Raiding the TBR pile

by Anna Campbell

As many of you know, my third book TEMPT THE DEVIL was released about ten days ago and I'm on a major blog tour to talk about it (if you ever want to know where I'll be, please check out latest news on my website). So I thought today it might be nice to talk about some books that are NOT by Anna Campbell!

For months I've been promising myself a few days of sloth between Christmas and New Year. It's an Australian tradition. The Boxing Day Cricket Test Match is on (as I write this, things aren't going too well for the Aussies with the South Africans really tanning our hides. If we lose this match, it means we've lost the series and it's the first series the Aussies have lost on home ground in 15 years. Ouch!). People are busy playing with Christmas presents and eating Christmas leftovers and it's hot and perfect pool or beach weather. Well, as long as you have your sunscreen with you!

It's also a perfect time of year for reading!

I've been attacking the huge To Be Read Pile. And while I'm far from conquering it, I have made some inroads. Books I've enjoyed in the last few weeks include PLAYING FOR THE ASHES by Elizabeth George (an Inspector Lynley book), THE LACE READER by Brunonia Barry, THE KISS by Sophia Nash, THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW by Denise Rossetti and QUEEN OF DRAGONS by Shana Abe.

I've picked out five books to talk about in a bit more detail. All were an absolute pleasure to read. So if you're looking for some recommendations to fill a few hours' reading time, look no further!

The book whose cover features at the head of this blog, NEVER ROMANCE A RAKE by Liz Carlyle, is a fantastic, intense historical romance with a ton of emotional punch. It's also got Liz's trademark wit and passion - seriously the love scenes in this are HAWT! One of the most compelling heroes I've read for a long time too. I picked this up yesterday and didn't put it down until I finished it. Highly recommended!


Amy Andrews who's a Bandita regular (when she's not breaking her arm to avoid us!) writes really emotional, heartfelt Medical romance for Harlequin. I've had her THE ITALIAN COUNT'S BABY on my TBR pile for a long time. Sorry, Amy! It's been one of those years and I knew once I started this book, I wouldn't want to stop. What an absolutely lovely story about an unlikely love between two damaged people. And as a bonus, there's a stack of wonderful, drool-making descriptions of scenery on the Amalfi Coast, courtesy of Amy's recent visit. The great news for American readers is that this book was chosen as a special Presents Extra release in the United States and you can order it from Amazon (just click on the cover). Generally, Harlequin Medicals aren't available in the U.S. but this one is! Huzzah!


A book that's been in the TBR pile since I went to the RWA conference in San Francisco in July is Rachel Gibson's TRUE CONFESSIONS. This won the RITA for best contemporary romance back in 2001 and it's now been reissued in the Avon A line. What a charming, funny, gorgeous romance! It's a fish out of water story (love that theme!) where a big city girl who writes tabloid stories about aliens kidnapping tourists and Elvis living in the Bermuda Triangle heads off to the wilds of Idaho for six months when her life in L.A. heads for the rocks. The hero, sexy local sheriff Dylan, is absolutely to die for and the story will have you laughing out loud as our heroine Hope runs into stranger creatures in the small town than she ever created out of her fevered imagination.

The next book is a delicious treat by Kelly Hunter who I recently hosted as my guest here on the Bandits. You all loved her and absolutely reveled in her dry as dust sense of humor. Her PLAYBOY BOSS, LIVE-IN MISTRESS is on the surface as light and luscious as chocolate mousse. There's her trademark snappy dialogue and quirky characters. But underneath that sparkling veneer, this story packs a lot of emotional punch. It's about taking a chance on love and letting go of old tragedy. I'm sure this book will come out in America before too long but as yet, there's no confirmed date. However, the Book Depository in the UK will post books anywhere in the world without charging postage. It's a great deal and even with the exchange rate, it makes it worthwhile checking for things that aren't readily available in the North American market. You can order Kelly's book here: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/showbook.php?id=0263863913


As a lot of you know, I'm a huge fan of Madeline Hunter. I've loved her work ever since Isolde Martyn from my Sydney crit group brought home an ARC of Madeline's debut BY ARRANGEMENT from the Washington conference back in 2000. I think Madeline's such a smart, elegant writer and I love the way she creates unusual, compelling characters. Her first books are medievals but over recent years she's moved to the Regency. SECRETS OF SURRENDER is the third in her series based around the aristocratic Rothwell Brothers and their associates. The second book LESSONS OF DESIRE was a very deserving RITA winner this year in the Long Historical category. SECRETS OF SURRENDER has all the hallmarks of Madeline's style - smart, offbeat characters (I particularly enjoyed the self-made hero), a plot grounded in real life elements of the Regency, an intelligent, rebellious, headstrong heroine, sizzling sexual tension. Can't wait now for the last in the series, THE SINS OF LORD EASTERBROOK which is out in February!

So let's talk books! What have you read over the Holidays? Have you discovered any great authors in 2008? What were your favorite books of the year?Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/Liz%20Carlyle
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Whips, Chairs And a Chat With Liz Carlyle

by Caren Crane

Some of you may have heard me boast about--er, mention--that one of my dear friends is none other than the elusive and seldom-seen-in-cyberspace Liz Carlyle. Liz is the NY Times best-selling author of dark, hot Regency romances. I am thrilled to have Liz guesting with us today. All I had to do to secure this visit was tackle her in the Whole Foods parking lot and hold her organic kumquats hostage until she agreed! *ahem*

Welcome to the Bandits' Lair, Liz!

