Kathy recs 'A Notorious Countess Confesses'

Genre: Historical romance

What it's about: (Back cover copy courtesy of Avon.)

She rose to spectacular heights . . .

From Covent Garden to courtesan to countess, beautiful, fearless, shamelessly ambitious Evie Duggan has riveted London in every role she plays. But the ton never could forgive her scandalous—if shockingly short—marriage, and when her star plummets amid gleefully vicious gossip, the countess escapes to the only legacy left to her: a manor house in Pennyroyal Green.

He never expected to fall so hard . . .

He has the face of a fallen angel and a smolder the devil would envy, but Vicar Adam Sylvaine walks a precarious line: resisting temptation . . . and the wild Eversea blood in his veins. Adam's strength is tested when scandal, aka the countess, moves to Sussex. But when a woman who fiercely guards her heart and a man entrusted with the souls of an entire town surrender to a forbidden desire, will the sweetest sin lead them to heaven . . . or make outcasts of them forever?

Why you should read it: Every now and then I receive a hefty box of books from Happy Ever After blog goddess Joyce Lamb. You can imagine that opening these boxes and selecting books to read and review is like having my own little personal treasure hunt. And yes, I have certainly found some real gems. The latest shipment contained an author I'd never read before, Julie Anne Long, and I owe my boss a big sparkly thanks for including Long's latest release. Of all the amazing books I've read this year, A Notorious Countess Confesses is my absolute favorite.

The auction was to take place in the ballroom of Sir John Fesker's manor house. He'd graciously agreed to it, saying magnanimously, "Anything for charity, Vicar." He'd also been promised the role of auctioneer and the use of an enormous gavel, which was the real reason he'd agreed.

Adam arrived at half past the hour to discover that all of the women clustered at the far corner of the ballroom, as surely as if the house had been tipped on its edge and they'd all rolled there, like billiard balls.

The reason for this — a petite dark-haired woman holding a basket — was standing on the opposite side of the room, nearest the door. One would have thought the basket she held contained a cobra.

What a delectable cast — a vicar as handsome as he is pious, a former courtesan fighting for a fresh start, and a community quick to shun her, not only because of her past but because she provides awfully stiff competition for a host of eligible females vying for the vicar's favor. Each of Long's characters is deliciously imperfect. The vicar is rigid but kind, and struggling to be the best vicar he can be while at the same time charmingly confident — despite his limited sexual experience — that he can please the countess in bed. And Eve? It was oh-so-fun to watch her try her wiles on Adam only to fail, again and again. I admired her determination, courage and compassion, and couldn't help but sympathize with the reasons behind her past sins. And Pennyroyal Green itself? The author imbues the diverse community with a cruelty toward the countess that's realistic and heartbreaking, but blessedly lightened with a deft and irreverent humor. The ending is a tad artificial, but after 400 perfectly paced pages of engaging angst and smart dialogue, it didn't bother me a whit.

A Notorious Countess Confesses is the eighth book in Long's Pennyroyal Green series, which means I have some catching up to do. In fact, I already have book one, The Perils of Pleasure, downloaded on my laptop and ready to be relished. Six more after that and I'll be all set for Long's next release, It Happened One Midnight, coming July 2013. So, uh, boss? You might want to hold off on sending that next box of books …

What the author has to say: "I'm so thrilled readers are responding so powerfully to the book, and to Reverend Adam Sylvaine in particular, because frankly, I think he might be my favorite — and hottest — hero I've written yet. Towering cheekbones and vast shoulders notwithstanding, I think it's because his personal authority — his strength, confidence, charisma, presence, resilience — aren't a result of wealth or of an aristocratic title, but of how his job has shaped his character. Immersion in the joys and griefs of his parishioners has stripped him down to his very essence, and he has no time or patience for, shall we say, b.s. — he's wholly himself. He wasn't born a saint — he's a red-blooded, passionate male with a sense of humor — but he wants more than anything to do as much good as possible and to be what his parishioners need him to be. And what they need him to be, in order to trust him, is faultless of character.

"It's a lonely road. And when he meets the countess, a fallen woman by anyone's definition, but one who's determined to start life over on her own terms, he's forced to confront both just how lonely he is — he belongs to everybody and yet to nobody — and just how long he's denied his true sensual nature — because he can't get her out of his mind. They are in many ways more alike than they are different, since they've both seen the best and worst of life, and they're both strong. And at first she tries to flirt her way past his control, which is formidable. And then she thinks better of it — because she recognizes that her heart (which she guards fiercely) and his entire way of life are at risk. And she senses early on that when he relinquishes control and gives in to passion, it will be explosive. And boy, IS it.

"Readers have described the book as an emotional roller coaster, and it often felt that way to me when I was writing it. Quite a few readers told me they wept through the entire last scene (don't worry; it's not relentlessly angsty). But it was incredibly satisfying to write, too — what a pleasure it was to torture these two with longing, and then to give them the ending they deserve."

Kathy Altman's debut contemporary romance novel, The Other Soldier, came out in July. She also writes romantic suspense. She's a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Washington Romance Writers (WRW) and is also active in the online Harlequin community. Her website is KathyAltman.com.