Samantha Young
Down London Road
NAL / May 7, 2013 / $15.00 print, $7.99 digital

It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.

But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.

Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets …even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

We once again enter the world of Club 39, but instead of going back to Joss and Braden’s story, we get to see Jo and new bartender Cam. Samantha Young knows tension, knows the depths of the human condition—both the light and dark parts—and she knows good sex. Best of all she knows how to write it all with a sensitivity and heat that both makes the experience believable for her readers and beautiful to read. Like in her debut On Dublin Street, Young builds the tension layer by layer and you are just about bursting at the seems when Cam and Joss finally (and explosively) get together.

[We won't keep you waiting for the rest of this post...]

Bee Ridgway
The River of No Return
Dutton / April 23, 2013 / $27.95 print, $14.99 digital

“You are now a member of the Guild. There is no return.”

Two hundred years after he was about to die on a Napoleonic battlefield, Lord Nicholas Falcott wakes up in a hospital bed in twenty-first century London. The Guild, a secretive organization that controls time travel, helps him make a new life in the modern world.

But Nick yearns for home and for one beautiful woman in particular, now lost to history.

Back in 1815, that very woman, Julia Percy, finds herself the guardian of a family secret inherited from her enigmatic grandfather... how to manipulate time. But there are those who seek to possess Julia’s power and she begins to realize she is in the gravest peril.

The Guild’s rules are made to be broken, and Nick discovers how to travel back to the nineteenth century and his ancestral home. Fate and the fraying fabric of time draw Nick and Julia together once again . . . soon enough, they are caught up in an adventure that puts the future of the world into their hands.

Bee Ridgway’s The River of No Return is an unusual book: part romance, part historical, and part science fiction. I enjoyed two things about it in particular: first, the ways in which Ridgway critically interrogated how we write about the past in genre fiction; and second, the story’s unpredictability—for much of the novel, I was genuinely unsure what direction it would go next, which meant I kept turning pages. These two things go together.

[Like peanut butter and jelly?!...]

Sophie Kinsella
Wedding Night
Dial / April 23, 2013 / $26.00 print, $12.99 digital

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurants. But when his big question involves a trip abroad, not a trip down the aisle, she’s completely crushed. So when Ben, an old flame, calls her out of the blue and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. No formal dates—just a quick march to the altar and a honeymoon on Ikonos, the sun-drenched Greek island where they first met years ago.

Their family and friends are horrified. Fliss, Lottie’s older sister, knows that Lottie can be impulsive—but surely this is her worst decision yet. And Ben’s colleague Lorcan fears that this hasty marriage will ruin his friend’s career. To keep Lottie and Ben from making a terrible mistake, Fliss concocts an elaborate scheme to sabotage their wedding night. As she and Lorcan jet off to Ikonos in pursuit, Lottie and Ben are in for a honeymoon to remember, for better . . . or worse.

It is not often that a book comes with a Public Service Announcement, but Sophie Kinsella's Wedding Night does: DO NOT read this book late at night with a sleeping partner beside you, because if you do, you will have to listen to morning complaints about how your suppressed snorts and cackles kept them awake.

Told in the first person, Wedding Night alternates between the points of view of Charlotte (“Lottie”) and Felicity (“Fliss“), two sisters who have had a bit of bad luck in the romance department.

[Does their luck improve?...]

Cara McKenna
After Hours
Intermix / April 16, 2013 / $3.99 digital 

Erin Coffey has been a nurse for years, but nothing’s prepared her for the physical and emotional demands of her new position. Needing to move closer to her dysfunctional family, she takes a dangerous job at Larkhaven Psychiatric Hospital, where she quickly learns that she needs protection—and she meets the strong, over-confident coworker who’s more than willing to provide it.

Kelly Robak is the type of guy that Erin has sworn she’d never get involved with. She’s seen firsthand, via her mess of a sister, what chaos guys like him can bring into a woman’s life. But she finds herself drawn to him anyway, even when he shows up at her door, not eager to take no for an answer.

