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Set Up For Love by Virna DePaul, Susan Hatler, Delilah Sloan

By Barb Drozdowich 5 Comments

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel

10505419Set up for Love by by Virna DePaul, Susan Hatler, Delilah Sloan
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: Feb 14, 2011


Length: 313 pages

Blurb: Set Up For Love is a contemporary romance anthology, which includes three novellas and one bonus short story. FOUR STORIES for the price of ONE!

Friends Don’t Let Friends Date Badly…

Three stories. Three authors. Three kinds of romance.

Sweet. Sassy. Sexy.

Sweet: The Boyfriend Bylaws by Susan Hatler: Will a woman have to follow her best friend’s narrow dating rules in order to find lasting love? 

Melanie Porter has been dumped—again. When others accuse her of “being in love with being in love,” she agrees to let her best friend, Patti, step in and direct her dating life with The Boyfriend Bylaws.

Sassy: Blind Date/Check Mate by Delilah Sloan: Should a woman who’s unable to forget her first love give “happily ever after” one more try? 

Shelby Winters’ one great love went sour. If she can’t feel that way again, why bother? When her best friend sets Shelby up on a blind date with Logan, the one who broke her heart, he pursues her relentlessly, forcing her to make a choice: give her heart what it’s always desired and risk total devastation or shut Logan out and lose her only shot at happiness. To Shelby, it’s a lose-lose situation. Or is it?

Sexy: Wild For Him by Virna DePaul: Can an uptight prosecutor and a laid-back defense attorney find love despite their opposing agendas?

Bryn Donovon became a prosecutor for a reason and defense attorney Daniel Mays seems to take his job about as seriously as he does his love life. While straight-laced Bryn can’t deny she’s attracted to the southern charmer, she’s determined to keep her distance. Instead, she ends up finding something she’d lost long ago–a willingness to risk all for love. 

Bonus: My Last Blind Date by Susan Hatler: Should Rachel Price play it safe and spend Valentine’s Day at home with her loyal pooch, Chester, or risk another dating disaster by letting her best friend set her up on a blind date?

This anthology of four stories has something in it for everyone.  What happens when love is set up by friends?  Do the friends really know each other or are they making a stab in the dark?  Are they so determined to match up their friends that they choose poorly?  Set Up for Love has four stories of great choices, ultimately ending up in four HEAs!

Set Up for Love is a collection of 3 stories plus one bonus.  The Boyfriend Bylaws features Melanie Porter who has been dumped again and again. Her friend Patti thinks she has a better idea and gets Melanie to agree to what she calls “The Boyfriend Bylaws.”  According to Patti, Melanie falls in love too fast and is so desperate to be loved, that she scares men away.  Patti’s idea has Melanie having to ask Patti for permission for almost every aspect of her dating life and if she doesn’t follow the rules, she has to give Patti her beloved car.

This short little story is great!  Patti comes across as being somewhat draconian to Melanie.  But from the reader’s perspective, Patti is simply enforcing some common sense on Melanie’s neediness.  The characters in this story are wonderful.  The first boyfriend, Brad is a slug….but so well written! The character of Patti had me laughing.  She cares so much for Melanie that she is determined to help her.   I think we all need a “Patti” in our lives to serve as the voice of reason when choosing a mate!  This story whips right along at a good pace.  All in all, I think this is a wonderful read and an interesting commentary on modern dating!

Blind Date/Check Mate is about Shelby Winters who can’t seem to let go of her first love to move on with life.  Shelby’s best friend, Ginny has arranged for Shelby to have a blind date.  When Shelby walks into the Boat House restaurant to find her first love, Logan, sitting waiting for her to arrive.  Not sure if this is a big joke, or if Logan is really serious about rekindling what they lost all those years ago, she tries to leave.  Logan convinces her to stay and the process of rebuilding begins.

I loved this story.  What is more heartbreaking than being separated from your first love when you are a teen.  The relationship that really never matures and stays in the heart!  I enjoyed how the author presented the history that Shelby and Logan had from both points of view.  The characters are now mature, having survived all the growing pains of leaving the teens and becoming adults.  The history between them binds them together.  Of the four stories in this anthology I liked this one the most.  It’s a two kleenex story of lost love that is found again!

