Maddy Woodford is the Regency version of the woman who does too much. She cares for her orphaned half-siblings as if they were her own children, she keeps her modest house spotlessly tidy, and she helps the needy in her community. But Maddy doesn’t dream of having it all—she’s given up on finding a husband….
Just to let you know: It was really, really close. Sophia Hathaway is a spoiled, selfish, pampered heiress to social-climbing parents. At the beginning of the book she has abandoned her aristocratic fiance at the altar and, with her art supplies in one trunk and four dresses in another, she boards a ship for the…
Carla Kelly can do no wrong! It’s a rare treat to read a novel with the perfect blend of wit, charm, humility and intelligence. I could be referring to anything on Kelly’s backlist as they all fit the bill. But I am charged with reviewing Marrying the Captain. A sweeter job cannot be found. Like…
A Colonial American setting allows for strong, rugged heroes; nasty villains; situations fraught with danger; and any type of heroine one could imagine. Pamela Clare has taken advantage of this little-used time period to create a powerful story about two people who discover love despite war and betrayal. Amalie Chauvenet is the half Native American…
As a reader, I find myself quick to praise the new and innovative. However, sometimes a sweet, “comfort food” book comes along that just leaves me smiling. Wedded in a Whirlwind is just such a book. It does not reinvent the genre, but in a very limited number of pages, the author constructs a beautiful…
Janice Kay Johnson is one of my few auto-buy category romance writers. Snowbound not only reinforces her status, it moves the book to the top of my list for the author. The book begins with a vivid, terrifying drive through the Cascade Mountains. Fiona MacPherson, a teacher at a private high school in Portland, is…
Untouched, Anna Campbell’s sophomore effort, is a flat-out terrific book whose leading man has just landed on my short list for Favorite Hero of the year. Widow Grace Paget wakes up from a laudanum-induced sleep to find herself strapped to a table and in the company of a madman. After wandering around Bristol looking for…
I first read and loved Howl’s Moving Castle when it was published twenty years ago. In my umpteenth re-reading of the book for this DIK review, I realize I still love it as much as ever. It is, in my opinion, one of the best novels ever about finding yourself and about the nature of…
The newest entry in Jo Beverley’s Company of Rogues series features The Missing Rogue, Simon St. Bride who, when mentioned at all in previous books, has simply been “in Canada.” In The Rogue’s Return we finally learn what Simon has been doing all this time. While Simon’s family are traditional homebodies, he always wanted adventure,…
Jane Feather is a longtime favorite of mine. Even when her books are not complete hits (Almost Innocent and the Duncan Sisters trilogy, there’s something about the strength of her writing that gets me every time. When she is on her game, she skillfully intertwines historical fact, intrigue, and romance in a way that is…