I’ve said it before: I’m a sucker for Cinderella stories. An Offer From a Gentleman definitely takes its inspiration from Cinderella. Sophie Beckett is the bastard daughter of the Earl of Penwood. She knows it, and she lives in his home as his “ward.” He marries the wicked stepmother, Araminta, who comes with two daughters,…
Jacqueline Navin’s latest novel hovered on the very brink of DIK-dom for me. It was well-written, full of likable characters, a standard plot with a few new twists, and the sort of gripping emotional power that drew me in completely. A few minor character problems aside, this is one of the best new books I’ve…
After finishing My Lord Conqueror, I began hunting down more Samantha James medievals. Yes, this book has its weak points, but it also holds enough promise and enjoyment to recommend its siblings. My Lord Conqueror also wins the prize for best recovery, ever. At page 25 I violently hurled the book to the floor so…
The hero of Always a Princess by Alice Chambers muses, “Lots of words came to mind when he thought of Eve Stanhope, but stupid wasn’t one of them.” Unfortunately, that was not my experience: I frequently found the word “stupid” coming to mind as I read this book. Eve Stanhope lives in a London slum,…
The first time I read Bliss, I was absolutely intoxicated by it. It absorbed me and kept me completely in its power. For a whole two days all I did was eat, sleep, dream, breathe Bliss. I read it over and over, wondering each time that it should so affect me. Because by any measure…
Untamed was one of those books I just couldn’t put down. I stretched breaks at work, and prolonged my lunch period as much as I dared because I couldn’t bear to stop reading. Whenever that happens, I know I’ve found a keeper. When it happens after eight years of re-reading a book, I know it’s…
I admit it: I’m a curmudgeon when it comes to comedies set in historical time periods. Usually, I just don’t think they’re all that funny. The banter seems stilted and unreal, the situations seem unlikely and contrived. But The Marriage Lesson by Victoria Alexander pleased even me: it is charming. Thomas Effington, Marquess of Helmsley,…
Against the Odds is well-written and even interesting, but ultimately forgettable. In the aftermath of the Civil War, a Southern lady and a Yankee POW find love on board a doomed steamboat. The historical flavor is nice, but the crisis-to-crisis pace is a little monotonous. Gabe Davis is one of a thousand prisoners of war…
“He has a scar on the back of his neck.” According to the back cover blurb, that’s what Mirabella Whittingham knows about a man she thinks is responsible for the death of her best friend. So what does our intrepid heroine do? She decides to kiss all the men who danced with her friend in…
Kat Martin’s Heartless has an interesting premise and intriguing characters. It doesn’t quite live up to its initial promise, but it’s an entertaining read anyway. Ariel Summers is the daughter of a drunken, abusive peasant. At fourteen, she longs to escape her life of poverty and ignorance, so she makes a devil’s bargain with the…
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