Tuesday
Goodbye Miranda Neville
Just found out that Miranda Neville passed away. I had a number of her books, in fact some of them were/are really quite wonderful. Goodbye Ms. Neville.
Monday
Someone to Love by Mary Balogh
October 29, 2017
So quiet you almost don’t hear it.
http://www.marybalogh.com/
Someone to Love, the first novel in the Westcott series by Mary Balogh. This story is a wonderful example of Ms. Balogh’s writing a simple love story which isn’t really simple.
There isn’t any spy, villain, kidnapping, rescuing, or big misunderstanding. There is a misunderstanding but it’s so subtle one almost misses it. Ms. Balogh is at her best when she writes quiet stories and this is a great example of just how strong silence can be.
By the way, there is a pedigree chart in the beginning of this book which comes in handy. You see, we are introduced to a plethora of characters and there just may be a quiz at the end of the series (I made that up).
Anna Snow is a twenty-five year old teacher who works at an orphanage. She also happens to be an orphan herself. She likes her job and she is happy with herself. However, she yearns for someone who will love her and whom she can love. Everything is moving along normally at the orphanage; the children love her, she has a best friend Joel, her little room and the respect of the woman who runs the place. Then one day everything changes when she receives a letter from a solicitor requesting her presence in London.
Weeks earlier, the Westcott family, along with Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, are gathered for the reading of the will of Earl of Riverdale. At the end of the will reading, Riverdale’s widow requests a meeting with the solicitor and Avery in which she tells them that her late husband had fathered a bastard child. She asks the solicitor to locate this person, give that person a settlement and then the family can then wipe their hands of her/him. Well, imagine the entire family's surprise when they are called back together some time later to find a stranger in their mist. Because they think that stranger is the illegitimate product of Riverdale they do not look on her very kindly. But more is in store for this aristocratic family. It seems that the earl was already married at the time of his second marriage – which means he committed bigamy. That also means that the orphan – Anna Snow – is now the legitimate off-spring and the three children by his second marriage are illegitimate. What a mess! And what a terrific beginning for a series. I can see alllll kinds of problems arising from this mess.
I was a great fan of both Anna and Avery. They both have hidden depths. Avery is not portrayed as the typical romance hero – he’s not tall, he doesn’t have muscles oozing out all over his body – he’s a sleepy-eyed fop. Those are the best kind and sleepy-eyed guys hark back to the early days of romance when most heroes had those eyes. So, because he reminded me so much of a number of my favorite old-time heroes, I liked him quite a lot.
Anna, I loved. She was such a strong woman; she understood so much. She was also very gentle, but she only allowed people to walk all over her so much. There were numerous times in this book when she took the control of her life away from her new-found family. I loved her reasoning and I loved the little speeches she gave. Together Avery and Anna made a great couple. And, their romance was a gentle, quiet thing, full of self-discovery.
I did have one quibble with a portion of the overall book and that quibble took me out of the story. If you have read the book, you may know which part I am referring to. It was an odd moment, I don't know if historically Avery would have really practiced any form of martial arts. So, it was a stretch for me to believe this portion. Having said that let me say this – briefly – I read historical romance books to escape – they are escapism. These days all I have to do is turn on the television and I am bombarded with things which are making me crazy. Which is why I do not like romance books which have an agenda, be that agenda left or right. I have read some of the comments about this portion of the book and they make me sad. Sometimes I think we scream our opinions so loudly we cannot hear others speak. When does one become a bully? Is someone a bully even when they are screaming the truth? Or what they perceive is the truth? I am rambling here, so I will stop.
Overall, this is a well-written book by Ms. Balogh. It is a gentle offering and I do recommend it
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality:Warm/Subtle
So quiet you almost don’t hear it.
http://www.marybalogh.com/
Someone to Love, the first novel in the Westcott series by Mary Balogh. This story is a wonderful example of Ms. Balogh’s writing a simple love story which isn’t really simple. There isn’t any spy, villain, kidnapping, rescuing, or big misunderstanding. There is a misunderstanding but it’s so subtle one almost misses it. Ms. Balogh is at her best when she writes quiet stories and this is a great example of just how strong silence can be.
