Holy Caramel Apples with Dark Chocolate Drizzles!!! Upcoming Historical Romances!!!

September 23, 2021

Authors with an asterisk*, I'm picking up! Authors with **asterisks have either fallen off my radar or new to me, and I'm might read them this time around. Release dates mostly between October 15, 2021 and November 14, 2021. 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.  

 

Historical Romance

	Amalie Howard http://www.amaliehoward.com Rules for Heiresses October 26
	Amy Jarecki https://amyjarecki.com/   A Duke by Scot The MacGalloway October 19
	Anna Bradley** http://www.annabradley.net   The Virgin Who Bewitched Lord Lymington, ebook The Swooning Virgins Society November 2
	Bliss Bennet** http://www.blissbennet.com Not Quite a Marriage The Audacious Ladies of Audley November 9
	Bronwyn Scott http://bronwynswriting.blogspot.com/   Lord Tresham's Tempting Rival The Peveretts of Haberstock Hall October 26
	Carol Arens The Viscount's Christmas Proposal October 26
	Catherine Stein https://www.catsteinbooks.com/ The Spinster's Swindle, ebook Arcane Tales November 5
	Celeste Barclay https://celestebarclayauthor.com/   A Devil at the Highland Court, ebook The Highland Ladies November 9
	Christine Merrill * Marguerite Kaye Sophia James Regency Christmas Liaisons October 26
	Darcy Burke http://www.darcyburke.com Intolerable, ebook Phoenix Club October 19
	Dawn Brower** Nadine Millard Anna St. Claire Lauren Smith Tabetha Waite Christmas on Scandal Lane November 9
	Erica Ridley http://www.ericaridley.com The Perks of Loving a Wallflower Wild Wynchesters October 26
	Eva Devon aka Maire Claremont https://twitter.com/evadevonauthor The Wedding Wager October 25
	Grace Burrowes http://www.graceburrowes.com/ A Rogue in Winter, novella Rogues to Riches November 2
	Janice Preston http://www.janicepreston.co.uk     The Penniless Debutante October 26
	Jillian Eaton http://www.jillianeaton.com A Dangerous Secret, ebook Bow Street Brides November 2
	Joanna Shupe http://www.joannashupe.com/ The Lady Gets Lucky The Fifth Avenue Rebels October 26
	Julia Quinn http://www.juliaquinn.com/ The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton November 9
	Julia Justiss http://www.juliajustiss.com/ The Explorer Baroness Heirs in Waiting October 26
	Lucy Morris https://lucymorrisromance.com/ A Nun for the Viking Warrior October 26
	Rachel Ann Smith https://www.rachelannsmith.com Loving a Dowager, ebook The Hadfields November 3
	Sasha Cottman http://www.sashacottman.com King of Rogues, ebook Rogues of the Road November 9
	Shannon Gilmore https://linktr.ee/ShannonGilmoreAuthor Every Time You’re Near, ebook Ruined Rakes October 19
	Valerie Bowman http://www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com Earl Lessons Footmen's Club Trilogy October 25
	Virginia Heath* http://www.virginiaheathromance.com Never Fall for Your Fiancée The Merriwell Sisters November 9

Historical Fiction 

My rules: this genre goes up to and includes the 19th Century. Anything newer than 1900 will be on my Hey Delia list.

	Debra May Macleod https://debramaymacleod.com To Be Wolves The Vesta Shadows October 26
	Lori Anne Goldstein http://www.lorigoldsteinbooks.com Love, Theodosia November 2
	Lucy Jago https://lucyjago.com/ A Net for Small Fishes November 9 (USA)

Simon Scarrow https://www.simonscarrow.co.uk/ The Honour of Rome Eagles November 11

Relaxing with Anne Stuart

September 22, 2021

Stuart Saturation!

http://anne-stuart.com/

What happens when you are in a mood? Where do you go when you just can’t find any new good books? What do you do when alllll those new authors can’t cheer you up? I have it! What about a funny veteran author? ummmmm. I know! Anne Stuart! I can hear your startled gasp. I hear your befuddled questions. Funny? I know you’re asking…aren’t her heroes rather angst-filled? Aren’t her heroes pretty close to sociopaths? Well, maybe. But sometimes, you just got to do what you got to do. So, for the last few weeks I have immersed myself in a world where men are real libertines, rakes, and rogues. I don’t know how many times I have read all of the Rohan family books.  But, I love Ms. Stuarts writing. It’s always interesting to see how differently I react to that series every time I reread.  Shameless (2011) was my favorite and Heartless (2018) my least favorite. But, I didn’t stop with the Rohan family. I swallowed my be-brave pill and stepped into the Wayback Machine, along with a number of Ms. Stuarts older books.

