Review: Desperate Desires by Terri Wolffe

Title: Desperate Desires
Author: Terri Wolffe
Publish Date: February 6, 2011 by Dial
Pages: E-book Novella
Reviewed by: ISALYS
Reason for reading:  Printed copy provided by author for review purposes.

Lucinda Davenport is desperate for an heir.  Her husband, who is much older and sickly has been unable to sire one and with his failing health, they are at risk of losing their estate to his greedy family.  Her husband, who is not unkind, understands the dire situation that they're in and comes up with a plan for Lucinda to kidnap a peer of her choice to impregnate her and hopefully give her the son she so desperately needs. Lucinda chooses Lucien Brandford, fourth Duke of Carlsborough.

With the help of her motley crew, Lucinda manages to abduct Lucien and whisk him to her estate in the English countryside.  There, she shackles him to the bed where she explains that she's chosen him for "stud services".  Unfortunately, one night of pleasure was not enough for either of them.  Until now, Lucinda had only known the touch of her elder husband.  She had never known what real passion could be like.

As a novella, the relationship between Lucien and Lucinda develops rather quickly.  However, Terri did a great job with the pacing so that it felt as natural as possible considering the reason for their connection in the first place.  The dialogue was interesting in that Lucien and Lucinda were always going back and forth with control of the relationship changing hands.  Overall, they really balanced each other nicely.  The writing was well-done except the narrative voice would sometimes change abruptly and I would lose track of who was speaking.  Those instances broke up flow of the story, but did not stop me from being able to enjoy it.

This is a "sweet & spicy" novella.  For those of you who are interested in reading it, be warned that the love scenes are HOT!!  The sexual language is quite intense without being vulgar.  I personally could do with a little less dirty talk but that's just a matter of personal taste.  I'm glad that Terri was able to keep it tasteful.


I liked that the author included a bit of the backstory for both Lucien and Lucinda's characters. Unfortunately, that extra information came at the expense of us knowing what happened to Lucinda's husband.  Although the plan to kidnap Lucien was his in the first place, he became jealous and tried to separate Lucien & Lucinda.  It wasn't until after his death that they finally got their 'happily ever after'.  However, it's unknown what happened in that time in between or how they really came together again.  Understanding that novellas may be under length constraint, I still would have liked some of those questions answered.

Overall, this was a fun story that I would recommend to those who like an extra helping of hottness with their romances.




HEAT LEVEL: 6-Erotic

Grammar 101: Spelling

Welcome back to Grammar 101...
where I help the grammatically-challenged become proud Grammarians.
Or at least I try to! lol

A friend of mine shared the funniest article with me and I thought it was just perfect for today's grammar lesson:

Ten Words You Need To Stop Misspelling
{by The Oatmeal}












I cannot take credit for today's lesson!  This hilarity was drawn & written by The Oatmeal.

I hope you guys don't mind my half-assing today's post - but there really isn't much that I can do to make this lesson any funnier or more accurate!

Oh, and feel free to follow @Oatmeal on Twitter - he's a funny mo-fo!

Enjoy and have a better day than yesterday!

Giveaway & Interview: Holly Schindler

We have another guest author with us today because Holly Schindler thought we were cool enough to hang with :} Woot!

Wanna stalk Holly?  Here's where you can go:
Website | Blog |Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

BS ♥ Holly, thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few of our questions.  Tell us, what was the inspiration behind PLAYING HURT?

When I drafted PLAYING HURT, I actually wanted to write about learning the difference between loving someone and really being IN love with someone.  Initially, Chelsea went on a Minnesota vacation with her parents—far from her loving boyfriend back home in Missouri—and wound up falling head-over-heels for a guide at the resort in a way that she had never fallen for her boyfriend. 

The sports subplot actually didn’t come about until the last time I rewrote the book—about five years after the initial draft.

BS ♥
You seem to be drawn to characters who have some sort of physical or mental struggle.  Why?

I do like jumping straight into a story when a character is deep in the midst of their struggle: When PLAYING HURT opens, Chelsea’s already seen her hopes for a career in college ball destroyed, Clint has already lost his girlfriend (and his beloved sport); immediately following the prologue in A BLUE SO DARK, my debut, Aura’s mother is already beginning her decent into madness. 

