In her debut effort, The Heir, author Grace Burrowes showcases a mastery of Regency dialogue that had me sighing with pleasure.

Gayle Windham is heir to the Duke of Moreland, who is obsessed with seeing his son married off. To escape the pressure, Windham decides to spend the summer in London, where his new housekeeper immediately draws his interest.

 Anna Seaton is a gently bred lady with a secret past and the two are soon drawn to each. The result is a lovely romance, which is both tender and starkly sensual. The backdrop is sultry London but that doesn’t compare to the heat between this couple.

Burrowes’ characters are unique and fully realized – especially Windham. Her descriptive writing engulfs you in London’s overwhelming heat and I could almost taste the cold, sweet lemonade our hero is so fond of.

This read is well worth the time and Burrowes has just jumped to my must-read list.

Next up for Burrowes is The Soldier.

I’ll be marching right out to pick it up…or to download it onto my Kindle.

However, Burrowes’ covers are SO gorgeous I might just want to buy the tree-book simply for the pleasure of gazing at it.

By the way…

Amazon reports it’s now selling more Kindle e-books than paperbacks. The online retailer says that milestone came sooner than its executives had expected.

According to Amazon, it sold 115 Kindle books for every 100 paperback books since the start of the year.

Does this signal the death of “real” books?

Nope. Because even though Kindle books are going gangbusters, it turns out that paperback and hardcover sales are still rising over at Amazon as well.

BY THE WAY…this is the LAST weekend to vote in Kensington Brava’s Writing with the Stars contest. I’m one of four remaining finalists in the online voting competition. I’d really appreciate it if you’d pop over and give it a look. I sure would appreciate your vote!

The latest round of voting in Kensington/RT’s Writing with the Stars  contest is featured in the current issue of RT Book Reviews.

I am so excited to be one of FOUR remaining finalists for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a Regency romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution. The entry which garners the most online votes will receive a book contract. 

Round Four is for the Best Secondary Character. Here is my entry:

SECONDARY CHARACTER: His was a masculine face etched in hard lines. Not particularly handsome, the duke possessed sharp-cut features which hinted of menace. He wore his black hair long, tying it fastidiously back at the nape of his neck. Though terribly out of fashion, the style somehow seemed to suit him, even as it emphasized the unforgiving angles of his profile. Everything about Hartwell, from the magnificent way he carried himself to his impeccable grooming, suggested a man of consequence. He managed to exude an air of command and abundance of charisma by simply walking across the room. Willa obviously adored him, but Charlotte felt distinctly uneasy in his presence.

MENTOR MARY WINE COMMENTS: This really grabbed my attention. There were only a few adjustments here because after reading this description I found a picture of this man in my imagination and I so want to know if Willa can knock him out of his polished shoes.