The Sunday Salon 7-11-2009 (winners announced)

This is my first Sunday Salon post. Mainly because I didn't really know if I would have something to say every week - or, more honestly, that I would have something to say that anyone would care to read! But this week, I had the opportunity to attend two different author visits at my library! It was the first time that I had gone to see an author and I had so much fun!!! Ok, so let me tell you about them.

On Friday, I went to see Eloisa James. She writes historical romances for Harper Collins. I believe she said that she has written 18 books. This is a genre that I have just recently started reading. I must admit, there are some that I like, and some that I do not like. I like the historicals that are written in modern language, if that makes any sense. I have started her Duchess Quartet series - which begins with Duchess in Love and am liking it tremendously. About a week before her visit I also won a book off of her website - how coincidental was that! When I connected the two, I emailed her assistant Kim and told her how excited I was, as I had signed up to see her and that I had never been to see/hear an author before. Well, Kim told me about a luncheon they were having before the visit and so I got to have lunch with her and about 10 other fans as well.

It was very interesting to hear how Ms. James gets her ideas for books. She says that she will find little facts in history and then just start asking how and why these things might affect the people of that time period. Her book When the Duke Returns was actually brought about by toilets (water closets) and the problems that might have happened if they had not been plumbed properly, etc, etc. I bought this book as I had to see how this made for a romance!

When Ms. James is not writing she is an associate professor at Fordham University in New York City. She is currently on "leave" and will be writing an academic book for the university as well as working on her next novel. She has a fantastic webpage that is full of all sorts of goodies like her books and which ones are connected, all the different places you can find Eloisa on line and in person, and Eloisa's Easter Eggs - which will tell you different little facts about the books or pictures relating to the books, etc. So visit Eloisa today at www.eloisajames.com!

I will be hosting a giveaway for her New York Times bestseller - This Duchess of Mine which I had autographed for one of my lucky readers. That will be later this week so be sure to watch for it! She also has a new book coming out later this month - A Duke of Her Own.

Then, on Saturday, I got to meet Brad Thor, also a New York Times bestselling author - this time of thrillers, or I would call them political thrillers. Even though he was up for the Thriller of the Year award last night at Thriller Fest in NYC - he opted to come to our little ole library to continue his tour for his latest book - The Apostle. (The award went to Jeffrey Deaver for The Bodies Left Behind).

He was a great speaker and we got to hear about what pushed/enabled him to write his first novel, The Lions of Lucerne. His wife had asked him one evening (as they were drinking wine in Italy no less) that if he were on his deathbed, would there be any one thing that he would regret. He said he would regret never writing and publishing a novel. She told him then, that when they returned home, he needed to take 2 hours of time - everyday - and get busy, and she would do whatever it took to enable him to do that. (Behind every good man is a good woman you know!) And that is how The Lions of Lucerne was born. Since then he has written seven more novels.

He also entertained us with stories about his research for his last novel, The Apostle. He actually spent time with a Black Ops group in Afghanistan to learn how they would go about "recovering" someone who might be kidnapped. After he left Afghanistan, NYTimes reporter David Rohde was kidnapped by the Taliban, and the Black OPS group that he traveled with were the ones sent in to try to find him. (Mr Rohde has since escaped the Taliban last month after 7 months in captivity and is apparently in good health.) Mr. Thor said that was probably his scariest research he has ever done for a book. He also has a fun website full of pictures and information about his books - www.bradthor.com. I forgot my camera for this one - but the photographer for the library was nice enough to take our picture and will be emailing it later this week - so I will share it at that time.

I picked up a copy of his last book - The Last Patriot - and had it signed to giveaway to one of my readers. That giveaway will also happen later this week! Wasn't it an exciting weekend?

As for my other reading - I am getting behind in writing reviews. I need to write a review for Critical Care by Candace Calvert and A Promise for Breanna by Al Lacy. I am currently reading One Scream Away by Kate Brady which I will be doing a partial review on later today - as it is on a blog tour right now and today is my day to post! (It is a terrific book btw).

Coming up this week I will be reading - Last Light Over Carolina by Mary Alice Monroe, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown - which I will be discussing with a group of bloggers at Bookworm With a View on Tuesday. I will also be dipping into Refuge: A True Story of Faith and Civil War by John and Bessie Gonleh for a First Wild Card Tour and The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock.

