Ah, the age old family feud! It’s such a great way to add drama to a romance, just look at Romeo and Juliet, or Pyramus and Thisbe. You Can’t Always Get the Marquess You Want takes the enemies-to-lovers trope to a new level. Unfortunately, while the “lovers” part was great, the “enemies” plot didn’t really…
I know Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz’ Arcane Society books had lots of fans. I never could get into that series, but I do love her writing, so I was happy to see ‘Til Death Do Us Part show up. This standalone novel features a couple I really enjoyed and a gothic-tinged mystery that completely captured…
Everything I enjoy in a historical romance can be found in K.J. Charles’ A Gentleman’s Position, the third novel in her Society of Gentlemen series. Accurate, confident and luscious, the writing brings Lord Richard Vane and his ‘fox’, David Cyprian, to glorious life. I have awarded a richly deserved ‘A’ for this novel, one notch…
Although set within her Company of Rogues universe, Jo Beverley’s most recent novels have introduced new characters who are not part of the Rogues’ “inner circle”, even though some of the Rogues have made cameo appearances or been mentioned. This latest story, The Viscount Needs a Wife features a character who appeared in the previous…
I’m usually leery of jumping into the middle of a series, but the plot of The Improper Bride intrigued me. Thankfully, this book stands alone very well, and even better, it was a fun read. If you like romances that deal with class differences, this would definitely be one to try. The book opens dramatically…
Ms. Lerner’s romances are set far from the glittering ton, her main characters are often working class men and women, not every character is wealthy, explicit depictions and conversations about sex are common, and sexuality isn’t limited to m/f. I like her books for those reasons, but mostly because she’s a terrific writer. In All…
This book is the fifth offering in Elizabeth Boyle’s Rhymes With Love series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. The Knave of Hearts was a good little book that was entertaining enough, but will not make my keeper shelf. Lavina Tempest and her twin sister Louisa (who was the heroine in The…
Lisa Kleypas is an auto-buy author for me for her historicals and Travis contemporary series. So I eschewed reading the other reviews of this book so as to maintain a pristine reading experience. And I was richly rewarded. I am so glad to see her return to her roots and do it well despite the…
I’m always a bit hesitant to start a new series – almost everything seems to be in a series these days. What interested me in this one was that first, it’s listed as the The Adventurer’s Quartet, promising that it won’t be forever ongoing. Second, we start well after the romancing has taken place, something…
Originally published in 1999, The Holly and the Ivy brings together a young man who has never enjoyed Christmas and a young woman who loves it, but is finding it a trial this year, being separated from her loving and beloved family and missing them profoundly. Charles Thornton Baxter, Viscount Balfour – nicknamed Lord Thorn…