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http://www.beverlyjenkins.net/
Beverly Jenkins has been awarded the 2017 RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. This is one of the highest honors RWA bestows on authors. This award is presented to a living author in recognition of significant contributions to the romance genre.
Beverly has been in the business of blood, sweat and tears (that's writing) since her first book Night Song was published in 1994. She specializes in 19th century African American life and has over thirty published novels to date. Born in Detroit, she graduated from Cass Technical High School and attended Michigan State University where she majored in Journalism and English Literature.
Congratulations Ms. Jenkins!!!
April 26, 2017
“This is like Déjà vu all over again.”
https://karenranney.com/
A few months ago I was musing over why Karen Ranney isn’t one of my auto-buys. I just might have stumbled across an answer to my pondering.
To say I was disappointed with Ranney’s latest book, The English Duke would be an understatement. Sure, sure, the story started out with a smart, savvy, strong heroine by the name of Martha. On top of that we have a stoic, manly, avoid-all-humans, scientist hero, Jordan Hamilton, the Duke of Roth. While the language in the story may have been a little stilted, I thought – “Oh it will get better.” Then, because my brain is sooooo agile, I started noticing something. Something familiar. Ummm.
A pet peeve moment. I do not like becoming distracted by a sense of familiar. I don’t like it when I feel I should know someone I’m introduced to or that nagging sense of being in a place you think you've been in before or that book you just know you’ve read before. Why does this bother me? Because I have to find out just why something seems the same and when I do alllll that searching I am not focused on the book I’m holding in my hands. Well, my little Petunia’s, I started to have that feeling with this book. And before anyone says anything, it was not because allllll romance books are the same – they are not. No this was something else, something in the plotline. Something. Nagging. Ummm.
Our heroine has a terrible sister. A spoiled sister. A conniving sister. Our hero has a friend, a shady character. His friend is attracted to the horrible sister. They were in cahoots. They do hanky-panky – heavy on the hank. The secondary characters were so familiar. I knew I had read something similar before, but where? Was it possible that some other author was doing a little plagiarism? Then the light bulb went off. This secondary theme was almost an exact replica of the secondary theme from A Scandalous Scot written by – Karen Ranney. (And, by the way I know “exact replica” is redundant). Maybe if I had read the story in 2012 I might not have noticed the sameness, but I read A Scandalous Scot in January of this year. (I didn’t like the secondary characters then either). I was perplexed as to why these secondary stories were so similar. An author cannot plagiarize themselves can they? Nah – maybe – don’t know. But they can certainly reuse old ideas or become lazy. I was very disappointed when I found this recycled theme.
Not only was I treated to a reused secondary story, there was also a drugged hero having dream-sex with the heroine scene. Only it isn’t a dream. The evil conniving sister finds out her sister has had her first humpy-bumpy. She has a plan. I could see the writing on the wall, or at least the page. We were going to go down the sex mix-up-marriage-martyr road. The strong sister was going to be a martyr and the hero was going to be in angstville. And, the evil sister was not going to get her just deserts.
I could go no further. I closed the book. What a disappointment. My illusions have been shattered.
Time/Place: 1871 England
Sensuality: Questionable
April 25, 2017
http://www.deborahsimmons.com/
One of my favorite books, The Vicar's Daughter, has been released electronically! While I do not approve of certain publishing companies refusing to give the rights back to authors - I do think this is a wonderful chance for new readers to experience an utterly delightful story.
So, if you haven't read this book, puleeeese do. This is a wonderful story.
And, Harlequin this is why I get very mad at you - give the rights back.
April 21, 2017
Do opposites really attract?
You know when I read a romance novel, I often ask myself “would this relationship really
work?” Would a stuffed-shirt aristocrat really go for a wild-eyed suffragette? Would a Pankhurst thumping suffragette really go for an “I’m-better-then-you-I-rule-the-world" man? We live in such a fantasy world in Romanceland, sometimes I think we believe that these relationships would work. We rely heavily on the author to “make it so.” When I picked up The Truth About Love and Dukes by Laura Lee Guhrke, I pretty much thought that no matter how different the hero and heroine were, in the end I would be sure they would have a believable happy ending. You see, Laura Lee Guhrke excels at writing complex characters which match up. So, I started reading.
