Aneca's World

Play of Passion - Nalini Singh

2012-02-14T10:33:00.000Z

In his position as tracker for the SnowDancer pack, it's up to Drew Kincaid to rein in rogue changelings who have lost control of their animal halves- even if it means killing those who have gone too far. But nothing in his life has prepared him for the battle he must now wage to win the heart of a woman who makes his body ignite... and who threatens to enslave his wolf.

It amazes me how there are 10 books already out in this series when it seems it was only yesterday that I started reading it. After a break in reading, and the prompting of a friend, it was good to get back to these characters.

Play of Passion was great to make the SnowDancer pack better known. I loved knowing more about them as a pack. However I am pretty fascinated by the Ghost storyline and I must say that one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much was that it gave us more insight on what the Psy are doing and how they are being fought by the other races (species?)

I did like Indigo and Drew while they were secondary characters, they were nice enough here but didn't reach favourite couple status for me. The conflict between them wasn't very big to begin with and Indigo ended up being too stubborn just to make it last longer. When I reached the middle of the book I was just hoping they would get on with it so I could read more about the Pure Psy, the Ghost and the Psy Councilors are planning for the future.

I did get my wish as we get to know more about those things and we get even more hints about Hawke and Sienna. Could I stop myself from picking up their book after this one? No, I couldn't!

So, while this one is not a favourite in the series, it was a good read due to all that we get to know about that fabulous world Singh created.

Grade: 3.5/5

What I've Been Watching - Game of Thrones

2012-01-31T14:05:00.000Z

And I have to bow and thank everyone who told me that I had to read the books. I resisted till now but after starting to watch the series and enjoying it so much I decided to pick them up. Thank you all!

Fallen - Karin Slaughter

2012-01-26T16:12:00.001Z

There’s no police training stronger than a cop’s instinct. Faith Mitchell’s mother isn’t answering her phone. Her front door is open. There’s a bloodstain above the knob. Her infant daughter is hidden in a shed behind the house. All that the Georgia Bureau of Investigations taught Faith Mitchell goes out the window when she charges into her mother’s house, gun drawn. She sees a man dead in the laundry room. She sees a hostage situation in the bedroom. What she doesn’t see is her mother. . . .

"You know what we’re here for. Hand it over, and we’ll let her go."

When the hostage situation turns deadly, Faith is left with too many questions, not enough answers. To find her mother, she’ll need the help of her partner, Will Trent, and they’ll both need the help of trauma doctor Sara Linton. But Faith isn’t just a cop anymore -- she’s a witness. She’s also a suspect.

The thin blue line hides police corruption, bribery, even murder. Faith will have to go up against the people she respects the most in order to find her mother and bring the truth to light -- or bury it forever.

I'm not only behind in reading books... I haven't had the time to write about them too. To be honest I don't think I'll ever be a frequent blogger (as in posting something every day) again. The day just doesn't have enough hours for everything I have to do. Fallen, by Karin Slaughter, was a book I read in August 2011 (thank you Goodreads!) and just now I am finding the time to write a review.

Slaughter is very good at finishing her stories, meaning that when I finished Broken I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one - Fallen. It's like that after all of her books really, right now I'm looking forward to the next one.

In a way I think I loved this one even more than Broken. It has a very convoluted story, the action is very fast paced, there are plenty of surprise twists and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Faith has been Will's colleague in past stories and now is the main character in this one. I never really had an opinion about her, she seemed nice enough but I never thought her intriguing as I do Will or his boss Amanda Wagner. Here we get to know a bit more about all of them and a lot more about Faith.

In Fallen, Faith finds that her mother's house became a crime scene and that her mother is missing and possibly hurt. She deals with the men she finds on the scene and from then on the police is involved and launches an investigation about what happened. Trying to protect her family Faith pursues her own investigation and soon it becomes apparent that the answer may be in her mother's past. The book does have a lot of characters and subplots that get a bit confusing at times but I read it in one sitting as I was so curious to find out what was going to happen next. The level of violence is high as gangs are intent on marking their territory and corrupt cops are involved in shady dealings.

I do have two complaints though, I did not like the story that motivated all the action, I won’t mention it here what because it would be a huge spoiler but I think Evelyn could have made other choices. And then Sara doesn't appear as much as I would like. But I did like when she appeared and I want to know how her situation is going to be resolved.

Ms. Slaughter please, in your next book, I want as much action as in this one but with a lot more Sara. Thank you!

Grade: 4.5/5

Book Challenges

2012-01-04T22:18:00.001Z

I used to be a challenge's enthusiast but in 2011 I missed all goals... I have been toying with the idea of joining just one challenge and I have decided to join Historical Tapestry's Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. Not only because I am a member of that blog's team (I didn't join last year) but because I really have been in the mood for some HF.

Since I'm not sure how much time I'll have I'm joining at the Struggling the Addiction level and try to read 10 books. If you want to join me (and a whole lot of other booklovers) you can find the challenge post here and the post for the January reviews is already up!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T12:43:00.001Z

2011 in Review

2011-12-31T13:57:00.000Z

I have sadly only read 13 books this year. There were so many things to do after the twins were born that time flew by and not only I didn't have time to read any more but I also forgot about what books were coming out that I wanted to keep an eye on.

Looking at my list I see my mood lead me to read mostly historical fiction and mysteries. Definitely two of my favourite genres that are usually combined with romance fiction but not so this year. My favourites for the year are The Black Pearl by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, A Vision of Light By Judith Merkle Riley and the two books I've read by Karin Slaughter, Broken and Fallen.

My least favourites, sadly there were those too, were Secrets of the Tudor Court by D.L. Bogdan and Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy, Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan. I think I may give the Tudor's a rest in the near future but I know I won't resist a few more Austen themed books.

I have no idea how 2012 will be in terms of reading. I've decided not to do any reading resolutions because it may well be that I wont have time to fullfill them. I would love to know, though, what great books I missed in 2011 and what should I keep an eye on in 2012. So, if you are in a mood to recommend something I'll gladly take notes...

Tank you for being there even when I haven't posted much and have a great 2012!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-25T11:04:00.002Z

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T16:00:00.001Z

Victoria & Albert Decorate the Christmas Tree

Illustration from Godey's Lady's Book, December 1860.

May you get to spend your Christmas Eve surrounded by your family and friends and may this be a time of Peace, Happiness and Joy! To me it will be a magical time, my first Christmas with the babies.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Thank God it's Christmas

2011-12-23T14:27:00.001Z

I can't resist christmas music at christmas and well... Queen were the best band ever!!!

Envious Casca - Georgette Heyer

2011-12-21T10:59:00.000Z

Murder Comes Home For Christmas

The halls of Lexham Manor were decked with holly, the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, and the old Scrooge who owned the estate was stabbed in the upstairs bedroom. For Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard 'twas the season to find whodunit. All six holiday guests had a motive to commit murder. But not one of them could have entered the locked room to do it. And Hemingway soon discovered that this time the proof wasn't in the pudding. It was a turkey of a play, a ham performer, and a plum of an inheritance...

Although I consider myself a Georgette Heyer fan the truth is that, till now, I had only read some of her Regencies and Georgian novels. This was my first mystery by her and presents a totally different style. It's a contemporary (it was first published in 1941) whodunit!

Several members of the Herriard family and their friends meet at an english country house to celebrate Christmas. While they all attend, no one seems particularly fond of the others or happy to be spending time in their company. The head-of-the family, and owner of the country house, is a tyrannical old man who doesn't seem to get along with his family members. In fact when he is found dead in a locked room it seems many of them had a reason for murder. Enter Inspector Hemingway and a few fellow policemen to interrogate everyone and solve the case.

Despite loving mysteries, and most of the other Heyer's I've read I have to confess that this was not an easy read. I had some trouble at first remembering all the characters and their relationship with each other and the dead man. Then the characters were disagreeable and quarrelsome, the servants were equally disagreeable and uninteresting and I actually had to force myself to continue reading.

I am glad that I did though because in the end I rather liked the way how Inspector Hemingway found the culprit. I am sorry though that we didn't get to spend more time with him. I like to have a main character that I may like and follow through the story and he was the prime candidate, as the one investigating, but we never get more than a glimpse of his past life.

The final twist with the book connection was quite funny though, it felt the answer was there all along and we were just too blind to see it. And that not everyone was as silly as it seemed.

I do plan to read other Heyer mysteries in the future but I do hope they will be easier reads than this one and with more interesting stories.

Grade: 3/5

A Christmas Grace - Anne Perry

2011-12-19T11:12:00.000Z

With Christmas approaching, Emily Radley, Charlotte’s sister is suddenly called from London to be with her dying aunt. Alone, she makes the journey to Connemara, on the west coast of Ireland. A tragic legacy haunts this close-knit community and a lone shipwreck survivor threatens to unlock old wounds, but also to offer a solution to an old crime and bring peace and resolution to the community.

For a couple of years now that Anne Perry's Christmas books have been a favourite read of mine during the Holiday Season. They are historical mysteries, usually featuring characters of her most famous series, and they deal with themes like redemption, forgiveness, love, family bonds... all those feelings usually related to the festive period.

In A Christmas Grace the main character is Emily Radley, Charlotte Pitt's sister (from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series). Despite looking forward to the Christmas season in London, she finds herself travelling to Connemara in Ireland at the request of an estranged Aunt who is gravelly ill.

Aunt Susannah leaves in a coastal village and soon Emily gets to meet its few inhabitants. There's a general sense of fear over a coming storm and Emily can't help but wonder why they are so worried. When the storm finally comes there is a shipwreck and only one man is saved. The villagers reaction leaves Emily puzzled until she finds out that 7 years before another ship was wrecked and another man was saved... one that was later murdered by someone from the village... Susannah's request is that Emily discovers who did murder that man 7 years ago so that peace can come to te village once more.

Emily, who had been missing the mysteries she was involved in with her sister in the past, starts her own investigation of who the victim was and what might have lead to his murder. She gets to know the people and their secrets and eventually follows a trail left by Susannah's late husband to know more about what really happened.

Although this was an easy and fast read I have to say that I found it less moving and interesting than previous stories in this same series. The mystery was a bit thin, we don't get to know the victim very well, there was little suspense involved and in the end it felt a bit unresolved. Perry's description of the scenery was ver interesting but the characters never really came alive. I think there should have been more about Aunt Susannah, her past with her husband and something about the celebration of Christmas.

Grade: 3/5

What I've Been Watching - Downton Abbey

2011-11-30T23:19:00.001Z

One of the best period dramas I've watched lately. It has a great cast, lovely wardrobe and interesting characters. Now I can't wait for season 2 to be aired...

Getting Ready For the Christmas Season...

2011-11-26T18:30:00.000Z

... the tree will only be up on Dec 1 but I am already seeing the first Christmas adverts on TV and online. isn't this one just lovely?

Secrets of The Tudor Court - D. L. Bogdan

2011-11-12T23:26:00.003Z

When young Mary Howard receives the news that she will be leaving her home for the grand court of King Henry VIII, to attend his mistress Anne Boleyn, she is ecstatic. Everything Anne touches seems to turn to gold, and Mary is certain Anne will one day become Queen. But Mary has also seen the King's fickle nature and how easily he discards those who were once close to him. . .

Discovering that she is a pawn in a carefully orchestrated plot devised by her father, the duke of Norfolk, Mary dare not disobey him. Yet despite all of her efforts to please him, she too falls prey to his cold wrath. Not until she becomes betrothed to Harry Fitzroy, the Duke of Richmond and son to King Henry VIII, does Mary finds the love and approval she's been seeking. But just when Mary believes she is finally free of her father, the tides turn. Now Mary must learn to play her part well in a dangerous chess game that could change her life--and the course of history

I just can't resist books where the author grabs a little known historical character and writes a story, within history, for her. That's why I decided to pick this one up. The main character here is Mary Howard, the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. As his nieces Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard she will also be a pawn in her father´s plans to maintain his powerful position with the King.

Unfortunately I didn't find Mary all that appealing as a character. She was a bit too good to be true and she endures too much to be true. Well about that last part maybe her father is too bad to be true. Norfolk is painted as a true villain who spends his time abusing women. Mary's mother first - he even beats her while she is in labor - and eventually Mary herself. All this written with modern of undertones, suggesting a pattern of domestic violence which, although I'm sure it happened in other eras, sounded too contemporary in its description.

Despite how he mistreats her and controls her life, making her miserable, Mary still loves her father and ends up being a victim of his schemes one time after another. I felt that went on for too long and that Mary never really rises from being a victim to being her own woman. I ended up thinking Norfolk was one creepy man and vowed to stay away from books about him in the future.

History wise, the background of this story is a well known one. The story of Henry VIII and his wives has been the main or secondary interesting of many historical fiction novels and I think Bodgan failed to bring us something different with this one. All that plotting for power on Norfolk's part is well known and it ended up not being enough to capture my interest and make me ignore who I didn't love Mary.

Lovers of the Tudor period might find this one an interesting read, because it is from a minor character point of view, but lovers of "meatier" historical fiction will probably find it a bit too light and, eventually, a bit disturbing.

Grade: 2/5

Broken - Karin Slaughter

2011-10-23T21:52:00.002Z

When the body of a young woman is discovered deep beneath the icy waters of Lake Grant, a note left under a rock by the shore points to suicide. But within minutes, it becomes clear that this is no suicide. It's a brutal, cold-blooded murder. All too soon former Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton - home for Thanksgiving after a long absence -- finds herself unwittingly drawn into the case. The chief suspect is desperate to see her but when she arrives at the local police station she is met with a horrifying sight -- he lies dead in his cell, the words 'Not me' scrawled across the walls. Something about his confession doesn't add up and deeply suspicious of the detective in charge, Lena Adams, Sara immediately calls the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Shortly afterwards, Special Agent Will Trent is brought in from his vacation to investigate. But he is immediately confronted with a wall of silence. Grant County is a close-knit community with loyalties and ties that run deep. And the only person who can tell the truth about what really happened is dead.

I love mystery and suspense, I don't mind blood and gore as long as it is a good story. Because of that Karin Slaughter has become one of my favourite writers. I've had little time to read these past few months but as soon as I got my hands on her latest books I knew I had to read them.

Broken is book 2 in the Georgia series. We meet Sara Linton and Will Trent again and they go back to Sara's hometown when a murder suspect asks to see her. I think it is a sign of Slaughter's skill that after so many murders she can still surprise me with the who's and the how's. A young girl found dead. A boy that was once Sara's patient is accused of the crime and repeatedly asks for her. He dies before that happens but Sara realises that he couldn't have been the murdered and that Grant County's Police Force seems to have changed, and not for the best, since Jeffrey was police chief.

Sara and Will start to investigate about what really happened. I loved Will's investigative methods but I have to say that Sara seemed more worried about finding a way to blame Lena. What they uncover is surprising...

However I think the story's biggest interest ends up being (spoiler alert, move of the mouse over the text if you want to read it) Sara and Lena's reunion after Jeffrey's death (this for those who have been reading this series) and Sara's relationship with Will. I really like Will, I want more of him in future books. It's kind of fun to see how awkward he and Sara are with each other. (spoilert alert) I think it's past time she accepts Jeffrey isn't there anymore but that she can be happy again and Will definitely has to get rid of Angie. She keeps using him and hurting him every time she shows up. I also really liked the scenes with Sara's mom and Will, she is one great lady!

Although in the end there's no big dramatic scene between Sara and Lena, and I don't think she is as bad as Sara paints her, I am undecided on whether she will be returning in future books or not. I'm curious about her future, and the company she keeps, but at the same time I am hoping that that side of the story has been put to rest and that we can continue in another direction.

After this it is no surprise that I had to start Fallen next, is it?

Grade: 4/5

East of The Sun Julia Gregson

2011-10-17T14:19:00.000Z

Summer 1928. The Kaiser-i-Hind is en route to Bombay. In Cabin D38, Viva Holloway, an inexperienced chaperone, is worried she's made a terrible mistake. Her advert in The Lady has resulted in three unsettling charges to be escorted to India.

Rose, a beautiful, dangerously naive English girl, is about to be married to the cavalry officer she has met only a handful of times. Victoria, her bridesmaid, is determined to lose her virginity on the journey, before finding a husband of her own in India. And overshadowing all three of them, the malevolent presence of Guy Glover, a strange and disturbed schoolboy.

Three potential Memsahibs with a myriad of reasons for leaving England, but the cargo of hopes and secrets they carry has done little to prepare them for what lies ahead.

From the parties of the wealthy Bombay socialites to the poverty of the orphans on Tamarind Street, East of the Sun is everything a historical novel should be: alive with glorious detail, fascinating characters and masterful storytelling.

This book was recommended to me a while back by both Marg and Alex. When I found a copy I immediately decided I had to take it home with me and so I did. Unfortunately I didn't chose the best of times to read it, this was the last book I read before being admitted to the hospital to have the twins so my mind was frequently elsewhere.

Having said that I have to confess that to me reading this book was not the joyous experience I was expecting after reading Marg's review. It might be my mood at the time or just that the writing didn't move me but I felt no empathy for any of the characters and if I am not interested in the characters I always have to struggle to finish it.

What interested me the most was the image of India, How the end of the British rule was fast coming to an end and not all the characters were aware that their lives would forcibly have to change. It's with a fast changing world that the three female characters - Viva, Rose and Tor - are confronted and each reacts in its own way, considering their own situations. Viva is returning to confront her past, Rose to marry a man she saw just a handful of times and Tor is determined to snatch a husband. They'll come out of the experience changed and stronger. Viva, especially, has a particularly dificult situation has she has to deal with a mentally unstable young man that she is also chaperoning on the way to India.

It left me curious about other books set in India and I'll have to go check my TBR pile and see what's there.

Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy - Sharon Lathan

2011-10-15T14:18:00.002Z

Beginning on their wedding day, Darcy and Elizabeth are two people who are deeply in love with one another and are excited to begin their marriage.

Their courtship was tempestuous; misunderstandings and misgivings nearly tore them apart. But now that they’ve seen each other without prejudice, their trust, attraction, and delight in each other grows with every passing day. Both are inexperienced and innocent, sharing moments of shyness and boldness as they discover the kinds of intimacies that a newlywed couple shares.

As their love story unfolds, they reveal their innermost secrets and feelings, embracing each other in a marriage filled with romance, passion, humor, and drama that will keep you spellbound.

I think that everyone that loves Jane Austen's characters often wonders what happened to them after the ending of Pride and Prejudice. Sometimes, when I am afflicted with such thoughts, I can't resist picking up one of the sequels written by contemporary authors about such beloved characters. This time it was this Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy.

The author mentions how she was inspired to write this after seeing, and loving, the movie version of P&P. Being of the BBC TV series I was immediately worried... but I did enjoy some things in the movie version so I continued.

In the end my main problem with it was not that it was inspired by the movie but that the characters seemed so much different from how Jane Austen wrote them. Not only that but that there is the lack of a strong plot and Lizzy and Darcy spend most of their time in bed. There's no conflict to be solved, no growth in their relationship, the pacing is very slow... towards the end the author introduces a villain but by then it was too late, I think, to save the story.

Readers loving light romance novels with a high count of sex scenes may enjoy this one but, as an Austen sequel, it is not one I would recommend.

The Black Pearl - Cynthia Harrod Eagles

2011-10-13T09:22:00.000Z

In the Morland Dynasty series, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family. It is 1659, and the bleak years of Cromwell’s Protectorate are drawing to a close. Civil war and its aftermath have left Morland Place in bad case, but with the return of the king, Ralph, the master, believes he can rebuild its fortunes. For his beautiful and ambitious cousin Annunciata it means a journey to London where, embroiled in the amours and intrigues of Charles’ Court, she makes her fortune and at last unlocks the secret of her past. A kinder age is dawning, but still uncertainty, conflict, and sorrow await both Ralph and Annunciata before they can find peace and forgiveness.

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles continues the story of the Morland family using English history has the background. This entry is volume number five and has the previous ones it has a female Morland as the main character. This time it is Annunciata Morland, Ruth's daughter.

Annunciata never met her father, in fact no one, except her mother, knows of her parentage. That, however, doesn't stop her from being a proud and arrogant young woman who loves to be the center of attention and to belittle her less fortunate cousins. My least favourite Morland heroine used to be Eleanor, in book one, but Annunciata just won the title.

As a young adult, she travels to the newly restored court of King Charles II where she is celebrated as a beauty, finds love, has children and her heart is broken more than once. Part of the story follows Annunciata's adventures at court and her discovery of her true parentage, while another follows Ralph and the rest of family who now live in reduced circumstances.

