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December 16, 2015
Ms. Milan will just have to wait!
http://graceburrowes.com/
While waiting for Courtney Milan's book to hit the stands, I opened another Grace Burrowes book, The Traitor. I was so enthralled by this story that when Ms. Milan's book came out, I didn’t stop what I was reading but continued to read The Traitor.
What a fascinating book, with one of the most interesting heroes I've read in a long time. The Traitor is Sebastian St. Clair, aka Girard. If you've read The Captive you will remember Girard as someone who tortured the prisoners who were captured by the French during the Napoleonic War. When I put The Captive down, I wondered just how Ms. Burrowes was going to change Girard into hero material. And that my kiddoes is what makes The Traitor so engrossing. Does Ms. Burrowes succeed? Mostly. There still were some moments in the book where the Girard/Sebastian metamorphosis didn't quite reach acceptable levels. His reformation was painted pretty realistically. While he could never be a pure Sir Galahad, he could be someone who fought in a war and did things in that war that were not honorable but in the end, his actions saved lives. Besides that the heroine, Millie, supported him so much that we, the readers, could do nothing but forgive him. Warning: a glowing book luv fest is about to begin.
Is this the best romance novel I've ever read? No. Are there problems in this book? Of course. Did I find this a fascinating read? Yes. And, that was because this is one of the best tries at rehabilitation of a hero character that I think I've ever read. When I read about Girard/Sebastian in The Captive, I thought that Ms. Burrowes might make Girard/Sebastian into a more palatable character by making him a double spy or something - but she doesn't. She doesn't sanitize his character or give him an unbelievable reason for doing what he did during war. What we get in this book is a man who is trying to move on from his past mistakes but the other people in the world are not as forgiving. A wonderful study in what makes people tick.
Then we have Millie. Millie is a true companion to Girard/Sebastian. She is supportive of him and eventually very protective of him as she stands up to his tormentors. The love story in this book is well written. These two talk to each other, they support each other, and they become friends and eventually lovers. They also marry about half-way through and without too much of the “I'm-not-good-enough” fare that we are usually handed in romance books. There was also an almost hanky moment in this story which involved an animal - a cat, Peter. First of all Girard/Sebastian’s reaction to the cat was priceless, but the tear-in-my-eye moment came when Millie is reunited with Peter. You see, Peter is the only thing left of Millie's old loving aunt. He purrs. He purrs loudly. Peter has brought comfort to Millie in her time of need. When they are reunited, Millie stands in a room with her nose on Peter's head crying and looking at Girard/Sebastian with great weepy eyes. How can a hero resist putting the cat in the carriage and bringing him home?
If there was anything that didn't work too well for me it was the scene with Wellington and his men at dinner where all the antagonists face Girard/Sebastian. It was a bit of a stretch. Overall, while I may not have been completely won over by Girard/Sebastian, I thought this was a great read. It traveled down a path that few romance books go down – trying to heal wounds that cannot be healed. I knew at the end of this book that Girard/Sebastian and Millie would have a HEA and that when I closed the book the relationship would last. I still had misgivings that the society they lived in would not be accepting of them when I closed the book, but with their strong relationship and a cat that purred loudly, they had a chance.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot
December 14, 2015
"In 'artford, 'ereford and 'ampshire 'urricanes 'ardly hever 'appen."
http://jadeleeauthor.com/
One Rogue at a Time is the second in the series Rakes and Rogues by Jade Lee and once
again we have a title which doesn't have anything to do with the story. Oh sure, the hero is a rogue, but "one at a time" doesn't make sense as far as the context of this story. I liked this story better than the first in the series, 50 Ways to Ruin a Rake, but it still lacked enough emotion to give this book a wow factor.
This story started out with promise, some interesting dialog and quirky secondary characters. We even have a secondary character, Lady Eleanor, who I disliked immensely in 50 Ways to Ruin a Rake put in an appearance. This time around she wasn't quite as obnoxious as before, but she's still an unlikeable character. I suspect someday we will see her starring in her own book, she's going to have to do some big time groveling to evolve into a heroine. Now, to the main couple Maybelle/Bluebell Ballenger and Bramwell Hallowsby.
