A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore

I'm always on the lookout for new authors. To me, one of the great pleasures of reading is discovering a new author - I would be so bored if I only read the same old favorites! (Not to mention, I have to keep finding new authors, as my previous favorites stop writing the books that I enjoy the most.) And so, even if a debut book has flaws, it's still an enjoyable experience.

A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore
(2009, Regency Historical) 1/3/2010
Grade: 3.5

After seven years mourning her husband Garrett, who died at Waterloo, Sophie is finally happily married to his cousin and best friend, Tristan. But when Garrett returns alive, Sophie is pulled in two directions. Garrett was her first love, but he seems so different. And is there something strange about his reappearance, with the mysterious Mr. Fisk at his side?

This book had a lot of promise, and even though it had some flaws as well, I have high hopes for the author in the future. She does a great job showing how the heroine is torn between these two men, and how she loves them both. I wish she’d spent more time describing how Sophie had changed over the years, and come into her own as an adult woman since Garrett left - it’s mentioned a few times but it could have been explored in more detail. Because of that, I felt that Sophie’s ultimate choice wasn’t given enough support. She says all the right things at the end about why she made the choice she did, but there’s a long section in the middle where she barely thinks about the other guy, so I was a little skeptical when she declares that it was “always him” at the end. (I’m being vague so not to be too spoilery.) But it’s a nice change from the usual romance triangle, where the “other man” has to either turn out to be evil, or die tragically. Kudos to the author for avoiding both of those cliches.

The other flaw here is a couple of sex scenes that seem out of place - one at the beginning that involves bondage for no apparent reason (it’s never mentioned again) and another one that involves a fantasy about a threesome. They just didn’t seem to go with the rest of the book, and it almost felt like they were thrown in to make the book “hotter”. It was just an unnecessary distraction from the real substance of the book.

On the other hand, the plot about Garrett’s disappearance and the mysterious Mr. Fisk kept building and building throughout the book, until I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see what was going to happen. I debated on how to rate this one - I had to grade it down just a bit because the romance didn’t quite work, but it had so much going for it - I’ve already added the author’s next book to my wish list.

I have to comment on the cover. I know that authors don't choose their covers. But I've been laughing at this cover ever since I first saw it last spring! What is she doing with that flower?? Tucking it in her butt cleavage? Scratching an itch? I know some people thought this cover was pretty, but it just looks uncomfortable to me, not sexy.

The Lost (Anthology)

I just finished this anthology, which contains stories by J.D. Robb, Patricia Gaffney, Mary Blayney and Ruth Ryan Langan.

The Lost (Anthology)
(2009, Suspense) 1/1/2010
Grade: 4, 4, 2, 2

J.D. Robb: A woman goes missing from the Staten Island Ferry. Patricia Gaffney: A wife and mother awakens from a coma to discover she’s n the body of a dog. Mary Blayney: A cursed man finds hope with a religious singing nurse. Ruth Ryan Langan: A woman travels to Ireland to discover whether she’s the long lost daughter of a tycoon.

Two of the stories were excellent, and the other two were dull. The Blayney story was too convoluted for me. I read about 30 pages, but it just didn’t add up to a coherent story. The Langan story was very predictable. I predicted everything that would happen on page 1, and I wasn’t surprised.

The Robb story was one of the better installments of this series. I was a little worried about the mysterious futuristic gadget that comes up during the story, but it doesn’t magically solve the mystery. The most interesting part of the story was the question it brought up for Eve - is killing ever justified? It puts her outlook on life up against Roarke’s, and I would have loved to see this expanded to a full length book. Still, the story held together and I enjoyed it.

The most surprising story was The Dog Days of Laurie Summer by Patricia Gaffney. It was really funny! And yet, all of the fun elements of a woman-in-a-dog went with the real emotions of the heroine trying to connect with her family. It was very unexpected from Gaffney, and definitely made the anthology worth reading.

It's always hard to justify paying $7.99 for an anthology that might only contain one or two good stories. But this might be a good book to get from the library, just for the Gaffney story (and the Robb if you are an Eve and Roarke fan).

P.S. Trying to spiff up my blog with pictures - we'll see how that works out!