In addition to the two giveaways mentioned above, other new ones starting are Tamed by a Laird by Amanda Scott, Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer and The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock. Three giveaways are ending soon, so if you haven't signed up for Hint of Wicked, How to Score, or One Scream Away - you still have a few days left.

Since I am talking about giveaways - this would probably be a good time to tell you the winners of Knight of Desire which ended on Friday! They are:

1. Jenny,
2. kitten22,
3. nightdweller20, already won - new winner - nfmgirl
   
4. Belinda M
   
5. ibeeeg.

The winners have been notified and have until Wednesday morning to get back in touch with me.
It was nice visiting with you all and hope to see you in the salon again really soon!

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory (Book Review)

Title: Knight of Desire (#1 All the King's Men)
Author: Margaret Mallory
Publisher: Forever

First sentence: The creak of the stable door woke him. (uncorrected proof edition)

My summary: As a young girl of 16, Catherine was to be married to a man she did not trust. But being the only heir to a castle, she had to follow the wishes of her father and her King. On the eve of her marriage, she heads out for one last ride of freedom. This ride is almost thwarted by a knight she awakens in the stable. The knight finally agrees to accompany her on her ride to keep her safe. They part with a kiss, Catherine vowing to remember the night when she needs a happy memory. The knight, unable to forget the girl, dreamed of her often.

Five years later we meet up with Catherine as she waits to hear if her husband, Lord Rayburn - the traitor, has been captured or killed. After withstanding many years of his brutal lovemaking and abuse, she had begun to send messages to her childhood friend, Prince Harry, of her husband's traitorous ways. His death means her survival. She is relieved when she finds out it is finally over, but her relief is short-lived. A traitor's family must also be punished to send a message to others - but the King has given her a choice. Marry William FitzAllen, who has been given the castle and the lands - or be sent to the Tower. William had proven his loyalty to the King many times and it was he that led the men who captured Lord Rayburn.

One look at Catherine and William realizes it is the young girl he met in the stables on the eve of her wedding. As it had been a dark night, and he had worn his hair longer and sported a beard, Lady Catherine does not recognize him. She agrees to marry, only to keep herself alive for her young son Jaime. They are married that very day.

William is a very gentle and caring knight. He gives Catherine many days to feel comfortable with him before she has to share his bed. Eventually she submits, but she is still tense and unreachable in bed. William doesn't understand as they appear to be growing closer during the day. He is even growing close to Jaime. Unfortunately, Lady Catherine has had her heart so bruised, she cannot see past her relationship with the late Rayburn. Will William be able to ever win her heart?

Catherine does come to love him, but fears her husband still does not trust her on things that matter the most. William does have doubts about Catherine's loyalty - all stemming back to her deceiving her first husband and eventually leading to his downfall. Their love and trust is tested when she is kidnapped by the Tudors and forced to travel all over Wales to avoid rescue. Will their relationship be able to stand this trial and separation?

My thoughts: What a good book! Sometimes historical fiction loses me when it tries to capture the "language" of the time period. I find those books hard to follow and they generally lose my interest. This book was hard for me to put down! The story of their love is very romantic - and of course William possesses many of the qualities we look for today - patience, gentleness, loyalty - though he does have his faults too! His bumbling when it came time to show Catherine how he felt, and his awkward way with words at times got him into hot water quite a bit! But I imagine many husbands have those some problems these days! For a book set in the 1400s, they had a very modern relationship. It was nice to read a romance that portrayed a strong, courageous woman, who didn't need the man to save her! If you are a fan of this genre - you must add this book to your TBRs!


About the author: MARGARET MALLORY recently surprised her friends and family by abandoning her legal career-and her steady job-to write tales of romance and adventure. At long last, she can satisfy her passion for justice by punishing the bad and rewarding the worthy-in the pages of her novels, of course. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two college-age children. KNIGHT OF DESIRE is her first book so she would dearly love to hear from readers.

I am currently have a giveaway for Knight of Desire.

