Daring and the Duke

I'm currently reading Daring and the Duke by Sarah Maclean. It's the 3rd book in The Barenuckle Bastards series. Overall, I recommend the series if you like regency romance. The 3rd book is a bit heavy with emotional stakes, which I tend not to like. But it rounds out the series and makes sense why this one was heavier. 

New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with the much-anticipated final book in her Bareknuckle Bastards series, featuring a scoundrel duke and the powerful woman who brings him to his knees.

Grace Condry has spent a lifetime running from her past. Betrayed as a child by her only love and raised on the streets, she now hides in plain sight as queen of London's darkest corners. Grace has a sharp mind and a powerful right hook and has never met an enemy she could not best...until the man she once loved returns.

Single-minded and ruthless, Ewan, Duke of Marwick, has spent a decade searching for the woman he never stopped loving. A long-ago gamble may have lost her forever, but Ewan will go to any lengths to win Grace back...and make her his duchess.

Reconciliation is the last thing Grace desires. Unable to forgive the past, she vows to take her revenge. But revenge requires keeping Ewan close, and soon her enemy seems to be something else altogether--something she can't resist, even as he threatens the world she's built, the life she's claimed...and the heart she swore he'd never steal again.

You can find your copy at all major retailers.

The Day of the Duchess

I hope you are all having a fabulous summer. I have been trying to keep up with a seven year old who loves water. We have been to beaches and pools. Waterparks galore. I'm so tired that by the time I get home, I crash into bed. I've only managed to read one book so far this summer. It's a sad cry from my summer reading list I had hoped for. But, the one book was well worth the very slow read.

The one woman he will never forget…

Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has lived the last three years in self-imposed solitude, paying the price for a mistake he can never reverse and a love he lost forever. The dukedom does not wait, however, and Haven requires an heir, which means he must find himself a wife by summer’s end. There is only one problem—he already has one.

The one man she will never forgive…

After years in exile, Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, returns to London with a single goal—to reclaim the life she left and find happiness, unencumbered by the man who broke her heart. Haven offers her a deal; Sera can have her freedom, just as soon as she finds her replacement…which requires her to spend the summer in close quarters with the husband she does not want, but somehow cannot resist.

A love that neither can deny…

The duke has a single summer to woo his wife and convince her that, despite their broken past, he can give her forever, making every day

A Scot in the Dark

Hello HEA lovers,

Today I'm sitting down and taking time for myself. I'll be reading Sarah MacLean's A Scot in the Dark. I seriously can't wait. If you like witty banter and regency romances, then join me and take the day off to read and giggle. Her other books were all amazing, so I'm banking on this one to be the same.

Lonesome Lily turned Scandalous Siren
Miss Lillian Hargrove has lived much of her life alone in a gilded cage, longing for love and companionship. When an artist offers her pretty promises and begs her to pose for a scandalous portrait, Lily doesn’t hesitate . . . until the lying libertine leaves her in disgrace. With the painting now public, Lily has no choice but to turn to the one man who might save her from ruin.

Highland Devil turned Halfhearted Duke
The Duke of Warnick loathes all things English, none more so than the aristocracy. It does not matter that the imposing Scotsman has inherited one of the most venerable dukedoms in Britain—he wants nothing to do with it, especially when he discovers that the unwanted title comes with a troublesome ward, one who is far too old and far too beautiful to be his problem.

Tartan Comes to Town
Warnick arrives in London with a single goal: get the chit married and see her become someone else’s problem, then return to a normal, quiet life in Scotland. It’s the perfect plan, until Lily declares she’ll only marry for love . . . and the Scot finds that there is one thing in England he likes far too much . . .

Four Free Books!

If you haven't read The Big Blind or Deadly Dancing, now is the time to do so. Not only are they free, they also have a link at the end for the next book in the series for free as well. Take advantage of a total of 4 FREE books.

http://www.nicolettepierce.com/books/deadly-dancing/

http://www.nicolettepierce.com/books/the-big-blind/

The Rogue Not Taken

The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean

I must say, I’ve become a fan of Sarah MacLean’s. She has a way of writing that is snappy, fresh, and a little spunky. The fact that she writes regency romances is a definite plus for my virtual bookshelf.

Normally, I don’t go for romances that are entirely inner conflict. I like a little mystery or bump in the road. While this was mainly inner conflict and I groaned a few times because I’m impatient, there were a few “bumps” that kept me interested, especially since the hero and heroine bickered constantly. I do love a feisty couple.

Next month, I can't wait to introduce my new book Melting Point. It will be sizzling! Romance, mystery, suspense, Russian mafia, hot men, strong women, and a family that sticks together no matter the odds.

Also, I just listened to a podcast interview that was recently released. Stephen Campbell of CrimeFiction.FM interviewed me about the Nadia Wolf series. It was a really fun interview. Although, it sounds like I had a cold at the time. Oh, well. It was still fun. Have a listen: http://crimefiction.fm/nicolette-pierce/

See you next month,

Nicolette

Here’s The Rogue Not Taken blurb:

LADY SOPHIE'S SOCIETY SPLASH

The youngest of the infamous Talbot sisters scandalized society at the Liverpool Summer Soiree, striking her sister’s notoriously philandering husband and landing him backside-first in a goldfish pond. And we thought Sophie was the quiet one…

When she finds herself the target of very public aristocratic scorn, Sophie Talbot does what she must to escape the city and its judgment—she flees on the back of a carriage, vowing never to return to London…or to society. But the carriage isn’t saving her from ruin. It’s filled with it.


ROYAL ROGUE'S REIGN OF RAVISHMENT!

The Marquess of Eversley was espied descending a rose trellis—escaping an irate Earl and his once-future countess. No lady is safe from Eversley’s Engagement Ending Escapades!

Kingscote, the Marquess of Eversley, has never met a woman he couldn’t charm, a quality that results in a reputation far worse than the truth, a furious summons home, and a long, boring trip to the Scottish border. When King discovers stowaway Sophie, however, the trip becomes anything but boring.

WAR? OR MORE?

He thinks she’s trying to trick him into marriage. She wouldn’t have him if he were the last man on earth. But carriages bring close quarters, dark secrets, and unbearable temptation, and suddenly opposites are altogether too attractive…

The Book Blues

Have you ever picked up book after book after book, wondering if you were ever going to find that gem author in an ever growing sea of unknowns? Hoping that this next novel would be the one to restored your faith that there were outstanding stories out there? Beyond the exceptional writers at HEAT, I've been lost in a large garbage dump. Sure, some stories are decent enough to keep my attention, but they don't capture my emotions. I don't laugh or cry or even want to throw the book against the wall. No, I close the book and go about my day. I don't even bother rating books anymore because there doesn't seem to be a point.

So, I've gone back in history to a book that captured my emotions: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake. I had read this book several years ago and it quickly became my measure of what I love in a book. It's a fun, light read that had me staying up late and giggling like a school girl. I don't need deep, profound messages from a novel, just something that transports me into a different world. This novel did the job splendidly.

A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen's club.

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been missing.

But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.

If she's not careful, she'll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love.

And if you are looking for your next great book, just check out the scroll on HEAT. There are tons of titles that are sure to keep you turning the pages.