Best of 2009

I've been very disappointed in myself this year! I only read 31 books, compared to 102 last year, and almost all of those were in the first few months of the year. I have barely read anything at all since June. Admittedly, I've been very busy, with moving and starting a new job, but one of my resolutions this year is to read more. My goal is a book a week. (If I don't start reading, my TBR pile will overwhelm me!)

I only had two books this year that I graded 4.5, which is the equivalent of an A read. (No keepers, but I've become very picky about those...) One was a 2009 book, Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James. I think one reason I loved this book so much was that it was a contemporary. It's so hard to find a great contemporary! The other was a mostly unknown Harlequin Temptation from 2003, Room But Not Bored by Dawn Atkins. I really loved the characters, who weren't stereotypical at all, and I loved that the conflict came out of who they were as people, and felt very real. Although it's out of print, I'd recommend looking for it at a used bookstore! (If you can still find one - the great used bookstores seem to be disappearing, especially ones that carry back lists.)

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

Room But Not Bored by Dawn Atkins

Here are the other books that I gave good grades (4). All of these were well worth reading. Not very many from 2009 - I didn't buy a lot of books this year. Hopefully more 2009 books will turn up on my future lists.

Marrying the Captain by Carla Kelly (2009)
Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James (2008)
The Legacy by T.J. Bennett (2008)
The Holly and the Ivy by Elisabeth Fairchild (1999)
The Fifth Favor by Shelby Reed (2005)
Shadows of the Heart by Tracy Grant (1996)
Indigo by Beverly Jenkins (1996)
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (2009)
Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory (2009)
Christmas Promise by Carla Kelly (short story) (2009)

One thing these all have in common - they all tried something different. Sometimes it was a different setting, or a different type of character, or a different storyline, but they weren't the same-old-same-old. Although I appreciate a tried-and-true story if it's done well, it's nice to see something new and different (if it's done well!).

One bonus of not reading a lot this year - not many clunkers. (I gave up on a few books without finishing them, but I don't count those.) The only truly bad books I read this year were The Wicked Ways of a Duke by Laura Lee Guhrke, which I read at the very beginning of January and mentioned last year, and The Santangeli Marriage by Sara Craven, which made it very clear to me that Harlequin Presents is Not For Me. But nothing since January that really made me want to scream and throw things. I guess that's a good thing!

So now I'm off to attack my TBR pile. Hopefully I'll have much more to report in the near future!


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Now playing: Owl City - Fireflies
via FoxyTunes

A Regency Christmas (Anthology)

It's nice to see Harlequin continuing the tradition of the Regency Christmas anthology, even if only one of the stories was really worth reading.

A Regency Christmas by Lyn Stone, Carla Kelly and Gail Ranstrom
(2009, Regency) 12/28/09
Grade: 2, 4 and DNF

Three Christmas stories by Lyn Stone, Carla Kelly and Gail Ranstrom. The Lyn Stone story is about a wounded captain who is thrown together with an equally troubled woman. Carla Kelly revists Navy captains with a story about a navy captain reviving a romance with an old love, now widowed. And Gail Ranstrom’s story is about the reading of a will.

The Lyn Stone story had promise, but it seemed like enough story for a book (or two) was crammed into 90 pages, and in the end, the story fell apart under its own weight. The Gail Ranstrom story felt very mannered and didn’t appeal, so I gave up after 20 pages. But the Carla Kelly story, Christmas Promise, made this book worthwhile. It was a lovely story of a Navy captain, left at loose ends when the war ends, rediscovering the woman he grew up with, who married his best friend, and who is now widowed. Somehow Carla Kelly can fit a story like this into 90 pages without it seeming rushed or incomplete (although I would have loved more). Her hero, Jeremiah Falk, was wonderful - somehow Kelly can write heroes who can be vulnerable but still very strong. The heroine was less well characterized (she was one of Kelly’s trademark strong-and-virtuous heroines) but she had her moments. Despite the short length, it left me with warm fuzzies, and it was a perfect compliment to her recent books about Naval heroes. A 4+ for that story (and alas, a 2 for the others).

