Holy Corn Beef and Cabbage!! Upcoming Historical!!! March to April 2020!!!!

Authors with an asterisk*, I'm picking up! Release dates mostly between March 15, 2020 and April 14, 2020. For more Upcoming Releases that aren't historical see HEY DELIA!!

 Series indicates a series, spin-off, sequel, trilogy, brother/sister, secret society/spies, good friends who attended Oxford/Eton, vampire/werewolf - anything that has something continuing - even if written 20 years ago. Anthology/novella/short stories could be an anthology or a bunch of books in one print or novella - one tiny book or an anthology with a bunch of novellas - could be a short stories by one author, could be short stories by multiple authors - could be - I'm getting a headache. Ebook, only sold electronically for now. Debut - congratulations! 

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.

Historical Romance  

	Adele Clee http://www.adeleclee.com/ The Mystery of Mr Daventry Scandalous Sons March 28
	Amy Jarecki http://www.amyjarecki.com The Highland Rogue Lords of the Highlands March 24
	Ann Lethbridge http://www.annlethbridge.com The Matchmaker and the Duke March 17 – Paperback, April 1 - Ebook
	Annabelle Anders http://www.annabelleanders.com Lady and the Rake Lord Love a Lady March 31
	A.S. Fenichel** http://asfenichel.com The Earl Not Taken The Wallflowers of West Lane March 17
	Christi Caldwell http://www.christicaldwellauthor.com In Bed with the Earl Lost Lords of London March 17
	Diana Cosby http://www.dianacosby.com/ Forbidden Realm Forbidden April 14 - Ebook
	Ella Quinn http://www.ellaquinnauthor.com The Most Eligible Lord of London The Lords of London March 31
	Eva Shepherd https://www.evashepherd.com/ Awakening the Duchess March 17 – Paperback, April 1 - Ebook
	Laura Trentham http://www.LauraTrentham.com A Sinful Surrender Spies and Lovers series March 31
	Lauri Robinson http://www.laurirobinson.blogspot.com The Flapper's Fake Fiance Sisters of the Roaring Twenties March 17 – Paperback, April 1 – Ebook
	Liz Tyner https://www.liztyner.com/ Compromised into Marriage March 17 – Paperback, April 1 - Ebook
	Lorraine Heath* http://www.lorraineheath.com/ The Earl Takes a Fancy Sins for all Seasons March 31
	May McGoldrick http://www.MayMcGoldrick.com Highland Sword Royal Highlander March 31
	Maya Rodale http://www.mayarodale.com An Heiress to Remember The Gilded Age Girls Club series March 31
	Stephanie Laurens** http://www.stephanielaurens.com/ The Inevitable Fall of Christopher Cynster Cynsters series March 19
	Tammy Andresen http://www.tammyandresen.com/ Viscount of Vice Lords of Scandal series April 7
	Virginia Heath* http://www.virginiaheathromance.com Redeeming the Reclusive Earl March 17 – Paperback, April 1 - Ebook
	Vivienne Lorret http://www.vivlorret.net Lord Holt Takes a Bride Mating Habits of Scoundrels March 31

Historical Fiction

	Alexandra Lapierre http://www.alexandralapierre.com/ The Woman of a Thousand Names March 31
	Alison Weir http://www.alisonweir.org.uk/ The Scottish Princess Six Tudor Queens Novella April 2
	Anika Scott https://anikascott.com/ The German Heiress April 7
	Ariel Lawhon http://ariellawhon.com/ Code Name Helene April 2
	C. Pam Zhang http://cpamzhang.com How Much of These Hills Is Gold, debut April 7
	Clara Dupont-Monod The Revolt April 2
	Emily Neuberger A Tender Thing, debut April 7
	Lisa Wingate http://www.lisawingate.com The Book of Lost Friends April 7
	Malcolm Archibald http://www.malcolmarchibald.com Agent of The Queen Jack Windrush series March 31
	Megan Campisi https://www.megancampisi.com/ Sin Eater April 7
	Pamela Pinning Ewen http://www.pamelaewen.com The Queen of Paris April 7
	Paulette Jiles http://paulettejiles.com/ Simon the Fiddler April 14
	TaraShea Nesbit http://tarasheanesbit.com/about-the-author/ Beheld March 17
	Tracey Emerson Wood http://traceyenersonwood.com/ The Engineer's Wife April 07

The Arrangement by Sylvia Day, Minerva Spencer, Kristin Vayden

February 24, 2020

Warning: A Hippity-dippity alert.
https://www.sylviaday.com/
https://minervaspencer.com/
http://kristinvayden.weebly.com/
It’s been awhile since I have read a Romanceland book from the Erotica/Romantica /Whatever genre, but The Arrangement had some author’s in it I’ve been meaning to read: Sylvia Day, Minerva Spencer, and Kristin Vayden. So, I thought I’d give it a try. I don’t like to put authors into categories, however I know that Sylvia Day usually has a little bit more hot dippity-do in her books than, oh, let’s say Wanda Brunstetter. In fact, if one does any lurking at Fantastic Fiction, one also knows that Sylvia Day has an Adults Only designation on her page. So when I selected The Arrangement to read this month, I suspected that because Sylvia Day was the head-liner on the book cover, the other two author’s writing styles were probably similar to her.  A random thought: wouldn’t it be interesting if publishing houses mixed genre categories in compilation/anthologies/novella’s? Say for instance, if Ms. Day and Ms. Brunstetter were in the same anthology book. That would be kind of amusing, or not. Anyway, back to The Arrangement.

As I said, I selected The Arrangement knowing that it was probably an E-rot-i-ca. On top of that, the three stories in this book were novella/short stories. What does that mean? Well it means that there might be a chance the characters and/or the story-line would not be fully developed. However, since I am always on the look-out for a new author I took the plunge. It didn’t take me too long to discover that I was getting about what I expected. 

Sylvia Day is first with Mischief and the Marquess. A word of warning: if hot, hot, moist dippity-do is what you want in a story, then this one is for you. Ms. Day has constructed the story rather well, but I did have an issue with it. What might that be, you ask. My issue with this story is the copious amount of mind-numbing sex, and hardly any character development. Oh sure, there are a hero and heroine. They have a history. There are secondary characters, and matchmaking mothers. There is even an illegitimate child. But there is no story connecting them!  It isn’t long before the couple are forced together, and then they begin peeling the banana allll over the place. I have nothing against a hot book, but there has to be a good narrative to go with the extracurricular activity, or it alllll becomes just meaningless cucumber stuffing. 
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Numbing
C-

The second story is Minerva Spencer’s, The Duke’s Treasure. I could probably just do a copy/paste of my thoughts about the Sylvia Day story. Once again, this short story has an abundance of dippity-do scenes, and no narrative. But this one also throws in the “let me tie you up so you can trust me” scene. I’m not a big fan of ropes.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Find Another Way to Trust 
C-

The third story in this group is The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden, and at last we have a short tale that balances the wall-banging with the storytelling. This one is about Diana and Brook. There are actually words that do character building. We are presented with sentences that allow us to care about the people on the pages. Do not worry; there is plenty of carrot-top trimming to satisfy our needs. Ms. Vayden was able to achieve in her short story what the other two were not: a balance. 
Time/Place Regency England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
B

Overall: for me, there was only one short story in this book which left me satisfied, and that was Kristin Vayden’s, The Inconvenient Countess. Her writing was fully-developed, and I was interested in what was happening with the characters. I will also probably take a look at Ms. Vayden’s other books.

PS: I think I might have been hungry when I wrote this review.

Loretta Chase - Wayback Machine

February 19, 2020
Where have I been?

http://www.lorettachase.com/
Where have I been? Well, I’ll tell you. In the past few weeks I’ve been waiting and waiting for some new books which appeal to me. While I was doing that, I immersed myself in Loretta Chase books. I pulled some of her old books: Isabella, 1987, The English Witch, 1988, Viscount Vagabond, 1989, Devil’s Delilah, 1989, and all the books from her Carsington series. I was ¾ of the way through the Carsington series before it dawned on me, I had reread them in 2015. Oh well, what is a girl who is losing her memory stick to do. I guess, continue to read.

