If there is ever a self-help group for people who feel compelled to buy Christmas anthologies, I will be a charter member. Every year I seem to read one or two. The Regency anthologies are especially alluring to me. I’m not sure what draws me to them – maybe it’s all that mistletoe. This year’s…
Mary Balogh can create some of the most thoughtful, complex conflicts around. She can also write “Big Misunderstanding” plots that make you want to knock the main characters’ heads together. Unfortunately, The Last Waltz falls into the latter category. While the book is enjoyable for its charming setting and well-developed secondary characters, the gloom of…
There are Regencies, and there are Regencies. Let me explain. Being a 90’s woman, enjoying Regencies is a contradiction to my feminist sensibilities. I like them, and yet I think of women as equals to men and believe in strong heroines – not something that was acceptable in the Regency time period. There are Regencies…
When I read a book and find myself gasping with delight as I read it, I know I have found a gem! When I almost hyperventilated as I read Forbidden Magic, I knew it was a keeper. Meg Gillingham has been left in a fine mess by the death of her parents. She has two…
It’s obvious Eileen Putman has strong story-telling abilities. In Reforming Hariett, scenes flow nicely and images are vividly portrayed. Unfortunately, her main characters fall a little short of the mark. Lady Hariett is a widow, whose philandering husband owned stock in Lord Westwood’s business. Hariett has been selling some of this stock to help out…
“He was a totally sexual creature. Handsome as sin, sensual as silk. His name was Rejar…” For those who haven’t read it yet, I suggest you begin and finish Rejar while listening to Loreena McKennitt’s new CD, The Book of Secrets. You will then understand for the first time perhaps the full measure of the…
The mood of this book is set from the first sentence of the prologue, and it is obvious that Rightfully His is no light-hearted romp. Rather, it is a melancholy book with a complicated plot, deep emotions, and lots of family secrets. I found the plot and the characters fascinating. However, the writing is extremely…
Lord Carew’s Bride is a Regency Romance about a very unlikely couple. Though the hero is wealthy and titled, he is plain and hindered by a disability. The heroine is beautiful and popular, but she is avoiding love. It is magical to watch their initial friendship grow into love. Samantha Newman is visiting her friends…
Best Laid Schemes has everything you’d expect in a Regency. There are interesting characters, witty dialogue, and a fun house-party setting. It also has some things you wouldn’t necessarily expect, like a mischievous (and incontinent) monkey. It’s not a book that will change the world, but it’s a good, light read. Tarquin Rome, the Earl…
The Rakehell’s Reform has an extremely melancholy air about it, one which never goes away, even when good things happen. The sadness in the lives of Rakehell Jack Ramsay and bourgeoisie Selina Preston permeate every page of the book, so that there is never a sense of joy to be felt, and that includes the…