I was looking through my Christmas anthologies from Mary Balogh and Mary Jo Putney, and Carla Kelly definitely needs an anthology of her own. (I saw in an interview that her publishers were considering it. Please, pretty please!) The interview (at Word Wenches) also said that the original title for this story was While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, which is a great title, but I think Christmas Promise works well with the story.

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb

I haven't posted in so long! I've barely read anything in the past few months. It took a library notice to nudge me into reading something new.

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
(2009, Futuristic Romantic Suspense) 12/26/09
Grade: 3.5

When the 16 year old daughter of a NY police captain is murdered, Eve Dallas is on the case. The horrific scene shocks even Eve, but she and Roarke methodically investigate, tracing the crime back over decades, to the police captain’s past.

Although I’m not usually a fan of suspense, there is something about the J.D. Robb books that attracts me. Maybe because they are procedurals and I like seeing all the pieces fall into place. This one felt very Law and Order-ish (and that’s a compliment). There wasn’t a lot of emphasis on the secondary characters, although we get to see Eve working with her team, including Roarke. (I was amused by his annoyance with the tedium of police work, although you would think he’d be used to it by now!) Overall, I found this a solid entry in the series, although nothing exceptional.

Interesting that there is no mention of Nora Roberts anywhere on the book, unlike previous books in the series. The jacket merely says "J.D. Robb is the pseudonym for a number-one New York Times bestselling author." I wonder if they're trying to widen the book's appeal to men? This would be a good book for a newbie to start with, if they didn't want to go back to the beginning - although I'm not sure if a reader could understand Eve without knowing her back story.

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

For some reason I forgot to enter this in my database, back when I read it in April. Strange! Hopefully I'll get the details right after this long delay. My only excuse is that I was in the middle of packing...

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James
(2009, Contemporary) 4/21/09
Grade: 4.5

Payton Kendall has worked hard, and now she’s on the verge of making partner at her law firm. The only obstacle? A sexual harrassment case and her personal nemesis - fellow lawyer J.D. Jameson, who’s had everything handed to him on a silver platter. But is she seeing truth when it comes to JD, or is she judging him just like he’s judged her?

A very clever and interesting book. I usually hate the “I hate you so we must secretly love each other” books, but this one makes it work - maybe because of the law firm backdrop. It made sense for these two to constantly be at odds. The hero and heroine are both very smart and dedicated and love their jobs, which is always refreshing to read about. The law firm background was very well done and believable. I found the “big misunderstanding” in the middle a little hard to believe, and that made the last third a bit slow, but the book came back at the end. (I was relieved that it didn’t end with one or the other having to give up their career dreams.) This wasn’t a perfect book, but I have to give it a little boost because it was unique, and I love a good contemporary (they’re so hard to find these days!)

Good romance contemporaries are so hard to find, especially if you're not looking for a sex-fest or a romantic suspense. I wonder why? Some of the highest sellers in romance started out in contemporary - Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, etc. And when I go to the bookstore, those are the books I see people buying, even if they're buying reprints. So why are there so few new single title contemporaries being published? Even Nora Roberts can't write fast enough to satisfy the entire contemporary market.

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

Although medieval England isn't my favorite setting, I enjoy reading medievals from time to time, to have some variety if nothing else. But for a long time they've been almost extinct, especially in single titles. (Harlequin Historical kept publishing them.) It's nice to see a new author who is writing medievals, with more on the way.

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory
(2009, Medieval) 8/4/09
Grade: 4

After 5 years of marriage to a brutal husband, Catherine risks everything to spy for the crown (and to help her old friend, Prince Harry). But after her husband is killed, she is forced to marry William FitzAlan, who isn’t sure if she can be trusted. Can Catherine overcome her painful past and learn to trust her new husband, and can William learn to trust her as well?

Although the plotline was fairly typical, this was an enjoyable medieval. The book was well written, and the characters were interesting. I enjoyed the unusual background of the English-Welsh wars of the early 1400’s, and the soon-to-be King Henry V. I got a little frustrated by the hero’s mistrust of the heroine (which went on a little too long), and the book got a little slow in the last third. (How many times can one heroine be kidnapped?) I would have preferred a little more emotional depth and a little less action. But overall, I enjoyed it, and I’m glad to see medievals back on romance shelves.