Anyway, it was quite an adventure reading Ms. Chase’s early books from the 80s. Those were the days when men were men and books were books. Ah, the golden Regency romance book days of Avon Regency, Fawcett, and Signet. Supposedly they were shorter stories. Viscount Vagabond clocked in at 218 pages, while one of Ms. Chase’s later books, Duke’s Prefer Blondes, has 289 pages. That’s not much of a difference. The only things I noticed that were missing were the sex scenes. Oh, do not get me wrong, the early books were sensual; it was just that the bedroom door closes at the end.

I have decided not to give each book a detailed review, but to try to do an overall impression. My overall impression is/was that Ms. Chase is one of the best, wittiest authors around, and I wish she would hurry up and write a new book. I remember after she wrote Lord of Scoundrels, (the bestest book ever) there was quite a dry spell, and I was worried that she would never write again. It was three years between LOS and The Last Hellion, and it was another six years before the release of the Carsington series. So, Ms. Chase has been responsible for some lonnnng periods of down time between books.  Just so you know, her last book was released in 2017, so I probably don’t have to be nervous about no-more-Chase-books…yet.  According to her website, she is hoping for a late 2020 release date. She is “keeping her fingers crossed,” and so am I. 

Thoughts on the early books, especially Viscount Vagabond. Of the early books I read, this was my favorite. I found myself dazzled by Ms. Chase’s writing. At the time, she was relatively new to Romanceland, but these early books have a sumptuous feel about them. The word structure is so amazing, and the dialogue so witty, I found myself spellbound. It was hard for me to believe that Ms. Chase was just beginning. As I read the pages, I could see a indication of the magic that was to come with The Lord of Scoundrels. So, I do recommend her older books, you won’t be disappointed. I especially liked the Viscount Vagabond. Now on to the Carsington family.

Ah, the Carsington brothers – yum. Carsington family series, Miss Wonderful, 2004, Mr. Impossible, 2005, Lord Perfect, 2006, Not Quite a Lady, 2007, and Last Nights Scandal, 2010.

Here is what the books have in common: a conniving father who maneuvers his sons into marriages. Of course, it is for their own good. The heroes in all the books fall instantly in lust/love with the heroine, and like all true heroes they don’t know they love her. All of the heroines, except for one, are strong, smart women – along the lines of Jessica Trent (LOS). The heroes struggle mightily against all of these women, but to no avail.

I reread all of these books in 2015, and haven’t really changed my mind since then – except: I would have to upgrade Mr. Impossible to a “Wow this is an amazing book.” I also have to confess that I liked the hero, Darius, from Not Quite a Lady better than I did in 2015. I must have been having a bad day at the time. I did find the heroine from Not Quite a Lady irritating.

A quick review of the Carsington series:

1. Miss Wonderful. Alistair Carsington is in trouble. He’s a frivolous guy, a dandy, and he limps. He limps because he was at Waterloo. He has nightmares of Waterloo. His conniving father threatens him with disinheriting his brothers. He must do something, and do it quick. Alistair has a friend who wants to build a canal in Derbyshire. Sounds like a good money-making project to Alistair, so he’s off. But there is trouble in them-thar-hills by the name of Mirabel Oldridge. Mirabel does not want anyone digging holes in Derbyshire, she wants alllll the land saved. I already mentioned that Alistair has the requisite war-hero limp, well Mirabel has the requisite oblivious father. Mirabel takes care of everything, the house, the village, the dirt, the hills, the trees, and she doesn’t want any stupid dandy flopping around her neighborhood. There is plenty of chemistry between Alistair and Mirabel. Mirabel is a strong woman, who knows when to admit she is wrong. Alistair is an honorable man, and he tries to come up with a solution that will make everyone happy. There is humor, wit, and a wonderful narrative in Miss Wonderful. 
Sensuality: Warm/Hot - Grade: B

2. Mr. Impossible. I luvvvveeed this book. What an entertaining road trip. Rupert Carsington is a handsome, big, doofus. He constantly stumbles into trouble. His conniving father has sent him to Egypt, where he gets into more trouble. Daphne Pembroke is a heroine with a big brain. One of her talents is transcribing Egyptian papyrus and hieroglyphs. The bad guys think her brother Miles is the brains behind the operation, so they kidnap him. She needs a strong person to help rescue Miles. Enter Rupert! He is the muscle, she is the brains, or at least that’s what she thinks. Rupert is fascinated with her brain, and her body. This story is a fun adventure, loaded with great dialogue and tons of hot chemistry. It’s a combination Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Romancing the Stone. The villains are also a pack of great contributors to the story. After rereading this a second time, I believe this story has become my second favorite Loretta Chase book. This is a must read!!
Sensuality: Warm/Hot - Grade: A+

3. Lord Perfect. I had great hopes for this story because the male lead is one of my favorite types: a stuffed-shirt who does everything right, and by the rules. Benedict Carsington is the eldest son of the still conniving father. He sees a beautiful woman standing across the way, Bathsheba Wingate. Things start twitching, lust-drool starts coming from his mouth. Before he can act upon his twitch, there is a great disturbance. That disturbance is named Olivia Wingate, and she is Bathsheba’s young daughter. Olivia is in the middle of conking Benedict’s nephew, Peregrine, over the head. Peregrine had just made the mistake of telling Olivia that girls could not be knights. After telling him he was a blockhead, Olivia started swinging. By the way, this was their first meeting. Olivia is rather melodramatic, and Peregrine is rather logical. Then a road trip begins, actually, two road trips. The children embark on a road trip of sorts: Olivia to find treasure, and Peregrine tags along with Olivia to keep her out of trouble. Benedict and Bathsheba give chase. The weak part of this book is Benedict and Bathsheba. They are…how shall I say this…boring. They lack chemistry, and their romance does not work. The strong parts of this book are Olivia and Peregrine. They steal the story. Olivia is so dramatic. Everything she does, all her schemes, her rants, and her letter writing are all sooooo melodramatic. Peregrine is her complete opposite. He is a Mr. Spock in his outlook on life. For him everything must be logical, everything must be in a straight line. The two of them together are wonderful. Bottom-line: The romance is not terrific; the kids are a treat! Sensuality:Warm - Grade B-

4. Not Quite a Lady. This was my least favorite of the Carsington family books. Maybe it was because this story had a little bit darker edge to it, or maybe it was because I don’t care for the secret baby theme. Maybe it was all of that. This time it is Darius Carsington who has been sent off by his conniving father. A crumbling estate needs to be restored. The Hargrave family lives close by, and that includes the I’ve-got-a-secret, Charlotte. I was not as upset with Darius this time as I was the last time I read this story. Both Charlotte and Darius know where children come from, and Charlotte has already had a secret baby. They both should have shown some responsibility in preventing another one. However, they do not. There were just toooo many things in this story that irritated me: the secret baby, the coincidence of finding the child, Charlotte’s step-mother lying, the pain Charlotte caused her father. This time Loretta Chase was not able to balance her wonderful witty dialogue with the dark side.  
Sensuality: Careless - Grade C-

5. Last Night’s Scandal. They’re hereeeeee. It is the return of Olivia and Peregrine, and they are all grown up. They haven’t changed. Well, Olivia has grown a bosom, and Peregrine cannot seem to concentrate on anything else when that bosom is in his eyesight. Once again, Olivia has a scheme, and Peregrine must save her from it. This story was great fun. It was loaded with wonderful witty dialogue, but also some deeper introspective by Olivia and Peregrine as they spend time together. They have been friends most of their lives, and have loved each other through the years. Olivia has always known that while Peregrine has been her true friend; he has always put his expeditions to Egypt first. Egypt is his first love. Peregrine has always known that Olivia is too dynamic for him; he wants something quiet, peaceful, and logical. Ms. Chase ties up allll those loose ends in a truly magical way, and when the HEA comes, we the reader are able to exhale a heartfelt sigh.  
Sensuality: Warm/Hot - Grade A-

And so, my Loretta Chase adventure comes to an end, at least till she writes a new one. All I can say is that I enjoyed almost all of it. There is nothing better than a cup of hot chocolate, a big fluffy blanket, and a Loretta Chase book to make a cold day warm. What a delightful read these books were! You really should check them out!