I Should Be Writing - Wrimo Edition

A little distraction for everyone feverishly getting ready for this year's National Novel Writing Month.

If you want to waste even more time when you should be writing, check out Errol's other fun videos - NaNoWriMo in 3 Minutes and Good Ol' NaNoWrimo

Right, now I must get back to that outline...

Waiting on Wednesday: The Hating Game

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. My "can't wait to read" pre-pub this week is:

The Hating Game

by Talli Roland

Publication Dates:	1 December 2010 (ebook)
	9 March 2011 (print)

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy.

After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £50,000 prize?

Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes.

Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?
[Goodreads]

This sounds like such a fab read I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

So tell me, what book are you waiting on this week?

New Release: Miss Bramble and the Leviathan

Check out this steampunk romance novella from fellow Romance Diva Kristen Painter. Available today from Samhain Publishing.

Miss Bramble and the Leviathan
by Kristen Painter
ISBN: 978-1-60928-212-7
Publication Date: 19 October 2010 (Samhain Publishing)

The last thing she planned to steal was his heart.

The Company. Military institution, protector of Praeton and the nation of Grand Isle. Dirty rotten thief.

When Pandora Bramble steps aboard the Company’s premiere airship Daedalus it’s not for the exclusive VIP tour. It’s to secure proof that the Company stole the regulator valve her father designed—even if it means tearing the engine apart. Foiled by the unexpected appearance of a handsome crew member, she despairs of ever getting another chance—until he kisses her.

Captain Theolonius Hatch, sentenced to engine room duty for refusing to take part in the Company’s fleet week activities, never dreamed a woman like Pandora existed. Her brains match her beauty, a combination that adds up to more trouble than he ever expected.

As Pandora allows Theolonius to sweep her into a whirlwind courtship, her wildest dreams come true. As do her greatest fears, leaving her to decide what matters most. Loyalty…or love.

The clock is ticking.

Warning: This book contains airships, mechanical owls, women who are good with tools, men in and out of uniform, steam generated by engines and people, and some hot carriage scenes.

Read an excerpt online

Waiting on Wednesday: Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. My "can't wait to read" pre-pub this week is:

Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto
by Liz Fielding
Publication date: November 2010

Lucy Bright can't believe it when she's plucked from secretarial obscurity and transformed into the pampered fiancée of a slick retail guru. But then she discovers it was all a publicity stunt! Rushing away from the media frenzy, she bumps - literally - into delicious tycoon Nathaniel Hart...

Spooked by their instantaneous chemistry, Lucy flees - but Nathaniel is determined to find his barefoot beauty. Though all he has is one very expensive red designer stiletto to help him!

I love a good Cinderella story so I can't wait to read this one.

So tell me, what book are you waiting on this week?

Fabulous at Fifty

Fabulous at Fifty, a memoir of the first half century of the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA), will be launched at the RAF Club in London on Thursday. Fabulous at Fifty delves into the past, with first-hand recollections of people who were there, and describes the growth of the Romantic Novelists’ Association into what was described by PD James at a recent Awards ceremony as ‘one of most professional writers’ organisations of the present day’.

The book is packed with fascinating and frank detail about past and present members, the opinion of other novelists (often less than flattering) about this massively successful commercial genre, the changing attitude to sex and a public broadside from Marje Proops in the Mirror, plus the spats, the flaps, the End of Publishing as we Know It (1968), hot books and cold champagne.

The book is published by the RNA at £9.99 and is available from their website www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org

The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Well done RNA and here's to another 50 years.

Free Books!

Who doesn't love free stuff?

Mills and Boon are giving away 11 (soon to be 12) free ebooks over at everyonesreading.com  It's a great opportunity to read titles from series you may not have tried before, plus there's a competition to win a Sony eReader.

Book Review: Whisper of Scandal

Whisper of Scandal
Nicola Cornick

Published: 28 September 2010 by HQN
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 0373774400
ISBN-13: 978-0373774401

Summary:
Lady Joanna Ware has no desire to wed again but that doesn't stop the flurry of suitors knocking on her door. Desperate to thwart another proposal, Joanna brazenly kisses Arctic explorer Alex, Lord Grant. Unable to deny the blazing attraction that flares, Joanna knows she's just set the gossip mill turning.

After suffering countless infidelities during her marriage, she's accustomed to scandal. But nothing prepares her for the shocking news that her deceased husband has bequeathed his illegitimate child to her and his friend Alex. As rumors run rampant in the ton, Joanna and Alex travel to the Arctic to claim the orphan. Battling blizzards, dangerous wildlife and a treacherous plot, Alex must protect Joanna, but not before he wickedly seduces her…
[Courtesy of Goodreads]

Review:
Lady Joanna Ware is the darling of the ton. She is an intelligent and spirited widow who hides behind a facade of superficiality to protect herself.

Lord Alex Grant is an explorer and national hero. He is also the good friend of Joanna's late husband and therein lies the problem. Alex's opinion of Joanna is prejudiced by the stories told to him by the late Lord Ware and he is determined to think the worst of Joanna despite his physical attraction to her.

I loved Joanna and Alex and the chemistry between them sizzles on the page. Ms Cornick immerses you in a Regency world with the unusual setting of the Arctic. The story really comes to life when Joanna and Alex embark on their expedition to Spitsbergen, and it's in this harsh landscape that Alex finally faces his fears. Great stuff.

This is the first book in a new series about the Scandalous Women of the ton. One Wicked Sin is Lottie's story and Mistress by Midnight is Merryn's story. I really hope at some point the dashing Messrs Owen Purchase and James Devlin get their own books - those guys are seriously hot. Just wait 'til you see what Mr Devlin can do with an ice sculpture!

Rating:
I loved the characters and the unusual setting of this fast paced book and give it a very enjoyable 4 out of 5.