Are you sick of Regencies where characters treat servants like their best buddies or where class distinctions are ignored? The Bachelor’s Bargain might be just the tonic you need. Be aware, however, that the heroine’s faith is a strong element in this book. This is, after all, a marriage of convenience story where the heroine…
When my kids were younger, I’d take them to the bookstore and tell them they could get a book – as long as it wasn’t a “gimmick book.” That meant anything that came with stickers, light-up buttons, figurines, cars, etc. You know, the ones they want because they want the toy, not the book. Some…
Why can’t all series romances be this good? I suppose I should be grateful that they aren’t, otherwise I would have to buy each and every one, every month and forgo such inconsequential things as food, clothing and shelter. Bad For Each Other is one of the best romances I have ever read and head…
Soulful Strut tells the tale of a woman wrongly imprisoned for many years who is now free after someone vouched for her innocence. Although it should have been an interesting story to match the cool title, the book’s very slow pacing drained away my interest. Monette never expected to leave prison. Fifteen years ago, the…
I’ve yet to be disappointed by Karen Robards, whether it be her modern-day romantic suspense or historical high-romance, because she creates engaging and lively books featuring fascinating heroes and heroines. Tiger’s Eye, an historical romance set in England at some time in the 1800s, kept me riveted to each page and featured what have become…
Romances set during and after the Civil War are scarce as can be these days, so I was really looking forward to Magnolia Creek, particularly as it is set in Kentucky, near where I live. While it has many qualities to recommend it, I found it sadly lacking in the main thing a romance novel…
Sometimes, the best revolutions are done quietly, without fanfare. Laura Paquet’s Miss Scott Meets Her Match is one such quiet revolution, a traditional Regency Romance that toys with its traditional constraints, while understanding its limits. The author uses some traditional Regency set-ups, but also takes a few liberties, resulting in something that is fresh to…
I began to read The Sword Maiden hoping to find a book that rose above the usual Scottish-set historical. If you’re also looking for a fresh take on this oft-used setting, I urge you to give Susan King’s latest a try. Although this is the third in the Maiden trilogy, the books seem to be…
Sometimes it can be hard to pinpoint which books are really getting a lot of buzz on the Internet. But when six AAR reviewers and editors (and publisher) independently buy two books by the same author over one weekend and four more rush out to get them in the next few days, well, that’s buzz…
Where Dreams Begin is the best historical romance I have read this year. This book really has it all – wonderful, vivid characters, an ambitious conflict, an engaging plot, and a tear-jerker of an ending. And it’s all written in a style that is absolutely flawless. Lady Holly Taylor is a widow just coming out…