Bookishly Attentive

Blame it on Bath: The Truth about the Duke

2012-02-27T08:00:00.027-05:00

The second in Caroline Linden's new Truth about the Duke series, Blame it on Bath is the story of Lord Captain Gerard de Lacey, the youngest offspring of the late Duke of Durham. All three ducal sons are entangled in what has come to be known as the Durham Dilemma, a situation which may find all three declared bastards and destitute. Each brother sets off on a mission to find and dismiss the rumor that their parents' marriage was illegal and their father was a bigamist. Edward, the middle de Lacey, had his story told in the recently reviewed, One Night in London.

Gerard is home on bereavement leave from the Peninsula Wars, and is determined to use his time to track down the blackmailer threatening his family and his livelihood. He finds himself propositioned into marriage by the widow Lady Katherine Howe. A merchant's daughter who married a viscount, Katherine is starved for attention and affection and finds herself still in love with Gerard, years after a chance encounter on a rainy country road. She needs this marriage in order to extricate herself from the expectation of a match to her dead husband's heir. Lacking any self-confidence, Kate sees Gerard as her ticket out of the quandary heavily promoted by her formidable mother. Fortunately for her, Gerard needs an heiress to marry in order to guarantee his income should the Durham Dilemma resolve itself against the De Lacey's. And so, after much thought, he agrees to the marriage.

I loved this book because Gerard himself is so very lovable. He's the quintessential romance hero. Despite an arranged marriage, he tries to make a go of it and when faced with Kate's insecurity complex, he takes his time to coax her (both in bed and out) from her shell. She begins to truly believe in herself for the first time in her life and in return, earns Gerard's love for herself as well. The blackmail story becomes the backdrop for this beautiful love story set in Bath.

Blame it on Bath is out on February 28, 2011. I look forward to reading elder brother and heir, Charles' story. I've found that this novel is incrementally better than the previous one. If that continues to be the case, the last in this series will surely not disappoint, especially since Charles has the furthest to go to redemption.

Mariana, by Susanna Kearsley

2012-02-16T07:38:00.007-05:00

The lure of Susanna Kearsley's story telling in both The Winter Sea and The Rose Garden was just too much, so I couldn't resist reading Mariana. If you enjoy this author, resistance is futile. You won't be disappointed, as Mariana is more than up to the task of settling in right among those two wonderful novels.

Julia Beckett is drawn to one particular farmhouse in Exbury. Known as Greywethers, and located adjacent to Crofton Hall, the seat of the de Mornay family, the 16th century house calls to her from childhood, and as an adult of 29, with a job as an illustrator for children's books, she has the wherewithal to purchase it. As she settles in, she becomes aware of coincidences and what can coyly be described as side effects, of living there. She sees a gray stallion with a mysterious rider, who seems to be watching her from a copse of trees. Then, she has what seem to be a series of hallucinations. She finds herself in the Greywethers of the 1660's, as Mariana Farr, a girl who has come to live with her devout uncle during the plague years in London. As she comes back to herself after each "episode," Julia realizes that these are not hallucinations, or the product of too little sleep, but something quite different, and she feels compelled to continue her journeys into the past in order to experience the love that Richard de Mornay had for Mariana, and by doing so, answer questions that pertain to her own life.

Ms. Kearsley's secondary characters which include Julia's vicar brother Tom, Geoff de Mornay (the owner of Crofton Hall), her friend Vivian, Vivian's Aunt Freda and Geoff's friend Iain Sumner, pull the story together and add the puzzle pieces that completes the picture of both Julia and Mariana's lives. While Mariana's tale is a compelling, tragic, but somewhat predictable love story, Julia's happy ending comes in the form of a lovely surprise, one we may have suspected at first, but brushed aside for a different outcome. I was happy to see that my first impression was correct in this case.

Mariana, like all of Ms. Kearsley's novels, pushes the envelope of reality without actually breaking through the seal. The story telling is so good that we put aside our doubts and questions and truly believe that the basis of these stories are entirely plausible. As with the other two wonderful novels I reviewed here, I didn't want to turn the last page. It's hard to find an author so adept at suspending reality and taking her readers along for the ride. I'm grateful to have found this one.

She Tempts the Duke (The Lost Lords of Pembrook) by Lorraine Heath

2012-01-30T07:24:00.000-05:00

They called them the Lost Lords of Pembrook. They are in reality three young men, one meant to inherit a dukedom, who disappeared years ago only to reappear twelve years later to claim the inheritance their unscrupulous uncle wants to take from them. Sebastian, the 8th Duke of Keswick, was 14 when his father died and his uncle locked him, his twin brother Tristan, and his younger brother Rafe in the tower at their ancestral home of Pembrook. Uncle David's intent was clear. He would murder the three as he had murdered his own brother and assume the title for himself in retribution for his brother marrying Sebastian's mother.

Lady Mary Wynne-Jones, 12 year old neighbor, best friend to Sebastian, and daughter to the Earl of Winslow, overhears David's plans and manages to free the young lords. The boys then disappear into the night, each to live the next 12 years in their own exiles of hell before they come back together in dramatic fashion in order to take back what's rightfully theirs. In the escape, they leave Mary behind. She in turn, suffers her own form of exile when her father finds out exactly what she did that night and why.

Lorraine Heath's characters are horribly scarred psychologically by their ordeal. Sebastian even carries these scars as a physical manifestation, which adds to the dark undertones running rampant through this ultimately wonderful love story. The entire second half of the book is devoted to what we hope will be Sebastian's ultimate redemption, and the beating back of his demons and his unnatural need for retribution. Mary tries to break through the wall that surrounds this damaged grown up little boy, but it's only when Sebastian realizes what truly matters, that she succeeds. But will that realization come too late?

In the first of a series of three novels, Ms. Heath takes us to the darkest reaches of despair and makes us wonder if perhaps this is the first time we will read a novel in this genre where a main character is so far beyond all repair. And seeing how this novel turned out, I can't help but hope that Tristan and Rafe's stories will follow in very short order. Published February 1, 2012.

The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae by Stephanie Laurens

2012-01-30T07:21:00.000-05:00

Congratulations are in order. I am the owner of a brand new Kindle Touch. And to christen my latest bundle of technological joy, I immediately downloaded an advanced readers’ copy of Stephanie Laurens’ The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae. This is the third novel in the Cynster Sisters Triology and, as usual, Ms. Laurens delivers. Get ready, romance lovers. We have another winner.

The fun begins at a ton ball where a split second decision to act by the desperate Dominic Lachlan Guisachan, eighth Earl of Glencrae, changes the course of Angelica Cynster’s privileged, if somewhat mundane life. But the Scottish earl’s reputation as a dastardly villain does not accurately reflect this gentleman’s true nature; there is more to the story than meets the eye, for Angelica’s mother and Dominic’s father share a history – a history that the current Countess of Glencrae is none too happy about. Irrationally jealous, Dominic’s mother steals a precious artifact – a goblet earmarked to be the financial salvation of the clan – and sets a ransom for its return. Dominic must deliver to her a Cynster, specifically a ruined Cynster. Then and only then will she hand over the goblet. Dominic’s first two attempts at abduction (In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster and Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue) end in failure, but the third is the charm as Angelica turns out to be more cooperative than Dominic could have hoped. But Angelica has her own motives for assisting. She’s convinced Dominic is her hero, her one and only true love, and it’s just a matter of time before he reciprocates in kind.

Every book in Ms. Laurens’ Cynster series is well written with engaging protagonists in truly sigh-worthy romances. The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae, the latest and perhaps my favorite of all, does the franchise proud.

Bond Girl, by Erin Duffy

2012-01-23T06:51:00.000-05:00

In this stellar debut novel, Erin Duffy proves that "write what you know" is great advice indeed. Ms. Duffy, who spent years in the financial industry, spins the story of UVA alum Alex Garrett who, fresh from graduation, begins work at the Wall Street trading firm Cromwell, Pierce. Alex has known all her life that the financial industry is where she wants to make her mark. In a brilliant and almost too precocious light bulb moment at age eight, after visits to her father's place of work, Alex realizes that everything she's told not to do and everything she is undervalued for as a child, is actually permissible and admired on a trading floor.

At twenty-two, Alex arrives at Cromwell and meets her boss "Chick" Ciccone, and her assorted group of co-workers, all male, all older and all anxious to show the new "girlie" where she belongs on the office totem pole. What Alex does is turn her role as resident gopher into a chance to prove to herself and to them that she belongs, and over time she does just that. Some of the mistakes she makes on her way up her learning curve are quite hysterical, and her boss's punishments don't quite fit the "crimes" but we laugh at them anyway. Alex is faced with some challenges in the form of a duplicitous office love interest, a client who shows a bit too much enthusiasm for Alex's spare time, and the financial crisis of 2008. In true chic lit fashion, she overcomes it all, and comes out of it way ahead of the game.

For a debut novel, Ms. Duffy does an excellent job in serving up a fast-paced, absorbing page turner. Alex's embarrassment, trials and triumphs are all experienced first and center by the reader and by the end of the novel, we're ready to cheer her on to the next great thing she undertakes. It's an engaging story, very well-written, although the subject matter once again reminds me why I didn't study finance in graduate school. While it's a complicated subject to master, it's a heck of a lot of fun to read about. Highly recommend, and out on February 1, 2012. Published by William Morrow.

Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins

2012-01-21T07:22:00.004-05:00

You never know what lurks in the shadows of an e-reader. Apparently a little while ago, I downloaded Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins, one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. I guess real life got in the way at the time and I didn’t get to it. Let me assure you, folks, had I known what I was missing, I would have cracked it open the minute it landed on my Kindle.

Cordelia Osterhagen, known to all as Posey, runs a salvage company, lives in an old church, owns three cats, a Great Dane and has been in love with one person since freshman year in high school. While her looks may have set her apart from her unusual but loving adoptive parents, her childhood was relatively normal and happy. That is until high school. Scrawny awkwardness doesn’t win teen popularity contests and Posey, given a choice between being the cool kids’ running joke or becoming invisible, chooses the latter and hopes no one notices. Her plan to stay firmly on the fringe stays on course, even when the new, cool, straight out of juvenile detention kid in school takes a part time job in her parent’s kitschy German themed restaurant. Liam Declan Murphy is distant but cordial to Posey and this small amount of neutral attention thrown her way develops into a powerful one-sided teenaged crush. Posey painstakingly nurses her devotion to Liam – in fact, her entire existence revolves around him, even after he falls hard for another girl. But when Liam acts the bad boy toward Posey, proving he’s no different than any of the others at school, she is devastated. But she picks herself up and moves on, a little older in spirit and perhaps now a little wiser …

The decision to return to Bellsford, New Hampshire from San Diego isn’t an easy one for Liam, but as a widower, it seems the right decision to make for his teenaged daughter. The move will give her the chance to be closer to his late wife’s family. And being back will hopefully help him move past the painful, sometimes debilitating memories of his high school sweetheart’s death. Liam is not surprised to find things haven’t changed very much. Guten Tag, the Osterhagen’s restaurant where he worked as a kid, is pretty much the same as is Cordelia (as he always called her). She’s still skinny, and still quirky. But as the weeks go by, he finds himself spending more and more time in her company – and surprisingly, enjoying it just a little too much…

I’m a huge fan of all of Ms. Higgins’ work, but it’s the characters in this story that make it my favorite of hers. Both Posey and Liam are very unusual, Posey more for her looks than anything else. She is by far not a beauty, as the physical comparisons between her and her robust adoptive mother and cousin make obvious. But Posey’s personality is what makes her beautiful. At first Ms. Higgins administers only small doses of her character’s potential. But the fun is in watching Posey grow into herself, to finally fit into her huge personality – to be comfortable in her own skin. Liam captured me in an entirely different way. Appalled by his actions as a teen-aged boy, I was completely captivated by his behavior as a man. The author gives Liam touching humanity as the single father of a fifteen-year old daughter. The irony of this responsibility should not be lost on the reader as it is definitely not lost on Liam. And his struggles with OCD, panic attacks and general anxiety regarding his daughter's well being make this former bad boy motorcycle mechanic one of my favorite male protagonists.

As usual, Ms. Higgins scores huge. Until There Was You is most assuredly different and definitely divine. It's also very highly recommended.

An Amber Heart: The Archetypal Journey of the Heroine, A Memoir by Susan Tossman Blue

2012-01-18T08:43:00.011-05:00

When a friend of mine asked me to take a look at this book and possibly review it here, I was skeptical for a couple of reasons, not least of which was because it's a memoir. My review would be read by the person who actually lived the story, not by an author who created the characters just for his/her reader's enjoyment. That particular fear was put aside the moment I read the first paragraph. Susan Tossman Blue has written a gem; a memoir that serves to grip and teach at the same time. It's her life story, yes, but it's so well-written and the story so enlightening and yes, I'll even use the term "uplifting," that you can't help but come away at the last page questioning the path of your own personal journey through life.

The novel starts with the author finding an antique amber heart. The heart, she believes is a metaphor for her own, locked and unmoving, held in place by past experience and early life trauma. Coupled with her affinity for a stand of trees on her grandfather's farm, the only place where she found acceptance and love in her strict, religious upbringing, she uses these two "tools" as a way to get past that childhood and come to terms and love the person she has become.

The book is divided into four parts, each serving its own purpose, and each builds upon the previous section to reveal a story sometimes too painful to read. Ms. Blue is coy about revealing too much too early, and this works very well. We come to wonder about her physical breakdown, the scars on her lower body, her previously broken jaw and nose. What happened? Where did these come from? Until the second part of the book, we don't know, but we have clues. And those clues keep us turning the pages.

On her trip home, in the section entitled Awareness, we get the background we were waiting for. Revelations come fast and furious, and her childhood of parental abuse, denigration and repression, all in the name of God and mental illness and family dysfunction are revealed to us. Instead of recoiling in horror at the past the author has endured, we become wrapped up in the thought that this is a survivor, and we, as readers, come to understand why she is the way she is, and begin to acknowledge that we want her to let go, forgive herself for what she shouldn't have been blamed for in the first place and reach that place of acceptance and love that anyone would hope to find in their own life.

There are some wonderful secondary characters who Susan brings to life for us. The first is her husband Jack, who adds some wonderful commentary to the telling of this story. My favorite quote of his is this one, which is said to Susan in relation to her family, "the fact that you might love yourself is a threat." In addition to Jack, there are Susan's paternal grandparents, on whose farm she finds such peace, and her maternal grandmother. There's her therapist Nicole and her doctors, Simon and Dennis, and Dr. Valentine, who help her to recover physically so that she can pursue the emotional side of her journey. And her "wondercat," Tybee, also plays an intricate role in her recovery.

I highlighted many passages from this book in the course of my reading it, and intend to go back and re-read when I have the chance. While my life experiences do not compare with the author's, there are enough lessons for the reader to take away and apply. And days later, I'm still thinking about all of them.

The American Heiress, by Daisy Goodwin

2012-01-03T15:12:00.000-05:00

Just before the beginning of the 20th century- The Gilded Age-when machines were installed into cotton mills, and the railroads made a trip take a quarter of the time it would have in a horse-drawn carriage, American heiresses were sought after by the English aristocracy to shore up their long suffering estates. The American Heiress is the story of Cora Cash, daughter of a multi-millionaire, whose mother has but one goal in mind- a title for her daughter. Cora was raised surrounded by the finer things in life, and with the knowledge that her mother would stop at nothing to gain the social standing she craved. After a fiery spectacle at Cora's coming out ball in New York, she and her mother make the trip across the Atlantic on their own steamer to find Cora a husband. Mrs. Cash, relentless in her pursuit, but knowing no one in England, pays for the services of a well to do woman to introduce them into ton society.

Cora is not the typical heiress; for while being raised in luxury, the one thing she wants the most is to be out from under her mother's rule. An accomplished horsewoman, Cora is riding the hunt with her host and becomes lost in the woods. After a run in with a branch, where she is knocked unconscious, our heroine is rescued by Ivo, the Duke of Wareham. For her mother, a more perfect suitor could not be found, and within two days of her stay at Lulworth, Cora is engaged to Ivo. It's no secret the Wareham dukedom is in need of funds, as the run down state of Lulworth suggests. Old English aristocracy and new American money collide as Ivo and his mother (a double duchess to boot) make the trip to New York for the wedding. Ivo is repulsed by everything in American society: the vulgarity, the money, the excesses that define American society during the latter 1800's. Upon Cora and Ivo's return to England, Cora, the novice of ton society, is basically left to the wolves to fend for herself. Ivo, while loving, is preoccupied with taking his seat in the Lords, and fighting off a lover from his past. Cora's missteps are celebrated by her mother-in-law, and instead of helping, Ivo and his mother make matters worse for Cora. Banished to Lulworth due to her pregnancy, Cora spends months and months alone at an estate she does not truly have control over, while Ivo is off accompanying Prince Eddy in India, and shaking off his embarrassment caused by his wife.

Ivo is not a hero that is easy to like, and indeed, I hated him at many points in the book. On the surface, Cora seems to be a spoiled heiress, but you quickly realize there is more to her than money. She married Ivo for love, and despite his faults, in the end, he becomes likable. The entire book is a wonderful example of the Gilded Age, where excess was the way of society in America. Goodwin does an excellent job at getting each and every detail of this excess perfect, and you get a true feel for what it must have been like during this time in American history. A wonderful read about a time long past.

The Duke is Mine, by Eloisa James

2012-01-02T10:13:00.000-05:00

I love books that take their cues from fairy tales, and The Duke is Mine is one of those novels. Using the idea of the Princess and the Pea, Eloisa James has created her own entertaining version of the classic fairy tale, with an additional twist here and there.

Olivia Lytton has been betrothed to Rupert, the future Duke of Canterwick since before she was born. All her life has been dedicated to molding her and her twin sister Georgiana, into the perfect and proper duchess. The problem, however, is that Olivia is witty, smart, and loves a good vulgar joke, while Georgiana is the epitome of virtue and propriety; better duchess material. It is well known throughout the ton that dear Rupert is mostly addle brained, having stopped breathing at birth. But before she can come to terms with being a duchess, Rupert decides he needs to bring glory to the Canterwick name on the battlefield, and leaves for France. Olivia, though having spent most of her life ridiculing Rupert for his short-comings, becomes painfully aware of just how special Rupert is when they are forced together in order to ensure the future of the dukedom, or so their parents believe. A chance invitation to the estate of the Duke of Sconce, issued by the dowager duchess in order to find her son a proper wife. Georgiana, to be specific.

Quin, the Duke of Sconce lost his first wife and son while she was fleeing England with her lover. Since then, Quin has sworn off all emotion, choosing to allow his life to revolve around mathematics (ick) and letting his mother choose his bride. All was going as planned until Olivia arrives at the manor late at night, after their carriage turns over in the rain. Immediate sparks fly when the two meet, and Olivia tries desperately not to succumb to her feelings for the man that is for all intents and purposes meant for her sister. The dowager duchess takes an immediate dislike to Olivia, and instantly chooses Georgiana for her son's bride. But who does Quin choose for himself? A rendezvous in a tree house, and a trip across the channel to France to rescue a wounded war hero allow Quin to realize that the wall around his heart that went up with the betrayal of his first wife and death of his son was slowly crumbling as he battled his demons in order to have Olivia.

It's been awhile since I've been able to read anything for my own enjoyment, and not something on a syllabus, and I'm so glad I started with Eloisa James. Time after time, she has proved her uncanny ability to create characters that you can relate with and cheer on until the very end. Even her most despicable characters end up being likable (for the most part) at the end. The Duke is Mine is a hilarious, sometimes bawdy, fresh take on the beloved story of the Princess and the Pea, and one you should pick up as soon as possible!

Trouble at the Wedding: Abandoned at the Altar by Laura Lee Guhrke

2011-12-27T07:00:00.004-05:00

At the turn of the last century, it seemed American heiresses with money to burn and British peers with a burning need for that money, married. Ms. Annabel Wheaton, a Southern heiress whose fortune originated in her daddy's gold strikes, finds herself in this situation. But to her, marriage to a peer is a way to finally be accepted after a hardscrabble upbringing in the backwaters of Mississippi. As the novel opens, she is set to marry Bernard Alastair, the fourth Earl of Rumsford. But as fate (and historical romances) would have it, a monkey wrench in the form of Christian Du Quesne (pronounced DuCane, thank you very much), the Duke of Scarborough, appears. The ensuing love story is typical of Laura Lee Guhrke's writing. That is to say, it's full of romance, reforming rakes and hot nights in interesting locations. Trouble at the Wedding, another offering in the Abandoned at the Altar series, does not disappoint.

Christian, dead set against remarrying and a confirmed rake to boot, is asked by Annabel's Uncle Arthur to put a stop to her shipboard wedding to the Earl. Christian complies as a way to earn a good deal of money and assuage his guilty conscience over the death of his own American heiress wife 15 years before. The doubts Christian plants in Annabel's mind regarding life as a member of the British ton are far-fetched, but they begin to take hold. Annabel starts to have serious doubts about her impending marriage. After a scene innocently reminiscent of that famous cargo hold scene in Titanic, The Movie, Christian stands up at Annabel's wedding and declares (loudly) that he knows why these two cannot be joined together. When the entire wedding guest list assumes Christian has compromised the bride before her wedding to another man, Annabel hatches a plot to save her reputation and to avoid marrying a very reluctant Christian. She appoints him to be one of her guardians and a trustee of her fortune, thereby explaining his performance at the wedding in an entirely different way. The plot then moves to London, where the two of them become closer than any guardian and ward should be.

Trouble at the Wedding is a fun romp through Edwardian England seen through a Southern belle's eyes. The requisite rake is reformed and redeemed through an unexpected love, and a girl looking for acceptance finally finds it in the arms of a man who she never expected could love her back. All in all, like all of Laura Lee Guhrke's novels, it's a wonderful ending to an utterly endearing story. Due out on January 1, 2012.

How The Marquess Was Won, by Julie Anne Long

2011-12-27T06:00:00.015-05:00

It makes sense that as a huge fan of historical romances, there are a few novelists I gravitate to naturally. But there are only two authors in that genre who I’m willing to bet will never disappoint. One is Grace Burrowes and the other is Julie Anne Long. Ms. Long’s newest novel, How the Marquess Was Won: Pennyroyal Green Series, proves my point yet again. Her voice is unique, sophisticated and polished - consistently so. So when opportunity knocked, I answered with alacrity and found an advanced reader’s copy of Marquess in my hands. Sometimes, things just cannot get any better.

Ms. Long starts the story almost at the end – an intriguing way to begin. We find Julian Spenser, Marquess Dryden, bleeding from a gunshot wound and professing a most uncharacteristic and unfortunately for him, unrequited love as Colin and Chase Eversea (of the infamous Eversea family, subjects of the author’s other Pennyroyal books) tend to his wound. This scene does exactly what it is intended to do – we are now insatiably curious and want to know with whom Lord Ice (as this particular haughty member of the aristocracy is also known) has fallen in love and why he sounds as if his world has ended (bullet hole in his shoulder notwithstanding). Chapter Two takes us to a time six weeks earlier, before he's even aware of the woman responsible for his current heartache.

But Phoebe Vale is certainly aware of him. Marquess Dryden is a frequent topic of the London broadsheets Phoebe devours when she isn’t teaching Latin, Greek and French history to potentially problematic young ladies in Miss Marietta Endicott’s Academy. Through the spectacular stories in the broadsheets, Phoebe knows Lord Ice is the current trendsetter – the man everyone emulates – a cool, calculating customer and a very wealthy member of the aristocracy. And it seems he is now in the market for a wife. His life, and the comings and goings of others like him, fascinate Phoebe, but she understands her place in the world. Once a charity student at the academy, Phoebe is in an entirely different social sphere. She is also alone, but for Miss Endicott and her students, and has recently made a life changing decision that will take her far from Pennyroyal Green.

But before Phoebe can pack her bags, a series of events throws her in the path of Lord Ice. This string of circumstance provides the framework for an enticing tug of war between a reluctant Phoebe and an extremely determined Julian. Eventually, we are led to an astonishingly satisfying ending (the continuation of the first chapter). But I will leave the delicious particulars of this journey for you to discover for yourself. As in What I Did for a Duke (reviewed February 22, 2011), Ms. Long infuses this solid story with crisp narrative, lovely dialog, subtle humor and plenty of heart. Her track record with me remains unbroken. How the Marquess Was Won is a clear winner.

Lily, by Patricia Gaffney

2011-12-26T19:24:00.005-05:00

To say that I'm still shaking from this novel would be not be an understatement. In the best combination of dark, gothic story telling and heart lifting historical romance, Patricia Gaffney takes her characters (and readers) on a veritable roller coaster of emotions, from the deepest reaches of human despair to the totally euphoric feeling one gets when an outcome is exactly as one's heart would hope.

Lily Traherne, gently bred daughter of an inventor and sometimes drunk, finds herself with a new guardian after her father's death, one who sniffs out her inheritance and hatches a plot to gain control of it. When things go awry and Lily must flee Lyme Regis and run for her life, she finds herself in the far corner of Cornwall, at Darkstone Manor, ancestral home of Devon Darkwell, Viscount Sandown. Cynical and depressed, Darkwell suffers from a deep disappointment in his life, and when he meets Lily, who is posing as a servant in his household, he's after only one thing. When that one thing turns into an obsession for them both, the trouble begins. Just when we think things are beginning to go the way of all historical romance novels, Ms. Gaffney snatches defeat from the jaws of victory and plunges the characters back into situations that are untenable, and to some readers, including this one, even uncomfortable. We wonder at every turn how this story can ever, in any sense of the word, turn out happily. And we are left wondering right up until the very last. Like Lily, the reader is more than ready for something good to happen, for both Devon and Lily to come to their senses and face the inevitable. We are left waiting for a good, long time.

With engaging secondary characters, like Devon's brother Clay, and Lowdy and Galen, fellow servants at Darkstone, Ms. Gaffney succeeds in lightening the mood, at times. For the most part, the novel stays dark and like a storm blowing in off the ocean (and there are many in this book) wild and uncertain. I loved it. Uncertainty and historical romance make great bedfellows. I wish more authors in this genre would try it. Available from Open Road Publishers.

Blank Slate Kate by Heather Wardell

2011-12-20T22:23:00.011-05:00

I finished reading Blank Slate Kate by Heather Wardell almost a week ago. Usually, when I offer my opinion of a book to our loyal following, I do it within minutes of turning the last page. This one, however, needed to marinate in my head; a long soak amid the gray matter before I felt I could articulate with any clarity how much I loved Ms. Wardell’s latest. I still don’t know if I can do that task justice, but I think I’m ready to try.

Imagine waking up naked in a stranger’s bed with no recollection of how you got there. And add to that the undeniable fact that you are in a thirty-two year old body with the thoughts of a seventeen year old and no memory of who you are, where you live and what you’ve been doing for the past fifteen years. This is exactly what happens to Kate Anderson as she abruptly discovers that the years between 1996 and 2011 are nothing more than a blank slate. Terror, depression and acute frustration vie for top emotional billing as Kate (with help of Jake - the bighearted, gorgeous stranger) tries to find out who she really is.

This is not a flighty contemporary romance. Some heavy topics are tackled, including severe depression, teenage pregnancy, adultery and date rape. The sum of these rather grim parts could have easily swept me into a deep, black hole, but much to Ms. Wardell’s credit, they did not. Just the opposite, I think, as I found myself carefully examining my own life experiences during that same period of time and while I would clearly like to forget a few of them, unlike Kate, I have little to regret.

For me, the greatest strength of the story is the inherent unpredictability of the plot. For two-thirds of the book, I leaned heavily in one direction and then the fragility of Kate’s new discoveries pulled me down an entirely different path. I loved that I needed to be coaxed and persuaded, just like Kate, to discover, embrace and savor what seemed familiar, yet was still completely unknown. And, as is usual for Ms. Wardell, the secondary characters are well written, playing their supporting roles perfectly. One character in particular (and I can't mention the name without spoiling Kate's journey for you) is ripe for a book of his own. I'm still a little in love with him, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Much in the same vein as Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros, Blank Slate Kate is an unexpectedly uplifting, surprisingly unconventional and deeply touching story. It’s definitely worth the emotional investment. A must read.

Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

2011-12-17T13:32:00.004-05:00

I was returning from a vacation in London and happened to have some time to kill in the departure lounge at Heathrow. Steve Jobs had passed away just two weeks prior and this new biography by Walter Isaacson had just been published. I couldn't resist the half-price sticker on this huge 571 page book so I bought it, not stopping to figure that with the conversion it cost more in London than it would have at home, even at half price. Not only that, but I now had to carry this huge thing onto the plane and through immigration and customs when I could have just as easily bought the e-book. No matter. It was worth every pound/dollar and inconvenience it caused. This book is a must read, and once I started it, I could not put it down.

Walter Isaacson paints a brutally honest picture of the late Mr. Jobs. No holds are barred and no stone is left unturned in the journey through a life that started with birth parents giving their son up for adoption, then later marrying each other and having another child. The author goes on to paint a picture of a childhood filled with curiosity, spunk and inquisitiveness. There's one particular story of a young Steve, perhaps in the 8th or 9th grade, who was working on a science project for school. When faced with the need for a certain part for what he was building, he wrote Mr. Hewlett, of Hewlett-Packard, directly and requested it. Not only was the part sent, but it garnered him a summer job at a local HP plant, a harbinger for things to come. Mr. Isaacson relates the birth of Apple Computers in Jobs' parents' garage and describes not only the timeline of his subject's life, but the relationships between Mr. Jobs and his contemporaries that developed along the way. I was endlessly fascinated with the stories of Jobs' relationship with Bill Gates, for example. There are hundreds of such stories scattered throughout the book. Mr. Jobs was not known for his diplomacy as a boss or even as a human being and Mr. Isaacson does an excellent job of putting the reader in the place of the hapless employees or acquaintances (and there were many) who somehow managed to incur Steve Jobs' wrath and ridicule. All the better for understanding that while Steve Jobs was an innovative genius who guided Apple and Pixar to unbelievable success, he happened to have a problem dealing with those who did not live up to his standards, or those whom he thought betrayed him in some way. He was also emotional, crying when things didn't quite go his way, and was known to hold a grudge when the situation warranted it. And sometimes when it didn't.

Mr. Isaacson describes Jobs' eight year fight against pancreatic cancer in candid detail, and his audience feels his family's horror as Steve decides to forgo what his doctors felt may have been successful treatment by surgery for experiments with herbs and diet for 9 months before finally assenting to the procedure. By then, the cancer had spread, and the rest is now, thanks to the author, well-documented history.

Isaacson had Jobs' full cooperation in the writing of this book, and it shows. Nothing is white-washed, and it comes across as an honest and thoroughly open account of this amazing man. For the first 200 pages, this reader couldn't stop wondering at how Jobs' got away with some of the things he did. For want of a better word, the man was truly an ass. But then, something happens and by the 300th page and beyond, I couldn't help smiling in places at his antics, because, say what you will about Apple and Steve Jobs, the man knew his business. He knew how to get the best out of his employees and knew exactly what his consumers wanted before they knew themselves. And that is the mark of a true business genius. It's no wonder that with every public appearance that revealed him as a sick man, Apple stock would fall. When you read this book, whether you own any Apple products or not, you realize just how much of Steve Jobs went into everything and anything that company has produced. The next time you're in an Apple Store, look down at the floor. If it's blue tile, Steve Jobs picked it out. His hand was in everything, and undoubtedly, he will be sorely missed. Just how much is made clear in this wonderful, fast-paced biography. I highly recommend it.

Carrie Goes Off The Map, by Phillipa Ashley

2011-11-30T07:36:00.004-05:00

With a Phillipa Ashley novel, you know just what you're getting before you open the book to the first page. There are fascinating locales, endearing protagonists, quirky secondary characters, an amazing love story and a gloriously happy ending. Carrie Goes Off The Map follows this trail perfectly.

Carrie Brownhill and Huw Brigstocke have been together for ten years. Their lives are thoroughly interwoven at Huw's farm, where Carrie works (when she's not doing amateur theater) and where the two of them live. None of this prevents Huw from breaking off their engagement just two weeks before the scheduled wedding festivities. Carrie is left with a broken heart, no home and no job. When she hears (in a rather atypical way) four months later, that Huw is marrying someone else, she tries to show her indignation up close and personal. She's stopped on the church steps by Dr. Matt Landor, their friend from University who is home on leave from his stint as a charity doctor in Tuman. Embarrassed by the emotional state she's been driven to, Carrie resolves to get over Huw once and for all and get on with her life. She and her friend Rowena plan a trip to the Continent to see a bit of the world before moving on to the next part of their lives. And Dolly, the so-named VW camper who plays a big and beloved part in the novel, is their vehicle of choice. When a last minute acting job prevents Rowena from going with Carrie, a substitution is made, and Matt takes her place.

The book really comes into its own as Matt and Carrie head, not for the Continent as Carrie had hoped, but to Cornwall. As the destinations come and go, Matt and Carrie get closer, almost without realizing it. There's this slow dawning of understanding between the two that deepens as the miles pass. For Carrie, there's "something" about Matt. And for Matt, there's that same "something" about Carrie. And when they finally do realize that what they really want is each other, it's Matt, the serial commitment-phobe, who wants something more permanent. And Carrie, scarred from her experience with Huw and desperate not to lose her heart without an impossible guarantee, steps away. Matt returns to Tuman, their relationship now reduced to email and Facebook posts.

It's at this point that I am so glad that Ms. Ashley doesn't get her inspiration from Nicholas Sparks, because if that were the case, this story would not have that hoped-for happy ending. There are some tense moments when we wonder if Carrie was not too hasty in sending the good doctor away the year before. But Ms. Ashley doesn't leave us hanging in suspense too long, thankfully, and everything comes right in the end for a girl who had nothing left to her in the beginning.

Carrie Goes Off The Map is published by Sourcebooks, due out December 1, 2011. I'd love to see this one into a made for TV movie. Any plans for that, Phillipa?

The Rose Garden, by Susanna Kearsley

2011-11-13T20:44:00.007-05:00

I've always used Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series as the yardstick with which to measure any book containing even a whiff of time travel. Up until Susanna Kearsley's novel, A Winter Sea (reviewed here in May, 2011) any and all have fallen short. With The Rose Garden, Ms. Kearsley's newest effort, I think even Ms. Gabaldon has met her match. The Rose Garden is a sumptuous love story, one which encompasses three centuries and will warm the coldest of the coming winter nights. I am not being flowery or overdramatic here. I mean it. It is that good. The writing is so descriptive and the characters so real, I could envision every paragraph of every page as if I were a part of the story too. That to me is the mark of a truly great book.

Eva Ellen Ward has recently lost her older sister Katrina, a celebrated movie actress, to an unnamed disease. Katrina's husband entrusts Eva to take his wife's ashes and spread them "where she was happiest." Eva, who worked public relations for her sister, knows just where that place is, and travels from Los Angeles to Cornwall and specifically to Trelowarth, the house and rose farm where the two girls spent many happy summers as guests of their late "Uncle"George and Claire Hallett, friends of their father's. Twenty years after she last stepped foot in the house she's welcomed back by Claire, as well as George's children Mark (Katrina's first love), and Susan, Eva's former playmate. When she starts to experience what she thinks are hallucinogenic episodes, she chalks it up to sleeping pills and grief over losing her sister. When the episodes become frighteningly real, Eva has to accept the fact that she is indeed straddling a time line that takes her in and out of the Trelowarth of 1715. She meets the then owners of the house, brothers Daniel and Jack Butler, and their loyal friend Fergal. She is also a witness to the sowing of the seeds of the first Jacobite uprising, the plot to bring King James from France to assume his place on the British throne. What she doesn't anticipate are her feelings for Daniel Butler, who knows exactly what she is and not only accepts it, but returns those same feelings, seemingly tenfold. It is at this point in the novel where Ms. Kearsley infuses Daniel with a romanticism not often found in male protagonists, and allows Daniel to sum up their love with these words, "whatever time we have, will be time enough." Prosaic words for a man who falls in love with a time traveler with no control of her appearances and disappearances, except when she's away from Trelowarth itself.

While the notion of time travel can be a hard sell in a story, Ms. Kearsley makes Eva's experience entirely believable. It fits so well and flows so naturally here, that this reader did not question it as far-fetched fantasy. I actually caught myself thinking that anything is possible, and who's to say that something like this could not in fact, actually happen? I would make a wager that this reaction is not uncommon when reading this novel. And that's certainly a tribute to Ms. Kearsley's story telling abilities.

Without getting into too much more detail because this is a story best read and savored (and believe me, you don't want me to give this part away), there is one surprise toward the end of the book that will leave you so enthralled, you'll read it over and over, just to help you work out all the brilliant clues left that you may have missed beforehand. These clues are scattered like breadcrumbs on a trail helping you find your way back from whence you came. It's masterfully done and adds an additional dimension to what was already a brilliant story.

It seems I've gotten into the habit of saying this for this author's work; The Rose Garden, by Susanna Kearsley is a must read. And as they say, there's no time like the present....

Highland Storms, by Christina Courtenay

2011-11-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

In the follow up to her novel Trade Winds, Christina Courtenay continues the story of the Kinross family, this time moving her characters from Sweden to their native homeland, the Scottish Highlands. Brice Kinross, son of Killian and Jess, the protagonists in Trade Winds, is bequeathed Rosyth House, the Kinross ancestral home, by his father as a consequence of the Jacobite uprising in 1745. Living in Sweden with his family, Brice is betrayed in love by his brother and his brother's new wife, the girl he himself intended to marry. When his father suspects that things are not all what they seem at Rosyth, he encourages Brice to go to Scotland, take up the reins of his inheritance and put things to rights. With an eye toward a new beginning, he leaves Sweden and heads "home."

Marsaili Buchanan, Brice's deceased uncle's illegitimate daughter (more simply, his second cousin) acts as housekeeper at Rosyth. Instilled there by Brice's aunt and looked after by her half-sisters, Marsaili continuously butts heads with the estate manager, Colin Seton. He wants Marsaili for a wife, but she refuses him repeatedly. Seton is not what he appears to be, and only his son, Iain knows exactly what he's up to. However, Iain's loyalties are tested repeatedly as he loves Marsaili's half sister. When Brice shows up at Rosyth House and declares himself Laird, he begins to slowly win over his tenants by deed as well as character. At the same time, he makes some very powerful enemies. Faced with the ultimate threat to his plan, Seton begins to plot revenge and this revenge is what keeps the book moving through the final few pages.

On a personal level, Brice must overcome his reluctance to trust in love when he finds himself attracted to his beautiful cousin. For her part, Marsaili has to make sure Brice's intentions are honorable before she reciprocates those feelings, as she has a fear of becoming like her mother, a wanton who finally settled into marriage only to allow her husband to physically abuse her. But before this can happen, fate intervenes and puts them both into abject danger.

Set against the backdrop of the aftermath of Culloden and the dismantling of the clan system in the Highlands, Highland Storms evokes all the hardship and desolation faced and felt by the once proud inhabitants of that part of Scotland. Ms. Courtenay writes an engaging and fast moving story. The only problem I have with it is that a good deal of the dialogue and some of the action (for example, the characters, including the women, seem to like to punch each other in the arms a good deal to signify good humor) seemed a bit too contemporary for a novel set in the mid 18th century. It was a bit jarring and somewhat difficult to get past in spots, but I tried my best to put that aside, and once I did, it was easy to get lost in Brice and Marsaili's love story. Just out now from Choc Lit publishers, Highland Storms is a fast moving, engaging, love trumps all tale definitely worth a read.

Holly Lane, by Toni Blake

2011-10-25T09:54:00.009-04:00

It was the perfect marriage. They were the couple who had everything for as long as anyone could remember. But the rock solid marriage of Sue Ann and Jeff, a couple we've come to know in the previous Destiny novels, doesn't survive the first few pages of Holly Lane, Toni Blake's new offering in this incredible series.
Fast forward six months. It's Thanksgiving weekend and Sue Ann, still struggling with Jeff's abandonment, books a cabin in the woods. A weekend away by herself may be just the thing to help her find some peace. But Sue Ann's attempt at tranquil solitude is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Jeff's best friend, her daughter's godfather and all around town "good guy," Adam Becker. However, Adam is anything but feeling good at the moment. His boys are spending the entire holiday season far away with his ex's family and he's grumpy and miserable - not at all his usual self. And now he's just plain annoyed because the plans for his very own solitary, brooding weekend are over. The lodge booked both of them into the same cabin and the unexpected snow storm forces the two to spend the night together.

And let's be clear....they spend the spend the night TOGETHER. Thank you, Ms. Blake for not making us wait this one out. Friends for a long time, they know each other well and whether it's the coziness of a rustic cabin warmed by a roaring fire or the loneliness and frustration each one is feeling, or perhaps a little of both, within a few short pages we are treated to one of the most sizzling love scenes I've read since...well, since the last Destiny novel.
The snow eventually stops and as Sue Ann and Adam part company, they decide their brief interlude must be just that - brief and over. However, as connoisseurs of the genre know, nothing is ever that simple and the two spend the rest of the novel unsuccessfully denying the inevitable attraction while trying to overcome their individual issues.

Ms. Blake takes a very creative approach and evokes Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, comparing Adam with Ebenezer Scrooge. Frankly, this surprised me. After all, Adam is not a bad person. He's just having a crap holiday season and spending it in a perpetual black mood. Overall, Adam's issues are mild compared to the heavy baggage carried around by some of the previous Destiny heroes. Mick Brody, for one, comes to mind. But the comparison really does work, as Adam, it turns out, is far from perfect himself. Eventually, he realizes the error of his ways (reminiscent of Scrooge) and does several things so wonderful, so impossibly heartwarming, all should be forgiven.
But Sue Ann can't seem to forgive Adam, nor can she forget him. Here Ms. Blake shines as she makes Sue Ann's confusion very real. After all, Sue Ann's concern for her daughter is first and foremost and she needs to make sense of her new status as single mother and sole provider. A new relationship is just too much to handle. And who can blame her for not trusting Adam, given his behavior in the context of her ex-husband's betrayal. But it's oh so gratifying to see Sue Ann grow from victim into victor - a woman who begins to take charge of her life by rebuilding it one day at a time and, in the process, finding the courage to embrace love again.

Holly Lane is the kind of wonderful, complex romance we've come to expect from Ms. Blake. The characters are human, their flaws - open and raw - are mended by love. A perfect read for any time of year, may it find its way into your heart this holiday season.

The Very Picture of You, by Isabel Wolff

2011-10-02T16:42:00.000-04:00

At first glance, The Very Picture of You, by Isabel Wolff, is the story of an artist's way of life. In reality, however, it's so much more. Ella Graham, a talented portrait artist, has quite a few commissions to finish. Each sitting to Ella is like a therapy session. In the course of conversation, her subjects slowly reveal themselves to her until who they truly are is what she portrays them to be. But there's more to this story than meets the eye, or canvas, as it were. The secondary characters in this novel, while at first seemingly unrelated, are in fact, woven together to present a common and recurrent element. Mike, a local politician, Iris, a pleasant elderly woman, Celine, a dissatisfied housewife, Grace, the one posthumous commission Ella takes on, Chloe, Ella's half sister, Sue, her mother, Roy, her step-father and lastly, Nate, Chloe's intended, are wrapped around the central themes of marriage, infidelity, abandonment and forgiveness. And it's written in such a way that you are seeing and feeling everything Ella does until you too, have a complete picture of each character, without ever actually seeing their portrait. It's probably about as fine an example of descriptive writing I have come across in a very long time.

Overarching these stories is Ella, herself a two-time victim of clandestine loves that if revealed, would destroy the relationships her family has worked so hard to build over the years. She's also presented with a life changing decision, a road that if taken could destroy her mother yet turn the page on an old hurt that has colored every part of her life since the age of 5. Will she reach out and grab the opportunities presented to her? Or will she decide that the rewards to be gained from love are not worth the price she will have to pay?

Ella is far from perfect, even though she is an extraordinary artist. She makes a few wild (and it turns out wrong) assumptions along the way. I was surprised actually, at her gullibility in certain situations and her tendency to believe the worst in people without giving them the benefit of the doubt. I soon realized, however, that this trait was important because it revealed a distinct inability to see the two sides that might exist to a story. This turns out to be a crucial factor in her relationship with her mother, the most important relationship Ella has in this novel until the very end of the book, when the seemingly impossible resolutions to her dilemmas (happily for her) become reality.

Utilizing wonderful secondary characters, each with their own story to tell, including a family that, while not dysfunctional could certainly use some lessons in honesty and communication, Isabel Wolff has written a worthy follow-up to A Vintage Affair, also reviewed here at Bookishly Attentive. On sale in hardcover on October 4, The Very Picture of You is a must-read for anyone looking for a moving family story that paints a beautifully vivid picture with words.

Silk is for Seduction, by Loretta Chase

2011-09-30T08:29:00.001-04:00

Let me start out by saying no betrothals were hurt in the writing of this novel. That said, Loretta Chase has written a gem in Silk is for Seduction. The first in a series about the Noirot sisters (three women with a past that make convicted felons look good) brings together Marcelline Noirot and Gervaise Angier, 7th Duke of Clevedon in an attempt at seduction, but not the kind we are used to in this genre. What Marcelline wants is Clevedon's future wife. Marcelline and her sisters are modistes. Without a following in the upper reaches of the haut ton, they need an in, and the eldest Noirot travels to Paris to attract the Duke so she can literally make a pitch for his future business. The Duke is enjoying the final year of a swing through the Continent and must return to London to marry Lady Clara Fairfax, sister of his best friend, the Earl of Longmore. And it is that lady that Marcelline really has her eyes on.

What ensues seems to be the typical boy meets girl plot, but with Marcelline's professional reputation at stake, and her unsuitable background to boot, Clevedon meets with a dead end in his quest to have her for his own. She won't give in and he won't give up, even to the detriment of his relationship with Lady Clara and her brother.

While all of this, on the surface, sounds like Marcelline is a home wrecker of the worst kind, nothing could be further from the truth. For while she does fall in love with Clevedon, she strongly encourages him to marry Clara. Neither her motives nor Clevedon's are honorable to begin with, and that's what makes this such a good love story. I've never read a novel where both protagonists are such driven (and in Clevedon's case, selfish) individuals, like-minded in their drive to get what they want, not realizing that what they want is the same thing. It's a brilliant plot and it works to keep the reader guessing up until the very end of the novel.

Sprinkled with small, hysterical one-liners (you'll know one when you read one), Silk is for Seduction admirably serves its purpose of entertaining the reader and it sets up the next two books in this series perfectly. I can't wait to see how the girls adjust to the outcome of this story and go on to find loves of their own. And I'm wondering if Lady Clara's brother, the Earl of Longmore is somehow, some way involved. I'll just throw that out there and see if Ms. Chase takes the hint.

Go Small or Go Home, by Heather Wardell

2011-09-24T16:13:00.005-04:00

Go Small or Go Home, by Heather Wardell is currently a .99 Kindle download. To be honest, I never hold out much hope for .99 Kindle downloads. They are often either too short, too simple or too silly. In fact, I can count on my hand the number I thought worthy of even that small expenditure. But oh, what an absolutely brilliant bargain Go Small or Go Home is. Packed with some of the most wonderful dialogue I’ve read in quite awhile (which probably means I haven't read enough of Ms. Wardell's work) it challenges the old adage that you get only what you pay for.

Forrest Williams has finally fulfilled a life long dream by playing ice hockey for the Toronto Hogs, but playing is not what anyone would call it. Emotionally paralyzed by a horrific car accident that claimed the life of his fiancée, Forrest is ostracized by his teammates as a minor physical injury keeps him glued to the bench. Survivor’s guilt shapes his actions and because of it, he’s on the fast track to an early retirement. But the pressure of a multimillion-dollar contract and the club owner’s wrath forces him to hire a private massage therapist in the hope of regaining his physical health. But no matter how much he wants to get back out there and play, his personal baggage is just too heavy to carry onto the ice.

Tess Grayson is torn between a successful career as a massage therapist and her passion for making miniature pieces of three-dimensional art. She would like nothing more than to turn that passion into a full time career and say goodbye to massage therapy forever. But a girl’s got to eat and Tess applies for the temporary stint as Forrest’s savior. She immediately recognizes that his problems are centered more in his head and less in his leg and, in the same manner she does everything, applies herself whole-heartedly to healing him. But she soon realizes she’s in danger of losing that heart to a man who apparently has nothing left to give.

Written in Tess’ voice, the narrative shines with insightful humor and touching sadness. Tess struggles to find herself at the same time she fights Forrest’s demons and the emotional toll these battles take on her is staggering. Every page in this book packs a punch and I found myself immediately lost in Tess' world. Of course, Forrest’s thoughts are closed to the reader, just as they are closed to Tess. Only once does he open up enough to let her (and us) in, and the price of admission would destroy a woman weaker than Tess. But despite Forrest's hot and cold temperament, she continues to root for him and for herself, and I found myself squarely behind her, although holding out less and less hope for him.

The supporting characters are wonderful in their own right, particularly Tess’ best friend Jen and Forrest’s gallery owning mother, Jayne. Magnus, the Hog’s team captain earned my eternal admiration and even Tess’ alcoholic twin sister Pam gained my support in the end.

I loved everything about this book, including the ending. Especially the ending. Don’t hesitate to spend the buck, if you’re lucky enough to get it for that price. But, even at ten times the price, it would still be a bargain. Trust me on this.

Persuade Me, by Juliet Archer

2011-09-13T19:23:00.001-04:00

Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel. How many times have I re-read Frederick Wentworth's letter to Anne Elliot? How many times have I thought that if Anne and Frederick would just TALK to each other, everything would turn out just fine? In Persuade Me, Juliet Archer's wonderful modern adaptation of the novel that defined first love and missed opportunities, the story is brought up to date and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable read that can stand on its own merits, even for someone who has never read a word of the original.

Dr. Rick Wentworth, an English expert in marine biology based in Melbourne, Australia, has written a book and is in England to promote it. A Steve Irwin-type adventurer (with much more sex appeal), Rick finds the time to visit his sister and her husband and is drawn into the drama of the families surrounding Kellynch, the seat of the 8th Baron of Kellynch, Walter Elliot. Anna Elliot, a lecturer in Russian literature and Walter's semi-estranged daughter presently living in Bath, has reason to follow Rick's career. Anna and Rick share a past. Ten years prior, at eighteen, Anna fell in love with Rick, but when he asked her to go with him to Australia, she was persuaded by her godmother Lady Russell and her father, to give Rick up.

All of our favorite Austenite characters grace this adaptation. There's the Musgrove sisters, one of whom Rick seems to favor, Mrs. Smith (now Anna's landlady and best friend), Sir Walter and his daughters Mona and Lisa (love those names), Lady Russell, William Elliot-Dunne (still as slick and smarmy as his Regency predecessor), two Mrs. Clay characters, Lady Dalrymple, Ben Harville and even James Benwick. They are all transported seamlessly into the modern world.

The main premise of the entire story, the Elliot family's role in Rick and Anna's original breakup, translates very well and is just as believable in a modern context, as in the original. In the original, Wentworth's lack of money and position led to her family's stance. In this adaptation, it's Anna's youth, and the thought, hammered home by Lady Russell, that her mother (had she lived) would have wanted Anna to wait, to go to University and make something of herself first, before she committed to a serious relationship. All powerful means of persuasion for a young, sensitive teenager living in the 21st century.

There are some things that don't translate as well at first glance, however. The dysfunctional nature of Anna's relationship with her family is a bit harder to understand when put in the modern day context. Why does Anna put up with Mona, her younger sister? Why does she even talk to her father let alone run to him when he snaps his conceited and self-important fingers? Why does she let Lisa, her elder sister and Walter's pet, run roughshod over her feelings? In the original, I really had not given this much thought, except to say, it was her duty as a daughter and sister to put up with her family's baggage. In modern times I'm asking why Anna feels the need to be a doormat. I just want to shake her! But that really makes her awakening at the end of the book so much better. You can feel Anna coming into her own, just as she finally realizes that her future can be as bright as her past. She finally pushes back at her family, and is rewarded with what she's wanted for ten long years and was afraid she'd never have. So in the end, even these issues do not matter. That's how good this book is.

Juliet Archer has written a gem that even non-Austen fans would love. The fact that I spent the entire book comparing it to the original and wondering at the ingenious way the author turned Regency situations into contemporary ones, speaks to the creativity involved in writing it. From the foreword (written by one, Will Darcy) to Rick's heartfelt, beautiful love letter to Anna, Persuade Me is an Austen adaptation worth writing home about. Persuade Me is the second in Ms. Archer's Darcy and Friends adaptations. On sale September 15th and published by Choc Lit, it's a must-read for fans of either Jane Austen, contemporary romance or both.

Before I Go to Sleep, by S.J. Watson

2011-09-06T19:56:00.000-04:00

What if you woke up every morning, thinking you were twenty-five, and then looked in the mirror and saw a forty-something? What if you discovered you were in bed with a man every morning that you didn't know, in a room that was unfamiliar? This is the life of Christine, a writer, who suffers from amnesia. Christine cannot retain memories after she falls asleep at night. In the morning, she wakes to thinking she is twenty-five, with her entire life ahead of her. Every morning, her husband, Ben, tells her who she is, and who he is, and then leaves for work for the day. Christine is left alone in a house she doesn't know. Then at the same time every morning, a cell phone rings, and a Dr. Nash tells her to go to her closet, in the shoebox, and read her journal. She reads about what she's done previously, with no memory of the events.

Then one day, after appointments with Dr. Nash that Ben doesn't know about, she goes to find her journal without being told to. Bits and pieces of her memory begin to return, but they do not correlate with what Ben has told her of their lives together. She remembers a son, but Ben told her they had no children. Christine remembers Claire, her best friend from college, but Ben tells her she's moved away. Bit by bit, with Dr. Nash's help, Christine begins to remember more and more, but what remembers isn't what it seems.

Watson was a new author for me, and this book was chosen for my book club with fellow reviewer Lindsey. You really get into the mind of Christine and her daily struggles to remember her life. The last 100 pages or so are so full of new revelations and action, that I could not stop reading- even if the house were on fire! The twists in the plot are so subtle, you don't realize what's going on until Christine does. A nail-biting story that will leave you feeling a bit unsettled.

One Night in London: The Truth About the Duke by Caroline Linden

2011-09-02T13:07:00.000-04:00

The first in a series, One Night in London: The Truth About the Duke is the story of Edward de Lacey, one of three sons of the Duke of Durham, and their combined fight to refute a claim by their father on his deathbed that he was married twice, quite possibly committing bigamy. This confession basically negates the de Lacey sons' claim on the dukedom, leaving Charles Lord Gresham and heir, Edward, the spare and manager of the estates, and Gerard, the youngest who is in the military, illegitimate.

Edward de Lacey has a reputation for being cold and efficient. He begins the search for an attorney who will contest any and all claims to the dukedom in court and in so doing, snatches the best one from the hands of Lady Francesca Gordon, a widow with legal problems of her own concerning the custody of her niece. When faced with what she feels is the attorney's perfidy in dropping her case, she takes it out on Edward, and the sparks immediately fly. Edward, an engaged man, is nevertheless fascinated by Francesca. His engagement is soon over, however, when he's faced with his intended's disloyalty in the form of a scathing story in a gossip rag. When Francesca tells him she can get a retraction, Edward agrees to help her find her niece and a bargain is struck.

The story line is wonderful, and fully engages the interest of the reader. Edward's troubles are real and complicated, but the best part of this book is watching Edward deny his attraction to Francesca in too many ways to count. She's the exact opposite of what he would look for in a relationship, and he cannot believe he is attracted to her, but when he finally realizes that he's in too deep, the romance blooms and we see the kind of man he really is. Francesca, for her part, fights the attraction on the basis that Edward is well above her own station. I would have liked to see a better explanation of her first husband's demise, however. There are some questions remaining about that and I'm not sure those will be answered in the remainder of the series, which is too bad. Something is just not right there, and we are left hanging for the answer.

There are some other interesting points the novel brings out. We see examples of the treatment of women by professional men of that era when Francesca endeavors to hire an attorney. And even with Edward's help, the discrimination is blatant. We are also treated to an explanation of primogeniture as the de Lacey's struggle to hold on to their inheritance. But with all this, One Night in London is a romantic romp and the ending, while tying Edward and Francesca's love story up neatly, leaves the main problem that brought them together, still unresolved. Will Charles, Duke of Durham pick up the reins? And just what trouble has Gerard got himself into? Luckily, I suspect we will find out soon enough.

