While masquerading as a full novel, this is really three novellas combined into one house party. Happily married Carolyn throws a house party for her brother, Hugh, a duke, to find his bride, but many other couples find themselves thrown together as well. It was cute and sweet, as I’d come to expect, but nothing particularly special despite having two of my favorite romance authors (Julia Quinn and Eloisa James) writing for it. Great for an afternoon’s diversion, but probably only if you can get it out of the library.
Harry Rutledge is a real romance novel hero; a rugged man who could easily be cast as a villain, but who really has a heart of gold. He’s been treated so badly throughout his life that he believes he’s lost the ability to love. Poppy Hathaway is just the girl to set him straight, from the minute she chases her sister Beatrix’s ferret into his office and has no idea who he is. Poppy has her heart set on Michael Bayning, but Harry is determined to win her for himself.
In part, I liked this book, and in part, I didn’t. Harry is too ruthless of a man for me, plus he’s quite a stereotype. He goes out of his way to ‘win’ Poppy without any consideration for her feelings. This made the beginning of the book very difficult to appreciate. (It didn’t help that I was on a plane and not particularly well!) When I picked the book up again later, though, things started to fall into place, especially when Harry realized he did care what Poppy felt about him. Of course, the novel proceeds to go the route of little-abandoned-boy-becomes-man-who-cannot-love-but-can-be-redeemed. At least it was done well, and when I finished I eagerly went on to the next in the series, which follows right below this one.
Leo Hathaway has seemingly recovered – as much as possible anyway – from the death of his fiancee several years ago. He’s cut a rakish path through society since then, more or less aimlessly and full of humor, with few people getting under his skin. The exception is his sisters’ governess, Miss Catherine Marks, with whom he shares a mutual hatred. They regularly mock one another but can’t seem to stay away, and naturally that sexual tension explodes. But Catherine has a few skeletons in her closet and Leo must relinquish his devil-may-care armor before they can truly fall in love.
Like most other people who have read and enjoyed this series, I have been waiting for Leo’s story since book 1. He’s the tortured soul that we all managed to fall in love with even when he was making life difficult for Amelia – who can’t adore a man who is so devastated over the loss of his fiancee? I think we all just wanted Leo to be happy. When Catherine Marks appeared, it was obvious that she was the one (as I’m sure Kleypas planned it!) This tied nicely into the last book and made them perfect follow-ups to one another. I felt this was stronger all around – stronger romance, better plot (though still a romance novel one), and sparkling interactions between all of the characters. For a book I’ve anticipated for a couple of years, Married by Morning didn’t let me down, and that was a nice feeling.
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Lady Julia Yardley would do almost anything to divorce her husband. She stops short of killing him, but only because jail would be yet another prison. Justice for an early twentieth century lady with an abusive husband is difficult to find, however, so in the end Julia realizes she has only one way out: adultery. She arranges a seduction of a friend, Aidan Carr, the duke of Trathen, so that her atrocious husband will catch her in the act, and she is granted the divorce she so craves, causing a ridiculous but necessary amount of scandal in the process. But what she doesn’t account for is the fact that Aidan will continue to be drawn to her and, as her feelings thaw from a destructive decades-long marriage, that she will be tempted by his advances.
Reading this in close succession with Wedding of the Season was, I think, a great idea. Both Julia and Aidan are introduced in that book, and therein they absolutely can’t stand each other. Julia is constantly needling upright, proper Aidan, who was engaged to her cousin Beatrix (the heroine of that book). There was clearly something there, but I was genuinely shocked when I realized that these two were actually the stars of this particular book. I shouldn’t have been, though; everyone knows that strong antagonism can be much more than it appears on the surface, and here it’s jealousy and longing in their most potent forms. Scandal of the Yearfleshes out the back story of these two characters, so we learn just why Julia is out to irritate Aidan and, simultaneously, why he is the one she chooses to seduce when her situation gets desperate.
I loved the way this series revolves around scandal. None of these events would be anything close to scandalous in our society, unless a celebrity was the one committing them; a woman like Julia would have divorced her husband and had legal protection, no less. But for Victorians, desperate times call for desperate measures, and Julia suffers in a way she never would have done in our world. This isn’t just virgins hopping into bed with dukes without a thought for the consequences, as happens in so very many romances; Julia does think about and suffer the consequences of her decisions. She’s cut in society, she only gets invited to balls by her friends (some of whom abandon her), and she is a proper divorcee. Her previous scandalous behavior is quickly hushed up and she’s speedily married off to prevent gossip. Julia knows that, were she to have children, they will suffer even more. Aidan’s association with her damages his prospects and means his search to find a suitable heiress is vastly more difficult. It doesn’t stop them falling in love with one another, but they are firmly planted within the society of their time.
