Giveaway/ Excerpt,/Early review of Lady Derring Takes a Lover (The Palace of Rogues #1) by Julie Anne Long

A mistress. A mountain of debt. A mysterious wreck of a building.

Delilah Swanpoole, Countess of Derring, learns the hard way that her husband, “Dear Dull Derring,” is a lot more interesting—and perfidious—dead than alive. It’s a devil of an inheritance, but in the grand ruins of the one building Derring left her, are the seeds of her liberation. And she vows never again to place herself at the mercy of a man.

But battle-hardened Captain Tristan Hardy is nothing if not merciless. When the charismatic naval hero tracks a notorious smuggler to a London boarding house known as the Rogue’s Palace, seducing the beautiful, blue-blooded proprietress to get his man seems like a small sacrifice.

They both believe love is a myth. But a desire beyond reason threatens to destroy the armor around their hearts. Now a shattering decision looms: Will Tristan betray his own code of honor…or choose a love that might be the truest thing he’s ever known?

She’d taken two steps when he said, his voice raised only a little, “Lady Derring . . . something
puzzles me.”

She halted.

Closed her eyes.

Took a shuddering breath for courage.

Turned back to him. From the relatively safe distance of three feet, she said, “Surely not. We’ve established you know everything.”

His smile was small and patient. “You seem to excel at so very much here at The Grand Palace on the Thames. Yet you can’t seem to disguise how much you want me.”

Julie Anne Long
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USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up (and she has the guitars and fringed clothing stuffed in the back of her closet to prove it), but writing was always her first love. Since hanging up her guitar for the computer keyboard, her books frequently top reader and critic polls and have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Rita, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and The Quills, and reviewers have been known to use words like “dazzling,” “brilliant,” and “impossible to put down” when describing them. Julie lives in Northern California.

Title: Lady Derring Takes a Lover: The Palace of Rogues
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: The Palace of Rogues (Book 1)
Format: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (February 26, 2019)
ISBN-10: 0062867466
ISBN-13: 978-0062867469
Author's Website: julieannelong.com
Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher for review purposes.



Lady Delilah Swanpool, Countess of Derring, played by the rules, acted as she was supposed to, did as she was told, and what did it get her? Absolutely nothing. When her husband of 6 years dies suddenly, she finds herself homeless, penniless, with only the clothes on her back. As she approaches her husband's solicitor, she finds she has been left something--a dilapidated old building in a seedy portion of the city that her husband is rumored to have won over a card game. Delilah, however, isn't one to wallow in her sorrow. Where others might find despair, she finds opportunity in her predicament. Determined to squeeze lemonade from the lemons life has handed her, she devises a plan that doesn't include her being at the mercy of another man ever again...

Captain Tristan Hardy is in charge of the King's Blockade. Tristan, known to be the King's favorite hunting dog, has broken the back of every smuggling gang in England save one--the Blue Rock Gang. His current pursuit has left him wondering if Delilah's late husband might have had a hand in the matter. That makes Delilah a prime suspect and leads Tristan right to her front door...

"Oh, now I see, You're that Captain Hardy."
She heard him take a sharp audible breath.
"Always gets his man," Lieutenant Massey whispered proudly. 
"Or woman, too, I suppose," Delilah said lightly, slowly. "Is that not so, Captain Hardy?"

This is the first book in a new series which derives its name from the building Delilah inherits which was once known as the Palace of Rogues. Unbeknownst to Delilah, it is a former bawdy house. This sets the groundwork for some interesting and funny situations.

Delilah is still young and could remarry, but after living years with no say as to what happens to her  she's rather fed up with men. Additionally, as she never gave her husband an heir and she lacks a dowry, her prospects are vastly limited. So far everyone who should have looked out for her, including her parents, have let her down. For all those reasons, she feels it's high time she takes matters into her own hands.

While Delilah is the main character in this book, Angelique gets her fair share of page time in this story. An unlikely friendship develops between these two women who are as different as day and night. While Delilah is a respected member of the ton, Angelique is a fallen women. She also was Delilah's late husband's mistress. After shedding a few tears, letting go of some of the anger she's felt, and analyzing all that's happened, however, Delilah realizes that she and Angelique aren't all that different. Each is a victim of circumstance and society's constraints on women. Both are in dire straits and while neither has the resources to survive on their own, Delilah realizes if they pool together what they have they each might just be able to land on their own two feet. What one lacks in knowledge or ability, the other makes up with their own talents and abilities. Hence, a nice collaboration, dare I say, partnership is formed. I rather liked this.

Captain Hardy has never really had a family and doubts he ever will. The closest thing he has to one are the men who work for him. He takes each loss personally and makes it his quest to get vengeance for all who fall under his watch by making sure to capture those responsible. When he meets Delilah, he is thrown for a loop. She's nothing like he expects her to be. She's young, beautiful, sweet, charming, and everything he knows he doesn't deserve. He decides he'll keep his distance, but as he soon finds, some things just can't be denied. There's just something about Delilah that makes him want more...

 Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. I adored seeing the attraction and feelings grow between Tristan and Delilah. The complications presented from Tristan trying to do his duty to his king and country made things all the more interesting. I liked seeing the friendship and camaraderie between Delilah, Dot, and Angelique bloom and grow. I loved the humor and enjoyed the mystery surrounding the smuggling ring. Plus, the ending made me want to read the next book right now. What a tease you are Ms. Long! On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. A most enjoyable read!

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Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long
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Early Review of Wild at Whiskey Creek (Hellcat Canyon, #2) by Julie Anne Long

Title: Wild at Whiskey Creek
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Hot in Hellcat Canyon
Format: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (November 29, 2016)
ISBN-10: 006239763X
ISBN-13: 978-0062397638
Author's Website: http://www.julieannelong.com/
Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I am also an Avon Addict which means I love the books that Avon publishes enough to volunteer to read as many ARCs and books as they can send my way. So you'll be seeing a lot of books reviewed by me from this publisher. Please note, however, that if I don't like a book, it will be truthfully reflected by a low rating.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Glory Greenleaf knew she was destined for greatness. Everyone who listened to one of her songs or heard her sing knew she had talent. Her plan after graduating from high school had been to leave town and get discovered. She'd been saving for years to do just that, but life had other plans. Just days before her planned exit her brother was arrested and in order to keep her mother from losing her house, she'd had to use her savings to help pay what she could on the mortgage.  Now, several months later, Glory is still living in the same small town hoping to one day make it big.

Deputy Eli Barlow had known the Greenleafs for years and Glory's brother, Jonah, had been his best friend. He'd once harbored a crush on Glory and, truth be told, still does. After arresting Jonah, he'd known she'd never forgive him and the one kiss they'd shared would likely be his last. While romance seems off the table, he's determined to gain her friendship back. He'll try to earn her forgiveness all the while knowing it won't be easy. Glory is fiercely loyal to her friends and family and she believes what Eli did was an all out betrayal. 

When I first started reading this story, I thought it would be your average run of the mill girl makes it big in the music industry type of romance story. After pressing on for a couple of chapters, however, I started to get drawn into the story by a surprisingly multifaceted, complex, and real to life set of characters. It soon became clear this was a surprisingly heartwarming and touching story that had individuals with clear cut dreams, goals, set backs, disappointments, and issues. In other words, I became totally hooked.

Glory is the type of person who is tough as nails, determined, loyal to a fault, and tenacious as they come. While her family is far from perfect, it has always been filled with love and affection. When Eli arrested Jonah he was doing his job, but to Glory it felt like a betrayal. The two have never talked about what happened and the arrest hangs between them like a barrier they can't get past. While Eli is determined to make it up to her, he needs to get her to talk to him first.The thing Glory doesn't realize is that Eli feels betrayed as well. His best friend put him in a position he never wanted to be in. 

I couldn't help but give this one 5 out or 5 roses. I fell in love with this couple, It was like watching two good friends you know are meant to be together finally get it right. Glory's journey to get noticed and gain a break in the music industry was like being on an emotional roller coaster filled with highs and lows accompanied by a lot of twists and turns. As I always say, little things (aka details) mean a lot, and this tale was jam packed with them and a gesture on Eli's part that turned the story into something special. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. A wonderful story I HIGHLY recommend.

Order of the Hellcat Canyon series:

Giveaway and Release Day Blast for The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Long

Releasing September 29, 2015 by Avon:

The Legend of Lyon Redmond

Pennyroyal Green #11

by Julie Anne Long 

Bound by centuries of bad blood, England’s two most powerful families maintain a veneer of civility...until the heir to the staggering Redmond fortune disappears, reviving rumors of an ancient curse: a Redmond and an Eversea are destined to fall disastrously in love once per generation.

An enduring legend

Rumor has it she broke Lyon Redmond’s heart. But while many a man has since wooed the dazzling Olivia Eversea, none has ever won her—which is why jaws drop when she suddenly accepts a viscount’s proposal. Now London waits with bated breath for the wedding of a decade…and wagers on the return of an heir.

An eternal love

It was instant and irresistible, forbidden...and unforgettable. And Lyon—now a driven, dangerous, infinitely devastating man—decides it’s time for a reckoning. As the day of her wedding races toward them, Lyon and Olivia will decide whether their love is a curse destined to tear their families apart...or the stuff of which legends are made.

About the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Julie Anne Long originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up, and she has the guitars and the questionable wardrobe stuffed in the back of her closet to prove it. When playing to indifferent crowds at midnight in dank clubs lost its, ahem, charm, she realized she could incorporate all of the best things about being in a band—namely, drama, passion and men with unruly hair—into novels, while at the same time indulging her love of history and research. So she made the move from guitar to keyboard (the computer variety) and embarked on a considerably more civilized, if not much more peaceful, career as a novelist.

Julie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with a fat orange cat. (Little known fact: they issue you a cat the minute you become a romance novelist.)

Excerpt #3 of The Legend of Lyon Redmond:

He’d last seen Pennyroyal Green in the dead of night almost five years ago. His trajectory since then had been as swift and mindless as if he’d been shot from a cannon. And it wasn’t just because of what Olivia had said to him in the garden after midnight, in the pouring rain. Though after she’d said what she’d said, for a time he’d stopped caring what became of him.

