Showing posts with label Julie Anne Long. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Julie Anne Long. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Release Day Blitz and Giveaway: The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Anne Long


Welcome to the release day blast for The Legend of Lyon Redmond, book eleven of the Pennroyal Green series! I've only read It Started With A Scandal, but I absolutely LOVED the book, and I have the rest of the series waiting to be read. I can't wait to continue with more books! Check out more about this new publication, and enter to win fabulous prizes!


About the Book:


The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Anne Long
Book Eleven of the Pennroyal Green series
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 29, 2015

***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***

Official Summary:

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.



Check out the rest of the series!


About the Author:


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.)





She was the last of the Eversea children to be married, and she was going to be the wife of a viscount. Her brothers had all married unusual women, not one of whom possessed a title. Genevieve had married a duke—to the quietly gleeful satisfaction of her father, for they had trumped the Redmonds, who acquired a mere earl by marriage—but she and Falconbridge had wed by special license. Olivia was the family’s last chance for pomp.

And she knew everyone who loved her would exhale only when she was waving merrily good-bye from Landsdowne’s carriage as they went off on their wedding journey.

No one had said as much, of course.

And this was the unspoken source of all the tension.

They had nothing to worry about. Olivia was definitely going to marry him.

The betting books at White’s, of course, had it otherwise.

God, but she was infinitely weary of being a sport for the wager-happy wastrels at White’s. She did not want to be an event.

But if she’d learned anything over the years, wanting something and getting it were not always sequential events. Even for Everseas.

She pressed her head back against the plump seat, which smelled vaguely and soothingly of her father’s tobacco, then gave a start and fished about in her reticule.

“Blast!” Only two shillings were in there, along with her hussif, her tortoiseshell card case, and, of course, a square of linen folded in sixteenths that she always pretended not to see but that traveled with her everywhere.

It had become a personal ritual, her way of tithing, to say a few kind words and drop a few coins into the cups of the beggars who had appeared weeks ago and lingered near Madame Marceau’s shop, and who reappeared no matter how often Madame Marceau tried to shoo them away. They were as intrepid as ants. They knew where to find sustenance, and that was from the affluent women who frequented the modiste.

But Olivia, as usual, always wished she had more to give.

At last “Madame Marceau, Modiste,” a gaudy sign gilded swinging on chains, came into view, Olivia sat up alertly. The Strand was even livelier than usual today, apparently: she could hear a choir, of all things.

She didn’t know the tune, but it was certainly infectious, lilting and lively. Her foot was already tapping before the footman pulled open the door of the carriage, and she was smiling when he handed her down.

A half-dozen men were arrayed before Madame Marceau’s, arms slung about each other, swaying rhythmically, their heads tipped back in full-throated song. Another man seemed to be presiding as a conductor, strutting to and fro before them and holding a sheaf of papers in one hand.

He waved one in the air. “Get yer flash ballad here! Two pence! Be the first to teach your friends the song all of London will be singing for centuries to come!”

This was quite a claim, given that one of London’s other favorite songs was all about Olivia’s brother Colin, and it, like Colin, who had survived the gallows, refused to die.

Years of distributing and accepting pamphlets for the causes nearest her heart—the eradication of slavery and the protection of the poor—had Olivia reflexively stretching out her hand for it.

The man hesitated, then saw the outstretched hand was encased in an expensive blue kid glove and decided to let her hold it.

“Two pence, madame, if ye’d like to take it with you.” He beamed persuasively at her.

She didn’t hear him.

She was transfixed in horror by the first words on the page.


The Giveaway:



Thursday, March 26, 2015

Blog Tour Excerpt and Giveaway: It Started With A Scandal by Julie Anne Long


Welcome to the blog tour for It Started With A Scandal! As many of you have seen, I really loved this book! My review is HERE. Read the second part of chapter one (see below for blogs sharing part one), and enter to win a gift card!



It Started With A Scandal by Julie Anne Long
Book Ten of the Pennyroyal Green series
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: March 31, 2015

Official Summary:

Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword and a stone-cold conviction: he’ll restore his family’s fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach—when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green.

An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. Shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.

The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe’s barricaded heart . . . and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both.



About the Author:


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.

