How do you like to relax after a stressful week?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a pretty stressful week full of headache inducing tech glitches.  My absolute favorite way to de-stress is with a good book, which I’m sure you’ve all figured out by now. 

A great romantic comedy can take your mind off the real world and give you several hours of escape and relaxation.  Plus, there are all kinds of studies out there written by smart people showing that the healthy benefits of humor and laughing last for hours and hours.  Where do I sign up?

What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is just the thing to ease you into a stress-free weekend.  It’s full of great romance and some laugh-out-loud scenes that will make you fall in love with these characters and search out more books by Phillips.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one and think you will, too!

Here is the back of the book description:
How did this happen? Georgie York, once the costar of America’s favorite television sitcom, has been publicly abandoned by her famous husband, her film career has tanked, her father is driving her crazy, and her public image as a spunky heroine is taking a serious beating. What should a down-on-her-luck actress do? Not go to Vegas…not run into her detestable former costar, dreamboat-from-hell Bramwell Shepard…and not get caught up in an ugly incident that leads to a calamitous elopement.

Before she knows it, Georgie has a fake marriage, a fake husband, and maybe (or not) a fake sex life. There’s Bram’s punk-nightmare housekeeper, Georgie’s own pushy parent, a suck-up agent, an icy studio head with a private agenda, and her ex-husband’s new wife, who can’t get enough of doing good deeds and saving the world – the bitch.

It’s a paparazzi free-for-all as two enemies find themselves working without a script in a town where the spotlight shines bright…and where the strongest emotions can wear startling disguises.

What’s a great romantic comedy that you’ve read lately?  Share with us in the comments!

Happy Reading!
Kimberly

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Title: In Total Surrender
Author: Anne Mallory
Published: 09-27-2011
Publisher: HarperCollins US
Format: Advanced Review Copy

From the back of the book:
Andreas Merrick is the king of London’s dark underworld, having amassed unimaginable wealth and power…and a fierce reputation that leaves even the bravest men quaking in their boots. Yet one person is maddeningly unintimidated by his fearsome presence: the persistent Miss Phoebe Pace. And one kiss always leads to another…

Equal parts honey and steel, Phoebe will stop at nothing to find her missing brother and save her family. Though associating with Andreas means peril and scandal, she never expects to experience a passion so intense that it threatens to consume her. But enigmatic Andreas is no ordinary man to love.  He brings dangers from all sides - without and within – while tempting her beyond her wildest dreams…

Most of the time, when reading romance novels, we read most of the story from the heroine’s perspective.  In Total Surrender started from our hero’s perspective and stayed with him for quite a while.  It was a nice change for me and Andreas makes a great hero.  He’s rough around the edges and hides his true self from others, but when reading the story from his perspective, we get unlimited access to the “real” Andreas, and he’s quite wonderful, in a bad boy sort of way.

Do you ever read romances where the heroine is described as smart or clever and then she proceeds to make the most ridiculous decisions which result in the need for rescuing?  Phoebe isn’t like that at all.  In fact, I do believe she is the one doing the rescuing in this romance.  She’s smart, clever, funny (made me laugh out loud several times) and willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family and find her brother- she’s a strong heroine and quite likable.

“Soon.”

“That is quite vague. Soon might be tomorrow or a month from now. How do you define soon?”

“I define it as a period of time in the near future.”

She smiled. “How do you define difficult?”

“By your presence.”

She grinned fully, delighted to feel the tension dissipate. “Now you are just flattering me for no reason.”

He grunted.

“On the contrary,” she said, as if his grunt had been a worded response. “It was most flattering.”

He stared at her.

“What? Did you think I wouldn’t figure out how to interpret your grunts? It is like listening to a conversational gambit with a thousand different meanings.”

He recovered quickly, as always, scowling. “Why would you think it flattery?”

“You have defined something by my presence. Which means you have noticed me quite keenly. I take that as flattering.”

His eyes narrowed. But then she knew he wouldn’t like that particular explanation. It left him too wide open.

There were many times while reading In Total Surrender that I found myself laughing out loud, in a good way, and was entertained from start to finish.  The romance developed over months, not days, so it was a believeable progression from business relationship to friendship to love. 

Anne Mallory writes a wonderful historical romance and I found myself going back to read it a second time (just as good as the first!).  I gave In Total Surrender five sunshines.

Happy Reading!
Kimberly

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great weekend! 

It was rainy in Chicago on Sunday, which was the only excuse I needed to curl up on the couch and spend the afternoon lost in a book.  I had trouble finding the right one for my mood, but finally settled on The Bride Wore Scarlet by Liz Carlyle.

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Title: The Bride Wore Scarlet
Author: Liz Carlyle
Published: 07-26-2011
Publisher: HarperCollins US
Format: Personal copy eBook
Price: $7.99

From the back of the book:
Passion and secrets simmer behind the elegant façade of Victorian London in another deliciously intriguing novel featuring the mysterious men of the St. James Society. 

Anaïs de Rohan has faced danger in her past, but never anything so great as posing as the new bride to one of the St. James Society’s most magnetic—and ruthless—leaders.  But Lord Bessett’s bold challenge to prove herself worthy of joining his secret all-male society is impossible to resist.  So she daringly agrees to travel with the enigmatic nobleman on a dangerous mission to save one of their own—a little girl with a frightening gift. 

Soon intrigue swirls about them, drawing them ever closer.  And Anaïs quickly realizes that the intimacy of sharing Lord Bessett’s bedroom is proving a temptation impossible to resist.  As for Bessett himself—well, he might be a soldier sworn to the Society, but he certainly isn’t anyone’s saint…

Anaïs is not the kind of girl who needs rescuing.  In fact, if you were in danger, you would want her on your side.  Having been trained most of her life to be a Guardian, this is her chance to prove that she has what the St. James Society needs.  She’s worked hard to hone her skills and is quite capable of taking care of herself and those that the Guardian’s protect. 

I don’t have anything against a good knight-in-shining-armor-rescues-the-damsel-in-distress romance (I read those, too), but there is something quite refreshing about a woman who can hold her own in any situation without sacrificing her femininity.

The Bride Wore Scarlet combines two of my favorite reading subjects: spying and romance.  It was a great way to spend my rainy Sunday afternoon! I gave this Lazy Day E-Scape four sunshines!

What books did you read this weekend?  Please share with us in the comments!

Happy Reading!

Kimberly



I love to read romance novels over the weekend and Save As Draft by Cavanaugh Lee is a perfect Lazy Day E-Scape.

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Title: Save As Draft
Author: Cavanaugh Lee
Published: 02-01-2011
Source: Personal eBook Copy 
Price: $10.99

From the back of the book:
@Readers A love triangle evolving over e-mails, texts, and Facebook messages that makes you wonder if the things we leave unsaid–or rather unsent–could change the story of our lives. 6:59 PM Feb. 14th via twitterfeed

Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011
From: Izabell To: Reader
Subject: Save as Draft

Are we Facebook friends yet? I’m the wactress (waitress/actress) turned lawyer who lives her life online. (Don’t we all these days?) Anyway, I’ve got this problem. . . . There’s this guy. His name’s Peter. He’s my best friend and co-worker, and we just started dating, which is potentially a huge mistake.  But, that’s not all.  There’s this other guy, Marty.  I met him on eHarm, and he ran with the bulls in Spain.  I can’t get him off my mind.  What a mess.  I’d love your advice if you can take a second out of your crazy, high-tech life. Shoot me an e-mail.  Or text me.  Or BB messenger me.

And friend me if you haven’t already! You can find me on Facebook under Save as Draft.

Izabell

Written in emails, texts, twitter and facebook updates, Save As Draft is not your usual romance novel, but it is oh so fun! 

I often find myself saving drafts of emails and never sending them (my drafts folder currently has over 100 emails in it, just begging for attention), or editing them so severely that by the time I do send them, they don’t resemble the original message at all, so the concept here is familiar to me.  Throw in a little love triangle and you have yourself the makings of a thoroughly modern romance. 

