The Arrangement by Joan Wolf

I'm discovering some real gems in my TBR pile - at last!

The Arrangement by Joan Wolf
(1997, Regency Historical)  7/30/12
Grade: 4.5

Gail Saunders is happy living a quiet life in the country with her son Nicky, even if money is a bit short.  But then the Earl of Saville appears with an unexpected inheritance, and turns their world upside down.

A unique first person Regency historical with an extremely compelling writing style.  Normally I don’t care for first person romances since it means the hero is an unknown and you never find out his thoughts and feelings.  But in this case it worked very well because the author’s voice was so unique and refreshing.  I didn’t want to put this book down.  There was a strong mystery element that also worked well - even though I guessed some of it, other aspects surprised me, and the reader ended up discovering things along with the heroine.  Overall, this was an excellent read.

I've read some Joan Wolf Regencies and haven't found them as compelling as this one, but I may have to investigate her backlist further...

The Marriage Wager by Jane Ashford

This book has been in my TBR pile since the mid-90's, and I think there was a reason I never read it...

The Marriage Wager by Jane Ashford
(1996, Regency Historical)  7/29/12
Grade: 3

Lady Emma Tarrant is back in England after the death of her gambler husband, and quickly finds herself entangled with Lord Colin Wareham, who has just returned from the war.  They end up in a marriage of convenience, but when problems arise, can they work together and trust each other to make their marriage a real one?

This started off well, with a nice Regency feeling and interesting characters.  I always enjoy a good marriage of convenience story.  But the story fell apart in the last half of the book, with one misunderstanding after another.  Interesting aspects of the story were dropped (such as the hero’s war experiences) and instead we get a lot of threats from external parties - a silly debutante who thinks she’s in love with the hero, and a slimy Italian who threatens the heroine with gossip.  It could all have been solved with one conversation, but instead we just get misunderstandings.  Frustrating and tedious. 

This should teach me not to trust reviews from people who have different tastes than I have.

Once Upon a List by Robin Gold

I normally don't read "women's fiction" but I was assured this one had an HEA ending, so I picked it up.

Once Upon a List by Robin Gold
(2012, Women's Fiction)  7/26/12
Grade: 4

After the death of her fiancé, Clara is adrift and unsure of what to do next.  But when she comes across her fifth grade time capsule, with a list of things she wanted to do before she turned 35.  She decides to fulfill the list - and ends up with a one-eared dog, kissing her old crush, reconnecting with her family, finding her best friend and changing her life.

This was more of a women’s fiction book than a romance, but it was well written and enjoyable.  This is the kind of book I would recommend to someone who didn’t necessarily read romance but wanted an upbeat, “feel-good” story.  There were some flaws - the middle dragged a bit and the romance was extremely underwritten, but otherwise it was a light hearted and enjoyable story with relatable characters.  A good read. 

The Conquered Heart by Denée Cody

I haven't read a historical like this in years - I used to love these books back when I was in middle school and high school, featuring real people and real history.  Not many of them are as well written as this one, though.

The Conquered Heart by Denée Cody
(1995, Medieval)  7/15/12
Grade: 4

Eve MacMurrough, Princess of Leinster, is forced to marry Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke.  Richard has been sent by King Henry II to conquer Ireland and stop the infighting there, while Eve is determined to protect her homeland and its people.  Despite their different agendas, Richard finds Eve passionate and desirable, and she finds Richard surprisingly honest and honorable.  Can love grow in such an arragment?

Although this book is labeled “historical romance”, it’s really history with a little bit of romance thrown in.  But it’s fascinating history!  I found myself checking Wikipedia to find out more about Eve and Richard (who were real people, although much of their personal relationship is imagined).  I didn’t know much about Irish history and so the story kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next.  The only flaw was that the book started rushing things in the last few chapters, probably trying to get through huge sections of history and wrap up the story in a satisfying way.  The personal relationship between Eve and Richard also sometimes fell into the background, and when the characters were together there was more emphasis on the love scenes than on their emotional connection.  Still, overall this was a very satisfying and well written book, definitely worth reading.

I wonder what happened to Denée Cody?  She wrote 4 or 5 books and then disappeared.  I hope she's writing under another name somewhere - although her other books didn't appeal to me as much as this one, she definitely had a unique voice, although she might not fit in to today's romance market with its de-emphasis on history. 

Heart of Deception by Taylor Chase

This one has been lurking in my TBR for a long time - glad I finally got to it!

Heart of Deception by Taylor Chase
(1999, Elizabethan)  7/14/12
Grade: 4.5

When Rafe Fletcher discovers his family has been implicated in a plot against Queen Elizabeth, he disguises himself as a simple fencing teacher and joins the thieving gang of Nicholas and Vivian Swift, the King and Queen of London’s underworld.  But things are not as they seem, and Rafe is soon drawn to the passionate Viv, despite the deceptions that lie between them.

