Monday, June 18, 2007

Great Big Blog Party 15 - Julie Bonello

For today's guest, we're going travelling again - this time to a lovely Mediterranean Island where I set my book Calypso's Enchantment.

Last Thursday when I quoted from a wonderful review of The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge, I mentioned that you'd be seeing more of the lady who wrote that review - and today is the day. Today's Guest Blogger is a very special reviewer for me. I wanted to include Julie Bonello in my guests because she has been reviewing my books for years - but before that, she wrote to me as a reader and a fan and we've become cyber friends as a result.



Julie lives on the beautiful island of Malta and so she and I share a love of this wonderful place which I visited with my family some years ago and would love to get back to visit if I can. One thing I envy this lady for is the amount of reading she manages and the number of books she gets through! As a reviewer for CataRomance.com, Julie is always prompt and efficient in delivering her reviews - and I always hold my breath just a little when I send a new book to her. When someone has enjoyed your work as much as she has over so many years, I would hate to disappoint her. Luckily I never have!



So here's Julie -


I began my love affair with Mills and Boon romances as a fourteen year old schoolgirl when I stole one from my mother’s shelf and I got swept away by a gorgeous hero, an independent heroine and descriptive and passionate writing which thrilled my teenage heart and began my addiction to all things romantic.


Now, many years later, I’m still in love with the genre. Mills and Boons have been with me through the good times and the bad. Whenever I am ill or feeling run down, a Mills and Boon romance is absolutely essential and when six or seven years ago, I had an awful bout of flu and had absolutely nothing to read, I sent my daughter off to the library to get me a couple of romantic novels and she returned with a novel by an M&B writer whose books I had never read, but who was to become one of my favourites – Kate Walker.

As soon as I read the first page of Rafael’s Love Child, I was absolutely hooked. I loved her gorgeous Alpha hero, admired her resolute heroine and just loved the novel’s blend of potent sensuality and intense dramatic emotion. I devoured Rafael’s Love Child in a single sitting and every single book of Kate’s I’ve read is on my keeper shelf and for me, one of the greatest pleasures in life is curling up with one of her novels in a comfy chair with a cup of tea by my side and escaping into the wonderful world she evokes – a world of passion, romance, emotion and drama which sucks me in from the very first page and which I always find impossible to put down.


I adore Kate Walker’s novels, but I also admire her as a woman for she is kind, generous, smart and a passionate advocate of the romance genre. Her books are a wonderful example of how well-written and intelligent romantic fiction truly is, so raise your glasses to a remarkable novelist and a wonderful woman and here’s looking forward to fifty more spellbinding novels!
GIVEAWAY:
Julie has very kindly offered to give away a couple of goodies from Malta as a prize to a lucky winner. (Makes me wish I could enter!)
QUESTION:
Julie says:
I’d like to ask everyone what was their first Kate Walker novel as I mentioned that mine was Rafael’s Love Child. Which was the very firts book by Kate Walker that you ever read?

As always answers in the comments please. Julie will be dropping by to join in the dicussion when she can. And I'll be intrigued to see who comes up with the oldest of my books and when you read it.

25 comments:

robynl said...

Hi and welcome!!!
My first was The Christmas Baby's Gift and loved it. A great book for me.

Cheryl said...

I'm a relatively new reader of Kate Walker. My first novel by Kate was The Twelve-Month Mistress and I've been a fan since.

Cheryl

anne said...

My first Kate Walker novel was Saturday Bride. I became completely immersed with this wonderful book.

ellie said...

When I discovered Kate Walker's books the first one that caught my interest was Hired Husband. Her books keep me riveted.

Maureen said...

I believe it was The Hostage Bride.

juliemt said...

Hello, everyone!
I'm so thrilled and honoured that the wonderful Kate Walker asked me to be part of this blog celebration!

Robyn,
I loved The Christmas Baby's Gift! That was a terrific book, but then all of Kate's novels are, aren't they? I remember being so immersed in The Christmas Baby's Gift that I was late arriving for a christmas party I was invited to because I just couldn't put the book down.

Cheryl,
I loved The Alcolar family series and The Twelve Month Mistress was such a great read. Did you read the other two titles in the trilogy? I devoured those as well.

Anne,
The Saturday Bride was the second Kate Walker novel I read and I was engrossed from the very first page.

Ellie,
I agree, every single Kate Walker novel keep me riveted. I remember loving the cover of The Hired Husband and the book was just out of this world.

Julie

juliemt said...

Maureen, we must have crossposted, but The Hostage Bride was fantastic as well. Kate really can do no wrong!

Minna said...

I'm not sure, but I think it was The Twelve-Month Mistress.

Anonymous said...

I think it was 'His Miracle Baby'... but I'm currently suffering from deadline dementia so I might be wrong. :o)

Anyway, what I do know is that I enjoyed it and I looked out for Kate's books after that.

And then discovering I was sitting next to her at this posh lunch... Well. (Will shut up now - you can read more about that later in the party when I get to tell everyone how lovely Kate is!)

Anonymous said...

My first Kate Walker book was The Cinderella Trap and I loved it.The plump teenager blossoming into attractive female appealed to me straight out of my own teens :D

I have always looked for her books since then, whenever I have been in any new library (we moved around a lot before DH retired from the army).

I actually never had any trouble finding them either as she was very popular with us army wives :D

CrystalGB said...

My first Kate Walker novel was The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife and I have been a fan ever since.

Sue A. said...

I can't be sure but I think it was The Twelve-Month Mistress.

pearl said...

The first Kate Walker book that I read and loved was A Sicilian Husband. This introduced me into the wonderful world of Kate Walker's books.

Anonymous said...

Wife for a Day. I loved the whole revenge angle and how the heroine refused to be a victim.

sharon said...

The novel that started my interest in Kate Walker's books was Wife For A Day. I was intrigued with this book and enjoyed it thoroughly.

diane said...

Kate Walker's books have always been appealing but my first and favorite is Fiancee by Mistake.

Nature Nut /JJ Loch said...

The first book I read of Kate's was THE TWELVE-MONTH MISTRESS but I want to read her very first one, which I believe was THE CHALK LINE or a title close to that. I'm hunting for it!!!

Hi Kate!! This is Blue. I have a blog started so my log on name is different now. :)

Anonymous said...

It was The Cinderella Trap. I remember that when it came out I loved the story so much that I just had to buy it. I felt I could relate to the heroine Clea since I went through an ugly ducking stage for a couple of years in my teens.

lidia said...

Julie,
Hi there! Nice to see you here.
My frist book by Kate was "Broken Silence" -- many years ago!!
Lidia

Unknown said...

Hi Julie
I guess my first Kate Walker book was Wife for a Day. It was really a good book and that what got me started reading Kate's books and I have been reading them ever since.

Stephanie M. Moffet said...

The first Kate Walker book I bought and read? I'm pretty sure it was The Groom's Revenge back in 1999.
Back when I was actually getting all the books I bought each month read before the next months books came out.
Now my to-be-read pile is so big I'll probably be reading the books I'm buying now in 40 years after I reach retirement. LoL!
The last 2 Kate Walker books I read were "At the Shiekh's Command" and "The Antonakos Marriage", both were excellent!
Now I have 13 of Kate's books and I still need to read "Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride" and "The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge" but I know I'm going to love them, too!

Kate Walker said...

Julie - what a great questin - and to judge by the number of comments you're getting, everyone else thinks so too.

Personally, I'm finding this fascinating - some books are appearing several times which is great to know that they started several people on reading my work. I was just checking for the oldest title chosen - Cinderella trap was 1988. . . no, wait a minute .. . Lidia, you've been with me the longest - Broken Silence was 1987 (1988 USA). I'm honoured.

Thank you to everyone for your answers - I';ve loved reading them

Kate

juliemt said...

Hello, everyone!
How lovely to see so many comments! I'm so pleased!

Kate H,
I'm so thrilled that you're going to be celebrating 25 Books next week with the release of Breakfast at Giovanni's! I'm sure that that is some kind of record. I can't wait to start reading it. His Miracle Baby was so moving, wasn't it? I cried buckets whilst reading that book.

Minna, Crystal, Sue, Blue,
The Alcolar family saga was such a wonderful series, it's no wonder that many of you got hooked on Kate after reading a title from that series - and the fab thing is that a Kate Walker book always delivers and never lets us down.

Cherie & Ilona,
I read The Cinderella Trap some years ago and I just loved it. I remember literally squealing with delight when I found it at a charity bookshop - and getting some seriously funny looks from the volunteers.

Diane,
I remember winning Fiancee by Mistake in a competition on Kate's website and I just loved it. Living in all this sunshine just makes me yearn for a snow covered cottage in Yorkshire.

Julie,
I loved All Work and No Play... I read it this weekend whilst laying under the air conditioner with a glass of iced water by my side and it was great!

Sharon and Virginia,
Thanks for the welcome. I read Wife for A Day when it was republished and it was a fab read as ever. As Julie Cohen said, I love the fact that the heroine wasn't a victim and the great thing about Kate's books is that the heroines are always strong and hae an inner resilience which I cannot help admiring.

juliemt said...

Pearl,
I adored the two Sicilian half brothers who were the heroes of A Sicilian Husband and The Sicilian Wife - they were absolutely gorgeous.

Stephanie,
Do you know, I've not read The Groom's Revenge, but I've just read the blurb on Kate's website and it looks really great. I must go hunting for it. I did read At the Sheikh's Command and The Antonakos Marriage though and they were just fabulous!

Lidia,
How lovely to see you here! I'm so pleased you stopped by. I borrowed Broken Silence ages ago from the library and was really tempted to keep it.

Kate,
Your books have hooked us all and long may they continue to do so! We all can't wait for the next one.

Love,
Julie

Lois said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
 

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