I'm sure I learned all about this time period in history class, but my memory is pretty vague. My only knowledge of Henry V is Shakespeare and St. Crispin's Day - but I couldn't tell you exactly what they were fighting about. (So much for having a minor in history!)

The Courtesan's Wager by Claudia Dain

I don't normally write about books that I don't finish, but in this case, I made an exception. I made it over 100 pages into this one before giving up, and it was a book that I was really looking forward to (and thought that I would enjoy). So I wanted to write something about it.

The Courtesan's Wager by Claudia Dain
(2009, Regency Historical) 8/3/09
Grade: DNF

The basic plotline - Amelia wants to marry a Duke, but they haven't noticed her. So she goes to see the infamous Lady Sophia Dalby, a onetime courtesan, who has a reputation for arranging advantageous matches.

Unfortunately, I had problems with this book. Firstly, it was very hard to follow without having read the previous books. I'm usually pretty good at coming into series in the middle, because I hate having to read two or three mediocre books in order to get to the good one in the series, but in this case, there were so many characters that it was hard to follow without knowing the background.

Secondly, the writing style. It wasn't bad, and in many cases it was very witty. But it lacked emotional involvement. I never felt close to the main characters, and I felt that the author was keeping me at a distance, watching from afar instead of getting into the characters' heads and hearts. This is a style that some people like, but I prefer a more direct and emotional style. Even after 100 pages, I didn't really care about the characters, and I think the writing style had a lot to do with that.

I didn't get a lot of the hero-heroine relationship (by page 100, they'd barely spoken to each other), but it seemed like it was going to be one of those "I hate you so I must love you" stories. Since I just glanced through the second half of the book (and skipped ahead and read the end), I could be wrong about that, but it's one of my least favorite romance tropes.

It's not that unusual for me, not to finish a book. I probably only finish half of the books that I start - I have too many books in my TBR pile to spend my time reading books I don't enjoy. But I was surprised by my reaction to this book. It was highly praised at Dear Author, and I guess I was expecting something quite different. (I actually assumed that the heroine would be the courtesan, based on what I'd heard of the book online, and I was quite surprised that she was not - I was expecting the Amelia storyline to become a secondary romance. She's a major character, but she's not the romantic lead.) And of course, the fact that it was a trade paperback made not finishing even more disappointing.

I guess it comes down to my tastes. I'm actually a pretty traditional romance reader, and when I pick up a romance, I want something specific - an emotional experience focused on the relationship between the hero and heroine. And that's not really what this book was about, even though it was nominally a romance.

The Santangeli Marriage by Sara Craven

There's a huge spoiler in this review. I couldn't really talk about how I felt about this book without discussing the ending.

I hardly ever read Harlequin Presents. The uber-rich, uber-dominant alpha heroes just don't appeal to me. But I love the exotic settings, which are so rare in other contemporary romances, so I'll pick one up if it's recommended to me (and if I'm assured that the hero isn't too much of an alpha jerk.) Oddly enough, that wasn't the problem with this book.

The Santangeli Marriage by Sara Craven (HP Extra #61)
(2009, Contemporary Series) 7/31/09
Grade: 2.5

Italian billionaire and playboy Lorenzo Santangeli is willing to marry his late mother’s innocent goddaughter. They grew up together, and he’s ready to settle down and have a family. But Marisa isn’t so sure, and after a honeymoon full of misunderstandings, she flees to London. Can they rebuild a marriage that never really began?

I usually like marriage in trouble stories, but this one was just frustrating. HP is known for its alpha heroes, but at least they’re usually straightforward about what they want. The hero here can’t make up his mind - does he want Marisa or not? But the heroine is much worse. She spends most of the book dithering - she loves him, she hates him, she loves him, she hates him. And the endless whining! I just wanted her to make up her mind one way or the other. The misunderstandings were endless - she loves him but can’t tell him, he loves her but won’t admit it, on and on. So why did I keep reading? At first I was curious about what would happen - I kept thinking that at some point, we’d get the “falling in love” part. (Not really, they’re still dithering on page 150 of a 184 page book.) Then I skimmed forward to the end, and I was intrigued.

(This is the spoiler part.) The heroine finds out she can’t have children, which threatens to ruin their marriage since having an heir is a big deal for the hero. That’s an unusual plot twist for a romance, especially in a traditional series romance like a HP. But the way it was handled was strange. The hero tells the heroine he loves her, but he never says “we can be happy without children” or “we can adopt” or anything like that. The implication is there, sort of, but it seemed odd that he didn’t say it. He just skips over the whole issue. It made me wonder if HP was trying to leave the ending vague, so readers can imagine a “miracle pregnancy” in the future if they want. (Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but given the rarity of an infertile heroine in a Harlequin, I had to wonder why the ending seemed to leave out an element that seemed like a crucial part of the story.)

I'm afraid this book hasn't convinced me to pick up more HP books. One of my favorite review sites seems to love them, and whenever I read their reviews, I think "oh, this one will be different". I must learn to resist that temptation, because so far, I haven't found a single HP that I enjoyed. Even as a guilty pleasure.

The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor

I like the idea of interconnected stories - there have only been a few Regency anthologies that had this idea, and I'm sure it's a lot of work for the authors, but it gives the stories a common background, and that helps when trying to create a romance that works despite the short page count.

The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor (Anthology)
Stories by Diane Gaston, Deb Marlowe and Amanda McCabe
(2009, Regency) 6/14/09
Grade: 3.5

Three interconnected stories by Diane Gaston, Deb Marlowe and Amanda McCabe. The illegitimate children of the Duke and Duchess of Manning live a charmed life despite their scandalous reputation, but after their parents’ deaths, they have to find love while still being true to the lively spirit of their family and the happy times they’ve shared at Welbourne.

I enjoyed the Regency feel of the three stories more than I enjoyed any particular love story. None of them was all that emotionally involving as a romance. However, I liked the overall atmosphere of the book, and the interesting background the authors gave to this family. (I wondered how historically accurate it was - none of the characters suffer any serious problems due to their illegitimacy, which seems surprising despite Prinny’s approval.) The first story, Justine and Brenner, did the most to lay out the family background, and perhaps because of that, the romance seemed like an afterthought. However, I felt it had the most emotional involvement of the three, with Justine’s questioning her place in the family, and Brenner’s struggle to deal with his mother’s desertion. The second story, Ned and Annalise, was the most fully realized as a romance, but it felt a bit superficial. And the last story, Drew and Charlotte, felt the most perfunctory - it was the shortest, and the most questionable in terms of the historical background. But overall, I enjoyed entering the world the authors created, even if the stories were too short to really delve into the characters.

Another book that explores the world of illegitimate children in the Regency. Unfortunately, this one mostly ignored the problem - I'm sure money and royal connections went a long way toward smoothing their path, but still, I couldn't help wondering when Annalise and Charlotte discuss "having a season" in London. Would that have been a realistic option?

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

I'm always a fan of unusual heroes, so of course I was all over this book!

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
(2009, Victorian) 5/21/09
Grade: 4

Lord Ian Mackenzie is considered rather “odd”. Some people call him mad. But widowed heiress Beth Ackerley sees his kindness and his sexual attraction, and wants to get to know him better - in bed and out of it. But will secrets from his past drive them apart?

This book had a slow start. I was intrigued by Ian and Beth in the first couple of chapters, but then the book got bogged down in lengthy introductions of Ian’s brothers (set up for their own books), as well as a complicated murder mystery and long detailed sex scenes. The characters got lost, and I began to wonder if the book was worth finishing. Thankfully, in the second half , the author settled down and focused on Beth and Ian, and the book got much more interesting. I’m no expert on Aspergers, but the characterization of Ian rang true (most of the time), and the author was able to balance Ian’s problems with the romantic necessity of making him capable of a relationship with Beth. I also found Beth an interesting and unique character, with an unusual background that felt very Victorian. The mystery was perhaps a little too convoluted, and it depended too much on bringing in a villain at the last minute, but after the first section, it managed to influence the events of the book without taking over. Overall, I enjoyed the book very much, although it didn’t grab me emotionally (surprisingly, considering the subject), maybe because it took so long to really get going.

