Tag: Anne Barton

What I Read Last Week

Posted November 4, 2013 by Tracy in Features | 0 Comments

Hey guys!

It’s a crazy day here in Tracyland. Work is weird and, well, it’s just an odd day.

I really want to get this up but I don’t have but a minute. I’m gonna post what I read last week and their ratings and I’ll have to come back later to add more info – sorry!

Once She Was Tempted (Honeycote, #2) by Anne Barton 4 out of 5 full review here.
This is the story of a woman who has two portraits painted to earn money for her sick mother.  Now her sister has married a Duke and she’s mixing with the Ton.  When an Earl tells her that not only does he own one of the portraits but brings the thought to her that if he has one then maybe another member of the ton might have the other.  They set off on a mission to find the other portrait and end up falling in love.

If You Were Mine (The Sullivans, #5) by Bella Andre 4 out of 5 full review here.
Zach owns auto shops and is a ladies man.  When his brother wants him to watch his yorkie, Cuddles, he’s baffled as to what to do with her.  Heather is a dog trainer and helps Zach train Cuddles but they fall in love while it’s happening.

Kinked (Elder Races, #6) by Thea Harrison 5 out of 5 – freakin awesome book.
Aryal and Quentin hate each other with a passion.  Aryal has been investigating Quentin for 2 years because she thinks that he’s a career criminal. Now he’s a Sentinel and she’s determined to catch him.  When they brawl in the middle of the Cuelebre tower Dragos banishes them for no less than 2 weeks, no more than a month.  He sends them to Numelaur where they not only become friends but lovers and then more.

My Book Binge reviews that posted:
Beauty and the Billionaire by Jessica Clare
Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh
A Simple Twist of Fate by HelenKay Dimon
(Never) Again by Theresa Paolo
Unbound by Cara McKenna

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Review: Once She Was Tempted by Anne Barton

Posted October 30, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Portrait of a Lady

…or is it? The risqué painting owned by Benjamin Elliot, the earl of Foxburn, features a stunning beauty with sapphire eyes, golden hair, and creamy skin. Ben recognizes this particular English rose the instant he meets her—though she’s wearing considerably more clothing. In person, the demure debutante is even more irresistible…

In desperate need of money for her sick mother, Daphne Honeycote had posed for two scandalous portraits. Now she must hide her secret to save the Honeycote family name. Ben’s possession of one painting makes him an insufferable thorn in her side—and yet he may be her best chance at finding the canvas’s companion. As she becomes drawn to the dark-tempered earl, can Daphne risk laying bare the secrets of her heart

Daphne Honeycote once sat for two portraits that her friend Thomas painted. One of his clients commissioned the portraits and they were never supposed to leave their remote home in the country. She benefitted by earning some coins that went to pay down some of her family’s debts. When Benjamin, the Earl of Foxburn tells Daphne that he owns one of the paintings, so therefore the other one may be out there, Daphne is mortified. She never worried about the consequences of her actions when sitting for the paintings – she would do it again if it saved someone she loved – but she was living in St. Giles at the time and never dreamed she’d be going to balls and getting to know the ton.

Benjamin – despite his crusty outer shell – has a thing for Daphne. He SO doesn’t want to admit it and even when he does he chooses to ignore it, but he offers to help her find the second painting. As they work together to find the painting – an attend a house party together – they have their ups and downs but they get to know each other and soon find themselves falling in love. The painting, however, is out of their grasp and it just might ruin Daphne in the end.

Oh this was such a cute book. I think it had me laughing and sighing and smiling throughout most of it. I think the main reason for that was Ben. Ben was a man who had been in the war and lost his best friend AND gotten shot in the thigh. He is in almost constant pain and he’s just miserable. His emotions are all over the place because he thinks himself as pretty worthless. On top of that he’s not one to keep his mouth shut just to spare someone’s feelings. He tells it like it is. He sounds like a jerk but he was really very kind and I wanted him to find love with Daphne if only for him to drag himself up from the emotional pit he was in. I was pulling for him and Daphne from word one and that didn’t stop throughout the book.

Daphne was a pretty great character as well. She could so easily have run to her new brother in law, the duke, and spilled her tale of woe and easily gotten out of her predicament but she saw the merit in taking care of it herself, with Ben’s help. This also put her in close and constant contact with Ben so that was an extra plus. At the end of the book Daphne is even more wonderful when she owns up to what she’s done and I admired her even more.

The story wasn’t too terribly intricate nor filled with spies, kidnappings and damsels in physical distress. What it was was just a wonderful love story about two people who were meant for each other and the road they took to find love. It was simply romantic and I loved that about it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Anne Barton

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Historical Hookup (+ a Giveaway): Hoyt, Dreyer, Delamere, Barton, and Dalton

Posted October 14, 2013 by Holly in Giveaways, Promotions | 14 Comments

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Today we have historical romance authors Elizabeth Hoyt, Lily Dalton, Anne Barton, Eileen Dryer and Jennifer Delamere here to answer that all important question:

“What item of clothing would you most (and least) want to wear/have if you lived in the time-period of your novel?”