As in the previous books of this series, I think the author did a very good job with the historical background. The Morlands are fictional but it's very easy to imagine them has a real family. She even manages to create a tie with the royal family that doesn't sound too forced and definitely keeps things interesting. The same detail is applied to how people lived, loved, worked...

Annunciata doesn't have an easy life but in the end she finds happiness. That is more than what can be said of some of the other characters... Overall I think this is a fast read wich allows us to learn a bit about the Restoration period in England.

Grade: 4/5

Jane Austen Made Me Do It - Edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

2011-10-11T09:50:00.000Z

Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart

Edited by Austenprose’s Laurel Ann Nattress and published just in time for the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense & Sensibility, JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart is an engaging collection of 22 never-before-published original short stories inspired by Jane Austen. The treasures in this volume include exclusive short fiction and reading group material from beloved bestselling authors Jo Beverley, Syrie James, Adriani Trigiani, and Lauren Willig; top Austen sequel writers Pamela Aidan, Elizabeth Aston, Amanda Grange, Alexandra Potter, and Laurie Viera Rigler; mother and daughter (Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway) and husband and wife (Frank Delaney and Diane Meier) teams; and a brand new voice in Austenesque fiction—Brenna Aubrey, the recently announced Grand Prize winner of a short story contest hosted by Ballantine Books, Austenprose, and the highly trafficked Austen fan site The Republic of Pemberley (Pemberley.com).

When I was asked to review this book I was very excited. I love Jane Austen's books and I just can't resist reading sequels and spinoffs because I love revisiting the characters.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It is an anthology including many different stories. There are contemporary stories and historical ones. There are sequels and there are spinoffs. And there are stories about Jane Austen and her family. The fact that the stories are so varied makes it easy to appeal to readers, there's something for everyone. Maybe no one will love all of them but we will all find some to love.

I, happily, found a few. Even if historicals are my favourite genre I have also enjoyed some of the contemporaries. That has clearly something to do with my Jane Austen favourite. Stories connected or influenced by Persuasion are much more appealing to me.

The success of an anthology such as this also resides in the author's ability to write short stories. Not everyone can craft a well strutured story in a smaller format but some of the stories in this anthology are definitely winners. Without further ado, here are my favourites:

Jane and the Gentleman Rogue by Stephanie Barron

A regency mystery well done and interesting enough to make check out Barron's other boks that have Austen has chief detective. I wonder if the ain character in this storyappears in one of the others.

Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss by Jo Beverley

A lovely short story, set in Austen's time and written in traditional regency style. Lovers of regency romance have a small gem in this one.

Heard of You by Margaret Sullivan

I love to know what happens to interesting secondary characters and the Crofts (Persuasion) really deserved a story of their own.

Faux Jane by RJ Meiers

What happens when a couple decides to untangle the mystery of how a snobbish actress decides to buy an "autographed" Austen book, how an english lord lets himself be conned to save her.

The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey

A second chance story set in modern times and from a male point of view. I rather liked it's connection to Persuasion.

You might not enjoy the same ones I did but you will definitely find some stories to love. A must read for Jane Austen fans!

Thank you Laurel Ann and Random House for sending me a copy through NetGalley

For the Jane Austen fans out there...

2011-09-28T04:28:00.000Z

check it here

The reason why I've been absent...

2011-04-25T09:09:00.000Z

and why I don't know when I'll be coming back to blogging...

A Vision of Light - Judith Merkle Riley

2011-02-11T08:45:00.002Z

Margaret of Ashbury wants to write her life story. However, like most women in fourteenth-century England, she is illiterate. Three clerics contemptuously decline to be Margaret’s scribe, and only the threat of starvation persuades Brother Gregory, a Carthusian friar with a mysterious past, to take on the task. As she narrates her life, we discover a woman of startling resourcefulness. Married off at the age of fourteen to a merchant reputed to be the Devil himself, Margaret was left for dead during the Black Plague. Incredibly, she survived, was apprenticed to an herbalist, and became a midwife. But most astonishing of all, Margaret has experienced a Mystic Union—a Vision of Light that endows her with the miraculous gift of healing. Because of this ability, Margaret has become suddenly different—to her tradition-bound parents, to the bishop’s court that tries her for heresy, and ultimately to the man who falls in love with her.

Although I've found some pretty strong women in the medieval stories I read this is the first time where one convinces a man to use his time and skills to tell a woman's story. Just that premise alone intrigued me and kept me glued to the pages.

The story we are told is Margaret of Ashbury's tale. She is married to a wealthy London merchant and a voice as told her to write her story. Since she can't write she has to find someone who will and her husband indulges her every desire.

She finds a destitute monk, Brother Gregory, who is willing to do it for coin and so starts the narration of her life story since she was a little girl. I did love the detail put in describing a woman's everyday life and the daily worries and thoughts that sometimes were so different from men's.

Margaret has a colourful life. She was married young to a beastly man who treated her badly, was abandoned on the side of the road after catching the black plague, learns a trade, joins a band of actors and moves to London where she leads a successful life as a midwife, is eventually accused of witchcraft but ends up being saved and marries her current husband.

While she tells all this to Brother Gregory they get to know each other and develop a relationship of sorts. She knows how cranky and easily provoked he can be and he eventually starts respecting her. The story deals with some serious aspects of the time but the author manages to include some humourous tidbits which make it a lighter reading than it otherwise would be.

I guess my only complaint is the supernatural aspects of the story. I can't help but being sceptic of such events and while they didn't bother me too much here on principle I would prefer not to have Margaret talking to God and having healing powers.

Grade: 4.5/5

The Silver Pigs - Lindsey Davis

2011-02-10T10:04:00.002Z

Rome. AD 70. Private eye Marcus Didius Falco knows his way around the eternal city. He can handle the muggers, the police and most of the girls. But one fresh sixteen-year-old, Sosia Camillina, finds him a case no Roman should be getting his nose into. Some friends, Romans and countrymen are doing a highly profitable, if highly illegal, trade in silver ingots or pigs. For Falco it's the start of a murderous trail that leads far beyond the seven hills.

Although I do read a lot of historical mysteries the Roman period is not one I often find in the stories I read. That is one of the reasons I was curious about this one but, I think, also one of the reasons why it took me so long to get into the story.

The plot revolves around silver ingots (the silver pigs the title refers too) and who has been trading them illegally. However I have to say I was much more interested in Didius Falco and the characters he meets and that surround him than the mystery itself of who was trading them.

In the beginning of the story Falco meets a young girl, Sosia Camilina. When she is killed he vows to find who did it and discovers that her death is related with the ingots. Sosia belonged to a noble and powerful family and Falco ends up being hired by her uncle to discover what is going on. That will take him to Britain where he meets Sosia Camilina's cousin, Helena Justina, and unfortunately for him to work as a slave in the mines.

Falco and Helena hate each other at first sight but that will eventually evolve to another king of relationship. I did like both of them immensely but especially Helena, she was tough, sharp-tongued and fun. She and Falco will eventually work together and will find out who did kill Sosia Camilina but also who is behind a plot against Emperor Vespasian.

Falco moves easily between the lower ranks of society and the more powerful families thus giving us interesting observations of the roman society. He also has an interesting family and his mom and niece are added as colourful secondary characters.

An interesting, and sometimes funny read that is worth the time spent with it.

Grade: 4/5

The Boyfriend School - Sarah Bird

2011-02-04T09:47:00.001Z

Gretchen Griner is an underpaid, underappreciated photographer for the Austin (that’s Texas) Grackle, part-time lover of Peter Overton Treadwell III (known as “Trout”), and major consumer of Cup O’ Soup. That is, until she meets Lizzie Potts—otherwise known as Viveca Lamoureaux, romance writer extraordinaire. Lizzie has a plan for Gretchen’s life—and it includes Lizzie’s brother Gus. But Gretchen has her own plan, and it does not feature a “wispy goon” named Gus. Of course, fate also has a plan for Gretchen, and it doesn’t care what Gretchen wants. So Lizzie will give Gretchen Gus, Gus will give Gretchen the man of her dreams, and among this oddball cast of marvelous misfits, someone just may discover the secret to true romance.

Another book that I had heard much about but that left me completely cold. It's part chick lit and part romance - a very over the top romance. I am yet to decide if what bugged was that it is so unbelievable - really who stays at a crappy job like the one Gretchen has and with a crappy boyfriend like hers? - or if my problem was that half the characters were misleading the other half - really who comes up with a plan like Lizzie's??

The fact that both the romance novelists seemed so plainly caricatures also didn't make me grow fonder of the story. I understand that humour is a very personal thing and I guess I am just not made for this type of humour.

I did read it till the end because despite it all I really liked Gus - even if he went along with that awful plan - and couldn't see what Gretchen thought was so bad about him. In the end I was undecided if she should kick his butt because of what he did or if he should just find someone else because of how shallow she proved to be.

Still, so many people seem to love it that you might enjoy it more than I did.
Grade: 3/5

Sweet Memories - LaVyrle Spencer

2011-02-03T08:47:00.025Z

Ever since Theresa Brubaker had hit adolescence, everyone she met focused on her newly voluptuous body. The unwanted attention made her painfully self-conscious, introverted and shy. Then, one Christmas, her brother arrived home for the holidays with an army buddy.

Brian Scanlon was different; he looked at her eyes, not her chest, and he seemed truly interested in her. With his gentle attention, he brought Theresa out of her shell. She felt alive for the first time in years.

But soon Theresa faced a decision that could free her forever…and tear them apart.

I started this book with some expectation because it seemed to approach a different subject than what you usually see in romance. Usually heroines feel bad because they are not enough endowed not because they are too endowed.

I could understand some of Theresa's problems like choosing the clothes that cover the most, always try to hide her chest and how she slowly reacted to Brian. However I think the book felt dated in some particular areas - like Theresa's relationship with her parents or her mother's vision of her own body and how Theresa should deal with hers. Also we are never given any particulars of how big is Theresa's problem; we just have to hear description after description of how bad it looked and how much she suffered because of it.

While I am all in favor of surgery if that will help you deal better with your image and self esteem I definitely felt the problem was treated a bit lightly and that better communication between Theresa and everyone else in her family, including Brian, would definitely be a good thing.

Having said that I found it an interesting read, but not an outstanding one.

Grade: 3.5/5

The Complaint of The Dove - Hannah March

2011-02-02T13:48:00.035Z

Georgian London, 1760. A world of high fashion and even higher spirits—but also of squalid back alleys, violent quarrels, and shadowy intrigues.

It is private tutor Robert Fairfax’s mission to see that troublesome Matthew Hemsley matures into a fine, young gentleman and that he comes to no harm during his first season in London. But Matthew is soon smitten with Miss Lucy Dove, the toast of Covent Garden’s stage. And, after saving her from a crazed attacker, he receives an invitation to Lucy’s private apartments. In the morning, she is found strangled—and Matthew is found on her doorstep in a drunken blackout.

Now, Fairfax must save his young pupil—and his own livelihood and reputation. For one thing, if Lucy already had a lover of great wealth and standing, why did she summon Matthew? For another—unless the real murderer is caught—Matthew will surely hang.

Hannah March is another pen name of author Jude Morgan. I had read and enjoyed a book by Morgan and I decided to give this one a god when I found out the author was the same.

The story has a bit of a slow start, in fact we have time to meet all the characters and their situations in life well before the murder happens. As soon as we meet Lucy I was waiting for her to die but the authors takes his time before letting that happen.

Robert Fairfax is an intriguing character, there's a mystery in his past but we also have to perservere with the reading before finding out what it is. When the book starts he is working as the tutor of a young man, Mathew Hemsley. Mathew is bright, honest and a gentleman. A bit too impulsive at times in face of injustice and a bit too naive in terms of love and romance which leads him to fall heads over heels in love with Lucy when he meets her.

When Lucy is found dead and he is found on her doorstep without a clear memory of what happened inside he is the most obvious suspect and Fairfarx will have to do all he can to get him out of jail. To do that he must launch an investigation of his own, folowing leads and suspicious people to find who Lucy Dove really was and who had most to gain with her death. I did like all the twists and turns the action took although sometimes I wish it had gone a bit faster. Another thing I really enjoy enjoyed was the atmospheric setting, not only the city of Lodon but also the descriptions of Newgate and other unsavory places was so well done that it seemed we were there.

Grade: 4/5

In The Midnight Rain - Ruth Wind

2011-02-01T07:37:00.031Z

Ellie Connor is a biographer with a special talent for piecing together fragments of the past. Her latest project, though, promises to be her most challenging-and personal. Not only is she researching the life of a blues singer who disappeared mysteriously forty years ago, but Ellie is also trying to find the truth about the parents she never knew. The love child of a restless woman who died young and an anonymous father, Ellie has little to go on but a faded postcard her mother sent from a small East Texas town-the hometown of her latest subject.Could Mean Finding Her Future

It is there that Ellie meets Blue Reynard, a man with deep roots and wide connections who may help her find answers. With a piercing gaze and cool grin, Blue is as sultry and seductive as the Southern night air. Beneath his charming surface, however, lies a soul damaged by loss. Despite her better judgment, Ellie finds herself irresistibly drawn to Blue's passion-and his pain. But Ellie's been lured by sweet talk and hot kisses before. How can she possibly stay with blue when every instinct tells her to run?

I have to start this review by saying that for a long time I heard the best things about this story. I had it on my TBR pile and each time I would look at it and think: hmm is it really that good? But I never felt compelled to pick it up till a few weeks ago. Well, I was completely blown away by it, I loved it and I am now wondering why I lost all that time without reading it...

I loved Ellie and what she did. Someone that loves music so much but that being unable to play has decided to write musician's biographies to spread that love sounds both interesting and romantic. When the object of her latest biography - a blues singer who vanished from the face of the earth - tales her to the small town where she believes she was conceived thirty something years ago Ellie can't resist trying to investigate the disappearance and at the same time discover the father she never knew.

Through the internet she meets Blue Reynard, another blues lover who ends up inviting her to spend that time in a spare cabin he has on his property. Ellie hesitates but since she is taking her dog along eventually agrees and relies on Blue's help to be introduced to the people who might help in both projects although she never reveals to anyone that her father may be a local and that she is looking for him.

The small town in Louisiana where the story is set is almost a character itself. A place where black and white people live side by side nowadays but that had a story of segregation in the past and that Wind describes with great detail from the hot, sultry nights to the forests and the orchids, the rain and bad weather and the blues music that seems to be everywhere. As Ellie and Blue spend more and more time together the sexual tension between them becomes more difficult to fight, and the atmosphere surrounding them just seems to heighten that. However Blue's troubled past doesn't make him a prime candidate for a HEA and Ellie hesitates in becoming involved with him.

Her main goal is still finding out what happened to Mabel and to discover who was her father and she is in for more than one surprise when she finally discovers what happened. There are many emotions in this wonderful story and it doesn't always makes it an easy and light read. However it is certainly a very engaging read and I was glued to the book till the last page. I loved it! I can't wait to find out if Ruth Wind has more books like this one published.

Grade: 5/5

Pardonable Lies - Jacqueline Winspear

2011-01-31T13:08:00.002Z

A deathbed plea from his wife leads Sir Cecil Lawton to seek the aid of Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator. As Maisie soon learns, Agnes Lawton never accepted that her aviator son was killed in the Great War, a torment that led her not only to the edge of madness but also to the doors of those who practice the dark arts and commune with the spirit world." Maisie accepts the assignment - determined to prove Ralph Lawton either dead or alive - and in doing so is plunged into a case that tests her spiritual strength, as well as her regard for her mentor, Maurice Blanche. The mission also brings her together once again with her college friend Priscilla Evernden, who served in France and who lost three brothers to the war - one of whom, it turns out, had an intriguing connection to the missing Ralph Lawton.

This is my third Maisie Dobbs mystery and my favourite so far. In this one Maisie ends up involved in three different mysteries - she tries to help a young girl charged with murder; she is hired to prove if a young aviator, Ralph Lawton, was actually killed during the war and her old school friend Priscilla asks her to find out how one of her brothers died in the war.

I think that what made me like this one so much is that there was a bit more of history here than in previous books. Maisie actually has to travel to France to find out the answers she needs and a lot is mentioned about life during the war. Then there seemed to be less of Maisie's "supernatural" powers in this one which, to me, is always a good thing. And her mentor Maurice Blanc seems to be more involved than we knew in the war's intelligence service.

There were strong characters, interesting plots and the mysteries were engaging although we could guess at a distance what had separated Ralph Lawton from his father and I think Maisie finding what happened to him involved quite a bit of luck. In the end my favourite resolution was the mystery of what happened to Priscilla's brother.

I am now looking forward to see how Maisie will do in future mysteries since she probably won't feel as close to Maurice as she did thus far.

Grade: 4/5

Hugh and Bess - Susan Higginbotham

2011-01-29T12:41:00.000Z

Forced to marry Hugh le Despenser, the son and grandson of disgraced traitors, Bess de Montacute, just 13 years old, is appalled at his less-than-desirable past. Meanwhile, Hugh must give up the woman he really loves in order to marry the reluctant Bess. Far apart in age and haunted by the past, can Hugh and Bess somehow make their marriage work?

Just as walls break down and love begins to grow, the merciless plague endangers all whom the couple holds dear, threatening the life and love they have built.

I've heard much about Susan Higginbotham's books but I had never tried any when this Hugh and Bess attracted my attention. I know that it is not her first book and that the first - The Traitor's Wife - is a sort of prequel to this story but since I already had this one I couldn't resist picking it up.

I did find it a nice, fast read. It is mostly a romance but with a strong historical background that gives you an idea of what was happening in England at the time. Besides the main families here - Montacute and Le Despenser - we see bit of the king, of Joan the Fair Maid of Kent and even of Isabella, the She-Wolf of France. Those parts were interesting and I was sorry not to have more historical detail.

Still, this is a sweet story of two people falling in love after they marry, much against the bride's wishes. How they get to know each other and start trusting each other before they manage to make their marriage work.

After reading this one I got curious about The Traitor's Wife and I have now added it to my WL.

Grade: 4/5

Mr Darcy's Diary - Amanda Grange

2011-01-28T07:35:00.022Z

Pride and Prejudice is the most popular romance of all time, and in this enjoyable retelling Amanda Grange allows us to see the events of Jane Austen's famous novel from Mr Darcy's point of view.

Scenes only hinted at in the original are here recorded in detail and brought to life as Darcy writes of his horror at discovering his sister's plans to elope with George Wickham, his efforts to separate Charles Bingley from Miss Jane Bennet and his disgust at having to arrange a marriage between George Wickham and Miss Lydia Bennet.

But, most satisfying of all, he discloses his feelings for Elizabeth. Darcy's Diary records the full story of their courtship, from initial hostility to their eventual love, before revealing a tantalizing glimpse of their early married life.

I was a bit worried about starting this Mr. Darcy's Diary. The only other book in this collection that I had read was Captain Wentworth's Diary and at the time I was less than impressed with it. Sometimes you form an idea, on your head, about a character and it's not always that the author can match that idea.

Fortunately I had no such problem here. This Darcy maybe not be the Darcy that Austen wrote but he is close enough for us to get a glimpse of that world and, even if we don't learn anything new, we leave entertained and wishing to revisit the original Pride and Prejudice.

The events are pretty much the ones described in P&P but from Mr. Darcy's perspective, this means we get a few more scenes, just over or mentioned but not seen in the original story. We follow the change in Darcy from being the arrogant pretender to the man deeply in love and for fans of the original I guess it is a nice way to spend more time with your favourite characters. I found it a fun and entertaining read.

Grade: 4/5

An Impossible Attraction - Brenda Joyce

2011-01-27T09:45:00.000Z

With her mother's passing, Alexandra Bolton gave up on love to take care of her family. Now, with the Bolton name in disgrace due to her father's profligate ways, marrying an elderly squire might be the only way to save her family from absolute ruin. But when she meets the infamous Duke of Clarewood, old dreams—and old passions—are awakened as never before. Yet she cannot accept his shocking proposition!

He is the wealthiest, most powerful peer in the realm, and having witnessed the cold horror of marriage as a child, he has vowed never to wed. But Alexandra Bolton inflames him as no woman has ever done, and she also serves him his first rejection! Now Clarewood—who always gets what he wants—will choose which rules to play by. But when passion finally brings them together, a terrible secret threatens to tear them apart….

After one winner and one loser I decided to give Joyce another try. The blurb sounded like an emotional story which is always favourites of mine. I didn't like it as much as The Perfect Bride but it was definitely better than A Dangerous Love.

