The Golden Season by Connie Brockway

Although I haven't read much lately, at least I came back with an excellent book!

The Golden Season by Connie Brockway
(2010, Regency Historical)
Grade: 5

When Lady Lydia Eastlake finds out her fortune is gone, she has one season to find a wealthy husband. She is immediately attracted to Captain Ned Lockton, who sees her as no one else has - but he is in the same situation and needs an heiress to help his family. But are they willing to give up love in order to maintain their place in society?

I loved this book. The author managed to make a heroine who might have come off as shallow become sympathetic, and a hero who might have seemed too passive as honorable and reserved. I especially loved the way Brockway portrayed their feelings for each other - I really believed in their attraction, both physical and emotional. (Too many authors make attraction all about sex, but it goes far beyond that here.) I appreciated that there was no easy way out of this situation, and there was no magical inheritance or mistake to resolve the dilemma. (The twist at the end was a little melodramatic, but at least it came out of the characters and their motivations - even if the ultimate resolution was slightly unrealistic.) Overall, I have to say this was a keeper! Definitely Brockway’s best book since As You Desire.

So many authors become overly mannered or sentimental after they've written a dozen books or more. Nice to see Connie Brockway can still hit it out of the park!

Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb

Back to Eve and Roarke for one of the best entries in the series for some time.

Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb
(2011, Suspense)
Grade: 4.5

Detective Peabody is just wrapping up her first case as primary when she stumbles on something much more sinister - a group of cops who are using their positions for money - and who will do anything, even kill, to protect themselves. Eve must work within the police department to defend the job - and mission - that is so important to her.

One of the best in Death books in some time. There is very little romance but there’s a lot of interaction with our favorite secondary characters, particularly Peabody who has always been my favorite! It’s an interesting look at how Eve functions as a supervisor - something she found horrifying a few books ago but is now becoming a point of pride. There are even some moments of touching emotion as the case affects everyone on a personal level. My only complaint is the story became almost too convoluted towards the end - too many schemes and double-crossing, it became confusing and started to lose the emotional intensity. But overall, an excellent read.

As a side note, why are the covers of these books so ugly? I realize they want to make them appealing to people who would never buy a "romance", but surely they can do better than this. Ugh!

Clay Yeager's Redemption by Justine Davis

This one has been in my TBR pile for a while, and it seemed like the perfect book to take on vacation.

Clay Yeager's Redemption by Justine Davis
(1999, Contemporary Series)
Grade: 3.5

Casey Scott has retreated to her hometown in Iowa, after a bad experience in the big bad city. She’s doing well as a caterer, but something seems missing until a dog named Mud steals her rib roast. Mud belongs to a mysterious man named Clay Yeager, who appears to be homeless. But something makes her want to trust him and learn more about his life.

This book started out really well. I was intrigued by the mysterious stranger whose eyes were “dead” but was hanging on for the sake of his dog. He’s hiding a dark secret, as is Casey. This seems just the story for this angst bunny, but somehow as the book continued, I began to get impatient. I put the book down numerous times and skimmed through the last third. I’m not sure if it was just my mood or if I’ve read too many similar stories, but the book just didn’t excite me the way I expected. I was left feeling like this was angst-by-the-numbers. Too bad, because usually I love Justine Davis.

I think this is an example of a book I might have graded differently if I'd read it at a different time, but after 2-3 tries, I just couldn't get into it as much as I'd expected.

A Hasty Marriage by Carla Kelly

This is a short story by Carla Kelly, which was originally published in the Wedding Belles anthology from 2004. It seems to be a precursor to some of her more recent books featuring sea captains.

A Hasty Marriage by Carla Kelly
(2004, Regency)
Grade: 3.5

When Ann Utley, a 32 year old spinster, faces an unwanted marriage proposal, she runs off to her former governess, now the wife of a warehouse owner. It's there that she meets Hiram Titus, an American sea captain who is completely outside her social sphere. But the attraction between them is immediate and mutual. Will Ann throw it all away for love?

As always for Carla Kelly, this was an extremely well written story, with an interesting plot. The author does a great job (surprisingly) at depicting the instant attraction between the hero and heroine as well as pointing out their differences. Unfortunately,the story is marred slightly by a somewhat contrived ending that cuts off a real discussion of what their marriage will mean for both of them- particularly for Ann. I felt like her legitimate concerns were dismissed too quickly by the other characters and then brushed away by the end of the story. Still, the story was interesting and well written, and left me wondering about the history behind it.

