Holiday Confessions by Anne Marie Winston

For some reason, I rarely read Silhouette Desires. I was always more attracted to Temptations - a little longer, a little more in depth. But now that Temptations have pushed so far into the "sex sex sex" realm, maybe I should look at Desires more often.

Holiday Confessions by Anne Marie Winston
(2006, Contemporary Series) 4/27/08
Grade: 3.5

When former supermodel Lynne Devane decides to leave her career behind, she beins a new life in Gettysburg - complete with a sexy new neighbor. Since Brendan is blind, he’s one person who will never realize who she really is. But as they get to know each other better, her secret seems less important than a new life with Brendan.

This was an easy to read book with interesting, well written characters. It was refreshing to read about a blind hero who didn’t have a complex about it. It was part of who he was, but not a source of angst. The author included a lot of information about daily life for someone who is blind, without it seeming like lecturing. Lynne is also a well drawn character, and she and Brendan definitely have great chemistry together. The biggest problem with this book is that there’s really no conflict. The hero and heroine meet, they’re attracted, they spend time together and within a few weeks, they’re in love and ready to get married. As refreshing as that is, it began to get a little repetitive by the latter part of the book. Lynne’s “big secret” is only revealed at the very end, and by that point, it felt overblown - as if the author put it in just to give the book a bit of conflict. The characters’ drastic reactions didn’t seem consistent with the strong bond between them that had been established by that point. This was a nice book, and I enjoyed it, but it needed something more.

Maybe these characters were just too emotionally healthy for romance characters!

Cassidy's Courtship by Sharon Mignerey

One thing I love about contemporary books is that they can deal with issues in a way that historical books can't. I find books that show real people with real problems to be very inspiring. However, I still want my romance. It must be difficult for authors to deal with "issues" in a realistic way while still including a strong romance, especially with the page limitations of a series book. I admire the authors who try, even if their books have a few flaws.

Cassidy's Courtship by Sharon Mignerey (SIM 864)
(1998, Contemporary Series) 4/26/2008
Grade: 3.5

Attorney Cole Cassidy is attracted to Brenna James from the first time they meet, even though he’s representing her opponent. Although he tries to get closer to her, Brenna has secrets she’s not willing to share with him. Even as they get closer, and Brenna begins to know him better, she’s not sure how to tell him that she never finished school, and she can’t read.

Despite the well drawn characters and the carefully developed subject line, this book lacked a certain zing. I just didn’t feel the romance between the hero and heroine, even though I liked them both as characters. However, the book had a lot of strengths, and it handled the subject matter very well. Even though Brenna’s secret didn’t come out until almost the end, it didn’t feel like it was spinning in place - Brenna was growing and developing as a person throughout the book, and it made sense that she didn’t tell Cole everything from the first. But I would have liked a little more at the end, for Cole to share more with Brenna - the book ended a little fast. And although on one hand I appreciated that Brenna’s problem wasn’t explained away easily (i.e. with a learning disability), I could have used a little more background. It’s hard to grade this book - I’m very glad I read it, but it didn’t leave me with that happy sigh I get from a great romance.

Another example of my pickiness when it comes to contemporary books...

Prince of Thieves by Melinda McRae

I used to have the bad habit of reading one good book by an author, and then going nuts and buying up every book the author had ever written. That's how I ended up with such a huge TBR pile. Sometimes it pays off, but more often, it turns out that most of the books in the author's back list just aren't to my taste. One example was Melinda McRae - I loved, loved, loved Sweet Rewards, but I found her other books to be dull at best. This was the last one that still remained in my TBR.

Prince of Thieves by Melinda McRae
(1994, Regency Historical) 4/24/08
Grade: 3

Jack Derry is about to be hanged as a thief, when he’s saved by Honoria Sterling, who needs him to steal a necklace from her uncle. The necklace should have been hers, and she plans to use the proceeds to save herself from destitution. Jack just wants to stay out of jail and escape his troubled past, but he finds Norry more and more attractive.

