Holy Cranberry Sauce!! Upcoming Historical Romances!!!!!

Authors with an asterisk*, I'm picking up! For more Upcoming Releases that aren't historical see HEY DELIA!! November 15, 2019 to December 14, 2019. By the way, it is not my fault if a publisher changes the release dates - just so you know, they do not consult me. Let me also add this warning - since I am now using different sources, I am finding that one person's genre isn't necessarily another persons - sorry if your book is in the wrong genre.  
**Book by an author who is either new to me or has fallen off of my list and I might read.

The leaves are on still the trees, but the holiday season seems to be stirring in Publisherville. You know what that means? That means bunches of author's writing anthologies/novellas. Just so you know, I do not know if the holiday anthology books are new or reprints. 

Historical Romances

	Amalie Howard http://www.amaliehoward.com The Beast of Beswick November 26
	Annabelle Anders http://www.annabelleanders.com Lady Be Good Lord Love a Lady series December 3
	Betina Krahn* http://www.betinakrahn.com/ Anyone But a Duke Sin and Sensibility series November 26
	Cassandra Dean https://cassandradean.com Rescuing Lord Roxwaithe Lost Lords series November 26
	Cat Sebastian https://catsebastian.com/ A Delicate Deception Regency Imposters series December 10
	Christi Caldwell http://www.christicaldwellauthor.com Her Christmas Rogue, ebook December 3
	Collette Cameron http://collettecameron.com Earl of Scarborough The Honorable Rogues November 26
	Dawn Brower http://www.authordawnbrower.com/ Amanda Mariel http://www.amandamariel.com Christmas at Fortuna’s Parlor, ebook December 3
	Eva Leigh* http://evaleighauthor.com My Fake Rake Union of the Rakes series December 3
	Grace Burrowes http://www.graceburrowes.com/ Forever and a Duke Rogues to Riches series November 26
	Janice Preston** http://www.janicepreston.co.uk Christmas with His Wallflower Wife Beauchamp Heirs series Paperback - November 19, Ebook - December 1
	Jenni Fletcher http://jennifletcher.com Miss Amelia’s Mistletoe Marquess Secrets of a Victorian Household Paperback - November 19, Ebook - December 1
	Julia London* http://www.julialondon.com/ The Princess Plan Royal Wedding series November 21
	Karen Ranney http://karenranney.com To Bed the Bride All for Love series November 26
	Katherine Bone http://www.katherinebone.com A Sprig of Mistletoe Miracle Express November 19, ebook
	Keira Montclair http://www.keiramontclair.com/ Highland Yuletide Magic, Novella Ebook November 19
	Kelly Bowen* http://www.kellybowen.net Night of the Scoundrel, novella Devils of Dover series November 26
	Laura Martin https://lauramartinromance.com/ Her Rags-to-Riches Christmas Scandalous Australian Bachelors series Papeerback - November 19, Ebook - December 1
	Leona Bushman http://www.leonajbushman.com Spying on Christmas Miracle Express November 26, ebook
	Louise Allen* http://www.louiseallenregency.co.uk Contracted as His Countess Secrets of a Victorian Household Paperback - November 19, Ebook - December 1
	Madeline Martin http://www.MadelineMartin.com How to Tempt a Duke Paperback - November 19, ebook - December 1
	Mia Vincy* https://www.miavincy.com A Beastly Kind of Earl Longhope Abbey, ebook – not just kindle November 26
	Michelle Styles http://www.michellestyles.co.uk A Deal with Her Rebel Viking Paperback, November 19, Ebook, December 1
	Paula Quinn Meara Platt Collette Cameron Mary Lancaster Alexa Aston Sydney Jane Baily Elizabeth Ellen Carter Stars are Brightly Shining: A Magical Holiday collection, ebook, December 3
	Rosanne Bittner http://www.rosannebittner.com Ride the High Lonesome November 26
	Scarlett Scott http://www.scarlettscottauthor.com Wanton in Winter Wicked Winter series November 26
	Tammy Andresen http://tammyandresen.com/ Too Wicked to Wed Chronicles of a Debutante, ebook, December 10
	Tammy Andresen Tamara Gill Samantha Holt Scarlett Scott Lauren Smith Bree Wolfe A Lady’s Christmas Rake, ebook, November 26
	Tess LeSue https://tesslesue.com/bio/ Bound for Glory Frontiers of the Heart December 3

