Legacy by Jeanette Baker

When a distant relative bequeaths a Scottish castle to Christina Murray, the beautiful college professor is off to a distant land to claim her inheritance. It is there that she meets Ian Douglas, a breathtakingly handsome man who may hold the key to the secrets of Traquair House...and to her heart. As Christina enters the elusive passageway to love, her all-too-lifelike dreams reveal that she is tied to three ghostly ancestors: Katrine, a spirited Jacobite in love with an Englishman...Jeanne, a Renaissance wife accused of witchcraft...and Mairi, the medieval maid who shares a forbidden passion with England's king.

Destined to become the curse's next victim, Christina travels through time to unveil the mystery of her family. But she soon discovers that her assumptions about Ian and their newly found love, as well as her own life, may have put her in grave danger...

I would never have chosen to pick up this book but when Jeanette Baker was chosen as Author of the Month over at Historical Romance Chat for May. When I say I would have have chosen to pick it up, it is not for any other reason than I had never ever heard of her before. When I checked the library catalogue under either name that she wrote under (Jeanette Baker and Jeanette Ramirez) this was the only one they had, so this is the book I chose to read.

The book opens with Christina Murray arriving at Traquair House in Scotland. She has no idea why she is there, and so she is totally surprised when it turns out that the historic house has been bequeathed to her by a complete stranger. Christina has just gone through a divorce from her husband of 15 years where one of the bigger issues is that she doesn't seem to be able to have children. So when the handsome neighbour, Ian Douglas, starts paying attention she is somewhat surprised, and very flattered by the attention.

Not long after arriving at Traquair, Christina starts to suffer strange headaches, and very strange dream where she finds herself in the past. At first she thinks that it might be something to do with her diabetes, but gradually it becomes that there is something more to it than that. Where first it feels like they are dreams gradually the intensity of the experiences increases until Christina is actually there feeling what the other three women who are her ancestors are feeling, seeing what they are seeing and hearing what they are hearing and with whom she shares several characteristics, including their looks and the fact that they all suffer from diabetes.

The first story to be told is that of Katrine Murray who lives in the mid 1700's. She is a spirited young lass (as are all of the ancestors). When she meets a handsome English soldier and fall in love it is impossible for her to know what the consequences will be. With the Jacobite rebellion gaining momentum, Katrine finds herself on the wrong side of the conflict. She is a Scottish woman living in England but when she returns to Scotland her heart is with her husband who is fighting for the English.

The second story is of Jeanne, who despite a rocky start, falls desperately in love with John Douglas. John has spent time in the English court, but he has now returned to the court of King James, known to his friend as Jamie. With a confrontation looming against the English, Jeanne has a vision of what is to come and tries to stop it with tragic consequences for her and her family.

The third story, and the one where the curse against the Douglas women started, goes back to the late 1200s when Mairi of Shields falls passionately in love with a man who turns up asking for hospitality at her home, and who she ends up nursing back to health. The man does not reveal his true identity, but when she goes to the English court, the truth is revealed. Her love is none other than King Edward I. As yet another conflict looms with the English, Mairi does what needs to be done and removes the Stone of Scone, used for centuries in the coronation ceremonies of Scottish kings and queens. When she marries against his wishes, their feelings change to hostility, once again with tragic consequences.

In effect there are four different love stories in this book. The fact three of them are doomed adds a level of poignancy. This is a really clever book in many ways. The only problem I had was with the contemporary sections. For the most part it is good, but just at the end, the resolution didn't quite work for me, both in terms of how Christina was going to get a happily ever after and break the curse, and also in how that HEA came about. Having said that, this is one of the more unusual books that I have read and I really did enjoy it.

I can't remember the last time I read a time travel book. It's been a while, but this one certainly has renewed my interest in the subgenre.

Coincidentally this morning I stumbled over a link to the Traquair House website over at Classical Bookworm, where you can read the history of the house, and see some pictures. It was really interesting to look at since I only finished this book in the early hours of this morning.

The Errant Earl by Marlene Suson

Alienated from his family, Stephen Kendall had fought for Wellington, but now he had to return home, for he had unexpectedly inherited his father's earldom. tired, dispirited and upset to find the estate in poor heart, Stephen knew he had yet another hurdle to face - his wife. Maneouvered by his father into marriage with their neighbour's daughter, Laura Milford, but in love with another woman, Stephen has badly botched their wedding night, and for six years man and wife had not communicated. What was in store for him...?

This is really a non-review book post for one main reason - I can't remember a thing about this book! Normally I am fine with remembering most of the main facts in a book even a couple of months after reading it. With this book....nothing! Even reading the blurb doesn't jog any memories!

This book was one that I chose after Marlene Suson was chosen as Author of the Month over at Historical Romance Chat. She wasn't an author that I had heard of before, and when my library only had one of her book in the catalogue, there wasn't much choice in terms of what to read by her.

My problem with this book now is that I can't remember a lot about it. To be fair, it is a while since I read it, but on the flipside I actually only gave it a 3 at the time when I read it and that was straight after I finished it. I think it is fair to say that I was underwhelmed by it.

Courting the Countess by Barbara Pierce

A scoundrel whose fame as an artist, libertine, and notorious seducer of beautiful women is ongoing fodder for the ton, Mallory Claeg has a secret obsession-Brook Meylan, Lady A'Court, a beautiful widow who abandoned London two years earlier, deliberately severing all ties to her past. Under the pretense of his interest in the primitive landscape of the Cornish coast, Mallory watches her, fascinated and utterly mesmerized by her beauty...