Visit Julie at http://www.julieannelong.com, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJulieAnneLong, or twitter.com/JulieAnneLong



The Excerpt:

It took all of Elise's fortitude to resist craning her head after the fleeing Mrs. Winthrop.

“Please sit down, Mrs. Fountain.”

She went still. His native French still haunted his consonants and turned the vowels into veritable caresses. She could almost see the elegant, endless spill of a fountain when he said her name. 

“Mrs. Fountain. Has Mrs. Winthrop brought to me an applicant who does not speak English?”

The tone was silk over steel, exquisitely polite. And yet she could easily imagine him ordering the beheading of whoever had brought him such a stupid and mute candidate in the very same tone. 

“Forgive me, Lord Lavay. I do know how to sit.”

She tried a little half smile. She knew she possessed a portion of charm, though it was a trifle rusty from disuse, given that she'd locked it away after it had gotten her into trouble. 

“If you would be so kind as to demonstrate your ability to do so.”
He gestured to a chair upholstered in chocolate-colored velvet. She might as well have been a chair herself for all the charm he exerted. She felt positively neutered. Which was perhaps all for the best. 

She sat gingerly, and what she hoped was gracefully, on the very edge of it, the better to bolt if necessary, and folded her hands.   
Oh God...the chair was so soft.  It cradled her bum almost lasciviously. It's tall, spreading fan of a back beckoned like a lover's arms.  And her life had seemed so narrow and spiky for so long, in every direction she turned, the comfort surprised her by nearly doing her in.
She slid a tentative inch backward as Lord Lavay lowered himself into the chair opposite her, slowly. 

He's in Sussex recovering from an attack, she'd been told. 

She began to think it was an attack of apoplexy.
She could see their two faces reflected in the polished wood of the table. His clean-hewn as wood itself. Hers small and white, looking a little too insignificant.

“Splendid. We have established you do indeed know how to sit. A very good thing, as I do not tolerate liars.” He smiled again faintly here, which she supposed was meant to soften that little thrown-down gauntlet of a statement. 
She offered a tight little smile of her own. Demonstrating my ability to smile. 
“What do you believe are your qualifications, Mrs. Fountain?”
What an interesting way to put it. As if he alone would judge whether she possessed any qualifications at all. 
 
  “I have been trained—” She was shocked to hear her voice emerge as a reedy croak, probably due to the thin atmosphere his lofty presence created.  She cleared her throat. “I have been trained in the managing of a fine residence, including adhering to budgets to deciding upon household purchases to preparing pastries and remedies and simples, to hiring and discharging—”
“Where?”
She blinked. “I'm sor...?”

“The residence,” he articulated slowly. “Where was this, as you say, fine residence?”

She'd been with the man for fewer than five minutes and she wanted to kick him. 

“Northumberland.”

“For whom did you manage this residence?”
She hesitated. Her heart ratcheted in speed. 
“The home belongs to my parents. I was raised and educated there.”

She did not say she was no longer welcome in it. 
If he wanted the whole story, he was going to need to drag it from her one question at a time. 

His gaze was so intense it was as though he held the tips of two lit cheroots to her skin.
Perhaps he already knew, despite what Mrs. Winthrop had said. Sometimes it felt as though the entire world knew. 

But surely she wasn't as important as all that? 

And surely there were enough Redmonds and Everseas about to keep the scandal mill fed?

Her heart was thudding so hard it felt like someone was throwing angry kicks at her breastbone. 

She surrendered and slid those last few inches into the chair's embrace.  Lavay's shoulders were vast beneath that sleek, flawlessly tailored coat. She wondered if any woman had ever taken comfort there. Or perhaps the sole point of his existence was to make women feel awed and insignificant.

“And why do you now seek employment as a housekeeper for a fine residence?” 

She hesitated. At least she now knew a good use for that word she loathed. 

“My circumstances have since changed.”

His brows flicked upward in apparent surprise. 

Since she was now convinced this would be the last time she ever saw him, she was emboldened to stare back, which wasn't easy to do, because he somehow managed to be both exhilarating and terrifying. His eyes were an unusual color, russet and gold, a bit like brandy shot through with sunlight.  She wondered if they brightened when he laughed. 

If he laughed.

Faint mauve shadows curved beneath his eyes; his skin seemed stretched with fatigue. What appeared to be a  new scar, faintly pink and narrow as a knife tip, scored his cheekbone for about two inches. How that must have hurt, she thought. Though didn't really mar his looks. It was more like an underscore: This man is beautiful and dangerous.

She suspected she now understood what “attack” meant now. Something like sympathy surged through her. There was, of course, always the possibility he'd been attacked by the last housekeeper for being insufferable.
In the silence a log tumbled from its perch and the fire gave a vehement pop.

“Circumstances,” he said ironically at last, “have an unfortunate tendency to do that.”   

His mouth dented at the corner. If this was a smile, it hadn't reached his eyes. Irony seemed his native language.

She was stunned. 

She feared she stared at him dumbly in the silence that followed.

Which was so taut that when he gave his fingers a single drum on the table, she almost jumped.  

“The current staff is lazy and recalcitrant and I because I have had sent to me a few possessions I value, such as silver and porcelain, thievery is a concern. But then good servants are always difficult to come by, even for such a one as me. I have high expectations and low hopes of seeing them met. What qualifies you to command loyalty and efficiency from a staff, and makes you think you will be able to meet my expectations?”

The unspoken words being, “where others have departed sobbing.”
And 'Such a one,' was it?  Surely the world could not withstand another such man. 

She drew in a long breath.

“I've taught classrooms full of unruly children possessed of a variety of natures, and I know how to make them listen and learn and like it. I understand the concerns and politics of household staff and am prepared to address and manage them. I have experienced a number of, shall we say, economic conditions, and can adjust to any of them. I am scrupulously organized. All in all, I have a very good brain. And I am afraid of nothing.”

Except you. 

She'd just told a brazen lie to the man who claimed he would not tolerate them.

She suspected he looked at men just this way before he decided whether or not to run them through: It was sort of a mildly interested, fixed expression. She was not a woman to him; she was a problem to address, a code to decipher, a decision to coolly make. At one time her vanity may have been wounded. 

Now nothing else mattered apart from what Lord Lavay did next. 

“You may have the position on a trial basis for a fortnight, Mrs. Fountain.”  He said it almost idly. “You will start immediately.”

She froze. 

And then an almost violent relief sent heat rushing into her face and blurred her vision. For a merciful second an infinitely safer, softer version of him swam before her eyes. 

He drew one of those crumpled-then-smoothed sheets of foolscap toward him and perused it. As if he'd already forgotten her.

She freed her hands from their demure knot and absently swiped her damp palms along her skirt before folding them again.  

She was proud that her voice was clear and steady. 

“Thank you. You shall not regret your decision, Lord Lavay.”  
“I seldom have cause to regret my decisions.” He said it coolly, almost absently, eyes on the correspondence, not on her.  Indulging a serf just this once. “You may leave now, Miss Fountain.” 

As she departed she surreptitiously dragged her hand across the top of the chair  as if it were an exotic pet. A thank-you for the comfort.


To read the rest of Chapter One, check out these blogs:

3/23—
Pretty Sassy Cool: EXCERPT PART 1
Wild Wordy Women: EXCERPT PART 1

3/24—
Book Flame: EXCERPT PART 1
Booklovers for Life: EXCERPT PART 1

3/25—
Supernatural Snark: EXCERPT PART 1
Paulette’s Papers: EXCERPT PART 1

3/29—
The Lusty Literate: EXCERPT PART 3
Romancing the Readers: EXCERPT PART 3

3/30—
Snarky Mama: EXCERPT PART 3
Curling up with a Good Book: EXCERPT PART 3 

4/1—
The Jeep Diva: EXCERPT PART 3

4/2—
To Read or Not to Read: EXCERPT PART 3

4/3—
I Heart Romance: EXCERPT PART 3


The Giveaway:

Win a $25 gift card to an ebook retailer of your choice! Due to geographic reasons, this is USA only (my apologies, international lovelies)!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Review: It Started With A Scandal by Julie Anne Long


It Started With A Scandal by Julie Anne Long
Book Ten of the Pennyroyal Green series
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***

Summary (from Goodreads):

Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword and a stone-cold conviction: he'll restore his family's fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach--when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green.

An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. Shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.

The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe's barricaded heart...and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both.

What I Liked:

This is my first Julie Anne Long read, thanks to the book-pushing of Racquel (thank you, girl!). She and I both love historical romance novels, and recently, we swapped our favorite authors. I consider myself a bit more of a "newer" historical romance reader compared to Racquel, and when she got really excited about all things Julie Anne Long, I knew the author had to be some sort of awesome. So I requested this particular book from Edelweiss - I haven't read the other nine books in the series. But let me tell you: It Started With A Scandal is nothing short of wonderful, heartwarming, steamy, and entertaining.

Elise is a former teacher at an Academy. She was removed from her position for speaking out of turn. Years ago, her own family shunned her, because she got pregnant (unmarried), and the man left her. So Elise is now forced out of a job because she misspoke. She has a fake reference from the prestigious Redmond family (who owned someone a favor, and that someone used the favor for Elise). Elise secures a position as Lord Lavay's much-needed housekeeper. 

Lord Philippe Lavay was attacked and is injured. He does not seem to care much about the state of his house, because it's in terrible shape. The few servants are lazy and rarely clean anything. Lord Lavay is tormented by his lack of funds, his injuries, and his dwindling French family honor and name. Elise is determined to turn his house into a home, and in doing so, she finds her way into everyone's heart... including Lord Lavay's.

Gah! I love the love stories that involve a hate-to-love dynamic. Lord Lavay is rather grouchy and unapproachable in the beginning of this book - for most of the book, actually. Personally, I find that quite endearing... and Elise found it intriguing. She didn't hate or dislike him at first - in fact, she's always been curious about him, and wanted to help him. 

I love how kind and sweet Elise is - and yet, she is quite fiery and outspoken. She has to filter what she is thinking and says, and sometimes things slip through that filter. She lost her teaching position because she said something that could be taken rudely. But really, she's just very honest and direct. And nice. She has a big heart and a kind spirit.

And then there's Lord Lavay (Philippe), who is quiet and grouchy, irritable and menacing. He really isn't all that bad, but he certainly lets everyone think that he is. He doesn't let anyone in, doesn't communicate with his grandfather or sister anymore, since the attack. It's like he lost a bit of his pride, and not just money or honor.

Philippe and Elise together... fireworks. They dance around each other, clash at times, and keep the dance going. Elise never tries to stop helping Philippe, even if he is a grouch about things, like taking tea with pain relievers in them. I love their interactions. I love their dialogue. It's not love at first sight, and not quite lust at first sight either (Philippe had just thrown something). I love the development of their relationship - it's slow and gradual and beautiful. And the chemistry - the chemistry is sizzling hot in this book. You can feel the tension between Philippe and Elise.

There is so much to this book besides romance! Elise has a son, a "bastard", and the author focuses on Jack's growth sometimes as well. When Philippe finally meets Jack (this isn't until about halfway into the book), the author then has Philippe and Jack spending time together. This could be because the author wants to show that Philippe likes Elise, or because Philippe really likes Jack (or kids in general), or because the author wants to show Jack's growth. Either way, I actually really liked the sub-focus on the little boy. I liked Jack.

In general, overall, I really, really liked this book. It was near-perfect. I loved the story, the romance, the characters.

What I Did Not Like:

I soooo saw a certain decision made by Elise at the end of the book. Totally saw it coming - it HAD to happen. However, I felt like the ending in general was a bit quick, and then the final scene was not enough. I wanted a peek into the future, or something like that! I mean, we get a view into the future, but I think I just wanted a little more Philippe/Elise in the end, one-on-one, maybe. But anyway, small thing. I LOVED the ending, in general.

Would I Recommend It:

YES! I loved this book! I'll probably be shelving this one in my "Favorite Historical Romances of All Time" category. It's getting four stars (4.5, really), but it's definitely a favorite. If you're a historical romance fan, definitely give this book a chance! 

Rating:

4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars. I definitely want to go back and read the other nine books in the series (or as many as I can)! And I'll be keeping an eye out for future Pennyroyal Green books, and anything else by this author. Thank you for the recommendation, Racquel!


Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!