Frances O. Thomas's

Mar 26 - Book Review

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Sweet Surrender

Gayle Callen is a new author for me, so I was happy to receive an advance copy of her book to review. I don’t know how I missed her before this. Surrender to the Earl does not disappoint. The book will be released on May 28, 2013  Callen does a good job of describing the challenges her blind heroine Audrey must master, from avoiding furniture that has been moved without her knowledge to pouring tea to dining without being able to see the plate. One can’t help but admire her determination. The Earl has a strong sense of honor worthy of any romance hero but not enough to fight off his growing attraction. And Audrey’s lack of sight adds an unexpected sensuality as the two fall in love. The reconciliation between Audrey and her sister is a nice touch too. I wonder if Blythe will warrant her own book.  ...

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Mar 23 - Book Review

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Enunciation isn’t everything

I cannot resist an author whose dialogue and descriptions make me laugh out loud. Tessa Dare is such an author. I was lucky enough to obtain a pre-release copy of her next novel due out May 28, 20 Any Duchess Will Do takes us back to Spindle Cove and introduces an enterprising serving girl, Pauline. She is every bit as spunky and original as the earlier heroines in this series. Pauline is whisked off to London to undergo a Pygmalian-esque makeover by a Duchess who is desperate for grandchildren. Her son, the Duke, has picked Pauline out of a roomful of possible brides-to-be as the most unlikely prospect. Pauline, of course, proves irresistible to said Duke, with or without a metamorphosis.   This review is being presented today as a part of the Avon Addicts event The Avon Affair. The Avon Affair is running from March 17th to 30th and...

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Mar 20 - Book Review

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Cruisin’

I dream of taking a Viking river cruise through Europe some day. Until then, Stepahnie Laurens’s The Reckless Bride was the next best thing.  The dashing military man, Rafe, and Loretta, the about-to-come-into-her-own heroine, sail the Danube and the Rhine. Since Loretta is writing surreptitious travel columns to send home, there are lots of descriptions of the towns along their route. For much of the journey, the twosome is accompanied by Loretta’s Great Aunt Esme, Lady Congreve. This indomitable lady is reminiscent of the Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey. She, of course, knows a romance is afoot well before the lovers do.  This novel is the last of the Black Cobra Quartet series. By the end of the book, various and sundry characters from several of Laurens’s earlier series have gathered to tie up all the loose plot ends.    This review is being presented today as a part of...

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Mar 17 - Book Review

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Let’s hear it for the strong, silent type

 Although I live on a rural island with cows pastured across the road, I must admit I will always think of myself as a city gal. So when I got a copy of Lori Wilde’s A Cowboy for Christmas as an Avon Addict, I didn’t delve into it right away.  It turned out to be a sweet yet realistic story.  The heroine must deal with the news that her child has a disability. As she grapples with the conflicting opinions, mostly unsolicited, about what is the best course of action for her son, she must learn to think for herself. This means she has to stand up to her mother-in-law, a woman with her own secrets to resolve. The lead character and the mother-in-law come to satisfactory outcomes with their issues and with each other.  And the cowboy hero is all you could wish for in a Christmas present.   THE AVON AFFAIR...

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Jan 22 - Post

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Mr. Rock Star

I am quite put out with April Lindner. She has written the book I wanted to write but didn’t. Jane is an updated version of Jane Eyre. Mr. Rochester is recast as a rock star trying to make a comeback who hires Jane as nanny to his daughter. Many of the elements from the original remain with just the right degree of modernization. Although I obviously knew how the story would end, I could barely put the book down. Who can resist a bad boy, no matter what century?

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Nov 25 - Book Review

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In the name of science

As someone whose eyesight leaves a lot to be desired, I always enjoy a heroine who wears glasses. The very scientific and bespectacled Lady Phillippa in Sarah MacLean’s One Good Earl Deserves a Lover embarks on a quest for knowledge a fortnight before her wedding. Instead of one of her four sisters, she seeks out a notorious rake in an equally notorious gaming hell. And instead of said rake rescuing her, she channels George Clooney to rescue him. Oh, yes, she learns a lot about anatomy along the way too.

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Nov 21 - Book Review

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The rocky road to romance

Regency romance heroes are supposed to be charmers. That is the essential nature of the beast. The hero of Tessa Dare’s A Week to Be Wicked, however, is an exceptional specimen of that ilk. Lord Payne is a master at creating outlandish back stories for his soon-to-be lady as they travel north to Scotland carrying a fossil footprint, of all things. I laughed out loud several times at their antics and banter. Heroine and paleontologist Minerva is  as capable at seeing behind Payne’s facade as she is at seeing the beauty in rocks. A thoroughly enjoyable adventure.

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Oct 20 - Post

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Venturing into E-Pub

Coming from a musical family, I have always sung in choruses and even done some musical theater. As a result, I have been privileged to meet some wonderful people and have some memorable experiencs. I put together I Guess I’ll Keep My Day Job: Memoirs of a Sometime Singer to capture those stories in essay form. They are available on Kindle for a nominal fee. I Guess I’ll Keep My Day Job

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Oct 07 - Book Review

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Self or self-sacrifice?

Let there be no doubt. I love, love, love the books of Stephanie Laurens. I got a copy of The Lady Risks All a while back since I am one of the original Avon Addicts. It took the enforced leisure of a head cold to get me to start it at last. It didn’t disappoint. Who could resist a gambling king who has a higher moral code than those who look down upon him? Or a heroine who is smart enough and brave enough to take the final step into womanhood no matter what society may think?

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Frances O. Thomas

Fran is a native Pittsburgher transplanted to SW Florida. She has been a freelance writer and editor since 1995.

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