One look at everyone’s picks from the list tells me that April is going to be a HUGE month of historicals. Every year around this time I find myself eager to get my hands on the newest Simone St. James novel, and this year, we have a number of other wonderful authors with new releases as well. What’s on your radar?
| Title and Author | Reviewer | |
 | Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James | Lynn, , Caz, Alex, Heather, Maggie, Mary, Lee, LinnieGayl |
 | Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn | Caz, Lee, Mary, Sara, Alex, Lynn, Anne |
 | Six Degrees of Scandal by Caroline Linden | Mary, Alex, Caz, Sara |
 | Want Ad Wedding by Cheryl St. John | Caroline, Lynn |
 | Ginger’s Heart by Katy Regnery | Alex, Sara |
 | The Widow and the Sheikh by Marguerite Kaye | BJ, Caz, Caroline |
 | The Sweetest Burn by Jeaniene Frost | Heather, Shannon |
 | A Gentleman’s Position by K. J. Charles | Sara, BJ |
 | Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher | Lee |
 | The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White | Lynn |
 | Selfie by Amy Lane | BJ |
 | Arena by Holly Jennings | Anne |
 | Reunion Pass by Emily March | Lee |
 | The Beast by J. R. Ward | Alex |
 | Dirty by Kylie Scott | Heather |
 | The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead | Shannon |
 | Reader, I Married Him by Tracy Chevalier (ed.) | Anne |
 | Aunty Lee’s Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu | Caroline |
 | Daughter of Australia by Harmony Verna | Shannon |
 | Fortune Favors the Wicked by Theresa Romain | Caz |
 | No One Knows by J.T.Ellison | Shannon |
 | Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan | Lee |
 | Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire | Shannon |
 | The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries | Caz |
I enjoy spending as much time as I can between the covers of a book, traveling through time and around the world. When I'm not having adventures with fictional characters, I'm an attorney in Virginia and I love just hanging out with my husband, little man, and the cat who rules our house.
Oh yeah, I forgot to put the Seanan McGuire title on my list. I’m looking forward to it.
As a side note, Mama S has already put in her order for Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery and Reunion Pass. :)
I am absurdly excited for the new Simone St. James, _Lost Among the Living_. For April I’m interested in reading reviews of Eva Leigh’s new release, _Temptations of a Wallflower (The Wicked Quills of London#3)_.
Also, for those of us waiting for Courtney Milan’s _Her Every Wish_, it’s supposed to be released, finally, at the very end of March.
Most of the books on this list are unknowns to me, and since I already have a ridiculous amount of TBRs, I buy only a very short list of new releases by my most favorite authors, which this month means only Cheryl St John, although I’m also anxiously waiting for the new Miranda Neville book supposed to be released in April. IOW, too many books, too little time. I do occasionally try a new author, but later on in time than the initial release and at used book prices.
I was interested in Reader, I Married Him, but some reviews on Goodreads say that most of the stories have nothing to do with Jane Eyre.
Paola: Thanks for the warning. Sigh. That sounds like those “”Inspired by Jane Austen”” anthologies that have lots of stories about people reading Jane Austen, and pondering what they read, but no Liz, no Darcy, etc.
On the other hand, the J. T. Ellison mentioned by Shannon looks very intriguing, and I just might buy that one instead. :) I don’t know if it’s the next Gone Girl, but it just might be. Some of us can say we were reading J. T. Ellison before she was cool.
I read and reviewed “”Want Ad Wedding””, but the thing that is always going to stick with me is that SUPER-clunky title! It’s an odd choice for Harlequin.
Or maybe it’s an expression used in other countries?
I’d be interested in opinions on the Sheikh book, as I’m still considering getting it from NetGalley. The whole Sheikh trope makes me a little uncomfortable, but I’m sure there’re some authors who pull it off.
Want Ad Wedding is just another version of the often used Mail Order Bride, Want Ad Wife, Mail Order Grooms, Mail Order Marriage and other variations–although Mail Order Bride is the most common–the idea being that one is looking for a spouse through advertisements in newspapers, mostly in American westerns. Mail Order is used more often than Want Ad but it’s the same thing.
It’s the “”Want Ad”” that sounds weird to me, but obviously it’s an expression that is used in other countries. :) I’ve never heard it before, even though I used to teach in an American English Academy…
I read a lot of Harlequin category titles and there are some really good ones out there. The titles in recent years do seem pretty clunky, though, especially when you look at titles from the past. Some of those older titles called to the imagination more than,say, “”Want Ad Wife”” or “”The Duke’s Illicit Mistress”” or whatever.
I, on the other hand, don’t care much about what titles or covers are for that matter. We live in a world of marketing and advertising, sigh…. (ubiquitous ads on TV for drugs and lawyers bother me far more.) It’s the author, the kind of story and how well that story is told that matters to me. The theme of mail order brides and marriages of convenience really appeal to me–two unknowns making a go of it– so if the title tells me that, I’m fine. Plus, this is Cheryl St John–for me the title could be in hieroglyphics and I’d buy it because it’s by her.
I am absolutely hopeless, and struggle to remember characters’ names let alone book titles, but I am sick of Harlequin/Mills and Boon trying desperately to come up with a similar-but-not-the-same title for every book!
As I said, obviously “”Want Ad”” is a term other people are familiar with, and it’s just not one used in places I’ve lived.
I’m sure it sounds better to North American readers, and I’m just ignorant!
Want Ads is another term for Classifieds.
In case you’re interested, here is an article on “”Mail Order Brides of the Old West””: http://stargazermercantile.com/mail-order-brides-old-west/
One line from that piece: “”Matrimonial News even had a printed disclaimer that some people had been deceived through their want ads.””
Another: “”Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier”” (Book Review)
http://www.historynet.com/hearts-west-true-stories-of-mail-order-brides-on-the-frontier-book-review.htm
I’ve actually read the Marguerite Kaye book and it’s superb. She has managed to avoid what I would think are obvious pitfalls and has created a wonderfully romantic story. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone who likes their romances to be intelligent as well as sensual.
I might give it a go. I’m going away tomorrow and am looking for some ARCs to download. Might as well try it!