Review: FAMILY PLOT by Sheri Cobb South

John Pickett is back!

If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting for Sheri Cobb South's Regency mystery Family Plot, the continuing story of the mutual attraction between Bow Street Runner John Pickett and the widowed Julia, Lady Fieldhurst.

The Fieldhursts have banished Julia to Scotland because of the unwanted attention her husband’s murder has attracted, and also because she pays too much attention to a certain Bow Street Runner. As long as they’re banishing her, they use her as an escort and babysitter for the current Lord Fieldhurst’s sons. En route to the nobleman’s estate, they take a detour to the coast, and to prevent anyone from tracing them, Julia assumes the name Mrs. Pickett.

Things heat up when a woman washes ashore, one who professes she’s the long-lost daughter of a prominent local family. Things heat up more when the family hires John Pickett to investigate the woman’s story. Not only does he find secrets, but also a “wife” he didn’t know he had, and one he desperately wants to claim.

Ms. South has crafted a fine Regency, full of the language and social customs of the time, the continuing love interest of John and Julia, and a mystery convoluted enough to satisfy die-hard fans of the genre.

But the best part of the novel is the dance between John and Julia as they try to deny their increasing feelings for each other. Who says you need sex in a story? I much prefer the slow burn between John and Julia.

I love John Pickett. He’s the best type of hero: honorable, competent, intelligent, kind, self-made. And he’s young and gorgeous, too, which certainly doesn’t hurt. :) He’s also madly in love with Julia, and she with him, but the social gulf which separates a Bow Street Runner, son of a pickpocket, from a well-born widow of a baron, is too vast for them to bridge. Or is it? Will true love triumph?

Julia shows herself to be more than just a pretty face. Bullied by her husband’s family and the customs of the time, she questions why she lets this happen. Her transformation is at hand, and by the finale she proves herself a woman to be reckoned with. My kind of heroine.

If you’re rooting for John and Julia, you’ll adore the end! But don’t peek. Save the surprise for the last. You’ll be glad you did.

Thank you all,

Linda

ARC provided by the author

Review: DAUGHTER OF THE GOD-KING by Anne Cleeland

I love spy stories and I love stories with tons of twists and turns. Anne Cleeland’s Regency romance-thriller spy story Daughter of the God-King has plenty of both.

Hattie’s archeologist parents have disappeared, so the fearless young woman travels to Paris to begin her search for them. In 1814, Paris in the wake of Napoleon’s defeat is all aquiver. The surprising fact is everyone treats the sheltered, mostly neglected child of world-famous parents as if she is a major player in the historic aftermath. Much is unsaid, but nefarious characters pursue her for some unknown reason.

Ms. Cleeland again demonstrates her deft hand with mystery and suspense as Hattie, her unflappable companion, Miss Bing, and their guide and protector, Monsieur Berry, work their way from Paris to Cairo and then up the Nile amid plots to kidnap or kill our heroine. Nothing is what it seems, and the answer, when we finally discover it, is startling, as well as historically possible.

There’s plenty of action and thrills for those, like me, who like other threads in the story besides the romance. Ms. Cleeland also paints a fascinating picture of Europe’s and Egypt’s politics and people in the wake of the Napoleonic wars.

The two main characters were a different story. While I liked Hattie’s determination, I think she is a little too sure of herself for a sheltered eighteen-year-old with no skills and little learning. With her illustrious parentage, I would have expected her to develop some other interests in addition to snagging a husband.

I also found the hero, the enigmatic M. Berry, a little too superhuman for my tastes. But I liked Hattie’s companion, Miss Bing, much more. Supremely capable, no-nonsense, nothing-fazes-her, Miss Bing would be a heroine more to my taste.

While Daughter of the God-King can be read alone, the book is the second in the Ms. Cleeland’s Regency spy series after Tainted Angel, and makes one reference to that novel.

Daughter of the God-King is another great Regency spy story. I look forward to more.

Thank you all,

Linda

ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: A LITTLE NIGHT MISCHIEF by Emily Greenwood

A Little Night Mischief by Emily Greenwood is a light-hearted Regency romp with serious undertones about the misadventures of two very determined people who clash on their journey to love.