Knight of Desire
Publisher/Publication Date: Forever, Grand Central Publishing, July 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-55339-1
356 pages

Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Don't forget to visit these blogs for more about this great book:
Readaholic- June 29 giveaway.
This Book for Free- June 29 giveaway
Must Read Faster - June 29 review and giveaway.
Yankee Romance Reviewers - June 29 to July 10 review and giveaway
This, That and the Other Thing - June 30 review and giveaway.
Book Soulmates - July 1 review and giveaway.
The Epic Rat - July 1
Foreign Circus Library - July 2
Happily Forever After - July 2 giveaway
Love Impossible - July 3
Morbid Romantic - July 4 review and giveaway
Chick with Books - July 4 review and giveaway
Books and Needlepoint- July 5 review; July 10 giveaway ends.
Bookin' with Bingo- July 5
A Journey of Books - July 6 review and giveaway.
Seductive Musings - July 7 review and giveaway.
Alpha Heroes - July 8 review and giveaway.
All About {n} - July 8 review and giveaway.
Marta's Meanderings- July 9 review and giveaway.
Review from Here - July 10 review.
Starting Fresh - July 10 review and giveaway
Maria's Space- review and giveaway.
Darby's Closet - review.

Blog Tour for Knight of Desire Starts Today!

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

(This is book 1 in her new series - All the King's Men)

About the book: His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.



About the author: MARGARET MALLORY recently surprised her friends and family by abandoning her legal career-and her steady job-to write tales of romance and adventure. At long last, she can satisfy her passion for justice by punishing the bad and rewarding the worthy-in the pages of her novels, of course. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two college-age children. KNIGHT OF DESIRE is her first book so she would dearly love to hear from readers.

Knight of Desire
Publisher/Publication Date: Forever, Grand Central Publishing, July 2009
ISBN: 9780446553391
384 pages

Barnes & Noble
Amazon

PARTICIPATING BLOGS:
Readaholic- June 29 giveaway.
This Book for Free- June 29 giveaway
Must Read Faster - June 29 review and giveaway.
Yankee Romance Reviewers - June 29 to July 10 review and giveaway
This, That and the Other Thing - June 30 review and giveaway.
Book Soulmates - July 1 review and giveaway.
The Epic Rat - July 1
Foreign Circus Library - July 2
Happily Forever After - July 2 giveaway
Love Impossible - July 3
Morbid Romantic - July 4 review and giveaway
Chick with Books - July 4 review and giveaway
Books and Needlepoint- July 5 review; July 19 giveaway.
Bookin' with Bingo- July 5
A Journey of Books - July 6 review and giveaway.
Seductive Musings - July 7 review and giveaway.
Alpha Heroes - July 8 review and giveaway.
All About {n} - July 8 review and giveaway.
Marta's Meanderings- July 9 review and giveaway.
Review from Here - July 10 review.
Starting Fresh - July 10 review and giveaway
Maria's Space- review and giveaway.
Darby's Closet - review.

Knight of Desire - New Giveaway!!!

I have 5 copies of Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory to giveaway thanks to Hachette Book Group!

About the book: His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

MARGARET MALLORY recently surprised her friends and family by abandoning her legal career-and her steady job-to write tales of romance and adventure. At long last, she can satisfy her passion for justice by punishing the bad and rewarding the worthy-in the pages of her novels, of course. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two college-age children. KNIGHT OF DESIRE is her first book so she would dearly love to hear from readers.











RULES

1. Only residents of U.S. or Canada
2. No PO Boxes
3. Five (5) books being given away - giveaway ends July 10th.
4. Leave a comment w/email address to enter. (may leave all entries in one comment)
   
5. Follow my blog +1 or if you already do - let me know
   
6. Post about it on blog or any social network - leave me a link +3.
7. If someone says they found me on your recommendation - I will give you another +3!
   
8. Total possible entries - 8
   

Mailbox Monday 4-13-09

It is time for another edition of Mailbox Monday hosted by The Printed Page or In Your Mailbox hosted by The Story Siren. Please stop by those posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week! I had a fantastic week and got some great looking books! Some that weren't even expected!

The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock

(Hachette Books)

Threatened and hounded out of their home in Germany in1933, the Hellers fled to small-town America. Here in Victory, Illinois, they started anew as farmers. . .and took great pride in becoming citizens of their new country. But ten years later, with World War II raging, they have become the target of vicious attacks perpetrated by a handful of small-minded men. Will the Hellers be forced to escape once more? And how will the blossoming romance of twenty-year-old Sophie Heller and schoolteacher Cole Ambrose withstand the danger that now follows them with every step?