In the Arms of a Marquess, by Katherine Ashe

2011-08-28T19:16:00.002-04:00

With more intrigue and emotion than I have experienced in a book in a very long time, Katherine Ashe gives us the story of Benjirou Doreè, half-Indian son of a English nobleman, and Octavia Pierce, a wayward and outspoken English girl, who, at 16, is sent to live in India with her aunt and uncle. Upon her arrival in Madras, Ben saves Tavy from an attempted kidnapping, and the seeds are sown for an infatuation that lasts seven years. In those seven years, Ben and Tavy never forget each other, and on one occasion, that of her 18th birthday, they come perilously close to fulfilling their dream of being together.

Of course, this story would be short indeed if things ended happily ever after at this point. But we know that's not quite how novels go. After they are discovered together by her aunt, Octavia is taken north and Ben is sent away. He returns to England at the death of his uncle and years later, becomes the Marquess after the deaths of his father and two older half brothers. With money, land and resources at his disposal, he involves himself in a lifelong quest to stop a common practice in the English maritime trades. While Ben quietly makes a name for himself, Octavia remains in India, unable to forget the dark eyed boy she loves. Returning to England, she finds the enigmatic man Ben has become very different from what she remembers, but the spark is still there. And what a spark it is. There is one scene, that of their first kiss upon being reunited, that fairly makes the page sizzle. And the only thing that happens is a kiss. It could end right there, and I'd be a happy reader. Luckily, though, Ms. Ashe continues her story. Octavia and Ben fight their way through lies, innuendo, fake betrothals, murderous slavers and false friends to find their way back to each other. This time for good, we hope.

Katherine Ashe's In the Arms of a Marquess is filled with wonderful secondary characters that add to the fun. It's written in intelligent prose that flows effortlessly from one page to the next. It reaffirms both the belief in love at first sight, and love conquers all, a tall order for a romance novel. I loved it from beginning to end, and so will you. On sale September 1, 2011.

A Night to Surrender, by Tessa Dare

2011-08-27T20:48:00.003-04:00

When I know a new book is the first in a series, I play a game. As I read, I try to figure out which characters will be the next to have their own story. In Tessa Dare's new novel, A Night to Surrender, it's anyone's guess as the story is full of colorful secondary characters who would each be worthy of their own spin-off. But first, there's Susanna Finch, the daughter of a military inventor, and Lt. Col. Victor Bramwell, career soldier. These two meet up in a most unusual way. Let's just say the sparks fly quite literally from the beginning of their acquaintance and from then on, Bram, as he's known, earns the nickname, "sheep bomber." No animals are harmed in the telling of this story, however. It's just a novel way to get the main characters together in a hurry, and it's one that will leave you laughing, as you do throughout their story.

Bram meets Susanna on his way to beg her father a favor. He needs to use Sir Lewis Finch's persuasive powers to get his command back after he suffers a leg injury. What Bram gets instead is a title, that of Lord Rycroft and a castle which has seen better days, about 500 years ago. He also gets an assignment to gather a militia in the town of Spindle Cove (also known as Spinster Cove for reasons which become readily apparent). Once that happens, he is told his command will be restored. Susanna is threatened by the presence of Bram and his men in her quaint town. Spindle Cove is a repository for young women with social problems; these women are there because their families have no other idea what to do with them. These women are also Susanna's friends, and the presence of virile, young officers (and two Lords in particular) begin to pose all kinds of problems.

Underlying this is the attraction between Bram and Susanna. While there is tension between the two of them, they quickly learn to work together, and they become so in tune that each knows what the other needs before they themselves figure it out. Their relationship is quite different than what I'm used to in this genre, in a good way. Filled with humorous touches (an example of which is the scene where Bram tries to ask Susanna's father for permission to marry), A Night to Surrender is a fast-paced love story that leaves you wanting more. And more is definitely what we will get with the two books to follow. My only question is this: Will we be seeing Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, fall under the spell of a certain eye-glass wearing rock collector, or will we see the taciturn Thorne loosen up a bit with the only musically inclined young lady in Spindle Cove? Or will it be Dr. Daniels who meets his match? Such fun trying to guess! And the best part is that we will get to revisit with Susanna and Bram again. This book goes on sale, August 30, 2011.

Midnight's Wild Passion, by Anna Campbell

2011-08-27T20:00:00.004-04:00

Anna Campbell always throws a monkey wrench into my belief that historical romances should revolve around an unrepentent good-natured rake and a smart heroine who sees through him to the good hiding inside. In Midnight's Wild Passion, our rake, Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw, doesn't have any good inside. In fact, his heart is so black, so twisted with revenge brought on by the ruination of his favorite sister at the hands of a family friend (and a very bizarre upbringing as a child) that our skin crawls with revulsion whenever he appears. Ranelaw has masterminded a plan to exact revenge for his sister. He will ruin the daughter of the man who ruined her. What he doesn't count on is Antonia Smith, chaperone extraordinaire. She's wise to his rakish ways, if not the reason for them, because she's a ruined woman herself. Ten years ago, as Lady Antonia Hilliard, she followed her heart and was betrayed first by the man she loved and then by her family. Her relative, Godfrey Demerest, takes her in, and the circle is complete because he is the man to whom Ranelaw has sworn revenge.

When Nicholas sets his sites on Godfrey's daughter, Cassie, Antonia intervenes, only to fall under his spell herself. To Nicholas, however, what he feels for Antonia runs deeper than anything he's ever felt in his life. His moral awakening is an integral part of the novel. His slow realization that he may be a better man than he thinks he is leads us to believe that we will get the rake to reform. But prior circumstances do not permit Antonia to believe in him. Her rejection sends him into a tailspin of epic proportions, and we watch his disintegration with a sinking heart. As he spirals downward, Antonia mourns the man she thought he could be. It's painful to read, but it will hopefully make the redemption, if it comes, that much sweeter.

Midnight's Wild Passion is a wild ride, indeed. Anna Campbell wrings every emotion out of her characters and her readers will feel the same. Her gifted writing is sensual, emotional, and simply draws us into the characters' lives. I was left drained and then exhilarated by the time the last page was turned. It's rare that a romance novel has this effect, but it's something I could definitely get used to.

Fever Cure, by Phillipa Ashley

2011-08-26T20:23:00.000-04:00

I waited for this book. Patiently. And, coming to expect nothing less than brilliant from Phillipa Ashley, I was not disappointed. Fever Cure is just what the doctor ordered.

A wedding where the champagne flows freely, the music is dreamy and love is thick in the air. What better place to stage the first meeting of a hero and heroine? But when the future lovers find themselves trading smart, snarky dialogue over a tiny scrap of underwear, well, that’s a whole different category of original.

The Honourable Dr. Thomas Edmund Jasper Carew, besides being the best man, is home in England after two years volunteering in Papua, New Guinea. Tall, dark and divertingly handsome, Dr. Tom charms everyone he meets. This includes young children interested in his travels to young women interested in something else entirely. But the charismatic doctor is haunted by a tragedy for which he feels responsible and not even a growing attraction to the bride’s irresistible knockout of a friend will make his demons go away.

Suburban grade school teacher Keira Grayson is fresh from a failed relationship. But that doesn’t make her immune to the charms of hunky Dr. Carew. There’s a definite attraction, but Keira can’t help wonder if it’s all one-sided. Especially since she discovers that the dashing doctor is heading back to New Guinea – very, very soon. Keira is definitely not into that. In her estimation, it’s better to take a pass than get involved in a relationship doomed from the start.

Ms. Ashley weaves a fine tale of start and stop, hook and cut bait, turn on and turn off. The mercurial nature of our fair doctor has us all wondering just how deep his wounds really are, while Keira suffers the folly of eyes-wide-open falling for a man who isn’t going to stick around, no matter how much he may want to. The very contrariness of Tom and Keira’s situation keeps the reader hanging on, waiting to see how it all turns out.

Trust me - you’ll definitely feel the heat. Fever Cure is a clever, well written remedy for whatever ails you.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2011-08-16T20:12:00.003-04:00

As a Northerner, I have to admit that I was resisting reading this book for the longest time. When I'm not reading romance novels and reviewing them here, I find my time divided by biographies and non-fiction subjects I can relate to. I didn't think I'd relate to this story of black, female house maids in the early years of the Civil Rights Movement (starting in 1962) and the white woman who brought them all together for a cause. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The Help, debut novel by Kathryn Stockett, is set in Jackson, Mississippi and is primarily the story of two maids, Aibileen and Minny, and a young, just out of college female journalist-to-be, Eugenia (nicknamed Skeeter), who sets out to write about the relationships between the "help" and the white Junior League women that employ them. Inherent in the narrative of this story are all the prejudices these women carry, as well as all the love and affection some of these women and their children hold for their household servants (and that which the servants hold for some of them, in return). The symbiotic nature of the relationships is revealed by the author as well and to this Yankee I have to admit, it was a bit hard to comprehend. A friend, who grew up in the South in this time period, lived the story of some of these women and was able to explain to me the exalted position these servants held in their employers' households. They were honored guests at children's weddings, tended generations of the same families, and were considered beloved members of those families. That actually helped me to understand and appreciate this book more than I would have otherwise.

Underlying the entire plot line was the need for secrecy for both the maids and Skeeter. The author does an excellent job transmitting the fear of the housemaids as they tried to keep their endeavor secret. In today's world, it's doubtful what they were doing would raise an eyebrow. In fact, tell-all books thrive and our society, while far from perfect, is more colorblind now than it could ever have been then. But in the early '60's, they were truly putting their livelihoods and indeed their lives, on the line to tell their stories. Relaying this point is Ms. Stockett's strength. As a caveat, the housemaids' dialogue is regional dialect, and it takes a few paragraphs to understand it. Once you are into the story, however, you don't even notice.

The Help is filled with colorful period characters who are perfect in their depiction of those hard and strange times. Skeeter's own story adds credence to the risk all of these women were taking. While I enjoyed the book immensely, I was disappointed in the ending. It felt too abrupt, and while I would have liked it to go on a bit more and answer some unanswered questions I have about Aibileen, Skeeter and Minny's next steps in their lives, the ending leaves some room for the imagination. I'd like to think that for all three women, happily ever after comes easy. They deserve it.

Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson

2011-07-04T17:19:00.010-04:00

This installment of Rachel Gibson's hockey players of the fictional NHL Seattle Chinooks series focuses on long time player (in more than one sense of the word) Sam LeClaire. As the book starts we find him attending the wedding of Ty and Faith, two characters from a previous book in the series. His ex-wife, Autumn Haven, is the wedding planner which takes him by surprise since they haven't seen each other in over two years. They share a five year old son, Connor, and to spare him the baby mama drama of which they have a great deal, they agree to pass him back and forth through Sam's assistant.

To have a good romance one must have believable conflict. Autumn and Sam have believable conflict in spades. Sam is quite possibly one of the most unlikeable Heros in any romance I have ever read. The couple got married in Vegas after knowing each other for five days. Autumn has fallen head over heals for the hottie hockey player but after their drunken Elvis impersonator wedding and unfortunate name tattoos (tattoo shops really should have Breathalyzers) he splits in the morning without a word and starts divorce proceedings. When she tells him she is pregnant, through his lawyer since he won't give her his cell number, he demands a paternity test before he will take any responsibility or even see the baby. Yeah, he's a real winner and only goes downhill from there. He likes his hockey rough, his women brainless, big boobed and undemanding, and to see his son only when it is convenient which isn't very often. He supports Connor financially but sees him rarely often canceling on him at the last minute. So it is no mystery why Sam is not Autumn's favorite person. He wasn't mine either.

If one is going The Reformed Rake route the reformation must be believable and credible. Did Sam get there? Maybe. In the beginning he has the maturity and self-awareness of a three year old. Gibson gives him a painful back story to try give us a reason for his bad behavior and soften his toolishness but for his amount of narcissism and selfishness it falls a bit short. He finally decides that maybe Autumn is right and he has been a pretty uninvolved father and his son is getting old enough to notice. He decides that he will change his ways and spend more time with Connor and thus spend more time with Autumn. As his priorities change so do his feelings about Autumn.

I really liked Autumn. She was strong and capable and very protective of her son. She had to be. She always tried to keep the drama of his parent's relationship away from Connor after a particularly bad fight that he witnessed when he was three. She never ran Sam down to Connor and tried to make credible excuses for him when he would cancel at the last minute. She put Connor ahead of her own feelings and anger which scores major points with me. What I didn't understand was why she would go down the relationship road with Sam again. He didn't have to do too much to earn a second chance either when this is one Hero who should have been put through a wringer twice to get his second chance. That is why I'm not sure if he is completely reformed. He didn't have to work very hard for it. I might trust him again after two years but not two months. This is one book where I thought that if he became a good father and lived his life in a more responsible manner and Autumn found a different man who was worthy of becoming part of Autumn and Connor's family, I would have considered it a happy ending.

I have liked all of Rachel Gibson's books including this one, and even though I found Sam pretty self-absorbed and not worth Autumn's emotional energy through most of the book I couldn't put it down. There were moments of levity too. On Halloween Autumn wears Sydney Crosby's hockey sweater because she thinks the penguin is cute. The effect this has on Sam is hilarious. Connor is also written very well without being too cutsie or precocious. I hope they live happily ever after, but I kind of think they may be happy for right now. It would be great if Rachel Gibson writes a book in the series that gives us a glimpse of them in the future and they are happy.

I'm a hockey fan (Go Stars!) but you don't have to be to read this series. Sam does have some pretty strong opinions about Sydney Crosby so Pittsburg fans have been warned. I took my lumps when John from Simply Irresistible expressed some not so kind opinions about Mike Modano.

The Dark Enquiry, by Deanna Raybourn

2011-06-21T22:33:00.001-04:00

It's always a good day when a Lady Julia book lands on my front porch. When author Deanna Raybourn caught my attention with Silent in the Grave, I hadn't expected to discover a series where each book is just as good as the last, if not better, and the storyline of Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane constantly evolves into something more and more exciting. Now that we are at Lady Julia book #5, I've been thinking back to the previous novels and analyzing my reactions to each. The first 3 were filled with such intensity between Lady Julia and Brisbane, and you were hanging on the edge for them to get together. My sigh of relief at the end of Silent on the Moor could probably be heard for miles! Dark Road to Darjeeling began the journey into the married life of Lady Julia and Brisbane, and therefore an additional mystery. I've spoken to several readers about Dark Road to Darjeeling, and their reactions to the way Raybourn wrote the now married detectives. I'll admit in my review of the book, I never touched on this aspect of the story, as I was drawn into the suspenseful plot and didn't give much thought to their marriage. Other more astute readers did not, however, and I've heard some relate they were not happy with the way the couple treated each other, and that it wasn't what they thought the marriage would be. I've given it some thought since my last discussion with dear friend and fellow reviewer KristinH, and I've come to the realization that I expected more from their marriage. The Dark Enquiry is what I was looking for.

Lady Julia and Brisbane have taken up residence in London, and we get a glimpse into what life is like for residents as Lady Julia is working on yet another recipe for black powder, after several failed batches. Aquinas cannot keep staff because of the strange comings and goings, and Lady Julia is still trying to work her way into Brisbane's life by being his partner in investigations. Lady Julia's enthusiasm for all things related to Brisbane's business leads her to worm her way into cases by means of not telling her husband until she is need of rescue. In fact, the entire book is full of Brisbane trying to keep Lady Julia out of harms way while she is assisting him with a case involving a medium with possible links to espionage. As the novel unravels, you see a different side of the Brisbane's; the side that shows just how devoted they truly are to each other. Brisbane cannot live without Lady Julia, and his visions begin early on with a sensation of being suffocated, which comes to shocking reality towards the end. His visions are connected to his emotions towards his wife, and these visions he is unable to fight and numb with medicines. Lady Julia is just as devoted, and her entrance into her husband's investigation stems from her worry that he is in trouble. All this not love, however, as Brisbane shows his anger more than once at Lady Julia's actions and puts his foot down. There is still the tug of war about Lady Julia's place in his investigations and her safety, but the passion they have for each other is proudly displayed even if it's not written in detail. Their love for each other can be felt.

The story itself involves espionage and a cast of secondary characters that as always in a Raybourn novel, have interesting back stories and complete the plot. I was very happy to have more Plum in this book, for he is my favorite brother, and of course, Lady Portia and her new addition are present. This book will lead you through a roller coaster of emotions, and I went from sitting on the edge of my seat, to laughing, to having to set the book down and cry my eyes out. (you'll know when you get to that part) If you are a fan of mystery/suspense, and like it with a dose of Victorianism, you will want to pick up this book regardless if you've read the entire series. Oh, and it's a must have for fans. Brisbane only gets more swoon worthy as the series goes on, and this book is no exception.

Brief Encounters, by Phillipa Ashley, Nell Dixon, and Elizabeth Hanbury

2011-06-10T20:25:00.002-04:00

What a great way to get back into the swing of things! I've been bombarded with reading all things homework related since January, so for such a perfect combination of short stories to fall on us here at Bookishly right as I am getting set to read what I want to read makes me very happy!

Brief Encounters is a collection of stories by the above named authors. There is mix of modern and historical, so all should love these witty works. The collection starts off with a modern and fun story called Plus One Guest by Nell Dixon. Lucy is invited to her ex's wedding, and it's the day before and she has not found her "plus one guest". Not willing to attend the wedding alone, she is somewhat tricked by her coworker Diana into allowing her boss, Harry of the fraying cuffs, to escort her. The more time Lucy and Harry are together, the more Lucy realizes she rather likes her boss, and he is more than fond of her. A sweet and funny story that made me smile with every word. Dixon's next contribution, A Weekend in Venice, is the rather sad story of Kay and her attempt to regain a little of her life back after a tragic accident that took the life of her fiancé. After becoming lost, she enters a shop where she meets Roberto, a rather gorgeous Italian, and she learns she can heal and live again. A sad, yet sweet tale that makes you believe in happy endings.

Author Elizabeth Hanbury is no stranger to Bookishly, and she is a favorite of mine. Hanbury's first contribution to Brief Encounters is the historical Miss Pattingham Requests, the story of Gyles Beaufort, a leader in the ton, and his brief engagement to Miss Merryn Ward. After a whirlwind romance, Gyles receives a letter one day, indicating Miss Ward has left for parts unknown and without giving a reason. Despite his search, Gyles cannot find his fiancée and is devastated. When a letter from his former governess arrives with a request to visit her, he resists going, but in the end relents. Imagine his surprise when he enters and sees Miss Ward is a guest as well! A lovely short about love gone awry, only to come back again. Hanbury's second contribution is The Virtuous Courtesan, A Midsummer Eve at Rookery End story. For those of you unfamiliar with the Rookery End stories please see my review here. This is the story of Leonora and Marcus, the gracious hosts of the previous stories. The story begins with Leonora breaking into Rookery End, the seat of the Earl of Allingham, to steal a portrait her father sold. A portrait that was not an original, but a copy. She is caught, not by a servant, but by the Earl himself- a much younger version than what she expected! Sparks fly in this sweet tail about housebreaking, and love at first sight.

The final works in this delightful collection are by author Phillipa Ashley, another favorite of mine. (do you see a pattern here?) Ashley contributes two sweet stories to this collection, starting off with the Feast of Stefan. And before I go on, you will want to feast on Stefan before you come to the conclusion of this tale! Nick has had his eyes on Sarah for awhile, but was afraid to ask her out because of the death of her husband. Then along comes Stefan from Slovakia, tall, handsome, and witty to boot. Stefan is there for work, which just so happens to be the same place Nick works, and they get to know each other over time. Everyone in the village loves Stefan, especially after his first gesture is buying the entire pub a round! Nick’s feelings for Sarah are strong, but he wonders of Stefan and they way they talk to each other. Sure that Sarah has eyes for Stefan; he slowly resigns himself to losing Sarah. It’s only after a freak snowstorm and hitting his head do these two come together in what is a very sweet story. The final story of the collection is A Bolt From the Blue, the story of Lisa and her quest to get over the betrayal of her fiancé. A weekend of camping and hiking with a friend turns into a mountain rescue as her friend is injured, and Lisa is led back down the mountain by Hagar as they jokingly call him. Lisa comes face to face with a Viking God or the equivalent in this case, which will set your heart pounding. After packing up their equipment, Lisa sets off to thank the rescue team and meets up with Hagar again, and this time sparks fly. We never do learn his name, but it’s not really necessary, and I’m sure you will agree. I do always love Phillipa’s leading men.

Brief Encounters is a must read, and its size makes it the perfect evening getaway. Be sure to download this as quickly as you can! It can be found at all online bookstores, and according to author blogs, the print version will be out in September. Well done, ladies!

Just Like Heaven, by Julia Quinn

2011-06-06T11:22:00.003-04:00

If you are familiar with Julia Quinn's series on the alphabetically named Bridgerton offspring, you are familiar with the infamous and dreaded Smythe-Smith musicales. I always wondered at the women who comprised the Smythe-Smith quartet. Why would they subject themselves and their audience to those dreaded performances? We get our answers in this new series.

The first is the story of Honoria Smythe-Smith, a daughter of the Earl of Winstead, a member of the quartet and most definitely not a virtuoso on the violin. She and her brother, Daniel, (now the Earl of Winstead after the passing of his father) have been life-long friends of Marcus Holroyd, the Earl of Chatteris. Marcus grew up motherless and alone, with an absent parent for a father. Shy and friendless, Marcus is sent to Eton and, with no family to call his own, starts to spend holidays with the Smythe-Smiths, and Daniel, his new best friend. Honoria, the youngest sibling of the prolific Smythe-Smith family, tags along on all their adventures to Daniel's embarrassment and Marcus' amusement. As the trio grows older, they each go their separate ways. Marcus and Honoria's paths cross in London numerous times and when Daniel is forced to leave the country, he asks Marcus to watch over Honoria.

Honoria is entering her second year on the marriage mart and is desperate to get married and leave the quartet behind her. When she sets up a situation for a Bridgerton to notice her, what she gets is Marcus instead. And when his life is threatened by her actions, they both realize that they are far more to each other than life-long friends.

It was nice to revisit with some of my favorite characters from the Bridgerton series. We also get an explanation for how the musicales started and why the girls in the quartet stick with it, even though they know they should give it up for the good of the ton.

With no real purpose in mind except the enjoyment of the reader, Just Like Heaven fits the bill for a fun historical romance romp. Unlike the Smythe-Smith musicales, this book is by no means a hardship to get through.

The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley

2011-05-28T18:16:00.010-04:00

I know some wonderful authors. When I ask them how they know what to write, they all tell me that their characters "talk" to them; that their protagonists are the conduit through which they, as artists, express themselves and in so doing, produce the story they want to tell. But what if there was more to it than just having a creative imagination and a will to tell a story?

Carrie McClelland is an author, in Scotland to visit her agent and do research on her book about Captain Nathaniel Hooke, an 18th century Jacobite intent on returning King James to the throne of Scotland in 1708. Her agent suggests that she write the book through the eyes of someone other than Hooke, that perhaps a woman as a narrator can get the story moving along at a faster clip. Carrie takes up residence in a cottage by the sea, near a castle called Slains, the ancestral home of the Earl of Erroll. The castle seems to call to her in some way that she finds hard to ignore. And when Carrie takes Jane's suggestion, the story does indeed start to write itself, and so easily that she's is a bit frightened by just how well Sophia Paterson, her narrator, tells it. Effortlessly, Carrie writes about a life lived 300 years earlier, checking actual history against what she has written and starting to realize that coincidence has nothing to do with the fact that she's no longer writing historical fiction, but historical fact.

While you might think that this is a bit gimmicky, or that it's another wonderful time travel story (the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon comes to mind), this is neither. It's an engrossing, at times heart- wrenching love story that's carried on two distinct parallel planes. The first story, that of Sophia and John Moray, comes to life with some of the most romantic lines I've ever read. The description of their wedding night and subsequent parting on the eve of John's exile to France to serve Young King James, is some of the best writing I've come across in a long time. At the same time that we live through Sophia's era, Carrie, in the present day and in her own personal life, helps draw the two parallel lines closer together. It's fascinating reading the history of these turbulent times and at the same time feeling Carrie's sense of confusion and then acceptance over what seems to be to happening to her in writing Sophia's story. To be honest, there were more than a few times, while reading this book, that a chill ran through me, probably not unlike what Carrie feels when she thinks that her surroundings (or a pair of gray eyes) seems a bit too familiar.

I don't want to give too much away. There are plot twists that are just too exquisite and can only be appreciated by reading the book yourself. While the premise may seem confusing, it's impossible to mistake what century you are in, or from whose perspective the story is being told. From start to finish, I actually had to force myself to put it down. I didn't want it to end. If you read one book this year, read The Winter Sea. Historical romance it may be, but it's not like anything you've read before. At least I haven't. It will stay with you long after you're done, and, like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, will have you asking, as I've been asking myself, "What if...?"

And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander

2011-04-28T11:47:00.007-04:00

And Only To Deceive is Alexander's first book in the Lady Emily series. The series focuses on our heroine, Lady Emily Ashton, who is a young, rich widow living in Victorian England. She was married only a short time to a man she knew almost nothing about and had very little interest in changing that fact once she was married. She married only to escape her nightmare of a mother (think Mrs. Bennet on steroids with bit more public decorum). The book's main focus is following Emily on her journey to know, understand and truly mourn her stranger of a husband, Philip, while at the same time coming into her own as an independent woman. After coming out of full mourning and beginning to re-enter society, she finds the social strictures as confining as the blasted corsets and unpalatable as the sherry.

As she learns more about her late husband she begins to take an interest in his passions. She begins to learn Greek, read Homer (Lord, deliver me from ever having to pick Homer up again), and develop an interest in Greek antiquities. Through this she finds that her husband had been caught up in a mystery which leads her to question his integrity. She, of course, along with her two friends simply must get to the bottom of things. I must admit that this part did get a bit Nancy Drew and her BFFs, George and Bess, for me but I could fight through it.
Enter the love interests, Colin, her late husband's nearest and dearest and Andrew, another friend of Philip's. The reader is supposed to be far more swoony for Colin even though his unknown part in the mystery makes him seem a bit shady. I'll give him some swoon, but he's no Mr. Darcy or Captain Wentworth or even Brisbane if you read Deanna Raybourn. I have a feeling his swoon factor will improve in the next books.

I liked this book very much. I enjoyed Tasha Alexander's voice and characters. Emily, who I did not care for much at the beginning of the book, grew on me as she continued to evolve and mature. She had her moments of knuckleheadedness but overall she was likable, and I cared about what happened to her. One of the strongest parts of the writing was the excerpts from Philip's journal. It really let the reader get to know him. It felt like we were sharing Emily's journey of discovery along with her. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris

2011-04-19T19:15:00.004-04:00

OH MY GOSH! This book was soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. For those you not in the club of awesomeness known as the St. Cyr Society of Adoration or Team Hero....then you need to get on board!

The St. Cyr mystery series is set in Regency England. The books follow the path of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin. A tortured and wounded soul that upon his return from the battlefields of Spain, begins solving murders in London. Due to his unique position as a one of the ton, he can go to and ask questions of those that otherwise would be protected from the insult of even being considered as a culprit for murder, much less investigated.

This newest book follows the intrigue surrounding the death of Alexander Ross, a member of the Foreign Office. What is first believed to be a natural death is soon proved to be murder. Devlin is asked by his close friend, Dr. Paul Gibson, to investigate the murder. The trail leads Devlin all over London, into the spy networks maintained by France, Russia, and England, the office of the Foreign Office, and Devlin's archenemy Jarvis. The story is further enriched by the continuing drama between Devlin and Hero Jarvis.

What I love about this series is that while Harris pays attention to the details of the day (dress, decorations, etc) that normally take up chapters of a regency romance or mystery but she doesn't let it rule her writing. Each plot is so intricately woven that it's VERY rare when I actually figure out the identity of the killer before I'm supposed to. She also weaves the politics of the day into her stories and being a bit of a history nut, I love the series even more

This latest book (the 6th in the series) was worth the almost 2 year wait...yes...it was torture for me because I'm a crazy fan like that. It's my favorite so far. My only complaint is that it was too short but that's my normal issue with books when I read them in a day; which was the case here.

So if you like mysteries, Regency, troubled heroes, quirky characters, intrigue, and FANTASTIC writing then give these books a shot! I recommend that you start at the beginning of the series. Each one is WAY too good to miss!!!

