The “Will you be my mistress?” plot is not one of my favorites. I tend to be put off by heroes who are willing to take advantage of women who are socially or economically vulnerable. And I find it difficult to believe than any heroine would choose to strike that bargain under any but the…
When they were girls, Kate, Ashley and Caroline McKenna made headlines with their father Duncan when they sailed around the world and won a prestigious race. The eight years since have been less successful for the McKenna family. Duncan is an alcoholic who lost the family boat. The youngest daughter, Caroline, is a wild child,…
Unlike many traditional Regencies, Lady in Disguise is set against the background of a specific historical event – the 1814 visit of Tsar Alexander I to England. Lady Emma Weston, niece and ward of a Russian diplomat and his English wife, arrives in England for her first visit to her homeland since she left at…
A Summer Affair suffers from slow pacing and a problematic beginning. Neither main character is easy to warm up to, and that the heroine’s last name is so odd it jerked me out of the story every time she appeared didn’t help. A widower with a soft heart – for most people – Dr. Blue…
Okay, what you’ve got here is a likable hero, an agreeably independent heroine, and a story that ultimately feels so familiar that there’s nothing – and I do quite literally mean nothing – that makes this book even slightly memorable. Olivia Moreland, daughter of a duke and proud member of a family far more interested…
Author Donna Simpson has a knack making difficult people seem sympathetic and interesting. Rachel’s Change of Heart is the story of how a girl who seems to have everything re-examines her values and discovers that what she has attained is not nearly so valuable as what she gave up to get it. Rachel Neville, in…
Operation Bassinet is the second in a two-book series called The Collingwood Heirs, but it stands on its own. It’s a good thing, too. I thought the first book, The Butler’s Daughter, was slow, overly convoluted and burdened with wooden characters, a D-level read for me. This one’s better in every way, making for one…
Complete Abandon is one of the most interesting books I’ve read this year. Not necessarily one of the best, but definitely one of the most thought-provoking. Categorizing it is a slippery proposition as it manages to be naughty, funny, over-sexed, and light on the history. At the same time, it features a thoughtful analysis of…
Intricately plotted and tightly written, No More Lies poses some intriguing “what if” questions that I’m still pondering days after I finished the book. Clearly, Susan Squires isn’t afraid to challenge her readers and anyone considering reading this book should know right from the start that the story here is a grim one. (Really, really…
Clear and Convincing Proof is a gripping, psychological mystery. At times claustrophobic and creepy, at others a neat, puzzling mystery. Murder has been done and there are plenty of possible suspects and a storyline with all the clues in place. So why then is this only a middling grade? It’s the people. Though each character…
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