 

 

Elizabeth Hoyt, DUKE OF MIDNIGHT:

I like the sack gowns with the draping back. Stays don’t sound like a lot of fun.

 

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DUKE OF MIDNIGHT by Elizabeth Hoyt

October 15, 2013; GCP/Mass Market; $8.00; 978-1-4555-0834-1

By day Maximus Batten is the Duke of Wakefield, a powerful member of Parliament. But by night he is the Ghost of St. Giles, prowling the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the man who brutally murdered his parents twenty years ago. When he rescues Artemis Greaves and her cousin, the fiery young woman discovers his secret and threatens to expose Maximus unless he uses his influence to free her imprisoned brother. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn’t without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire—or the temptation of his embrace?

 

Bio: The author of the New York Times bestselling Maiden Lane series and the Legend of Four Soldiers series as well as the Prince Trilogy, Elizabeth Hoyt writes “mesmerizing” (Publishers Weekly) historical romances. She also pens deliciously fun contemporary romances under the name Julia Harper. Elizabeth lives in central Illinois with three untrained dogs, two angelic but bickering children, and one long-suffering husband. Central Illinois can be less than exciting, and Elizabeth is always more than happy to receive missives from her readers. You can write to her at: P.O. Box 17134, Urbana, IL 61873.

Buy links:

Amazon| Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | iTunes

Social Media:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Eileen Dreyer, ONCE A RAKE:

Oh, this is an easy one. I would love to wear the empire design clothing. The style looks great on me, especially since I never had a waistline. I loved the materials(although I would definitely wear enough to stay warm), the designs and the elegance.

What would I hate to wear? Again, no contest. A corset. Ick.

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ONCE A RAKE by Eileen Dreyer

October 29, 2013; Forever/Mass Market; $8.00; 978-1-4555-1932-3

Accused of trying to kill the Duke of Wellington, Colonel Ian Ferguson is now a fugitive—from the law, the army, and the cunning assassin who hunts him. Wounded and miles from his allies, Ian finds himself at the mercy of an impoverished country wife. Lady Sarah Clarke knows she should turn him in, but a single, delirious kiss shatters her resolve…and awakens a passion that neither of them can escape.
Bio: New York Times best-selling author Eileen Dreyer has won five RITA Awards from the Romance Writers of America, which secures her  fourth place in the Romance Writers of America prestigious Hall of Fame. Eileen is an addicted traveler, having sung in some of the best Irish pubs in the world.  Eileen also writes as Kathleen Korbel and has over three million books in print worldwide. Born and raised in Missouri, she lives in St. Louis County with her husband Rick and her two children.

Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | iTunes

Social Media:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Jennifer Delamere, A LADY MOST LOVELY:

I love the beautiful ball gowns and colorful silk shawls of the period. Unfortunately, the gowns also required corsets—something I’m very glad we don’t have today (although some might argue that Spanx comes close…)

 

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A LADY MOST LOVELY by Jennifer Delamere

September 24, 2013; Forever/ Mass Market; $8.00; 978-1-4555-1896-8

Socialite Margaret Vaughn agrees to marry a rich man to save her family’s estate, but then her fiancé tur

ns out to be just another poor social climber. Even after amassing a fortune, Tom Poole hasn’t forgotten his humble beginnings. Taken with Margaret’s beauty and grace, Tom offers her financial assistance—but his interest is not strictly business. Can he convince the proper, refined lady that they despite their social differences, they are a match made in heaven?

Bio: The youngest child of a Navy pilot and a journalist, Jennifer acquired a love of adventure and an excitement for learning that continues to this day. She’s lived in three countries and traveled throughout the U.S. An avid reader of classics and historical fiction, she also enjoys biographies and histories, which she mines for the vivid details to bring to life the characters and places in her books. She resides with her husband in North Carolina–where, when not writing or dreaming up romantic adventures for her characters, she can be found fantasizing about her next ski trip or European vacation.

Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound |  iTunes

Social Media:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Anne Barton, ONCE SHE WAS TEMPTED:

Oh, I’d like an armoire filled with ball gowns in a rainbow of silks, please!

I confess I’m not a fan of caps—they’re decidedly unfetching.

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ONCE SHE WAS TEMPTED by Anne Barton

October 29, 2013; Forever/Mass Market; $8.00; 978-1-4555-1330-7

In desperate need of money for her sick mother, Daphne Honeycote had posed for two scandalous portraits. Now she must hide her secret to save the Honeycote family name. Benjamin Elliot recognizes the stunning beauty from the beauty the instant he meets her. His possession of the painting makes him an insufferable thorn in her side—and yet he may be her best chance at finding the canvas’s companion. As she becomes drawn to the dark-tempered earl, can Daphne risk laying bare the secrets of her heart?

