What are you reading Thursday: Fave Read of the Year

This week PHS Editor Donna Alward returns with a post about her favourite read of this year - and why.

I read a lot of different books. I read across genres (though mostly Romance) and subgenres. I cannot keep up with my tbr and that is frustrating. And sometimes I rebel against what I "should" be reading at any given moment and simply reach into my bookshelf for something I "want".

One book I had on my tbr was The Secret Countess (also known as The Countess Below Stairs) by Eva Ibbotson. My daughter had been given it as a gift, but historicals are not her thing. I thought it looked great and so I kept it on my shelf for when I wanted some YA to read. It should be noted that I ADORE historicals as well. So one day last month I snagged it from the shelf, opened the cover, and fell into the world of Anna and Rupert, post Russian revolution and WWWI.

This was my first Ibbotson book although my youngest loves Journey to the River Sea and The Star of Kazan, which she's read and I haven't. I read The Secret Countess in 2 days, quite a feat for me as I don't get big chunks of time to sit and read. I adored it. I liked everything about it. And that happens so rarely for me that it was a wonderful discovery to make.

Anna is a gorgeous character. She really doesn't have many flaws; instead the flaws come from her situation. She could be bitter or mean considering she has lost her family and way of life but she is not. And while un-flawed characters can be boring, Anna isn't. She is full of life. She's NICE. And because she's nice, we are totally on her side when she has to go to work as a lowly servant. We know she is really a Russian Countess. It doesn't take long for everyone to realize that Anna is someone special. And besides, if we want flawed, we can look to Meriel, Rupert's betrothed. She is a true villian. I hated Meriel with gusto.

Rupert is a good man who wants to do the right thing. He is a second son and so has the reputation of not being as much of a self-starter as his older brother, who died in the war. But Rupert is surprising. He's stronger than you first think and we get fed tidbits of his time in the service that let us know he's a true leader. It is easy to see he and Anna have feelings for each other, but for several reasons, including the huge responsibility he has towards his family, their staff, and the estate, he cannot break his engagement to Meriel.

An endearing cast also give this book its wonderful character and depth - The Honourable Olive is fabulous. You can't help but love this disabled child who is full of life and optimism (and hate Meriel for attempting to destroy that). The kitchen staff, the butler, even the old rogue Uncle Sebastian are terrific.

Ibbotson's writing has a lovely lyrical style to it and I slid through the pages like floating down a lazy river. I even got to a part where I thought, "OMG, they aren't going to get their happily ever after. And if they don't, I'm going to be so mad!" But Ibbotson didn't let me down. If anything, I wanted the final few pages to last a little longer.

The Secret Countess is a lovely story with a bit of romance and suitable for anyone 12-90. I didn't mind the lack of physical love. There was plenty else to keep me engrossed. I loved it so much, I ordered 3 more of her backlist - and The Dragonfly Pool for my youngest. Unlike her sister, she loves historical settings and I'm hoping to hand them down to her in a year or two. 

Best book I've read all year and a wonderful author discovery for me.

Donna's current release is Proud Rancher, Precious Bundle. It's out in the UK now and is the Mills and Boon Book of the Month! You can find it in UK stores now or download it from the Mills and Boon site. It'll be in North America in February.

Writers' Wednesday : : Essie Summers

Anne McAllister is finishing up a book, and re-reading old favorites because they keep her sane when her book is driving her in the other direction. One of those she is reading is Essie Summers.

Back in the old days when I had never read a romance (if you don’t count Pride and Prejudice as a part of my British Novels university course), a friend of mine dumped a box of books in my lap and said, “Remember those stories you used to write in high school? Well, I think you could write one of these.”

Optimistic and supportive, that’s what she was. I wasn’t at all sure I could write “one of these” which happened to be a box full of Harlequin Romance and Presents books.

But I dutifully began to read them, and it wasn't long before I was enthralled.

Books about relationships! Hopeful books! Book with drop-dead gorgeous heroes! My kind of books, thank you very much.

As I read my way through the box I began to sort the books into the ones that were okay, the ones that were very good, and the ones that I saved to read again – and again.

There were a few authors in that pile. One of those I still re-read regularly is Essie Summers.

Essie Summers – with no disrespect to my dear friends Robyn Donald and Daphne Clair – put New Zealand on the romance readers’ map.

Her books brought New Zealand – its varied, always stunning, landscape, its urban and its sheep station lifestyles -- to life in the pages of her books. If it hadn’t already been on my “destinations of choice” list, she certainly would have put it there.

But it wasn’t just New Zealand that she made me love. It was her people.

She wrote about men and women finding their “kindred spirits.” In all her books she captured so well the quest for the right person with whom to share a life.

Her men were often quiet and solitary, but they were always men you could count on. Maybe it’s my affinity for American cowboys that draws me to her sheep station ranchers. Maybe it’s that they share the same code of honor, the same sense of responsibility to the land and to the animals they are raising. Maybe it’s because you know that, when the chips are down, they will be there to count on.

Maybe it’s that I always see in them a dawning respect and growing love for the heroine that I know is more than lust. Whatever it is, Essie captures it every time – hero after hero.

Some might find her books dated, but the love in them never dates. The honor and the compassion and the belief in each other that her hero and heroine feel, forged as it is by the fire of their experiences while learning to trust each other, never goes out of style.

If you haven’t read Essie Summers – and you want a taste of the essentials of what makes romance novels endure across generations – go have a look for her books. Settle down and prepare to be enchanted by the world she paints, the poetry and the prose of the people she writes about, and believe that Essie knew what she was talking about when it came to true enduring love.

You might also want to go buy a ticket to New Zealand – as an astonish number of readers have – in hopes of capturing a real life taste of such books as Summer in December, Heir to Windrush Hill, A Place Called Paradise, South Island Stowaway and A Touch of Magic.

As for me, I’ll re-read those and others and enjoy Essie’s world yet again. Who are your favorite romance authors? Which of their books do you re-read and why?

Anne McAllister’s latest book, Hired By Her Husband, about sexy physicist (no, it’s not an oxymoron) George Savas, is out now in UK as a Mills & Boon Modern. It will be out in January (she thinks) in North America.

Her most recent NA release is The Virgin’s Proposition, the story of George’s brother, Demetrios, and the princess who threatens to turn his life upside down.

Destination Life: Malta -- at the crossroads of history

Michelle Styles visits Malta

For a tiny island in the Mediterranean, Malta packs an enormous amount of history. From prehistoric caves and Roman remains to epic sea battles between the Christian forces of the Knights of Malta and the Ottoman Empire to the heroics during WW2, Malta has a certain something.
It is also blessed with a wonderful Mediterranean culture and unique food and boasts of a thriving movie industry. Over the years movies such as Troy, Alexander, Gladiator and the Count of Monte Cristo were filmed there. It is also where the backbone of PHS reviewing lives -- Julie Bonello. But it had never been on my must go places to visit which was wrong. It should have been. Malta is an experience not to be missed.
I ended up in Malta because a friend offered us his flat for the week and it was a great chance to explore a country that  I knew very little about. The Maltese are fiercely proud and independent people. Overwhelmingly Catholic and one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, their language is written in an Arabic script. Surprisingly there are very few restaurants devoted just to Maltese food but it is almost impossible to get a bad meal. Restaurants cater for all sorts of tastes from the very high end restaurants like the Blue Elephant to those serving seafood.
The ancient Leyland buses date from the 1970s and provide effective transport or you can drive...
Started during the Crusades, the Knights of Malta or more properly the Knights of St John Hospitaliers once ruled Malta but were kicked out by Napoleon. he melted down the famous silver plate that had been used for the sick at the Sacred Infirmary to finance  various campaigns. They now occupy one of the smallest countries in the world in Rome. But it is in Valletta that they made their stand and defeated the Turks. The Knights of Malta also had a long history of caring for the sick and injured. This is something that continues today in various global hot spots. The Knights of Malta do once again have an outpost on  Malta but it is the remains of the old order that people go to visit. What precisely did the Knights save? What was in their library?
Malta then became a British colony and was part of the Commonwealth until the 1970s. The Queen is reported to have spent some of her most carefree days on Malta when she was a young bride and  Prince Philip was stationed there.
The entire island was awarded the St George  medal for bravery in the face of fierce bombardment during WW2.
The island has some excellent beaches and some very good diving areas. There were plenty of luxury yachts and enough big houses to make Portomosto look like a set for a Presents.
It is certainly a place I would enjoy visiting again and would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who wants to get the entire Mediteranrean experience in one place.
And being there made me aware of how little history I actually knew and how important one little island can be in changing the course of world history. Sometimes it is good to take up a friend's offer and visit!