The book starts out promising. Henry Cavanaugh, Duke of Torquil, is a little peeved because his mother has sent a letter to Lady Truelove (a gossip advice columnist) asking for advice. You see, his mother is in love with a man much younger than herself and that man is an artist – gasp. Well, Henry is a tried and true top-drawer aristocrat. His word is the law, his hand is iron, and he jumps tall building in a single bound (oops, wrong guy). Dressed in his most threatening ensemble, he rushes down to confront Lady Truelove only to be greeted by Irene Deverill, the editor of the newspaper. First of all he is shocked that it is a woman who has control of the paper, then he is shocked because she refuses to retract the story or give his mother’s correspondence to him. He would probably be even more shocked if he knew what we the readers know – she is Lady Truelove. She doesn’t back down. The newspaper is her baby and I say that in the most strong words I can. She has taken over the family’s crumbling paper and made it into a success – she loves what she’s doing. This is not a standard Romanceland device created to make her look spunky. No, the author has created a strong woman who actually believes in what she’s doing. She. Loves. Her. Work. She is also a suffragette and that too is written in such a strong way I’m not really sure it works in a historical romance. And, for me this is where I start running into problems. Both Henry and Irene have stronnnnggggg convictions. While I may not agree with some of Henry’s bulldozing techniques, he is a responsible man who cares for his family and the people who are his responsibility. He is a landowner in a changing country, he knows there are people who depend on him just to survive.
The Truth about Love and Dukes was an interesting study in two different dynamics, two different ideologies. There was a constant battle between the two, but all the while the hormone monkey was playing with them. The lines are drawn so realistically that for me I had a hard time accepting that this couple would have a happy ending. The only way I could see for a historical Romanceland happy ending was for one of them to give in, to dilute their beliefs. In the end they both do some giving. But I was not a happy camper and here’s why.
My muddled reasoning. For almost the entire book, whenever Irene and Henry are together I felt as if I was watching a debate team. It was a constant battle between the two of them – over and over. That is of course between protected humpy-bumpy (if you get my drift). I grew tired of the constant battle of ideologies. Maybe I was in a bad mood, maybe I had outside stress weighing me down, maybe I should have put the book away for another day – but I didn't. It wasn’t until almost the very end when Irene ripped into Henry about his standards that I started to enjoy the book. That was when she turned from a constant, nagging, I’m-on-my-soapbox woman into someone who made sense – and was right in what she said. I think what really bothered me was that Irene and Henry were so far apart in their beliefs, I had a hard time believing even with their giving/taking at the end that they could ever have a good partnership. I say that because even though we like to see opposites attract, I really think a good partnership/marriage/whatever must be based on having something in common, a sharing of ideas and supporting those ideas.
Bottom-line. I was disappointed with The Truth About Love and Dukes. Laura Lee Guhrke has always been a solid writer for me, but in this case I don’t think she succeeded with the complex issues she was trying to bring forth. For some people, this will be a fantastic read but for me the couple were too far apart in their beliefs and the constant haranguing continued for far too long.
Time/Place: 1892 England (the later mutton sleeves and soft bustles)
Sensuality: Hot
April 7, 2017
I see hordes of crazed villagers with their pitchforks
http://www.lisakleypas.com/
Before I get tied to a stake by some irate Kleypas fans, I insist on letting everyone know that
Lisa Kleypas is one of my favorite authors and has been responsible for some truly swoon-worthy heroes. But, come on guys - not every single one of her books is extroadinalicious! I would have to say if there is a Kleypas book which you could check out of the library it would be A Wallflower Christmas. Yes, I know that books written for the holidays are fast, short stories usually created to add joy and cheer to our holiday season - blah - blah - blah. But for me, this story was not one I will remember or even want to.
Here's the good thing about this book - we may breathe a sigh of relief because it seems that after a couple of years of marriage and a few scattered children, our Wallflowers and their husbands are still humping and pumping.
Why even bother? Why would one even bother writing about a new hero and heroine when most of the book is being taken up by characters from the previous books? I would have been perfectly happy with the previous couples. I'm sure Ms. Kleypas could have put some tension into the story. After all, she tried to put some silly plotline about Lillian (of all people) doubting Westcliff's fidelity. Puleese. How goofy was that? But she didn't ask for my advice about how she should write her itty-bitty holiday story - so we have the romance between Rafe Bowman and Hannah Appleton.
