The Forgiven Duke Blog Tour

The first time I read Jamie Carie's The Guardian Duke the first book in the Forgotten Castles series, I fell in love with the characters as well as the world she'd created. So when I heard there was a tour for the second book, I scrambled to get included in this tour. I'm a big fan.

Ms Carie is having a giveaway for this book. The details are at the end of this post.

Without further ado, I'd like to present:

The Forgiven Duke by Jamie Carie is now available on bookstores and online stores nationwide. The Forgiven Duke is the 2nd installment on The Forgotten Castles Series.


Title:The Forgiven Duke

Author: Jamie Carie

Series: The Forgotten Castles Series

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Release Date: July 1, 2012



 Book Blurb:


Tethered by her impulsive promise to marry Lord John Lemon - the path of least resistance - Alexandria Featherstone sets off toward Iceland in search of her parents with a leaden heart. A glimpse of her guardian, the Duke of St. Easton - the path less traveled by - on Dublin’s shore still haunts her.

Will he come after her? Will he drag her back to London, quelling her mission to rescue her treasure-seeking parents, or might he decide to throw caution to the wind and choose Foy Pour Devoir: “Faith for Duty,” the St. Easton motto. The Featherstone motto Valens et Volens: “Willing and Able,” beats in her heart and thrums through her veins. She will find her parents and find their love, no matter the cost.

The powerful yet wing-clipped Duke of St. Easton has never known the challenge that has become his life since hearing his ward’s name. Alexandria Featherstone will be the life or the death of him. Only time and God’s plan will reveal just how much this man can endure for the prize of love.

 About the Author:

Jamie Carie writes novels about fierce, passionate women; their dreams; their fears; their triumphs. Her deepest desire is to see her readers find that same passion as they follow their destiny and discover deeper intimacy with Jesus.



She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and three sons.




My Review

The Forgiven Duke continues where The Guardian Duke left off. Alex is on the ship on the way to Iceland with her now fiancee, John. Thing is, she isn't sure if she did the right thing getting engaged to John, because her mind is still centered on the Duke of Easton, Gabriel. At the end of The Guardian Duke, Gabriel watches as the ship sails away with the woman he has grown to care for. Yeah, that cliffhanger made me want to tear at my hair. But it was a good cliffhanger that made me look forward to this book even more.

Now Alex has arrived in Iceland with her Fiancee, and is off again in search of her parents. As she continues with her search the danger seems to swim around her. On the other side Gabriel who was arrested for disobeying the King's orders in the beginning of this book, is now free and doing investigation of his own, fighting the fact that he is deaf, and worried about Alex, in between he receives letter from her which gives them hope.

Oh my gosh -  I can't say how addictive this series is becoming. I love Alex: she is impulsive,  but I guess that comes from her thinking with her heart more than her mind. She's brave and hasa sense of humour. She'd do anything to find her parents.

Great characters, fantastic story.

This is a 5 star for me, and I'm holding the third book series in my hands - or kindle. And I promise you it's still as fantastic as the first two.

Book Links:

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/The-Forgiven-Duke-Forgotten-Castles/dp/1433673231/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339645357&sr=1-1&keywords=the+forgiven+duke

Barnes and Nobles:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-forgiven-duke-jamie-carie/1111346261?ean=9781433673238

Book Depository:http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Forgiven-Duke-Jamie-Carie/9781433673238

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12934289-the-forgiven-duke

Jamie Carie



Website: www.jamiecarie.com

Blog: http://jamiecarie.com/blog

Facebook: http:www.facebook.com/jamie.carie?ref=profile

It's here! The official Facebook page for The Forgotten Castles series: facebook.com/ForgottenCastles


Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/jamiecarie

The Guardian Duke – February 2012 See the making of the cover and trailer  here!

The Forgiven Duke – Book 2 in The Forgotten Castles series - July 2012

The Paperback giveaway is US/Canada, and will be awarded to one winner.
To check out other blogs participating in this tour, please hop over to Abby Flore's blog who was kind enough to include me in this tour:


http://bookshelfconfessions.blogspot.com/2012/07/forgiven-duke-now-on-tour.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pushing The Limits Book Review

Title:		Pushing the Limits
Publisher:		Harlequin
Imprint:		HarlequinTEEN
Pub Date:		July 24, 2012
ISBN:		9780373210497

Book Description

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

"An edgy romance that pulls you in and never lets go. I was hooked!"-Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author of the Intertwined series.
from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Pushing The Limits is written in two POVs. giving the reader firsthand experience in the main characters inner thoughts and turmoil.

Noah, is a bad boy, but deep inside his is something else entirely. He's got a past so sad it makes you as a reader want to cry for him, and he's been enough foster homes to last a lifetime. One thing keeps him streamlined: His siblings leaving in another foster home. he has dreams, and among them is uniting himself with his family.

Echo is a girl, haunted by her past, one particular event she can barely remember. She doesn't get along with her step mother and blames the things that happened to her family on her. She's also morning the death of his brother.

As the story unfolds, Noah and Echo, who are complete opposites find they have a lot in common. There lives have been touched by death in the family.  In each other they find the love and support they both crave, and in a way heal each other.

Pushing The Limits is an emotional story that cleverly weaves in themes like forgiveness, letting go and moving on, love. Ms McGarry did a wonderful job with the characters, as well as the side characters, giving them depth, giving us a reason to care about the characters.  Each added a different quality in the story. Can't wait to read her next book, hopefully soon.

The Siren Book Review

***This is an adult book, therefore an adult review. ***

Title:		The Siren
SubTitle:		The Original Sinners
Publisher:		Harlequin
Imprint:		HarlequinMIRA
Pub Date:		July 24, 2012

Author Website: http://tiffanyreisz.com/






Book summary

 Notorious Nora Sutherlin is famous for her delicious works of erotica, each one more popular with readers than the last. But her latest manuscript is different—more serious, more personal—and she's sure it'll be her breakout book...if it ever sees the light of day.

Zachary Easton holds Nora's fate in his well-manicured hands. The demanding British editor agrees to handle the book on one condition: he wants complete control. Nora must rewrite the entire novel to his exacting standards—in six weeks—or it's no deal.

Nora's grueling writing sessions with Zach are draining…and shockingly arousing. And a dangerous former lover has her wondering which is more torturous—staying away from him...or returning to his bed?

Nora thought she knew everything about being pushed to your limits. But in a world where passion is pain, nothing is ever that simple.

My Thoughts:

The Siren is not your typical romance story. When I started reading this book, I thought it would be like every other story, boy meets girl, boy and girl tortured by their past, they overcome and live happy ever after.

It wasn't. It was a story so entirely different from anything I have ever read. And I loved it.

The characters weren't perfect. Infact, I loved just how imperfect they were, full of flaws. Couldn't help but fall in love - even those that scared me to pieces. Believe me there were. One especially.

The story: Ah, the story. 

Ms Reisz wrote a story so emotional. It breaks your heart at the same time mends it, fulfilling it at the same time feeling as if something is missing. It's been a while since I read writing so beautiful, some of her sentences, her words, I read them twice, thrice. If it was possible, I would glue them in my brain and staple or sew them shut just so they could stay locked in there.

I look forward to reading the second book in this series.