 

Bio: Anne Barton began swiping romance novels off her mom’s bookshelf as a teenager, so when she had the chance to spend a semester in London-home to her favorite heroes-she packed her bags and promptly fell in love with the city, its history, and its pubs. She dreamed of writing romance, but somehow ended up a software analyst instead.

Fortunately, a few years and a few careers later, Anne found her way back to writing the stories she loves and in 2011 won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® for Regency Historical Romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband (who, sadly, is not a peer of the realm-but a great guy nonetheless) and her three children, who try valiantly not to roll their eyes whenever she quotes Jane Austen. Her weaknesses include reality TV, cute-but-impractical shoes, and caffeinated beverages of all kinds.

Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound |  iTunes

Social Media:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Lily Dalton, NEVER DESIRE A DUKE:

I’d love to wear the gowns of the Regency period. All that pleating and lace and trim and style.

And I think I’d get over stockings really fast. I mean, they’re sexy in a love scene, but in reality, I bet they were just the most irritating things to wear. I’d probably walk around with saggy elephant ankles all the time.

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NEVER DESIRE A DUKE by Lily Dalton

September 24, 2013; Forever/ Mass Market; $6.00; 978-1-4555-2401-3

Lady Sophia has long been estranged from her husband, the Duke of Claxton, who has never forgiven himself for the youthful mistake that ruined their marriage. After nearly a year abroad, the reformed rogue vows to win back the only woman he’s ever truly loved. He’ll do whatever it takes to prove he can be the honorable husband she deserves—and the passionate lover she desires. Can they rekindle the flame that burned so bright and find a new path to forever?

 

Bio: Lily Dalton grew up as an Army brat, moving from place to place. Her first stop after relocating was always the local library, where she could hang out with familiar friends: Books! Lily has an English degree from Texas A & M University and after graduation worked as a legal assistant in the fields of accident reconstruction and litigation. She now lives in Houston, Texas, with her family. When she isn’t at work on her next manuscript, she spends her time trying out new recipes, cheering on her favorite Texas football teams and collecting old dishes, vintage linens and other fine “junque” from thrift stores and flea markets.

Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound |  iTunes

Social Media:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Giveaway!! One lucky winner will receive a prize pack with all five books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Review: To All The Rake I’ve Loved Before by Anne Barton

Posted September 5, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: To All The Rake I’ve Loved Before by Anne BartonReviewer: Tracy
To All the Rakes I've Loved Before (Honeycote, #1.5) by Anne Barton
Series: Honeycote #1.5
Publisher: Forever Yours
Publication Date: September 3, 2013
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 100
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

After being jilted by her former beau, Miss Amelia Wimple retreated to her Mayfair town house and her ever-growing collection of gossips rags. Now, almost two years later, not even her beloved cousins, Rose and Olivia Sherbourne, can persuade her to give love another chance. But an unexpected midnight caller may open her heart once more.

Lord Stephen Brookes is the prince of pleasure, the duke of decadence-and it seems his exploits have finally caught up with him. When Stephen comes to Amelia seeking refuge, she can’t deny him . . . or the intense desire he sparks. As he attempts to heal her broken heart, they indulge in a private passion unlike anything either has experienced. Stephen knows sweet, sensual Amelia is meant to be his one and only. Now, he will do whatever it takes to convince her that a rake really can change his ways.

(25,000 words)

Amelia is enjoying having the house to herself. Her mother is taking the waters in Bath and has left her on her own. Amelia loves her mother but she’s a very loud and demanding mother. Amelia has almost made herself a recluse in the last two years. She goes out to walk in the park but only during unfashionable hours. Besides that she stays home. This is due to the fact that she was incredibly humiliated two years prior she was at a ball and expecting a proposal from her beau when he eloped with someone else. If that wasn’t bad enough her mother swooned upon learning the news and knocked Amelia down as well – kind of like bowling pins. Apparently Amelia was quite a bit heavier two years ago so she felt like they were two stuffed sausages rolling around the dance floor.

One night while Amelia was up reading gossip rags there was a knock on the door. No one usually came to call so she was even more surprised when it happened at 2 AM. It’s actually Lord Verrington, the man who was supposed to propose. He’s bringing his friend Stephen Brookes to her house because he’s been beaten and Stephen doesn’t want to go home and shock his mother. Lord Verrington knows no one else to go to in London and he knew Amelia’s mother wasn’t home. Amelia accepts him in and nurses Stephen back to health. She does this as Stephen helped her after the debacle of “The Jilting” and he was very kind.

