Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer

Anyone who's past their teenage years can identify with and remember the feeling that comes with first love. It overwhelms you just when your romantic dreams are most active and your hormones are least able to handle it. And you remember it for the rest of your life. Your mortal life, that is.

It was in this frame of mind that I picked up my daughter's copy of Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer.  The story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, on the surface, is just such a story about teenage love.  However, it takes about two minutes to realize that there is something very different about the Cullen kids. Putting aside their alabaster skin, graceful poise, perfect hair and strangely colored eyes that can be a walking advertisement for Freshlook Colorblends contacts, they are normal seventeen year old teens.  Not convinced? You shouldn't be. Something very strange is lurking in Forks, Washington, and it's centered on the Cullen family.

Bella is a pretty  teenager prone to some awkward occurrences, like hitting classmates with badminton rackets and tripping over her own feet. She  comes to live with her father, Charlie, the Chief of Police, in Forks, where the perennial gray skies and rain  make the town an attractive spot for the local undead. Bella is irresistibly drawn to Edward Cullen,  another Forks teenager  (on the surface). It's her deep attraction to him and his to her, that gets them into trouble. And then miraculously, gets them out of it.

What drew me into this story and had me finishing it in two days, which is unusual for me as I usually do not read anything that even hints of horror, is the author's way of handling Edward's "affliction."  He seems almost normal, although highly sensitive,  for a seventeen year old who has lived eighty some odd years and has to quench his occasional "thirst" on some very interesting liquid.  He's kind, he's loving and affectionate and he loves Bella with all his heart, and will do anything to protect her, as will the rest of his adopted undead family. It's so endearing that you may actually forget the  premise of the book. Briefly.  After all, who wouldn't want to be loved like that? At any age??  Bella's casual acceptance of who or what Edward is and her willingness to be with him despite the fact her very life is dependent on his self control, adds to the appeal and the suspense There are other forces that these two need to be wary of. Edward is the least of Bella's concerns, and she tries many times to assure him that she knows he would never hurt her.

I loved this book. It wasn't the vampire elements (although the author managed to make even the lessons in vampire lore very interesting)  that got me. It was the innocence of first love between Bella and Edward.  That, combined with what Edward is, made this a page turner. I recommend this one and will be reading the sequels, as soon as I put a bandaid over the marks on my neck.

Duchess by Night, by Eloisa James

The Desperate Duchesses series continues with Duchess by Night, the story of Harriet, the widowed Duchess of Berrow. When I started this series, I was sucked in by Jemma, the Duchess of Beaumont and her story, but James has never seemed to get around to the most intriguing Duchess. However, Harriet doesn't disappoint by any means.

Harriet has a long and complicated back story, including the suicide of her husband, Benjamin, the Duke of Berrow, over a lost game of chess. Throughout the Duchess series, chess is a continual theme, but not so much in this installment. Harriet has made herself into a dowdy widow at only 27, and she is convinced there is no happiness left in her life, and her only distraction is helping preside over the local court while the judge drinks himself into a drunken stupor. Harriet realizes she needs some excitement in her life, so along with Isidore, the Duchess of Cosway, and the Duke of Villiers, she joins them at a house party given by the scandalous Lord Strange....dressed as a man!

Lord Strange is literally the richest man in England, and holds continuous house parties where actors, actresses, dancers and singers from his Covent Garden theater come to practice their shows, along with some other entertainments. In the midst of all this, Lord Strange is raising his highly intelligent daughter, Eugenia, while hosting scholars and the kingdom's most powerful politicians.  Lord Strange is....well, strange.  He his fascinated with engineering and has a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa attached to his house.  As a favor to the Duke of Villiers, he agrees to take "Harry" under his wing and teach him how to be a man, despite is weird attraction to the "boy" and his feminine looks.  His lessons include riding very early in the morning, rare beef and beer for breakfast, and fencing lessons afterwards.  Needless to say, a duchess is not used to such activity, and poor Harriet does her best to keep up, while finding a freedom she has never known before, and has always desired.  Strange does figure out she is a woman, beginning an affair that painfully ends when Strange learns she is a duchess, and believes she is toying with him, as aristocrats sometimes do with the lesser classes.  All ends well, don't worry, but I won't go into detail here.

While not my favorite Duchess book, this one does have its moments.  Harriet's transformation into a confident woman is funny and sad at times, and Lord Strange's change from eccentric to responsible father is touching as well.  This is a light-hearted book, and a nice, quick read.

If you are interested in the Duchess series, the next installment, When the Duke Returns, hits stores November 25.

A Kiss to Remember, by Teresa Medeiros

A beautiful girl stumbles upon a handsome man, lying unconscious in a forest.  She needs to get married within the month, he doesn't remember his name or where he comes from.  What's a girl to do?  Keep him!

So starts this book by Teresa Medeiros, one of my favorite romance authors. And she is my favorite because she writes a really good story that's infused with humor; the combination of which is irresistible.

