Lisa Kleypas is one of the Heavy Hitters of the historical romance genre, with several international bestsellers, and awards to her name. With her new work in contemporaries, it looks like she will be dominating that genre as well!

When we learned of Lisa’s two upcoming new releases, Seduce Me At Sunrise and A Wallflower Christmas, we Smugglers decided that we had to dedicate a full week to Lisa’s work. And, for the grand finale of our Lisa Kleypas week, we were dead set on getting an interview with this wonderful author…although we weren’t expecting to *really* accomplish this. So, when we learned that Lisa was actually going to participate, we were bouncing off the walls with excitement! (Literally, there have to be somewhere around 50 emails between the two of us that basically say “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!”, “OMGOMGOMGOMG”, or derivations thereof)

And so, we are proud to present our very own Chat With Lisa Kleypas!

The Book Smugglers: You have two books coming up within a short period of time between releases – how hectic is this moment for you? Can you tell us a bit about each book?

Lisa: I am enjoying this tremendously! I think it will be a lot of fun to have two books coming out so close together. And the tone and format of each is quite different, which keeps things interesting. The first one, “Seduce Me At Sunrise,” is a very dark and passionate story about a Gyspy hero, Kev Merripen, and his forbidden love for a fragile invalid, Winnifred Hathaway. The second book is a Wallflower novel, and it was a joy to write—probably the happiest book I’ve ever done. I think a lot of that had to do with the Victorian Christmas setting. All the heroines and husbands of my original Wallflower novels make appearances, and I also introduced a new hero, Rafe Bowman, an American entrepreneur who has come to England to marry an aristocratic English bride.

The Book Smugglers: In addition to being a historical/regency romance maven, you have recently turned to contemporary fiction and romance with Sugar Daddy and Blue-Eyed Devil. What made you decide to step out of the historicals and venture into new territory?

Lisa: After writing historicals for so many years, I felt the need to stretch a little and challenge myself. I could never abandon historicals—I love them too much—but I knew there were different kinds of characters and plots I could write in a contemporary setting. And it has been some of the most satisfying work I’ve ever done, as well as the most difficult. The hardest part for me was finding a true, authentic contemporary voice and learning to “strip down” my writing style. But that forced me to express emotions and thoughts in a different, more creative way. The surprise was in discovering how much that refreshed my historical writing when I went back to it!

The Book Smugglers: In your historical fiction novels, and even in your contemporary work with Sugar Daddy, physical settings and locations play a large part of your novels, almost as characters in themselves. What’s your research process for creating these vivid time periods and locations? Have you visited some of the places you name in your stories?

Lisa: The setting of a book is really important to me as a writer—I can’t tell the story unless I know where things are and what’s going on at the time. I load a lot of sensory details in my place descriptions—I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out street-smells, what the sky would look like at a certain time of day, what kinds of plant and animal life would be in the rural settings, and of course I’m big on food and fashion! . . . I think this has led to some fun scenes, such as the calves’-head formal dinner in “It Happened One Autumn,” or the bees-behind-the-curtain scene in “Mine Till Midnight.”

In the past I visited England twice, and that helped tremendously in a sense of the dialogue and the country’s remarkable character. Unfortunately my opportunities for travel are now more limited than they used to be, because I have two young children at home. But I read piles of research books and information on the net, and there is always so much more to learn.

For my contemporary novels, the setting was much easier because I’ve lived in Texas almost half my life, in Dallas, Houston, and also in the environs of San Antonio. So I have a keen ear for the unique features of Texas dialogue, and an affection for the eccentricities of Texans.

The Book Smugglers: Similarly, your two latest Historical novels, Mine Til Midnight and Seduce me at Sunrise have gypsies as heroes . There is a lot of information about gypsy beliefs and rituals. Are they all product of research or are there some intellectual liberties?

Lisa: I researched as much as I could, buying every book available and going on the net, but it is very difficult to research the Rom, because there are so many variations in language and ritual among the different tribes! So at times I had to guess whether one tribal custom I read about might have been appropriate for other tribes in the area. I did not invent any words or customs, however, just tried to decide which ones would have been the most widely used. And appalling acts such as the “Gyspy Hunt” described in “Seduce Me At Sunrise” really did happen, when landowners brutally attacked Romany tribes and drove them out of the area.

The Book Smugglers: Speaking of research, you latest contemporary book, Blue-Eyed Devil taps in the very complicated subject of domestic abuse and personality disorders. We were awed at the manner in which you were able to present a very complex subject in a very straight-forward manner without ever succumbing to generalizations or gross interpretations – was it a very difficult topic to target? What kind of research was done for BED?

Lisa: Thank you!– it was definitely a difficult topic to address, but I wanted so much to share this knowledge with readers in the hopes that it might help someone. Whether we are aware of it or not, we have all come into contact with personality-disordered people in the past, and will in the future. You can’t avoid them. So there are important ways in which we can protect ourselves from being taken advantage of, hurt, or even abused, by recognizing the warning signs. Before I wrote the book, I consulted professional experts personally and also emailed with some respected authorities on the subjects of narcissistic personality disorder.

Part of what interested me in the subject of abuse was that a long time ago, before I was married, I was involved with a verbally abusive guy. It never got to the point of physical abuse, thank heaven, but it started in little ways and was definitely getting worse. Because it always does, It’s a progressive disease. And no matter how sorry the abusers say they are, they’ll keep doing it. It’s sad to learn that people with personality disorders can’t ever really change, because it goes down to the bedrock of who they are. But it’s crucial for people, especially women, to understand that it’s not a question of loving an abuser more, pleasing him more, because no matter what you do, you can’t ever change him.

The Book Smugglers: On to lighter topics: You have another winner with the Hathaway series. The family is absolutely delightful and adorable, and we have to ask: which sibling is next? We have the feeling it’s Leo and he is to be paired with…the governess?

Lisa: Oh, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the Hathaways—to me they are turning out to be loads of fun, they’re all such misfits! The next romance is going to feature Poppy, who so desperately longs for normalcy. And of course she won’t get it *g*. She’s going to be paired with the mysterious hotel owner of the Rutledge, where so many of my previous characters have stayed, going back to McKenna in “Again The Magic.” And you’re absolutely right about Leo—I think from the moment the governess appears in “Seduce Me At Sunrise” you know something very intense and unexpected is happening between them.

The Book Smugglers: In A Wallflower Christmas you bring back fan favorites such as the four wallflower friends and their respective consorts. Do you have plans on writing more stories about them in the future?

Lisa: If my readers are open to that, absolutely! I love the wallflowers. Writing about them is like putting on a pair of cozy slippers.

The Book Smugglers: We heard that you next contemporary is titled Smooth Talking Stranger and is set to be released in 2009 – any information you can share?

Lisa: Yes, it is the story of Jack Travis, who just may turn out to be my sexiest hero ever. I have paired him with a feisty feminist vegetarian, Ella Varner, who approaches the macho Jack with the news that he has fathered her sister’s baby! And while her sister is off in rehab, Ella is having to take care of the baby, and she tries to force Jack to take a paternity test, and she generally drives him crazy. It is a fun story, with some deeper issues, of course, and there are some good twists and turns in the plot.

The Book Smugglers: You are a former beauty queen turned writer–now that’s quite a leap! What inspired you to start writing novels and become a full-time author?