Felicity considers Tethering, the estate where she grew up, her home, even though the place belongs to her uncle. When her uncle loses the property to James in a card game and then dies, Felicity believes she has every right to take the place back. Specifically, by some ghostly and other mischief designed to convince James the holding is more trouble than it’s worth.

James wants to clear his family name tarnished by his brother and buy back his own debt-ridden family home. He needs the money from the sale of Tethering to do both. If he can only stop Felicity from undermining his efforts.

A Little Night Mischief is full of laughs as Felicity concocts one hare-brained scheme after another in her increasingly desperate and futile attempts to dislodge James from her life. She is charming, if a little too stubborn, in her insistence that Tethering is rightfully hers, even as she admits her growing attraction to and liking for James.

James is equally charming even if he’s a little too certain he always knows what’s best, and especially when he keeps vital information from Felicity as he grows to care for her.

And while A Little Night Mischief is a romance, the story is also a parable on the folly of blindly holding onto something too tightly when the object of your desire may no longer meet your needs.

There are also several appealing secondary characters, like James’s Aunt Miranda, and Crispin, the village vicar. I liked Crispin very much, and would like to see how his story continues.

A Little Night Mischief is a fun romance. Enjoy.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: TAINTED ANGEL by Anne Cleeland

Double and triple talk, threats and counter threats, plots and counterplots. Games of cat-and-mouse, crosses and double-crosses, lies, lies and more lies. Nothing is as it seems in Tainted Angel by Anne Cleeland, a complex tale of spy and counterspy in Regency England.

Vidia is no stranger to the double-dealing, underhandedness and betrayal of the espionage world. As a so-called angel, her job is to use her considerable beauty and charm to ferret out secrets from powerful men. But now, someone has fingered her as a possible traitor, and her own organization is out to trap her. She also harbors secrets of her own that she doesn’t want her employers to discover.

Lucien, also a spy, has been Vidia’s partner on occasion and has always been stunned by her beauty. Recently widowed, he can now pursue her. Or can he? He has secrets, too, ones that can tear him apart.

Tainted Angel is that welcome rarity, a Regency adventure story. Ms. Cleeland’s page-turner grips you from the start and yanks you along at breakneck speed into a maze of dizzying twists and turns where nothing and no one are what they seem. The surprises keep coming right to the end as the author reveals bit by tantalizing bit the secrets everyone in this novel protect.

I love adventure and spy stories, but most of them focus on the man, who does all the heroics, with the woman as an afterthought. Not here. Vidia is smart, sharp, beholden to no one and fights back. She takes care of herself, and is a match for anyone. I like her very much. I would love to see more heroines like her.

I also like Lucien. He operates under as deep a load of secrets as Vidia, but manages to navigate through them as he does his job and also helps her. A true hero. And he’s blond. I do like my blond heroes.

I stayed up well into the night reading this book. You will, too.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: ONCE AGAIN A BRIDE by Jane Ashford

Jane Ashford is back! Once Again a Bride, her latest Regency historical with mystery, is sure to enchant all the fans who have missed her.

Charlotte isn’t sorry about the murder of her selfish, tyrannical husband--she’s furious. He squandered her considerable dowry, leaving her penniless. Enter her husband’s cousin Alec, who’s young, kind, handsome and responsible. Everything her husband wasn’t. How could she not fall in love with him?

Alec deplores his cousin’s treatment of his young wife. But Charlotte is just another burden to a man already overburdened caring for his sisters, his estate, and trying to avert disaster in a countryside ripe for violence over the dislocations caused by the Industrial Revolution. But the lady is beautiful, in distress and alone, with a core of steel underlying the soft exterior. How could he not fall in love with her?

Neither Charlotte nor Alec can deny their attraction. Neither can they deny their distrust of each other as Charlotte becomes the prime suspect in her husband’s murder investigation.

Ms. Ashford weaves a tale of both deceptive appearances and how adversity can make or break a person. Charlotte, married too young, cowed into submission by her rat of a husband, comes into her own as she fights the accusations and whispers against her. Alec learns not to make snap judgments when he finds Charlotte is not the mouse she appears to be.

Mystery entwines with the romance, as Ms. Ashford leads us astray on the trail of the real murderer. She concludes with an exciting abduction, chase, and rescue that depart from the usual fare while weaving in the multitude of problems facing England after Napoleon’s defeat.