Laura Fairleigh and her two siblings are the wards of Lady Eleanor Harlow, brought to Arden Manor after a fire kills their parents.  Lady Eleanor takes them in in part to assuage the guilt and yearning for her son, Sterling  Harlow.  Little Sterling  was bartered by his father to his great-Uncle, Granville Harlow, the previous Duke of Devonbrooke,  in order to become his heir.  For years, Lady Eleanor pines for the son she lost. But that son,  now the Duke of Devonbrooke, and a returned war hero, disregards her pleading letters. That is until Laura writes with the news of his mother's death.  That sarcastic missive brings a furious Sterling to Arden Manor, where he meets with his unfortunate accident in the woods. Upon finding him, she somehow  persuades the amnesiac that she is his fiancee and he has just returned, injured, from the Napoleanic wars.  Before the newly christened "Nicholas" knows what hit him, the banns are read, and he's married to Laura.  And that's just when his memory returns. And the fun starts.

Emotions run from desperation to love to redemption, and Sterling finally finds the ability to forgive the past and move on, with Laura's help.  The book is a quick read and the "romance" part of this romance novel is well represented if you get my meaning.

There's a wonderful side story involving Lady Diana, Sterling's cousin and Thane, Lord Gillingham, who is Sterling's best friend. These two alone warrant their own story. And I can see a sequel in Laura's sister, Lottie, and brother, George.

I recommend this book for a quick and enjoyable read.

Three Weeks With My Brother, by Nicholas and Micah Sparks

For those of you who come here to read reviews of historical and contemporary romance, you may be initially disappointed with this particular review.  I promise you, however, that you will not be disappointed with this book.  While Nicholas Sparks, the author of  The Notebook, A Walk To Remember and Message In A Bottle, to name just a few, is known for his contemporary and heartfelt writing, nothing he has done compares to this effort. Nothing.

Brothers Nicholas and Micah Sparks decide, in the winter of 2003, to take a three week trip around the world; no small feat as they both have to leave their wives (with their blessing) and a combination of 7 children between them in order to do it.  The book opens with  a brief family history and then describes Nicholas' reticence and Micah's exuberance over the commitment the trip entails, a small insight into their personalities. The book describes this journey in wonderful detail from start to finish. However, what makes it special, and so much more than just a travel log, it how Mr. Sparks weaves the life story of the Sparks family, chapter by chapter, into the trip. This once in a lifetime adventure is meant to bring Micah and Nicholas some time together after a tumultuous and heart-wrenching decade.  We get the feeling that by spending that time together, these two brothers make sense of their upbringing,  their relationship, the good times and the tragedies, and how they came to be the men they are.

Why should we care, you ask?  We care for the same reason we love good fiction; because the story and the characters engage and transport us in some way.  The same is true of this book, in more ways than one. Nicholas Sparks can weave a story, and while I'm not sure how much direct input Micah had in the actual writing of this book it's interesting to note that while the story is from Nicholas' perspective most of the time, and in his voice all the time, he gave his brother equal credit as author. That basically says it all about the relationship between these two.

If you are someone's sibling, son, daughter, father, mother, husband or wife, in fact, if you have any human relationships at all, this book will touch you in some way.  I guarantee it.

The Romantic, by Madeline Hunter

The Romantic is the last book in  a series by this author. Previous books, all read by me and thoroughly enjoyed, are The Seducer, The Saint, The Charmer and The Sinner.  All of the characters, life long friends and members of the Dueling Society, make an appearance in each of these, so by the time I read The Romantic, their character development was pretty well along.  This made for a great conclusion to the series.

The Romantic is the story of Julian Hampton,  Solicitor,  the ton's endless target of romantic speculation,  and Penelope Leclere, or as she is known by her married name, the Countess of Glasbury.  Penelope has been hiding the past decade. Hiding from the man she married and his interesting way of looking at marital relations and household management. What makes this book so sinister is not the actual description of some of those interests of the Earl, but the sly references to his treatment of his wife and his servants, including sexual abuse and slavery.  You get enough of an idea to realize that Pen had no choice but to run.  Julian, the Leclere family solicitor, arranged a scheme that would have exposed  Glasbury's secrets if he did not let Penelope go.  Unfortunately, that blackmail threat lasted only so long, and Penelope is forced to return to England and face down her husband, who holds all the cards, so to speak, in the eyes of English law.

What she doesn't anticipate is the secret Julian has been harboring since they were children together. And when she finds out what that secret is, she realizes that she needs to be free of the Earl forever, no matter what it takes. But can Julian continue to protect her? And can he avoid the Earl's anger and determination to get Penelope back and take his revenge?

I've read many other Madeline Hunter novels. and they are all very well written with exceptional character development and intriguing plots. This book is no exception.  While the book is part of a series, each one can stand alone, as explanations and backstories are given in each.  Quick reads, all, they will keep you warm and toasty (if you catch my meaning) as the nights get colder. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you may want to turn up the air conditioning. Enjoy!

