Holy Turkey Dressing!! Upcoming Historical Romances!!!!

Authors with an asterisk*, I'm picking up! For more Upcoming Releases that aren't historical see HEY DELIA!! Decenber 15, 2019 to January 14, 2020. 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 holiday season seems to still 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.

Is it my imagination, or does there seem to be slim pickens' this month? I went through every publishers catalog I could think of, and these were all I could find.

Historical Romance

	Adele Clee http://www.adeleclee.com/ When Scandal Came to Town Scandalous Sons series December 19
	Bronwyn Scott http://bronwynswriting.blogspot.com/ The Secrets of Lord Lynford Paper – December 17, Electronic - January 1
	Christi Caldwell http://www.christicaldwellauthor.com Five Days with a Duke The Heart of a Scandal series January 7
	Erica Ridley http://www.ericaridley.com The Duke's Desire 12 Dukes of Christmas series December 24
	Georgie Lee http://www.georgie-lee.com Mr. Fairclough’s Inherited Bride Secrets of a Victorian Household Paper – December 17, Electronic - January 1
	Grace Callaway http://www.gracecallaway.com The Duke Redemption Grace of Dukes series December 26
	Helen Dickson https://www.hdicksonrnweebly.com Reunited at the King's Court Paper – December 17, Electronic - January 1
	Jenna Jaxon http://jennajaxon.wordpress.com Much Ado About a Widow The Widow's Club series December 31
	Jess Michaels http://www.authorjessmichaels.com The Return of Lady Jane The Scandal Sheet January 8
	Joanna Shupe http://www.joannashupe.com/ The Prince of Broadway Uptown Girls series December 31
	Kathryn Le Vegue http://www.kathrynleveque.com The Best is Yet to Be, ebook De Wolfe Pack series, December 27
	Marguerite Kaye http://www.margueritekaye.com The Inconvenient Elmswood Marriage Penniless Brides of Convenience Paper – December 17, Electronic - January 1
	Nicole Locke http://www.NicoleLocke.com Her Dark Knight’s Redemption Lovers and Legends Paper – December 17, Electronic - January 1
	Olivia Drake http://oliviadrake.com Forever My Duke Unlikely Duchesses series December 31
	Sarah Mallory http://www.sarahmallory.com His Countess for a Week Paper – December 17, Electronic - January 1
	Stacy Reid http://www.stacyreid.com My Darling Duke Sinful Wallflowers December 31
	Tanya Anne Crosby http://www.tanyaannecrosby.com The Art of Kissing Beneath the Mistletoe The Prince and the Imposter series December 25

Historical Fiction

	Deborah Swift http://www.deborahswift.com The Occupation December 24
	Donna Everhart http://www.donnaeverhart.com/ The Moonshiner’s Daughter December 31
	Eoin Dempsey https://www.eoindempseybooks.com/ Toward the Midnight Sun January 1
	Jaan Kross A People without a Past Between Three Plagues series December 17
	Joanna Hickson The Lady of the Ravens Queens of the Tower series January 14
	Karen White https://www.karen-white.com/ Beatriz Williams http://www.beatrizwilliams.com Lauren Williq http://www.laurenwillig.com All the Ways We Said Goodbye January 14
	Kathleen Shoop http://kshoop.com The Thief’s Heart January 14
	Marie Benedict http://www.authormariebenedict.com Lady Clementine January 7
	Martin Archer The Venetian Gambit Company of Archers January 9
	Nancy E. Turner http://www.nancyeturner.net/ Light Changes Everything January 14
	Serena Burdick http://www.serenaburdick.com/ The Girls with No Names January 9

Wayback machine - 1995 - Taming the Wolf by Deborah Simmons

November 25, 2019
Road trip!! Road Trip!!
 
http://www.deborahsimmons.com/
Yes, my little Petunia’s we have us a road trip! To top that off, it’s a road trip in Medieval times! You know what that means don’t you? No flushing toilets! It takes a very talented author to write a romance where there are no Port-a-potties. I do admit that the problem of romance novel excretion has always lurked in the back of my mind when I'm reading. It takes some of the sensual feel of the story away. There are even some characters who do not see to have bodily functions. Back to the book.

A long, long time ago, there was an author by the name of Deborah Simmons. In my humble opinion, she has never received the recognition she deserves. She is also an author in a long list of authors who do not have all the rights to alllll their books, which means that she cannot benefit from the use of her all of backlist. Anyway, I am especially fond of her Regency novels. The Vicar’s Daughter being one of my favorites. So, Ms. Simmons has a special place in my heart, even though I don’t believe she has written anything new in a long time. I have never given up hope of seeing something new from her. Back to the book.