But Charlotte’s and Alec’s story is first and foremost. I think Charlotte is a little too young, but her youth makes her transformation into a self-assured woman all the more glorious. Alec is my favorite type of hero, the decent man (he’s also blond--I love blond men!), who must work to overcome his initial distrust of Charlotte despite his attraction to her.

Once Again a Bride is great fun. Have a good time.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: WALTZ WITH A STRANGER by Pamela Sherwood

Pamela Sherwood’s Victorian romance, Waltz with a Stranger, is a beautiful, deeply moving story of the conflict between love and honor and how, sometimes, both can win.

American heiress Aurelia, scarred in an accident, avoids people, especially men, until she dances one waltz with a kind, handsome stranger who doesn’t care about her disfigurement. His gentle encouragement gives her the will to go on, as well as placing him forever in her heart.

James is entranced with the beautiful, sorrowful girl. But he has no money, and cannot ever win the hand of a rich lady. They part, never expecting to see each other again.

They meet a year later. James is now unexpectedly an earl with an impoverished estate and betrothed to Aurelia’s twin sister, Amy, because he needs the money. Neither Aurelia nor James is free, in honor, to admit or act on their feelings for each other.

In the typical treatment of this situation, the two sisters fight tooth and nail over the man. Not here. Ms. Sherwood has turned convention on its head by making Aurelia and Amy adore each other. Their love is believable because they try to help each other, and while neither will do anything to harm the other, neither is a martyr, either. Aurelia suffers guilt over her feelings, and almost could, but doesn’t, hate her sister. Amy wants Aurelia to find happiness with a husband, while not knowing she wants James. James, too, is believable, as the hardships of his early life did not make him into a spoiled, overprivileged aristocrat. He plans to honor his commitment to Amy while his heart desperately yearns for Aurelia.

Most of the tension arises as the three principals try to reconcile their choices with their desires while keeping their feelings to themselves. But there is also a thread of mystery as James seeks the truth about the death of late, unlamented, previous earl. There’s also plenty of history and lush descriptions that firmly anchor this story in the late Victorian era when bankrupt English noblemen married American heiresses.

In our world where everyone is out for him or herself, I love this story about both love and honor triumphing. I look forward to Ms. Sherwood’s next book.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: SONS AND DAUGHTERS by Karen V. Wasylowski

Karen V. Wasylowski has done it again with Sons and Daughters, an often hilarious, sometimes soul-wrenching, but always engaging tale as she continues the saga begun in the delicious Darcy and Fitzwilliam: A Tale of a Gentleman and an Officer.

True to the title, Darcy's and Fitzwilliam's children dominate the story. Darcy has three and Fitzwilliam nine. (Nine, you say? The man has worked overtime.) The book spans twenty years and we laugh and cry along with both clans as the parents age and their children grow and navigate the always difficult transition to adulthood.

Ms. Wasylowski’s flowing prose keeps you turning the pages to see what will happen next. With so many characters, something new, perhaps funny and perhaps heartbreaking, always happens. Like the time when the children, mostly preadolescent, find some erotic prints Fitzwilliam saved and aren’t sure what to make of them, although they’re certain they must be scandalous, to when Fitz’s wife, Amanda, has her ninth child in a very difficult birth.

Ms. Wasylowski’s is a master at writing the emotion of both adults and children, especially as she shows how the children’s feelings change as they mature. She also has a good ear for realistic dialog, whether the character is child or adult, male or female. At times, the boys are disgustingly boys, and the girls, while perhaps a little nicer, are the boys' matches in every way. And the parents, as parents do, yell and threaten as well as love their children to distraction.

I only wish the book was longer. With so many characters, Ms. Wasylowski by necessity had to skim over some stories. I’d like to know more about George and Kathy, and Anne Marie and Mr. Wentworth. Maybe a few novellas?

But if you want more fun with Darcy and Fitzwilliam, read Sons and Daughters.

Thank you all,

Linda

Book provided by the author

Review: A Lady’s Revenge by Tracey Devlyn

Tracey Devlyn’s debut Regency historical, A Lady’s Revenge, is a dark tale of spies, revenge, and a desperate yearning for love by a tortured heroine.

Guy has been sent to rescue the Raven, England’s premier spy, from the clutches of the French. Instead, he finds his childhood friend, Cora, brutalized in a torture chamber. He loves Cora, but has yet to convince her to marry him.

