Elisabeth Hobbes dips her toes into the historical fiction side of the writing pool with Daughter of the Sea, the tale of a foundling and the woman who takes her in. This pretty, lyrical tale is honest and lovely, with some perfect prose imagery. Effie Cropton has a sailor husband and an infant son named…
Set in nineteenth-century Wales, Kate Bateman’s A Reckless Match is an entertaining frenemies-to-lovers romance between scions of two noble families who have been enemies for so many hundreds of years that no-one now alive can remember the reason for that enmity. The humour and effortless banter between her leads are things I’ve always appreciated about…
The Welsh Blades series is darker and significantly more complex than most of the historical fare I read; its heroines are strong and powerful – far from cookie cutter in every way. Clever, complicated and thought-provoking, each of the novels in the series has engaged my heart and mind in equal measure, staying with me…
As a fan of medieval romances, I’m so, so excited to have discovered this buried treasure. Venetian nobleman Dante Chiaveri’s parents were murdered by his grasping uncle, so Dante and his sister fled to England, where Dante grew up to fill the role of the King’s Assassin. Everything is in place for Dante to return…
I’ve read a few books by Susanna Ives over the past couple of years and have come to the conclusion that she is at her best when she’s doing something a little different to the norm in historical romance. Her début novel, Rakes and Radishes turned the reformed rake trope on its head, and Wicked…
Fair, Bright, and Terrible is a companion to The King’s Man, the first of Elizabeth Kingston’s Welsh Blades books. It’s not absolutely necessary to have read that book first, although I found it helpful and would certainly suggest doing so to anyone interested in reading this one. Fair, Bright, and Terrible tells the story of…
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton A couple of months ago, Laura Kinsale announced on her website that although Nicholas Boulton had finished recording all her books (boo!) he was going to be recording some more historical romances (yay!) – “recent titles that I’ve loved and appreciated for their quality and emotional intensity”. That recommendation together with…
There are more and more older titles being put back into circulation as authors and publishers republish their back catalogues electronically, and I certainly enjoy being able to access such titles easily and without having to search used-book shops for dog-eared copies or pay a fortune in postage for those hard-to-find books I can only…
I haven’t read a book by Claire Delacroix in several years, which is odd since I very much enjoyed some of her Harlequin Historicals. The Beauty Bride isn’t as different and original as some of her Harlequins, but it was a good way to rediscover an old favorite. Lady Madeline of Kinfairlie has refused to…
The Secret Swan by Shana Abé contains several elements frequently found in those old-fashioned bodice-ripper-style romances: an innocent child bride, a tormented alpha hero who wrongs her, an adversarial relationship, a couple of Big Secrets. Abé magically weaves these not-so-promising threads together to create a story that’s both original and lovely. We first meet Lady…