A book with an interesting premise and sympathetic characters that lost its way in a very dull and saggy middle section. Jack was a particularly interesting character, and I appreciated his relief at being saved from death, and his regret over his past mistakes. Honoria was also well drawn, if not quite as interesting. But then everyone headed to the house party, and it was chapter after chapter of searching for the necklace, scheming about the necklace, talking about the necklace, blah blah blah. Any character development also seemed to stall. The book finally picked up steam again near the end, although the resolution was rather stereotypical. This really could have been an interesting book, but it was more disappointing than anything else.

I haven't reread Sweet Rewards since I first read it back in 1996. Now I'm a little afraid to - would it hold up? Or would it seem as blah to me now as this book did?

Tangled Up In You by Rachel Gibson

I have a surprising number of contemporary books on my keeper shelf. (If you leave out my Balogh collection, it's over half.) And yet, I think I'm harder on contemporary books than I am on historicals. As much as I enjoy a good contemporary, I'm even pickier about them than I am about historicals. (And we all know how picky I can be!)

Tangled Up In You by Rachel Gibson
(2007, Contemporary) 4/23/08
Grade: 3.5

Maddie’s life was changed forever when she was seven and her mother was killed by her lover’s wife, who then killed him and herself. Now she writes true crime books, and decides to learn more about what really happened all those years ago. She didn’t expect to fall for Mick Hennessy, the son of her mother’s lover.

I had mixed feelings about this book. There were a lot of good things about it. The author has an easy writing style that made it comfortable to read, especially once it got going. And the sex scenes were extremely steamy. I also appreciated that the author didn’t make the parents all good or all bad - we get a view of both sides of this story and how it affected everyone involved. However, there were also some negatives. I was really pulled out of the story by the authors incessant use of brand names and product descriptions. (Does anyone really identify every item that they use by product name?) And I wasn’t really convinced that Mick and Maddie had found “true love”. More like true lust. Just when I felt that they were connecting beyond their hormones, the book was over. I also felt that Mick’s sister, Meg, was a bit distracting here - she either needed more space or less space. I was interested in her story, but it was just teased here. (There was a little bit of “series-itis” as well, but it actually wasn’t bad.) Overall, it was a mix of good and bad - which made it hard to grade!

I think one reason I gave this book a bit of a boost is that she dealt with the back story very well, and didn't resort to turning one of them into the evil villain. I think that's a failing of many romances - anyone who has negative qualities must be evil, evil, evil. I like a bit of nuance.

Love Lessons by Elizabeth Mansfield

I rarely find that first person romances work very well. I feel like I don't get to know the hero well enough, and the heroine just isn't interesting enough to be the only voice we hear through the whole book. But there are always exceptions...

Love Lessons by Elizabeth Mansfield
(1983, Regency) 4/20/08
Grade: 3.5

After the death of her less-than-proper mother, Anne ends up as the ward of Oliver Fleming. At first, Anne lives a free and easy life at Pentargon, but as she comes of age, she realizes she’s in love with Oliver, but he sees her as only a child. So she moves to London, but will her transformation from hoyden to willful debutante be enough to change Oliver’s mind?

This reminded me very much of the old Victoria Holt novels, except with a greater emphasis on Regency life rather than gothic castles. It’s written in the first person, and Anne has a strong point of view that makes it work. It’s her character that makes the book work. Although we never get Oliver’s point of view directly, we see him fairly clearly through his actions as well as through Anne’s eyes. The book was sometimes a bit melodramatic (especially in Anne’s sometimes pretentious use of French terms) but overall, this book was extremely readable, and it was an interesting hybrid of Regency and gothic - a flashback to the Victoria Holt novels I used to love.

There was something about this book that made it feel like a nice change from the typical romance. Maybe it was the longer time period of the book. We got to see Anne mature from age 12 to about 19 or 20. That used to be more common in romances, but today, it seems that we don't have the patience for such things.