Historical Fiction

	Alan Furst http://www.alanfurst.net/ Under Occupation Night Soldiers December 3
	Beatriz Williams http://www.beatrizwilliams.com The Wicked Redhead The Wicked City series December 10
	Cynthia Jefferies http://www.cynthiajefferies.co.uk/  The Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne November 26, 2019
	Danielle Steel http://daniellesteel.com Spy November 26
	David Donachie http://www.twofingersbooks.com Blood Will Out Contraband Shore series November 26
	Griff Hosker http://www.griffhosker.com/ King in Waiting Lord Edward's Archer December 5
	Jaan Kross A People without a Past Between Three Plagues
	Iona Grey The Glittering Hour December 10

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

October 21, 2019
Sorry

http://tessadare.com/
Here's my excuse. I forgot. I finished Tessa Dare's The Wallflower Wager weeks ago, dare I say, months ago. A funny thing happened to me on the way to the review/critique. I forgot it. I forgot the characters, I forgot the theme, I forgot the plot, and I forgot whether I liked it or not. What's a girl to do? Pick the book up, dust it off, and start all over again. I'm glad I did. I remember now! I liked it! I loved the quirky heroine, and the manly, delicious hero. There was a bonus, of sorts. I also remembered the series it came from, Girl Meets Duke. While The Wallflower Wager didn’t send me over the moon like The Governess Game, this was still a delightful story.

This one is about Lady Penelope Campion aka Penny. Penny is one of those people, similar to my daughter, who luvvves animals. Penny would rescue every animal in the world if she could. And, if she lived in this century, she would not watch movies in which an animal didn't make it through to the end. Pick any animal, it doesn't matter. Did the humans make it through the movie? Nooooo. Did the dog? Yessss. As long as the animals make it through a movie, everything is ok. Back to Penny. Penny collects animals. She has an over-weight goat, a steer, a hedgehog, chickens, an otter, a dog with no legs, a talking parrot, and bunches of kittens. She is more comfortable with these animals than she is with humans. The animals Penny takes care of love her unconditionally. She is living in a house that belongs to her brother, in the heart of London. Her living by herself is also one of the stretches of historical accuracy with which I had an issue.  She's living in the house sans chaperone. But, what do I say about historical accuracy? If I'm enjoying the antics, hi-jinks, and tone of the book, I can overlook the little issues of accuracy. Besides, I have come to expect a little envelope pushing from Ms. Dare. I decided to go with the flow, sit back, relax and enjoy Penny.

Well, Penny has a couple of problems. First, her Aunt Caroline has delivered an ultimatum from Penny's brother Bradford. Get rid of the animals and have a social season, or return to the country and live with him. She doesn't want to return to her brother's house, and not just because of her beloved animals. There are darker reasons that keep her from her brother's home; those reasons are eventually revealed. 

The other problem on the horizon is Penny's neighbor Gabriel Duke aka The Duke of Ruin. Gabriel has risen from the dregs of London to build an empire of wealth. He has no qualms about finding dirt on people, and using it to get what he wants. He's devious, he sneaky, and he's hot. He has also purchased the house next to Penny. He has a plan. He's fixing the house up so he can then sale it. He is a house flipper. His selling point? Who doesn't want to live next to a Lady. Well, Gabriel doesn't know about Penny's animals, until one evening when Penny's parrot flies into his house. By the way, this book is full of funny almost laugh out loud moments. The initial encounter between Penny, Gabriel, and the talking parrot from a brothel is a hoot. Then when Gabriel's architect, Hammond, points out to him that no wealthy person is going to want to live next to a barnyard, Gabriel sees an opportunity for more encounters with his neighbor.