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

(Hachette Books)

FEARLESS IN BATTLE

His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

TENDER IN BED

Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart.

As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

One Scream Away by Kate Brady

(Hachette Books)

Killer Chevy Bankes is a master of disguise, and just paroled, he's coming after the woman who sent him to jail, the beautiful antiques expert Beth Denison. A set of antique dolls brings Beth into his sight, and inspire Chevy's disturbing crimes as he draws closer to Beth and her young daughter. Chevy sends the dolls to Beth one-by-one and she soon realizes that these antiques carry the same marks as his victims, signaling that the final piece in his collection will be for her.

Neil Sheridan gave up his FBI shield five years ago, but his best friend Rick, a cop, pulls him in as a consultant on a case involving a serial killer who is eerily similar to a murderer Neil encountered in the past. The investigation leads Neil to Beth's doorstep, and he is certain she isn't telling him the truth. Neil is the only one who can get through Beth's defenses and, as they grow closer, discover the secrets that Beth is hiding about her fateful night with Chevy.
(description from Hachette website)

Tame by a Laird by Amanda Scott

(Hachette Books)

Jenny Easdale is ready to accept her fate. She's agreed to marry a man she will never love - yet not before slipping away for one last adventure. Following a traveling minstrel troupe, she's whisked into a world of intoxicating freedom. Then, all too soon, she finds herself in danger - from a vengeful political plot against Scotland and from the man who has come to take her home.

Duty bound to return with his brother's wayward bride, Sir Hugh Douglas is not prepared for how her quick wit, courage, and laughing eyes touch his warrior heart. Now, as the merry minstrels play matchmaker and passion sparks between Hugh and Jenny, the conspiracy against Scotland builds. . . and threatens all they hold dear.

Jantsen's Gift by Pam Cope with Aimee Molloy
(Hachette Books)

Ten years ago, Pam Cope owned a cozy hair salon in the tiny town of Neosho, Missouri, and her life revolved around her son's baseball games, her daughter's dance lessons, and family trips to places like Disney World. She had never been out of the country, nor had she any desire to travel far from home.

Then, on June 16th, 1999, her life changed forever with the death of her 15-year-old son from an undiagnosed heart ailment.

Needing to get as far away as possible from everything that reminded her of her loss, she accepted a friend's invitation to travel to Vietnam, and, from the moment she stepped off the plane, everything she had been feeling since her son's death began to shift. By the time she returned home, she had a new mission: to use her pain to change the world, one small step at a time, one child at a time. Today, she is the mother of two children adopted from Vietnam. More than that, she and her husband have created a foundation called "Touch A Life," dedicated to helping desperate children in countries as far-flung as Vietnam, Cambodia and Ghana.

Pam Cope's story is on one level a moving, personal account of loss and recovery, but on a deeper level, it offers inspiration to anyone who has ever suffered great personal tragedy or those of us who dream about making a difference in the world.

(Description from Hachette website)

Enduring Justice by Amy Wallace
(Waterbrook Multnomah)

A PAINFUL PAST
Hanna Kessler’s childhood secret has remained buried for over two decades. But when the dark shadows of her past threaten to destroy those she loves, Hanna must face the summer that changed her life and the man who still haunts her memories.

A RACIALLY-MOTIVATED KILLER
As a Crimes Against Children FBI Agent, Michael Parker knows what it means to get knocked down. Difficult cases and broken relationships have plagued his entire year. But when the system fails and a white supremacist is set free, Michael’s drive for retribution eclipses all else.

A LIFE-ALTERING CHOICE
A racist’s well-planned assault forces Hanna and Michael to decide between executing vengeance and pursuing justice. The dividing line between the two is the choice to heal. But when the attack turns personal, is justice enough?

Mama's Got a Fake I.D. by Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira

(Waterbrook Multnomah)

No one begins life as a mom. Before you have children, you are an amazing combination of friend, daughter, confidant, visionary, encourager, and thinker. You start out in life using your gifts and abilities in a surprising variety of settings.

Then you have children and the role of mom–as wonderful as it is–seems to consume you. It’s easy to lose your identity when others see you as a mom and little else. What happened to the artist, the team-builder, the organizer, the entrepreneur, the leader–the person you’ve lost touch with?

