Introducing Man Candy Mondays!

Here is our first entry for MCM: Eurotrash. Enjoy!














And another:
















And finally, to class this up a bit, one of my favorite European men of all time:
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Do Romance Readers Expect Too Much?

In this excerpt, authors Meg Cabot and Nora Roberts discuss how the romance genre affects the real life expectations of readers. I think there are some really smart points, which shouldn't be surprising seeing as how both authors write smart books. Why do people assume the readers are any different?




What do you think, O' Reader of Blogs and Romance?
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Sizzle...or Fizzle?

Now, let me preface this by stating that Julie Garwood is one of those amazing authors who has the ability and range to write anything romance: western, regency, medieval, contemporary suspense, etc., and the words just shine. She is one of my most favorite authors ever, and I buy her books without even reading the back covers.

That said, however, I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in Sizzle. There was nothing inherently wrong with it--Sam and Lyra appeared to be super people. But whereas I am used to laughing out loud and tearing up during Garwood's previous books, this one never really grabbed me. The premiss is that Lyra is a film student who stumbles on some trouble and Sam is an FBI agent called in to protect her. Familiar territory for the readers of the rest of the Buchanan series. As I was reading, I kept expecting some magical something to happen to make this into a real JG story. Sadly, there was very little suspense (I realized the bad guy pretty quickly), very little humor (I normally crack up reading this author!), and only a small bit of chemistry between the two main characters.

I still rated this book with three stars because it was still that good--the sad part is Julie Garwood usually writes five star books. I can only hope that her next book is back to her old standards. In my admittedly humble opinion, Sizzle fizzled out.         
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My First Post: Reviewing Just Like Heaven, by Julia Quinn!

I found Julia Quinn's latest Regency romance, Just Like Heaven, to be aptly titled. Not only did it have the sparkling wit that I think identifies and sets Quinn apart from many other authors, but the heroine and hero were genuine and likeable. Forget the hero! Honoria Smythe-Smith (of the notorious musicale fame for those of you who have read the Bridgerton series) is a character after a girl's heart--she loves chocolate, shoes and, of course, handsome young lords. (To which I say, who doesn't?!) Apart from her poor musical abilities, Honoria is fun and spirited enough to run our hero, Marcus, the Earl of Chatteris, a bit ragged. Marcus is sweet without being cheesy, strong without being overbearing and just flawed enough to be realistic.

Overall, Quinn manages to deftly pen a tale that is well plotted, character-driven and most of all, charming! I can't wait for the next three in the series. Tell me, who is your favorite Quinn character?

Once you read Just Like Heaven and want to check out the rest of Quinn's novels, you can do that here: Julia Quinn's Website
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What is your favorite genre of romance novel?

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Jennifer
When I'm not working at my day job as a middle school English teacher, I can usually be found hanging out reading a book or planning my next getaway. Not that I get away very often, but a girl can dream, right? I also love board games, spending time with friends, and playing the occasional game of volleyball.
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