Wild For Him is the third story in the anthology.  Bryn Donovon is a straight-laced, district attorney who wins the majority of her cases.  One of her frequent opponents is Daniel Mays, the hunky defense attorney.  Daniel admires Bryn’s skill in the courtroom but hasn’t taken much notice of her as a female, but when he does, he wonders why he hasn’t noticed her before.  The progression of their somewhat one-sided relationship is wonderful to read.  Bryn is determined to not get involved with a defense attorney but Daniel is charming and he is very persuasive!

This story has so many layers it is surprising it is under a hundred pages.  It has the feel of a full length novel.  The relationship between Bryn and Daniel is very well written.  The story just keeps adding details as it progresses, not giving away all the details at the beginning.  This story is spicier than the other two in this anthology and the chemistry sizzles off the pages!  It adds an interesting contrast to the first two books, but stays with the theme of a couple being set up.  Well worth the read!

The last book in this anthology is labelled a bonus short story.  It is called My Last Blind Date and it is about Rachel Price who was dateless on yet another Valentine’s Day.  Her friend and co-worker, Ellen, has decided to set Rachel up on yet another blind date.  Rachel is apprehensive as this is the fourth blind date that Ellen has set Rachel up on  and the previous 3 were disasters. Noah, the workplace hottie overhears the conversation and arranges to be that blind date.

This is a cute little story about a HEA after three horrendous blind dates.  It is about finally finding happiness after kissing alot of frogs!  This was a great ending to an enjoyable anthology!

 

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The Lady Most Likely by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James & Connie Brockway

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel

sugarbeat's books romance novels romance book reviewsWelcome also to Series Sunday!

As you all know, my favorite books exist in series.  In honor of Julia Quinn’s release slated for the end of May, I’m going to post all the books that I’ve read and reviewed so far.  Today we are going to start with a book that is written by three friends – Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway.  Unlike a true anthology, this book moves from one story into the next.  It wasn’t until I was listening to the three ladies talk at a book signing back in January that they pointed out that you can tell what each wrote by looking at the top of the page to see the author’s name.  Guess I was paying attention to that when I read the book as I couldn’t tell who wrote which part!  This is one of the books that I will be giving away at the end of this stretch of reviews – around about the beginning of June!  For now, enjoy!

The Lady Most Likely… by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway
ISBN: 978-0-06-124782-8
Publisher: Avon Historical Romance
Release: 2011
Source: I won this book in a giveaway

Sugarbeat's books romance books romance novel reviews historical contemporary erotica author interviews promotionsThree of the brightest stars of historical romance invite you to a party at the country home of the Honorable Marquess of Finchley

Hugh Dunne, the Earl of Briarly, needs a wife, so his sister hands him a list of delectable damsels and promises to invite them – and a few other gentlemen – to her country house for what is sure to be the event of the season.

Hugh will have time to woo whichever lady he most desires…Unless someone else snatches her first.

The invitation list includes:
The horse-mad but irresistibly handsome Earl of Briarly
The always outspoken Miss Katherine Peyton
The dashing war hero Captain Neill Oakes
The impossibly beautiful (and painfully shy) Miss Gwendolyn Passmore
The terribly eligible new Earl of Charters
The widowed Lady Georgina Sorrell (who has no plans to marry, ever)

And your hostess, Lady Carolyn Finchley, an irrepressible matchmaker who plans to find the lady most likely…..to capture her brother’s untamed heart.

The Lady Most Likely is a book that I won in a giveaway some time ago. It’s been tempting me from the shelf and I was happy to be able to spend a few hours enjoying the lively writing of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway.

It seems that the somewhat dense Earl of Briarly announced to his sister and her best friend that he has decided that he needs a wife. Could they make him a list, please and he’ll got to Almack’s that night and pick one out. Gotta love a practical man! Once Carolyn (the sister) and Georgina (the friend) pick themselves off the floor and stop laughing, they realize that something serious must have happened to make Hugh make such an abrupt about face. Under duress, Hugh admits to a coma after being thrown from his horse. He’s determined to marry and produce and heir before another fall is permanent. Not the best thing to say to his sister, but it does spur her into motion! Next thing he knows, a house party is arranged with a selection of young women for him and a selection of young men for Georgina to choose from. She may say that she doesn’t want to marry again, but Carolyn is her best friend, and is determined that she finds wedded happiness!

