Title:Wicked becomes You

Author: Meredith Duran

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: April 27 2010
Paperback: 416 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand Alone

She’s been burned not once but twice by London’s so-call ed gentlemen . . .Gwen Maudsley is pretty enough to be popular, and plenty wealthy, too. But what she’s best known and loved for is being so very, very nice. When a cad jilts her at the altar—again—the scandal has her outraged friends calling for blood. Only Gwen has a different plan. If nice no longer works for her, then it’s time to learn to be naughty. Happily, she knows the perfect tutor—Alexander Ramsey, her late brother’s best friend and a notorious rogue.So why won’t a confirmed scoundrel let her be as bad as she wants to be?Unbeknownst to Gwen, Alex’s aloof demeanor veils his deepest unspoken desire. He has no wish to see her change, nor to tempt himself with her presence when his own secrets make any future between them impossible. But on a wild romp from Paris to the Riviera, their friendship gives way to something hotter, darker, and altogether more dangerous. With Alex’s past and Gwen’s newly unleashed wildness on a collision course, Gwen must convince Alex that his wickedest intentions are exactly what she needs.

Why did I read this book: I heart Meredith Duran’s books. I think she is one of the top romance novelists writing today.

How did I get this book: I requested a review copy from the publisher.

Review:

There are those books that make me think more about the art of reading and about the act of reviewing than any other and Wicked Becomes You is one of them. What is it that I do when I sit down to write a review – how do my biases work for or against a novel and how do these ultimately matter as I read and when I have to express them clearly when writing a review.

Thus, this review is going to be more of an exercise of examining my reading and reviewing as a result of those biases.

Bias number 1: I adore Meredith Duran’s writing. I loved every single book she’s written with every fibre of my being. I think she is a sophisticated writer whose prose is beautiful in itself and whose characters are complex and extremely well developed.

Bias number 2: I utterly dislike the specific tropes of this novel and if it wasn’t for bias number 1, I doubt I would have read it at all.

Bias number 2 trumped bias number 1 completely and as a result I didn’t enjoy reading this book even though I wanted so much to love it.

The blurb does a pretty good service laying out the premise of the novel. Society darling Gwen Maudsley is jilted at the altar and finds that the fact that she is probably going to be an outcast now, totally liberating. Deciding that she’s had enough of being Miss Congeniality, she strives for the title of Miss Wicked. Alex Ramsey, is her late brother’s best friend, someone who has vowed to see to her comfort. In the eyes of society he is a rogue, although he is not one, really. He does have some issues about being free of shackles and makes his living travelling around and even though he is attracted to Gwen, he tries to stay away because he knows that being too close to her would result on losing this freedom.

They both end up in Paris at the same time and from there they travel to Monte Carlo going from friends to lovers, and then they live happily ever after. The plot is pretty simple and one that I have seen many times before which is not the problem at all. Meredith Duran has proven over and again, that a good writer can turn a well-used trope into something unique.

To wit: Wicked Becomes You is a perfectly fine, standard Romance Novel; and that is one of the problems I found with it. Because I am used to reading Meredith Duran’s novels which so far have been way more than standardised novels. To me, they were extraordinary and Wicked Becomes You reads as an average novel. I asked myself: is this fair? To hold this against previous novels? I even discussed it with Thea and we came to the conclusion that it is not about being fair. We have to take into account expectations, how one holds the author’s work in esteem and that books do not exist in a clean vacuum of nothingness.

Mind you, it is not that the book is badly written – I find that this is an impossibility when it comes to this author. My copy of the book is replete with earmarked pages. It is not that is badly plotted, the story flows perfectly from points A to B via C even though I thought that the secondary plotline regarding Alex and his investigation of how his brother sold one of their estates to be unnecessary.

The thematic centre of the novel is Freedom. Freedom to love, to be who one is, to do as one pleases, to come and go. That’s what ultimately moves the characters. Gwen wants a family to love but the freedom to choose and the freedom to be wicked if she pleases. Alex wants to be free and is afraid that love would come with too much attachment. Which brings me to why I did not love the novel. The romance is well-written and has an interesting plot, but I was not emotionally engaged with the characters and their motivations.

Alex for example, irritated me to no end. He came across as patronising and condescending towards Gwen and at times I thought he was more interested in teaching her lessons than effectively winning her heart. (The prig). The reasoning behind his “issues” stem basically from being loved too much as a child and smothered by his family. I will admit that there is a good reason for that and psychologically speaking, I guess his trauma may well have believable grounds but to me, it read as silly and inconsistent (he so obviously loved his brother, sister and Gwen and her brother) instead of complex. Although one can certainly argue both ways.

Then, there is Gwen and we return to Bias number 2: the trope of a girl trying to be wicked. I have NOTHING against a woman, trying to be free of society’s rules in order to live a fuller life, engaging in sexual activity, absolutely nothing. I root for characters like that. It is just this is one difficult trope to write because it usually lands the poor female character in TSTL Situations. Gwen, is up to a certain point, a believable, relatable, intelligent character who ascertains her position in society by manipulation, discipline and smarts. I believe in this character’s intellect but when she arrives in Paris in her pursue of a “wicked” lifestyle it is a though her brain takes a break. She tries to be daring but comes across as stupid: in one scene she overdresses with too much make up, huge earrings, a very daring dress –the very description of the way she dresses makes it plain that it is overkill. My gripe is that, as an intelligent character that is used to being in society I am sure that THAT Gwen would have known when she is dressed as “daring” and when she is dressed like a “clown”. One of the characters even muses that it is as though she went shopping in a brothel. And yet she is clueless in that scene. Similarly one other scene puts her in direct danger when she goes off alone with a man she just met in the middle of a debauched party at the Moulin Rouge!

