Tuesday, January 3

I'm not one to gush...

Especially about a historical. I've nothing against them but my cuppa usually runs along the steamy paranormal or military/romantic suspense line. Now Anne Gallagher has me hooked on her Reluctant Grooms series.

I first read A Wife For Winsbarren (only a 99 cent read), and you can see my review for that novella here on Amazon. Then a couple of days ago, I read The Lady's Fate until the wee hours of the morning because I couldn't put it down. My favorite aspect about this book is the way Anne develops a beautiful, sweet relationship between the hero and heroine without in any way, shape or form diminishing the love the hero had for his deceased wife. Yes, there were a few times I wanted to knock him on the head and tell him to wake up, but I didn't need to worry because Anne did it for me. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed a historical series this much since I read Pamela Clare's historicals. As Pamela writes an unusual era, you may tell that I prefer historicals with something different to offer. Anne told me she currently has a novella entitled A Husband For Miss Trent available for free download for a limited time on Smashwords. Can't get better than free! But I have to warn you, if you enjoy characters not cut from a cookie-cutter, you might get hooked on her writing style like I did.

In other news, I have officially decided to test my mettle with the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge in which bloggers post the alphabet every day in April minus Sundays. I heard about this challenge via one of my favorite bloggers (and I'm sure you'll love him, too), Alex J. Cavanaugh. Who else could have started this craziness but Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out? Sign ups begin on January 30, and such early notice gives you plenty of time to create a plan of attack. So who's up for this? I have to say challenges like this are a great way to meet new bloggers.

Okay, I really love blogfests, and I've been eager to dive in again. So I found Cassie May's Valentine's Day blog hop, Is It Getting Hot In Here. Yes, a kissing scene--hey, that should be right up my alley, right? Well, I got excited about it and then reviewed my WIPs for something appropriate. To my dismay, all of my writing was too racy for public display. I think I might have to post a sufficiently censored version, lol. Thank you Roland Yeomans for the referral!

Aaaaaaannnd I see I've gotten quite link-happy with this post. How about you? Any links or good stuff going on around the blogosphere you'd like to share? Workshops or contests? Blogfests you're participating in or hosting?

7 comments:

  1. Glad you're on board for the Challenge!
    Believe it or not, I have read Anne's book (she's one of my critique partners so I got a sneak peak) and it's a beautiful story.
    Just don't tell anyone the Ninja's reading love stories now...

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  2. Angela, I can't thank you enough for this lovely review. My heart durn near stopped when I saw the cover on my blogroll. I'm sorry my writing kept you up all night, but I'll tell you what, that is absolutely the best praise I have ever had. Thank you so much.

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  3. @Alex I won't tell a soul...

    @Anne Keep 'em coming! Who knew I'd be into Regency? Honestly, your characters appeal to me beyond genre. Yet another reason why writers should write what they love and not to a trend. It's the quality of the writing, more than anything, that gets the readers.

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  4. Hi Angela - here to wave and say hello, though I can't stay and keep you company. Copyedits came in - EEK! Have to work, work, work. You know the drill.

    This book sounds nice. Will give it a try on your recommendation. Thanks!
    Happy New Year.
    Linda
    www.lindathomas-sundstrom.com

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  5. Sounds like a wonderful book! Also, I can't wait to see what you do with the blog challenge. The whole alphabet, huh? It's gonna be great! :)

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  6. @Linda Oh boy, now I know the drill. I'm juggling some critiquing and revisions and work on my new WIP, which has slowed progress due to all the other stuff, and the EditPalooza on top of that. Maybe it's good training for later *grin* Hope your edits go smoothly! PS--I linked back to Veronica and the Vampire in my last post. It was on my favs list on recent reads <3

    @Cassi I might need you to cheer me on because it might get a little crazy trying to find blog posts for all those letters :)

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  7. Sounds like a great book! As for the challenge - we'll see.

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