Review + Giveaway - Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore

TITLE:    Confessions of an Improper Bride

AUTHOR:    Jennifer Haymore
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 342 pages
PUBLISHED:   Forever, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review and Blog Tour

  

FROM GOODREADS:  TWICE TEMPTED...

Serena Donovan left London six years ago, her heart broken and her reputation ruined by devilishly handsome Jonathan Dane. Now, with her family's future in peril, she reluctantly agrees to return to England and assume her late twin's identity. The price? Marry a man she doesn't love and spend the rest of her days living a lie.


Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford, has become an incorrigible rake, drinking, gambling-and trying to forget Serena Donovan. Yet the moment he's introduced to the prim and proper "Meg", he recognizes the sensual young woman who captured his heart. Haunted by his past mistakes, he refuses to lose Serena again. But convincing her to trust him is no easy task. Claiming his lost love means exposing the truth and destroying the life Serena has sacrificed everything to rebuild. With the future of all the Donovans at stake, and their undying passion capable of triggering yet another scandal, how much will Jonathan and Serena risk for a chance at true love?

MY TAKE:    Back in October of last year I was lucky enough to be on the blog tour for Jennifer Haymore's Season of Seduction.  I mentioned that this new book was in the works and I was looking forward to reading it.  I also noted that I was going to go back to read the first two books in that series:  A Hint of Wicked and A Touch of Scandal.  Well I did and I LOVED both of them as well.  Ms. Haymore has a very devoted fan here.

On to this exciting first installment of The Donovan Sisters series.  I'm hooked.  The author is a master at writing characters that draw you into their lives and their story.  You feel like you know them personally and are on the journey with them.  My heart ached for Serena having to pretend to be her late sister.  I also hurt for Jonathan who mourned his beloved Serena for six years only to discover her alive, posing as Meg and engaged to his best friend.  I must admit that I found myself wanting to flick Aunt Geraldine on the forehead even though I understood why she behaved as she did. 

The story was packed with action and some intrigue, but the characters definitely drive it forward for me.  I found myself rooting for them to succeed and caring about what happened to them.  It was one of those books that I didn't want to put down.  The fact that these stories are part of a series does not take away from their extreme readability and enjoyment as a stand alone book.  The series aspect just feeds my own hunger for MORE of certain characters and the setting that the author has put in place. 

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

Jennifer Haymore can be found at:  JenniferHaymore.com, Facebook and Twitter

ALSO we have some exciting news:  Jonathan Dane, yes the Earl of Stratford, is on Twitter!  How exciting is that?  You can contact sign up to follow his tweets and interact with the dashing hero.  His twitter account is:  @EarlofStratford

To get a sneak peek of Jonathan and Serena's tale, read an Excerpt from Confessions of an Improper Bride

Jennifer Haymore and Forever Romance have decided to reward THREE of you lucky readers with your very own copy of Confessions of an Improper Bride.  Here's how to win:

• Must be a resident of the US or Canada
• No PO Boxes
• ONE prize (of this title) per household
• Leave a comment WITH your email and tell me if you have ever posed as or pretended to be someone else (in real life ~ not Halloween or dress-up)
• Drawing will end August 26th at midnight PST time.
• Winners will have 72 hours to respond to winning email.

Just so you know...the next Donovan Sisters novel Secrets of an Accidental Duchess is available for pre-order NOW.  It is the story of Serena's younger sister Olivia and the roguish Maxwell Buchanan, Marquis of Rumsford.  I can't wait!

 
~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Review + Giveaway - A Season of Seduction by Jennifer Haymore

She's determined to be naughty, he's daring to be nice......

TITLE:     A Season of Seduction
AUTHOR/EDITOR:    Jennifer Haymore
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 379 pages
PUBLISHED:   Forever/Hachette Book Group, 2010
ISBN#:   978-0-446-54028-5
HOW'D I GET IT:   Received from Hachette for Review/Blog Tour

FROM GOODREADS:  Although the widowed Lady Rebecca has sworn off marriage, men are another matter. London's cold winter nights have her dreaming of warmer pursuits-like finding a lover to satisfy her hungry heart. Someone handsome, discreet, and most importantly as uninterested in marriage as she is. Someone like Jack Fulton.