By the way, there is a pedigree chart in the beginning of this book which comes in handy. You see, we are introduced to a plethora of characters and there just may be a quiz at the end of the series (I made that up).
Anna Snow is a twenty-five year old teacher who works at an orphanage. She also happens to be an orphan herself. She likes her job and she is happy with herself. However, she yearns for someone who will love her and whom she can love. Everything is moving along normally at the orphanage; the children love her, she has a best friend Joel, her little room and the respect of the woman who runs the place. Then one day everything changes when she receives a letter from a solicitor requesting her presence in London.
Weeks earlier, the Westcott family, along with Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, are gathered for the reading of the will of Earl of Riverdale. At the end of the will reading, Riverdale’s widow requests a meeting with the solicitor and Avery in which she tells them that her late husband had fathered a bastard child. She asks the solicitor to locate this person, give that person a settlement and then the family can then wipe their hands of her/him. Well, imagine the entire family's surprise when they are called back together some time later to find a stranger in their mist. Because they think that stranger is the illegitimate product of Riverdale they do not look on her very kindly. But more is in store for this aristocratic family. It seems that the earl was already married at the time of his second marriage – which means he committed bigamy. That also means that the orphan – Anna Snow – is now the legitimate off-spring and the three children by his second marriage are illegitimate. What a mess! And what a terrific beginning for a series. I can see alllll kinds of problems arising from this mess.
I was a great fan of both Anna and Avery. They both have hidden depths. Avery is not portrayed as the typical romance hero – he’s not tall, he doesn’t have muscles oozing out all over his body – he’s a sleepy-eyed fop. Those are the best kind and sleepy-eyed guys hark back to the early days of romance when most heroes had those eyes. So, because he reminded me so much of a number of my favorite old-time heroes, I liked him quite a lot.
Anna, I loved. She was such a strong woman; she understood so much. She was also very gentle, but she only allowed people to walk all over her so much. There were numerous times in this book when she took the control of her life away from her new-found family. I loved her reasoning and I loved the little speeches she gave. Together Avery and Anna made a great couple. And, their romance was a gentle, quiet thing, full of self-discovery.
I did have one quibble with a portion of the overall book and that quibble took me out of the story. If you have read the book, you may know which part I am referring to. It was an odd moment, I don't know if historically Avery would have really practiced any form of martial arts. So, it was a stretch for me to believe this portion. Having said that let me say this – briefly – I read historical romance books to escape – they are escapism. These days all I have to do is turn on the television and I am bombarded with things which are making me crazy. Which is why I do not like romance books which have an agenda, be that agenda left or right. I have read some of the comments about this portion of the book and they make me sad. Sometimes I think we scream our opinions so loudly we cannot hear others speak. When does one become a bully? Is someone a bully even when they are screaming the truth? Or what they perceive is the truth? I am rambling here, so I will stop.
Overall, this is a well-written book by Ms. Balogh. It is a gentle offering and I do recommend it
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality:Warm/Subtle
The Reunion by Sara Portman
October 23, 2017
Secondary characters - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
http://www.saraportman.com/
The Reunion is Sara Portman's debut book and I'm always on the look-out for new authors.
There's always a hope that each one of them may become one of my auto-buys. So, I always have my fingers crossed dreaming of the day when I have found the new Mary Balogh or Lisa Kleypas. Well, while Ms. Portman's debut novel is a descent attempt, it doesn't quite make it up to the top rung of the ladder.
The good stuff. The novel started off pretty well. The writing had a modern feel about it. There weren't the thought-provoking words of a Balogh or Kleypas, but I can adjust. After all, I'm a big fan of Julia Quinn books. As I said the story started off nicely. The plot is composed of a hero who at one time was quite insensitive to his fiancée. They were both very young, never met each other, and were being forced into the arrangement. So, why should our hero really care what he says to his seventeen year-old fiancée. Especially when he has an axe to grind with his domineering father. Well, anyway, John (hero) insults Emma (heroine) then takes off without any benefit of an explanation, goes to America and then comes back four years later in need of a wife. By the way, he has sort of forgotten all about Emma.