Cora became a spy to ferret out and punish the French agent who murdered her parents. To that end, she plays a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with her former captor as both seek to win in their high-stakes game of espionage. How can she love Guy or anyone else while the murderer runs free?

A Lady’s Revenge is not your typical Regency. Most focus on the era’s glittering surface of wealth, power, and courtly manners. A Lady’s Revenge injects a dose of reality by revealing the dark underbelly of deceit, terror, brutality and pain supporting the pretty facade.

Cora is literally a tortured heroine, suffering multiple episodes of physical abuse from her adversary as she seeks to protect those she loves. Although noble, dedicated and independent, Cora is also stubborn and single-minded, refusing help others will freely give, and in the process, causing more trouble for everyone.

Guy is heroic as he aids the driven Cora in her quest, while protecting her and trying to convince her to let others share her burdens.

A Lady’s Revenge is a little too dark for my taste, but will appeal to those who seek an alternative to the usual Regency.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: Texas Pride by Leigh Greenwood

Penniless nobility, female ranchers, treachery, action, and loads of romance set in 1870’s Texas--Texas Pride has it all.

Impoverished Polish prince Ivan came to America ten years ago to seek his fortune. What he found were the privations of war as a soldier, backbreaking work as a cowhand, and betrayal from someone he thought a friend. When that same false friend offers him half a ranch he won in a card game if Ivan works it for a year, he is understandably wary. But selling his half of the ranch will net him enough money to return to Poland. And the ranch’s other owner is a woman beautiful enough to make a man forget his homeland. But is everything as it seems?

Furious at her younger brother for losing his share of their ranch, Carla must now deal with this usurper. She wants to hate him, but she can’t. He’s handsome, kind and able to pull his weight as a cowhand. Even better, he likes her as the feisty female she is and doesn’t want her to change, as every other man does.

Generally, westerns are not my first choice of romance. I prefer my historicals set on foreign shores. I also don’t usually read romances written by male authors. Men tend to make the hero a superman and the heroine a simpering idiot who blindly worships the god-like male. Ugh.

But not Mr. Greenwood. His Texas Pride contains all the elements I like--a story with action and mystery, a hero and heroine I love, and tons of romance. Ivan is heroic, but Carla matches him in gumption and intelligence. A true partnership, not a master and slave. And their romance is scrumptious.

Ivan is my favorite type of hero, the honorable man. I especially like honorable men who make their own way. Even better are honorable men who face treachery and come through the experience even better men. And he’s blond (I love blond heroes) and gorgeous, too. What’s not to like?

Carla is my favorite kind of heroine. I like a heroine who fights against the artificial constraints imposed by the male establishment and wins. I like even more a male author who writes with approval of such a woman. Good for you, Mr. Greenwood. I wish you loads of success.

Texas Pride has everything I love in a romance. Enjoy.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: A LIGHT ON THE VERANDA by Ciji Ware

Full of breathtaking romance, loaded with historical and contemporary detail, sometimes light-hearted and at other times heart-wrenching, Ciji Ware’s A Light on the Veranda is a winner.

New Orleans-born professional harpist Daphne’s life took a turn for the better when she walked out on her wedding to the rat of the century. But now she’s in Natchez to play her harp at her beloved brother’s wedding. There she meets Simon, a man vastly different from the rodents she usually encounters. The attraction is immediate, mutual, and startling. For Daphne’s music conjures visions from the past involving another Simon and her ancestor, another harp-playing Daphne. The historical Daphne’s sad, tragic life can’t be changed. Does the modern Daphne have the courage to change hers? Especially since the rat, vicious as ever, is back and has her in his sights.

Ms. Ware interweaves the similar and yet different stories of two women across two centuries who share problems still all too common. Male betrayal, greed and cruelty can wreak havoc in a woman’s life, then and now. The historical Daphne, born into a frightful situation, had no control over her lot. The modern Daphne does, but only when she sheds her female indoctrination in submissiveness and fights back.

But even within the past and present world of male privilege, decent men exist. The historic Simon was one, and so is the contemporary Simon. Those of you who read my reviews know I like honorable heroes, and the modern Simon is one of the best. Utterly masculine, strong and yet vulnerable, protective but not patronizing, Simon is a spectacular hero. He’s also gorgeous, which doesn’t hurt. *g* Lucky Daphne.

