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Hello all! It's time to vote! This voting thread will be up until the midnight EST on the 21st. So! Vote until then and I'll post the winner on Thursday, February 22nd. We'll start reading around the 1st of March.

#1 - Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen.

From GoodReads: Karleen Koen's sweeping saga contains unforgettable characters consumed with passion: the extraordinarily beautiful fifteen-year-old noblewoman, Barbara Alderley; the man she adores, the wickedly handsome Roger MontGeoffry; her grandmother, the duchess, who rules the family with cunning and wit; and her mother, the ineffably cruel, self-centered and licentious Diana. Like no other work, Through a Glass Darkly is infused with intrigue, sweetened by romance and awash in the black ink of betrayal.



#2 - The Velvet Promise by Jude Deveraux

From Amazon: All of England rejoiced on her wedding day. But Judith vowed that her husband would get only what he took from her! At the flower-bedecked altar, the first touch of their hands ignited an all-consuming passion. Gavin Montgomery looked deep into her golden eyes and burned with desire for her...but his heart had been pledged to another. Humiliated and alone in a strange castle, Judith resolved to hate this husband who took her body, but rejected her love...never admitting her fear of losing him. But destiny held another fate for Judith...a fate that would keep at last...The Velvet Promise.



#3 - by Anya Seton

From Amazon: This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed history-that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant 14th century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent Plantagenets-Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II-who ruled despotically over a court rotten with intrigue. Within this era of danger and romance, John of Gaunt, the king's son, falls passionately in love with the already married Katherine. Their well-documented affair and love persist through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. This epic novel of conflict, cruelty, and untamable love has become a classic since its first publication in 1954.



#4 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

From Publishers Weekly: Absorbing and heartwarming, this first novel lavishly evokes the land and lore of Scotland, quickening both with realistic characters and a feisty, likable heroine. English nurse Claire Beauchamp Randall and husband Frank take a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands in 1945. When Claire walks through a cleft stone in an ancient henge, she's somehow transported to 1743. She encounters Frank's evil ancestor, British captain Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall, and is adopted by another clan. Claire nurses young soldier James Fraser, a gallant, merry redhead, and the two begin a romance, seeing each other through many perilous, swashbuckling adventures involving Black Jack. Scenes of the Highlanders' daily life blend poignant emotions with Scottish wit and humor. Eventually Sassenach (outlander) Claire finds a chance to return to 1945, and must choose between distant memories of Frank and her happy, uncomplicated existence with Jamie.



#5 - Music & Silence by Rose Tremain

From Publishers Weekly: his dazzlingly imaginative, powerfully atmospheric work is set mainly in 17th-century Denmark. One of the protagonists is English, however, and Tremain captures the sensibilities of natives of both countries. British lutenist Peter Claire arrives in Copenhagen in 1629 to join the orchestra of King Christian IV. Depressed after a doomed love affair with a soulful Irish countess, Peter finds his melancholy mood mirrored by that of the king, who is beset by both financial and marital crises. That fruitless wars and profligate spending by the Danish nobility have depleted the country's coffers is the king's public woe; privately, his heart is anguished by the behavior of his consort, Kristen Munk, who despises her own children, keeps her spouse from her bed and is carrying on with a German mercenary. Recognizing in Peter's handsome countenance a resemblance to a lost childhood friend, Christian declares that Peter is the "angel" who will help solve his personal and national problems. Tremain's complex plot is built in small increments. Excerpts from the brazenly selfish Kirsten's diary alternate with the points of view of dozens of others, including Kirsten's lady-in-waiting Emilia Tilsen. Kirsten deems Emilia irreplaceable and prevents her from openly acknowledging her feelings for Peter. Love--requited and thwarted, healthy and perverted, damaging and healing--is one theme of the novel, represented by six pairs of lovers. Love is inextricably tied to the power to enslave; perhaps it's a form of enchantment, of which another manifestation is music. Tremain builds her narrative via alternating voices blending like the solos of musical instruments.



#6 - White Rose Rebel by Janet Paisley

From Publishers Weekly: This richly textured historical romance from Scottish poet and short story writer Paisley reimagines the story of Col. Anne Farquharson, a real-life leader in the Jacobite uprising of 1745. When Bonnie Prince Charlie returns to Scotland in an attempt to take the throne, the English naturally seek to suppress his supporters. Aeneas McIntosh, chief of Scots Clan Chatton, reluctantly takes a commission with the English army, believing it the best way to preserve his clan and their land. His younger and far more impetuous wife, Anne, responds by joining with a former lover, Alexander McGillivray, and raising an army in support of the prince's ultimately doomed claim. Aeneas and Anne continues to love and lust after one another, despite their political differences. A complex, passionate love triangle; a realistic look at the horrific consequences of war; and a balanced, satisfying resolution mark Paisley's notable first novel.

Do we vote on this thread...or do you create a poll?

For me it is a tie between Katherine and Outlander. Either one would be great!!

I vote for Katherine!

Ok, question answered!

I'm torn between Outlander and Through a Glass Darkly, but I'm choosing:

Through a Glass Darkly since the other is a series.

Outlander can and does definitely stand alone in case anyone else is worried. :)

I have the Outlander series on my shelf though! I have every intention of reading it soon. I've heard they are great.

Emily wrote: "Outlander can and does definitely stand alone in case anyone else is worried. :)"

Yah, but were you able to stop right there and not run out to get going on the second book? That takes serious will power. I'm still deciding on which to vote on :)

Katherine.

Got to be Katherine - it sits in my audio library begging daily (yeah! DAILY i tell ya) to be given a chance to display it's worth.

Outlander

Haha - I did stop right there, but have now broken down and bought the second book (though, TBH, it hasn't yet grabbed me the way Outlander did. But, I'm not that far in, so we'll see!).

Katherine for me ( although Music and silence is fab, but i have read it )

I'd like to vote for Katherine, it's already in my TBR pile. :-)

I vote for Music&Silence

I vote Outlander!

Outlander

I vote for Outlander.

I'm just new to the group but if I get a vote it's Katherine.

Welcome Aimee! Of course you can vote!

I tried to read a book with you all a few months ago, but my class load was to big and it just sat there! So, I am going to try again... If my vote counts its for:

Outlander

Your vote will definitely count Heidi! The more the merrier. I think this read has gotten the most votes ever in this group which is awesome. Great participation!

Ha ha, Emily, you might have to be the tie-breaker! Ooohhh, the pressure....

Sure - who doesn't love a steamy romance novel?
;)

Haha! Fiona tied it up! I'm gonna be sad to have to break this tie - c'mon people, another vote! Please!

Darn you all. Since I nominated it, I'm going with Outlander, but I promise you that next month's category will be able to incorporate Katherine, so maybe we can read both!