Rafe Bowman is Lillian's brother and the son of that horrible, cold, hard Mr. Bowman. I still want a better explanation as to why the Bowman father and mother are the way they are. Rafe wants to be a partner in his father's business. Not sure why - he's doing fine on his own. I can only assume that he is in need of some pats on the back from his overbearing father. I really wish Ms. Kleypas had come up with some kind of story about these parents. I tried to understand them, but failed. I also couldn't understand why the Bowman siblings allowed their father to get away with his tyranny for so long. Anyway, Rafe is struck by the lust-bunny when his eyes fall on Hannah. Which doesn't say all that much for the character of Rafe considering that he is courting the woman Hannah is chaperoning. There's numerous scenes of Rafe attempting to seduce Hannah and not with honorable intentions. Rafe is pretty cavalier in his treatment of both women. I'm not really a big fan of a hero assaulting one woman while all the time he is thinking about marrying another. Not all that Christmassy, I'm thinking.
There is also Kleypas' trademark heavy throbbing, bumping and finger puppet shows. Page after page. When we are not watching Rafe and Hannah moan and groan we get to see allllll the Wallflowers crash against the wall. This book was a pretty short book made even shorter by me skipping over the plethora of boinking.
While I understand the need to check-in on favorite characters from a series and this should have been a nice holiday treat, it wasn't. It was rushed, had a dishonorable hero, a silly secondary plot surrounding trust, and a father who is not explained. Even though this is part of a series, I really don't think it adds anything to the Wallflowers and I really cannot recommend it.
Time/Place: 1840s England
Sensuality: Boring
April 7, 2017
Oh no doctor! We have a case of Lastbookitus
http://www.lisakleypas.com/
Scandal in Spring, the last book in the Wallflower series (sort of.) Being the last book in the series it suffers from that dread disease called Lastbookitus. There are no known cures.
The only one I know of is if the author would slow down and not be in a hurry to start their next book, or in this case turn to the dark side and write a contemporary romance. It may also suffer in comparison because it follows Devil in Winter. In this case the hero, Matthew, isn't as strong of a character as Daisy. And, I have come to believe that the heroes have to be as strong, if not stronger, than the heroines for the book to work and for the couple to balance each other out.
Poor Daisy. Daisy was such a wonderful secondary character in the previous Wallflower books. She was whimsical, funny and charming, but she loses what made her great in this story. Maybe some of the reason she seems weak to me in this story is that there may be too many of the other Wallflowers hanging around the pages. Yes, yes, I know that everyone wants to see what their favorite Wallflower is doing before the series ends - but hey, that's what short stories are for. Because we have so much wallflower catching up to do in this story, the romance between Matthew and Daisy suffers - this story has a rushed feel to it.
Matthew has a secret. Yes, our hero has a secret. First of all Matthew has been in luv with Daisy forever; he is almost a member of the family. He's at their dinner table a lot. The Bowman's horrible father has favored Matthew over his own children, so it's only fitting that the Bowman siblings should resent Matthew. He has been taken under Mr. Bowman's wing, eaten at their table and he seems to be exactly like Mr. Bowman - a cold, domineering man. But it's all a facade. As I said before Matthew's got a secret, actually he's got more than one secret. He has always loved Daisy, but has hidden that behind a cold facade. Because of the Kleypas male hormone thing that's been quite a struggle for him. But there is another secret! A horrible secret! He's not worthy! He's not worthy! It's so bad that when the reveal happens, you have to backtrack and read it over again because you miss it. You will find yourself scratching your head and asking, "This was the horrible secret?" I know I did. One paragraph - the secret is revealed, second paragraph - the Wallflowers help, third paragraph - the secret is solved. Another plotline which was supposed to add conflict but was handled so quickly that there wasn't any. So, why was it there?
Bottom line, this was almost the weakest book in the series. I was extremely disappointed that a great secondary character like Daisy didn't get her fantastic book. And, I wish Matthew had been just a little stronger. I also still want to know just what makes the entire Bowman family tick.
Time/Place: 1840s England
Sensuality: Hot
April 7, 2017
The Wallflower saga continues.
http://www.lisakleypas.com/
For a look on my thoughts concerning Devil in Winter see my old review. My mind has not been changed since then - still one of the best. You also get to read my review of another of Kleypas' better books Then Came You.
