Firstly, let’s all celebrate together because my Thea-Bear has returned!! Woohoo! She will be back to smuggling full time this week.

Meanwhile, we have some business to take care of:

Rewriting Monday giveaway:

The winner of a signed copy of Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas and a tote bag is:

I Heart Book Gossip

Congratulations IHBG! Please send us your snail mail address to contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com .

This Week On The Book Smugglers

On Monday, a joint review of Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre which releases this Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Ann Aguirre will be stopping here on her Virtual Tour and you can learn about her Inspiration and Influences for this new series. Plus a chance to win a copy of Blue Diablo.

Thea reviews YA novel Graceling by Kristin Cashore on Wednesday

followed by Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund on Thursday

on Friday Ana reviews Fantasy novel Painted Man by debut writer Peter V. Brett – isn’t the UK cover absolutely stunning?

And speaking of UK covers, lookie wha we found:

New Cover:

Lisa Kleypas’ upcoming Tempt me at Twilight (Hathaway Sisters, book 3) has an official UK cover and a blurb:

Engaged to the very sensible Michael Bayning, Poppy Hathaway is content with her lot – having longed for a life of normality. That is, until she meets a mysterious hotel owner, Harry Rutledge – the most complicated and dangerous man she has ever met. Harry is wealthy and powerful, a collector of secrets, with hobbies more dangerous than Poppy could imagine. What Harry wants, Harry gets – and Harry wants Poppy, like he has never wanted a woman in his life. So when Michael breaks off their engagement and Harry makes his move, Poppy quickly learns that her life is destined to be anything but normal – filled with wild, passionate days and steamy nights …

Can we say:  WANT IT NOW?
We couldn’t find anything for the US just yet though.

On the Internets:

Ana recently reviewed Revealed by Kate Noble and really, REALLY like it. And you have a chance to win a signed copy at the author’s website. Run because the contest ends today, but you still have time!

From the series – Books Ana Must Get or DIE:

Blurb: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen’s beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action. As our story opens a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Complete with 20 illustrations in the style of C. E. Brock (the original illustrator of Pride and Prejudice) this insanely funny expanded edition will introduce Jane Austen’s classic novel to new legions of fans.

Seriously: If there was ever a book written FOR the Book Smugglers’ girls, this one is it. We will review it soon.

And, one of Ana’s favorite writers of both Historical and Contemporary romance, Victoria Dahl, has two books coming out later this year:

in July, contemporary Start Me Up:

and in August, one of Ana’s most anticipated Historical releases of 2009: One Week as Lovers which features the Viscount of Lancaster who first made an (awesome) appearance in the excellent A Rake’s Guide to Pleasure.

This is what the author has to say about the cover and how it works for her book:

When I saw the cover I got choked up. Why? Because it’s perfect. Look at them. They look like they’re in love!!! And this is my story that features characters who are actually in love. Not falling in love through the course of the book. Not mad with lust. But really in love from very early on. They’re in love and they can’t be together. It’s impossible. All they have is this one week. *sigh* Look how protective he is. Look at her happy, peaceful face.

*Ana says GAAH and disappears into the horizon in the hopes that August will be here pretty soon*

That’s it for today: May you have a most excellent week, dudes! See you around.

Title: Smooth Talking Stranger

Author:Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publishing Date: March 31st, 2009
Hardcover: 384 pages

Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in Travis’ family series but can be read as a stand alone.

Summary: Ella Varner has it all–a successful career as an advice columnist, a handsome boyfriend, and a circle of friends in Austin. When anyone has a problem, Ella knows the answers.

But one night she receives a call that changes everything. And as Ella’s world is turned upside-down, she meets a man who is the opposite of everything she ever wanted . . . a man who will offer her the most irresistible challenge she has ever known .

Why did I read the book: It’s a Lisa Kleypas!!!!

Review:

It is no secret I am a HUGE Lisa Kleypas fan. One of the best weeks here at The Book Smugglers was the Lisa Kleypas Appreciation Week last year when we had reviews, guest posts, a special about the Wallflowers and an interview with the author which was, without a doubt, one of the greatest moments of my reading/reviewing life. Lisa Kleypas is responsible for many books I adore and the creator of the one and only Sebastian St. Vincent (Devil in Winter), my all time favourite romance hero. Her previous contemporary, Blue-Eyed Devil, released last year, was an amazing book and it made my top 10 of 2008. It should come as no surprise that I was extremely excited about Smooth Talking Stranger and I even expected it to make my shortlist top reads of 2009.

Bearing all that in mind, it is with a heavy heart and not a small amount of sadness that I say that Smooth Talking Stranger did not work for me at all. It started out ok, I liked both protagonists and of course, there was the always reliable Lisa Kleypas’ wonderful writing and boy, can the woman write amazing heroes and fantastic sexual tension and anticipation. But the more I read it, the less I liked it and it all comes down to Ella, the heroine and to the way her character came across to me. Add to that a couple of gripes with other minor points and ergo, what was minor, became major and marred my overall enjoyment.

The basics: Ella Varner is an advice columnist who signs her column as “Miss Independent”– she is a feminist who doesn’t hate men but who also doesn’t think women need men to be complete. She has been in a stable relationship with environmentalist friendly Dane, for a few years. Her life is all well and the way she likes it to be until one day she gets a phone call from her mother to say her sister had a baby, no one knows who the father is and she left the baby, Luke with their mother and joined a rehab clinic. Then we learn about Ella’s horrible childhood: with a mother who went from man to man (some of them abusive to the children) and is still a man-eater to this day and how this had repercussions to the lives of the two sisters. Ella had therapy and broke away from the family and made a life she was proud of but her sister did not follow the same healthy path.

Their mother, who is not an example of maternal care at all, does not want anything to do with the baby and Ella has no choice but to take Luke under her care, precipitating a lot of changes in her life. For starters, her partner Dane does not want children not even for a few months and Ella is left alone to deal – I truly admired her for that and for being capable of great sacrifices for her sister and for a baby who was after all, an innocent in all that. But then she decides the best course of action is to try and find the baby’s father.

This is my gripe number 1: even though she is in contact with the sister who KNOWS who the father is, who tells her she will be back in 3 months to get the baby and decide what to do then, Ella still thinks it’s a good idea to go knocking at men’s doors to ask for paternity tests. Where is Miss Independent here? Why can’t she wait for a few months? The first candidate is our hero, millionaire business men / playboy Jack Travis who had one date with her sister and who denies he has slept with her. The baby cannot possibly be his. Ella doesn’t believe him but he is intrigued by her and decides to do a test anyway. Very soon all is cleared up and the baby is not Jack’s – and he decides to help her finding the real father. They decide without any real proof that it MUST be the man that helped her sister to go to the clinic . This is my gripe number 2: would an intelligent, accomplished, rich man like Jack Travis agree that this is a good idea? Apparently so, because that’s exactly what he does.

Now, the relationship between Jack and Ella grows in parallel to the Baby Problem. On top of becoming attached to a baby that was not hers, could never be hers , Ella was also becoming attached to a man who was everything she did not want or need in a man: Jack is a very possessive alpha male who was the marrying kind and who kept pushing Ella to the limits of her safe existence.

Then there comes gripe number 3: they have unprotected sex – no condoms are used. Now, I know that once I became a romance reader, it is as if I signed an invisible “Terms and Conditions” in which I agreed to suspend disbelief and let some things pass for the sake of a good story, the unprotected sex in contemporary novels being one of them. Usually, I am able to take a deep breath, and let it go by saying to myself, “hey, it happens in real life too, there IS such a thing as ‘the heat of the moment’”. However I couldn’t for the life of me, respect Jack or Ella as characters after this. Not only because Jack says previously:

“First, I never have sex without holstering the gun”

And Ella says:

“When Dane and I had sex, we used condoms, spermicide, and the pill.”

But because these two have spent the whole book up to that point dealing with the serious issue of a baby who was the outcome of unprotected sex! I mean, what does that say about two characters who are supposed to be REALLY intelligent?

I fully appreciate the fact that the issues above are more like nitpicking issues that most probably the majority of readers will not even consider given the awesomeness that is Jack’s character and he is incredible: 100% typical Lisa Kleypas hero – which means, MADE of awesome.

But then, I have to go back to Ella again. Ella does not believe in marriage, she is very much into her career, and she doesn’t need Jack. Yet, as she says about herself – she is completely temptable and everything that she is – or is supposed to be- crumble down pretty easy and pretty fast when she is faced with Hurricane Jack. And this is my major gripe with her character and the way it is developed or rather, under-developed. She starts the book sharing Dane’s health and environment beliefs. She is even a Vegan because of him. Yes, it is all mostly for his sake but these traits that “Miss Independent” has are completely forgotten once she gets involved with Jack. I need to make it clear that I have nothing against the “power of love” helping people getting over their past not do I have any problems with characters (or people) re-evaluating what is important to them or not. This is really what happens to Ella here: she changes her values about life but not in a clear way. It’s like it all happens and she is not conscious about the fact that she has serious identity issues and she jumps from one relationship to another and I felt these issues were not properly addressed. To make matters worse she only comes to the realisation about her love for Jack via a contrived plot device that I usually am not happy about when it’s used to “make” character realise they love each other and in this case is even worse because it happens on the very same day that something else occurs (how is that for cryptic) and to be honest: Jack deserved better. I kept waiting for something to be written that would clarify Ella’s issues for me – one page, one paragraph, anything, but it never happened. The frustration is even worse because I know Lisa Kleypas can write identity crisis very very well.

Jane from Dear Author wrote an interesting post about Smooth Talking Stranger and The Power of The Comfort Read and how despite some issues she could identify in the book, at the end of the day, the book was a comfort read to her. I can completely relate to that and man, you have NO IDEA how much I wish I had felt the same about Smooth Talking Stranger.

I know I am probably in the minority when it comes to this book but there was simply no chemistry between Smooth Talking Stranger and I. It is a great testimony to Lisa Kleypas’ wonderful skills as a writer that even though I had many problems I still devoured the book like a packet of yogurt covered banana chips – my favourite snack.

It wasn’t meant to be. Now, I shall await with great anticipation her next contemporary, her next historical, heck, her next laundry list.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: Lisa Kleypas CAN write sexual tension and sex scenes in ways that always make me sigh. Like this one quote, right after they have sex:

When he finally caught his breath, he muttered a few curses. I had to bury a shaky laugh in the covers, because I understood. I felt as if, somehow, a thing that was entirely ordinary had been reinvented, and the two of us along with it.

Verdict: A fantastic hero in a story that did not work for me.

Rating: I am torn about this one – part of me wants to give it a 4 because I was so frustrated, but I know other people will like it (many have already). A 5 , then.

Reading next: A Perfect Darkness by Jaime Rush

Ana here! Thea is still away (sniff!sniff!) but she found a way to formally reprimand me (by way of smoke signals no less, seriously is there anything that woman can not do?) for my huge boo-boo in last week’s stash when I announced I would be writing my review of Smooth Talking Stranger last week when it should be posted this coming week. Oops. I stand here before you duly chastised: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

So, now that we got the embarrassing boo-boo out of the way, it’s time to announce the winner of our Forest of Hands and Teeth contest.

Drums roll please:

kathybaug

Congratulations! Please send your snail mail address to contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com and we will get the book to you ASAP.

This Week on the Book Smugglers:

On Monday I will be reviewing Revealed by Kate Noble – a book that took me completely by surprise and knocked me off my feet.

On Tuesday it is Thea’s turn with a review of Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George;

On Wednesday, I will be back with the review of A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison and then again on Friday with the my review of Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas – for reals, this time.

News:

When you thought it was all over. When you thought we had forgotten all about it…..we pull you right back in: IT IS THE WINDFLOWER WORLD TOUR!!!

The tour is still going strong: the infamous old school romance The Windflower by Laura London who is going around the world, from blogger to blogger, each then telling us what they thought about the book. It all started with Ciara and I . This week we had two updates on the tour: from The Happily Ever After’s Christine and What Women Read’s Shannon . Go and check out what they thought – the most amazing thing is: it doesn’t matter if we liked or disliked the book but that all of us so far had completely different and very interesting things to say about it. Next stop: What Kate’s Reading

The Pretty New Cover of…

Blood Promise, the 4th book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead (and the rest of the series also get a new design. We like it!):

And finally:

What about you???

I am supposed to be writing a Stash post right now but you see, Thea is NOT here.

What is it that they say again? “When the cat’s away the mice will play”? I really feel like rambling about assorted things instead of writing a cohesive post about upcoming stuff. I don’t feel cohesive at all. And I blame it on Thea.

She LEFT. For 3 WEEKS. To visit family in a land far, far away and 8 hours ahead of me, which makes her pretty unavailable to talk to me and since we usually exchange thousands of emails every day talking about important stuff like books, and blogging, now I have all of this free time and I don’t know what to do with it!

