From Publishers Weekly
As romance fans would expect from the star-studded lineup in this collection, each Regency-era novella features a high level of sensuality, but the short format of these pieces allows little room for romantic development. In the contributions from Dodd ("The Lady and the Tiger") and LaFoy ("The Proposition"), the heroines fall too quickly into bed with their respective heroes. Although the characters are likable enough, the stories lack the strong emotional core found in the authors' longer works. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had here. In Laurens's "Melting Ice," for example, the heroine finds herself in the awkward position of having unknowingly invited herself to an orgy, and in Bradley's "Wedding Knight," a bride becomes enmeshed in a mistaken-identity fiasco complete with blackmail and throwing knives. While this collection doesn't approach the heights any of these authors have achieved individually, it's consistent in tone and quality. Ardent fans of Dodd and Laurens, however, will be disappointed to note that these two authors' entries have been previously published. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Christina Dodd
"Nobody writes historical romance better." -Kristen Hannah, New York Times bestselling author
"Christina Dodd keeps getting better and better!" -Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author
Stephanie Laurens
"I'll buy anything with her name on it." -Linda Howard, New York Times bestselling author
"Laurens gifts readers with a highly sensual romance and wonderful storytelling. Add a hint of danger and sizzling passion, and readers are in for one wild ride-air conditioning required!" -Romantic Times on All About Passion
Celeste Bradley
"Funny and touching...totally entertaining."
--Julia Quinn, New York Times bestselling author on The Pretender
"A witty and delectable combination of superbly crafted characters and an intrigue-steeped plot in which Bradley beautifully manipulates the sinfully sensual yet delicately romantic relationship between Agatha and Simon into an irresistible and supremely satisfying love story."--Booklist (starred) on The Pretender
Leslie LaFoy
"Leslie LaFoy is intelligent, sexy fun."
--Kasey Michaels, New York Times bestselling author
"Romance, emotion, marvelous characters-no one does it better than Leslie LaFoy!"
--Maggie Osborne, award-winning author of Shotgun Wedding on The Perfect Seduction
Review
Christina Dodd
"Nobody writes historical romance better." -Kristen Hannah, New York Times bestselling author
"Christina Dodd keeps getting better and better!" -Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author
Stephanie Laurens
"I'll buy anything with her name on it." -Linda Howard, New York Times bestselling author
"Laurens gifts readers with a highly sensual romance and wonderful storytelling. Add a hint of danger and sizzling passion, and readers are in for one wild ride-air conditioning required!" -Romantic Times on All About Passion
Celeste Bradley
"Funny and touching...totally entertaining."
--Julia Quinn, New York Times bestselling author on The Pretender
"A witty and delectable combination of superbly crafted characters and an intrigue-steeped plot in which Bradley beautifully manipulates the sinfully sensual yet delicately romantic relationship between Agatha and Simon into an irresistible and supremely satisfying love story."--Booklist (starred) on The Pretender
Leslie LaFoy
"Leslie LaFoy is intelligent, sexy fun."
--Kasey Michaels, New York Times bestselling author
"Romance, emotion, marvelous characters-no one does it better than Leslie LaFoy!"
--Maggie Osborne, award-winning author of Shotgun Wedding on The Perfect Seduction
Review
Christina Dodd
"Nobody writes historical romance better." -Kristen Hannah, New York Times bestselling author
"Christina Dodd keeps getting better and better!" -Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author
Stephanie Laurens
"I'll buy anything with her name on it." -Linda Howard, New York Times bestselling author
"Laurens gifts readers with a highly sensual romance and wonderful storytelling. Add a hint of danger and sizzling passion, and readers are in for one wild ride-air conditioning required!" -Romantic Times on All About Passion
Celeste Bradley
"Funny and touching...totally entertaining."
--Julia Quinn, New York Times bestselling author on The Pretender
"A witty and delectable combination of superbly crafted characters and an intrigue-steeped plot in which Bradley beautifully manipulates the sinfully sensual yet delicately romantic relationship between Agatha and Simon into an irresistible and supremely satisfying love story."--Booklist (starred) on The Pretender
Leslie LaFoy
"Leslie LaFoy is intelligent, sexy fun."
--Kasey Michaels, New York Times bestselling author
"Romance, emotion, marvelous characters-no one does it better than Leslie LaFoy!"
--Maggie Osborne, award-winning author of Shotgun Wedding on The Perfect Seduction
Book Description
Christina Dodd, "The Lady and the Tiger"
Laura Haver will stop at nothing to find out who killed her brother-even if it means posing as the wife of notorious rogue Keefe Leighton, the Earl of Hamilton. But things go too far when Keefe engages Laura in an artful game of seduction-a game that can have only one winner...
Stephanie Laurens, "Melting Ice"
Once, Dyan St. Laurent Dare, Duke of Darke, dreamed of making Lady Fiona his bride. Now they're together again-at a scandalous dinner party where debauchery is the menu's main course. But will wedding bells ring after the guests get their just desserts?
Celeste Bradley, "Wedding Knight"
Alfred Knight will do anything to avoid a scandal-even marry a woman he barely knows. But his bride has a most titillating secret...one she'll share as soon as she conquers her temptation for the man she was never supposed to marry!
Leslie LaFoy, "The Proposition"
Rennick St. James, the Earl of Parnell, has four days to seduce London's most popular widow into becoming his wife-or else she'll marry another man. It won't be easy...but Rennick has been lusting after the beguiling Julia Hamilton far too long to let her go now...
From the Back Cover
The passion is endless and it's only just begun in these four scintillating tales of brides-to-be by four of today's hottest romance authors...
My Scandalous Bride
Christina Dodd, "The Lady and the Tiger"
Laura Haver will stop at nothing to find out who killed her brother-even if it means posing as the wife of notorious rogue Keefe Leighton, the Earl of Hamilton. But things go too far when Keefe engages Laura in an artful game of seduction-a game that can have only one winner...
Stephanie Laurens, "Melting Ice"
Once, Dyan St. Laurent Dare, Duke of Darke, dreamed of making Lady Fiona his bride. Now they're together again-at a scandalous dinner party where debauchery is the menu's main course. But will wedding bells ring after the guests get their just desserts?
Celeste Bradley, "Wedding Knight"
Alfred Knight will do anything to avoid a scandal-even marry a woman he barely knows. But his bride has a most titillating secret...one she'll share as soon as she conquers her temptation for the man she was never supposed to marry!
Leslie LaFoy, "The Proposition"
Rennick St. James, the Earl of Parnell, has four days to seduce London's most popular widow into becoming his wife-or else she'll marry another man. It won't be easy...but Rennick has been lusting after the beguiling Julia Hamilton far too long to let her go now...
Look Inside for an Excerpt to Christina Dodd's brand new contemporary romance
About the Author
Christina Dodd is the author of over twenty-three romances that made regular appearances on the bestseller lists, including The New York Times. She has won numerous awards: Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart and RITA Awards. You can check out her Web site at: www.christinadodd.com.
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing as an escape from the dry world of professional science. Her hobby quickly became a career, and her series of historical romances set in Regency England about the masterful Cynster cousins has captivated readers, making her one of the romance world's most beloved and popular authors. You can visit her at: www.stephanielaurens.com.
Celeste Bradley is the author of Fallen, which was nominated for a RITA in 2002, and The Pretender, the first book in the Liars series. According to Bradley, the best thing about writing is that she finally gets to use the brain full of trivia she's collected over a lifetime of living in eight states, residing in over twenty homes, and changing her major five times. "It was research for my writing career! That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!" For now, she lives in Tennessee with her journalist husband, her two divas-in-training, and the smartest dog in the world. She is currently at work on her next book in The Liar's Club series. You can visit her web site at: www.liarsinlove.com
Leslie LaFoy grew up loving to read and living to write. (This was a significant factor in her becoming the unofficial poster child of over-education. In the Liberal Arts no less.) After teaching high school history for many years, she focused her creative energies on her life-long dream of writing full time. When not made completely oblivious to reality by her current work in progress, she dabbles in every handicraft known to womankind and, twice a week and every other weekend, dons her cape to be Hockey Team Mom.
My Scandalous Bride FROM THE PUBLISHER
Christina Dodd, "The Lady and the Tiger"
Laura Haver will stop at nothing to find out who killed her brother-even if it means posing as the wife of notorious rogue Keefe Leighton, the Earl of Hamilton. But things go too far when Keefe engages Laura in an artful game of seduction-a game that can have only one winner...
Stephanie Laurens, "Melting Ice"
Once, Dyan St. Laurent Dare, Duke of Darke, dreamed of making Lady Fiona his bride. Now they're together again-at a scandalous dinner party where debauchery is the menu's main course. But will wedding bells ring after the guests get their just desserts?
Celeste Bradley, "Wedding Knight"
Alfred Knight will do anything to avoid a scandal-even marry a woman he barely knows. But his bride has a most titillating secret...one she'll share as soon as she conquers her temptation for the man she was never supposed to marry!
Leslie LaFoy, "The Proposition"
Rennick St. James, the Earl of Parnell, has four days to seduce London's most popular widow into becoming his wife-or else she'll marry another man. It won't be easy...but Rennick has been lusting after the beguiling Julia Hamilton far too long to let her go now...
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
As romance fans would expect from the star-studded lineup in this collection, each Regency-era novella features a high level of sensuality, but the short format of these pieces allows little room for romantic development. In the contributions from Dodd ("The Lady and the Tiger") and LaFoy ("The Proposition"), the heroines fall too quickly into bed with their respective heroes. Although the characters are likable enough, the stories lack the strong emotional core found in the authors' longer works. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had here. In Laurens's "Melting Ice," for example, the heroine finds herself in the awkward position of having unknowingly invited herself to an orgy, and in Bradley's "Wedding Knight," a bride becomes enmeshed in a mistaken-identity fiasco complete with blackmail and throwing knives. While this collection doesn't approach the heights any of these authors have achieved individually, it's consistent in tone and quality. Ardent fans of Dodd and Laurens, however, will be disappointed to note that these two authors' entries have been previously published. (May) Forecast: Although this collection will grace bestseller lists, it isn't likely to have the same staying power as Laurens's and Dodd's full-length novels. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Art & Photography
Book Info
