In any case, Sherry Thomas sets a new standard for historical romance writers today. Within pages, I feel her characters’ deeply emotional pain and passion that it astounds me and leaves me feeling disappointed when I try to read other romances, by authors that I’ve always liked quite well. I don’t know how she does it, but Thomas has a way of creating a longing that I haven’t encountered in other writers.

I believe Meredith Duran and Laura Kinsale are also able to capture these feelings futility and soul deep longing.

I really liked the beginning, but it seemed that when the ‘action' started the book kind of came to a standstill and the emotional impact went completely away.

That is interesting, because I know a reader who felt exactly the opposite — that the emotional impact didn’t start until the battle section. Personally I felt the entire book was emotional, but the battle section resonated with me the most.

Re. the wordcount, my impression from something Sherry has said is that she likes to tell her stories in as few words as possible.

I really liked the beginning, but it seemed that when the ‘action’ started the book kind of came to a standstill and the emotional impact went completely away.

From the acknowledgments it seems that major parts of this book were rewritten and I admit to being extremely curious which parts are ‘original’ and which are changed due to editorial comments. I have hypotheses… too bad that there is no way to verify if any of them rise to the level of theories! :)

I’ve read all the comments with interest on this review and on Jennie’s. I was struck by the comments about unrealistic 80s romance with reference to the nighttime activities before their annulment. I didn’t find those at all unrealistic or over the top. I guess it’s all in what one has experienced personally.

I definitely thought that the book was too short and I remember thinking several times that I really would have liked more of internal POV of either or both characters at certain plot points.

As for the war time nookie, it’s amazing what determined humans can accomplish, grin, but personally I felt it would have made for much more interesting reading to see them stay safely in the dak bungalow for a week or so instead of being trapped in the fort. Especially, because Bryony wanted to get away from Leo so badly.

One last general comment, I’m getting really tired and annoyed at the ever shorter books with ever larger margins and print. Do the publishers really think we don’t notice those kinds of shenanigans?

With this book I’m thinking the issue was probably even more prominent due to the rewrite and deadline. I’d really love to get some insider comments on what’s really going on behind the scenes re word count, etc.

Re. May historicals. I haven’t read them so I don’t know if they are anything like Sherry Thomas’s books, but I’m interested in trying A Talent for Sin by Lavinia Kent and A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore, both of which come out on May 26.

I previously recommended The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson which comes out May 28, according to Amazon, but which I spotted at Barnes and Noble today. It’s a reprint of an older book titled Magic Flutes. Ibbotson’s books leave the bedroom door closed but her writing is lovely and her characters endearing.

Hope this helps — I don’t know if any of these are what you’re looking for but they might be worth looking into, anyway.

I really dislike werewolves stories though and I would like to start at book one or a part in the series in which it is standalone.

Or could someone just recommend me a realllly great book? I have some ideas, but for some reason nothing grabs out to me and say READ this like the Sherry Thomas descriptions do.

I had high hopes for this book but it was slow and a little boring, the action in the Swat Valley felt out of place to me and for all the bullets whizzing by it was oddly unexciting. I don’t think I’ll be reading her next book when it comes out.

Julie M — :: blushing:: Thanks for those lovely words about DA. I’m sure all us Ja(y)nes appreciate hearing them.

randi: I agree with you, I understood that Bryony didn’t sleep thru the nighttime activity, I just meant to point out that if someone can sleep throught someone trying (and succeeding) in impregnating them then what Sherry Thomas wrote was possible.

But this brings up a point for me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that at the time I read it (re: the nighttime activity), but I guess I would say (using a now out of date phrase) I was “in the zone” while reading NQAH. Because it was one of my favorite tropes “the seemingly cold-hearted heroine” I don’t think I let anthing pull me out of my enjoyment. A simple case of what I liked let me gloss over what I wasn’t sure I liked. But I have a very high tolerance for a lot of things others don’t like in reading, e.g., anachronism, wallpaper history/setting, character development inconsistency, perhaps I’m not the most discriminating reader….

Shameless flattering – I have to say I adore this site and SBTB, I’ve been reading romance for 30 years (how’d I get so old?) and I’ve found so many wonderful authors through these two sites. Hearts and Kisses to you all cuz I have to get my daily “dear author” and SBTB fixes and all who comment are what makes these sites so addictive and valuable. Thanks from someone who use to lurk but increasingly is coming out of lurk.

“Bryony” is anachronistic? I'm a bit surprised; I thought naming girls after flowers and other plants was a long-established tradition in England. Think of all those Daisys, Roses, Lilys, and Violets who populate historical romance.

Naming after flowers and other plants was a long-established tradition, and still is. Byrony, however, isn’t usually listed among those you listed and the others in England.

I didn’t say it was anachronistic. It was indeed popular among the Scottish English and Welsh middle classes at one time, but–like I said earlier–because of its association with Scotland and Wales, it wasn’t a desirable name for certain classes of the usual English society. Historically, snobbery and cultural bias did (and still does) extend to names.

Having that said and on a different note, England, Scotland (especially!) and Wales can be very conservative with first names, which is why they tend to be creative with nicknames that will last the rest of nickname owners’ lives. It’s still a British tradition going strong. :P

@Julie M:

Isn't it great that there are so many tropes? Some for you – long separation and some for me though nothing comes to mind at the moment, and some we both like – friends to lovers.

Yes! This, to me, is the birlliance of romance-that it can cover so much ground and that there is something to please everyone. It really is a fertile genre.

So I guess it's possible if you are a very heavy sleeper….

Possible spolier-ish comment ahead…….

It’s possible even if you aren’t. I remember waking up to sex several times with my first lover, and the sex was pretty far along (ha!). I’ll have to re-read the book again (oh, such a shame), but I didn’t get the impression that Bryony slept through Leo’s midnight visits, while they were married. I got the impression she woke up during sex.

(something happened with the blockquote: the places where it looks like I’m quoting, are my words. The black text that does NOT look quoted, is a quote. Is this a sign I should just take the rest of the day off?

Plus the heroine's name is just striking me wrong. Seems too modern even if it isn't. Maybe I'll eventually try this one but not anytime soon.

It’s not modern, but it doesn’t fit in with the period and her station either because of its cultural associations. This is, I admit, the reason why I’m on a fence about getting it.

(Names do affect my reading decisions because I have to live with them while reading the story. When I read a historical, name choices alone often destroyed the suspension of belief. There were indeed unusual names in the real-life nobility, but I find that romance authors tend to opt for (not sure how else to put it) “barbaric” names, e.g. native Welsh, Scottish and Irish names or modern/faux-native names. It’s all about ‘ring true to the ear’, I suppose. :D But I digress.)

re: the combination, yeah that was a new one for me. I assumed it was underware but I didn’t take the time to look it up.

grammar alert that first sentence of mine doesn’t look right…. well I’m not a writer… and I don’t play one on t.v. either!

My one issue had to do with the… nighttime relations between Bryony and Leo (I'm trying to avoid spoilers). I'm kind of on the fence with how I feel about those actions.

Yes, I am too. Though not so much from a moral standpoint; I just wonder if all that activity occuring the way it did was a bit over-the-top and unrealistic. It’s not really a criticism on my part but it was stuff like that that made the book feel slightly “old-school” melodramatic to me.