A known adventurer and playboy, Jack seems like the perfect choice. There's just one problem: Jack isn't interested in an affair. He needs the beautiful, mysterious Lady Rebecca to be his wife. And he doesn't have much time to persuade her. A secret from Jack's past is about to surface, and by Christmas Day he'll be either married to Rebecca or dead 

MY TAKE:   This was one of those books with a bit of a twist - he's the one wanting to settle down and SHE's the one wanting a meaningless affair!  I really enjoyed this book, especially due to the reversed roles in the marriage game.  Ms. Haymore spun a lovely tale with very likable characters. 

Rebecca (Becky) is a very fragile wanna-be seductress.  She's been crushed in the romance department and gun-shy when it comes to the social circles due to the scandal surrounding her marriage and the death of her husband.  Becky shuns the limelight of the London ton and has become an almost-recluse in order to keep scandal from her family. 

Jack is known to be a playboy and adventurer.  When Becky is introduced to him, he seems like he will be the perfect playmate for her plan of "love him and leave him".  The only problem is that Jack has decided that Becky is also perfect for him as his wife.

This story is full of twists and turns with lots of suspense heaped on.  Trust, love, and loyalty are prevalent themes throughout the story.  I wasn't aware that this book is part of a series that includes A Hint of Wicked and A Touch of Scandal until after I received my copy for review.  I'm happy to say that this can stand alone as a delightful read as well as being an integral part of the series.  I'm looking forward to reading these other two as well as the first book in her new series: "Confessions of an Improper Bride" which is due out next Spring.

To learn more about Jennifer Haywood and her lovely stories, you can visit her website:  http://www.jenniferhaywood.com/ , befriend her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.  For now, here are Five Fun Facts from Jennifer:

1. After writing two books with Lady Rebecca as a young girl trying to find her place in the world, I loved writing about how she becomes a strong and independent woman in A Season of Seduction. 
2. Cornwall, England, where Lady Rebecca’s property is, is one of those stark, windy places I always imagine as a setting for Gothic novels. I have always wanted to write about it and visit it. Now that I have written about it and researched it, visiting is the next on the list!


3. I spent hours and hours researching the traveling time from London to Launceston, Cornwall while writing A Season of Seduction. I am always stymied by the amount of time it took to go from point A to point B using the various means of travel during this era. I’m trying to talk my husband into buying a horse for me just so I can be as accurate as possible! Unfortunately, so far, my husband is not convinced, but I’m still working on him…

4. In my last book, A Touch of Scandal, Lady Rebecca broke her arm in a carriage accident. Unfortunately, I know some things about broken arms, because my son has had two of them in two years! Lady Rebecca had the same break as my son’s first injury (a broken humerus just above the elbow), but she didn’t have access to modern medical care, so even after four years she’s still suffering from the repercussions in A Season of Seduction.

5. Christmas is my favorite day of the year, and I’d never imagined I’d be lucky enough to have the opportunity to write a historical romance set during the holiday season. Combine that with the special romance between Becky and Jack, and A Season of Seduction is definitely one of my favorites!

MY RATING:    4/5

Jennifer Haymore and Hachette Book Group have generously offered TWO of my readers the chance to win their own copy of A Season of Seduction!  As usual, the rules are simple:

• Leave a comment telling us YOUR favorite holiday.
• Be a follower of One Book Shy
• Must be a US or Canadian resident
• No PO Boxes as publisher will ship the book to you
• Only ONE prize per household, no matter how many different contests you enter
• Contest ends October 31st at midnight PST.
• Winners will be drawn at random and have 48 hours to respond.

If you're antsy to get your hands on this fun book, you can find it NOW at the links below.

WHERE TO BUY IT:   Amazon, IndieBound,  The Book Depository

Thank you Jennifer Haymore and Hachette Book Group for including One Book Shy on this blog tour and for providing myself and the two winners a copy of A Season of Seduction!

~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.