I first read Shirley Busbee’s My Lady Vixen when I was 14 and became instantly obsessed with historical romances. It is my number one, all-time favorite novel. I have read and agreed with the other reviews of Busbee’s recent offerings and I too found them predictable and plodding (though without the brain-numbing prose of Kathleen…
Pity poor Evangeline Clemens. She was educated at a proper English academy where young ladies were taught “only to expect the conventional from life, and to be indignant when the extraordinary thrust itself upon them.” Evangeline is headed for Boston to become a governess. Along the way, however, the extraordinary abruptly thrusts itself upon her…
It is a rare Regency Romance indeed that can tackle adult issues while still maintaining the usual light, spirited Regency tone. With only a few caveats, The Storybook Hero does just that, giving me another author to add to my glom list. Octavia Hadley is penniless, and rather than foolishly turn her nose up at…
In general, pirate ships duke it out with harems for the Most Implausible Setting award, so it’s refreshing to read a pirate romance that seems a little more in touch with reality. Unfortunately, the reality of pirate ships seems to be long stretches of tedium interrupted by short bursts of activity. While it’s nice that…
Beast by Judith Ivory is one of my two all-time favorite romance books and also simply one of the best books I have ever read. When I read books or watch movies, afterwards I have a certain feel for them, a textural sensation. Beast has left me with one of the richest, most voluptuous “feels”…
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…
I hope I won’t need my fire extinguisher, but here goes – I found the romance in Titanic to be contrived and artificial. So when I began this book, a romance set aboard another real life doomed sea voyage, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Thank goodness Brenda Hiatt created the characters of Kent and…
When I first put my hands on Forbidden Passion I thought it was a piping hot love story in a Viking setting. Given my past experiences with the accuracy level of other Viking romances, I gritted my teeth in advance, but they quickly unclenched. This is one romance that gets the facts mostly right, and…
If you are a reader who has disliked science fiction or paranormal romances or never tried one, I would highly recommend this book to change your mind, or get you hooked for good on them! It’s definitely a book I’d take to a deserted isle. The heroine, Cidra de Arr, comes from a planet populated…
Think Georgette Heyer, and you automatically think Regency. And for the most part that’s a valid association. This remarkable storyteller penned many of the best-loved Regencies of all time, yet we often forget that she used other time periods, as well. And she did just as outstanding a job in bringing those eras to life…