I think I missed this anthology when it first came out, so it was nice to read this story, even if it wasn't one of Kelly's best.

Pricks and Pragmatism by J.L. Merrow

I bought this on a recommendation by Dear Author. (Probably the only place I find out about m/m romances.) It's a novella from Samhain, a publisher that has surprised me recently with several good reads.

Pricks and Pragmatism by J.L. Merrow
(2010, Contemporary)
Grade: 4

Luke is accustomed to trading sex for a place to live, especially when the men are wealthy and hot, but when his latest boyfriend kicks him out a few weeks before finals, he ends up with Russell, a nerd who doesn’t quite know how to deal with his new "roommate". Luke is used to men who want his body, but he’s not used to anyone who wants his heart.

Despite the premise and sexual content, this was a surprisingly sweet story. It was only novella length and could have used a few more pages to delve more deeply into the characters (Russell, in particular, is not explored in depth) but overall, it was an entertaining read.

I'd like to see more novellas published in e-book form as individual stories, as long as the price is appropriate. I hate having to buy an anthology when only one of the stories is good. This one was priced at $2.66 which is a little high for a single story but not outrageous.

Ritual Sins by Anne Stuart

This is a somewhat notorious book by Anne Stuart that I've been holding on to for some time.

Ritual Sins by Anne Stuart
(1997, Suspense)
Grade: 4

Rachel Connery arrives in New Mexico to confront Luke Bardell, the leader of The Foundation of Being, which seems to be a cult that attracts the wealthy. Rachel’s mother died of cancer and left 12 million dollars to the Foundation. Although Rachel was estranged from her mother, she is determined to find out more about the group and its charismatic leader.

Although this book didn’t completely work as a romance, it was an interesting read. It’s always entertaining to see how Anne Stuart can turn a completely unlikely and unsympathetic character into a believable hero. Luke begins the book as a character who is confident in his own strength and ability to con people. He’s not particularly sympathetic but he is fascinating. Rachel is equally closed off at the beginning. The relationship between them is based on Luke’s desire to dominate and Rachel’s determination to resist. As the book continues, we find out more about their pasts, but strangely, I never felt that this added to their emotional connection. Stuart kept me interested in Luke even after he does some pretty despicable things (some of the sex scenes border on rape) but she didn’t make me believe that the relationship between Luke and Rachel developed much beyond sexual attraction. The book worked better as a mystery / character study than as a romance, but still, it was interesting and worth reading.

Hopefully Blogger won't mangle this post the way it did the last one! I'm trying to hang onto my old computer since I can't afford to replace all my software at once, and I'm running out of hard disk space on my laptop, but it's getting harder and harder when even a simple thing like posting a blog entry becomes "incompatible" with the old systems.

Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb

Another entry in the J.D. Robb series.

Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb
(2010, Suspense)
Grade: 4

Eve gets back from a vaccation in Ireland to find a new case waiting for her- a limo driver killed with a crossbow. More deaths follow, each meticulously planned and using a hunting weapon. Eve and Roarke soon believe that the murderer is hunting... people.

This was a typical, reliable J.D. Robb book - not many surprises but still enjoyable. This one included a lot of interplay between Eve and the other detectives on the squad, and a lot of fun asides from Eve about her work. Who did it was solved pretty early on and the book mostly involves putting together evidence to make the case stick - it got a little repetitive after a while. But still, a reasonably good entry in the series.

Unfortunately, I found this book very "put-downable". I read it in bits and pieces over a week. But still,I enjoy them as a refreshing change from my usual reading, and Eve Dallas is still a unique character that you won't find anywhere else. So I keep reading them.

Billy Bob Walker Got Married by Lisa G. Brown

Still in search of good contemporaries. This is an older book and very hard to find, but people still love it. It's unfortunate that the author only published three books! Maybe she was ahead of her time.

Billy Bob Walker Got Married by Lisa G. Brown
(1993, Contemporary)
Grade: 4

Shiloh Pennington is the daughter of the richest man in Sweetwater, Mississippi, and she’s engaged to marry the son of the most powerful judge. But she’s more interested in Billy Bob, the illegitimate son of the judge and the town bad boy. But bad boys have their soft sides,don’t they? Especially when a girl needs a husband to get out of a bad engagement?

