Romance Awareness Month Wrap Up

Thank you for joining us as we celebrated Romance Awareness Month. We had some great giveaways going throughout the month. Winners have been randomly selected, and email notifications have gone out (check your email).

Enjoy this last day of August (it's National Matchmaker Day), and keep reading!

Romance Awareness Month Giveaway: Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen

It's National Just Because Day, and to celebrate we are giving away a copy of Nancy Campbell Allen's book Beauty and the Clockwork Beast! It's described as Jane Eyre meets Beauty and the Beast, and it's the only Steampunk in the Proper Romance Line so far (this line has something for all types of romance fans).

Giveaway:

Enter to win a paperback copy of Beauty and the Clockwork Beast. Ends 8/31/17. Entrants must have a mailing address in the continental United States. Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as notified by the entrant's contact information, and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Literary Time Out and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Romance Awareness Month Giveaway: The Sheriffs of Savage Wells by Sarah M. Eden

It's National Kiss and Make Up Day, and to celebrate we are giving away a copy of Sarah M. Eden's book The Sheriffs of Savage Wells! This is a fun, Wild West addition to the Proper Romance Line.

You can't go wrong with a book written by Sarah M. Eden. She is an amazing author (check out our interview with her from 2013), and you can count on her to keep things clean while still telling an amazing story with wonderful characters!

Giveaway:

Enter to win a paperback copy of The Sheriffs of Savage Wells. Ends 8/31/17. Entrants must have a mailing address in the continental United States. Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as notified by the entrant's contact information, and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Literary Time Out and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Romance Awareness Month Giveaway and Review: The Secret of the India Orchid by Nancy Campbell Allen

Reviews * Giveaway

It's National Relaxation Day, and we have a triple review and another Proper Romance Giveaway for you! What better way to celebrate than to curl up with an entertaining Proper Romance. Be swept away to new places and meet memorable characters all from the comfort of your own home. What’s your favorite way to relax?

Book Description:

Anthony Blake is in love with his best friend's sister, Sophia Elliot. But his plans to court her are put on hold when he is forced to resume his role as an undercover spy for the Crown. A secret document listing the names of the entire network of British spies-including his own-has been stolen. To protect Sophia, Anthony cuts off all ties to her and exchanges his life as an honorable earl for the facade of a flirtatious playboy.

Heartbroken and confused, Sophia travels to India, hoping to find healing in one of the most exotic regions of the British Empire. But the exotic land isn't as restful as she had hoped. Instead, she finds herself embroiled in a mystery of a missing sea captain, a possible murder, and a plot that could involve the prince of India. And when Anthony appears at the British Residency, asking questions and keeping his distance from her, she is stunned.

She still loves him, and, in her heart, she knows he loves her too. But how can she rebuild her relationship with him if he won't confide in her? Does she dare offer her heart to him a second time, or will their love be lost under the India sun?

Rorie's Review:

I know from history classes and reading how vast the British Empire was back in the day, but it still kind of amazes me how people just up and left England and traveled on a ship for months at a time to go live in a foreign land that they really didn't know much about..and then once they were there, they did whatever they could to make it seem like they were back in England. I enjoyed reading about the markets and especially the ruins. I'd love to explore places like that.

I quickly fell in love with little Charlie and his ayah.We get to know several other characters and some of them I would love to be friends with. Some of them just made me roll my eyes. :)

I felt for both Sophia and Anthony. He was unwillingly thrust into a situation where he had to sever ties with her, and not be able to tell her why. She was left heartbroken and confused. I did get a kick out of her way of "getting back" at him for the heartache he put her through.

The part about the royal funeral seemed like it didn't really have a purpose in the book. It didn't fit in the with the plot, and nothing good seemed to come of what the ladies did. I'm not sure why it was included in the story, other than maybe showing what used to be done back then.

Other than that part, I really enjoyed this story, and look forward to reading more from this author.

Andrea's Review:

The Indian setting in Nancy Campbell Allen's latest book was a nice addition for the Proper Romance Line. I really like the variety in these books.

I was intrigued right away by the story, and really liked the main characters, Sophia and Anthony. Two years seemed an excessive amount of time for Anthony to be searching for the document, but I suppose the time added a lot to the feelings our main characters had. The bad guy wasn't a total surprise, but I was kept guessing for a lot of the story. The ending was satisfying, albeit a bit busy with so many unlikely heroes stepping up.

If you are looking for a clean read, with action and a first love, second chances aspect, this could be the book for you.

Tarah's Review:

This is the second time I've read this, so I was entertained enough with the characters and the plot to read it again. I love that this took place away from England. I don't know anything about India, especially during that time period so I can't tell you if it was realistic or not, and honestly, since the British tried to make everything British there wasn't much to the setting being in India.

Since Anthony and Sophia already fell in love, this book isn't really, I felt, about their relationship. It's about making circumstances happen so they can get back together. I didn't have any problems with that. I didn't mind that their relationship was already established. It made sense in my brain and I ran with it.

It's a mind candy mystery. If you are looking for something deep you probably aren't going to get it. But if you are looking for a quick "proper romance" to escape into, this would do the trick.

Giveaway:

Enter to win a paperback copy of The Secret of the India Orchid. Ends 8/31/17. Entrants must have a mailing address in the continental United States. Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as notified by the entrant's contact information, and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Literary Time Out and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Title: The Secret of the India Orchid
Author: Nancy Campbell Allen
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: August 2017
ISBN: 1629722936
Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book

Romance Awareness Month Giveaway: Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

It is National Book Lovers Day today, and I'm very excited to share my favorite Proper Romance with you, Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson.  

Edenbrooke is the first book in the Proper Romance Line, and I'm re-reading it right now (for the fourth or fifth time). Here is my original review from just over five years ago:

What a fabulous book! Julianne Donaldson is definitely an author to keep your eye on. Her debut novel was so entertaining. I literally laughed out loud and cried. My heart even raced a time or two! It was such an enjoyable story.

I love novels with a strong female character who doesn't quite fit in with the time. Marianne longs for the opposite of everything proper ladies desire. She wants to run free in the countryside and twirl if the desire arises, not spend hours visiting stuffy ladies over tea. But, when her grandmother tells her she must become a proper lady in order to receive her inheritance, she decides she will make an effort (since she's certain no man would ever want to marry her).

Phillip was also wonderful. Yes, I doubted him a time or two, but when all was said and done, he was perfect.

The romance is excellent without crossing any lines. I loved Marianne's naivete-it made the small gestures (brushing of hands or a look) mean so much more. There was even some action (duel anyone?).

Donaldson really painted a picture with words. You see this right from the first page when you meet Mr. Whittle. The description of Mr. Whittle's "repulsive" mouth was so detailed it gave me the willies.

Your life probably won't be changed by reading this book. But, it will probably make you smile. And sometimes, don't we just need to smile?

Giveaway:

Enter to win a paperback copy of Edenbrooke. Ends 8/31/17. Entrants must have a mailing address in the continental United States. Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as notified by the entrant's contact information, and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Literary Time Out and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Romance Awareness Month Giveaway: The Vicar's Daughter by Josi S. Kilpack

Did you know that today is National Sisters Day? I didn't realize there was such a thing until recently, but it goes perfectly with the first book we are giving away from the Proper Romance Line, The Vicar's Daughter by Josi S. Kilpack.

 Celebrate National Sisters Day with a book
about Cassie, whose attempts to play
matchmaker go awry when she falls in love
with her sister’s potential suitor. 

Have you ever played matchmaker for your sister? How did it turn out?

Giveaway:

Enter to win a paperback copy of The Vicar's Daughter. Ends 8/31/17. Entrants must have a mailing address in the continental United States. Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as notified by the entrant's contact information, and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Literary Time Out and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Romance Awareness Month

You may have notice that we like to read books that fall into the Romance category. So it should be no surprise that we jumped at the opportunity to spread the love during Romance Awareness Month!

We hope you'll join us throughout the month as we host several giveaways from the Proper Romance line. This is a wonderful line with very talented authors. The books are all clean and they fit into a variety of genres-everything from Regency to Western to Steam Punk.

First off, we want to wish a Happy Book Birthday to The Secret of the India Orchid by Nancy Campbell Allen. This is the latest release in the Proper Romance line, and is available today! Watch for our triple review and giveaway on Tuesday, August 15th.

Also, for those who love a good Facebook party, don't miss the Proper Romance Anniversary Facebook Party this Friday, August 4th, from 12:00 PM to 2:45 PM. This is the 5-year anniversary of the Proper Romance line, and Sarah M. Eden, Julianne Donaldson, Josi S. Kilpack, and Nancy Campbell Allen will be chatting with fans. Plus, there will be several giveaways during the party.

Other dates to remember:

• August 6th: National Sisters Day-we'll be opening the giveaway for a copy of The Vicar's Daughter by Josi S. Kilpack
• August 9th: National Book Lovers Day-we'll be opening the giveaway for a copy of Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
• August 15th: National Relaxation Day-we'll be opening the giveaway for a copy of The Secret of the India Orchid by Nancy Campbell Allen
• August 21st: Solar Eclipse-have your eclipse glasses ready
• August 25th: National Kiss and Make Up Day-we'll be opening the giveaway for a copy of The Sheriffs of Savage Wells
• August 27th: National Just Because Day-we'll be opening the giveaway for a copy of Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen.
• August 31st: National Matchmaker Day

One way to earn entries to the giveaways will be to comment on the blog posts and social media posts that we share for Romance Awareness Month. Get ready to win some awesome books!