Clarewood is a hero in the tradition of Joyce's alpha heroes. He is not a bad guy but around the heroine he behaves abominably. He is decided to have Alex has his mistress despite the fact that she is a gentlewoman. She wants to marry well to help her family but between Clarewood's pressure and her attraction to him she eventually bends to his will.

Clarewood seemed to me too marked by his past, he was too arrogant, too hard, too stubborn... He wanted things to be just as he wanted them no matter how bad they might be for Alex. For a while I actually despaired that he would come to his senses... My favourite part was when Alex decided to leave him and all the heartache behind to try to make it on her own. But she eventually falls in his power again. I thought there was much potential for poignancy here but not all was fulfilled as it was such a mismatch the power they each had.

I did like the romance between Clarewood's mother and her beau and was very sorry that there wasn't much about them.

Grade: 3.5/5

The Monster in the Closet - Anne Stuart

2011-01-26T07:25:00.002Z

It was Sebastian Brand's job to terrify people, and he did it very well--but only on the screen. Or so Emma Milsom hoped. Because someone was stalking her, someone who wanted her dead, and it was her heart's deepest desire to cast dangerously appealing Sebastian in the role of savior--and spend forever in his arms.

This is a short story in the Silhouette Shadows anthology; I was needing an Anne Stuart fix so I just grabbed her story and read it. I'll eventually tackle the other two someday. Stuart thrives on dark stories and this one is no exception starting with its setting and theme.

The action is set in the backstage of a theater play - a horror play is being rehearsed, the main star is a famous horror movie actor who is well known for his reclusive ways and mysterious past. The heroine, Emma, is the Director's assistant. She is smart and sensible but can't help being attracted to Sebastian, even though there are dark rumours about him and the actresses he works with. He also doesn't try to be particularly nice when they meet and the more attracted he feels towards her the ruder he becomes.

Basically the hero is a tortured character but for most of the story Emma, and the reader, wonder if he is truly a bad guy or just a tortured one. Bad things keep happening to those who work on the play and there is always the possibility that he may be behind it. Stuart is famous for her ambiguous heroes and this is one more to add to the list. Once we get to know his past it is easier to understand what is crossing his mind.

But the accidents keep happening and as Emma almost gets seriously injured she can't help doubt Sebastian one more time. I actually felt that guessing who was behind it all wasn't that difficult just because one of the characters was so annoying that you can't help wishing him as a villain. The why was a bit more surprising but totally in character.

I guess my complaint is that this plot deserved a longer story so the suspense could be fully developed and some things - like the attraction between them - didn't have to be rushed.

Grade: 4/5

Love Alters Not - Patricia Veryan

2011-01-25T10:25:00.002Z

SHE NEVER DREAMED BEING A TRAITOR WOULD ENDANGER HER LIFE AND HER HEART....

Impetuous Dimity Cranford bravely sets out to rescue her wounded friend by delivering a crucial cypher to his fellow Jacobite sympathizers. But her midnight coach is overturned and she is forced into a bold deception to avoid questioning. Masquerading as Mrs. Catherine Deene, the guardian of a young boy orphaned by the accident, she plots to complete her mission.

When she arrives at the lavish estate of her new charge, however, she comes face to face with the famous Lord Anthony Farrar, the knave who deserted her own brother's troops in the midst of battle!! Unfortunately, the cowardly yellow do is extremely good to look at. Soon Dimity finds herself torn in a most daring test of courage--and of love...

Patricia Veryan is an author I keep hearing good things about but I have found it difficult to find her books. When I did find this one I decided to sit and read it. I did like it a lot but since I realised this is part of a series I'm wondering if I should have waited till I had the others to read them in order.

Dimity is a fun, a bit too daring heroine. While trying to carry on a secret mission she finds herself at Sir Anthony Farrar estate pretending to be the aunt of a 6 year boy, claiming to be the right owner of Farrar's inheritance. Farrar waits no time in qualifying them as impostors and Dimity as a common doxy and he treats her accordingly. Only his aunt persuades them to let them stay at the house till their papers can be examined. For Dimity this is also an ordeal because Farrar is the Captain whose actions made one of her brothers loose a foot in the war.

I think the best part of the story is how Veryan creates so many twists and turns, funny scenes and tragical one, in just one book. At first Dimity and Farrar don't like each other, then they start being intrigued because they find the other doesn't exactly match the idea they had in their heads. At the same time Dimity tries to discover to whom she was supposed to deliver the cypher that is her secret mission, avoid being thrown out of Farrar's home till she does it and her brothers keep looking for her everywhere. With Farrar there's the mystery of why everybody hates him so and how did things end up that way.

Besides the main characters the story features a long list of colourful secondary characters who add quite a bit to the success of the action. There are several hilarious scenes, a few tragic ones and many adventures to live before we reach the final conclusion and I have to say I enjoyed everyone of them. Now I'm really looking forward to find some more of her books.

Grade: 4/5

The Innocent - Posie Graeme-Evans

2011-01-24T11:35:00.085Z

The year is 1450, a dangerous time in medieval Britain. Civil unrest is at its peak and the legitimacy of the royal family is suspect. Meanwhile, deep in the forests of western England, a baby is born. Powerful forces plot to kill both mother and child, but somehow the newborn girl survives. Her name is Anne.

Fifteen years later, England emerges into a fragile but hopeful new age, with the charismatic young King Edward IV on the throne. Anne, now a young peasant girl, joins the household of a wealthy London merchant. Her unusual beauty provokes jealousy, lust, and intrigue, but Anne has a special quality that saves her: a vast knowledge of healing herbs. News of her extraordinary gift spreads, and she is called upon to save the ailing queen. Soon after, Anne is moved into the palace, where she finds her destiny with the man who will become the greatest love of her life -- the king himself.

The Innocent has been in my TBR pile for quite some time. It is set during the period of the War of The Roses and I've read quite a few books with the same setting so, while I am often curious about that period, I also fear that my expectations will be too high and I tend to postpone picking them up unless they are recommended by friends.

The story starts in 1450 with a birth, the baby lives but the mother dies in labour. We find out that she was being protected by Royal Guards till they were ambushed in a forest.

Fast forward fifteen years and Anne, a young girl, is brought by her foster mother to the city to work as a servant in merchant's house. Her knowledge of herbs saves the merchant's wife who was dying and eventually her healing gift brings her to the attention of the court's doctor and she plays a role in helping Edward IV's Queen giving birth to their first daughter.

At court Anne attracts the King's eye and in time she discovers she is not just little Anne but actually a bastard daughter of the previous King, Henry VI, and a young gentlewoman. While she struggles not to give in to the attraction between her and the King she also has to deal with the fact that she is now an eventual threat to his throne and that she has gained a few enemies along the way.

I have to say that I found this an entertaining and fast read, it's not heavy in historical detail and the story focuses much more in Anne's everyday life and feelings so I would think of this more as historical romance than historical fiction, especially the second half of the story. However I did have some problems with Anne.

She seemed too perfect. A fifteen year old girl who can heal better than doctors, evade unwanted advances, became friends with those she serves and still maintain a wide eyed innocence seemed a bit unreal. Then, she finds her way to court still maintaining the same innocence, gaining other's admiration and managing to attract the King just with a glance and a touch or two. And the King, who is known for his numerous meaningless affairs, manages to fall in love with her deeply. I don't know about you but to me it seemed too much of a good thing happening to one person.

One other thing that bothered me was the change in her after she discovers she is a royal bastard. It's almost as that gave her instant maturity. She starts thinking that she has a role in the politics of the time and that she has to think of her future according to her new bloodlines. It's not that I think she might not have had a role but she is only an illegitimate daughter. I'm not sure if she would be such a big threat to Edward's crown.

Still, as I said, it makes for an entertaining read, if you think you won't be bothered by these aspects this may well be the book for you. This is the first book in a trilogy and I am undecided whether I should track down the other two or not...

Grade: 3.5/5

Dark Angels - Karleen Koen

2011-01-23T09:10:00.078Z

Alice Verney is a young woman intent on achieving her dreams. Having left Restoration England in the midst of a messy scandal, she has been living in Louis XIV's Baroque, mannered France for two years. Now she is returning home to England and anxious to re-establish herself quickly. First, she will regain her former position as a maid of honor to Charles II's queen. Then she will marry the most celebrated duke of the Restoration, putting herself in a position to attain power she's only dreamed of. As a duchess, Alice will be able to make or break her friends and enemies at will.

But all is not as it seems in the rowdy, merry court of Charles II. Since the Restoration, old political alliances have frayed, and there are whispers that the king is moving to divorce his barren queen, who some wouldn't mind seeing dead. But Alice, loyal only to a select few, is devoted to the queen, and so sets out to discover who might be making sinister plans, and if her own father is one of them. When a member of the royal family dies unexpectedly, and poison is suspected, the stakes are raised. Alice steps up her efforts to find out who is and isn't true to the queen, learns of shocking betrayals throughout court, and meets a man that she may be falling in love with—and who will spoil all of her plans. With the suspected arrival of a known poison-maker, the atmosphere in the court electrifies, and suddenly the safety of the king himself seems uncertain. Secret plots are at play, and war is on the horizon—but will it be with the Dutch or the French? And has King Charles himself betrayed his country for greed?

This was my first read by Karleen Koen. A book set in Charles II's court sound interesting and full of intrigue and I decided to pick. I also have a biography of his Queen in my TBR pile and thought this could be an interesting first introduction to the period.

The main character is a young lady, Alice de Verney, a former lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine who followed Princess Henrietta to France on her wedding to Monsieur, the brother of the French King Louis XIV. The beginning of this novel sees them returning to England for a brief visit as Princess Henrietta serves as go-between for both Kings.

Alice is a consummate courtier. Used to court life all her life she is very sure of herself and of what she wants and is not above manipulating others to get it. In the first chapters we find out that her travel to France is due to having been betrayed by her fiancé and best friend, when an unplanned pregnancy forces them to wed she deals with her feelings by running away and trying to avoid them now that she is back. When she can't avoid them she strikes back at them and refuses forgiveness.

Some people might have problems with Alice but I felt that for a while there was genuine pain behind her actions which helped me accepting them. It's when it comes to her scheming for revenge, she plans to marry her ex fiancé's uncle and so become higher than him in social ranking. Still, for someone who has lived with intrigue and scheming all her life this may just be ordinary behaviour. I also liked her faithfulness towards Queen Catherine. The Queen is in the King's good graces only when she accepts his infidelities and it seems she has few friends when she loses it.

I had more trouble accepting her behaviour towards her friend Barbara and one of the reasons was that I felt Barbara was left with friends that were less good than Alice. Despite all her stubbornness, her pride and her manipulations Alice actually seemed the best one of the lot. Through her eyes we see the King Charles II, his court, his advisors and how everyone is only interested in advancing themselves at the expense of others. I couldn't have been easy living surrounded by lies and deceit every day.

When Princess Henrietta's party returns to France and her arrival is soon followed by her death, Alice suspects poison was at work. She and the other English attendants are soon returned to England and after a while one of Princess Henrietta's Ladies - Louise Renée de Kerouaille - follows them. Without realising it Alice is also manipulated by others. Eventually she comes to that conclusion but what truly upsets her and drives her to her breaking point is the fate of her friend Barbara.

There is a thread of romance that follows Alice throughout part of the book and I thought that was not well woven in the rest of the story. The conclusion to that comes very abruptly after the man had been in love with someone else for most of the action and I did feel it was particularly believable. In fact, my biggest complaint of the book is precisely its ending. I felt there should be a conclusion, a moral if you like and that this ending comes too soon and cuts short the story and the sense of closure that I needed.

There are a lot more characters walking in the pages of this novel and I really enjoyed how Koen mixed real historical characters with fictional ones. I have since found out that this is a prequel to her first novel - Through a Glass Darkly - and I think that I'll have to go and find that one to add to my list. The urge to revisit an older Alice is big.

Grade: 4/5

Red, Red Rose - Marjorie Farrell

2011-01-22T07:33:00.001Z

In Regency England, the conventional daughter of an army major finds herself rescued from roving bandits by a dashing officer from General Wellington's staff. But even as the officer courts the young lady, he is haunted by his status as a bastard son to the Earl of Farringdon, and considers himself unworthy of her affections. When his half-brother dies, he is overcome with grief and allows himself to find solace in her arms. Will her love inspire the necessary courage within him to claim his birthright and his place among the aristocracy?

I first got this book because I heard it was set in Portugal and one can't actually resist a book set in our own country now can we?

I am glad to say I did not find any errors in what concerns the usage of the setting, Farrell mostly sticks to mentioning the sites of the most famous battles and it was probably the best course of action. Regarding the story itself I did like it very much.

It had original, strong, characters in both the hero and the heroine. The hero is Valentine Aston, as a young boy he discovered he was the bastard so of an Earl and even if his half brother later rescued him from a life of hard work and abuse he can never forgive his father for what, he believes, he has done his mother. He also doesn't feel worthy of being the gentleman his brother wants him to be and ends up running away to the army at an early age.

The heroine is Elspeth Gordon, a major's daughter who has been following the drum with her mother. Now they are in Portugal and they meet when her coach is under attack and Val rescues her. They have to spend some nights on the road and, while Val as a gentleman feels like he should offer for her, he also believes he is unworthy to do so because he is a bastard.

Fortunately Elspeth’s family is as sensible as original and they just make him a part of the group of friends they frequently invite to dinner. This allows Elspeth and Val to get to know each other better and they soon fall for each other. However, it will take extraordinary circumstances to bring them together and for Val to accept his birthright.

Also central to the plot is a mystery, about who maybe selling intelligence to the French and why, and I thought that added even more interest to the romance.

Grade: 4/5

Island of the Swans - Ciji Ware

2011-01-21T05:21:00.002Z

Best friends in childhood, Jane Maxwell and Thomas Fraser wreaked havoc on the cobbled streets of Edinburgh with their juvenile pranks. But years later, when Jane blossoms into a beautiful woman, her feelings for Thomas push beyond the borders of friendship, and he becomes the only man she wants. When Thomas is reportedly killed in the American colonies, the handsome, charismatic Alexander, Duke of Gordon, appeals to a devastated Jane. Believing Thomas is gone forever, Jane hesitantly responds to the Duke, whose passion ignites her blood, even as she rebels at his fierce desire to claim her.

But Thomas Fraser is not dead, and when he returns to find his beloved Jane betrothed to another, he refuses to accept the heartbreaking turn of events. Soon Jane's marriage is swept into a turbulent dance of tender wooing and clashing wills--as Alex seeks truly to make her his, and his alone. . . .

When I discovered this book was being republished, last year, and was marketed as historical fiction I was very glad that I had an earlier copy on my shelves. So last week I was in the mood for some HF and decided to pick it up.

Based on the life of Lady Jane Maxwell, the Duchess of Gordon, who was a leading society lady in her time and a rival of the Duchess of Devonshire, this sounded like an interesting read. It starts with Jane as a child and her friendship with her neighbour Thomas Fraser and it follows her through her adult years when she truly becomes a woman to be reckoned with and a society matchmaker who married all her children well.

It covers a vast period of time and so a lot of events. There are reflections on Scotland of the Bonnie Prince Charlie defeat, the American war, the reign of King George III and the political protagonists of the period. I found all those mentions very interesting although at some points it seemed a bit too much. Too many things going on at the same time that made me pause and reread or check dates to see if I was following everything.

But the main thing in the story is not this rich background of events and characters of history. The main thing is the love triangle between Jane, her husband Alexander and her childhood sweetheart Thomas. And because of it I think this is much more an historical romance novel than an historical fiction novel.

Having said that, I have to mention that I did not particularly like Jane. She is a selfish brat at first, although I think that's because this was written in 1989 and feisty young heroines were the norm then. And Thomas is a hothead. I couldn't help but sympathise with Alex at first - if only Thomas hadn't come back from the dead I'm sure he and Jane would have dealt well together. As it is, we have a life time of drama and heartbreak and I couldn't understand how they didn't seem to be able to move on from their misery once they decided not to be together.

Ware is very good at creating heart wrenching scenes, full of agony and heartbreak and during those parts I was glued to the story. However I have my doubts that so much drama, while creating an interesting, albeit a bit over the top romance, is a realistic representation of the lives of the people involved.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Venetian Affair - Andrea di Robilant

2011-01-20T09:55:00.002Z

Giustiniana Wynne meets Andrea Memmo when she is only sixteen, and he is not much older. They fall passionately in love, but are prevented from openly pursuing the ordinary course of love and marriage by her mother, his family, and the rigid social structure in which they live. But these are no ordinary teenagers. Tenacious, talented, and philosophical, they try for years to engineer various plans intended to bring them together in spite of class differences, governmental opposition, and prolonged separation. All their efforts fail in conventional terms, but they succeed in remaining lifelong friends. Their correspondence, which was necessarily secret in their lifetimes, is now public and is a literary achievement perhaps more enthralling than any novel, because of its historical truth.

When Andrea di Robilant's father found a stash of letters in the old family Palazzo in Venice a journey of discovery began. The discovery of an 18th century doomed love affair between their ancestor Andrea Memmo and Giustiniana Wynne, a half English young woman.

This book is the compilation of those letters with di Robilant's explanations and contextualisation of the period and the political incidents and social customs of the time. As a love story I must confess that reading some of the letters made me feel somewhat like a voyeur. The intimacy that they share was obviously for their eyes only, the letters were written in code by the way, and makes sense only to them.

But they do tell a lot more of Venetian society in the last decades of the Republic. Andrea and Giustiniana are of such different stations in society that a marriage between them is deemed impossible for most of the book and when considered is destroyed by rumours and revelations of the past. We realise that Venetian society was ruled by an old, unbreakable code that forbade marriages outside the oldest families for its sons and daughters, and that the old customs were maintained and enforced by a group of Inquisitors. The Republic also had strict rules about who was allowed to enter and reside in Venice not to mention that society eventually accepted or excluded the ones that were different or did not behave according to the norm.

To continue their affair the lovers plan was to marry Giustiniana off to some old man as married ladies had much more freedom of movements. That never happened and eventually Giustianiana leaves Venice but they never cease corresponding, maintaining their love and describing their lives. I found their life story a bit sad, they had to conform to the society they lived in and in doing so some of their actions are less than correct and certainly brought them no happiness. In the end, I felt that what stayed with me was the larger picture of Venice's story during the 18th century.

I found this an interesting story but better read as a work of nonfiction. It may be a bit too dry for historical fiction lovers.

Grade 4/5

The Canterbury Papers - Judith Koll Healey

2011-01-19T09:39:00.004Z

The only thing I felt was a strong hand around my neck, another around my waist, and -- before I could cry out -- I smelled the thick, sweet scent of a mandrake-soaked cloth. Unforgiving hands clapped it against my face, and all went dark.

Alaïs, the king of France's sister, is abducted while on her mission for the wily Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former Queen of England, to retrieve hidden letters that, in the wrong hands, could bring down the English king. In exchange, the French princess was to receive long-heldand dangerous information. Now Alaïs, along with help from the very intriguing leader of the Knights Templar, must unravel a tangled web of family secrets and lies.

I am always very fond of stories that bring some light to those minor, forgotten characters of history. I am fully aware that if they are minor characters a lot of the writer tells me is pure fiction but I like to imagine that it could have been so.

When I found a book about Princess Alais of France, of which I only knew she was Richard, the Lionheart's betrothed and that they never married because she became his father's mistress I couldn't help but be interested. As many of the HF being published today this one belongs to a subgenre, it's a historical mystery. Princess Alais would have had a baby by King Henry and about 20 years lately here she is trying to find out what happened to the child she believed dead.

I found this an interesting story, it is written in a light tone and you get an overview of what was happening in England and France at the time. Alais was once used as a pawn between Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry and now she is set up to be one again. Luring her with information about the child, she is quickly captured by King John who is trying his best to find the same information and eliminate a potential threat to the throne.

However I did feel that Alais was a bit too daring, and shall we say modern, in her way of thinking at times. That made it a lighter read than what I would have liked. The author also felt the need to add a love story, I have nothing against that but making it so quickly consummated definitely made it look a bit too much like a romance novel. Overall I would have preferred a more solid read in terms of medieval behaviours and way of life but I still found it a pleasant read if not a memorable one.

Grade: 3.5/5

Hearts and Bones - Margaret Lawrence

2011-01-17T07:45:00.001Z

Hannah Trevor, a midwife in a small Maine town, discovers the body of a young wife and mother, along with a note naming Hannah's secret past lover and the father of her illegitimate daughter as the woman's murderers.

Ever since I read, and really enjoyed Sara Donati's into The Wilderness that I have been looking for books with a similar setting. Hearts and Bones is also set in America and around the same time and I couldn't resist picking it up.