What Erin finds even more shocking than Kelly’s indecent proposal is how much she enjoys submitting to his every command. But he can’t play the tough guy indefinitely. If they want to have more than just an affair, both will have to open up and reveal what they truly need.

Cara McKenna writes real romance. Rough around the edges and anything but easy, the relationship between the hero and heroine is something they have to work for, and is all the more rewarding for it. Her heroes live on the fringe of society, overwhelming and demanding, big and a little mean, but never falling into stereotype. And there’s always some aspect of the plot, the characters, or the setting that’s deeply fascinating. This is the case in After Hours, a full-length novel set in a psychiatric institution. Erin Coffey is starting her first professional job as a nurse at Larkhaven, where right away she meets Kelly Robak, an orderly whose size and appearance might be mistaken for a patient’s. The control Erin has always prided herself on is completely thrown off by Kelly, even as she's continually drawn to him.

[Can't blame her a bit...]

Iris Johansen
Taking Eve
St. Martin’s Press / April 16, 2013 / $27.99 print, digital

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan’s mission is to bring closure to families whose loved ones have vanished. She knows their anguish-her own beloved daughter, Bonnie, was taken from her when Bonnie was just seven years old. It is only recently that this mystery was resolved and Eve could begin her journey to peace. Now, Jim Doane wants the same kind of answers that Eve always longed for. His twenty-five year old son may or may not be dead and he has only burned skull fragments as possible evidence. But he cannot go to the police for answers without risking his own secrets and dark past, so instead he chooses a bold step to find the truth-a truth that takes Eve down a twisted path of madness and evil and into the darkest heart of her own history. Doane needs Eve Duncan’s skills and he’ll do anything to get them.

Even if it means Taking Eve.

Iris Johansen fans fans will be happy that Eve and her trusted knights, detective boyfriend, Joe Quinn, and adopted daughter, Jane McGuire, are back. Taking Eve is the first installment in a new trilogy, all of which will be released this year. For those new to the Eve Duncan series, jumping in with this book will be an easy transition. Johansen has provided enough background to catch the reader up to speed without slowing down the pace of the book. Taking Eve is a suspense packed thriller, full of enough twists and turns to keep the reader riveted until the very end. And then, wanting more.

[And more, and more!]

Suzanne Brockmann
Headed for Trouble
Ballantine / April 30, 2013 / $7.99 print, digital

• Tough-as-nails Troubleshooters operative Sam Starrett learns the agony of loving someone in danger—and the hell of waiting on the home front—as his wife, Alyssa, hurtles into a foreign hotspot that’s about to boil over.
 
• Navy SEAL Frank O’Leary’s ill-fated holiday reunion with his older brother takes a turn for the better—when a chance encounter on a rainy New Orleans street gives Frank a reason to be thankful after all.
 
• In a maze of tunnels deep beneath a military base in Germany, Jules Cassidy, Alyssa Locke, and their comrades in arms match wits with terrorists on a mission with explosive consequences.
 
Plus more never-before-released adventures featuring Jenk, Izzy, Gillman, Lopez, Kenny, Savannah, and other members of SEAL Team 16—along with Suzanne Brockmann’s exclusive interviews with her beloved characters.
 
Looking for the best kind of trouble? You’ve found it!

Headed for Trouble by Suzanne Brockmann was an unusual treat: a selection of short stories and other related material, all of it tied to Brockmann’s Troubleshooters novels (the book is numbered 16.5 in the series). Because most of the stories fit into series continuity, or are more meaningful with prior knowledge of the characters, the book seems mostly intended for existing fans. There’s a handy timeline to help readers, old and new, figure out where everything falls during the series, plus each story has the date at the beginning.

[That's always very helpful!...]

Melinda Leigh
Midnight Sacrifice
Montlake / April 16, 2013 / $12.95 print, $9.99 digital (retail)

Four months ago Huntsville, Maine, was rocked by the evil deeds of a serial killer…who got away. Mandy Brown barely survived the killer’s attack…and only that thanks to a timely rescue by Danny Sullivan, brother to one of the victims who escaped. Unable to move on, Mandy now runs her family’s inn and hides the anonymous threats that arrive in her mailbox. Until Danny returns to town, determined to hunt down the killer and stirring up old unanswered questions…and unaddressed feelings for Mandy.

