Monday, June 21, 2010

Take You To Another World Contest Day #1: Sherry Thomas



I wanted to start the contest with a bang, so I picked the incredible, inimitable Sherry Thomas to go first. Besides being a very dear friend of mine and an amazing woman, she is also an unbelievable writer, whose books have wracked up Rita noms, Publisher Weekly and Library Journal Best Book of the Year lists, and too many other kudos for me to name here. She's giving away a signed copy of her latest book, His At Night (which I just finished last night-- it is fantastic!)

Blurb:

Elissande Edgerton is a desperate woman, a virtual prisoner in the home of her tyrannical uncle. Only through marriage can she claim the freedom she craves. But how to catch the perfect man?

Lord Vere is used to baiting irresistible traps. As a secret agent for the government, he’s tracked down some of the most devious criminals in London, all the while maintaining his cover as one of Society’s most harmless—and idiotic—bachelors. But nothing can prepare him for the scandal of being ensnared by Elissande.

Forced into a marriage of convenience, Elissande and Vere are each about to discover they’re not the only one with a hidden agenda. With seduction their only weapon against each other—and a dark secret from the past endangering both their lives—can they learn to trust each other even as they surrender to a passion that won’t be denied?

Excerpt:

The Marquess of Vere was a man of few words.
This fact, however, would astonish all but a select few of his numerous friends and acquaintances. The general consensus was that Lord Vere talked. And talked. And talked. There was no subject under the sun, however remote or abstruse, upon which he did not eagerly venture an opinion or ten. Indeed, there were times when one could not stop him from pontificating on that newly discovered class of chemical substance known as the Pre-Raphaelites, or the curious culinary habits of the Pygmy tribes of central Sweden.

Lord Vere was also man who held his secrets close.

But anyone so deluded as to voice such a pronouncement would find himself surrounded by ladies and gentlemen on the floor, screaming in laughter. For Lord Vere, according to public opinion, could not distinguish a secret from a hedgehog. Not only was he garrulous, he volunteered the most intimate, most inappropriate personal knowledge at the drop of a hat—or even without a stitch of haberdashery anywhere in sight.

He gladly related his difficulties with the courting of young ladies: he was rejected early and rejected often, despite his stature as a peer of the realm. He gave up without hesitation the state of his finances—though it had been discovered that he was quite without a notion as to how much funds were at his disposal, current and future. He even ventured—not in mixed company, of course—to comment on the size and girth of his masculine endowment: enviable on both counts, the measurements verified by the experiences of the merry widows who looked to him for an occasional tumble in the sheets.

Lord Vere was, in other words, an idiot. Not a raving one, for his sanity was rarely questioned. And not so moronic that he could not see to his daily needs. Rather, he was an amusing idiot, as ignorant and puffed up as a pillow, silly to the extreme, but sweet, harmless, and very well liked among the Upper Ten Thousand for the diversion he provided—and for his inability to remember anything told him that did not affect his meals, his nightly beauty rest, or the pride and joy that resided in his underlinens.

He could not shoot straight; his bullets never met a grouse except by accident. He rarely failed to turn knobs and levers in the wrong direction. And as his gift for wandering into the wrong place at the wrong time was legendary, hardly anyone batted an eyelash to learn that he was an eyewitness to a crime—without having any idea what he’d seen, most assuredly.
Such an extraordinary idiot had he been in the thirteen years since his unfortunate riding accident that no one not privy to his more clandestine activities had ever remarked on his proximity to some of the most sensational criminal cases of the upper crust, shortly before those cases were solved and the culprits brought to justice.

It was an interesting life, to say the least. Sometimes the tiny handful of other agents of the Crown who knew his true role wondered how he felt about playing the idiot for most of his waking hours. They never found out, for he was a man of few words and held his secrets close.
Of course, no secret remains a secret forever…the beginning of the end of Lord Vere’s secret came, quite literally, in an ambush by a young woman of questionable ancestry and equally questionable methods.

A young woman who, in a strange twist of fate, would soon become the Marchioness of Vere, his lady wife.

Today's Question: To win a copy of His at Night-- In honor of summer, what's your favorite vacation spot?

I'll post the winner tomorrow at Lauren Dane's blog! Happy Monday :)

39 comments:

  1. HI! This book sounds very interesting :)
    My favourite vacation spot is a small village on Croatian coast where my dad grew up and where I try to spend at least one week a year sunbathing...

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  2. My favorite spot, will be my DH hometown in Southern Sumatra !

    The air is still fresh, mountains, forests..just perfect to spend the holiday.

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  3. My favorite vacation spot is on a beach in Progreso, Mexico. It's gorgeous, but not as touristy as a lot of other places down there.

    ~Lindy

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  4. The Marquess of Vere is a very clever man, I think.

    My favorite spot would be somewhere in the Provence. Beautiful scenery and warm weather. I can see myself sit there with a glass of lemonade. Or painting a watercolor with my straw hat on. Having a fabulous Italian meal under a shady tree. Wonderful!

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  5. Sherry Thomas is a new to me author, the book sounds amazing! :)

    Favorite vacation spot....we usually make big plans for vacation each year but always end up in the same place......some beach along the Northern Cali coast, we do go to different spots but all of them are wonderful places!

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  6. Sherry Thomas IS amazing! (And so are you, dear Tracy!)

    My favorite vacation spot is anywhere I haven't been before (once I've been some place I almost never go back)- but preferably somewhere with good food, good views, and interesting people speaking very little English. :)

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  7. Favorite spot...my back yard! LOL! I live in SoCal, why would I go anywhere? I have a pool in my backyard and a beach a few minutes away. No need to leave. :D

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  8. This book sounds Fab! My favorite vacation spot is this lake in the mountains nearby. It's simply breathtaking. The whole lake is surrounded by trees and mountains. Only the beach area is cut out. I really could spend the whole summer there and be perfectly blissful.

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  9. Sherry's book sounds great. My favorite vacation spot is Pigeon Forge, TN.

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  10. We have a cabin on a lake about an hour from our home so we love to go there with friends. Playing together, eating, laughing, making memories!

    We also like the beach but found we don't go as often as we used to.

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  11. My favorite vacation spot is... Well... I really do not have one. It has been a while since I have actually gotten to go somewhere for the sake of it being for me - for a vacation I want... Some place I do not have to do dishes, I do not have to do clothes, I do not have sweep/mop/dust/vacuum/clean, some place all I have to do is lie about and be lazy, shop when I want, eat when I want, do what I want when I want... How about that!
    I hope everyone has a great time visiting their vacation destinations!
    Thanks for the chance Tracy!!!
    Please count me in!

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  12. My favorite is Florida or anywhere that has a beach. My summer motto is to enjoy the weather while it lasts.

    cindyc725 at gmail dot com

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  13. My favorite vacation place is Paris. Wish I could go every summer instead of every few years.

    ameliad98@yahoo.com

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  14. I'm not sure I have a favorite spot. My most visited spot has to be Helen, Ga. It's only an hour from my house. It's a replicated German town (total tourist trap)and they have the most unique stores. And a homemade candy store!

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  15. This book is on my definitely on my TBR stack. My favorite vacation destination is either the mountains (less humidity) or a cruise.

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  16. My favorite spot is my friends shore house in Sea Isle, NJ. I have grown up going there ever summer since I was born. I have pictures that can track me growing up. I absolutely love it. Its like a second home.

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  17. I could tell you about my favorite vacation spots like San Fransisco's Golden Gate bridge. I could tell you how my husband and I found by accident the overlook that on one side has the most magnificent views of the Golden Gate Bridge and city but on the other side of the vista has the breathtaking views of pacific coastline and at sunset people lounge with picnic baskets just to watch the sun set in multitude of colors.

    But my very favorite spot in the summer in on the beach with a good book in hand.

    thanks for giving me the opportunity to enter the contest!

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  18. My fave vacation spot is Victoria, B.C. It's just such a picturesque place...lots of museums to go to...the weather is almost always just perfect.

    *hugs*
    Anna
    s7anna@yahoo.ca

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  19. My favorite vacation spot is on a cruise. We have been on summer cruises to the Carribean, Alaska, New England/Canada, and the Greek Isles.

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  20. Orlando, FL. I love Disney World. I am a big kid at heart.

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  21. I haven't taken many vacations during my lifetime, but of the few I have taken...I was most impressed by Disney World. So much to see and do and they take such good care of you there.

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  22. Hawaii is my favorite favorite, especially the Big Island.

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  23. Thank you for this fabulous giveaway! I am very fortunate to live in the beautiful mountains of Southwest VA. There is a wonderful State Park less than fifteen minutes from my home. The park has beautiful mountain scenery, a nice beach at the lake, a gorgeous waterfall and so much more! I've been going there since I was a kid. Later on, my fella and I used to go parking down by the boat docks on some very romantic starry evenings : ) It's still a special place for me, especially in Autumn when it comes alive with color!

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  24. My favorite vacation spot is Hawaii with its warm beaches and sun. Definitely a place to relax and have some fun!

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  25. Putting this on my to read list!
    Hmmm, favorite vacation spot would be the fabulous Puerta Villarta. Lost one contact in the pool on the first day and the view was still spectacular. ;>

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  26. Favorite vacation spot would be the next one on the calendar...Gulf Shores in July and then Alaska in September.

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  27. When my kids were young, we did a lot of camping at home in Canada and in the USA; our favorite was Lake George in New York and we must have gone there about 10 years in a row.

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  28. My favorite vacation spot is right here at home. My flower garden and a good book are all it takes.

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  29. My favorite vacation spot is Durango Colorado. I lived there for a few years and loved it. I've only been back a few times but it sure is beautiful there.

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  30. My favorite vacation spot is Central Park. I love to go there and read. :]

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  31. I vacationed in Florida this past month in a condo on the beach, it was great!

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  32. My favorite vacation spot? Somewhere with friends and family, and some quiet time to read! So, I guess I'm easy :)

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  33. I've always wanted to go to Scotland, but if it has to be somewhere I have actually been, I pick Gulf Shores, AL.

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  34. My Favorite is Reno and sometimes the Beach in Northern Ca. Yes its shocking i like to play the slots.and Reno is only 3 or more miles from here.

    sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

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  35. My Fave vacation spot is Myrtle Beach.

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  36. West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, as long as I'm with family (and/or friends). It is the largest mall in the world. They have an indoor wave pool, tube slides I love riding, tall indoor waterslides, an ice rink, an underground submarine, mini golf, segways, and of course hundreds of restaurants and retail outlets.

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  37. Since the large majority of my family is there, India :) And huge bonus too - you can do a ton of shopping...some of the most gorgeous jewelry and clothes!

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  38. I think Florida and Disney World would be fun to visit regularly. Only been once but getting to go on the rides again has appeal.

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  39. My favorite place to vacation is my garden. After I have finished all the weeding of course! LOL

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