Unlike Donati's this book is a murder mystery. The heroine is Hannah Trevor, a midwife living with her aunt and her deaf, and illegitimate, daughter in Rufford, Maine. When she finds a young woman raped and murdered who left a letter accusing three men, one of which is Hannah's child's father, she can't resist doing an investigation of her own. Unable to believe the worse of the man she loved she eventually finds a link between the dead woman, the three mentioned men and some others not mentioned in the letter.

Despite being a great lover of mysteries I think what I loved best in the story was the sense of time and period. How life was actually hard for this people, how some of the wounds of the Revolutionary War were still open and how Hannah, that we could consider a bit too modern for those times, is looked sideways for her behaviour does making it believable. However I found that she unraveled what was happening a bit too quickly to be believable.

The story is dark, there are some pretty horrible crimes mentioned and some people never recover from them. The aftermath and consequences of the war are very present here and play an important part in the action. It's also very atmospheric; you can almost see the characters as they walk around doing their business, which definitely contributed to my enjoyment of the story. It made for an interesting read and I wouldn't mind picking the next book in the series to find out what happens next to Hannah and Daniel.

Grade: 4/5

Whose Body? - Dorothy L. Sayers

2011-01-16T07:28:00.004Z

Wimsey's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, rings her son with news of 'such a quaint thing'. She has heard through a friend that Mr Thipps, a respectable Battersea architect, found a dead man in his bath - wearing nothing but a gold prince-nez. Lord Wimsey makes his way straight over to Mr Thipps, and a good look at the body raises a number of interesting questions. Why would such an apparantly well-groomed man have filthy black toenails, flea bites and the scent of carbolic soap lingering on his corpse? Then comes the disappearance of oil millionaire Sir Reuben Levy, last seen on the Battersea Park Road. With his beard shaved he would look very similar to the man found in the bath - but is Sir Levy really dead?

I've been hearing from Ro for so long about Lord Peter Wimsey and Dorothy L. Sayers that last month I couldn't resist grabbing the first book in the series. Lord Peter Wimsey is a gentleman; a younger son of a duke has a special interest in old books and in crimes. When his mother, the dowager Duchess phones him to announce that a dead body has been found in a bath tub wearing nothing but a pince nez he can't help but be intrigued and decides to investigate.

He doesn't get along with the Inspector in charge of the case but he is friends with another inspector, Parker, who is trying to solve another case. Convinced that both cases are linked Lord Peter and Inspector Parker join forces to investigate what is really going on.

I must confess that I did not warm to Lord Peter Wimsey as fast as I did for other fictional detectives like Poirot or Miss Marple. However as I kept reading I started liking him more and more. He is actually a funny character with his somewhat pompous manners and his witty remarks about life in general. Sometimes he is a bit of a know-it-all but as I got to know him better I did not mind, not even when I got a bit lost on all the information, because then you realise he is not as superficial as it might seem at first.

The mystery was interesting, I didn't guess the culprit and the why, but maybe that was because I felt it lacked a bit of suspense. There was no compulsion for me to try to guess. I did like what is shown of the period, both on a social level and the consequences of WWI. I was interested enough to want to read more books of this series, I particularly would love to revisit Bunter and the Dowager Duchess, and since I keep hearing the books get better I'll probably look for another one soon...

Grade: 3.5/5

Letters to Alice - Fay Weldon

2011-01-15T09:24:00.002Z

In this reply by an important writer to her niece's complaint that Jane Austen is boring and irrelevant, Alice is instructed on the difference between Literature and Just Books and the arts of reading and writing.

A friend - thank you Dee - once sent me this book after a conversation about Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She mentioned it as a sort of introduction to Jane Austen and her world. Last month I finally decided to pick it up.

The book is comprised of a number of letters that an aunt, who happens to be a published writer, sends to her niece, who is doing an English major at the University but doesn't want to read Jane Austen. So the letters starts by addressing Austen, her world, beliefs and social rules and then goes on to expand on the subject of being a writer. From what I found both characters are fictional (although Fay Weldon is indeed a successful published author) but the book is very much a work of nonfiction.

I did like her comments about Jane Austen very much. If we understand the time frame in which her stories were written it is a lot easier to understand what she meant with certain scenes, dialogues or behaviours. Weldon gives us just a glimpse of that but what she gives is enough to understand that society.

She also gives her opinions and advice on what is literature, and what is not; how does an author work and why and what's the relationship with the readers. Although I found this part of the book interesting material to think about I have to admit that my favourite parts were the ones related with Austen and her body of work. Anyone who has read and enjoyed Austen will probably like to read those letters too.

Grade: 4/5

Housebound - Anne Stuart

2011-01-14T09:21:00.040Z

They were never meant to become friends -- or to fall in love

The rest of the family was skating when Anne Kirkland met Noah Grant. He'd obviously been invited to New Jersey for the weekend, but by whom? Noah wasn't one of Anne's sister Holly's jet-set friends, but nor did he seem part of her brother Ashley's flamboyant entourage.

As Noah and Anne sat in the gracious house that was Anne's pride and joy, talking like old friends, she almost wished her family wouldn't return to unravel the mystery of Noah's identity....

Having met Ashley and Holly, Noah wasn't prepared for Anne. She was warm and kind, and he almost wished he didn't have such a hard job to do

Another Anne Stuart oldie for my collection. I really enjoy how she can fit her trademark hard-to-like heroes in every kind of plot and in this one she succeeds in doing it one more time.

I did like our heroine, Anne Kirkland, a lot! However in some things she sounded too good to be true, I mean she was treated like the one in the family without any talent - with her father, brother and sister all excelling at something - but the fact is that she excelled at several things too. They just weren't as fashionable and visible as their artistic endeavors. On the other hand her love for the house seemed a bit too much, although it is something I understand the fact that she was the only owner ready to make sacrifices for it should have alerted her to what they were planning. But she was sensible, nice, and crafty and it was impossible not to like her.

When Anne meets Noah there's instant chemistry between them. However, he is supposedly her sister's guest and love interest which leaves Anne uncomfortable when she finds out. The fact is that Noah is a bit of a bad guy in what concerns Anne, he is there under false pretenses, to evaluate the house she loves and buy it since the other 3 members of her family have agreed to sell.

While I think that if there are 4 owners and 3 want to sell then they are entitled to do so, I felt there was really no excuse for Noah to keep Anne ignorant for so long. She should have been told the truth as soon as they become serious about each other. Not that he made her any promises but taking her to bed when he knew how she loved that house and he was the one who was going to take it away from her sounded wrong. I think I needed much more than just one conversation at the end to feel that things would be made right between them.

The relationship between Anne and her family is sometimes a bit over the top. They all have serious problems and she takes all their bad behaviour without complaining. I just couldn't believe it.

But in the end Stuart's magic worked for me once more. Great characters that you feel about, a nice - almost gothic - atmosphere. Although this book has quite a few years I find myself more entertained when spending an afternoon reading it than with some of her more recent titles.

Grade: 4/5

The Abandoned Bride - Edith Layton

2011-01-13T10:25:00.002Z

Strikingly beautiful young Julia Hastings had been an inexperienced innocent when handsome, high-born Robin Marlowe induced her to elope with him -- only to abandon her without a word of explanation on their wedding night.

Julia was left with her virtue intact but her reputation in tatters. Her life became a struggle to defend herself against gentlemen who henceforth considered her easy prey.

By now, Julia knew better than to trust any man, even when that man was the overwhelmingly attractive Lord Nicholas Daventry, Robin's own uncle. But if Julia had learned how dangerous blissful ignorance was in matters of the heart, she had yet to discover what folly it was to be too wise...

I have really enjoyed some of Layton's books that I have enjoyed in the past so I'm always looking forward to find more. This one didn't quite match my expectations though.

The opening scene is Julia's elopement and the author does make it sound like there is a big mystery surrounding the groom's actions but in the end they were not that mysterious. The action then jumps to a few years afterwards. Julia's reputation suffered, she had to go away and find employment so that her sisters wouldn't suffer from her bad behaviour and she is now working as a governess but thinking of leaving her post.

That's when Nicholas Daventry makes his appearance. He is the uncle of Julia's potential groom in her botched elopement and he seems to believe that Julia was the one who left his nephew and treated him badly when the opposite was true. He is looking for his nephew and came up with a plan to take Julia with him to make the young man happy. We can immediately see that the young man must be an immature idiot who concocted a story to keep his uncle at bay. That he did it by harming Julia once doesn't seem to matter much.

I really didn't like Nicholas Daventry. He is arrogant and domineering; he forces Julia to go with him through a mad and a bit too convoluted scheme and eventually becomes violent when provoked. Even without that I just couldn't believe that taking Julia would be a guarantee that he would find his nephew so I thought it all a bit exaggerated. Since he was a disagreeable character I also couldn't understand how Julia kept giving him the benefit of the doubt or why she kept feeling attracted to him.

They do spend quite some time together till they find Daventry's idiot nephew but I never could overcome my initial dislike of the hero enough to be happy for them. I did like Julia but in my opinion she was too good for that hero. Daventry's stepfather sounded like an intriguing character and I wonder if he has his own book...

Grade: 2.5/5

The Golden Leopard - Lynn Kerstan

2011-01-12T10:42:00.000Z

In every adventure, there must be passion....

Lady Jessica Carville wants nothing to do with men after having her heart betrayed. Despite society's disapproval, she has found fulfillment and success as a dealer of rare antiquities for Christie's auction house in London. The last thing she needs is for the scoundrel who once cast her aside to rear his handsome head.

Despite her best efforts, Lord Hugo Duran's sudden return from India piques Jessica's curiosity--as does his tempting offer. He needs her expertise on a quest to locate a priceless artifact that is rumored to have been smuggled into England--a quest full of daring adventure, dangerous intrigue, and unbridled passion.

I had a hard time reading this story, I was curious about reading Kerstan in full length format but now I think I'll stick to trads only.

This is a sort of adventure story. The hero, Duran, was imprisoned in India and to postpone a death sentence is sent to England to look for a statue important to those who imprisoned him. He comes accompanied by an Indian assassin that made me think of some of Salgari's characters. The story, sadly, wasn't as Salgari's stories...

When Duran arrives in London he looks for Lady Jessica Carville. Six years earlier he had an affair with her, he left her and the country without a word. Now she is an antiques dealer and could be a good help in searching for the statue. I have no idea why Duran would think she would help him after the way he treated her and I was certainly hoping that she wouldn't. The way he treats her once more, like he hasn't hadn't done anything bad to her the last time was pretty annoying. We find out later why he acted that way but by end I was so annoyed with him that I did not find it a good excuse and certainly not to the casual way he treated her on her return.

Duran eventually succeeds to convince her to help him and, as expected they eventually become lovers again. Besides their love story also the search for the icon plays a very important role in the plot, and especially Duran and Jessica's interaction with the Indian assassin that accompanies Duran. In a way he was more interesting than Duran itself. A third element was the story of Jessica's sister Mariah, she was obviously very unhappily married and there's a gentleman who loves her without hope so I wonder if they have their story in another book.

As it was I found the hero unlikeable and uninteresting. I couldn't see what Jessica saw in him so I wasn't all that interested in their HEA. I found the search for the statue boring so it came really close to be a DNF...

Grade: 2/5

Good Morning Killer - April Smith

2011-01-08T09:20:00.044Z

FBI Special Agent Ana Grey returns in this complex, involving thriller about a dedicated officer's search for a serial rapist that proceeds alongside her passionate and obsessive love affair with a fellow cop, Santa Monica detective Andrew Berringer. Before their relationship culminates in a violent episode that leaves him clinging for life and her accused of attempted murder, the deviant who brutalized the teenage girl Ana has taken into her heart and under her wing has found another victim, and Ana's efforts to stop him before he kills her drive Smith's stunning narrative to a shocking denouement. But the author has additional surprises in store for the reader that involve Andrew's motivations for escalating their passion--to keep Ana from reopening a closed case involving bank robbery, fraud, and deception, which will lead her to reevaluate the man, and the obsession, that has brought her to the brink of personal and professional oblivion.

I can't resist a good thriller, especially with a female as the male lead so when I read a review of this one somewhere I decided to pick it up. This is the second book in a series and some readers might feel more comfortable starting at the beginning, it didn't bother me too much though so if you want to read it as standalone I think that's ok.

I did have a problem with the story though. The mystery in itself did not sound very intriguing to me. The author goes on and on about the parents and about the victim but they never seemed that interesting to me and I must admit I had some problems keeping focused in the beginning.

Besides to the mystery of who kidnapped the story pays close attention to who Ana Grey is and her relationship with a fellow officer. Ana is not exactly a likeable person; she is tough, direct to the point of rudeness and bitter about her job, colleagues and life. Her relationship with Andrew is not exactly a nice one either as they seem to spend a most of time attacking each other verbally.

However when the kidnapped girl is found Ana establishes a connection with her and tries to help her come to terms with what happened to her. That's the first occasion where we can actually feel some sympathy for her and what kept me reading despite feeling that her life was becoming a train wreck.

Ana is obsessive about her job and keeps working on an old case in which she first worked with Andrew. She realises that he has been lying to her about their relationship and the new clues she finds about the old case lead her to question him. The confrontation between them is ugly and what happens next is even uglier. At this point I actually felt we were getting to much info on Ana Grey and not enough on the kidnapping plot which made it a bit unbalanced. In the end I felt the conclusions about the old case made for a stronger ending than the kidnapping resolution with which we had started the story.

Although I think Ana became a better person at the end, or at least is on the right path, I felt that she is a very damaged character both by her actions and what others have put her through and I am not sure what will happen to her in the future. There is a book nº 3 out but the violence I saw in Ana and towards her in this one didn't exactly put me in the mood to pick it up.

Grade: 3/5

The Defiant Miss Foster & A Highly Respectable Widow - Melinda McRae

2011-01-07T05:51:00.050Z

Valentine Debenham has just learned that since his father's death, he himself has been responsible for the welfare of a family of orphaned children, including a young girl on the brink of womanhood. Finding a husband for Kat Foster is a responsibility he doesn't take lightly--but he never considered that the only man perfect enough to be Kat's husband was himself.

The superbly handsome Earl of Knowilton was a rake without equal. No woman, whether wanton or well-born could resist him, just as none could satisfy him for long. But Knowlton had grown bored with easy conquests. He sought a sterner test of his powers of seduction to stir his jaded sense of sport.

Then he met Katherine Mayfield. This widowed beauty with her air of unassailable virtue and flaming red hair provided the spark to set Knowlton's passion ablaze. Thus the struggle was joined between this licentious lord and a perfect lady who had to keep the infamous earl at baby and her own heart in check.

THE DEFIANT MISS FOSTER

My love for traditional regencies leads me to pick them here and there, sometimes without any references. Such was the case with this 2 in 1 book. I have to say, though that I don't particularly enjoy guardian / ward romances and The Defiant Miss Foster did nothing to change that.

The ward in question, Miss Foster, was childish, impulsive, and rude and I just couldn't see how her guardian could feel attracted to her. Even if she, and her brothers, were mad at being deserted by their guardian (the father of the current one) for so long and feel like they don't want one now there's nothing to justify her action in the beginning and her rudeness from then onwards.

Besides she had a TSTL streak that made her get into trouble often, or almost get into trouble because she was actually a lucky girl. It’s quite unbelievable how a young lady who allowed strangers to be so very familiar with her didn't actually get into big trouble.

Debenham was a bit strict yes but next to how annoyed Kat made me feel that was nothing!

Grade: 2/5

A HIGHLY RESPECTABLE WIDOW

Now this story had a plot more to my taste. Although it is another take on a fairly common theme - rake tries to make a woman his mistress only to fall in love with her and repent his ways. I thought this one was well done, with interesting characters that made it an entertaining read if not an uncommon one.

Unlike the first story here it was the heroine that I liked best. She was sensible, she knew what the hero wanted and how temporary that would be so she told him no no matter how attracted to him she might be. She was also wise enough to understand that if she wanted to raise her child well she would have to swallow her pride and go to the one who could help her. The hero was a bit too self assure and conceited in his actions and it felt good to see him fall.

Grade: 3.5/5

Lord of the Night - Susan Wiggs

2011-01-06T05:50:00.001Z

TRAGEDY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER--HONOR KEPT THEM APART

When a crime was committed in tumultuous sixteenth-century Venice. Sandro Cavalli, Lord of the Night, could be counted upon to bring the malefactors to justice. Strong and rough-hewn as a noble oak, his inborn code of morality was as strong as his mighty shoulders. Nothing and no one could sway him from his duty.
No one until Laura Bandello. She was a woman of lustrous beauty and disarming charm. Yet why did Laura know so much about the problems plaguing Venice? Could someone so fair, so innocent, be involved in a shocking plot?
The only thing Sandro knew for certain was that he wanted this woman more than anything he had ever wanted in his life- even if it meant sacrificing everything he held dear.

I have enjoyed some Susan Wiggs books in the past and couldn't let the opportunity pass of trying this one when I found it through Bookmooch. Not only it has been rated highly in several review sites but the Venice setting and the Italian characters sounded original and very appealing.

It is an older book though and in some ways it shows. There's a big age difference between the hero and the heroine for instance, but I do have to say that in terms of maturity they seemed better balanced than in most books where this happens, Laura does some pretty naive things sometimes but so does Sandro and he does seem upset at finding himself attracted to someone half his age so the subject comes up within the plot. Laura does seem more mature when she is dealing with the opportunities open to her and the work she is so very focused on.

The main plot is a mystery. There's a murder and Sandro and Laura come together when he is investigating that death. He is an older nobleman, a member of one of the most important families in Venice. She is an aspiring painter, who has decided to become a courtesan to pay for her art, since women are not allowed at the Academy, and thus receive commissions.

Although the attraction is there from the beginning the obstacles to them being together are more than many. They can't marry because Sandro's position in society would be ruined and Laura virginity is about to be auctioned to the highest bidder. However they keep meeting as more murders occur and danger seems to follow Laura around. I did like them as characters but wasn't completely convinced of their falling in love, Laura was beautiful but they didn't seem to have that much in common besides their interest in solving the murders.

I did like to know about Venice's society and the bit of history included. I have no idea if the "trentuno" was real or not (I would certainly hope not) and those bits did make me uncomfortable, I did not feel it was needed to make the story more tragic. The ending was quite surprising; I definitely did not see that twist coming. In the end it made for an entertaining read although it did not find its way into my favourites' shelf.

Grade: 4/5

Imprudent Lady - Joan Smith

2011-01-05T10:25:00.005Z

PRUDENCE HAD SEEMED SUCH A PROPER NAME FOR HER... UNTIL SHE STARTED WRITING NOVELS AND BEGAN DREAMING ABOUT A LOVE AFFAIR WITH A WORLD-FAMOUS AUTHOR.

Prudence had fallen in love with the celebrated and dashing Lord Dammler from the moment she read his first book. Then she began to have fantasies about him. Then she actually met him!

Suddenly Prudence was not living up to her name anymore....

This is my first read by Joan Smith and I found it intriguing, sometimes amusing but hardly a traditional regency romance. It's more of a friend’s story than a love story... but it does have a HEA.

Prudence, the title's imprudent lady, becomes a writer with some success. She shares a publisher with the famous Lord Dammler, the time's most celebrated writer, and ends up being introduced to him. Although she is a bit critic of his work, Prudence can't help but admire him.

Lord Dammler, alas, finds Prudence quite unremarkable but a series of events lead them to spend more and more time together and as she falls in love with him he just sees her as a friend. Prudence naiveté in terms of the ton's social behaviour does lead her to some trouble with an admirer without ever realising it. Her social awkwardness does make for some humourous moments as does her silly uncle. Lord Dammler is quite unhappy with Prudence's admirers and they become an object of discussion between them leading to some witty dialogue.

Eventually Dammler realises what his feelings for Prudence really mean but for a moment there it seems all may well be lost and where he previously commanded Prudence's emotions he will now have to work for his happy ending.

An interesting read, much different from your typical romance novel which is always a plus. However the lack of empathy that I felt with both main characters made it a slow read for me and while recognising its value and originality it doesn't come close to being a favourite.

Grade: 3.5/5

The Tapestry of Love - Rosy Thornton

2011-01-04T05:17:00.119Z

A warm and uplifting story of how a woman falls in love with a place and its people: a landscape, a community and a fragile way of life. A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cevennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that's before the arrival of Catherine's sister, Bryony...

