Marsha Canham’s work is nothing if not painstakingly researched and beautifully actualized. The Mark of the Rose brings us back to the 1200s with ease, then flashes us forward to the present day, taking us into the lives of one special woman and her ancestor. But the two halves of its story don’t feel truly…
Nothing gives you instant gratification like reading a short story anthology. One hour and – boom! – you’ve already finished a book! No need to tell others it was only sixty-two pages, natch! Beach Hut Surprise Anthology by Louise Allen, Lesley Cookman, Liz Fielding, Joanna Maitland, Sarah Mallory and Sophie Weston is great place to…
I was a small child during the last years of the Vietnam War era, and unlike the hero and heroine of Christmas Presents and Past, have no first hand memories of the conflict or the political upheaval it caused. Learning about the events through their eyes has given me a new appreciation for this period…
This book was pulled by the authors for editing. We will relist it when it is again available. Star Crossed, the fourth volume in Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner’s Fly Me To the Moon series, is the the well-told and quite lovely tale, set in the early 1960s, of a mathematician and an would-be…
If ever there was an absolute necessity to ignore the title, this is it. I saw the title, and I thought, “Ooh, light, frothy, funny story by two humongously competent authors! Bring it on.” I scored 50% with that assumption: Ms. Bradley and Ms. Donovan work magic, but frothy this book is not. It does…
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine is the fifth entry in Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series. I’m a big fan of the books and enjoyed this entry a great deal. Just like the rest of the series, the book features a blend of a stand-alone European historical romance and a continuation of the chick lit…
My first taste of the holiday anthology lot for this year and it wasn’t too bad. An Enchanted Season has two standout pieces which made this moderately overpriced collection worth it for me. Let’s hope there are more where they came from.
Eloise Kelly is still digging up information on nineteenth-century spies and swooning over Colin Selwick in The Deception of the Emerald Ring, third in Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series. While investigating the Pink Carnation’s involvement in the quashing of the Irish rebellion of 1803, Ellie comes across another story of a couple who furthered England’s…
Long time historical romance author Suzanne Enoch combines her Regency-set franchise along with her newer contemporary series in this above-average combo themed around a large diamond pendant rumored to be cursed.
In romances I do not usually expect in-depth discussions of current political or social problems. Some elements may be necessary, but not so much as to overshadow the romance. Still I was curious when opening Hot Desert Nights to what extent the authors permit realities of the present relationship between Western and Arab countries to…