Seduction of a Proper Gentleman, by Victoria Alexander

Sometimes you find a book that has all the best elements the romance genre has to offer- a beautiful, well-bred lady, a handsome peer, a curse on a family, a well-meaning Aunt and Grandmother, oh and a little magic as well.  All this and more is what I found in Victoria Alexander's final book in The Last Man Standing series.  Of course, I've not read the first two in this series, just the third and now the fourth.  Who am I to mess with my record for starting a series backwards?

Lady Kathleen MacDavid, a widow of nine years, finds herself with her Aunt in London to find a way to pair herself with Oliver, the Earl of Norcroft.  Both Kathleen and Oliver descend from families that five hundred years ago were at war with each other on the border of Scotland and England.  Doomed to ill luck since then (meaning the death of many a man in their early years that marries into the Dumleavy family, or attempts to court Kathleen) Kathleen goes along with the plan to unite the two families in marriage to hopefully break the curse.  Her plans go astray when her Aunt has her brought to Norcroft manner unconscious and unknown.  Kathleen wakes to find herself along in a strange house with the Earl and his mother, not knowing her name or where she came from.  With only feelings of who she is supposed to be to guide her, she allows Oliver to help her with trying to regain her memory.

Rightfully suspicious, Oliver allows Kathleen to stay in his home at the urging of his mother and a weird feeling that she was meant to be there.  Having won the bet between his friends to be the last man unwed, Oliver feels the pressure from his mother and his self to find a wife.  However, Oliver is determined to marry for love and finds himself falling under the spell of Kathleen and her mysterious identity.  He feels drawn to her and she to him, but neither can explain why.  The more time he spends with her, the more his finds himself unable to part with her.  He is a rational man, who when faced with the news of the curse and Kathleen's restored memory, decides to flee to decide his feelings and to come with a logical explanation other than the curse.  Neither planned to fall in love.

The tale is not as simple as that of course, but telling much more would give it away entirely.  The book was such a sweet mix of fun, magic and love that it was hard to put down when break time was over!  I really felt the hopelessness of Kathleen as she tried to find her memories.  Oliver is a treat himself, being a proper gentleman thinking quite improper thoughts of a woman under his roof with no memory.  The clashes between these two are very romantic and fun in the only way a courtship with a woman who has no idea who she is can be.  It is well worth the time to read!

Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan

I have a bad habit when I start a new book.  I like to read the last few pages first.  I know, it's a bit ridiculous as it defeats the purpose of actually reading the entire book.  With Loving Frank, the NY Times Bestseller by new author, Nancy Horan, reading the end of this book wasn't necessary. I already knew the ending to this particular story, so in this case, it wasn't the ending, but the story itself that was so satisfying.

Loving Frank is the fictional account of the love affair between famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney, a middle to upper class housewife in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and Mr. Wright's earliest arena for his distinct brand of architecture. Mamah is no ordinary housewife of the times, however. She is a college graduate from the University of Michigan at a time when women with degrees were extremely rare.  She spoke 6 languages and worked before her marriage as a librarian in Port Huron.  Her background can certainly provide the excuse for her restlessness as a housewife.

Mamah (pronounced May-mah, and a childhood nickname for Martha) and her husband, Edwin Cheney, hire Frank to design their new Oak Park house.  The affair starts when Mamah and Frank collaborate on the house and find the attraction between them too difficult to deny. It's a physical attraction, yes, but intellectually, these two are well suited.  In 1909,  he leaves his wife (and Mamah's friend, Catherine) and his six children. She leaves her husband and her two children, and they decamp to Europe, together, in a firestorm of disgrace. After all, this is the early 1900's, and adultery and child abandonment are looked upon with the utmost disdain and revulsion, and in this case, garners a fair degree of press coverage, none of it favorable.  In fact, the liaison is disastrous to Frank's burgeoning career and the trip to Europe does very little to improve that.

The description of their lives in Europe and the people they meet make it difficult to remember that this is a novel of historical fiction.  The writer makes it seem as if we are the third party in this relationship, privy to every thought of each of the characters, particularly Mamah, of which little in the way of history is available. When Frank convinces Mamah to end their exile and return to his family's home in southwestern Wisconsin, the Frank Lloyd Wright we are all familiar with re-emerges.  He designs Taliesin, his home on the Wisconsin prairie, as a tribute to her.  They are besieged by a relentless press there as well, but persevere to find a place for themselves among their neighbors.

What I found so fascinating about this book was the author's interpretation, through diaries and letters, of the thoughts that may have gone through Mamah's mind during her involvement with Frank.  The guilt of abandoning her family, her friends, her ideals and her children come through at every turn.  It humanized the story and made Mamah's voice real and her situation one that garners empathy at her choice to live a "true" life.

The ending of the story?  Anyone can google Mamah Borthwick Cheney or Frank Lloyd Wright and find out what happens in August, 1914 at Taliesin. But if you don't already know, I would hope that you wouldn't. It makes the entire book a living, breathing testament to an intelligent woman who knew herself and knew what she wanted out of life. And hopefully found it.

Go read this book.  You'll be thinking about it long after the last page is turned. It is exceptional.