Dear Author » Jennifer-Mueller

Contest, contest, contest!

Jayne — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:48:25 +0000

And we all love that, right? This is for one copy of Jennifer Mueller’s latest book, “A Ruined Season,” a charming Regency with a non nobleman hero. Yes, Virginia, such books do exist! Just leave a comment here by the end of Saturday, June 27th at midnight EST to be eligible.

Edited to add: Sorry but due to shipping costs, this is limited to residents of the US or Canada.

REVIEW: A Ruined Season by Jennifer Mueller

Jayne — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:00:28 +0000

Dear Mrs. Mueller,

To begin, congratulations on your first print book. I liked the different “Impressionistic” cover. Your publisher did very well by you but I must say that I hope a less expensive, paperback edition will eventually be available for readers in the US.

Two years ago, The Honorable Miss Sophie Greenwood had just arrived in London for her first Season when it was over before it had barely begun. Her father’s attempt to increase the family fortune ended up costing them almost everything they had. But what was worse, at least in the eyes of the ton, was her mother’s desperate attempts to marry her off before the news became widely known.

She was unsuccessful, Sophie was humiliated and the family retreated to their modest country estate. Her brother bought a commission in the Army with what little funds they could scrape together and since then, Sophie has endured her mother’s tantrums and veiled comments making Sophie out to be the villain of the story.

She looks at her bleak future with dread until the day Mariah, a cousin, arrives with Lady Sandbourne who is to present Mariah for her first Season. Mariah has inveigled an invitation for Sophie to join them. Not expecting much, Sophie jumps at the chance to escape her mother, if only for a summer.

Has London society forgotten the disaster of two years ago? What is behind the mysterious letter her brother sends after the battle of Vitoria? Why is a madman chasing and attacking Sophie in the streets? And will Sophie finally find a man who doesn’t care about her past or her lack of fortune?

In Jane’s recent post on the resurgence of the historical, several posters indicated that they would be interested in reading about a man from *gasp* trade who is the hero of the story. At the risk of giving away the game, here is such a novel and brava for it. While Jane Austen might not have had a hero in trade, she certainly populated her books with plenty of plain Misters and see how beloved they still are.

Sophie is certainly an outspoken miss and states her mind about a lot of things. At first it was a bit of a shock but after thinking on it, it’s understandable. Why bother to be nicey nice when no one is nice to her? She’s seen everyone’s true colors and feels under no obligation to play along as they ignore or embarrass her. I also love that it is this very quality which her hero admires and demands from her.

Mariah is a sweetie and one of the few people in Sophie’s life who is looking out for her and trying to help her. Sophie’s own mother is a harridan and I laughed to hear of her father’s wedding present to Sophie – that he wouldn’t allow Lady Canmore to visit the newly wed Sophie for a year!

As she says, the price of her “made over” gowns is almost too much to be born in the humiliations Sophie suffers. When Sophie learns of the bets placed on the outcome of her time in London, I felt for her. But in the end, it made her triumph all the more sweet. Not that she would, but she could thumb her nose at the lot of them and say to her beloved father, I found the gem among the dross.

Lady Sandbourne pays the price in the end with her marriage to the wolfish Lord Wolfenway who apparently has no more money that does she. I almost hate that Mr. Asquith will win his bet but crowed with delight that Aunt Sandbourne would not.

I was so glad when Halestrop was finally tackled and caught. I mean, how many times can one man evade Sophie’s guards to get within striking range of her then escape yet again? And wouldn’t his leg have festered to the point where he’d be down for the count anyway?

Phillippa and her older husband are wonderful people. Along with Sophie and Mariah, she knows of, and adheres, to noblesse oblige. Tilly is taken care of as well as the Beresford’s neighboring family which has fallen on hard times. While the jumped Marchioness acts like a guttersnipe. Mr. Dyson is a darling as well as he tries to go into matchmaker mode along with Phillippa.

William Kittridge is just the most delicious hero. He’s got a wicked sense of humor – keeping Sophie in the dark about his true worth and acting the rake with Sophie late in the evening when her arriving parents can’t see her face. He impressed Sophie’s father with his determination to wed her and he likes Sophie just as she is.

Details of Regency life are worked into the story in a “matter of fact” way but not overdone. It’s not fact after fact after fact shoved at us. Those who are sticklers might want more but those who just want a good story should be satisfied.

I did notice some confusing inclusion of and lack of commas that would stop my eye as I read. And perhaps a few more “tags” would have made it clearer which characters were being referred to in various passages. But for readers searching out something other than the standard “yet another Duke hero,” A Ruined Season is a nice change. B

~Jayne

This book can be purchased at Amazon in hardcover. No ebook format.