I had only read one Rosy Thornton book before this one but I enjoyed it so much that, when offered this one by the author, I just couldn't resist. And I am really glad I did so! I find that my reading tastes have changed somehow over the years. Now I seem to appreciate older, mature, characters better. People who have lived and found themselves at a crossroads in life and people who have decided to start over. Since I am always saying to my other half that we should move to the country and find a simpler way of life this story could not have been more appropriate.

Catherine Parkstone is a divorced Englishwoman with grown up children who has decided to pursue her dream of moving to a small French village - St. Julien in Cévennes – and start over. She cooks, plants some of her own food, meets her neighbours and decides to start a tapestry and upholstery business. I did like her a lot. She was cautious and reserved but after meeting her neighbour and seeing how... well... how neighbourly they are she opens up a bit and they develop an interesting relationship. There's a lot of caring and concern for one another as they are mostly older people seeing their village and way of life disappearing.

Among the people that Catherine meets there's Patrick Castagnol, a somewhat mysterious man with whom she enjoys talking. She is getting settled in her new life and developing a tapestry business when her sister Bryony decides to come for a visit. Bryony seemed the total opposite of Catherine and I have to confess I did dislike her a bit. She is a workaholic attorney and although she apparently comes to find some time for herself and enjoy the same things that make Catherine happy, she doesn't even try to get to know the area and its people preferring to spend all her time romancing Castagnol and it seemed clear that a certain rivalry exists between the two.

When Catherine is faced with her mother's death she goes back home and has to deal with all the emotions from that loss and also with the lives of her children, ex-husband and sister. She questions her decision to move to France to pursue an old dream and whether she should be closer to them. Life is not made of easy choices and I did like how the story dealt with family relationships. The story also includes a bit of romance that left me a bit worried for a while.

Although I do not know the Cévennes area, I loved Rosy Thornton's description of the land and its people. I really could imagine how everything looked and it sounded like an area worth exploring. It seemed to suffer from the desertification so common, nowadays, to many European regions. That is unfortunate and I wonder if one day we will look back and realise that the huge mistake that was to let the little villages die by not providing jobs for the younger generation. As it is, I loved reading about St Julien and imagine myself walking down those roads not to mention eating all the food mentioned.

For me this was a lovely read and it definitely left me with a taste to read more of the same. Should anyone have suggestions of books set in the country about new beginnings and getting to know a new culture feel free to send them my way!

One final word for the cover, isn't that just a beautiful cover?

Grade: 4.5/5

Tutankhamun - Nick Drake

2011-01-03T13:44:00.000Z

Tutankhamun, son of Akhenaten, has inherited an empire that seems to be at the height of its power and international glory. But the young King, just eighteen years old, is faced with the political and personal intrigues and conspiracies of the Court, where his godfather Ay, and the General Horemheb are locked in a bitter struggle for ascendancy. Tutankhamun must steer the empire back from the brink of disaster and dissent to which his father Akhenaten's rule led the Two Lands of Egypt, and re-assert the stability and authority of his famous dynasty.Rahotep, chief detective of the Thebes division, has his own worries - his daughters are growing up in a changing world of danger and instability, while out on on the streets of Thebes things are falling apart; poverty and dissent are breaking out into a nightmare of violence, gold and corruption seem all-powerful, and the city's shadowy underworld is itself witnessing mysterious acts of shocking brutality. Yet, when he receives a mysterious invitation to the secret halls of the Royal Palace, he cannot refuse.What he finds there, and the quest on which he embarks, will change his life, and put everything he thought he believed, and everything he loves, at risk.

A while back the Historical Tapestry blog was asked to give some recommendations on books set in Ancient Egypt. One of the titles that came up at the time was Nick Drake's historical mysteries Nefertiti and Tutankhamun. When I was offered a chance to read the second I couldn't let it pass.

The story is a mystery set during Tutankhamun's reign. The main character is Rahotep, a Seeker of Mysteries. The fact that I haven't read the first book didn't really upset me except for the fact that Rahotep was in very good terms with Tutankhamun's wife, Ankhesenamun, and I can only guess that it was due to the action in the first book.

Ankhesenamun and her husband have been have been King and Queen of Egypt but the true ruler is Ay, the regent. Eager to shed that influence Ankhesenamun ask Rahotep for help with her plans and asks him to be her personal guard. Rahotep is already working on a case, a young boy with deformities was found murdered, with his crippled members broken and reset in the right position. Then another body is found, and another, and another, till it is apparent a serial killer is at work.

Rahotep has to combine his investigation about the killer with his role with the Royal Family. Through his eyes we see not only the Royal couple but also the power struggle between the regent Ay and the General Horemheb. As with any story about Tutankhamun this one offers an explanation for his death and the events surrounding the construction and embellishment of his tomb. Is it the real one? Probably not but it worked for me.

Regarding the serial killer, which Rahotep eventually realises, also has a connection with the Royal family, I found his work to be more those of a mad man but it made for an engaging, suspenseful read to watch Rahotep follow the clues and find the culprit. I will definitely pick up Nefertiti when I find it.

Grade: 4/5

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T00:32:00.000Z

I have so many expectations and projects for 2011 that I am really looking forward to it! Whishing you all a year as good as I hope mine will be!

Lucy in Disguise - Lynn Kerstan

2010-12-31T05:49:00.001Z

SHE RELUCTANTLY RESCUED THE ROGUE -- NOW HE'S DETERMINED TO RESCUE HER!

Miss Lucy Preston pulls a wounded smuggler from the quicksand of the Lancashire beaches, and she soon rues the day. For the rascal immediately sees through her disguise and that of her heavily veiled companion -- who, indeed, is not a mute, elderly woman but a frightened young lady running from danger and seeking refuge at this remote seaside cottage.

Happily acknowledging he has just landed in a truly fascinating melodrama, Christopher Valliant is determined to aid the fair damsels. For this reformed rake is motivated by the most noble reasons of all: love -- pure and glorious -- for the lovely, temperamental, and ever-so-delightful Lucy!

I recently read Kerstan's Celia's Grand Passion and since this story is about the hero's brother I couldn't resist picking it up next. It has an original plot that resembles that of a gothic story but this one is humourous novel so the resemblance stops there.

Christopher Valliant is saved by a lady masquerading as a lad one night when he is about to drown after having fell under a cart on the beach, during a smuggling operation. He is taken to her house to recover and he realises that there are in fact two ladies, one of whom is always hiding.

Lucy, the supposed lad, is a rather determined young Lady. She does her best to protect her friend Diana, who has been hurt by her uncle and is hiding from an unwanted suitor, and her efforts go as far as to pretend she is the ghost of an old witch to prevent people to approach their cottage. Christopher can't help but admiring her character and eventually he manages to hear the hole story from Diana and is determined to help them loose the evil guardian.

I'm afraid I did not like this story half as much as the other Kerstan book I had read. It may be that part of my problem was that I don't always like funny regencies (unless we are talking about Heyer); I always love best the ones that are dark, poignant and a bit tragic. But most of it was that I thought Christopher and Lucy had no chemistry together. I had a hard time believing they had fallen in love and made it a bit of a chore to finish it. I was glad to see Celia and her husband again though and I ended up a bit curious about Diana so I might try to track her book down one of these days.

Grade: 3/5

Symptoms of Death - Paula Paul

2010-12-29T07:47:00.000Z

Edward Boswick, Fifth Earl of Dunsford, hosted a small gathering of friends at his country estate, including the village's lady-doctor, Alexandra Gladstone. The noblest of the nobel, each of his intimates was in possession of title, land--and a secret vendetta against his host. And so,when their "dear Eddie" is found murdered in his own bed, the lords and ladies point to a helpless servant--and flee.

But when Dr. Gladstone finds evidence suggesting otherwise in her autopshy of the late earl, her inquires lead her into a web of scandal and deceit.

December is always a busy month and there's nothing better than a light, entertaining historical read to pass the time. The abundance of mysteries of the cosy variety that has appeared recently have made that one of my favourite genres for when I want to be entertained but not think too much. This time my choice was the first in the Dra Alexandra Gladstone Mysteries by Paula Paul.

The book is set, I believe, in Victorian England during a house party at the Earl of Dunsford's country estate. Dra Alexandra Gladstone is called upon to attend to a young maid who has apparently tried to murder the Earl believing him to be the killer of her lover. Alexandra tends to the girl and makes her go to her room believing her to be harmless but the next morning the Earl is dead and the girl, Elsie, has disappeared.

Alexandra is somewhat of a rarity, a female doctor when females weren't allowed to study medicine. Paul explains that by having her been taught at home by her father and well accepted in the village because everyone knows since she was a girl. To tell the truth Alexandra sounds a bit too sensible to be true in a Victorian heroine but I could deal with that.

Earl Dunsford's guests don't waste time in blaming the doctor for not having drugged the girl, and stopped her from murder, but Alexandra quickly realises that the earl was not stabbed, as the girl was threatening, but strangled which would imply someone stronger. With the help of Mr. Forsythe, one of the Earl's guests, Alexandra decides to try to find out what really happened. Soon it is apparent that the earl wasn't exactly a nice person and that more than one of his guests could have a motive for murder.

The appearance of several "ghosts", and walks in the foggy night, does give the story a bit of a gothic look and I couldn't help thinking that sometimes Alexandra was a bit too daring. In one of those I was so engaged in the story and waiting for something to happen that I immediately deduced who the murderer was... and in the end I was proven right.

So if you are in the mood for something light, fast paced and with a bit of a gothic feel this might just be the book for you!

Grade: 4/5

Mally - Sandra Heath

2010-12-29T05:47:00.044Z

HOMECOMING
Mally came to her girlhood castle home in Wales to discover what should become of her as a woman.

With her was Sir Christopher Carlyon. who begged her to be his wife and whose passion was devilishly hard to deny. Missing was her younger sister. Who had vanished with - of all disreputable types of gentlemen - an American.

And making her feel both all-too-comfortable and increasingly uneasy was her extraordinarily charming host. Richard Vallender. who claimed to be Christopher's most loyal friend even as he drew closer and closer to Mally.

The questions of the heart and the seductive lies of love- twin puzzles for a young woman who found that all that was once so safe and familiar was now so menacing and strange....

I am, slowly, getting to the bottom of the TBR pile and this time I found another Sandra Heath book. I have loved a couple of her books and been less sure of other. This one, unfortunately, falls in the second category.

Mally is a young widow, she has a beau in Sir Christopher Carlyon but she doesn't seem much interested in him. At the moment she is more worried with her younger sister who has disappeared and she fears she went away to marry someone her family wouldn't approve of.

My main problem is that I never felt I actually knew Mally and what I did know of her wasn't very interesting. I couldn't understand why she kept Carlyon around if she didn't want him; it seemed kinder than leading him on. I didn't feel like I really got to know Carlyon, by the way, but he seemed a lot more involved with her than she was with him.

Then the mystery did get me a bit, or lot actually, confused. First Mally's sister had run away to marry, then it seemed something darker was afoot.. When she meets Vallender she first believes he may be the villain who took her sister or at least know what happened to her and when they all find themselves at his castle she can't help but being attracted to him despite everything.

I suppose the idea is to introduce a bit of a gothic feel in the story - mysterious man, mysterious castle but maybe because I wasn't really invested in Mally as a character it didn't really work for me.

Grade: 2/5

The Knave and The Maiden - Blythe Gifford

2010-12-27T11:46:00.001Z

COULD A MAIDEN'S KISS TURN A CYNICAL ROGUE INTO AN HONORABLE KNIGHT?

Mercenary knight Sir Garren owed much to William, Earl of Readington: his sword, his horse, even his very knighthood. And in return Garren had saved the earl's life in the Holy Land. Yet when his liege lord fell gravely ill upon their return home, Garren knew he must save his friend once more, whatever the cost -- even if it meant embarking upon a pilgrimage to pray to a long-forsaken God, or promising to deflower an innocent young woman along the way....

Dominica was certain Sir Garren was a sign from heaven. Surely the pilgrimage, blessed with the presence of the handsome and heroic knight, would provide a sign of heaven's plan for her to take the veil. But every step of the journey seemed to be leading her straight into Garren's powerful arms. And Dominica was beginning to wonder if her true mission was to open the mercenary's seemingly cold heart to true and lasting love.

Once in a while I like to read a medieval story. Most of the medievals being published nowadays are quite forgettable but this one has a very interesting aspect that makes it stand out. It deals with the influence of religion in the everyday life of the common people.

Most of the story is set during a pilgrimage. Different people get together for different reasons to travel to the Shrine of the Blessed Larina. Some have religious motives, others less so. Among them is Dominica a young woman who wants to be a nun and Garren a former mercenary who is making the pilgrimage to ask for his lord's life. Garren is not exactly a believer; he has felt betrayed by God in the past and is quite cynical in his views of religion. Since he needs money he even accepted to seduce Dominica on the way, at the request of the Mother Superior, so that she won't be able to join the convent.

I'm afraid that in terms of romance the story didn't really work for me. I was a bit uncomfortable at Dominica's clear worship of Garren because she believed him a kind of miracle worker for having saved their lord and it seemed really unfair to me that he should take advantage of her. Besides, I had some trouble understanding where her worship of him stopped and the attraction began.

The descriptions of the actual pilgrimage and the other characters worked a lot better. I could see how religion ruled their lives and that felt very real to me. The slow pace of the action and the problems I had with the main characters lead me to a lower grade than what I would usually give to a romance that has something different, at least from my point of view, but other readers might have a different perspective and enjoy it more.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Christmas Promise - Mary Balogh

2010-12-26T11:31:00.002Z

THE BOUGHT BRIDEGROOM

Eleanor Transome found her father's wealth a dubious blessing, for he was determined that she wed a nobleman. Lord Randolph Falloden, on the brink of ruin, could not resist the lure of cold cash, despite his passionate alliances with several other desirable maidens. And though her heart belonged to the handsome, if humble, Mr. Wilfred Ellis, Eleanor would never deny her father's wishes. Thus the match was made--with love not part of the bargain--for the arrogant earl and the coal merchant's proud daughter. But in this season of unexpected gifts, a most remarkable surprise was in store for them both....

After reading A Christmas Bride how could I resist picking up another Christmas story. Especially one that has been OOP for so long but has now been reprinted. I really couldn't and I am really happy I read it. Once again Balogh grabs a familiar situation - an impoverished lord marrying a rich Cit's daughter - but manages to write very original characters and situations.

Eleanor Transome's father is dying. He wants’ to leave her under the protection of a husband and he chooses the Earl of Falloden as bridegroom. He buys the Earl's considerable debts and tells him that either he marries his daughter or he will demand immediate payment.

Falloden is disgusted with the arrangement but feels he has no other choice if he wants to save the family estate from being sold. To him Eleanor Transome is nothing but a greedy young woman after a place in society. To Eleanor he is nothing but a gambler and a womaniser but she feels she must respect her father's last wishes and marry him.

To say that the marriage started on the wrong foot is an understatement. They both distrust and despise the other and Eleanor's reserve prevents her from showing her true feelings about her father which Randolph mistakes for coldness. Their wedding night is an intense, poignant, scene where neither wants to show their feelings, in a way it is a fight between them and it must be one of the most different love scenes I've read in a while.

Randolph doesn't understand Eleanor's feelings or how some of her attitudes are dictated by her father's wishes. And she is quick to judge him and take offense and uses sarcasm and irony to attack him. But after Eleanor's father passes away they end up spending the Christmas season at Randolph estate, surrounded by some of his friends and her family, and slowly they start letting their guard down.

I did like Randolph very much. He was an honourable man, he had good intentions and after the first bitter moments of resentment for having been forced to marry he tried to turn their relationship into something good. But it was Eleanor that truly conquered me as a character. She was so passionate, so emotional inside but she kept it all locked up because of her pride and natural reserve. She believed the worst of Randolph and also that he must despise her for being who she was but she never gave up a fight and, in her own words, gave as good as she got.

It was only after she starts relaxing with her family and the tenants of Grenfell Park that we, and Randolph, have the chance to see how warm and affectionate she really was. One of things I like the most in Balogh's earlier titles is how much introspection we have, we know what the characters are thinking and feeling and we know why they do and say the things they do. Randolph and Eleanor's feelings do not develop overnight and even after that starts they do still quarrel which leads him to call her, affectionaly, an hedgehog. They will only be entirely honest and open on Christmas Day, when Randolph gives her the present her father had left for her.

I really loved reading about these two and their journey to love which, in the beginning, seems that it will take nothing short of a Christmas Miracle to achieve. My one complaint is a minor one, that so many secondary couples finding love is highly unlikely. But that is certainly a detail in the middle of this lovely, emotional story.

Grade: 5/5

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

2010-12-25T09:44:00.001Z

A Christmas Bride - Mary Balogh

2010-12-24T12:02:00.000Z

The Wrong Lady

At six-and-thirty, the very wealthy Edgar Downes had finally decided to take a bride. Although not to the manor born, Edgar had promised his aging father that he would wed a titled lady by Christmas. Edgar came to London to review a parade of eligible misses, all of them pretty, proper, and young enough to bear him a son. But it was the widow Lady Helena Stapleton, in a shocking red dress, who captured his undivided attention. He simply could not take his eyes from her. And as for Helena, she too felt a most disturbing frisson when she saw this seductive stranger.

An irresistible passion was soon sweeping them into a scandalous liaison. Marriage, of course, would never do. Helena was too old and altogether the wrong lady to marry; Helena thought Edgar simply not in her class. But in a season of unexpected miracles, something wondrous was about to happen... something that would change their minds and transform their hearts forever....

Is there anything better than to read one of Balogh's Christmas romances at Christmas time? I think not and this year the first one I read was A Christmas Bride

Lady Helena Stapleton was introduced in a previous book, A Precious Jewel, where she was the villain. Even if you haven't read that book Helena is not exactly a nice character when this story starts. She is cynical, bitter and doesn't trust anyone. She also doesn't seem to feel good about who she is.

Edgar Downes is the heir of a merchant family. His sister, Cora, married the younger son of a duke and he knows he is only received in polite society because of that connection. At thirty-six is father is urging him to marry and give him grandchildren and Edgar decides to spend a season in London looking for a bride.

When he and Helena see each other the attraction is there and Helena decides it's high time she takes a lover. That evening she manipulates Edgar to take her home and they do sleep together but her cold manner makes him leave without plans of seeing her again. In fact he starts to court another young lady but his natural kindness and moral values lead him to inquire about Helena's well being and when it is apparent that she is pregnant he feels that there is no alternative but to marry. Since the Christmas season is just starting and they were already planning a party at the Downes country home a Christmas wedding is decided.

It is not in every book that we see a heroine as tortured as Helena. She feels the need to punish herself for a past behaviour and she does that at every turn. Even wounding others so they don't get close to her. With Edgar however she is unable to that. Edgar is a wonderful hero, once he sets his course of action he is determined that he will do his best to have a good marriage. He tries to find a way to breach Helena's defenses and eventually he manages just that and learns what she did in the past.

I really enjoyed their interaction during those days after the wedding. With family and friends in attendance, Helena starts opening up a bit and Edgar feels he might have a chance to heal her if he manages to bring her together with those she hurt and especially if he gets her to forgive herself. Since this is the season for family, good will and forgiveness I thought this was the perfect theme for a Christmas story. Just lovely!

Grade: 4.5/5

Midnight Confessions - Candice Proctor

2010-12-22T12:17:00.001Z

Widow Emmanuelle de Beauvais devotes herself tirelessly to the sick and injured of a grand city now occupied by the enemy. Then a night of unspeakable terror puts Emmanuelle at the center of a murder investigation and under the watchful eye of Yankee provost marshal Zachary Cooper. Although she despises the uniform and the war it represents, she finds the man who wears it impossible to resist.

Zach Cooper has never been bewitched by a woman. Even as Emmanuelle veils every truth with layers of lies, he finds himself undeniably drawn to her. Torn between passion and duty, Zach must uncover the dark secrets surrounding a series of murders that threaten to ensnare Emmanuelle in their menacing web. . .

I have previously enjoyed Candice Proctor's stories and this one seemed like a very interesting read. It is set in New Orleans at the end of the Civil War and it is a mystery. The heroine is a local doctor (well not exactly a doctor because that wasn't allowed but something similar) and the hero is a Yankee soldier.

They meet when Emmanuelle witnesses a murder and he is the one in charge of its investigation. The murder weapon was an original one and that is only the beginning. Several other murders take place and Zach starts suspecting that the motive may have to do with Emmanuelle and that, eventually, she may be the next victim.

I had a hard time believing in the attraction between them as they had such different views of the world. The intensity that I've found in other Proctor books seemed to be absent here and none of the characters seemed that interesting to me so it was a very slow read and I ended up picking some other book several times.

Regarding the mystery I also didn't work all that well. It seemed that every victim was connected to Emmanuelle’s latte husband, who had quite a few dark secrets, but I did not feel that darkness was fully explored. In fact, eventually, I guessed the culprit and was a bit disappointed because I felt there wasn't enough build up for the climax to truly work.

But I did like Proctor's descriptions of New Orleans, the social norms imposed by the Creole aristocracy and their way of life. Emmanuelle was considered to have married above her and her husband's family always treated her with some condescension. I also found it interesting that she details the lack of social status the coloured mistresses of the important Creole man had and the stigma attached to their children. She does include a lot of social information and that was the best part for me.

Grade: 3/5

Fire and Ice - Anne Stuart

2010-12-20T11:39:00.000Z

In the wake of a failed love affair, brainy beauty Jilly Lovitz takes off for Tokyo. She's expecting to cry on her sister Summer's shoulder, then spend a couple months blowing off steam in Japan. Instead, she's snatched away on the back of a motorcycle, narrowly avoiding a grisly execution attempt meant for her sister and brother-in-law.

Her rescuer is Reno, the Committee's most unpredictable agent. They'd met once before and the attraction was odd - tattooed Yakuza punk meets leggy California egghead - but electric. Now Reno and Jilly are pawns in a deadly tangle of assassination attempts, kidnappings and prisoner swaps that could put their steamy partnership on ice.

Fire and Ice is book 5 in Anne Stuart's Ice series, I must confess that falling in love with the first one I've found the others a bit repetitive and this one was no exception.

It is the story of Jilly Lovitz and Reno, both of which we met in Ice Blue where she was the heroine's sisters and he the hero's cousin. Jilly supposedly has a big IQ and not many social skills and Reno is a very troubled young man running away from commitments.

When this story starts Jilly is one her way to Japan. I found it a bit weird that she would just hop on a plane without making sure her sister would be home and expecting her. As it happens Summer wasn't home, didn't know she was coming and Reno is the one who saves the day. Jilly ends up in the middle of Japanese mafia war between Reno and Taka's grandfather and his enemies. She behaves like the young girl she is yes but the fact that she seldom followed Reno's orders ended up leading her to unnecessary trouble and I found that annoying.

There's is a sexual tension present between Jilly and Reno but he fights it most of the time because he promised Jilly's sister he would not get involved with her. I thought that was an odd promise to ask of someone and that Jilly, not knowing about it, kept throwing herself at him and thus getting hurt in the process.

I did like the glimpses we had of Japanese culture and habits (what's with the schoolgirl outfits?) and truth be told this is a very fast read, with lots of action and confrontation towards the grand finale. The ending was a bit abrupt though, following the same line as the others in the series. One of these days I might pick up the book 4, which I still haven't read, and see how it goes.

Grade: 4/5

When Strangers Marry - Lisa Kleypas

2010-12-18T05:41:00.000Z

Ravishing and desperate Lysette Kersaint flees an impending marriage to a man she hates to seek sanctuary with a man she fears. For rumors abound throughout New Orleans concerning her handsome, brooding protector, Maximilien Vallerand -- whispers of his cruelty, his rages, his dark, mysterious past. Forces by circumstance, Lysette consents to wed the dangerous rake, becoming the unwitting instrument of his sworn vengeance. But the flame-haired beauty's innocent heart will awaken within him a soul of passion and poetry... and spawn a love magnificent, wild, and true.

Lisa Kleypas earlier books, of which this one is an example, have a totally different feel from her new ones. This is a rewrite, I've read the original a few years ago, but it still has a lot of that old school flavour. For one there is a big age gap between the hero and the heroine and it shows in their actions, then the hero tries to dominate the heroine instead of it being more of an equal partnership.

It's not that I did exactly dislike it. There was an intensity to the characters that is the usual Kleypas trademark and that I usually enjoy. It's just that I feel she has done much better.

Lysette was around 18 years old, running from a marriage to an older man when she is found by Max Vallerand's sons. They take her home to their father who quickly sees Lysette as an instrument of revenge against an old enemy - the man she is running away from.

Max isn't particularly nice in the beginning and Lysette does distrust him. However she becomes ill and Max decides to be the one to nurse and his attitude starts changing then. Instead of just making her his mistress he will make her his wife. Max is a tortured man, he was betrayed by his first wife and he doesn't seem to have recovered from that. The problem is that more than tortured he sounded arrogant and domineering most of the time.

He gets a bit better after they marry as he decides to give her time to get to know him before consummating the marriage. But he is still the one who makes all the decisions and Lysette tries to maneuver him when she wants something. This dynamic seemed, to me at least, their age gap, instead of making me believe that they could be equals in their relationship (which would be my preference).

I did like the feel of New Orleans we have and that Aaron Burr is mentioned. Reading Anya Seton's My Theodosia made me aware of whom he was and the political projects he was involved in. The mystery about Max's wife’s death was also interesting although I got suspicious pretty soon about who the guilty party might be.

Grade: 3/5

A Dangerous Love - Brenda Joyce

2010-12-15T09:17:00.001Z

A Dangerous OBSESSION Torn from his Romany mother's arms as a small boy, Viscount Emilian St. Xavier has spent a lifetime ignoring the whispers of gypsy that follow him everywhere. A nobleman with wealth, power and privilege, he does not care what the gadjos think. But when the Romany come to Derbyshire with news of his mother's murder at the hands of a mob, his world implodes. And Ariella de Warenne is the perfect object for his lust and revenge.…

A Dangerous PASSION Ariella de Warenne's heritage assures her a place in proper society, though as a radical and independent thinker she scorns her peers' frivolous pursuits in the Ton, fashion and marriage. Until a Roma camp arrives at Rose Hill, and she finds herself drawn to their charismatic leader, Emilian. Even when he warns her away, threatening that he intends to seduce and destroy her, she cannot refuse him. For Ariella is just as determined to fight for their dangerous love…

As was so pleased with how much I enjoyed the Perfect Bride that I decided to try another book in the same series. Unfortunately that didn't prove to be a very wise decision in the end because both the hero and the heroine annoyed me to no end.

The hero is half gypsy. He was made to leave his mother to go live with his father while still a child, he was made fun of and abused while growing up and even today, after he inherited a title, he is not well received in the neighborhood. He takes his revenge by sleeping with has many of his neighbour's wives as he can. When his relatives move to de Warenne's land he meets Ariella. She is immediately attracted to him and tries, time and again, to get close to him. To which he always says no. But Ariella perseveres and eventually they become lovers.

Now my problem is that despite being a very tortured hero I couldn't find any sympathy for Emil. He just wasn't a nice person to Ariella and I couldn't understand while she kept playing with fire. After all during those times Ladies were supposed to have a reputation to maintain and a bastard baby would definitely be a no no. Besides, he couldn't have been clearer with her, he always maintained he did not want friendship, just sex, was she really expecting him to change his tune after a night of love making?

The fact that I was totally annoyed with the characters really ruined the story for me. I kept reading in the hopes that it would get better but till the end I never felt it did.

Grade: 2/5

A Bride For His Convenience - Edith Layton

2010-12-13T14:17:00.000Z

Devilishly handsome Lord Ian Sutcombe, the new Marquess Sutcombe, has inherited debt and a bankrupt ancestral Hall thanks to poor management made from his late father and an avaricious step-mother. He has no choice but to seek a marriage of convenience and sets his sight on Hannah Leeds, a newly wealthy merchant's daughter. The ambitious merchant is quite eager for his two other daughters to find titled husbands, and ensure his name will be forever linked with the nobility. Hannah, a very pretty country girl has no desire for the excessively pampered and cloistered lifestyle led by the aristocracy but was recently mysteriously jilted by the commoner she loved. Numbed by the rejection and pressured by her father, she resignedly agrees to marry Ian. They wed, and soon learn that passion and desire and a commonality of interests force them to know each other, yet their pride may prevent them from discovering a once-in-a-lifetime love.

Another Layton title with a MOC story. A gentleman of the ton needs to marry for money to save his estate and provide medical care for his brother. He sees several young girls of the merchant class and decides to propose to Hannah Leeds. Hannah is a nice, sensible woman who has suffered a heartbreak and has decided to enter a marriage of convenience as a result.

Both Ian and Hannah seemed like really nice characters and I was happy to follow along with their story. Them getting to know each other and eventually falling in love. They take their time in doing this, they have reasonable doubts about whether to trust each other but more they know of one another the more they do believe they can make it work.

The problem, I thought, was that Layton couldn't resist giving them an external conflict. When Ian introduces Hannah to society someone decides to spread some gossip around her and Hannah's old love eventually comes back to try to win her again. Neither situation really is that challenging for their relationship and it doesn't contribute much to advance the action. I would have preferred some other type of plot twist to make this a livelier story or to just keep following in their adjustments to marriage.

Still it was an entertaining, if somewhat forgettable, story.

Grade: 3/5

Celia's Grand Passion - Lynn Kerstan

2010-12-11T11:02:00.000Z

EVEN OUTRIGHT REJECTION WOULDN'T STOP HER FROM PURSUING HER GRAND PASSION. . . .

No man in London could match Lord Kendal's cool elegance nor rival his skills as a diplomat. His icy calm was as notorious as his untouchable heart. And few women had any illusions of finding love in his arms. Lady Celia Greer, however, was not among them.

Young and very determined, she has made it her mission to melt the ice around his lordship's heart. Though charmed by the exuberant young widow, he is not willing to toy with one still innocent in the ways of love. But if ever there was a gentleman worth saving from his own cold prison, it was Kendal. And if ever there was a woman for the job . . . 'twas she!

I've put Kerstan on my WL after reading Lord Dragoner's Wife, that was a MOC story between a titled gentleman and a cit's daughter and I greatly enjoyed it. Celia's Grand Passion is completely different but it was also a nice story.

It starts in a surprising way with a lady of the ton hiding in a closet to spy on the gentleman of her dreams. Naturally she couldn't be an ordinary lady and Celia does have a strange story behind that we get to know as the action progresses. The lover of her dreams is Lord Kendall and he ends up catching her spying on him.

When they meet again at a society ball Kendall seems as interested in Celia as she is in him. Since they are both free, she is a widow and he a widower, the eventually decide to engage in a love affair. But everything goes wrong when Kendall discover something about Celia's past, something that makes him distrust her as he did his wife and that left him scarred about trusting people.

I did like Celia's quiet dignity; she knew she was not in the wrong and that men are often only interested in their own pleasures so she actually bests him and makes him feel the worse about his attitude. They separate, determined not to see watch other again but fate brings them together when Celia meets Kendall's son and brother in the country and he eventually comes home.

I did like them more the better I knew them and although Kendall's past wasn't that original I thought Celia's story was a bit different from the ordinary. For a while I thought it would be difficult for those two to find their way to happiness because they kept bickering and fighting each other but in the end I am glad they found a way to make up and confess their feelings.

Grade: 4/5

The Perfect Bride - Brenda Joyce

2010-12-09T12:45:00.001Z

A woman without passion and a man without hope

A childhood trauma has left Lady Blanche Harrington incapable of all emotion, least of all love. Now circumstance demands she marry, and Blanche dreads choosing from her horde of fawning suitors. For one very eligible gentleman has not stepped forward . . .

A war hero and a recluse, Rex de Warenne has long admired Lady Blanche. Though fate and his own dark nature have robbed him of any hope for the kind of future such a lady deserves, Rex is determined to aid her -- and keep his feelings to himself. But when their growing friendship leads to a night of shocking passion, Blanche's newfound memories threaten their fragile love . . . and Blanche's very life.

It's been a while since I had picked up one of Brenda Joyce's titles, her heroes were turning too alpha and I found that my tastes had definitely changed. However I looked at this one the other day and the review seemed interesting so I picked it up. I haven't regretted it. It was an interesting read with a heroine suffering post traumatic stress disorder and a hero who seemed less alpha than her usual type.

The hero and heroine already know each other when the story starts as Blanche was once the bride of one of Rex's brothers. In a way this can also be considered a friends to lovers story as they do develop a friendship before going any further. In that sense I felt the first scene where Blanche catches Rex with another woman was quite unnecessary and they could be brought together in some other way but I guess sex sells so there has be a certain amount of scenes.

After a first awkward moment Rex and Blanche find that they do like to spend time together. They both have difficult pasts, he was crippled in the war against Napoleon and saw the woman he loves marry someone else and she saw her mother being murdered when she was a child although she has repressed the memory.

Their friendship eventually develops into an attraction and they eventually give in to their passion. However Blanche starts to remember what really happened with her mother and the new emotions are overwhelming making her believe she is mad. To spare Rex from seeing her go mad Blanche runs away to London where she keeps getting worse.

I thought interesting that Joyce could create such a tortured heroine. By doing so she also deals with the problem of married women whose riches would then be the husband's property while they could be conveniently disposed of in a hospice and similar.

Rex eventually finds out that Blanche is not mad and that she is hiding from him, not because she doesn't love him but because she wants to protect him. Seeing some similarities between what is happening to her and what happened to some of the soldiers in the war he decides to help her. I thought all this was much better, and much more interesting, than your usual romance novel and was quite happy to have picked it up.

Grade: 4/5

Suddenly Sexy - Linda Francis Lee

2010-12-06T07:56:00.015Z

When a legendary bad boy returns to town, Kate must summon her inner temptress.

Kate Bloom's ordered world is turned upside down when notorious bad boy and superstar athlete Jesse Chapman comes home. Seeing him again reminds Kate of all the reasons she harbored a Texas-sized crush on him back when they were kids. But she isn't a little girl anymore . . . and she's ready to show this hell-raising playboy just how sexy she can be.

After a reporter starts digging into his past, Jesse Chapman returns home looking for space. The last thing he needs is a distraction, but that's just what he gets when he sees his little Katie. Suddenly the girl next door is hot and sexy-and more than even this legendary ladies' man can handle.

I can't remember why I put this one in the TBR pile anymore but my guess is that it was because it is a mix of second chance at love / friends to lovers kind of story. After finishing it I am left with mixed feelings about it because I felt there were too many things happening at once.

Kate Bloom is a news anchor in a small Texas town; she has been in love with Jesse Chapman, now a famous golfer, since they were children. Jesse, however, did not feel he was good enough for Kate and has stayed away. Now he has returned to their hometown to do some serious thinking about his life. He arrives right when Kate is starting a new program to refresh her image and improve viewer ratings. After an almost disastrous live cooking program Kate's friend convinces them that he could stay in Kate's guest house and so they start spending time together.

I think my main problem was that, despite his attraction to Kate, Jesse had a lot of things to deal with that came up first than she did. He had to make peace with his past, with his brother, then he has to deal with an illegitimate kid and there's also the problem of what really happened in his latest golf tournament. Some of these things could have been solved if people talked to each other (or with a psychologist).

Kate seems like a nice, sensible woman but she keeps getting into trouble. Most of her programs are complete disasters, which somehow helps with the ratings but make her look like an idiot. Then her dealings with her friend Julia also seemed a bit surreal. It takes a skilled writer to make an idiot seem like a good heroine and I wasn't completely satisfied with how that was dealt with here. In the end it left me feeling it could have been a nice story but that it didn't fulfill my expectations.

Grade: 3/5

The Widow - Anne Stuart

2010-12-03T08:54:00.041Z

Determined to put the past behind her and to vanguish the evil that still lurks at the Tuscan villa she once lived in with her cruel husband, renowned artist Aristide Pompasse, Charlie finds herself drawn to Connor Maguire, a reporter who will do anything to discover the truth her husband's murder.

I make no secret of the fact that Anne Stuart is one of my favourite authors, I have loved some books more than others, her older stories better than her recent ones but I usually always find something to enjoy in everyone of them. I still have a lot of work to do if I want to catch up with all her back list so occasionally delve into my TBR pile and see what I have there. This time it was The Widow.

The widow is Charlie, the ex-wife of famous French painter Aristide Pompasse who has just been found murdered. She is the executor of his will and so she must go back to his Tuscan Villa, where several of his mistresses reside, to settle things. There she also finds Connor Maguire, a tabloid reporter pretending to be and insurance consultant, who suspects her to be the murderer and is trying to find Charlie and Pompasse's eventual dirty secrets.

There's an attraction between Charlie and Connor from the beginning. He is the usual bad boy, decided not to get involved and she seemed actually like a nice girl despite an uncommon childhood that led her to the arms of someone 40 something years older than her and a less than healthy relationship. Unfortunately I did not find Connor as alluring as other Stuart imperfect heroes, he does get better as the book develops but he starts by being a really nasty piece of work.

Regarding the suspense of where Pompasse’s last works were and who is trying to hurt Charlie although the conclusion was a surprise I didn't feel there was enough build up to make a successful romantic suspense climax. Still, it is an entertaining read if not an exceptional one.

Grade: 3.5/5

The Plumed Bonnet - Mary Balogh

2010-11-29T08:05:00.001Z

DECEIVING THE DUKE

There was no reason for a lord as handsome and high and mighty as the Duke of Bridgewater even to glance at a humble vicar's daughter like Miss Stephanie Gray. No reason except the Duke was in need of amorous amusement, and the he was mistakenly convinced that Stephanie was precisely the kind of woman that she was decidedly not.

It was one thing for Stephanie to be grateful to the Duke for rescuing her from a horrific highway mishap. It was quite another, however, to repay him by accepting what she long had been told was a fate worse than death. So when the Duke stooped to conquer, Stephanie rose to defend her virtue - only to find that even the most proper young lady on the brink of the deepest of dangers could nonetheless fall in love . . .

The Plumed Bonnet is part of a series that starts with Dark Angel. I have read the previous books some time ago and I never wrote the reviews but reading this one actually made me want to go back and revisit those soon.

In the beginning of this story we find Stephanie Gray walking along the road in a very colourful hat and destitute. When the Duke of Bridgewater's carriage comes along he sees a lady of easy virtue who might help him pass a few comfortable hours and he offers her a ride. Stephanie is naturally grateful and tells him the story of how she ended up like that and who she is. The story sounds so fantastic that Bridgewater believes it to be made up just to gain his interest. Amused he plays along and they both spend a night in an Inn albeit in separate rooms. When Bridgewater realises she was telling the truth he feels duty bound to offer for her because he knows he has compromised her.

Stephanie accepts as she feels she has no option (she has to marry to receive her inheritance) and she does admire the Duke very much for what she feels was a good deed towards her. But the easy communication between the two is now at an end. Stephanie feels like a country bumpkin next to Bridgewater's family and despite being coached in her new duties by the dowager Duchess she feels she may never be sophisticated enough to fulfill her new duties, and Bridgewater realises he wants a true marriage between them but seems unable to express his feelings in a way she understands them.

On their wedding day he decides to be truthful and tell her what he really thought about her when they met. This makes Stephanie realise that he also has flaws; the man she thought had been so kind to her simply thought she was a trollop. While this causes her some pain it was also a much needed conversation to clear the air between them. After the initial big misunderstanding (which I usually don't like) that was quite funny and then the smaller ones that contributed to make this a very angsty read during their engagement. Bridgewater and Stephanie will have to build their relationship on who they really are.

I found this a lovely, entertaining story with very funny moments in the first half and then some poignant ones in the second. It covers the dangers to women alone on the road, the insecurity of meeting one's in laws and how difficult it is sometimes to understand others, be it words or looks, when you don't actually know them. Another winner!

Grade: 4.5/5

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe - Agatha Christie

2010-11-25T09:25:00.003Z

Shortly after his 12:30 appointment, Dr. Morley is found with a bullet through his right temple, the gun on the floor beside him. The authorities are satisfied that the amiable old dentist shot himself. Hercule Poirot is not. But who could have murdered him? One of Dr. Morley's glamorous patients? His hard-drinking partner? His secretary's disgruntled boyfriend? All Poirot has is a hunch, too many clues, and a killer who will not be satisfied with only one victim.

This was another Agatha Christie novel that I read last September, I'm terribly behind with my reviews but since I'll be home for the next few months maybe I'll manage to catch up.

I had some misgivings about this Poirot mystery. I felt it had a darker side than the other Christie novels I've been reading as it deals with the political forces emerging during WWII and not all the characters are pleasant ones. In terms of the mystery it is a compelling read with the action developing at a quick pace. While the culprit revealed in the end was a complete surprise to me and that is always a good thing, I would have preferred a different character to be guilty mainly because the political force he represented. Even Poirot seems to have some hesitation moments before finally turning the murderer in, but in the end his usual concern for truth and justice prevails.