This is a fun book to read! It is funny, it is heart-warming, and it rocks along at a good pace. It involves a whole host of characters as you can tell from the blurb. The house party is held by Carolyn and her husband, Lord and Lady Finchley. Carolyn’s husband, Piers is a amiable fellow, determined to keep his wife happy. To do so, he seems to be content helping her with her matchmaking activities. She tries to set up Hugh with the unbelievably beautiful, yet painfully shy Miss Gwendolyn Passmore. She’s more suited to Alec, the Earl of Charters. She then tries to set him up with Miss Katherine Peyton until he gets slugged by the war hero Captain Neill Oakes for being too forward with Katherine (who Neill has known and loved since childhood). There goes another prospect. Not knowing where to turn, he suddenly sees Georgina in a new light. Seeing her not as a his sister’s friend, but as a beautiful woman.

Often I find reading a book like this, with so many characters, difficult. I have trouble keeping all the characters straight. I didn’t have that difficulty with this book. The writing is clear and the various relationships are distinct and easy to keep straight! I highly recommend this book as a fun, light regency romp of a romance!

Amazon Purchase Link for The Lady Most Likely…: A Novel in Three Parts

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Interview with Elizabeth Hyder, editor of Weight of a Gun

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today I’m welcoming Elizabeth Hyder to the blog. She has served as editor for Storm Moon Press’ latest anthology, Weight of a Gun. She’s going to answer some questions so that we can learn more about this book. Sit back and enjoy!

Barb – Describe what an editor’s role is when it comes to an anthology like Weight of a Gun.

Elizabeth – I’m not sure how many other editors feel like this, but every time there was a submission in my inbox it felt like a special present that someone had made just for me. It was like Christmas in summer! We got a lot of submissions, good submissions, for the anthology; reading them wasn’t tedious for me. Looking back on it, that was the easy part: reading the stories and then choosing which ones were appropriate for the anthology.

The hard part was editing. I’d never edited fiction before in a professional context, and I tended to be pretty hands-off when I’d done beta reading for people. Editing that first story was insanely nerve-wrecking. I actually edited the first one and then waited to hear back from Storm Moon Press before I did more! The most difficult part with the edits was tightening up the writing without changing the author’s voice. In the end, I learned that editing is a mixed bag of easy parts and hard parts, with the overall experience somewhere in the middle.

The best part was getting the submissions, though. I still go back and read some of the ones that didn’t end up being appropriate for the anthology. They really were good stories; how could I not love them?

Barb – Do you typically edit a book more than once, and can you explain why?

Elizabeth – I always edit more than once. Having come from a family full of professional writers, I learned when I was young that editing is essential to ensure quality and to make sure that what gets printed is the best that it can be. I always go through a piece twice, because of this, usually at least a few days (or weeks, if I can get it) between the revisions so I can forget things a little before I look at them again.

I really can’t imagine just going over something once and calling it ready to be put out there for a large audience. There are times when I get absolutely sick of looking at a piece and have to put it away for a while, but that’s why I attempt to do things ahead of time: so I have a buffer for when the shit hits the fan.

Having someone else, a second pair of eyes, look over a piece is always something I try to do, too, because I know I am never going to be able to catch all the mistakes. Redundancy and editing go hand in hand for me.

Barb – Do you prefer editing or writing? Or are they equally enjoyable?

Elizabeth – It depends on what I’ve been doing a lot of at the time. The more I edit, the more I want to write; the more I write, the more I want to edit. So pretty much I want to be doing whatever I’m not doing! I enjoy both equally, though.

Barb – Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing/editing history.

Elizabeth – Like most writers, I’ve been writing since forever. My first big “oh, goodness, I can write sex” thing came when I discovered fanfiction. But writing fanfiction always felt like being stuffed in a box, for me, though I met and befriended many wonderful, inspiring people through fandom communities. It was those people who really taught me the finer points of fiction writing—including offering up criticisms for my own writing, which was and is by no means perfect—and I’m still friends with a lot of them, still trying to learn and grow alongside them.