REVIEW: Egyptian Nights and Egyptian Days by Jennifer Mueller

Jayne — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:34:44 +0000

Dear Ms Mueller,

One thing I know is that I’ll always get something new and different when I begin one of your stories. I realize I mention the unusual settings you utilize in almost every review but I appreciate it so darn much that it just has to be said. And this is one of the most interesting ways of doing TT though one that’s hard to read at times. But thanks for not pulling any punches here. Sorry, no joke intended as spousal abuse is no laughing matter.

Time travel novels can irk me. Will the time traveler wander about babbling “this just can’t be happening?” or will he/she act too modern? Will the person in the correct time freak out or accept things too easily? TT novels have ‘issues’ but you’ve dealt with them in ways that worked for me.

Victoria is puzzled at first when she wakes in the body of Mayati and still thinks she’s in modern times. The two weeks of dreams / images / thoughts she gets after collapsing in fear that her husband will find her are enough to convince her of what’s happened. I like how you don’t magically make her be over her long term fear of her modern husband – she knows he’s not here, that he can’t hurt her there but still sudden movements and people quietly coming up behind her frighten her. I also like how you didn’t make the two women almost identical twins and that Victoria has to get used to a new physical body. Thank you for having Victoria have to learn to deal with life as it is there – ie the bare breasts, sheer linen skirts, and going almost nude in heat instead of acting too modern.

The fact that being a priest of Osiris makes Khaemhat already believe in the dead coming back to life solves half of his problems with what has happened. Being an Egyptian takes care of any problems he might have had with soul transference. There, my usual TT niggles are done away with and in a manner that makes sense with the setting and time. He seems awfully willing to go without any nookie for a long time. Very Phil Donahue. I think that the hotter sexuality than normally found in your historicals and contemps fit the context of the story while also being hawt. I love the inscriptions that Khaemhat brings home from his work.

"I breathe the sweet breath from which comes forth from Thy mouth," he started whispering in her ear. "I behold Thy beauty every day. It is my desire that I may hear Thy sweet voice, even on the north wind, that my limbs may be rejuvenated with life through love of Thee. Give me Thy hands, holding Thy spirit, that I may receive it and may live by it. Call Thou upon my name unto eternity, and it shall never fail."

Who wouldn’t love a guy who sees that and thinks of you?

The descriptions of the gardens, tombs and land were all very realistic and I loved reading about the everyday details of life running an ancient Egyptian estate though Victoria seems to learn her new role as mistress of the household fairly easily. I was surprised that none of the servants ever suspected anything.

What was the reason for the almost TT transference back? To give complete closure of Victoria’s past? Aso, her thoughts and questions to herself about why she never left her husband kinda put too much blame on *her* for what happened to her. She had an education, could have left and found new job anywhere, could have evaded Neal. It all sort of makes her seem dumb too. But then if she had left, she never would have traveled back and found Khaemhat.

on to Egyptian Days –

Victoria has to finally deal with others finding out about Mayati’s past and the swicheroo. Which makes sense based on what you said about Mayati in book one. Somebody had to notice the difference or they all would have come across as thick as as Nile mud. Victoria also got to make amends for what Mayati did in the past and use her knowledge to solve a murder. Maybe that will help poor Mayati’s ka find some kind of eventual resting place. I love what Khaemhat did to their tomb to ensure (at least in his own mind) that Mayati’s ka won’t be with him for eternity!

It was inventive how you used this form of TT with an Egyptian setting since they were the masters of worrying about one’s ka for eternity. This book is a little more sex heavy than the first which also makes sense as Victoria and Khaemhat were only just getting to know each other in “Egyptian Nights.” I like that when the bell finally tolled for what Mayati did in the past (sleazy ho) Victoria and Khaemhat didn’t panic. They used the knowledge for good and saw to the punishment of a killer and the restoration of their family relations. And both books have got great covers too. B for each.

~Jayne

ebooks from Fictionwise or Linden Bay Romances

REVIEW: Samburu Hills by Jennifer Mueller

Jayne — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 10:00:52 +0000

Dear Mrs Mueller,

I don’t think any of your stories has been less than a B grade for me and “Samburu Hills” continues that tradition. The unusual settings and eras you choose for your books are heavenly for me. My blogging partner Janine once said if there were a romance set in Timbuktu, I’d be the one to read it and I think you’d probably be the author to write it.

When Celeste Reed steps off the boat in the fledgling colony of Kenya, East Africa she finds out the man that she was to marry doesn’t even care to get to know her let alone listen to a word she says. Life is miserable and then he has the nerve to die leaving her to run an estate without any money. It seems he spent all he had to impress the colony and she was just part of the package. Africa is unforgiving to the weak, but it can be the people that you least expect that make it.

And then there’s Edward.