Thank you, Banditas! It's a pleasure to be in the saddle with you today. (Should I have worn a mask? A kerchief over my face? Just wasn't sure of bandit etiquette here . . . )

Never worry about your attire. Should you require a mask, Donna has extras. For now, we'll spend time gazing at you adoringly. (gazes adoringly) Such fun to have you here today! Coincidentally, today is the release date of the latest in your Never series, Never Romance a Rake, isn't it? (blinks innocently)

Yes, Bandita Caren! Coincidentally, it is. Wonder how that happened?

I cannot discuss my powers of Amazon...er, divination. *ahem* Anyway, I gobbled up Never Lie To a Lady and Never Deceive a Duke. The hero of Never Romance a Rake , much to my delight, is Baron Rothewell . I and all your other slavering fans have waited a year for Rothewell's story. A long year. What can you tell us about his book?

Well, I can tell you that if you think the book was a long time coming out, you should have seen me writing it. (Oops, actually, you pretty much did, didn't you?) As my dearest friends know--having observed the gnashing of my teeth these many months--this book was hard sledding. Rothewell was such an intriguing character to so many readers and, well, let's face it--a bit of an asshole. So redeeming him was a challenge, as was writing the sort of book he deserved. Because, you see, an author's characters are her children, and she knows the good in them, even when others cannot see it. I knew there was a tender heart this dark, hulking, hard-drinking, mean-tempered man--I just had to find it, sober him up, slap him around, then convey him on the page to my readers. Without totally wussifying him, of course.

Inquiring minds simply must know. What sort of woman could possibly tame such a beast as the luscious...er, dark and dangerous Rothewell?

A woman with a whip and a chair? Seriously, this girl is intense and--in her own way--a little ruthless. That, to me, was what it was going to bring the old boy around. I know conventional wisdom tells us opposites attract, but in Camille Marchand, I found myself with a heroine who really could go toe-to-toe with Lord Rothewell. She was not afraid of him. And from the very first, he is taken aback by her, and almost as quickly smitten. She makes him work for it, though. I really thought he needed to be punished for his wicked ways. I wanted him on his knees, and Camille got the job done. Of course that blade cuts both ways . . .

Oh, my! It sounds like the beginning of another stormy, lightning-hot romance. I don't suppose you are selling tickets to the Rothewell taming? What's that? I have to read the book? Well, if I must. Camille comes across as an exotic and definitely not British woman. She isn't alone in that. You have had a number of non-British characters in your novels. What made you decide to include these more exotic characters in your novels?

I like the contrast of two people from slightly different cultures, with different languages. As an author, right off the bat, you've got your "fish out of water" element to play with. And there's nothing sexier than a whispered endearment in a foreign language--especially French or Italian. I think, too, that society was very fluid, even then. There was a good deal of travel between countries (depending upon what war was going on where) and it was a hallmark of an educated mind to have traveled, or at least to have a passing knowledge of another culture, especially French.

Right now I'm working on my next hero who is a little bit Spanish, a little bit Gypsy--maybe a little Sicilian thrown in for good measure. Even he isn't sure of his heritage--a mongrel, he calls himself--and I must say, I'm having a great time with him so far.

I am certainly looking forward to that hero. (Sorry, my "Gypsy/Sicilian man" picture didn't look very historical. Oopsie!) I love endearments whispered in foreign languages. (clears throat) So, we have a bad boy hero coming out TODAY and this fascinating hero of unknown origin coming out next year. In the meantime, you will be at the Literacy Autographing in San Francisco at the RWA Conference. Yippee! We are looking forward to that. What are you looking forward to in San Francisco, Liz?

Going home. Yes, as all my friends know, I am the ultimate homebody. You have to blow me out of the house with dynamite.

Ok, seriously. I'm looking forward to hanging out with my pals--especially you, Bandita Caren--and just chilling. I have tried to keep planning to an absolute minimum this year so I can be--gasp!-- spontaneous. Also, I really enjoy the literacy signing--I love to meet readers and fellow writers, and it's for a very good cause.

Spontaneity, you say? I'll believe it when I see it. (Note to self: pack dynamite to blast Liz out of hotel room.) But, dear readers, any of you in the San Francisco area (or those of you at Conference) should plan to stop by the Literacy Autographing to meet Liz in actual, real live person!

Oh, Liz, before you crawl back into your cave, is there anything you would like to ask our Bandita Buddies today?

Yes, Bandita Caren, I would like to pick the learned brains of your esteemed Banditaship. How do the Banditas like their historicals nowadays? How hot is too hot to be appropriate in today's historical (non-erotica) market? Does sex play and light bondage seem out of place? I've got a difficult hero and heroine on my hands here, and they seem to require some discipline, but I'm not sure I'm ready to play the kinky card yet. I'll do it only if the characters warrant it, not just to throw in gratuitous kinky-ness. So...think it will be a wallbanger? Will they strip me of my Historical Author Tiara for this?

Let Liz know what you think and you will be entered in a drawing to win an autographed copy of Never Romance a Rake!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/Liz%20Carlyle
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