Anything But a Gentleman by Elisa Braden

 The rules of London in the early eighteen hundreds don't favor women.

Augusta Windmore is determined to change that around for her sister, Phoebe.  Phoebe was promised a betrothal before the pregnancy, and the future groom has fled the situation. 

Doing anything for her younger sister, Augusta has one choice.  She needs to convince Sebastian Reaver, owner of the Men's Club, to help her.

In disguise as a maid, she gains access to Sebastian's private quarters.  And she won't budge regardless of his brutish candor.  

Sebastian likes things simple and utilitarian.  The constant badgering by the spinster, Augusta, has thrown him for a loop and he's not quite sure what to do with her.  

He makes an unconventional deal with her, sure she'll run, but an agreement confounds him.  Especially since they will be in close quarters for an extended time.  Time for them to realize or deny why they look forward to seeing each other.  Time to get a husband for Phoebe.  Will there be time for Sebastian and Augusta to lower their shields of pride and realize they aren't that different?

Read to find out if a double romance can survive an unconventional start!

Happy reading,

Dawn Kunda

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

 Author Carrie McClelland finds a humble cottage to rent in Scotland where she plans to write an historical fiction novel of the nearby Slains Castle.  

The owner of the cottage has two sons, one kind and helpful, the other both kind and helpful and a university history professor.  Not to mention, the second, Graham, the mutual attraction building through walks around the castle and horse rides.

In the 1700's, Carrie's focus for her novel, the French and Scottish attempted to reclaim the exiled James Stewart crown.  She created in her mind the setting of the castle and the people involved.  Yet, it became apparent that her memory matched the history and she may be dealing with ancestral memory.  

As Graham shows up at her cottage frequently, her connection to her character begins to cause problems in the current day.  She knows what really happened between the invasion and mysteries surrounding Slains Castle and the relation to her character and Graham's family.

The atmosphere of The Winter Sea is richly produced giving the reader a feeling of being in the present and the past along with Carrie.  The intensity between Carrie and Graham is spine tingling while you read to find out if the past will remain a problem with the present. 

Happy reading,

Dawn Kunda

 

 

Up Before The Sun

 

Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

I love the early mornings! Most of the world is still sleeping when I get up to begin my day. Heck, the sun isn’t even up, but that’s okay. It’s quiet and peaceful and I have been witness to many a beautiful sunrise. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t enjoy sleeping in once in a while (especially on the weekends!), but after years and years of training myself to get up this early, I find it impossible to stay in bed. I’d like to, but my internal clock has its own alarm.

It didn’t used to be this way. When I was young (much younger than I am now), I had the capacity to sleep until noon (to my mother’s frustration). What teenager couldn’t? Of course, at that point in time, I was such a night-owl. I’d stay up to three or four in the morning, usually reading (sometimes with a flashlight under my blankets! I’m sure you did that as well!). As an adult, I would occasionally stay up all night, my nose deep in a book then notice, as I closed the book, satisfied with the conclusion, that it was time to get everyone up and out the door for the day. Now? Not so much. I start yawning at 9. By 9:30, my eyes are getting tired and really want to close. By 10? I’m done for the day!

I started getting up this early so I could write but not steal essential time from the family. It was (and still is) my time--before the commotion of getting everyone off to school and work (including myself), before the hustle and bustle of the day job, before picking up said kid at the end of the work day and coming home to make dinner and do homework. It worked for me for years and still does though the kid has long since left home and the DH has retired (I’m still doing the day job thing). These early mornings, before the sun has risen, when it’s quiet and serene, I get to slip into the world I’m creating and write.

With that being said, I really should get to it. Wife Wanted is not going to write itself.   

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go! 

Marie

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Always, Lexi

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

 Vacation is Poppy's favorite activity.  She does it on a whim, cheap or expensive, she writes about it, magazine and blog, and now she can't figure out why it's "just not the same".

Once a year her best friend, Alex, and her picked a low-budget, out-of-the-ordinary trip.  Spontaneous and whacky are the the best ways to describe everything they do, yet two years ago the trips together ended and they haven't talked.  No discussion of why they ended.

Poppy lives in New York and writes for a travel magazine and considers it her dream job.  Although, she's lost a bit of that carefree, happy attitude that exotic places have brought her.

Alex lives in her hometown in Ohio. He's bookish, quiet, and a teacher at their old high school.  

She misses her best friend and takes the chance to send a text, hoping he'll reply positively.  Maybe they could try one of those fantastic, cheap vacations like old times.  

The question is:  How can they jump into another vacation without talking so long and rekindle the missing thread of their happiness in life?

The key is what happened two years ago.  If they discover the problem, can they enrich their relationship and take it another step?  I hope so!

Happy reading,

Dawn