A fascinating and exciting story of Elizabethan England.  Usually I’m not a big fan of criminal underworld stories, but this one was completely different.  The story of intrigue and spies kept me impatiently turning the pages, and the writing was superb.  I was fascinated by Vivian, who was a strong and passionate heroine, definitely out of the ordinary.  The romance was probably the weakest part of this book - the story just didn’t stop long enough for there to be much more to it than passionate attraction - but still, the book kept me interested from beginning to end.  I wish more books were set in Elizabethan England - such an interesting time period!  

I'm afraid my description doesn't do full justice to this book - it's definitely one of the best books I've read this year.  I wonder what happened to Taylor Chase?  She published a couple of books under this name and a couple of books under her real name, Gayle Feyrer, and then disappeared.  Her books got rave reviews but I guess they didn't do well enough to keep her contract.  I did a little web surfing and found that she's writing historical mysteries as Yves Fey, although she doesn't seem to have written anything in ten years.  I wonder why Elizabethan books aren't more popular?  The time period seems to be popular on TV but except for Susan Wiggs, it doesn't seem to have been popular in romance.

The Perfect Wife by Jane Goodger

Jane Goodger started out writing very unusual books - they don't quite fit into the genre.  This one was strangely compelling but also close to being a wallbanger - it definitely wasn't a typical romance.  I haven't read any of her newer books, but I've heard they're more conventional.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

The Perfect Wife by Jane Goodger
(2000, Edwardian)  7/11/12
Grade: 3

Henry Owen is desperate to gain his inheritance so he can save his childhood home... but the only way he can do that is to marry.  So he chooses shy, overweight Anne Foster - and divorces her as soon as his inheritance comes through.  Two years later, Anne is thin and beautiful and determined to take revenge... but she still finds herself drawn to Henry despite herself.

This was a very strange book.  I’m not convinced it was a romance at all - the “love” at the end felt tacked on and unconvincing.  A more realistic ending might have been for the hero and heroine to end up alone, or with other people.  Henry was cruel and self involved, and I was not convinced by his reformation.  Anne was more sympathetic but she was strangely lacking in depth or self-awareness most of the time.  There were some hints at the beginning of the book that Henry would end up falling in love with Anne’s personality over her looks, but that thread was mostly dropped since she showed very little personality during their “courtship”, other than a weird physical attraction that wasn’t backed up with any sexual tension.  Then there was the secondary romance that lacked any chemistry whatsoever, and the rather sick subplot about the hero’s grandfather.  So why did I keep reading with all these flaws?  It was compellingly written, despite everything.  But I felt kind of nauseous as I was reading.  It was probably the least convincing happy ending I’ve ever read.

Is it a good thing for a book to be memorable when the primary memory is dislike of the main characters?

Morning Song by Kimberly Cates

Still plowing through my remaining paper books - now down to only 12 paper historicals (plus one bookshelf of Regencies).  Amazing when I look back on the numbers I had just a year or two ago!

Morning Song by Kimberly Cates
(1997, Victorian)  7/9/12
Grade: 3.5

Hannah Gray is on the run with her sister’s son, Pip, trying to escape from his abusive father.  She ends up at Ravenscar, where the mysterious and volatile Austen Dante takes them in.  Despite Austen’s blustering, Hannah soon discovers the caring heart underneath - but will that be enough to protect them?

An intriguing gothic that suffered a little bit from predictability.  I enjoyed the gothic setup, clearly influenced by Jane Eyre and authors like Victoria Holt.  Kimberly Cates managed to keep the gothic feeling while still writing the book from the perspective of the heroine and the hero - the usual failing of a traditional gothic.  However, the book had a few problems.  First, the author piled on one issue after another onto Austen, without enough time to explore them all.  (Music! Reading! Father! Friend’s death!)  Whenever the drama died down a little bit, the author threw in another “issue”.  Paradoxically, this made the book predictable - I got kind of bored in the last third and started skimming.  I could predict everything that was going to happen.  Overall, this was a good book but it didn’t quite live up to its promise.

The setting of this book wasn't entirely clear - I had it labeled as a Regency historical at first but the traditional Gothic setting is Victorian, and there were some details that made me think "Victorian" more than "Regency".

Bartered Bride by Anne Avery

I used to love these meaty historical romances, but I think I've become shallow in my old age... 400 pages of history is a bit much these days!

Bartered Bride by Anne Avery
(1999, Medieval)  7/8/12
Grade: 4

Lady Alyce Fitzmartin finds herself married to cloth merchant Robert Wardell, for the price of 100 silver coins and her family’s support of the Earl of Leichester.  Robert supports King Henry III and his son Prince Edward, but finds it prudent to have a foot in both camps.  But despite the practical marriage arrangement, both Alyce and Robert find they have passion together... and as England goes to war, they fight on the same side.

An interesting historical romance, with most of the emphasis on the history and not as much on the romance.  But still, it was a fascinating story, with a lot of emphasis on the class differences between Alyce, the daughter of a Baron, and Robert the cloth merchant, as well as the split between the two sides in the war.  I didn’t know much about Henry III and the baron’s rebellion, but this book definitely brought it to life.  The relationship was present, but the focus of the story was more on how the hero and heroine adjusted to marriage and their new lives, rather than the romance.  Overall, an interesting read - but I’m ready for something lighter!

