The author of The Return of the Earl was once told, “You’ll never be able to compete with native speakers of English.” This is the first romance I have read by Sandra Schwab and not only can she compete, but her use of language is superior to the majority of romantic novels I have read…
Seven Minutes in Heaven is the third in Eloisa James’ Desperate Duchess by the Numbers series which is a kind of Desperate Duchesses TNG – the heroes and heroines featured in these books appeared as children in some of the earlier stories and are now grown up and getting their own. This means that there…
It’s no secret that my least favourite trope is the one in which the heroine passes herself off as a man. I find it too difficult to believe that nobody would notice she wasn’t one, even within the idealised setting of a romantic novel. That’s not to say that some authors haven’t managed to pull…
Many authors have had books likened to those of Georgette Heyer, and while that is a comparison that’s always going to draw my eye, I’ve been disappointed on many an occasion. Not so here. Imprudent Lady is an utterly delightful rake-meets-bluestocking story full to the brim with sparkling dialogue, beautifully observed wit and deftly drawn…
Deirdre and Don Juan (available only in the Lovers and Ladies set in the USA) won the RITA for Best Regency Romance in 1994, and is an utterly delightful take on the “rake-meets-plain-jane” trope, in which both hero and heroine have some growing up to do. The gorgeous, charming and very rakish Mark Juan Carlos Renfrew,…
I Thee Wed is the fourth book in Celeste Bradley’s The Wicked Worthington series. I have not read any of the previous novels in this series and was able to follow along fairly well as the characters were introduced. While it is not necessary to have read the earlier stories to understand this one, I…
Ms. Lerner’s romances are set far from the glittering ton, her main characters are often working class men and women, not every character is wealthy, explicit depictions and conversations about sex are common, and sexuality isn’t limited to m/f. I like her books for those reasons, but mostly because she’s a terrific writer. In All…
It’s no secret that I love a good Christmas romance. With this month’s TBR theme being holiday romance, I just had to go looking for something Christmasy, and preferably historical. I found a treat in Elisabeth Fairchild’s 1999 trad Regency, The Holly and the Ivy. It’s not high drama, but rather a sweetly traditional Christmas…
Originally published in 1999, The Holly and the Ivy brings together a young man who has never enjoyed Christmas and a young woman who loves it, but is finding it a trial this year, being separated from her loving and beloved family and missing them profoundly. Charles Thornton Baxter, Viscount Balfour – nicknamed Lord Thorn…
I think I’ve just found my fun read for Halloween. No Conventional Miss is a pleasant debut with just a touch of the supernatural to it. It’s rough around the edges in a few spots, but still a very worthy read. <!– var browName = navigator.appName; var SiteID = 1; var ZoneID = 4; var…
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