The Baron by Sally Goldenbaum

Many times, series romance is all about the "hook". The blurb on the back cover that makes you pick it up. In this case, the hook was probably the murder mystery weekend, which were trendy back in the 80's. But that was the most boring part of the book! How many good reads do we miss because of this focus on "the hook"?

The Baron by Sally Goldenbaum (LS 233)
(1987, Contemporary Series) 4/19/08
Grade: 3.5

When librarian Halley Finnegan fills in on a “murder mystery” weekend, she decides to have fun playing “Countess Ambrosia”. The sexy “Baron von Bluster” makes the event a lot more fun! But when the weekend is over, Halley is still an ordinary librarian, but the Baron turns out to be wealthy Nick Harrington, who’d never want someone like her, right?

This book started out slow, and I was about to give up on it. The murder mystery setup was cute, and Halley and Nick had nice chemistry, but the story just seemed blah, nothing special. But as we got to know the real Halley and Nick, things began to get more interesting. Halley’s loving, working class family takes Nick into their embrace, but Nick finds it hard to accept after his cold upbringing. He’s still grieving for his late wife. There’s nothing new in the story, but the characters warmed on me as the book went on, and I ended up liking the book quite a lot.

I always find it hard to grade a book as a whole. A book with a good first half and bad second half probably gets a disproportionally bad grade from me, because it's my last impression. On the other hand, a book with a so-so beginning and a satisfying ending probably gets a bit of a boost.

Waiting For Lila by Billie Green

In some ways, I think series books were more daring in the 80's than they are now. Of course, finding a great series read is always like looking for a needle in a haystack, but it seemed like series books in the 80's were more willing to explore controversial topics and emotional nuances that are left out in so many of today's "baby and cowboy" reads. (Not that there aren't some good ones today, but especially if you don't like kids in your books, it's hard to find them.) Alas, this one had potential but didn't quite add up.

Waiting For Lila by Billie Green
(1989, Contemporary Series) 4/19/08
Grade: 2.5

In Acapolco for a conference, Bill is enchanted by Delilah (and her odd group of friends) even before he gets off the plane. He persues her, and at first Lila goes along, and pretends she’s as carefree as she seems on the outside. But would he still love her if he knew where she came from, and can Lila put the past behind her and leave herself vulnerable to love?

I suspect this book seemed more “daring” when it came out in 1989 than it does now. The hints that were dropped about Lila’s past in the first few chapters were more annoying than intriguing, but I liked Delilah and her interactions with her friends - they came alive and you got to understand Delilah through them. But Lila’s “big secret” doesn’t seem quite so earthshattering as it might have been at the time, and the scenes in the “perfect” Mexican village just seemed trite and cutesy. There was potential here for a meatier read - it’s refreshing to read about a heroine who is bluntly looking for a rich husband, and isn’t depicted as a total bitch for wanting that. I also appreciated that Bill didn’t care about her past. But there just wasn’t enough room in this book to explain her change of heart. Overall, a flawed read that had some good points - if it had been longer and a little more in depth, it might have been very good.

This was originally a Loveswept, but I have the reprint, so I'm not sure of the original series number. It was reprinted when Loveswept started reprinting a bunch of their classic titles in the mid-90's.

Because of You by Cathy Maxwell

Sometimes, with all the emphasis on "new" and "different" in the romance industry, the pleasure of the simple things is forgotten. A traditional story can be just as enjoyable as it ever was, if the story is told well, with believable, well written characters.

Because of You by Cathy Maxwell
(1999, Regency Historical) 4/18/08
Grade: 4

Yale Carderock, the disinherited younger son of a Duke, has returned from exile a successful man, only to find his father dead. Posing as “Marvin Browne”, he collapses at the local inn, where he’s nursed by the vicar’s daughter, Samantha Northrup. But when the villagers insist that they marry, Yale finds the idea surprisingly appealing.

