Tess Oliver’s Freefall is a great example of synergy. When I analyze each of the individual aspects of the story – character, plot, editing – I realize I shouldn’t like this book as much as did. But when put all together, this story with a creepy Sleeping With the Enemy vibe kept me turning pages…
It would be easy label Alexis Hall’s debut novel Glitterland as literary fiction masquerading as romance. The language he uses – his metaphors are often show stoppingly gorgeous – and his narrator, a bipolar depressive – beg to be read by those who dismiss genre fiction as lowly. The next time someone sniffs derisively at…
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton One of the first books I read when I got back into reading romance a few years ago was Flowers From the Storm. I remember being caught up in heart pounding fear for Jervaulx as he was mistreated in the asylum; of feeling rage on his behalf. I remember being so…
Cullinan delves into professional disappointment from two totally divergent viewpoints, one from a semi-professional football player and the other an internationally acclaimed ballet dancer. On the surface a man clad like a gladiator in football pads and gear and a man clad in tights and ballet slippers should be so far apart as to be…
Sometimes an author takes a risk, and has me hooked. This happened with Bonnie Dee’s new romance New Life, which features a hero with a mental disability. When I discovered that the first pages of the book were actually told from said hero’s point-of-view, my surprise doubled. Would it work? It did: The book proved…
What does it mean to be gay? If you’re an eighteen-year-old guy and your best friend turns you on, are you gay? If you’re straight and have a girlfriend but work for a gay-for-pay porn site having sex with other straight guys, are you gay? Lane tackles these and other weighty questions in the companion…
Gwendoline, Lady Muir, has been a secondary character in some of Mary Balogh’s most beloved books. Her story has been one hotly anticipated by fans. It can be hard to deliver under that kind of pressure, but Mary Balogh shows herself to be up for such a daunting task. Not only was I delighted with…
There’s something about a deeply emotional love story that just makes me want to savor it. That’s exactly what happened as I dug into When a Duke Says I Do. I discovered one of the most sweetly emotional stories I’ve read in ages and, even if it wasn’t perfect, it was a solid read and…
What a lovely book to break me out of my reading slump. Juliet Marillier’s single-title offering is a Medieval Irish Beauty and the Beast fantasy, with a small dash of history, a medium dose of romance, and a whole heap of bloody good storytelling. Caitrin is an unusual and beautiful young woman. She can read…
What does it take to make a seasoned romance reviewer say, “I’ve never seen that before?” I don’t know about you, but in my case a one-legged Polish heroine and a hero who cuts himself certainly did the trick. While I did wonder at times if this novel was too novel, I also really enjoyed…