Marrying the Captain, by Carla Kelly

2011-04-04T11:15:00.002-04:00

The first is a series of three books following the illegitimate offspring of a none too heroic naval officer, Marrying the Captain is the story of Eleanor Massie, also known as Nana. When her father decides to sell her to the highest bidder to pay his gambling debts, Nana runs from his influence and the school for girls he sent her to. Finding sanctuary with her grandmother in her hometown of Plymouth, she tries her hardest to keep the Mulberry, the boarding house she and her grandmother run, from closing down. Living in a navy town, Nana is reminded time and again of her mother's fall from grace and the circumstances of her birth and swears she will not be persuaded to meet the same end.

Naval Captain Oliver Worthy is given what at first looks like an innocuous assignment by his commanding officer (Nana's father) to find her and keep an eye on her while he is in Plymouth. His ship, the Tireless, is in dry dock for repairs to damage done in a skirmish with the French. As part of the blockade of the French coast, Oliver cannot wait to get back to sea. And as a life-long navy man, he has seen too many comrades die in battle and leave families behind to grieve. He swears that he will never marry and put someone through the pain of waiting for him to come home. Well, you know what they say about good intentions.

Oliver takes up residence at the Mulberry and predictably, he and Nana fall in love. What's not predictable are the obstacles thrown in their path; French spies, kidnapping and cowardly Admirals among them. The ending, when it comes, is a satisfying conclusion to a story whose outcome is not guaranteed.

This is the first Carla Kelly book I've read, and it won't be the last. I have the two sequels on order, and look forward to re-visiting with Nana and Oliver in those. For a quick read, almost innocent in its story-telling and characterizations, Marrying the Captain is a sweet diversion.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

2011-04-03T03:22:00.004-04:00

Christianity. Islam. Judaism. Buddhism. When asked about the religions of the United States, these are probably the first answers that pop into your head. But considering the vast melting pot from which this country was formed, have you ever stopped to ask yourself, "What happened to the ideologies of days gone by? What are the new ideologies of the future?" Whether by choice or force, millions of people left their native lands and travelled the Atlantic Ocean for the New World. What if the gods of those lands came with them, but over the years have been forgotten and are struggling for existence. And what if, these gods were preparing for battle against the gods of tomorrow, the gods of the Internet, smart phones, credit cards...

Shadow was never been one to believe or not believe. He lived a simple life with his wife Laura, but a series of unfortunate events had landed him in prison. An early release is the beginning of a road Shadow could not have imagined in his wildest dream of traveling. As circumstance would have it, Shadow joins up with Wednesday, formerly known as the All-father Odin. Their journey takes them across the United States, as Wednesday attempts to rally (or coerce) his fellow forgotten gods to join him in battle against the new gods of the wired age. During all of this, Shadow is plagued by dreams his doesn't understand, escapes numerous hit attempts by the opposition, mixed feelings about his wife, all the while trying to grasp the things he has seen and heard. As his journey comes to an end and as the battle for the Badlands wages, to see which side will survive in the land, Shadow finally understands what everything is about, what he is about, and reaches his true potential.

If you are willing to open your mind to the possibilities of what may really be, to see how our thoughts and beliefs can take shape and mold our world, then take the jump into another one of Neil Gaiman's edgy and amazingly fantastic novels.

It Happened One Season, by Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern

2011-03-31T12:20:00.009-04:00

It Happened One Season is a collaborative effort between four talented romance writers and one very imaginative reader. The premise is this; the writers were given the assignment of taking a reader's plot suggestion culled from a publisher's contest (in this case Avon, a subsidiary of HarperCollins) and each use it to write a different story. The "winner" of this contest, Phyllis Post, to whom the book is dedicated, came up with a three point plot suggestion. The first, that the male protagonist be the second son of a noble family, previously in the army and now returned home. The second, that the female protagonist be shy, in some way considered unattractive (even if that's her own perception) and devoid of any suitors, past or present. The final piece to the plot is the propelling force to the stories; the male protagonists' brother has only daughters, so he is ordered to step up to the plate, as it were, and keep the noble line away from a distant, inappropriate relative.

Stephanie Lauren's contribution is called, quite unimaginatively I might add, The Seduction of Sebastion Trantor. Sebastion, newly returned from the Peninsula Wars, is the heir to his brother Thomas, the Viscount Coningsby, the father of multiple daughters. Tabitha Makepeace is looking to catch a blackmailer, someone who is trying to expose her friends' pasts in order to derail their newly arranged marriages. They stumble upon each other and proceed to solve the mystery and fall in love at the same time, thereby killing two birds with one stone. Thankfully, Lauren's use of a thesaurus is somewhat tempered in this story, which made it readable, even to me, not one of her biggest fans.

Mary Balogh is one of my favorite authors, and so I had high hopes for her contribution, Only Love. Jack Gilchrist, a hero of the Napoleonic Wars has lived as a recluse for five years. He is summoned to do his duty and set up his nursery when his sister in law is told she cannot have any more children. Cleo Pritchard was married to Jack's commanding officer. A cruel man 23 years her senior, he died in battle, and Jack was left to deliver the news to the new widow all those years ago. When they meet again at a ball, there is an undeniable attraction between the two and he proposes to her 24 hours after that second meeting, looking to avoid a season on the marriage mart hunting for a suitable wife. In a twist, Cleo decides she won't marry Jack unless she gets pregnant first. I loved this particular plot line and thought it was pretty progressive. Too progressive, as it turns out, but no matter. While not my favorite of this particular analogy, it was good reading. The author did not disappoint.

The third author, Jacquie D'Alessandro, contributed Hope Springs Eternal. This was my favorite of the four. Well written, well executed, with only a small degree of self-pity on the part of the female protagonist, Penelope Markham, an art teacher dismissed in disgrace when she dared to sculpt a male nude. This was the one story that had me wishing it was a full length novel. Penelope is saved from a mugging by Alec Trentwell, her dead brother's commanding officer. Alec has been following Penelope with the intent of keeping her safe for her dead brother's sake as well as his own guilt. He's got a secret and he has to share it with Penelope. Finding the right time to do that is his problem, as he too, proposes after meeting her in order to meet his brother's demand that he marry and start begetting heirs. Another two for one deal here as Penelope never thought to marry and always hoped to, and Alec must. Love is the result of this unorthodox match, but can it survive the secret that is eating Alec alive?

The last story is Fate Strikes a Bargain, by Candice Hern, another author I am not familiar with. In this story, the female heroine, Phillipa Reynolds has a physical disability which kept her on the sidelines through three seasons. Captain Nathaniel Beckwith, a dead ringer for Richard Sharpe aka Sean Bean (except for the noble bloodline) returns home from Waterloo a changed man, and one with a final mission given to him by his brother; to produce a male heir. He proposed to Phillipa exactly five minutes after meeting her while both were hiding behind a potted plant at a ball. He's more damaged from war than the other three heroes we've met in this analogy, but eminently more likable. The two embark on a season together to satisfy her mother wish that propriety be observed, and fall in love. Phillipa is also the strongest character of the four women we've met, which makes for a nice love story.

I loved the idea of this contest, and to be honest, had I known about it, I might have come up with some plot suggestions of my own. If I can't write my own romance novel, having one dedicated to me is the next best thing. Out now, It Happened One Season is worth a read, for how it was conceived if nothing else.

April Romance Reading Challenge Book: My Irresistible Earl, by Gaelen Foley

2011-03-20T16:33:00.006-04:00

When the newly widowed Lady Pierson, Mara, sees her long lost love after more than ten years, she is livid that he still looks just as handsome as he did way back when. Jordan, the Earl of Falconridge left her in a garden one evening after a rash proposal from Mara to make him stay with her. His duties to the Order left him no choice but to abandon his lady love and undertake his mission. With a promise to come back for her, he leaves her, hoping she will wait for him and they can marry. When Mara never hears from Jordan, she marries Lord Pierson to get away from parents who did nothing but criticize and abuse her. Now it's fourteen years later, and they are both older and wiser, and still very much attracted to each other.

Jordan's mission is to take him close to the Prince Regent, Prinny, and root out a traitor working with the Prometheans. Mara's relationship with Prinny is the perfect way to get himself cozy with the Carlton House set, and closer to Mara. Jordan and Mara cannot keep their hands off each other, and soon they're inseparable, being seen everywhere together and spending nights in each other's arms. Jordan desperately wants to tell Mara about his mission, but is sworn to secrecy to protect her and her son Thomas. When the Prometheans kidnap young Thomas in order to get a valuable list of names of the Order, Mara and Jordan face the enemy together in order to save the Crown.

As always with Gaelen Foley, her novels are descriptive and sensual; a fresh look on formula Regency romance. Jordan and Mara literally cannot get enough of each other, and it shows on every page, whether they are in each other's arms, or not speaking. My Irresistible Earl, part of the Inferno Club series, is due in stores April 1, 2011. Make sure to pick up this one!

One Night is Never Enough, by Anne Mallory

2011-02-22T08:00:00.008-05:00

Charlotte Chatsworth is frustrated. She's trying to come to terms with her father's gambling debts and what, exactly, that means for her marriage prospects. This is her third season on the "mart" and her father, in his quest to up the ante and score a huge marriage settlement, has so far refused every suitor who has asked for Charlotte's hand. Before you get the idea that this is a light historical romance, full of irreverent dialogue and witty repartee and complete with the bumbling father and the dashing nobleman who is finally brought up to scratch (with pretty words and a marriage settlement), let me assure you that One Night is Never Enough is exactly the opposite. It is a dark, cold look at one woman's loyalty to family and lack of choice and freedom, and the resulting forbidden love affair with a man who is the exact opposite of what a gentleman should be.

When Charlotte first meets Roman Merrick, owner of more than several gaming establishments and other nefarious businesses, he has just finished dispatching a man. As he looks up after the deed is done, he recognizes Charlotte, watching him. She is the woman he has taken notice of around town; the one woman who is so far out of his reach that he decides to cheat at a card game with her father, who unbelievably bets £10,000 against a night with his daughter to the winner of the hand. Charlotte, resigned to her fate to marry according to her father's wishes so that her sister Emily can be free of his machinations, has no choice but to honor the bet. The evening she spends with Roman changes everything. While they do nothing but play chess and talk, the stage is set for a torrid affair. It's a situation that neither Charlotte nor Roman can resist, despite the threat to her reputation and the possible loss of "value" in her father's scheme to sell her off to the highest titled bidder.

Anne Mallory's style of writing lends to dark, sometimes hard to follow mental dialogue among the characters. There are glimpses into their thought processes, but I had a hard time following the line of reasoning. It wasn't until a scene was over that I realized exactly what the characters were thinking. The actual spoken dialogue between the characters was heartfelt, a bit on the lighthearted side, and revealed the protagonists' thoughts just as well or even better than those silent ruminations. I would have preferred more of the former and less of the latter. The scene I found most remarkable was the card game scene late in the novel, when Roman brings Charlotte into a card game that he plays with his brother and his trusted associates. While that evening did not end well for the relationship, it revealed more about Charlotte than any prior scene in the novel. Roman's relationship with his adopted brother, Andreas (I'm assuming the next story in this series will be his), his friends and the orphan boys he puts to work for him, all reveal a side of him that was hinted at, but not really revealed up until this point. Until now, it was guess work on this reader's part to determine if Roman was really one of the "good guys" or if Charlotte had actually gotten herself mixed up in some very bad business. This uncertainty did make for some tense reading, something not usually found in this genre.

When Charlotte (with help from Roman in an unexpected way) realizes that her sister is not counting on her to "save" her, that her mother is capable of finding happiness outside of her loveless and humiliating marriage, and that she herself is entitled to find happiness of her own, revelations come fast and furious. Charlotte makes a matrimonial choice, yet decides to carry on her affair with Roman. He, in the meantime, has begun to pay off her father's debts, and has a change of heart about his own personal state of being. All in all, the ending, while very neat and tied up in a bow, works. And even Charlotte's father comes around.

I'll admit, at times, I found the writing in this novel just a bit too heavy and long-winded, but at the end of the day, I realized that there was a reason the author included the details and thought processes I found so ponderous. When the solution to the situation comes about, and Charlotte is free to be herself, you actually feel the weight lifting off of her shoulders, and for a moment, you become the character you've just spent days reading about. No reader can ask for more than that. I'm looking forward to what I am sure will be the next in this series (Andreas' story) if only to revisit with Charlotte and Roman. This is a new book, just out on February 22, 2011. If you like your romances with a cerebral twist, you'll enjoy this one. When it was done, I did, too.

March Romance Reading Challenge Book: What I Did for a Duke, by Julie Anne Long

2011-02-22T06:00:00.017-05:00

I usually begin a review with some short and, I hope, vaguely entertaining insight regarding the book in question. Not this time. This time I'm simply going to say What I Did for a Duke, by Julie Anne Long is one of the most well written historical romances I've ever had the pleasure to pick up. And that's saying a lot considering how many really, really good historical romances I've read.

Alexander Moncrieffe, the Duke of Falconbridge, is a man with a reputation - not as a rake, but as a mystery. Rumors swirl around his involvement in the death of his first wife. He is wealthy. He has won more than one duel. He has gambled with cards and with his investments and has, as the gossips like to say, never lost. That is perhaps until now. His Grace is engaged to Lady Abigail Beasley and their plans to marry come to an abrupt end when he confronts her, along with a very naked Ian Eversea, in her bed.

Alexander is well-acquainted with the ways of the devilish Eversea brothers. And while His Grace "allows" Ian to leave the bedroom alive (albeit naked and through a two story window), he does not intend to let this Eversea escapade go unpunished. After all, he has a reputation to uphold for, as they also say, he is not kind. So Lady Abigail is quickly dismissed from his life and a fitting plan of revenge is formed.

Genevieve Eversea, Ian's younger sister, is in love with Harry Osbourne and has been for as long as she can remember. And when Harry invites her out for a walk, alone, she's convinced it's to ask for her hand in marriage. The love of her life is thinking of matrimony, but unfortunately not with her. Just as Genevieve believes her future is sealed, Harry lets her know that he's planning on asking their mutual friend Millicent to honor him by becoming his wife.

Genevieve may be devastated, heartbroken and angry, but she's not dimwitted. Far from it, in fact. And when the Duke arrives as a houseguest and begins to pay extra special attention to her, she realizes something is not quite right. Especially when she looks at her brother Ian who, while in the Duke's company, is much paler than usual. After correctly surmising Moncrieffe's intentions, Genevieve discovers an unusual ally in her quest to win Harry back. And His Grace? Let's just say he also gets more than he bargained for.

Ms. Long's writing makes this novel a pure pleasure to read. Her voice is unique and masterful. The story is sprinkled liberally with exquisite verbal gems that literally dance off the page. There is humor, emotion, depth of character and eroticism all fully developed and bundled neatly inside a truly ingenious plot.

What I Did for a Duke is one classy, A+ romantic read and, very simply, I highly recommended it.

February Romance Reading Challenge Book: Scandal of the Year: Abandoned at the Altar, by Laura Lee Guhrke

2011-01-25T08:00:00.007-05:00

In Wedding of the Year: Abandoned at the Altar, Laura Lee Guhrke introduced us to Aidan Carr, the Duke of Trathen, and Lady Julia Yardley, the cousin of his former bride to be, Beatrix Danbury, now the Duchess of Sunderland. Both unlucky in love and marriage in totally different ways, we sense there may be more to their relationship than meets the eye, but we are not privy to whatever secrets these two hold. It all becomes clear in Scandal of the Year.

Aidan Carr, Duke of Trathen, straight-laced and honorable as dukes come, has two broken engagements behind him, the first to Beatrix and the second to a Scottish lass, who runs the other way when Aidan is discovered with Lady Julia Yardley in a compromising position. Lady Julia, married off to Baron Yardley after a disastrous teen-aged love affair, is desperate to escape her husband, and uses Aidan to that end. The story begins in divorce court (this is 1903 after all) where Aidan is named as the other man after Julia's husband discovers them in bed. Yardley is granted his divorce from his adulterous wife and Julia is finally free. Aidan cannot forget her even if the details of their afternoon and night together are a bit sketchy. What follows is the slow realization that despite his wish to find an amiable wife and sire a nursery full of children, Aidan cannot get Julia out of his mind. And despite her disastrous turn at marriage, and the damage caused by her abusive and lecherous ex-husband, Julia can't seem to forget Aidan and their past.

Laura Lee Guhrke tells the story with a series of short flash-back chapters that fill in the gaps in their relationship. We come to understand the tension between Aidan and Julia that was first obvious in the first book of the series. And we see how the relationship between these two comes full circle, despite society's mores on the subject of divorce.

So far, the Abandoned at the Altar series shows a well thought out and best of all, a tightly interrelated story line that ties up loose ends for characters we've come to care about and whose supporting roles in the previous book leaves more than a few questions unanswered. It's lovely when those characters get their own happy endings. I'm guessing the next story will be about Julia's cousin, Paul whose wealthy American wife has left him for her native shores. I like Paul as a character and I am really hoping he gets his happy ending as well. On the whole, while I enjoyed Scandal of the Year, I more thoroughly enjoyed Wedding of the Season. Read them both, however. Aidan Thomas Carr deserves to finally make it all the way to the altar.

The Girl in the Green Raincoat, by Laura Lippman

2011-01-18T22:16:00.020-05:00

When Tess Monaghan is ordered bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy, the private investigator spends her time playing on the internet, her iPhone, and watching the dog walkers in the nearby park. She is particularly interested in a girl in a green raincoat, constantly on her cell phone, walking an Italian greyhound on a matching green leash. Then one day, Tess notices the dog running through the park, its matching owner no where around. The detective in Tess comes alive as she worries for the fate of the girl in the green raincoat.

What seems to be a simple missing persons case turns into a complicated mess of dead wives, accidental deaths, and too many holes in the story. Tess, with the help of her team of Mrs. Blossom and Whitney, track down the husband of the girl, and immediately think he has murdered his poor wife, as he had his previous ones. As they dig for the truth, Tess comes to terms with her impending motherhood, whether or not she will receive a proposal from her boyfriend, and what her life will be like after her daughter is born. When Tess digs too deep, and the missing girl appears at her door, the truth comes out, but in the way you would expect.

Laura Lippman is a new author for me, and I found her straightforward, flawless writing to be refreshing in a genre that is sometimes plagued by too dramatic prose. Since I love a good mystery, this novel proved to be a quick read that kept me engaged as Lippman revealed her plot a little at a time. A nice read for a cold winter's day.

Seduction Wears Sapphires, by Renee Bernard

2011-01-16T18:10:00.005-05:00

In this second installment of Ms. Bernard's Jaded series, we are re-introduced to Ashe Blackwell, another former East India company man with a secret. Held captive in India for a year with the other members of this "club," he escapes with them back to England. They take with them horrible memories of torture and death, as well as a treasure of priceless jewels, found in their dungeon cell. While danger follows some of them back, they all choose to ignore it. Ashe, scarred by a love affair in India gone horribly wrong, tries to forget by living a life of debauchery. As he takes this to a new level, his grandfather becomes concerned. As heir to the Blackwell fortune, Ashe needs to toe the line and when he is summoned back to the ancestral home, he learns he must straighten up and fly right for an entire Season, or he will be disinherited. In order to accomplish the goal of keeping tabs on his grandson, Gordon Blackwell enlists the aide of his best friend's daughter, American Caroline Townsend, for the task. Caroline is looking for an escape from her strict aunt and impoverished upbringing, and sees the task and the £20.000 Gordon dangles before her as the perfect opportunity to bring her dream of founding a woman's college to fruition. In a twist for a historical romance, she becomes HIS chaperone.

When Ashe learns that this uncouth American spinster, with her drab wardrobe and unbridled tongue, is to be his watch dog, thoughts of rebellion take root. For outward appearances, Caroline is presented as his ward, and he as her guardian. It's an interesting plot twist that causes a bit of confusion at first, as I had to remind myself who was watching who. And of course, Ashe starts to see something in Caroline that was not apparent at first. She is intelligent, can hold her own in a conversation, has a quick wit and above all, shows Ashe a hidden glimpse of herself when she sleepwalks. Yes, that is correct. Caroline sleepwalks, and when she does, she has a tendency to visit Ashe in his room while leaving her inhibitions back in hers. We get to watch Ashe as he fights his demons, but finally succumbs to love. It would be nice, however, if he told Caroline how he really felt. Both of them dance around the truth for a good part of the story, and it's only a threat from an outsider that finally forces them to realize just how much they stand to lose by keeping themselves invincible to hurt.

Ms. Bernard writes her Jaded series with both strong female and male protagonists. There's also an abundance of, shall we say, interesting encounters of the bedroom variety. This formula makes for a more than satisfying resolution when the last page is turned. I'm looking forward to the next in the Jaded series, and I have a feeling that story will belong to Darius Thorne, Ashe's best friend and fellow member of the club to which none of its members really want to belong.

Romance Reading Challenge 2011

2011-01-05T19:26:00.010-05:00

Bookishly Attentive is hosting its first ever Romance Reading Challenge! Click for more information!

If you wish to participate in the challenge, please reply to this post with your name and a link to the post on your blog indicating which challenge level you have chosen. If you don't have a blog, please indicate this information in your comment. Bloggers: please feel free to post our challenge graphic on your blog! Good luck!

Participants:

25 to 50
SaraJaney
Angela
Diane
RuthO

10 to 25
Manda
janeitesarah
LisaKZ

1-10
Mandy
Susan

The Accidental Wedding, by Anne Gracie

2010-12-31T13:36:00.000-05:00

The Accidental Wedding is the fourth in the Devil Riders series by Anne Gracie. This is the story of Nash Renfrew, diplomat for the English crown, and non-believer of love. Nash has returned to England to look over his newly inherited property, and to ask his Aunt to find him a suitable wife. None of these things happen as he thought they would. Maddy Woodford is a gently born young woman, living in a two room cottage and taking care of her five half brothers and sisters. Maddy has scrimped, saved, and grown what she could to keep her little family from starving, but the wolf is at the door in the form of an estate manager demanding money for rent. When a stranger rides by and has an accident with his horse, Maddy takes him in and nurses him back to health, having no idea who he is or what he is doing in the area. And neither does the stranger- he has lost his memory and has no idea who he is. As the two avoid each other and passion they feel, evil forces are at work to drive Maddy from her quaint cottage and into the arms of an elderly, possessive man who wants to marry her. When the stranger remembers himself as being Nash Renfrew, gentleman and Maddy's current landlord, the plot thickens as they try to unravel who is trying to scare them out of their home, and for what reasons.

Maddy and Nash have an instant connection that only becomes stronger over the more time they spend together. Neither planned on falling for each other, but when Maddy's reputation is called into question because of Nash's actions, he does the honorable thing and asks for her hand. But Maddy has lived in the country all her life, and has no idea how to move about in the ton, or how to be a diplomat's wife. With the help of Nash's family, Maddy makes the transformation and is determined to make him happy.

I've read this series out of order, as there are three other books before this one. Gracie is a new author for me, recommended by a dear friend, and I am eternally grateful for the nod her in her direction. Gracie's writing is smooth and witty, with emotion suffused into the characters and a well thought out plot. All in all, it's a good read, and I would assume the others in the series are as well.

The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood

2010-12-29T21:29:00.000-05:00

Allow me to preface this review by saying this was my first experience with a Margaret Atwood novel. I know...where have I been? Having read snippets of her work in various literature classes, I had yet to read a full length novel. I picked a good one to start with.

A novel within a novel, Atwood’s literary masterpiece about love, death, and war takes you places you’d rather not go alone, but will do because it’s Atwood leading you along. This isn’t a novel set only earth, but in faraway, dreamt lands, with spaceships and women made of peaches. The Blind Assassin is the story of the Chase and Griffen families; both have been affected by war and time in different ways. Captain Chase marries off his daughter, Iris, our narrator, in order to save his family inheritance, the Chase button factories, only to lose it all anyway when the unions come calling, and the rich Griffen renigs on his promise to save the factories. Iris is shuttled off to Toronto as a new bride and is placed into a social scene where she is inept, and a life where she is merely a piece of furniture in need of polishing.

Iris is the eldest Chase daughter, and the one responsible for Laura, her younger sister. Their mother dies when they are young, and they are virtually all but ignored by their father. Iris is the typical elder sister, but Laura is not a typical little sister. Laura is very literal and all must watch what they say lest she takes them seriously and actually does their meaning. Laura is frustratingly scatterbrained and dreamy, with no real sense of the world or its dangers. Iris, more responsible and level headed, but just as uneducated, is the pick to be married off to save the family business. She is taken away from her home into a cold world of money, power, and cruelty. With her new life come new clothes, new people, and a new family which sees her as a project. Iris all but loses her sense of self while under the thumb of her husband, until an old friend comes back into her life. But who is the stranger, and is it Iris that is meeting with him? The novel jumps back and forth between Iris, and two lovers. We enter a third person point of view that would seem an abrupt change if it wasn’t for the difference in story. This way, we never know who the lovers are until the very end. However, you don’t lose the rich imagery with the point of view change, as we still get a sense of the squalor conditions the lovers must meet in. “There’s a small window, bars across it; the remains of a curtain. Rust-coloured light comes through it. They’ve propped a chair against the doorknob, a chair with most rungs missing, half matchwood already.” (Atwood 284)

Both Laura and Iris symbolize how little power women had in the time between WWI and WWII. Atwood crafts both Laura and Iris alike enough to be sisters, but also with a separateness that makes them two completely different people. Richard Griffen is painted as an uncaring husband that humors his wife while lying directly to her face. We have no idea of Richard’s treachery until the very end, and it helps explain why Laura’s attitude was so harsh towards him. The dark forces you sense at work throughout the novel come to life as Iris learns the truth behind his actions and Laura's actions.

While reading this novel, it was quite easy to keep up with the two different stories and their time periods. Atwood masterfully blends the two plots and there are no issues of getting confused with what was going on with which character. The devastation of the depression and the return of soldiers after the war lend a desperate theme to the lives of Laura and Iris. The storyline would be completely different if not set in these times. Women had very little sway in the world, and were expected to keep to lunches, and organizing the home. Their intelligence wasn’t thought much of, and Atwood does a service to Iris making her seem intelligent, but not overstepping her role as wife to Mr. Richard Griffen, important businessman. While Iris chaffed at this, she kept in line and did what she was told. There was no other recourse for a woman with no money of her own. While Iris was a strong person, she didn’t stand up for herself until she learned the complete truth. She took a huge risk leaving her husband with her daughter and little money. Only the threat of blackmail is what saved her. It was her only means to get away and back into a more normal life, even it if meant losing her daughter.

At the end, Iris simply ran out of time, and perhaps that was the assassin in this book. Time ran out for Mrs. Chase, for Captain Chase, for Alex, for Laura, and finally for Iris. Iris does the only thing she can do, set the entire story down for her estranged granddaughter to read. “But I leave myself in your hands. What choice do I have? By the time you read this last page, that—if anywhere—is the only place I will be.” (Atwood 549) There were no choices for Iris; she lived with what she was given, and what she could make do with. This applies to her life as a young and respected Miss Chase, and an older, wiser, Mrs. Griffen, widow. Iris had very little control over her life, and when she did have some control, she used as best as she could. Iris’ life was sad, full of grief, loss, and loneliness, but it was also one of strength. Her longing for her granddaughter is evident at the end, with the hope she will come to her before she dies. Atwood leaves you with a sense of loss—for what Iris and Laura’s life could have been—and what it really was. This was a deeply touching novel, and one every person should read, even if it's just for the women made of peaches.

Wedding of the Season: Abandoned at the Altar, by Laura Lee Guhrke

2010-12-28T06:35:00.003-05:00

In a number of historical romance novels, the protagonists are more than likely kept apart until the very end by some seemingly trivial misunderstanding. I kept waiting for that trick to expose itself in this new novel, the first in the new Abandoned at the Altar series by Laura Lee Guhrke. I soon realized, however, that Will Mallory, the Duke of Sunderland, and his once intended bride, Lady Beatrix Danbury had no such misunderstanding. Life simply took them down two separate roads six long years ago. One went to Egypt to follow his life’s dream while the other stayed home in England to follow hers.

Six years ago, Will and Beatrix, childhood sweethearts, were engaged to be married. In fact, they were two short weeks away from that walk down the aisle. Will receives a missive from a famous archaeologist inviting him to search for King Tut’s tomb in Egypt. He must leave straightaway, but tries to persuade Beatrix to come with him. Trix, as she’s known, is tied to England’s shores by her parents’ history. Her mother ran away when she was nine and her father fears losing his daughter to the same fate. Unhappy and feeling the pull of her family and her aristocratic responsibilities, she decides not to go with Will, and he, as heartbroken as she, leaves. The engagement is broken. It takes Trix five years to find someone to help her really begin life again (and that would be Aidan Carr, the Duke of Trathen, whose story is told in the next installment of the series, Scandal of the Year). While she doesn’t love Aiden the way she loved Will, Beatrix feels she’ll be content with him, and she begins to live her life again.

When Will unexpectedly comes back to England to beg for funds to continue his expedition, he and Beatrix are thrown together with disastrous results. Tempting fate, they feel the pull of first love, and are caught in a compromising kiss. Aidan breaks off the engagement, leaving Trix on her own again. I began to worry at this point that this story may not have the happy ending I’ve come to expect from this genre. Perhaps this will be the one exception to that happily ever after rule that leaves me with that proverbial smile on my face and song in my heart, even if it is for fictional characters finding their destinies with each other. It’s the reason why I keep reading these books. What this story actually comes down to is this; There is no “trick” as to why these two are not together. Sometimes love is just not enough.

To the author’s credit, I have never read a novel in this genre that is so rich on introspection and relatively light on dialog, at least in the first part of the book. This is not a bad thing. Throughout the first two-thirds of the story, Beatrix and Will each have many moments of reliving their past. Ms. Guhrke mixes the present day with poignant childhood memories revisited by both and this makes the story a bit wistful and more than a tad melancholy in many places. Every memory is analyzed and hashed out until you are fully and totally vested in the couple and their history. It is an amazing feat, really. By the time the novel ended, I felt I knew these two inside and out, and I felt badly for both of them in equal measure.

When certain confrontations force both Will and Beatrix to question themselves and their choices in the last third of the novel, we watch two people mature and finally come to terms with their childhood love and the separation that has colored everything since.

Can Will persuade Beatrix to let him make things right? Can he again persuade her to marry him and go to Egypt with him six years after he originally asked? Can Beatrix make that leap of faith, leave her surroundings and her comfort zone, and finally, truly be with Will? Is there no compromise these two can make? Things were looking very dicey for a while. But let me just say this. There is a meeting of the minds, and that is all I’m going to say about the ending of this wonderful love story by one of my very favorite authors. I finished the book days ago, and I’m still sitting here with a smile on my face, and that song in my heart. Ms. Gurhke once again delivers, and in extraordinary fashion. Bring on the sequels.

Whisper Falls, by Toni Blake

2010-12-28T06:34:00.005-05:00

Destiny, Ohio is once again the place to be in my virtual literary world. That's because Whisper Falls is finally out on the shelves. Book number three in author Toni Blake's Destiny series, Whisper Falls is just as luscious as the first two installments (One Reckless Summer and Sugar Creek). But be prepared, my friends. Ms. Blake tees up one beautiful bad boy as this story's hero. If you thought Officer Mike Romo was something else, just wait 'til you meet his younger brother.

"Lucky" Romo, pegged as a trouble maker and town tough guy, never stood a chance at being understood. So he left without so much as a goodbye to anyone, including his family. And he stayed away for years until an unexpected obligation brings him back home. But Lucky's a man with secrets - dangerous secrets that seem to be catching up to him just when he thought his days of running from the past were over. So what is he thinking, inviting the beautiful girl next door into the mess he calls his life? Apparently, he's not thinking at all ...

And Tessa Sheridan should know better. She has enough problems of her own trying to get traction under a failing business while dealing with a serious illness that frequently knocks her out of the box for days. It's just that the hunky biker next door is really not as scary as he looks. In fact, Lucky Romo makes Tessa forget herself almost completely and, given the sad state of her particular union - that's not necessarily a bad thing.

It's impossible not to fall in love with every one of Ms. Blake's well drawn, complex protagonists. You especially have to admire the beautiful bad boy, particularly while he teeters on the brink of redemption. However, Lucky is so much more. Misunderstood as a child, the reason for his rebellion is revealed in an amazingly touching scene, and damn if it didn't bring tears to my eyes.

Actually, there were many scenes to remember - one in particular reminded me of my first excursion on the back of a Honda Shadow:

"Um, what do I hold onto?" she asked loudly over his shoulder. He turned his head just enough so that she could see his eyes within the helmet.
"Me."

And what follows is a perfect description of what it's like to fly down a country road perched on the back of a powerful machine with absolutely nothing to come between you and the glorious rush of the wind except the broad, leathered shoulders of the man you are clinging to. But I digress. . .

Please treat yourself to Whisper Falls. And if you haven't read the rest of Ms. Blake's wonderful Destiny series, now would be the time to rectify that shameful oversight. Great stories, fantastic characters, sexy situations and a whole lot of fun. Go on, then. It's a great ride...

Goodnight Tweetheart, Teresa Medeiros

2010-12-28T06:30:00.002-05:00

When Abigail Donovan’s publicist creates her Twitter profile, it is with the intention of helping Abby reconnect with her diminishing fan base. And her fan base definitely needs replenishing because it’s been awhile since that first bestselling book made Oprah’s list. To make matters worse, Abby is struggling with a crippling case of writer’s block, and is perilously close to becoming another one-hit wonder of the literary world.

Abby’s very first tweet is answered by @MarkBaynard. Mark tells Abby he’s an English Lit professor on sabbatical and traveling the world as he writes his own novel. The two make a pact not to Google each other and their online relationship develops through prolific tweets of 140 characters or less.

Ms. Medeiros carefully constructs Abby and Mark’s relationship through short snippets of conversation that are so entertaining, they never seem to last long enough. She brilliantly illuminates the story with both characters’ intelligence, sense of humor and vulnerability. We are swept away, just like Abby, to the faraway locales Mark describes perfectly, albeit succinctly. And just like Abby, we begin to like Mark – really, really like him. But when he balks at having a “real” conversation via cell phone, she (and we) begin to suspect that perhaps things aren’t really as they seem.

Goodnight Tweetheart is not your typical romance. Most of the dialogue is written in tweets and, short of giving too much away, the ending is not what usually constitutes a happily ever after. That being said, it was one of the most emotionally engaging conclusions I’ve ever read.

I should mention that I met my husband online in the fledgling days of large public chat rooms, way before E-Harmony and Match.com. We were “hanging out” in the same AOL chat and mutually decided, through instant messages, to meet the very next night (in a crowded, public place of course). Our first “in person” date lasted six hours – we closed the restaurant at 2 AM and got married a short year and a half later. That was twelve years ago. So needless to say, I am a true believer in the power of technology-inspired connections.

Read Goodnight Tweetheart and I promise you will be too.

The Goddess Rules, by Clare Naylor. A Review by Debra

2010-12-01T16:20:00.002-05:00

When I read contemporary fiction, I seem to gravitate toward novels that resemble Bridget Jones' Diary. I just love that British chick lit, where the heroine is a socially awkward, unlucky in love English twenty-something who gets everything she desires by the last paragraph. And by the time I get to that last paragraph, I'm usually smiling from ear to ear. No wonder I keep coming back for more. This book, The Goddess Rules, by Clare Naylor (a new author for me) is no exception.

The Goddess Rules is the story of Kate Disney, a painter who does commissioned portraits of household pets. Recently turned twenty-nine, she's mired in a relationship with Jake, her boyfriend of three years, who has yet to learn not to take Kate for granted. When Kate finally has enough and breaks up with him, he realizes, too late, in fact, he can't live without her. What he doesn't realize is that Kate has procured a new client, mentor and friend, sixty year old former French actress turned animal activist, Mirabelle Moncur. Mirri teaches Kate how to value herself and to live, just a little, outside her comfort zone. The lessons work for a short while and Kate starts to see she deserves better than Jake. When Louis Alcott, a contemporary artist and friend from college, confesses his long-hidden love for her, Kate begins to see him in a totally different light. Just when we think Kate has finally broken free, she's pulled back into old patterns and can't quite make the leap of faith that may lead her to the love of her life. This theme is mirrored in Mirabelle's story, as she debates whether a first and only love from her past is worth revisiting.

Written with wry humor and a sense of nostalgia for the past, Clare Naylor weaves a tale of first love and second chances. There were lines in this book that simply resonated with me, enough so that I was nodding my head enthusiastically when I read them. I love when that happens! I'm looking forward to my next novel by this author.

That smile at the end of the last paragraph is quite addicting.

His Christmas Pleasure, by Cathy Maxwell. A Review by Debra

2010-11-30T03:12:00.001-05:00

Christmas-themed romance stories that come out this time of year are usually reminiscent of THAT Christmas tale. You know, the one where this one sells his watch and that one cuts her hair and both sacrifice what they hold dear in order to give something to the other. His Christmas Pleasure, by Cathy Maxwell, is no exception. While this novel has that theme running through it as well, there is something quite refreshing about a historical romance where there is no rake; the male protagonist is reformed even before the heroine gets to him, and in that, this story is different.

Andres Ramigio, Baròn de Vasconia of Spain, has a reputation, but it’s not self-inflicted. Women seem to fall into his path, quite literally, and the one woman he has the misfortune to fall in love with, spurns him quite publicly. Abigail Montross, niece of a duke and daughter of a banker, is in love with an Earl’s son who is looking for more than a tradesman’s daughter for a wife. Set up in an arranged marriage by her father, she has already been engaged to and jilted by another man. When she seemingly rescues Andres from his own father’s fate, their two lives become entangled in ways neither one of them expect. And after Abby’s father proposes another arranged marriage, she desperately looks for a way to avoid it. The Baròn has already seen the good in Abby, and unwittingly provides her with an escape. When he talks to Abby about a solution to their problems (he needs funds, she needs a way out), it’s already evident that he’s halfway in love with her, which in turn, makes us love him even more.

When Andres persuades Abby to marry him, he’s the one who wants a proper wedding and a blessing from her parents. She’s the one who convinces him to elope. When they reach Stonemoor, the property given to him in Northumberland in exchange for a promise never to return to London, Abby realizes her new husband is not quite what he seems, but our faith in Andres is confirmed when he confesses all.

When Abby receives disturbing news from home in the middle of major misunderstanding with her new husband, and then hightails it back to London, there is little question that Andres will follow her, even if it means losing his home and his new livelihood in the process.

There are some wonderfully written scenes in this book. The showdowns between Andres and Abby’s determined father, the confrontation between Andres and a cuckolded husband, the coach ride that Andres and Abby share, the proposal scene in a garden with a roomful of women watching through a window, and of course, the final scene in the book where everything all comes right again, in a very surprising way, all reflect Cathy Maxwell’s ability at story-telling. This is a fun, quick story that will no doubt get the reader into the holiday spirit.

It was my Christmas pleasure to read it.

Jane Austen Ruined My Life, By Beth Pattillo. A Review by Debra

2010-11-03T13:36:00.002-04:00

Part fiction, part truth, Jane Austen Ruined My Life is the story of Emma Grant, a recently divorced Jane Austen scholar who makes a return visit to England after receiving an invitation by a woman claiming to have Jane Austen's long lost letters.

Emma is fleeing her ex-husband and her teaching assistant, who together engineer Emma's professional downfall while having an affair. After losing her position and tenure, the invitations from Mrs. Parrot dangling the long lost letters, is too much to resist. With no job or job prospects, no husband and no happy ending in sight, she takes off for London and the home of her cousin. There she meets Adam, her best friend from graduate school, who is in London and staying with Emma's cousin on pretenses of his own. When Emma meets Mrs. Parrot, she is given a series of tasks to perform involving visits to most of the sites of Jane Austen's life. We get to hear Emma read excerpts from the letters, and can almost imagine that they do, in fact exist. At the end of this literary treasure hunt, she is promised that all of her questions about the lost letters will be answered, and she is faced with a moral dilemma of her own and a decision that may lead her to accept or reject the true love of her life.

Beth Pattillo takes us, along with Emma, on a discovery of the heart. When Emma is tempted to betray the trust of the holders of the letters and offer them up for publication, she discovers that Jane Austen's fiction may have been the catalyst for earlier mistakes and bad decisions, but they are not what keeps Emma from now truly living her life and finding professional and personal fulfillment. Like the real Jane Austen, Emma doesn't need to compromise her honor and her principles to prove her worth. While her decision at the end of the novel is probably not the same one I would have made, we see Emma's life as she begins to see it; as a process meant to be worked through and lived despite setbacks and betrayals, and despite an elusive happy ending.

This book is a quick, absorbing read. The trek through Austen country was informative to this uninitiated reader. The water spray at the Cobb, the writing desk in Chawton, all these places come alive for Emma and for us. If you are an Austenphile (and who among us isn't) this is a book you will definitely enjoy.

The Reckless Bride, by Stephanie Laurens. A Review by Angie

2010-10-26T04:00:00.002-04:00

The final installment in Stephanie Laurens’ Black Cobra Trilogy is perhaps the most exciting of all. The Reckless Bride follows the story of Rafe Carstairs, keeper of the original letter that will expose the identity of the Black Cobra. His return to English soil is fraught with several distractions, not in the very least Lady Esme Congreve and her niece, Loretta Michelmarsh. At the request of Esme for Rafe to act as their guide, he and Hasaan accompany the ladies back towards England. A long journey up the rivers of Europe throws Rafe and Loretta closer together, coinciding with Esme’s match-making plans. Their attraction is almost instant, but neither side is willing to admit to it. When a murderous plot against Esme is discovered, explaining non-cultist attacks on them throughout Europe, she seeks sanctuary at a convent run by a friend while Loretta continues on with Rafe. Left to their own devices, they realize they cannot hold back from each other, and finally succumb to their passions. But, Rafe’s mission is the most dangerous of all, and Loretta is reckless enough to follow him until he sees it through. With the help of almost every single character in other Laurens’ novels, the Duke of Wolverstone gets his villain, and our four brave heroes get their happy endings.

As usual, Laurens delivers a flawless plot, keeping you in suspense until the surprising conclusion and discovery of the Black Cobra. Add to this page after page of steamy, sexy love scenes between the drop dead gorgeous Rafe and the determined Loretta, and you won’t be able to put this book down. Believe it or not, I found myself becoming impatient with Rafe and Loretta’s trysts, because I wanted to get back to the Black Cobra plot! Another great series from Stephanie Laurens!

Passions of a Wicked Earl, by Lorraine Heath. A Review by Debra

2010-10-24T04:00:00.003-04:00

Normally, when I read a romance novel, I naturally identify with the heroine, if rooting for her to get her man is akin to identification. While reading this novel, however, I found myself fascinated by the workings of the mind of the male protagonist and instead, cheered for him to overcome his childhood demons and get his happy ending. It’s as if Cinderella’s prince was the more important character in that particular story than Cinderella herself; a wonderful twist to be sure.

The first in the London’s Greatest Lovers series by Lorraine Heath introduces Morgan Lyons, the 8^th Earl of Westcliffe. Damaged in his youth by the early death of his father, the bitterness of his mother and jealousy toward his younger brothers, both for what they have (a higher rank and money for one) and what they don’t (the lack of noble responsibilities, for the other), Morgan accepts his role in an arranged marriage to the much younger Claire, a childhood friend of his younger brother, Stephen.

On their wedding night, Stephen’s penchant for mischief and Claire’s fear of her older, serious husband results in a three year banishment to the country for her and a separation that Morgan uses to rake his way through London. When circumstances arise and Claire is forced back to town to bring her philandering husband to heel, the two begin where their truncated marriage left off; they come to know each other better and begin to fall in love.

When danger lurks from an unpredictable source and tragedy results, Morgan realizes that Claire’s love can be trusted and he in turn comes to admit his feelings, no longer worried about feeling the vulnerability and insecurity that has followed him his entire life.

Lorraine Heath introduces secondary characters in this novel that provide the basis for understanding Morgan’s rakishness, his unwillingness to fully trust his wife, and his belief that he can never fall in love or trust love in return. His relationships with his brothers, especially the younger Duke of Ainsley (I’m assuming he will have his own sequel one day soon) his mother, his deceased father, his former paramour, Anne, even his beloved dog Cooper who dies and leaves him fully alone, or so he believes, explain why he did not give Claire a second chance after their wedding. These relationships also let us see why he feels he cannot let himself need anyone, including his wife, for whom he has feelings he’s trying so very hard to excuse away. I don’t think I’ve ever read another novel in this genre that uses secondary characters to this extent. They should all endeavor to do so. After all, we are all the sum of our past experiences, shaped and molded by circumstances and people early on. The author brings this out wonderfully in this book, and it’s why I sympathize so strongly with Morgan. He’s simply trying so hard to get past all of it, and when he does, it’s like the sun coming out from behind a thundercloud; almost blinding in its intensity. I cannot wait for the sequel, Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman, the story of Morgan’s brother Stephen, which will be out December 1, 2010. This book makes its debut on November 1, 2010.

Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord, by Sarah MacLean. A Review by Debra

2010-10-24T04:00:00.002-04:00

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave..."

This was the first thought that crossed my mind when I put my Nook to sleep on this book for the last time. All that angst, all that heartache could have been avoided and the happy ending gotten to so much sooner, if Lady Isabel Townsend and Lord Nicholas St. John didn't have major trust issues, brought on by unhappy pasts. His problem stems from his role as the Bulan, or the Hunter, assigned by the Crown to track fugitives, spies and missing persons of interest to the British Empire. His last assignment landed him in prison because he fell in love and trusted the wrong person. Couple that with an unfaithful mother who deserted her family without a backwards glance and you can see where he's coming from.

Lady Isabel had a father who was known as the Wastreal, a man who gambled and played his way through life and his fortune, leaving his children (in addition to Isabel there is her brother James, the ten year old heir) and his wife to fend for themselves in the Yorkshire countryside. Isabel is still reeling and trying desperately to raise her brother, keep Townsend Park intact and harbor runaway women at the same time. A tall order for any heroine, surely. Bring these two damaged souls together and watch the angst and sparks fly. And fly they do.

Lord Nicholas longs to escape the marriage minded mamas of London after being awarded the accolade "Landable Lord" by a popular magazine. When the Duke of Leighton assigns him to a special project, he jumps at the chance to head north. His arrival in Yorkshire is noted by Lady Isabel, who is aware of his new moniker but is more interested in getting Lord Nicholas, a noted antiquarian, to appraise her statutes than she is in getting him to the altar. Nicholas refrains from telling her the real reason for his visit to her home, and thus ensues a series of misunderstandings so convoluted, it is a miracle that the two of them actually like each other enough to fall in love.

Sarah MacLean paints a wonderfully colorful portrait of her characters in this novel. There are way too many stubborn moments for Isabel, and I began to think that Nicholas was a saint to still want her, but conflict does make a happy bedfellow, especially when there is an overabundance of make-up sex. These two, suffice it to say, do a lot of making-up. You're just brought to the point where you are wondering how much more Nick can take when Isabel finally asks herself the same question and confesses to her love for him. But is it too late?

As an aside, I just need to mention that the best line of the book (and there were many good ones) and the one that embodies the very essence of the reformed rake, falls to Lord Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston, Nick's twin brother. While trying to console Nicholas, he says, "You are laboring under the mistaken impression that their job is to need us. In my experience, it is almost always the other way around." I love this line. It's the basis of why I love romance novels. And why I loved this one, too.

This book is a sequel to Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Gabriel's story) by the same author, and together they are both fun, lively reads. Each will have you heaving a satisfied sigh when you're done. There's nothing like a good story to make for a happy ending.

A Hopeless Romantic, by Harriet Evans. A Review by Debra

2010-10-02T14:36:00.001-04:00

There is a reason why all those Regency and Victorian romances sell so well. And there's a reason why Jane Austen novels have been adapted and re-adapted to TV and movies. And that same reason is why I absolutely loved A Hopeless Romantic, by one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, Harriet Evans.

A Hopeless Romantic is the story of Laura Foster, a 28 year old London woman who lives her life wrapped up in romantic fantasies in her search for The One. After a devastating and humiliating break-up, she's brought back to earth with a definite thud. In the process, she loses her job, her friends and her self-esteem. And she decides to stop living with her head in a romantic cloud. It's time to be practical and turn over a new leaf. No more fantasizing about Mr. Right and jumping in with both feet. And first she has to get over Mr. Totally Wrong.

On a holiday with her parents in Norfolk and bored out of her mind, she agrees to visit a nearby estate called Chartley Hall (I kept reading this as Chatterly. I must have Sean Bean on the brain) which is open to the public for tours. While there, she accidentally meets Nick Needham, who invites her for drinks at a local club. Despite her best intentions, she decides to take him up on the offer. We watch as Laura fights her attraction to Nick, and then just when she's ready to give in to it and possibly fall again, she finds out something about him that totally pulls her up short. While Laura's reasons for not pursuing her relationship with Nick are as bewildering to him as they are to me, I came to understand that it's not really who Nick is that's keeping her from giving her heart. It's really who Laura has become. She can't trust herself enough to make the right decisions and she can't trust Nick enough to not get hurt again. She's afraid to make that leap of faith that used to come so easily to her.

A Hopeless Romantic is filled with wonderful secondary characters. Laura's relationship with her grandmother is especially poignant and her interaction with her roommate Yorkie, her friend Jo and Nick's best friend Charles, help us see different sides of Laura that may not otherwise be evident. I've noticed that Ms. Evans has a knack for using her secondary characters in this way. They are by no means superfluous to the story, but are as important to it as the main characters.

Harriet Evans has written a wonderful love story that basically combines the best of contemporary romance with a touch of what makes historical romances so alluring. The hero truly loves the heroine, and best of all, he's a .... well, I won't give the rest away.

The reason why we love our historical romances? True love prevails; the heroine gets the hero in the end of course, and he's usually titled, wealthy and extremely good looking. And the reason why I love this present day romance so much? For the same reason and one more; if I were 25 years younger, single, living on the other side of the Atlantic, and looking for love, after reading this I could almost believe it could happen to me. A girl can dream, can't she?

Dark Road to Darjeeling, by Deanna Raybourn. A Review by Angie

2010-09-30T15:17:00.001-04:00

Before delving into Dark Road to Darjeeling, I didn't have a favorite Lady Julia Grey novel. I loved each of them for their own story, and their own plots. That was until the fourth novel in the series came along. Now I have a favorite.

When we last left Brisbane and Julia, they were just beginning their new life together. In Dark Road to Darjeeling, we catch up with the Brisbane's nine months into their marriage and subsequent trip to the Mediterranean. They have traveled the world, seeing exotic places, eating exotic foods, and being newlyweds. And then Julia's siblings, Portia and Plum, join them in Cairo with a request to accompany them to India to assist Jane, Portia's former flame, as she prepares for the birth of her child. Jane's husband has died, and she is alone with his family while awaiting the birth. Portia, still in love with her dear Jane, rushes to her aid, bringing along Plum at her father's insistence. Portia harbors suspicion that everything is not as it seems with Jane in India, and asks the assistance of Julia and Brisbane. She feels Jane's husband was murdered, and intends to find out the truth before the killer turns his eyes on Jane and her baby. Never one to resist an investigation, Julia eagerly accepts, and Brisbane reluctantly agrees.

They are welcomed eagerly at the Peacocks, a tea plantation in the Himalayan mountains, by Jane, and her husband's family, Miss Cavendish, the spinster aunt, and Freddie Cavendish, cousin. Everyone is a suspect to Julia, and she begins her investigation while Brisbane remains in Calcutta on business. Being curious and forthright, Julia uses her charm and good breeding to seek the answers she needs to solve her puzzle, making friends and a few enemies unwittingly. Everyone has a motive, or so it seems to Julia. With the arrival of Brisbane, and his reluctance to allow her to assist him in finding the murderer, we see the side of their marriage that at times made me furious with the both of them, shouting "grow up" at my poor paperback book. A few conversations with a child, and one man-eating tiger later, and we have one of the most shocking conclusions I have read in quite some time. I never saw it coming, and I'm so glad!

A whirlwind of characters, old and new, and the lush descriptions of the Valley of Eden transport you to a time when the English ruled India and fabulously round characters take you on a journey through jealousy, murder, death, and finally peace. Brisbane is dark and moody with a hint of danger, and Julia is curious and prone to get herself into trouble. The plot is so full of twists that when at the end, you are not quite sure how you managed to get there, and can't quite believe the outcome. Raybourn is truly a proficient at storytelling, for my pillow was soaked with tears at the end. I sat staring at my book for a full minute, just letting the shocking facts sink in for a moment.

I always tell everyone Deanna Raybourn is an excellent teller of mysteries, but this one exceeded my expectations to the extreme. Simply breathtaking!

The Devil Wears Plaid, by Teresa Medeiros. A Review by Donna

2010-09-26T04:32:00.001-04:00

"This is going to be good."

Six words always said just before a three day weekend, diving into a huge chunk of chocolate cake or reading a Teresa Medeiros novel. Those who know me well can only imagine how enthusiastically those words left my lips as my Kindle downloaded her latest historical romance, The Devil Wears Plaid. Who needs chocolate when there's a kilted Highlander nearby?

And what a kilt it is. Our hero makes his first appearance riding a black horse down the aisle of an abbey. Tall in the saddle, arrogant in demeanor, green-eyed Jamie Sinclair crashes the wedding of his sworn enemy - the aged laird of the Hepburns. Vowing revenge upon the man he claims took what was rightfully his, Jamie declares he's come for something other than jewels and points a pistol directly at the bride's heart.

Emmaline Marlowe should be terrified and she will be, eventually. But for just one instant, all she feels is a vague sense of relief. As the first of four girls born to a self-indulgent, impoverished baronet, she is forced to stand at the altar and pledge herself to a wizened, rotting old Earl a head shorter than she. That was the unfortunate plan until this magnificent stranger made his dramatic appearance just as she was gathering enough courage to speak her vows.

In one of the most vividly descriptive and exciting scenes I've read in a long time, Jamie literally sweeps the startled bride off her feet and absconds with her into the wilds of the Highlands. And so begins a life-changing adventure for both.

A universal truth - Ms. Medeiros does not disappoint. A skillful, even combination of romance and intrigue, the plot is liberally sprinkled with humor and lively descriptions. The supporting characters are granted wonderful dialogue and situations, in particular the charming Ian Hepburn, Jamie's old friend turned reluctant nemesis. The much anticipated, happily ever ending is almost too neat and tidy, but Ms. Medeiros surprises with Emma's final revenge on the old laird. It's a dark moment and unexpected enough to make you wince first and then cheer.

Make room on your bookshelves, people. This one tops a Monday off.

The Sergeant's Lady, by Susanna Fraser. A Review by Debra

2010-09-25T11:44:00.001-04:00

After watching the first nine episodes of the exploits of Maj. Richard Sharpe (based on the Bernard Cornwell novels) and starring Sean Bean, I've become partial to green jackets and the dashing Riflemen who wore them and served in the 95th Rifles in the Peninsular War against Napoleon, oh, about 200 years ago or so. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Sgt. Will Atkins, also of the 95th Rifles, and also wearing a green jacket, was the lead protagonist in this delightful novel by Susanna Fraser. The HUZZAH! could be heard from here to Brooklyn.

The Sergeant's Lady is the story of Anna Wright-Gordon Arrington, a woman following the drum and her husband in the battles against Napoleon. Only her husband, a Lieutenant in King's Army, turns out to be not quite an Officer and a Gentleman. When he's murdered by Spanish townspeople who take offense at his treatment of a relative, Anna is relieved to be in widow's weeds. She asks to return to Lisbon and then home to Scotland by the next convoy. That convoy is escorted by Sgt. Atkins, a career enlisted man who finds he is attracted to a woman he can never have due to their different stations in life. A life-threatening situation causes the two of them to set out on their own, and Anna and Will discover a mutual common ground, quite literally, and fall in love, but must part for propriety's sake upon returning to the regiment. When Anna needs to leave the encampment post haste, she only has time to write Will a hasty note and then is gone from his life, seemingly forever.

The second part of the book follows the two on similar yet separate roads. The question remains, will those roads converge, and can they overcome the roadblocks of English society long enough to find happiness with each other?

Susanna Fraser writes an intriguing love story encompassing aspects of English societal rules as well as Army life during this period. We get an idea of just what it must be like to "follow the drum" and then return to England while the battles still rage on "over the hills and far away" (sorry, couldn't help but throw that in). To be honest, I also could not help but envision Sean Bean as Atkins, and instead of a Midlands accent, broad Yorkshire kept bursting forth from the good Sergeant's mouth. Oh, well. In any event, I enjoyed Anna and Will's story immensely, with or without Mr. Bean looking over my shoulder.