Taming the Wolf, is the first book in the de Burgh family series. There are seven brothers and they are all big…everything is big, wink, wink. This also means there are seven books, plus the father novella.

When the story begins, Lady Marion Warenne of Baddersly is running away, but before she can find a safe haven trouble comes knocking. A gang of hired killers attacks Marion and her traveling companions. She is the only one who survives. Ta-ta-ta-taaah…the de Burgh’s to the rescue. Two of the de Burgh brothers come to her aid and take her back to the family compound. However, there is a problem, (other than the attack). She has a head injury and doesn’t remember who she is, or why she was running. She does know that her life was/is in danger. The de Burgh’s give her refuge.

While she is residing at the castle, she starts to regain her health, but not her memory. Time passes; she becomes quite happy and content staying with the de Burgh family. She becomes friends with all of the brothers at the compound and they grow to love her – like a sister. Then one day her bubble burst, and the uncle she was running away from discovers where she is and demands her return. This news is brought to the castle by the eldest son, Dunstan de Burgh. Dunstan and Marion have never met, and they don’t necessarily get along at first meeting. In fact, you might say, they irritate each other. It is a case of instant lust, resist, lust, resist. It is a wonderful conflict. It’s also a case of who draws the short straw when Dunstan “volunteers” to return Marion to her uncle.  At this point the road trip begins, and the story steps up a notch. 

Marion and Dunstan are constantly trying to outsmart each other. Marion’s intention is to escape from Dunstan, and Dunstan’s intention is to return her to her uncle. It’s great fun to watch these two circle each other. 

There is a strong sense of the time period this story takes place in. You can feel it in the air, see the dirt, grit, and danger. There are some wonderful vivid narratives, which bring this period to life. After reading this story, I crossed the medieval period off my list of places I wanted to time-travel to.   

There are numerous villains hanging out in this story. There is even one who could be a future hero, but turns out not to be. Ms. Simmons does a good job of tricking us when she introduces this character. Thankfully, this wasn’t the first time I had read this book, so I wasn’t all that surprised. It’s like watching The Sixth Sense more than once, you see all the signs you missed the first time.

I did have an issue with Taming of the Wolf. Marion tries to escape a number of times. I can understand the first few times, but she doesn’t give up. She puts herself and others in danger with each attempt, she becomes a TSTL heroine. It became tiring, and I found myself becoming irritated with her. 

But for the most part this was a delightful book. In the pages a strong, stubborn, alpha male by the name of Dunstan existed. Walking by his side was a charming woman (when she was not running away). In addition, it has a great intro to a bunch of big males, aka the de Burgh boys. I enjoyed reading this book. It was a nice visit to an old friend.

Time/Place: Medieval England Road trip
Sensuality: Hot

All aboard the Wayback Machine – Behind Closed Doors by Betina Krahn - 1991

November 20, 2019
 "Yesterday, when I was young
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah”
 
https://betinakrahn.com/
I have in my possession tons of books from years gone by, and I have fond memories of them. Over the years, I have found some of these books still hold up. Some do not show their age. And, that is because of some excellent writing. On the other hand, there are some books I fondly remember, however when I read them I start to ponder why I liked them. Say, for instance Johanna Lindsey’s Savage Love, written in 1977. I remember this story vividly. I remember loving it when I read it in 1977. I even remember the baby with the “green” eyes. But If I were to read it now with my more mature brain it would probably hit the wall. So, I have no desire to look at it again. Why? Because I have changed, I’ve matured, Savage Love has not. It happens all the time, and not just in Romanceland. Take for instance Catcher in the Rye, The Old Man and the Sea, Gulliver’s Travels, etc., etc. A number of books have not aged well. It is not the books' fault; we have just outgrown them. We can still remember them with affection, but it’s the memory which makes us happy, not the book. Which leads me to Behind Closed Doors written in 1991 by Betina Krahn. Behind Closed Doors is a sequel to Caught in the Act. By the way, Caught in the Act has not been released electronically. Before I begin, I will state for the record that this story takes place in Elizabeth I reign. I will admit I am a fan of the Tudor period, so that was a nice change from Regency/Edwardian.