As with the book, these two had promise in the beginning. In fact, Maybelle/Bluebell was a strong female character through most of the book. I liked her a lot. Her dreams of becoming a lady, her realization that her proper language was not proper, her interaction with the countryside peasantry were all very poignant. But Marybelle is more than just a boo-hoo sad heroine, she's strong, smart and has insight into what makes the people around her tick that is quite winning. She is a wonderful heroine; too bad the man chosen to be her hero isn't up to her standards.
When we are first introduced to Bram in this story, he comes off as a pretty detached character. He is an illegitimate son a duke, he is not recognized by anyone in higher social statuses, even his half-sister makes him come in the back door. So, he has developed quite a rock hard shell. The trouble with Bram's shell is that it seems to have soaked into his soul and he is a pretty callous guy. His immediate thought upon seeing Maybelle/Bluebell is mainly focused on how he can get into her knickers. It doesn't take him too long before he succeeds. Present in this story is one unforgettable OOPs scene created by his magic fingers. While this scene may have taken Maybelle/Bluebell into orgasm schorgasm heaven, unknown to Maybelle/Bluebell it leaves her no longer innocent. Bram does not tell her he slipped up. Bram doesn't come off looking very heroic in this scene. While Bram does have reasons for all the angst that he carries with him, for my taste he could have been a little bit kinder sooner.
In the end this book is a standard yarn with a callous hero. While his reason for his callousness is spelled out for us in this book, there wasn't a good balance between his tenderness and his cold-heartedness for me.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot
December 8, 2015
Waffle - could be something with maple syrup on it, or maybe it's vacillating, or maybe it's maple syrup, or maybe it's flip-flop or...
http://www.annaharringtonbooks.com/
Funny, how different authors handle the revenge plot. Maybe one shouldn't read revenge
plots one right after another, because it's only natural to compare. In the case of Dukes are Forever, Edward Westover is seeking revenge on the man who killed his brother and wife. Oh sure, it was a drunken accident, but it is something that Edward just cannot let go of.
Edward has bought all the debts of our heroine's father. And, her father being the stinker that he is, has signed over guardianship of his daughter Katherine to Edward. Well, Edward thinks that Katherine is a child. Imagine his surprise when he goes to the family estate with a doll in hand and instead finds someone with a bosom. Then we travel into unexplained territory.
Katherine. Why does Katherine love her father? Never, ever has this man shown her any kind of affection. He has basically deserted her and her mother. He's cruel toward her, only coming around to sell off items in the home, and now he's sold her. I'm not sure why she felt the need to try make herself worthy in his eyes. I don't believe it's written anywhere that you must love your parents, that you must let them walk all over you and degrade you. She had been abandoned by him a long time ago; I was disappointed that she still needed his affection. She was just too needy. Not only was she needy when it came to her father, she was also rather wishy washy when it came to Edward. Let's be honest here, Edward did not treat Katherine kindly. In my opinion he was just one step above her father. But Katherine kept vacillating between being angry at him and lusting after him.
Then there is Edward's trust issue. Not only is he out for revenge, he finds it hard to trust women. Why? Because another woman broke his leddle heart and married his brother. Sure, she's dead now. Sure his brother is dead now. Sure they were killed by Katherine's father. But that doesn't matter because she broke his heart and he can never trust another. But he wants to seek revenge for the woman who made him distrust women. Doesn't make sense. He also instructs, no, he demands that Katherine not communicate with her father. Katherine being the namby pamby person who wants her father to luv her, even though he's a dog, sends her father some money. So, after Edward seduces Katherine and they humpidy-pumpity into orgasmic heave-an, Edward finds out that she has sent her father some money. What does Edward do? Well, he sends Katherine to some place called Greymoor. I'm not sure where this place was, but it was straight out of a Gothic novel, with moors, wind, and a German housekeeper named Lutz. I'm not sure why this became part of the story, except maybe to show us what a bonehead Edward was. Edward keeps her there, almost under lock and key. He is verry verry angry. She betrayed him! He can never trust her again! Anyway, Katherine's not there long because Edward has been shot and she's knows herbs and she will be able to save his life. Yes, Katherine knows the secrets of using herbs for medicine. How she acquired that knowledge is never fully explained, but all the villagers have been running to her for a long time. She's been on her own since she was twelve, so she’s evidently a child prodigy.