Brook tried to escape the gilded cage of the ton's merciless gossip, the memory of a cruel husband, and the pity of well meaning friends. But meddling relatives and unwanted suitors shatter her peace. At first, Mallory Claeg was another intrusion. Yet his sinfully handsome face and irresistible charm bring both temptation and torment. Now Brook must choose between opening her heart-or sealing it off forever...

This author was Author of the Month for November in the HistoricalRomanceChat group that I belong to. Prior to that I had seen her name around but had never had any inclination to pick up anything by her. And it seems that that inking was with good reason!

What happens when an author gets one thing really right in a book, but the rest just doesn't do it for you. Well for me, it means that the book ends up being really, really average!

Brook Meylan, Lady A'Court has been living out in the country away from the ton, after there was a huge scandal surrounding her husband's early demise. Her family is now trying to convince her to return to the bright lights of London, and her husband's heir, his cousin, is trying to convince her to become his bride. Brook has said that she will not marry anyone, leaving her unwanted suitor a little vexed.

One day, as she is walking along the cliffs near her home she meets notorious rake and artist Mallory Claeg. Over a period of months Brook and Mallory begin to have a friendship, that explodes into passion, usually played out in out of the way locations in woods and things like that.

The romance between Brook and Mallory would have been fine by itself, but instead there is so much back story here that the heart of the novel gets a little lost. Both Brook and Mallory have terrible secrets from their past - hers in the past treatment by her husband, loss of her child, and the ongoing treatment by her mother in law. Mallory is also carrying the memories of how his first wife died. In addition, every time we were introduced to characters from earlier books in the series (which I haven't read) there was inevitably their emotional baggage to be sorted through. Too much!

For a while it wasn't clear exactly who the villain of the piece was going to be. In the end it was someone from his past, but Brook's suitor certainly seemed to be a likely candidate for a little while there. And then there was the figure from Mallory's past, but it could well have been his harridan of a former mistress as well.

The first thing that really threw me in this book was the names - Brook and Mallory. Maybe it was just the mood I was in, but for me Brook is definitely not a name for a historical romance (too many Bold and the Beautiful connotations) and Mallory...well enough said!

From the epilogue it does seem as though there was meant to be a further book in this series, but from what I can tell it was never written. That in itself closes the book on a strange note too.

Actually, of everything in the novel, Mallory was the thing I liked most. Whilst he was most definitely a rake-like character, he also had a sense of purpose, a sense of passion for something outside of himself, and I had no doubt that he had fallen for Brook completely - as to why....well, I never really felt very strongly about Brook myself, so I just couldn't see it, but to be fair, I have said here on numerous occasions that I am all about the hero when it comes to romances!

One other thing that is relatively positive - the cover is very definitely representative of a scene in the novel, which isn't always the case.

This is the only book by this author that my library currently has. There would have to be a lot of buzz around the place for me to even think about handing over my hard earned for any of her other books.

Prince Charming by Gaelen Foley

"There is star quality in this writer!" raves the Romantic Times about gifted author Gaelen Foley. Her love stories are filled with glorious settings, stunning characters, and unforgettable passion.

Destiny casts its hand one perfect moonlit night when Ascencion's most elusive highwayman, the Masked Rider, chooses the wrong coach to rob. For inside is Rafael, the prince of the kingdom, renowned for his hot-blooded pursuits of women and other decadent pleasures. The failed raid leaves the equally notorious Masked Rider wounded and facing a hangman's noose. Then Rafe realizes his captive criminal is Lady Daniela Chiaramonte, a defiant beauty who torments him, awakening his senses and his heart as no woman has before.

Dani can only wonder if she's been delivered to heaven or hell once she agrees to marry the most desirable man in the Mediterranean—until forces of treachery threaten to destroy their tenuous alliance and bring down the throne itself. . . .

Gaelen Foley was Author of the Month in April in the Historical Romance Chat Yahoo group, and for once, I was able to read the AotM in the right month. Luckily, I already had this book out from the library so it fitted in nicely with my reading timetable!

This is the third and final book in the Ascension trilogy following on from The Pirate Prince and Princess and features the brother of the heroine from the second book, Rafael. He is portrayed as the ultimate playboy prince. Whilst destined to one day become king of Ascension, he has little responsibility of his own, so spends his days with his friends, womanising and partying, and not much else. Not that that is all his own fault...his father Lazar finds it difficult to let go of the reigns of power to his playboy son. However, when Lazar becomes ill, then there is no choice but to hand over the throne to Rafe whilst he goes to get treatment. But there is a condition, Rafe must agree to marry one of several specially chosen women who would make suitable queens.

In the meantime, Rafe has met Lady Daniela Chiaramonte - albeit when she was disguised as the Masked Rider who has been doing her best to terrorise the nobility - stealing from the rich to give to the poor. But Dani lives in a very different world from Rafe, one where she has to work her family's holding to make ends meet, and so when Rafe invites her to a ball she feels very out of place. And whereas it was Rafe's intention to have his way with her and then forget about her, his feelings begin to grow, and once the Masked Rider is unmasked, he decides that he can solve two problems at once by marrying her.

One thing that was a bit unbelievable was that a royal wedding could be arranged in a matter of days, without the presence of any of the rest of the royal family, but that is a minor quibble. The newlyweds are not left to live an idyllic life though, because it seems that there are those within the government that are determined to get rid of Rafe - either by framing him for attempting to murder the King or if necessary by killing him, so the second half of the book concentrates on trying to identify who the bad link in the government is - could it be someone very close to the royal family themselves. This subplot was kind of a distraction from the love story between Rafe and Dani, but the resolution drew the characters that we had come to know and love from all three books back together nicely.