Still, I find that I prefer her more cosy titles. The ones where Poirot catches the bad guy and I close them with a happy sigh. Here, that darker side makes me worry for the future and I suppose Poirot feels the same as he closes ends is dialogue with some of the characters with "let there be freedom and let there be pity".

The title of the novel comes from an old nursery rhyme. I wasn't familiar with it, and people who are may enjoy it differently, but I liked the way how Christie mixed it with the story with all the chapters titled with a line of the rhyme.

Grade: 4/5

The Secret Pearl - Mary Balogh

2010-11-22T07:07:00.000Z

PASSION FLOWER

Fleur. That was her middle name. The name she told the man to whom she sold herself out of desperate want. But her full name was Isabella Fleur Bradshaw, gently born and brutally expelled from her sheltered life. His name was Adam Kent, Duke of Ridgeway, the wealthiest lord in England, but scarred in war, bitterly betrayed in marriage.

She feared his overpowering physical passion. He fought to keep from loving her. They each had so much to teach each other and so much to learn... 'n a drama of desire played out on a vast estate - where a man and a woman come closer and closer to their moment of heart-pounding truth...

The Secret Pearl is another book where Mrs. Balogh uses a different, and for many authors and readers, forbidden theme as a plot device. At the beginning of the story, the heroine decides to work as a prostitute! This is not a spoiler as it does happen in the first pages. The hero is leaving the theatre one night when he sees a prostitute in the shadows, he asks her her price and he takes to an inn where the consummate the act. However she touches him in some way and realising she had been a virgin and seems starving he buys her dinner.

Fleur, our heroine, decided on prostitution as a last resort to feed herself and pay her bills but she had no idea how she would feel about it afterwards. After spending a few days closeted in her room she decides to look for a job again. Meanwhile, the hero, the Duke of Ridgeway has spent some time thinking on the young prostitute he engaged for the night, he realises that she has refined manners and is probably just down on her luck and decides to send his secretary to the job agencies to see if he finds someone by the name of Fleur looking for work. He does and that is how Fleur, quite unexpectedly finds herself as the new governess of the Duke's daughter.

Fleur has no idea who hired her. She is immediately sent to the country, where the child and the Duchess are, and she applies herself to her new duties. When the Duke finally decides to visit she is shocked and scared when she recognises him. She has to live side by side with the man who knows her shame and hurt her and he seems to want some kind of relationship with her. Adam, the Duke, is trapped in an unhappy marriage and now he feels responsible for the young woman he ended up ruining and hurting without meaning to, he wants to give her a chance in their world again but she has a natural distrust of him that is not easy to overcome.

Besides this very bad start both Adam and Fleur have situation and people in their past who trouble them. This accounts for some of their choices and behaviours. Adam seems cold and remote but you see that he really loves his daughter and that he tries to be fair in all his dealings with people. Fleur is easier to like although for a time you just don't realise what made her act like she did. Although this may seem like a very convoluted story the fact is that Ms Balogh makes it all work. And I appreciated the happy ending all the more because it seemed so difficult to reach.

I suppose some readers might not like the prostitution thing and the adultery associated with the first scene but, if you can overlook that, this is an intense, poignant story where two people find love. It's not easy to read, it is emotional and sometime heart wrenching but I found it a very worthy read!

Grade: 4.5/5

On A Highland Shore - Kathleen Givens

2010-11-19T08:20:00.011Z

1263: On Scotland's western shore, the village of Somerstrath prepares for the joyous wedding celebration of Margaret MacDonald, the laird's daughter. But a dark storm of bloodshed and betrayal is closing in, as a merciless band of Vikings threatens the Highlands. Margaret is determined to hold the MacDonald clan together and to locate her abducted younger brother. But can she trust the noblemen from King Alexander's court, who insist that only by adhering to a betrothal conceived for political gain will she find safety? Or should she put her trust in an imposing half-Irish, half-Norse warrior? Gannon MacMagnus alone offers her hope of reuniting her family and vanquishing the barbarous Norsemen who would continue to rob her people of their God-given right to determine their own destinies. In whom should Margaret entrust the fate of the rugged, magnificent land she calls home?

I've had On a Highland Shore in the TBR pile for quite some time. I must have read a good review somewhere and added it to my pile but then I forgot all about it. One of these days I was looking for a medieval and since this one is set in the 13th century I thought it might be a good time to try it.

I am quite happy that I did, I found an interesting and complex story set in Scotland, a love story but also a story of political alliances, social customs and the clash of different nationalities.

Margaret MacDonald is a young girl from a powerful family. She is betrothed to the man she loves and doesn't seem to have many problems in her world. She knows she does not have a perfect family but she loves her parents and her siblings and trusts that she will have a happier marriage than her parents. When she was young, however, a wise woman predicted that she would have to choose the right man to spend her life with or death would follow. When she discovers her betrothed in the arms of one of her friends on the eve of her wedding Margaret's happiness comes tumbling down. She asks her father to break her betrothal but he is adamant, in fact, everyone else is, that the political alliance is more important than her pride and that she will eventually get over it.

Margaret is sent to court to think of her future but while she is away her father's land is attacked and her family killed except for her small brother who seems to have been taken prisoner along with other young boys. Words of the attack spread and warriors arrive to help. Margaret's brother is now the new head of the family but his immaturity and reckless personality soon leads him to clash with the newcomers. Among them is Gannon Magnusson, an Irishman of Viking descent whose looks make most people distrust him the beginning.

Faced with a betrothed she doesn't want but that her brother keeps wanting her to accept and Magnus whom she feels attracted to the more she gets to know him, Margaret starts thinking about the old prophecy and what it might mean.

What I really enjoyed about this story was that both Margaret and Magnus were sensible people, they did not rush to give in to their feelings, they got to know each other first and even after they realise how they felt about each other they were still hesitant to act on them if Margaret couldn't be free of the other man. Then I liked how the author managed to show how political alliances and war decisions are made with no regard for the common people, it's the wealth that raiding brings that matters and for that others may turn a blind eye to violence and murder. Unlike other medieval romances On a Highland Shore does not romanticise the period overmuch and I think that is one of its most strong points.

The romance was well done and it felt quite real to me but there is also a concern with presenting the social and political aspects of that society. After finishing it I thought there might be at least a sequel about Margaret's sister. I know that Givens has another book in this series but it seems to be set a few decades after this one finishes, does anyone know if she ever wrote any more in this series?

Grade: 4.5/5

To Die For - Linda Howard

2010-11-15T04:53:00.001Z

Blair Mallory lives the good life. She's pretty, confident, and the owner of a thriving up-scale fitness center. But in the shadow of success, a troubled member of the club develops a strange fixation on Blair, imitating her style and dress. Matters take a darker turn when the look-alike is shot dead -- and Blair witnesses the horror.

As the media speculates on the tawdry details of the homicide and pushes Blair into the harsh spotlight, she locks horns with police lieutenant Wyatt Bloodsworth. He wants to lead an investigation without interference, while Blair is determined to probe the dead woman's life on her own. But when someone begins to menace Blair with mounting threats, Wyatt takes notice: Was this murder indeed a lethal case of mistaken identity -- and was Blair the intended victim?

A few years ago I was a devoted fan of Linda Howard; I read quite a few of her books, looked for her backlist and although not all of them were winners most were. Then, new authors came along, my mood changed a bit and I've been reading other things. But at the beginning of the year I decided to pick up the ones I already had, this time it was To Die For's turn.

I had no idea what it was about and what genre it was. After reading it I am not sure if this is a comedy with romantic suspense elements or a romantic suspense with comedy elements. Whatever it was I had a really good time reading this story.

The heroine, Blair Mallory, witnesses a murder. Blair is a very funny heroine which is good because the book is written from her POV. When the cops arrive one of them is the guy who dumped her a few years back. She has certainly not forgotten him and the whole book is a sort of war of the sexes between them as Lt. Wyatt Bloodworth is at first frustrated that she doesn't obey his orders and then very much decided to resume what he didn't end before.

Needless to say Blair is decided to 1) not succumb to his charm again, 2) make him pay for what he put her through before! She doesn't exactly succeed in both goals but what ensues is quite fun to read. At first thought Blair was going to be a bit shallow but in the end her amusing outlook on life and how she used her "female power" (like all the other women in her family) really turned this into a feel good fiction book. I don't think this should work in real life but in books, and movies this sort of manipulation work quite well at making me laugh.

The suspense part was good too, although for me the funny romance is really what this was about, and the mystery ended with a twist I did not see coming, not sure that really worked but it didn't bother me too much.

For a light read, good banter and funny lines between the h/h this was the perfect book!

Grade: 4/5

The Obedient Bride - Mary Balogh

2010-11-11T06:52:00.001Z

LOVE WAS NOT PART OF HER MARRIAGE BARGAIN

Miss Arabella Wilson knew perfectly well that the handsome, dashing Lord Geoffrey Astor was marrying her only out of a sense of duty. She knew she could be only grateful to this man who so generously offered her a life of aristocratic privilege. Surely she could not imagine she could ever claim his heart as well as his hand. Surely she could not object to his mistress, the ravishingly sensual Ginny Cox.

Surely she should be content with the attentions of the gentlemen of the ton who swarmed around her.

But Arabella had committed the most scandalous of sins. She had fallen in love with her own husband...

After a few less than wonderful Baloghs here's one that I truly enjoyed. The Obedient Bride is a "MOC" story; both the hero and the heroine marry out of a sense of duty. Him because he is helping the last Viscount's family and she because she will be able to help her family if she does.

The way they approach the marriage however is very different. The hero sees it has something he has to do but that it won't disrupt his private life, he will continue to keep his usual mistress and doing his usual activities with the exception that now he will accompany his wife to social functions and will present her sisters to society. The heroine, however, is determined to make the best of her marriage and be the perfect wife. In part because she feel he is entering a bad bargain as she is not as beautiful as her sister.

They do adjust well to married life and in fact Bella, the heroine, likes her new social life so much that she becomes a vibrant young woman always surrounded by friends and admirers. However, one evening she hears that her husband is keeping a mistress and decides to confront him about it.

I loved how Bella was so very hurt and disappointed but managed to hold on to her her dignity while making it very clear how mad she was. Geoffrey really couldn't see how his actions could be seen as wrong (which I suppose was accurate for the time and type of marriage) but he felt her displeasure and decided to change. He ended things with the mistress and worked on gaining Bella's trust again. Mind you he did not change overnight, in fact his first reaction was to get very angry that Bella should think and speak in such a way with him. But when he decided to reform he did his best to please her and I felt he actually won her over.

There's a subplot with Bella's sister and a rake that I felt was a bit unnecessary unless it was to show how noble Geoffrey was in contrast. In the end I found this a very nice little story although readers with strong feelings about adultery should probably stay away. I always feel Balogh has more original/outrageous plots in her earlier titles than in the more recent ones and this is the perfect example!

Grade: 4/5

A Caribbean Mystery - Agatha Christie

2010-11-09T06:54:00.000Z

The Tiny Carribean island of St. Honore is a tropical paradise. But for Miss Marple, enjoying a well-earned rest from her busy life in the village of St. Mary Mead, it is a place where nothing ever seems to happen. Until old Major Palgrave tells her the strange story of a suspected double murderer.

As rumors begin to circulate, the elderly sleuth is not alone in suspecting that things are not as they seem. And when a death that is indisputably murder occurs, Miss Marple finds an unlikely ally in the cantakerous crippled millionaire Mr. Rafiel.

A Caribbean Mystery brings a change of scenery for Miss Marple. She is spending a holiday abroad but surrounded by British comfort. The hotel owners are British, as are most of the other guests, and so the habits remain the same.

Miss Marple is, as usual, observing the people around her. Some are nicer than others and some are easier to read than others. Among them are Major Palgrave, Mr. Rafiel, the Prescotts and the Dysons... One evening Major Palgrave is telling Miss Marple about a murderer he knows when he suddenly falls silent and changes the subject. The very next day he is discovered dead in his room. Miss Marple suspicious mind is not at all happy with an accidental death verdict and she starts asking around and trying to discover if the major's death is in any way connected to the murderer he was telling her about.

A lot more seems to be going on at the resort. Molly Kendall, the owner, feels a bit anxious and between the other couples there seems to be something going on. Miss Marple uses her best gossiping powers to try to discover what's happening but eventually she has to ask Mr. Rafiel for help. Rafiel is a bitter millionaire, who subjects his employees to his bad humour, but who has an intelligent mind and recognises in Miss Marple a very sharp mind. He calls her Nemesis!

And Mr. Rafiel is quite right, although two more murders occur; Miss Marple does solve the mystery and prevents the intended victim of being murdered just in the nick of time. A very nice and cosy mystery!

Grade: 4.5/5

The Constant Heart - Mary Balogh

2010-11-08T06:55:00.002Z

THE ROGUE'S RETURN

Miss Rebecca Shaw had lost her heart once in her young life - lost it and had it broken.

At last it had mended - mended enough for her to say yes when the handsome, high-minded young Reverend Phillip Everett asked her to be his wife and share a life of the purest propriety and best of good works.

But now Christopher Sinclair had returned. He was fee now of the marriage that had given him fabulous wealth at the price of leaving Rebecca behind and betrayed. He was free now to turn Rebecca's head again... away from the man who soon would be her lawfully wedded husband. And Rebecca was also free to change her mind - but was she foolish enough to turn toward a love that had proven faithless once and now could be utterly ruinous. . . .?

Another one of Balogh's oldies The Constant Heart tells the story of Rebecca Shaw, a young woman who suffered a big disappointment a few years before when her beau tells her that he is marrying a rich heiress he met in town and leaving her behind. Now she is engaged to be married to the village Reverend but the return of the man who betrayed her, now a rich widower, does make her heart feel divided.

Besides her disappointment with him Rebecca keeps hearing about how Christopher mistreated his wife. But she can't seem to stay away from him as they keep seeing each other everywhere and he is always very civil to her. When they meet by accident in the forest and Christopher tells her he still cares for her Rebecca has a hard time dealing with the feelings that his declaration bring to surface.

But soon she finds out that maybe not all that has been said about him is true, that he has been helping her through the years without her knowledge and the real reasons behind his actions.

I thought this plot had great potential for an angst ridden story. Unfortunately, although there are some emotional moments, that potential is not fulfilled. Maybe because we only know Rebecca's side of it or because Christopher actually does seem like a nice guy and there isn't much misunderstanding on that score. That lack of emotion prevented me from being totally engaged in the story and it didn't quite work as I was expecting it to.

The secondary characters were really nice and the love stories they developed also made for a good read. They were the kind of people I wouldn't mind revisiting at a later date to see how well they deal with each other.

Grade: 3.5/5

New Additions to the TBR Pile

2010-11-07T13:42:00.000Z

SIBLING RIVALRY

The moonlight shone on the quiet village green and on a man's two motionless feet stuck through the holes of a pair of stocks. Wealthy Arnold Vereker had been murdered, and every member of his eccentric family had a motive--money. Was it his half-sister Antonia, whose marriage he had forbidden, or her embezzling lover? Could it have been Arnold's half-brother Kenneth, heir apparent, or perhaps it was the delectable beauty, Violet Williams? And then there was Roger, his "dead" brother, who appeared right after the murder? It must be someone, attractive Inspector Hannasyde kept telling himself in one of his most puzzling cases ever.

Working on my Christmas TBR Pile

2010-11-06T07:33:00.001Z

The holiday season is fast approaching and I always like to have a thematic TBR pile. This year my pile doesn't seem very big and I'm looking forward to add more books to it. Do you have a favourite Christmas book? Would you like to share? I have a fondness for Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Mary Balogh's Christmas stories but I like to try new things so feel free to suggest anything you want.

These are the ones I have at the moment:

A Christmas Promise - Mary Balogh
A Christmas Bride - Mary Balogh
Christmas Wedding Bells - Anthology

And I am planning to buy The Mischief of The Mistletoe by Lauren Willig...

The Cad - Edith Layton

2010-11-05T19:33:00.000Z

Intimate Strangers

Bridget Cooke possesses the gifts London society prizes: genteel manners, intelligence, an exquisite figure. She lacks, however, a fortune. A companion to icy relatives, Bridget resigns herself to a life of solitude, especially because of the childhood scar that mars her lovely face. Little does she expect to receive the vigorous attentions of darkly handsome, rich widower Lord Ewen Sinclair, Regency England's most infamous rake.

In a matter of days, the Sinclair whisks Bridget to the altar and into his passionate embrace. Dismissing the vicious rumors surrounding their hasty marriage, Bridget is sure of Ewen's love, even when he is mysteriously called away. But then a shocking secret from his past emerges, threatening her happiness. If Ewen is a cad and their wedding a lie, as the gossips say, then why does Bridget's very stubborn heart still believe his love is true?

I've heard so many good things about this book that, in my mind, it was up there with favourites like Lord of Scoundrels or Heartless. Unfortunately, after having read it, I thought it was an ok read but not an outstanding one. In fact, with a title like The Cad, I was expecting a far tougher hero than the one I got.

But there is much to like in The Cad. First we have an original heroine. A lot of heroines have imaginary or common flaws, but this one actually has a scar on her face that makes people notice her and stare. The hero is a rake, usually interested in beautiful (and so perfect) women he finds himself attracted to Bridget and decides to pursue her. As she doesn't go about in society he has to pretend to court her cousin, who she is chaperoning, so that he can be close to her and get to know her better.

His main interest his to make her his mistress but Bridget´s strength of character eventually leads him to propose marriage and convince her to accept. To do so Bridget has to cut her ties with her family and, in a way, be at his mercy. Bridget is a fragile character in what concerns her looks, it's heart wrenching to see her so happy when a couple of actresses teach her to use make up to disguise her scar. She feels whole for the first time... and beautiful. And although Ewen was right that she did not need it to be beautiful to him that way he said it was painful to read.

Their wedding is attended by only a small group of people, and no one of Bridget's family, and there an aura of mystery surrounding it. The need for a quick wedding is explained by Ewen with the need to visit his ailing father. After wards they travel to his country home for some days honeymooning and although Bridget feels very happy and secure eventually Ewen is called to town and they are separated.

While they are separated Bridget keeps her faith in Ewen but eventually we start seeing that all is not well. First Bridget and Ewen have taken under their wing a young girl and her sister comes to collect her because she doesn't want her spending time with a courtesan, eventually she tells Bridget she doesn't believe that Ewen really married her. Then Ewen's cousin arrives with his courtesan and friends in tow and at first mistake Bridget for a mistress instead of a wife. Then a lady arrives claiming that she is Ewen's true wife and Bridget is just someone he duped to be able to bed her. By this time we already know that Ewen is involved in a mission for the Foreign Office and that he would very much to return to Bridget but his boss doesn't let him.

So, I think the biggest flaw of this book is that, after a great start, everything is set to make us believe that Ewen is not an honourable man, that indeed he is duping Bridget and playing her for a fool, and in the end the truth is far from that. I think too much attention is given to his first marriage and Bridget ends up going through some painful situations because of that. It is hard to believe that her servants would behave the way they did towards her and the complicated plot surrounding Ewen's first wife seemed a bit too much to be believable. I loved Ewen and Bridget when they were together but the time they spent apart and the kind of misunderstandings that came out of it were almost too much to bear.

I did like Gilly and Betsy very much, I think I've read somewhere that they have their own books and I am quite curious to discover their stories...

Grade: 4/5 just because I usually like Layton so much.

The Darcys Give a Ball - Elizabeth Newark

2010-11-04T19:59:00.001Z

While Jane and Lizzie plan a lavish ball at Pemberley, the Darcys' second son falls in love with the Collins' daughter, first-born Juliet Darcy is almost lured into an elopement, and Georgiana's timid daughter Lucy is the new target of Miss Caroline Bingley's meddling.

The Darcys Give a Ball is a charming and very amusing imagining of the next generation of Jane Austen's beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice and other novels, where all the young people come together for a surprising and altogether satisfying ending. Sons and daughters share the physical and personality traits of their parents, but of course have minds of their own, and as Lizzie says to Jane: "The romantic attachments of one's children are a constant distraction."

As usual I picked this one up with a mix of great expectations and dread. The first because it is always nice to revisit the characters of our favourite stories, and the second because sometimes these sequels totally ruin them. Although that doesn't happen here I guess it's more because this novel is more about the Collins family than Elizabeth and Darcy.

The story takes place about twenty five years after the end of Pride and Prejudice. The Darcys, the Bingleys and the Collinses - not to mention the Brandons, the Wentworths and other Austen characters - now have adult children who are making their way into society.