April 7, 2017
Nothing better than a stuffed-shirt.
http://www.lisakleypas.com/
Now we come to the second official entry in the Wallflower series and one of my favorites: It Happened One Autumn. One of the reasons this book is a favorite is because our heroine,
Lillian, and our hero, Marcus, rub each other the wrong way right away. What a fun couple. He is this uptight, priggish, snobbish lord and she is a free-spirited, acerbic, doesn't-give-a-hoot woman. As I've said before, there's nothing I enjoy more than seeing an uptight prig take a fall. Let me tell you, Marcus really puts up quite a struggle in this story and it's all very delicious. Was this a perfect book? No. Did I have some issues with it? Yes. But even though there were some hiccups in the road for me, this was my second favorite book in this series which says a lot considering that the Devil in Winter is in a class of its own.
So, we have an interesting hero in Marcus. First of all, he doesn't tower over people. He's shorter than most of the heroes who inhabit Romanceland. But, he is written with such a strong personality he's a match for all other heroes. Anyway, Marcus is a coooool guy. He's a look-at-me, I'm smooth, I don't get rattled, nothing upsets me - until Lillian barges into his well-ordered life.
I liked Lillian a lot. Was she a little bit over the top? Yes, but she had to be to counterbalance Mr. Level-headed Marcus. She was a whirlwind. She is loaded with schemes, dreams, and brilliant ideas, and she charges into things without really thinking. Even though she is this loose cannon, she doesn't see herself as such. She even thinks she would be a good partner in her father’s business, but she really hasn't got any business savvy. She's a too up-front, in your face kind of woman to fit into the covert world of business. She also doesn't suffer fools. She doesn't think too highly of the aristocratic world her mother wants her to be part of. In fact, she deliberately tries to irritate Marcus.
But, don't feel too bad for poor old Marcus. He doesn't care for Lillian. He considers her to be nothing more than a gold-digger - except, of course, she's got the gold but she's digging for a title. I guess she's a guy-digger. Or at least her mother is. Which leads me to another thought. Lillian's parents. Her mother is a social climber and her father is a wily, strong-willed business man who doesn't seem to care for his children. The Bowman parents put in an appearance as secondary characters and every time they showed up I found myself wondering more and more what made them into the couple they were. There are things that are hinted at but nothing is ever fully explained. I wish Ms. Kleypas had written a short story on this couple, not as they were when they were young, but what they were in these books. And, why they got to the point they were at. Interesting married couple who could barely stomach each other, but we never know why. Nor are we ever given a gentler glimpse of them.
The other secondary characters. The rest of the wallflowers put in a strong appearance in this book, Daisy especially, which is another oddity. Why is that an oddity? Well, since I've already read these books I know that Evie is the heroine who has the really strong book later on in the series. If ever there was an example of a strong secondary character not getting the book they deserve it is Daisy - but that will come later. In this book the Wallflowers once again demonstrate how wonderful a true friendship-bonding between women can truly be.
I've also arrived at the conclusion that no matter how strong the heroine is in any book, it is the hero who I zero in on. He can make or break a romance story for me. I can only think of a few romance stories where the two leads are on equal footing (Jessica Trent and Sebastian spring to mind). In this story even though Lillian's presence is felt throughout the entire book, Marcus is the one who overpowers it. He is the stronger of the two. Now, having said that I also believe that this pair really works as a couple. They balance each other out - he needs her irrelevance and she needs his grounding and together they make for a great couple.
If there was one weak part in this book it was toward the end when Lillian is kidnapped. Because the guy who does the kidnapping is our next hero, he can't be portrayed as being alllll that bad. So, I'm not sure why this scene was added. As I've been reading a lot of Ms. Kleypas books, one right after another, I've notice that in most of her books she adds things which in the end don't add anything to the book. They appear, they get solved, they disappear. All they do is take up space.
Overall, I liked this book. I thought it added immensely to the series and introduced a wonderful hero in the form of Marcus - too bad there is a Vincent. Highly recommend this story.
Time/Place: 1843 England
Sensuality: Hot
April 6, 2016
It's the official Wallflower beginning.
http://www.lisakleypas.com/
So now on to the Wallflower series. The first book in the series is Secrets of a Summer Night and in this story we get to actually see what brings the four wallflowers together. I have to
say that all four books in this series portray female friendship at its best. In this story we have the absolutely gorgeous woman Annabelle Peyton. She is so beautiful she could burn your eyes out, but she's a wallflower. While Annabelle might be the most beautiful woman around, she is also poor. So, she'd make a perfect mistress for some landed aristocrat but not a wife because these guys need cash flooding into their great estates. At a ball Annabelle befriends three other wallflowers, Lillian and Daisy Bowman (American heiresses) and Evie Jenner (painfully shy daughter of Ivo Jenner). The women decide to join forces in finding husbands starting with the beautiful but poor Annabelle. (By the way, Jenner is also a connecting character).
There is a house party, of course. Well, Annabelle has set her sights on an aristocratic guy, along with all of the other women at the house party. Also at this house party is a man who Annabelle finds totally irritating, Simon Hunter. Simon Hunter is the local butcher's son who has made good. But, he's the butcher's son so, Annabelle considers him beneath her touch. And, he thinks that Annabelle would make a wonderful mistress. So, they irritate each other, but they can't seem to keep away from each other.
Even though I was less than impressed with Again the Magic, I have to say that Lisa Kleypas can write some pretty yummy heroes. Sure they are for the most part possessive alpha-males, but geewillikers they are hot hunks who have tender caring protective nice guy sides. I just wish Ms. Kleypas would let us into her heroes' brain thoughts a little bit more, because I think she shorts us when it comes to how they think.
Fun scene and typical Romanceland throw-them-together-somehow. There's a cute scene where the girls play a game of rounders in their knickers. They think it's private and once again the American girls lead the charge with the "we do this kind of thing in America all the time" explanation. For all of you who have never read a history book or a biography on the 1800s in America, I don't think we would really see a bunch of American women playing rounders (baseball) in their skivvies - in public. I've always thought our ancestors were just a little bit more Methodist/Presbyterian/Puritanical in their upbringing. But hey, this is Romanceland and how else are we going to get some hunky heroes seeing their heroines without their clothes on.
Hey, by the way, all of you guys with no money - you don't have a chance of ever becoming a Kleypas hero. You either have to have a title or tons of money. This might also be one of the areas in the book I had an issue with. Simon is accepted everywhere. He hangs out with all the cool guys, his best friend is a lord, he's powerful, rich, can dance, and is fun. So, why can't Annabelle marry him and solve all of her problems?
As I continue to write this review, I keep asking myself why did I like this story so much - because I did. But reading my words I'm thinking - man is this a silly story. The heroine has to marry a rich aristocrat, she has to keep her brother in an expensive school, and she has to think of a way to get her mother away from an evil man. Then there is the hero who wants Annabelle, has wanted her for a long time but wants her as his mistress - so he is willing to wait until she's desperate enough to come running to him begging for him to take her. Doesn't really sound all that appetizing when spelled out that way, does it? But it is. Even though there isn't anything we haven't seen in Romanceland before, Ms. Kleypas has magically put all of the words together in a way that we actually care what happens to Annabelle and Simon.
As in some of the other books in this series, there were plotlines which didn't go anywhere or were solved rather quickly. The whole evil lord and Annabelle's mother should have been better developed or left out of the story completely. It didn't serve any purpose, it didn't enhance the story, it didn't make the hero see the light of love - it was just there and then it wasn't.
Also, as with the previous book we have an awful lot of whankee-roo, unprotected whankee-roo. Don't these people care about the consequences of their actions. Now, if I hadn't been reading allllll the books in the series I might have thought that this book had the normal amount of Romanceland sex in it, but I'm not reading them years apart, I'm reading them one after another and my ears are ringing from all the humping-pumping, sweaty, throbbing paragraphs.
I am at a disadvantage here because I read these books out of order and I know one of my favorite Kleypas books (Devil in Winter) is in this group, so I'm predisposed to like this one. And, I do like this one. I like Annabelle and Simon - I thought their dislike of each other, their snobbery, their misreading of each other’s character was fun. Were there moments when I rolled my eyes at some of the Wallflowers' actions? Yes. But I think it helps the series that we are getting to know this whole group of women pretty well before we march into each individual story. Also, once again, we are shorted on the hero's brain think.
Time/Place 1843 England
Sensuality: Hot
April 6, 2017
It's Ugly American time - sort of.
http://www.lisakleypas.com/
Once again I am in the middle of glomming an author, but this author I have read before.