No, that fuse had been lit for longer than anyone knew.

No one from Sussex had seen him since.

Though one had certainly tried. He half smiled at the thought of Violet.

And it was this that had broken the speed of his trajectory.

And he’d had his own methods for remaining, however tangentially, informed about the lives of those he’d left behind. He’d proved something over the past five years. He’d at first thought it was all for Olivia. But he was no longer certain. He’d tried to purge his life of her, relinquishing even her miniature.

Clearly it hadn’t worked.

But what no one knew, not even his crew, was that this was his final voyage. He’d risked this trip into London to track down the source of a little mystery that could devastate Olivia and her family.

He now had his answer.

He was, strangely, not surprised by it.

But he hadn’t been prepared to make a decision about what to do next so soon.

Oh, Liv, he thought.

Suddenly it hurt to breathe. Fragments of memories rushed at him, each distinct as stained glass.

Olivia walking along the road to the Duffys’ house, then breaking into a run when she saw him waiting beneath the elm tree, her face lighting like a star. As if even a second away from him was wasted.

That was the memory that always came to him in his darkest moments.

And now she was giving herself to another man.

His fingers curled on a surge of emotion. But he stopped just short of giving the message the crushing it deserved.

She. If Lavay had indeed written that word, he might have seen her, or even talked to her, or …

He couldn’t do it.

He couldn’t bloody do it.

And this is what decided him.

He tucked the message into his coat. “You can go, Ramsey,” he said. “Thank you.”

The footman spun and nearly bolted, silver braid glinting in the sun.

Lyon turned to face all the expectant faces of his crew.

“And we,” he told them, “are staying in England.”

It was time for a reckoning.

~~~

 Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/08/the-legend-of-lyon-redmond-pennyroyal.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24392720-the-legend-of-lyon-redmond?ac=1 

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/45155-pennyroyal-green 

Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

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Early Review of A Notorious Countess Confesses (Pennyroyal Green, #7) by Julie Anne Long

• Title: A Notorious Countess Confesses: Pennyroyal Green Series
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Historical Romance
• Format: Paperback, 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (October 30, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0062118021
• ISBN-13: 978-0062118028

Author's Website: http://www.julieannelong.com/

Throughout life we all have to make choices. Some choices are harder to make than others. Some have the capacity to affect us for the rest of our life and change the views others have of us. Some choices will never be forgotten no matter what we do or if we change. That is what Evie Duggan, the Countess of Wareham, is finding out. She was hoping what had happened in London would stay there and she could begin her life anew with a clean slate. Somethings in life, no matter how much we may wish for them, just aren't meant to be. But if she was to be placed into the same situations she had been, and given the opportunity to change her choices, she wouldn't. She made the right choices when she made them. Of that, she had no doubt.

Evie is renowned for her beauty and the scandal that seemed to follow her wherever she roamed. Famed for men dueling over her favors, falling over balconies to catch a glimpse beneath her decolletage, and for her husband winning her hand in a card game, she'd gained quite a notorious reputation over the years. When her husband died shortly after they married, the ton unfairly nicknamed her the Black Widow. With his death, her dreams of leading a respectable married life were dashed. She decided to retire to the earl's country estate which she'd inherited from him and begin again. Gossip, however, has a way of sinking it's teeth in you and following.

Adam Sylvaine, the Vicar of the small town of Pennyroyal Green, knew all about reputations. He was descended from a long line of Everseas who were renowned for being Rogues. Despite his devilishly good looks, he'd done all he could to separate himself from the family reputation by being the best Vicar he could and acting exactly as he should. When Evie Duggan, the Countess of Wareham, comes to town however, he and his beliefs will be put to the test. 

 __________

I so enjoyed this book. When I discovered there would be a priest involved in the romance my thoughts drifted to the movie the Thorn Birds. I was not a major fan of that story. I like happy endings. Thankfully, this one had one. 

Evie is a rather complex character. She is the kind of person you can't help liking once you get to know her. She's loyal to a fault, and to her, family comes first. Even before herself. Years ago she and her siblings had been orphaned. She self appointed herself to protect the others, and the trio made their way to London in the hope of improving their lives through the many opportunities of employment the city offered. A large city, however, has a tendency to chew a person up and spit them out. While they all survived, sacrifices had to be made and Evie's was the biggest. 

Adam is a truly fun character, but even he realizes he isn't perfect. Evie fascinates and tempts him. He sees her for who she truly is but even he has trouble dealing with her past profession. A part of him fears she's playing him and is afraid to give in to his attraction for Evie. Plus, any liaison with Evie, innocent or not, could destroy his career as a Vicar, a job he's come to love.

As I started reading, I truly wondered how Miss Long was going to pull a romance off between a former courtesan and a priest. Would it be preachy? Would it offend anyone? While there is a sermon or two included, it truly isn't preachy and has a subtle humor to it in sensitive spots while being delightfully hilarious in others. 

Overall this one gets a 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. A truly wonderful combination of romance, jealousy, humor, fear and wit that left me giggling and grinning. On the Lisarenee romance rating scale this one earns a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.

Order of the series: