Tag Archives: Victorian romance

And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke

book review October 26, 2015 Leave a comment

Laura Lee Guhrke is usually a fallback author for me, with Lorraine Heath and Eloisa James, but All About Romance publishes an annual list of their readership’s top romances of all time and I had seen And Then He Kissed Her on it a few years ago, so this historical romance had been on my personal wish list for a while. Recently, it came up on Amazon for $1.99 and I snapped it up immediately. It did not disappoint.

Emmaline Dove (GREAT name) has been the personal secretary to handsome, divorced Harry the Earl for five years. Subsuming herself to her role, she is everything he needs her to be and he, of course,  takes her for granted. Having written and submitted five etiquette books to him, which he always refuses to publish, Emma’s final straw comes when she realises that Harry has never actually read any of her books before rejecting them. She quits. He panics. She gets a job writing etiquette and household advice (read: late Victorian Martha Stewart) working for a competitor. He buys the competitor’s newspaper. They work together. Harry finally gets to know the real Emma, not the perfect secretary version she portrayed for her job. They fall in love and each is freed from their misconceptions about themselves and their lives. Lovely.

When I started And Then He Kissed Her, I feared it would be a Victorian office romance, but it avoided that pitfall and was a great genre read. Harry and Emma had strong chemistry and the story was by turns sweet, funny, and sexy. There were some hodge-podgey historical elements that irked me a bit, such as Harry admonishing Emma to be her own person and do what she wants in life to which one of the voices in my head replied, “Easy for you to say rich, male, aristocratic person who can do whatever the hell you want!”, but my quibbles were not any great detriment to the story. It was an enjoyable read and one I suspect I will revisit. Plus, as I had hoped, the title of the book does occur in the text and it was wonderfully timed.

Laura Lee Guhrke reviews: When the Marquess Met His Match and How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful.

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

book review September 15, 2015 Leave a comment

Again the Magic  has all of the trademark Kleypas smolder and charm, but a plotting issue which I feel gets in the way of the novel’s success and frustrated me again on my recent re-read; however, I have returned to the secondary plot several times as it has one of my favourite heroes and is, with The Heiress Effect, the historical romance for which I really wished a separate novella, or novel, had existed for the heroine’s sister.

Meeting as children, Lady Aline* Marsden and stable boy John McKenna were friends and then lovers (short of consummation) in their teens. Their secret was discovered and they were separated by her dastardly father. McKenna went to Brighton and, later, New York. Aline stayed home with her sister, Livia, and her brother, Marcus (of It Happened One Autumn).  In addition to the emotional blow of losing McKenna, Aline suffered a terrible accident which permanently disfigured her legs. At 31, she has never married and does not intend to. Livia, also unmarried, is still at home because her fiance died and she miscarried their child. First in a socially and then a self-imposed exile, Livia is just about ready to return to the land of the living.

With this set up, McKenna returns to the Marsden’s ancestral home. In the delicious manner of all Kleypas heroes, he is filthy rich, gorgeous, and sardonic; he also happens to be hell-bent on exacting revenge on Aline. You see, she pretended to reject him as beneath her to make him leave. McKenna’s plan is not a great one, just to “use her and leave her”, but the reader knows that these star-crossed lovers are going to get a second chance. The problem with Again The Magic  is that he’s just so grumpy and she’s so stubborn. Her friend actually, specifically, accurately describes McKenna as “sturm” and Aline as “drang”. While their denouement was absolutely swoon-worthy, this is Kleypas after all, they were an annoying couple; HOWEVER…

Traveling with McKenna to the Marsden house party is a blonde god of an affluent American, Gideon Shaw. Seductive, proudly louche, and complicated, he and Livia run into each other and the spark is instant. The amount of love story and chemistry that Kleypas gives them in their brief appearances slayed me. I adore Gideon. He is a high-functioning alcoholic who is aware of his problem, but unsure of what to do, or if he wants to or is, indeed, able to do anything about it. Kind and wry, Livia changes his perspective, not because she magically heals him, but because he realises how much more he can have, if he becomes healthy. I found his character incredibly charismatic and alluring in the way that an alcoholic can be only be in a romance (or Thin Man) novel. Livia and Gideon’s love story did yeoman’s work of helping me get through the main plot. They were so sweet together, without ever being overly so, that I found myself waiting for them to reappear and engage me in the story.

A complete summary of Lisa Kleypas’s catalogue, with recommendations, can be found here.

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful.

*Aline – Being uncertain of the author’s intended pronunciation of this name is the pebble in the shoe of my reading experience of Again the Magic.

Ten Great Romance Novellas to Get You Started

book review September 14, 2015 Leave a comment

HISTORICAL Romance

  1. Ashley, Jennifer Scandal and the Duchess  – enjoyable
  2. Dare, Tessa The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright  – fantastic
  3. Dare, Tessa Beauty and the Blacksmith – fun, bring your willing suspension of disbelief
  4. Duran, Meredith Your Wicked Heart  – such fun
  5. Grant, Cecilia A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong – very good
  6. Hoyt, Elizabeth The Ice Princess – nice version of a common trope
  7. Milan, Courtney A Kiss for Midwinter  – CLASSIC as a novella and of the genre

CONTEMPORARY Romance

  1. Bowen, Sarina Blonde Date  – CLASSIC new adult, a perfect novella
  2. Richland, Anna His Road Home – contemporary, wounded soldier coming home

PARANORMAL Romance  – Not my cup of tea, but it could help you determine if it is yours.

  1. Cole, Kresley The Warlord Wants Forever – plenty of THUNDER SEX™!

I also have a ruthlessly streamlined recommendations list: So You Want to Read a (Historical) Romance.

Links to my reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful.

Jennifer Ashley’s Catalogue

book review March 13, 2015 Leave a comment

Themes: Ashley writes about the redemptive power of love and that it heals all wounds.

Ashley is a prolific author with more than one pen-name. I do not read her other works, and I don’t necessarily recommend these ones, but I have read every single one. I lovehate her.

The Mackenzie Series – Historical Romances:

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie – No, but sometimes yes, when I feel like it. He loves her so.
Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage – Occasionally.
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron – Guilty pleasure. I just really like it, okay?
The Duke’s Perfect Wife – No. I loathe the hero.
A Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift – Visits with the ones I like and the ones I don’t.
The Seduction of Elliott McBride – No, I’m proud of the review though.
The Untamed Mackenzie  – novella – NO. Don’t.
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie – No, but very almost yes, so maybe, plus Lord Cameron.
Scandal and the Duchess – Quite fun, enjoyable novella.
Rules for a Proper Governess – Nothing special.
A Mackenzie Clan Gathering – Awful and not even a romance.
The Stolen Mackenzie Bride – 1745? Nope!

The Mackenzie Series: Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley

book review March 13, 2015 Leave a comment

Foxy Mary Poppins!

That’s as far as I got in my review last October and it does really say it all about this entry in Jennifer Ashley’s frequently overwrought, yet personally strangely compelling and habit-forming, Mackenzie historical romance series. I read ALL of her Mackenzie stories and yet I don’t recommend any of them. I lovehate them. Why both? Because Ashley excels at moments of sincere romance while simultaneously over-plotting her novels, thus turning them into melodrama. They have gotten better in time, but Rules for a Proper Governess featuring the Mackenzie in-law McBride family was forgettable. I’ll re-read my guilty histrionic pleasure Many Sins of Cameron Mackenzie instead.

Widowed barrister Sinclair McBride has a busy criminal law practice; two beloved, out-of-control children; and a chaotic home life. He’s swamped. Roberta, “Bertie”, Frasier is a pickpocket with a heart-of-gold and light speed fingers. Bertie falls under Sinclair’s spell watching him in court and when she “accidentally” runs into him later, sparks fly and a pocket watch disappears. Hijinks ensue, Bertie ends up as governess to Sinclair’s lost and motherless children (which Ashley overplays), and everyone falls in love in a manner appropriate to their respective relationships.

Why is it that in fiction there is always a Magical Caregiver who can waltz in and immediately meet all of a child’s needs, inspire loyalty, understand her/him perfectly, and – this is the most incredible part – make them behave in a reasonable and logical fashion? It’s a trope I see all the time and it just strikes me as inane. I understand that it is a short-hand motherhood audition, but I would love a governess story wherein the nanny is inept, but their besotted father doesn’t give a toss and marries her anyway. Given the time period and the certainty of replacing the governess once the marriage takes place, surely all the spousal candidate needs to be is loving, kind, and willing to be a good step-parent to the children.

A summary of Jennifer Ashley’s catalogue can be found here. Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful.

Lisa Kleypas’s Catalogue

book review February 4, 2015 Leave a comment

Themes: Make your own life and your own luck. Hard work is rewarded. To find a true partner, you will need to leave your comfort zone. Also, find an incredibly hot  man who adores you.

HISTORICAL ROMANCES

Standalone Novels/Early Series:
Surrender – don’t, dated
Stranger in My Arms – don’t
Suddenly You – pretty good, reasonably racy
Somewhere I’ll Find You – don’t
Because You’re Mine – don’t
I Will – nope
Where Dreams Begin – personal favourite, I LOVE THIS BOOK
Again the Magic – main plot has sturm and drang, secondary plot is great and has a marvelous hero

Gamblers Series:
Then Came You  – good, a lot of readers really like it
Dreaming of You – CLASSIC, one of romance’s ultimate heroes, I have read it many times
Where’s My Hero – novella follow up to Dreaming of You – for completists

Bow Street Runners Series:
Someone to Watch Over Me – a bit dated, one great moment
Lady Sophia’s Lover  – SMOKING hot hero, pretty good overall, dated
Worth Any Price – don’t, unless you want a lot of sex and no emotion, then do

The Wallflowers Series:
Secrets of a Summer Night – personal favourite, delicious hero
It Happened One Autumn – good not great, pompous hero, the heroine is a bit of a pill
The Devil in Winter – CLASSIC with the ultimate Rake/Wallflower combination
Scandal in the Spring – sweet ending to the series
A Wallflower Christmas – for completists only

The Hathaways Series:
Mine till Midnight – great, has my all time favourite heroine
Seduce Me at Sunrise – too much agita for me
Tempt Me at Twilight – personal favourite
Married by Morning – a near miss, but still good
Love in the Afternoon – excellent, sweet and grows on me with each re-read

The Ravenels:
Cold-Hearted Rake – lays groundwork for the new series, could be stronger
Marrying Winterbourne – middling, hero manhandles the heroine
Devil in Spring – best of the series, but not up to Kleypas’s standard
Hello Stranger – strangely dated; hero born and raised in England has an Irish accent
Devil’s Daughter – best of the series, charming hero

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES

The Travis Series:
Sugar Daddy – didn’t really like the hero
Blue-Eyed Devil – good, not great
Smooth Talking Stranger – Great, but can a hero be too perfect?
Brown Eyed Girl – Based on reviews, I didn’t bother.

Crystal Cove Series: Not my cup of tea, did not read.

The Brothers Sinister Series: Talk Sweetly to Me by Courtney Milan

book review February 3, 2015 Leave a comment

Wrapping up her brilliant Brothers Sinister series, the novella Talk Sweetly to Me, wisely centers on one of Milan’s most charming characters: Stephen Shaughnessy. Readers know him as the sole male writer for the  newspaper in the penultimate book in the series, The Suffragette Scandal. An irreverent iconoclast, he makes an unlikely suitor for an astronomer’s computer (mathematician) and also the perfect one to help her seize her chance at happiness on her own terms. Courtney Milan continues to play with tropes and write spectacular prose, but I found Talk Sweetly to Me fell short and despite some powerful and entertaining moments, the story never quite gelled.

Living with her pregnant sister to provide support in her husband’s absence, Rose Sweetly has a quiet life that she hopes to keep that way. Her appealing neighbour, satirist and bon vivant Stephen Shaughnessy, keeps disrupting her peaceful life by his very existence, proximity, and sincere flirtation. Rose knows the price she could pay with her family and in society for walking out with such a man, but he is persistent, even following her to work to hire her as a tutor to “help” him with an article he is writing.

I liked Rose and Stephen individually and was happy when I found out he would have his own story. It was almost enough to overlook the borderline inappropriate persistence he showed in pursuing the object of his affection. Rose does her best to resist, taking the role she is told she may have in life and then quietly succumbs to Stephen’s well-intended and honourable overtures.

Milan has a special gift for writing spectacularly appropriate romantic gestures for her characters, one of which, in A Kiss for Midwinter, might be the most romantic thing I have ever read. She does not let her readers down in Talk Sweetly to Me either. Between that and the marvelous way her writing carries you into the story, I almost forgot the seemingly insurmountable obstacles these characters face. Romance novels are built around the notion of “you and me against the world” and this is rarely so true as it will be for this pairing.

On a side note, and I can’t believe I am saying this either, I think Milan rushed the consummation.

A complete summary of Courtney Milan’s catalogue, with recommendations, can be found here.

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful which includes the aforementioned observations.

 

The Complete Reading List by Author

book review January 1, 2015 Comments: 35

Short Version: Recommended books are in bold, reviewed books are linked, these are ruthlessly streamlined recommendations lists –

So You Want to Read a (Historical) Romance…
Ten Great Romance Novellas to Get You Started
Plus just for funsies: The Worst Romance Novels I Have Ever Read

I have more content based lists over there on the right  –>

Annual Reading Tallies & Author Commentary 2012 – 2017
On reading romance: Emotional Version and Pseudo-Intellectual Version.

My AUTOBUY List (Links Will Take You to a Summary of the Author’s Catalogue)
Tessa Dare (on probation right now actually)
Laura Florand Though she stopped publishing.
Talia Hibbert
Lisa Kleypas   The Queen for a very long time. Her back catalog is very deep and strong.
Julie Anne Long  Historicals only
Courtney Milan  The. Very. Best.
Lucy Parker Delightful. witty contemporaries
Sally Thorne Because her debut was just that good!

-A-
Albert, Annabeth Waiting for Clark (Bryce/Clark)
Albert, Annabeth Save the Date (Randall/Hunter)
Alexander, R.G. Ravenous novella (Declan/Trick/Jennifer)
Alexander, Victoria Love with the Proper Husband (Marcus/Gwen)
Alexander, Victoria Lady Amelia’s Secret Lover novella (Robert/Amelia)
Alexander, Victoria The Prince’s Bride (Rand/Jocelyn)
Alexander, Victoria The Importance of Being Wicked (Winfield/Miranda)
Alexander, Victoria Lord Stillwell’s Excellent Engagements novella (Winfield/ Felicia&Lucy&Caroline)
Alvarez, Tracey In Too Deep (West/Piper)
Andre, Bella The Way You Look Tonight (Rafe/Brooke)
Ann, Jewel E. When Life Happened (Gus/Parker)
Ashe, Katharine In the Arms of a Marquess (Ben)
Ashley, Jennifer The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie (Ian, not surprisingly/Beth) – GENRE OUTLINE
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Author Commentary & Tallies Shameful

book reviews January 1, 2015 Comments: 3

Shortcuts:    

I have more lists over there on the right—>

My AUTOBUY List (Links Will Take You to a Summary of the Author’s Catalogue)
Tessa Dare (on probation right now, so not an autobuy, but still an autoread)
Laura Florand – She’s been on hiatus since 2017. I miss her SO MUCH!
Lisa Kleypas
Julie Anne Long – historicals
Courtney Milan – The. Very. Best.

