February 21st, 2010 — 4 Stars, ARC, Comedy of Manners, Gentry, Great Britain, M-O, Regency, Virgin Heroine
If you're looking for an Austen sequel that combines the characters' original flaws of pride and prejudice I would highly recommend reading Pemberley Manor. Nelson spins a web of finely strung perceptions and choices. Darcy is one for angry words in the heat of the moment, swift regret, and fleet-footed in his escape to nurse his wounds. Elizabeth is also one for angry words and quick remorse. Darcy is only just learning how to express himself and gets it all wrong. Elizabeth is ready to find offense, certain he must in some way regret marrying her - after all hadn't he in his first proposal said how inferior she was to the task of being his wife?
Meanwhile an old friend has reappeared stirring up a whole mix of bad childhood memories for Darcy... and good ones, if Darcy were to be honest. He's worried about how his mother's influence on him might wreck the only happiness he's ever known and at the same time can't reconcile himself to his father's actions and behavior. Can the old friend and Elizabeth help Darcy unravel the past? Can Darcy let it go if they can't?
Through it all Caroline Bingley is plotting and spilling poison amongst Darcy's old colleagues. She wants Darcy for herself; he must surely regret by now his decision to marry that country bumpkin. Finding a co-conspirator in her older sister, Mrs. Hurst, Caroline hatches a few petty and mean spirited plans. How will they affect the Darcys?
If Caroline weren't enough the local gentry around Derbyshire are determined to snub Mrs. Darcy because of Darcy's previous bad and snobby behavior. Will Elizabeth's goodness and mirth capture their attentions long enough to change their mind about her or will their determination win out in the end?
Quite an excellent book! Very engrossing. The book is chaste; there is nothing overt in the bedroom.
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Pemberley Manor
Originally posted 2009-03-30 05:15:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 3rd, 2010 — 4 Stars, Architect, G-I, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Regency
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
It is always a treat to read one of Madeline Hunter's books. They are very well written with compelling plots and historical subplots as well as wonderful characters. Secrets of Surrender is the third book in the Rothwell Series about a family that is declining socially.
Roselyn Longworth has come down almost as far as possible. Her respectable family has been impoverished for sometime but after her parents' death, her brothers became bankers. Adding to her distress, her older brother has been killed as a freedom fighter in Greece her younger brother fled to Paris, after his embezzlement of bank funds was discovered, absconding with roughly 100,000 pounds (about $10,000,000 today). Her cousin's husband, Lord Hayden, has tried to repay all those affected but there is still a great deal of resentment, most notably from Lord Norbury. Unaware of his connection with her brother, Roselyn has agreed to be Lord Norbury's mistress thinking that he cared for her, but his attentions are anything but romantic.
In the opening scene we find her at a house party hosted by Lord Norbury. This is not a respectable affair. The only attendees from society are men, the women they are escorting are not their wives or mistresses but common prostitutes. She tells Lord Norbury that she will not continue with this affair, but he is unwilling to let her go and indicates that he will hold her by force.
Kyle Bradwell is a local boy who has risen up in the world thanks to the patronage of Lord Norbury's father. He is an architect and arrives thinking to discuss some business with Lord Norbury. When he discovers that there is a house party in progress, he intends to leave as soon as his business is competed. Lord Norbury invites him to stay long enough to have dinner with the rest of the guests whom Kyle has not yet met.
Entering the dinning room Kyle is offended by the company, but he is dazzled by a beautiful, graceful woman across the room and soon realizes that she is here with Lord Norbury. During dinner Lord Norbury rises and addresses the company. He tells his guests that Roselyn no longer chooses to be his mistress and that he is glad to be rid of her because she is so cold and unskilled, although he does list some favorable and intimate physical attributes. He wants to be compensated for the money he has spent on her so far and he offers to auction her to the highest bidder. Kyle is horrified by these proceedings and realizes, when looking over the men that are bidding, that Roselyn is in grave danger. They are not nice men regardless of their standing in society. The bidding starts at 50 pounds and proceeds with several gentlemen in the running. Kyle wastes no time and bids 950 pounds. The room is silenced and Kyle leaves quickly with an ungrateful Roselyn who is unaware of his honorable motives.
