This is a book that feels like it was written according to my private list of preferences for medieval romances. It features a non-aristocratic hero who lives by his wits rather than by his brawn, a sensible heroine, a marriage of convenience and plenty of historical detail. Oh, did I mention that the married couple…
I knew I was in trouble when, after having read a third of this book, my husband asked me about it and I instinctively answered: “Well, it is rather blah.” When finished with Damask Rose, I realized it was still a blah read, and I’m not quite sure why. The setting could have contributed –…
When publishers print the genre of a book on the spine, they really ought to call a spade a spade. Twin Willows is clearly labeled as a romance, but in my mind it most definitely isn’t. Similarly, the back cover has a synopsis that sounds like a romance, but it is actually nothing like the…
I have to admit that when I first read the back cover blurb of this book, I was not impressed with yet another story involving “the pretender” to the throne of Scotland, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. I didn’t think I could endure another tale about the downfall of Scotland and his large part…
One of the great things about being a reviewer is that every once in awhile you read a book that makes you think, “My God, what a fantastic book!” I am happy to say that The Wedding Night made me think just that. The year is 1858 and Mairey Faelyn is continuing her father’s legacy….
Lord Ragsdale is an intelligent and witty man who is bored. He squanders his talents on careless amusements, and surrounds himself with people who have not one half of his insight and wit. His accounts are a mess. His estate is neglected. This fascinating man has no one with whom to hold a worthwhile conversation…
The Maiden’s Heart is a Medieval romance with quite a religious bent. The heroine is devoutly religious, and much of the plot involves Church politics. This gives the book a lot of authenticity, especially as the presence of religion in medieval life is sometimes ignored in romance. Although the heroine gets to be a little…
When I first saw the cover of this book, I thought: Oh, puh-leeze. And indeed, deep, this book is not. However, if you’re looking for something rather frothy and generic, look no further. The Indigo Blade is the tale of a pre-Revolutionary War aristocrat who, by day, is the rather foppish, non-political Max Broderick, but…
There is a very funny song in the stage show Gypsy called You Gotta Have A Gimmick. It played in my head all the time I was reading this book. Merely Married is a story with a gimmick. The gimmick is a very old one and it is almost always fun, especially in historicals and…
Did you ever wonder how King Richard Coeur de Lion came to be released from captivity? England, helped by Robin Hood, gathered a heap of gold, and paid the ransom, right? Not according to Night Fires, a book that provides the creative suggestion that the solution was not a purely monetary one. Queen Eleanor has…
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