2020 READING LISTS:

Recommended books are in bold.

The (Shamefree) Tally 2020

  1. Costello, Lauren Braun & Russell Reich Notes on Cooking: A Short Guide to an Essential Craft
  2. DiAngelo, Robin White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
  3. Fashionary Fashionpedia: The Visual Dictionary of Fashion Design
  4. Feldman, Deborah Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots
  5. Fisher, Carrie Wishful Drinking
  6. Stone, Victoria Helen Problem Child (A Jane Doe Thriller)
  7. Whedon, Joss & Georges Jenty Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home

The (Shameful) Tally 2020

  1. Bowen, Sarina and Elle Kennedy Epic (Wes/Jamie)
  2. Clayborn, Kate Beginner’s Luck (Ben/Ekaterina “Kit”)
  3. Hall, Alexis Boyfriend Material (Lucien/Oliver)
  4. Hibbert, Talia Bad for the Boss (Theo/Jennifer)
  5. Hibbert, Talia Undone by the Ex-Con (Isaac/Lizzie)
  6. Hibbert, Talia Sweet on the Greek (Nikolas/Aria)
  7. Hibbert, Talia Work for It (Olu/Griffin)
  8. Hibbert, Talia Untouchable (Evan/Ruth)
  9. Hibbert, Talia A Girl Like Her (Nathaniel/Hannah)
  10. Hibbert, Talia That Kind of Guy (Zach/Rae)
  11. Hibbert, Talia Damaged Goods (Samir/Laura)
  12. Hibbert, Talia Get a Life, Chloe Brown (Red/Chloe) 
  13. Hibbert, Talia Take a Hint Dani, Brown (Zafir/Danika)
  14. Holt, Leah When It Rains, He Pours (Liam/Glory)
  15. Kelly, Carla Regency Royal Navy Christmas (Micah/Asenathe) (Andrew/Lorna)
  16. Kleypas, Lisa Chasing Cassandra (Tom/Cassandra)
  17. Knight, JJ Big Pickle (Jace/Nova)
  18. Lauren, Christina Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating (Josh/Hazel)
  19. McQuiston, Casey Red, White, and Royal Blue (Alex/Henry) FANTASTIC!
  20. Parker, Lucy Headliners (Nick/Sabrina)
  21. Quinlan, Bria The Last Single Girl (John/Sarah)
  22. Reid, Rachel Tough Guy (Ryan/Fabian)
  23. Roberts, Nora Vision in White (Carter/Mackenzie)
  24. Rochon, Farrah The Boyfriend Project (Daniel/Samiah)
  25. Snyder, Suleikha Tikka Chance on Me (Tyson/Pinky)
  26. Sosa, Mia Crashing into Her (Love on Cue (Anthony/Eva)
  27. Vincy, Mia A Wicked Kind of Husband (Joshua/Cassandra)
  28. Vincy, Mia A Beastly Kind of Earl (Rafe/Thea)
  29. Weatherspoon, Rebekah Wrapped: A FIT Adjacent Christmas Novella (Aiden/Shae)
  30. Weatherspoon, Rebekah Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny (Rafe/Sloan)

2019 READING LISTS:

Recommended books are in bold.