While I had fond memories of Behind Closed Doors, it wasn’t too long before elements in the story started to activate my “peeve” button. Shall we examine some of these buttons? Now on to my issues.

Barbara Cartland School for Naive Heroines. When romance authors are interviewed and asked what authors influenced them, most of them list Georgette Heyer. Usually they leave one big author out. I bet anything that another author who had an influence on Romanceland authors was Barbara Cartland. For anyone who does not know who she was, she was a writer of romance books. A really BIG writer. She wrote over 700 novels during her lifetime, at least that is what her website says. Starting in 1925 until her death in 2000, and beyond, she churned them out at an amazing speed. Did I read them? You betcha! I have read a ton of them. They were rather small, and they had a few things in common. The heroine was usually very, very, very, very young, and very, very, very, innocent. The hero was usually ten to fifteen years older than the heroine. He was typically a man of the world, and as you might guess, he was usually quite a jerk. If you have never experienced one of Cartland’s novels, I do suggest you pick one up. PS, it doesn’t really matter which one. These novels are very dated, they show their age, and if I recollect correctly, they showed their age at the time of their publication. When the world was turning in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, Ms. Cartland’s books stood still. Which brings me back to this novel, and its heroine Corrie Huntington. Corrie is eighteen years old. She is a young eighteen. She is incredibly innocent. Her parents, especially her father Jack (previous hero), are over-protective of her. She has grown up isolated, and has no understanding of how the world works, especially the licentious Tudor court. Queen Elizabeth I orders Corrie to her court. There she will become a lady-in-waiting. Elizabeth is portrayed as a devious, jealous, possessive, almost crazed woman. Which she may have been, but in this book, her characterization is over-the-top. I also sensed something unsavory in Elizabeth's feelings toward Corrie, and I found that distasteful. But most of all, my main issue was with the way Corrie was written. Corrie was never able to see any of the deviousness that surrounded her. My big issue: I do not like my heroines to be diminished by the story, and sad to say Corrie was. Then there is the hero, Rugar Kilisson.

Revenge, Rugar style. Rugar Killisson is Swedish. His father was an ambassador to England, and the people in Elizabeth’s court made fun of him. So, his father died from a broken heart. Now, Rugar is representing Sweden at Elizabeth’s court. And, he’s going to show them. He’s going to win all the jousting contests because he’s bigger, and stronger, and handsomer than any of the men at Elizabeth’s court. He is also going to seduce all of the women in Elizabeth’s court. They are all strumpets anyway! Boy, will Elizabeth be embarrassed when all of her women end up in his bed. What a plan! What a great revenge! What a silly, silly plot device.

Drunk scenes. Sometimes there are things in books that make me cringe. Scenes written with drunken people often make me flinch. I think a drunk scene works better in a visual format as opposed to written word. Oh sure, I have read books that contain scenes where the characters are wasted, and they work. However, some authors cannot always write visually, and that is the case in this book. This book contained pages, and pages of an embarrassing tipsy scene. You see, Elizabeth as gone to bed, and allll of the women of the court decide to have a rousing drinking party. What makes it even worse: some of the wasted women were real historical figures. I’m not saying that these historical women never had a drink, but I doubt they had a pajama party. The scene was probably for comedy relief, but for me it was just absurd.

Kidnapping. OMG, there were a bunch of kidnapping scenes in this book. Rugar kidnaps Corrie, Jack (her father) kidnaps Corrie back, and Elizabeth kidnaps/arrests Rugar. All of these events happened in the last part of the book. It seemed like filler to me. It did nothing to enhance the story.

Overall, this was a disappointment for me. This was a book I had fond memories of, and it was sad to see that the story did not age well. I’m going to rack it up to my values changing over the years. I did enjoy visiting the Tudor court, even if the characterization of Elizabeth was almost villain-ish. I have always been very much aware of just how much Elizabeth had to struggle just to survive. So yes, sometimes she was not a nice person. However, my biggest issue with Caught in the Act was the minimizing the heroine. I find that I can no longer accept a Barbara Cartland type of heroine in my romance stories.

Time/Place: Elizabeth I Tudor England
Sensuality: Warm

Angel in a Devil's Arms by Julie Anne Long

November 11, 2019
Gush Alert!

http://www.julieannelong.com/
Wow! Have we voted for the best book of the year yet? Well, if not, Angel in a Devil’s Arms gets my vote. In the continuation of her Palace of Rogues series, Julie Anne Long delivers a book that is everything a romance should be.

