Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (Release
Date- February 5, 2013 )
I fell in love with
Gail Carriger’s witty, imaginative writing when I picked up Soulless, the first book in her Parasol Protectorate series a few years
ago. Steampunk, paranormal, romance – these books were the most delightful
blend of genres! I loved the characters and their clever, rapid-fire dialogue
and marveled at Gail’s ability to bring this amazingly entertaining world of
hers to life on the page. I was sad when the PP series ended after 5 books, but
was intrigued when she announced that she was going to write a YA series set in
the same world as the Parasol
Protectorate books. I look forward to seeing what she does with a new
(younger) set of characters.
Book blurb: It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly.
It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time.
Welcome to Finishing School.
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial
to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and
climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company
never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter
to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.
Set in the same world as the Parasol
Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and
droll humor Gail's legions of fans have come to adore.
The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig (Release
Date – April 9, 2013 )
Lauren Willig has been writing the very popular Pink Carnation series for 7 years, and I am a huge fan of those books as they are a wonderfully humorous hybrid of Chick Lit, Historical Romance, and spy novels. If you’d like to give the series a try, I suggest reading them in chronological order starting with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, but for the record my favorites are The Masque of the Black Tulip and the delightful Christmas story, The Mischief of the Mistletoe (Jane Austen is a character in this one!) Lauren is stretching herself as a writer and trying something new with The Ashford Affair, which will be her first non-Pink book. I had the pleasure of reading a “sneak peek” (the first chapter) of TAA on Lauren’s site a few months back and was instantly swept away by the characters, the time period, and the setting. I am itching to read more and can’t wait to get my hands on the book in its entirety!
Book blurb: As a lawyer in a large Manhattan
Growing up atAshford Park Europe
irrevocably. But what happens when something finally comes along that can’t be
shared? When the love of sisterhood is tested by a bond that’s even stronger?
From the inner circles of British society to the skyscrapers ofManhattan Kenya
Growing up at
From the inner circles of British society to the skyscrapers of
The Elite by Kiera Cass (Release
date – April 23, 2013 )
I read The Selection, the first book in this
series, last spring after seeing it described as “The Bachelorette meets The Hunger Games.” Dystopian YA novels
aren’t usually my bag, but I loved the concept of the series with a regular
girl being plucked from obscurity to appear on a televised competition where
the prize was the hand of a handsome prince, so I gave it a shot. And I really
enjoyed it, even though America Fiction Land America Aspen America
Book blurb: Thirty-five girls came to the palace to
compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will
get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.
America Aspen
standing guard around the palace, she is overcome with memories of the
life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the
other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out
for America to decide.
Just whenAmerica
Just when
Wedding Night by
Sophie Kinsella (Release date – May 7, 2013 )
I’m on a
Kinsella-induced reading high at the moment because I blew through I’ve Got Your Number during the
holidays. That book really was the perfect blend of comedy and romance. The
good thing about being so late to the party in reading IGYN (It was released
almost a year ago!) is that I now only have to wait four-and-a-half months for
the release of Sophie’s next book! I think the premise of Wedding Night sounds super fun. I love the honeymoon on a Greek Island
Book blurb: Lottie
is tired of long-term boyfriends who don’t want to commit to marriage. When her
old boyfriend Ben reappears and reminds her of their pact to get married if
they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. There will be
no dates and no engagement—just a straight wedding march to the altar! Next
comes the honeymoon on the Greek island where they first met. But not everyone
is thrilled with Lottie and Ben’s rushed marriage, and family and friends are
determined to intervene. Will Lottie and Ben have a wedding night to remember
or one to forget?
[Cover art for The Week Before the Wedding coming soon.]
The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick (Release
date – May 7, 2013 )
2013 looks to be the Year of Kendrick as one of the author’s earlier novels, Nearlyweds, has been turned into a TV-movie and will air on the Hallmark Channel on January 12. See the trailer for Nearlyweds here. And she’s got a new Romantic Comedy coming out in May. The premise of The Week Before the Wedding sounds really cute (Love triangles are always fun in Chick Lit!) I’m tickled that Beth is keeping the dog love going from her last book, The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service, in this new one by giving one of the heroine’s love interests “an adorable retriever.”
P.S. If there really is a town called “Valentine” in
Book blurb: After enduring a chaotic childhood, Emily
McKellips yearns for a drama-free life, complete with a white picket fence. Her
dreams are about to come true: She has a stellar career, a gorgeous house, and
a fiancé any woman would die for. But as friends and family arrive in
picturesque Valentine, Vermont
Ryan is Emily’s first husband from a disastrous starter marriage. They wed on a whim, only to discover that combustible chemistry couldn’t ensure a happily ever after. But Ryan is no longer the headstrong boy she left behind. He’s now a successful film producer who just happens to be scouting a resort in Valentine with his adorable retriever in tow.