Since most girls today are still trained to be subservient, the modern Daphne starts out as a bit of a doormat. But in the face of the rat’s spiteful cruelty and with some help from Simon, she blossoms into a strong, determined woman able and willing to chart her own course. Good for her.

With charm, poignant characterizations, heady romance and lots of scrumptious detail that bring past and present vividly to life, Ms. Ware’s A Light on the Veranda is a fantastic book.

Note, A Light on the Veranda is the sequel to Ms. Ware’s Midnight on Julia Street. If you’re like me and hate coming in on the middle of a series, read Midnight on Julia Street first. A Light on the Veranda contains spoilers for Midnight on Julia Street.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: MISS HILLARY SCHOOLS A SCOUNDREL by Samantha Grace

Samantha Grace’s debut Regency historical, Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel, is a laugh-out-loud tale of two unlikely lovers and the obstacles to true love, most of which they created themselves.

After breaking her engagement to a fortune-hunting rake, heiress Lana seeks a man who wants her and not her money. Lord Andrew is rich enough not to care about her dowry, but he’s still a rake with no interest in marriage. Her mother has picked a foreign nobleman for her, but Lana doesn’t care for him. She prefers Andrew, unsuitable as he is. What is she to do?

Andrew doesn’t want to marry. He’s having too much fun with wine, women and song. But Lana is different. What does she have that all the other ladies don’t? And he doesn’t like that foreigner who’s fawning over her. Something about the man strikes him as wrong.

Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel is a light-hearted (for the most part) Regency with heiresses, rakes, fortune hunters, mysterious noblemen, protective brothers, lovelorn yearning, crossed signals and people who are not what they seem. As well as two appealing lovers who refuse to believe they’re right for each other until they finally realize they are. Ms. Grace also leaves us wondering what will happen next with her tantalizing glimpses of Lana’s brother, Jake, and Amelia, the lady he wants but who doesn’t want him. Or so she thinks.

If you enjoy Regency romps, you’ll enjoy Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: THE LORD OF ILLUSION by Kathryne Kennedy

Tender love, furious action and a life-and-death struggle bring Kathryne Kennedy's The Lord of Illusion, the final book in her Elven Lords trilogy, to a crashing finale.

All his life, Drystan has been an outcast because of his magical visions. These dreams have led him to a lonely and frustrating job as a researcher, where he sifts through long-unread records in search of the woman in his visions. That sad, beautiful lady may hold the key to defeating the Elven lords. Her sorrow also tears at his heart. Is she as lonely as he? He yearns to find her and wipe away her sadness. When his researches at last provide a clue about her, he masquerades as a nobleman and travels to the palace of the Elven lord of illusion to find the lady of his dreams.

The slave Camille has suffered abuse from men all her life. Suddenly, a handsome aristocrat arrives who protects her. He's a kind man and she had encountered too few. But she is wary. What does he really want?

The Lord of Illusion is a story of how people can change when circumstances require, but especially when love smooths the way. Both Drystan and Camille, shunned by their compatriots, tentatively search for happiness with each other. Drystan is magnificent as the strong yet gentle man who coaxes the terrified Camille to love him. Camille is heroic as she rises above her abusive situation to help in the humans' fight for freedom from the elven lords. The magical wonders along the way are exciting, well-thought out and lovely in their fierceness, but the real beauty in this novel is the growing love and trust between Drystan and Camille.

Ms. Kennedy also gives us tantalizing glimpses of other couples who have brought us to this ending. May she someday fill in the gaps.

In The Lord of Illusion, with its awe-inspiring world full of dragons, fire fountains, water steeds and other magical marvels, Ms. Kennedy demonstrates yet again that the one true and most powerful magic is love.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: The Rogue Pirate's Bride by Shana Galen

The Rogue Pirate's Bride by Shana Galen, Book III of The Sons of the Revolution trilogy, combines stunning romance, a fast-paced adventure story, an unconventional heroine (my favorite) and a breathtaking hero to create a delectable concoction of a Regency historical sure to please readers tired of cook-cutter romances.

Admiral's daughter Raeven will not rest until she kills Captain Cutlass, the pirate who killed her fiancée. Dressed as a boy, she challenges him to a duel. But Captain Cutlass isn't so easy to kill. When she loses the fight and he discovers her identity, she winds up as his cabin girl.