The secondary characters of Hammond and Gabriel's housekeeper Mrs. Burns is over-the-top funny. As I said before this novel is full of fun moments. There is an especially chuckle-fest when the fat goat decides to give birth, and the mid-wives turn out to be Gabriel, Chase, and Ash. Chase and Ash are the heroes from the previous two books in the series.

The humor in this book is abundant, sometimes close to zany. The hero and heroines POV are also great. The comedy timing in this story is amazing. This is writing. There is no actor/actress to interpret the narrative for us. As I read the dialog, I could envision every pause, every punchline. The comic pacing was spot-on. Now on to the serious stuff.

When a book is full of comedy moments, I'm not sure how much pathos, angst, or poignancy should be put in the story to balance it out. I look at all my favorite funny movies or books I've ever watched or read. I'll just pick a few of my favorite funny movies: My Favorite Year, The In-Laws (1979), His Girl Friday, and The Lady Eve. All those movies are funny, and that's what is remembered about them. Each of those movies has moments of poignancy, even the fast, heavy-laden dialog movie, His Girl Friday. But not too much, and it doesn't overpower the energy that was built-up by the comedic pace. It's all about timing, about how smoothly the fun integrates with the drama. While Ms. Dare did some fine writing in this story, when it came to the dramatic, dark side of the book, I think the drama came very close to overpowering the fun. I also was not too fond of the solution to Penny's dark, dramatic past.

I do highly recommend this story. I just wish that when Ms. Dare writes her hilariously funny books, she would lighten up on the angst-filled moments. I think sadness may be a more powerful emotion than whimsy. I think it’s time for a formula change. That is a minor quibble though. Bottom-line, Ms. Dare has a couple of winners in her Duke Meets Girl series. I loved both The Governess Game and The Wallflower Wager. Maybe I should take another look at The Duchess Deal. 

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot

The Unexpected Guest by Deborah Simmons

October 16, 2019
A Little Holiday Gem

http://www.deborahsimmons.com/
Recently, Deborah Simmons released one of her short stories to electronic format: The Unexpected Guest. The Unexpected Guest is part of her deBurgh family series. Thanks to the procrastination or whatever of the publisher, Ms. Simmons does not own alllll of her deBurgh books. As with numerous other authors, there doesn’t seem to be a logical reason for publishers retaining ownership. Especially, when publishers are just sitting on the books and not doing anything with them.  I am not going to tell you who the publisher is, but their initials start with an H and end with a N. My mother had a saying that expresses my thoughts, but I’m toooo polite to repeat it. However, it had something to do with a pot and getting off it.

Anyway, back to Ms. Simmons’ The Unexpected Guest. The Unexpected Guest is a short story that takes place at Christmas time. I thought this story was charming when I first read it in 1999, and I’m happy to report that it still shines. The Unexpected Guest is about the deBurgh brother’s father Campion, and Lady Joy Warwick. I remember thinking when I read the other books in the series that their father was a scene-stealer. I always thought he deserved a romance of his own and not a flashback to one of his dead wives. I was tickled pink when Ms. Simmons came out with a story for him in 1999, and even more so when it turned out to be some mighty fine writing.

If you are in the mood for a good holiday romance book, I highly recommend this one. I think I shall revisit the rest the deBurghs. Sometimes it's nice to curl up with some old friends.

Time/Place: Medieval England
Sensuality: Warm

 

Seduction in a Snowy Night by Madeline Hunter, Sabrina Jeffries, Mary Jo Putney

October 14, 2019
Wait a minute, what century is it?