Well Emma hasn't forgotten about him. Unbeknownst to him, his leaving has made her a pariah in society. She has been scorned all those years he was missing. However, and here's one of the satisfying things in the book, Emma is no longer the boo-hoo seventeen girl. She's a strong woman. She speaks her mind and she speaks her mind in public. Woe to those who feel the bite of her sharp tongue. I really liked Emma a lot in the first part of the book. Eventually John and Emma run into each other at a party. He has no idea what he did to her, he doesn't actually even know who she is - but he is interested in her. She knows who he is, though, and she lets loose her tongue. Being a Romanceland hero, he is instantly attracted to her. So he sets out to court her, and she doesn't make it easy for him. That was a fun part of the book. Then they get married.
Now, the reason John wanted to marry so badly was because he had a sister back in America who everyone in the ton thought was dead. He wants to bring her back, but he knows that she will in all likelihood be made to feel unwelcome. So, he needs a strong wife, someone who isn't afraid to stand up to a few aristocratic snobs. Hence Emma. Well, what he has neglected to tell his new wife is that his sister (Charlotte) is a giant termagant - and that's being nice. Having read a few romance books in my time, I of course knew where the Charlotte storyline was going to go. You see, John has an unpleasant friend Hugh whose main purpose in the book seems to be to make snotty comments to Emma and be Charlotte's eventual luv-bub. Yes, there is a secondary love story in the book and it's odd.
The secondary love story was a bit of a distraction. It was almost as if it was a big secret, then there were a few eye-glare moments, then they were a couple. The secondary romance didn't work for me. But that wasn't really crucial to me liking the book or not - my issue was with the secondary character of Charlotte. Charlotte was really, really an obnoxious, unlikable, petulant character. I could find nothing to like about her; I could feel no sympathy. It was also with this character that I started to get irritated with John. Why he didn't do something about Charlotte's annoying behavior was beyond me. I guess I am really not all that fond of men who let other people take care of their problems.
Overall, I will be trying her next book in the series - I haven't given up and I'm still hopeful. I thought the first part of the book was very good, but when Charlotte was introduced in the story I just wanted to reach through the pages and strike a blow.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality:Hot
Secondary characters - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
http://www.saraportman.com/
The Reunion is Sara Portman's debut book and I'm always on the look-out for new authors.
There's always a hope that each one of them may become one of my auto-buys. So, I always have my fingers crossed dreaming of the day when I have found the new Mary Balogh or Lisa Kleypas. Well, while Ms. Portman's debut novel is a descent attempt, it doesn't quite make it up to the top rung of the ladder. The good stuff. The novel started off pretty well. The writing had a modern feel about it. There weren't the thought-provoking words of a Balogh or Kleypas, but I can adjust. After all, I'm a big fan of Julia Quinn books. As I said the story started off nicely. The plot is composed of a hero who at one time was quite insensitive to his fiancée. They were both very young, never met each other, and were being forced into the arrangement. So, why should our hero really care what he says to his seventeen year-old fiancée. Especially when he has an axe to grind with his domineering father. Well, anyway, John (hero) insults Emma (heroine) then takes off without any benefit of an explanation, goes to America and then comes back four years later in need of a wife. By the way, he has sort of forgotten all about Emma.
Well Emma hasn't forgotten about him. Unbeknownst to him, his leaving has made her a pariah in society. She has been scorned all those years he was missing. However, and here's one of the satisfying things in the book, Emma is no longer the boo-hoo seventeen girl. She's a strong woman. She speaks her mind and she speaks her mind in public. Woe to those who feel the bite of her sharp tongue. I really liked Emma a lot in the first part of the book. Eventually John and Emma run into each other at a party. He has no idea what he did to her, he doesn't actually even know who she is - but he is interested in her. She knows who he is, though, and she lets loose her tongue. Being a Romanceland hero, he is instantly attracted to her. So he sets out to court her, and she doesn't make it easy for him. That was a fun part of the book. Then they get married.
Now, the reason John wanted to marry so badly was because he had a sister back in America who everyone in the ton thought was dead. He wants to bring her back, but he knows that she will in all likelihood be made to feel unwelcome. So, he needs a strong wife, someone who isn't afraid to stand up to a few aristocratic snobs. Hence Emma. Well, what he has neglected to tell his new wife is that his sister (Charlotte) is a giant termagant - and that's being nice. Having read a few romance books in my time, I of course knew where the Charlotte storyline was going to go. You see, John has an unpleasant friend Hugh whose main purpose in the book seems to be to make snotty comments to Emma and be Charlotte's eventual luv-bub. Yes, there is a secondary love story in the book and it's odd.
The secondary love story was a bit of a distraction. It was almost as if it was a big secret, then there were a few eye-glare moments, then they were a couple. The secondary romance didn't work for me. But that wasn't really crucial to me liking the book or not - my issue was with the secondary character of Charlotte. Charlotte was really, really an obnoxious, unlikable, petulant character. I could find nothing to like about her; I could feel no sympathy. It was also with this character that I started to get irritated with John. Why he didn't do something about Charlotte's annoying behavior was beyond me. I guess I am really not all that fond of men who let other people take care of their problems.
Overall, I will be trying her next book in the series - I haven't given up and I'm still hopeful. I thought the first part of the book was very good, but when Charlotte was introduced in the story I just wanted to reach through the pages and strike a blow.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality:Hot
A Christmas to Remember by Lisa Kleypas, Lorraine Heath, Megan Frampton, Vivienn Lorret
October 16, 2017
Christmas, Christmas time is here,
Time for joy and
Time for cheer…
Time for anthologies.
A Christmas to Remember is my first Christmas anthology of the year and you would think
with an author like Lisa Kleypas as one of the contributors, I would be ecstatic. You would think. But in the end it was just a so-so read, and one which I suspect will quickly disappear from my memory.
The first story is I Will by Lisa Kleypas and it is a reissue from 2008. Ms. Kleypas is lucky I hadn’t read this before and I didn’t have to rant about repackaging, reissues and such. Anyway, this is a typical rake-wastrel depraved hero, Andrews, and a do-gooder-bluestocking heroine, Caroline, who hates him. But that animosity doesn’t stop Andrew from blackmailing Caroline into pretending to be his girlfriend so he can get back into his horrible father’s good graces again and be put back in the will. I had my hopes up with this story. First of all, it was a Lisa Kleypas. Secondly, it has an antagonistic couple at its center. But somewhere along the line the story lost its focus and scurried along to an unsatisfactory ending. – C-
Deck the Halls with Love by Lorraine Heath.
For those of you who follow Lorraine Heath (I don’t) this short story is connected to her Lords of Pembrook series. The hero is Alastair and the heroine is Caroline, and they already know each other. In fact, they loved each other, but then Alastair broke Caroline’s heart by becoming engaged to someone else. But now Alastair has been turned loose from that engagement (previous book) and he is determined to have Caroline. Here’s the problem: Caroline is engaged to someone else and she is also determined to hold a grudge against Alastair. This is a decent story of a second chance at love. It was the shortest story in the bunch but happened to be the best in the group. – B-
No Groom at the Inn by Megan Frampton.
Lady Sophronia – heroine, James Archer – hero. This story has another fake fiancée story line but in this case the participants don’t know each other – at all. James doesn’t like to stay in one place for very long. He travels constantly and he is running scared because his mother is planning a house party with a bunch of single women and he’s afraid of being trapped into marriages and tied down for the rest of his life. Why he simply can’t explain to his mother that he’s not ready is not explained. Also the need for his wanderlust is never adequately explained. Sophronia jumps at the chance to take up with a perfect stranger to escape a life of drudgery.
For this story to work it required a longer format. Both characters in this story required some major changes in their outlooks, and they were not given enough time to do that. – C
The Duke’s Christmas Wish by Vivienne Lorret.
You know, taking a modern them and trying to change it into a historical setting doesn’t usually work. And, it didn’t here either. Our hero – the Duke – wants to belong to some scientific club or something and he has come up with a formula. The formula is a way to match people – like a dating site – sort of. He wants to avoid Ivy (heroine) because something about her is disruptive and she could prevent him from getting into this scientific club. It was all very silly and the formula-match-making plot line didn’t work in a historical short story setting. – C-
Overall, even for an anthology A Christmas to Remember was pretty monotonous.