This book had a very appealing “down home” feeling. The characters were interesting and realistic, and the writing was excellent. I felt like I was hearing a great storyteller telling me a tale. The characters were well written and the emotions felt real. However, the book lacked a bit when it came to plot. It meandered all over the place, spending too much time on some sections and not enough on others. The middle section dragged and the end was too abrupt. The book also felt a bit dated - it was published in 1993but some of the situations and attitudes felt 20-30 years out of date. Even for a small town, it seemed a bit much. However, these were fairly small problems compared to the likeability of the characters and the book as a whole. Overall,an enjoyable read.

I had to laugh at one section in the beginning of the book, which describes Billy Bob's hair. Short in the front, long in the back- oh no! Billy Bob had a mullet! (The cover does not reflect this, thankfully - unless that's a ponytail hiding in the shadows?) I'll try not to think of Billy Ray Cyrus when I read this book.

Best of 2010

I'm disappointed in my reading this year. I read 50 books, which is almost one per week, but most of that was concentrated in a couple of months. Most of the time, I found other things to do besides read. (The internet is my biggest temptation - it's so easy to waste a few hours reading all the news sites.) One of my New Year's resolutions is to read more, although I said the same thing last year.

But on the positive side, I had a pretty good reading year. I didn't read a single book graded lower than 3 stars - which is an average read. I either got better at picking books or better at giving up on the bad ones. And almost half of my reads were rated at 4 stars or more.

I gave one book 5 stars, which is unusual for me. I really loved Butterfly Tattoo by Deidre Knight, a book I probably wouldn't have picked up at all a couple of years ago.



Some other books I particularly liked:

Scandal by Carolyn Jewel (a complex and interesting historical)
Lead by On by Victoria Dahl (a great contemporary is so hard to find!)
Daughter of the Game by Tracy Grant (finally read it after almost 10 years)
A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh (only novella length but fun to read)
Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh (the best book she's written in many years)
Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn (a book that's grown on me over time)

I did do a lot of rereading this year, as I cleared out some of my keepers and transferred others to the Kindle. So I guess that counts as reading. My goal is to clear out some of the 2010 books in the new year - and hopefully read some new ones too!

A True Lady by Edith Layton

I decided to read one of the older books from my TBR pile. I have a lot of Edith Layton books so that seemed like a good place to start.

A True Lady by Edith Layton
(1995, Georgian)
Grade: 3.5

Cristabel is the daughter of a pirate, but she yearns to be an English lady like her mother. When her father marries her to Viscount Magnus Snow, she eagerly leaves for England, but finds her marriage wasn’t valid. Never mind, she can live on her own... but Magnus has other ideas.

A unique story with an interesting setting. Cristabel is a fascinating heroine, and Magnus is a larger-than-life hero (without being a typical alpha male). The Georgian setting of 1720 is vivid and unusual. However, the story itself was a bit predictable (which is surprising considering the characters). I just didn’t find myself as enthralled as I might have been. Still, there were some nice touches. I especially appreciated that the secndary characters weren’t all perfect, or evil - they were a nice mix of good and bad. And the ending was happy but not tied up with a bow. (You rarely see that these days when everyone is being set up for their own books.) I just wish it had moved me a little more.

I chose this book in part for mercenary reasons - I wanted to use up some shipping credits at PBS and this one had a waiting list - but it was nice to read something different. Even though this book was predictable in some ways, in other ways it felt refreshing - it wasn't the typical historical romance. I have a couple of Edith Layton Regencies that I've been meaning to read as well - I may have to pick those up sometime in the next few weeks.

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

I haven't read anything for a month! Actually, I did spend about three weeks reading At Home by Bill Bryson, which was enjoyable nonfiction, but I have been lax about my other reading. I will have to make up for it during my upcoming time off work.

I picked up this one because one of my book groups chose it for a book chat. I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise since it wasn't book length, and yet the publisher was charging hardcover prices. What a "nice" holiday gift - tra-la-la-la-la and let's take your money. But if I had enjoyed it more (like the similar Balogh book last year), I probably would have considered it worth the price. Unfortunately...

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
(2010, Contemporary)
Grade: 3

Mark Nolan is convinced he doesn’t want a family, until his sister’s death leaves him with custody of his niece Holly. He and his brother Sam both love Holly, but what she needs is a mother. Mark has a girlfriend, but there’s something about toy store owner Maggie Collins that he just can’t get out of his mind...

