There are plenty of romances with humorous covers that don’t reflect the serious story inside. But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a cover this serious on a book as unserious as Master of Ecstasy. The cover is so dark and brooding most readers would never guess what a goofy and outlandish story lurks inside….
Fans of Jo Beverley’s Malloren series will be hard pressed to resist Winter Fire. The Mallorens return in a supporting role as their cousin finds love and a long-standing feud resolves itself. Genova Smith finds herself spending Christmas as companion to the elderly Trayce sisters – gruff Calliope and childlike Thalia. Invited to the home…
Diana Gabaldon writes in her introduction to Lord John and the Private Matter that she referred to the book as a “short story” until her agents (quite correctly) informed her that at 301 pages, a Gabaldon short story is the length of most books. That observation, I think, might be the key to understanding this…
A sweet story with an unusual setting that’s mostly a pleasure to read, Adam’s Promise unfortunately hits a groan-inducing plot development that nearly capsizes it. Madeline Oxley is stunned when her father informs her that Adam Coates sent him a letter asking for her hand in marriage. When she was a girl, she had a…
In general, pirate ships duke it out with harems for the Most Implausible Setting award, so it’s refreshing to read a pirate romance that seems a little more in touch with reality. Unfortunately, the reality of pirate ships seems to be long stretches of tedium interrupted by short bursts of activity. While it’s nice that…
I have read several pleasant historical romances this year, but none that gave me that hard-to-describe-but-I-know-it-when-I-feel-it reading rush. A few days ago, I reached into the TBR pile and picked up Jo Beverley’s Hazard and began to read. It didn’t take long for the rush to begin. I was delighted and filled with a sense…
“On April 5, 1768, Johann Friedrich Struensee was appointed Royal Physician to King Christian VII of Denmark, and four years later was executed.” I found myself fascinated by the above quote at the beginning of The Royal Physician’s Visit – struggles for power can make for delicious reading. Booklist magazine, a veritable librarian’s bible, recently…
Voyager, the third installment in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, is a sharp contrast to the previous book, Dragonfly in Amber. Whereas Dragonfly began and ended with Claire and Jamie separated for twenty years, Voyager, as the title indicates, is the story of Claire’s return to the past and to Jamie. After finding out that Jamie…
When The Fiery Cross arrived in the mail, I knew it already had a leg up on the competition. I can’t remember another time when I have been so excited just to open a package and hold a book. I had another book to finish the day it came, so I kept giving it fond,…
After finishing staying up late into the night to finish The Heart Queen, I found myself wondering why Patricia Potter isn’t talked about more. While none of her books have been Desert Isle Keepers for me, I have enjoyed every single one I’ve tried, which is why she makes my buried treasure list. The Heart…
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