Ongoing Giveaways!

Becoming Lady Lockwood by Jennifer Moore - Win $50 Amazon/Paypal cash, ends August 8
Tempted by His Touch historical anthology - Win an iPad Mini with surprise bonus books, ends in October
Mastering the Marquess by Lavinia Kent - A $25 egiftcard to Your ebook retailer of choice and a Loveswept mug.
I Adored a Lord by Katharine Ashe - Win 3 digital copies of I Married the Duke, ends August 26
Love and Let Spy by Shana Galen - Win a paperback copy of the book, ends August 12

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Book Review: The Once and Future Duchess by Sophia Nash

The Once and Future Duchess (Royal Entourage, #4)
The Once and Future Duchess by Sophia Nash
Publication date: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Avon
Series: Royal Entourage #4
 Amazon B&N | Goodreads
~~Reviewed by Lisa~~
Isabelle Tremont, Duchess of March, is a Duchess in her own right due to the death of her father not having had any male heirs. She is eighteen and has taken on the many responsibilities of the fifth largest duchy in the country with intelligence, courage, determination and a strong sense of duty. For someone so young she has many things about the world figured out; the biggest that passion is a rare gift that takes courage to embrace, it completes your life and everyone deserves it! She always has a bright and cheerful disposition and outlook on life despite feeling rejected by her mother, who abandoned her and her father, and her father for being disappointed that she was a girl not a boy. 

James Fitzroy, Duke of Candover is 31 and struggles with always doing the right thing. He was a friend of Isabelle’s father and had great faith in her ability to do her father proud. He has no desire to marry and sees it as a duty to the duchy, but one that he is not in a rush to fulfill. He would rather be out in the world exploring and discovering new things, not responsible for the many people that he is.

Book Review: The Kindling Heart by Carmen Caine

The Kindling Heart (The Highland Heather and Hearts Scottish Romance Series, #1)
The Kindling Heart by Carmen Caine
Publication date: April 10, 2011
Publisher: Bento Box Books
Series: Royal Entourage #4
 Amazon B&N | Goodreads
~~Reviewed by Debbie~~
THE KINDLING HEART is a wonderful start to THE HIGHLAND HEATHER AND HEARTS SCOTTISH ROMANCE Series.  Carmen Caine has started this series with story full of intrigue, adventure, danger and romance.  

Bree didn’t understand!  What had she done now?  It wasn’t unusual for her stepfather to be angry with her, but why was he calling her “whore, harlot”?  She knew it would lead to another beating, while her mother looked the other way.  

Saturday Discussion: How Do You Choose?


Welcome back, fellow romance lovers. Time to get comfy for the weekend, preferably with a good book or two. Or three. Or ten. If you're as buried under romance (and maybe some related genres as well) as I am, picking your next read can be a complicated process. 

Readers today have never had more options from which to choose. Books are widely available, from bookstores, libraries, supermarkets, newsstands, the internet, even our phones. The formats are seemingly endless; hardcover, mass market paperback, trade size paperback, audiobooks, ebooks, novels, novellas, anthologies, collections, new releases, reissues, continuities, series, single title, category, manga, graphic novels, etc. Even within our genre, romance, there's something for everyone, which means there are a lot of books out there. How's a reader to choose?

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Saturday Discussion: Never Forget Your First Time



Hi everyone, welcome to a new event on Buried Under Romance - Saturday Discussion!

They say you never forget your first time. I was eleven when it happened, under the big brass bed in my parents' guest bedroom, during a thunderstorm. I’d known I was in for something I’d never experienced before, something unknown and thrilling, a grand adventure my parents would stop if they could. My father disapproved of the whole idea, and my mother had told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was too young for something this adult, and yet…and yet, the object of my desire called to me, a siren song I could not refuse.



Between those covers –the covers of my very first historical romance novel- I found what I wanted to read and write for the rest of my life. So far, so good. With book in one hand and flashlight in the other, I traveled back in time, to the misty Highlands of Scotland, took a sea journey to find myself plunged into the splendor and intrigue of the Ottoman Empire. Within those pages, I lived a life far removed from my suburban upbringing, and I learned that people who lived hundreds of years and thousands of miles away from me wanted the same things. Love, adventure, family, security, purpose and friendship are universal, not restricted to any one time or place, which means the possibilities for a great romance story are unlimited. That’s great, because we have a lot to discuss.

My name is Anna Bowling, and I'm a romance writer, romance blogger, romance reader, and most of all, romance lover. The only thing as fun as writing or reading a great romance novel is talking about them, and that's why I'm excited to be here with all of you for the first of our Saturday discussions. Every week, we'll have a new topic concerning the books and authors who contribute to the romance genre we all love, so get comfy and get ready to share your favorites. 

As this is our first time together, it’s only fitting that we examine how we got here. Though I’d always gravitated to fairy tales and myths about star-crossed lovers, my love affair with romance novels began when I stole a copy of The Kadin by Bertrice Small from my mother’s nightstand, and there was no turning back. I pilfered my mother's nightstand until she knew there was nothing that could keep me from reading my new favorite genre. I scoured the library, flea markets, bookstores both new and used, and, when the time came to begin writing my own stories, there was no doubt in my mind what genre was right for me. While historical romance is and always will be my favorite, I've read wonderful stories set in the past, present, and future, as well as in mystical worlds of the imagination. Romance novels open the door to countless lifetimes of love, and I can't think of a better way to spend my reading time. 

So, dear readers, how did you come to be buried under romance? Do you remember your first romance novel? How did you find it? What romance novel would you recommend to a reader who's new to the genre?  Tell us everything; we're dying to know. 


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