The romance itself was at times frustrating; I felt Julia clung too closely to her stubbornness, but this was ingrained in her character from the beginning. I could understand why it was happening, but rather strangely I was always on Aidan’s side. I’ve been wondering if that is simply due to my own fortunate experience in the romantic department, and I’ll be very interested to read other reviews and see how other women viewed these two characters.
Scandal of the Yearis another wonderful romance from Laura Lee Guhrke; I am definitely eager to read more of her work after these two books and I’m glad to have discovered another good romance author (especially when a few of my favorites seem to have gone downhill these days). I would definitely recommend it to other romance readers.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free for review from Netgalley.
Beatrix’s fiance, Will, skipped out just days before their wedding to become an archaeologist. While he was digging for King Tut, convinced Beatrix didn’t love him enough to go to Egypt with him, she was nursing a broken heart and trying to recover a sense of normalcy. Six years on, she’s finally managed it. She’s engaged to another man, she’s spent a delightful last summer as a single woman, and she finally thinks she’s moved on. Then Will comes back, in search of money for his dig, but winds up sidetracked by the fact that he still hasn’t gotten over Beatrix. As he slowly begins to destroy the facade of a life she’s built for herself, she has to wonder whether she’ll have anything left when Will chases his dreams back to Egypt again.
This was such a sweet book. I’d never read a romance by Laura Lee Guhrke before, but I was sure I’d heard she was good, and whoever said so was clearly correct. This was a light, easy read that still managed to tug on my heartstrings as I followed the unexpected second romance that blossomed between Will and Beatrix. I seem to like these romances that focus on old loves; I think it’s easier to feel a couple’s relationship is likely when you know they have a lot of history together. Guhrke does a great job of showing it here, mixing a lifetime of memories in with the present to make a fully rounded love story.
Beatrix’s true problem is that she’s been raised to be slightly too cautious. Her father was extremely overprotective, but because she loved him, she followed his rules without complaint. Her fear has held her back from getting much of what she wanted. Her struggle to overcome those barriers, to take risks and seize what she wants, was I thought a surprisingly inspiring theme. It’s not just her desire for Will that motivates her, it’s everything she’s dreamed about in life that she never thought she could have. It’s such a different theme than the prevailing trend of sweeping passion and dangerous boys – which isn’t exclusive to novels labeled with “romance”. There’s passion, yep, but also more.
I also liked the setting, which seemed unusual in the current world of historical romances. I mostly stick with Regency England, although admittedly I don’t read very much romance these days. This is set at the beginning of the twentieth century, before World War I and the death of the aristocracy. Beatrix has a car and goes “motoring”; parts where her fiance warned her about going 40 miles an hour made me laugh out loud. It’s those little touches that brought the world to life for me. Even though there are balls and princesses and fancy dresses, the world is changing, and it’s rare to find that sort of feel in a romance, at least it has been for me.
Wedding of the Seasonwas a surprisingly satisfying romance novel, and I’d eagerly recommend it to any other romance reader, especially if they’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary.
I am an Amazon Associate. I downloaded this book for free from Netgalley for review.
Lucien de Malheur has it out for the Rohan family. He’s determined to make their lives miserable, and he decides to enact his revenge through the only girl in the family, Miranda. He arranges for an accomplice of his to seduce Miranda, abduct her, and marry her. In the event, he ends up raping her and ruining her forever, rather than marrying her, which is not good enough for Lucien. Several years later, once Miranda has gained her independence and feels more comfortable as a forever-single woman, Lucien decides the time is right and seeks to seduce her himself.
This is one of those books that, while I rather enjoyed reading it, caused some serious ideological issues for me. I could not fathom why Miranda would ever stay with Lucien, for one thing. Love is NOT unconditional, certainly not to the extent that he challenges her, and I can’t imagine any self-respecting woman clinging to a man who clearly didn’t care very much about her. Simply the fact that he’d arranged for her rape would have been enough to drive me up the wall; it’s stranger because she seems to suffer no ill effects from being raped, I expected at least something when she first slept with Lucien but it’s as if it didn’t happen. This seems so unrealistic to me; I would contrast it with Gaelen Foley’s depiction of Bel’s recovery in The Duke for a novel that felt more in the realm of possibility in this regard. Miranda is even determined not to call it rape, which I suppose could be a coping mechanism, but it was. She did not consent, therefore it is rape, and to imply otherwise is wrong.
