The Bone Garden was my book club book this month, and since Tess Gerritsen got her start in romance, I thought it might hold some interest for romance fans. Indeed, it has some romantic elements, but oddly, those are the book’s weaker elements; its medical and historical aspects are better written and more interesting. The…
I read a lot of fiction and romance set in the Regency, and besides the occasional storyline of a hero coming back from fighting Boney on the Peninsula, I never gave much thought to what else was going on in the world while Lady This and Lord That took a turn around the room. The…
I’m a sucker for a saga. That is what drew me to Gretchen Craig’s debut – Always and Forever. Taking into consideration that this is her first novel, I would say we should look forward to great things from Ms. Craig. My one issue is a big one, and that is what warranted the lower…
Apart from being incredibly annoyed back when I first read Reading the Romance, Janice Radway’s iconic look at romance novels and their readers, I was quite struck by the sheer number of readers who stated that they read romance because of the things they learned. Now, this is not one of the reasons I read…
Set in rural Tennessee at the close of the War of 1812, this touching romance features engaging characters and an unusual setting. Reardon Valley is home to a community of faith figuring in other novels by this author, and though,I’ve not ready of any of those earlier books, Echo of Hope stands well on its…
This book took me entirely too long to read. Or maybe it just seemed that way, because the main character we’re stuck with is simply no one with whom I had any wish to spend time. Combine that with the fact that out of the many plot threads, most are resolved rather abruptly, and almost…
When Strangers Marry is a re-do of Lisa Kleypas’s 1992 book, Only In Your Arms. I have that book in my TBR pile, and after reading this, I think I will dig it out and see what changes were made to the original. As for this one, I really enjoyed When Strangers Marry. Lisa Kleypas…
Much of the action of the War of 1812 took place around the Straits of Mackinac between Lakes Michigan and Huron, where a small fortified island was seized by the British. In 1814, the Americans attempted to take it back. Various Indian tribes sought to better their lot by siding with one or the other…
This book has everything it needs to be a success and yet it left me feeling disconnected. In fact, there’s very little I could point out as being intrinsically wrong with the book, and yet it didn’t work. How’s that for a vague statement? The “everything it needs” includes: Heroine – Beth Simmons, an appropriately…
It’s never easy to give a bad review, and this one is particularly difficult because the book in question represents an author’s life dream. Susan Elliston apparently spent fifteen years researching and writing Lafitte’s Lady before having it published by a vanity press called FirstPublish.com. I’m sorry to say that this book is awful. Tori,…