Mandy doesn’t want Danny to hunt for anything too afraid his doggedness will uncover her secrets…secrets that could get her family killed. But the longer he stays, the closer he gets both to answers and to Mandy’s wounded heart. And when people once again begin to mysteriously disappear in the wilds of Maine, it’s slowly becomes clear the killer is far from finished with his ritualistic murderous plans…plans that feature Mandy center stage.

Melinda Leigh's Midnight Sacrifice starts with Mandy’s attack opening this competent romantic thriller on a high note to which it takes a while to return. Emotionally scarred from the trauma and subsequent family setbacks, Mandy is barely managing to hold it together, caring for her ailing mother, developmentally challenged brother, and the inn all with a .38 in her pocket and shadows outside her door. For his part, Danny comes back to town driven by a need to give his sister and Mandy some peace and closure, but he’s also looking to prove himself after an IED explosion in Iraq left him with severe nerve damage in his hand...and significant identity issues complicated by PTSD.

[Complicated indeed...]

We’re reading our way across America…one romance at a time.

Wisconsin: Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

There aren’t a lot of books out there that have literally changed the world. Best-sellers—even massive best-sellers—come and go. True game-changers? Not so common. But in 1942, Maureen Daly, barely out of her teens, wrote a novel that did exactly that with her timeless tale of first love, Seventeenth Summer.

Not a lot of people read this ground-breaking book today, but many scholars and historians remember Seventeenth Summer as the very first-ever Young Adult novel. There were children’s books aplenty, of course, but very little fiction that was written specifically for teenagers and dealt directly with their rich interior lives. Seventeenth Summer changed that, and suddenly tales for and about teens exploded onto the scene. Daly’s immediate spiritual heirs include Janet Lambert, Rosamund du Jardin, and Lenore Mattingly Weber—and if you have never read any of their work, it’s pretty likely that your mother did. It’s hard to overstate her importance.

But—seventy-plus years out—how does the book hold up?

[That is the question...]

Megan Frampton
Hero of My Heart
Loveswept / April 8, 2013 / $2.99 digital

When Mary Smith’s corrupt, debt-ridden brother drags her to a seedy pub to sell her virtue to the highest bidder, Alasdair Thornham leaps to the rescue. Of course the marquess is far from perfect husband material. Although he is exceedingly handsome, with a perfect, strong body, chiseled jaw, and piercing green eyes, Alasdair is also too fond of opium, preferring delirium to reality. Still, he has come to Mary’s aid, and now she intends to return the favor. She will show him that he is not evil, just troubled.

Mary was a damsel in need of a hero, but Alasdair’s plan is shortsighted. He never foresaw her desire to save him from himself. Alasdair is quite at home in his private torment, until this angel proves that a heart still beats in his broken soul. The devil may have kept her from hell, but will Mary’s good intentions lead them back to the brink—or to heaven in each other’s arms?

(Full disclosure: Megan Frampton is the community manager for Heroes and Heartbreakers.)

In Hero of My Heart, Megan Frampton cleverly and subtly anticipates the reader’s reaction to scenes and conversations. We meet our protagonists, Mary, the daughter of a vicar, and her noble rescuer, Alasdair, marquess and addict, at a sell-the-virgin-to-the-highest-bidder auction. Mary is the virgin, her wastrel brother the seller and Alasdair the hero of the hour:

“She fell into Alasdair’s arms. It was not an elegant rescue, the kind where the noble prince gathers the humble milkmaid gently in his arms …”

[Elegant rescues are so five minutes ago...]

Lauren Willig
The Ashford Affair
St. Martin’s Press / April 9, 2013 / $24.99 print, $11.99 digital

As a lawyer in a large Manhattan firm, just shy of making partner, Clementine Evans has finally achieved almost everything she’s been working towards—but now she’s not sure it’s enough. Her long hours have led to a broken engagement and, suddenly single at thirty-four, she feels her messy life crumbling around her. But when the family gathers for her grandmother Addie’s ninety-ninth birthday, a relative lets slip hints about a long-buried family secret, leading Clemmie on a journey into the past that could change everything. . . .