I also was quite dissatisfied with the ending, mainly because I couldn’t understand how the problem was going to be resolved. I didn’t get how someone like Miranda, who clearly can think for herself throughout the book and is quite a spirited character, would end up just settling for this horrid man. We can see that he’s not as horrid as he claims, but the things that he does completely bely what we see going on in his head. And sometimes he has even thoughts that make him seem truly evil, such as when he expresses relief that Miranda is not a virgin (due to him) because he doesn’t like virgins. Ugh. It just seemed so insensitive, so much the opposite of a man who is supposed to be falling in love. I would have expected jealousy at that point in the story.
Then there was a secondary romance, which was quite sweet overall except it was a love at first sight type deal. I struggle with those as well; I generally didn’t see enough of the couple to really believe they’d fallen in love. I liked the couple, don’t get me wrong, but it just felt a bit too hasty.
It’s kind of a shame, because I think Breathless could have been a decent romance otherwise. Anne Stuart is a fine writer and has a great ability to carry a narrative along; I kept reading even with all my “WTF” moments and I was convinced she’d find a way to wrap it all up in the end. I usually like the bad boy redeemed stories, but Lucien just never seemed like he was actually redeemed, not until he’d gone too far. Unfortunately, that meant it didn’t wrap up nicely, but I’d still read another book by Stuart. I would just hope that it wasn’t full of so many romance cliches, soulless heroes, and willfully blind heroines.
I am an Amazon associate. I received this book for free through Netgalley for review.
Shen Ai Li is the daughter of the Emperor of China, though it’s never a position either she or her father wanted. On her way to her assigned marriage, she discovers that her future husband had a hand in her brother’s death, among other things; she immediately does her best to flee despite knowing she will have brought dishonor to her family. With butterfly swords in hand, she seeks to rescue herself, but she is greatly aided by the help of a strange white man, Ryam. Realizing that this barbarian stranger is probably the only person she can trust right now, she lies to him about her identity in a bid to get him to return her to her family. Amidst the challenges of the road ahead and her betrothed’s constant attempts to get her back, Ai Li and Ryam start to feel more for each other, but such a relationship is well outside society’s expectations of them.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who is thrilled that a romance set outside of England or the US has managed to take hold like this one, which is set in Tang dynasty China, and the hype it’s already received is genuinely well deserved. Plus, check out that lovely Chinese girl on the cover! This is the kind of book that I want to champion, that I want to see more of. It helps that this is a thoroughly enjoyable romance. I loved that the white man was turned around and made the minority, something I think we get too little (if any) of in romance literature these days, so even though Ai Li falls in love with him fairly quickly they still have to deal with not only the stigma of his different race but the issues of honor which bind her so strongly.
Of course, I adored Ai Li, how she was equally capable of being tough and being fragile; she can fight, though she’s never had to use those skills, but she can also be very, very feminine. It’s a nice juxtaposition in a world where I think girls are often judged to be either one or the other. Ai Li is strong and honorable, particularly loyal to her family and her values, but she’s not afraid to acknowledge her love for Ryam and face the consequences of her actions.
If I did ask more of this book, I’d probably wish for it to be a bit richer in its historical detail. The setting is phenomenal and I suppose I’d just like to see more of it and have more detail. In a romance that’s less than 300 pages long, however, I think that’s probably too much to ask, and may have taken away from the main plot for some readers. I also didn’t like that Ai Li was often referred to as Ailey, which was Ryam’s version of her name, even when from her own perspective. Since I don’t know much about the Tang dynasty, I couldn’t judge this book’s historical accuracy for myself, but Jeannie Lin has a section on her website devoted to the historical accuracy in her books – which she calls historical fantasies – for which I am grateful. I rarely expect any real accuracy from historical romance, which has a tendency to plop modern day heroines in Regency settings, but I like when it’s noted!
If you enjoy romance and are looking for a change in your historicals, look no further. Butterfly Swordsdelivers a compelling story with wonderful characters and a thoroughly exciting setting.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free for review through Netgalley.
