There’s nothing actually wrong with Bridget, the first novel in Linda Lael Miller’s new series, The Women of Primrose Creek. I can’t pinpoint any specific plot contrivance or writing flaw; it just seems unfinished. At just under one hundred and fifty pages, Bridget reads like the summary of an idea for a novel, one that…
This is an example of a book that I knew better than to finish. The writing left lots to be desired, the dialogue was stilted and clumsy, and my palms itched to slap some sense into the heroine. But the plot was just intriguing enough to keep me reading, long after those elements should have…
Reading Kit Dee’s Brit’s Lady is the equivalent of eating fast food – it’s quick but unmemorable. While the story reads at a brisk pace and the lead characters have possibilities, neither seems terribly realistic. The villain has that Snidely Whiplash aura, and the love scenes are marred by the. . . over-exuberant use. ….
I don’t like tearjerkers. I don’t enjoy crying on my lunch break and having to return to work with raccoon eyes. However, I may just have to change my anti-angst stance because this is the second angsty novel in recent months that has worked for me despite my aversion to them. Twenty-five-year-old Finnea Winslet has…
Jove has apparently halted purchases of new manuscripts for the Time Passages line, which suggests that the line itself is on the verge of cancellation. It may be that there are not enough quality time travel stories out there to carry a whole line devoted to them; however, the quality of this particular book, Elizabeth…
The Colonial Period and the Revolutionary War are favorite settings of mine, but books set during these times are very hard to come by. I suspect this is because this time period is not really familiar to a lot of people; writing a book set in the 1700s requires some research. I’m pleased to report…
The Hostage is a wonderful book for folks who like a romance to develop slowly. It’s the story of two people who not only fall in love, but grow and change from the experience of knowing each other. The American characters are the best I’ve read in ages, because they are complex and insightful individuals,…
In too many historical romances, the authors take great pains to get the period details correct. However, they often forget to have their characters act in period as well. The clothing may be described accurately, actual events may be incorporated into the plot, but the people in the story are nothing more than our contemporaries…
Honey is a sweet slice of late Victorian Americana. It deftly mixes comedy and angst and features a spunky (but ladylike) heroine and a strong (but tortured) hero along with a fine group of supporting characters. Best of all, for a sports lover like me, most of the book takes place during the baseball season…
Reading the back of Jake Walker’s Wife, you would assume it was a Western Romance. The hero is a wanted man from Texas, and the heroine’s father owns some kind of ranch. Actually, it’s set primarily in Maryland in 1850, but if you’re looking for historical authenticity, you won’t find it here. And although the…