Winner!


Woot!  We have a winner for our giveaway of "A Little Bit Wicked" by Robyn DeHart.


CONGRATULATIONS Kelsey!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Beverley Kendall on Virginity

Today we have special guest author, Beverley Kendall with us. I originally became acquainted with Bev through her historical romance work, but she has since branched out to include more contemporary New Adult *woot*. Below she tell us a bit more about the difference between the “value” of a virgin bride, then vs. now.
Virginity, undervalued or overrated?
Beverley: Not only do I now write new adult and adult contemporary romances, but I began my writing career writing historical romances. 

Now I don’t know how many of you read historical romances but in that particular romance sub-genre virginity is a highly valued commodity in a bride. I’ll also note that it is highly valued in contemporary Harlequin Presents but beyond that, not so much. 

Society has changed quite a bit in the last two centuries. At least in most developed countries. Divorce is the norm and women are waiting until they marry to have sex—men never were. Actually, 16.4 years is the average age that girls lose their virginity. Which means, Olivia, the heroine in WHEN IN PARIS… who is eighteen and still a virgin, is on the slightly older side of that average.
Olivia wouldn’t let her high school boyfriend pressure her into having sex with him and she doesn’t regret that but she does feel like she’s one of the very few in her graduating class who still has hers. Until she doesn’t. But she doesn’t give it away easily, although after she experiences it there’s no going back. To Olivia, sex is more than physical pleasure and I think she believes that the guy *cough* hero *cough* she gives it to should recognize that too. 

Isalys: So I’m going to go out on a limb here and overshare.  Sex for me has always been something incredibly personal and goes far beyond physical pleasure. It’s about a human connection and the intimacy shared between two people who deeply care for each other.  It’s about creating a special kind of connection that not just anyone can have [with you].  I kissed my fair share of boys *yes, I was a total smooch whore* but when it came to sex, I was off limits.  Until I fell in love…with the man that became my husband.  (And yes, that means exactly what you think it means. I’m on a one-guy gal!)  I have no problem with women who’ve had more than one partner, nor will I ever judge them, and I certainly don’t think a woman’s virginity should be part of her worth as a “female”.  When, where, how, and why a woman has sex is her choice!  However, because of my own personal experiences in life, I appreciate the heroine that is not so quick to give it up.

 When I was in college, before my #1 came alone, I specifically remember having a conversation with a guy about exactly this.  He mentioned wanting to meet a girl who was still a virgin (at approx 18-19 yrs old) and  I remember thinking, “but what would he do with her?”  Would he be kind and patient? Would he understand why she was still a virgin or go straight to finding fault with her?

So we ask you...
What do you think: Do young men today believe that being given a girl’s virginity is something special? Or do they look at someone like our heroine Olivia, a very pretty eighteen-year-old, and wonder what’s wrong with her and why she still has it? And do your own personal experiences affect the kinds of heroes and heroines that you are most drawn to?

Beverley is giving away 3 digital copies of WHEN IN PARIS…. Enter via the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win :)
IMPORTANT LINKS
Follow Bev on Twitter at @beverleykendall and @season4romance 
Friend Bev on Facebook at authorbeverleykendall
ABOUT WHEN IN PARIS...
wheninparis_275College freshman Olivia Montgomery is thrilled at the chance to start over, escape the rumors that plagued her in high school. And she can finally put her juvenile crush, Zachary Pearson, where he belongs—in her past. Then her unrequited love strolls into her French class, shattering Olivia’s newfound peace, and the feelings she'd thought buried for good come rushing back. Now she can't shake her unwanted attraction to the one guy who can twist her stomach into knots with just a smile...but has never given her the time of day.

Zach’s good looks may have always gotten him his pick of girls, but it's the star quarterback’s skill on the football field that gives him his pick of the Big Ten colleges. To escape the crushing demands of his win-at-all-costs father, Zach opts for a private university in upstate New York where...his present and past collide. And the one girl he’s always wanted but can’t have—and a class trip to Paris—turn out to be the ultimate game changer that has him breaking every one of his rules.
WHERE TO BUY

OFFICIAL CONTEST
  • To enter, please fill out the form below.
  • Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Contest open internationally.
  • The winners will be announced on a blog post at the conclusion of the contest.
  • The winners will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.  Prize will be emailed directly to winner from author.
  • No comment entries will be accepted.
  • You may choose to be a blog follower, but it is NOT required to enter the giveaway.
  • DO NOT PUT YOUR [EMAIL] ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.
 
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New Releases 1.22.13

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Happy shopping and happy reading
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Review: A Little Bit Wicked by Robyn DeHart

Title: A Little Bit Wicked (Forbidden Love Series #1)
Author: Robyn DeHart
Published: Dec 4, 2012 by Entangled
Format: E-book | ISBN13 9781622668168
Reviewed by: Isalys
Reason for Reading: Copy provided by author for review purposes
Marcus Kincaid has returned to England after a ten-year absence. His older brother died during that time, making Marcus the Earl of Ashford. Not only that, his younger sister is embroiled in a potential scandal that could ruin her chance at marriage. His aunt has already called in reinforcements—The Paragon.

Vivian March is known simply as The Paragon. She moves through every circle within Society, smoothing out scandals and stopping gossip in its tracks. Everyone in London knows that if she aligns herself with you, Society will forgive you your sins. What they don’t know is that she uses their secrets to cover her own jaded past.