Annabel Winslow is looking for a rich husband to rescue her family from the poorhouse. And she’s found a potential suitor, an aged, lecherous earl, of whom she isn’t at all fond, but she figures she has to resign herself to her fate – even if he does nearly assault her. Then she meets the earl’s nephew, Sebastian, and everything changes. They may be falling in love, but will Sebastian have the funds to save her siblings?
Much the same as the last book in this series, What Happens in London, this book is very sweet and very funny. It’s easy to become fond of both characters and believe in their romance, even if everything is far too rosy for real life. The series lacks the real fantastic romantic potential of the Bridgerton series, but still all of them provide a nice, quick diversion from every day life.
Jane Morgan has worked very hard to get her position as an administrative assistant to an architect. She rescued herself from years of bad behavior as a teenager in order to turn herself into a real adult – even if that means she’s neglected her family. But she can’t seem to kick her attraction to big, tattooed, rough men, no matter how many businessmen she dates. When Billy Chase steps into her office, she simply can’t resist him – but can she fit him into her new life?
I think I may be the only romance reader in the world who had some issues with this book – I just found that it wasn’t really to my taste. Dahl’s writing is funny and smooth, so no problems there, but I couldn’t connect with her characters and the book was a little too raunchy for my tastes. Jane spends most of the novel as a complete snob, and it bothered me that she judged people so heavily on their appearances when she knew perfectly well that people could be more than that. I should have been delighted that her prejudices got absolutely torn apart and she had to face reality, but I was already too annoyed with her to bother!
My negative reaction to this book won’t really stop me from reading more Victoria Dahl, though – the concept of the book was very good and I liked the writing a lot. I think I’ll try another one of her books and see if the characters annoy me less!
Tim’s parents give up their home in Ireland to move to South Africa, a land where Tim’s father believes he has a respectable job waiting, and where Tim’s mother believes she will finally be free of the boggy Irish weather. But things don’t turn out as they expect and the family become virtual vagabonds, struggling to get by.
This was okay, but I think is one instance where I enjoyed the idea of the book more than the book itself. The family’s South African life is so full of crazy, illegal antics that, even though they were often necessary to survive, it made me uncomfortable. There were aspects I enjoyed, though; my favorite bit was when Tim worked in a Johannesburg hotel, at a total contrast to his home life, and became acquainted with guests solely based on their voices. It was clever and funny. I also enjoyed glimpses of period department stores and cities.
I also struggled because I couldn’t really understand the way his parents worked; I would basically never do what they all did, much less not return immediately, or as soon as I could, once I realized things were going haywire. I felt for Tim quite often but it was hard to relate to everything that happened.
Faith is an F-Psy, meaning she can predict the future. She’s one of the best, which also means that she is bound to go mad eventually, but she’s making her family rich in the meantime. Outside her home lurks Vaughn, a changeling jaguar who longs to know more about the girl he senses behind the walls of the compound. When Faith comes out, she and Vaughn collide, opening her to emotions and physical sensations she’d never dreamed of. When the Psy world no longer begins to make sense, Faith wonders if she and Vaughn can make a life for themselves without it.
I definitely enjoyed this, and the world-building that went on, but I didn’t really find it to be anything particularly out of the ordinary. As usual I find Nalini Singh’s love scenes a little too racy and a little too frequent for my personal taste. I’ve read that she tones down the heat in the next volume, though, as well as lays on the plot, and I’m really interested to see what happens to Judd, so I think I’ll keep on reading.
I am an Amazon Associate. I did not receive any of these books for review.
Miss Kate Daltry’s life hasn’t been great since her father died. Since her stepmother Mariana cares nothing for their estate, nor for her, she’s had to take everything into her own hands – and when staff are fired, she ends up taking on their jobs. There are few bright spots in her life; she’s never had a London season and can’t imagine where she’d find a husband, nor is she certain that she’d be able to abandon the tenants to Mariana’s whims. When her stepsister is bitten by her pet dog, though, Kate is forced to impersonate her, complete with fiance and bratty dogs, at a ball in a prince’s castle. Little does she expect that she’ll find it so hard to keep up the pretense with Prince Gabriel.
