June 2021 Book of the Month Giveaway
July 18, 2021 04:07 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
I didn’t get a ton of reading done in June, only completing four full-length novels. Out of those, two made it to five stars, but only one was a romance. It’s a historical by one of my favorite authors and it’s also a favorite book from a favorite series of hers that I’ve been rereading. Nursing a broken heart, Lizzie retreated to the country estate of the Dowager Viscountess Strathmore to work as her paid companion. She’s all but written off men and thinks that she can be content to live out her days as a spinster, working for her keep, until she earns enough money to open a bookshop. The wealthy Dowager has been paying all the bills for her favored nephew Devlin. When Lizzie see his extravagant expenditures and his seeming lack of attention to his aunt, she thinks that Devlin is a dissolute rake, so she hatches a scheme to get him to come for a visit by sending him a note implying that his aunt is dying. When Devlin arrives and Lizzie sees how much he actually does care for his aunt, she feels remorse for her deception, which is only compounded when she discovers his heartbreaking history. As Devlin and Lizzie get to know one another, they develop a surprisingly intimate bond in the short time they spend together, which the Dowager can also see. Wanting to make sure that Devlin has someone to look after him and love him after she's gone, Augusta makes a shocking stipulation in her will in order for Devlin to receive his inheritance. When she passes on and Dev discovers her scheme, at first he’s angry but later reluctantly agrees to go along with it to get the money he desperately needs to continue his quest for revenge against the men he’s certain killed his family. However, despite his best efforts not to love Lizzie, he finds himself falling for her anyway, but will he be able to give up his thirst for revenge before she becomes the next target?
Categories: Book of the Month, Giveaways
Tags: Gaelen Foley
April 2021 Book of the Month Giveaway
May 16, 2021 04:25 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
During the month of April, I read four full-length books and one novella, and out of those, there was only one romance that received five stars from me. It’s a historical by a favorite author that’s part of a favorite series. However, the fact that I gave it five stars is surprising even to me. The reason for this is that I first read it over a decade ago, and at that time, I only gave it four stars. I recently started re-reading the series and toyed with the idea of skipping this book since it hadn’t been a favorite the first time around, but I’m soooo glad that I didn’t. I didn’t recall the story very well, and as I was reading it, I was waiting for something to happen that would make my previous dropping of a star off the rating make sense, but it never did. I got all the way to the end and realized I’d thoroughly enjoyed it, so I went back to re-read my old review for it and ended up feeling like it had been written by another person. It was definitely a strange moment for me to say the least, because I can’t recall something like this ever happening to me before. My opinion of books from one reading to the next don’t typically change all that much. I’m not sure what happened between then and now, but in any case, I obviously had a totally new outlook on it that now gives me a “newfound” great reading recommendation to pass along.
Categories: Book of the Month, Giveaways
Tags: Gaelen Foley
2020 Best of the Year & Choose Your Own Giveaway
January 17, 2021 06:14 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
After being an avid reader all my life, in 2008, I decided to start reviewing books, as well. That’s when I joined GoodReads and founded my review website, The Hope Chest Reviews. Since becoming a published author, I haven’t stopped writing reviews of the books I read for pleasure, in part, because I’m now more aware than ever just how important reviews can be to an author in helping readers discover them.
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Ever since I started my review site, I’ve had an annual tradition of posting my Best of the Year list to highlight all the very best books I read the previous year. As in past years, I have an eclectic group of books on it from a wide variety of genres. Since I’m a romance writer and long-time romance reader, my focus is mostly on romance, but I also have a nice selection of other books, including fantasy, science fiction, YA, children’s, historical fiction, memoirs, and non-fiction. I'm a pretty slow reader, so I rarely have time to read books when they're released, although sometimes I do. That being the case, I compile the list from the books I read during the previous year. This makes for a well-rounded list of brand new books, mixed with older ones, and a little bit of everything in between. I read nearly seventy books and novellas in 2020, and a little over half of them made it to my keeper shelf, meaning that they earned 4.5 to 5 stars from me. |
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Categories: Giveaways
Tags: Best of the Year, Gaelen Foley, Jim Butcher
May 2020 Book of the Month Giveaway
June 14, 2020 03:08 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
May was another good reading month for me with lots of four and four-and-a half star reads, but only one book rose to the top and received the five stars necessary to earn Book of the Month status from me. Written by one of my favorite authors, it’s the second book the series that introduced her to me. I featured the first book of this same series a couple of months ago, and this one was another awesome re-read. I just adore the entire Knight clan and this book has long been one of my favorites in the series. It’s the story of two lonely souls finding comfort and understanding in each other’s arms, while fighting the forces of evil who want to destroy, not only their burgeoning love, but also the lives of others. This book has a little something for everyone: heart-pounding action and suspense, spy intrigue, a rich and detailed historical setting, and best of all, swoon-worthy romance.
Categories: Book of the Month, Giveaways
Tags: Gaelen Foley
March 2020 Book of the Month Giveaway
April 17, 2020 07:21 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
These first few months of 2020 have been very light on five-star reads for me. As with January, I only read one five-star book in March, but it was an excellent one. It was actually a re-read of a book by a favorite author, the same one that started me on my reading journey with her. It’s also the first in a seven-book series, centering around the Knight siblings, whose mother’s scandalous exploits led to most of them having different fathers. In it, our titled hero, Robert, seeks to take down Dolph, the man he believes killed the woman he loved. In order to accomplish that, he teams up with Belinda, the object of his quarry’s obsession and a beautiful, famous courtesan, who has only recently taken London by storm. Bel has every reason to desire retribution against Dolph as well, so when Robert makes his offer, she gladly accepts. She becomes his mistress in name only, but the more time they spend together, the more admiration and respect they gain for one another. Before their mission is complete, they find themselves hopelessly in love, but a real future between a duke and a courtesan is all but impossible.
Categories: Book of the Month, Giveaways
Tags: Gaelen Foley
March 2016 Book of the Month & Giveaway
April 28, 2016 07:42 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
My only five-star read in March was an oldie but a goodie. It was the second book written by one of my favorite authors and equally as good as the first. It’s the story of a spoiled princess and the man she’s loved all her life. But despite his reciprocal affection for her and all his successes in life, he can’t shake the feeling that his origins as a street urchin make him unworthy of a woman of royal blood. It was a deeply emotional and romantic read that I could hardly put down.
Categories: Book of the Month, Giveaways
Tags: Gaelen Foley
August 2014 Book of the Month & Giveaway
September 26, 2014 06:52 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
From my August reading, I've chosen to highlight a historical romance that embodies a fairy tale quality. It's loaded with angst, drama, conflict, high seas adventure, and exotic locales. It's also a moving tale of redemption, enemies turned to lovers, and the power of love to overcome the pain of the past. Oftentimes an author's early work shows their greenness as a writer, but IMHO, this best-selling romance novelist exhibited her impressive talent right from the start. This book was her debut novel, and what a great beginning it was. It's the story of a lost prince turned pirate, finally returning to his island homeland to take up the throne that is his birthright. But the path to that victory is a rocky one laden with potential pitfalls and heartache. He is a deeply tortured soul, but luckily for him, a woman who adored him when he was nothing more than a legend in her mind stands by his side, against all odds, offering the support, encouragement, and love he needs to accomplish his goal. Their love story is an epic and emotional journey filled with adventure, danger, and passion, and it was an absolute joy to read. That's why I'm naming Gaelen Foley's The Pirate Prince as my August Book of the Month. If you're a romance lover and haven't read this book yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Keep reading to learn how you can win a copy for your own library.
Categories: Book of the Month, Giveaways
Tags: Gaelen Foley