Recently I watched the PBS miniseries “Heat of the Sun” set in 1930s Kenya and it jogged my memory that this book had been released. Your time frame is a little earlier than that but I imagine the type of characters hanging around in Nairobi were about the same: decadent, up to no good, and thoroughly snobbish. As if Celeste wasn’t up against enough trying to get her Kenyan ranch to break even against all odds, she has to deal with this lot whenever she ventures into the nearest town, two travel days away, to sell the crops, cattle and whatnot. I love Celeste, she’s so practical and down to earth. She’s a straight talker and straight shooter (love the scene when she tells her no-good husband off with the help of a shotgun), a hard worker and someone who finally gets a chance at a HEA after so many years of loneliness. The secondary characters were colorful and well used. I do have a question though. How could Celeste’s husband, the ninth child of a Marquess, be a Lord in his own right?

This book might look short but so much is told so economically. You can tell more with less words than most authors I’ve read, as if you’re paring a story down to its lovely, compact bones. The vivid descriptions of Kenya and her people put me right there. B+ for “Samburu Hills.”

~Jayne

REVIEW: The Mountain Top by Jennifer Mueller

Jayne — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 10:00:22 +0000

Dear Mrs. Mueller,

Once again you deliver the goods. A hot story, well told in under 40 pages (on my IPAQ). I’m still trying to find out information about this battle which Kybele took part in which resulted in her capture and eventual sale to our hero, Orestes, in Greece. So far Thessius is only coming up as a person’s name and in information about the latest Star Wars movies. Somehow, that’s not what you seem to be writing about. And was Rome already fighting outside Italy in 483 BC? Oh well, if I had a dude like Orestes save me from slavery, I think I’d be jumping his ass and sticking around the family homestead for years too, waiting to make him mine. B for this one.

~Jayne

REVIEW: Novellas by Jennifer Mueller

Jayne — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:00:24 +0000

Dear Ms. Mueller,

My decision to buy some of your novellas was a good choice. Whether writing hot contemporaries or period detailed historicals, I’ve enjoyed all the ones I’ve read so far. In “A Little Roman Scandal” a heroine with a backbone of steel meets the hero to appreciate her intelligence and join with her to thwart the demeaning actions of her villainous father.

The Renaissance heroine of “Behind the Mask” decides to turn the tables on the bridegroom who’s neglected her.

A Boston schoolteacher in Ireland for a 2 week course in Gaelic discovers there’s more than Irish charm in the saucy barmaid who corrects his pronunciation in “Angel of Ballyferriter.”

And when a woman’s fiance leaves her right before their luxurious cruise around Tahiti, she doesn’t waste any time in filling his empty berth with a hot native dancer from the “Finest Island in the World.”

A British spy who reminds me a lot of Sidney Reilly discovers that he can’t complete his mission to WWI Istanbul without the help of “The Dancer’s Secret.” You write with humor, intensity and eroticism and I’m looking forward to more escapes to the past and present from you.

~Jayne

REVIEW: Various Short Stories by Jennifer Mueller

Jayne — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:00:21 +0000

Dear Mrs. Mueller,

After I enjoyed your short story “Till Death Do Us Part,” I knew I had to try some more of your work. The problem still is that a lot of them are very highly priced. So when I noticed you have ~~some freebies~~ at your website, I was very happy. I love freebies!

All of these stories are short (range 21-32 kb) and all use different locations and eras from Roman Britain to Dark Ages Ireland, 17th century Bermuda to the Western prairie. I’m coming to expect strong women in your works and am delighted with these four. They look life in the face and stand up for themselves. All have faced various hardships and tragedies and managed to not only survive but to triumph. Only one of these might be considered a romance but all are filled with evocative descriptions and interesting characters. I do have to mention that I wish the editing was a little stronger.

A New Beginning – Western
Warrior – Roman Britain
Absolution – Dark Ages Ireland
Black Angel – 17th century Bermuda

These stories convinced me to lay out some hard cash for your books at various publishers (and wow, your books are spread out over hell and half of Georgia to different publishers) and I’m looking forward to them.

~Jayne

REVIEW: Til Death Us Do Part by Jennifer Mueller

Jayne — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 22:00:59 +0000

Dear Ms. Mueller,

I read about your books on the Historical Delights yahoo group then followed the link to your website. There I would swear that I found a page of all your short stories then followed a link from them to where I bought this book. But upon going back to try and get a book cover image, I can’t find any of your books listed at Diskus Publishing. Have I lost my mind? Don’t answer that. ;)

Anyway, except for some editing problems, I had a good time reading your interesting short story about a 17th century French woman’s encounter with ruthless pirates, a pirate hunter sent to track them down and her revenge on her perfidious husband. And I also liked her revenge on the pirate who held her captive for two weeks. I must say that certainly put the fear of God into the pirate hunter’s crew!

You don’t shirk from placing your heroine into a difficult situation nor making the story as realistic as you can. Good for you. It’s also filled with an emotional depth that’s hard to achieve in a novella much less a short story. I’d like to have know a bit more about the hero and perhaps have had some of the story told from his POV.

Still, I’m interested in reading more of your work if I can manage to figure out how I got to the place where I bought this one. B for it.

~Jayne