Eloisa James is completely a must-buy author for me. You might recall that I just adored her Desperate Duchesses series, which only got better with each successive volume. While I’m not sure A Kiss at Midnight has the long-term resonance of that six book series with me, it’s still an absolutely delightful story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Since A Kiss at Midnight is a Cinderella retelling, James chose not to set it in any specific time period so she could stay truer to the fairy tale. Some historical details as a result seem off, but the genuine fairy tale romance feel of the entire book is so worth it. The pages might as well be laced with a bit of pixie dust. I loved recognizing all the little details that are so familiar from a lifetime of variations on Cinderella, and in addition acknowledging a few of the changes the author made to mix it up. For example, the glass slippers aren’t really glass, but rather very thin fabric that is stiff and transparent. For rather obvious reasons, they could only have been worn once.
I loved the romance, too. These characters work so well together – so many of their interactions left me with a smile on my face. They learn to get past their initial misconceptions and truly love one another. I thought it was sweet and genuine. I also really enjoyed Kate’s interactions with her step sister Victoria, who is spoiled but has an extremely kind heart. Kate herself was the star of the show, though, always witty and vulnerable at just the right times. I don’t think she’d fit in at any time period that this book could have been set in, but that’s okay, because she doesn’t have to. As usual, I loved the literary references that the author threw in. She’s a professor of literature and I think it’s these touches that both add romance and make her books really stand out to me.
While this book may not have the emotional impact of, in particular, A Duke of Her Own, it was still an outstanding romance novel. I cherished the time I spent reading it, and if you enjoy sweet, fairy tale romances with a little bit of heat, this book is certainly for you.
When she was a child, Zoe Octavia Lexham frequently ran away. Despite that, her father took her to India when she was 12, where you guessed it, she vanished. After twelve years of searching and many fakes, Zoe finally escapes the harem in which she has been imprisoned and returns to London. She’s immediately recognized by Lucien de Grey, the earl of Marchmont, one of her childhood friends. Lucien has lost everyone he’s ever loved in his life, and he thought Zoe was one of them. After only a short while back in her presence, he realizes that he can’t let her go again.
I was hoping to enjoy this book like so many others have, but it let me down a lot. And that’s down to a single problem, which is the complete unbelievableness of Zoe. I’ll grant you that most historical romances are not exactly realistic and probably would never have happened within their own time periods, but often the emotions and situations of the characters resonate perfectly with modern readers like me. This was definitely not the case here. Zoe seems almost completely unaffected by her time in a harem. She’s technically a widow but of course she remains a virgin, even though we learn how she’s sexually experienced from attempting to seduce her former husband. Wouldn’t that sort of thing carry emotional scars? Instead, she seems to think it’s perfectly acceptable to fondle a man in her father’s house, rather than carrying any scars from being forced to attempt engagement in sexual acts with a man she didn’t like very much. They’re interrupted at least twice; where on earth was their sense of propriety? Why does no one care? It’s like her entire imprisonment is a mere excuse to make her a little bit less inhibited than a normal heroine would be, but without any drawbacks that a woman of her time period should have experienced.
It’s overall a very strange book; Zoe fits perfectly into society again when it suits her, like she’s never been away, but her lack of inhibitions doesn’t match. When she is reminded of her imprisonment, it’s on something completely unrelated, simply the concept of being unable to leave her house. I couldn’t understand why she was perfectly happy to use her harem skills to seduce Lucien but then cried when she couldn’t leave the house because her life was in danger. It made no sense at all to me, and as a result I just couldn’t like her. It would have honestly been a DNF if I didn’t know I could read it in two hours; I mostly just finished it because I figured I might as well.
It’s a minor point as well that unfortunately I don’t really like Loretta Chase’s writing. It always seems far too stilted to me, the dialogue unrealistic, and as a result I couldn’t believe in the love story either. I’d quote an example but unfortunately I’m at work without the book. It’s a shame because in theory I like the idea of Lucien’s personal journey, from his constant heartbreak to his ability to love again, but the rest of the book didn’t work for me. I just don’t think I’m interested in reading another book by Loretta Chase – not even the famed Lord of Scoundrels. Something about her writing doesn’t work with the way I think, so I’ll be avoiding her in future.
Gwen Maudsley may be only a Miss, but she’s beautiful, wealthy, and kind enough to be one of the most popular debutantes of her day. Gwen’s parents spent their lives wishing for her to become a perfect lady, so she’s spent her time trying to catch a title with her three million pounds. Twice, she almost succeeds, but when the second man leaves her at the altar, Gwen wonders if it’s time to ditch her “nice” reputation and see what it’s like to be wicked. The object of her attention? Alex Ramsay, her late brother’s best friend, well known for his rakish tendencies and travels the world over.