This book contained the outline of a good story, but unfortunately the short length didn’t allow it to be fully developed. The story was a bit sentimental for my taste, with more focus on Holly than on the hero and heroine. But there were some good points. The setting of the San Juan islands was picturesque and interesting (even though the detailed descriptions sometimes made the book feel more like a travel guide than a romance). And there were some nice touches - I loved Maggie’s toy shop, and her dog Renfrew. Lisa Kleypas’s writing was excellent as usual. However, the characters themselves only seemed sketched out. We found out the main points of their lives - Maggie’s a widow from a big, loving family, Mark was scarred by his parents’ bad marriage but loves his brothers - but there just wasn’t enough time for their characters to be filled in. The author just tried to put a book’s worth of story in a novella’s worth of pages, and it didn’t quite work.

Sometimes I feel like a Grinch because I roll my eyes and gag at cute kids in romance novels. Give me a hot guy in my romance novels and I promise to be nice to Cindy Lou if I run across her down in Whoville.

Trouble in Paradise by Jeanne Grant

I was looking for something short to read last night, and I grabbed this one off the TBR shelf. From 1984! Love the feathered hair. (I didn't buy it until about ten years ago, though - I was a little too young for these in 1984. I was reading Kathleen Woodiwiss back then but I think the appeal of a divorced dad with three teenagers would have escaped me at that age.)

Trouble in Paradise by Jeanne Grant (THH 28)
(1984, Contemporary Series)
Grade: 3.5

Susan fell head over heels with Griff Anderson, and three months later they were married. But was she in over her head with three teenage stepchildren, an interfering ex-wife and a houseful of hamsters? Will she ever regain the romantic life she pictured with her new husband?

This is from the short lived To Have and To Hold series, about married couples. THH was such an odd series line. The stories were interesting and they had some great writers, but they weren’t always romantic. This one focuses more on the kids than on the romance. However, it had some good points (along with some bad ones). Jeanne Grant is an excellent writer and the story moved along well. The characters were interesting - even the kids, and I don’t normally like kids in my books. However, the book was full of cliches (even in 1984 these were cliches.) The “evil ex-wife”, the “kids with their crazy music”, the “oops, you mean sex leads to babies?” storyline. All of those things made the book feel more like it was set in 1954, not 1984. Overall, it had its good points, but the flaws made it feel very dated.

I have a surprising number of series books from the 80's in my TBR pile. (About 40 of them.) The old series books started disappearing from the used bookstores in the late 90's, and I grabbed a bunch of them so I would get them before they were gone. Most of them are dated and not that great, but it's a little sad to think they've all ended up in landfills or recycling bins.

Patti LuPone: A Memoir by Patti LuPone

I do love my Broadway divas. The library finally came through for me (after three tries!) and I was able to get a copy of this through Marina, the Maryland interlibrary loan system. (My copy came from Hagerstown - thanks!)

Patti LuPone: A Memoir by Patti LuPone
(2010, Biography)
Grade: 3.5

Patti LuPone is well known as a Broadway diva, and while this memoir definitely humanizes her, it doesn't exactly dispel the diva image. But at least LuPone has a sense of humor about it! Unfortunately, most of the book is a bit dull. It falls into the "I went here and did this, then went there and did that" style of memoir. There's not a lot of insight beyond what she did and who she met (she even makes David Mamet seem boring, which is quite a feat), and that makes the early chapters kind of hard to get through.

The book definitely perks up with the more interesting events in her career - most notably Evita and Sunset Boulevard. The battles over the casting of Sunset Boulevard are some of the most juicy stories in recent Broadway history, and even the workmanlike description here can't take away the drama. These two chapters were the highlight of the book. Still, I think I'd rather watch her on stage than read her prose. It's unfortunate that none of her musical performances have made it to DVD.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beauty and the Beast stories are a guilty pleasure of mine, so I decided to pick up this YA book at the library.

Beastly by Alex Flinn
(2007, Young Adult)
Grade: 3.5

When Kyle Kingsbury, the wealthy and self-centered son of a news anchor, plays a cruel trick on a strange new student at his high school, he finds himself transformed into a Beast. He has two years to find someone to love him or he will remain a beast forever. First Kyle must transform himself into a better person, and then perhaps he can offer friendship and love to one of his former classmates, Lindy.

There were a lot of clever touches in this book. Moving the setting to modern day New York was interesting, and there were many neat tricks to make the story fit into today's world. There was even a very funny chat room for those undergoing "unexpected transformations". However, the underlying story felt a little shallow. Kyle may have become a beast, but he still had endless wealth and any problems are fixed with a wave of Daddy's credit card. His problems felt a little too "teen age" - I can't go to the prom, my cool friends don't care about me, my Dad doesn't spend time with me, etc. It just seemed to lack depth. If I was a teenager, I might have enjoyed this more, but as an adult reader, I just didn't find it all that compelling. Good but not great.

