This is a marvel of a book.

Samuel Gerard, the story’s hero, is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and has been rescued and brought to Hawaii by a well-to-do family, the Ashlands. Their Japanese butler, Dojun, helps the boy to heal his inner wounds by training him in the techniques and philosophy of the martial arts. Samuel eventually becomes a formidable warrior, but he is always on guard against the sexual side of himself, which he regards as dangerous, something to fight against and conquer.

Making the acquaintance of a prim and proper London shopgirl, Miss Leda Etoile, Samuel enlists her help in his secret campaign against the city’s child prostitution houses, and eventually hires her as his private secretary. Leda is a lovely character, naive but intelligent, never daring to believe that a man as handsome and wealthy as Samuel would want her, but loving him with all the sweetness and generosity in her soul.

Their unfolding relationship, infused with the emotional yearning and impetuous desires of two innocents, is a joy to behold. After a prolonged struggle with his chaste love for the Ashlands’ daughter Kai, and his desire for Leda, Samuel seduces Leda in one of the most erotically charged love scenes I’ve ever read. It’s quite a trick to make a male virgin so sexually appealing while believably depicting his lack of experience, but Kinsale carries it off in a way that makes your toes curl.

At the prodding of the Ashlands and his own conscience, Samuel reluctantly does the right thing by Leda and marries her, surrendering all his dreams of a noble and chaste love with Kai. He believes that he has lost all chance of personal salvation, but instead he finds it with Leda.

Patiently, gently, Leda helps him to reconcile the two halves of his divided self, to let go of the ugliness of his past and learn how to love a woman body and soul.

I reread this book occasionally to remind myself of a few things . . . that a romance writer needs to push the boundaries of a story beyond what is comfortable, and to give the hero a necessary streak of vulnerability that will emphasize his strength. Exotic locations, colorful characters, expert writing, a tender love story . . . The Shadow and the Star has it all.

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.

This historical fiction novel has compelling characters and a lot of fascinating history between its almost 400 pages. (Our review is here.)

Margaret Verble’s sprawling family saga, Cherokee America, explores the lives of the Singer and Cordery families who live, thrive, suffer and love in the post-Trail of Tears, Post Civil War landscape of mid 1870s Cherokee Nation West.

Cherokee America Singer, known as Check, is the mother of five sons, a successful rancher, and colloquially called Aunt by many in the community (though she hates the appellation, as it makes her feel old).  When her hired man Puny informs her that he has a sickly illegitimate child on a shanty claim, Check takes the child in even though her husband is dying, and Puny’s wife, the fiery Ezell, will be furious upon learning of the child’s existence and her husband’s betrayal. Check strikes a bargain with her neighbor Sanders to take care of the baby, and he and his two wives (Both nicknamed Nanny and called Nancy) take the little girl into their family, but she dies within hours.  When word reaches the Singer claim of the baby’s loss, Puny takes off to find where Check stashed the baby and to avoid his wife’s wrath, taking with him Check’s best gun and bay horse.  Ultimately, Ezell is forced to watch over Lizzie, the girl Puny impregnated – which forces an uneasy relationship between the two women.  Soon Sanders and Nanny disappear as well, and while Check tries to hold the farm together, the question of Puny’s whereabouts, and whether he will ever come back hovers over the family – as does the presence of a cache of silver that’s been buried out on the plains. Check and her two eldest sons embark on a quest to protect Puny and find Sanders – a mission that has untimely consequences for everyone….

Cherokee America is a powerful, sometimes heartbreaking journey through the American West.  Sometimes it suffers from the scope of its ambition, but in the end it’s a beautiful and worthwhile story to dig into.

 

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.

Our reviewer called this as close to perfect as a novel can get.

Catch A Mate is as close to a perfect book as you can get, featuring non-stop laughter, intense love scenes, and vibrantly true-to-life characters. I finished reading with a huge smile on my face. This is the ultimate feel-good book, particularly for those skeptical about love. Showalter’s story will make a believer out of anyone who is sure they’ll never find their soul mate.

Jillian Greene works as an employee for To Catch a Mate (aka CAM), a service that helps women discover if their boyfriends or husbands are cheating on them. She acts as bait for these alleged cheaters and her encounters with them in bars and clubs are captured on film. Jillian also has big aspirations. She is led to believe that when her employer retires, she will take over the reins. She has quite a surprise in store because her boss already sold the business to Marcus Brody, the male version of Jillian.

The first time Jillian actually sees Marcus is when she notices how nice his butt is. All she can think about is that part of his anatomy and even gives him a nice nickname to show her appreciation. When Jillian finally encounters Marcus face to face, she gives him major attitude. Marcus is no wimp, so he returns the favor. At first this seems a bit childish, but as they swipe insults back and forth, what they actually think is quite the opposite. Their thoughts from their initial meeting and throughout the story are X-rated and absolutely hysterical.

Jillian and Marcus sparkle. Their constant inner dialogue about each other, along with the reasons why they think love is for fools, makes the book. When Jillian was a little girl, her father cheated on her mother with the next door neighbor. Her mother discovered them in bed and tried to kill herself. It was Jillian who found her mother after her suicide attempt, and because of this trauma she is cynical about men and relationships – and enjoys her work at CAM.

As for Marcus, his ex-wife ruined his view on love. He started his own mate catching business for men who think the women in their lives are cheating on them. Both Marcus and Jillian are so stubborn and strong willed that they fight like cats and dogs and insult each other every chance they get. But their insults are really a type of foreplay. They may talk of hate, but in actuality all they want to do is tear off each other’s clothes. They make out nearly as often as they fight, and one drunken night their fantasies become reality. As a result of this consummation, their feelings become more intense and real.

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.

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