What follows is a beautifully written story of two kindred spirits on the outskirts of society who find love, completeness, home, security and acceptance with each other. Adding depth and interest is an historical backdrop dealing with the English justice system during the Regency period and the inequities of justice for titled gentlemen vs. the common man and men vs. women.
4 Stars
Buy: Secrets of Surrender
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Originally posted 2008-08-12 05:42:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 2nd, 2010 — 4 Stars, ARC, Convict, Friends, Gentry, Great Britain, Heiress, J-L, Ranching, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Soldier, Spinster, Thief, Virgin Hero, Virgin Heroine
Lessons in French is a feel-good story. It’s cute, lighthearted, and full of whimsy. It was the right novel at the right time. I needed cute, lighthearted, and whimsy. I smiled a lot when reading it and rooted for both of the main characters. They’re imperfect, but that just makes them extremely likeable.
The heroine is as Laura Kinsale describes--an anti-kickass heroine. Callie Taillefaire is pretty shy. She prefers her animals to men and ballrooms. In ballrooms she’s an absolute wallflower without even trying. She was betrothed three times and all three men left her cold. The people of Shelford love her, but even they have to wonder what’s wrong with her when eighty thousand pounds won’t get a man to the altar. What’s great about Callie is that even though she’s not one of the kickass heroines running around in other romances, she can be fierce and courageous. She’ll even save the hero.
Trevelyn d’Augustin is a very interesting character. He is the son of aristocratic but impoverished French émigrés. Nine years approximately before the story starts, he was in love (or pretty darn close to admitting it anyway) with Callie. That her father did not approve of him is an understatement. One bad episode and Trev runs away to France where he does a lot of things from organizing fights, shooting at Englishmen, becoming a war prisoner, returning to England and organizing more fights, and getting in trouble with the law. He’s avoided Shelford for ages because he’s positive Callie is married with kids, but with his mother extremely ill he can no longer stay away.
They both get a second chance at first love. Trev pulls Callie out of her shell, one hilarious incident after another. Callie gives Trev comfort and quiet strength and a sense of purpose, but she can’t imagine that he feels anything beyond friendship and gratitude for her. So when her sister, Hermione gets engaged to Sir Thomas Vickery, Callie seriously entertains the attentions of an old fiancé. She won’t burden her sister and she won’t stick around with her cousin and his wife Dolly. Trev won’t pursue her romantically because of his legal troubles and because he feels she deserves more than he can offer… and certainly more than this idiot who’s back and sniffing after her eighty thousand pounds.
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Lessons in French
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December 24th, 2009 — 3 Stars, Barons and Baronets, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Children, G-I, Great Britain, Hairy, Highlander, Kidnapping, Pregnant, Scarred Hero, Virgin Heroine, Warrior
Beauty and the Beast by Hannah Howell is not a spectacular read. It is however a pretty solid read. I found several segments to be unnecessary and jumpy and predictable in others. This Highlander romance contains all the elements of the sub-genre including bride stealing, thwarted love, revenge plotting, and battle.
Thayer Saiturn is known as the Red Devil, a knight so fierce and courageous that his name inspires fear in the enemies. The second cousin in line for inheriting a title and land, Thayer knows his place in life is on the battlefield waging war to earn his bread and keep. He wishes for the finer things in life, namely a woman to warm his bed, but he knows his limitations. While men express awe and fear over him, women see nothing but an ugly, very hairy, very red brute covered with many scars (none on his face). He pays for the women in his bed, and does not seek one outside of this arrangement. Betrayed once by a beautiful woman, Thayer vows never to be so weak before another highborn beauty.
Gytha is promised by betrothal contract to the heir of Saiturn Manor. At first it was William, beautiful and strong bodied, but word came that he was dead. So too came word that the second cousin, Thayer was dead. Learning that she is to marry Robert, Gytha expresses disappointment. Robert is weak and his soft looks do nothing for her. She would prefer the knight coming in to witness the wedding – the tall one with flaming red hair, a lithe graceful body, and sweet soft brown eyes.