Michelle Styles writes historical romances for Harlequin Historical. Her next US release will be A Question of Impropriety in Dec 2010. There will be a free online serial His Stand In Bride starting 15 Nov exclusively on eharlequin. To learn more about her books visit her website

Male on Monday - Everyday Heroes

Jules Bennett joins us today to chat about her kind of hero....

Who doesn’t love a good hero? And, believe it or not, heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and, yes, personalities.


Seriously, if a man is “hot” but the personality is less than, well, his hottie meter just plummeted. I’m all about the caring side of a man. In my opinion, his heart is much more important than his gun show.

Now, having said all of that, you know you’ve hit the motherlode when you can find the personality, the caring heart and the looks that make your insides flutter with excitement.

Am I one of the lucky women to have hit the Hottie Lottery? So glad you asked.

Actually, my hero found me when I was only 14! Yes, I started falling head over stillettos when I was only a freshman in high school. I dated my hero until I was 21 and then I married him and we celebrated our 11 year anniversary this past weekend! Yes, if you did the math, you know I’m only 25. What? I am.

Not only did I marry my hero who does everything for me and our beautiful toddler girls, I had a great man for me to compare any future hubby against.

My father. My father was not only a hero to our family, he was a National hero when he fought in the Vietnam war. He recently pulled out all of his pictures, some are very heart-wrenching, and had me help him assemble a scrapbook. This was such a wonderful, memorable time that will stay with me forever.

I have to say, spending time with both of my heroes means more to me than anything. I only hope my girls see what kind of man they deserve and not to settle for anything less than a hero.

Writing romance is the best way for me to revisit the true meaning of a hero. I love taking a man and opening his eyes to love and happiness. One of my favorite characters is in my October release, FROM BOARDROOM TO WEDDING BED?, from Silhouette Desire. Cole Marcum lost his fiance years ago and now has a second chance to recapture her heart. Only problem is, she’s not so forgiving the second time.

What kind of heroes have entered your life? What wonderful memories do you have?


I’m giving away an autographed copy of FROM BOARDROOM TO WEDDING BED? to one lucky person who shares a hero story with me!

Wild Card Weekend: Do Overs with Linda Conrad

Please welcome Linda Conrad back to the blog, with a great topic and a fabulous excerpt!

I have a new book on the shelves this week. Release dates are always a grand time in the life of any author. For me, it’s the time when I get show off my baby and reminisce about planning and writing the story.


Writing SECOND-CHANCE SHERIFF was a unique experience for me. The book is a novella and part of a three-author anthology called Covert Christmas. I had done only one other online novella alone, so writing with the fabulous authors, Marilyn Pappano and Loreth Anne White was a great treat.

When the editors asked us to write reunion stories that take place at Christmas, I was all for it. In the first place, I love the Christmas theme. Cozy days by the fire. Smells of pine and spice. Green trees and holly. Red stockings and white snow. And especially the excitement of presents under a tree. Makes me all warm and smiling just thinking of it.

And reunions? How fun is it to think of getting a do-over on a lost love? I think that must be many peoples’ secret fantasy. Getting to go back for a second chance with someone from your past—or maybe for righting something you did wrong long ago. I believe that’s why people love high school reunions. That second chance.