It's surprising, a number of authors have written books about "mad" heroes, but then the books don't really pay off with a deeply emotional story that focuses on the hero and his problems. Although this book was enjoyable, I was disappointed that so much space was taken up by the mystery, when what I really wanted was more of the hero and less of "who killed the prostitute". I can think of a couple of other books in the last few years that also had "mad" heroes, but the author didn't follow through. I wonder why - it seems like readers who are attracted to this kind of story are the kinds of readers who want emotional intensity, not yet another murder mystery or endless pages of sex scenes - but the authors keep throwing the other stuff in there instead of really following through with the angst. Come on, authors, give us what we want! (A selfish demand, I know, but what can I say, I'm a demanding reader! :->)

My New TBR Pile (Much Smaller!)

About six months ago, I decided I needed to significantly downsize my TBR pile. I had a lot of books that I had gotten at book signings, from sales tables, romance conferences, etc., that I realized I would never read. I'd bought many of them 10-15 years ago, when my reading tastes were different. So, I ruthless pared down my TBR pile - I read back blurbs, skimmed the first couple of chapters, looked up comments and reviews on the internet. I managed to reduce my TBR to only 400 books!! I'm shocked to see how small my book collection is now.

I gave away some to my local library. They didn't want the older ones, so those went to the used bookstore and freecycle. A lucky reader on freecycle got 9 file boxes of books. I traded over 200 books on paperbackswap.

So now I have a somewhat realistic reading goal - to read all the books in my TBR. Of course, I keep buying new ones, so it shouldn't take me more than 10 years or so...

My Old TBR Pile

When I moved to Georgia in 2006, I took a picture of my TBR "pile". (It took up an entire walk-in closet.) At that time, I had about 1500 books, which is a reduction from my all-time high of about 2200.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins

I've had Indigo on my "to be bought" list for many years, but I'd pretty much given up on ever finding it. (I set my best book finders on the case and even they came up empty.) But after I heard Beverly Jenkins speak at the Princeton romance conference a few weeks ago, I decided to splurge and buy it from Amazon, despite the price.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
(1996, American) 5/11/09
Grade: 4

After escaping from slavery, Hester Wyatt has devoted her life to the Underground railroad. When the notorious Black Daniel is brought to her home, she finds him rude and arrogant, but she discovers there’s a lot more to him, whether he’s the Black Daniel or the wealthy Galen Vachon. Soon, her outlook on life begins to change, in unexpected ways.

Beverly Jenkins always brings amazing historical depth to her books, and this one begins with a lot of information about the Underground railroad (to the point that the first part of the book feels more like a history than a historical). But she also creates great characters, even though Hester and Galen sometimes seem too good to be true. But I can’t complain too much about a hero who adores the heroine and can’t stop admiring her. The biggest surprise, and disappointment, was that the romance was so predictable, despite the unusual setting. It was well done, but it seemed odd to read a book that’s set in the black community in 1859, and then have a romantic conflict that wouldn’t be out of place in a Regency. (He’s rich, she’s poor, will they ever accept her, yada yada yada.) I was also surprised that Hester accepted Galen’s wealthy lifestyle so easily, despite the sacrifices she made earlier in the book. Still, the book was very well written and compelling, even if it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

Indigo begins with two heartwrenching letters from Hester's father, who sold himself into slavery because of his love for her mother. That's hard to imagine, but it's based on a true story. It would be hard for any book to live up to such a beginning.

I will probably remember this book for a long time, just because of the unique background. When I finished, I wanted to know more about African American life in the North before the Civil War - something I know almost nothing about.

But it's hard to recommend a book that's only available in a very expensive print-on-demand edition. It doesn't seem to be widely available in libraries (I even struck out with interlibrary loan) and it's nearly impossible to find in its original Avon edition. I'm glad it's in print, but it's too bad that it's not more widely available at a more affordable price, because I think a lot of romance readers would enjoy it (and learn something too).

The Things We Do For Love by Margot Early

The Keeper by Margot Early is one of my favorite series romances of all time. It's serious, but it's also a wonderful love story - I have read it at least a dozen times. Unfortunately for me, Margot Early likes writing books about babies and pregnancy, which I don't really like. I've tried a few of them, but even a good writer can't make me enjoy the subject. But whenever I see a book by Early that's not a baby book, I grab it, hoping to find another book as good as The Keeper. Unfortunately, this one wasn't it.

