Friends and Foes by Sarah M. Eden

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Feb 272012
 

Friends and Foes

Author: Sarah M. Eden

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Published Date: January 2012

Softcover;  269 pages

Genre: Regency Romance

ISBN# 978-1-60681-376-2

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free review copy in exchange for honest review

Summary

Phillip Jonquil, Earl of Lampton, a dandy in brightly-colored frock coats with a quick-witted humor and Sorrel Kendrick, a woman with a shrewish attitude whose body and dreams were forever shattered in a painful accident, are enemies immediately upon meeting. Both are protecting something: Sorrel, her heart damaged by lifelong abuse, and Phillip, his secret career hunting spies for the Foreign Office.

They declare themselves at war and oppose each other throughout the month-long Christmas holiday they must spend together while visiting common friends. With plenty of time to get to know the enemy, they find themselves forming an unexpected trust and friendship.

When Sorrel unknowingly overhears the very information Phillip needs to catch a notorious spy he refuses to put her at risk, but Sorrel knows he needs her to identify the men she saw. When the situation turns more dangerous than they expected, Phillip fears he will lose the woman he loves forever.

My Review

Friends and Foes was just as good as I expected, having enjoyed all of Sarah’s other books. I got a kick out of Phillip. He’s an easy hero to love, with his wit, good looks, and dangerous job. It was nice to get inside his head and see the man behind the dandy.

I also enjoyed watching the relationship between Phillip and Sorrel develop. Sorrel is strong because she feels vulnerable inside. Spending time in the same house with Phillip allows her glimpses behind his make-light-of-everything mask. He challenges her when she needs it, and soon there is a trust between them that is budding into friendship.

I read Friends and Foes in one sitting and loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to read more from Sarah. I hope we get the chance to know Phillip’s many brothers better in future books. (Please say we do, Sarah!)

 

Buy Friends and Foes: AMAZON | DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK **

**These links are provided for the reader’s convenience and are not affiliate links.

 

Guest Author Thursday: Sarah M. Eden

 Posted by  Guest Author Thursday, Special Features
Jan 122012
 

We are happy to have Sarah M. Eden as our guest author today. She is the author of several Regency-era romances, including Seeking Persephone, Courting Miss Lancaster, Kiss of a Stranger and her most recent release, Friends and Foes.

Not only is Sarah a talented author, she is a sweet, quick-witted woman and dedicated mother and wife.

Read more about Sarah and her books on her WEBSITE. Purchase Friends and Foes at DESERET BOOK and AMAZON.

Find details below for the DOUBLE BOOK LAUNCH for Sarah and last week’s guest author, Krista Lynne Jensen.

Okay, Sarah, take it away.

*  *  *  *  *

Authors are strange people. Stranger than most.

We feel deep and abiding connections to people we make up, people who only exist inside our heads. We talk to them. Often out loud. And they talk back. Conversations go on for hours. And we don’t find this odd.

Authors get together in groups to willingly and gratefully be told all the many reasons why the words we have slaved over for hours, days, weeks, years are inherently flawed and horrible. We then work for further hours, days, weeks, years to fix those flawed words and send them off to be rejected, criticized and panned by people we don’t even know. We do this repeatedly. Willingly. And we like it.

We see story ideas in everything around us. The line at the grocery store. A one-paragraph news item. Dreams. Overheard conversations. Yes, we eavesdrop. Shamelessly.

Perhaps our oddest feature of all is what I like to call the Jekyll/Hyde Syndrome. I have never yet met an author who couldn’t flip from the ultimate optimist filled with confidence and dreams of grandeur to a pathetic heap of despondent self-loathing and doubt, and do so in an instant. Over and over again.

Perhaps a visual record of this very thing would be helpful. I happen to have obtained this extremely accurate documentation for your enlightenment. Read on.

Like the grave. Oh so very sad but so very true. We’re an odd bunch, writers. But we embrace it. Next time you run into an author, feel free to give them a high five or a “good going.” Chances are, we need it.

Then again, we might very well be in the middle of a very in-depth conversation with someone only we can see. In which case, maybe distance is best. Science hasn’t yet proven it, but there’s a chance this sickness we call “Being a Writer” might just be contagious.

Happy reading. Happy writing.

Shameless plug time!

Got some free time on your hands this Saturday? Live anywhere near Salt Lake City, Utah? Fellow author Krista Lynne Jensen and I are celebrating the release of our novels Of Grace and Chocolate (Krista’s) and Friends and Foes (mine) with a launch party of epic proportions! There will be prizes and treats and fun to be had by all. Stop by!

Saturday, January 14
11-1
1110 Ft. Union Blvd, Midvale Utah

Thank you, Sarah. See you on Saturday!

Help us thank Sarah for visiting the LDSWBR blog and leave a comment!

Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden – Countdown to Christmas 2011

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Dec 022011
 

23 days until Christmas

 

Did you know? The bonus entries on each author post are different every day.

Leave a comment on each Countdown to Christmas 2011 post (you can go back and get the ones you missed) and complete each bonus entry for even more chances to win the amazing books listed below and $50 at Amazon.

* * * * *

Sarah M. Eden was born. She grew up. She started writing books. That pretty much catches you up to where she is today. Also, she has two children and a husband and a cute little house that is much, much older than she is. When she isn’t pumping out the historical romances, Sarah is researching random historical facts, presenting at conferences, playing taxi driver for her kids or attempting to catch up on many years’ worth of sleep deprivation.

Connect with Sarah: BLOG | Twitter | Facebook

* * * * *

LDSWBR: What Christmas-related activity would you like to do this year that you have never done before?

SARAH: To NOT stay up late Christmas Eve night cleaning my dumb house so I can have the gift of a sparkling clean house for Christmas. I do this to myself every stinkin’ year, and every year the place is trashed within an hour of everyone getting up. Then I feel depressed. Feeling depressed on Christmas is wrong on so many levels.

LDSWBR: If you could find one book under the tree this year, what would it be?

SARAH: Absolute dream book, money’s no object, neither is actual feasibility: original, 1818, 3-volume edition of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

Almost as much of a dream, money still needs to pretty much be no object, much more feasible: original, 1960 edition of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

Much more likely & still much appreciated: Anything by Georgette Heyer

LDSWBR: What is your favorite childhood Christmas memory?

SARAH: One of my favorite Christmas memories is one that likely is horribly distorted from reality–not because I have any delusions about it, but because I was only four years old. This would have been a week or two before Christmas, and we were living in a teeny, tiny house in a less-than-swanky neighborhood in Portland, Oregon.

I distinctly remember this incident beginning with my older brother, he being all of five, and I rocking our rumps to a Mousercise record. In case you aren’t familiar, this was an ingenious little product put out by Disney that basically rehashed all the songs from any movie they’d ever put out that had enough of a beat to dance to–that dancing was supposed to count as exercise, hence the lame combo of Mouse (as in Mickey) and ercise (as in Exercise).

So we were shakin’ our bonbons pretty hardcore when one of us did something to the other that started a minor scuffle. For the record, if I was the one who instigated the fight, I am sure my misdeed was entirely unintentional. If it was my brother, he totally meant it.

Where were we? Ah, yes the happy memories.

So in the midst of our valiant attempts to dismember one another, my mother, in her wisdom-of-the-ages way, announced in a voice filled with completely believable amazement that she thought for certain she’d just seen a Christmas elf peeking in our window.

I remember we froze on the spot, heads snapping in that direction. Holy canoli! Had we really just been seen by a Christmas elf going for each other’s jugulars? We ran to the window and peered out.

To this day–this day, mind you–I am absolutely convinced I saw little elf footprints in our front yard. I stared in shocked horror. That was it. Christmas was ruined. I knew my mom was right. I mean, she was my own mother, she wouldn’t lie to me about something as crucial as really nosy mythological creatures who held in their hands my very happiness come Christmas morning. Of course she wouldn’t!

We asked her in utter panic what we could possibly do. We’d be on the naughty list for sure. I don’t remember what solution she came up with, probably something involving child labor and enslavement for the last few days of the Holiday season. We went along willingly, anxiously even.

I don’t know how my parents managed to get those footprints in the yard, or if I imagined them out of sheer guilt and a desire to believe my parents above such petty things as lying to their children in order to stop them from killing each other in the living room. And though I’m older and wiser now, there’s part of me that wonders just what it was that really happened all those years ago.

LDSWBR: Best. Story. Ever. (Wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.) As for your choice of 1st editions – I knew there was a reason I liked you so much. You have amazing taste in books. :) Thanks, Sarah. Merry Christmas!

* * * * *

Buy Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden

DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK | AMAZON

Read Shanda’s Review of Seeking Persephone.

Do you have a funny elf, reindeer or Santa story? How do you encourage your kids to behave as Christmas approaches?

* * * * *

To enter the Countdown to Christmas 2011 contest, complete the following and then tell us what you did:

  • **Required entry (+1) – Leave a thoughtful comment on this post. (More than just “Great contest!” please.) You must leave a comment on this post for your other entries to count. If you are reading this post through email or an RSS reader, please click through to leave a comment.
  • Bonus entry (+1 total) – Go follow Sarah on her blog, Twitter, or Facebook (see links above) then send an email to ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com telling us how you follow Sarah. You’ll want to follow her anyway. She’s hilarious. You won’t regret it. Seriously.
  • Additional entries (one time +1 entry each) – 1) Subscribe to LDSWBR through email 2)Follow @LDSWBR on Twitter 3) Like LDS Women’s Book Review on Facebook (all found at the the top of the right sidebar on the LDSWBR blog). NOTE: If you already subscribe through email, follow us on Twitter, or Like us on Facebook you must tell us in a comment for the extra entries to count.
  • By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Christmas 2011, you agree to the contest information found here.

 

***If you haven’t read the contest rules and info, read them here.***

 

Book prizes donated by their authors:

  • Not My Type by Melanie Jacobson (new addition to prize list!)
  • Rearview Mirror by Stephanie Black (paperback or Kindle)
  • The Next Door Boys by Jolene B. Perry
  • Winner’s choice of one of the books in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series by Josi S. Kilpack (including Banana Split which will be released in February 2012)
  • Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden
  • Obsession by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little
  • Indelible by Lani Woodland and a swag bag!
  • Identity by Betsy Love
  • The Hainan Incident by D.M. Coffman (autographed copy)
  • Count Down to Love by Julie N. Ford
  • Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett
  • The Breakup Artist by Shannen Crane Camp
  • Seers by Heather Frost
Don’t forget to comment! Merry Christmas and happy reading!

Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Sep 262011
 

Seeking Persephone

Author: Sarah M. Eden

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Published Date: September 2011

Softcover; 280 pages

Genre: Regency Romance

ISBN# 978-1-60861-281-9

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free review copy in exchange for an honest review

Seeking Persephone was actually a re-read for me. I first read it as a Whitney judge in the Romance category when it was released a few years ago. I was new to regency romance at the time and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I really enjoyed the story, the setting, and the main characters that were very different from the contemporary romances I was accustomed to reading.

I was so excited for Sarah when she announced that Covenant would be publishing Seeking Persephone. Clean Regency-style romance has such a large following (much bigger than I realized before becoming a fan myself) and yet most national publishers won’t publish it without additional….content, if you catch my meaning. I am thrilled that Covenant is publishing Sarah’s books. Both Courting Miss Lancaster and Kiss of a Stranger have been released within the last year or so.

Seeking Persephone tells the story of Adam, Duke of Kielder, and Persephone, the oldest daughter in a poor family. Adam may be technically living a life of privilege, but it has not been an easy one. Born with a small deformity, a number of surgeons scarred the right side of Adam’s face in search of his missing ear. Years of teasing and being shunned, along with feeling abandoned by his mother, have turned him into a hardened, defensive man who strikes first and asks questions later. This gruffness, along with the power of his position in society, make Adam a force to be reckoned with. Nobody dares cross him, with the exception of his long-time friend, Harry.

Adam is unhappy with the idiot cousin who is next in line to inherit Falstone Castle if he dies. Adam’s man of business suggests a solution, marrying and producing an heir of his own, but he will have none of it at first. His man of business makes the arrangements and Persephone’s family receives an offer they simply can’t refuse. Persephone and family are soon on their way to Falstone Castle, set to arrive the morning of the wedding.

As soon as Adam sees Persephone, he is angry that his requirements of a plain, poor woman with absolutely no prospects of marriage otherwise have not been met. Persephone is young and pretty, quiet and long-suffering. She is not what Adam expects or wants, and he keeps his distance. Persephone is determined to make the best of her marriage, though, and in her own strong and patient way starts to bring out the best in Adam. Despite his gruff and unapproachable manner, she sees the goodness in him and her affection for Adam grows.

Persephone is very likable. Sarah has a way of writing characters that bring them to life. Even the apothecary, who is present for only one scene, has personality and dimension. Seeking Persephone has a nice, even pace with plenty of tender moments and “almost” touches. I fell in love with Adam right along with Persephone.

If you haven’t read Courting Miss Lancaster yet, you may want to start with Seeking Persephone, though they are each strong enough to stand on their own. I have enjoyed every one of Sarah’s books so far, and I can’t wait for her next novel to be released. No one writes Regency romance quite like she does. Sarah is known as the queen of research. She knows that time period very well and it shows in her writing.

If you want a good laugh, follow her on Twitter @SarahMEden and ask her to share a Regency-era insult or some slang. She knows some great ones.

I give Seeking Persephone 4 stars out of 5 for great writing, memorable characters, and a wonderfully romantic story.

Have you read any Regency-era (Jane Austen and that time period) romance before? If so, what have you read?

The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden – Countdown to Summer 2011

 Posted by  Countdown to Summer, Special Features
Jun 032011
 

18 days until summer!

Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, which her mother thinks are fabulous and her 10-year-old son thinks are too kissy. A few of these fabulously kissy novels are 2008 Whitney Award finalist Seeking Persephone, 2010 Whitney Award finalist Courting Miss Lancaster and The Kiss of a Stranger, released in 2011. When not researching, writing or talking to the voices in her head, Sarah spends her days avoiding housework, admiring the growing mountain of laundry and pretending she knows what to make for dinner. Visit her at www.SarahMEden.com.

Sarah has written several books. Two are currently available, with 8 out-of-print, and Seeking Persephone is slated for re-release this fall!

Follow Sarah on Facebook: Sarah M. Eden and Twitter: @SarahMEden.

LDSWBR: If you had an entire day to read (on the beach, at the lake, by the pool, etc.), what book(s) or genre would you reach for first?

SARAH: Romance. Hello! Preferably Historical Romance, but as long as it’s a love story with a happy ending and a good “clean” read, sign me up!

LDSWBR: What book(s) do you look forward to reading the most this summer?

SARAH: I have so many books on my to-be-read pile. Sheesh! I’m particularly excited about Captive Heart by Michele Paige Holmes, The List by Melanie Jacobson and Mark of Royalty by Jennifer K. Clark and Stephonie K. Williams

LDSWBR: What is your favorite outdoor cooking recipe? (Can be grill, campfire, Dutch oven, etc.)

SARAH: Outdoor Dinner of Champions

1 super puffy, jumbo-sized marshmallow
1 rectangular graham cracker, broken in half so it’s more like a square (unless you wanna really live it up and make it a super skinny rectangle (let me know how that works out, ’cause I’ve never tried it))
an entire milk chocolate candy bar

Cook the marshmallow over a campfire until it’s a bit swollen and golden. Put a couple pieces of the candy bar on one half of the graham cracker. Put the swollen, golden marshmallow on the chocolate & graham cracker. Put the other half of the graham cracker on top of it all. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat as needed.

What? You have extra chocolate? You’d better eat it, my friend. Can’t let good chocolate go to waste. And no matter what anyone says, this is a meal. An actual, counts as dinner, meal.

LDSWBR: Wonderful, Sarah. Thank you!

The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden (Deseret Book; January 2011) is available for purchase from Deseret Book and Amazon.

What is your best memory associated with S’mores? Have you tried the new square-shaped S’mores marshmallows?

***

***Countdown to Summer 2011 Contest***

LDSWBR will hold a drawing on June 25, 2011 for a $50 Amazon gift card, as well as a variety of books being offered by some of the LDS authors featured in the Countdown. This will be a raffle-type drawing, so more entries means more chances to win. There are several ways to enter the Countdown to Summer 2011 contest. See details below.

Book prizes generously donated by the authors:

  • The Upside of Down by Rebecca Talley
  • Gifted by Karey White
  • Bumpy Landings by Donald J. Carey
  • Captive Heart by Michele Paige Holmes
  • The Perfect Fit by  Michele Ashman Bell
  • River Whispers by Kathi Oram Perterson
  • Hazzardous Universe by Julie Wright & Kevin Wasden
  • Hearts Through Time by Marie Higgins
  • Double Deceit by Stephanie Humphreys
  • The List by Melanie Jacobson
  • The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum
  • The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden
  • Blackberry Crumble by Josi S. Kilpack
  • **Bonus Prize** An autographed copy of BLOODBORNE by Gregg Luke (released August 2011)

Do ANY of the following to enter:

  • Post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Summer 2011 author posts. Comments can be added on any of the author posts anytime during the contest period (June 1, 2011 through June 24, 2011). Only one comment per person per Countdown to Summer author post will be entered into the drawing. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you’d like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Send LDSWBR an email to ldswbr AT gmail DOT com telling us which of the following you have completed. If you already do these things, email us and let us know. Each item gets you 1 entry.
  1. Follow LDS Women’s Book Review on Facebook
  2. Follow @LDSWBR on Twitter
  3. Subscribe to LDSWBR by email (see top right sidebar on website)
  4. Follow LDSWBR with Google Friend Connect (right sidebar beneath “Follow LDSWBR”)
  • On each Countdown to Summer author post, leave a comment telling us which of the following you completed or already do. Each item gets you 1 entry.
  1. Follow the author’s blog (if they have one)
  2. Follow the author on Twitter (if they tweet)
  3. Follow the author on Facebook (if they have a Facebook page)
  • Tweet this message each day. One entry per day. Just copy and paste into your twitter message window to send it (LDSWBR must be able to see the tweet): LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2011 – Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card & great summer reads! http://bit.ly/kZ5jXw @ldswbr
  • Blog about this contest on your blog then send us the link to your specific blog post. You can find the Countdown graphic badge/button to include in your blog post here. (5 entries)
  • Post the following on your Facebook page (3 entries) then send us an email (ldswbr AT gmail DOT com) telling us that you did: LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2011 – Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card & great summer reads! http://bit.ly/kZ5jXw

Here are the rules:

  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MDT on June 24, 2011.
  • Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MDT on July 2, 2011 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • Book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a “thoughtful” comment.

Let’s keep counting down to summer with some great reads!