As the bridesmaids revolt and the mothers of the bride and groom do battle, Emily is surprised to discover new sides of both her ex and her fiancĂ©. She thought she had life and love all figured out, but the next seven days might change her mind—and her heart.
Ryan is Emily’s first husband from a disastrous starter marriage. They wed on a whim, only to discover that combustible chemistry couldn’t ensure a happily ever after. But Ryan is no longer the headstrong boy she left behind. He’s now a successful film producer who just happens to be scouting a resort in Valentine with his adorable retriever in tow.
As the bridesmaids revolt and the mothers of the bride and groom do battle, Emily is surprised to discover new sides of both her ex and her fiancĂ©. She thought she had life and love all figured out, but the next seven days might change her mind—and her heart.
The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (Release
date – May 28, 2013 )
I recommend Sarah’s
books to everyone as I think she’s one of the most talented and exciting voices
in Women’s Fiction right now. I had the pleasure of hosting her at #ChickLitChat
a few months back, and she mentioned that her next novel was going to be Downton-esque as it was set at a
beautiful, old house in the English countryside. I’ve been dying to know more
about the book ever since and was all atwitter when the book blurb was
released. I love a story that toggles
back and forth between present-day and some romantic bygone era, so The Last Camellia is right up my alley.
Sarah always does a masterful job of weaving romance and mystery throughout her
stories, and I’m sure that she will take readers on another exhilarating ride
with this book. Is it May yet?
Book blurb: On the eve of the Second World War, the last
surviving specimen of a camellia plant known as the Middlebury Pink lies
secreted away on an English country estate. Flora, an amateur American
botanist, is contracted by an international ring of flower thieves to
infiltrate the household and acquire the coveted bloom. Her search is at once
brightened by new love and threatened by her discovery of a series of ghastly
crimes.
More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, willAddison
share her fate?
More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, will
Dancing
With Paris
I have been waiting impatiently for this book to come out
ever since Juliette first revealed the cover art on her website. A couple doing
the Tango, with Paris Midnight in Paris
Book blurb: The story
of a woman who is sent back in time to 1950's Paris to revisit her past life as
the dazzling star of a scandalous Parisian cabaret club, where she must deal
with murder, danger and unexpected love.
Pie Girls by Lauren Clark (Release
date – Spring 2013)
If you want funny,
Southern-style romance, nobody does it better than Lauren Clark. I adored her
last book, Dancing Naked in Dixie,
and the minute she told me her story idea for her then-titleless third book, I
knew she had another winner on her hands. As Lauren and I are friends, I got to
weigh in with my opinion when she was mulling over titles, cover art options,
etc. All of her decisions have gotten a
big thumb’s up from me, and I get more and more excited about Pie Girls every time she shares another
tidbit about the story with me.
Book blurb: Princess, Southern belle, and spoiled-rotten
social climber Searcy Roberts swore on a stack of Bibles she'd never return to
her hometown in Alabama Atlanta Deep South is
much harder at 36 than it ever was at sixteen. When she's forced to take over
her mother's fledgling business, Searcy deals with sullen employees, strange
ingredients, and the business owner next door who's made it his mission to make
her life miserable. Will 'Pie Girls' be an epic failure, or will Searcy find
the courage to persevere?
[Cover art for The Selkie Sorceress coming soon.]
The Selkie Sorceress by Sophie Moss (Release
date – Spring 2013)
I just read the
first book in Sophie Moss’s Seal Island
Book blurb: In this modern-day fairy tale romance,
Irish artist Glenna McClure must stop American detective Sam Holt from
uncovering a dark secret that could destroy the lives of everyone on Seal Island
Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves (Release date –
I’ve made no secret
of the fact that my favorite book of 2012 was Tracey Garvis-Graves’ On the Island. It was a truly captivating
story that made me experience a whole gamut of emotions while reading it. I
actually wept at three different points in the book because I was so
emotionally invested in the characters and so anxious to see them safe and
happy. I can’t wait to see what Garvis-Graves has cooked up for her second novel. Looks like there will
be a forbidden love angle in Covet and I adore fictional
relationships with a slow burn, so color me excited! When Tracey was a guest at
#ChickLitChat a few months ago, she mentioned that the heroine of Covet is a Type 1 diabetic, which really
piqued my interest as I have lived with that disease for 25 years and can’t
recall it ever being represented in any of the Women’s Fiction I’ve read. So, Covet is appealing on many different
levels for me and I’m chomping at the bit to read it!
Book blurb: What if the life you wanted, and the woman
you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?
Chris and Claire Canton's marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he's offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire's concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can't weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.
Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they're spending hours together.
Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire's marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn't take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she'll never cross.
Chris and Claire Canton's marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he's offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire's concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can't weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.
Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they're spending hours together.
Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire's marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn't take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she'll never cross.
There you have it –
my reading roster for 2013. Looks like I’m going to be giving my Kindle a
workout. I’d love to hear what you’re excited about reading in the coming year.
So, please feel free to share in the comments below. And happy reading to all
my book-loving followers!
