Someone Perfect is the ninth novel in Ms. Balogh’s Westcott series. Characters from the previous volumes are spoken of and a few make appearances in this tale, especially the hero and heroine of Someone to Care. While you don’t have to have read those other works to enjoy this one, purists may wish to tackle…
In Romancelandia, Christmas means brand new romance anthologies. The folks at St. Martin’s Paperbacks have collected stories by some of their best-known historical romance authors into a single anthology, and they’re here to warm your hearts. For the most part they succeed, although one of the stories is rather cheesy. Great Scot! by Suzanne Enoch Grade: B- …
A Winter’s Earl is a big, loud, crashing melodrama of a book. The romance between our heroes is, to a degree, disappointingly gaslighty – and you’ll have to accept a number of things about their relationship if you want to fully indulge in this story. A few redemptive touches keeps this away from D territory,…
Manda Collins’ A Lady’s Guide series adds another chapter with the romantic historical mystery A Heiress’ Guide to Deception and Desire, which gives us Caroline and Val’s story. The memorable heroine and fun mystery helped put this one above a C for me, but a lack of true originality holds it back from an A….
The Wedding Wager has a bright sense of humor and a decent sense of character building. But its plotting is nonsensical, its research lacking, and the fact that it’s wallpapery and a little too modern in its thinking make it a low priority. It doesn’t have the spark to reach a DIK-level read, and unless…
Not Quite a Marriage is all about the longing. Two estranged spouses try to work their way back to one another under a rain of misunderstandings and Bennet’s plumy prose ably guides the way, moving this reader utterly in the process. Philadelphia – Delphie – Burnett has one sanctuary to her name – Beechcombe Park,…
Virginia Heath has been one of my favourite authors of historical romance since I read her second book (Her Enemy at the Altar) for Mills & Boon/Harlequin back in 2016. Her stories are generally light-hearted and a lot of fun although not without a more serious side, her characters are well-rounded and engaging, her prose…
The Brides of London is a combined reissue of the first two books in Vanessa Riley’s Advertisements for Love series, The Bittersweet Bride and The Bashful Bride. If you already own both books, then naturally you won’t want to splurge on it, but for neophytes to Riley’s work this will likely be a mixed treat,…
The Devil’s Own Duke is the second book in Lenora Bell’s Wallflowers vs. Rogues series. It features Lady Henrietta Prince, a woman determined to save her family’s vineyards, and Ash Ellis, a man claiming to be next-in-line to her father’s title. When the two are forced to marry, a battle of wills begins. While this…
Janice Preston concludes her Lady Tregowan’s Will series with The Penniless Debutante, about a lovely lady who may have the most difficult bequest of all to deal with after her benefactress’ death. Some stiff writing and predictable plot points keep this one from soaring too high, but it’s a nice romance with a likable hero…