Claire Hadleigh

Gosh, it is cold here in New England and we're under at least 4-5 inches of ice and snow.  Spent most of Sunday, yesterday and this morning trying to "dig" through solid ice. Not fun.   Actually, damn depressing. So no Tea & a Title today -- my apologies; but I have a gift to make it up to you - just click on the image to get to the participating vendor links! Betrayed in Brighton is the second romance in The Merry Widow series and features the fiery Lady Alexandra and the lusty, handsome Major Pendleton.  This romance starts off somewhat on the grim side because Alexandra made a poor choice in putting off the good Major's offer of marriage. Tsk, tsk . . . because, on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, he's MIA, leaving Alexandra in a state of heartache and frustration as she believes he's still alive despite all factors pointing to the opposite. Hope you enjoy Betrayed in Brighton --  I loved writing it and love this passionate, sensuous

Welcome back to Tuesday's Tea & a Title -- or should I say 'titles'?  Been a busy week and so far here in New England we've been enjoying a snow-free winter -- of course, now I've jinxed ourselves probably! Today's tea is Tevana's Wild Orange Blossom Herbal tea, which is light and quite summery -- just what's needed in 17-degree weather.  And my china cup and saucer is Paragon by Pembroke -- quite elegant with Old World charm. So, just to cast back for a moment to last week -- Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah -- I so much enjoyed that book.  Talk about armchair travel -- it was as if I went on a mini tour of the various regions of France -- Lyons, Brittany, Provence and more, learning about the daily life, how these recipes came to be and more.  I heartily recommend the book, especially if you're a Francophile. This week I'm starting two books I've been holding onto for a few weeks, waiting for the midwinter

I'm starting something new for 2019, and I hope you'll join me on upcoming Tuesdays when I stop and take some time to brew a pot of tea, take out one of my little treasures -- a lovely fine bone china teacup and saucer -- and share my thoughts with you about what I'm currently reading.   BTW, the image of the teacup and saucer is mine --  the imprint is Limoges with a hand-painted set of initials and date -- NB '94.  Each Tuesday, I'll share my tea cup collection with you and the tea I'm drinking, too.  I have a growing collection of loose teas that I'm enjoying this winter -- another break from the daily coffee habit.  Today's tea?  Winter Chai by Tea Forte -- perfect for a cold January day!  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm changing my reading diet a bit this year.  For the past four or five years, I've predominantly read romance, both historical and contemporary, because it was a new uncharted territory for me.  And I tru

2018 was a busy year for reading -- lots of great books, so little time, right? Although I must admit that this year I was immersed in Susan Mallery's Fools Gold series, as well as Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harbor and Heartbreaker Bay series --  and I do mean totally immersed.  These two writers can world build like no other!  But for the sake of the Top 25, I am putting Mallery and Shalvis in their own kingdom and let you decide. Also, please note that I am not driven by the NYT Bestseller List or any other "lists" -- I tend to like to find my writers in a more organic way, mainly by browsing in real brick-and-mortar bookstores and libraries, so some are "newish" and some are older.  If I'm starting a new series, I like to start at the beginning, which means I'm reading past bestsellers. So, here's my top 25 titles that I heartily recommend to readers (broken down by genre / subgenre): Regency Romance: Sherry Thomas, His at Night Tessa D