Stephen is a rake and a gambler who is kind of done with it. He’s grown out of it but until seeing Amelia again hadn’t really known what he wanted to do besides live his dissolute life. As he gets closer to Amelia he realizes that he wants to finally make the change not only for himself but for her as well. He’s determined to win her heart and change his ways. Amelia, who’s determined to stay single, isn’t so sure that Stephen can change his spots but as she starts to fall for him she come to the conclusion that she wants him to try, more than anything.

This was a very sweet novella in the Honeycote series. I really liked Amelia and her sense of humor. She would write in her diary as if she was writing in a gossip rag and I thought some of the things she came up with were just too cute. I felt so sorry for her experience with her previous beau but was so happy that Stephen saw through her “I don’t want to get married” façade and made his move.

Now Stephen was a rake or so we were told. We didn’t actually get to see any of his rakish ways but hey, the man was beaten up because he hadn’t paid back money he owed to a gaming hell owner so that kind of proved he wasn’t necessarily all good. I liked that he was honest with Amelia about his life and his feelings. Sure, she was the one who had asked for honesty but it would have been incredibly easy for him to lie to make himself look better in her eyes.

I did think that the falling in love part of it happened a bit too fast. I know they had known each other before and liked each other, but not in a courting way if that makes sense. I would have liked to have seen them get to know each other a little better before they actually became intimate, as we all know that confuses things. lol. Making the story a bit longer and having the “getting to know you” part a little more in depth would have been perfect for me.

In the end it was, as I said, a very sweet story. Likable characters and a fun little romance – good stuff.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Anne Barton 

four-stars

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What I Read Last Week

Posted August 26, 2013 by Tracy in Features | 1 Comment

How is everyone? What have you been up to lately? Tell me everything!

Things here have been…interesting. My oldest daughter is trying to feel her oats and in the process is making me feel..mental. Ah the joys of having a 15 year old. All I can say on the matter is if you’re the praying sort please put us in your prayers cuz we can use all we can get.

On to what I read this past week:

First up for the week was Freefall by Tess Oliver. This was a book I saw on Goodreads and was interested. The story is about a tattoo artist and his relationship with a girl who already has a boyfriend but the boyfriend is controlling and well, whack. It was an interesting and good book but I definitely had some issues with it. You can read all of my thoughts on the story here in my review. 3.5 out of 5

Next up was The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrelyn Sparks. Dougal is a vampire who was once in love. His love died but when he meets geneticist Leah Chen he believes that she may have the soul of his dead love. He does fall in love with Leah – whether she’s Li Lei or not but he doesn’t believe he’s the best person for her. Leah has a problem believing that vampires can be good people but eventually she does especially when she realizes she’s falling in love with Dougal. I’ll post my review of this one this week so you can read my thoughts on the book. 3 out of 5

To All The Rakes I’ve Loved Before by Anne Barton is a novella that has our heroine Amelia taking a beaten man into her home when her mother’s away. Amelia nurses Stephen back to health and they realize they have feelings for the other. It was a sweet story and though it all happened rather quickly I thought it was well done. 4 out of 5

Unexpected by Maisey Yates is the story of Kelsey who wants a child and finally does something about it by having in vitro. Cole finds out that his sperm was used accidentally and that he’s now going to be a father. Kelsey and Cole try to come to terms with the fact that they will be co-parenting but also with the fact that they find themselves falling in love. It was a cute story that I had more than a few niggles with but it was a decent read. 3 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

Unbound by Cara McKenna has Merry hiking across part of Scotland but falls ill and seeks help from Rob who is a recluse. She brings him out of his shell and they find compatibility sexually with Rob as the submissive. Rob’s got his shame to deal with about his alcoholism and the fact that he never dealt with it – more just ran away from it. It was a decent read that I thought was well written but I personally wasn’t a fan of the sex scenes on a certain level. My biggest issue was the end of the book when they fall in love but we see no solid HEA. Very disappointing. 3.5 out of 5 (read for Book Binge – FYI: releases in October) 

Last for the week was To Sin With A Viking by Michelle Willingham. This story has Styr and his wife Elena heading off to Ireland to start a new life. They have a tumultuous marriage and Styr hopes that this new life will give them what they need to get things on track. They are attacked when they hit land and taken hostage. Styr by Carragh who just wanted to save her brother from certain death at Styr’s hands. After a while she lets him go and agrees to go find her brother, his men and his wife with Styr. Throughout their time together they find themselves falling in love but of course he’s married. I liked the story and I liked the h/h to a point. Unfortunately I don’t normally read books about infidelity. Styr kisses Carragh a couple of times and does touch her sexually in a minor way – but it’s the emotional infidelity that really got me. I just wish that this could have been a story of the two of them without the wife involved – it would have been great. 3 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Ad-Dick-tion Volume 3: 10 Tales of Hot Male Obsessions by Various Authors
Lover at Last by JR Ward

Happy Reading!

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