When the holiday's approach, I always read a bunch of novellas. Call me silly, I don’t care. You see I have numerous reasons for doing so. First of all, they are fast reads. As can be expected, some of them are good and some of them not so good. There are some authors who can handle the short word count and some who can't. If one is lucky, sometimes one even finds a short story by an author one as never read before. When that happens one can glom that author’s work. Then sometimes one reads a short story from a veteran author. An author who has been around for quite a while, and one’s mind asks the question, "What were they thinking?" That is what happened to me in the anthology Seduction on a Snowy Night. Looooong after I put the book down, I struggled with myself. Should I say something, or should I remain silent? Eventually, I decided to say something.

Let's look at the first story in the book. A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter. By the way, all of these stories are connected with a kidnapping theme. 

Coincidence. While waiting for my new and exciting books to come out, I passed the time reading my old ones. One of those was Deborah Simmons’ Tempting Kate (1997). Ms. Simmons’ story was about a woman who kidnaps a man she thinks has impregnated her sister. I read the whole thing, enjoyed every minute of it. By the time I was finished, my new books had arrived. I decided to read the anthology, Seduction on a Snowy Night first. Yikes! Deja Vu. Imagine the state my poor beleaguered mind was in when the very first story in the book was about a woman who kidnaps a man because she thinks he impregnated her sister. OMG! I was very confused. You know that feeling that comes over you when you think you have read a book before? At first I thought, “Hey, I didn’t know Deborah Simmons had written anything in this book!” Wait a minute, she didn’t! What is going on? This story is written by Madeline Hunter! How can that be? Thank goodness, the similarities between the two stories eventually diverged. But, I was a becoming a little alarmed.

The lead characters in this story were Adam Prescott and Caroline Dunham, and they made a nice couple. I was pleased that the mistaken identity thing didn’t last very long, and that there was enough space allotted in the story for a romance to blossom. Adam was a great hero, and made a compatible partner for Caroline. Caroline was a loyal person who doesn't always make the right decisions…you know, like kidnapping. This story was a pleasant read, although it isn’t one that I’m going to remember for very long. The ending seemed a little rushed, and I didn't necessarily care for the solution to the sisters problem. But hey, this was a short story, and not all villains get the justice they so richly deserve.

Of the three stories in this book, A Christmas Abduction was my favorite. 
Grade: C+
 
A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries. It's been a long time since I've read a Sabrina Jeffries book. I gave up on her after she started adding gratuitous sex scenes which had no purpose other than word count. Sad to say, I had a number of issues with A Perfect Match. First, corresponding under a false identity theme has never been one of my favorite plot devices. I’m not a big fan of Cyrano de Bergerac. In this book it is Colonel Lord Heywood who is on the receiving end of the letters. He has fallen in love with the letter writer, Kitty. Actually, the letters were addressed to her brother, but her brother would read those letters aloud around the campfire. He fell in love with the woman who wrote those sparkling letters. Surprise, surprise, surprise! She didn't write them, her cousin Cass did. Anyway, Kitty's brother Douglas sends Heywood to England to protect his sister from the villain. There is a big convoluted plot that weaves throughout this story. Heywood kidnaps Kitty to protect her from the bad guy, and Cass goes along for the ride. Heywood takes them to the country where a convenient snowstorm happens, and they can take sleigh rides. It was not very believable.

The other issue I had with this story was Kitty. She was portrayed as slow, and unable to comprehend the behavior of others. Kitty’s handwriting was atrocious, which explains why Cass was doing the writing. So, Cass is protecting her cousin by lying to everyone, including Kitty’s brother Douglas. I'm not sure the Kitty character belonged in a short story, there needed to be more narrative for me to understand what Kitty was all about.

This story frustrated me. The writing was choppy, and what started out promising, meandered along to the mundane. 
Grade: C-

One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney

Now we come to my "what were they thinking" moment. This is the story that struck a chord with me, and not a good one. I found this story disturbing. After I finished One Wicked Winter Night, I found myself consternated that one of my favorite authors had written this story. After all, she gave us one of my all-time favorite books: The Rake.  How could someone who has been in the business for such a long time, not recognize when they might be insulting a cultured, ancient civilization.  