My point is: there is a difference between being “wicked” and being “stupid” and I think a character who is portrayed as intelligent and smart should know the difference in order to be consistent, even being the innocent that she is. That marred my enjoyed of the novel and my level of engagement with the book varied greatly. I will admit that there were wonderfully romantic parts but overall this was a miss to me. And this is not easy for me to say because of bias number 1. My heart lies bleeding at my feet as I finish this review.

Notable Quotes/Parts:

One foot into the lobby, Alex came to a stop. Mrs. Beecham had assured them that Gwen was flattened by grief, but here she was picking her way down the stairs, an oversized valise clutched to her chest. More to the point, she had an envelope between her teeth.
The sight arrested him. It seemed historic. He could probably sell tickets to it. Proper Gwen Maudsley, carrying a letter in her mouth for convenience’s sake.
In fact, now that she’d embraced creativity, he could think of several other uses he might suggest for her lips.
It was a hot, predictable thought, useless and thoroughly irritating. So many willing, complex women existed in the world. Gwen, on the other hand, was determined to be agreeable. A more boring goal, he could not imagine. It said nothing good of him that he found himself watching her all the same.
So turn away, he thought. She had paused mid-step, and now was contorting her shoulder, screwing it up toward her mouth, to catch the edge of the letter. This leverage, she used to readjust her toothy grip. Awkward move, quite unlike her. How long since he’d seen her so close? Last June? Yes — in the garden at Heaton Dale. The breeze had carried away her shawl, and the late afternoon light falling through the oak leaves had strewn a delicate filigree of gold across her smooth, pale shoulders—
Well, yes, she’d always been pale, hadn’t she? Many girls were, nothing special there. Her current pallor probably owed to shock. Difficult morning she’d had, being jilted in front of five hundred people; if she realized that someone now witnessed her indecorum, the mortification would probably serve her the death blow. He stepped backward, out of view from the lobby.
A panicked squeak reached his ears.
He leaned back into the foyer in time to spot her bobbling. She caught her balance, barely, but that valise was almost too large for her to see over. Another round of toothy acrobatics, and she was going to fall on her head before she made it to the landing.
Muttering a curse beneath his breath, he approached the staircase. “May I help?”
“Oh!” The valise plummeted to Gwen’s feet. The envelope pursued a more leisurely descent, floating down to the first step, glancing off its edge, then sliding down several more. It was addressed, but he could not make out the name.
“Alex!” Gwen’s large brown eyes rose from the envelope, which was nearer now to him than her; as she gave him a wide smile, he had the curious impression that she meant to distract him from this knowledge. “How do you do this afternoon? So glad to see you back in town!”
This good cheer seemed a bit unlikely, even from her. “I’m tolerably well,” he answered slowly. Her eyes looked a bit bloodshot. Someone needed to rub the color back into her cheeks, but not him. Some titled xenophobe would do it. He cleared his throat. “And how are you?”
She set a slipper atop the valise and lifted her chin. The posture put him in mind of explorers staking their sovereign’s flag in new ground. “I’m splendid,” she declared.

You can read the rest of the excerpt here.

Additional Thoughts: I may not have liked this one but I loved every single one Meredith Duran’s novels so far. If you are not a romance reader and would like to try awesome historical romance novels, you could do no wrong if you start with either The Duke of Shadows or Bound by Your Touch. Please, please don’t let these god-awful covers put you off.

If you are a romance reader and haven’t read Meredith Duran: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Verdict: Ojectively speaking, this is a perfectly fine romance novel which unfortunately, from an emotional point of view,failed to engage me.

Rating: 5. Meh.

Reading Next: The Prince of Mist By Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Hope you are all having a great Sunday, here’s what we learnt last week and what we have prepared for this one:

DRAMA! Mayhem! Blogging!

In the past few weeks we have seen a plethora of articles about blogging and reviewing which sparked great discussion – and drama – all over the blogosphere.

There was for example Persnickety Snark’s post on blogging conflicts and staying out of brouhahas and Lenore’s post about Bloggers Behaving Badly;

The Speculative Scotsman talked about Niche Blogging and how it should be cause for celebration. Paul Smith from the new (and MOST EXCELLENT) blog Empty Your Heart of its Mortal Dream muses about which books to review, old or new and comes to a cool conclusion:

As incredibly cheesy as it sounds, I do think in the big picture these sorts of questions are just semantics, and the important thing is that we talk about our love of books and share that with others. The Internet is great in a way because between places like Amazon and The Book Depository, and others like Abebooks, we have access to more books than ever, both old and new. The downside is that it has created a situation where there is almost too much to read, speaking from experience my wishlist has 300 books on it and I wasn’t even trying. Regardless of what we review, genre or literary, new or old, we are all in our own way providing a little direction in this massive ocean of books, and that can’t be a bad thing.

James from Speculative Horizons took issue with an old Dear Author post and blogged about how blogging should not be about getting free books, and it really HAS to be a hobby and if it’s not, guess what: You ‘r’ Doing It Wrong.

On the other side of the spectrum The Book Lady’s Blog talks about blog professionalism and marketing and creating awareness for ones blog. Her post is followed by Jessica’s thoughtful reflexion raising further questions about the subject and then The Book Chick City talks about blog promotion and whether it is a positive aspect of blogging or not.

Definitely on the negative side of blogging lies plagiarism though and the internets saw cases of Plagiarism all over the place.

Meanwhile, author Mark Charan Newton goes all controversial – and perhaps a little insulting – and talks about how reviewers probably should not criticise the editing of a book:

As an related aside, I do find it amusing when some reviewers say “the book could have done with more editing”. An editor (not mine) commented on this at Eastercon recently – it’s ridiculous for people to say that, because have they any idea just what work went into that manuscript in the first place? That an editor could have reduced a novel by half to have some clown still say it needs a good edit (when they might also mean, for example, that they didn’t agree with the pacing).

(It seems Mr. Newton is confusing criticism of the final edited product with criticism of the editing process. A book may have undergone the most amazing editing process for months and months; it may have been trimmed in excess of thousands of pages! But if the end result is still laden with grammatical/spelling errors, plot and character discontinuities, and endless, pointless repetition, it’s not such a…comic stretch that a reviewer might say the book could have used a bit more editing. Obviously, (most) reviewers don’t know what has happened during the editing process. The only thing (most) reviewers see – and, thus, review – is the final product.)

The greatest drama though came from a blog called Farm Lane Books Blog with its article about the difference between UK and US book bloggers and who creates the “Best Blogs” which ended up with a whopping – heated – 273 comments.

Then there are those who think that blogging should be all about the books and not blogging about blogging and that there should be a special place for the discussion. Hence Book Blogging Forum has been created: “A place to keep the discussions about blogging off the blogs”. Athough we like the idea of a forum for bloggers we are in the camp of those who think that people should and can blog anything they want, including blogging about blogging.

We loved seeing all these posts – we might not agree with all of the ideas behind them (understatement of the century) but we embrace discussion, opinions and the very act of reflecting about what it is that we are doing here. Carry on blogosphere!!!

Giveaway Winners

We have a few winners to announce:

Steampunk Giveaway – The winner of a copy of Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti is:

Gillian(comment#69)

The ten winners of the Master of None by Sonya Bateman giveaway are:

Danielle Yockman (comment#14)

Cindy C. (comment #28)

Julie Swaney (comment #31)

Kale L (comment# 29)

Christine M (comment #49)

Aik (comment #57)

Bethie (comment # 41)

Lexie (comment# 51)

Breia Brickey (comment #3)

Audra Holtwick (comment #38)

The ten winners of autographed copies of Embers by Laura Bickle are:

Myra C (comment#63)

care (comment #12)

Sara M (comment #43)

Elizabeth (comment# 36)

Christa (comment #24)

Tina (comment #45)

Etta (comment # 41)

meredith g (comment# 55)

Lindsay Elizabeth (comment #52)

Falling Off The Shelf (comment #76)

You all know the drill. Email us (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we will get your winnings out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone that entered, and congratulations to all of the winners!

Speaking of contests:

Rose Lerner author of the GLORIOUS romance novel In For a Penny is currently running a contest on her website. Here is the deal:

I want to write a short story for my website set in the In for a Penny universe, but I’m low on ideas. This is where you come in! Send me your ideas and I’ll write a story based on my favorite suggestion. Anything goes!

The winner will receive a signed presentation hard-copy of the story and the story will be available for free on her website. Go here to read more about it.

This Week On The Book Smugglers

On Monday, Thea writes her report on The LA Times Book Festival which is taking place this weekend. She gets to attend panels, see authors, meet loads of bloggers and then tell us all about it! She then later reviews the much acclaimed Fantasy novel Spellwright by Blake Charlton.

On Tuesday, we post our April issue of Cover Matters. This time we chat with author Celine Kiernan about the different, numerous covers her Moorehawke trilogy has and then analyze the results of our recent Survey.

On Wednesday, we post author Sam Sykes’ review of The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner as this month’s Guest Dare. His post is followed by this month’s A Dude Reads PNR entry when Harry, our resident, honorary smuggler, posts his review of The Shattered Sylph by L.J.McDonald.

On Thursday, Ana reviews the romance novel Wicked Becomes You by one of her favorite romance novelists: Meredith Duran. Later in the day, Thea reviews The World Inside by Robert Silverburg (for reals this time).

Finally, on Friday we post our joint review of White Cat By Holly Black.

And, this is it from us today!

We remain, as usual:

~ Your friendly neighborhood Book Smugglers

Welcome to guest dare! For those new to the feature, our Guest Dare is a monthly endeavor in which we invite an unsuspecting victim to read a book totally outside of their comfort zone. You can read all previous Dare posts HERE.

This month’s victim is Jeff – one of the minds behind the awesomeness that is Alert Nerd and the dude who talks about geeky things at Jefferson Stolarship. When we invited Jeff for the dare, we just knew he would be reading a Romance Novel. So please, ladies and gents, give it up for Jeff!

——

Title:The Duke of Shadows

Author: Meredith Duran

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: March 2008
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Sick of tragedy, done with rebellion, Emmaline Martin has no interest in courting trouble. But when violence seizes the British colonies, she must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn. In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. When Emma’s life falls into his hands, Julian cannot imagine the lengths he will go to keep her safe — or how love itself will become their greatest danger. A lifetime later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian will finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned . . . and some passions may never die.

Why did we recommend this book: : This is one of Ana’s favorite Romance novels by one of Ana’s favorite romance novel writers.

Jeff’s Review:

When I was younger and more inclined to be glib and cynical, I opined that I could write a historical romance novel pretty easily. I was in college, and I’d just found a bodice-ripper half-hidden under a friend’s bed; of course, wrapped up in my haughty, self-important English major-dom, I mocked her terribly. Romance novels were nothing but insubstantial and overly florid frivolity, I said, and even I could just churn one out if so inclined. My outline involved a chaste yet listless Spanish noblewoman abducted by fierce privateers whose harsh and demanding captain taught her about love and adventure…not in that order. I didn’t dissuade Anna from reading her book, and I ignored the hypocrisy carefully when I cracked open a Star Wars novel later that day. And though I talk a good game, I never did get around to writing that book. Go figure.

It was that incident that I had in mind when Ana and Thea dared me to tackle Meredith Duran’s The Duke of Shadows. Though I’d broadened my horizons since my all-genre-fiction-all-the-time period, I wasn’t sure that my forays into ‘chick lit’ had really prepared me for what I was about to read. I’m not one to back down from a dare, but I kind of dreaded the promise of purple prose and quivering members. I forgot for a moment that I’m an unabashed consumer of melodrama.

I couldn’t put The Duke of Shadows down. I devoured it greedily and in large, uncouth bites. Like its heroine, it seems unassuming at first blush, but has something incredibly compelling hidden underneath its exterior. So compelling that I found myself talking to the book in the way that some people shout at the victims in slasher flicks. You know, “Don’t run UP THE STAIRS!” It hit me when heroine Emma was reunited with the titular shadowy duke after a four year absence and they both overreacted in the exact wrong way. I sat bolt upright in my comfy reading chair and informed Emma and Julian both that Marcus – the evil Viscount – had deceived them both.

Does The Duke of Shadows adhere to the conceits of the genre? Well, of course it does. The romance between the headstrong, artistic Emma and brooding, conflicted Julian is so unrealistic that it might as well be supernatural. Julian is practically perfect in every way – breathtakingly beautiful, absurdly wealthy, erudite, compassionate and a master marksman. Emma is a rich, headstrong tragic heiress who is herself unconventionally beautiful and a superbly talented artist. I realize that that’s like complaining that water is wet; we’re dealing with romantic melodrama, so I accept that it’s par for the course. Despite that, their mutual attraction seems real, and their banter organic. The romantic in me roots for them almost immediately, especially in contrast to Marcus, Emma’s racist womanizing bastard of a fiance.

Would I have enjoyed this book if it weren’t for Meredith Duran? I’m not sure. She makes the book move quickly, makes the dialogue not only pop but sound real, and despite being inside her characters’ heads frequently, the voice of the book is efficient and not overburdened with filler adverbs the way this post is. The inside-back-cover bio of Duke describes Duran as a lifelong history buff, and that’s something that definitely shows in the life she’s able to breathe into the setting of the book – colonial India.

The British Raj is the perfect backdrop for exotic romance, especially set as it is against the backdrop of Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. I know the tendency can be to correlate India with outsourced call center reps and their longtime feud with Pakistan and move along, but it is a breathtakingly beautiful country with an exotic mix of old and new, even at the time when The Duke of Shadows takes place; in fact, the division between and admixture of tradition and modernity is a bit sharper because it’s fresher. As a result, the book also has some things to say about nationalism and cultural identity that gave it added depth. Emma, steeped in British court society but too independent to let it govern her thinking, is the perfect point of view character for the story.

I thought that The Duke of Shadows was a great read, and I’m glad that Ana and Thea urged me to step outside my comfort zone and try something new. Am I going to have to clear out room for a ‘Harlequin Shelf’ in my library? I doubt it, honestly, but I’m certainly not going to steer away from a great book that just happens to be a romance again.

——

Yay, Jeff! We are most delighted that you enjoyed your dare!

Next on the Guest Dare: Peter from Bitterly Books reads Scalped Volume 1

Until next month!

Today’s Guest: Katiebabs, aka KB, of the Romance blog Babbling About Books, and More!. KB puts a Herculean Effort into running her blog – she (and a certain demon sheep) post every day, multiple times a day, about all things romance. As one of the very first bloggers to welcome us and introduce us to the wacky online world of reviews, we’re ever-grateful for KB.

So, ladies and gents, please give it up for the exquisite Katiebabs!

When Ana and Thea asked me to take part in Smugglivus once again, I said sure! Not only are these two Book Smugglers one of the best book blogs in all of bloglandia, but they make me work hard when writing own reviews at my blog, Babbling About Books and More because they write such precise and through provoking opinions about all the books they read.

And how could I refuse them after seeing my blog name in their 2009 Smugglivus poster and having the honor of being the only post on Christmas?

I was told to come up with my top 5 books for 2009 to post here. Actually I am going to do something a bit different and post the top 5, with a spare one, that affected me the most as I read. This is quite a challenge seeing as I read close to 300 books this year alone and picking just 5 (and a spare) may be harder than you think.

Deidre Knight’s Butterfly Tattoo published by Samhain really hit me hard. This is not a traditional type of romance. First of all, doors were closed for Deidre as she tried to sell Butterfly Tattoo to the traditional NY publishing houses. They rejected is based on the story. It’s about Michael who was in a fifteen year relationship with a man. His lover ends up dying, leaving him to raise their daughter all alone. Michael doesn’t think he will ever love again, that is until he meets former actress Rebecca. What is amazing about this book is that Deidre Knight has shown perfectly why falling in love is something very powerful and it doesn’t matter who that person may be. Deidre has changed my own personal beliefs about love and why people feel the way they do. After reading Butterfly Tattoo it makes perfect sense that love is found within a person and not based on their gender.

When I read Meredith Duran’s Written on your Skin published by Pocket I became a bit weepy. The reason was the beauty of Meredith’s words. She writes such poetry about an all consuming love affair where two people, who necessarily don’t care for one another, must join forces and work together to save a life. Written on Your Skin is a beautiful, all encompassing experience. Dark and poignant, this book will have you awestruck because the words that Meredith Duran has written reaches deep into your soul.