A wonderfully enjoyable book with vividly written characters. The first half, in particular, just sparkled. The reader was given a chance to really get to know these characters, and understand who they were. Thankfully, just when the book seemed ready to go down the familiar road of the big misunderstanding or the big secret, the author had the characters talk to each other (how shocking!), which made the book a lot more interesting. The book bogged down just a bit in the second half, not that it was bad, but just not quite as sparkling and fast moving as the first half. And I can’t say it really moved me, as much as I liked the characters. But I didn’t want to put it down, and I enjoyed every page. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I've been reading romance for more than 20 years, and sometimes after reading a string of cliched books with cardboard characters, I start to think I'm getting bored with romance. But then I pick up a book that does it right, and I'm happy all over again.

My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth

I remember when this book first came out - readers really seemed to love it and it was listed on many "best of the year" lists. But there were also people who hated it. I always find it difficult to set aside the buzz about a book and not let it influence my reading (especially when a book is either loved or hated) so this one went into hibernation in my TBR pile and didn't emerge until now.

My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth
(1998, Regency Historical) 4/17/08
Grade: 2

Although Lady Caroline Grayson has dreamed of studying botany, her father arranges a marriage to Brent, Lord Weymerth. She hopes to keep their marriage strictly platonic and have it annulled in a few months, but complications keep coming up - whether it’s her attraction to her blunt, mysterious husband, or his many relatives.

Unfortunately, a great disappointment. I’d heard a great deal about this book, back when it came out, so perhaps I was expecting too much. But from the beginning, it seemed like the author was lecturing the reader about how wonderful and brilliant the characters were, rather than showing us. And every few pages, I’d be pulled out of the story by some clanging historical error - I’ve happily read books with major errors - if the book is compelling, I barely notice them, but when a book isn’t good, they start to stand out. (Was “sexy” really a common word in 1815?) I also didn’t find the incessent focus on sex to be particularly interesting (or erotic). But the thing that finally killed the book for me were the many, many plot “developments” that the author kept dropping in the book, rather like anvils. We get illegitimate deaf daughters, evil French spies, troubled estranged sisters, evil mothers, haunting dreams of war - it goes on and on and on. Even though there were some moments of enjoyment in the book, I finally gave up and skimmed the rest.

Most of the time, I don't bother posting about books that I don't finish, but I got over 100 pages in this one, and it was such a popular book in its time - I wanted to include it in my database (and blog).

A Regency Charade by Elizabeth Mansfield

I have a bunch of Elizabeth Mansfield Regencies in my TBR pile, and I'm really hoping that at least a few of them are decent! (I enjoyed The Phantom Lover, the first one of her books that I read, but since then, not so much...)

A Regency Charade by Elizabeth Mansfield
(1981, Regency) 4/15/08
Grade: 3

After an arranged marriage and a short time as man and wife, Alec Tyrell discovers that his wife is in love with someone else! He demands a divorce, or an annulment, and then heads off to the army. Six years later, he’s shocked to discover he’s still married, and his wife is determined to stay that way - but was her infidelity real, or just in his imagination?

An almost painful reading experience, at the same time it was oddly fascinating. The whole book is premised on a misunderstanding that goes on and on and on - Alec was so obtuse that it made you wonder about his intelligence and sanity, while Priss was incredibly passive. But the Regency setting is well done, the secondary characters are lively (although paired off a little too conveniently at the end) and for some reason, I kept reading even though I wanted to smack the both of them.

I debated about how to grade this one... it was painful to read but I did finish it, which says something!

Mostly Married by Lisa Manuel

Some readers find certain romance conventions - like amnesia - too unrealistic. Even though I know bonking someone on the head probably doesn't take away someone's memory (selectively!), I grew up on soap operas, and I'm willing to go with an unrealistic plot point, as long as it takes me somewhere interesting. I'd rather read a book with an amnesia plot that has something interesting to say, than a book that gets everything right down to the last street name and weather pattern, and features dull, cardboard characters that don't do or say anything worth reading about. (But I'm glad the author didn't cheat on the succession issue.)