Edward and Katherine were the two flip-floppiest people I've seen in a long time. She's angry with him, she lusts after him, she's angry with him, she wants him, she's mad at him, oh boo-hoo, he's a war hero, she's mad at him. Why can't her father love her, she must be a horrible person, nobody luvs her. He can't trust her, he wants her, he can't trust her, maybe she didn't lie to him, she lied to him, she's so beautiful, she sent her father three coins, she betrayed him.
In the beginning this story had possibilities, but the two main characters degenerated into a waffling woman and a distrustful bonehead. This was a disappointing read for me.
Time/Place: Regency England and the moors, don't forget the moors!
Sensuality: Hot
December 7, 2015
The Joys of Glomming.
http://graceburrowes.com/
Glad I finally read Grace Burrowes. The Captive is another well written romance by Grace
Burrowes and I wish I had discovered her when she was beginning. I am slowly going to delve into her other books, though, starting with this series..and her last one book in another series...I need to look at that pedigree chart...and...OMG, I need a raise! It's so exciting finding a new great author.
I have to crown Ms. Burrowes with laurels because she took one of my least favorite plot-lines; revenge - and turned it into something compelling. Was this a perfect book? No, but close enough to make me do a happy dance.
The person seeking revenge in this story is, of course, our hero, Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia. He has been captured by the French and for four months has endured torture. So, he is not in the best of humors when he is finally released and makes his way back to England. He especially remembers one captor, Girard. Girard is the one Christian is really itching to get his hands on. But before he can do that he must recover, but he's not really doing that very fast. In fact, he's hiding himself away in his home in London. Enter Gillian.
Gillian, the Countess of Greendale, is a widow. She is also the cousin of Christian's late wife Helene. This is also another reason for Christian to be mad. while he was in captivity his wife and son died. His daughter Lucy is still alive, though she is being totally ignored by her father. And, that is why Gillian arrives on Christian's doorstep in the mood to berate him for his parental neglect. It isn't long before it dawns on her just how ill he is and being a gentle soul, she decides to help him on the road to recovery, then she'll badger him into going to his daughter. When he is well enough to travel, Gillian goes with him. A friendship develops, then love, but Gillian is not so happy with the revenge idea of Christian's.
Gillian and Christian were both very strong characters and it was hard not to feel sympathetic for them, although I will have to admit that Christian occasionally pushed the envelope for me with his need for revenge. The secondary characters were also well-developed. Lucy was charming and, unlike many fictional children, she was age appropriate. There
were also two adorable dogs who go a long way in comforting a silent child
and irritating a grumpy but loving father. Parents have to learn that
dogs are supposed to sleep on beds. But the really really fascinating person was the villain, Girard. We get to see glimpses of his anguish, which is a good thing considering Ms. Burrowes has made him a hero of his own book. And, I'm looking forward to that read to see how she saves him.
Quibbles. The first quibble I had with this book was Gillian's lack of chaperone, which was a small one. But, there was a voice in the back of my head mumbling about her being in his household without benefit of a chaperone. And, we all know that servants don't count. The other quibble I had was the duel, Gillian's violent reaction to the duel and the rush to the end. But that was also a minor quibble. Overall, I loved this book and am really excited that I found another author to put on my auto-list.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot
November 24, 2015
Huzzah!
http://graceburrowes.com/
This is my first experience with Grace Burrowes. Well, that's not true; I started one earlier 
this year and set it aside. After reading this one, I thought about glomming Ms. Burrowes. I went to her website and she has about a gazillion books, so I'm not going to be glomming her any time soon. I liked her writing style enough to go back and pick up the one I sat aside though. If you happen to visit Ms. Burrowes website you will notice that most of her books are connected in one way or another and she is one of those authors who have created pedigree charts of her characters. It was rather intimidating.
