I loved the central conflict in this book: the hero and heroine, who once loved each other deeply, have now come to hate each other just as deeply, and not because of any big misunderstandings. She was a Southern Belle and he was a Union spy. The met, fell in love, and got married in…
This book has everything it needs to be a success and yet it left me feeling disconnected. In fact, there’s very little I could point out as being intrinsically wrong with the book, and yet it didn’t work. How’s that for a vague statement? The “everything it needs” includes: Heroine – Beth Simmons, an appropriately…
While reading Rainbow’s End by Rebecca Brandewyne, I mentally played a little game called “Who Would I Throttle?” Would it be the hero, who seems not to be able to perform sexually unless he threatens and dominates the heroine? Or would it be the heroine, who (to her mortification) loves him? Someone has been sabotaging…
What a delightful book! I was charmed from the first sentence and I did not want this book to end at all. When I closed it, I wished for a sequel and I wanted that sequel immediately. I simply have to take I Do, I Do, I Do to the desert isle. In I Do,…
If you’re tired of the same old westerns and regency-set historicals, you might find a respite in Tracy Sumner’s Tides of Love. Set in turn of the century North Carolina, this book has a strong sense of place, and it’s a place and time we don’t often see. Adding to the originality is the hero’s…
In 1871, the city of Chicago burned to the ground in a catastrophe that was rumored to have been started by a cow belonging to Mrs. O’Leary. The Mistress, an exciting and original romance by Susan Wiggs, takes place during that fire and features Mrs. O’Leary’s daughter, Kathleen, as the heroine. Kathleen is a poor…
I admire the ability of some writers to use a setting to great effect in their stories, to make it almost a third character. This is the second book I’ve read this year whose setting is a natural disaster, and I really got into the story, learning how the characters reacted to the forces nature…
I’ve not read this author before, but my understanding is that she writes a more mainstream style romance – stories that have a lot more going on than just the relationship between the hero and heroine. In this manner, Painted by the Sun is no exception. Irish emigrant Shea Waterston is a lady photographer. Her…
Back in the Gilded Age, American Society gathered to meet, show off, and choose their mates at a place that was as exclusive and rule-bound as Almacks in the regency period. That place was Newport, Rhode Island. A Perfect Wife is set in Newport and several historical figures play roles in this fascinating novel. Anne…
An historical romance set in Cleveland?! Well yes, and it’s a refreshing change of pace from the old west settings of most American historical romances. For that reason alone, I was intrigued when I picked it up. In Name Only turned out to be not only intriguing but excellent – it’s one of the best…
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