I enjoy a good amnesia story – it’s interesting to see how an author serves up a fresh twist on an old cliché. Images in Scarlet uses amnesia to create a hero with a lot of vulnerability and sweetness, which is nice. Unfortunately, the the book doesn’t live up to its promise. Allison Caine encounters…
The hero of The Portrait is Jonas Whitaker, the leading artist of his day in New York City, 1855. Jonas is forced by his patron to take on as his student Imogen, “Genie,” Carter, his patron’s godchild. Genie’s out-of-state father, who wants to make her into an artist like her late sister, is behind this…
Despite promising sparks early in the book, The Brightest Flame fails to live up to its name, ending with more fizzle and smoke than fire. Lively but shallow characters with questionable ethics, writing that glows lavender, and an implausible plot filled with invented conflicts left me burned out long before the end. The year is…
Leslie LaFoy excels at writing that most rare of romantic heroines – truly self-sufficient and strong women. In her first two romances, LaFoy used time travel as the medium by which to transport a modern woman into a historical setting, thereby circumventing what would otherwise be the historically inaccurate vocabulary, attitude and expectations of her…
When I read Heart of the West for the first time three years ago, I was not aware that I had a romance in my hands. Nor did I expect to become so engrossed in the book that I could not think of anything else for days. Re-reading it again for this review only confirmed…
Topaz links Katherine Love and Dix Wildhorse. Katherine wears the gemstone – her mother’s legacy – around her neck. Dix wears his grandfather’s legacies in one ear and on his badge as a U.S. Marshal. They meet when he rescues her from the clutches of Rupert Samuels, swindler, thief, and all-round bad guy masquerading as…
This is probably the most disappointing book I have read in quite some time, mostly because of what it could have been, but for some reason, wasn’t. Topaz, a multicultural romance, features a wonderful, dynamic and sexy hero, a feisty, determined, independent heroine, and great chemistry. When I first started reading it, for about the…
Star Keeper is set during the Revolutionary War, a setting I love but rarely see. That alone sparked my interest. But it also features a strong conflict, lots of action, and noble characters – all of which nearly made the book an A read. While the heroine’s behavior at the end took the book out…
The Last Man in Town has a cute premise: the town of Maple Falls, Minnesota has been stricken by the gold bug, and Lucas Garrett is the only young man in town who hasn’t left for Colorado. Basically the book is an enjoyable one, with a hero and heroine who are good friends before they…
A Soft Touch is a lighthearted historical with entertaining, if rather unlikely, characters and an interesting plot. However, a conflict that is predictable and includes a sort of marriage of convenience as well as the Big Misunderstanding, inconsistencies in the heroine, and stereotypical secondary characters, make this book an average read. Bear McQuaid is a…