My hero in SECOND-CHANCE SHERIFF is so caught up with guilt from something he did in the past that he almost misses the possibility of recapturing his lost love. And the heroine of the story isn’t particularly ready to let go of her past in order to give him that chance. Sigh. It takes a little girl and a Christmas Angel to get these two to open their eyes.

Here’s an excerpt from SECOND-CHANCE SHERIFF:

“When I get back,” Cam began. “I want to hear all the details on this undercover operation of yours.” Shaking his head as though the idea of her being undercover was absolutely absurd, he disappeared around the corner.

Tara didn’t know whether to be insulted or scared. She’d been so sure that Cam’s whole family would be here for the holidays. It had never occurred to her that the two of them would become isolated together—alone.

Facing a hit-man might be preferable.

Needing to move around so she could think her predicament through, Tara tested her nearly frozen feet by placing one down on the hardwood floor. Man, that hurt like the devil. She was sure glad she’d thought to put on her padded socks under her boots and jeans before she’d left her apartment this morning and headed out for the governor’s vacation home in Aspen.

The idea gave her chills. She could be worrying about losing toes to frostbite instead of fussing about spending time alone with an old boyfriend.

An old married boyfriend.

The stabbing pain in the bottom of her foot became bearable so she put the other one down on the floor next to it. Yipes. She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. But within minutes she felt stronger and more stable. Maybe she was going to live through the experience after all.

As she straightened and looked around the great-room, the lights came back on. She went to the fireplace, added a few more logs and stirred the fire. Soon it was blazing.

Looking around the room again, Tara finally realized what she was seeing. Or not seeing. She’d been to Cam’s home during the holidays many times growing up. Back then, the whole place had glowed with decorations, lovingly put up by Cam’s grandparents. Festive lights, wrapped packages and yummy smells coming from the kitchen. It was one of the clearest memories from her childhood.

Yet today, a few days before Christmas, this great-room was empty of everything but furniture. Except for the roaring fire, it might as well be August.

Where was the tree? Where were the wreaths and holly?

Wandering from room to room downstairs, she searched for anything that said Christmas. With no luck.

Tara easily climbed the stairs to the second floor bedrooms. Surely up here she would find some sign of holiday spirit.

She checked each room as she went down the hall. The first two were guest rooms, and bland. When she came to the room she’d used as a teenager, her hand hesitated on the door handle. Tara wasn’t sure she wanted to see this room again after all these years. Too many memories. Both good and bad.

But as the door creaked open, Tara was shocked to see a fantasyland in various shades of pink instead of the cool blues and greens of her youth. The bed was covered with stuffed animals. Yes, this room was most definitely being used by a little girl.

Cam must have a daughter. As Tara moved around the room, she lightly touched the toys and the music boxes. This could be her own little girl’s room. If only things had worked out differently.

On top of the dresser, she found several framed photos. A little girl with blonde pigtails, holding Cam’s hand. An older couple with the same girl at a birthday party. Tara looked around again, but couldn’t find any pictures of Cam’s wife.

In fact, Tara couldn’t remember seeing any pictures of a young woman anywhere in the house. She quickly walked out of the girl’s room and headed for the master bedroom. This was going to hurt, but now that she’d thought of it, she needed to see some evidence of the woman who currently owned this house and belonged to Cam.

Tara hesitated once again at the door, but then took a breath and pushed it open. The room that had once belonged to Cam’s grandparents had not changed much.

Still the same beige walls. The same heavy, wood-hewn furniture. Even the same king-sized bed with thick down-filled mattress.

But there were no photos. None at all that she could see. Not even of the pretty little girl.

Something was wrong in this house. Turning, she headed for the walk-in closet and threw open the doors.

Except for Cam’s clothes, the huge closet stood empty. Empty? Was Cam divorced?

“Find what you were looking for?” Cam’s voice spun her around.

Busted.

