Romance and Me: The InstaLove Connection

Hey Everyone!

Today I thought I would talk to you about pet peeves. Romance novels certainly have quite a few of the usual clichés (soulmate connection, misunderstanding crisis, big love declaration at the end, etc.) and we romance lovers tend to tolerate and even enjoy them at times. However there are some that we just can’t accept.

One of those pet peeves that irritate me more than anything is the instalove connection. I’m sure you have already come across it in a novel or two when the hero and heroine meet, lock eyes and bada beem bada boom feel the Earth-shattering love, soul-deep connection after having known each other only for 5 minutes /2 days/ a week, etc. (recurring mentioning of the words destiny, fated, special bond, etc. usually appear) Any time I read this happening to a fictional couple it drives me hair-tearing-out mad.

Yep, just like …

Interview with our Guest Reviewer Marlene + Giveaway

Today we have something special planned for you here at Book Lovers Inc. We thought it would be nice for you to get to know our guest reviewers some more. Today we have an interview with Marlene and what a coincidence it’s also the blogoversary of her blog Reading Reality today. *wink*

So here’s your chance to get to know Marlene and you can even win things while doing it. Be sure to grill her in the comments to tickle out her deepest secrets. Let the fun begin. 

Susi: Marlene, tell us a bit about your life outside of reading and blogging.

Marlene: What, wait a minute. There’s a life outside reading and blogging? No one told me.

But seriously, or not so seriously, I’m happily married to the love of my life. Who occasionally gets mentioned in the blog. Galen is my husband and also …

Review: Alien Diplomacy by Gini Koch

Format read: ARC provided by author
Series: Book #5 Katherine “Kitty” Katt series
Genre: science fiction romance
Release Date: April 3rd, 2012
Number of pages: 448 pages
Publisher: DAW
Formats available: ebook, paperback
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Book Depository (UK), Book Depository (US)

Book Blurb:

Being newlyweds and new parents is challenging enough. But Jeff and Kitty Martini are also giving up their roles as super-being exterminators and Commanders in Centaurion Division while mastering the political landscape as the new heads of Centaurion’s Diplomatic Corps. Enter a shadowy assassination plot and a new set of anti-alien conspirators, and nothing will ever be the same…

This review contains minor spoilers for previous books in this series.

My Thoughts:
In Alien Diplomacy we find our favorite well dressed Aliens and the fabulous Kitty as sharp and funny as always but the setting itself is changed. Jeff’s and Kitty’s new job as Diplomats for the ACs seems to change the game …

New Releases: April 2 – 8, 2012

The Duke’s Perfect Wife (Highland Pleasures, #4) by Jennifer Ashley

Lady Eleanor Ramsay is the only one who knows the truth about Hart Mackenzie. Once his fiancee, she is the sole woman to whom he could ever pour out his heart.

Hart has it all–a dukedom, wealth, power, influence, whatever he desires. Every woman wants him–his seductive skills are legendary. But Hart has sacrificed much to keep his brothers safe, first from their brutal father, and then from the world. He’s also suffered loss–his wife, his infant son, and the woman he loved with all his heart though he realized it too late.

Now, Eleanor has reappeared on Hart’s doorstep, with scandalous nude photographs of Hart taken long ago. Intrigued by the challenge in her blue eyes–and aroused by her charming, no-nonsense determination–Hart wonders if his young love has come to ruin him . . . or save him.

Explore This!: Nantucket, Massachusetts

Today, we’re taking a trip to the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts. I started my search at Stella’s request, who wanted to see what this area looked like after reading Barbara Wallace’s Weekend Agreement. Once I had found a few pictures though, it began to feel familiar to me, so I went in search of more info.

I went looking for movies that were filmed there, but it turns out the ones I thought were filmed in Nantucket were filmed elsewhere. I did discover it to be the setting for the ’90’s TV series Wings.

Then I looked for other books set in Nantucket. I couldn’t find a large list of those either, though I did find one reference to Elin Hilderbrand as “Queen of the Beach [or Summer] Novel” and that her books are (almost) all set on Nantucket Island.

Nantucket is close, geographically speaking, to other well known …

Early Review: About That Night by Julie James

About That Night by Julie James

Format Read: e-ARC provided courtesy of Author for Review
Length: 304 Pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: FBI/US Attorney Series Book III
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Formats Available: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle, Nook
Purchasing Info: Publisher, Author’s Website, Amazon, Books-A-Milliion, Powell’s, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Book Depository, IndieBound, Kindle, Nook

Book Blurb:

HE’S PLAYING GAMES.

Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face-to-face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she’s stunned. More troubling to the beautiful assistant U.S. attorney is that she’s still wildly attracted to him.

BUT SHE’S MAKING THE RULES.

Just released from prison, …

Guest Post: The Lure of the Mediterranean by Nina Croft + Giveaway

Today I am happy to welcome to Book Lovers Inc. Nina Croft, author of sci-fi and paranormal romances. Recently she released a sizzling contemporary romance set in sunny places with a  dashing hero, so of course I was curious to hear more about what inspired Luc, the irresistibly charming rogue of  Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire (you can read my review here). Please give Nina a warm welcome and answer her question to be entered to win a copy of her novel.

The Lure of the Mediterranean

I think one of the things I’ve always loved best about reading romance is being transported to fabulous, exotic places—preferably hot.

I’m English, and I grew up in a small town in the north of England, in an area known as the Lake District. It was a beautiful place, but the sun rarely shines and it rains …

Sunday Cravings

How are you my fellow Book Lovers? How was this week for all of you?We’re here for another Sunday Cravings, were we highlight those releases of the upcoming week that we drool over 🙂 Let me tell you, last week was crazy with so many great titles releasing all at once and although this week is a bit “less crowded”, there are a couple of titles that make us positively drool all over them! About that Night by Julie James hits the shelves as well as Jennifer Ashley’s newest release The Duke’s Perfect Wife! And the awesomeness doesn’t stop with those titles.

So let’s start with our Sunday Cravings for this week 🙂

Stella and Anna: About that Night by Julie James

HE’S PLAYING GAMES

Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But …