Growing up at Ashford Park in the early twentieth century, Addie has never quite belonged. When her parents passed away, she was taken into the grand English house by her aristocratic aunt and uncle, and raised side-by-side with her beautiful and outgoing cousin, Bea. Though they are as different as night and day, Addie and Bea are closer than sisters, through relationships and challenges, and a war that changes the face of Europe irrevocably. But what happens when something finally comes along that can’t be shared? When the love of sisterhood is tested by a bond that’s even stronger?

From the inner circles of British society to the skyscrapers of Manhattan and the red-dirt hills of Kenya, the never-told secrets of a woman and a family unfurl.

Lauren Willig forsakes the Napoleonic era spies of her popular Pink Carnation series to give readers a sweeping saga of family relationships and secrets that span three generations. Promoted as a meeting of Downton Abbey and Out of Africa, The Ashford Affair reminded me most of family sagas that have held me enthralled, from Elswyth Thayne’s Williamsburg series (1943-1957) to Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds (1977) to Isabelle Allende’s The House of the Spirits (1982).

[Get drawn in...]

Jamie McGuire
Walking Disaster
Atria / April 2, 2013 / $15.00 print, $7.99 digital

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

We all know their type. The kind of guy that’s only with a girl for one thing; the kind who has built up an impressive reputation around his sexual exploits. He either attracts women who think they can change him or the ones that just want that one thing too. He’s also the type to scare away anyone that doesn’t want to take the risk. But even if we do know someone just like him, we rarely get to see the inner workings of his mind.

[But now, a peek into Travis Maddox's mind...]

Lora Leigh and Jaci Burton
Nautier and Wilder
Berkley / April 2, 2013 / $15.00 print, $9.99 digital

First there was Nauti and Wild. Now, New York Times bestselling authors Lora Leigh and Jaci Burton go one step further. Can you take it?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh returns to the relentlessly scorching backdrop of her Nauti Boys series with an all-new novella of a man—bad to the bone—and the one woman who knew he was trouble. That’s why she couldn’t let him go.

New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton once again blisters the asphalt with an all-new novella in her Wild Riders series. A hot biker craves a life of passion and danger—and finds it with the woman he’s sworn to protect.

With Nautier and Wilder, Lora Leigh and Jaci Burton team up a second time to bring us new stories in their popular Nauti and Wild Riders series, and this book is even better than the first.

[Better, you say?!...]

Shiloh Walker
Wrecked
Penguin / April 2, 2013 / $7.99 print & digital

In the nineties, Abigale Applegate and Zach Barnes were the most beloved sitcom child stars in the world. Then they grew up and left Hollywood behind…

Whatever happened to Abigale Applegate?

She’s been wondering the same thing.

With her Hollywood dreams long gone, Abigale now has a nice, neat, uncomplicated life—until the day her perfect fiancé needs to talk. Dumped, a little more than shattered, and totally confused, Abigale turns to Zach, her best friend since forever, to help her pick up the pieces. He does it with a gift—a copy of Wreck This Journal. She can vent her frustrations, and sketch out a new plan. Zach just hopes he’s part of it. Because he’s been in love with Abigale his entire life.

When the journal falls into Zach’s hands, he discovers Abigale wants a new man. And fast. Nothing more than a hot distraction. Zach has a strategy, too. He’s going to be that man. It’s his last chance. Abigale might be out to shake up her life, but Zach’s out to reinvent it. Now, all he has to do is convince Abigale that life can go as planned.

I have a soft spot in my heart for friends-to-lovers stories. There is something sweet, sentimental, and definitely sexy to be said for watching someone discover true love with their best friend. Especially when it is unrequited in the beginning and we get to watch the seductive and slow dance as their chemistry turns from comfortable to electric. The first moment we see that awareness take hold is a pivotal moment.

[And so tempting in a novel...]