Lady Diana Lawrence has returned to England after residing in India for seven years. Whom should she run into on her return? The man she once loved, Anthony Raines, Duke of Castleton. From the beginning, this was a hard story to like, even before "that" scene. At times, I thought I was reading a young adult story. Not that I’m insulting young adult books, but let me be frank, I’m not a young adult. Then "that" scene came into being.

Warning: I am about to meander. In 2004 there was a movie called Vanity Fair. Supposedly, that movie was based on William Makepeace Thackeray's novel of the same name. Thackeray's novel, Vanity Fair, was contemporary of his time. Much as Jane Austen's writing is a reflection of her time, Thackeray's novel was a satirical look at English society. Vanity Fair is the story of Becky Sharp, and I wouldn’t really call Becky a heroine. Anyway, for some reason the movie has Becky Sharp doing some kind of belly dance. When I saw that scene for the first time, I cringed. And, I still cringe when I think about it. Instead of sticking with the narrative of the book, I think the movie was going for some kind of Bollywood thing. Regardless of how we feel about Becky Sharp, she would never have danced anything resembling a belly-dance, or whatever that was in the movie. Of course, I am not a big fan of movies changing history so they can draw in a modern crowd. I think a singing Marie Antoinette and a skinny Henry VIII  are ludicrous. I guess real history isn’t exciting enough for a screenwriter to tackle, or “modern crowd” to understand.

Back to the book. In this short story, we have such a scene. I think the author may have been going for a Bollywood affect, but a book probably isn’t the best place to try energetic singing and dancing. Lady Diana thinks she has enough dance expertise to perform a "Hindu" dance. Not only that, but wouldn’t it be neat to entertain a room full of English aristocrats with this dance. I could feel my cringe alarm going off. Anyway, she and her cousins used to do it in India, so she talks one of her cousins into performing with her. And, they do. I cringed. There were just so many levels of wrong with this scene I couldn’t believe it. First of all, what "Hindu" dance are we talking about? Is this the Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Kathakali, Odissi, Kathak, Sattriya, Kuchipudi, or Maohiniyattam? Almost all of those dances are religious in form, very traditional, very intricate, and mostly danced in temples by highly trained dancers. There is a long, dark history of those dances in association with the colonizing of India. When the English missionary's made their appearance in India, they tried to eradicate not only those dances, but the culture that produced them. Thankfully, for us, they didn’t succeed. So, there was the whole cutesy, nonchalant feel of the dance scene in the book which disturbed me. These culturally rich dances were never intended to be nonchalant.

Let’s continue with my meandering. Let's talk historical accuracy, and let's pretend that the dance Lady Diana was doing was a cross between Bollywood dancing and Greta Garbo's Mata Hari dance. Doesn't that sound goofy? This is another example of trying to put 21st century stuff into the 19th century. It doesn’t work. In this century, we can take dance lessons, we can learn intricate steps, and we can understand the traditions of why we are doing the movements we are doing. In this century, if our intention is to arouse our hero, then we can learn a strip-tease, or how to wrap ourselves around a pole. We can’t do that in the 19th century, and we need to be careful what we borrow from other places. Some of those things we borrow have a deeper meaning. We need to respect those meanings.

Bottom-line. I was disappointed with this story. For me that scene had so much wrong with it, on so many levels, I was flummoxed. I was speechless. I can only ask, what happened? I cannot recommend this story, or the book it is in.
Grade: F
Book:D

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

October 1, 2019

We all have plans, lot's of plans!
http://eviedunmore.com/
After months and months of looking for a good new book to come along, Evie Dunmore appeared on the scene, and gave me one. Well, she didn’t actually give me a book; I did open up my purse and make her a tad bit richer. I proclaim right up front, this is a good one, and I recommend it! By the way, my little Petunia’s, don’t let the cover throw you. Contrary to the artwork, which appears on the front cover, Bringing Down the Duke is a historical romance, not a young adult, teen or chick lit book.