This story was really hard to put down - a really strong story, like the first book in the trilogy, but what was is with the cover? Such a boring cover! Then again, the cover for Princess was pretty average too if I recall correctly.

So now I have finished the Ascension trilogy, I will be moving on to the Knights Miscellany series...can't wait!


Rating: 4.5/5

My Seduction by Connie Brockway

Connie Brockway sweeps readers back to the rough beauty of Regency-era Scotland and into the scintillating, passionate, and surprising love story of a mysterious Highlander and the woman he is pledged to protect.

Desperate to keep her two sisters and herself from the poorhouse, Kate Nash Blackburn embarks upon a journey to northern Scotland, where she hopes to gain the gratitude and patronage of a wealthy marquis. When fate maroons her at a tavern full of ruffians, a brawny Highland soldier comes to her rescue. It's Kit MacNeill, the man whose pledge to her family has haunted her for years. When he offers to escort Kate through the treacherous Highlands to Castle Parnell, she accepts even though her instincts warn her against trusting this rough and dangerous man. But soon Kate is startled by the Highlander's cultured speech and courtly manners. Who is this man of contradictions, shaped by a shadowy past, who fiercely wards off an attempt on her life, whose broad shoulders beckon her touch, and in whose arms she comes fully alive?

So what does it mean when you read a book, you enjoy it, you mark it quite high (in this case 4/5) and then when you come to post about it less than two weeks later and it has kind of blurred into all the other Scottish historicals that you have ever read before? Should be bad shouldn't it?

Yet I did enjoy this. I liked Kit, although I do have to say that it felt as though the author was trying too hard to make him have the tortured and tormented past that so often accompanies the Scottish historical hero. Now you know that I love a tortured hero - they are among my favourite heroes ever - but this time it didn't quite feel as organic as they usually do!

As for Kate, well, she was there. She was the widowed heroine who comes feels a strong attraction for our hero, and acts on it. She is also destined to be the martyred heroine, the one who must marry someone in order to save her sisters and inevitably that someone is not the hero, but during the time that he is escorting her to Scotland they feel a growing attraction to each other.

There is an underlying mystery about who killed Kate's cousin, and where the smuggler's gold is hidden, and also about who it was that betrayed Kit and his friends in Paris years before, in an incident that ended up costing Kate's father his life.

Connie Brockway is a new to me author, but she is one that I have been intending to read for a while, mainly because it felt to me as though she was one of the current authors that I had to read. Part of my reason for reading it now is that she was chosen as Author of the Month for January in one of my groups - yep...late again!

If it sounds as though I didn't like this book, it isn't that at all. I fully intend to continue to read this series. It is just that whereas I generally can remember the details of a book for a while this one faded really, really quickly! I have the next book in the series here and will get to it....eventually!

Rating 4/5

In My Heart by Melody Thomas

A Breathless Passion

After a whirlwind courtship and elopement, Lady Alexandra Marshall watched helplessly as her husband was shipped off by her irate father. An annulment followed, and though Alexandra waited with packed bags, Christopher never returned for her. She has tried desperately to forget the only love she's ever known and now devotes herself to the British Museum…until she discovers that someone has pilfered a fortune in jewels.

His scandalous marriage to Alex had hardened Sir Christopher Donally against the aristocracy that labeled a man's worth by the titles he carried rather than by his deeds. Now with a new bride in his future and a sister who is about to enter Society, Christopher is determined to put the past behind him. But when Alex asks for his help in finding a thief, he agrees, in exchange for her support in launching his sister. Though running into Alex was not planned, nor his emotional reaction welcomed, he can't help but be undone by one single, soul-stirring kiss…

When Melody Thomas was chosen as Author of the Month for a group that I am in a while ago (maybe November...yes, late again), I had to confess that I had never heard of her before. After finishing her book I am wondering....why not?

I must confess that it did take me quite a while to get into the story. The heroine, Alex, works at the British Museum, and discovers that many priceless exhibits appear to be missing, having been replaced with paste copies. As soon as she brings it to management's attention it becomes clear that she has either been involved in the swindle, or at the very least is about to be framed for it. After trying unsuccessfully to get assistance from the other members of the Museum board, there is only one person left to ask - Sir Christopher Donally - the man to whom she was married many years previously, only to have had her marriage annulled.

At first I found Alex quite difficult to get to know and like, but gradually the author built the relationship between Alex and Christopher, as well as with his family, to the point where it rang true. At the same time the disintegrating relationship with many of the people around her forced her to become something more than just a high born lady with a job. As the secrets of the past are revealed, the chemistry between Alex and Christopher builds nicely and leads to a satisfying conclusion, after a heart wrenching confession.

I normally focus a lot on the heroes of the romance novels I read, and Christopher was certainly a good hero, but quite unusually for me, it was the heroine of this novel that made it for me, once I got past the brisk, academic exterior.

I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Husband Trap by Tracy Ann Warren

Here comes the substitute bride. . . .

Violet Brantford has always longed for the passionate embrace of Adrian Winter, the wealthy Duke of Raeburn. Problem is, he's set to marry Violet's vivacious, more socially polished look-alike twin sister, Jeannette. But when Jeannette refuses to go through with the ceremony mere minutes before it is to begin, soft-spoken Violet finds herself walking down the aisle and taking vows in her sister's place. Soon shy Violet is a high-society wife, trying to keep her real identity a secret while living out the fantasies of her wildest dreams.