The beginning of the story tells us about the life Charlotte Lucas has been leading since she married Mr. Collins. She produced a number of children, has made the best of her situation and has kept in touch with Elizabeth Darcy although they are not regular visitors of each other’s house for obvious reasons.

When an invitation arrives for a ball at Pemberley, Charlotte is naturally ecstatic for this opportunity to revisit an old friend and Mr. Collins is even more so. Never having been invited before this seems like a dream come true but unfortunately an illness prevents him from attending. That's how Charlotte finds herself a guest at Pemberley with her two children - Jonathon and Eliza. The two youngest Collins are the main characters of this story, at Pemberley they meet Elizabeth's offspring, namely her son William and her daughter Juliet. Eliza and William immediately strike up a friendship but Juliet seems, sadly, like a really disagreeable young girl.

The second half of the story is about the ball and all the events surrounding it. The guests include a lot more Austenesque characters but we don't really get to know them well as the plot centers around the Collins and Darcy children and their romantic attachments. It's a light and fun read perfect to spend an afternoon with!

Grade: 4/5

Gentle Conquest - Mary Balogh

2010-11-03T16:16:00.039Z

THE BASHFUL BRIDEGROOM

It should have been the perfect marriage for beautiful Georgiana Burton. The husband her parents had picked for her, Lord Ralph Chartleigh, was wealthy, handsome, noble, and kind. Unfortunately, he did not measure up to Georgiana's firm notions of what a man should be. He was uninterested in society, impervious to fashions, had the worst of tailors, knew little of women -- and was wary of the little he knew. Clearly Georgiana had to teach him a great deal about life and even more about love...forgetting until it was almost too late how much she had to learn herself.

Another Balogh oldie (yes I read quite a few last month) and one that I started worrying about once I was introduced to the heroine. She seemed the ultimate shallow girl, marrying because her parents so decided but determined to make fun of her husband. The husband was intelligent, honourable, charming even although a bit shy with his bride. He fell head over heels in love with at first sight and seemed unable to utter more than a couple of words in her presence. Georgiana pretends to also be shy and delicate while she is being courted but while Ralph never even kissed a girl she has already been kissed by a couple of her friends and sees nothing wrong with a light flirtation.

Ralph's inexperience and Georgiana’s behaviour lead them to an awkward situation on their wedding night and they do not consummate it. Instead Ralph decided to wait till they get to know each other better. He is quite surprised by the vivacious girl she becomes after the wedding and feels even more enchanted by her. Although seems as shallow as in the beginning we can see that she doesn't have a bad heart and would like to make a go of her marriage. She is a bit impulsive and sometimes her actions really are a bit too much but she is the kind who learns from her mistakes.

They eventually return to London and the ton's social life. Georgiana meets her old friends and makes the acquaintance of one of Ralph's cousins. The more she gets to know her husband the more she wants their marriage to be consummated, you can see her growing up, appreciating her husband as she should and he deserves. But Ralph doesn't seem in any hurry to do the deed. With the help of her husband's cousin she eventually comes up with a plan to seduce him, but since he feels intimidated by her she pretends to be someone else.

I must admit that Georgiana's crazy plan was quite funny. Because of that I could suspend my disbelief regarding the fact that Ralph slept with his wife believing her to be a stranger and never realising it. But I could see a mile away that someone would eventually believe Georgiana to be carrying on an affair and that might have some trouble explaining what she had been up to. How she was found out and how Ralph dealt with the situation was also quite funny.

Despite what I would think to be a crazy plot if I had just read about it I think the story worked very well, showing two young people (18 and 21) getting to know each other and falling in love while still showing some adolescent behaviour. While this isn't one of my favourite Balogh's it was still a very nice read.

The secondary romance was also a nice touch.

Grade: 4/5

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher - Kate Summerscale

2010-11-02T09:22:00.000Z

The fascinating story of a famous Victorian murder case - and the notorious detective who solved it It is a summer’s night in 1860. In an elegant detached Georgian house in the village of Road, Wiltshire, all is quiet. Behind shuttered windows the Kent family lies sound asleep. At some point after midnight a dog barks.

The family wakes the next morning to a horrific discovery: an unimaginably gruesome murder has taken place in their home. The household reverberates with shock, not least because the guilty party is surely still among them. Jack Whicher of Scotland Yard, the most celebrated detective of his day, reaches Road Hill House a fortnight later. He faces an unenviable task: to solve a case in which the grieving family are the suspects.

The murder provokes national hysteria. The thought of what might be festering behind the closed doors of respectable middle-class homes – scheming servants, rebellious children, insanity, jealousy, loneliness and loathing – arouses fear and a kind of excitement. But when Whicher reaches his shocking conclusion there is uproar and bewilderment.

I was very curious about this book. I enjoy historical mysteries very much and that this one about a true crime seemed perfect to my tastes. Unfortunately that was not so... I found it very interesting in terms of analysis of the Victorian mind, in terms of early detective work but I ended up finding it a bit dry and too cluttered with information that while important to the real investigation dragged the story.

The crime in question is the murder of three year old Saville Kent. In 1860, in the middle of night and in a locked house someone removed him from his bed, took him to an outside privy and slashed his throat. The first suspects are his family and their servants. The local police couldn't come up with answers and the Scotland Yard sends one of their best detectives, Mr. Jonathan Whicher.

Whicher arrives two weeks after the crime and some of the evidence is already lost. But careful analysis of what he could find and the family history led him to the conclusion that one of the family members was indeed guilty but the evidence was not conclusive and the case almost brought him to ruin.

I thought, from what I had read about it, that the book would be about his investigation, finding the clues and analysing them to reach a conclusion. Instead it ended up being more about the family relations, class system and mental illness. Which is also very interesting but it doesn't make for a fluid reading when it is described with as great detail as it is here.

One interesting aspect is when Summerscale mentions how Mr. Whicher influenced the detective fiction of the time and the works of writers such as Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. Readers who enjoyed The Moonstone or Bleak House will find this a very interesting read. Other shocking murders of the time are also mentioned, some with motivations more material and, to me, easier to understand than this one.

In the end it is clear that the author did a great deal of research about the Saville Kent murder and her explanation of what might have happened to the two Mrs. Kent sounds like a plausible one but I think that is terms of resolution, despite the fact that Mr. Whicher's suspect confessed half way through the book, we are still left with many questions.

This book is very interesting for people wanting to find out about the family life in the Victorian world, about the crimes of the time, the motivations and the beginning of the forensics methods that led some of the criminals to justice. As for people wanting to find out just about this murder, the information is there but you need to filter through all the other details provided.

Grade: 3.5/5

Daring Masquerade - Mary Balogh

2010-11-01T07:44:00.041Z

BETWEEN TWO FIRES

Beautiful young widow Katherine Mannering vowed that no man would ever possess her. Her brief but brutal forced marriage left her with profound distaste for what went by the name of love.

But that was before she met Nicholas Seyton, a devilishly dashing highwayman who kidnapped her person and stole her heart. And that was before she met the infuriating yet attractive Sir Harry Tate, whose manner made her blood boil yet whose touch lit flames of passion.

The outlaw and the lord... Katherine knew so little about either, except that each taught her a different lesson in love -- and presented her with a more and more difficult choice....

I must start this review by saying that this not one of my favourite Balogh's. I dislike deception and people masquerading as others and deceiving their loved ones, although here that is suppose to lead to some funny encounters I never could let go of my dislike to fully appreciate it.

The story is entertaining but it is not as funny as some of the farces Mary Balogh wrote, or as emotional as some other of her books. Kate is a widow and has found a job as a companion. On her way to her new job she is kidnapped by Nicholas Seton who, she discovers later, is the cousin of her current employer and the only thing that bars him from claiming the title is his illegitimacy. But he suspects he maybe legitimate after all and is decided to investigate further...

Kate ends up decided to help him. After she is released she goes back to her employer’s home and decides to discover what she can about the affair. But Nicholas also wants to have a closer look at what is going on at his cousin's home and arrives with a friend pretending to be Sir Harry Tate, a gentleman of the ton.

As I said before I couldn't get past the fact that Kate doesn't recognise Sir Harry and he doesn't tell her the truth. Not only that but he starts pursuing her and I felt it hard to believe that Kate wouldn't recognise Sir Harry as Nicholas even after they made love. Or that in the end she would accept so easily that she had been duped and had slept with "both" of them thinking they were different people.

In the course of the story Kate gets involved with smugglers, they find out that Nicholas mother was paid to hand him over to his grandfather and that his cousin in the one behind this scheme to gain the inheritance and the title for his family. Quite ironically his children weren’t that interested in their new life as the Earl's children and Nicholas ended up doing them a favor, and easing the way of true love, by reclaiming his rights.

So, although I'm happy to have read another Balogh, this one is definitely at the bottom of my preferences.

Grade: 3.5/5

New Additions To The TBR Pile

2010-10-31T08:25:00.004Z

Thinking of Christmas crafts already...

What I've Been Watching

2010-10-30T07:28:00.001Z

There are so many twists in this series that I am not really sure where they are taking it...

Simple Jess - Pamela Morsi

2010-10-29T09:35:00.053Z

The last thing widow Althea Winsloe wanted to do was remarry. Unfortunately, her meddlesome mountain neighbors had other plans. So, one autumn night they banded together and gave Althea a shocking ultimatum: She was to find herself a husband by Christmas...or the town would do it for her! Althea knew she had her choice of any single man in Marrying Stone, Arkansas. Yet the only one she felt truly comfortable with was Simple Jess. Sweet and gentle, Jess wasn't as smart as your average man. But his tender manner stirred Althea's heart in ways she had never dreamed possible.

It would take a miracle to find a husband in Marrying Stone. But sometimes miracles are right under your nose....

I had never read a Pamela Morsi book but I heard so many good things about this one that when I found a copy I decided that it was time to try it.

The story opens with Althea, a widow, being forced by her late husband's family to choose a new husband. Althea is not interested in marrying again. She married her husband so as to have her own home and not be a burden to her family anymore. She had a baby and she wants her farm to be her son’s legacy. If she married her new husband would be the one managing the farm and they might have more children so the land would have to be divided. Besides, there's no one she would want to marry...

Unfortunately the best she can do is buy some time, she will have to find a husband soon. Althea plans to continue with her everyday life until she can come up with a solution. She needs help with the farm chores and so she decides to hire Jess to help her.

Jess is a bit slow due to a brain injury when he was born. He knows things, he knows a lot more than some other men who are considered smarter, but he needs time to process his thoughts. Most people don't give him that time and write him off as an idiot but he is far from that. And after spending some time with him Althea starts appreciating his gentleness and his intelligence.

I must say that to me Jesse was the true star of this book; he is a lovely character, aware of his limitations but trying to overcome them by learning the most he can. He feels very attracted to Althea from the very beginning but he is afraid to act due to his problems. I was quite happy when Althea realised his worth. It was quite funny how she sometimes felt exasperated with him only to realise that he had good reasons to act as he did.

Althea and most especially Jesse are far from your usual romance heroine and hero. With them you remember what is really important and how sometimes that is not valued as it should be. I am now very curious to read more books by Pamela Morsi, especially The Marrying Stone which is a prequel of Simple Jess (although SJ stands alone really well).

Grade: 4.5/5

Silent Melody - Mary Balogh

2010-10-28T08:04:00.047Z

Lady Emily Marlowe was beautiful, wild, and unspoiled. She could not hear or speak, though she listened with her eyes and answered with her smile. She was betrothed to a man who would have her as a pretty possession, a captive listener. But there was only one man for her--the dark and reckless Lord Ashley Kendrick, the childhood amour who inspired her fantasies--then left for India and found another love.

Seven years and countless dreams later, he returned to her, and love was born with a dance, a minuet that stirred her soul, a song so passionate it has no words...

We first met Emily and Ashley in Heartless, she is Anna's youngest sister and he is Luke's younger brother. Emily is deaf mute, in Heartless she knew a lot of things but had trouble expressing herself. She felt quite at ease with Ashley and hero worshipped him. She was naturally devastated when he decided to grow up a bit and travel the world.

A few years have passed between the end of Heartless and the beginning of Silent Melody. Anna and Luke are happily married and Emily lives with them. Luke has tried to offer her the same opportunities other young girls have and so she has had some suitors and is now thinking of accepting an offer from one of them.

Ashley has been in India, he got married and had a son there. Now he has returned to England and his arrival coincides with the ball announcing Emily's engagement. Ashley's past has made him a bitter and unhappy man. It is not easy for him to speak about what happened in his life but he and Emily still share a special bond. Feeling his pain she tries to help and that leads them to an intimate moment who seems more about comfort than love. Because of that Emily refuses to marry him, she knows he still sees her has the young girl he left behind.

Ashley will have to deal with his demons and to see Emily in a new light for them to find a HEA and the journey towards that is a memorable one. I think Balogh did a superb job portraying Emily's disability, she is never a lesser character because of it, she doesn't have special treatment and in fact she doesn't feel less than the others. The only thing I didn't much care about was the villain. I would have been quite happy just to have Emily and Ashley dealing with their feelings and, of course, to see how well Luke and Anna work as a couple a few years after they had their own story.

Grade: 4.5/5

PS. Balogh has an old book being reissued this month, it's called A Christmas Promise and I haven't read it yet. It might be just the thing to get me in the right mood for the holidays...

What's On Your Nightstand

2010-10-27T09:06:00.000Z

I completely forgot that yesterday was the What's on Your Nightstand post at 5 Minutes For Books. I guess stating away these past week distracted me a bit from my usual schedule. I don't exactly have a pile on my nightstand at the moment. I've been a bit of a mood reader lately and have been picking the next book only when I'm finished with the previous one. But yesterday I spent some time looking at my shelves and this is what I plan to read in the next few days:

Deciding that true romantic heroes are a thing of the past, Eloise Kelly, an intelligent American who always manages to wear her Jimmy Choo suede boots on the day it rains, leaves Harvard's Widener Library bound for England to finish her dissertation on the dashing pair of spies the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. What she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: a secret history that begins with a letter dated 1803. Eloise has found the secret history of the Pink Carnation the most elusive spy of all time, the spy who single-handedly saved England from Napoleon's invasion.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, a wildly imaginative and highly adventurous debut, opens with the story of a modern-day heroine but soon becomes a book within a book. Eloise Kelly settles in to read the secret history hoping to unmask the Pink Carnation's identity, but before she can make this discovery, she uncovers a passionate romance within the pages of the secret history that almost threw off the course of world events. How did the Pink Carnation save England? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly find a hero of her own?

Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Then Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce with England by marrying the English king's beloved, illegitimate daughter, Joanna. Reluctant to wed her father's bitter enemy, Joanna slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband who dreams of uniting Wales. But as John's attentions turn again and again to subduing Wales--and Llewelyn--Joanna must decide to which of these powerful men she owes her loyalty and love.

From Laura Kinsale comes an extraordinary medieval-set tale of consuming love and fiery passion between a dashing, dangerous assassin and the beautiful princess who stands in the way of all he's ever desired.

Heartless - Mary Balogh

2010-10-26T08:03:00.006Z

Lucas Kendrick, the Duke of Harndon, had never met a woman like Lady Anna Marlowe. For years he had refused to feel love, but he was captivated by Anna's beauty and her rustic innocence. Anna's heart raced whenever she was around Lucas. After what seemed like a lifetime of pain and suffering, she had learned that life still held joy - and maybe love.

When they married, both Anna and Lucas were dreaming of happier futures. But those hopes were crushed when a cold confrontation found them denying their feelings. Anna felt foolish for believing that her nightmare past was over. She told Lucas that she had married only in the hope that her new husband would take care of her family. Lucas was furious that he had allowed himself to feel for someone again - and told Anna that he had married her only because of the duty of his station.

They resigned themselves to a heartless marriage of duty, and a return to past unhappiness. But in their hearts, their dreams would never die...

A long, long time ago, when I started reading romance, Heartless was one of the first Mary Balogh books that I read. I loved it! I loved Luke who, despite feeling betrayed, always treated his wife with respect and kindness.

Anna Marlowe is spending a season in London with her godmother and her sister. Orphaned she tried to keep her family together and to pay her father's debts so as not to burden her brother. Lucas Kendrick is back in London after spending several years in Paris in a self appointed exile. He had a bad relationship with both his father and his brother but now he is the head of the family and must take on his new responsibilities. He is not interested in marriage but when he meets Anna at a ball he can't help feeling attracted to her, even when he realises that his uncle and her godmother are plotting to bring them together.

Anna is not interested in marriage either, her life has been one of sacrifice and misery and she has decided that the best thing is to remain single. But she can't resist having that London season and once she gets to know Lucas she starts feeling that maybe she will have a chance at happiness after all.

However, the day after their marriage, a confrontation prevents them from sharing their real feelings and leads Lucas to believe the worst about Anna. They do plan to keep on living together but the trust is gone. They learn to get along civilly though.

Lucas and Anna travel to Lucas' country home so that he can start devoting himself to his obligations. He has to deal with his mother and sister and Anna has to deal with Lucas' sister-in-law who keeps trying to make trouble between them. Despite their bad start Lucas and Anna seem to be on their way to a good relationship, we see them slowly falling in love with each other even if they don't immediately realise it. Especially Lucas, who felt betrayed by love 10 years before and so believes that it can only bring deception and pain. But then someone from Anna's past comes back to haunt her and Lucas starts suspecting that all is not well...and that his wife may be in danger.

Balogh is a wonderful author, she writes believable stories and emotional characters. She usually writes Regencies but this story is a Georgian; at first her description of Lucas seems everything but manly but once we get to know him we can't help recognising his strength and magnetism. And of course after finishing this one I just had to read the sequel - Silent Melody.

Grade: 5/5

Miss Dornton's Hero - Elisabeth Fairchild

2010-10-25T09:40:00.004Z

Fateful Attraction

It was lovely young Miss Margaret Dornton 's first London season. That was why she knew nothing of the fearful reputation of the dark and handsome Evelyn Dade until it was terribly too late.

To be seen in this notorious gentleman's company meant scandal and social disgrace. To be on close terms with him was to court the most dreadful of dangers. And to fall in love with the bitter and brooding Lord Dade went beyond folly into the realm of ruin. But this inexperienced, impressionable young lady did even more. She awoke the passions of this man driven by private demons, for whom love and war were one and the same. Which meant she not only had to fight her own desires but defeat his as well-in a battle to save what was left of her good name even after she had lost her heart....

Although the Napoleonic Wars are present in many regency novels it is not often that they deal with the traumas and scarring from the war. In Miss Dornton's Hero Elizabeth Fairchild brings us one such stories. Evelyn Dade led his men to war and saw every one of them die, now the Ton calls him Captain Death and believes death will follow wherever he goes.

When he first meets Margaret Dornton he saves her from a dog and takes her home. Unfortunately just being seen with such a notorious character is enough to damage Margaret's reputation in the eyes of society. Margaret is a bit naive. She has a few scars herself from having seen her brother die in a fire as a child, and she has an idealistic view of people and the world. She likes Dade, thinks him a hero for saving her and does seem to be much worried about being an outcast of society.

Margaret does grow out of it a bit but she never stops liking Dade and looking forward to be with him socially. Dade, knowing the damage he has done and continues doing to her reputation, would rather stay away but feels unable to do so as Margaret becomes the bright spot in his existence. He even concocts a plan to rescue her reputation and then stay away.

Part of the story is told from his point of view. I really liked that despite the fact that it means a separation for the couple. I think this is not light reading but it definitely is a nice one and we can't help but wish that Margaret and Dade are finally brought together in the end.

Grade: 4/5

New Additions to the TBR Pile

2010-10-24T10:06:00.001Z

In the Morland Dynasty series, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family. It is 1689, and Annunciata, fiercely loyal to the Stuart cause, follows King James II into exile, leaving her gentle grandson Matt to care for Morland Place. In her absence he contracts an unwise marriage with India Neville, a woman as heartless as she is beautiful, who drives him between the extremes of passionate love and deep despair. When James III—the Chevalier—returns to claim the Stuart throne, the Morlands are reunited in one country. The rebellion fails, and Annunciata’s sons are on trial for their lives, but defeat and even death itself cannot conquer the Morland sprit.

It is 1772, and England is peaceful under George III, and Morland Place flourishes under the careful tending of Jemima and her loyal husband Allen. Their seven children often bring them heartache, but they are sustained by their love for each other and their absorbing interest in improving the estate lands. But beyond England’s shores things are not so calm. Morland cousins find themselves embroiled in the American war for independence, and the family’s bastard offshoot, Henri, disports himself in the salons of Paris while outside revolution creeps closer.