Where to begin? Where to begin?  Well, in case you don’t know, Angel in a Devil’s Arms is a part of The Palace of Rogues series. If you don’t remember this series, this is the one about a dead Lord Derring. He has died and left his wife a run-down old building that used to be a brothel. To his mistress, he left nothing. As luck would have it, while Lady Derring is conferring with the solicitor, the mistress, Angelique Breedlove, barges in. Long story short: Delilah, aka Lady Derring, and Angelique confer over a cup of tea, they go to the dilapidated house, see possibilities, become partners in establishing a boarding house. They call their venture The Grand Palace on the Thames. Then Delilah and Angelique become friends. Friends. There is a strong sense of camaraderie in this series.  Ms. Long is building a small little world contained within the walls of The Grand Palace on the Thames. While Angel in a Devil’s Arms is a romance, the supporting cast contributes a strong narrative. I, for one, am enjoying this world and the people who inhabit it.

Let’s start with the hero, Lucien Durand, Viscount Bolt, and his heroine Angelique Breedlove. Both of these characters have troubled past, so they could really be over-the-top angst-filled boo-whoers, but they are not. They have a right to hold grudges against the world. In fact, when the story begins, Lucien is contemplating revenge. Thankfully, the revenge is never anything horrible, nor does it diminish the story. Why is he contemplating revenge? Well, I’ll tell you in a condensed form. He and his mother were living a comfortable life, until his father married another woman. The other woman didn’t like the idea of her husband’s bastard son calling attention to himself, so she hired someone to shove him in the Thames. For a number of years, it was thought he was dead, but he wasn’t. He was out being a pirate or something, and becoming rich. Now, he is back in London. That’s where the revenge comes in. While he’s seeking revenge, he’s living at Delilah and Angelique’s The Grand Palace on the Thames. It is there that he first encounters Angelique Breedlove. He plans to seduce her. Time to ponder this seduction.

Hot Lucien. Lucien is one of the most seductive heroes I’ve come across in a long time. It isn’t just his looks, which by the way are devastating. It’s his words. He has a way with words that would turn anyone into a big puddle of blubber. I know my heart would go pitter-pat if his words were directed my way. Well, Angelique is made of sterner stuff. She’s one unique, smart cookie. She’s not having any of his charms. So, they become friends. When Lucien becomes Angelique’s friend, he makes a conscious choice to change for her, to become what she needs.

Angelique was also a great character. She’s been hurt by a number of men from her past whom she trusted. She is a little skittish when it comes to showing her true self to people. She is comfortable with the group of people who reside at the boarding house. And, Lucien makes her very uncomfortable. The dialogue between Lucien and Angelique is magical. At no time in this story did I become tired of the narrative.

Let’s talk about the secondary characters. What a great bunch of supporting cast! All the characters are unique, with their own little oddities. They bond together to make a strong friendship. They are almost like a family in their care and respect for one another. Do you remember Mr. Delacorte from Lady Derring Takes a Lover? Let me refresh your memory. He is the one who is marketing the ground-up testicles of exotic animals. Well, he’s back, and he’s just as outrageous as he was in the previous back.

Historical accuracy. For all of you historical accuracy naysayers out there who will question how an illegitimate person became a Viscount, let me say one word. Inherit. Yes, inherit is the magic word. While it is impossible for an illegitimate person to inherit a title, it is possible for a person to have a title conferred upon them. There were two ways to do that: by writ of summons, and by a letter of patent. To be honest, I don’t know anything about the process. I would guess if a father, or another person of power had enough money and clout, they could get what they wanted. Let me just drop a few names: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, and Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset. And, that’s just three. Yes, their fathers happened to be kings, but while monarchs do the conferring, I would imagine if one kissed a royal behind or two, one could get a title conferred. From what I was able to grasp, even illegitimate women were eligible to have a title conferred upon them. Rule of thumb, don’t always go with your gut. Sometimes your gut is not completely right. It doesn't hurt to do some checking, even when some of the things you're checking make your itty-bitty gray cells hurt - like English peerage laws.

Overall. I loved this book. It was a pure joy to read. The heroine was a strong, adorable woman, and the hero was delicious. The secondary characters were fabulous. I’m running out of adjectives! And, the words, ahhhh, the words. The Angel in a Devil’s Arms is a book full of beautiful, textured words, and those words make for a flawless story.

What are you waiting for? You must read The Angel in a Devil’s Arms!