Carrie Ryan’s Forest of Hands and Teeth published by Delacorte is the only book in a very long time that gave me nightmares. The last time that happened was when I read The Stand by Stephen King was I was 18. This post-apocalyptic end of days tale with flesh eating zombies gave me such a fright. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a chilling debut by Carrie Ryan. This is a book not for the faint of heart. There is death and destruction, filled with violence and fear, where hope is a distant memory.

Soulless by Gail Carriger published by Orbit is the type of book where you have such a rousing good time as you read. This paranormal steampunk romance brought forth such laughs and an abundance of happiness while I read. That it is a true winner in my eyes. I couldn’t stop smiling for hours after I finished reading. Soulless is one of two books this year I gave an A+ to.

The other book I gave an A+ to and my pick for favorite book this year is Meljean Brook’s Demon Forged published by Berkley. This is in part because I’ve been emotionally invested in Meljean’s Guardian series since the beginning. Why is this book my number one pick for 2009? Demon Forged astounded me in ways no other book did where I was in shock and shaking as I held the pages because I really didn’t know what would happen next. On the surface this book is a continuation of the battle between the angels and their counterparts against evil, but there is more to it. The build up, the romance and the way Meljean wrote a book where she didn’t stick to what’s safe, and took a big chance, where she really didn’t have to with one of her most beloved characters was such a balsy, emotional move and had me cursing her. And cursing an author in this way is a big compliment from me.

Finally the spare I cannot fail to mention is a debut author. Tessa Dare, who writes for Ballantine released a trilogy over the summer, has breathed new life into the historical genre. Where the majority of the historical romance I’ve read has been more fluff than meat, Tessa Dare has shown that with her debut Goddess of the Hunt she has the skill, but it was with A Lady of Persuasion I knew Tessa was a class act all the way.

There is much to look forward to in literature for 2010. There are three authors releasing their debut book in the first part of the year that I must mention who will surely set the publishing world on fire. And I consider myself a bit bias when it comes to these three talented ladies because I’ve known them for awhile:

Sara Lindsey is sure to set the historical genre on fire with Promise me Tonight, to be released in February from Signet. If you are a fan of Julia Quinn, you will not want to miss out on Sara. This is the first book in her Weston family series which features seven siblings all with Shakespearean names. Perhaps she will give Quinn and Stephanie Laurens a run for their money?

For fans of urban fantasy with a twist, keep your eye on Carolyn Crane. Her book, Mind Games, to be released from Spectra in March looks like a combination of action with a kick ass heroine in a quirky setting. You can get a good idea of Carolyn’s personality from her blog The Trillionth Page and the knowledge that this is one intelligent and wonderful woman who is very welcomed indeed.

Also out in March is Lorelie Brown’s Jazz Baby to be released Samhain, set in 1920s New York. When was the last time you read a speakeasy romance? Hurrah for a very different type of romance from the norm.

Many happy holidays, and an awesome new year filled with excellent reading! Perhaps I can hit 400 books read for 2010?

Thanks KB!

Next on Smugglivus: KMont of Lurv ala Mode

Title: Written On Your Skin

Author: Meredith Duran

Genre: Historical Romance

On the cover: It pains me, it pains me so, that another book that is so beautifully written has to suffer the ignominy of a cover such as this. I am not a fan.

Publisher: Pocket
Publishing Date: July 28, 2009
Paperback: 368 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone but the book is set at the same as Bound by Your Touch and runs parallel with that book’s events.

Summary:
Beauty, charm, wealthy admirers: Mina Masters enjoys every luxury but freedom. To save herself from an unwanted marriage, she turns her wiles on a darkly handsome stranger. But Mina’s would be hero is playing his own deceptive game. A British spy, Phin Granville has no interest in emotional entanglements…until the night Mina saves his life by gambling her own.
Four years later, Phin inherits a title that frees him from the bloody game of espionage. But memories of the woman who saved him won’t let Phin go. When he learns that Mina needs his aid, honor forces him back into the world of his nightmares.
Deception has ruled Mina’s life just as it has Phin’s. But as the beauty and the spy match wits in a dangerous dance, their practiced masks begin to slip, revealing a perilous attraction. And the greatest threat they face may not be traitors or murderous conspiracies, but their own dark desires….

Why did I read the book: At this point in time, I will read anything Meredith Duran writes.

Review:

Written On Your Skin is the second book by Meredith Duran to be published in less than two months and it is equally as good, if not more, as its predecessor, Bound By Your Touch.

At its core Written On Your Skin is a simple story with a simple plot. Four years ago, in Hong Kong, A woman helps a man to escape certain death. He is indebted to her. Four years later, now in London, she requires his help in finding her mother.

What is complex is the characterisation of these two people. There is a story – a back story – for both characters and the author takes time to introduce us to them. Phin used to work as a spy for the British government, he did not pursue this career, but he had no choice when it was presented to him. This is what he was doing in Hong Honk those years ago – investigating Mina’s stepfather. He was caught, poisoned and due to Mina’s quick thinking, able to survive it. Four years later has finally become free of his superior, by inheriting a title and is making a new life for himself.

Mina, is the daughter of a mother who suffers through an abusive marriage. She is resolute that she would never go through something like this. Mina is smart but she hides behind a façade of frivolity because this is easier in handling people. This is how , in the 4 years between events, she becomes a successful business woman in the Americas. Then, when her mother goes missing and she realises this has to do with espionage, she thinks the only person who will help her is Phin. He is not happy to be brought back into the game.

Meredith Duran first sets each of the characters’ identity when they are apart so that the reader can fully appreciate what they become when together. One of the greatest aspects of a love story well told is that belief that the main couple belong together. That they are good people apart but they are better together. And this is what happens here.