Daniels True Desires is a different type of romance book. At least for me it was. I became engrossed in the story and about half way through I figured out why. For me it was a little reminiscent of older writing similar to Little Women or Little Men. Yes, there was romance in Daniels True Desires but there seemed to be more than just that. This book may be classified as a romance, but it seemed to be a story of a lot of people, not just two. In this case it was a refreshing change. Ms. Burrows did a fine job of fleshing out the other characters in her story. I learned to care about not only the Reverend Daniel Banks and Lady Kirsten but a number the supporting cast. Those supporting cast were more than just supporting, they were an integral part of some pretty satisfying storytelling.
Evidently in some previous stories, both Daniel and Kirsten have been introduced (remember the gazillion connected stories I found at her website?) Anyway, this is the plot line: Daniel is the new minister of Haddondale. He has left behind his son, Danny, who is not really his son but the illegitimate son of Daniel's sister, Letty. Letty's story is in another book. Also left behind is Daniel's horrible, conniving wife, Olivia. So our hero has a wife hiding in the countryside somewhere. If you are worried about any infidelity, don't be - Ms. Burrowes takes us down an interesting path that shouldn't trigger anyone’s hot button. Daniel is a really nice guy (at last a nice guy.) There were times when I thought he might have been just a little too astute, too insightful, almost Q-like, but I ended up not minding too much.
Then we have Kirsten. Kirsten is ready to be everyone’s favorite doddering aunt. She doesn't want to marry, she has convinced herself that she will be happy going from household to household bouncing her siblings children on her knees. Besides that, she is one of those heroines who cannot have babies. In her case those words came from a doctor, so it's not something she came up with herself. Then she meets Daniel and she is attracted to him right away. The attraction is mutual, but Daniel will not act on it because he is already married. So they form a friendship and of course fall in love. Then things happen in the form of Olivia. I'm not telling you what those things were, except it was horrifyingly fascinating.
Then there are the "rotten boys." Daniel decides to teach a group of boys whose ages appear to be around eight, nine or so. All of these boys are well-developed, wonderful characters. Soon joining this group of boys is Danny, who runs away from Letty. I can't tell you how much I loved these boys, especially Danny. All of the interaction between them and Daniel and Kirsten and, well, everyone else in the story was just wonderful.
Overall, this was a great book. The people in the story were drawn so well, I found myself cheering them on. While the HEA may have been a little over the top as far as the solution, the ending/epilogue was just delightful. I intend to keep Ms. Burrowes on my radar from now on and have started to read the one I put aside: The Captive. I wish I had started reading her a little sooner, 'cause I don't think I can glom a gazillion books.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot
November 24, 2015
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
http://ammandamccabe.com/
When I finished reading The Demure Miss Manning it only took an hour before I forgot almost everything in the book, especially the romance.
The book is set against an interesting but little-known event in
history: the invasion of Portugal by Napoleon, and the panicked exit of most of Portugal's nobility. That nobility also includes the Portuguese royal family, the House of Braganza. This story covers the mad scramble out of Portugal by Dom John VI and his entry into Brazil, where he sets up court. These were real, actual events. If you happen to read an account of them, you will find that the real story is exciting, and filled with intrigue, danger, suspense. The actual account of the Braganza court leaving Portugal for Brazil is/was a whole lot more interesting than The Demure Miss Manning. The factual story of a shipload of aristocrats crossing the Atlantic was horrendous, and should have been explored more in this story, but it wasn't. There were storms, fighting political factions, a dysfunctional royal family, and semi-starvation on the ships containing all these aristocrats. Nothing of this was brought up. Nope our hero gets our heroine on board the ship, and then the next thing you know they are in sunny Brazil. The author missed all the exciting things that happened on the crossing and changed them into a mundane, choppy story. Along for the ride was a romance couple who are separated a lot in this book and have no chemistry.