Time/place: Regency England
Sensuality: mixed bag
Christmas, Christmas time is here,
Time for joy and
Time for cheer…
Time for anthologies.
A Christmas to Remember is my first Christmas anthology of the year and you would think
with an author like Lisa Kleypas as one of the contributors, I would be ecstatic. You would think. But in the end it was just a so-so read, and one which I suspect will quickly disappear from my memory.The first story is I Will by Lisa Kleypas and it is a reissue from 2008. Ms. Kleypas is lucky I hadn’t read this before and I didn’t have to rant about repackaging, reissues and such. Anyway, this is a typical rake-wastrel depraved hero, Andrews, and a do-gooder-bluestocking heroine, Caroline, who hates him. But that animosity doesn’t stop Andrew from blackmailing Caroline into pretending to be his girlfriend so he can get back into his horrible father’s good graces again and be put back in the will. I had my hopes up with this story. First of all, it was a Lisa Kleypas. Secondly, it has an antagonistic couple at its center. But somewhere along the line the story lost its focus and scurried along to an unsatisfactory ending. – C-
Deck the Halls with Love by Lorraine Heath.
For those of you who follow Lorraine Heath (I don’t) this short story is connected to her Lords of Pembrook series. The hero is Alastair and the heroine is Caroline, and they already know each other. In fact, they loved each other, but then Alastair broke Caroline’s heart by becoming engaged to someone else. But now Alastair has been turned loose from that engagement (previous book) and he is determined to have Caroline. Here’s the problem: Caroline is engaged to someone else and she is also determined to hold a grudge against Alastair. This is a decent story of a second chance at love. It was the shortest story in the bunch but happened to be the best in the group. – B-
No Groom at the Inn by Megan Frampton.
Lady Sophronia – heroine, James Archer – hero. This story has another fake fiancée story line but in this case the participants don’t know each other – at all. James doesn’t like to stay in one place for very long. He travels constantly and he is running scared because his mother is planning a house party with a bunch of single women and he’s afraid of being trapped into marriages and tied down for the rest of his life. Why he simply can’t explain to his mother that he’s not ready is not explained. Also the need for his wanderlust is never adequately explained. Sophronia jumps at the chance to take up with a perfect stranger to escape a life of drudgery.
For this story to work it required a longer format. Both characters in this story required some major changes in their outlooks, and they were not given enough time to do that. – C
The Duke’s Christmas Wish by Vivienne Lorret.
You know, taking a modern them and trying to change it into a historical setting doesn’t usually work. And, it didn’t here either. Our hero – the Duke – wants to belong to some scientific club or something and he has come up with a formula. The formula is a way to match people – like a dating site – sort of. He wants to avoid Ivy (heroine) because something about her is disruptive and she could prevent him from getting into this scientific club. It was all very silly and the formula-match-making plot line didn’t work in a historical short story setting. – C-
Overall, even for an anthology A Christmas to Remember was pretty monotonous.
Time/place: Regency England
Sensuality: mixed bag
Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James
October 9, 2017
Move over Ms. McPhee and Ms. Poppins.
http://www.eloisajames.com/
Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James reintroduces two characters who were children in
previous books; now they are all grown-up, their hormones are frenzied, and they have a story of their own. You know what that means don’t you? That means not only will there be a lot of hanky-panky but a plethora of secondary characters showing up. I, of course, do not remember these characters. You know I love books which are in a series, but as years go by it is becoming more difficult to remember alllll the people peppering these books – unless, of course, it’s Derek Craven.
Anyway, the hero of this story isn’t Derek Craven but Edward Reeve, aka Ward, a bastard son of the Earl of Gryffin. The heroine of this book is Eugenia Snow, the daughter of a Marquess. Eugenia is also a widow and has coped with the pain of losing her husband by running a business. This business employs excellent governesses, some of the bestest governesses in England, maybe in alllll the world. Well, maybe….