“Why don’t you read any of the gazillion books that you have”, you may ask me? I DON’T KNOW. There is something wrong with me. I haven’t read a single page this week. That is unusual. I usually read at least 3 books per week. Plus I have tons of books that I HAVE to read and I can’t open a single one of them. I have been carrying around this one:

in my bag for days and I didn’t read a single line yet. To be fair, I don’t know if this is Thea’s fault or Julie James’ for writing such a good book that now everything I read afterwards pales in comparison. I think I am going with Thea’s fault since this seems to be theme of the post. HOW exactly this is her fault, I have no clue. But I am sure it is.

So instead of reading and emailing, I have been occupying my time with other stuff like wandering from room to room like a lost soul in an old manor house. Or watching weird yet addictive TV Shows like Important Things With Demetri Martin

I have yet to ascertain if the show is crap or brilliant. I will keep you posted. Or glued to the TV to know what happens next in the Jon Stewart- Jim Cramer War of Words. I don’t even live in America but hell if I don’t think Jon is awesome.

I also twitted a lot this week. Something that I don’t usually do, because let’s face it: addictive much? I found out we are close to having 500 followers! WOW. That’s a lot isn’t it? I also found that Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman twit and immediately started following them! Another thing I found out, we got 4 “Your Blog is Fabulous” Awards from some pretty fabulous blogs out there for which I am so thankful and honoured– and although I had to squee all by myself, I am sure Thea will be super happy when she hears of this. I will soon pass the award ahead.

We also won a Premio Dardo award from Tracy. I felt super great about this, because Premio Dardo is a pretty cool award for bloggers and one that has been around everywhere. Plus, Tracy is a sweetheart!!

The award “Dardos” appreciates the merits – culturally, literary and individually- of every blogger who expresses him/herself on his/her blog

But the thing took a direction no one could have predicted. CJ from the Thrillionth Page was awarded the same prize from Tracy and she wrote a funny post about it, investigating the origins of the prize, wondering about its name etc. I always wondered about it myself you see. Because Premio and Dardo are Portuguese (my mother tongue) words (they can also be Spanish though) and they mean Prize and Dart respectively. I told CJ this, and decided to do a bit of investigating myself. I googled Premio Dardos (in Portuguese) and found this Yahoo Post column by Alexandre Inagaki who is editor of a big blog in Brazil (he won an International prize called The Bobs promoted by the German site Deutsche Welle em 2007) who wrote a piece about “Blog Prizes” back in February.

In his piece, he talks about prizes and how bloggers love to get and to give them away and how they sometimes resemble those pyramids schemes. One such prize is the Premio Dardo. According to him the fact that you need to give the prize to not less than 15 bloggers makes the prize sort of meaningless and the thing has been translated to English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and German. Also according to him the creator of the prize is Spanish Writer Alberto Zambade who owns the blog Leyendas de el pequeno Dardo – Dardo being his nickname. In Feb 15 2008, he published the “I Entrega de Premios Dardo 2008 Best Blog Darts thinker” …. That is an awesome bit of investigating if I may say so myself…but to know more about it , you need to go to CJ’s blog and read her second entry about our CSI: Premio Dardo.

I also found out that there are some books that I most positively need to have or DIE.

Like this one for example:

“Soulless” by Gail Carriger. US Release Date: October 2009. Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she is being rudely attacked by a vampire to whom she has not been properly introduced!

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire, and the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible.

Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? And who is the real enemy . . . and do they have treacle tart?

“Soulless” is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking…
Found on Fantasy Book Critic’s Blog.

Or this one:

Which every single Fantasy blog seems to be reviewing these days. Aidan loves it. John does too. And DarkWolf and of course, Graeme. . Needless to say: I WANT it. Now, you want to know how long Amazon.UK wants me to wait for it? 1-2 months. *gasps*

And then you have Angie obsessing about these three books and making me literally dream about them. The Thief, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia.

So, this is what happens in a week when I am left to my own devices: I tend to wander, ramble, exaggerate, not to talk about the things I am supposed to (like the review of Smooth Talking Strange by Lisa Kleypas I will post this week, or the review of Forest of Hands of Teeth by Carrie Ryan that Thea will post on Thursday) and to plot about the things that I will be doing for the next two weeks.

One thing is for certain: this place is so not the same without Thea.

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!

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.