As a reader, I like knowing from the get-go what the central conflict is—I like to know why I’m reading.  So I usually tend to incorporate that into my own work.

BS ♥
You also seem most at home with contemporary YA; do you think you’ll ever try writing a story in another genre (paranormal, etc.)?

Though both of my books are contemporary YAs, they do differ in genre somewhat: BLUE is a literary YA, PLAYING HURT is a romance.  I read across all genres, and my writing interests are every bit as varied.  My debut MG will release in the fall of 2012, and as for YA…stay tuned!

BS ♥ What is YOUR favorite genre to read?

I like to genre hop.  Mystery, YA, poetry, literary, sci-fi, the classics…there’s just really nothing I won’t read.

BS ♥ What made you decide that you were ready to write your first book?

When I got my master’s, I was really just dying to give my writing full-time attention.  And because of incredible financial support from my family, I was able to do just that!  Though I had no financial concerns and all the time in the world to work, the first deal didn’t come easy—it took seven and a half years to snag the first deal.

BS ♥  Do you set a “writing mood” with music or lighting, etc?

I keep really long hours—usually averaging eight hours a day—and I work seven days a week.  I don’t have many “must-haves” to be productive…I usually prefer quiet (rather than having music in the background), and as long as I’ve got plenty of coffee, I’m all set!

BS ♥  Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

Writers are an INCREDIBLY hard-working bunch.  Cardiologists honestly don’t keep longer hours than writers.  In addition to writing new work, there’s online networking, blogging, promotions, personal visits, revisions of work under development—all of that usually happens at the same time!

That having been said, I’m a huge music freak—music is really my “refresh” button.  And the more time I spend indoors working, the more I itch to get outside in the sun—just totally unplug, hang out next to the Finley River with my dog…

BS ♥  Tell us something completely random about Holly the person, not just Holly the writer:

I’ve always been a fairly low-tech gal.  (I STILL prefer vinyl records…)  In fact, I drafted both A BLUE SO DARK and PLAYING HURT on a real dinosaur of a computer.  It was actually built before the Internet—didn’t even have a modem!  I didn’t anything up online until I’d sold BLUE…now I can’t imagine life without the YA blogosphere!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college-and everyone's admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea's dad springs for a three-week summer "boot camp" program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she's immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who's haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain-or finally heal their heartbreak?



♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Giveaway
May 25 - June 1


Thanks to the Holly, we get to give away ONE copy of Playing Hurt to one lucky winner.

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER GIVEAWAY

Rules:
  • To enter the giveaway you must complete the form linked above and leave a comment indicating that you've entered.
  • Giveaway open to U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.  Note: It may take several weeks to receive your prize so please be patient! 
  • Winner will be drawn after the contest ends and posted soon thereafter.
  • Winner will be chosen using random.org!
Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any questions.

Happy reading!

New Releases 5.24.11

Contemporary Fiction & Chick-Lit
Paris, Baby!
Paris, Baby! by Kirsten Lobe
 
Historical Fiction
Children and Fire: A NovelSecret of the White Rose
Children and Fire: A Novel by Ursula Hegi
Secret of the White Rose by Stefanie Pintoff

Biography / Memoir
None


Contemporary Romance
Baby, Drive South (Southern Ro...Blackberry SummerKing's Passion
Baby, Drive South (Southern Roads, #1) by Stephanie Bond
Blackberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne
King's Passion by Adrianne Byrd

Romantic Suspense
None

Christian / Amish Romance
Vanish in Plain Sight (Amish S...
Vanish in Plain Sight (Amish Suspense, #2)
by Marta Perry
 
YA
Blood Magic (Blood Journals, #...Something Deadly This Way Come...Dreadnought (wt)The Girl in the Steel CorsetLark
Blood Magic (Blood Journals, #1) by Tessa Gratton 
Something Deadly This Way Comes (Madison Avery, #3) by Kim Harrison
Dreadnought
by Mark Walden
 The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross {So love this cover} 
Lark by Tracey Porter

Between Here and ForeverThe A CircuitThe Warlock (The Secrets of th...Everfound (Skinjacker, #3)If I Could Fly
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
The A Circuit by Catherine Hapka, Georgina Bloomberg
The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel,#5) by Michael Scott  
Everfound (Skinjacker, #3) by Neal Shusterman
If I Could Fly by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Children's Literature
The Dragon in the Volcano (Dra...Capital Mysteries #13: Trapped...Fibble: The Fourth Circle of H...
The Dragon in the Volcano (Dragon Keepers Series #4) by K. Klimo, J. Shroades
 Capital Mysteries #13: Trapped on the D.C. Train! by Ron Roy, Timothy Bush
 Fibble: The Fourth Circle of Heck by Dale E. Basye, Bob Dob
 
Happy Shopping and Happy Reading!