It seems that Mr. Edward Reeve, aka Ward, is having trouble keeping governesses who will take care of his two half-siblings, Lizzie and Otis. To say that these two are precocious is an understatement. All the governesses Eugenia has sent Reeve, aka Ward, have run screaming into the countryside. Eloisa James has a wonderful way of bringing children to life in her stories. Sometimes those children are a little bit toooo worldly-wise but in this story they are wonderful characters. In fact, they almost steal the show, especially Lizzie. I found Lizzie’s over dramatic antics very amusing and at the same time filled with poignancy. Well, Reeve/Ward is not amused. He’s worried about his half-siblings and he insists that Ms. Snow make good with her promises.
Of course, this is not a story about the children but a romance book. While the romance is good and sometimes sensual, it is not up to the standard of some of Ms. James' other outstanding stories. I blame the hero for this.
Edward/Reeve/Ward has a lot of preconceived ideas, prejudices, and strong opinions. He is for a long time similar to a horse with blinders. He has tunnel vision. He is so stubborn; his views on what makes a lady a lady are so obstinate. He often chooses the wrong path for the children to travel down. At first I could accept his stubbornness, but it was allowed to go on for far tooooo long – and, I found that irritating. While he eventually did some dandy groveling, his epiphany came too late for me. I also had an issue with the fact that everyone but Edward/Reeve/Ward knew of Eugenia’s aristocratic connection but him. I found that a little hard to believe he wouldn’t somehow have heard of her.
Eugenia, on the other hand, was a charming heroine. Even her Mary Poppins-know-it-all persona was sweet. I thought the chemistry between she and the children was one of the best parts of the book, while on the other hand, the hero was its weakest component.
Overall, this was a fast-paced, fun book, filled with Ms. James enchanting writing. I just wish I hadn’t found the hero so frustrating.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
Move over Ms. McPhee and Ms. Poppins.
http://www.eloisajames.com/
Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James reintroduces two characters who were children in
previous books; now they are all grown-up, their hormones are frenzied, and they have a story of their own. You know what that means don’t you? That means not only will there be a lot of hanky-panky but a plethora of secondary characters showing up. I, of course, do not remember these characters. You know I love books which are in a series, but as years go by it is becoming more difficult to remember alllll the people peppering these books – unless, of course, it’s Derek Craven.Anyway, the hero of this story isn’t Derek Craven but Edward Reeve, aka Ward, a bastard son of the Earl of Gryffin. The heroine of this book is Eugenia Snow, the daughter of a Marquess. Eugenia is also a widow and has coped with the pain of losing her husband by running a business. This business employs excellent governesses, some of the bestest governesses in England, maybe in alllll the world. Well, maybe….
It seems that Mr. Edward Reeve, aka Ward, is having trouble keeping governesses who will take care of his two half-siblings, Lizzie and Otis. To say that these two are precocious is an understatement. All the governesses Eugenia has sent Reeve, aka Ward, have run screaming into the countryside. Eloisa James has a wonderful way of bringing children to life in her stories. Sometimes those children are a little bit toooo worldly-wise but in this story they are wonderful characters. In fact, they almost steal the show, especially Lizzie. I found Lizzie’s over dramatic antics very amusing and at the same time filled with poignancy. Well, Reeve/Ward is not amused. He’s worried about his half-siblings and he insists that Ms. Snow make good with her promises.
Of course, this is not a story about the children but a romance book. While the romance is good and sometimes sensual, it is not up to the standard of some of Ms. James' other outstanding stories. I blame the hero for this.
Edward/Reeve/Ward has a lot of preconceived ideas, prejudices, and strong opinions. He is for a long time similar to a horse with blinders. He has tunnel vision. He is so stubborn; his views on what makes a lady a lady are so obstinate. He often chooses the wrong path for the children to travel down. At first I could accept his stubbornness, but it was allowed to go on for far tooooo long – and, I found that irritating. While he eventually did some dandy groveling, his epiphany came too late for me. I also had an issue with the fact that everyone but Edward/Reeve/Ward knew of Eugenia’s aristocratic connection but him. I found that a little hard to believe he wouldn’t somehow have heard of her.
Eugenia, on the other hand, was a charming heroine. Even her Mary Poppins-know-it-all persona was sweet. I thought the chemistry between she and the children was one of the best parts of the book, while on the other hand, the hero was its weakest component.
Overall, this was a fast-paced, fun book, filled with Ms. James enchanting writing. I just wish I hadn’t found the hero so frustrating.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
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