Posted by: Publicity on Mar 15, 2010
"Perfectly executed exemplar of fluff... While witty dialogue and wry observations keep the pace brisk, Mansell (Miranda's Big Mistake) still manages to tug at the heart."
Rumor Has It, Jill Mansell. Sourcebooks Landmark, $14 paper (416p) ISBN 978-1-4022-3750-8
Londoner Tilly Cole discovers the perils of smalltown life in Mansell's perfectly executed exemplar of fluff. After her live-in boyfriend "does a runner," Tilly ditches London for Roxborough and a job as assistant to interior designer Max Dineen. Much of the town's gossip centers on handsome ladies' man Jack Lucas, and despite his almost irresistible charm, Tilly resolves not to be the latest notch on his bedpost. Meanwhile, gossip threatens to wreck Tilly's friend Erin when she's targeted by a jealous former friend and gets Max's ex-wife, Hollywood soap-opera star Kaye Dineen, hounded back to England. At the center, Tilly and Jack get into tangles, literally and figuratively, as they bounce toward their happy ending. While witty dialogue and wry observations keep the pace brisk, Mansell (Miranda's Big Mistake) still manages to tug at the heart. (May)
Posted by: Publicity on Feb 23, 2010
The Founding Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. Sourcebooks/Landmark, $14.99 paper (560p) ISBN 978-1-4022-3815-4
Originally published in 1980, the powerful first entry in the Morland Dynasty series introduces 15th-century matriarch Eleanor Morland. As a young woman and ward of the powerful Beaufort family, Eleanor was married off to wealthy Yorkshire commoner Robert Morland, despite her carrying a torch for the charismatic duke of York, Richard. As Eleanor grows comfortable in her marriage and her family expands, she resolves to keep her allegiance to Richard, something that threatens to destroy her family as civil war rips England apart. Readers familiar with the struggles of the War of the Roses will find this a refreshing take on the period and will be drawn to Eleanor, sometimes in spite of themselves. While keeping track of the whole Morland clan can be difficult, fans of historicals will be enthralled, eager to see how the staunchly Yorkist Morlands will survive the Tudor years. (Apr.)
Posted by: Publicity on Feb 08, 2010
Debut romance author Lydia Dare has received a STARRED review in this week's Publishers Weekly for the first book in their new historical paranormal trilogy, A Certain Wolfish Charm. This is our third starred review for Sourcebooks Casablanca!
A Certain Wolfish Charm Lydia Dare. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $6.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-4022-3694-5
Tough, resourceful, charming women battle roguish, secretive, aristocratic men under the watchful eye of society in Dare's delightful Victorian paranormal romance debut. When Lily Rutledge's 12-year-old ward, Oliver, displays sudden changes in size and appetite, she demands that his guardian, Simon Westfield, duke of Blackmoor, pay attention to the boy. Simon wants to take Oliver away and teach him about the Westfield werewolf heritage; Lily refuses to abandon her beloved near-son to the man who has ignored him for years. Simon and Lily are drawn to each other, but Simon's secret and society gossip threaten their happiness. The scenes of passion and transformation are surprisingly gentle after an intense emotional buildup, and a lack of gory detail helps the novel retain a period feel and keeps it mild enough for mainstream romance fans. (Apr.)
Posted by: Publicity on Jan 11, 2010
The Scarlet Lion Elizabeth Chadwick. Sourcebooks Landmark, $14.99 paper (576p) ISBN 978-1-4022-2999-2
William Marshal returns in this sequel to The Greatest Knight with the older and wiser William well settled with his wife, Isabelle de Clare, and their ever-growing brood. However, he is now in uneasy service to King John, who suspects William for his ties to John's late brother Richard I, but cannot openly despise the powerful earl's allegiance. Still, ever spiteful John systematically strips William of titles, power, honors, and even his son, Will, who the king demands as his squire. Then John dies suddenly, and William must take the rebellious kingdom in hand and assume the regency. Chadwick delivers another accomplished historical, albeit without the thrills of its predecessor. Like William, the story is too settled and comfortable to be as exciting as the story of the young knight on the rise, but the in-depth exploration of the intrigues of King John's court is riveting. Isabelle remains a powerful noblewoman and excellent match for William. This will be best appreciated by fans of Chadwick's other work or readers curious to learn more about medieval England. (Mar.)
Posted by: Publicity on Jan 04, 2010
The Highlander's Sword Amanda Forester. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $6.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-4022-2948-0
Against the backdrop of 14th-century Scotland, the talented Forester has constructed a highly entertaining debut romantic comedy of miscommunications and misunderstandings. Highlander Sir Padyn MacLaren stopped trusting women after his French fiancée betrayed him to the English, but when he agrees to marry Lady Aila Graham and guard her clan and Dundaff Castle, he discovers that some women have true honor. Strong-willed Aila has spent her whole life preparing to be a nun, but she gives it up to protect her clan. As Aila and MacLaren humorously struggle to find a time and place to consummate their marriage, they learn to trust each other, uncover a traitor, and discover the joys of love. Though the long-awaited sex scene doesn't justify the buildup, entertaining secondary characters and plenty of intrigue keep the reader cheering all the way. (Mar.)
