Set in Oklahoma Territory in 1907, on the brink of its statehood, Pamela Morsi’s Wild Oats makes for a lovely bushel. (Oats come in bushels, right?). Divorced and impecunious Cora Briggs is the town scandal, so when young undertaker Jedwin Sparrow feels ready to, well, sow some oats, she seems like the woman to discreetly…
We figure out early on that Laura and Tom went through medical school together. There was apparently some spark of chemistry between them back in the day that led to flirtation and then – a really awkward parting shortly before graduation. They haven’t seen each other in the intervening seven years until Laura goes to…
Julia Justiss’ historicals often read somewhat like trads with a little extra depth to them, so I pulled The Bluestocking Duchess out of my stack and came away quite charmed. The hero and heroine start off on somewhat equal social footing. Jocelyn Sudderfeld is the daughter and sister of scholars who work under the patronage…
Mack Kennedy is a nice guy; a gentle giant of a veterinarian who has been a critical emotional support for his widowed sister Sal. Josie Butler, who rooms with the two, never considered him for the list of post-breakup naughty sex she’d like to have. But when Mack sees her list, it brings out a…
Though I don’t have the time for it that I used to, I love knitting. I enjoy watching my sometimes clumsy hands weave things into being out of the yarn, but perhaps more importantly, I love how it can be an inclusive and communal craft. Online and offline, knitting communities seem to spring up wherever…
Narrated by Joel Leslie Rule Breaker, the first book in Lily Morton’s aptly named Mixed Messages series, is terrific. Opposites attract when an emotionally closed-off lawyer falls for his long-suffering assistant, and despite its sometimes heavy subject matter and slightly taboo relationship, Rule Breaker is comfort reading at its best. Romantic and sexy and passionate…
As far as TBR Challenges go, “comfort reads” always makes for a tough prompt. My definition of a comfort read generally involves rereading a much-loved book. It doesn’t do much to whittle down the TBR mountain, but such is life. After some thought and rummaging through my bookcases, I surfaced with a Betty Neels book I somehow…
An AAR Top 100 Romance originally published on May 22, 2004 To put my assessment of this book in perspective, I haven’t loved every book ever written by Mary Balogh and I’ve found the Slightly series to be more uneven than it seems many readers did. With that said, though, I most assuredly do love this…
An AAR Top 100 Romance originally published on March 26, 1998 So often heroes and heroines of romances are larger-than-life characters. Lords, ladies, knights, cowboys, and swashbuckling types in general. There’s nothing wrong with that, we all like a little wish fulfillment and fantasy in our reading. After all, if we read nothing but books…
An AAR Top 100 Romance originally published on January 21, 2001 Anyone who has even a passing knowledge of soap operas knows that doomed love is the most interesting. A couple who face insurmountable obstacles, whose time together is limited, whose love is forbidden by law or society will always tug at my emotions. I…
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