My giveaway is open to US/Canada and the winner will get to choose 3 books from the selection below. Giveaway ends March 22. Thanks for stopping by! Be sure and check out all the other great giveaways as well below my Rafflecopter. Good Luck!
Most of the books are ARCs, here's a list of each book and what format it's in:
Chasing Mona Lisa (Trade Paperback), The Underside of Joy (Hardcover), Lovesick by Spencer Seidel (Arc)
The Legacy of Eden (Arc), Family Storms by V.C. Andrews (paperback), Night Road by Kristin Hannah (Arc)
Populazzi (Arc), A Long Long Sleep (ARC), City of Bones (audiobook)
A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie (Arc), The Vision by Jen Nadol (Arc), Blood Ties by Mari Mancusi (Arc)
Horns by Joe Hill (Trade Paperback), Iron House by John Hart (Arc), 40 by Travis Thrasher (Arc)
The Sixes by Kate White (Arc), Dead of Wynter by Spencer Seidel (Arc), Blood of the Reich (Arc)
My Review:
First up I'm a sucker for a story where both parties are sure they won't fall in love with each other. And this is just that type of story. When Johanna and Damon marry both tell themselves that they will get through the year of marriage with their heart intact. Of course, we as readers know that will never happen, but the fun is in watching them fall in love. And there is a lot of fun in On One Condition.
This is a short romance so a lot has to happen and Ms. Alberts manages to pack a lot into this diamond of a book. I found myself involved in the story. I really liked Johanna and her spunky personality and Damon and his drive and desire to win Johanna over. As I mentioned before of course I loved that neither one wanted to fall in love. And of course it made it interesting the neither thought the other was in love with each other either. The back and forth between the two and the sparks between them really drove the book. The added plus was the romantic side of Damon.
In this short of a book a huge amount of character development does not get to take place but I felt it had the right amount for the amount of pages. I think Ms. Alberts did a great job with the motivations and back stories however brief of the characters. I cared about them. I understood them and I liked watching them grow and change through the book. I loved watching them fall in love.
If you are up for a great little romance then this is just the book for you. It has romance, secrets and problems for the main characters to work through, and great characters who ultimately fall in love. On One Condition is one of those perfect books for a pick-me-up and perfect for lovers of contemporary romance. I loved it and look forward to reading more from Ms. Alberts in the future.
One of my favorite quotes that shows the interplay between the characters nicely (and the sense of humor of the author) is this one:
She held up a palm. "Hold up. You Googled me? Really?"
"Actually...I used Bing."
How you can not love that?
My Rating: 5.0/5.0
Be sure and check out my interview with author Diane Alberts and the giveaway of On One Condition here.
About the Book: OCD kindergarten teacher Johanna hates Valentine’s Day. She hates romance, hates commercialism, and definitely hates her school’s annual charity date auction. She never expects her pre-auction night of drinking to land a sexy Brit in her bed. Or for that Brit to show up at the auction, bid thousands just to talk to her again, and get down on one knee in front of everyone and ask her to marry him.
Viscount Damon Hayes has never met anyone like Johanna. She’s neurotic, fascinating, and fun. She also doesn’t care about his title and doesn’t want his money, which makes Johanna perfect to fulfill a surprise clause in his father’s will: marry within three months and remain married for a year, or lose his fortune. A relationship is out of the question, but when passions ignite and the two fall in love, their marriage of convenience becomes anything but.
About the Author:
Best-selling author of all things romance. Diane believes strongly in a happily-ever-after for everyone. She especially loves tortured heroes and heroines, as can be seen in her stories. She is repped by the fabulous Lauren Hammond of ADA Management.
Diane Alberts lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her husband, four kids, and a bird. She lives in the mountains-but wishes it were the beach. She has been writing since she was in elementary school, but only recently fulfilled her dreams of being published in 2011. Enjoys dyeing yarn and knitting in her “spare” time.
She loves interacting with readers, so feel free to email her at: diane@dianealberts.com.
Today I welcome Diane Alberts, author of On One Condition. On One Condition is a delightful romp of a marriage of convenience with a very particular and spunky heroine who hates Valentine's Day and a extremely hot and likeable hero who needs a wife to keep his fortune. You can tell just from that little bit that this will be an interesting book and it is. I love the interplay between the characters. But for now I would love for you to get to know the author a little bit then come back later and check out my review. Also you have a chance at the end of the interview to win a copy of On One Condition so check that out as well. Welcome Diane Alberts!
Thanks so much for having me today!
Describe the area you write in.
~looks around room~ I’m in my bedroom, so I have a bed on one side, and a shelf on the other. The window is cracked open, since it’s seventy degrees out, and birds are singing. It’s a lovely, serene scene—if you ignore the dirty clothes on the floor and the unmade bed.
What's your favorite season?
This, right here, today. Spring, where everything is warm and sunny and new. I love the feeling of rejuvenation spring brings.
Crystal: I have to agree with you, our weather here on the NC coast is beautiful this week, makes me want to be outside all of the time!
Describe your ideal reading space (no expense spared here).
It would have a lock that I could bolt so that no one could come in and distract me, and its own bathroom. I’d have a Keurig and a mini-kitchen, so that I wouldn’t have to leave the room. Could I have a servant boy to rub my shoulders as I type, too? Or is that too much?
Crystal: Servant boys are definitely allowed, this is an ideal reading space! And our shoulders do need rubbing (making notes for her own reading space and wondering if her husband would mind said servant boy) ;)
What is a typical day like in your life?
I have four kids, so I get three of them off to school. Then, I take care of my three year old the rest of the morning, and my husband is home going to school full time—thank you GI Bill and Marines—so he usually makes lunch. Then, at naptime, I get to write. It’s when all the magic happens.
Crystal: Wow, 4 kids, I think I just complained about my busy life in an email to you, please disregard. I only have 2 kids and feel like they take up all my time! You are superwoman, superwoman who writes!
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
Hawaii or England. I know, their kind of polar opposites, but I want to go to both. England for the rich history and the castles, and Hawaii for the warm weather and clear water.
Tell us a little bit about On One Condition.
I like to think of it as a modern day Cinderella tale—where Cinderella is bitter about love and relationships, and Prince Charming is a bit naive in the world of normal people. It is a shorter story, so I tried to mainly focus on the love story as Johanna and Damon learn how to communicate and trust one another, but I also touch lightly upon Johanna’s past and Damon’s failures as a modern-day millionaire.
But mostly, it’s about Johanna and Damon finding their stride, and getting their happily ever after.
What made you choose to write in the Contemporary Romance genre?
I honestly have no idea. All my life, I’ve been a Historical Romance kind of girl. But when it came time to pen my first novel, out came Contemporary Romance. And I haven’t stopped loving it since. In my journey as a Contemporary Romance Author, I’ve found a huge love for the genre, and a lot of new authors to follow.
Which character really spoke to you when you were writing On One Condition?
Johanna, she was very determined not to be fooled by Damon’s charming ways—but Damon can be very persuasive when he wants. When he met Johanna, he knew he wanted her…and he goes after her without hesitation.
What are you working on now?
A Historical Romance, that is almost finished. Also, I just finished a bunch of shorter stories that are all Contemporary Romances—even shorter than On One Condition—and I also just completed a full length novel that’s a dark YA book called Outwitted.
Book Blurb:
Kindergarten teacher Johanna hates Valentine's Day. She hates romance, hates commercialism, and definitely hates her school’s annual charity date auction. She never expects her pre-auction night of drinking to land a sexy Brit in her bed. Or for that Brit to show up at the auction, bid thousands just to talk to her again, and get down on one knee in front of everyone and ask her to marry him.
Viscount Damon Hayes has never met anyone like Johanna. She’s neurotic, fascinating, and fun. She also doesn't care about his title and doesn't want his money, which makes Johanna perfect to fulfill a surprise clause in his father's will: marry within three months and remain married for a year, or lose his fortune. A relationship is out of the question, but when passions ignite and the two fall in love, their marriage of convenience becomes anything but.
Author Bio:
Best-selling author of all things romance. Diane believes strongly in a happily-ever-after for everyone. She especially loves tortured heroes and heroines, as can be seen in her stories. She is repped by the fabulous Lauren Hammond of ADA Management.
Diane Alberts lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her husband, four kids, and a bird. She lives in the mountains-but wishes it were the beach. She has been writing since she was in elementary school, but only recently fulfilled her dreams of being published in 2011. Enjoys dyeing yarn and knitting in her “spare” time.
She loves interacting with readers, so feel free to email her at: diane@dianealberts.com.
Thanks to Diane, she is giving away one copy of the eBook, On One Condition. Open International, ends, 3/23/2012. Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.
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