The Spinster and the Rake (1982). I loved this one. Gillian Redfern, is the unpaid companion/baby-sitter for her family. Ronan Blakely, Lord Marlow, is the enemy of the Redfern family. This is one of Ms. Stuart’s lighthearted books (sort of.) There is a villain. There is a fun secondary romance. In fact, all of these books have secondary romances. Regency. Warm/Hot A-

To Love a Dark Lord (1994). Redhead alert! There are a lot of red-headed heroines in Ms. Stuart’s books. This one has Emma Langolet, who may have killed her uncle. Coming to her rescue is the amoral libertine James Killoran. Killoran saves Emma’s life, then goes back to his other women. Warning: some of Stuart’s men do not give up other women immediately after seeing the heroine. The secondary romance is between a really experienced woman and a younger man. We have a group of villains. This is a really dark book, with an even darker “hero”.  Georgian England. Hot. B-

Prince of Magic (1998). Whimsical heroine Elizabeth Penhurst, and Gabriel Durham. This book is what I would call Gothic. We’ve got Druidism, villains looking for virgins to sacrifice, and helpful ghosts. We also have a secondary romance. The hero is not quite as dark as other Stuart guys. Regency. Warm. B-

Lady Fortune (2008). Travel back to the court of Henry III. Our hero is a rather funny spy/jester by the name of Nicholas Strangefellow. Or at least that’s the name he goes by. He has a secret which allows him to marry the heroine at the end of the book. Then there is Lady Julianna of Moncrieff who is on her way to her mother’s wedding. In this one we have a crazy killer priest, an interesting lethal spy, and a magic chalice. Another secondary romance. England 1200s. Warm. B-C+

Hidden Honor (2004). Elizabeth of Bredon: tall, red-hair, wants to be a nun. Elizabeth was seventeen – ick moment. Prince William aka Peter. The real Prince William is disguised as a monk. In fact, there are a lot of monks in this book. A lot of disguises, a sadistic prince, a road trip, and a secondary romance. Not much of an epilogue.  England 1200s. Warm. C-

The Devils Waltz (2006) Christian Montcalm is a typical ruthless Stuart hero. His antagonist is the unmarried, plain 29-year-old Annalise Kempton. Annalise is assigned to keep Hetty Chipple out of trouble.  Christian is determined to make Hetty his wife. Sparks fly. Warning: heroine nickname. Regency England. Hot. B

I had a great time with these books. Some of them held up over time, and some didn’t. Some screamed for a good epilogue, and some didn’t. I do recommend all of these, but if you’re new to romance, just remember that things have changed over the years.  I did find myself getting a little bit of a Stuart burn-out by the last book, so I decided to turn to another veteran author: Laura Kinsale. Oh boy! More angst!

Her Gallant Captain at Waterloo by Diane Gaston

September 13, 2021

 I have a younger brother too…but he's not a slug!

https://www.dianegaston.com/

I think I’m in a mood. This one was hard to review for me. There was some really fine writing, especially the vivid description of the Battle/s of Waterloo. But the brother in this book was…how shall I put this nicely…a real scum-sucker. Diane Gaston’s latest, Her Gallant Captain at Waterloo brings us the story of Rhys Landon and Lady Helene Banes, a couple with a history.

It is the eve of the Battle/s of Waterloo, and Helene is in Brussels trying to find her idiot brother. Her brother has come to Brussels because he wants to watch the battle. He’s recently been elevated to a lord, but he is resentful and doesn’t want to be called a lord…unless it gets him into the Duchess of Richmond’s ball. He hangs out with the Duchess’s son, a real person by the way. He does all kinds of horrible things to his sister, ignores her, disappears, doesn’t tell her where he’s going. He doesn’t want anyone to tell him what to do. His sister, Helene, has a big “walk-all-over-me” sign pasted to her back. I detested her brother. Then I started wondering…just what does one do when one is related to an immature person who wants to be a spectator at a battle? I do remember my brother being annoying, but I don’t think he would have been as selfish as this guy was. Anyway, I didn’t like the brother. And, just so you know, there were spectators on some battlefields.