Bastien, Captain Cutlass, wishes he had never encountered the hellion. The girl fights, knows as much about the sea as any sailor, and never follows orders. He's only too happy when she escapes. Or is he?

Most romances have a larger-than-life hero and a girl-next-door heroine. I want stories where the heroine is as extraordinary as the hero. Ms. Galen has created such a heroine in Raeven, who has sailed on her father's ship since she was four. No embroidery or kowtowing to society's inane rules for her. She had learned everything there is to know about her father's ship, from mending sails to navigation. She also knows how to handle a pistol and knife, and isn't afraid to use them. And no matter what anyone says, she always tries to get what she wants. On the downside, she is somewhat immature and thoughtless. I would have preferred her a little older and more responsible. All in all, though, I would like to see more heroines like Raeven.

Bastien is my favorite kind of hero, a wronged man whose suffering has transformed him into the best of men, a true hero. The action and romance are both nonstop as Raeven and Bastien fight the villains and each other until their HEA.

If you're tired of all the same-old, same-old romances with little nothing heroines, The Rogue Pirate's Bride is the book for you.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL by Jennifer Blake

Lies and the tangles they engender abound in Silver-Tongued Devil by Jennifer Blake, a tale of revenge in antebellum Louisiana.

Injured in a steamboat explosion, Angelica awakens in an unfamiliar bedroom to find herself married to Renold, a man she barely knows. With her father and betrothed dead in the same disaster, she must depend on this stranger. But questions abound. She can't remember a wedding, and is her silver-tongued "husband" as kind-hearted as he appears?

With her trademark use of accurate historical detail, Ms. Blake evokes the Louisiana of the past in such breath-taking fashion as to make a fan of someone like me who doesn't care for romances set in America. Like all her other romances, they are fast-paced, gripping, and keep you reading right until the end as we wonder if our hero and heroine will find their happily-ever-after.

That said, I don't care for bad boy heroes. Silver-Tongued Devil also contains one of the motifs I like the least in romance--the hero who takes his revenge on one person by harming an innocent.

While I dislike Renold, I like Angelica. She is the pawn in Renold's scheme, but while she may start out as a puppet, adversary rapidly changes her into a woman more than capable of withstanding anyone's machinations. And the results of his plan surprise and also transform Renold.

The best romances not only knock you off your feet with the story, but also subtly intertwine deeper themes within the main tale. In Silver-Tongued Devil, the deeper theme is revenge. The novel explores its wrongness, its unintended effects, and how revenge changes both the perpetrator and the victim.

Now, as when it was first published in 1995, Silver-Tongued Devil remains an engrossing read.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: FORTUNE'S SON by Emery Lee

Emery Lee's Georgian romance, Fortune's Son, is a fascinating, fast-paced tale of power used and abused, opulence, and desperation set in the London world of high-stakes gaming.

Life among the rich, powerful and famous in Georgian London is not as wonderful as you might think. Ask young Philip, estranged second son of an earl, who lives hand-to-mouth by gaming. And ask Susannah, knight's widow, left a small jointure and quickly running out of money. When these two impulsive people, both determined never again to bow to another's command, meet, their chemistry is immediate and explosive. Philip, smitten by the older woman, agrees to teach her how to win at cards. Thus begins the tale of two flawed, wildly impetuous lovers and the disasters they suffer, both of their own making and those brought about by others who wish their downfall.

Highly researched, Fortune's Son gives us a fascinating glimpse of both the grit and the glamor of Georgian society. I love lots of descriptions and Ms. Lee's descriptions of people, places, manners and customs are detailed, accurate and vivid. I also love the Georgian language. I'm not a fan of the current trend to expunge all trace of period speech. Language is part of the story and enhances the feel of the era.

Gaming plays a major role in this novel, and although I love detail, I don't much care for descriptions of card games. Most are too long and boring, and the author's explanation is usually insufficient to explain the action. Ms. Lee has succeeded where others failed. She weaves in enough of the mechanics of the era's card games to propel the story along without confusing us with the esoteric points.

While Ms. Lee's attention to accurate detail makes the era come alive, her main emphasis always remains, as it should, upon Philip's and Susannah's passion, zest for life, frequent mistakes, and their long and tortuous path to love.