This is the first story in A League of Extraordinary Women series, and it is set in 1879. The plot line revolves around a group of hopeful, emancipated women. Our heroine, Annabelle Archer, is one of them. Don’t get tooo distressed about the word emancipated. The author does not beat you over the head with her political views. While one does become aware of injustices handed out to women of the era, at no time did I feel that the narrative was heavy-handed. I think the author did a nice job of making a statement without pontificating. In fact, I loved the way Annabelle’s thought process worked, and how all of her beliefs were quietly presented to us. Her understated approach won many arguments. 

The mean cousin. Annabelle comes equipped with a horrible, women-are-stupid-you-are-my-free-labor cousin, Gilbert. Annabelle is a really, really smart woman, and she wants to go to Oxford. She is excited because Oxford has just opened its doors to women. Annabelle is a intellectual sponge. She wants very much to learn; she has a brain that’s thirsting for knowledge. After a bit of maneuvering, she talks Gilbert into letting her go…for a short time.

Time moves onward, and Annabelle is in London studying; and has become involved with a group of women who are trying to change the Married Women’s Property Act. During this time, women did not have the authority needed to change any law; their options were to make a lot of noise, or influence powerful men to change legislation. All they need to do is find a powerful man and have him help change the law. Sounds simple to me. Annabelle finds such a man. Enter Sebastian Devereux, the Duke of Montgomery. Their plan progresses. Thank goodness, the author does not go down the path of turning her novel into historical fiction. These women are not super-women who can bend the will of men in a single glance.

Sebastian is a cold-fish, stiffed-neck, everything in its proper place, kind of guy. He is not a rakish hero, but a pretty stable, upper-crust man. There are no gray areas in his life; everything is black and white.  His desire is to save his family seat. His father, on the other hand, was a bit of a loose-screw, and lost the family castle in a card game. Enter Queen Victoria.  Victoria’s portrayal in this book is as a rather small minded, conservative woman. She is not at all in agreement with emancipation for women. I think that is probably an accurate characterization of Victoria. Anyway, she has a plan. If Sebastian becomes the chief strategic advisor for the Tory party, she will return his castle to him. Guess what one of the conditions is for being an advisor to the Queen. Victoria’s advisor will not support women’s suffrage.

Annabelle is a gutsy heroine. Of all the women in her group, she is the one who approaches a well-dressed man and pushes a suffragist pamphlet under his nose. This is Sebastian and Annabelle’s first meeting, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Annabelle had some wonderful inner-thought narratives going on. She continually pushes herself beyond her comfort zone. When Annabelle’s friends become aware of Sebastian’s identity, they elect Annabelle as the official Trojan horse. She must infiltrate a house party in an attempt to turn Sebastian to their side.

The house party. Of course, Annabelle and Sebastian end up at a house party together. Their relationship blossoms. The dialog between our couple is a thing of magic. When Annabelle and Sebastian’s scenes were on the page, the book became alive. These two characters were fully developed, intelligent, and believable. They were two mature people trying to make a future for themselves. They were aware of their differences, of how society would view them. And, here is where I had an issue. I loved Annabelle. I loved her strong character. I just wish that she hadn’t gone on so long about how she was unworthy. 

Secondary characters. Start rubbing your hands together with glee: there are tons of luscious supporting characters in this book. I especially liked Professor Jenkins. I thought he was the cat’s meow. I hope we see him again. As for the “extraordinary women,” Ms. Dunmore gives us just enough to make us want more.

Bringing Down the Duke was a splendid debut novel by Evie Dunmore. While the plot may have been something we have seen before, for me it felt fresh and exciting. The book is full of fully developed characters, and there is a strong sense of the 19th century floating throughout this story. The women in this book are not a bunch of 21st century women in long dresses spouting 21st century rhetoric. I felt Ms. Dunmore did a great job of bringing women of the 19th century alive. They seemed real. This was a well-constructed, intelligent love story, and Evie Dunmore has given me hope that there are still some talented authors out there.   

Time/Place: 1879 England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot