Brazen Broads Book Bash

This Is The Way A Sweeping Romance Is Done......... Although a Lady, Heather Simmons exists as little more than a servant in her Uncle & Aunt's home after her father's death leaves her an orphan.  When conniving Aunt Fanny sends her to London with her lecherous brother, Heather's freedom, and possibly her life, are forfeit, and what appears to be a cruel twist of fate thrusts Lady Heather into the arms of Captain Brandon Birmingham, a dark and dangerous adventurer from the Americas.  This encounter sparks a chain of events that sweep Heather to the North American continent and into a love affair that is both passionate and frightening, as her own dark secret threatens her chances at keeping the happiness she discovers, and her life. Published in 1972, The Flame and the Flower is a classic example of great romance.  Kathleen E. Woodiwiss writes a searing romance within a grand, sweeping story, beginning in 1799.  Woodiwiss' hero and heroine are so much more th...

An Ascension That Detours To A Let Down....... Ascension, by Caris Roane has an interesting story idea at its heart, and this Broad applauds the author's creativity in her nicely placed setting and insertion of 'ascended' dimensions as it added a fresh flavor to the vampire themed novel. The chapters are introduced with poetic proverbs, using language rich in meaning, but that beauty of language is noticeably absent once within the chapters themselves.  The 'ascended' beings of Roane's creation leave much to be desired.  Bureaucratic injustice reigns on the fictitious 'Second Earth' as a handful of warriors battle the evil forces that seek to enslave and destroy the modern world.  Under their 'Supreme Ascendiate', the warriors lose ground nightly.  Enter Allison Wells, the most powerful human ever known to begin the process of ascension.  Both sides want her loyalty, and the warrior Kerrick is charged with her safe keeping as she undergoes her...

We are thrilled to welcome back once again to the Brazen Broads Book Bash author Marie Treanor.  Creator of one of our favorite characters in romance, Saloman, Marie is the author of the Awakened By Blood Series books, which include Blood On Silk and her newest book, Blood Sin . Mad, Bad and Dangerous by Marie Treanor. Hello! And many thanks to the Brazen Broads for having me back! As you probably know I’m celebrating the release this month of Blood Sin , the second book of my vampire romance trilogy, Awakened by Blood . I’ve been waiting with bated breath to find out what the Broads think of it, because if you remember, they were very kind about the first book Blood on Silk . They particularly liked my vampire hero, Saloman, whom Moira called “Mad, bad and dangerous to know”. Since this wonderful description was first applied to Lord Byron, it fits rather well with dark, gothic romance! And of course, there is a vampire connection to Byron too. He wrote a poem called The ...

Saloman and Elizabeth Remain 'Silky-Smooth' In Treanor's Second Awakened By Blood Novel......... Elizabeth has returned to her home in Scotland, teaching at university and awaiting the decision on her doctoral thesis.  Although some semblance of normalcy has found its way into her life, the responsibilities of being 'The Awakener' and a vampire hunter continue to weigh heavily on the same heart that feels an intense pull toward the ancient vampire, Saloman.  Attempting to protect a fellow descendant of Tsigana's bloodline, Elizabeth finds herself in the presence once again of the mesmerizing Saloman at a gathering of collectors interested in ancient, mystical relics, and she must determine whether it is blood or blade that brings him after learning that a priceless sword rumored to be the 'Sword of Saloman', coveted by vampires and humans for its power and protection, is on site.  Struggling against her own passion, Saloman's enchanting ways, and...

When Is Love .....Worth Any Price?  Worth Any Price, by Lisa Kleypas, is set in London, England in the late 1830's, centering on Miss Charlotte Howard, a young woman on the run from an undesirable marriage, and Nick Gentry, the Bow Street runner hired to retrieve her.  Upon finding her whereabouts, Nick discovers Charlotte to be quite different than what he expected, so instead of returning her to her family and thereby sentencing her to a life of misery under the cruel hand of Lord Radnor, he asks her to marry him.  Now discovered, Charlotte has little choice but to agree, and something about Mr. Gentry makes her eager to be his bride, even though she believes the marriage will be in name only.  Lisa Kleypas is a big name in romance, so I confess to expecting big things inside the cover of her novel , Worth Any Price .  The first few chapters were, quite frankly, a disappointment.  The circumstances...

I love French cuisine, and Ina Garten's 'Barefoot Contessa' is one of my favorite shows on Food Network.  I came across this cookbook while browsing the food section of my local library. Cooking is one of my hobbies.  I love to make new dishes, and at 238 pages,  Barefoot In Paris seemed a manageable guide to take on French food.  The cookbook is loaded with colorful photos, showcasing everything from finished dishes in great presentations to recommended kitchen equipment.  I enjoyed the stories throughout the text explaining where the recipe originated from and how Contessa has changed them.  A section on table setting was very helpful for using flowers, carrying a theme, and creating a relaxing atmosphere.  Many of Ina's favorite dishes are very easy to prepare and use only a few ingredients.  In my mind, French cooking always loomed ahead as the ACME of ability (that I was absolutely NOT ready for), but after working through a number of the ...

Eerie Suspense on the English Coast....... Published in 1938 originally, Rebecca is one of those timeless novels worth re-reading.  Set mainly in England at the Manderlay estate on the coast, the story is presented in the first person by the young and impressionable new Mrs. Maxim De Winter.  Shy and plain, she internalizes every glance and spoken word, believing that she stands in the shadow of Rebecca, Maxim's first wife and the epitome of everything she, herself, is not.  Her journey, eerie and charged with the whisper of hidden, dark secrets, brings her to the revelation that self pre-occupation borne from insecurity leads one to blindness of the truth that is before us always. Du Maurier's Rebecca is better today than when I read it as an adolescent.  The story winds slowly, twisting and turning through the labyrinth of impressions and lasting effects left behind by the departed from this world.  It contrasts the self doubt and awk...