In Bride of Hearts by Janet Lynnford, romance grows amidst the gossip, danger, and political maneuverings of the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Matthew Cavendish, Baron Graystock, is a successful sea captain and a widower. Upon returning to England after two years at sea, he spies a lovely woman, Cordelia Wentworth, swimming in the Thames…
While I’m not a complete stickler for historical accuracy, I prefer that real historical figures, when present in a novel, are presented in an historically accurate fashion. For example, I wouldn’t expect Queen Elizabeth I to get married if her character were included in a story. After the death of King Henry VII in 1509,…
Some books can almost be summed up in a single word. For Michele Jaffe’s The Water Nymph, that word would be convoluted. Picture a rough draft of an Amanda Quick novel with the pages all mixed up, and you have The Water Nymph. <!– var browName = navigator.appName; var SiteID = 1; var ZoneID =…
At times, I wanted to throw tomatoes at the hero of Only in Your Arms. (This bad boy was so bad he was good.) At times, I wanted to pelt the heroine’s father with onions. Sometimes, the plot of seemed too busy. But darn it, I enjoyed this book, and recommend it heartily, flaws and…
I’m a picky reader. There, I’ve admitted it. When I pick up a book, I want professional writing, a plot that makes sense, interesting dialogue and characters that behave in a psychologically believable manner. Once and Forever has a fairly interesting plot. That, however, may very well be the only thing it has going for…
This book had such an intriguing premise. It seemed to have elements of Outlander, one of my all-time favorite books, and Highlander: The Series, an entertaining television show that no longer airs. What I found was a story that had promise but ultimately took too long to engage my interest. Amber MacPhee wakes up in…
When I first saw the title Nell, I pictured the wild-child title character from the Jodie Foster movie, and I was sure I would never get that mental picture out of my head. About fifty pages into the book, I had lost that mental picture entirely. I was so engrossed in the storyline that I…
Lately, I’ve begun to think that there’s nothing new under the romance sun; it seems that every time I pick up a romance, I find myself thinking, “Been there, done that, ho-hum.” Then I come across a book like Nell, and my faith is restored, replenished, renewed. I cannot say enough good things about this…
Think Georgette Heyer, and you automatically think Regency. And for the most part that’s a valid association. This remarkable storyteller penned many of the best-loved Regencies of all time, yet we often forget that she used other time periods, as well. And she did just as outstanding a job in bringing those eras to life…
this review is by Arnette Lamb The first time I read Border Lord, I was about twelve. I fell in love with both the Border Lord (Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell) and Sir Patrick Galbraith; and I loathed the Earls of Morton and Maitland (the king’s wicked advisers and Bothwell’s worst enemies), and wondered…