The romance. The romance between Helene and Rhys was a standard misunderstanding-I-hate-you. Then they talk, then they love each other again. So, it was just so-so.

The Battle of Waterloo. After I have whined about the horrible brother, and intimated that the romance was bland, let’s look at what really stood out in this story. I was overwhelmed with the feelings that were captured in this narrative of warfare. From the battle itself, to the Richmond ball, to the chaos of people trying to escape Brussels. It was all very intense. Helene’s flight to the battlefield, her helping with the wounded…once again all tense-filled moments.  The aftermath of battle…all so devastating.  The writing in this part of the book was superb.

Even though the romance was just passable, and the brother was one of the most immature men I’ve seen in a long time, I have to recommend this book. The tale of the battle, and its aftermath was a most powerful story to behold.
Time/Place: Waterloo/Brussels

Sensuality: Warm

Waterloo/Brussels: A

Romance: B

Brother: D

The Scoundrel's Daughter by Anne Gracie

September 7, 2021

Yes, it's possible for female friendship in Romanceland!
 

https://www.annegracie.com/

The Scoundrel’s Daughter, by Anne Gracie, is the opening book in the Brides of Bellaire Gardens series. While not quite as delightful as The Perfect Rake, it’s still a nice read. We even have two romances in this book, a mature one, and a not mature one. We also have a horrible father, who just might be a creepy villain. The premise of this story revolves around blackmail. The person being blackmailed is Alice, Lady Charlton. Poor Alice, luck just hasn’t been her friend. She’s a widow, which is probably the only thing good to ever happen to her. Her husband was an emotionally abusive man, kept a mistress, and left Alice destitute. The only one in Alice’s family she has any fondness for is her nephew, Gerald. He is one of the nice guys in a book full of man-slugs. As luck would have it, Alice’s husband happened to leave a number of love letter’s laying around. The problem with those love letter’s is that her husband did not write them to Alice, but to his mistress. They have also fallen into the hands of a nefarious con-artist, Octavius Bamber. Octavius Bamber will not win the father of the year award.

Let’s talk about women. There are two romance stories in this book. The main romance is between Alice, Lady Charlton and James, Lord Tarrant. A secondary romance blossoms between Lucy Bamber and Alice’s nephew Gerald. For the most part, those romances had some interesting interaction, but let’s talk about the real chemistry in the story. The relationship between Alice and Lucy. Alice is being blackmailed into launching a reluctant Lucy into society. The blackmailer is the winner of the worst father of the year award, Octavius Bamber. At first, when sulky, stubborn Lucy is introduced to Alice, I thought: oh boy another horrible spoiled woman. But it turned out I was wrong. First of all, Alice and Lucy talk to each other, they find a common enemy – Octavius. Not only do they find a common goal, they develop a friendship. They both have been emotionally abused by the men in their lives. They see the world through less than innocent eyes. Do they always agree with each other? No. But they do talk to each other, and they accept each other short-falls. It was relaxing to view two women characters who actually worked together, and liked each other.

The relationship between Lucy and Gerald was fun. They irritate each other. When Gerald is given the assignment of finding a suitable husband for Lucy, his candidates are atrocious. Lucy turns the tables on Gerald, and seemingly enjoys his matchmaking attempts, which in turn annoys him. It was all great fun.

Now on to Alice and James. As mentioned before, Alice’s husband was real dog-doo. Until Octavius came along with his blackmail, Alice was happy with her widowhood. When James enters her life, she is attracted to him, but not trusting of men. She is willing to be a friend to James. James on the other hand is a tad bit manipulative. He wants Alice, and he isn’t above using “friendship” as a means to keep her. Once again…how do you “keep” someone? He even uses his three charming daughters as a weapon. It would have been nice if Alice could have had a HEA with a man who didn’t use “friendship” as a means to his end. I wish Alice had been given the opportunity to decide to marry James without being manipulated.

Bye the way, the villain/father Octavius vanishes somewhere on the Island of Misplaced Villains.

Overall, I loved the relationship between Alice and Lucy. I also thought the chemistry between Lucy and Gerald was fun. The issue I had with this story was James being a I-know-what’s-best guy. Alice was a mature woman who could think for herself. I just wish that James would have allowed her to be her own person. While there were parts of this story I liked a lot, this was not my favorite Anne Gracie book…that would be The Perfect Rake.
 
Time/Place: Regency England

Sensuality: Warm