Mostly Married by Lisa Manuel
(2004, Regency Historical) 4/13/08
Grade: 4

Lucas wakes up on a farm in Scotland, next to a wife he can’t remember. A year earlier, he’d been washed up on shore after a shipwreck, with no memory, and fell in love with and married Charity. But now his memory has returned, and he must return to his family back in England and his responsibilities as Duke of Wakefield. But what about love?

An interesting and thoughtful book, that was great in the first half and merely good in the second half (but that’s still not bad). Amnesia is a romance cliche, but Manuel uses it as a reason to explore an interesting subject - what happens to a Duke, raised and trained from birth to fulfill his duty, when duty and responsibility are taken away? And what happens to him once they come back, and he has to learn to live with them again? Unfortunately, once the author gets to a certain point in the story, she sort of runs out of steam, and the latter part of the book seems to repeat itself for a while, and then peter out with a suspense plotline that, although well done, is kind of a distraction. And it didn’t have the emotional intensity of someone like Balogh, for example. But overall, it was nice to read a book that was thoughtful and mature, without relying on sex or external plots to fill the pages.

In some ways, this book reminded me of The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh - it didn't have the angst of that one, but it had a similar kind of "family trying to deal with the aftermath" feeling.

The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros

I started reading romance in the late 80's, when I was a high school and college student, but I didn't start keeping a record of my reads until 1995. (My first database entry - March 9th, 1995, Prelude to Heaven by Laura Lee Guhrke.) Keeping a record helps me jog my memory and remind me of what I've read - but all the books I read before 1995 are a bit of a blur. I know I read quite a few Julie Garwood books, but unlike many romance readers, she was never one of my favorites. I found her books sweet but forgettable. This book gave me that same feeling.

The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros
(2001, Scottish Historical) 4/13/08
Grade: 3.5

The Scottish town of Ballybliss is haunted by a dragon - a mysterious dragon who lives in the ruined castle and sends demands to the villagers. One stormy night, they decide to appease the dragon with a virgin - hefty, spinster virgin Gwendolyn Wilder. But she discovers the dragon is only a man - a haunted man who hides his face, but thrills her heart.

A cute and charming story that was, unfortunately, rather forgettable. The story was well plotted, with interesting twists that I hadn’t expected. But the characters just didn’t engage my heart. The book felt like a book I’d read a long time ago and vaguely remembered. (An old Julie Garwood, perhaps? It’s much in the same style.) It was charming but still felt a bit contrived and lacking in character.

I can't remember if I've read other Medeiros books - I think I read some of her older books once upon a time (Heather and Velvet and Once an Angel look vaguely familiar) but they obviously didn't make a big impression on me. (I had Yours Until Dawn in my TBR pile until I peeked at the end and discovered a plot point that irritates me every time. So that one went into the trade pile.)

A Splendid Indiscretion by Elizabeth Mansfield

Although I'm a Regency fan, I didn't come to the Regency world in the typical way - I never read Heyer and barely read Austen. My first exposure to Regencies came with the more emotional, romance-y books of Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney and other authors. I tried going back to read Heyer, after talking to so many Regency fans who love her, but I find her dry and a bit cold. (And most of the time, I only find her mildly amusing, or not funny at all.) As much as I enjoy the Regency period, I still want the kinds of emotions that I find in later Regency books. Which always presents me with a problem when I pick up an older Regency - will it be a new-style emotional Regency or an old style comedy of manners Regency?

A Splendid Indiscretion by Elizabeth Mansfield
(1985, Regency) 4/12/08
Grade: 3

Everyone considers Ada Surringham a bit bubbleheaded and absent minded, but living in the country with her uncle, it doesn’t matter much. But when she’s invited to London by her godmother, she finds herself kissed by Griff, Viscount Mullineaux, and working as a librarian’s assistant in his house - how did that happen?