I read a lot of YA books back when I was a teenager, but I have a hard time reading about teenage heroes and heroines now. Their problems just don't feel particularly compelling to me. But I'm glad there are so many great YA books out there to encourage young readers - the YA books I read back in the 80's definitely shaped my reading tastes today. (I loved angst then and I love it now!)

A Rogue in Texas by Lorraine Heath

I had to finish one more book before taking a huge bag of books to donate to our office book sale. I filled up an entire Container Store bag - one of the BIG ones! That's a lot of books.

A Rogue in Texas by Lorraine Heath
(1999, Western)
Grade: 4

In 1865, Grayson Rhodes, the illegitimate son of a British Duke, leaves England for Texas. However, he imagined something more lucrative than picking cotton on a backwater farm. But once he gets to know widowed Abbie Westland and her three children, he begins to look at life, and love, in a new way. He might even be willing to start a new life in Texas.

For the first three quarters of the book, this felt like a pale photocopy of Lorraine Heath. It had all of the typical elements of a Lorraine Heath story, but the passion just wasn’t there. (Not surprisingly, this was the first book she wrote for Avon.) The characters were interesting, the setting of post-Civil War Texas was unusual, but it all felt like it had been done before. The most unique part of the story was Grayson’s background as an illegitimate son and how he reveled in being valued for himself in Texas, where it didn’t matter how he was born or who his father was. However, even that aspect of the story started to feel a little forced as the book went on. But the book picked up new life in the last 100 pages, when Abbie’s husband reappears. Even though I’ve read plenty of stories where the supposedly dead husband returns, the way the author intertwined it with Grayson’s past worked very well, and brought some life back into the story. Overall, the book wasn’t one of Heath’s best, but it finished strong, and that counts for a lot.

Where have all the stepbacks gone? I couldn't find a picture of the stepback on this book (and it's too late to pull out the scanner) but it's gorgeous! Even if there were't any yellow roses on the Texas prairie. I haven't seen a great stepback in a long time - they're all way too obvious these days, if you can find one at all.

The Seduction of an English Lady by Cathy Maxwell

Back to the TBR for a backlist book. I need to clear off a few more shelves!

The Seduction of an English Lady by Cathy Maxwell
(2004, Regency Historical)
Grade: 3.5

When Colonel Colin Mandland appears at her door, Lady Rosalyn Wellborne gets an unpleasant shock - her cousin has sold her home! She has no choice but to move in with an aunt - unless she accepts Colin’s marriage proposal. He has his own motives for marriage, but perhaps they both will discover there is more to this marriage than convenience.

When I first started reading this book, I found it enjoyable and charming. The characters were interesting and likeable, the plot was familiar but well done, the writing was good. The discussion of class differences between the hero and heroine was interesting. Unfortunately, the book lost its appeal the more I read. The plot started to feel stale and repetitive. The characters did the same things over and over. And then a political sideplot was thrown in at the last minute. It might have been interesting if it had been carried throughout the book, but it was such an abrupt change of tone that it felt out of place. It left the book feeling unfinished Overall, this book wasn’t terrible, just unfocused and forgettable. Too bad since Cathy Maxwell can do much better.

I wonder where I got this book - it's stamped Hamilton Ontario. I must have picked it up at the Celebrate Romance book trade. I miss those book trades! Buying online is more efficient but it's kind of dull by comparison.

Shining in the Sun by Alex Beecroft

This isn't my usual type of book, but I was intrigued when I read the reviews. It also seemed an appropriate choice because of everything that's been going on in the news recently. (It also didn't hurt that it was a contemporary - the search for the great contemporary read continues.)

Shining in the Sun by Alex Beecroft
(2010, Contemporary)
Grade: 3.5

Alec spends most of the year pleasing everyone around him - his mother, his fiancée - but for one month, he escapes all his obligations. On the way to his vacation, he meets Darren, and the two hit it off immediately. But Darren isn’t quite what he seems - is he more interested in Alec’s money, or is he just escaping his troubled family and difficult past?