Adrian thinks he knows exactly what he's gotten himself into: Jeannette may be flighty and, well, a bit self-involved, but she's the picture-perfect wife to carry on the Winter name. Yet this marriage of convenience brings the groom more than he bargained for when he finds his sweet, innocent wife surprising him at every turn. And though he never planned on true love, Adrian is definitely in danger of losing his heart.

Tracy Anne Warren was chosen as the Author of the Month for December over in the Historical Romance Chat group on Yahoo, and for once I managed to read the book in the month that I was meant to, having finished this book on 19 December! I have to admit that this wasn't an author name that I had never really taken much notice of before - I won't say that I had never heard of her before, but I certainly couldn't remember reading much about her or her books.

Normally I am pretty strict on myself in terms of what I will or won't buy as opposed to borrowing from the library, but I was out at the shops one day and wanted to have something to read while I ate my lunch, and for some reason I didn't have a book in my bag so I went in and bought this one. After reading this one I very quickly ordered the next two in the series!

This books starts out at the wedding of Adrian Winter to Jeanette Rose Brantford, or at least that is who he thinks he married at least! In reality he has married Janette Violet Brantford, called Violet by everyone who knows her, and Jeanette's twin sister. Violet has been in love with Adrian for as long as she can remember and therefore agrees to swapping with Jeanette. Luckily she only has to remove her glasses to be almost identical to her sister.

With the wedding out of the way, Jeanette (masquerading as Violet) is packed off to Italy as a companion to her aunt, and has to behave like Violet, whilst Adrian and Violet go off on their honeymoon, and start to get to know each other. Adrian is somewhat surprised by the almost complete change of personality his bride has had but he attributes it to the fact that she is putting on a performance when in society to be ultimate society Miss, and that this is her real personality - in a way I guess he wasn't too far off.

In the end it is Adrian's brother Kit who sees through the facade and realises that things are not quite as they seem. Adrian realises soon enough that there is something amiss and it is only a matter of time before the truth comes out.

Violet was an extremely likable character - she has been the quiet, bookish younger sister of ultra popular Jeanette, but as she grows more confidence she shows herself to be intelligent, witty and poised and more than good enough to be Adrian's duchess. The only thing about Violet is the ease with which her sister can manipulate her into doing things that she doesn't want to do. There is one too many episodes of swapping places within the book for my liking!

As for Jeanette, she is one of the most selfish and manipulative characters I have read in a long time. She is the heroine of the second book in the trilogy, and to say that the author will have had to work hard to redeem her is probably an understatement. At one point after Adrian and Violet have been happily married for months, Jeanette decides that she actually does want to be married to Adrian and tries to swap places back again - what a bitch!!

Adrian was a good hero, if not exceptional. It took him a while to actually catch on to what was happening around him, and having fallen exceptionally hard for his lovely new while, it took him a long time to come to his senses, but overall he was a very drool worthy hero! As for his younger brother Kit, having already finished the third book in the trilogy I can tell you that he pretty much fulfils the promise shown in this book!

Just a comment on the cover - all of the cover pictures I could find, including the one above show the book with almost candy pink stripes - in reality the pink was a lot more subdued, and was almost metallic in finish. Nowhere near as gaudy as the pictures look!

Whilst there probably wasn't anything truly earth shatteringly original in this book, it was a well written historical romance with strong characters and an engaging storyline!

Rating 4/5

What an Earl Wants by Shirley Karr

Shirley Karr was author of the month in, I don't know, about July in my Historical Romance Chat yahoo group - I'm only a few months late! LOL!

What's a lord to do?

The devilishly attractive Earl of Sinclair is having trouble holding onto servants, what with so many of them pairing up and running off to be wed. Luckily, his able new secretary, J. Quincy, seems scrupulously loyal, and possesses the invaluable ability to flawlessly forge the master's signature. But imagine Sinclair's surprise when he discovers the "J" stands for "Josephine." His cherished employee is, in actuality, a quite delectable lady in disguise!

Jo desperately needs this position, and never actually lied about her gender—though she didn't expect Sinclair's keen eye to expose the truth so quickly. If the ton finds out, the scandal could be devastating. But Jo believes she can still be of service to the dashing lord. The greatest difficulty, however, will be keeping her mind on business with Sinclair standing so tantalizingly, intoxicatingly close. And what this earl wants, he usually gets!

I'm going to state straight up that I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5, but as I sit here thinking about what to write I can't help but think I have been a bit harsh, and yet.....not really.

The thing is that I have read most of this book, or more precisely the ideas in this book, more than once before and it didn't feel really fresh at all. There are some authors who can write cliches and they are still fresh as a daisy, and others where it doesn't. That's not to say that this book wasn't enjoyable, because it was. The relationship was satisfying enough. Maybe my issue was really about the pacing which was quite up and down. There were long parts of the books where the characters were gallivanting around the place, and then long stretches where there was little movement, because Sinclair had to recover from his injuries.

I don't think I really get the whole woman dressed as a man thing either - a gorgeous woman isn't recognisable at all when dressed as a man. Hmmm. The other thing was that Jo was one of those heroines who has given up all hope of a future because she is making sacrifices for her family. Yes, it undoubtedly happens, but it was laid on a little thick for my liking!

I didn't dislike this book at all really. There were some fun ideas in it, like the fact that the heroes staff kept on pairing up and leaving him. I liked it enough to have already got the author's next book out of the library...it just wasn't exceptional for me.

Dark Lover by J R Ward

JR Ward was chosen as Author of the Month over in my Historical Romance Chat Yahoo group! Nope, not historical, but that's okay, because it made a nice change, and meant that I moved another new to me author I have been wanting to read up the list!