What a great cover, by the way!  I love the Franco Accornero covers - they just say "historical romance" to me.

This Is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland

I read Lynn Kurland way back in the early 90's when I was obsessed with time travel books, but this is the first time I've read her since then.

This Is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland
(1997, Medieval)  7/5/12
Grade: 4.5

When Gillian is betrothed to Christopher, the Dragon of Blackmour, she is relieved to escape her abusive father, but convinced Blackmour must be the devil, because he has such a dangerous reputation.  He might even have horns!  But what she finds is a man who is struggling to live with his blindness, and who needs love as much as she does.

This was an emotional and heartfelt story that went on just a little too long - but it was still a rewarding read.  The writing style was unique - it was in close third person, alternating between the hero and heroine, so the reader sees everything from the point of view of the main characters.  This was probably a major reason why the story worked, because otherwise the heroine would have been extremely annoying - she verged on TSTL at the beginning of the book, and she cried every 5 minutes for the first half.  But because of the writing style, her actions were understandable and sympathetic.  The main problem with the book was pacing - not a lot happened in the first 350 pages, and although I appreciate a book that focuses on the emotional lives of the characters, it got a bit long winded.  Then the fight with Warewick was crammed into just a few pages.  But that’s a minor issue - I gave this book a higher grade because it was such a sweet and touching story that I’m sure I’ll remember.  

I think I've gotten too used to the quick and short books of the last 10 years - back in 1997 I probably would have appreciated a 400 page book a lot more but now I found myself just slightly impatient.  Still a good read, though.

Home Fires by Susan Kay Law

Hooray for Susan Kay Law - she restores my faith in romance (and in my reading taste).

Home Fires by Susan Kay Law
(1995, American)  7/4/12
Grade: 4

Amanda's marriage was the envy of New York high society. But in truth, her life was unbearable. Gathering her courage, Amanda escaped and sought refuge far away, in a small and beautiful Minnesota town. There, at the crossroads of two peaceful rivers, she found hope--and Jakob Hall.

This was an emotional, comforting read, although it was somewhat predictable.  Susan Kay Law hadn’t developed her trademark style of emotion and humor yet, so this felt more like a traditional Americana book, but still, the characters were well developed and the writing was very good.  The background of Minnesota and German immigrants was also very well done.  It got a little dull in the middle, but it finished strong.  Nice to finally read something good!

I still have a few Susan Kay Law books in my TBR.  I'm kind of hoarding them since she's pretty much stopped writing romance (or at least Westerns) but hopefully they'll be a little more original than this one.  This was one of her early books so I have high hopes!

The Reluctant Tutor by Paula Hampton

I'm starting to wonder if the problem is me.... but this book really did have serious problems.  I need a good book, though!  It's beginning to get discouraging.

The Reluctant Tutor by Paula Hampton
(2000, American)  7/4/12
Grade: 2

Set at the turn of the century, this is the story of Kate Delaney, who has made arrangements to be apprenticed as an architect to Gabe Murray Senior - only to find his son instead.  Gabe doesn’t believe women belong in business and he’s determined to make Kate give up and leave - but she has no intention of doing so.

This was a very frustrating book.  It felt like the author had taken a 500 page book and randomly cut sections out of it to fit into 300 pages.  The characters were inconsistent and the story jumped around - but at first I kept reading because the writing was good and the individual scenes really worked.  But as it went on, I found myself getting more and more frustrated.  I kept reading because I was interested in the plotline - the architecture aspect of the book was fascinating, but much to my annoyance, even that was dropped by the end.  This came close to being a wall banger.  At least it was a fast read.

Although there was a scene in the book involving a windmill, 95% of the book is set in NYC so I don't understand the cover.  Why make a book look like a Western when it's really not?

The Prisoner by Cheryl Reavis

I remember reading Civil War romances when I first started reading romances as a teenager, but they seem to be out of fashion now.  (American romances in general, actually, except possibly Westerns.)  It's always surprising to me that American romances aren't more popular with American readers, especially when historical sites and nonfiction continue to be so popular.

The Prisoner by Cheryl Reavis
(1992, Civil War) 7/1/12
Grade: 2.5

When Union soldier John Howe escapes from his NC prison in the middle of the Civil War, Confederate Amanda Douglas is forced to go along with him as he escapes back to Washington.  But once they arrive in the North, everything changes, and Amanda finds herself out of place, and yearning to be back home - despite the unhappy life she led there.

I was intrigued to read a book set during the Civil War, and was hoping this one would be great.  Unfortunately, it was not.  The first part of the book was a road romance, and even though it felt disjointed and rushed, it seemed to fit the story.  But it never improved.  Individual scenes were sometimes quite good, but the storyline just felt thrown together, with decisions made for no apparent reason and plot points thrown in and out at random.  This was one of those books where all the problems could have been solved if the hero and heroine just talked to each other, and it left me feeling very frustrated.

I started to wonder if it was my fault that I haven't enjoyed the last few books I read, but there were definitely a lot of flaws in this book.  So many things left unexplained...