Zoe Archer
Sinner’s Heart
Zebra / April 2, 2013 / $6.99 print, $4.99 digital

Abraham Stirling, Lord Rothwell, was a fighter once, a soldier in the Colonies. But Bram returned to London with more nightmares than tales of glory. Now he drowns his senses in the arms of countless women, while his friends, the Hellraisers, ensure he needn't sin alone. Until, that is, the Devil himself grants them each a wish, undoing their camaraderie as they explore their wicked powers. Bram finds himself magically bound to Valeria Livia Corva, the sensuous priestess who raised the Devil the first time—and died to send the demon back. She may be a ghost, but Livia is no angel. The raw passion she witnesses in Bram's memories isn't much different from her behavior when she had a body to enjoy. But it doesn't make it any easier to convince Bram to become a warrior again, lest all London burn. And the fierce desires reawakening within her might just start the blaze.

Third in the Georgian England-set Hellraisers series, Sinner’s Heart follows the tortured Bram Stirling, who’s become magically attached to a Roman ghost, Valeria Livia Corva, a situation which pleases neither of them.

[That could get complicated...]

Heather Snow
Sweet Madness
Signet / April 2, 2013 / $7.99 print/digital

Ever since her husband’s sudden and tragic death, Lady Penelope Bridgeman has committed herself to studying the maladies of the mind, particularly treating traumatized soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars. It is this expertise that brings the Marquess of Bromwich’s family to her door.

Gabriel Devereaux’s unexpected and unpredictable episodes are unlike any Penelope has studied. The once proud soldier has been left shaken and withdrawn, but she manages to build a fragile trust between them. Strangely, Gabriel seems completely lucid when not in the grips of his mania, and in the calm between bouts, she is surprised by how much she is drawn to him.

Despite his own growing feelings, Gabriel knows that he is fit for no one, and is determined to keep Penelope away from his descent into madness. But even though she knows firsthand the folly of loving a broken man, Penelope cannot stop herself from trying to save him, no matter the cost.

Sweet Madness is a book that will make you think as well as feel. With today’s modern medicines, we forget that not too long ago doctors didn’t know how to help people suffering from simple mental imbalances and they were confined to institutions. Nowadays doctors easily diagnose mental conditions and treat them with medications.

[Not how they handled it back then...]

Julie Ann Walker
Thrill Ride
Sourcebooks Casablanca / April 2, 2013 / $7.99 print, $6.59 digital

Ex-navy SEAL Rock Babineaux is as Cajun as they come—spicy, sexy, and more than a bit wicked. But would he actually betray his country? Even his best friends on the special-ops Black Knights team aren't sure they can trust him. Now the target of a massive manhunt, Rock knows the only way to protect the team—especially his partner, Vanessa—is to run...

Rock might think he can outmaneuver them all, but he hasn't counted on how stubborn Vanessa Cordero can be. And she refuses to cut him loose. Sure, her partner has his secrets, but there's no one in the world she'd rather have by her side in a tight spot. Which is good because she and Rock are about to get very tight...

Julie Ann Walker’s Black Knights, Inc. series keeps its foot on the accelerator from the first book's opening pages, all the way through the end of Thrill Ride, the latest in the series. Just when you think you know the cast, you know the issues, and you can guess the outcome, the landscape tilts.

[Changing things up on you!...]

EDITOR'S NOTE: This here is a NON-SPOILERY post! To talk spoilers (as in, any major events or developments in Lover at Last), visit our Lover at Last SPOILERS POST!

J.R. Ward
Lover at Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood #11)
Penguin / March 26, 2013 / $27.95 print, $14.99 digital 

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another....

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: it seems Qhuinn has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young. It’s hard for Blay to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. And Qhuinn needs to come to terms with some dark things before he can move forward…

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions... but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together... finally become one.

It wouldn’t be a J.R. Ward Black Dagger Brotherhood novel without name brands and pop culture, and Lover at Last doesn't disappoint. From John Matthew and Qhuinn discussing how the Antichrist is surely coming due to the fact that Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber are on the radio to Mr. C talking about Channing Tatum looking “hot as fuck,” through these references we get glimpses into what makes the BDB books so enjoyable.

[Channing Tatum's hotness IS oft discussed these days...]

Laura Moore
Once Tempted 
Ballantine Books / March 26, 2013 / $7.99 print & digital 

Oldest son Ward Knowles feels the sprawling California ranch in his blood. And now that the family business has expanded to include a popular resort, he’s working harder than ever. Silver Creek is his legacy and his life, which is fine for the ruggedly sexy ladies’ man and committed bachelor. Love and trust don’t come easily for Ward since he lost his heart to a gold digger—until he meets a shy, unpretentious beauty whose sweet grace is about to turn his jaded heart into a hungry one.
 
Tess Casari has found sanctuary at Silver Creek, working as an assistant to Ward’s mother, Adele. Grateful for her busy new life running the ranch’s spa and resort, Tess can escape the heartbreak, humiliation, and secret shame of her failed marriage. The last thing she needs is temptation—especially from a man who reminds her so much of the husband who shattered her faith in love. But passion and destiny are about to change the rules for two people who have stopped believing in the healing power of love.

If I were selecting a playlist for my literacy autobiography, I would be sure to include Trisha Yearwood’s “Cowboys Are My Weakness.” After all, cowboys were my first heroes. I spent countless Saturday afternoons watch Roy and Gene and the lesser known but most dashing Lash LaRue on the big screen, and I started reading my dad’s Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour books only a year after I started reading my mother’s romance novels. I sighed over the Marlboro Man ads in the days of ignorance. Ward Knowles, the hero of Laura Moore’s Once Tempted, the first book in her new Silver Creek series, may seem far removed from the classic cowboys of my youth, but he shares some essential qualities with them.

[Let's hear 'em!...]

Maya Banks
Fever
Berkley Trade / April 2, 2013 / $15.00 print, $9.99 digital

Jace, Ash, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Jace, it’s a woman whose allure takes him completely by surprise...

Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They’re powerful, they’re imposing, they’re irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.

When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he’s never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.

Jace isn’t sharing Bethany—with anyone. He’s determined to be the only man in her life, and it’s jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.

Fever, the second book in Maya Banks’s Breathless trilogy, explores extreme class differences and themes of control and trust when intense billionaire Jace falls hard for Bethany, a woman who lives on the streets with barely a penny to her name. Used to being unattached and unencumbered, preferring to share women with his best friend and business partner, Ash, Jace doesn’t expect to feel possessive and consumed from the moment he sees Bethany, who’s serving as a cater waiter at his sister’s engagement party. Though there’s an instant connection between the two of them, Jace invites Ash to join them in a night that just confirms for Jace that this girl is different.

[That sure sounds complicated...]

Julia Quinn
Bridgertons: Happily Ever After
Avon / April 2, 2013 / $9.98 print, $7.99 digital

Once upon a time, a historical romance author created a family . . .

But not just any family. Eight brothers and sisters, assorted in-laws, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews (not to mention an overweight corgi) plus an irrepressible matriarch who's a match for any of them . . . These are the Bridgertons: less a family than a force of nature. Through eight bestselling novels, readers laughed, cried, and fell in love. But they wanted more.

And so the readers asked the author . . .

What happens next? Does Simon ever read his father's letters? Do Francesca and Michael become parents? Who would win in a Pall Mall grudge match?

Does “The End” really have to be the end?

Now, with The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After, Julia Quinn delivers eight sexy, funny, and heartwarming “2nd Epilogues” plus a bonus story about none other than the wise and witty matriarch Violet Bridgerton herself. So get to know the Bridgertons all over again—because Happily Ever After is a whole lot of fun.

From the first moment I picked up The Duke and I, I became a slave to Julia Quinn’s wonderful Bridgerton family. When I learned that Ms. Quinn was writing a second epilogue, so to speak, of some of her most notable characters, I was overjoyed. Often readers will find themselves head over heels for a certain series and the characters and any small tidbit or nugget of information concerning them will send us flocking to buy. If we are lucky to be graced with an actual epilogue that tells us what these beloved characters have been up to
since we last seen then, well, that can send us into an a romantic swoon worthy of an Oscar.

[How did the stories measure up?...]