In Mama’s Got a Fake I.D., Caryn Dahlstrand Rivedeneira helps moms like you reclaim the person God made you to be. God still wants to use you in ways that let your gifts, passions, and personality shine.

This inspiring and practical guide will show you how to break free from false guilt, learn a new language to express your true identity, and follow God’s lead in sharing who you really are. God wants you to discover who he made you to be–in your family and beyond. It’s time to reveal the woman who got hidden behind all that mom.

Dear Mom by Melody Carlson
(Waterbrook Multnomah)

Hear your daughter’s heart…without the angst, arguments, or arm-wrestling

Raising a teen daughter can be like trying to chart a course underwater. You can drown in an ocean of one-word answers, defensive conversations, and unpredictable outbursts, and never get anywhere. Popular teen girls’ novelist Melody Carlson helps you cut through murky, deep, uncharted and seemingly unsafe waters so you can hear what your daughter’s really trying to tell you through her anger, silence, and mixed messages:

“I need you, but I won’t admit it.”
“I’m not as confident as I appear.”
“I have friends. I need a mother.”

Instead of focusing on outward behaviors, Dear Mom captures your daughter’s heart and soul. You can know your daughter’s hopes and fears, doubts and dreams about her identity, guys, friendships, and even you. And you can connect on a deeper, more intimate level that will carry both you and your daughter through the stormy seas of life.

Angels of Destruction by Keith Donohue
(Shelf Awareness/Shaye Areheart Books)

Keith Donohue’s first novel, The Stolen Child, was a national bestseller hailed as “captivating” (USA Today), “luminous and thrilling” (Washington Post), and “wonderful...So spare and unsentimental that it’s impossible not to be moved (Newsweek. His new novel, Angels of Destruction, opens on a winter’s night, when a young girl appears at the home of Mrs. Margaret Quinn, a widow who lives alone. A decade earlier, she had lost her only child, Erica, who fled with her high school sweetheart to join a radical student group known as the Angels of Destruction. Before Margaret answers the knock in the dark hours, she whispers a prayer and then makes her visitor welcome at the door.

The girl, who claims to be nine years old and an orphan with no place to go, beguiles Margaret, offering some solace, some compensation, for the woman’s loss. Together, they hatch a plan to pass her off as her newly found granddaughter, Norah Quinn, and enlist Sean Fallon, a classmate and heartbroken boy, to guide her into the school and town.

Their conspiracy is vulnerable not only to those children and neighbors intrigued by Norah’s mysterious and magical qualities but by a lone figure shadowing the girl who threatens to reveal the child’s true identity and her purpose in Margaret’s life. Who are these strangers really? And what is their connection to the past, the Angels, and the long-missing daughter?

Angels of Destruction is an unforgettable story of hope and fear, heartache and redemption. The saga of the Quinn family unfolds against an America wracked by change. As it delicately dances on the line between the real and the imagined, this mesmerizing new novel confirms Keith Donohue’s standing as one of our most inspiring and inventive novelists.

(From Random House website)

Spiced by Dalia Jurgensen
(Shelf Awareness/G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Spiced is Dalia Jurgensen's deliciously entertaining memoir of leaving her office job and pursuing her dream of becoming a chef. On her path to earning spots in world-class New York kitchens, she reveals in witty detail the dry cakes and burnt posts of her early internships, and the secrets to holding her own in male-dominated kitchens, and divulges what life in chef whites is really like - from the sweet to the less-than-savory. Find out what happens in the kitchen when a restaurant critic is spotted in the dining room, how great food is made, what the staff eats at "family mean," why cooks hate waiters, and what happens after the last customer leaves.

The Lake That Stole Children by Douglas Glenn Clark
(Bostick Communications/CreateSpace)

The Lake That Stole Children blends the magic of Disney's Pinocchio with the magnificent quest of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. It begins with a boy's deep yearning and leads to a grown man's startling discovery. The story begins with a town troubled by a big secret. Children have been disappearing and no one knows why. A fisherman, who lives with his family on the outskirts of town, cared nothing about the town's troubles - until he too lost a son. Following a dangerous search on a nearby lake, the fisherman believes he knows where the children may be and vows to save them. When the town refuses to help in his quest, the fisherman realizes that to save his son he must face one seemingly insurmountable obstacle - himself.