My first major editing experience happened when I got involved with three other writers and we formed a cadre of sorts; I edited their fiction and they edited mine. We pointed out each other’s strengths and made suggestions for improving our weaknesses. I learned a lot from those three, but the most important lesson was that deadlines are important for productivity.

Editing fiction in a professional context started when Storm Moon Press mentioned that they would be willing to hear pitches for anthology ideas and I realized that I could pitch the gunporn idea to them! They were very open to it, and to letting me edit, a fact I am eternally grateful for. I owe a lot to them; they have helped me so much.

Barb – If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

Elizabeth – Boston, MA. I used to live there (Brookline, if you want to get persnickety about it) and I quite miss it, though I love Atlanta as well. There’s just something about winter north of the Mason-Dixon that agrees with me. Even after shoveling snow for three years; even in the dead of winter when I had to wear my ankle-length wool coat on top of three layers; even when it got dark at three in the afternoon—I loved, and still love, winter in Boston.

It is just a city that jives well with me; my dream is to someday make enough money writing and editing that I can afford to move back there.

Barb – Do you have a favorite character in Weight of a Gun?

Elizabeth – It’s a toss-up between Ignác, from Compromised Judgment by Penny K. Moss, and Fil, from My Rifle is Human by Sumi.

I love how they are both incredibly earnest about their tasks, and don’t want all of these pesky details that are creating conflict for them. For Ignác, it’s his feelings for Konrad; for Fil, it’s the fact that Morris is immune to Fil’s attempts at drawing him into meaningless sex. I really love the way that Fil learns, over the course of the story, to see Morris as more than a weapon. But also I love how Ignác has himself under such meticulous control – he’s a very powerful character for me, though he’s not actually hugely powerful in terms of his place in the world Moss creates.

I don’t think I can in good conscience choose one over the other! I love them both.

Barb – How can your readers keep in touch with you?

Elizabeth – I have a Twitter, a Tumblr (sadly quiet due to NaNoWriMo), and a blog! I’m also available via e-mail at fireflieshaven(at)gmail. Yes, I do like fireflies! 😀

Barb – Anything else you would like to add?

Elizabeth – First, a very big thank you for having me here—I’ve enjoyed answering your questions! You made my very first blog interview-thing a pleasant experience and I am appreciative for it.

And then a little pimping of my blog post discussing my latest two calls for submissions: Tentacles and Protect Me. I’m excited about both of these topics and really hope that I end up with enough submissions to make proper anthologies.

Finally, if gun porn interests you (it totally should), check out the Weight of a Gun anthology—it just came out today!

 

I’d like to thank Elizabeth for dropping by today and sharing with us!  As she said, Weight of a Gun goes on sale today.  Drop by and pick up a  copy!

Everyone knows that guns are dangerous; they have long been a subject surrounded by controversy. Combine them with sex and you have a subject that is virtually taboo, but smoking hot. This anthology explores the intersection of these two worlds, and the sensual possibilities they inspire.

In Bounty Hunter, William Hunt is hot on the trail of lover-turned-outlaw James Campbell. But when William finally catches up with James, bringing him to justice is the last thing on his mind. Changing the Guard introduces Tomi Vuorela, working security in a frozen off-world outpost. When Andile Harper intrudes on his seclusion, Tomi must determine if the interloper is a harmless workman or a dangerous terrorist.

Avery Belfour is The Machinist, kidnapped by a rival colony in need of his services. But the dark and deadly Harrow may have other plans for Avery first. In My Rifle Is Human, the more a Gunslinger like Fil sexually satisfies his shapeshifting partners, the Ordinances, the more likely they’ll survive as weapons on the battlefield. When late-bloomer Morris becomes Fil’s latest partner, however, it will take all Fil’s patience and skill to seduce and inspire Morris in time for the next wave of attacks.

Tyler Maxwell from In the Pines, a former New York cop now working a desk job in Alaska, buys a gun as a present and begins to dream about the mysterious and beautiful Flynn. But Flynn is more than a dream, and Tyler must find the truth before he loses his mind. Finally, in Compromised Judgment, Rózsa Ignác is working to uncover a gunrunning operation supplying arms to his enemies. He’s certain that Cistalan Konrád is involved, but his attraction to the other man puts himself and the entire investigation in danger.

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