Ms. Lee introduced Philip and Susannah in her previous novel, The Highest Stakes. If you haven't read that book, I suggest you read it first. While Fortune's Son stands alone, reading the previous book first will enhance the power of its sequel.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: MR. DARCY'S UNDOING by Abigail Reynolds

Abigail Reynolds's Mr. Darcy's Undoing, the latest in her Pemberley Variations, is an intensely emotional story in which Elizabeth accepts another marriage proposal after she refuses Darcy.

Darcy, still madly in love with Elizabeth, returns to Meryton to renew his suit. Although devastated to find her engaged, he cannot in honor to ask her to end her betrothal. With no other choice, he wishes her well and departs. Elizabeth, now in love with Darcy, never expected to see him again. Mindful of her duty to provide for her family after Mr. Bennet's death, she accepted the proposal of a childhood friend. But she cannot marry a man she does not love. Aware her action will precipitate a scandal, she breaks her engagement.

Mr. Darcy's Undoing is a terrifying portrait of the horrors a closed society can inflict on a defenseless woman who defies convention, even for an honorable reason. Especially bad is Elizabeth's lack of support from her family. Ms. Reynolds exaggerates all the distasteful characteristics of the dysfunctional Bennet family. Mrs. Bennet is a self-centered witch who blames Elizabeth for all their woes, conveniently forgetting Lydia's truly shameful behavior. Mr. Bennet is a spineless toad who lets his wife get away with her wrong-headedness. Jane is a cipher, although she does defend Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, all alone, cast down by the treatment she has received, and with nowhere else to go, is so demoralized she never fights back. Frankly, I expected better of her. She could have learned a lesson from Lydia, who is offstage in this story. Lydia was truly disgraceful, but she never repented of her sins, and she never suffered, either. I hate seeing the good suffer and the evil never paying for their transgressions. Elizabeth is too forgiving, but I would have liked to see Darcy make the blacklisters pay for their cruelty.

Mr. Darcy's Undoing is another of Abigail Reynolds's trademark emotional, accurate takes on the Regency world of Pride and Prejudice.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: MR. DARCY'S BITE by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Mr. Darcy a werewolf? Really?

Yes, really, in Mary Lydon Simonsen's wonderful Regency take on the paranormal, Mr. Darcy's Bite.

For months, Darcy has visited Elizabeth. To all appearances, he wants to court her, but he has yet to make a declaration. At last, Elizabeth has had enough. With the love of his life about to dismiss him forever, Darcy has no choice but to reveal he is a werewolf.

Of all the reasons Darcy would hesitate to marry her, Elizabeth never imagined this. She loves him, but does she want to wed a man who grows fangs and fur every month?

In general, I don't care for paranormal in historicals. The paranormal can easily overwhelm the history, and combining the genres in the correct proportions to satisfy the historical reader is a delicate operation. In Mr. Darcy's Bite, Mary Lydon Simonsen has succeeded in crafting a story true to Regency sensibilities within the framework of an almost done-to-death paranormal motif.

Ms. Simonsen uses Darcy's unusual condition to heighten both the conflict and the emotion. Both Elizabeth and Darcy agonize over whether marriage would help or hurt the other, without realizing their doubts manifest their true love. Ms. Simonsen's scrupulous attention to the Regency world lets us believe Darcy's and Elizabeth's love plus a little humor will allow them to adapt to a marriage in which Darcy runs on four feet once a month. I like that Ms. Simonsen has presented Darcy's lycanthropy as more curse than blessing. Darcy is already a hero for the ages, and using his werewolfism to turn him into a Regency superman would dilute his appeal. And I like the ending, where two truly become one.

Mr. Darcy's Bite adds an enjoyable new dimension to Pride and Prejudice.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: THE ROSE GARDEN by Susanna Kearsley

Susanna Kearsley knocks us off our feet with her spectacular tale of love overcoming all obstacles in her wondrous time travel romance, The Rose Garden.

Mourning the death of her beloved sister, Eva returns to Cornwall to scatter her ashes at the estate where they spent their happiest childhood summers. The people and the countryside are as she remembers--but not quite. Voices speak from empty rooms, paths appear in places where none exist, and a handsome man dressed in breeches and boots beckons her to another time.

