I have done so well this month with reading that I'm going to take a short break to splurge on these piled up graphic novels and comics. I have so many to choose from. Transformers, GI Joe, Dredd, and a lot of indies. This promises to be fun.

Leah goes back to Regency times to find her Duke but she finds Avery, the Duke's valet, instead.  Instantly attracted, they miscommunicate or don't communicate at all.    When tragedy falls, they are able to work through it.

This is a fun, light romp.  Leah is definitely a girl of modern times.  She's outspoken and goes fully into everything that comes her way.  Avery is hard put to stop her at times so he is rescuing her often.  I enjoyed the two of them and am glad they got everything straightened out in the end.

When Ella Briley asked her lucky-in-love friends to set her up for an office party, she was expecting a blind date. Instead, she's pulled through a magic mirror and into the past...straight into the arms of her very own Mr. Darcy.

Patrick Meadowfair, earl of Fairhaven, is too noble for his own good. To save a female friend from what is sure to be a loveless marriage, he's agreed to whisk her off to wed the man she truly wants. But all goes awry when Patrick mistakes Ella for the would-be bride and kidnaps her instead.

Centuries away from everything she knows, Ella's finally found a man who heats her blood and leaves her breathless. Too bad he's such a perfect gentleman. Yet the reluctant rake may just find this modern girl far too tempting for even the noblest of men to resist...

This was a fun time-travel romance.  It really didn't look at what happens to the time line when you go back, it just assumes that it all works out somehow.  I think what I liked most about the time-travel aspect was Ella's reaction to the living conditions.  She has to use a chamber pot - super embarassing.  I loved seeing the reaction of a modern woman to Regency times.

Ella was not at all happy to find herself stuck in the past with Patrick, but she'll have to work with him in order to get back to London and find her way home.  Patrick was quite a gentleman, and seemed to be truly worried about the strange crazy girl he accidently kidnapped.  I loved his thoughfulness and he really was just about everything I would hope to see in a romantic hero.

Of course, they do find themselves in all sorts of trouble a few times.  But it really gave the story a light-hearted feeling between more serious scenes.  The ending was a bit of a surprise, but I really love it - espcially the part about the toilet.  You'll just to read to find out what I mean!

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Kiss the Earl

Geek Girls, #3
Gina Lamm

Genre: Regency Time Travel Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of Publication: April 7, 2015
Number of pages: 384
Cover Artist: Blake Morrow

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     ARe

A modern girl's guide to seducing Mr. Darcy

When Ella Briley asked her lucky-in-love friends to set her up for an office party, she was expecting a blind date. Instead, she's pulled through a magic mirror and into the past...straight into the arms of her very own Mr. Darcy.

Patrick Meadowfair, earl of Fairhaven, is too noble for his own good. To save a female friend from what is sure to be a loveless marriage, he's agreed to whisk her off to wed the man she truly wants. But all goes awry when Patrick mistakes Ella for the would-be bride and kidnaps her instead.

Centuries away from everything she knows, Ella's finally found a man who heats her blood and leaves her breathless. Too bad he's such a perfect gentleman. Yet the reluctant rake may just find this modern girl far too tempting for even the noblest of men to resist...

Guest Post: 

Hi everyone! I’m so happy to be here at Musings and Ramblings today! KISS THE EARL released just yesterday (EEK!) so I’m very grateful to be here today on our virtual tour. 

Today I’m going to give you three of my very favorite historical romances!

I’ve been reading romance since I was very, very young. Honestly, I was probably about 10 when I started smuggling mom’s Harlequins off the shelf. Contemporary, western, historical, didn’t matter. If it sat still long enough, I’d read it. But historicals were some of my favorites. My mother has been in love with the genre since THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER (hence my older sister’s name, hehee) and so there were plenty in the house to choose from. So here are three of my all-time favorites. It’s tough to narrow the list down, since there are so many, but I’ll do my best! Please note that these aren’t in any particular order. I can’t pick a favorite book any more than I can pick a favorite color. I love too many of them!

#3 – THE WOLF AND THE DOVE by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Happy sigh. Okay, this is an old-school bodice ripper, so by modern sensibilities, it’s a bit, well, tough at times. If you’ve been reading romances for a long time, you’ll know that sometimes consent wasn’t exactly the name of the game. This book might be a trigger for some, but that being said, it’s a lush, epic romance. The hero, Wulfgar, is as Alpha as Alpha gets. And the heroine, Aislinn, is a proud, strong, and noble woman. Set in a medieval backdrop, this book doesn’t gloss over some of the harsh realities of war. But honestly, that’s part of what makes this book so good. Saxons, Normans, knights and battles aplenty, this is a classic by the queen of the genre. It’ll always be near the top of my favorites list, and I have to re-read it every few years just to remember how freaking good it is.

#2 – THE ENDEARMENT by Lavyrle Spencer
My mom was a huge fan of Lavyrle Spencer’s, so I’ve read several of hers. But this one, for some reason, had me coming back to read it over and over again. Set in the 1800s, this is a homesteading kind of historical. Not quite Western, but definitely Americana. I’m not sure what I loved most about this book. Maybe it was the flawed heroine Anna, who’d had to make some terrible choices to keep her family safe? Or maybe it was the virgin hero Karl, truly good all the way down to his toes. The connection between these two was heart wrenching, and I longed to see them get their happily ever after! Relationships are complicated, and I don’t know many authors that can show this better than Lavyrle Spencer. This one still warms my heart every time I think of it, so I’ve got to include it here.

#1 – Pretty much any Regency Romance by Catherine Coulter
I couldn’t pick just one. I’ve loved her Regency romances since I was in high school. THE WYNDHAM LEGACY, LORD HARRY, THE OFFER, THE SHERBROOKE BRIDE, gosh, so many more I can’t name them all! I can’t tell you how much I’ve read, re-read, and re-re-read these stories. They have stuck with me through all the years, and I STILL re-read them! I love the banter between the characters. I love the world she paints, the way the characters are all woven throughout her stories. These Regencies are some of my favorites, and they have been for so long that I had to put them here.

Thanks for giving me the chance to share some of my favorite books with you! I hope you get a chance to check out KISS THE EARL, which is halfway historical since it’s time travel. ☺

XOXO,
Gina Lamm

Review: 
When I first saw this series, the Geek Girl in me just had to give it a look. The series began with The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl, and was followed by Geek Girls Don't Date Dukes. Since I enjoyed them, the chance to read the third book early was a no brainer.

We are introduced to Ella, whom we met in book 2. Ella is into comics, as in an comic artist. She has just been chosen to illustrate her favorite comic book hero and now just has to find a date to the launch party of the new series that the company is throwing. She really doesn't want to go with the skeezy guy who owns the shop she rents space from, but unless she can find someone else fast, it looks like she will be stuck with him.  So Ella asks her friends Leah and Jamie about setting her up on a blind date.  However, Mrs. Knightsbridge, the wonderous worker of the magic mirror from the first two books, tricks her into touching the reassembled mirror (wee spoiler from book 2). Needless to say, Ella is less than thrilled to end up back in Regency England.

Patrick, is on his way to "abduct" his best friend. He is doing this in order to assist her in this crazy scheme she has concocted to allow her father to let her marry her chosen man, a much poorer and less worthy vicar. Unfortunately, he abducts the wrong woman, but doesn't realize it until hours later. So commences a comedy of errors.

I really enjoyed that this wasn't a revamp of either of the first two books. Though each book is different, they all shared a feel for the reality of life in Regency England, from chamber pots to strange food dishes to how rough and long it took to travel around the countryside. I am picky when it comes to historicals, but I can honestly say that I greatly enjoyed these. I believe that there is enough background that the book could be read as a stand alone, to get the true nuances, I would suggest reading them in order.  And while this book does close the initial story arc, the possibility for further books is left open. This was a great read and I gave it 4 stars.  Oh, and just to mention the scene on the cover of the book? Yep, it's in there. *wiggles eyebrows*

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review the book.

Giveaway: 
Copy of The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl, the first in the Geek Girl series.

Author Bio:

Gina Lamm is an escapist. To escape her regular life in rural NC, she read romance novels, fantasies, and horror tales. When she’d read everything she could get her hands on, she turned to writing. And when those books turned into novels, she realized she was finally living her dream.

Though she adored theatre enough to major in it for two years at a women’s college, and though she loved bellydancing enough to teach it for several years at a local community college, crafting stories is her true passion. Unless she’s being creative, she’s not happy.

With seven published works, and three more contracted, Gina—who also writes as Regina Cole—has proved herself adept at several genres within the romance world—contemporary romance, paranormal romance, time travel Regency romance, and erotic romance, to name a few.

She’s a happy wife, an infertility warrior-goddess, and a fiercely loyal friend. When not writing, she enjoys fishing, playing with her dogs, hanging out with her family, and playing World of Warcraft. Badly.

To connect with the author online:

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