whose mistress wins the title of “Most Delectable Companion” gets to remain unmarried. Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status…until his latest lightskirt abandons him.

Who will win this game of love?
Lady Molly Fairbanks. Harry’s childhood friend—actually, “foe” is more like it—is the most unlikely companion of all. She’s attractive but hot-headed, and in no mood for games. Besides, what could the self-indulgent Harry possibly know about what makes a woman delectable? It’s time for Molly to teach him a lesson once and for all…but will it lead to “happily ever after?”

The Pursuit of Pleasure by
Elizabeth Essex

Genre: Historical Romance

Releasedate: 30 November 2010
Publisher: Kensington Publishing

ISBN-13: 9780758251541
ISBN: 0758251548

Blurb:

“I do say I’ll never marry, but I have always wanted to be a widow.”

Marriage is Lizzie’s only hope of escaping her overbearing father. The problem is, it would only place her under the thumb of another man. Widowhood—or a marriage without the man—would be ideal.

When Naval Captain James Marlowe overhears Lizzie’s declaration, he pounces, offering to wed her before he sets sail for an uncertain future. For Lizzie, it’s the perfect solution, but as Elizabeth Essex’s The Pursuit of Pleasure unfolds, their marriage of convenience soon proves more complicated than she imagined. There’s more to Marlowe’s offer than meets the eye. And the intense desires he awakens in her notwithstanding, can she truly trust the man she married?

Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here by
Christine Warren
Book 10
Novels of the Others Series

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Releasedate: 2 November 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

ISBN-10: 0312947941
ISBN-13: 978-0312947941

Website: Christine Warren
 
Blurb:

Danice Carter wakes up naked and confused. She can't figure out how she got into bed with a man she's never met, because there is no way she would forget meeting McIntyre Callahan. The man is everything she's ever fantasized about, a mind-bendingly mouth-watering hunk...who is just as puzzled about what's going on as she is.

When they discover the explanation involves a fugitive from Faerie, some very tricky magic, and a theoretical hotel room, things start to get a little weird. Good thing the attraction between Danice and Mac makes all the sense in the world.

Paperback: 187 pages

Stand-alone (it is the second story in the book)

Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Mills & Boons

ISBN: 978 0 263 88834 8

Release date: October 2010

Main characters : Wyatt Black & Elli Marchuk

Paperback copy received for review

Purchase at: The Book Depository Store

Summary:

The cowboy…

After a hard day’s ranching, Wyatt Black wants to kick back with a cold beer. But when he steps onto his porch he has unexpected company – his tiny abandoned baby niece!

His doorstep baby…

Against her better judgment, his neighbour Elli Marchuk agrees to help Wyatt for a few days.

And the girl next door!

Elli soon falls in love with baby Darcy, but it’s her grouchy, gorgeous protector who’s got her head over heels….

My review:

Wyatt Black has no clue what to do when he finds his baby niece Darcy abandoned on his porch. He is a rancher and knows nothing about babies. Fortunately his neighbor Elli Marchuk is willing to help him with baby Darcy till he has figured out what is going on here. Wyatt and Elli fall in love with baby Darcy and she is their number one priority till Darcy’s mum returns. They feel attracted to one another but both carry a lot of emotional luggage and this stands between them.

To be honest, I had low expectations when I started this story. Why? Because it is only 187 pages long or perhaps better said short. Me and short stories are usually not a good combination, I almost always miss a certain depth in the characters or plotline and it usually feels rushed. But Donna Alward pleasantly surprised me with Proud Rancher, Precious Bundle. It is a beautiful, even-paced, emotional and solid read about two people who try to heal themselves and leave their past behind.

The story works for me because it is not rushed. The whole story takes place in approximately 2 – 3 weeks; it is even-paced and only deals with the relationship of Wyatt and Elli. So no complex plotlines or lots of characters, just a classic love story between two people. Because the storyline is pretty straightforward the strength of this story lies in the character development of Elli and Wyatt. Both are strong, likeable and totally caught in the maelstrom of emotions that baby Darcy brings along.

