I’ve been a bit worried about European historicals lately. In the past year or so I’ve run across far too many featuring ridiculously contrived cutesy plots, heroines for whom the TSTL designation is unquestionably an understatement, and, of course, that oh-so-familiar cardboard “rake” with the macho nickname. With this book, Karen Hawkins has stepped onto…
George and the Virgin was exactly what I needed to read last weekend. It was fun. It was funny. It had only the teeniest, tiniest, most negligible bit of angst – just enough for character development. It has the honor of being the only book I’ve read for review this year where I did not…
The Suitor by Sandy Hingston starts out as a romp, as Alain Montclair repeatedly attempts – and fails – to catch the attention of an English heiress named Lady Katherine Deveraux. Then, in a surprising twist, the lighthearted tone of the beginning chapters falls away, and the story becomes one of adventure and epic romance….
Being a romance reader in the current publishing climate is not easy. Publishers, like television execs, seem to figure if something is a success then similar books will also be successful. Thus they keep publishing those same things, over and over and over. The thing in this particular case is the Regency-set historical and lately…
New Orleans is an occupied city in 1862, and the locals have no reason to trust the Union military currently in charge. So when a respected Creole doctor, Henri Santerre, is mysteriously murdered while visiting the graves of friends, few expect the murderer to be pursued or caught – especially Emmanuelle de Beauvais, who witnessed…
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…
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