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There also exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Among them, none relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed- orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead…

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both…

Yes I know that everyone in blog world is busy reviewing Lover Awakened...what can I say...I'm behind the times!! Actually I have only started reading paranormals in the last few months, so for me this whole world that JR Ward has created is pretty fresh - no comparisons to Alcheron (whoever he is) for me!! I'm not going to go into a whole description of the plot (there is one hereif you would like to read it)

So where to start? Well...I liked it a LOT. So much so that I went into just about every bookshop I went past while I was on holidays just to see if any of them had it. They didn't! So I still haven't got hold of Lover Eternal, but I will! I liked the characters, the tensions between them, especially once the human cop Butch was added to the mix. I did kind of wonder how a blind vampire could be a kick-ass fighter, but what do I know!!! I was creeped out by the Lessers, as I was supposed to be I would guess and at times freaked out a little by some of the Brothers, but my overall impression was a good one! I don't know that I am on my way to becoming a JR Ward fangirl (from what I hear she has enough of those already) but I will continue to read her books, and hopefully enjoy them!! Heck, I will probably end up buying her books, and I am really trying not to buy any books at the moment!

I loved the way that Wrath was able to let himself show Beth how much he loved her, and also that Beth was able to be the one that protected him at some points instead of it all being a one way relationship. I do have to say that the mating ceremony seems a bit extreme though!! Maybe because like Beth (Elizabeth) I have quite a long first name! Can anyone say Ouch!

With more Black Dagger Brotherhood books already out, and more planned, it looks like I will be spending more time in Caldwell, New York in the future.

Rating 4.5/5

Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer

Love in a Stranger's Eyes

Elly
In town, they call her "Crazy Widow Dinsmore". But Elly was no stranger to their ridicule - she had been an outcast all her life, growing up in a boarded-up old house under the strict eye of her eccentric grandparents. Now she was all alone, with two little boys and a third child on the way.

Will
He drifted into Whitney, Georgia, one lazy afternoon in the summer of 1941, hoping to put his lonely past behind him. He yearned for the tenderness he had never known, the home he'd never had. All he needed was for someone to give him a chance.

Then he saw her classified ad: WANTED - A HUSBAND. When he stepped across Elly Dinsmore's cluttered yard, Will Parker knew he had come home at last...

This author was chosen as Author of the Month for June in my Historical Romance Chat group, but I have only now got around to reading it. Very slack..I know!

Reviewing this book is actually quite difficult for me because in the end I did really enjoy it, but oh my goodness it took me forever to get into it. I am not really sure why that was. It is actually a pretty unusual setting for me. Normally the historicals that I read are set in England around the time of the Regency and feature lords and scoundrels and rakes. This book is set in small town American South in the early 1940's, just before America becomes involved in WWII. Having said that I love a good war story - especially one written with a focus on the relationships that happen with a background of war. Maybe part of the reason for the slow beginning was that both Will and Elly are very cautious people, both trying to protect themselves from past hurts, and the novel proceeded in a similarly cautious pattern.

Having said all of that, when I really got hooked, that was it, and I loved the rest of the book. This book was originally published in 1989, and I wonder if that is also part of the reason why this book was a little different to other romances that I had read. I did start to wonder how many more ways the author could possibly torture our main characters though! She did use a very effective tool at one point...moving the story along through the use of a series of letters between several characters - given the setting, and the content of the letters it was a great way of communicating events without having to spend pages and pages explaining action that had actually happened offstage..so to speak!

As for Elly and Will - I completely understand their fears, and their issues, but I did wonder if Will may be a fraction too good to be true. Everything he turned his hand to he could do - become a bee keeper...sure. Fix the bathroom and the porch, and the car ... no problem. He was however a very likeable character - a decent man, and I liked him a lot.

There were a lot of times where we were privy to what they both were thinking, and there was more than once when I just wanted to shout at the two of them to just talk to each other. Life would have been so much easier if they had...but the book would have been significantly shorter!

Overall, this romance was quite a lot deeper than a lot of others that I have read, and included some very unusual storylines, especially involving giving birth. Ultimately it was a satisfying read...one that I nearly missed out on because I was very tempted to put the book down and not come back to it because it took so long to hook me in.

Rating 4/5

The Sleeping Beauty by Jacqueline Navin

I was a bit late reading last month's author of the month (Pamela Clare) but this month I have it all under control! This month's author was Jacqueline Navin, another new to me author!

The version that I read was released here as a Harlequin Historical in Australia earlier this year. I can't tell you how long it is since I read any Harlequin books.

A beautiful recluse draped in dark secrets

Lady Helena Rathford was still deemed a plum matrimonial prize, one that adventurous Adam Mannion was determined to pluck. He'd wed her, bed her, then hie to London, his prospects secure. But somehow in the wild north country that spawned her, Helena became his whole world - now and forever...!

The walls of her family estate kept her safe, or so Helena thought. But it has been more entombment then embrace...for Adam Mannion - a rogue with an open heart - made her see she must shake off the shadows of the past to hold on to a future.

This book opens with Adam Mannion arriving at Rathford manor. Adam is a commoner who has been brought up with all of the good things in life, but has suddenly found that he doesn't have the income to support his lifestyle. So what should any good man about town do? Well, he rushes off to Northumberland to marry the mysterious Sleeping Beauty of Northumberland - supposedly a very beautiful, and rich, young woman who has been hidden away for the last five years for reasons that nobody knows.

When Helena's father agrees to the match and to the financial settlement, and specifies that the condition of the agreement are that he must spend the next two months at Rathford Manor, and he must bed Helena, Adam isn't overly thrilled but he is willing to go through with.