Lisa: Well, I was always sitting in the attic reading when I was younger. I was a nerd with glasses and braces. So the beauty pageant was sort of a way I tried to prove to myself that I was pretty. The surprise was, even after the hair and makeup and winning a crown, I still didn’t feel beautiful. That came later, with self-confidence and maturity and happiness, and being able to do what I love the most—writing. So that’s it–doing what you love is the best beauty secret!

The Book Smugglers: What is your usual writing process like? Can you describe a day at work for us?

Lisa: My average day starts at four in the morning . . . I get up early to write while it’s quiet, before my husband and children get up. Then at seven I make the breakfast, pack the lunches, get everyone dressed, and at nine o’clock I’m back to work until two o’clock. That’s the time when the children get home, and I’m able to be with them, do school projects, help with homework, etc. I am so lucky to be able to arrange my day around them, and I never take it for granted.

The Book Smugglers: What are you reading right now?

Lisa: Two wildly different works…one, “Atonement” by Ian McEwan (fantastic), and two, “Desperaux” by Kate DiCamillo, which I’m reading with my daughter.

The Book Smugglers: Who are your major writing influences? Which authors do you love?

Lisa: I have always loved the work of Judith McNaught, Laura Kinsale, Christina Dodd (who is also my dearest friend!) Kristin Hannah, Jayne Ann Krentz and SEP.

The Book Smugglers: Many of your books figure in reader’s favorite’s lists – what are Lisa Kleypas’ top 5 romance novels?

Lisa: That is tough to answer! Some of them I have a special fondness because they sort of articulated a turning point in my career, such as “Dreaming Of You”, when I started writing self-made non-aristocratic heroes. So I can tell you the books that aren’t necessarily my best-written works, but they represent particular times in my life that have personal meaning . . . “Blue-Eyed Devil”, “Sugar Daddy”, “Dreaming Of You”, “Devil In Winter” and “It Happened One Autumn”.

The Book Smugglers: And finally one last naughty question: if you were to be stranded in an island and could only pick one hero between Derek Craven and Sebastian St Vincent, which one would you choose?

Lisa: That is definitely a naughty question! Really, I would be equally happy with either of them, but Derek and St. Vincent have been spoken for so strongly by other women that they are unavailable at present! So I’ll settle for Kev Merripen from “Seduce Me At Sunrise”, because he is the kind of hero who, even on an deserted island, could get you dinner, make you a hammock and build a boat, and keep you quite warm at night!

Lisa Kleypas is the RITA Award–winning author of twenty novels. Her books have been published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. She lives in Washington State with her husband and two children.

For more about Lisa, please visit www.lisakleypas.com.

A big Smuggler thank you again to Lisa for taking the time to chat with us!

And, here it is folks! As promised, we have one copy of Lisa’s upcoming release, Seduce Me At Sunrise up for grabs. All you have to do to win this bad boy is leave a comment, letting us know who your favorite Kleypas character is and why! The contest will run until Sunday (September 28) at noon, Pacific Standard Time. Best of luck to you all!

Title: A Wallflower Christmas

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Historical Romance

Stand Alone/ Series: In the world of the Wallflower’s series but can be read as a stand alone

Summary: Wealthy entrepreneur Rafe Bowman has come to London to marry Lady Natalie, an aristocratic bride who will help to further his ambitions. But two things stand in his way : Lady Natalie’s disapproving companion Hannah . . . and Rafe’s passion for a woman he should not want and can never have . . .

Why did we read the book: It’s a Wallflowers book! (*Ana says* : It has St Vincent!) and another chance to do a Powerpuff Girls review with KatieBabs!

Review:

First Impressions:

Ana: I had no idea what to expect when I got A Wallflower Christmas. For some reason I thought this was going to be an anthology and was surprised – and delighted – to find out that this is a full-length novel albeit a short-ish one (about 200 pages). I was absurdly pleased when the prologue sets the tone for a Christmas tale with an “Once Upon a Time” opening by reminiscing each of the Wallflower’s story and how they all found their happily ever after and reminding the reader that there is no shortage of wallflowers and this is to be a story about another one of them. From that moment on, I was captivated by the narrative, extremely happy to see the Wallflowers’ antics again and above all completely taken with Rafe Bowman and his heroine, Hannah. Well done, Mrs Kleypas.

Thea: Having read the Wallflowers books, I was very happy to discover this new, sleek and shiny volume in the mail. I didn’t even know another spinoff series was planned! And, given my great experiences with the first four books, Ana and I decided that we would most definitely do a powerpuff style review for this newest addition. Lisa Kleypas is true to form with this novel, in a light hearted, festive romance between a strong minded young companion, and the un-gentlemanly Rafe. As with all the other Lisa Kleypas books I have read, A Wallflower Christmas is a fun, well-written romance. While I don’t think it is as good as those first four novels, it still was nice to see all the girls together again, and meddling in other people’s affairs.

On the Plot: Christmas is approaching and Rafe Bowman – Lillian and Daisy’s brother – is coming from America to England to get married. As heir to their father’s fortune and with a keen eye for business, Rafe is ready to take over the European side of the business but his father imposes a condition – he has to marry into English aristocracy and the chosen bride is one Lady Natalie.

Not really caring about whom he marries with, Rafe is prepared to please and appease his father. The meddlesome Wallflowers, who are engaged in preparations for a huge Christmas party that is to take place at Lillian and Marcus’ country Estate are worried that Rafe would not know how to handle an English lady – and decide he needs to learn everything he can about her in order to woo her. They invite Hannah Appleton, Natalie’s poor cousin and companion for tea in order for her to tell them what are Natalie’s dislikes and likes. She goes, under great pressure form her uncle, who wishes for the marriage to happen. But Hannah who thinks Rafe is not the best choice for her beloved cousin is completely hostile to Rafe, at least at first. Sparks fly….witty conversation and angst ensue, a stolen kiss happens….

and…..you know how the rest goes.

Ana: From an extremely objective point of view, the plot of A Wallflower Christmas is not the most original out there: the callous rake with the daddy issues and the outspoken impoverished companion have been done a thousand times. And yet…..

… there I was, on my flight to Portugal and I open the book and I do not see the take off, nor the landing and I have this stupid smile of my face and I can not stop reading it, not even on the queue for passport control when I was nudged a couple of times by the annoying person behind me who fully expected me (the nerve) to be paying attention to my surroundings as if keeping my place in line was more important than to read about how Rafe and Hannah were falling in love with each other against all odds and how the wallflowers are amazing and help them and how OMG here comes St Vincent (as we know, THE BEST ROMANTIC HERO EVER) and he has jewels and he covers Evie in them and they have sex for DAYS and Marcus and Lillian have an amazing scene but it all goes back to Rafe and Hannah and all of a sudden, my perspective changes, the callous, cold yet humorous rake is an amazing hero with his sad, sad childhood and Hannah is this impulsive lady that calls on Rafe’s dreadful behavior but can’t help falling in love with him no more than I can’t help falling in love with the book.

And I can no longer be objective because so many wonderful things happen, from the first moment Rafe sets eyes on her and is rendered speechless for the first time in his life to the moment he realizes he loves her but can not have her; and there is heart, there is laughter and there is warmth in A Wallflower Christmas and it’s more than I expected and it’s Lisa Kleypas once again, taking romance novels to another level, departing from a well-worn premise, making it her own and granting me, us, whomever is smart enough to get this book, a few hours of romantic delight.