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot

Winter Wishes by Cheryl Bolen, Bronwen Evans, Lana Williams, Bree Wolf, Collette Cameron, Heather Boyd, Sasha Cottman, Samantha Grace, Donaa Cummings, Barbara Monajem, Suzanna Medeiors, Wendy Vella, and Alina E. Field

November 4, 2019
Why, oh why, do I do this every holiday season?

Winter Wishes with Cheryl Bolen, Bronwen Evans, Lana Williams, Bree Wolf, Collette Cameron, Heather Boyd, Sasha Cottman, Samantha Grace, Donna Cummings, Barbara Monajem, Suzanna Medeiros, Wendy Vella, and Alina K. Field. I picked up Winter Wishes because for some reason I have this idea that it doesn’t take as long to read an anthology as it does a normal book. I don’t know why I think that, I just do. This particular holiday anthology had 1134 pages, so I think I may need to revise my thought process. There seemed to be a gazillion authors in this book, and I was not very familiar with most of them. Wow 1134 pages, and I felt every one of them. It seemed to take forever to get through, so the holiday cheer was a little lacking.

Even though each author managed to insert a requisite sex scene or two in their stories, for the most part I found the narratives disjointed and without much complexity. About halfway through I decided not to do a review of each story, but to share with you my random notes. I think you’ll catch on.

Pondering, aka random notes.
1. Are there any short guys in Scotland? Have any of you noticed that all Scottish men stand well over six feet, are as wide as the Grand Canyon, and have thighs as big of trees? I’ve often thought that their Willie-winkers must be pretty small to be squeezed between two giant timbers. I’m not sure why authors always focus in on the giant thighs, we alllll know that’s not what they are referring to.

2. Why aren’t there any bald heroes? Why do all the heroes have a thick head of glossy hair? Anyone out there remember Yul Brynner? Anyone remember Yul walking across the screen? I do. I have always thought that he was one hot guy. Once upon a time, I created a list of movie villains/bad guys I thought were sexy. When I was trying to find images to use for my list I Googled “sexy Yul Brynner.” All I can say is, I got an eye-full of Yul in a relaxed pose. Yowser! Ever since, his strutting walks in movies like Ten Commandments and Westworld have taken on a whole new meaning. So, yes some bald buys have spark.

3. OMG! Secondary characters!! Yes, I understand that short stories are great ways to introduce a series, or finish one. But geewillikers, must allll 13 siblings’, best friends, aunts, uncles, children, parents, cats, dogs, and stoic butlers be included in short stories. They take up the space that could be better served in developing a good story. Besides that all the subplots connected to them was very confusing. Authors, avoid secondary character clutter.

4. What’s the point of the standard hero line: “he’d been without a woman for too long”? Does that mean he’s somehow purer? Once he’s cast his lustful eyes on the heroine does that mean he can never have another? Is this a pre-heroine-faithful Romanceland rule? Why can’t he have just come from his mistress’ bed, seen the heroine, then go back to his mistress? I’d like to see an author pull that complication out of a hat.

5. What’s the deal with all the unpleasant secondary characters? I know these people either already had a story, or are about to. But, for the most part, there characterization in these stories didn’t make me want to read any further stories about them. Nor did I feel the need to glom some of the authors.

6. What century do the women in these stories live in? For the most part, they all seemed to be 21st century women in long dresses.

7. Why is there always time for our heroine to shop for a new wardrobe? You have no money? No problem, we’ll hock your jewelry. Or, better yet the hero will buy the entire wardrobe. Even when a murdering thug is chasing her through London, there is still time for a little nip and tuck.

8. Just how many Dukes are out there?

9. Have you ever noticed how many second sons have the ability to run a horse-breeding farm? I guess that’s better than being a vicar; not as much sex with a vicar.

10. Who knew aristocrats of the 19th century were so concerned with the poor, starving orphans of the world? All those aristocrats righting wrong’s makes me dizzy.

11. Let’s see how many kidnappings, attempted rapes, and larceny attempts we can squeeze into the holiday season.

Overall: this book seemed like it took forever to read. My impression on most of the stories was that they were disjointed and rushed. There were two authors who I might take a longer look at: Donna Cummings, who contributed the charming story A Twelfth Night to Remember and Sasha Cottman, who wrote Mistletoe and Kisses. But the other stories in the book did not put me in a holiday mood.

Time/Place: mostly Regency, Great Britain
Sensuality: Well there were 13 stories, so there were at least 13 bumps. Not sure about the sensuality level.