Izabell is likable and I really want her to find her happily ever after, but first she’ll have to figure out how to balance her new career as an attorney with actually having a life.  It’s not easy!

I enjoyed reading Save As Draft and even sent a gift copy to a friend trying to navigate the high-tech dating world.  She liked it, too!

Have you already read it?  What did you think?

Happy Reading!

Kimberly

Download Save As Draft at Lazy Day Books

New Release Tuesday: July 12

I’m still on a high from last week’s new thrillers No Rest For The Dead, Dominance and The Vault.  But, I wouldn’t want to neglect this week’s equally exciting featured releases from Iris Johansen, John Hart, P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast, Jim Defede and so many more.  It seems every Tuesday, my to-be-read pile grows taller and taller!  Click any of the ebook titles or covers for more information about that ebook.  Here we go!

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The Day The World Came To Town: by Jim Defede. When thirty-eight jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001, the citizens of this small community were called upon to come to the aid of more than six thousand displaced travelers. They affirmed the basic goodness of man at a time when it was easy to doubt such humanity still existed.  The Day The World Came To Town is also our Lazy Day Pick of the Week.

Quinn:by Iris Johansen.  The thrilling and revelatory follow-up to Eve, which delves deep into the life and psyche of Eve Duncan’s lover and soul mate, Joe Quinn. As a ruthless killer closes in, long-held secrets are gradually and shockingly revealed.

Iron House: by John Hart, Jr. Determined to protect the ones he loves, Michael spirits Elena—who knows nothing of his past crimes, or the peril he’s laid at her door— back to North Carolina, to the place he was born and the brother he lost so long ago. There, he will encounter a whole new level of danger, a thicket of deceit and violence that leads inexorably to the one place he’s been running from his whole life: Iron House.

   

The Matchmaker: by Linda Francis Lee. So many people fell for the adorable dog from Emily and Einstein that author Linda Francis Lee had to write a special story about him. Einstein sure loves the attention – but who knew how much he knows about love? The Matchmaker is Einstein’s special matchmaking treat for all of us, and love is surely in the air…

Love Struck:by Melissa Marr. A selchie short story from the Love Is Hell anthology…

Then Came You:by Jennifer Weiner. With startling tenderness and laugh-out-loud humor, Jennifer Weiner once again takes readers into the heart of women’s lives in an unforgettable, timely tale that interweaves themes of class and entitlement, surrogacy and donorship, the rights of a parent and the measure of motherhood.

   

The Swinger:by Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck. The most famous athlete in the world has gotten himself into a bit of trouble.  Maybe you heard?  In this wild, funny, and deliciously mischievous novel, two veteran Sports Illustrated writers take us between the ropes and the sheets of the PGA Tour to chronicle the epic rise, astonishing collapse, and uproarious comeback attempt of the greatest golfer of our time, Herbert X. “Tree” Tremont.

Of Thee I Zing:by Laura Ingraham. While Laura Ingraham was walking through a Northern Virginia shopping mall one Saturday afternoon, it all became clear to her. Everywhere she turned, she saw signs of the impending disaster: zombie teens texting each other across a cafe table; a man having his eyebrows threaded at a kiosk; a fiftyish woman shoe-horned into a tube top and skinny jeans; and a storefront ad featuring a Victoria’s Secret model spilling out of her push-up bra and into the faces of young passersby. Ingraham wondered to herself, “Is this it? Is this what our forefathers fought for? What my parents struggled for? I wonder if Victoria’s Secret is still having that two-for-one sale?”
 

Dragon’s Oath: by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.  The first in an enthralling new mini-series of novellas from the #1 bestselling authors of the House of Night, Dragon’s Oath tells the story behind the House of Night’s formidable fencing instructor – the love that will transform him, and the promise that will haunt him.  In early 19th century England, long before he’s a professor at the Tulsa House of Night, Bryan Lankford is a troublesome yet talented human teen who thinks he can get away with anything… Young Adult
 
 
To see all of this week’s new releases, visit the Lazy Day Books store.  Which new releases are at the top of your to-be-read list?
Happy Reading!

Kimberly