Thea: In this new installment to the Wallflower’s story, the plot follows Lillian and Daisy’s brother, Rafe Bowman. Rafe travels across the pond to marry Lady Natalie at his father’s behest–as part of a business arrangement, benefiting Natalie’s family with even more wealth, and the Bowmans with a noble title, while Rafe earns the full control of the European operations of his father’s business. Natalie’s cousin and companion Hannah vehemently objects to the betrothal, even before either of them have met. Hannah is set that Rafe, judging from his reputation, is no gentleman and certainly cannot make Natalie happy–and she is sent to meet the Bowmans and report back to her Lady with her verdict. And, of course, Rafe falls for the one unacceptable woman he should not care for–not Natalie, but Hannah. Interject their story with meddlings and help from the Wallflowers and their respective partners, and you have A Wallflower Christmas.

I cannot fault the plotting for this novel at all, it is what it is–Lisa Kleypas, doing her thing. The book is paced evenly and is a quick, light read. It certainly isn’t an original storyline, but in general (in my opinion, that is) most historical romance novels follow the same conventions. While there isn’t anything new or innovative in this novel, the quality of writing is up to Lisa Kleypas’s usual high standards. I will say that I highly enjoyed seeing the Wallflowers again, and appreciated that a good portion of the story was devoted to “catching up” with what they have been doing for the past few years–all the while keeping a steady focus on Hannah and Rafe’s budding romance.

On the Characters:

Ana: Starting with the original wallflowers: it was amazing to see them all again, to catch up with their happily ever after. Their interactions with each other are as endearing as ever as are their interactions with their significant others (St Vincent!) – there is a little bit of each of them in A Wallflower Christmas and it was like seeing old friends.

But really, as much as the wallflowers are amazing (and St Vincent!), the book belongs to Rafe and Hannah. From the get go when sparks fly and they have this incredibly witty banter – gotta love witty banter – that starts because Hannah can not stand the manners or the values (or lack of) of American ands considers Rafe wholly unsuitable for her cousin. Rafe is completely taken with Hannah and she may deny it but she is taken with him as well (as it should be). Their conversation are delightful, their repartee funny and yet every single one of them carry hidden depths and moments where they share almost unconsciously, their inner turmoil, their hidden secrets. They hear each other in what they don’t say.

Rafe is another worthy addition to Lisa Kleypas’ pantheon of heroes: rake extraordinaire, so callous when it comes to women, he merely expresses a “she’ll do” when he meets Lady Natalie. Rafe was an unhappy child, always alone, under the intolerable bowman parentage, a boy destined for great things, not allowed to play. His rebellion is to be a carefree rake even though he tries his best to please his father, but that is no pleasing Mr Bowman, not now, not ever. The more he sees Hannah , the more he wants her. One particular moment of enlightenment is when he realises how fascinating she is and thinks it would tale a lifetime to get to know her, whereas with Lady Natalie one hour was enough. He is drawn to her as a moth to the light and if there is one keyword for both these characters is “warmth” – Rafe for Hannah was like a sugared cup of tea and to him, she was like a ray of sunlight.

The major conflict comes from the consequences of one accepting their love for each other: for Rafe accept to his love for Hannah is also to accept that he can not, will not please his father ever and that brings a great sense of failure to a man that has accomplished much except the one thing that matters: the acceptance of his own father. Much has been said about the common-place that is for a hero to have “daddy issues” but truly, sometimes it works, when it is well done, as is the case here. Similarly for Hannah to accept Rafe’s love is also to understand that she is the wrench that will come between him and his father – and the prospect of losing his place in the family business which means a lot to him.

But alas, one can not stop the course of true love.

Thea: In my (granted, very limited) experiences with historical romance, the plot is often pretty cut and dry–which leaves it to the characters to make or break a book. Ms. Kleypas has a huge talent for creating wonderful characters, and A Wallflower Christmas reintroduces us to some of my personal favorites.

Each former Wallflower gets a spotlight here–from Annabelle talking things over with Simon, Evie and St. Vincent holing themselves up for a couple of days, Daisy quietly giving advice to her brother and mediating tensions, and Lillian causing a ruckus over Marcus’s strange behavior. Since the hero in this story is another Bowman, there was more time devoted to the Bowmans in general–which is just fine by me, as Lillian is my favorite Wallflower! Initially I found the storyline involving Lillian’s misgivings concerning Marcus to be strange–but given Lillian’s tough exterior fronting for her very vulnerable feelings, her mistrust feels true to her character. When she does learn what Marcus has been up to, it is a touching, awkwardly funny scene–and reminiscent of their shenanigans in It Happened One Autumn, where I fell in love with both characters in the first place.

As for Hannah and Rafe, the central pair in this novel, they are both likable characters. Rafe Bowman is a dashing man, who has daddy issues. In the previous Bowman stories, some of Daisy and Lillian’s troubles with their father emerge, and it was very interesting to see things from the perspective of a brother. Hannah is an endearing heroine; she’s broke but does not have a problem with her situation, as she loves her dear cousin and is happy to be able to live as a companion. I was not swept away by these two characters or by their romance, but still found them agreeable enough.

Actually, more interesting to me (from a writing standpoint) was the character of Lady Natalie! Spoiled, selfish, and immature, Natalie can hardly live up to the Wallflower girls–and this is the most appealing thing about the character. I love that Ms. Kleypas wrote a main character that is neither Eeeevil! nor perfectly sweet and likable (as most characters fall into either category, nowhere in between). Natalie’s selfishness is not born out of meanness or a desire to squash Hannah (as say Joyce from Dreaming of You)–she simply is what you might expect a pampered, beautiful heiress to be.

Final Observations, recommendations and rating

Ana: A Wallflower Christmas is one of those small treasures. A delightful read not only because of Rafe and Hannah but also because we get to see those characters we have come to love – specially my own all-time favorite hero, Sebastian St Vincent. I may be biased because of that but there is no denying that this is a feel-good story, a captivating romance, with a fairytale-like narrative. I had a silly smile on my face for most of the read because this was just like waking up on Christmas morning to find a tree full of yet-to- be-discovered presents.

Thea: I enjoyed this book, finishing it within 2 hours on the plane. While I didn’t find it to be as great as the other Wallflower books, it’s still a trademark Lisa Kleypas read–that is, compulsively readable! Not spectacular, but very, very solid nonetheless. I enjoyed this one thoroughly.

Notable Quotes/ Parts:

Ana: they are all decorating the Christmas tree. Rafe dares Hannah to sing a carol. She does, to his utter delight, and he is completely captivated by her voice, and by the woman herlsef. Because she took his dare, he ows her a forfeit. She asks for a possession of his, anything he was carrying in his pockets at that moment. He gives her a toy soldier. She is puzzled by the fact that he is carrying it around without realising that he has given her his most treasured possession. Awwww. I will not spoil it, but The Secret meaning behind it is so heart wrenching and the fact that he has given it to her is one of the most heart warming scenes I have ever read in a romance novel. The whole sequence involving this event was amazing and I think I will always remember it.

Thea: I loved the passage where a certain young ‘un has stolen a certain toupee, and has gotten it stuck up in the enormous Christmas tree. Enlisting Hannah’s aid, she climbs up the treacherous ladder to retrieve said toupee–when the ladder collapses, Hannah is stuck on a ledge until Rafe comes along to observe the ridiculous situation. It’s funny, and very sweet.

Rating:

Ana: 9 - this is one of those huggable books!

Thea: 6 – Good, A book I definitely would recommend for any Kleypas fan.

And this is Bubbles’ and Buttercup’s opinion on the book. Now, pop over to Katie’s (A.K.A Blossum ) to read her review of A Wallflower Christmas! Powerpuff girls: to infinity and beyond!

TOMORROW, FRIDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE ONE AND ONLY LISA KLEYPAS AND A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF SEDUCE ME AT SUNRISE!

In 2005, Lisa Kleypas started a new historical romance series. Four very different women find that they are routinely ignored and shunned by London society for various reasons. Annabelle is beautiful, yet destitute; Lillian and her sister Daisy are brash and American without a drop of blue blood for all their wealth; and Evangeline, while unusually lovely is incredibly shy and cannot speak without stammering incohesively. Alone, each of them have gone to balls and assemblies only to sit on the outskirts without any prospects–until they decide that they have had enough. Annabelle, Lillian, Evie and Daisy decide to combine forces to escape their permanent wallflower status and land themselves dashing husbands, one by one.

And, to celebrate the Wallflowers, we Smugglers will take on each of our favorites–Thea with Annabelle and Lillian, Ana with Evie and Daisy!

Secrets of a Summer Night

Annabelle Peyton is by all accounts a beautiful woman–the perfect English Rose. Unfortunately, she and her mother are in dire financial straits. Her father’s death has left her family in debt, and as women in Regency England, there is naught to do about it. Annabelle is determined to find a husband but has gone for seasons without a single proposal. For all her beauty, the Peyton financial situation is no secret, and rumors circulate throughout the ton about Annabelle–all the peers seem perfectly eager to wait for her to fall into ruin, and then keep her as a mistress.

Enter the intrepid Wallflowers. At one ball, just as every other for the previous seasons, the four women find themselves seated and without a partner in sight. Lillian, brash American heiress, comes up with the brilliant idea that they should work together, starting with the eldest–which would be sweet Annabelle.

Although they go through with some hare brained schemes to trap an unsuspecting suitor for Annabelle into a proposal, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Simon Hunt–an obscenely wealthy ne’er-do-well, who seems intent on making Annabelle his mistress. You know how the story goes from there.

So, what’s cool about Annabelle? Perhaps I should have broken this down like a collectible card…

Name: Annabelle Hunt (nee Peyton)

Assigned Wallflower Status Because… Her family is flat-out broke. Why buy at full retail when you know it’s gonna go on sale in a few days? (AKA there’s no point in proposing to the beautiful Annabelle when she is bound to become a kept woman in a few months)

Why She’s Cool: Annabelle doesn’t have the snap of Lillian, or the fragility yet quiet strength of Evie, or even the imaginative sparkle of Daisy. What she does have, however, is a steely, admirable courage. Faced with ruin, dealing with her mother’s new ways of creating income, Annabelle feels the pressure of her situation fully, and yet does not despair and she does not whine and pawn her problems off on her newfound friends. Nor is Annabelle ready to accept her fate as a mistress (though it would be far easier for her to simply take the steady money and live with it).

If She Were an Ice Cream Flavor it Would be: Vanilla. Maybe bland to some, but always a classic.

What About Her Leading Man? Simon Hunt; dashing, roguish, and filthy rich. Simon has made his living with his own two hands, and is to some extent ostracized by the peers–with the exception of Marcus Westcliff, who respects and understands Simon. Tall, dark and handsome–not to mention crazy jealous, and protective of Annabelle.

Notable Moment(s): No one can doubt her courageousness in that final scene when Simon’s factory is ablaze and she rushes in to save her husband. Even Marcus, Lord Westcliff, is finally won over by Annabelle in this scene, as he had thought she was insincere and undeserving of his good friend Simon earlier.

It Happened One Autumn

As I’ve said before, Lillian is my favorite Wallflower, and one of my favorite Lisa Kleypas characters, period. This book begins as Lillian and her sister Daisy look for scents–that is, Lillian has a gift for scents, and is planning on concocting her own perfume. She would be an invaluable asset to her father’s soap manufacturing business had she been born a man. The shopkeeper sees Lillian’s talent, and offers her the last, perfect ingredient for her perfume–claiming it is a love potion.

From there, the girls–Lillian and Daisy, Evie and Annabelle (newlywed Mrs. Hunt) go to Lord Westcliff’s summer home. Lillian isn’t much looking forward to the trip as she and Westcliff seemed to despise each other on sight earlier that summer–he for his uptight domineering and judgemental behavior, she for her loud, unrestrained sauciness.

And…you know how the story goes from there.

Name: Lillian Westcliff (nee Bowman)

Assigned Wallflower Status Because… She is one of those dreadful, obnoxious Americans. Her family is filthy rich from her father’s successful business endeavors, but without a drop of blue blood to their name–they are seen as “new money” and social climbing pariahs in New York, and are similarly received in London. Mrs. Bowman’s pushy ambitions doesn’t do much to help things; she is insistent that her girls marry peers. And, then of course, Lillian herself is a wild child, speaking her mind, expressing her strong opinions, and sneaking off to play rounders with the stable boys.

Why She’s Cool: Lillian is a firecracker. She’s loud and opinionated, and hates to admit that she’s wrong. Her vivacity, her “oomf!” factor makes her irresistible. For all that she’s incredibly headstrong and often jumps to the wrong conclusions, she is so full of life that one can’t help but smile. She’s definitely not for everyone, as some readers might not like her crassness (or I suspect her treatment of the much beloved St. Vincent might have something to do with that–which, in this reader’s opinion is completely justified on Lillian’s part. After all, he did abduct her and planned on forcing marriage and other unmentionables on her). But underneath her thick, tough exterior, she’s surprisingly soft-hearted, and she will fight tooth and nail for her friends.

If She Were an Ice Cream Flavor it Would be: Oh, how about the aptly named flavor, “Rocky Road”? Sharp sometimes, a little nutty, a little soft and sweet, and very distinct.

What About Her Leading Man? Marcus, Lord Westcliff, is a staunch man, devoted to his convictions. Son of a cold father, raised by his horrid mother, Marcus has been groomed for Earldom since his youth. He expects to marry a lovely, quiet, traditional Englishwoman, as his station is expected. However, all that goes out the window when he meets Lillian, the one woman who is able to cause Marcus to lose his head to emotion–be it anger or desire. Marcus might seem a bit square and stuffy, but gradually we learn more of his past, his caring and protectiveness of his sisters, and his more progressive ideas. Hard to resist, really.

Notable Moment(s): The scene where she and Westcliff won me over–the infamous “Rounders in Knickers” scene. Lillian and Daisy convince the girls to go for a game of Rounders (similar to baseball) on a quiet field on Lord Westcliff’s grounds. Hilarity ensues when Westcliff and Hunt ride into the game–Hunt cannot keep his eyes off of Annabelle, and Westcliff cannot control his anger at the uppity impertinence of Lillian Bowman. Both Lillian and Westcliff seem to hate each other on sight…but we know how that tune plays out. Technically this scene is from Secrets of a Summer Night, but it’s my favorite. To be fair, my favorite scene in It Happened One Autumn is when Lillian is in Marcus’s library, getting completely wasted off pear brandy to take the edge off worry, anger and rejection. When Marcus stumbles in on her (completely blitzed, having finished the bottle), the scene is both funny and incredibly sweet.

Devil In Winter

Evie Jenner is in dire straights. When she was a child, her father, who is the owner of a gambling club (you might remember him from Dreaming of You – he was Derek Craven’s rival), sent her to be raised by her mother’s family so that she could have a modicum of respectability. But her relatives are abusive and see her purely as a mean to get her father’s fortune. When they decide she should marry her piggish cousin, she flees and decides her only course of action is to get a husband of her own choosing. As time is of essence here, the only possible choice is the devil himself: Sebastian St Vincent, the man who had kidnapped her best friend because he too, is in financial trouble.

The shiest of the Wallflowers walks into his house and makes an offer he cannot refuse – they are to elope and he would have his money and she would be free from her family and be able to go to her father who is dying. There is one condition – they will consummate the marriage so that it would be legal but they would not sleep together again. But their wedding night is a complete surprise for both of them, and they start to realise that appearances can be deceiving…
And…you know how the story goes from there.

Name: Evangeline, Lady St Vincent (nee Jenner)

Assigned Wallflower Status Because: She is extremely shy. Even though she has considerable fortune, her father’s money comes from his gambling club –she is not aristocracy. She also stutters which makes potential suitors wary of approaching her.

Why She Is Cool: She has endured an abusive childhood with her relatives and came out stronger for that – she may not be outspoken or spunky but she is determined and extremely loyal to her friends and father. Once she makes up her mind, there is no turning back. She is one of those quietly strong heroines. She is extremely perceptive and can see through other people’s BS quite easily. And one that can wrap the most dashing, beautiful, sophisticated rake around her little fingers.

If She Were an Ice Cream Flavor It Would Be: Strawberry – she’s a redhead, she’s someone that people overlook a lot of the time, and yet she’s definitely original. Tangy, sweet, not to everyone’s tastes, but distinct on her own.

What About Her Leading Man? Ah. Now. Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I don’t even know where to start – he is put simply, my all time favorite romance hero. Described as the most beautiful man in England, with is golden hair and blue eyes, a sex god, callous, infamous, manipulative, crude, witty and extremely sophisticated lord, the ultimate reprobate rake who on top of everything, starts out as a villain. In It Happened One Autumn – because he is an impoverished aristocrat who needs money to maintain his dissipated life style, he kidnaps his best friend’s fiancée, Lillian Bowman to force her to marry him. How could someone like this ever be redeemed? Well………all it takes is a red-headed with her quiet ways and will of steel to bring him down to his knees. Quite possibly the most improbable pairing in all romanceland, but one that absolutely works. His transformation is amazing – it starts out in their wedding night when he is shaken to the core after sex with Evie turned out to be a surprisingly amazing experience which alarmed him to no end; and continues when he realizes he has a brain which he can use, by running the gambling club that belonged to Evie’s Father. He turns quite murderous and protective when he learns of her abuse and little by little, starts falling even though he fears to love as much as he fears to be loved. When someone tries to kill Evie, he throws himself in front of the bullet aimed at her, without a second thought and as he lies there thinking he is going to die, his only concern is for her safety. He learns the meaning of sacrifice, the meaning of caring for someone and most of all he learns he is worth more than his looks and charms. And the best thing? He is redeemed but without ever losing his edge, his bad-boy persona and he carries on being rather depraved, but only with Evie. The lion who has been tamed by the lamb and is extremely satisfied about it. I better stop now, I could go on and on, believe me.

Notable Moments: I think Evie’s best moment is the one that sets things in motion. You would never expect her to just walk into the lion’s den right after Sebastian has been beaten to a pulp by Marcus and everyone thinks he is the devil, to make him an offer he can’t refuse: to marry her, so that he can have money and she can be freed from her family. It takes a lot of guts but she will prove over and over again that if there is someone that can handle the devil, it’s her.

One last thing: Devil In Winter is one of my favorite romance novels. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase is my number one, but Devil in Winter is the one I re-read over and over again.

Scandal In Spring

Daisy Bowman is the only Wallpaper that it’s still single. Sick and tired of waiting for his daughter to choose a husband, her father takes matters in his own hands and decides she is to marry his protégée, Matthew Swift.

Matthew has loved Daisy since he first saw her but he has a secretive past that could jeopardise their happiness so he decides to keep away. But Daisy, who was at first horrified at the prospect of marrying cold, ambitious Matthew , all of a sudden realises he is everything she ever wanted in a man and decides to make him jealous to get him to come out of his shell.

And…you know how the story goes from there.

Name: Daisy Swift (nee Bowman)

Assigned Wallflower Status Because: She is Lillian’s sister and therefore, another one of those dreadful Americans; heiress to “new money”, off to marry a peer as per her father’s determination. She may not be a spitfire like her sister, but she is her best friend and companion on her adventures.

Why She’s Cool: She is intelligent and inquisitive but also a dreamer and a romantic, always with a book in her hands. Her dream man would be someone quiet and well-read –not someone that is perfect, but someone that is just right for her. She is not as abrasive as her sister – quite the contrary; out of all the wallflowers she usually is the voice of reason and the most approachable one.

If She Were An Ice-Cream Flavour It Would Be: Neapolitan. she’s dreamy, kind of “in between” and taking the best of all worlds–chocolate, vanilla and strawberry together. Subtle flavors when mixed, but oh so yummy.

What About Her Leading Man? Matthew Swift is her father’s protégée who he worships above even his own sons and whom he chooses as a husband for Daisy when it’s clear she can’t get a British peer to marry her. Matthew is a self-made, self-confident ambitious American, who has wanted Daisy FOREVER. Even though he would love nothing more than to marry Daisy, he has a Secret in his Past that is an obstacle to their relationship. Attractive, strong and utterly masculine, he knows every single thing about Daisy. And he carries around a button with a lock of her hair in his pocket so that he can possess at least a tiny piece of her.

Notable Moments: The lawn games Daisy and Matthew play which starts friendly enough and turns into a fierce competition. Or when they are having The Talk when they both acknowledge how much they want each other but Matthew refuses to make a move. Daisy is furious at this decision that seems so illogical so she takes charge, locks the door and tucks the key inside her bodice. Impossible for Matthew to resist. And the rest as they say, it’s history.

So, these are the original wallflowers and their original books. But every season sees new wallflowers forgotten in the corners of London’s ballrooms. One such wallflower is Hannah Appleton and her story and how the wallflowers will help her getting the man of her dreams is in the upcoming novel A Wallflower Christmas (release date October 14th).

Come back later today to read our take in the new book! We will be posting our joint review here and Katiebabs will post hers at her place – it is another one of our infamous Powerpuff girls’ joints!

Title: Seduce me at Sunrise

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Historical Romance

Stand Alone/ Series: The second in The Hathaways series

Summary: Win has been an invalid ever since she suffered a near-fatal case of scarlet fever. Merripen is a Romany Gypsy who was taken in by the Hathaway family when he was a boy. He has always kept his fierce passion for Win a secret, believing a romantic relationship would never be possible.
But Win goes to an exclusive clinic, far away from Merripen and the rest of her family, and makes a remarkable recovery. And when she returns two years later, a changed woman, the explosive passion between these long-denied lovers threatens their family, their future, and even their lives . . .

Why did I read the book: Win and Merripen were secondary characters in Mine Till Midnight and they completely stole the show with their longing for each other – I have been waiting for their story ever since.

Review:

“Kev loved her. Not in the way that novelists and poets described. Nothing so tame. He loved her beyond earth, heaven, or hell. Every moment out of her company was agony; every moment with her was the only peace he had ever known. Every touch of her hands left an imprint that ate down to his soul. He would have killed himself before admitting it to anyone. The truth was buried deep in his heart. Kev did not know if Win loved him in return. All he knew was that he didn’t want her to”

There are some love stories that are so powerful they leap from the pages and beg to be told. Kev and Win’s is one of those – a pair of secondary characters that first appeared in Mine Till Midnight, Amelia Hathaway and Cam Rohan’s story. In all honesty, I somewhat enjoyed Mine till Midnight but I didn’t think it was the best Lisa Kleypas offering. At least not when it came to the central couple – my favorite parts of Mine Till Midnight were the ones about Win and Kev. They completely stole the show with their love that could never be.

She: Amelia’s invalid sister who never fully recovered from Scarlet Fever and who loves the strong and powerful Kev; He: the Roma who had been adopted by the family when he was a child and was completely, utterly devoted to Win, even if it means to keep away from her. Every single scene when they were together spoke of a longing and the promise of a beautiful love story – one that I have been waiting for since I read Mine Till Midnight.

Seduce me at Sunrise opens and we learn that Win is about to leave on a journey to France to try a new treatment for her illness. She is sick and tired of being an invalid and believes this is what keeps her and Kev from getting together. She wants to get well and she wants to enjoy life and she wants him. Kev, even though loving Win with every bit of his heart ever since they were children, believes himself unworthy of her – his soul being too dark from the violent things he have done when still living with his tribe and her being too radiant to be tarnished by his. It kills him, but he thinks she deserves better, a gentle soul of a gentleman. She wants him to wait for her, wants him to be there for her – and he will be but only as a friend. So she leaves.

And we then go back twelve years in the past to learn how the Hathaways rescued Kev (beaten up and close to death), after his tribe left him behind and how he came to fall in love with Win. I absolutely loved these chapters that showed the connection between these souls. Kev behaves and feels like a wild dog, savage, broken. Prepared to leave at first opportunity, as soon as his body recovered but there is one moment that changes everything. He feels Win’s presence outside his bedroom and is restless until she finally comes inside to tend to him – that moment seals their destiny. It is quite simply, a case of Soul Mates, sharing a deep connection, the dark and the light that become friends and he chooses to stay because of her. It is very reminiscent of the Cathy-Heathcliff relationship in Wuthering Heights – there are things that are set in stone, there is no reasonable explanation, they just are. This is the case of Kev and Win.

It was heart wrenching to read all the scenes regarding the bout of scarlet fever that consumed Win – the despair on her part to get him away from her so that he wouldn’t fall ill and his despair and his decision not to leave her side and to nurse her back to life. Some of the best, most gut-wrecking scenes of agonising love when Kev breaths the same air coming out of her lungs because if she has to leave, he will follow suit. My dear friends, this just about killed me.

And yet, the stubborn man who is prepared to die for the woman, refuses to live with her. And so we go the future, to two years after Win has gone to France, when she finally comes back home. Body restored, prepared to live and with her, she brings a suitor, Dr Harrow, the man who helped her recover and who is prepared to ask for her hand. Kev agonises when he learns she has someone but since it is his choice not pursuit their love, he has to live with it. Except is easier said than done.

From that moment on it is just really a matter of how and when Kev would eventually let his stubbornness subside and realise he could not go on denying both of them their happiness. Win, one of those quietly strong heroines, is bent on the pursuit of her own happiness and she pushes Kev’s buttons and calls him on his arrogance on the unfairness of he being the one to decide their fates. But even if she realises theirs is one of those once in a lifetime love, she won’t be sitting around waiting for him, she wants a family of her own. And by gawd, she will have it. Sick and tired to be worshiped from afar, she wants everything she can get from him and when he finally relents she learns that she was never on a pedestal and he shows her just how much he too, wants everything from her, heart, soul, mind and body. And it is so.very.good.

But as much as this is a wonderful love story, there are also some secondary plots that were quite endearing. With this second book, I have come to love the Hathaways as a family and to look forward to their interactions. There are a few scenes between Cam and Kev and between Kev and Leo (the Hathaways brother) that are full of camaraderie and some between Cam and Amelia that I thought were better than their scenes in their own book. I think it is also worth mentioning that there is a otherworldliness to this series that comes from its connection with the gypsy world (curses, ghosts, Coincidences with a capital C) that adds a supernatural feel without really being a complete foray into paranormal area.

The only minor issue I had with the book comes from what I have come to call The Curse of the Romance Novel where we have, towards the end of a novel, a too villainous villain doing villainous acts and a care-bear resolution that wraps every single thing with pink cellophane paper with purple polka dots and rainbows – thank the gods it’s Lisa Kleypas writing which makes everything better. But even if the ending is not to my particular taste, still Kev and Win’s love is stuff for legends and with Kev, Lisa Kleypas has yet another wonderful hero that I am sure, will be making the rounds in top 10s henceforth.

Notable quotes/ Parts:

Kev’s love for Win clearly borders obsession but something needs to be said for these heroes that would do anything for their heroines. Damn me if I don’t love him -specially since he reminds me so much of Heathcliff.

“I’m not good enough for you. But no one is. And most men, good or bad, have limits to what they would do, even for someone they love. I have none. No God, no moral code, no faith in anything. Expect you. You’re my religion. I would do anything you asked. I would fight, steal, kill for you. I would…
“shhh.Hush. My goodness.” She sounded breathless. “There’s no need to break all the commandments, Kev.”

And later on, after he finally capitulates, there is an AMAZING inner speech about his love for her. I won’t spoil the whole thing but it ends like this:

“I love you for being the answer to every question my heart could ask”

So terribly romantic.

Additional Thoughts: a secondary plotline which started in Mine Till Midnight is Leo Hathaway’s. In that first book, Leo is going through hell after the death of his beloved. Drunk, not caring about anything, deep in despair. In Seduce me at Sunrise, Leo is starting to recover, becoming more centred and I have the feeling we have been introduced to his heroine, none other than the girls’ stern new governess who dislikes him at first sight (or does she) and whom he has repartees with.

There is also one scene that I thought was absolutely brilliant. Leo is trying to get through to Kev and they have a talk. Leo tells Kev that he knows that when Leo and Win fell ill all those years ago with the same disease that killed Leo’s fiancée, Laura and Kev ministered an unusual medicine as a last attempt to save their lives :

“(…) you would have taken the rest of that poison. And I’ve always hated you for that. Because you forced me to stay alive without the woman I loved, while you had no bloody intention of doing the same”

and then he shows an insightful side and says:

“if you had the bollocks to die with her, don’t you think you could work up the courage to live with her?”

Needless to say Leo’s book can not come soon enough. I really want to see how Lisa Kleypas will have him finding love again.

Verdict: Win and Kev’s love story reminded me of Wuthering Heights, one of my all-time favourite novels: their love was gripping, unrelenting and eternal. It should come as no surprise that Lisa Kleypas has another winner in her hands.

Rating: 9, damn near perfection

Reading next: A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

Title: Blue-Eyed Devil

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Romance (contemporary), Fiction

Stand alone or series: Second book in the Travis’ series by Kleypas

Summary: “Blue-Eyed Devil” is the story of the charming, volatile and ambitious Hardy Cates, who is determined to carry out his private revenge against the Travis family. Haven is the rebellious Travis daughter who struggles against her overpowering attraction to the most dangerous man in town. But when Hardy crashes a Travis family wedding, the heiress and the bad boy uncover an explosive chemistry that neither of them can deny. Hardy Cates is an unscrupulous rascal, but now he’s trying to clean up his act. He is looking for the perfect society wife, the kind of woman Haven Travis could never be. Having once been burned by a love affair gone wrong, Haven vows to stay far away from the sexy heartbreaker. However, Haven discovers that the temptation of a blue-eyed devil is hard to resist. And then when a menace from Haven’s past appears, Hardy may be the only one to save her…

Why did I read the book: Because of the sheer amount of positive reviews.

Review:

I was caught completely unawares by Blue-Eyed Devil. I fully expected it to be a good read – it is a Lisa Kleypas after all – but wasn’t prepared for when it turned out to be an amazing book and one that has become one of my favourite romance novels of all time.

This is the story of Haven Travis, told in first person point of view. It begins at her brother’s wedding party – Gage, who is getting married to Liberty Jones, heroine of Sugar Daddy. Haven is attending the wedding with her fiancée Nick but at the reception she can’t help but to notice this guy, this guy with incredible blue eyes. By accident they end up at the dark cellar where Haven mistakenly assumes he is Nick and they end up kissing passionately. She then learns that not only he is not Nick but he is Hardy Cates, the guy who tried to come between Gage and Liberty in Sugar Daddy and who has crashed the reception to tease his enemy. He is invited to leave and we don’t see more of Hardy until much later in the book.

Haven proceeds to marry Nick, against her family’s will and ends up cut off and stranded. Haven starts her life with Nick innocently believing that love conquers all. What comes next in the story was very hard to read. For the next two years, her life is turned upside down when it’s clear that Nick is an abusive husband. Not one of those that are outright violent – at least not at first – but one that, with subtlety, reinforced by a strong personality, shapes Haven’s according to his needs. Little by little, Haven is stripped of her own self, loses her personality and becomes a shadow of her former self. We learn later that Nick has a personality disorder and at that point in time, Haven submits to a relationship where there is no room for dissension; where there is no room for her true self. It was a very difficult relationship to read about – my innards were twisted in agony for Haven and for that feeling of having a destiny you think you cannot escape from. Until something horrid happens, and beaten up and shattered to pieces, with the help of her brothers Gage and Jack, Haven is finally able to get away, to get a divorce and to start over.

Haven begins the story too young, too sheltered and innocent being then catapulted into adulthood and into a harsh reality that messed up with her sense of self-worth and self-preservation. It is a painful, slow journey to recovery for Haven. She needs to re-connect with herself, mind, body and soul. To re-discover who she is, what she likes, to find a job, to reunite with her family, her brothers, undergoing therapy sessions that felt very realistic and finding a new footing in life. And of course, finding true love with a wonderful man helps immensely.

And this is when we break away from romance hell to romance heaven. For Hardy comes back to her life, again by accident. They meet at a bar and they are both reminded of that heated encounter which neither was able to forget. Hardy starts a relentless campaign to date her and at first she is not prepared to get into a new relationship. But Hardy is ever so gentle, patient and the cave woman in me needs to come out and say it: he is also too hot for words.

I was trying to come up with a way to describe Hardy when it hit me like lightening: give or take a few differences, Hardy is a contemporary Derek Craven. A self-made, ambitious man, coming from the gutter, becoming a millionaire and doing anything to get the obstacles out of the way. Raised by an abusive, criminal father, he also has that sense of not being worthy of his heroine. In the end, for a fleeting moment,
there is a near miss into Big Misunderstanding arena avoided at the eleventh hour by a hero that is able to say “I am sorry, I was wrong” and a heroine who is capable of seeing through the barriers he has raised.

And this is where I say Lisa Kleypas is an amazing writer: because she was brave enough to address something new – to write, realistic and graphically, about an abusive relationship and a personality disorder that is more common than any of us would like to think and to give it a fair take: the abuser is a sick person and the abused is not to be judged for enduring it; whilst at the same time being capable of taking one of the biggest clichés of romance as a genre, a too hot-too strong-almost alpha male-millionaire and turn him into a believably real man. For all that he is a staple romance hero he is also the catalyst to mend Haven’s broken soul with his openness, his gentle care and one hero that is fully opened to be mended in return. Does love conquer all? No, I am too cynical to believe that but Blue-Eyed Devil makes me wish I would.

Blue-Eyed Devil, in my most humble opinion is one of those books that begs to be taken from its niche (contemporary) within a distinct genre (romance) and be hailed simply as: literature.

Notable quotes/Parts: So many parts worth quoting: the elevator scene when Hardy is the first person Haven thinks of calling for help and how he came to the rescue; the fact that he went into murderous mood at the sight of someone hurting her. I loved to read about the slow progress of their relationship, how they started to spend more and more together, immersed in conversation. One such talk went like this:

Hardy:

“Ever since I can remember, I wanted to get somewhere, be someone. I’d see other sons of bitches who had it all – an expensive car, a big house, a beautiful woman. And I told myself, “Fuck’em. Someday I’ll have it all too, and I’ll be happy’” His mouth twisted. “but the past couple of years, I finally got the things I wanted, and it wasn’t enough. I was still a miserable bastard. When I’m with you though….”
“What” I prompted.
“When I am with you, I feel like I finally have what I need. I can relax and be happy”

Haven grows up:

I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.

A celebration for Haven, leaving the past behind:

His love came with no strings attached, which I thought was the greatest gift one human being could give to another.
“you know”, (….) “I am just as much me when I’m with you, as I am without you”

Additional Thoughts: sometimes it can be frustrating to read first person narratives, especially when there is a hero one would love to learn more about. “What is Hardy thinking” was my mantra whilst reading BED and then I found this: Lisa Kleypas’ special post at Romance Novel TV where she publishes the first encounter between Hardy and Haven from his point of view. Go forth and read it!

Verdict: One of the best books I have read, romance novel or not. Hardy Cates is tied with another hero (whom you will learn all about in November) as my favourite hero of 2008.

Rating: 10 – Blue-Eyed Devil has made it into my top 10 reads of 2008. (only two spots left now).

Reading next: Seduce me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas.

Another month, another dare! Every month we dare a guest (usually another blogger) to read a book that is outside their comfort zone, chosen by us. When we asked CJ from the amazing The Thrillionth Page blog, which genres she is not used to read and she said “Contemporary” novels, our first thought went to Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas – a book that both Thea and Ana loved.

So, without further ado, we give now the floor to Carolyn Jean:

Title: Sugar Daddy

Author: : Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Romance (contemporary), Fiction

Stand alone or series: First book in a new series by Kleypas

Summary: (From amazon.com)
Liberty Jones has dreams and determination that will take her far away from Welcome, Texas-if she can keep her wild heart from ruling her mind. Hardy Cates sees Liberty as completely off-limits. His own ambitions are bigger than Welcome, and Liberty is a complication he doesn’t need. But something magical and potent draws them to each other, in a dangerous attraction that is stronger than both of them.When Hardy leaves town to pursue his plans, Liberty finds herself alone with a young sister to raise. Soon Liberty is under the spell of a billionaire tycoon-a Sugar Daddy, one might say. But the relationship goes deeper than people think, and Liberty begins to discover secrets about her own family’s past.

Why did we recommend the book: We both really liked the book.

Review by CJ:

The Dare!!

Well, some time ago, naughty Ana and Thea invited me to do a dare. They wanted me to read a book out of my comfort zone. Gasp!

The obvious choice was a contemporary, just because I’d never read one, which seems weird. But I really came into this scene with Outlander and Anita Blake, sort of riding the urban fantasy/paranormal train, and later I added mystery/romance, futuristics and historicals. I didn’t consciously avoid contemporaries so much as I never got attracted to them. My mindset was, UF and paranormal serve up monsters and interesting world building alongside the romance. Historicals, mysteries and futuristics give you other stuff with romance. But contemporaries? Just the romance. Nothing else on the plate. It always seemed to me the meal might be a bit thin.

Oops!

I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to reading this book every night—a central measure of a book’s excellence for me. I looked forward to this one so much, and it lived so strongly in my mind during the day, it sort of felt like having a new love affair, where you have the sensation of being whisked out of your normal life.

And after I was onto the next book in my pile, I only wished I was still reading Sugar Daddy.

Gosh, I love this woman from the wrong side of the tracks in the big city stuff. Main character Liberty lives with her mother in a trailer park at the book’s open. When her mother dies, 17-year-old Liberty has to fend for herself and an infant sister with no prospects or skills. She’s also sort of obsessed with this guy Hardy from the trailer park, but he leaves to make it big. Just when Liberty’s gotten over him and put her life on a good track with a great guy in Houston, smoldery Hardy reappears.

Sugar Daddy is not a predictable book. At a certain point I thought, this heroine is going to end up with the hero I don’t want her to end up with. Shit, I can’t say anything more than that, except to say that she ended up with the one I wanted. But it was sheer willpower I didn’t read the last page. I was verra tempted. The ending is, as they say, unexpected yet inevitable, as a good ending should be.

Character luv.

One of my favorite things about Sugar Daddy is Hardy’s character; when I finished it and thought back on him, he added up in an exquisite, perfect way. Very satisfying. I won’t say any more, but he’s a fun character to put together in hindsight. And the events.

Liberty is an excellent character, too. She’s sincere, vulnerable, and strong, with a good heart and a one-pointed fierceness about making a better life for her sister and herself. The supporting characters— esp. Liberty’s mother, as well as Miss Marva, an eccentric trailer park neighbor— are refreshing and complex.

I’ve never much gotten to know anybody from Houston, but around the time I was reading this book, Houston was in the news, like with the hurricane, and for a split second I’d have this dim thought like, Oh, no! Liberty…the Travis family…. And then I’d think, No, they’re characters in a book. But they felt so alive.

Hey, also, the names. Hardy, Liberty, Gage, Churchill, Carrington. They are all very odd, very fitting.

A few questions for you veterans

There were a lot of pop culture references in here. Is that true of all contemporaries? I liked that. For example, the trailer park mother names the baby sister Carrington, after the Carringtons on the TV show Dallas. (Though there were simultaneous mentions of Nirvana, and I felt a slight time oddness there, as Dallas came way earlier than Nirvana.) Anyway, on the Carrington thing, when Liberty and toddler Carrington finally meet Churchill’s wealthy family, I was so waiting for one of the snootier members to figure out where that name came from and make fun of it. Weren’t you? Maybe I worry too much about little things like that.

Also, there is this last chapter thing, taking place some months later. almost an epilogue, with the happy couple together, and she breaks the happy baby news. It seemed like overkill. Do all contemporaries end with that? A pregnancy or little ones?

Another thing, I read a review of this over at Taja’s, and she felt this slipped slightly over the line to women’s fiction. Do people agree? Is it possible this is not a representative sample?

At any rate, I loved this, and I get to read Blue Eyed Devil now. I can’t wait!
__________

Great review, CJ – we are delighted that you loved the book! Thanks so much for taking part!

CJ asked some interesting questions – any takers?

Next dare: Katiebabs has been dared to read The Golden Compass (or Northern Lights), the first book in His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman – one of Ana and Thea’s favorite fantasy series!

We sneaky Smugglers have just received from Lisa Kleypas the new American cover for her upcoming contemporary romance: Smooth Talking Stranger!

Here’s the UK version, posted earlier this week:

As you can see, there are some noted differences between the two covers. Any thoughts or preferences?

Here’s the early synopsis of the book (from the gals of Ramblings on Romance):

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas (March 2009, St. Martin Press)

Jack Travis leads the uncomplicated life of a millionaire Texas playboy. He makes no commitments, he loves many women, he lives for pleasure. But no one has ever truly touched his heart or soul. Until one day, a woman appears on his doorstep with fury on her face and a baby in her arms. It seems Jack is the father and this woman is the baby’s aunt. The real mother has abandoned the child to her more responsible sister. And now, Jack is being called upon to take responsibility for the first time in his life.

We will start this post by saying: Lisa Kleypas is one of the best romance novels writers out there and one of our favourites. Her stories are well-written and well-researched but above all, her stories have heart. It is hard to find a romance reader who does not include at least one Lisa Kleypas’ book in their top 10 or one of her heroes as their pick for a desert island escapade. She has written over 25 historical novels and recently started, very successfully, to write contemporaries. She has two new books coming out in September and early October and we were able to get our greedy hands on Advanced Reading Copies and when the opportunity to interview Lisa Kleypas presented itself we just couldn’t pass up the chance to dedicate a whole week to this amazing writer and have another one of our infamous Appreciation Weeks.

We hereby roll out the red carpet and declare opened the Lisa Kleypas Week (A.K.A. It’s a Lisa Kleypas Madness!!!).

This is what you can expect:

Monday – Back to the Past:

We go back in time and read one of the most loved romance novels of all time. It is one of Ana’s Favourites and she dared Thea, the non-romance reader of the duo, to read it – and she loved it! She will tell all in her review of …Dreaming of You.

Tuesday – Contemporary Day

First up is our dare review for September (where we dare another blogger to read a book our of her/his comfort zone). CJ from The Thrillionth Page will be reading and reviewing Sugar Daddy

Then Ana, will post her review of Blue-Eyed Devil – one of her first contemporary romance reads and one that will make her top 10 of 2008.

Wednesday – Kev and Win day!

Ana will do an early review of the eagerly awaited book 2 of the Hathaway Sisters series, Seduce me at Sunrise (release date 30th). Will Kev and Win’s story live up to the expectations created when they stole the show in Mine Till Midnight?

Thursday – A Wallflower Party

Next up is a special post by both Ana and Thea chatting about the best of the Wallflowers’ series in preparation for yet another Powerpuff Girls’ early review with KatieBabs – this time, of A Wallflower Christmas, the new book in the Wallflower series

Friday – Interview and Giveway.

And to wrap things up, we will publish an exclusive interview with the one and only Lisa Kleypas! We will be talking about her new series, old favourites, her writing process, her decision to write contemporaries and of course, her answer to the one question that it’s in everybody’s minds: If she were to pick one hero, which one would she pick – Derek Craven or Sebastian St. Vincent? Come back next Friday to find out! (And for a chance to win a copy of Seduce me at Sunrise.)

And to finish: while searching the net to find the covers for this post, we came across….

The Cover of her next Contemporary! And with that we bid you adieu…..until tomorrow!