The (Shamefree) Tally 2019

  1. Shrimpton, Jayne Victorian Fashion

The (Shameful) Tally 2019

  1. Balogh, Mary Someone to Trust (Colin/Elizabeth)
  2. Balogh, Mary Someone to Honor (Gil/Abigail)
  3. Balogh, Mary Someone to Remember (Charles/Matilda)
  4. Blakeman, Aviva Stacked (Mags/Imogene)
  5. Blakeman, Aviva Say My Name (John/Zelda)
  6. Bowen, Sarina Brooklynaire (Nate/Rebecca) DNF
  7. Bowen, Sarina novella Studly Period (Pepe/Josephine)
  8. Bowen, Sarina novella Yesterday (Graham/Rikker)
  9. Bowen, Sarina, Speakeasy (Alec/Mae)
  10. Bowen, Sarina Fireworks (Benito/Skye)
  11. Dare, Tessa The Wallflower Wager (Gabriel/Penny)
  12. Dare, Tessa novella His Bride for the Taking (Sebastian/Mary)
  13. Kelly, Carla The Unlikely Master Genius (Able/Meridee)
  14. Kelly, Elizabeth Christmas Rescue (Elias/Ivy)
  15. Kennedy, Elle The Risk (Jake/Brenna)
  16. Kleypas, Lisa Devil’s Daughter (West/Phoebe)
  17. Lang Ruby Acute Reactions (Ian/Petra)
  18. Lang, Ruby Hard Knocks (Adam/Helen)
  19. Long, Julie Anne Lady Derring Takes a Lover (Tristan/Delilah)
  20. Long, Julie Anne Angel in a Devil’s Arms (Lucien/Angelique)
  21. Milan, Courtney Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure (Violetta/Bertrice)
  22. Morton, Lily Rule Breaker (Dylan/Gabe)
  23. Parker, Lucy The Austen Playbook (Griff/Freddy) – FANTASTIC
  24. Reid, Penny A Marriage of Inconvenience (Dan/Kat)
  25. Reid, Rachel Game Changer (Scott/Kip)
  26. Reid, Rachel Heated Rivalry (Ilya/Shane) – GREAT
  27. Thorne, Sally 99 Percent Mine (Tom/Darcy)
  28. Walker, N.R. novella Red Dirt Heart Imago (Charlie/Travis & Lawson/Jack)
  29. Walker, N.R. Switched (Israel/Sam)
  30. Walsh, Brighton Our Love Unhinged (Cade/Winter)
  31. Walsh, Brighton Second Chance Charmer (Cade/Winter)

2018 READING LISTS:

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Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James Series: Once More, My Darling Rogue by Lorraine Heath

book review November 30, 2014 Leave a comment

Short Version: NO!

Medium Version: My romance spirit guide, Malin, gave me this book and guessed it based on the blurb.

It’s a Victorian romance this –

overboard

 plus a Victorian romance that –

taming

 resulting in a Victorian romance reading experience of:

stabby

Long Version:

While continuing to be an author I try to avoid actually paying for Lorraine Heath is solidly B-Minus List writer with some decent books under her belt. She can be dated in her plotting and characters and Once More, My Darling Rogue is no exception.

Lady Ophelia (God is kind, so she is called Phee by her friends) is an uptight snob, a Mean Girl. Gaming Hell owner Drake is a member of her social set, the adopted urchin son of a family friend. Drake’s sister and Phee’s best friend was the heroine of the first book in this series, When the Duke Was Wicked. It was not really a success either, but it did not inculcate violent urges. Phee has had snobbery engrained in her from an early age, which is admittedly historically accurate, and she is particularly awful to Drake. She treats him like a servant. He puts up with it, but it is wearing thin. They each wear masks to protect themselves and hide their true blah blah blah. You can see where this is going. The movie posters gave it away.

Phee has an accident and loses her memory. Drake conveniently finds and takes her in to his opportunely newly purchased, and thus undecorated and under-minioned home. Telling her she is his housekeeper/cook/maid of all work, he lets this illusion go on for more than .1473 seconds and it crosses the line into unforgivable. I remember thinking things like, “If these two embark on a physical relationship before she regains her memory I’m going to go postal!” They did and I didn’t, but I finished the book out of spite. There was some vague rationale about her unhappy past and the healing that comes with forgetfulness, but to hell with that. All I know is that her character flaws were rooted in trauma and SOMEHOW the fact that the character development that came with new trauma Drake inflicted was liberating for her is supposed to make it okay. It does not.

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful.

Also by Lorraine Heath, But for Romance Novel Withdrawal Emergencies Only:

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