What follows is a strange story of secrets revealed, cruel manipulation of a young lady who thinks she is going mad, and an eventual bond between two people who were seemingly not attracted to each other early on.

If there is one thing that I didn't get about this book, and it was that much was made of the thinness of the heroine, with even the hero calling her scrawny, and yet much was then made of how attractive she was. My question is which way was it - she was either too scrawny to be attractive or attractive and not too scrawny? She is also very emotionally fragile, which is explained by the events from her past, which is fine, but she is also being manipulated by a very unsavoury secondary character. With her father saying that this character was essential to the home it was no wonder that Helena was as fragile as she was.

Adam was more than what he seemed as well. It turns out that he wasn't such a gambler as we were led to believe. He inherited a little money, and a lot of debt and he had a plan to reverse those fortunes, but he needed something to kick start his plan. However, having done that, he has made himself a target of the same person that is targetting Helena.

I guess that for me this story was kind of middle of the road in terms of the romance and the suspense aspect as well so my grading reflects this as well.

Rating 3/5

Sweet Release by Pamela Clare

Aaarrgghhh! I returned the book before I even started this review! Disaster...well maybe not. I just don't have the book blurb to put here and my description is completely from memory. Pamela Clare was chosen as author of the month for a group I am in. As this was the only one the library had, this is the one that I went with!

When Alec Kenleigh is kidnapped from off the street, he wakes up finding himself being addressed by the name of Nicholas Braden, convicted of defiling women and indentured for a period of 14 years. When he is brought to the plantation that is owned by Cassie Blakewell's father, he collapses and Cassie feels that she has to save this man. After being nursed back to health, Alec begins to show that he is not Nicholas Braden, but behaves in a way that belies his gentlemanly background.

Cassie Blakewell has many secrets, not the least of which is that she is trying to run the estate, not because her father is overseas as all the neighbours believe, but because he has chosen to live on an island in the marshes and is slowly losing his battle for his sanity. Whilst trying to take care of all the people on the estate, she is also trying to ward off unwanted advances from her childhood friend and neighbour Geoffrey, a man who is increasingly careless of which servants he cavorts with and who is getting increasingly desperate to marry Cassie, despite the fact that he disapproves of the things that she believes about the treatment of slaves and convicts, and about the role of women.

As the attraction between Cassie and Alec/Nicholas builds, Alec tries to fight the attraction, at least until confirmation is received from England that he is who he says he is, but in the end the attraction is simply too great, nearly causing both Cassie and Alec's undoing.

As I read this book I couldn't help but feel that the author tried to include too much action in one story and almost too much time spent on expansive prose. There were kidnappings, attacks of the ague, attempted murders, blackmail and betrayal, tobacco planting and harvesting, horseracing. However this really is better than not enough so is not a huge negative.

I liked the character of Alec. He acted with dignity and character as well as apparently being a very hot looking man! As for Cassie, she is a mostly well written character, although there were times when I wanted to shout at her! I guess as I have posted before I am a more hero conscious reader than heroine conscious so as long as the hero is good then I will be happy - and I am mostly happy with this one.

I have heard really good things in particular about Surrender so I will eventually get around to reading more from this author.

Rating 4/5

The Key by Lynsay Sands

Lynsay Sands was chosen as author of the month for March over in Historical Romance Chat. As she was a completely new to me author I wasn't sure where to start, where better than in the middle of a series. Well actually, I got the second book in the series from the library by mistake, and by the time I realised someone else had the first book so I still have to wait for that one!

Iliana Wildwood would do anything to escape from the depraved baron who sought her lands - including marrying a barbarian. Fleeing to the highlands, Iliana was wedded to Duncan, laird to Dunbar Castle. Certainly, there was something about the virile warrior that made her weak in the knees - but something stank in the state of Scotland, and Iliana would not trust anyone until she'd discovered the source.

Determined therefore to resist her handsome husband, Iliana found a way to keep her secrets safe. Employing a belt of chastity, the spirited beauty managed to thwart the thane's advances. But then her husband changed his tactics and began a sensual assault that sent her intentions up in smoke. And as the air cleared, Iliana found it had been her heart she had locked away, and that this stubborn Scot had finally found...THE KEY

Whilst this book wasn't a bad read, it certainly didn't take off to any great heights, I think maybe because the basic premise was so silly that by the time the problem had been mentioned 10 times I was over it.

When Iliana first arrives at the keep of her intended, she is disappointed to see that it looks a little tumbledown. She is even more disappointed when she goes inside and see that is little better, if not worse. The rushes are dirty, the benches and tables are filthy, and everything needs a thorough scrubbing...starting with her husband. You see, Iliana's major problem is that her new husband stinks. Luckily she bought her chastity belt with her, which she dons and tells her husband that she will not take off until he has a bath. Duncan is appalled. It is June, and he still has another month until he is due to bathe, because he bathes every January and July...whether he needs it or not.

Dunbar castle had not always been let go so badly, but it was 20 years since Duncan's mother had died, and his father had paid little attention to his surroundings since then, and therefore neither did Duncan or his sister.

Iliana soon takes charge and gets the rushes changed, the food improved, arranges for all the village people to have new plaids, because they only get given one a year by Duncan, and generally begins a spring clean of the whole place, but Duncan is still resisting because he is stubborn.

So whilst the premise was unusual, it was beginning to stink itself when it was still being talked about two thirds of the way through the book, because it was still being mentioned even when there was treachery and betrayal all round.

As far as Iliana and Duncan went they were fine as hero and heroine, and there was a nice little sub romance plot between their parents late in the book! There was also a fair amount of set up done for the sequel which I believe is called The Chase, which is Duncan's sister Seonaid's story.