The Things We Do For Love by Margot Early (HSR 1546)
(2009, Contemporary Series) 5/4/09
Grade: 3

Mary Anne has had a crush on reporter Jonathan Hale for years, and when she finds out he's engaged, she decides to make a last ditch effort, and buys a love potion. But the potion ends up in the wrong glass, and is drunk by Graham Corbett, a rude and annoying radio psychologist that Mary Anne tries hard to avoid. But suddenly Graham is paying attention to her - and maybe she'll discover there's more to him than she thinks.

This was a hard book to grade. There were pieces of it that I really liked, but that was also the major problem with the book – the pieces just didn’t come together in a cohesive whole. I really liked the hero and heroine, and enjoyed the story of how Mary Anne discovered that Graham was the right man for her. But the story of Mary Anne’s dysfunctional family could have filled a 400 page book by itself. Graham’s issues with his late wife’s death were also too big for the small space they were given. And then there were the secondary characters, not to mention the silly love potion, which got way too much attention. (It was cute as a setup, but I got tired of hearing about it) The book felt like a car that couldn’t quite get into gear – it moved along in fits and starts, and although it finally reached the finish line, it never really got going. Too bad.

One thing I appreciated about this book was the West Virginia setting. Even though it's set in small town West Virginia, it's more than an Appalachian stereotype - all kinds of people live there. As a West Virginia girl myself (I spent summers there as a child and still have lots of relatives there), I'm glad to see a book set in WVa that's not a bunch of redneck cliches.

Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Wendell and Tan

Although this isn't exactly a romance novel, it's close enough, so I think it belongs on my blog.

Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels
by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan
(2009, Non-Fiction) 4/30/09
Grade: 4.5

Overall, this book was great fun. Although there were some dull sections, overall it kept me laughing, and reminded me of why I love romance. The snarky attitude of the authors worked perfectly to explain why even the most devoted romance lover has to sometimes roll her eyes when she comes across "that book".

The one thing that I found surprising about this book was the emphasis on the "Old Skool" romance. I started reading romance in the mid-80's, and my first romance novel was Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss. (Given to me by my grandmother!) So I know all about the Old Skool romance, and have a certain fondness for a few of those books. But I haven't read one in almost two decades, and I don't think any romance readers think about them much any more. You have to talk about them to understand the history of romance, but it just seemed like too much time was spent discussing a type of romance that hasn't been published in 20 years. I realize that the outside world still thinks of romance as "the bodice ripper", but I wanted to read more about the books that turned me into a romance believer, not the rape fests of the 70's and early 80's. (And I think the audience for this book will mostly be romance readers, not skeptics who can't get past the bodice ripper image.)

Still, this book is completely unique, and it was worth every penny. But it won't be going on my keeper shelf next to Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women.

Shadows of the Heart by Tracy Grant

After reading Tracy Grant's Shores of Desire last year, I started looking for the sequel (which is surprisingly hard to find). Unfortunately, in the six months since I read the first book, I'd forgotten a lot, but I still enjoyed the sequel. (Oddly enough, this book was published first, although it clearly takes place after Shores of Desire.)

Shadows of the Heart by Tracy Grant
(1996, Regency Historical) 4/27/09
Grade: 4

After Sophie is attacked in an alley, she is rescued by Paul Lescaut. But she can’t remember who she is, or why she was attacked - or even why she’s pregnant. Paul has his own secrets, but he never imagined how closely he was bound to Sophie, and how their lives would become intertwined as they tried to escape their common enemies.

An exciting and compelling read. Although suspense and road romances aren’t my favorites (and this is a bit of both), the author keeps the book moving, and kept me turning the pages. The hero and heroine were both very well drawn and unique, and even the secondary characters stood out and weren’t just stock figures. (I was a little confused by references to the earlier book, which I read a few months ago but didn’t remember in detail, but it wasn’t a major issue.) The storyline did seem to pile one thing on top of another on top of another, and it became too convoluted near the end. But still, I kept reading because I wanted to know what would happen to Sophie and Paul. The author made me believe that these characters would work together despite their differences, even though the focus was often more on the mystery than the relationship.

