Reissues of old titles usually produce grumbling from the AAR staff, as we see precious bookstore shelf space going to the umpteen-billionth reprint of titles by the usual select group of superstar authors. Not this time, though. For us, the news that Signet is bringing back Carla Kelly’s delightful – and surprising – Libby’s London…
I am convinced that Carla Kelly doesn’t have it in her to write a bad book, or even a mediocre one, and her latest effort only confirms that impression for me. One Good Turn marks her return after several years’ absence from publishing, and it carries all her trademarks: complex and sympathetic characterization, an unflinching…
When you read a book like The Spanish Bride you realize how essential a good conflict is to a romance. Everyone wants the hero and heroine to love each other, but if there is no realistic threat to them or any particular reason for them to be apart, then there’s no story. Spanish condesa Carmen…
Do not let the title of The Christmas Gift misguide you into thinking this book is only good during the holidays. Granted some plot points revolve around Christmas gifts and the story winds up nicely during the holiday season, but it’s more background flavor than content. Jack Princeton realizes that even though the wounds he…
I wanted to read Captain Cupid Calls the Shots by Elisabeth Fairchild because I was amused by the title. I quickly learned that the book, though it is quirky and more than a little odd, is not a comedy. A deep sense of melancholy pervades this love story between two wounded souls. Alexander Shelbourne was…
A great book is a always a welcome find but one recommended by a friend is even better. My Love, My Enemy is this kind of book. When her name was first mentioned to me, I thought, “Jan Cox Speas – who”? Now I think, “Jan Cox Speas – great author”! Everything about her writing…
Devil’s Wager is the third in a trilogy by Mary Spencer (following Dark Wager and Lady’s Wager). Set in England during the Regency period, Devil’s Wager is Lad’s story, who was introduced to us in the earlier books. Lad, an American who has his own prosperous property in Tennessee, has inherited an impoverished English earldom…
Midsummer Moon is one of the greatest, unacknowledged romantic comedy novels and a true Desert Isle Keeper. Of course, it’s written by Laura Kinsale, queen of the Dark, Tormented Romance, so a laff-out-loud book isn’t quite the first thing you’d expect from her. Ransom Falconer, Duke of Damerell, is looking for an eccentric, cranky old…
If you’re familiar with my reviews, you’ll know that I have never found the topic of adultery to be romantic and that I’ve emphasized my dislike for it as a theme several times. Having said that, it seems there is one possible exception to that rule – and I’ve found it in Lady Cat. Say…
Red, Red Rose is set primarily in Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars. With its rich historical and military detail, it is somewhat reminiscent of Mary Jo Putney’s Shattered Rainbows. It has an exciting sub-plot involving spies and treason, and it’s quite a good read. The only problem is that the romance too often takes a…