I hadn’t read Gwen Bristow’s Jubilee Trail in several years, but for some reason I woke up early one morning with the book’s plot running through my mind. More a historical novel than a romance, it nonetheless has an interesting, intelligent heroine and a tortured hero who fears gratitude – especially from the heroine –…
A Countess Below Stairs was the first Eva Ibbotson romance I ever read, and I’ve been an avid fan ever since. Why? Because her stories are so vivid. In A Countess Below Stairs, Anna Grazinsky, a White Russian in exile goes to work as a housemaid in a beautiful mansion called Meersham. The owner is…
Many romance readers enjoy historical fiction like Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles and Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey Maturin series (both series were reviewed at AAR). The main characters in those books may act the anti-hero at times, but they are ultimately true heroes. You can’t say that about Sir Harry Flashman, the protagonist of George MacDonald Fraser’s…
Much as I loved Almost a Gentleman, I was almost afraid to sit down and write the review. Pam Rosenthal’s romance debut is a masterful mix of bold and subtle writing elements. Knowing that, I knew anything I write will hardly do the book justice. But since this is a review site and I’ve offered…
I rarely read series romance, as I find that the shorter format tends to work against the kind of plot development and characterizations that I most enjoy. But there is one I picked up on a whim some years ago – Debra Dixon’s Bad to the Bone – that simply knocked my socks off. Not…
Out of frustration that such a wonderful novel would slip through the cracks and not be read by a large population of romance readers, I took the suggestion of Robin, LLB and Patricia S. and here I am, writing a review. Am I nervous? You betcha, but here goes. It is true that up until…
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Barbara Samuel’s A Piece of Heaven. She is a wonderfully talented writer who excels in being able to build a story in such a way that you can see the atmosphere and feel her characters’ emotions. When I read her first hardback, No Place Like Home, I…
The last time I reviewed a book by Victoria Alexander, my editor was surprised that I gave it only a B+, because I obviously loved the book. I think my subconscious knew that there was even better to come, because I’m delighted to report that Alexander’s latest, Love with the Proper Husband, is one to…
Let me confess up front that I have a weakness for historical romances set in colonial Virginia. I’ve lived in Virginia most of my life, and for four of those years I lived in Williamsburg, the colonial capital. Not surprisingly, I’ve also long been fascinated with the history of colonial Virginia and felt it to…
Arabella Tallant is the daughter of a vicar, and when she gets the opportunity to spend the season in London with her wealthy godmother, it’s a dream come true. Much is riding on Arabella’s season, as she has seven younger siblings who will need help with their own launches into the world. Arabella’s season takes…
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