Smooth Talking Stranger, by Lisa Kleypas. A Review by Debra

2010-09-20T08:52:00.001-04:00

I've never realized before how simple and easy most historical romance novels are to get through. There is no real modern angst; no modern psychodrama, no therapy. None of that. Whatever twisted family history exists is part of the background, and while it may explain why characters act the way they do, the story doesn't revolve around it. It just is. And in some ways, that leaves the reader free to explore only the fantasy side of the romance. There's the dashing hero, the beautiful heroine and their love story. So when it comes to reading Lisa Kleypas' contemporary fiction novels, set in Houston, it's a little hard to make the shift. There's definite effort involved, and the jury is still out on whether this is a good thing or not.

Smooth Talking Stranger is the third novel behind Sugar Daddy and Blue Eyed Devil, which feature the Travis clan of Houston; three brothers and a sister of privileged background and lots of money. This story is Jack's. He's the middle Travis son, with a reputation to live up to. He's slow to trust, but when he does, he expects loyalty from anyone for whom he feels something. But he hasn't felt anything until he meets Ella Varner, a love advice columnist from Austin who comes to Houston to care for her sister Tara's newborn baby, Luke. While Tara is away dealing with a nervous breakdown brought on by childhood abuse and a mother from hell, Ella keeps Luke, leaving behind a comfortable relationship with a man to whom a baby is anathema. Ella hunts down Jack who she thinks is Luke's father. Jack quickly disabuses Ella of that notion, and just as quickly falls in love with her. Ella resists falling in love right back because, and cue the therapist here, every relationship she had as a child has ended in heartbreak, therefore, it's easier not to get involved to begin with. A near tragedy opens her eyes to Jack and she begins to see things his way.

The story is pretty formulaic. There were times when I absolutely loathed Ella, like when she made a further wrong assumption as to Luke's paternity, and along with Jack, tried to strong-arm the hapless man into doing right by Tara without Tara's permission. That whole scenario just rubbed me the wrong way. The other problem with the novel is that it's told in the first person. For me, it reads more like a memoir than a fictional romantic story. Something was lost for me by narrating it in this way. I can't put my finger on it, but it did not make me a happy camper.

Don't get me wrong. Smooth Talking Stranger is a nice modern love story. The hero is dashing and the heroine, beautiful. The proposal (and there is one) almost brought a tear to my eye, it was so romantic. I'm just not so sure I like Lisa's stories or cast of characters with a modern bent. I think they'd do much better for themselves (and for me) back in the early 1800's.

The Man Who Loved Jane Austen, by Sally Smith O'Rourke. A Review by Donna

2010-09-12T03:51:00.001-04:00

I don't make a habit of reading Jane Austen fanfic, continuations, parallel stories, etc. But this title sold me - one click on the Kindle and there he was. Any man who appreciates Jane Austen is worth meeting, in my humble opinion, if only for his unique point of view regarding the classic stories I can quote by heart. Throw in charming, handsome, sensitive and rich and we have ourselves a ballgame. It took a couple of chapters before I realized that in this story, the man who "loved Jane Austen," really did.

Meet Fitzwilliam Darcy - yes, that's correct. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Charming, handsome, sensitive and rich, this modern day Virginian horse breeder owns a vast estate/ranch appropriately named Pemberley Farms. Mr. Darcy should be content with his life, but he is haunted by a strange event in his past. Three years in his past, to be exact, although to him it might as well be two hundred.

Eliza Knight is an artist residing in twenty-first century New York City - as far from Jane Austen's idyllic Hampshire as one can get. Eliza has a creative eye for unusual old furniture and one day purchases an antique vanity table. While examining her new piece, she stumbles upon a packet of vellum letters well hidden in the attached mirror. One of the letters is already open and while the meaning of the words are difficult to decipher, the signature is not - F. Darcy. The other letter is properly sealed (red wax and all) and Eliza believes it to be written by Jane Austen herself.

The letters are the key that bring Eliza and Fitz together at his Virginia homestead and this is where the man who loved Jane has the opportunity to tell his story. Suspend belief here folks and just go with it.

The story has potential, but fell short of my expectations. The author spends a good deal of energy shifting between present day Virginia (a setting with enormous romantic potential) and nineteenth century Regency England (where Jane Austen is fictionally portrayed). Although the latter is important in understanding this Darcy, the overwrought retelling of his experience diluted the other element (and to me, more real) part of the story - Eliza and Darcy's immediate attraction. I would have liked to see more development of the relationship between Eliza and Fitz. It seemed as though one moment they were adversaries, and the next, well not. And unfortunately, "more" remained the watchword throughout. I wanted more of Fitz's thoughts, more of Eliza's thoughts, more description of the beautiful place that was Pemberley Farms, and much more romance. Curiosity aroused, I wanted heaps of everything and just didn't get it.

"The Man Who Loved Jane Austen" is best saved for light, rainy day reading when there is nothing else about. The premise is a good one, the title a clincher. The telling of story, however - not so much.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson. A Review by Donna

2010-09-08T16:07:00.001-04:00

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is the third book in Stieg Larsson’s enormously popular Millennium Trilogy. I didn't think this installment would eclipse The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire in my rather narrow minded affections, but I am now thrilled to admit I was wrong.

In this culmination of the series, we find our unlikely computer hacker heroine Lisbeth Salander slowly recovering from the life threatening wounds inflicted by her Russian defector father (one incredibly nasty dude) and her overgrown, mentally underdeveloped murdering half-brother. Salander is also under arrest for various crimes – and as we know, committed in self-defense. However, conviction on all counts or at the very least, another long stint on the psych ward is guaranteed as long as dark forces are allowed to labor behind the scenes.

Throughout the book, the author deliberately and in great detail, shines an unrelenting light on these forces. In the process, the reader learns a whole lot about Swedish secret police, ongoing criminal investigations, cut throat politics and investigative publishing. Mr. Larsson is a master at making this dissection breathe life with rich, easy to digest explanations and characters that literally leap off the page. It should be noted that this English translation is done so well, nary a seam is visible.

Of course, crusading journalist and busy ladies’ man Mikael Blomkvist is back and plays an important role in the defense of Salander. But this story, as well as The Girl Who Played with Fire, belongs totally to Lisbeth.

If you haven’t read the trilogy, you absolutely should. No, make that you absolutely must. If you haven’t seen the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, starring Michael Nyquist and Noomi Rapace, you should (must) do that too. Unfortunately, Mr. Larsson did not live to see the fruit of his efforts, but how lucky we are that he left such a brilliant legacy.

The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. A Review by Angie

2010-09-08T14:45:00.001-04:00

Dinah’s life was a mere footnote in the Bible, as most of the story was devoted to the slaughter of her husband by her brothers in order to “avenge her honor”.  We are never told of Dinah’s life, until now.  Anita Diamant has taken the little known character from the book of Genesis and given her a voice and a life.

Dinah was the only daughter of Leah and Jacob, raised by her mother and her three aunts, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah. Mothers wish for daughters in order to pass down their stories, and the birth of one is cause for much celebration.  Dinah—being the only daughter of the tribe—was enfolded into their bond from an early age, and gained entrance to the red tent when other girls would know nothing of its secrets.  The red tent was a place where women gathered every cycle to worship the moon, and bond as women.  It was a place of birth and death, and sometimes resurrection.  Bright and curious, Dinah learned how to spin from her Aunt Bilhah, to be responsible and bake bread from her mother Leah, and how to be a midwife from her beautiful Aunt Rachel.  She hears things she is too young for while serving her mother and aunts in the red tent, things that prepare her for life to come.  She is present for births at a time when no unmarried women was allowed, and begins to pick up the skill of midwifery.  It is this skill that leads her to Shalem, son of king Hanor.  While there to help a beloved maid bear her first child, Dinah and Shalem fall in love and she is taken willingly as his bride. Taking the unfortunate advice of his greedy sons, Jacob places conditions on the union, only have his sons kill every man in the kingdom to avenge their sister’s honor.  Dinah curses her father and brothers, and flees back to the kingdom to die along with her love.  Her mother in law, the Queen Re-nefer, rescues Dinah and takes her to Egypt, where she bears a son, only to have him snatched away by his grandmother, so he may be raised as a prince of Egypt.  Living with Re-nefer’s family, she becomes a reputed midwife along with friend Meryt, and eventually finds love.

While this is the basic story, there is much more that makes it truly unforgettable.  The bonds of womanhood claim a major role in this novel, and Diamant paints the lives of women in ancient times vividly.  There are graphic depictions of childbirth, death and murder, alongside stories of happiness and triumph.  Dinah’s memories weigh heavily upon her as she moves through life trying to find happiness, a prisoner of her own past.  Only when she is briefly reunited with her family does she find peace, knowing her story, while watered down, has lived on.

I chose this book to read for my Women Writer’s class, and I’m so glad I did.  It’s been quite a while since I have read a book of such substance and beauty.  While not lighthearted by any means, The Red Tent will appeal to most every woman because of its emphasis on being a woman.  Do not pass up this thought-provoking read.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. A Review by Angie

2010-09-07T15:20:00.001-04:00

A little girl’s world is thrown upside down; the sudden death of her brother and his snowy graveside set the scene for an act of thievery that will mark her new beginning.

Set in fictional Molching, Germany, The Book Thief follows the trials and tribulations of Liesel Meminger as she begins life anew with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, while the Nazi idealism in Germany grows stronger.

As you accompany the narrator, Death, from Liesel’s arrival on Himmel Street through the next five years, you will experience the ups and downs of adolescence, the courage to stand up for what you believe in, and the utter tragedies of war. You root for Liesel as she learns to read and develops a profound love for books, especially those which are stolen. You go along as she and her best friend Rudy Steiner commit various acts of ‘teenage-ism’. You sit on pins and needles as Liesel and her family risks everything by hiding a Jew in their basement. And one of the most intriguing aspects of the journey is the insights Death gives you into his perspective of war along the way.

Prepare to be pulled into the chaotic world of a little girl who is growing up in Nazi Germany. Don’t think it’s another German-Holocaust-Anne Frank like book. Don’t be put off by the fact it’s listed under Young Adult (which I completely disagree with). And think about picking up this book and enjoying one of the most brilliantly written, enduring stories of our time.

I Remember You, by Harriet Evans. A Review by Debra

2010-09-01T13:48:00.001-04:00

My first experience with a Harriet Evans novel reminds me of my first taste of Entenmann's Marshamallow Iced Devils' Food cake. For those of you unfamiliar with this indescribable treat, suffice it to say that eating it is something you'll remember long after the last bit is gone. It's sweet, it's textured, the icing is an extra added bonus, and it gives a heck of a lot of pleasure. And there is not a crumb left when you are done. Enough said.

I Remember You is the story of two people and a town. Yes, the town of Langford figures as prominently in this novel as the two protagonists, Tess Tennant and Adam Smith, thirty-somethings who grew up there together as best friends and playmates, and for one painful summer, something quite a bit more. After that summer, Tess leaves Langford and Adam behind and escapes to University in London, where she becomes a classics teacher and tries to start a new life. Twelve years later, she finds herself made redundant in her old job and, back in Langford, takes up a position teaching classics to adults. Adam is still there, still mourning the death of his mother and living a life no one expected of him a decade earlier.

When circumstances force Tess and Adam to confront their past, Tess realizes that she really doesn't know her best friend at all, or perhaps she knows him too well, and resolves to finally move on from their complicated past. On a trip to Rome, she meets someone else who makes her question her quiet country existence, and almost simultaneously discovers the secrets of Adam's past, which puts him in a new light in her eyes and the eyes of the town they grew up in.

Harriet Evans writes with an almost lilting air. Her prose is sharp, her descriptions of places and people clear and full. Her secondary characters, in fact, all the townspeople of Langford, figure prominently in making the reader see and understand Tess and Adam's long history. A lesson in conservation is cleverly tucked into the story, as a water meadow development figures prominently in the plot, but not to the point where it gets preachy and tiresome.

Like my Entenmann's cake, the ending is sweet, and it lingers on your tongue for awhile. I'm already looking for another Harriet Evans novel to devour.

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

2010-08-21T16:01:00.000-04:00

You have emergency plans for fires, earthquakes, and various other natural disasters. But have you thought about what you will do when the zombies attack? That’s right, when the living dead are roaming the land, do you know what to do? Have you a plan of action? If not, The Zombie Survival Guide is what you need to read, for it is a “complete protection from the living dead” guide. It isn’t a matter of if but a matter of when, as to the timing of the next rise of the living dead. And when that happens you have to be sure you are ready to survive.

The Zombie Survival Guide reveals everything you need know in order to live to tell the tale of the zombie outbreak. Breaking down the myths and realities of the undead is your first step in survival; from the origins of the zombie, to the physical abilities and behaviors exhibited by one, and finally the different levels of outbreaks. Detection is first key survival.

Once you’ve identified a true outbreak, you must know how to protect yourself by using the appropriate weapons and combat techniques. Now, you must defend yourself, whether it is at your home or another public arena, or on the run in different types of terrain. When defending isn’t enough, or you’re fed up with running, attacking is your only option. The guide will give you general rules and strategies of attack, to hopefully be victorious and not one more of the undead horde. Finally, if the unthinkable happens, you have to learn how to live in the undead world. Endurance and isolation will be the name of the game when the living become nearly extinct.

So read the guide, head to the nearest supply store to begin your stockpile of supplies, and be ever vigilant. You won’t know when the dead will rise, but you will be ready, for you are now a professional zombie hunter!

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, A Review by Lindsey

2010-08-19T14:12:00.001-04:00

Darkly whimsical perfectly describes the mood set in this book, especially when you are crossing the line between the real world and the shadow world lying beneath the surface.

If you’ve ever been to London, or any major city for that fact, you’ve more than likely traveled in that city’s underground. But what if there was a world, a very real world, underneath that. The true “Underground.” A world completely unlike the one you know, where the rules of physics and biology don’t necessarily apply.

Richard Mayhew is young man living an ordinary life, with a good job, a “good” girlfriend, and a good heart. It is his good heart that drives him to help a bloody, strange and oddly regal girl named Door. By helping Door, Richard finds himself unknowingly entering the Underground, where their allies are the marquis de Carabas and Hunter and their enemies are Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, two of the most ghastly and other-worldly villains in that world.

Soon, Richard’s life as he knows it doesn’t exist anymore. He walks among the world, completely unseen by those around him. Knowing he must find Door, Richard makes his way literally into Underground, into a world he still doesn’t fully believe exist. Trials and tribulations abound as he accompanies Door on her mission to find who murdered her family, all so he can return to the world he left behind. From the Rat-Speakers to a manor where tragedy occurred, to floating markets and finding the Blackfriars, and from an angelic home to a hellish cavernous maze (to name a few). Friends come and go, heroes are made and broken, and answers are found.

Go along for the journey as you fall through the cracks into a horridly fantastic dark world where you never know what is around the next shadowy corner...

Love in the Afternoon, by Lisa Kleypas. A Review by Angie

2010-08-14T05:14:00.001-04:00

My general reaction at the end of a Lisa Kleypas novel is usually a contented sigh of happiness, and this book was no exception. The only difference in this case was I also needed a fan to cool myself with! There is one brooding, sexy hero in this book!

Love in the Afternoon is the final book in the Hathaway series, and for me, the most anticipated. It is the story of Beatrix, the lovable youngest sister whose fondness for injured creatures easily made her my favorite of all the Hathaway brood. Young Beatrix is now twenty-three, and a beauty in her own right. She is admired by the gentlemen, but never, ever courted because of her unconventional ways. When her friend Prudence catches the eye of Captain Christopher Phelan, local golden boy, she reads the letter Pru has received from the gentleman. Beatrix is adamant her callous friend answers the letter, especially in regards to the dog Captain Phelan is having behavior problems with. The letter is also full of stories from Crimea and his battles, and how he is handling them. It's very personal and heartfelt, but Pru is not interested. Beatrix is appalled and takes on the task herself. What commences is a letter writing campaign where both Christopher and Beatrix, under the guise of Prudence, share their deepest feelings about life and war, while falling in love with each other thousands of miles apart. Beatrix knows it is wrong to continue the correspondence, and ends it abruptly in an attempt to save herself from bitter disappointment.

Christopher is a society darling, handsome and witty, always a favorite with the ladies. Beatrix does not think much of him, especially after his overheard comment about her and how she would be better off in the stables. Her prejudice wanes however, when she reads his letters. Christopher is a brave soldier, but is having problems dealing with the death that surrounds him. He returns to Stoney Cross to find his brother has died, his mother resents him for being alive, his sister-in-law, Audrey, is not being truthful with him, and the woman he has fallen in love with through letters bears almost no resemblance to the woman he knows as Prudence. The letters and her image helped him through his darkest hours, and he is disappointed to find her lacking in person. His chance meeting with Beatrix and a few slips about the letters she should know nothing about make him question just who the lady was he fell in love with. Christopher knows he should not even consider Beatrix because of her eccentric family, but finds himself unable to turn away. Her boldness with him, and her lack of propriety, not to mention wearing breeches to train a horse, all should send him running in the other direction, but her sweetness and caring manner draw him in. Despite his feelings, however, he still cannot trust himself around her, as he is tormented by images of the war that he cannot control.

I can't even begin to describe how wonderful this book is, and how much I enjoyed reading it. This is by far my favorite of the Hathaway series. The Hathaway's never disappoint, and with the addition of some minor characters in their world it makes for a delicious novel. (Some of which I hope get a series of their own.) The passion between Christopher and Beatrix is undeniable, and their love for each other is practically perfect. Once again, Kleypas transports us to a place where dreams become reality and the most unlikely of matches finds love. This is a must read for any fan of romance.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. A Review by Debra

2010-08-13T01:52:00.001-04:00

I've resisted opening this book for months even though it called to me from my bookshelf. I could hear it saying, day in and day out, "Everyone is reading me! Come on then, open the cover. I'm really quite good." I thought I'd pick it up when I had a break from reading my usual fare. After all, suspense is not my favorite genre, and industrial intrigue falls quite a distance behind even that. So with much hesitation, I read the first paragraph, and as usually happens to me when I open a book, I was hooked.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is, on the surface, the story of a journalist, Mikael Blomkqvist, the publisher of the magazine known as Millennium ( hence the term The Millennium Trilogy for Larsson's three book series of which this is the first). Mikael is set up by a corrupt industrialist to take a huge fall, and is tried and convicted of libel. This is the background to the entire story. It explains Blomkqvist's motivation for the rest of the novel and once you get past this first 125 pages of back story explaining how Blomkqvist wound up with a conviction and a prison term, you get to a family saga, years in the making. This is the part of the book I enjoyed the most. The Vangers, an old Norrland industrial family, have enough egocentrics, twisted personalities and downright nasty individuals to make this book interesting if it were just written about them. But wait, there's more. When old Henrik Vanger convinces Mikael to take on the family chronicles and search for his niece who has been missing for over 30 years, he promises in return, that he will hand Mikael enough information to bring his court nemesis to his knees. Mikael takes the bait. During a year long exile to the north of Sweden, and along with Lisbeth Salander (I could write paragraph upon paragraph about this character, but you'll have to read the book), a young and very talented private investigator, for want of a better description, Mikael uncovers the family skeletons, with almost fatal results.

There are so many secondary characters worth mentioning, and the book is so full of intrigue, relationship twist and turns, history and an abject lesson in sexual abuse, that if I wrote about it all, there would be no reason to pick it up. And you should pick it up. Mr. Larsson did not live to see the success of his trilogy, which is unfortunate, because I'm sure this book, along with the next two in the trilogy, were only his warm-up to a brilliant career.

Too Wicked to Kiss, by Erica Ridley. A Review by Angie

2010-08-12T15:33:00.001-04:00

The allure of a Regency Gothic romance was too delicious to ignore, and so I gave in to Erica Ridley’s debut novel readily. Full of danger, intrigue and sensuous private liaisons, Too Wicked to Kiss is quite wicked indeed.

After losing her mother, Evangeline flees from her abusive stepfather to the protection of Lady Stanton, a friend of her mother. The Lady and her daughter Susan are planning a scheme to trap Gavin Lioncroft, known as ‘Lionkiller’, into marriage with Susan. To assure her continued protection from her stepfather, Evangeline reluctantly agrees to assist in their plans. The moment they arrive at Blackberry Manor Evangeline knows they are unwelcome by the fierce and intimidating manor of their host. Despite his obvious desire to see them gone; Evangeline is drawn to him while being slightly frightened at the same time.

Gavin has never refuted the rumors that he killed his parents- it made for a much wanted solitary life. Having been shunned by his family, his sister showing up on his doorstep with his nieces spikes his curiosity as well as his ire. A house party is the last thing he wants, and he resents the intrusion on his privacy just for matching his eldest niece with an elderly rich gentleman who can’t stay awake during dinner. To the others, Gavin is a dangerous killer who would just as soon murder them all as to dine with them, but a noticeable change happens when it becomes evident his sister is being abused by her husband. The evidence is on her face, and while all believe Gavin struck his own sister in a rage, Rose, Lady Hetherington, sets them straight on the true culprit. When that person is found dead the next morning, all eyes look to Gavin as the murderer. Only Evangeline’s gift can prove his innocence, or so they believe. However, her stepfather has other plans for her.

Gavin and Evangeline are a very passionate pair. Gavin is the typical brooding, dark, Gothic hero- edgy and dangerous, but with a softer interior. Evangeline is the quintessential heroine, getting herself into trouble while trying to prove Gavin’s innocence. Betrayal abounds in this story of death, regret, murder and sizzling kisses between Gavin and Evangeline. This review really doesn’t do the book justice, so you’ll have to read it for yourself to see just how wicked this gothic romance truly is.

A Kiss at Midnight, by Eloisa James. A Review by Donna

2010-08-12T08:52:00.001-04:00

When my daughter was very small, I amassed quite a huge collection of VHS tapes that kept her glued to the television and thus entertained and out of my hair for hours. Some of her favorites included the Disney adaptations of classic fairy tales like Snow White, Peter Pan and of course, Cinderella. As a matter of fact, if I close my eyes now, I can still hear those mice singing as they industriously sewed a ball gown from scratch.

A Kiss at Midnight, Eloisa James' new regency romance, does not have singing mice. Or mice of any sort. But there is a castle and a godmother. And of course, a handsome prince.

Prince Gabriel Albrecht-Frederick William Von Aschenberg of Warl-Marburg-Baalsfeld, to be exact, who is devilishly adorable, as all princes should be. He is also an exile who, along with assorted relatives and an impressive menagerie of exotic animals, has been banished to a remote castle in England. Gabriel, as is expected of a prince, also has a strong sense of duty. In order to maintain his castle and competently support his people, he must marry for money. And soon. How fortunate that his older brother, the Duke, has arranged such a marriage, finding him a wealthy Russian princess to be his bride.

And of course, what would a Cinderella story be without a Cinderella? When Kate Daltry's father died, his new wife, the wicked stepmother, relegated Kate to attic rooms. Treated no better than a servant, Kate struggled for years to make sure her father's estate survived by working closely with his tenants and shielding them from her stepmother's harsh treatment. Now, she must save the vicar's widow from eviction. With little choice, Kate agrees to masquerade as her injured half sister Victoria and accompany eighteen year-old Algie, her future brother-in-law, to Pomeroy Castle. Algie must secure approval of his hasty marriage from Uncle Gabriel, the prince, before Victoria's indiscretion becomes obvious.

Gabriel, in the meantime, has resigned himself to marry the Russian princess sight unseen. That is until he meets "Victoria," his nephew's intended. Mesmerized by her looks, challenged by her bold mouth and intrigued by her reluctance to fall for his charm, Gabriel finds himself enamored with the wig-wearing beauty and it isn't long before he discovers her real identity. Kate, likewise, is irrevocably drawn to the enigmatic prince, but always remembers he is betrothed to another - a real princess with enough money to help Gabriel fulfill his duty to his family, tenants and castle.

The witty, honest dialogue between Kate and Gabriel drives this story and Ms. James' treatment of a progressively dismal situation is both sensitive and sensuous. I felt deeply for both of these characters, but more so for Kate who, with little control of the situation, refuses to fade away because of a badly broken heart. There is also a worthy cast of entertaining minor characters who lend support to both sides. Particularly worth a mention is Gabriel's half brother Wick, whose loyalty to Gabriel and honest assessment of the situation earned him a secure place in my heart (and hopefully in a sequel).

Of course, a romance by definition provides a happy ending. As do most fairy tales. A Kiss at Midnight is no exception, but we must wait for it. I assure you, though, when this story's happily ever after makes an appearance, it will leave you positively cheering. Forget about the singing mice and add this one to your must-read Regency romance list.

A Vintage Affair, by Isabel Wolff. A Review by Angie

2010-08-05T15:06:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while you find a book that really moves you, and in this case, this book moved me to tears.  A Vintage Affair is the story of Phoebe Swift, an ex-Sotheby’s employee who decides to open a vintage clothing shop called Village Vintage.  Fashion lovers will delight in this name dropping feast of designers and designs from the 1920’s and forward.  The clothes are a large part of the story, but not in the ways you would imagine.

After the death of her best friend, Emma, Phoebe keeps herself busy with her new shop while trying to ignore the guilt that’s eating away at her.  Phoebe is a complex character; one who is very mature and composed, but riddled with conflicting emotions inside.  The story starts off with the evening she met Guy, her ex-fiancé, who at the time was seeing Emma, her now deceased best friend.  Phoebe and Guy hit it off, and while she feels the guilt of falling for a guy Emma likes, Guy assures her he never pursued a romantic relationship with Emma.  Phoebe and Emma grow apart, mostly because of Emma’s inability to handle the relationship her friend has with Guy.  Phoebe, not wanting to ruin the romantic evening Guy had planned for them on Valentine’s Day, promises a very ill Emma she will come and check on her the next morning.  Emma is dead before Phoebe arrives, and she spends the next year blaming Guy for persuading her to put Emma off so they can enjoy their evening, or so she remembers.

As a vintage shop owner, Phoebe finds herself in the company of many interesting people wanting to sell their expensive designer clothing. She also wonders about the clothes she buys, and what stories they could tell. Phoebe makes the acquaintance of Mrs. Bell, an eighty year old French woman who is very ill and wanting to sell some of her elegant designer clothes.  Over time and a few visits, Phoebe and Mrs. Bell become confidants; Phoebe relating her guilt at Emma’s death, and Mrs. Bell telling her the story of her childhood in Avignon, France, and her friend Monique, who was taken by the German police to Auschwitz.  Mrs. Bell tells the heartbreaking story of Monique hiding from the Germans in an abandoned barn while she brought food to her as often as she could.  The two share guilt as Mrs. Bell relates her sorrow at not making it out to the barn with her blue coat for Monique before the police find her. Phoebe has the overwhelming desire to find out what happened to Monique, despite Mrs. Bell's indication she has searched in the past. A surprising clue finds Phoebe through her shop, and points her in the right direction to find the long lost friend of Mrs. Bell.

During all this Phoebe politely turns down the attentions of Dan, a friendly reporter for the local paper, while in a relationship with Miles, a much older retired solicitor.  The two meet at Christie’s while bidding on a vintage gown, Phoebe for her shop, and Miles for his spoiled daughter. The relationship with Miles is as frustrating as it is sweet, as Phoebe withstands the full force of a sixteen year old daughters’ hostility for her Dad’s much younger girlfriend.  Miles learns too late his darling daughter has serious entitlement issues, and Phoebe finally stands up to him about his blindness when her grandmother’s ring disappears. Dan then becomes a more interesting prospect, one that’s been there all along, she realizes.

I cannot even begin to explain how moved I was by this book. The emotional rollercoaster Phoebe is subjected to is intense at times, but she handles it with much grace. There is much, much more to the story than what I’ve written, as well as a large cast of secondary characters and other plot lines that add so much to the book.  In addition to relationship issues, Phoebe must deal with her parent’s separation and her father becoming a daddy again at age sixty-two.  The village is full of interesting characters that are only slightly delved into, but make excellent additions to the story.  Wolff’s writing is perfection; the blending of Phoebe and the other characters creates a truly well-written novel.  A story of love, betrayal, guilt and finally peace, A Vintage Affair is definitely one to pick up.