A cute Regency “comedy of manners” that unfortunately lacks a bit of romance. Even though Ada seems like a typical TSTL heroine, she’s appealing because she knows it - her struggles to become more responsible and less flighty don’t work very well, but they’re endearing. Griff is less strongly drawn as a character - I was never sure why he was so in love with Ada other than her lovely eyes, although his eventual acceptance of (and amusement with) Ada’s muddles is heartwarming (even though it doesn’t happen until practically the last page). Although this book was very funny in places, I didn’t really buy the hero and heroine’s devotion to each other - the two barely spend any time together and don’t seem to know each other at all. More of a Regency “romp” than a real romance.

I've read a few of Mansfield's Regencies in the past (and I have quite a few more in my TBR) and even though I enjoy her characters, I often find they're missing that "certain something" that makes a book feel romantic to me.

A Rose At Midnight by Jacqueline Navin

I'm not a writer, and never really had the urge to write a romance. But when I read a book that seems to come close to something good, and then fail, I find myself mentally rewriting the book to make it more appealing! (However, I'm sure that if I actually wrote a book, I'd probably have my own problems and issues - I have enough problems writing scientific reports for work...)

A Rose At Midnight by Jacqueline Navin
(1999, Victorian) 4/12/08
Grade: 3.5

After realizing that he’s dying, Marcus, the Earl of Rutherford, wastes no time in finding a wife and marrying her. He desperately hopes to father a child before his death. Caroline has been thrown into poverty after the death of her evil father, and hopes this marriage will help her save her sick younger brother - but she didn’t expect to find Marcus so attractive...

This book had moments of touching emotion, but most of the time, these characters seemed like cliches out of “Romance Central Casting”. Marcus was a profligate rake, but it all comes back to the Woman Who Betrayed Him and Issues With His Father. Caroline marries for money, but it’s Only To Save Her Family. And of course, there’s a Big Secret that Caroline can’t confide, even after she’s grown to love and trust Marcus. Have I seen this somewhere before? Some authors can make familiar characters and plotlines come alive, but Navin only succeeds sporadically. There were moments, for example when Marcus looks at his beloved rose garden and realizes he’ll never see it bloom again, when we get a glimpse of what this book could have been - which is one reason I gave it a slightly higher grade. But for the most part, this book just didn’t come to life.

I did find the time period an interesting one - 1847, very early Victorian. Other than the clothes, there isn't a lot that differentiates this one from a typical Regency, but it might be nice to see more books set in this period, rather than either Regency or late Victorian.

Long Night Moon by Theresa Weir

I only have one Theresa Weir book left. She's not always great, but when she is, she's not like any other romance writer.

Long Night Moon by Theresa Weir
(1995, Contemporary) 4/1/08
Grade: 4

When troubled reporter Nash Audubon first sees Sara Ivy, all he sees is the mask she shows the world - the perfect wife of a rich businessman. But he keeps probing, and finds out there’s much more underneath - but after years of abuse, can Sara find the courage to break free?

Looking back on this book, I can see the flaws - but when I was reading, they didn’t matter. I couldn’t put it down, the characters were so compelling. Sara could have been a cliched martyred heroine, but she was more than that, with her flashes of rebellion and strength, as well as her understandable (but unheroine-like) escapes into alcohol and pills. Nash sounds like the typical loner romance hero, but his characterization also goes deeper - he’s beyond “romance novel troubled”, he’s hit bottom, but he also has moments of rebellion, just like Sara. The villain was cardboard evil, and the big confrontation a little cliched, but they were relatively minor problems. I’m not sure how Weir made these two work, but she did, and I was completely sucked in.

In an odd way, I didn't feel emotionally moved by this book, the way I am by more traditional romances. But it was very compelling, and I just couldn't put it down.