Renaissance Romance

  • Highland Hawk by Lois Greiman

    Highland Hawk by Lois Greiman is the latest in her Highland Brides series; an enjoyable installment with fresh characters, an intriguing setup, and a cover that has nothing to do with the hero or heroine. But more on that later. Gypsy lass Catriona, along with her betrothed Rory and wicked grandmother Marta, is headed to…

  • To Tame A Highland Warrior

    Sometimes on Saturday mornings I sit with my kids, and watch one of the live action shows, produced for children and teenagers, that breaks up the ususal schedule of cartoons. These dramas are heavy on the fantasy and have names like The Lost World. Some are time travels set in the dinosaur age, others are…

  • The MacLean Groom

    The MacLean Groom is very much average; it’s not horrible, but it doesn’t exactly set the pond on fire either. The endearing hero is paired with a ho-hum heroine, and the promising first half is followed by a somewhat disappointing second one. It’s also the first book in a trilogy, and it reads like one;…

  • A Knight’s Vow

    From the blurb on the back, A Knight’s Vow sounds like about 50% of all Medieval Romances: “He was her father’s enemy, and now he was her husband by the king’s decree.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Actually, A Knight’s Vow is a mite different from similar medievals I have read, and had loads of potential….

  • A Woman of Passion

    In A Woman of Passion, Virginia Henley introduces us to the life and loves of Elizabeth “Bess” Hardwick. Born into a life of poverty and kicked out of her home, Bess vows that she will do all it takes to gain security and success and rise to the top of English society. We follow Bess…

  • The Maiden and the Unicorn

    Many historical romance novels are the literary equivalent of a Renaissance festival – diverting, but bearing little relationship to actual history. With good reason: most people are not interested in seeing or reading about the dark and gritty side of life when they are seeking entertainment and escape, and there’s a lot of darkness and…

  • Flame by May McGoldrick

    May McGoldrick is a pseudonym for Jim and Nikoo McGoldrick, a husband-and-wife writing team. They’ve collaborated on at least six novels – a miracle in itself, considering my husband and I can barely compose a grocery list together. Flame centers around Gavin Kerr, a secondary character from Heart of Gold, one of the McGoldricks’ prior…

  • Firebrand Bride

    Firebrand Bride is one of those books in which the title is repeated over and over throughout the book, just in case you missed it the first time. The heroine, Lucina Cavendish, is holding aloft a torch when the hero first sees her, and he thinks of her then and always as a firebrand. Lucina…

  • The Darkest Knight

    In a time when men were warriors and women were chattel, it was a rare occurrence to find a woman with enough confidence and courage to journey miles over unfamiliar terrain to warn her king of impending attack. In The Darkest Knight the heroine is just such a woman. Unfortunately, she’s got a weak arm,…

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