I've also read all of her historical books before but I felt as if I needed to revisit some of my old memories. After my recent reading of Devil in Spring, I wanted to refresh my palette by rereading Devil in Winter. Then, because that book had tons of characters from other books, I decided - What the Hey, I'll just read the entire Wallflower series. Not only did I reread the entire series, but the two outside books which connect to it: Again the Magic (almost a prequel) and Mine Until Midnight (also the first in the Hathaway series).
Let's start with Again the Magic - and its Ugly American time. An ugly American refers to perceptions of loud, arrogant, demeaning, thoughtless, ignorant, and ethnocentric behavior of American citizens mainly abroad, but also at home. And, while our Americans in this book may not have been loud, the book was certainly a monologue of how American ingenuity is going to save those poor decaying English people and the entire nation of Great Britain (those poor boobs.) In fact, there was so much overbearing flag-waving in this book that I was embarrassed.
This book is connected to the Wallflower series through the sisters of Marcus, Lord Westcliff from It Happened One Autumn. While mainly about the eldest sister, Aline, there is also a secondary romance threaded throughout the story about the second sister Livia.
When this story begins we find that Aline is in love with the stable boy John McKenna. Her father is a you-must-marry-an-aristocrat tyrant. Though if I were to be really honest about stable-boys and daughters of the aristocracy I would have to say in the real world for a stable-boy and a lady to marry would be something that would never happen. Reality check. Their worlds would have to be sooo far apart that any kind of a marriage would be a disaster from the very beginning. What would they find to communicate about? Would he be able to even write or read? Would she be able to cook or clean? But, this is Romanceland and there is always America to send a stable-boy to. And, we allll know there wasn't ever any kind of class division going on in the U.S. of A.
Anyway, Aline and John have sort of grown up together. Sure, she's in the big house and he's in the stable mucking horse poop - but they hang out with each other. They talk, dream, find secret places to escape their respective worlds. John seems to have a better handle on class separation than Aline, but as they grow older those pesky hormones start to awaken. Aline starts to get a bumpy chest and John just turns into a typical teenage boy who cannot control those harmonica-hormone urges. Soon a young Aline and John are sneaking out to secret places to do finger puppet shows. They are partaking in moist, throbbing afternoons all over the place (and not discreetly) until someone sees them and tells Aline's mean old dad.
Now Aline is faced with a dilemma - she must pretend to John that she is a cruel girl/woman - that she was just stringing him along. If she doesn't her father is going to ship John off to some horrible place, so she lies to John. John is heartbroken. He thinks Aline is a cruel girl who has betrayed him. He is still shipped off, but somehow lands in America where the streets are lined with gold and he eventually becomes rich. (My ancestors must have missed that street.) Anyway, John becomes a powerful man and he joins forces with another rich guy, Gideon Shaw. Years pass, Gideon and John land on the shores of Great Britain to help out with Britain’s economy. But John has never forgotten Aline and he has vowed revenge. Oh no, not the revenge plot! I hatesssss revenge - but in this case it doesn't last long. It's silly while it last, has a fast solution, doesn't further the plot, and I have no idea why the author added it to her story. Page filler maybe, but why would one need a page filler when one is writing about two couples instead of one couple. Yes, we have John and Aline and Gideon and Livia. The revenge is forgotten and the pages are filled with scene after scene of hot, sweaty, throbbing, humpedy-bumping.
My eyes crossed. We no sooner get done with John and Aline bouncing in the bed, on the floor, against the wall, than the names are changed and it's Gideon and Livia doing the happy-happy. When that's over it's time to hear about how very inventive Americans are, then it's time for more hoinky-doinky.
This was a full length novel, but had the feel of a rushed short story. It was filled with things that didn't go anywhere. There was John's revenge plot, didn't go anywhere. Gideon is a drunk, but he's cured. Aline was burned badly in a fire, she's keeping it a secret from John - but John doesn't care. There wasn't any character development and if this story didn't have Ms. Kleypas' name on its cover I never would have guessed it was one of hers. I could only think that this story was written for the sole purpose of filling pages and pages with superfluous sex.
A good thing I knew that Devil in Winter was part of this series, or that Derek Craven had already been created, because if this story had been my introduction to Lisa Kleypas I would probably not have read any other book by her. If you needed to ask, I cannot ever see myself recommending this book.
Time/Place: 1844 England
Sensuality: Hot-give-it-a-rest-before-it-falls-off
http://www.beverlyjenkins.net/
