His Dark Desires is set in Reconstruction Era New Orleans. Heroine Juliet Boucheron is still dealing with the after-effects of the war. Her husband disappeared with thousands of dollars in Confederate gold, and as a result, she and her son have been shunned by all of their friends. They also have little closure in their…
A decent hero falling for a spoiled, self-centered heroine is always a stretch for me when reading romance, but a premise I can accept if the heroine is allowed to mature and become more gracious within the course of the story. But if that character growth is missing for the majority of the book, I…
A Fine Passion features an overblown writing style and a lack of internal conflict. Unfortunately, the external conflict didn’t compensate, and while the hero and heroine weren’t poorly drawn, neither were deep characters. Seven years ago, Lady Clarice Altwood was banished to the country by her disapproving father after she refused to choose a husband…
Games of Pleasure is that frustrating thing – a pretty good book that could have been a better one. In this case, the fly in the ointment is a nauseatingly self-sacrificing heroine who, believe it or not, manages to be one of the most annoying “I’m not worthy” types I’ve come across in a while….
At one point in this book, Charles Summerson’s friend Jack says to him: “Summerson, I will never figure out how your mind works.” I never did figure Charles out, and he quite ruined the book for me. Beatrice Sinclair is 23 years old and almost on the shelf despite being quite a diamond. She’s beautiful,…
A Matter of Temptation is the heartrending story of one man’s reemergence into life after enduring years of unbelievable cruelty at the hands of his brother. While the heroine does play a part in the redemption of his tortured soul, she primarily acts as mere romantic window dressing in the life of the hero. Although…
Go ahead and judge this book by its cover. It looks like every other Avon romance you’ve read in the last five years, and that’s how it reads as well. That’s not to say it’s bad, because it isn’t. It’s merely unoriginal. Katherine Fleming is on the verge of marrying Cole Mallory when the unthinkable…
For those of us bemoaning the many juvenile and distressingly formulaic historical romances littering bookstores these days, Lydia Joyce gives us reason to celebrate. The Music of the Night, the author’s second novel, is an intelligent and refreshingly different romance between two intelligent and refreshingly different people. It is – these days, at any rate…
Wild and irresponsible Grant Chandler, disowned younger son to a duke, met an equally reckless Sophie Huntington during her first Season. They fell madly in love and scandalized the ton with their antics. After they gave in to their desires and consummated the relationship, Grant asked Sophie to marry him. She refused and married his…
Gypsy Lover tells the story of Daffyd, a secondary character from previous Layton novels. As a half-Gypsy, Daffyd doesn’t fit into either Romany or British society, and has had to make his own way in life. At the request of a family member, he agrees to search for a runaway heiress before word gets out…
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