I actually also don't really think it mattered a great deal that this was the second in the series, as from what I can tell the only link between the two books is the messenger sent from King Henry to arrange both marriages. I could be wrong there though.

Overall, not bad, but not great either. I will read more from this author.

Rating 3.5/5

Painted by the Sun by Elizabeth Grayson

Shea Waterston is somewhat unusual for her time. She is a widow who travels around the West working as a photographer in the 1870’s with her companion, Mr Owen Brandt. When she is not taking portraits and photos of the Wild West to satisfy the folks back east, she is spending her time trying to track down her son who she gave up several years ago. He was sent West on an orphan train, where young children were sent from the crowded Eastern cities out to the west where families could adopt them.

When we first meet Shea she is in Denver, attempting to take a photograph of a hanging that is just about to occur. With this photo, she should have enough money to continue to the search for her son. Unfortunately Judge Cameron Gallimore is not happy about this and refuses to allow Shea to do this. When she insists, he confiscates her camera and throws her in jail until the hanging is over. Whilst when he is performing his duties as a judge, Cameron is called upon to pass the death sentence for some of the crimes that are committed, he does not like this part of his job at all.

Shea leaves Denver, and thinks that is all there is to it, until on her way back from photographing a mining camp, she comes across a group of men her about to lynch the judge and she saves him, but gets shot in the process. Of course, Cameron feels compelled to look after her and so takes her to his home that he shares with his sister Lily, who was badly burned during the war and doesn’t leave the house because she is sensitive to how people might react to her scars, and his son Randall.

Eventually Shea decides to winter in Denver and before too long, Shea and Cameron and becoming more and more enamored with each other. Shea also becomes attached to a young boy, Ty, whose father is drifting to the wrong side of the law.

Elizabeth Grayson is the author of month in my Historical Romance Chat group, and is a new to me author. Also pretty new to me is the Western Historical sub genre. The best thing about this book is that I learnt something new! I had never heard of the orphan trains.

As far as the romance goes, the gradual build up to the realization of love and also of a physical relationship was very nicely done. Cameron was a man with demons left over from the Civil War and the period of the book which dealt with how his sister, in particular, found out what he really got up to at the end of the war was very well written. The subplot with Lily’s growing confidence was also very well done. On the downside...there were so many coincidences in this book! Coincidentally, it was one or two too many for my liking!

Overall this was a book that I enjoyed, although it didn’t really grab me! One day I will read more from this author…..one day!


Rating 3.5/5

More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh

Jane Ingleby is on her way to her third day of work at a milliners shop, walking across Hyde Park, when she sees two men who are about to take part in a duel. She screams and tries to stop the duel, causing one of the men to lose concentration, and he is shot in the leg. As she is late for work on only her third day, she loses her job. Her boss says that if she can get a letter confirming that she was delayed by the unlikely events that she used as her excuse (I mean, everyone knows that no one duels in Hyde Park anymore!) she will not be able to get her job back...and Jane really needs to earn some money!

Never one to hold back, Jane makes her way to the home of Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham, the man injured in the duel. Tresham is none too happy. How dare an impudent working class girl interrupt his duel, causing him to be injured. When Jane asks him for a letter so that she can get her job back, he refuses, instead giving her employment for three weeks as his nurse, including a place to live. Jane needs to be earning money and therefore agrees.

Tresham is a cold, domineering man, who very few people will stand up to, but Jane has no fear. Indeed Jane isn't quite what she seems. For that matter neither is Tresham. As they get to know one another we find out that Tresham is in fact a very artistic man, whose abilities were quashed by the former duke, his father.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot, right up until the ending. The scenes where the delightfully impudent Jane stood up to the moody and imperious Duke were very entertaining, the changes in the relationship between Jane and Jocelyn were very tender, and very well written, as you would expect from Mary Balogh. There was enough backstory to keep things interesting, without using one of the standard storylines that you see in Regency romances, for example spies.

And yet, at the end of the book I was left feeling that this book just didn't quite hit the mark. A really major event happens off page just before the end, and I can't help but feel that as a reader, I wanted to be there for it, not told about it later. There was probably more to it than that as well, but I guess that was enough of a flaw in the book for me for it to affect the rating.

Having read and enjoyed numerous Mary Balogh books, I can say that she normally writes at a consistently high standard. There is a sequel to this book called No Man's Mistress which features Ferdinand Dudley, the brother of our hero in this book. I will be looking out for it to see whether I can be more satisfied with the next book.

As I enjoyed most of the book, the rating is still relatively high, but with a better ending it could have been higher.

Rating 4/5

The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

Adam Black is back, but to say that things aren't all that great for him is a bit of an understatement. He meddled one too many times in human affairs and has managed to incur the wrath of Queen Aoibheal, Queen of the Tuatha de Danaan also known as the Fae. As punishment, the Queen has made him human, but unfortunately he is invisible to humans, or at least he thinks he is until he is sitting on a bench in Cincinnati and sees Gabrielle O'Callaghan watching him.

Gabrielle is the last in a line of Sidhe-seers - people who have always been able to see the fae. She is also a lonely and broke student, studying to become a lawyer whilst maintaining a job as an intern in a less than stellar law firm.

Adam Black has made appearances in previous books by Karen Marie Moning, where he has been portrayed as quite a negative presence, but in this book we meet the real Adam Black. He willingly admits that he is no angel, but he does live by his own code of conduct. Amongst his standards include rules that he will never force a woman to come to him, and he is loyal to the Queen.

Adam needs to contact the Queen to get her to reverse his state back to that of fae, but first he needs to escape from ruthless enemies who would love to kill Adam whilst he is in his human state. After meeting Gabrielle, Adam begins a slow and steady seduction, wining and dining her as only Adam Black knows how. Eventually though, it becomes a frantic race across time and place to get to where Adam can gain the attention of the Queen and save her from betrayal by those closest to her.

I have read all of Karen Marie Moning's books before this, and really enjoyed them. In fact I would go so far as to say that she was my first autobuy romance author, although I do still wait for the books to come out in paperback before I buy them. I also enjoyed this one, but not as much as I have some of the others, in particular Kiss of the Highlander and The Dark Highlander. Having said that, I actually preferred Gabrielle as a heroine, particularly to Gwen. She was smart and relatively grounded for a woman who sees fae wherever she goes.

However, after all the anticipation to read Adam's story, it was ultimately not as satisfying as I wanted it to be. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, but I think maybe the idea of Adam just taking whatever he wanted, whenever he needed it kind of irritated me...How many pairs of designer leather trousers does one man need after all..and also that there seemed to be a lot of information about the fae and sidhe-seers. Whilst this information was interesting and may even have been necessary, it isn't what keeps me engrossed in a story. Whatever it was, it meant that I wasn't fully engaged in the story, to the point that I actually had time to wonder about things like the mechanics of the sexual shenanigans and does anyone really look that great in leather trousers?

It was great to catch up with Drustan and Gwen, and Dageus and Chloe who play a pivotal role in this book, and to find out what they have been up to since we last met them.

Overall this wasn't the best book I've read from the author, although it was still enjoyable. I have already put a request in for the newest Highlander book by her, called Spell of the Highlander, so hopefully that won't take too long to come in at the library!

Rating 3.5/5

The Husband Test, The Wife Test and The Marriage Test by Betina Krahn

Having read The Husband Test by Betina Krahn last month and thinking it was okay, I just couldn't help myself and had to read the rest of the trilogy! I wish I wasn't so pedantic about this, but I just can't help myself!! It worked out okay because I thought both The Wife Test and The Marriage Test were better than The Husband Test.

At the beginning of The Husband Test we find ourselves at the Convent of the Brides of Virtue, a convent where the daughters of impoverished or orphaned noblemen are sent in order to be prepared to marriage. Brides from the convent are highly valued, although a lot of the time the new bridegrooms find themselves in circumstances that do not necessarily allow them to choose their own brides. Enter Peril, Earl of Whitmore, nobleman of England whose lands are cursed and who needs a bride of great virtue to be able to lift the curse, and he needs her right now. The only problem is, he doesn't have the ready cash to be able to pay the dower price, so the Mother Superior decides to send a tester to check that Peril meets the requirements of a suitable husband for one of her coveted brides.

The Abbess decides to send the lovely and spirited Eloise, mainly to get her out from under her feet and from causing too much trouble. Eloise is a young woman with lots of ideas on how to improve things, often with disastrous results. Eloise is sent off to judge Peril, but soon find herself being far from impartial.

I quite enjoyed The Husband Test, although there were a couple of scenes that were just too silly for me to really enjoy. I also didn't quite fully engage with Peril and Eloise as a couple.



Not too long after reading The Husband Test I was at the library where I found both of the next books in the trilogy, and because of the aforementioned pedanticism (?) I decided that even though I hadn't loved THT, I had to read the sequels.

The Duke of Avalon has been captured by the King of England and has unfortunately got no funds in order to be able to pay his ransom. In a flash of brilliance, the Duke tells Edward that he actually has four, hitherto unrecognised, daughters and that he would be willing to marry them off to Edwards favoured nobles as part of his ransom.

Hugh of Sennet is duly sent off to collect the four brides and their chaperone. Hugh is a monkish man who's future was once clearly defined as being in the church, but with the death of his brothers he is now heir to his father's titles, albeit reluctantly.

Chloe of Guibray tricks her way into the entourage as the chaperone, and after various adventures finds herself at the court of King Edward having to devise some tests to decide which nobles to pair up with her brides. Of course she thinks that she will take the oldest, strangest and ugliest of the nobles, but it seems that fate has different ideas! Part of her reason for wanting to make this journey is to find out who she is as she was left at the convent with only one word that gives her any clues as to her true identity.

The Wife Test was a much more satisfactory read for me. Hugh starts off as being quite anti women, mainly due to erroneous teachings whilst undertaking his training, but gradually he begins to understand, and want Chloe more than he thought possible.


And finally I read The Marriage Test. The abbess of the convent has been spoilt for several years as young Julia of Childress has shown herself to be an amazing cook, and the Abbess is determined not to give her up for anything or anyone, no matter who they are. In order to do so, she is determined that Julia should take her Holy vows and soon. Unfortunately, Julia has other dreams. She wants a husband and a family, not a life in a convent.

Griffin de Grandaise has been born with an extremely heightened sense of smell, and therefore finds it difficult to be able to eat a lot of the food that he is served up, especially if there are any disgusting smells in the vicinity. Griffin hears about this amazing cook at the convent and sneaks in to see if the food can possibly be that good. Once he finds out that it is, he tries to gain the services of Julia from the Abbess.

After a great deal of negotiation it is agreed that Griffin can keep Julia for one year, on the condition that she is returned to the Abbey after that time with all of her virtues in tact. But with Julia determined to gain a husband, preferably Griffin, is that going to be possible.

This was a really fun read, and Krahn even managed to make medieval food sound enticing!

Ratings:

The Husband Test 3/5
The Wife Test 4/5
The Marriage Test 4/5