(description from Amazon)

"You Wanna Go To Willard?" by Linda M. Holbrook

(Bostick Communications/BookSurge Publishing)

Growing up, Laura felt different, even abnormal. She was the third child of four and the oldest girl. Her mother conditioned her to respect elders. It was required to always use proper behavior and articulate manners. Laura lived with the notion of a reward for good behavior. People liked children that behaved meticulously. Her life was focused on doing all the things people asked of her. She never objected or even questioned why. Convinced everyone would like her if she did. But the older she got, and the harder she tried, the worse it became. Haunted by her thoughts of being retarded, she struggled to find an answer.

Through trial and error decisions she wandered down dark paths of repeated disappointments. With years of trying too hard, she wanted the truth about whom she was or who she was supposed to be.

Was happiness a myth? Her persistence pushed her over the hurdles in her life. Something inside told her she would find it. The happiness she wanted and desperately needed.

Teenagers Suck by Joanne Kimes and R.J. Colleary

(Bostick Communications/Adams Media)

Moodswings? Check. Eye rolls? Check. Slamming doors and easily annoyed teens? Check. Check.

Let's face it: Teenagers Suck. Tacklers of Teenage Terrors R.J. Colleary and Joanne Kimes take readers on a humorous but helpful ride through teenage troubles, such as how to:

• Pick your battles (do you ignore or forbid the bellybutton ring and lower back tattoo?)
• Handle the Clash of the Curfew
• Talk to your teens when he's constantly text messaging
• Tackle the oh-so-uncomfortable but very important topic of teen sex
• Address peer pressure (because their friends are doing way worse things that jumping off that proverbial bridge!)
  
  With an equal dose of empathy and humor, Colleary and Kimes will expertly guide parents through this traumatic, tender, and (dare we say it) sometimes terrific part of raising kids.
  

Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer
(Sourcebooks)

Every family has secrets, but the Fountains' are turning deadly…
On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence, and Amberley believes her—at least until he gets drawn into the mystery and the clues incriminating Shirley Brown begin to add up…

In an English country-house murder mystery with a twist, it's the butler who's the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately, in ferreting out a desperate killer, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant, but this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth…

Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer

(Sourcebooks)

A surprising invitation

Kate Malvern is rescued from penury by her unt Minerva, who brings her to stay at Staplewood. But the household is strange and strained - Kate's uncle lives in his own private wing, and her handsome, moody cousin Torquil lives in another.

A dark family secret

As bizarre events ufold and Kate begins to question the reasons for her aunt's unexpected generosity, she has no one to confide in but her cousin Philip. Sympathetic though he may appear, will he tell her what she needs to know. . .before it's too late?

Frederica by Georgette Heyer

(Sourcebooks)

One of readers favorites, Frederica is full of surprises

When Frederica brings her younger siblings to London determined to secure a brilliant marriage for her beautiful sister, she seeks out their distant cousin the Marquis of Alverstoke. Lovely, competent, and refreshingly straightforward, Frederica makes such a strong impression that to his own amazement, the Marquis agrees to help launch them all into society.

Lord Alverstoke cant resist wanting to help her

Normally wary of his family, which includes two overbearing sisters and innumerable favor-seekers, Lord Alverstoke does his best to keep his distance. But with his enterprising - and altogether entertaining - country cousins getting into one scrape after another right on his doorstep, before he knows it the Marquis finds himself dangerously embroiled...

The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer

(Sourcebooks)

Horatia Winwood is simply helping her family

When the Earl of Rule proposes marriage to her sister Lizzie, Horatia offers herself instead. Her sister is already in love with someone else, and Horatia is willing to sacrifice herself for her family's happiness. Everyone knows she's no beauty, but she'll do her best to keep out of the Earl's way and make him a good wife. And then the Earl's archenemy, Sir Robert, sets out to ruin her reputation...

The Earl of Rule has found just the wife he wants

Unbeknownst to Horatia, the Earl is enchanted by her. There's simply no way he's going to let her get into trouble. Overcoming some misguided help from Horatia's harebrained brother and a hired highwayman, the Earl routs his old enemy, and wins over his young wife, gifting her with a love that she never thought she could expect.

I would love to hear about the books that you got this week!

(All descriptions are from book covers unless otherwise noted.)