But with every kiss and every touch that Marcus thrusts upon her, Vivian comes to believe life is infinitely more fun when you can be just a little bit wicked…
Marcus Kincaid is an adventurer!  He has spent the better part of the last 10 years giving tours of exotic, faraway lands to the restless members of the ton.  As he prepares to submit his plans for his next latest and greatest tour, he returns home for a time.  Upon his return, he discovers that his elder brother and heir to the Earldom has been deceased leaving Marcus the new Earl of Ashford.  In addition to his new responsibilities, he finds out that his sister is embroiled in a potential scandal.  At a complete loss on how to handle this, he hires The Paragon to help "nip this in the bud".

Vivian March, aka The Paragon is a master of nipping scandals in the bud.  She is the keeper of all the ton's dirty little secrets and as a spinster she's made helping others keep their secrets her life's work.  What the ton doesn't know is that she uses their secrets as a way to keep her own.  When Vivian was 24 years old, she fell in love and gave her would-be husband her heart and her body.  What she never expected was for him to run out on her and leave her ruined.

During one of Vivian's secret rendezvous with Frederick (the "ex") she mistook him for Marcus and shared a passionate kiss that neither Vivian nor Marcus ever forgot.  Now many years later they find themselves working together to save Marcus' sister's reputation before it's too late. 

Marcus never fought his attraction to Vivian but Vivian fought it every step of the way. Not only was she reluctant, even scared to give her heart away but she can't get over the fact that she's several years older than Marcus (she considers herself firmly on the shelf). I particularly enjoyed Marcus' character because he made no qualms about his attraction and desire for Vivian. It was refreshing to read about a man who so openly pursued the woman he wanted, never once denying what he felt for her. Vivian needed convincing though and while I did find her insecurities somewhat endearing, she really was stuck on the "age" thing. That became the excuse, the wall that Marcus needed to break down to win her!

There were no big surprises here and the villain you expect was the villain you got.  In terms of villainy, he was a little disappointing because he resorted to blackmail and Marcus put him in his place easily enough (well, once he found out about it).  I did admire Vivian's backbone, though.  She decided when enough was enough and took certain matters into her own hands, even if it meant tearing down the illusion of perfection that she had built for herself.   For me, the highlight of this story was the relationship between them and Marcus in particular!

 
If this sounds like something you'd like to read too, then don't miss your chance to enter our GIVEAWAY for (1) e-book, courtesy of Entangled Publishing. 

Blog Tour and Giveaway

Good luck!
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Blog Tour & Guest Post: A Little Bit Wicked



A Little Bit Wicked (Forbidden Love #1) by Robyn DeHart
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 229 pages
Release Date: December 2012
ISBN: 978-1-62266-816-8
Imprint: Scandalous

Book One in the Forbidden Love Series

Marcus Kincaid has returned to England after a ten-year absence. His older brother died during that time, making Marcus the Earl of Ashford. Not only that, his younger sister is embroiled in a potential scandal that could ruin her chance at marriage. His aunt has already called in reinforcements—The Paragon.

Vivian March is known simply as The Paragon. She moves through every circle within Society, smoothing out scandals and stopping gossip in its tracks. Everyone in London knows that if she aligns herself with you, Society will forgive you your sins. What they don’t know is that she uses their secrets to cover her own jaded past.

But with every kiss and every touch that Marcus thrusts upon her, Vivian comes to believe life is infinitely more fun when you can be just a little bit wicked…
In honor of this most awesome release, we invited author Robyn DeHart (who you guys should know we've been a fan of since we launched Book Soulmates) to take the floor and tell us more about her latest hero and heroine.  Robyn, take it away...
 
"Normally I wait and reveal this on my website, it’s my "Beneath the Covers" feature. But when my dear friends at Book Soulmates asked that I share it here, I couldn’t say no.  So without further ado, I give you the behind the scenes look at the characters from "A Little Bit Wicked".

The idea for the book started with the heroine. I got a flash of an idea: My name is Vivian March and I am The Paragon. I was intrigued at the thought of a woman who was like a “cleaner” in the Victorian era, someone who cleans up scandals. I always like to look for a picture that “feels” like the character to me. I found this one of Minnie Driver that really captured how I saw Vivian. She even has that hint of a smile, like the Mona Lisa, like she has a secret. Vivian has a secret she’s built her entire adult life around.




Coming up with a hero that would challenge Vivian was so fun. And once I let him loose on the page, he just took over. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed writing a character as much as I did Marcus Kincaid. I knew he was younger than Vivian and I wanted someone that had a younger look to him. I liked image of Jake Gyllenhaal.


So how about it, readers, do you like it when authors share their inspiration for a character or do you prefer to imagine them in your mind?"

Personally, I usually leave the images of book characters to my imagination because rarely is there an actor that I think perfectly and exactly personifies a book character.  I will say, though, that Robyn's choices aren't too shabby ;) I likey Jake and his "how YOU doin'?" smile!

Thank you Robyn for hanging out with us today and *psst* keep scrolling because we're not done!

Thanks to the lovely ladies over at Entangled Publishing, we are giving away:

(1) e-Book copy of "A Little Bit Wicked"
Open: Jan 16-Jan 23

Official Contest Information:
  • To enter, please fill out the form below.
  • Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Contest open internationally.
  • The winner will be announced on a blog post at the conclusion of the contest.
  • The winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.  Prize will be emailed directly to winner from publisher.
  • No comment entries will be accepted.
  • You may choose to be a blog follower, but it is NOT required to enter the giveaway.
  • DO NOT PUT YOUR [EMAIL] ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!
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