Tuesday’s Sweet Treat

3/31

You’re so Vein  by Christine Warren

 

 

Avon:

The Immortal Hunter by Lynsay Sands ($7.99 ISBN 13: 9780061474309)

The second installment in New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands’ exciting Rogue Hunter series.

Decker is on a mission. They’ve captured one rogue vampire, but it’s clear he’s not the only villain out there. Determined to capture whoever is responsible, Decker makes a risky decision–to follow a tip from their prisoner. But that may not be nearly as risky as teaming up with the stunning Danielle. Dani is worried sick over her missing neighbor. But she’s a cop, and she’s not going to let a little thing like fear slow her down. If that means working with the mysterious Decker and his equally secretive friends, so be it. But when Decker starts throwing around words like “life mate,” Dani starts to realize that nothing is going to be the same again.

Some Like It Wild by Teresa Medeiros ($7.99 ISBN 13: 9780061235368)

No one captures the fun and fantasy of the Regency period quite like perennial New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros.

Left behind in the Highlands of Scotland to fend for himself after his parents are murdered by the English, Connor Kincaid has grown from a wild boy into a dangerous highwayman. On a windy, moonlit night he holds up a carriage only to have a delectable young Englishwoman come tumbling into his arms. Pamela Darby has journeyed to Scotland in search of the long lost heir of the Duke of Whitcomb. She is determined to collect the reward being offered for his return so she won’t have to surrender her beautiful and beloved sister Sophie into the arms of a lascivious nobleman. Having just learned that the duke’s heir may be long dead, the ever practical Pamela had already been toying with the idea of finding a strapping Scots lad with more brawn than brains to impersonate the man. When she gets her first look at the gorgeous highwayman without his mask, she believes she has found the perfect imposter. Connor and Pamela strike a devil’s bargain and journey to London to launch their risky masquerade. They are both enemies and allies—a woman who has everything to gain and a man who has nothing to lose…but his heart.

Confessions of a Little Black Gown by Elizabeth Boyle ($6.99 ISBN 13: 9780061373237)

This is Elizabeth Boyle’s first back-to-back publishing event: Confessions of a Little Black Gown will be followed by Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress in May 2009.

When Thalia Langley spies a dark and handsome stranger in the shadows of her brother-in-law’s study, she knows in an instant that she’s found the dangerous, rakish sort of man she’s always dreamt of. But the man she thinks she’s seen and the complete stranger who comes into the light are two very different men. Tally suspects there is more to this man than meets the eye, and she has the perfect weapon to help tempt the truth from him: a little black gown she’s found in a trunk. Lord Larken, posing as the duke’s cousin, is searching for the notorious Captain Dashwell. His deception runs into trouble, however, when the duke’s tempting sister-in-law starts to chip away at his reverent disguise and his icy, forgotten heart.

Secret Life of a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks ($7.99 ISBN 13: 9780061667855)

The fifth book in the Love at Stake series featuring a band of benevolent vampires, led by Roman Draganesti, who find true love while evading the CIA Stake Out Team hell-bent on eliminating them.

Lara Boucher will do whatever it takes to get that coveted promotion to detective. She knows that something strange was happening at the incredibly handsome Jack’s party. Working that out will have to take a back seat to discover why so many college girls have gone missing. But the last thing she expects when she goes undercover at the so-called “spa” is to

run into Jack again–or to feel such a strong attraction. The last thing Jack wants is to become the kind of man his father was. But that’s just what’s required if he’s going to bring down this latest ring of Malcontents. Drawing on his legendary Casanova lineage, Jack works his way into the group. But will he be able to show Lara the man he really is without jeopardizing their mission? And can Lara ever trust a man with so many secrets?

 

Sins of a Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan ($6.99 ISBN: 9780061579172)

Sophie Jordan is a welcomed addition to the Avon family, writing sexy and emotionally rich novels brimming with passion and fast-paced drama.

Fallon O’Rourke would go only so far to earn a living. She won’t prostitute herself, but she will deceive … Penniless and without family, she has always had to look out for herself. Unfairly dismissed, Fallon takes a position in the Duke of Damon’s household – as a footman! Disguised as a man, she will finally be free of lecherous gentlemen who would harass her. Only she soon learns she has landed herself in the devil’s very own den. Lord Dominic Hale, the Duke of Damon, better known as the Demon Duke for his life of debauchery and excess, cares only to forget the tragedies of his childhood. Like any nobleman, he never looks too closely at the servants in his employ, and yet the new footman is…peculiar. Once he discovers that his new footman is a woman – and a fetching bit of baggage at that! – Dominic vows to punish the chit for her deception, and what better way than making the prickly Fallon his next conquest? Only he never expects his heart could be the price.

Taken and Seduced by Julia Latham ($6.99 ISBN 13: 9780061373237)

Think the Skull & Bones society in the Dark Ages!  From talented writer Latham, this is the latest installment in the League of the Blade series.

Though he’d been raised by the League of the Blade as an experiment, Adam Hilliard does not regret his solitary and restricted childhood. He’s honored by the League’s trust in him, yet he has one personal mission of vengeance before he reveals himself as the long-lost earl: he wants vengeance against the man who killed his parents. But when the villain ignores his challenge, Adam kidnaps his daughter, hoping to force his hand. Once Florrie realizes that Adam is too honorable to harm her, she’s thrilled to be on the first adventure of her life, although doesn’t let Adam know this at first. She is the “Cinderella” of the villain’s daughters, youngest, plainest, and with a limp. During their travel across England, she vows to save his soul by making sure he doesn’t kill her father.

Her Notorious Viscount by Jenna Petersen ($6.99 ISBN 13: 9780061470813)

Popular author Jenna Petersen pens a scintillating Regency-set romance about a scandalous bargain between a notorious Viscount and a desperate young damsel.

Jane Fenton is certain that her brother is lost in London’s notorious underground, not dead as he has been declared. The infamous Viscount Nicholas Stoneworth has just returned from that dangerous world, where he lived for many years as a fighter. When the innocent Jane approaches the dissolute Viscount for help finding her sibling, he offers her a bargain. If she helps him relearn the niceties of Society, he will use his questionable connections to locate her brother. Though each believes their part of the bargain is an impossible task, they agree for their own sakes. But as the two begin to work closely together, Jane discovers there is much more to the angry ex-pugilist than Society believes. And Nicholas finds a pillar of strength in Jane. But Nicholas’s drive to withhold the truth about Jane’s brother may threaten the fragile bond between beauty and her beast. And his triumphant return to society may end any chance they have of ever being together.

Deception by Selena Montgomery ($6.99 ISBN 13: 9780061376054)

The second in Selena’s thrilling Faraday Trilogy about three foster sisters and the past that continues to haunt them. It’s Law and Order meets Waiting to Exhale.

Playing the odds has always been Fin Borders forte – especially in the high stakes world of poker. An innocent woman had been accused of murder, and to help Fin would have to go back to the small Southern town of her birth. It’s a place she’s been running from her entire life, a place of violence, a place where she got by with nothing more than her wits. Returning to Hallden, Georgia, means facing the ghosts of the brutal crime that Fin will never forget-and risking her own life. But Fin isn’t the only one in Hallden hunting for a killer. FBI Special Agent Caleb Matthews is deep undercover, hiding his true identity and his own desperate history. Working alone is far too dangerous, so he and Fin must learn to trust each other. But as they grow closer, they are unprepared for the passion that takes hold . . . and the shocking deception that could destroy everything they hold dear.

 

Mass Market Reprints                                                                            On Sale 3/31/09     Â

 

Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell ($7.99 ISBN 13: 9780060829865)

For fans of romantic suspense authors such as Lisa Gardner, Linda Howard, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Nora Roberts— this is the next thrilling romantic suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell.

Jill Breck was just doing her job as a river guide when she saved the life of Lane Faroe, son of two of St. Kilda’s consulting premier operators. But when her great aunt dies in a suspicious fire, a dozen old family paintings kick over a hornet’s nest in the closed world of the Western art circuit, and her own life is threatened, she must call in a favor. Zach Balfour works part-time as a consultant for St. Kilda. His expertise is gathering and analyzing information from unlikely and often dangerous sources; in a pinch, he’ll act as a bodyguard, though being bullet catcher isn’t his preferred way to spend time. 

While trying to keep Jill alive, Zach learns again what he already knew: collectors can be a strange, savagely competitive bunch. Some of them will do anything to stay at the top of their chosen field…including kill. While pursuing the truth of the paintings she has always loved, Jill discovers that the perils of running wild rivers fade next to the hidden dangers in the high-stakes game of art collecting. From the ordinary dust of the Breck homestead cabin to the extraordinary multi-million dollar Western art circuit, Zach and Jill race to stay alive despite the claims and counter-claims, the threats and lies, and the death that waits inside the blue smoke of salesmanship and the brutal truth of murder.

 

Death Walked In by Carolyn Hart ($7.99 ISBN 13: 9780061373237)

Carolyn Hart is beloved in the mystery community and is a founder of Sisters in Crime, an organization to combat discrimination against women in the mystery genre. This is the 18th installment of Hart’s critically-acclaimed Death on Demand mystery series.

The island is rocked by a million-dollar coin theft. A few days later, Max Darling refuses to take a call from a frightened woman. The last time he came to the aid of a woman who claimed to be afraid, he ended up in jail, accused of murder. This caller leaves word that she’s hidden something in Franklin house, the antebellum home Max and Annie are restoring. Annie hurries to the woman’s home and discovers her dying of a gunshot wound. Annie and Max’s old house, the dead woman’s home, and the site of the coin theft are linked by paths. Max is shot at when he interrupts a break in at Franklin house. Max and Annie realize their home is threatened and so are they. Annie discovers the truth about Franklin house, but she may pay with her life.

Trophies by Heather Thomas ($13.99 ISBN 13: 9780061580352) On sale 3/24/09

Actress and screenwriter Heather Thomas takes readers on an outrageous romp through LA’s high society in this sensational novel about Hollywood trophy wives. A fun-filled and riotous novel filled with juicy, bawdy tales from a woman who lived them, the New York Daily News called Trophies, “[the] most torrid novel by a Hollywood wife.”

Their husbands may be among the most powerful executives in the entertainment business, but the “Trophies” of Hollywood are busy running their own show. At the center of it all is Marion Zane, the beautiful and brilliant wife of Richard Zane, owner of Century Studios. Effortlessly talented and poised, she never gossips, instead storing her collected secrets, tips, and contacts in her much mythologized Black Book of Excellence. But when she walks in on her beloved husband naked and passed out on top of their masseuse her world suddenly loses its perfect veneer. A bitter separation follows, and Marion is left with almost nothing. As she embarks on a journey to succeed without her husband and his money, it becomes increasingly clear that a mysterious person from her past is intent on ruining her life—and exposing her secrets.

 

Decision and Destiny by DeVa Gantt ($13.99 ISBN 13: 9780061578250) On sale 4/7/09

This self-published novel rose to the top 1% of all 27,000 self-published Author’s House novels. Set in 1830s Virginia, this is the second book in an amazing series, chronicling the saga of the powerful Duvoisin family.

Charmaine Ryan has been sent to be governess for the powerful Duvoisin family, and she befriends the children’s’ mother, the youthful Colette Duvoisin. But Colette is hiding a secret, and when she dies the family she has tried to hard to keep together is pulled asunder. Her stepsons, including the fascinating Paul, fight among themselves. Colette’s husband takes another wife–much to the clan’s horror. And Charmainie finds herself in the middle of a struggle for power…and for love.

 

Shades of Grace by Barbara Delinsky ($12.99 ISBN 13: 9780061713521) On sale 4/7/09

Since 1994, all of Barbara Delinsky’s books have been national bestsellers. First published in 1996, SHADES OF GRACE is a touching and heartfelt story in which love and devotion are put to the ultimate test.

Grace Dorian is The Confidante, America’s favorite advice columnist. Her wisdom has helped to guide two generations–including her daughter, Francine, and granddaughter, Sophie, who manage the vast Dorian empire and oversee the thousand details of Grace’s world. But a national treasure is losing her brilliance. Her once razor-sharp mind is showing strain; her columns have begun to wander. Concerned about Grace’s health and future, Francine must step in to fill her legendary mother’s shoes and somehow also live her own life, which now suddenly includes her confusing feelings for Grace’s handsome doctor and new worries about tempestuous Sophie, who needs more guidance than Grace’s public.

 

Together Alone by Barbara Delinsky ($12.99 ISBN 13: 9780061713545) On sale 4/7/09

There are over 30 million copies of Delinsky’s books in print, and they are read worldwide in 25 languages. First published in 1995, TOGETHER ALONE is a Barbara Delinsky classic — a stunning, intricate story of life, love and acceptance.

With their daughters off to college, the time has come for forever best friends Emily, Kay, and Celeste to redefine themselves as women. Once half of a perfect marriage–still suffering from a terrible loss–Emily hardly knows her workaholic husband, Doug, anymore, and is drawn instead to what is offered by a new neighbor. A dedicated teacher who loves her job, Kay is confused and troubled by husband John’s unfamiliar demands. And Celeste, long-divorced and ecstatic with freedom, sees her electric new life dimmed when her child is endangered. The precious secrets, desires, and needs they’ve hidden for years can be denied no longer. But first, three women must learn the hardest lesson of all: how to love themselves.

 

Flight Lessons by Patricia Gaffney ($12.99 ISBN 13: 9780061582431) On sale 4/7/09

No other author writes about the lives and friendships of women with the kind of warmth and grace that Patricia Gaffney brings to her stories. FLIGHT LESSONS explores the after-effects of a loving relationship gone wrong.

Growing up, Anna loved her aunt Rose as much as she loved her own mother. The still–single Rose was exotic, glamorous and to Anna, represented the kind of life she wanted, not the dull routine of the married woman. But when Anna’s mother lies dying, Anna finds out that Rose betrayed them both in the worst way. Now Anna is an adult and suffers yet another betrayal, this time at the hands of her lover. Back home she goes, to the small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore where she was raised, to help Rose run the family restaurant. Anna is determined to make her stay temporary. Rose has struggled for 20 years to regain Anna’s trust but it seems to be in vain—even though her niece has come home it’s clear that she hasn’t come home to stay. And feelings between them remain as frosty as ever. Anna is so consumed with leaving home again, that she fails even to recognize true love when it reaches up to grab her by the heart. Moving, funny and ultimately reassuring about love and life, FLIGHT LESSONS is everything Gaffney’s readers expect, and more.

The Quality of Mercy by Faye Kellerman ($12.99 ISBN 13: 9780061582516) On sale 4/7/09

A special reissue of Faye Kellerman’s beautiful Elizabethan story that Publishers Weekly called “a tour de force that shouldn’t be missed.” Not only is Kellerman at the top of her game, but this is the perfect market for a reissue of this historical story.

Rebecca Lopez enjoys a life of privilege in Elizabeth’s England — yet she guards secrets she dares not reveal. The beautiful, tempestuous daughter of the queen’s own physician, Rebecca is also a Converso — a Jew who practices her prohibited religion clandestinely — helping others of her banned faith escape persecution and death. And her insatiable hunger for excitement often takes her to the bustling streets of London in male garb to experience the kind of adventure available only to men. But one such outing is leading her into a dangerous viper’s nest built of intrigue and foul murder in the company of a dashing young actor who inflames her romantic passions, even as he escorts her toward peril, a charming and fearless would-be playwright who calls himself Will Shakespeare.

 

William Morrow Hardcover                                                                 On Sale Dates Vary

 Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett ($25.99 ISBN 13: 9780061689840) On sale 3/24/2009

The art of silk making, political intrigue, a sweeping love story and the fate of two sisters are all weaved together, making a captivating historical novel.

Figures in Silk opens in 1471. Edward IV has been crowned king-having won the throne with the help of his brother, Richard the Duke of York. When silk merchant John Lambert marries off his two beautiful daughter’s fortunes are forever changed. Elder daughter, Jane Shore, soon bored by her husband, begins a notorious liaison with the king, Edward IV, while industrious and clever Isabel finds herself married into the house of Claver-a wealthy silk dynasty. Fate delivers Isabel a challenge when her new husband is killed in a military skirmish and she is forced into apprenticeship to her mother-in-law, Alice Claver. It is from Alice Claver that Isabel learns to love silk-exotic and passionate fabrics from Italy, Persia, Spain, Tunisia and beyond. Isabel learns to make her way in this new world of silk-to find friends and enemies-and she makes an alliance with her sister’s lover, King Edward IV, that will bring the secrets of silk-making to London. As Isabel grows in power and her plan for a silk industry run by English women is set into motion, the political landscape shifts in dangerous ways. One sister will fall as the other rises, and choices must be made that will linger in the heart.

Dare to Die by Carolyn Hart ($24.99 ISBN 13: 9780061453038) On sale 3/31/09

Carolyn Hart is the only author to be nominated eight times for the coveted Agatha Award and there are 2.5 million copies of Hart’s titles in print. This is the 19th installment of Carolyn Hart’s much loved and critically acclaimed Death on Demand mystery series.

She came in the rain. Alone. On a bicycle. Annie and Max Darling are completely unprepared when the arrival of a mysterious young woman rocks their hometown and stirs up more than just gossip. It turns out that Iris, the beautiful stranger, is former resident of Broward’s Rock and her arrival throws the normally happy town into a downward spiral that pits neighbor against neighbor. And things take a turn for the worse when Annie befriends Iris and invites her to attend the Darlings’ party at the pavilion where Death is the uninvited guest. Suddenly, Max and Annie find themselves in the middle of a fight they don’t understand and at the mercy of an unknown assailant trying to kill them — and all they know is that it is one of their friends.