Mary Balogh’s traditional Regencies are, as often as not, not “traditional” as Regencies are usually defined: kisses only, mannered, well-behaved ladies and gentlemen falling in love under mildly titillating situations. Instead, Balogh’s Regencies are traditional only in that they are shorter than the average historical. Although its plot is a well-used one, The Ungrateful Governess…
Years ago, Miranda and Evan were passionately in love and planned to marry. But Miranda’s father was in debt, as heroine’s fathers so frequently are, and Miranda jilted Evan in order to marry the wealthy Lord Crandall. Seven years later, Miranda is now the widowed Lady Crandall. She has come to stay at the country…
I’m having some difficulty typing this review as the tips of my fingers have suffered severe burns as a result of holding Silent Confessions, Julie Kenner’s latest. I suppose I should have expected that a romantic suspense featuring a heroine who studies and sells erotica would be a bit on the warm side, but I…
Spellbound in Seattle was a Golden Heart finalist last year. It’s not hard to see why. Garthia Anderson’s writing is strong and polished, and in her first novel she’s fashioned a creative, original story. It’s an admirable first effort, even if it is not an entirely successful one. The story is set in an alternate…
Call Waiting covers familiar territory in the Women’s Fiction landscape. It’s well-written and engaging, but other than its Australian setting, there’s really nothing new here. Ally Tasker and Meg Lynch are old friends and fellow art school graduates living unsatisfied lives. Ally is an art teacher at a private school, a job with steady money…
According to its press release, After the Rains is a novel of “rebellion and forgiveness.” The “rebellion” is a bit overstated, and by the time the forgiveness came about I was almost too tired of the characters to care. For this reader the book was less than successful. Natalie Camfield has a typical high schooler’s…
I always keep a fairly sizeable list of books that I want to buy. I don’t purchase them straight away online because I love the little thrill I get when I find something I’ve been looking for awhile. The other day I came across a copy of Touch Not the Cat in a thrift store and…
Oddly enough, Falcon’s Desire is a throwback to the historical romance novels of yesteryear – I say “oddly enough” because it’s the debut romance for a new author. It’s as if all the in-between progress in terms of nuanced plots and character development have been forgotten and we’re left with a derivative amalgam of Woodiwiss…
With the opening pages of this story, I found myself thinking, “Ho hum, here we go again with a family feud story. That’s certainly never been done before.” As the story progressed, the conflict moved beyond the family feud, but the ho-hum still remained, despite an interesting premise behind the story. Lawyer Luke Creed wants…
The Men of Thorne Island was a wonderful surprise, a book I bought solely because of my rather odd fondness for stories set on small islands. I got my money’s worth and more. One quality that seems to be in woefully short supply in romances today is charm. This book has it in spades. Tax…
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