Wicked Intentions, by Elizabeth Hoyt. A Review by Angie

2010-08-02T15:35:00.001-04:00

As a self-proclaimed gothic novel enthusiast, I immediately planned a trip to the bookstore when I learned of Wicked Intentions. Set in 1737, a wee bit before my comfortable Regency England, Wicked Intentions is the story of Temperance Dews, a widow helping her brother run the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children. Located in St. Giles, where the poorest of the poor of London live, the book opens with Temperance and the maid Nell ushering home a few days old infant through the dark and dangerous streets. St. Giles is bad enough during the day, at night however, only the desperate, murderous, or stupid venture out after the sun sets. Throwing caution to the wind, Temperance sets out for the small infant, knowing by morning she will be gone.

In their rush through the dirty streets, they come across a man with long silver hair, standing over what looks to be a dead man. Remembering Nell's story of the ghost of St. Giles, and his method of murder, they both hurry on to the relative safety of the home. Seeing the infant to bed, and thinking she is alone for the night, she discovers a man sitting in her small parlour. A man with long silver hair.

Lord Caire is a man with a purpose, and Temperance Dews is the person he requires to assist him. Caire propositions Temperance to help him find the murderer of his mistress, while helping her find a patron for the broke home. Feeling as if she is making a deal with the devil himself, she agrees against her better judgement. Their search takes them into the darkest corners of St. Giles, where some things are best left unknown and unseen.

What follows is nothing short of gothic novel and romance greatness. Caire and Temperance are drawn to each other, and while she tries to fight it, he embraces the attraction. Temperance is hiding a dark secret that causes her extreme guilt, but the temptation of Lord Caire and his questionable bedroom antics lures her like no other. The unassuming manner of Temperance, and her ability to see him as a man, and not a fortune, appeal to Caire, and he begins to care for her, an emotion long-lost to him. As their investigation continues to dig deeper, the threat gets closer to them, and they only realize it just before it's too late.

Be warned in advance, this IS a gothic novel, and some parts are very dark, and delve into some questionable subject matter. This is no light-hearted romp through the ton, but a picture of the poorer side of London. Hoyt writes each scene with such vivid descriptions that you easily find yourself in St. Giles street, running from the ghost. Definitely one to pick up if you enjoy the darker side of romance.

The Tapestry of Love, by Rosy Thornton. A Review by Debra

2010-07-29T02:35:00.001-04:00

There are very few times I can remember where I've actively prolonged reading a book by putting it down at intervals and resorting to other things, just to make it last. I couldn't help myself with The Tapestry of Love, a new book by author Rosy Thornton. I sincerely tried to draw the experience out for as long as I could, but alas, all wonderful reads must come to an end.

The Tapestry of Love is Catherine Parkstone's story. An Englishwoman set to begin her life anew in the Cevannes region of France, Catherine finds herself in the middle of her new town's autumn transhumance, the moving of sheep from their summer grazing ground back to their home farms and enclosures; the exact opposite direction in which she is figuratively traveling. Leaving England behind, along with her son, daughter, ex-husband and her mother who is afflicted with dementia, Catherine moves to Le Grelaudière, and her new home, Les Fenils, set back in a rocky outcrop with few of the conveniences she's left behind.

Usually, the lead protagonists in a novel are the main focus, but here, they share top billing with the house, the gardens, the weather, the woods, farms and animals and even the mountains themselves. I could perfectly envision Catherine's new surroundings as if I had moved into Les Fenils as well, working beside Catherine in her new garden or handing her the thread and needles as she tries to establish her new business.

The secondary characters in the guise of neighbors add a whole different dimension to the story. We get to know each family's back story as any new neighbor would; over time and over tea (and this being France, a little wine as well). Among these neighbors is Patrick Castagnol, with whom Catherine thinks she may have found a good friend and perhaps something more, until her sister Bryony comes to stay. This is the only point in the novel where I had some trouble understanding Catherine. She closes her eyes to the relationship between Bryony and Patrick, and she does not ask because she fears the answers. Why did she not fight for Patrick? What is it about her relationship with her sister that causes her to back off? When Patrick makes clear to Bryony that there are things in his life that he will not share, she goes back to England, leaving the way clear for Catherine and Patrick to find each other again, or not.

The story is ultimately about one woman's growth in mid-life, a time when some women are settled, and all they are is all they will ever be. We read about Catherine's struggles with a new country, a different language, customs and regulations, including a light-hearted tutorial on French bureaucracy and the problem of dealing with the establishment of a non-agricultural business in a National Park and the effects on that park's population (which I found personally fascinating). The twice yearly transhumance is a metaphor for Catherine's new life, as is her decision to take on the restoration of a medieval tapestry. She takes on this challenge as she has almost every challenge since her move to France, and masters it as she does her new environment, creating something worthwhile where before there was nothing. It's positively inspiring as Catherine overcomes political and practical obstacles to complete her own transhumance.

Beautifully written, Rosy Thornton again delivers a story rich in detail, not only in its character development, but in setting as well. I was caught up in Catherine's world, enough so that I too caught a whiff of jasmine on that hillside.

The Tapestry of Love is highly recommended. It is exactly what my father meant when he told me years ago, that reading a good book transports you to anywhere in the world. I did not want to come home.

Seven Secrets of Seduction, by Anne Mallory. A Review by Debra

2010-07-03T09:02:00.001-04:00

I can honestly say that in all my reading of romance novels over the years, I have never been totally and truly seduced by a fictitious character until I picked up this novel. It's always fun to watch a rake reform, but in this case, the author puts forth a seduction so all-encompassing and emotional, that you spend the entire book envying Miranda Chase, "lowly" shopgirl and correspondent to not one, but two literary figures, who becomes the recipient of Maximillian, Lord Downing's attentions.

Miranda, like all of London, is enamored of a new book entitled "The Seven Secrets of Seduction," written by the author who calls himself Eleutherios. She strikes up a correspondence with the author himself, while at the same time, defends him to a Mr. Pitts, a critic who seems to have a reason to hate Eleutherios and his work. Miranda becomes the central focus of this triangle, writing to both men for a period of time, and receiving life advice from Mr. Pitts and reading material and romantic prose from Eleutherios. She then finds herself the recipient of Maximillian's singular interest.

Maxim seeks Miranda out in her uncle's bookshop and at first we are convinced that this is a random meeting. We are as stunned as Miranda when Maxim seeks her out for special attention, even engineering an excuse to have her work in his library. We watch Miranda fall prey to what we think is a practiced and random seduction. And we are terrified that she will succumb to this seemingly cynical and jaded rake. Miranda even recites a mantra when she is with him: Flame, Moth, Danger. She knows how much trouble she is in around Maxim, but she can't help it. His seduction is so perfect and so complete, that she has no choice in the matter.

When the author switches the story's point of view to Maxim's, things become almost painful for the reader, but not in the way you would expect. We see the spider caught in his own web, as helpless to escape his feelings as his prey. Maxim is more than what he seems. Much more to Miranda in fact, and once she pieces the parts of the puzzle together, she can't help but make a decision that will change the course of her life forever.

And damaged by his parents' relationship, Maxim swears he will never marry for love, but with Miranda, he finds that a loveless marriage combined with a mistress he loves results in an untenable situation.

Anne Mallory writes with a distinct descriptive flair. There are numerous instances where we are given a description of the tactile things these two do... a swipe of a hand down a silk dress, the motion of restless fingers over a desk or a quill. All these things, plus a powerful and emotional story line, put this reader right in the story. I wanted to be Miranda. What woman (or man) wouldn't want to be the subject of such abject love and devotion? And it works both ways. Miranda says that Maxim is "just like a walking addiction." Maxim realizes that he cannot let Miranda be hurt, but he cannot let her go, and that he needs her more than she needs him. It's a painful revelation to a man obligated by duty and family history to reject the obvious course of action.

Seven Secrets of Seduction is just out in paperback. It brings back memories of how it feels to begin a new relationship, and to fall in love.... that agonizing and exhilarating phase of life where feelings can't be taken for granted and nothing is ever easy, but the rewards are beyond wonderful. You'll experience it again as you read this book.

Sugar Creek, by Toni Blake. A Review by Donna

2010-07-03T05:36:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to Destiny, Ohio where the air is clean, life is apparently uncomplicated and hunky men are thick on the ground. In Toni Blake's new release, Sugar Creek, we meet another alpha male (remember Mick Brody?) with all the attributes of the perfect romance hero.

Mike Romo is tall, dark, handsome and in uniform. A cop's uniform, that is. And he's determined to keep Destiny safe. That includes stopping Rachel Farris as she does twenty over the limit just outside of town. Rachel is now a city girl, summoned back to Destiny to help her elderly grandmother harvest the family apple orchard. Sparks fly as Officer Romo hands Rachel a speeding ticket along with a case of unrequited lust. Or so she believes. But Mike is not as unaffected by her sudden reappearance as Rachel thinks.

Unfortunately, the Romos and Farrises are Destiny's version of the Hatfields and McCoys. A long ago betrayal by Mike's grandfather Giovanni drove Edna, Rachel's grandmother, to take action - and the apple orchard. Bad blood has been flowing between the families in large cascading rivers for two generations, although Edna has come to depend on Mike, despite his last name. And Mike has a soft spot for Edna. But Rachel believes Mike is only in it for the apples and vows to protect her grandmother and the family business from all things Romo.

Rachel and Mike circle each other for days, denying the unwanted attraction until they are thrown together in a small concession booth during a town event. Surprisingly, they work well together, serving snacks to the good folks of Destiny, but the real spirit of cooperation begins after the event is over. I'm not sure where Ms. Blake derives her inspiration, but a couple of hallelujahs are certainly in order.

But both Rachel and Mike have issues beyond the infamous family feud which threaten to derail their tenuous relationship almost before it begins. Rachel returned to Destiny reluctantly and only temporarily - she has a high powered job in Chicago and a life purposely different from her small town upbringing. Mike is still dealing with a horrific family tragedy that shapes every feeling he has and every decision he makes. And as if this colorful tapestry wasn't enough, Ms. Blake adds even more by weaving Edna and Giovanni's story in, out and between Rachel and Mike's.

Ms. Blake is a master at slowly drawing her protagonists, allowing the reader to feel each character's struggle to accept a particular truth. She did this brilliantly in One Reckless Summer, the first in the Destiny series, and succeeds again in Sugar Creek. There is a lot going on in this book and while less emotionally wrenching than its predecessor, it is more complex. It took more effort to get to the heart of the matter but once I was there, I was enthralled, swept away and completely won over.

Sugar Creek gets an enthusiastic two thumbs up. It's exactly what I've come to expect from Ms. Blake - and a certain must have for your romance library.

The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton. A Review by Angie

2010-06-30T14:49:00.001-04:00

The Forgotten Garden is a magical tale woven over four generations of women on two continents. It combines mystery with drama in a captivating way and draws the reader under its spell and into a world of magic, fairly tales, mystery and family secrets.

On her 21^st birthday in 1930, Nell Andrews is told by her father that he is, in reality, not her father. He explains that he and his wife took Nell in, after she’d had been abandoned on a ship from London to his port in Australia at the age of 4. The only clue to her identity was the small white suitcase she carried, which contained a beautiful first edition children’s book. The revelation of her past sets the course for the rest of Nell’s life, and that of the generations to follow – especially that of Nell’s granddaughter Cassandra.

Later in her life, searching for answers about her family history drives Nell to England and a small manor house on the Cornwall coast. She records her findings in a journal, but keeps revelations secret from her family, so Cassandra is shocked to be the recipient of the deed to an English cottage on Nell’s death. The journal left behind doesn’t answer all that Cassandra finds she needs to know, by any stretch of the imagination. She picks up the trail of Nell’s research, traveling to the UK from Australia, where she slowly puts together the pieces of Nell’s puzzle, and finds the path to knowledge strewn with links to her own self-discovery.

Ms. Morton tells her story in chapters dedicated to each of the four generations – Nell, her mother and grandmother, and Cassandra. The transitions are carefully done with attention to detail and vivid descriptions of their lives, from the squalor of London tenement houses to the beauty of an English country garden. Nell’s story encompasses art, and story telling, family secrets and family trust, along with a villain or two. I was easily drawn into Cassandra’s journey and found myself fascinated with the way the characters' lives spin in and out of each other’s orbits, bridging the generations and the mystery of Nell’s identity.

I was thoroughly involved with the characters and the mystery. I enjoyed this book very much and hope you will as well.

My Dangerous Duke, by Gaelen Foley. A Review by Angie

2010-06-29T16:04:00.001-04:00

My Dangerous Duke is the second book in the Inferno Club series by Gaelen Foley. This story follows Rohan Kilburn, the Duke of Warrington, or better known to locals as the Beast, and Kate Madsen, a woman kidnapped by smugglers and given as a gift to the Duke.

Rohan's family curse-- to lose one's wife early in life-- haunts him and he rejects all notions of love and marriage, thinking to break the curse by denying it. His reputation of a wild lover is well-earned, but is not the complete story of this complex character. Underneath the controlled exterior lies a warrior, trained to fight in any sort of combat, and a killer for the Inferno Club and their fight against the Prometheans. He lives a loveless life, until Kate comes along.

When Kate is handed over to the Beast, she is defiant yet afraid of what he may do to her. The Duke is handsome, but being held prisoner for over a month in a dark cellar has taken its toll and she is desperate to escape. Her kidnappers drug her to make her more compliant, hoping to calm the temper of the Duke. Little does the Duke know the lovely gift he was given is not there of her own free will, as he is led to believe. Things go downhill from there as Rohan realizes Kate's family history is linked with his in a way that will cause certain danger to them both. Kate holds in her possession the key to finding the Alchemists Tomb, something the Prometheans have searched and killed for. Rohan knows if they can find this tomb and its secrets, this would be a serious gain for the Inferno Club.

Foley's writing, as always is entertaining and the hero and heroine are well matched despite having many differences. My Dangerous Duke is a well-written story of love, danger and intrigue, with quite a bit of mush mixed in. This book hits stores today!

The Apothecary's Daughter, by Julie Klassen. A Review by Debra

2010-05-23T15:04:00.001-04:00

While the last Nook "page" has been turned and I have finished this book, my head and heart are both still in Bedsley Priors with Lillian Haswell and the inhabitants of that small Regency era village.

The Apothecary's Daughter is the story of Lillian and her father, Charles Haswell, the last in a long line of Haswell apothecaries. Lillian, her father and her brother Charlie (afflicted with what today would be called severe learning disabilities) live above their Apothecary shop, all still reeling from the disappearance of Charles' wife, Rosamund. Lillian spends her days watching the barges on the canal that pass through Bedsley Priors hoping to see her mother return, while she yearns for more to her life. When she turns 18, her mother's brother and wife offer to take her to London, give her a Season, and help her look for a prospective match. She leaves her father, brother, best friend Mary and her father's apprentice, Francis behind, only to return a year and a half later to disaster; her father is gravely ill and his legacy is in jeopardy. Despite horrible prejudice against women practicing apothecary, she tries to keep his practice open and thriving, while disguising the fact that she is the one in charge.

Ms. Klassen shows that she's done her research, giving us an extensive and extremely interesting background in the competition between the three medical professions of the time: apothecary, surgeon and physician. The three fields are pitted against each other as a back drop to Lillian's story, and with it come three (or four) possible rivals for Lillian's hand, if she should choose to recognize them as such. Lillian is so intent on keeping her father's livelihood viable, caring for him and her brother, that she lets opportunities pass her by, wishing for a different life than what she has, until she realizes that what she has is what she's wanted all along.

A wonderful love story, full of twists, turns and surprises, and without any of what we call "smut" in Bookishly terms. The Apothecary's Daughter is so worth the read. I loved it and I recommend it highly.

The Dead Travel Fast, by Deanna Raybourn. A Review by Angie

2010-05-21T03:44:00.001-04:00

I should have known better. Really, I should have. One should never start a Deanna Raybourn novel on their lunch hour and expect to be able to stop and go back to work. It was torture, but I managed to be on time by about 10 seconds. This is a gothic romance novel that blew me away for the most part. You may know Ms. Raybourn from the Lady Grey mysteries, of which I am a huge fan. This novel is not part of that series, but you get the same round characters and nail biting scenes as found in her previous work.

Miss Theodora Lestrange is a writer in a time when women authors were not looked upon kindly. After her grandfather dies, a chance invitation to visit her old school mate, Cosmina, arrives out of the blue and with perfect timing. She jumps at the chance to visit Transylvania, a place full of folklore, myth and legend. The setting is ideal to write her first novel. Remembering the stories from her school days, she leaves her sister and brother-in-law, as well as her publisher/suitor and embarks on the long train ride to the aging castle where Cosmina makes her home. In her letter, Cosmina indicated she was betrothed to the current Count, and hoped she would be stay through Christmas and for the wedding. When Theodora arrives, she learns there is no such betrothal, and the current Count has refused to marry his poor relation. It goes downhill from there, as Theodora realizes there is more to what Cosmina has told her, and things are not right with the castle and village. She has also developed an attraction to the Count, and she believes he has become interested in her. They spend the evenings together after the house retires, working in his grandfather’s room of amateur astronomy devices and charts. They gaze at stars on the observation deck, and while Theodora knows it’s improper, she can’t help herself. The Count is mesmerizing and a natural at seduction. She is in the middle before she realizes. Then murder happens.

The countryside is rife with legends about strigoli, or vampires. When a maid dies with two puncture marks on her neck, the Counts mother insists he go through with a medieval ritual to condemn his father’s body to the grave forever. The Countess believes the former Count was evil and walks the castle in search of his next victim, those of his blood. With the arrival of her publisher/suitor, things go downhill as more attacks occur, and Theodora finds herself accused as the accused party. When she places her life in a trustworthy doctor, she learns not everything is as it seems.

If you are not into gothic novels, then this book is not for you. Do not expect a vampire book full of flashing elongated canines and blood sucking monsters attacking innocent debutants. This is pure gothic novel, where things are not as they seem, and you are surprised at what the truth really is. Theodora is a complex character; wanting experiences to bolster her imagination, and then finding herself in love with a man she cannot have. The book is written in first person, so it was easy to immerse myself in Theodora and become emotionally involved with the character. The scenes are intense when need be, and light hearted at the right moment. It’s a well-rounded book that I encourage everyone to pick up.

Revenge Wears Rubies, by Renee Bernard. A Review by Debra

2010-04-23T09:54:00.001-04:00

Galen Hawke returns to England a damaged man. He is not alone. He and his compatriots in captivity call themselves the "Jaded" and for very good reason. Held captive in India by a mad Sultan and escaping by the skin of their teeth, he and his friends make their way back to their old lives, changed and bonded by their experiences.

This bond among the men leads Galen to exact revenge for one of his number who did not make it out alive. John Everly spoke of his love, Haley Moreland, in glowing terms, as he lay dying in Galen's arms. And Galen makes a promise to look Haley up and convey John's last words of love to her. Before he does that, he's confronted with news reports of Haley's return to society and her engagement, a mere eight months after John's death. Galen now has a set purpose back in his life. He means to seek Haley out, and ruin her in order to avenge her broken vows to John.

When Haley is swept off her feet by Galen (quite literally) she knows that she can no longer keep her engagement to Mr. Trumble; an engagement made in order to save her father from financial ruin. She falls in love with Galen Hawke and decides that she will live her life to the fullest and take love where she can find it, until it all comes crashing down when she uncovers Galen's scheme. By this time, the man of her dreams realizes that he's fallen in love with his prey. Matters are made worse when Galen finds out that his dying friend had a penchant for exaggeration, for things were and are not as they seem.

I love Renee Bernard. Her characters are likable, the story lines are believable and the sex is usually smoking hot. This book is no exception. The main criticism I have is that this story sets up the remainder (there are five members of the "Jaded" in all, so there should be four more books in this series), and in so doing, it takes forever to really get into the rhythm of Galen and Haley's story. Once there, after about 100 pages, the book flies, but it was tough slogging through the beginning.

Despite this, if you are a fan of historical romance novels, I would definitely hook onto this one. There will be four more stories in this series, and the remainder of the Jaded, as introduced in this novel, are truly romantic hero types. You have the requisite rake, the creative mind, the sensitive type and the broad shouldered leader of the group, all with their own stories to follow. And if Ms. Bernard keeps writing those love scenes, a lot of good "fun" to look forward to. The next book in the series, Ashe Blackwell's story(the requisite rake-his story is titled Seduction Wears Sapphires) is next, coming out in August 2010.

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. A Review by Debra

2010-03-24T15:21:00.001-04:00

I really cannot remember the last time a book touched me the way this one has. Finished in one day, The Art of Racing in the Rain left me in tears, not of sorrow, but of unbelievable joy. Garth Stein has written a novel so filled with the lessons of life that I think it will take another reading for me to absorb it all.

The Art of Racing in the Rain is a narrative. The narrator is a terrier-lab mix named Enzo. Yes, you've read that correctly. He is the much loved dog of Denny Swift, a semi-professional race car driver, whose driving tips turn into analogies of negotiating life's twists and turns. Enzo incorporates and interprets for us the lessons Denny imparts while the two spend hours together watching videos of past races.

Enzo's cozy life with Denny changes when Denny meets and marries Eve and then has a daughter named Zoe. He laments the fact that there are now other people in Denny's life, but adjusts to include the newcomers in his circle. The book is filled with Enzo's observations of their family life, his own shortcomings as a dog (he continually bemoans his lack of opposable thumbs) and his wish to come back as a man once his present life is over. When tragedy strikes, and Denny's family is torn apart, Enzo becomes a central figure in helping Denny regain what he has lost. We see the story from a true dog's-eye view, and are all the more emotionally involved because of Enzo's loyalty to Denny, his distress at Denny's predicament, and his lack of ability to help in any constructively human way.

When the resolution to his own problems finally occurs, and he is about to embark on a new life, Denny sustains a different kind of loss. Or so he thinks at the time.

This was an unbelievably touching story, one that I had to remind myself, repeatedly, could only be total fiction. Mr. Stein becomes Enzo, and then we become him as well. I never forgot that this is a story "told" by a dog. But then again, it never really crossed my mind to question that this is not really possible. That's how real this narrative seems. An excellent book, well worth your time, but do remember the tissues. You'll need them.

A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior, by Suzanne Enoch. A Review by Donna

2010-02-20T04:26:00.001-05:00

It’s not an obsession; at least I don’t think it is, but I’ve been staying up indecently late, reading nothing but Suzanne Enoch for two weeks. In fact, my Kindle is currently the home of six of her books, my nightstand another two. And while in the middle of this frenzy, I unexpectedly received an advance copy of Ms. Enoch’s latest installment in the Adventurers' Club series, to be published this spring. So as it happens, the circles under my eyes are now a little darker - A Lady’s Guide to Improper Behavior kept me up late another two nights.

When Colonel Bartholomew James returns from service in India, he’s a man plagued by nightmares, enormous guilt and a serious leg injury that leaves him bitter, crippled, and in constant excruciating pain. A damaged man inside and out, Colonel James has neither tolerance nor patience for the frivolous pleasantries and gentlemanly manners of his past. He pointedly avoids all contact with his elder brother, Stephen, Stephen’s new wife Amelia, and his younger sister Violet, choosing instead to find sanctuary in a secretive club that caters to men like him – returning adventurers with “issues.” Eventually, he is forced to reestablish contact with his family and reluctantly agrees to attend just one small family dinner. Surly, unkempt and rude beyond the pale, he shocks everyone present, with one notable exception.

Theresa Weller is Amelia’s cousin and while just as disturbed with the Colonel’s behavior as anyone in the room, she doesn’t let him get away with it. She calls him out over his rudeness, going so far as to escort the infuriating man out of his own family home. Her virulent response to Bartholomew’s antics surprises everyone in the room, including her own brother, specifically because Tess is the paragon of appropriate behavior. She wrote the book on it – literally. Tess is the anonymous author of “A Lady’s Guide to Proper Behavior,” a widely read and highly regarded “how to” guide for society ladies.

Tess is not lacking in male admirers. An heiress and diamond of the first water, she has several serious suitors – all men with perfectly good manners. So why is she so intrigued by an angry, disagreeable man who insists on ignoring society’s rules? And while Tolly has no use for society, polite or otherwise, he’s fast becoming deeply enamored with a very proper society miss. Is this a case of opposites attracting or are Theresa and Bartholomew more alike than they realize?

A Lady’s Guide to Improper Behavior is a masterful combination of witty dialogue, intriguing circumstances and strong emotions. Ms. Enoch expertly peels back the layers from Tess and Tolly, while carefully and oh so slowly creating the irresistible attraction between them. The combination is the very essence of excellent romance and no one creates it as well as Ms. Enoch, especially in this book. I should also mention that there is a kick ass proposal scene that left even the most hardened romance junkie (me) in blubbery tears.

A Lady’s Guide to Improper Behavior goes on sale officially May 11, 2010, according to the information on the advanced copy. So, put the date on your calendar and be prepared to forgo a couple of nights sleep all in the name of love. I can't think of any better reason, can you?

The Wild Marquis, by Miranda Neville. A Review by Angie

2010-02-06T10:56:00.001-05:00

The Marquis of Chase is a naughty, naughty boy. Brought up by parents who were overly pious and believed the good book was the only book worth reading, Cain is banished from his home at a young age for sins that he did not commit. For years he has lived in London making his way through the ladies of the ton, and his reputation is well-earned. A passing glance into a window turns his life upside down as a rare book is up for auction, a book that he thought he owned. After some research, he decides to hire J.C. Merton, a notable book seller, to represent him at the auction and reclaim his book.

He is astonished, but overcomes this quickly when he learns that J.C. Merton is a woman, and a lovely one at that. Juliana Merton is a widow and is still running her husband's book shop. Her love for books was instilled by her Grandfather and she is determined to keep the shop alive in memory of her husband, whose death remains a mystery. The two get along well and Juliana spends most of her time trying to resist the advances of the Marquis. Her ways of "calming" herself are quite hysterical. The two are an unlikely pair, and her representation of him raises more than a few eyebrows and snide remarks. There is a mystery of her birth that Juliana longs to solve, and once Cain hears of the particulars, he decided to help her find the truth. Juliana is convinced they cannot marry because of her status, but they both end up in love. This makes Cain all the more anxious to unravel the mystery of her birth, and to salvage what is left of his reputation in the ton. His sister, who flees her home to live with her brother after learning of her mother's plan to have her marry an older man, and Juliana make him realize he needs to find the truth of why he was banished, and to reconnect with his family that spurned him long ago.

There are many mysteries surrounding her birth that are connected to a stolen book being planted her in shop, and attempts to scare her. As Juliana and Cain attempt to unravel the mystery, little do they realize they have proof sitting on the shelves of the book shop. More is at stake than her birth and those involved are none too willing to let go of their secret.

Miranda Neville is a new author for me, and The Wild Marquis is the first in The Burgundy Club series. Her writing is very witty and passionate; the perfect match for our hero and heroine. Cain is definitely a rake, but he is a lovable one that truly cares for Juliana and falls in love hard. The hurt from his father and his guilt at leaving his sister behind eat at him making him all the more human. Juliana is a proper lady that tries her best to fit in with the other male booksellers in London, trying to keep her little shop afloat. She is a delightful and witty character that more than once stumps Cain. The Wild Marquis is a great read and one that I recommend you to pick up.

The Care and Taming of a Rogue, by Suzanne Enoch. A Review by Debra

2010-02-01T08:51:00.001-05:00

Let me preface this review by saying that any author who dedicates a book to Hugh Jackman is more than okay in my view, and that’s before I even turned to the first page of this book.

Captain Sir Bennett Wolfe returns from the Congo and a near-fatal injury unaware that his reputation has been ruined by the theft of his journals. His former expedition partner, David Langley, turns Wolfe’s writing into his own, and in the process, claims all the glory for himself. With his side-kick, the monkey Kero, perched on his shoulder, Sir Bennett sets out to right this wrong, and along the way, finds Lady Phillipa Eddison.

Lady Flip, as she’s known, has always been in the shadow of her older sister, Olivia. A “blue-stocking,” she’s read Sir Bennett’s previous books and believes him when he says he’s been plagiarized. The Captain is drawn to Phillipa, as much for her belief in him as her other attributes, which, unbelievably to Bennett, no other gentleman has seemed to notice. He begins to think that he has found the one person to marry. On the other hand, Phillipa’s lack of adventuresome spirit worries her. After all, her love is an adventurer, looking for his next expedition. Would she be drawn to that kind of life? Or will she have to ask Bennett to give up his career in order to be with her?

While Bennett very humorously blunders through a courtship based not on the rules of the jungle, which he understands completely, but that of society's which he does not, he realizes that he needs to toe the line in order to regain his reputation and protect Phillipa’s as well. Then, to Bennett’s surprise, Phillipa makes expedition plans of her own when she draws Langley into a dangerous game of subterfuge in order to find Bennett’s journals and help him regain his place in society.