Blog Soulmate: Obsessed!

We have a new BLOG SOULMATE to tell you about :)

This is our way of telling them that, "Hey, we think you're cool and we love your blog and we want the world to know this!"

{Note: This is an exclusive award and not intended for being passed on. However, our chosen blog soulmates are welcomed to do a post on their own blogs letting their followers know that, well, we like them!}


Our BLOG SOULMATE Award for this week goes to:

Bella from Obsessed!



Last year, one of my favorite bloggers took a little blogging vacay and just recently announced that SHE IS BACK *woot*!!  I'm so excited that she decided to join us again because I {heart} this chick! She is without a doubt, one of the funniest, snarkiest, most honest reviewers, and raddest bloggers on the block!  I, myself am sarcastic but I can't do snark the way this gal can and I love her for it because she says it like it is.  I admire someone that can be that honest!

We both love PNR and UF so if I'm frustrated about a book or need a valid, honest opinion, then I know I can drop her a line and she'll be there for me (all the way from South Africa - dude, how cool is it that she's from South Africa?)

So when I found out that Bella was back, I just HAD to make her our new Blog Soulmate! I asked her to share with us 10 random facts about herself and here's what she sent :)
  1. Since leaving school, I’ve studied Accounting and Creative Writing, have acquired half a Law degree ... and am now saving up to attend Culinary School, which I totally blame on BBC Lifestyle and the Food Network Smile with tongue out

  2. I absolutely adore uplifting books, which is why The Sky is Everywhere and Chime are two of my favourites ... tear-jerkers and cliff-hangers are the banes of my existence ... I’ll take a Happily Ever After anyday!

  3. These are the things that freak me out: spiders, the colour beige, aubergines, fake people, monkeys.

  4. I like playing online games, such as World of Warcraft and Rift, which makes me a total nerd, but – hey – my imaginary life kicks your imaginary life’s ass! Winking smile

  5. In my Imaginary Life of Awesome, I live in Kate’s world and am married to Mercy’s man ... I also have Cat’s hair, Katsa’s eyes, Elena’s wings ... and Mac’s lover – uh – spear ... *grin*

  6. I am NOT a morning person!!! (!!! !!! !!!) DOOM ON YOU if you wake me up in the middle of *MY* night!!! O_O

  7. I’m convinced that I was born in the wrong century (millennium?) ... because, dude, I’d have made a rockin’ hunter-gatherer! Or ... or ... I could have been one of those girs pretending to be a guy and riding into battle in someone else’s shiny armour! Open-mouthed smile


  8. I’ve worked as a waitress, reluctant model, coffee-hating Nespresso promoter, alcohol-hating Jack Daniels promoter, and have even done a stint summarizing the news for the Romanian Consul here in South Africa. I also played a soon-to-be-dead-via-volcano Random Minoan in this documentary, which was about as much fun as lungfuls of fake ash can ever be.

  9. I met my Sweetie Pie on his birthday ... he asked me out on Christmas ... our first date was on New Year’s Day ... we officially started dating on Valentine’s Day ... and he asked me to marry him last New Year’s Eve, exactly seven years after our first date ... none of this was planned, we’re just naturally cheesy .

  10. I’ll end with some of my pet peeves in books: stupid names (Ever Bloom, RENESMEE) ... main characters being paired up with mysterious hotties in class, cue insta-love (yes, I know that everything’s been done before, but this has been DONE AD NAUSEAM) ... and the über-dreaded *We Are Fated to be Together ... But We Can’t* (Luce and That Horribly Rude Guy) ... UGH.
And that, my dear friends, is The Bella in a nutshell.  If you guys were cracking up at her randomness as much as I was, then you need to check out her blog [Obssessed!] and become her follower too!  Like I said, she give us fun, honest reviews...cool giveaways...and lots of laughs! 

 ♥ Isalys
 
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