1/22/19

Mid-Winter Freebie!

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 pair of lovers!

1/15/19

Tea & Titles


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 blues to strike and a need for more foodie reading and a good historical romance (other than Regency).  And I do believe I've picked winners again.

Kathleen Flinn's The Sharper your Knife, the Less You Cry is about a young woman's year in training at the Cordon Bleu.  Yikes!  More power to Ms. Flinn and I'm eager to start (tonight after I get home from my night shift at the Reference Desk).  


Here's a quick blurb:  "Kathleen Flinn is a thirty-six-year-old middle manager trapped on the corporate ladder - until her boss eliminates her job. Instead of sulking, she takes the opportunity to check out of the rat race for good - cashes in her savings, moves to Paris, and lands a spot at the venerable Le Cordon Bleu School."

My first question to myself when I read this was:  Dear God, would I have been able to do something like that?   Answer?  Probably not.  So I guess I'm living vicariously through Flinn!

And for the historical romance, I've chosen Donna Thorland's Rebel Pirate.  I wrote earlier this month that it's been difficult finding historical romance based in the American Colonial period.  So many are set in the Regency period, thanks to the wonderful Jane Austen -- no complaints from me, truly -- but growing up in the Northeast region of the USA, we are surrounded by so much history, especially the colonial period.  So finding Thorland's series (albeit a short one), I enjoyed the first book -- Turncoat -- and am eager to start the second book.


The fact that the 'rebel pirate' is a woman makes it all the better.  The more research that's done in women's history, the more we find how so many women not only helped, but fought alongside the men during the war.  And Thorland's writing is strong, wreathed with enough historical detail to bring the period and the characters to life.  Warning:  Thorland's sex scenes are quite powerful, so take care; not for the faint of heart.

And if you'd like to find out more about my novellas and what's coming up next, please sign up for my newsletter (see link above).  I will not inundate you with daily or weekly newsletter; probably more like monthly unless I have a sale happening or a freebie giveaway. 

One last note:  You may have noticed that I don't link any of the books and tea to the vendors.  I don't want to imply that I'm supporting any commercial operation and am not affiliated with any.  This is neutral ground -- just like your public library!



Happy Reading and stay warm!

Claire H. 

1/8/19

Join me!


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 truly loved it, so much so that I started writing and publishing romance.

But romance can be somewhat of a rich diet, like existing on chocolate truffles and champagne -- quite wonderful but a bit rich.  So in an attempt to strike some balance in my readings, I'm adding in memoirs -- mostly those that have to do with cooking and travel -- and historical fiction that explores the Colonial and American Revolutionary periods, which I find sadly lacking in today's market. Of course, I'm still hooked on romance -- after all, there's always time for romance in our lives, but I want to expand my reading horizons, and I hope you'll join me in the coming weeks.

Now that was a long introduction and thanks for sticking with me -- here's my comments on what I'm currently reading this week:

Ann Mah has led an intriguing life as a diplomat's wife and moving about the globe at a dizzying pace.  But Paris and France are what draw her and her husband time and time again, until one day he's assigned to Paris.  Amidst their delight, he's shifted to Baghdad for a year and she cannot go with him.  Desolate, she turns to food and recipes and finding out about the various regional cooking of France to fill her time and loneliness. 

Mah has a dry sense of humor and a perceptive eye, bringing her visits around France to the reader, as well as the often delicious, mouthwatering recipes and the people who create them, always with grace and her sense of honoring the French way of cooking and eating.

She also has two novels -- "Kitchen Chinese: a Novel about Food, Family and Finding Yourself," and a more recent publication, "The Lost Vintage" -- both of which I plan to order soon.




Happy Reading and see you
next Tuesday!   Claire H.

1/1/19

Top 25 Reads for 2018

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 Dare, The Dutchess Deal
Suzanne Enoch, The Care and Taming of a Rogue
S. Enoch, The Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior
Grace Burrowes, Douglas
Sally MacKenzie, What Ales the Earl  (no, that's not a misspelling) 


Historical Romance & Mystery  --  Colonial America / American Revolution:

Laura Frantz, The Lacemaker  (gentle)
Donna Thorland, Turncoat
Karen Swee, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Murder (mystery)
Barbara Hamilton, The Ninth Daughter  (mystery)


Contemporary Romance:

Jennifer Crusie, Bet Me
Elisa Lorello, Pasta Wars
Nora Roberts, Inn Boonsboro Trilogy (counts as 3 books)
Vicki Lewis Thompson, The Nerd who Loved Me
Julia Gabriel, Drawing Lessons
Elizabeth Adler, Summer in Tuscany


Other:

Marlena DeBlasi, Thousand Days in Venice (memoir, travel, romance)
M. DeBlasi, Thousand Days in Tuscany


Stay tuned as I begin to post my 2019 "Intentional" Reading List(s) -- good intentions sometimes fall by the wayside, depending on time, health, weather, which side of the bed I woke up on . . . ah, so many variables! 


To sit alone in the lamplight with a book

spread out before you . . . is a pleasure beyond compare.

        ~Kenko Yoshida, Buddhist monk (ca. 13th c.)


Happy New Year!




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