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!

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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.

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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!

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