I have said this before: Meredith Duran’s writing is sophisticated. I sustain it – there is elegance to her writing and it completely captivates me. She has a way with words that is entirely hers. The style of her storytelling, the manner in which this romance unfolds is far from being hurried or casual.

Phin was a spy. But the spy profession in this book is far from being taken lightly. The spies do not waltz with debutants – there are countries and lives at risk. It is a dangerous profession, a dark profession, one that has left deep emotional scars in Phin. I love this passage when he visits the house of an old friend where he apprentice map making before becoming a spy:

“In his father’s generation, they had counted nostalgia a disease. The mind was believed to rot on impossible longings; it fixated on a time that would never come again, and cannibalized itself by embroidering memory until it collapsed into fantasy. He could see the logic in it. This library felt like a sickness. The scents of paint and paper and polish and ink filled his chest and turned to stone. More wholesome than the odor of baking bread in the hall outside, they conjured safety, peace, knowledge, everything he had once taken for granted. Such sweet and easy lies.”

Because he is marked by what he has had to do in the name of his country, Phin has a dark disposition. It is interesting to observe that when Mina first saves him, the first thing he thinks is that she must be an agent as well and he asks “whose”. Mina replies simply that she is her own.

Such an interesting alien, concept for Phin – that of freedom to choose. And one that Mina has an obvious need to put across to him. They start the second part of their story at odds with each other – and with a lack of trust.

Once they realise they have to, they must, trust each other, is an entirely different relationship that unfolds before our eyes. One that will make both of them whole. Because what he couldn’t admit, not even to himself is how much she awes him. Because the fact that she does, and the reasons why she does goes straight to the point of who they are. Brilliant, manipulative, knowing how to use their assets to get what they want . But as much as Mina is true to herself and wishes only for someone who would recognise that in her and takes pride in what she can do, that is directly opposite to the shame Phin feels for those same qualities.

Deep down, they are the same – they dream the same dream of freedom, they work on instinct, and when they finally listen to it – those instincts – whoa. I will say no more as this is a story you will want to read for yourself.

As far as I am concerned, Meredith Duran is here to stay – she should have her name carved in that list of best romance novel writers.

Notable quotes/ Parts: Their journey to Providence. I shall say no more. Only that it is sigh-inducing, aw-worthy and what the hell, hot.

Verdict: Elegant prose and a deeply satisfying romance, the perfect combination. This is another fantastic book by Meredith Duran. I am now officially a fan girl.

Rating: 8 – Excellent.

Reading Next: One Week as Lovers by Victoria Dahl

Howdy folks! As of right now, I’m saying hi to y’all from a sandy beach in Maui. That’s right. So while I drink something fruity and impossibly alcoholic, I give you the updates for this week at The Book Smugglers!

First, An Announcement:

This week, we gave away two copies of Susan Holloway Scott’s new novel, The French Mistress and we are proud to announce the two winners:

Adrienne (Comment #7)
Estella (Comment #13)

Please send an email to contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com with your snail mail address, and we will make sure to send your winnings out to you as soon as possible!

Around The Interwebs:

Sound the alarm! It seems that a new date has been set for Patrick Rothfuss’s long awaited sequel, The Wise Man’s Fear. At least, it’s available now for pre-order on Amazon UK (not Amazon US, however), with a release date of April 15, 2010. Of course, this just might be an Amazon money making ploy…but we’re hopeful.

Also, check out this new interview with Patrick Rothfuss, courtesy of Sci Fi London.

The blog Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem is having a YA spotlight. Every Saturday, they have a YA Author talking about the genre. You can read all about it here.

And speaking of YA…

YA Appreciation Month:

From July 19 to August 15 , we will be discussing the merits of the genre, the apparent boom of YA literature, and the crossover appeal of YA novels. Guest authors and bloggers will be talking about their reasons for writing and reading YA and how the genre differs from books written for an adult audience.

And you can be a part of it: just check this post, an Open Invitation.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Ana reviews thriller Echoes From the Dead by Johan Theorin.

Tuesday, Ana takes a look at Written on Your Skin by Meredith Duran.

On Wednesday, we have our Guest Dare for July as Liz takes on Principles of Angels by Jaine Fenn (initially she agreed to do Hyperion by Dan Simmons, but after a bit into the book decided against it)…

Thursday, Ana takes on One Week As Lovers by Victoria Dahl.

And finally on Friday, Thea takes on Apocalypse 2012 by Gary Jennings.

Until tomorrow!

Title: Bound By Your Touch

Author: Meredith Duran

Genre: Historical Romance

I need to get this off my chest. I detest this cover. It does a disservice to such a brilliant, sophisticated novel. It screams of unoriginality, it reeks of cheap thrills when what is inside is NOT that at all.

Publisher: Pocket
Publishing Date: June 30, 2009
Paperback: 368 pages

Stand Alone or series: Stand Alone (but there is a secondary character who is getting a book of his own)

Why did I read the book: Meredith Duran’s first book, The Duke of Shadows was on my top 10 of 2008 and I was waiting for her second book with not a small amount of anxiety.

Summary: Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London’s favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself, as she always has done. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous. But Sanburne’s golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath…and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within — in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart

Review:

Meredith Duran’s debut work, The Duke of Shadows was one of my favourite reads of 2008: it had an unfamiliar setting (India circa 1857) and an unusual pair of protagonists with a very nurturing hero and a heroine suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Those, coupled with Meredith Duran’s beautiful writing are the reason why The Duke of Shadows is such a memorable book.