* * *

So what would you change if someone waved a magic wand and you could do-over some part of your past? Is there someone out there you would like to connect with again? (Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone) Or maybe there’s some part of your life right now that you would change if you could. Job? House? Hobbies? Weight? (join the crowd) I’ll pick a winner at random to receive a copy of Covert Christmas to someone who contributes a comment.

Covert Christmas is out to great reviews. A TOP PICK from RT BookReviews! To read more about Linda, her books, or to receive her newsletter and enter her contest, go to : http://www.LindaConrad.com.

Must Watch Friday: Hockey and Hockey Movies!

Superromance author Ellen Hartman visits this Friday just in time for Exhibition Season...with a Must Watch Friday post about the greatest game on ice - that's right.  HOCKEY.

In February 1980, the week after my thirteenth birthday, I got the flu. I lay on the couch for days, unable to move, uninterested in everything, staring at the TV. I don’t know what it was like at your house in 1980, but at my house, I was literally staring at THE TV, as in the only one my family owned. It was color (finally), but only got four channels—ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS. My viewing choices were limited, so when the Olympics started, I wasn’t so much glued to the set as stuck with the only option.


That winter week I fell in love with hockey. By the time the Miracle on Ice boys were skating around the Lake Placid arena waving the flag and crying, I was a fan for life.

Nowadays, I never miss the Olympics, I watch quite a bit of college hockey, and I spend every weekend from October through March watching my son play at one upstate New York rink after another. (The best thing about upstate hockey is the names of the rinks. Who wouldn’t want to play at the Onondaga War Memorial or the Utica Coliseum?) I continue to love hockey best when there’s a story being told—maybe that’s why I like watching the college teams better than the NHL.

Luckily for a hockey fan like me, there are tons of fantastic movies out there, movies with stories and skating and every wonderful thing this Miracle lover could ask for.

Recommendations? Read on.

• Mystery, Alaska is a pretty good hockey movie starring Russell Crowe. The story follows a pond-hockey team in Alaska who plays the New York Rangers in a publicity stunt game. The skating scenes are terrific and the pond hockey game is wonderful. This isn’t my favorite Russell Crowe movie or my favorite hockey movie, but it’s not bad.

• Miracle, staring Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, the Olympic team coach, is pretty darn good. It’s also one of the few hockey movies that is child-friendly so my whole family watched and enjoyed this one together.

• If you want really family friendly, you can’t go wrong with The Mighty Ducks which includes not only hockey, young Joshua Jackson in his pre-Pacey Witter days, and all the tear-jerking storylines a girl could want, but also stars Emilio Estevez, my favorite uptight Brat Packer.

• On the complete opposite end of the spectrum (as in, this film is in no way family friendly) we have Slapshot. I love this movie. My appreciation for it probably makes me disreputable and low class, but I’ll take those labels if it means I get to continue to watch Paul Newman curse, connive, and cajole his way through one last season with the hardscrabble minor league Chiefs. In my defense, Slapshot consistently appears high on lists of the best sports movies and best guy movies. It’s dirty, but fun.

• As long as we’re going with movies that mean bad things about my artistic taste, I might as well get Youngblood out of the way. Yes, it’s trite. Yes, it’s predictable. Yes, some of the scenes make me cringe. However, let me put the following counter arguments on the table. Patrick Swayze. Rob Lowe. Rob Lowe. And finally, Rob Lowe. Honestly, Youngblood is formulaic, but if that doesn’t bother you, it’s a good movie. Bonus: I just realized Keanu Reeves is also in this movie. This calls for a rewatch!

What about you? Is there a favorite hockey movie I missed? Are you more a figure skating fan? Have you seen D.B. Sweeney in The Cutting Edge which is about a hockey player who becomes a figure skater? I have!

In my fifth Superromance, Calling the Shots, ex-hockey player, Bryan James, and reluctant hockey mom, Clare Sampson, are thrown together when their kids have a fight at the hockey rink and their families enter mediation. My website (www.ellenhartman.com) includes an excerpt and other behind-the-scenes information.