After the Abduction is a history-lite, humor-heavy historical romance that is not Sabrina Jeffries’ best. And those readers who haven’t read the preceding two books in this trilogy will discover that there’s more than just a little backstory missing. Juliet Laverick eloped with smuggler Morgan Pryce several years ago. Her family rescued her and all…
Gee, just what we all needed, another book with a plot based entirely on secrets, lies, and misunderstandings. And, as if that weren’t bad enough, the sole emotion this book managed to elicit from me was exasperation at two stubborn and regrettably brain-dead characters – characters, amazingly enough, that we’re actually supposed to like! The…
I’ve heard some readers say they dislike reading Scottish historical romances from the period immediately preceding the battle of Culloden because they have a hard time believing in any happy ending when they know such happiness is doomed by history. I have the same sort of difficulty with 19th century Indian romances, which is the…
To say that Shall We Dance? was a chore to read is putting it mildly. I literally could only read a few pages at a time before I had to put it away. For those who are bothered by reading multiple points of view, stay far, far away from this book. There are six major…
Amongst the MacCurrie clan, there is a legend that three chiefs in a row will die on their birthday. The third chief will have twin sons conceived when lightening splits an oak tree in half and both halves live. The sons will grow up to lead the clan to war and then to fifty years…
Most romance readers think of Mary Balogh as a dark, intense writer, but she has proven in books like The Famous Heroine and Lady With A Black Umbrella that she can handle the lighter side as well. A Summer To Remember is not a farce, but it is much lighter than her recent hardcover books….
After reading romance for a few years now, I have realized that it is truly rare to find a book that so completely manages to fulfill all of its “duties.” Is the writing smart enough to assume the reader can comprehend subtleties, yet accessible enough to keep the reading pace fluid? Does the author know…
“Suspend disbelief” is the rule of thumb when reading fiction. Sometimes, however, I run across a book that asks me not merely to suspend my disbelief but to strangle it to death. Unhappily, A Gentleman at Heart is one of those. An unbelievable plot, unappealing characters, and unacceptable writing added up to a most unpleasant…
Shades of Honor is a Golden Heart award-winning novel, and in this case it was an award well deserved. I’ve had something of a dry spell lately; I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to be so enthralled in a book and so concerned for the characters that I lose all track of time. As the…
There’s nothing tempting about Tempt Me With Kisses, at least at first glance. The cover is an ugly dried-blood color with an annoying half-unclad couple on it (the man has snaps on his shirt!), and the back blurb talks about bold warriors and flame-haired Scottish lasses. Ho-hum. But if you avert your eyes from the…
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