Wyatt is a rancher, handsome, strong, and a bit blunt sometimes but also gentle, caring and responsible. He had a lousy childhood; his father drank and beat him and he took care of his mom instead of the other way around. To compensate his father’s absence and lack of responsibility he always felt the need to fix things or people and still does. He tries very hard not to be like his father, but his parents’ marriage has scarred him. Having Darcy in the house makes him realize he is nothing like his father and that he is worthy of a family.

Elli is a strong and caring woman who lost her baby; on top of that she has lost her job and got divorced. Now she tries to pick up the pieces of her life and tries to figure out what to do with it. The last thing she needs is to fall head over heels again for a rancher and take care of a baby. But taking care of Darcy is forcing her to face her grief and start living again instead of hiding from the world. And while spending time with Darcy and Wyatt she discovers what she really wants out of a relationship.

I was really rooting for Elli and Wyatt, I so wanted them to be happy and have their HEA. Thanks to Darcy they both had to scrutinize their lives, they helped each other to fathom things about themselves so that they can move on with their life. At the end of the story both have a better understanding of themselves, making them well-rounded characters. Elli and Wyatt’s conversations are vivid and some were very recognizable, making the story only more real. Do not expect steamy love scenes, there aren’t any and I did not miss them. This story does not need it for it is packed with real-life emotions.

With this story I now have Donna Alward on my radar. Proud Rancher, Precious Bundle is a powerful, emotional and classic love story. It kept me captive and rooting for Elli and Wyatt to the last page. It is feel-good romance at its best and I loved it!




 
 

Today my ROOB Radar post is a collection of ebooks and print books coming this November, which are on my buy/wish-list.

UNDENIABLY YOURS by Shannon Stacey
Release: 2010, November 1 (ebook)
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kowalski Family, book 2
Website


Summary:
One-night stand + two percent condom failure rate = happily ever after?

Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him, but lately he’s more interested in finding a woman to settle down with. A woman like Beth Hansen. If only their first meeting hadn’t gone so badly…

Beth’s tending bar at a wedding when she comes face to face with a tuxedo-clad man she never thought she’d see again. She tries to keep her distance from Kevin but, by last call, she can’t say no to his too-blue eyes or the invitation back to his room. Then she slips out before breakfast without leaving a note and, despite their precautions, pregnant.

Kevin quickly warms to the idea of being a dad and to seeing where things go with Beth. After all, he’s not the player she thinks he is. But she’s not ready for a relationship and, given his reputation, it’s going to take a lot to convince her to go on a second date with the father of her child…

BREATHE by Donna Alward
Release: 2010, November 2 (ebook)
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Stand Alone
Website

Summary:
The first time they broke each others’ hearts. Now they have a second chance…

Doing what was expected didn’t get Anna Morelli anything but a bad marriage. Now that her life has fallen apart there’s only one place she can think of to regroup and figure out what comes next. Two Willows, the winery owned by the only man she could ever rely on. Her oldest friend. And her worst mistake.

Growing up as the poor boy didn’t stop Jace Willow from falling for Anna one hot, sultry summer. Back then, his best efforts to prove himself worthy of the Morelli standard fell just short. While it killed him to see her marry someone else, he made beating the Morellis at their own game his life’s work. And he’s excelled at it.

When Anna shows up on his doorstep, their painful history pales in the face of her need for a roof over her children’s heads—and some peace. The heat of their renewed passion is healing, but it burns away layers of hard-won emotional distance, reopening old wounds. Threatening their one last chance to rebuild their love on the shattered pieces of their broken hearts…

LIPSTICK ON HIS COLLAR by Inez Kelley
Release: 2010, November 23 (ebook)
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Stand Alone
Website


Summary:
He never thought his next wildfire would be wearing a red dress.

“Make me your goddess and I’ll take you to heaven.”