Daniel doesn't know what to make of the beautiful woman wearing strange clothes who appears on the hillside beside him. 1715 England is a dangerous place, with the Jacobites threatening the reign of the newly crowned George I. Is she involved in the upcoming confrontation between the supporters of George I and those of James Stuart, whom some consider the rightful king?

The Rose Garden is a masterwork of suspenseful romance. With vivid descriptions of the unchanging Atlantic and its salt spray, the green of the hilly Cornwall estate's rose gardens, and faithful renditions of the tensions and way of life of two very different eras, Ms. Kearsley melds past and present into a coherent whole that firmly anchors the reader into each time period. We live Eva's confusion, disbelief and terror as she fades in and out of a past where danger lurks at every turn.

Both Eva and Daniel are people of their eras, but unique enough to accept something as outlandish as time travel, and to love a person of extraordinary background. Daniel is as forceful as any eighteenth century man, but he also possesses the sensitivity a modern woman appreciates. And while Eva has plenty of twenty-first century backbone, she is smart enough to adapt to the harsh conditions in 1715 without betraying herself.

The romance is breath-taking, as Eva and Daniel, stronger together than singly, seek to triumph over villains and situations that would have destroyed lesser souls. And Ms. Kearsley leaves us gasping at the end with a corker of a surprise.

Read The Rose Garden. You'll be happy you did.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: A DASH OF SCANDAL by Amelia Gray

Not only scandal, but love, laughter, secrets and mystery abound in Amelia Grey's latest delightful Regency historical, A Dash of Scandal.

A mysterious thief has invaded the ton, stealing priceless objects d'art, including a gold raven sculpture from the Earl of Dunraven. Then the earl meets Miss Millicent Blair, who always takes notes at parties and secretes herself in dark corners. Could this charming young lady possibly be the thief? Not helping Dunraven's quest to retrieve his property are the daily doses of scandal offered by the ton's favorite gossip columnist, Lord Truefitt, who has the uncanny knack of skewering the rich and famous, especially the earl.

Millicent despises dashing young men of the ton--one of them ruined her mother. She wants nothing to do with the earl, even though he's the only man who has ever stirred her heart. But she also guards a secret not her own she must keep from him.

Ms. Grey has written another of my favorite type of story, romance plus. I prefer romances that contain another element in addition to the love story, and this one has plenty of mystery and humor to enliven the action. I also like honorable main characters, especially ones who are evenly matched, and Dunraven and Millicent are wonderful. Millicent, with her witty, spirited repartee, is the formidable earl's equal. And Dunraven honors her as a worthy opponent, even as he seeks to unravel her secrets.

Fresh and fast-paced, with abundant doses of humor, plenty of deceptive appearances, and a mystery to tantalize us until the end, A Dash of Scandal has everything.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Review: LORD AND LADY SPY by Shana Galen

The war with Napoleon is over. What's a spy to do? Such is the problem facing Adrian and Sophia in Lord and Lady Spy, Shana Galen's latest Regency historical with mystery and action.

Unbeknownst to each other, Adrian and Sophia both worked for the same top secret organization in the Foreign Office. Retirement holds no allure for spies who thrive on danger and deception, especially when their marriage is troubled. And then the prime minister requests their services in a murder investigation. The catch--they must compete with each other, and the one who solves the case will be reinstated into his or her former job.

Loners both, with divergent styles, they must join forces to solve the case, increasing the strain on their relationship. They love each other, but do they love each other enough to take another chance on their marriage when only one of them can win the competition?

Ms. Galen's latest effort is an exciting mystery/spy story, interlaced with the sadness of a troubled marriage. I like stories that contain another element in addition to the romance, and this one has not only a murder mystery, but a spy story, too. I also like a non-traditional heroine, and Sophia is one of the best. She's a lady who can take care of herself in any situation her work throws at her. Her personal life is another matter. And I like Adrian, who wants both his life as a spy and the love of his wife, but who doesn’t know how to reconcile the opposing desires. Neither Adrian nor Sophia is perfect, and their suffering and humanity come through in this courtship-in-marriage story as they work to repair their relationship and solve the mystery. And the mystery will keep you wondering right until the end.

If you want a Regency with something in addition to fancy balls and pretty clothes (which this book also has), Lord and Lady Spy is the book for you.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks