March 13th, 2010 — 3.5 Stars, Arranged/Forced Marriage, Artist, Big Misunderstanding, Book Review, Captain, G-I, Georgian, Great Britain, Kidnapping, Low Self Esteem/Confidence, Pirate, Pirate, Rape/Abuse, Runaway, Sailing, Seas, Secret Baby, Survival, Travel, United States of America, Virgin Heroine
I first heard about Crimson Rapture
from a HaBo post over at Smart Bitches: Trashy Books. I can’t remember now if this book was the actual book or just one of the suggestions, but I guess it hardly matters. It sounded cool and I got it immediately from Paperback Swap.
It was originally published in 1986 and definitely has forced seduction in it—the kind where he does it for her own good and because he desires her too much to let another moment pass. There’s a lot of it, but it is well written, so if you’re in the mood for it, I would highly suggest this novel. A warning though… the comeuppance of the uppity bitch in the story is gang rape by the pirate crew which the pirate captain (hero) sanctions because she tried to kill someone (no, not the heroine.)
The story is one of those that goes everywhere (Boston, London, open seas, remote island in the Phillipines, Jamaica) and does everything (kidnapping, monsoons, shipwrecks, runaways, fake marriages, babies, plots and betrayal, and so on.)
It starts when the ship the heroine and hero are on is caught in the doldrums. The heroine is headed for Australia to live with her cousin and his family after her father’s recent death. The hero, Justin Phillips, is locked up in the hold somewhere on his way to his execution. He spies her presence one day and strikes up a conversation. He can’t really see her, but he figures she’s extremely plain.
Christina Marks is actually very beautiful. As the daughter of a reverend she is kind, naive, and innocent. Also, she is terribly shy except when she talks to Justin through the small opening. She gives him her rations to help him keep his strength up. When the wind breaks and Justin’s crew comes to his rescue he kidnaps Cristina determined to ensure her safety and wellbeing.
The adventure has only begun though and passion can’t be denied.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
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January 27th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, A-C, ARC, Contemporary, Dukes and Earls, Entrepreneur, Ghost, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Memory Loss, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Scarred Hero, Survival, Teacher, Time Travel
WWJAD is quick fun read. The story is flirty and cute just like the hero, Lord James Shermont. Read it in the bathtub, on the beach, while waiting in line at the post office, wherever, it’s sure to make you smile and leave you eager to turn the page.
Eleanor Pottinger (yes it is unfortunate that is her real last name) is a fan of Jane Austen. We meet her trying to get a room at a Jane Austen convention only to be told the room she booked has been given to somebody else. Luckily there was a newly renovated suite that was available…if she didn’t mind ghosts!
Of course Eleanor changes her mind about ghosts the minute they materialize. Sisters Deidre and Mina from the time of Jane Austen need Eleanor’s help. They are stuck as ghosts and can’t move on without her help. Eleanor jokingly offers to help if they can guarantee she can meet Jane Austen. They agree and before Eleanor can cry “Just Kidding!” Deidre and Mina have transported Eleanor back into the past.
When Eleanor wakes up she is stuck in the Regency era and is believed to be the girls’ widowed cousin Ellen who was arriving from America. Eleanor plays along and gets away with it because they haven’t seen the real Ellen since childhood. The ghosts tell Eleanor her tasks are to keep them out of the clutches of Lord Shermont, a rakehell of the worst sort, and to make sure their brother, Teddy, doesn’t enter into a duel with Shermont over their reputations.
Eleanor was once foolish enough to try and make a Mr. Darcy out of a Wickham, is she smart enough not to do the opposite? What would Jane Austen do?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: What Would Jane Austen Do?
Originally posted 2009-04-28 05:47:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 27th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Book Review, Dukes and Earls, Gambling, Georgian, Great Britain, Highlander, M-O, Rogues and Rakehells, Sailing, Virgin Heroine
Some Like it Wicked by Teresa Medeiros is truly an exceptional read. She’s done it again creating characters that I love and a story line that makes me laugh and close the book with a happy sigh. The sex was tantalizing, decadent, and sizzling hot. The end has a bit of a cliff hanger as this is the first story of a sibling set.
Catriona Kincaid first met Simon when she was sixteen years old. He was seducing her prickly older cousin in the barn at the time. Of course she was discovered and her cousin throws a tantrum, but Simon intervenes between the two cousins with an easy charm and a devilish smile. His heroic actions placed stars in young Cariona’s eyes and she gave her heart in that moment.
Simon Wescott, bastard son of an earl, became the heir to that earldom when the legitimate son died. However, he wants nothing from his father, the man was too hard to impress and Simon was through being a disappointment. When Catriona storms his cell in debtor’s prison with an outrageous bargain, he calls her bluff with one of his own and is beaten at his own game.
He finds himself out of prison and chained into a marriage to the beguiling and bewitching Highland princess. Now if only he could break the trust she held in him and prove to her that he was nobody’s hero, Simon might be free of the spell she was throwing over him. After all, love doesn’t last and it’s the riskiest bet in the business to make and Simon is no one’s fool.
Also based on the dates mentioned in the book this novel falls under Georgian Romance.
Rating: 5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-08-28 05:58:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 25th, 2009 — 3 Stars, Dukes and Earls, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Historical Romance, J-L, Virgin Heroine
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
Quiet and obedient Emily Fairchild is not expecting an adventure. She is content to care for her father, a country vicar since her mother died after a long illness less than a year before. She is happy to have been invited to the masquerade ball being held by the Marquess of Dryden at his country estate. Her cousin Lawrence was kind enough to escort her.
Emily is unable to dance, still being in mourning, but she is looking forward to visiting with her best friend, Lady Sophia, daughter of her father’s patron, Lord Nesfield. Unfortunately, Lady Sophia is dancing with the notorious Earl of Blackmore. Lord Nesfield takes issue with this and there is an embarrassing confrontation.
When Emily is ready to leave she follows a man that she thinks is her cousin and gets into his carriage. In the dark, it takes little time for Emily to realize that the man in the carriage is not her cousin but the Earl of Blackmore. The Earl is happy to have what he thinks is a widow in his carriage. He has no use for virginal young ladies, as he is not ready for marriage.
Maneuvering herself away from the seductive Earl and back into the ball without anyone seeing her is the first of her adventures. Soon she finds herself accused of murdering her mother and blackmailed into posing as the spirited niece of Lord Nesfield in London and must find out who tried to elope with Lady Sophia.
Since the Earl of Blackmore and his friends are the suspects, Emily must spend time flirting and trying to encourage them to confide in her. In the meantime the Earl of Blackmore has not forgotten the lovely Emily Fairchild whom he recognizes in spite of the fact that the carriage, on that first night, was very dark.
This delightful romp entertains with twists and turns provided by the mystery of who tried to elope with Lady Sophia and the necessity of defeating Lord Nesfied. The personal growth that the characters find on the way to love adds interest and dimension.
Rating: 3 Stars
Buy: The Forbidden Lord
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Originally posted 2008-11-30 00:41:40. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 22nd, 2009 — 4 Stars, Book Review, Guest Reviews, Historical Romance, J-L, Plump/Endowed Heroine, Rogues and Rakehells, United States of America, Western
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
Firestorm is the second installment in the Bragg series and is now in reprint. It takes place primarily in 1858, San Francisco. Storm Bragg is a rambunctious 17 year old who can ride, shoot and fight as well as any man, having been brought up in West Texas with two brothers and a father that adores her. At a community gathering she is found entertaining a crowd of young people by wrestling with a boy in the dirt. Her mother then decides that enough is enough. She is sent to live with her mother's cousin, a banker in San Francisco, for a year. Storm is horrified and disheartened by this decision.
The trip to San Francisco from West Texas takes several months by horseback and she arrives with her father at the cousin's mansion dressed in her favorite clothes; worn, skin tight, buckskins that reveal her tall, well endowed figure. Her cousin has a guest, Brett D'Archand, a young but extremely wealthy and successful businessman. He is not ready to marry, but has decided that when he does marry, it will be to a woman of breeding. At the moment he is having the time of his life sleeping with any number of available society ladies. Brett is immediately and passionately obsessed with Storm, although he refuses to admit this to himself. Brett thinks that Storm is wild and savage, needing a strong hand to control her. On her part, Storm finds that Brett has an effect on her that she has never before experienced. She has always seen boys as friends only. She thinks that Brett is domineering, overbearing, and arrogant. They do not like each other but cannot stay apart.
Over the following months, Storm struggles with homesickness and trying to fit into society, as well as, her sexual awaking. She is not comfortable in fancy clothes and does not think she is pretty. In reality, she is stunning. She attracts men like bees to honey. She also attracts gossip by jealous women, particularly when it is obvious to everyone that the most eligible bachelor in town is interested in her.
After several encounters with increasing passion, Storm and Brett are found in an indiscreet position in the garden at a ball. To avoid a scandal, they are forced to marry. Neither is happy with this arrangement. Compounding their disagreements, Brett spends his wedding night with his mistress. The only thing that Brett and Storm can agree on is an annulment. What follows is an abundance of misunderstandings, anger, bitterness, sexual tension and desire.
Brenda Joyce brings us a very enjoyable story with a well-constructed plot and realistic, interesting characters and plenty of action.
4 Stars
If you would like to write a review, please read LRP's submission guidelines.
Originally posted 2008-11-22 06:02:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 21st, 2009 — About
What makes a novel memorable? Is it the characters? The sex? The plot? The setting? The writing? The angst? All of the above play a part, but for me angst is king.
What is angst?
Angst is moving, and emotional, and evocative. It is 100% relatable. Everyone has doubts, fears heartbreak, has experienced pain.
In a romance novel angst is the big conflict. It is the elephant in the room or the giant hurdle the leads have to overcome together. It will drive a wedge in the relationship and they will separate as they try to figure things out for themselves. The test of the relationship is in the angst.
How deeply did they feel?
Angst is valuable and purposeful, not because it’s a way to eek out an extra 15-30 thousand words for a story. Angst is important because it is the culmination of all the little hints and worries and fears into the singular instance that will bring the conflict to its head and start the argument or break up of the leads. Our reaction to it as a reader is a measure of how much the writer got us to care. When we are invested everything changes.
How deeply do I feel?
The payoff:
Nothing worth while is achieved without effort and hardship and this includes the HEA.
"[A]bove all, in an ending, the reader/audience has to CARE. A good ending has an emotional payoff, and it has to be proportionate to what the character AND the reader/audience has experienced." Alexandra Sokoloff
Angst is just the first step in the emotional payoff the writer gives the reader for reading the story. We know going in that there will be highs and lows, happiness and sadness, fluff and angst. The second step in the emotional payoff is in the fixing of the mess or problem. This can be done any way the author feels like, but it must make sense.
A hero wouldn’t suddenly believe the heroine’s tale about how the man she spent the night with all alone at the inn was in fact her cousin if he’s prone to jumping to conclusions or is highly skeptical and jaded when it comes to women and their feelings. He will confront her and not give her a chance. He has to learn the truth of what actually happened outside of the relationship. Then he has to feel guilty for not trusting her and only after all that can he be allowed to find a HEA with the heroine. This usually comes after a nice long grovel. This heroic grovel is our reward as readers for dealing with difficult heroes and it tastes damn good.
When it comes time, how do you like your angst?
Photo Credits: David Robert Wright
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November 12th, 2009 — About, Rape/Abuse
Why is spanking prevalent in older romances? I kid you not the hero gets upset then he takes heroine and bends her over his knee to end an argument. Is it supposed to be sexy? It just comes across as daddy issues gone wrong.
My recent read had such a scene and it was very jarring with the rest of the story. My take on spanking is that with the exception of erotica stories, the usual reaction from a woman should be “WTF is wrong with you? You’re not my father. Stay away!” as she runs from the guy.
I believe it was a tactic by the author to stop a seemingly childish argument from lasting longer. The point isn’t whether or not the argument was childish it is the reaction that of the hero that concerns me. Spanking comes across very controlling; it is after all a form of behavioral punishment.
Disciplinary spanking is often reserved for parent/child relationships. Sometimes it appears for non-sexual purposes in husband/wife relationships as a “part of their [couple’s] overall belief system in how a husband and wife should interrelate.” Even then it’s still between two consenting adults.
In the case of an older romance novel it appears to come about at the frustration of the hero. He simply snaps and surprises the heroine with this form of punishment. The scene is not consenting at all. The heroine usually struggles for release.
Was spanking a way to show off how alpha the hero was? Is this just another in a long line of heroes showing off their manliness in the wrong way? Should this type of hero be labeled spanking-alpha hero to go alongside his cousin rapist-alpha hero and his twin wife-rapist-alpha hero?
As far as I can tell it's not limited to just romance novels - take the picture shown above. Ricky Ricardio is spanking Lucy. Non-erotica romances today aren't filled with spanking heroes, so was this simply a sign of the times?
What are your thoughts?
Photo Credits: http://weheartit.com/
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November 7th, 2009 — 3 Stars, A-C, Alien, Another Planet/Dimension, Book Review, Cursed Lead, Dragon, Highlander, Paranormal, Queen or Princess, Succubus, Survival, United States of America, Werewolf
Dark Highland Fire is about two distinctly polar opposites getting together and overcoming obstacles that should under normal circumstances lay them low. Rowan is a fiery demi-goddess akin to the vampire as she needs blood to survive. However her blood-taking is about life not death so at most she is a cousin of the vampire. Her actual species is called Dyaad and they are descendants of the Goddess Morgaine.
Rowan is full of sass, sharp tongued, and has a streak of violence in her. Her version of her tribe’s magic is geared toward destruction. This is important to remember as for why this is the case is revealed at the end of the novel. There’s one thing that irritated me about Rowan, the heroine of Dark Highland Fire. She claims to not need anyone but the novel starts out with her brother, Bastian, saving her by transporting them to Earth’s dimension and then again, same method, to the Scottish Highlands.
Bastian is a perfect character that at the author’s will be applied like deus ex machina to any situation to get other characters to safety. He’s used this way more than the two times mentioned so far. Overall he’s a good brother to his sisters and I hope will be the focus of another book in this set of Highland novels even though he's not a MacInnes Werewolf. (Speaking of the MacInnes werewolves cameo appearances of Carly and Gideon abound in this book!)
Gabriel is a lackadaisical werewolf. He’s third in line and happy to stay there – no plots to overthrow his brother or father. When Bastian spies him, the cool Dyaad Drakkyn decides to leave his injured sister in Gabriel’s hands. Gabriel questions this decision and is said to have a streak of stubbornness inside him to rival Rowan – which he was going to need. Successfully he manages to get Rowan to do the things he wishes for instance drink his blood to heal, stay put in his apartment for safety purposes. He hasn’t quite figured out that as the next Dyana of her people, Rowan is more than capable of holding her own (at least when she doesn’t let fear paralyze her and smother out her flame.)
Lucien is a Dragon, heir to the throne and has fallen in lust at first sight with Rowan. His father backs his decision to go after the little fire princess and claim her as his own. Dragons apparently don’t understand the words no and not interested. He’s the reason Rowan is on the run and afraid. Though honestly from the daemon creatures mentioned throughout the novel with powerful magic sound more scary. I guess their weak and overly ripe bodies are the reason they inspire more disgust than fear though that’s there too in most cases.
If you’re familiar with the first novel in the series then you know that werewolves mate for life and this ritualistic act is like a marriage. Rowan and Gabriel initiate and finalize this unwittingly during some steamy sex scenes. Once created it is impossible to break though Lucien is going to try his best to do so – Rowan is his and the wolf will pay. Find out if Rowan and Gabriel make it in this fast paced multidimensional novel!
Rating: 3 Stars.
Originally posted 2008-11-10 14:09:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 25th, 2009 — 4 Stars, Book Review, Category, Contemporary, Great Britain, M-O, Travel, Writer
First off I don’t get the title. I suppose I’m missing something, but nevertheless it’s very strange and I couldn’t spot a correlation to the story.
This book is another Harlequin Presents oldie. The hero is two years younger than the heroine’s father and more than double the heroine’s age. The author made a strong case for their romance while she built up the hero’s uncertainty and self-disgust until it fractures and breaks apart in a shower of pretty sparkles. It’s very rewarding.
Our heroine is seventeen and made a point early on in the novel about the arrival of a new stepfather. She’s no longer really welcomed. Her mother in a few short pages makes it plain in several ways that Tamsyn is an intruder in her own home. (She ignores Tamsyn or sends her from the room. She talks to Charles and doesn’t talk to Tamsyn the way she used to, etc.)
She’s leaves for Wales when her mother and stepfather take off for their honeymoon. This is the first time the heroine has ever really spent time with her father. She’s surprised to find her stepmother ten months pregnant (joke). She’s taken from the airport in Wales to her father’s home by her stepmother’s cousin, Hywel Benedict. He’s a writer and a preacher (after a fashion, he stands up and gives sermons in place of a real one because the town is so small.) Tamsyn finds him fascinating and frustrating and the rest as we say is history.
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Chase a Green Shadow
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October 22nd, 2009 — 3.5 Stars, Book Review, Category, Cinderella, Contemporary, Dukes and Earls, Farming, Governess / Companion, South America, V-Z, Virgin Heroine
I would never pick this book up in a secondhand bookstore because the title is strange and the cover is weirder. No wonder Harlequin puts the money and effort into consumer research. It’s all about pretty covers and catchy titles!
The romance takes place in Brazil with references to England and Portugal. Goldenhawk is the name of the hero’s best estate.
The heroine is a very plain girl. Her name is Jaine, appropriate for the phrase plain Jane. Quite often in the novel she is mistaken as a boy. I wanted to jump into the novel and tell her to grow her hair longer and wear less concealing clothes because it’s obvious she’s plain only so much as her aunt and cousin made her so.
Jaine is basically an indentured servant to her cousin and aunt. She’s an orphan and poor relation. Jaine is sent off to take the wrath of the hero as her cousin and aunt depart days before the cousin’s wedding to Pedro de Ros Zanto, a very wealthy landowner and a Duque.
Pedro is amused and determined to hire Jaine out from under her aunt. He promises a life outside of the colorless drab world she’s in and enough money to make it lucrative. Jaine accepts and becomes his son’s companion and caretaker. The son, quite frankly, reads as an excuse for her presence because even with his disability the boy never really makes a big splash or seems to have purpose.
The story is very chaste. We never see anything beyond some passionate kisses. It ends in a bittersweet way similar to Sound of Music. They’re together, but they’re leaving a lot behind in their effort to make it to safety.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Buy: The Girl At Goldenhawk
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September 17th, 2009 — Contests
Sorry some of these are late, it plum left my mind, but I’m on top of my game now! The last three contests and their winners:
Terry Spear’s It’s Not Just About the SEX! winner is…
#9 chris swan
Prize: 1 set of 2 books: Heart of the Wolf and To Tempt the Wolf.
Rebecca Ann Collins’ Regency: Love, Romance, and Passion! winner is…
#1 Andrea and Jennifer who kindly gave up their prize to ... BETH!
Prize: 1 set of 2 books: The Pemberley Chronicles (Book 1) and My Cousin Caroline (Book 2).
My: BBAW: Reading Meme winner is…
#5 Alicia H
Prize: 2 Surprise Harlequins.
Congratulations! I will be contacting the winners about their prizes. If you miss the email mine is reviewromancenovel@yahoo.com
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September 16th, 2009 — 2 Stars, Georgette Heyer, Governess / Companion, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Regency, Spinster, Virgin Heroine
by Zarabeth, guest reviewer
The Nonesuch is a regency romance between a "top-of-the-tress Corinthian" and a noble-turn-governess. Already I'm upset.
This was my first, and last, Georgette Heyer and I maintain that I simply cannot follow her style. I have intense difficulties understanding the language and keeping pace with the conversation. More than once I was so frustrated with myself and this disconnect that I simply had to put the book down. However, I am giving it a 2 out of 5 because despite my frustration's I always picked it up again, eventually.
So, to the story itself: our older, reformed, very rich, and very handsome male lead has arrived with his noble cousin to a country scene where he has recently inherited a dilapidated estate. They are forced to enjoy what little enjoyment the local social scene has to offer and meet an array of interesting and insipid characters. Among them are 2 main females of interest: the unrivaled beauty, a very very young soon to come out debutante and her cool governess.
Our cousin takes an instant interest in the beauty and the begins to court her. The Nonesuch and the governess are therefore thrown together again and again. Over the course of many mortifying events the courtship dies but something has begun for the governess and the Nonesuch- as unlikely and scandalous a pair they might be! (Exclamation points are found at the end of almost every sentence that's spoken.)
It's a fine enough plot with intriguing characters but I can't get past the style!
Rating: 2 Stars
Buy: The Nonesuch
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September 5th, 2009 — 4 Stars, A-C, ARC, Contemporary, Cowboy, Cursed Lead, Friends, Mistaken Identity, Ranching, Secret Baby, United States of America, Western
Lucky in Love is a riot. Brown had fun putting phrases together that read like classic stereotypical western and modern feisty romance rolled into one. You’ll find expressions like: “my hide tacked to the smokehouse door,” “she belongs like a horse apple in a church social punch bowl,” and “heartache bigger than Dallas” to name a few. They were probably my favorite part of the book and never failed to make me smile or laugh out loud when they appeared.
Anthony “Beau” Luckadeau is lucky at everything but not lucky in love. He plans to prove them all wrong by proposing to Amanda, though his heart has long been lost to Amelia Jiminez, a one night stand at his cousin’s wedding. When he does propose everyone forces a smile and shakes his hand but nobody is congratulating him (not that he notices) because Amanda is the worst wife Beau could have picked. She hates ranching, barns, his friends, his workers, his home, and his nickname. It’s not classy enough for her.
Amelia Jiminez on the other hand is none other than sassy Camellia “Milli” Torres. She’s in Oklahoma to help her Granny and Poppy out on their ranch while Poppy is healing from surgery. She and her toddler Katy would never have stepped a foot out of Texas if she’d known Beau was Poppy’s neighbor. If making him dance in the dirt under fire of a .22 rifle doesn’t force him to keep his distance nothing will… and part of her doesn’t want him to stay away which makes him all the more dangerous.
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Lucky in Love
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August 29th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, ARC, Cross-Dressing Female, Dukes and Earls, Estranged, Friends, Gentry, Great Britain, Heiress, Ireland, J-L, Runaway, Scarred Hero, Soldier, Stuart, Survival, Virgin Heroine, Warrior, Wartime
Jamie Sinclair is a chameleon hero. He switches loyalties, sides, and professions to suit his needs. He once worked for Charles II. Now he works for his brother James II. Jamie is not enamored with his mercenary life. He does what he does to earn the monies needed to keep his impoverish and indebted estates and their people going.
So when he comes from a raiding party back to the camp and finds the men out to torture the young lad he faced momentarily on the battlefield, Jamie is reluctant to let them do it. When it turns out that the lad is a she, he’s determined to ensure her safety. The men are angry at the loss of their plaything and won’t easily let Jamie take her. The only way salvage the situation is to marry her.
Catherine Drummond is a quasi female laird. She should be in charge of her people, but her cousin rules the roost. Wounded from battle, she does not recognize what the priest is doing on the field. Her only thoughts are of escape or to take out as many of them as possible before her death.
I was really enjoying this Stuart period romance until about page three hundred. There was so much going on that it's hard to summarize. Friendship is a very important part for the hero and heroine's road to love and happiness. I began to loose interest with all the running around, side switching, and back and forth going on between the hero and heroine. The novel takes place over the course of two (and more) years with a lot of down time between meetings. In the end it was too much for me when all I really wanted was for both of them to act on their mutual love and lust for each other. I'm sorry to say that I ended up skimming the rest of the novel to find out what happened.
Rating: 2.5-3 Stars
Buy: Highland Rebel
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June 10th, 2009 — 4.5 Stars, Children, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Georgette Heyer, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Jane Austen, Regency, Virgin Heroine
By: Sasha Muradali, guest reviewer
Frederica is a stylish and witty Regency novel by Georgette Heyer.
The novel centers around a young girl named Frederica who brings her younger sister and the rest of their siblings to London. She is determined to secure a fabulous marriage for her astoundingly beautiful, cherub-faced sister named Charis.
If you are looking for a Jane Austen fix, and are not interested in reading any 'remakes' or pseudo-Austen novels, you want to read Frederica
.
But be warned, like Austen, Heyer enlists the use of old English to convey the feel of her stories. So prepare yourself with the mindset of Regency dialogue.
Enlisting the help of her cousin, the Marquis of Alverstoke, Frederica embarks on a journey quite distant from the one she initially imagined.
Refreshing, lovely, smart and straight forward, Frederica more than makes a lasting impression on the dashing Marquis.
Quote from chapter 1:
But Alverstoke's besetting sin was a tendency to become rapidly bored. It had vanquished his sisters; for although neither of them could suppose, reviewing the numerous dazzling barques of frailty who had lived under his protection, that he was impervious to feminine charms, neither was so muttonheaded as to indulge optimism very far when he seemed to be developing a tendre for some diamond of birth, beauty, and fortune, thrust under his nose by one or other of his sisters. He was perfectly capable of making the lady the object of his gallantry for a few weeks, and then of veering off at a tangent, forgetting her very existence.
Agreeing to launch Charis and Frederica into London's high society, Lord Alverstoke who is normally cautious of his family, finds himself entertained and entranced.
Some of the best scenes in the novel are the interactions between Lord Alverstoke and his two overbearing sisters: two overbearing, shallow women whose sole purpose in life is to manipulate others, especially him, in order to get what they want.
The novel is humorous, light-hearted and smut-free.
It's really that type of novel, ideally read, on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea and a scone on the side.
While, Frederica is not Pride and Prejudice
, it is a nice, comfortable way to get your Austen-fix.
This book is highly recommended.
Now go watch Lost in Austen
and smile.
4.5 stars of 5.
Buy: Frederica
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