I had a hard time with this book at first. The prose was extremely melodramatic, even by romance purple prose standards. This was in contrast to a few blunt sex scenes, which seemed out of place so early in the story. However, the prose settled down after the first third of the book or so and the focus turned to the relationship, which I found more interesting. It was refreshing to read a contemporary set in Britain, and I appreciated that the author dealt directly with class differences between the heroes. It also dealt with the characters being gay (and Alec’s acceptance of himself) without feeling like a lecture. However, the book felt a bit short. There was a lot of melodrama crammed into a book that was only about 200 pages longj, and unfortunately, the character development got a little lost. I found the book unique and well written, but it was just finding its way when it ended. Overall, a valiant effort but it fell a bit short.

This was the first book I've read on my Kindle! It took some adjustments to find the right position to hold the Kindle without giving my hand cramps, but overall, I liked the experience. Perfect for this book since it doesn't seem to be available in print.

To Marry a British Lord by Judith O'Brien

An interesting book that lost its way in the second half.

To Marry a British Lord by Judith O'Brien
(1997, Victorian)
Grade: 3.5

Ten years after fleeing war-torn Virginia, Constance Lloyd is a governess who finds herself unexpectedly engaged to the second son of the Duke of Hastings. But when Constance meets Phillip’s best friend, Joseph Smith, she wonders if she’s making a mistake. As she travels in the highest society circles, she keeps returning to Jospeh and the possibility of love.

After reading the first third of this book, I was enchanted by it. The story was compelling, the characters were well drawn, the writing was witty. The biggest fault was the lack of romance, since the hero and heroine are apart for much of the book. But the story felt more like a satire on Victorian life than a real romance. Still, it was fun and interesting, with some pointed commentary on Victorian society. But the book began to go off the rails in the second half. Joseph was never explored as a character, just appearing and disappearing as the plot required. The author started throwing in one historical figure after another (John Brown! Disraeli!) and the plot got wackier and wackier. I never did quite figure out what was going on (the Prince of Wales’ valet was trying to poison everyone and blame John Brown?) The author got so tangled up that she forgot about the characters. The book did improve in the last few chapters, but overall, this was a bit of a disappointment. Too bad, because it started with such promise.

One thing that I found a little distracting in this book: the Prince of Wales is referred to as Your Majesty. I've seen that mistake in several books, and unless things have changed, that isn't right. Only the King or Queen is Your Majesty. The Prince would be Your Royal Highness. The odd thing about this book is that he is also referred to correctly as HRH. I guess I shouldn't let that bother me but it was distracting. Naming the hero "Joseph Smith" was also an odd choice.

A Family for Gillian by Catherine Blair

I finally reached my goal! I didn't finish all of the books in my TBR pile (I have 399 more...) but I finished all the books that didn't fit in my bookcase. Every little bit helps!

A Family for Gillian by Catherine Blair
(2001, Regency)
Grade: 3.5

Viscount Prescott Avery needs a mother for his children, and Gillian Harwell needs to escape her scheming family. It seems like the perfect arrangement. But the children aren't exactly welcoming, and Avery isn't sure he wants a new wife...

This was a cute and charming book. Very reminiscent of Sound of Music. I wouldn't want a steady diet of cute and sweet, but in small doses, it can be nice to read something different. It was a predictable book, and not all that romantic, but it was a nice diversion on a Sunday afternoon.

I'm not a big fan of cute children in romances, but every now and then I'll make an exception.

Scandal by Carolyn Jewel

I've been looking forward to this book for some time - I put it aside because I felt that I couldn't give it a fair reading after I'd heard so much about it. I wanted to wait until I could read it for itself, not for what everyone else was saying about it.

Scandal by Carolyn Jewel
(2009, Regency Historical)
Grade: 4.5

Three years after they first met, the Earl of Banallt is still hopelessly attracted to Sophie Evans. They are both widowed now, but Sophie is wary of trusting her husband’s former drinking companion, a man linked to numerous women and many scandals. Can Banallt show Sophie that he has changed and that he’s worthy of her trust and love?

This was definitely an interesting book. It was very well written and the characters were well drawn and interesting to read about. However, it left me just a little bit cold. The book kept me turning the pages, and I was definitely caught up in the story. The characters were more sophisticated and deep than many romance characters. But it lacked the emotional sweep of my favorite romances - it felt much more intellectual than heartfelt. (There were a few significant gaps in the story as well, particularly involving Banallt’s past.) This is probably one of the best written books I’ve read this year, but it wasn’t quite a keeper. I feel like I ought to have liked it a little bit more than I actually did.

Even though this book wasn't a perfect read for me, I will definitely look up more books by Carolyn Jewel - for some reason I thought I read one of her early books, but I can't remember now. I have one of her older books in my TBR and a newer one on my TBB list.