I really, really enjoyed this book. I bought all of Meredith Duran’s previous books and virtually inhaled them through the last couple of months, so I was absolutely thrilled to receive this for review. Part of me was a little worried that I’d be disappointed – I know others have been – but I found this to be a satisfying, perfectly romantic read throughout. Duran is the romance author to watch these days, if you’re asking me.
This book feels a lot less emotionally tortured than her previous books, which I thought was a nice change. She still writes extraordinary well, and is IMO one of the most talented writers in the genre today. I could actually focus on this book with the TV on, something I normally struggle a lot with. But I can see how other fans of Duran would be disappointed, simply because it’s lacking that degree of suffering. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of emotional resonance here. Gwen and Alex have a number of problems to work through before they can truly be together. But there is certainly a lighter edge to this book, especially in the interactions between them, some of which were just plain fun.
In the end, I pretty much loved Wicked Becomes You. I’m almost wishing I’d left one of Duran’s books to savor while I’m waiting for her next one! But trust me, she’s on my auto buy list and she’ll be my first recommendation for romance readers from here on out.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the publisher for review.
Lucy Waltham has been in love with her brother’s friend Toby for eight years. When suddenly everyone declares that his engagement to a Miss Sophia Hathaway is guaranteed, Lucy decides she has to do something about it, and sets out to seduce Toby. First, though, she practices on Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, who unbeknownst to her has begun to see her as a woman, not the foolish little girl she once was. When she kisses Jeremy, she gets a lot more than she bargained for.
While I liked this, it definitely had faults. Tessa Dare’s writing was surprisingly strong and carried me through the book without any trouble, and for the most part I liked Lucy and Jeremy. The falling in love was great, right up until the couple was about to get married (roughly halfway through the book). Then they decided that they couldn’t talk to one another and spent the rest of the book agonizing over stupid misunderstandings that could have easily been fixed. It’s like a lesson on how not to communicate in a relationship. Still, it was sweet, and my affection for the characters kept me going through to the end.
Sophia Hathaway longs to escape her stifling existence in England. So she flees her home and her fiancé to buy passage on the Aphrodite, a former pirating ship with a domineering ex-captain, Benedict “Gray” Grayson. Sophia wants nothing more to be her own person, posing as a governess called Jane on her escape. Instead she finds a person that she suspects will complete her, but how will they get past all the lies?
I’m a little wavery on this one. I liked it for the most part, but what bothered me were the constant lies. I couldn’t really imagine that anyone could base a relationship off total dishonesty, yet here these two are managing it. I kept wanting to shake Sophia and get her to tell at least Gray the truth, before it was too late. But it all wrapped up quite nicely (as these books are prone to do) and I did enjoy reading it.
Isabel Grayson has known that passion is dangerous from a very young age. Instead of seeking a love match like her brothers urge her to do, Isabel decides to marry a peer with influence so she can change the world. But then she meets Sir Tobias Aldridge, her brother’s wife’s jilted fiancé. Toby not only thinks Sophia is absolutely gorgeous, he thinks marrying her is a perfect way to get back at Sophia. The difficult part? Falling in love with his wife while her only love is charity cases.
This was a very sweet last installment in the trilogy. My only issue with it was Isabel’s reluctance to embrace her actual personality. She is so determined to suppress her own emotions that she is actually quite boring at times, but at least she had a good reason behind it. I really liked Toby and I could completely understand his frustration and attitude. And I was glad that rather than using Isabel, he genuinely liked her and enjoyed her company throughout the book – there was never anything as coldhearted as the summary implies.
I have to admit, though, the best part of this book was the sub-romance between Isabel’s brother and her doctor friend. He’s black and she’s white and I wanted to cheer that Tessa put that romance there. It’s not perfect; they’re both depicted as “flawed” people (his is because he’s a widower, hers because she is a female doctor in a time when women weren’t even allowed to be doctors) but considering the total absence of normal colored people in mainstream romance novels, I was very very pleased.
All in all, this was a really nice debut trilogy. Tessa Dare is releasing a new trilogy this summer and I just love the trailer she’s done for it. It just shows how creative you can be with a camera, a laptop, and children’s toys!
The Lady Most Likely…, Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway
Tempt Me at Twilight, Lisa Kleypas
Married by Morning, Lisa Kleypas
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