This is my first Suzanne Enoch novel. She writes with a great deal of humor and love for her characters. Phillipa and Bennett come to care for each other enough to compromise on what’s most important to each of them; it’s a lesson everyone can learn from. I’ve already put more of Ms. Enoch’s books on my list. While Hugh Jackman gives us something in common to admire, it’s Ms. Enoch’s writing that will keep me coming back for more.

The Marriage Bed, by Laura Lee Guhrke. A Review by Donna

2010-01-24T09:44:00.001-05:00

Lord John Hammond is the Tiger Woods of the early nineteenth century. Locked out of his marriage bed just a few months after the wedding, he finds solace by keeping mistress after mistress - five in all, during the years of separation from his wife. But the unexpected death of a close relative brings Hammond back to his vows. It’s imperative that he begets an heir.

Is it possible to even like a man like this, let alone sleep with one? Viola Hammond is sister to a duke and has spent the last eight years making a life of her own – a life as far away from her philandering husband as possible. But when Hammond corners her at a ball and announces his revised plan for their sham of a marriage, Viola is outraged. She was once young, foolish and totally in love with her husband, but her heart was irrevocably broken. John lied to her, professing a love that didn’t exist. He kept a mistress up until the time of their marriage and married her solely because he was on the brink of bankruptcy. Live with him again? Forget the past? Forgive him? NEVER.

I must confess it IS difficult to tolerate Lord Hammond. Despite his handsome face, lovely physique, enormous wealth and evident charm, I remained as wary, skeptical and cynical as Viola. While John tries hard to win his wife back, I questioned his methods and distrusted his words right along with her. As always, though, there are two sides to every story and Viola herself is not without fault.

Be warned: this is not a restful read. Unlike the typical historical romance where we watch two people slowly and tantalizingly fall in love, The Marriage Bed is a study in how a relationship falls apart. Ms. Guhrke takes the reader on an emotional and complex journey while her main protagonists work through their various problems. The process is, at times, painful to observe, but we are also provided with ample opportunity to cheer on John and Viola as they come to terms with their past, work on the present and look forward to the future.

Ms. Guhke is very high on my list of favorite authors, so while I have your attention, I would also like to recommend Guilty Pleasures and And Then He Kissed Her. Go forth and purchase. All three novels are well worth the investment

The Elusive Bride, by Stephanie Laurens. A Review by Angie

2010-01-16T15:12:00.001-05:00

In this second installment of the Black Cobra Quartet, we follow the journey of Major Gareth Hamilton as he makes his way back to English soil with his copy of the letter sought after by the Black Cobra. In tow is Emily Ensworth, niece to the Governor of India, and the reason for Captain McFarlane's journey that saw him murdered by the Cobra's assassins. Before sending Emily on, Captain McFarlane entrusted the original copy of the letter to her, instructing her to deliver it only to Colonel Delborough. Sparks fly between the young and daring Miss Ensworth and Major Hamilton, but as Gareth is leaving the area to draw out the Black Cobra, he does not act on the attraction. Luckily for him, Emily is resourceful and places herself on the same ship as the Major, and thus ensuring they are traveling companions.

The Black Cobra has not only set its sights on the Major and his letter, but on the young Miss Ensworth, as she played a vital role in the scheme, and will be dealt with as well. Naturally, Gareth vows to protect her, and makes her a part of his traveling party that consists of several European ex-military men, and Indian couple, and now Emily and her retinue. Little does he know that when Emily purposely placed herself in Gareth's path, it was to get to know him better. For how is one to decide whether one is "The One" unless you get to know him better? She doesn't expect to become the target of an assassin! Their passion ignites as they fight for their lives in various places- on boats, moving across the desert as part of a caravan, and back home on English soil. Gareth tries to convince Emily that she feels nothing more for him than heroworship, and Emily does her best to prove him wrong, and wrong he is. Emily places herself into harm's way by assisting in the fight, much to Gareth's annoyance and fear, but she proves she can help defend their party. Emily uses herself as bait to draw out the nobleman heading the Black Cobra, and Gareth has to learn to accept that she is capable of taking care of herself, to a point, but she reassures him she will always need his protection.After these two finally get together, there is no keeping them apart, literally. They both desperately need each other.

The same characters that helped Colonel Delborough in the previous installment, appear to assist Emily and Gareth fight against the Black Cobra. The stakes raise as the man they believed was the Black Cobra is murdered, leaving an unknown player in the game. There are many secondary characters in this installment that after a while became one too many and a bit confusing, but you get them all sorted out in the end. Gareth and Emily are nicely written and their passion is certainly clear in the many, many scenes that often last for several pages. Too much smut? Nevah!

Here at Bookishly Attentive, we seem to have a love/hate relationship with Stephanie Laurens. Her characters are simply intriguing, and each is different enough that they keep you hooked long after you have turned the last page. Laurens is an excellent story-teller, and her intermingling of the different characters in her serials has proved to be enjoyable. There are two more installments to come in the Black Cobra Quartet, and this one is due in stores January 26th. If you like your men daring and brave, and able to handle a sword expertly, then put this one your list to pick up.

Desires of a Perfect Lady, by Victoria Alexander. A Review by Angie

2010-01-09T08:29:00.001-05:00

Lady Olivia Rathbourne's husband was just found with his throat slit in their London garden. She couldn’t be any happier. For ten years, Olivia has lived under the rule of Lord Rathbourne, only allowed out in society when he needed a perfect wife to show off at his pleasure, like one of the rare artifacts in his vast museum-like collection. Those ten years went by slowly, and during that time, Olivia learned to keep her distance and more importantly, not to fight against her cruel husband for fear of her safety. Her list of things to do when she is free keeps her going when it seemed like all was lost. With his death comes her longed for freedom, or so she thinks. A twisted clause in her husband’s will leaves her with no choice but to accept the help of her one time betrothed. The man at the top of her to do list. The Earl of Wyldewood. Her goal? To bed her long lost suitor, and then move on with her life.

Ten years ago, Sterling-the now dull and stodgy Lord Wyldewood, received a visit by his beloved’s father, Lord Rawley, and informed that she no longer wished to see him, and was marrying Lord Rathbourne because of his vast wealth. Angry, hurt and bitter, Sterling ignored the letters he received from Olivia and hadn’t thought of her since. Fast forward ten years, and Lord Rawley was at his door again, pleading for his help and revealing the truth of his horrible secret and the forced marriage between Olivia and Lord Rathbourne. Prompted by concern for Olivia’s safety, and guilt for never having read her letters, Sterling pays a visit to his former beloved, and learns that she has no desire to accept his help. His refusal to help her when she needed it most is still fresh in her mind, and she dispatches him promptly. Sterling is not easily cast aside, and after an attack on Olivia, and realization that her life was save by none other than the footmen he approved, she realizes maybe his help isn’t such a bad thing afterall. Olivia realizes Sterling is the only one who can help her complete the cruel quest her dead husband requires before she comes into her rightful inheritance. After some cajoling, the unlikely team of Olivia, Sterling, the Earl’s mother, Millicent, and Josiah, the solicitors representative, set off on an adventure to Egypt and Italy to retrieve three precious artifacts to complete Lord Ravencroft’s collection; pieces he has tried to for years to acquire. Olivia has a short time to achieve her goals, and failure is most certainly not on her list.

The adventure brings Olivia and Sterling closer together, and farther apart at the mere turn of a page. Their rollercoaster ride back and forth between love and bitterness could become tiresome, but with these characters it’s quite amusing. They both realize they want no other, but have a hard time coming to terms with this revelation. With a lustful Conte, a long-lost suitor of Millicent’s, and a flirtatious Comtesse, the novel’s secondary characters bring a charm to this lovely story of lost love and courage. Olivia is an emotionally charged character that brings out the long-lost free-spirit that resides within Sterling. This tale is a story of courage in the face of adversity, and a little humor along the way. The epilogue leaves the story of the murder and attack on Olivia wide open for another novel, so this story is far from over. Put this one on your list- it's due in stores March 30, 2010.

Captive of Sin, by Anna Campbell. A Review by Angie

2010-01-02T06:48:00.001-05:00

Getting back into the swing of things after having a baby, I decided what better way to jump in than to pick up Anna Campbell’s new novel. Knowing Campbell tends to write on the darker side, that makes her even more of a favorite of mine, and she never disappoints. My only issue with this book was that I couldn’t put it down!

Lady Charis is on the run from her two greedy stepbrothers, who are determined to marry her off to the keeper of the enormous debt their father left them when he died. Being the richest heiress in England, Lady Charis is invaluable to their plan to avoid debtor’s prison. The stepbrothers abuse Lady Charis, hoping to force her into submission, however she escapes with her life barely intact and hides in the stables of a nearby inn, hoping no one finds her and returns her back to the stepbrothers that threaten her. It is here that she meets Sir Gideon, national hero, who has just arrived back in England from India, where he was a spy for many years. Gideon has survived the cruelest torture imaginable, and the hero’s welcome is an unwelcome sight for the man coming to terms with the monsters in his head. Gideon stumbles upon Lady Charis hiding behind his horse, and does his best to assist her, knowing that a woman alone is only asking for trouble. He can see what has been done to her, and his distaste for bullies prompts him to offer assistance even more. Charis, being justifiably afraid of any man, finally accepts his help after many reassurances, and the giving of a fake name. The two ride alone in his carriage to the imaginary aunt in Portsmouth, where Charis tries to make a break for it again, only to have Gideon come to her rescue again. This rescue brings to light Gideon’s illness left over from the years of torture, and Charis learns that the man she owes her life to, has his own demons to fight.

The two have a highly charged chemistry, and as Charis’ injuries heal, Gideon realizes just how beautiful she truly is, which makes their situation more difficult. Charis accepts Gideon’s offer of asylum until she reaches her majority three weeks later, and she travels with him to his estate to the north. She realizes she is falling in love with Gideon, and Gideon has to fight very hard not to succumb to his desire for her. Gideon believes she deserves better than a wreck like him, and all Charis wants to do is love him. The reappearance of the two stepbrothers forces their hand to what they can to protect Charis from her “family”, and they head off to Jersey to become man and wife to protect Charis. This makes Charis deliriously happy, and Gideon miserable; he knows he can never be a true husband to her. To touch him means to bring on the demons of hell inside his head.

The characterization between the two main characters is perfectly written, and they play off each other very well. Lady Charis is most definitely a lady, but one that wishes to defy convention and life her live a little more freely than what the ton expects of the daughter of an Earl. Her paralyzing fear of her stepbrothers is heartbreaking, and her determination to keep going is commendable. Gideon is not your average hero, with his flaws and scars. Beautiful, yes, but not the gentleman one would expect an Earl’s daughter to connect with. I particularly love the way Gideon is written because he could have easily come off as being a complete nutcase and a hopelessly selfish man, but instead he comes off caring if not a little defensive, inspiring loyalty in those around him, and love in the woman he has pledged to help. The images in his mind from his torture are vividly written in that dark, compelling way that only Anna Campbell can accomplish. Campbell is the master at creating a character that is so flawed on the inside that you have little hope for their happiness, and then all of a sudden, it’s there. The raw sensuality between the two because of Gideon’s affliction is more powerful than any sweat laden sex scene. The desire the pair have for each other just jumps off the page. And this is all before the pages upon pages of mind blowing sex. Those can’t hurt either. Definitely one to pick up.

Millie's Fling, by Jill Mansell. A Review by Debra

2009-12-29T02:14:00.001-05:00

I must admit that while waiting for my booksfree.com order to arrive, I grew impatient and visited the local library, only to take out about a dozen contemporary romances with which to pass the long holiday weekend. Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell, an author I had not yet read, was the first one I opened. I was more than pleasantly surprised.

The story takes place in the town of Newquay, Cornwall. It's the story of the friendship that arises between Bridget Jones-like protagonist Millie Brady and famous novelist, Orla Hart, who Millie happens to save from jumping off a cliff upon the discovery of her husband's infidelity. Orla, suffering from a career block as well as a cheating husband, decides to use Millie's single life as the basis for her new novel. Despite Millie's protests to the contrary, her life in Newquay is far from boring. She and her roommate, Hester, find a wallet, and from there, the fun begins. The wallet belongs to Hugh Emerson, a recently widowed, stunningly gorgeous thirty year old who becomes the fling in the title, because according to Hugh, that's all he'll ever be capable of. Or so he thinks. Millie keeps Hugh a secret from Orla. He's too important to relegate to a novel. And while Hugh is dithering, unknowing Orla decides to spice up Millie's life and get things rolling with the goal of spicing up her book as well. She's filled with good intentions, but the men she fixes Millie up with are in turn, horribly boring or totally inappropriate. Millie makes the best of each situation, while waiting for the one man she's found on her own to decide their fate.

Packed with lovable secondary characters like Lucas Kemp and Nat, Hester's past and present loves, Orla's sleezy husband Giles, Con, the famous actor with a secret, and Millie's divorced parents, Millie's Fling transports you to the Cornwall coast, and makes you feel like you are among friends. When Millie finds the love of her life, you'll feel like standing up and cheering. I read this book in about 8 hours, no small feat for 500+ pages on a work day. That should give you an idea of how good it really is.

Jill Mansell writes with attitude, quick wit and more than a little love for her characters. I've already "queued-up" for her next books. I love hitting the jackpot with an author I've never read before. Pick this one up, it's good for a laugh and more than one cry. And you'll be as sorry as I was when I got to page 506.

The Bachelor and Spinster Ball, by Janet Gover. A Review by Donna

2009-12-06T08:36:00.001-05:00

Farwell Creek is a dry, dusty place – just a tiny hamlet in the middle of the drought stricken Australian outback. Once Bec O’Donnell and Nick Price, best friends and young lovers, planned on living happily ever after in Farwell Creek, but unfortunately real life got in the way of young dreams. Bec left her hometown for the big city and Nick stayed behind working a farm that was no longer his. And when they're brought back together by the sudden, tragic death of the parents of their best friend Hailey, Nic and Bec find their teenage promise to be as distant as the rain. With nothing to offer, Nick refuses to act on the feelings he still has for Bec, and tired of waiting for Nick to acknowledge that he even cares she’s come home, Bec reluctantly turns her attentions elsewhere.

After a small, but potentially dangerous fire in town, it becomes obvious, at least to mover and shaker Bec, that the town is in dire need of its own bona fide bush fire brigade - complete with a fire truck, no less. But how best to raise the exorbitant amount of money this will cost? The answer comes in the form of Terry "people call me Gordo" Gordon - a tall, blond, handsome stranger who calmly and rather self-indulgently suggests a Bachelor and Spinster ball. But no one in the Creek knows what a B&S really is, much less how to organize one, so Gordo suggests Bec accompany him to such a ball in a neighboring town. Now Nick is clearly jealous, Bec’s mother Jean is more angry than usual, and Hailey is far beyond just a little concerned. But Bec is intrigued – not only with the idea of a ball, but apparently with the man who suggested it.

The events of the story swirl around the organization of the ball. While Hailey finds her happiness with the leader of the band they’ve hired, Bec and Nick continually butt heads as they try to make sense of their lingering feelings. Bec can’t deny she’s attracted to the flashy Gordo, but she still longs to have Nick look at her just once the way he used to. And Nick? He’s busy berating himself for being nothing more than a hired hand on his father’s old farm. Nick stubbornly and quite mistakenly believes he has to make something of himself before telling Bec what he’s feeling. And then he suddenly realizes that perhaps he’s waited just a little too long. Will he ever be able to come to terms with losing Bec for good?

Fast paced and well-written, The Bachelor and Spinster Ball provides a glimpse into everyday life in the remote Australian outback. And despite wanting to clout Nick over the head a number of times, I really enjoyed the characters – and how, just like in any small town, they care about - and for - each other. Highly recommended, The Bachelor and Spinster Ball is yet another excellent offering from Janet Gover and Little Black Dress.

And Then He Kissed Her, by Laura Lee Guhrke. A Review by Debra

2009-12-02T15:36:00.001-05:00

It's always gratifying when a student leads a teacher to something new. One of Bookishly's star protegees found this author and recommended that we read her work. As usual, our teaching comes full circle. This author is good. Very, very good. And the student gets an A.

And Then He Kissed Her is the story of Harrison Robert Marlowe, viscount and man of business in this year of 1893. He is an owner of several newspapers and publishing houses and he employs a female secretary, Emma Dove, to keep his life tidy, his businesses humming and his mistresses in line.

Emma has worked for Harry for five years, and for just about as long, has tried to get Harry to publish her etiquette for "girl-bachelor" books. Rejection after rejection ensues, and finally, after finding out that Harry has been a bit less than honest in his critique of her writing, she quits his employ and sells her work to his competitor. Unbeknownst to Emma, Harry has been working to buy his rival's newspaper, and once again, Emma finds herself on Harry's payroll, but this time, with an important difference. She is no longer his secretary; due to the popularity of her etiquette column, she is now Harry's star attraction and chief money-maker.

With their relationship on a more equal professional footing, Harry gains a new respect for Emma, and that respect starts to drift in an entirely new and not unwelcome direction. Emma realizes that Harry may be the most commitment-phobic man in Great Britain, but she decides life is too short to squander a good thing, and conventions of the day aside, they begin a torrid affair.

Ms. Gurhke writes with a wry sense of humor and a snappy style that keeps the story flowing. She interjects enough details of the Victorian era to give the reader an excellent feel for the times, and the unusual nature of both Harry and Emma's actions. We get a fairly good idea of the attitudes and opinions of the changing mores at the end of the 19th century, when money and the making of it starts to usurp the old order of the Peers of the Realm. And we also get a glimpse of the changing attitudes towards marriage, divorce and a woman's employment outside the home. All of this is wrapped up in a fairly wonderful love story that will leave you clamoring for a sequel. Or an epilogue at the very least.

I have a few more of this author's writing on order. I have my "student" to thank for her recommendation. She is definitely a very quick study.

Tempt Me At Twilight, by Lisa Kleypas. A Review by Debra

2009-11-06T11:58:00.001-05:00

With the third book in Kleypas' Hathaway series, the author hits a high note. The pairing of Poppy Hathaway and wealthy American hotelier Harry Rutledge is so much more believable to me than the stories of Poppy's older sisters, Amelia and Win and their Rom husbands, Cam and Merripen. While Amelia's story, Mine Till Midnight was good, I found the next in the series, Seduce Me at Sunrise, a tougher sell. With Tempt Me At Twilight, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Poppy and her unconventional family are in London for what is Poppy's third London season and finally, she is having some success in finding a husband. They are guests at the Rutledge Hotel, owned by the enigmatic and mysterious Mr. Rutledge. When Poppy gets lost chasing down a family pet and meets Harry Rutledge, he doesn't let on who he is, but his identity soon becomes clear. What also becomes clear is that Harry will stop at nothing to make Poppy his wife. She's in love with another man, but with some interesting machinations, she winds up as Harry's bride. Unfortunately, Poppy finds it difficult to forgive Harry for his perfidy, and it takes a lot of work, on both their parts, to make something of the marriage.

The best part of Lisa Kleypas' stories are her secondary characters and their importance to the main characters' relationships. Kleypas uses the hotel staff as the means to get Poppy and Harry on the same page in their marriage. Each hotel character is engaging and adds rather than detracts from the story. She does the same thing with Poppy's family. Her brother Leo has some sort of antagonistic relationship with Poppy's companion, Catherine Marks. Cat also has ties to Harry. As a plot device, all of these secondary characters (especially Miss Marks) give us an insight into why Harry is the way he is; unable to offer love and afraid to accept it in return. All of this is resolved to this reader's satisfaction when Poppy forgives Harry and he, in turn, learns what it means to stop controlling and start loving. It's a wonderful transformation to watch.

I cannot wait to read Leo and Catherine's story, and after that, the younger Hathaway sister Beatrix's. What started out as a "spin-off" from an earlier series has turned out to be a wonderful collection in its own right.

Letters to a Secret Lover, by Toni Blake. A Review by Donna

2009-11-01T15:07:00.001-05:00

There's several ways to relax on a five hour flight from Los Angeles to Newark. Some people plug into their iPods and some the in-flight entertainment. Some sleep, some drink and some actually just sit and watch the clouds drift by. I have my own system. I read Toni Blake.

I could say my last flight was the best ever, and it had nothing to do with the legroom, food or unusually calm air over the Rockies. As a matter of fact, I don't even remember taking off.

In Letters to a Secret Lover, love advice columnist Lindsey Brooks has been dumped. Definitely, definitively and publicly dumped. Now, instead of planning her big city wedding, she's escaping to Montana where her great aunt once set aside some property and a small business for her.

But the property and business now belong to Rob Colter - the man who took care of Lindsey's great aunt Millie after Lindsey unkindly rejected her gift. Rob is the town's established loner and as gorgeous and hunky as he is, not one woman in the small town of Moose Falls has succeeded in cracking his shell. That is until high maintenance Lindsey shows up on his doorstep, demanding the chance to buy back her aunt's land. But Rob is not selling; his life on Spirit Lake is all that he has.

Lucky for us Lindsey and Rob find they have much more in common than the desire to own the modest canoe rental business. They also share a strong attraction to each other and, no matter how they fight it, one thing leads to another (this is where Ms. Blake shines) and our two opposites are attracting like nobody's business.

But Rob has a secret - one so damaging it would change his life forever if revealed. And despite the growing affection between them, Rob refuses to spill and Lindsey finds herself wondering just who Rob Colter really is.

Letters to a Secret Lover has become one of my favorite contemporary romances. Ms. Blake literally takes you to that place - you know the one - where you actually feel the emotions experienced by the characters. Her scenes are vivid, the dialogue swift, sweet and real. I especially love how Rob is slowly uncovered (in more ways than one) - and you will too.

No need to wait until you're 37,000 feet in the air to thoroughly enjoy this one. You'll be off and flying after the first page.

The Untamed Bride, by Stephanie Laurens. A Review by Angie

2009-10-16T13:36:00.001-04:00

Setting aside Laurens' love of her thesaurus, I was very happy to hear she was coming out with a new series. Her storytelling is excellent and I fell in love with all the Bastion Club gentlemen, and this series looks to be just as entertaining. However, we aren't completely finished with the Bastion boys, as they make prominent appearances throughout the entire series, along with the Cynster clan. The series revolves around four British officers stationed in India in 1822. They are attempting to unravel the mystery of the Black Cobra, putting themselves at risk as they investigate. At the heart of the matter is a letter with a very condemning seal, one that could bring down a very influential member of the aristocracy. One comrade has already died to get this information, and the series revolves around getting the letter in the right hands. To do this, three copies of the letter, and the original, are spread between the four remaining comrades in an effort to mislead the foe and get the letter into the correct hands. All have their fallen friend on their minds as they make the trip across the sea to England.

The Untamed Bride is the story of Colonel Derek Delborough and his journey back to England with his copy of the letter. Upon arriving he learns he is to escort a young woman, Miss Deliah Duncannon, back to her parent's estate. Irritated with the added task, when is already undertaking a dangerous mission, he attempts to dissuade Miss Duncannon to accept the escort of servants, to which she vehemently refuses. Del has no choice but to bring her along, and hope that he can protect her along the way. A run in with a would be assassin while still in port prompts Del to be on his way quickly, as Miss Duncannon's view of the killer puts her in immediate danger. They set off for London for some addition investigation, putting on the pretense of being in town for pleasure. During balls, the theater, and museum trips, he learns more information of who the elusive Black Cobra may be.

Deliah has secrets of her own, and is making her way back from Jamaica to her parent's estate. Raised a parson's daughter, her spirit clashed with her parents views of what a young lady should be. After a scandalous affair, she flees to Jamaica and her Uncle, and lives there for several years before coming back to England. She is no typical young miss; Deliah is bold, courageous and smart, assisting the gentlemen several times with their mission, and pointing out flaws in their plans. She finds kindred spirits in the women of the Cynster clan, ladies much above her in station, but much alike in temperament. She loses her heart to Del despite all she does to keep it.

The pair find love along the way as they search for information and fend off a rather unrealistic attack where they all come out unscathed. Their goal is to make it to the Duke of St. Ives and his estate, where they attempt to work out who the Black Cobra is and the person behind the violence. With the assistance of several of the Cynster women, a few Bastion Club boys, Del and Deliah get one step closer to revealing the Black Cobra with a daring set up.

And that's where the book ends. I believe, and I could be wrong, that each book in this series will end without a complete "ending" for the hero and heroine. At the end of this book, Del and Deliah have promised themselves to each other, but the story is left wide open at the conclusion. I'm assuming (and hoping and praying) that at some point in the series, we will see a happy ending for all the heroes and heroines. Despite the odd end, the book is very, very good, and as usual, Laurens tells an intriguing story that keeps you hooked until the last page. Her portrayal of the military precision of the time is flawless, and her story of love against most all odds is very endearing.

The Untamed Bride will be in stores October 27, 2009. Be sure to pick this one up!

Barefoot, by Elin Hilderbrand

2009-10-14T09:07:00.000-04:00

The last book I read and reviewed by Elin Hilderbrand, A Summer Affair, left me a bit cold, but I forged on and read her next, Barefoot. I will tell you straight out. Skip the first and start this one. They are not a series, and they are as different as night and day. I identified with it, I cried when I read parts of it. In short, I loved it.

The story revolves around three women, two sisters and a friend, who head to Nantucket for the summer, each with their own disaster story. Vicki has lung cancer and must undergo chemo before life saving surgery. Brenda, her younger sister, has just been fired from her coveted university job because she had an affair with her male student, who, while a year older than she is, is still off limits. Melanie, Vicki's best friend, rounds out the trio. She's pregnant after a long bout of infertility, and is separated from her husband, who is having an affair with a work colleague. Have I lost you yet? I hope not.

Their story is wound together in an interesting tapestry by Josh Flynn, a college senior who is hired to babysit Vicki's kids while she undergoes treatment. What Josh doesn't expect is to have feelings for all three women, and one in particular. His role as surrogate mother, father and lover in that little cottage on the beach pulls the story neatly together and makes it all real.

Elin Hilderbrand redeems herself in my eyes in this novel. The one thing I look for when I read a novel is to be pulled into a story and to be able to relate, in some way, to the characters and their dilemmas. And the greatest compliment I can pay to a book and its author is that I didn't want to see it end. In this case, I wish this summer would have gone on forever.

A Summer Affair, by Elin Hilderbrand

2009-10-10T17:02:00.000-04:00

Just how perfect does one's life have to be before it's perfect enough? Elin Hilderbrand attempts to answer this question in A Summer Affair. After reading this book, I'd say it's obviously never perfect enough. But is that a realistic answer, even for a novel?

The story revolves around Nantucket Island and resident artist Claire Danner Crispin, the thirty-something wife of Jason (repeatedly described as a handsome blond with a six pack ab) and mother to four children, aged ten and under. There are undercurrents running through the marriage, specifically relating to Claire's profession of glass-blowing, from which she has taken a forced hiatus after an accident.

Claire is asked by Lock Dixon, a wealthy resident with a wife whose car accident leaves her with no social tact to speak of, to co-chair the Summer Gala for Nantucket's Children, a local charity. She is hesitant at first but because she can't say no to a request, she accepts the job. Her acceptance of the position comes with two obligations. She must return to glass blowing to create the auction piece for the gala, a chandelier, and she's asked to procure the entertainment for the evening in the form of Max West, formerly known as Matthew Westfield, now an international rock superstar, and Claire's first love from high school.

The story takes a funky twist when Claire begins a torrid affair with Lock Dixon. At this point, I was having trouble understanding the attraction between the two, and why, even with some tension at home, Claire would want to endanger her family life and marriage with this particular man. This is not based on any moral high ground. The author simply never really makes this point with me. And any affection I had for Claire as a character went out the window at this point. Hilderbrand then throws Max West into the mix. He's still in love with Claire and needs her to rescue him from his twenty year old demons. He practically proposes to her the night before the gala (does anyone remember Claire is married?).

No, near perfection is definitely not enough for Claire. And while the author makes you feel the desperation that Claire feels as she's caught up in her obsession with Lock, it never quite rings true for this character. The way Claire's story unfolds reminds me of one of her failed attempts at blowing the glass that would form the perfect chandelier arm; the result is too fragile to support even itself.

I have one more Elin Hilderbrand to try. We'll see if that one holds any weight.