Bound by Your Touch is the author’s sophomore effort and I am glad to report, equally as good and memorable – but in different ways. If The Duke of Shadows took the story and reader to uncharted waters, Bound by Your Touch sits firmly within familiar territory. The story takes place in London and the two main characters are Household Romantic figures: the Rake and the Bluestocking Reformer. But this is as far as convention – if we can call it convention, the characters NEED to be something – goes. Because the writing is utterly, amazingly sophisticated and quite frankly, spectacular so that what would be otherwise ordinary, becomes extraordinary.

Lydia Boyce is the plain, stiff, spinster daughter of a famous Egyptian scholar. In the prologue we learn that Lydia was once in love with her now brother-in-law and mistakenly thought he was love with her as well – but he had been in fact wooing her beautiful sister all along. The sense of betrayal is something that Lydia still carries inside and is a wench in the two sister’s relationship. Now, years later, Lydia sense of self-worth in a society where women are married or not, comes from working for her father in England, looking for financial support for his expeditions and organising the import of his findings. She does some scholarly work as well and can tell a fake piece from a genuine. Which is exactly what she does when she first meets James Durham.

The disreputable rake, son of the Earl of Moreland bursts into one of her lectures to tease his father with what he thinks is a genuine stela (he will do anything in his power to make his father’s life miserable) only to be proven wrong by Lydia and in public. This first encounters sets the story nicely as James then decides to investigate further and finds out that the fake has been brought to England by Lydia’s own father. Lydia is adamant that her father is innocent and asks for James’ help (because he has nothing better to do with his time) in proving this.

And their relationship obviously expands from there – at first they are both very accusing. James thinks she is stiff. Lydia points to him that his life is all about being bored, being useless by choice and being fuelled by his worthless aristocratic consequence. Lydia’s speech is imbued with a sense of unfairness that leaps from the page: she had no place in society because she is a single woman (who was expected to live off one of her sister’s charity and become the auntie) , he is respected simply because he was a man. Regardless of the fact that what she perceives about James t is not entirely true as we learn later in the book , it is still all about perception when they first meet. As they carry on, their perception change.

And that perception starts to change in what I think is one of the best scenes I read this year ,when James and Lydia are in the a rooftop and Lydia observes:

“How had he acquired such confidence? His birth had given him privileges, of course, and so had his sex. But there was more to it than that. Eyes were always on him. The newspapers dissected his smallest shenanigan. Yet he bore such attentions as though they hardly concerned him. She could not imagine him hesitating on the threshold of a room for fear he’d be judged and found wanting. If someone tried to cut him, he would only laugh. To live a life of such bold assurance, never caring what others thought….why, it must be another species of living, entirely. No uncertainty. Invulnerable to jibes and slanders. What could one not do, when so free?”

And in that rooftop, she decides to experience a moment of abandon and freedom. Even if she is “always afraid of something” because she is a woman. Unbeknownst to her, the same urge affects James: so if she feels the freedom to experience sensations he has a freedom of speech. They both say to each other things that they wouldn’t say – they are both unguarded. She admits fear. He admits he plays a role. It is an incredibly poignant, touching scene, where the characters are first deeply revealed to the reader and to each other.

I find it ironic that the title of the book carries the word “bound” when the feel I got from reading it, is quite the opposite. They are, at first bound, yes. By the roles they play in society for example. She is bound by her blind devotion to her father. He is bound by his utter contempt by his. In fact, her admiration to her father is directly opposite to his utter revolt against his own. Her faith is freely given and he doesn’t understand that although he does understand devotion for his sister (which is what moves and directs his rage against his father). It is the need to be free from these bounds that allows for them falling in love with each other and making concessions by doing so.

What I think is fascinating though –is how the two don’t undergo a change of character, it is first their perception of each other that changes and then Lydia becomes a little less stiff and James a little less lax. What changes is their choice of role to play in society – and the freedom of finally leaving the roles they play behind. At least (and always) with each other.

There are quite a few, incredibly romantic scenes in Bound by Your Touch – including their first kiss and the final scene. Or how James is completely undone by the realisation that all that devotion that Lydia feels for her father can and will be directed at him as well.

In short: the romance itself and the writing are superb – and to me, Meredith Duran has joined that pantheon of Romance Goddesses and sits right up there with the likes of Loretta Chase and Julia Quinn.

Notable Quotes/Parts :

“Every person was his own country she thought, governed by a private language, a personal reason and custom. She was still discovering herself but she thought she might use him as a guide, Whatever passed through his mind, whatever drove him to kiss her like this he kissed her as earnestly as a prayer – it was right and good. And all of it, the complex curious intricacies of James Durham, were here, bound by muscle and warm flesh, in the span of her hands”

Verdict:Sophisticated, beautifully written and utterly romantic.

Rating: 8 excellent and one of my top reads so far, this year

Reading Next: What Happens in London by Julia Quinn

Flash giveaway winner:

The winner of the Historical Flash giveaway is: Raina

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

Don’t Forget…

…to read the amazing interview with Loretta Chase and to enter the contest for Don’t Tempt Me which runs till next Saturday.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday Thea reviews sci-fi title Consorts of Heaven by Jaine Fenn.

Tuesday, Ana reviews Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran.

On Wednesday, Thea reviews Naamah’s Kiss by one of her very favorite authors, Jacqueline Carey! Namaah’s Kiss is the start of a new trilogy set in the the same fantasy universe as the Kushiel’s Legacy series, but following an entirely new protagonist. (Thea has already placed this new title on the shortlist for her Best Books of 2009 list!)

We’ve invited Jacqueline Carey to write a piece for our Inspirations and Influences feature, to which she has graciously accepted! The article will be posted on Thursday, when you will also have a chance to win one of FIVE copies of Naamah’s Kiss! So stay tuned…

On Friday, Ana reviews What Happens in London by one of her favorite authors, Julia Quinn.