When she discovers that the red knight is Thayer, the true heir to Saiturn Manor, Gytha is relieved. Robert and his uncle are not but cannot fight the contract. Thayer is dismayed, having thought this to be William’s wedding he was attending, he finds no comfort in learning it is his own. The thought of the inheritance does not soothe him for his bride is the prettiest beauty he has ever seen. He was sure to be cuckold, made a fool of by his marriage to her. Men everywhere were vying for her attentions even as she walked down the aisle. He was doomed, for Gytha could not possibly want him.
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted 2008-12-15 23:06:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 6th, 2009 — About
Carly Simon was onto something when she claimed, “you're so vain
.”
What is romance, after all, but being (seemingly) attended to as you secretly think you deserve? ~Michael Sims reported by Bittergrace
That was one of the most interesting things I heard about romance in a long while. It made me think. Are our emotions wrapped up in vanity? Well, are they?
The more I thought about the more I was sure this statement was correct. I came away agreeing that attentiveness and falling in love go hand in hand.
You wouldn’t dream about ignoring someone you were interested in romantically or sexually. We obsess and we worry over the details. Was that smile a friendly one or a “I’m interested” one? Did he/she notice that huge blunder we just made? And so on.
We are flattered by attentions of others whether desired or not. I think this because we all want to be admired and noticed.
Romance novels allow readers to feel that thrill of attention, admiration, and chase over and over again. What’s better than falling in love? Other than chocolate which is a given.
The pursuit of love that is all consuming is so attractive because it’s so consuming. We crave to be consumed as much as we want to consume. To be wrapped up in our own little worlds; it’s thrilling and terrifying and tremendously tantalizing.
When the attention fades, so does the love. Rekindle both and you’re right there at the height of passion all over again.
What do you think? Do you dis/agree?
Photo Credits: John Everett -- Millais
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October 4th, 2009 — 3 Stars, Arabia/Middle East, Book Review, Category, Contemporary, Gambling, Interracial, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, M-O, Racing, Rogues and Rakehells, Sheik/Desert
My only complaint is that this novel isn’t longer! I feel like this was a good start and now the author should flush it out with more details, more scenes, more, more, more. The ending was much too rushed to wrap everything up to my satisfaction. I felt like I read half a book only to get about four paragraphs of the ending. I feel very deprived. Pout.
This story is very chaste, no sex and only a few passionate kisses. The build up was there and could have developed further. I did enjoy the line about her response to him making a mockery of her modesty.
Pollyanna (Polly) has devoted her energies into Shelton, the historic seat and castle of the ducal Missenden family. Polly’s mother, had been the family’s housekeeper for years and married into the Missendens, but Richard’s offspring do not approve. Anthony the heir puts up the most fight and subsequently Polly has never felt she belonged. She does not have any rights on the castle that has always been her home and Anthony would just as soon be rid of her and the castle. (He gambles and the money would help him pay his debts.)
It’s time for a change. Joining her friend Minty’s documentary production crew Polly is off to Amrah, the Arbian kingdom her great-grandmother fell in love with (at a price.) Polly is also instantly drawn to Amrah’s playboy sheik, Rashid.
For his part, Rashid wants to keep a close eye on Polly. He’s determined to find out if she knew and was behind her stepbrother’s plot to swindle him on a thoroughbred horse. Of course his intentions and attentions get muddled as his motivation changes from revenge to lust.
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted 2009-01-20 05:21:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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September 29th, 2009 — 3.5 Stars, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Dukes and Earls, Great Britain, Heiress, Kidnapping, Lisa Kleypas, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Virgin Heroine
I had some unfamiliar and ear-wax color substances to avoid while reading this book; those are potential problems with any secondhand novel, though I must say I’ve never encountered anything quite like this. lol. Anyway despite the somewhat repulsive quality of my copy of It Happened One Autumn, I enjoyed the story. This Lisa Kleypas novel is number two in the Wallflower quartet. While reading I kept expecting something more, something a little extra. I didn’t get it and so I have to say it was a bit predictable, not that most romance novels aren’t easily predictable, but while the conclusion was good it wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped it to be.