What happened to Tracy Grant? She got tremendous buzz after The Daughter of the Game and the sequel, but the next two books in the series have been "coming soon" for years. Hmm, looking at her web site, it seems that she doesn't have a contract. Sacre bleu!

The Fifth Favor by Shelby Reed

Given my ambivalence about super-sexy books, I was surprised to buy a book from Ellora's Cave. But if you're going to write a book about a male escort, it makes sense to have a lot of sex scenes - I was hoping they would fit with the characters, more than they do in a lot of other erotic books.

The Fifth Favor by Shelby Reed
(2005, Contemporary) 4/20/09
Grade: 4

Billie is hoping to write a story about the notorious private club Avalon, where male escorts provide everything for wealthy female clients. But once she meets the mysterious Adrian, she wants to know more, and she can’t give up until she discovers the man behind the facade.

This book was most notable for its hero, Adrian. The author shows how his work has changed the way he thinks and acts, and his struggle to make sex more than just a meaningless job. At first, the book seemed too focused on sex (it made sense for the hero, but there were times when it seemed odd that the characters would have sex so often, when Adrian was trying to learn to relate on a non-sexual level.) The main weakness of the book was the heroine. She felt very “Mary Sue” - she’s not well rounded as a character, and her main role seemed to be to explain how great Adrian is. Because of that, I never really bought their great romance. But I had to give this book a slightly higher grade because the hero was so unique, and that made the book memorable, despite the weak heroine.

This is a book that I actually bought twice - once in ebook format, and then, when I found it too difficult to read as an ebook, I bought it (for full price!) in paperback form. Of course, it's now selling used for a couple of dollars on Amazon. For the amount of money I spent on it, its too bad it wasn't better.

The Holly and the Ivy by Elisabeth Fairchild

An odd time of year to read a Christmas book, but it jumped out at me when I was scanning my TBR shelves.

The Holly and the Ivy by Elisabeth Fairchild
(1999, Regency) 4/5/09
Grade: 4

Lord Balfour is known for being cold and especially for hating Christmas, but when he meets his charming neighbors, Mary Rivers and her elderly Gran, he begins to discover the Christmas spirit. But is he willing to take a chance and step outside his loneliness to find an unconventional love?

This was a charming and surprisingly dark book. The hero has just lost his servant Temple, who was closer to him than his parents, and his moments of grief are very moving. (Not many books have the hero and heroine bonding at a funeral warehouse.) The characters are revealed in small ways - I didn’t realize until the heroine pointed it out that the hero thinks her as “Merry” in his passages, while she’s “Mary” in hers. There are several scenes where you see how each of the characters see the same events in a different way, and it’s very well done. That made the “big misunderstanding” that comes up about halfway through the book especially frustrating. It made sense, but it seemed like a trite conflict for such delicately drawn characters, and made the rest of the book feel rushed (especially the hero’s revelation that he’s the product of an affair). The book was still satisfying, but it didn’t quite live up to the promise of the first section of the book.

As far as I can tell, Elisabeth Fairchild is no longer writing. How sad! She has a unique voice that gave her Regencies a surprising depth.

The Courtship Dance by Candace Camp

Candace Camp has been an off-and-on author for me, and unfortunately, this book was more off than on.

The Courtship Dance by Candace Camp
(2009, Regency Historical) 3/29/09
Grade: 3

Lady Francesca Haughston survived a bad marriage, and now spends her time arranging matches for others. She’s given up on love since a broken engagement to her childhood friend, the Duke of Rochford, many years ago. Maybe the best thing she can do is arrange a marriage for him - but why is he paying more attention to her than his marriage prospects?

Although this book had a lot of elements that I usually enjoy, in the end, this book was predictable and a bit tedious. There were things I liked about the book, particularly the friends-to-lovers storyline (Rochford is a nice hero), but there were just too many cliches, particularly the heroine who’s convinced she’s frigid (which went on far too long). This book also depended a great deal on characters from previous books in the series. The scenes of the ton were entertaining, and I liked Francesca’s cleverness in becoming a matchmaker to make ends meet, but overall, I was more bored than enchanted.

One thing I did like about this book was all the description of the Season. A lot of Regency historicals have gotten away from this, but what's the fun of reading a book set in the Regency if you're not going to have balls and dresses and parties?