There has been a lot of talk this year about the “Avonization” of romance novels. When people say that, the first author who usually comes to mind, for me, is Stephanie Laurens. Since To Distraction is her 20th book for Avon, perhaps it’s no wonder that for me they’ve become almost synonymous…but no longer in…
I look forward to each new book by Lorraine Heath, as several of her Texas-set historicals are on my keeper shelf. Unfortunately in A Duke of Her Own, Heath fell short for me with a book that, while enjoyable, was completely predictable – and a plot that has been used too often before. In fact,…
I haven’t read either of the earlier two books in the Lost Princess series, and unfortunately, this last one doesn’t make me inclined to do so. Sorcha is the eldest of the “lost princesses” of Beaumontagne. After a revolt, she and her young sisters were separated and hidden away, their whereabouts unknown to even their…
I enjoyed Zoe Archer’s first book, Lady X’s Cowboy. The hero and heroine of that book were not your usual couple – she was a Victorian peeress/entrepreneur and he was an American cowboy. Archer’s latest book, Love in a Bottle features another odd couple – she is a botanist and he is a mountebank. Ian…
Autumn in Scotland is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Ranney’s usual sure hand is at play in her creation of complex characters and stirring emotions. On the other hand, these characters are done a disservice by a couple of inexplicable and extraneous plotlines. Charlotte dutifully married an impecunious Scottish nobleman,…
Could you tell from the title that Bowie Stone is a bigamist? Well, he is, to put it bluntly, but don’t let that put you off. While I’m not much for men with more than one wife, after reading The Wives of Bowie Stone I will be happy to become Bowie’s third wife and not…
My love for romance reading is based on many things, but I must admit that alluring heroes top that list. It seems that I seldom find one of those perfectly desirable heroes these days, but Jennifer St. Giles serves up such a delectable one in her latest release that I fear most other heroes will…
While not technically one of Mary Jo Putney’s Fallen Angels, Lord Robert Andreville played a pivotal role in Petals in the Storm; he was that heroine’s former lover and fellow spy. Now that the war is finally over, Robin has come home to England a man on the brink, exhausted physically, emotionally, and psychically from…
A Lady’s Pleasure is a mix of Ye Olde Victorian Melodrama and Ye Olde Victorian Erotica. It’s kind of silly in spots, but darned if I didn’t find myself guiltily enjoying it. Merriam Everett’s father called her “Merriam the Mouse”. Her late husband mostly ignored her, and concentrated on seducing the maids. Merriam is now…
In The Earl of Her Dreams, Anne Mallory doesn’t deliver a well-rounded historical romance. While the lead characters were likable, their characterization lacked dimension. And the mystery sub-plot is not interesting enough to make up for the tepid romance they share. Christian Black, also known as the Earl of Canley, disguises himself as a commoner…
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