all book related reviews
How many authors could write a mystery series featuring a madam running a brothel and paying rent to the Catholic Church in 12th century London? And how many of those could turn around and begin a new series starring Lucrezia Borgia? And in both cases make those characters sympathetic and their stories intriguing? One of…
Through a strange twist of events, NYC Interior Designer Faith Constable comes to stay, along with her recently orphaned nephew, at the home of widowed country vet, Reed Fairmont. There, everyone gets healed and happy again. The End. Okay, there was a little more than that, but not much more. The One Safe Place is…
Cozy British villages in mysteries and rural American towns in romance both have become staples of their respective genres. Each genre has conventions attached to the locales. In all those cozy British burgs the people lead seemingly normal lives, while beneath the surface they’re seething with murderous secrets. In the romance genre, the conventions of…
If you like westerns and all the action that goes with them then you will surely enjoy the reissue of Joan Johnston’s second book, Colter’s Wife, originally published in 1986. Set in Wyoming territory in 1875, Johnston tells the story of a half-breed woman desperately trying to survive in the male-dominated world of ranching. Just…
Geralyn Dawson is another author who jumped into a more mainstream style of writing when I wasn’t paying attention. After reading My Big Old Texas Heartache, I realize just how much I miss those homespun historical romances published in the 1990’s. These new mainstream dramas may be all the rage, but I’m hard pressed to…
Set in rural Tennessee at the close of the War of 1812, this touching romance features engaging characters and an unusual setting. Reardon Valley is home to a community of faith figuring in other novels by this author, and though,I’ve not ready of any of those earlier books, Echo of Hope stands well on its…
To Have vs. To Hold is one of the very best mysteries I’ve ever read in a romance novel. That may sound like faint praise as many romance authors try to write mysteries that often fail. But this book is a puzzle so clever and inventive it would hold up in any genre. It’s what…
I’d been curious about Marian Keyes for a while but I wasn’t curious enough to try her books on my own – I waited until one came up for review. My curiosity is assuaged but by no means satisfied. This boring story of a woman’s struggle to put her life back together went nowhere fast….
If it’s possible for a single-title romance to “jump the shark” midstream, then Stealing the Bride unfortunately qualifies. I thought I’d like this story much better than I did, since it’s a tale of unrequited love, finally to be requited. Even when I realized that I would have to suspend disbelief more than a few…
The Cowboy Who Came Calling might have worked for me had the hero and heroine spent more time talking rather than arguing and snipping at each other, then mentally wondering about the other’s thoughts and feelings. They both drove me absolutely nuts. Glory Marie Day has a large responsibility thrust on her shoulders. Her father…
End of content
End of content