Love Saves the World welcomes Kelly Bowen and her debut novel, I've Got My Duke to Keep Me Warm.
Kelly is hosting a Tour Wide Giveaway for a $20.00 Amazon or B&N eGift Card. Enter via Rafflecopter below. To visit the rest of Kelly Bowen's stops, click here.
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About the book:
Where Secrets Smolder ...
Calm. Cool. Collected. Gisele Whitby has perfected the art of illusion -- her survival, after all, has depended upon it. Years ago, to escape an abusive husband, Gisele "disappeared." Now she must risk revealing her new identity to save another innocent girl from the same fate. But she needs a daring man for her scheme, and the rogue in question shows a remarkable talent ... for shattering Gisele's carefully constructed façade and igniting her deepest desires.
... Passion Ignites.
This isn't the first time Jamie Montcrief has awakened naked and confused from a night of drinking. It is, however, the first time a stunningly beautiful woman offers him payment afterward. Gisele has a business proposition for him, a mission involving cunning thievery and a brazen rescue. How can he say no to a plot this dangerous ... and a woman this delectable?
Excerpt:
Well, shit. He deserved that. “Who are you?”
She smiled at him, the first genuine smile he had seen, and it did strange things to his chest.
“I am ... just Gisele.”
That was helpful. He knew nothing more about her than he knew last night. Annoyance bubbled up again. “Very well then Just-Gisele, since you won’t tell me anything useful about yourself, would you be so kind as to enlighten me as to what it is you’d like me to do should I accept your generous offer of employment?”
Her smile turned brittle. “Not yet.”
“Not yet?” Jamie’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “How the hell am I supposed to make a decision based on not yet?”
The ice queen shrugged. “You’ll have to trust me.”
Jamie closed his eyes, fighting for patience. “Will I need to steal something?”
“Unlikely.”
“Kill someone?”
“Hopefully not.”
“Blow something up?”
“You’re familiar with explosives?”
His eyes popped open at the undisguised interest in her last question. What the hell kind of woman used the word explosives the way most used the word marmalade? Or teapot?
Buy Links:
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My Review:
Giselle Whitby faked her own death four years ago to escape the horrific life she led as the wife of the Marquess of Valence. She's been content to live quietly away from London, but now Giselle needs to return from the dead to save another poor lady from a terrible future. Giselle has a plan, but she needs a man who could move within society to implement it.
Giselle is more questions than answers, but it is understandable, considering the abuse she suffered from her husband. She's reluctant to share any part of herself with Jamie, even though she is trusting him with the important job of preventing a lady from marrying the Marquess of Valence. This is not to say that Jamie is an open book, because he isn't. Jamie Montcrief is the bastard son of the Duke of Reddyck -- he has sold his commission and had intended to drink himself into oblivion until Giselle walks in and "kidnaps" him. There's also a lot of questions surrounding our hero and his family and, as the story progresses, the author also unravels the mystery of James Montcrief.
The title and the cover for this book makes one believe that this is a Christmas-themed historical romance, but it isn't. Kelly Bowen's debut novel is, in fact, a really riveting reverse-caper story. Reverse, because it's actually the good guys who are plotting against the villain.
Ever since her death, Giselle has helped women in similar situations. She's rescued them, and placed them in better situations far away from their old lives. She's done this with the help of a very unconventional group of people. This was my favourite part of the novel, and very reminiscent of Ocean's Eleven and Mission Impossible, because Giselle's friends all have pasts that most people would not forgive or forget, but they also have a very special set of skills. As with Giselle, these characters' lives would have been so very different (and tragic) had they not been given a second chance. It's imagining this that gives Giselle's latest mission the urgency that it does -- Giselle has been there and was lucky to survive it, but Lady Julia might not be so fortunate.
For this particular mission, however, Giselle only needed the assistance of Eleanor, the Dowager Duchess of Worth, Sebastian, and Jamie. I have to say that I really loved the Duchess of Worth. I enjoyed reading about her eccentricities, but I also loved how sharp her mind was. (Actually, all of Kelly Bowen's characters are interesting. ^_^)
The caper is at the centre of this story, but the author equally develops the love story between Jamie and Giselle. Trust is a hurdle for our hero and heroine. As they've only known each other a short period, it's very understandable why both of them are so hesitant to step out of their comfort zones. It's part of what I liked about this story -- there wasn't a big info-dump in the story that explained all. Instead, Bowen pieces together the puzzle very gradually -- and the pacing of this story was excellent. Jamie and Giselle both earn each other's trust (and, by their actions, have proven themselves worthy of the other). The "I love you" still surprised me, though -- I didn't think enough had happened to merit it, but, again, I realise that Giselle's only experience of "love" and a relationship would give her a greater sense of what is good for her -- and, maybe, she has determined that it's Jamie that is good for her.
The dialogue and pacing are very snappy, and matches the plot of the story -- overall, this is an amazing debut and an amazing start to the series.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book as part of the tour. Thank you to Kelly Bowen and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity. Yes, this is an honest review.
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About the author:
But it was Kelly's infatuation with history and a weakness for a good love story that led her down the path of historical romance. When she is not writing, she seizes every opportunity to explore ruins and battlefields.
Currently, Kelly lives in Winnipeg with her husband and two boys, all of whom are wonderfully patient with the writing process. Except, that is, when they need a goalie for street hockey.
Author Links:
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Giveaway:
Kelly is hosting a Tour Wide Giveaway for a $20.00 Amazon or B&N eGift Card. Enter via Rafflecopter below. To visit the rest of Kelly Bowen's stops, click here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you for hosting today!
ReplyDeleteSo looking forward to reading this novel and Kelly's upcoming novels as well! Would love to read/review them for our blog, bookworm2bookworm.
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