Posted by: Publicity on Nov 30, 2009
Book 7 in The Pemberley Chronicles has been reviewed in this week's Publishers Weekly.
"Collins painstakingly recreates pitch-perfect Austen period notes which her fans will relish."
Postscript from Pemberley. Rebecca Ann Collins. Sourcebooks, $14.99 paper (336p) ISBN 9781402224324
In book seven of a well-researched ten-book sequel series to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Australian writer Collins examines two couples' long march to the altar. Although the book lacks the sprightly wit of the incomparable Austen, Collins does successfully capture U.K. courtship rituals of the 1860s. The first match runs rather smoothly: Jessica Courtney, Reverend James Courtney's daughter and manager of the Pemberley Parish School, falls in love with widower Julian Darcy, whose unfaithful wife, Josie, died after a scandalous affair. Julian, a scientist headed for Africa on a research trip, courts her with frequent letters. The second couple is more problematic: wealthy Darcy Gardiner, Julian's 26-year-old nephew, is a sought-after bachelor besotted by school teacher/governess Kathryn "Kate" O'Hare. Not only is Kate from a lower class, but she has a secret connection to Gordon Hartley-Brown, the cousin of her former employer Lady Denny, that could threaten her future with Darcy. Collins painstakingly recreates pitch-perfect Austen period notes which her fans will relish, though her story can drag. (Dec.)
Posted by: Publicity on Oct 29, 2009
More great news for Robin Kaye's Romeo, Romeo (9781402213397)! It was featured on Barbara Vey's popular romance blog, Beyond Her Book, as one of her book club member's weekly picks. And if you take a look at the comments, you'll notice people mention wanting to read this and Robin's other releases, as well as a compliment about the Sourcebooks contemporary romance titles over all:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/740050074.html
This mention comes a few days after Romeo, Romeo winning the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award for Best Single Title!
Posted by: Publicity on Oct 26, 2009
This week's Publishers Weekly has given a starred review to December Casablanca romance, My Unfair Lady!
*My Unfair Lady Kathryne Kennedy. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $6.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4022-2990-9
Kennedy (Beneath the Thirteen Moons) delivers a delightfully unusual Victorian romance. Unlike other American heiresses mingling with London society, Arizona railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee isn't looking for a husband or a title. In fact, she's already engaged. She just needs some social polish so she can marry a rich New Yorker. To this end, Summer hires Byron, an impoverished duke who ekes out a living by bringing Prince Albert gossip. Summer is equipped with a free-spirited best friend, a menagerie of abused stray animals and a host of unladylike skills; Byron has a strange stepfamily, a shrinking violet mistress and a murderer determined to do him in. Their chemistry has plenty of humor, and their passion is intense and breathtaking. Full of unexpected period details of cosmetics and hunting, this romance goes against type in a wonderful way. (Dec.)
The last Starred Review of one our romance novels was The Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary in October 2008!
Also positively reviewed in this week's issue:
Posted by: Publicity on Sep 08, 2009
"Mansell's Brit chick lit invasion continues with this enjoyable romp... The end result is thoroughly enjoyable." Fiction Book Reviews: 9/7/2009
Reviews of New Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Comics
-- Publishers Weekly
Perfect Timing Jill Mansell. Sourcebooks Landmark, $14 paper (448p) ISBN 978-1-4022-2674-8
Mansell's Brit chick lit invasion continues with this enjoyable romp that begins with Poppy Dunbar meeting a charismatic stranger at her bachelorette party. Next thing you know, she's abandoning her intended at the altar and heading to London, but not before she learns that her dad isn't her biological father. In London, she shares a flat with spoiled but desperately insecure Claudia and roguish artist Caspar French, and sets out to find her mystery man and her real father. Soon, though, Poppy learns that getting what you want isn't the same as getting what you need. While undoubtedly by-the-numbers, the story is elevated by strong characters; Poppy and Caspar in particular, and even Claudia, who could so easily be a cliché, earn the reader's sympathy. The end result is thoroughly enjoyable. (Nov.)
Posted by: Publicity on Aug 25, 2009
Web Exclusive Reviews: 8/24/2009
-- Publishers Weekly
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6685346.html?q=Sourcebooks
The Ghost Chronicles: A Medium and a Paranormal Scientist Investigate 17 True Hauntings
Maureen Wood and Ron Kolek. Sourcebooks, $18.99 (336p) ISBN 9781402225116
With a gaggle of friends and equipment in tow, Wood (the medium) and Kolek (the scientist) explore allegedly haunted New England houses, restaurants, and historical sites. Kolek, the founder of the New England Ghost Project, offers scientific explanations and observations regarding the realm of the unknown while Wood flexes her ability to channel the deceased, who appear in the form of ghosts and poltergeists. The duo turn up their fair share of spooky phenomena, including phantom infant cries, vanishing knickknacks and ghostly apparitions. More intense encounters include an apparent exorcism in which a woman and her dog are tortured by a poltergeist. Though the pair do a commendable job balancing the spooky goings-on with rational explanations and a healthy measure of doubt, it's difficult to believe this will convince a skeptic. Still, the partners maintain a breezy excitement throughout, and the episodic nature of each chapter makes for great serial before-bed reading. (Sept.)