AND finally, on Saturday, we will be bringing you the latest victim in our Dare feature, as Tia from the fabulous Fantasy Debut gives us her review to horror novel Ghost Story by Peter Straub.

We’ll also be over at Tia’s, serving up our joint review of her counter-dared novel, the classic fantasy title The Once and Future King by T.H. White.

Phew. It’s a busy week, and we hope you enjoy!

Day 3 (23 days to Smugglivus and counting)

Who: Meredith Duran, romance novel writer who debuted in 2008 with a romance many hail as one of the best of the year. It has made Ana’s top 10 of 2008.

Recent Work: Her first book The Duke of Shadows was released earlier this year. You can see our review here and a chat we had with the author here.

Ladies and getlemen, Meredith Duran with her best of 2008 and news on her next 2 books *woohoo* :
__________________

Meredith:

Occasionally, before The Duke of Shadows was published, I would come across interviews with authors who said that once they became professional novelists, the idea of reading fiction lost its appeal. Some said that non-fiction fed their muse more heartily. Others said their enjoyment of a good novel was hampered because they found themselves approaching it in an analytical fashion, working out why this worked and that hadn’t, and thereby yanking themselves out of the story.

I am very relieved to say that this hasn’t happened to me yet. 2008 was an awesome year to be reading romance. And picking just a few books from the new additions to my keeper shelf is going to be difficult. I’ll start out dramatically, then: I will betray my first love, historicals, by confessing that my year began with a paranormal bang.

First I discovered Ember, by Bettie Sharpe. Ember is a wickedly original retelling of Cinderella, with a fantastic heroine and some of the most unexpected and delightful prose I’ve encountered. If you haven’t read it yet, I strongly recommend you set aside a couple of hours. It’s available for free on Bettie’s website:

Here

Then I picked up Demon Night, the fifth book in Meljean Brook’s The Guardians series. In many contemporary paranormals, the “ordinary world” seems invisible. This often works very well, but Brook’s novels are fascinating precisely because she creates a complex, original, finely detailed universe (with angels and demons and vampires!), and then shows how this world overlaps with the mundane, everyday routine of contemporary urban America. As a result, her larger-than-life characters achieve an immediacy and credibility that are riveting. When talking about her books, I often find myself using phrases more typically associated with historicals: “lushly atmospheric” and “richly textured,” for starters.

Back to the historicals (I couldn’t neglect you for long). This year introduced me to three new favorites. First, Joanna Bourne, who owes me at least two nights’ sleep for my bleary-eyed sprints through Spymaster’s Lady and My Lord and Spymaster. Her plotting, her distinctive voice, and her brilliant skill with deep POV (seriously, you could open any page of either book at random, and know within two sentences whose head you’re in) dazzled me.

I am embarrassingly late to the game with Jo Goodman, whom I discovered when I picked up If His Kiss Is Wicked in February. Brilliant plotting, rich characterization, witty dialogue, and searing sexual tension: what more can you ask for? I bought The Price of Desire the day it released, and marveled again at how deftly and thoughtfully Goodman handles very serious issues, even as she constructs an immensely satisfying romance. And then I glommed her backlist.

Finally, Sherry Thomas’s Delicious was a wholly unique treat from start to finish. It’s probably the only novel I’ve read, apart from Dickens’ Bleak House, in which I dog-eared a page because the description of the weather startled and delighted me. On page 206, Verity reflects:

“A London fog was always an unwelcome visitor. It smelled of slop and had the wet fingers of a horny drunk, poking into tender parts where a fully clothed woman didn’t think mere weather could penetrate.”

That is writing, y’all.

There are a dozen more books begging mention, but with 2009 tapping on our calendars, I’ll look ahead to three much-awaited releases. In January, I’ll go to the bookstore for Susan Elizabeth Phillips, my favorite contemporary romance author, and her new release, What I Did For Love.

Since As You Desire and All Through the Night have been on my keeper shelf for many years (and have survived many spring cleanings thereof), I am understandably excited for February, when Connie Brockway returns to historical romance with So Enchanting.

Finally, in March, Shana Abe continues her paranormal historical series about the Drakon with The Treasure Keeper. I was lucky enough to score a copy of The Dream Keeper at RWA this summer, and I read it in one sitting. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Pretty soon thereafter, my year is going to get busy. Early summer (June, to be exact) brings the release of my next historical, Bound By Your Touch – featuring a hero who delights in breaking the rules, and a heroine who specializes in studying them. It isn’t a comedic book by any means; each of the characters has a dark core that the other must uncover and try to heal. But I found the hero immensely entertaining to write about, all the same. As one character puts it,

“He could sweet-talk Russia out of Afghanistan, and the Queen back into colors. That’s Sanburne for you; his joie de vivre is infectious…if a little wild.”

In July, I shift tone as my third historical romance, Written On Your Skin, is released. Phin, the hero of this book, has no desire to be charming. Rather, he is cool, collected, and calculating—because he fears what would happen if he weren’t. Alas for Phin, he has found his match in Mina Morehouse, who has absolutely no interest in being controlled or manipulated, and is utterly determined to undo him.

So, that’s July. And somewhere in this timeline, I’ll be heading off to India for a year of research for my degree. 2009 will be busy. But in all the excitement, one constant will remain: reading. I’ll be lugging the newest releases of my favorite authors with me wherever I go, because in 2008, I not only became a published author, I also reaffirmed a basic truth: I am a reader for life, and romance is my genre of choice.

________

Thank you, Meredith!

NEXT ON SMUGGLIVUS: LORETTA CHASE