Book Mail
Book Mail - A Roundup of Books I've Received from Authors and Publishers
Every book blogger looks forward to opening their mailbox (or driving up to their house) and seeing a package that clearly contains a book. Book mail is, quite simply, the best mail! Sometimes I receive books in the mail that I wasn't expecting - surprise book mail is so fun! But when I receive books by surprise, I may not be able to work them into my schedule. I still want to share these books with you, in case you see something that looks appealing to you. So here they are:
1. The Duke Buys a Bride by Sophie Jordan
HBL Note: Stay tuned for an interview with Sophie coming up soon!
About the book:
A bride wasn’t in his plans . . .
The last thing Marcus, the Duke of Autenberry, expects to see after sleeping off a night’s drunken shenanigans is a woman being auctioned in the village square. Before he can think about the ramifications, he buys her, thinking he’s winning the girl her freedom. Instead, he discovers he’s bought a wife.
A duke wasn’t in hers . . .
Alyse Bell is almost rid of the shackles that bound her in a name-only marriage, but the day her friend promised to purchase her in a wife auction, he vanishes, leaving her to face a mob of unsavory bachelors intent on owning her body and soul. But the appearance of a wicked, wealthy stranger changes her path forever.
The road to ruin . . .
Marcus doesn’t know what to do with the impertinent chit who clearly isn’t duchess material! Insisting their marriage isn’t legitimate, they leave for his estate in Scotland, hoping to devise a plan to get rid of each other. However, on a journey fraught with misadventure, their attraction grows and Marcus realizes he’ll do anything to keep this fiery woman for his own.
2. Ms. Anna by Bill Lockwood
HBL Note: Stay tuned for an interview with Sophie coming up soon!
About the book:
Anna, a twenty-something college graduate, is without a job comparable to her education. She works as a part-time bartender and also as pilot of her father’s fishing boat in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, a city proclaiming itself “the tuna canning capital of the world” in the 1990s. Max is an academic who was maybe once in the CIA. He is a member of a staid, wealthy New England lobstering family that has branched out to buy one of the Mayaguez tuna plants. When word reaches them (thanks to Anna) of some “fishy” activities regarding their latest acquisition, they send Max to investigate. Anna and Max would rather find out more about each other, but in no time they are embroiled in a high-seas smuggling run, tracked by the U.S. Coast Guard. The bad guy has an assault rifle in his trombone case, so it’s not your parents’ Caribbean cruise—romance will have to wait.
3. A Song in the Daylight by Paullina Simons
About the book:
Nothing is ever as it seems…
Larissa Stark is many things. Wife, mother, devoted friend, and unhappy. Her seemingly charmed life in a New Jersey suburb should leave her fulfilled and content. Instead, she feels increasingly isolated and empty. But when she has a chance encounter with an intriguing stranger, her idyllic existence is exposed for the sham it is and leads her to question everything she once firmly believed.
As Larissa is faced with one impossible choice after another, she begins to contemplate the unthinkable and struggles with the question that will inevitably change the course of her life: how does one woman follow a divided heart?
Spanning the affluent suburbs of New Jersey, the slums of Manila, and the desolate beauty of the Australian outback, A Song in the Daylight is an unforgettable, powerful story of the bonds that unite us—and the desires that can ultimately drive us apart.
4. Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
About the book:
Gladiator meets Game of Thrones: a royal woman becomes a skilled warrior to destroy her murderous cousin, avenge her family, and save her kingdom in this first entry in a dazzling fantasy epic from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Assassin series—an enthralling tale that combines magic, murder, intrigue, adventure, and a hint of romance.
In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.
But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.
Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.
But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.
5. House of Belonging by Andrea Thome
HBL Note: I've featured other books by Andrea here and you can find an interview with Andrea here! Plus, her publicist says this is her favorite book by Andrea so far.
About the book:
Who can we count on? The family we're born into, or the one we create for ourselves?
Renowned chef Laina Ming walked away from the culinary spotlight and an unhealthy relationship--one that still haunts her a year later. She's trying to start fresh in the Rocky Mountains, opening a concept restaurant on the banks of the Roaring Fork River, where she hopes she'll be able to express her passion for food and bury her heartache.
Horse rancher Logan Matthews moved to Aspen to be near his sister and her husband, grateful for his newfound family. Since a chance meeting with Laina the previous summer, Logan's been enchanted. But she doesn't want anything to do with him--which makes her all the more appealing.
Despite Laina's efforts to protect her heart, Logan has been on her mind, too--and he has a way of turning up in the most unexpected places. Can they learn to trust one another and finally find the sense of belonging they've both been searching for?
