Halfway to Heaven is a book I’ll not soon forget, not only because it was a good book, but because of the circumstances under which I read it. I read it during a time of national tragedy, when I was stuck in another state, without my family. When I couldn’t watch the news anymore, I…
Back in the Gilded Age, American Society gathered to meet, show off, and choose their mates at a place that was as exclusive and rule-bound as Almacks in the regency period. That place was Newport, Rhode Island. A Perfect Wife is set in Newport and several historical figures play roles in this fascinating novel. Anne…
Nineteenth century New York was a place with as much decadence and grandeur as Regency London. It also had a host of recognizable settings and lots of famous characters to play walk-on roles. Betina Krahn’s Sweet Talking Man makes good use of this richness, taking readers everywhere from an upscale brothel, to a settlement house…
The Hostage is a wonderful book for folks who like a romance to develop slowly. It’s the story of two people who not only fall in love, but grow and change from the experience of knowing each other. The American characters are the best I’ve read in ages, because they are complex and insightful individuals,…
“I woke in such a good mood this morning. There was a dress floating about in my head; almost ready, almost there. Cream silk, the skirt trimmed with tiers and tiers of rough cream lace and the bodice tuckered but unadorned except for a single rose.” So begins 36-year-old Susanna Weber’s diary and Eva Ibbotson’s…
Wild at Heart has a most unusual romantic premise … and a hero who is not only heroic, but endearing as well. Patricia Gaffney’s writing is virtually word perfect, and simply glows. This is a very, very nice book. It’s 1893 Chicago, site of the World’s Fair. Sydney Darrow (I just loved her name), is…