Lillian Bowman, is an upstart American wallflower and proud of it. She’s got a good nose in her head and can distinguish scents the way an artist can label all the colors on a canvas. However, good olfactory sense aside, Lillian is a bit of a hoyden. She won’t mold herself into one of the demure English ladies that litter the country. Her mother bemoans that this will ensure Lillian to never snare a husband of her own – especially that of a peer.
Her sister Daisy is in a similar boat and the two heiresses have got to figure out a way to wed Lillian off – what better chance will they get than the Earl of Westcliff’s month long house party? Before they go, Lillian purchases a flask of perfume made from her own recipe. The proprietor tells her he added a special ingredient, one that is sure to cause magic to happen. Scoffing at the superstitious idea, Lillian pays and they depart.
Well there must be magic in the perfume after all because Westcliff seems to have gone bezerk. He can’t take his eyes off of Lillian or for that matter his hands and lips. Once he captures her in his arms he doesn’t want to let her go. This is totally unusual behavior for Westcliff as he’s only ever shown Lillian amused contempt in the past. Still, in spite of the handsome earl’s attentions, Lillian refuses to ignore the noble Viscount St. Vincent who is also making a play for her hand. Vincent doesn’t seem affected by her perfume at all and while she longs for a little more passion in his arms, all she desires of Westcliff is that his passion is unaffected in the absence of the perfume.
Vincent is looking for an heiress as his father has squandered off all the family inheritance and property except what is entailed. He finds Lillian charming, pretty, and interesting. If he has to take a wife, he could not ask for a better woman.
Marcus Westcliff has been irritated, vexed, annoyed, dismayed, and amused by Lillian’s presence. He can’t seem to get her off his mind but he knows he will never marry her. It is expected that he wed a properly breed English woman of good bloodlines, and while that makes him sound like thoroughbred horse, it doesn’t change the facts.
So it comes as a surprise when they both ask her to marry them (I won’t say who asked first or how the second came about, that’s half the fun.) Now Lillian has to make a choice – but which one?
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-09-29 12:02:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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August 10th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, Book Review, Gentry, Great Britain, Jane Austen, P-R, Regency, Virgin Heroine, Working with Land
I love the title of this book. It rolls off the tongue because of the alliteration and reminds me of Sense & Sensibility
by Jane Austen.
This Austen variation however is not about the lovely Misses Dashwoods, it is about Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.
As is the tradition of Reynold’s Pemberley Variations, Impulse and Initiative is seeded from one major difference between Austen’s original and this new telling. For Impulse and Initiative this difference is Mr. Darcy and his decision not to take Elizabeth’s rejection lying down.
He reveals early to Charles Bingley his mistakes regarding Jane Bennet and together they head off to Hertfordshire to win back the affections of their respective Misses Bennets. As is expected, Charles lands immediately back into the good graces of the Bennet family.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth battles her feelings throughout Darcy’s renewed and more obvious courtship. She constantly wavers between falling in love with him and worrying that she’s allowing his attentions for all the wrong reasons: gratitude, pleasure in being desired, and the vanity of winning such a man do not make for a good relationship (to which I agree with completely).
I confess her constant waffling during the first half of the novel grated on my nerves. Abigail Reynolds carefully brings the two together ensuring its relative believability, though I and my grinding teeth would have preferred one or two or ten different tactics throughout the course of the telling.
Truly I must be a glutton for agony because frankly I missed the pain of their separation and surety that both were lost to the other. It was another something that I&I lacked in my opinion. Of course they argued and had mini ‘Big Misunderstandings’ and fretted about and over each but it wasn’t the same.
I end with saying that I closed the book fairly satisfied despite my misgivings and that I&I filled my Jane Austen craving.
Rating: 2.5-3 Stars
Buy: Impulse & Initiative
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