This sultry promise sparks a scorching, unforgettable one-night stand. The next morning Bram Winters awakes with a hickey and a head full of wicked memories—alone. His nameless goddess is gone without a trace, along with his shirt. And his heart.

Five months later, he stumbles across his mystery lady in a Laundromat, but she still won’t give up her name. Worse, she begs him to leave, no questions asked. Once he catches the spark of terror in her eyes, though, his firefighter training takes over—and he digs in for the duration.

Lady never wanted Bram to see her life’s ugly underside, but it’s too late—his socks are already in the washer. He was supposed to be her declaration of independence from her unstable ex, a bittersweet memory to carry into her new life.

Except the ex continues to stalks her. And Bram’s reappearance sends her emotions and desires tumbling over the edge. As the minutes wear on, sexual tension rises faster than the steam from a hot water wash.

And Lady’s ex watches from the shadows, growing more furious by the minute…

Warning: Scorching sex, icy scissor play and an anonymous woman taking a wet slide down one hot ex-fireman’s pole. Beware of hot flashes and spontaneous combustion. Correct change not required.

PROMISES IN THE DARK by Stephanie Tyler
Release: 2010, November 23 (print)
Publisher: Dell Books
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Shadow Forces, book 2
Website


Summary:
On the run, in each other’s arms, with one last chance to survive.
A rugged Navy SEAL, Zane Scott was part of a failed mission to rescue Dr. Olivia Strohm from abduction by the terrorist group Dead Man’s Hand (DMH)—and her anguished screams have haunted him ever since. So when he gets word that the beautiful physician has escaped from her captors in Africa, he’s got personal reasons to storm the continent and save her.

Like her would-be liberator, Olivia carries the burden of a dark secret from her past. Ruthless and relentless, the DMH has threatened to hunt her down – and to systematically hurt anyone she’s close to. The last thing she wants is to be rescued—even by someone as shockingly handsome as Zane. Yet the hot-headed special ops hero has come for her, and together she and Zane just might have a shot at not only stopping DMH’s reign of terror, but also saving what’s left of their souls.

CAPTIVE SPIRIT by Anna Windsor
Release: 2010, November 23
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Dark Crescent Sisterhood, book 4
(pre-)Order here (Anna Windsor's website is not functioning so I don't have a link to her website)


Summary:
The night holds endless pleasures . . . and hides nameless terrors.

Bela Argos has suffered too many losses to count, and she's determined to keep her new fighting group safe. Manhattan is under siege by a new and deadly pride of demons, and she'll do whatever it takes to defeat the evil band of murderers and protect her new family--even kill the sexy, wounded police officer she's hiding in her basement.

Duncan Sharp never believed in the supernatural. A war veteran with many years of service in the NYPD, he prefers to solve his problems with badge, cuffs, and bullets. When he wakes to find himself hostage to a gorgeous bunch of women in leather--women who command earth, air, fire, and water--he doesn't know what to think, and when Bela's around, thinking is damned hard, anyway. Never mind the supernatural infection threatening to end his life and turn him into a creature he can't begin to imagine.

The demons are coming, and they're coming for Bela and Duncan. To save each other and everything they value, they just might have to sacrifice everything.

NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL by Susan Donovan
Release: 2010, November 30
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance
San Francisco Dog-Walking Group, book 3
Website


Summary:
Roxanne Bloom is through with love. Fresh on the heels of a bad break-up, she’s decided to devote all her time to her man-slamming website—and her man-hating dog, Lilith. But this pit-bull-Boxer is so good at unleashing her fury (and her owner’s) that the male victims keep piling up…and now it’s time to get some sensitivity training. Enter Eli Gallagher, one of the best—and hottest—canine experts in town.

The more Eli gets to know Roxie, the more he senses that she’s been hurt by men in the past—just like her dog. With a little gentle prodding, and a whole lot of patience, Eli hopes to gain Roxie’s trust and soothe her broken heart. Eli can see that Roxie’s bark is way worse than her bite. But she’s not putting her guard down just yet—even if she is falling deeply, madly, doggedly in love with him...