I was underwhelmed by this story. There were 173 pages in this book, but it seemed shorter. The characters are never fully developed and the heroine, Mary, seems to be overly concerned about her father's health. In fact she asks him how he feels about a gazillion times throughout the story. It was really irritating. Turns out he was just tired, nothing was wrong with him. So what was the point of asking him over and over and over how he felt? I thought for sure he'd die somewhere between Portugal and Brazil but he never did. His non-illness was just page fill, it served no purpose.
By the way, our cardboard couple were Mary and Sebastian. No chemistry, no romance, no bickering, bantering - nothing. There was just a lot of jumping from one scene to another, from one year to another. This was a forgettable romance and I'm sorry to say, I just cannot recommend it.
Time/Place: 1814s Portugal/Atlantic/Brazil
Sensuality: No chemistry
November 24, 2015
Conundrum
http://www.annabradley.net/
Whenever I pick up a debut author's book, I always have my fingers crossed. It's always harder for me to review a debut author as opposed to one who has been around for a while. I expect more from veteran authors. I am of the belief that reviews are highly subjective, and are only one person’s opinion. Let's look at this one person’s opinion of A Wicked Way to Win an Earl by Anna Bradley.
The book begins promising enough. It starts in 1783 and there is an elopement going on. I was actually intrigued by the two female characters in the prologue, Caroline Swan and Millicent Chase. Their exchanges were exciting and I was looking forward to finding out more about their stories. However, the author took another path. In the opening chapter she has jumped forward to 1814 and the daughters of Millicent: Delia and Lily. It seems that Delia and Lily have been invited to a house party at the Earl of Sutherland's estate. This could be disastrous, because you see Millicent was about to become engaged to Hart, the Earl of Sutherland. But she had other plans. She eloped with her beloved Mr. Somerset. As you may have guessed, this caused quite a scandal. It was an embarrassment caused by Delia's mother and perpetrated on the Sutherlands. As far as I could tell there was only one Sutherland who was still upset by the old scandal, and that was our hero Alec. All the other Sutherland's in the book either were very forgiving or forgetful; that includes Alec's two sisters, his brother Robyn, and his mother. Alec was the only one who was perturbed. By the way Alec is the hero.
Alec and Delia. Alec and Delia's introduction as a couple was highly amusing. Delia's carriage has been in a wreck, the coachman injured, Lily is incapacitated, so Delia has to go find help. Let's just say her path to finding help leaves her a muddy mess. While she is grumbling about that mess, she stumbles across a man and a woman having a hot tryst. I mean hands under skirts and buttons on pants flying. As it turns out, it is Alec having a bit of sport with a local village maid or some peasant girl or someone of lower social standing than he. He's a real lord of the manor. Anyway, this initial meeting is rather humorous, with Alec and Delia unleashing their inner sarcastic voices - sniping and biting at each other - until. Delia finds out that Alec is the Earl and it is his home she is invited to. At first she feels a bit chagrined, but then Alec just cannot help doing little digs. He doesn't know why he likes to irritate Delia, he just does. Then Alec discovers that his brother Robyn is interested in Delia. It is at this point that he decides it is a good idea to ruin Delia. And, this is when the story started to go downhill for me. I place the blame fully on Alec.
I found Alec’s character totally juvenile – like, totally. I would say he reminded me of a high school boy, but some of his antics were much younger than that. I had visions of kids passing notes - "I like you, do you like me? If you do put an X here." The whole idea of ruining Delia was just bizarre, it made no sense. How could he believe that ruining someone would create a scandal only for Delia and not his own family? And, how immature must one be to actually set out to destroy someone’s reputation? On top of that was the blinding jealousy that happened every time Delia so much as smiled at another man. He's also over-the-top jealous, dangerously so. By the end of this story I had grown to dislike Alec so much, I just wanted it all to be over. There isn't too much an author can do to save a story if the hero is a bonehead.
Does this mean I will not read any more on Ms. Bradley's books? No, I'll probably pick up her next one and keep my fingers crossed. It was Alec. I just could not like him. What a bonehead.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
Idea, writing, most characters:
Alec:
