Dear Author » My Favorite Things-2006

10 Things I’m Thankful for Romance

Jane — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 09:00:19 +0000

Not to be left out, even though Thanksgiving has past, here’s my list.

Those Calgon, Take Me Away moments wherein you are transported from mundane suburbia into the rich lives of the Old West, the Near Future, the Distant Past, and the Alternative Reality.
No matter how many big silly misunderstandings a couple suffers through complete lack of communication, in the end, nothing can keep the gudgeons apart.
Learning new words, like gudgeon and ahvenge.
The words “free book” can make my whole day better even though a book costs about the same as a lunch. Come to think of it, though, I get excited over the words “free lunch”. It just must be the word “free.”
Even the tritest most hackneyed story plots still read like new under the hands of a great author.
Despite biological impossibilities, humans can be made into vampires and immortals and really live happily ever after.
Finding that even the basest of humans can be worthy of love and redemption.
Having extensive knowledge about something.
Being one of the millions of readers who read those kinds of books.
That romance is an industry for women, written by women, sold by women, bought by women. Go WOMEN Go.

Thanksgiving contest results to be posted at noon. Thanks for visiting and commenting. Next week: Romance Readers Are Being Series-ed to Death

REVIEW: The Iron Rose by Marsha Canham

Jayne — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 22:00:07 +0000

Dear Mrs. Canham,

I hope that your muse can tempt you back into writing. I keep hearing rumors but what I want is to read another new Canham book! ;) Other reviews have decried the amount of violence and sex in “The Iron Rose.” Yes, it’s violent. Yes, it has sex. But it’s a pirate book! It’s supposed to be violent. It’s supposed to have sex. And it’s a wild, exhilarating ride. Like watching an old MGM movie. I kept expecting Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power to come swinging out of the shrouds, sword in hand, to battle the dastardly enemy in a duel of flashing rapier death. “Away, all hands up and over!”

Varian St. Clare, 12th Duke of Harrow has been sent to the Caribee by King James to persuade the English privateers to lay down their arms and sail tamely back to England in order to further a peace treaty with Phillip III of Spain. But when his ship is attacked without provocation by the Spanish and he’s rescued by Juliet Dante, the daughter of the famed Sea Wolf, Simon Dante, and captured documents are translated to reveal the true treacherous intentions of the Spanish King, he joins forces with the privateers to do their duty for England (and gain lots and lots of plunder) by destroying the Spanish fleet headed back across the Atlantic to avenge the disaster (in Spanish eyes at least) of the the Spanish Armada.

Simon finds himself in a world totally unlike the narrow, ordered English society in which he’s been raised. Things are wild, loose and lived to the edge. At first he’s appalled by these people, then admiring, then entering whole heartedly into their exhilarating world. Juliet is unlike any woman he’s ever dreamed existed. She’s his equal with a sword, in a fight, in languages and in bed. Especially in bed. I’m amazed these two have enough energy to walk after the 3 weeks they spend together. But he’s got the brains to realize she’s the woman for him and to go for it.

Juliet takes a bit longer to see that Simon isn’t the dainty fop she first thought. He might not know how to set a sail but he’s learning and by gosh, he really does love her. Just as she is.

The battle scenes take my breath away, the descriptions of place and time are first rate and it seems that you were obviously having tremendous fun writing this one. I do wonder just when your baby granddaughter to whom the book is dedicated will finally be allowed to read it, though.

A few nitpicks. I was kind of surprised that you made the hero a peer. He talks about responsibility to his dependents then, at the end, blithely intends to stay in the Caribbean with no thought to ever returning to England. It didn’t seem true to character. Also, there is one incredibly, amazingly, unbelievably stupid move on the part of the heroine which necessitates her rescue by Simon. Maybe you felt Simon needed a scene to prove his cojones but it made Juliet look like an idiot. Also, the villains are little more than cardboard characters (insert image of Basil Rathbone).

But this is still one of the most fun books I’ve read in a long time and if readers are ready for the violent content and a heroine who is not only not a virgin but who has had lovers in the past, it’s also a rush. A- Oh, I wish US readers had gotten the Spanish language cover instead of the kind of bland blue one.

~Jayne

REVIEW: Honor’s Splendor by Julie Garwood

Jane — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 10:00:57 +0000

Dear Ms. Garwood:

I want you to know that I open myself up to ridicule from any number of blogland sources such as my blogging partners, Jayne and Janine, Keishon, Maili, and who knows else by writing this love letter to you. Alas, I cannot let this week of thankfulness pass by without referencing at least one of your books that I have read so much that is poor cover fell off. So I am hiding this review on Thanksgiving where I can be quietly be thankful for this book whilst the rest of the US blogland is sleepy from gorging on turkey and mashed potatoes. (As an aside, the Thanksgiving episode where Jerry plays with the mint boxed Superman whilst girlfriend is drugged upon Trytophan is hilarious).

This was one of the first of your books that I had ever read and the opening scene is unforgettable.

They meant to kill him.

Baron Duncan of Wexton land is standing naked, tied to the pole in the bitter winter. Even at his seemingly weakest moment, his enemies still fear him. They stand a weapon’s length away to spit at his feet and mock him. Duncan is unafraid. He acknowledges he may lose his feet to frostbite but even as he stands there, his men are climbing the walls so that they can carry out the plan against Baron Loudden.

Madelyne, Loudden’s half sister, is watching this. Madelyne is a gentle soul. She cannot allow this atrocity of Loudden’s to be executed. She creeps out and frees Duncan and then performs an incredibly selfless act. This action forever changes the dynamic between Duncan and Madelyne. Duncan has come for Madelyne to revenge Loudden’s defilement of Duncan’s sister. “An eye for an eye” Duncan says to Madelyne.

Madelyne understands but tells Duncan that it is of no use. Loudden has no respect or love for her as Duncan and his siblings have for their sister. Loudden will not understand this act as Duncan intends. Duncan believes that Madelyne is just trying to get him to leave her there and totally ignores the family dynamic that Madelye is trying to explain. What we readers come to understand early on is that Loudden’s feelings for Madelyne are quite unnatural and that he will pursue Madelyne.

Madelyne was sorely abused by her family, other than the family priest. She has little self worth. Duncan sweeps Madelyne off to the Wexton land where Madelyne gains a true family even though she has to fight through bitterness and hatred directed toward her by Duncan’s family. In true Garwood fashion, Madelyne wins over everyone with her kindness and her ineptness. She’s so loveable even Duncan’s fierce stallion falls for her in a hilarious scene. Your characteristic gentle humor is sprinkled throughout the story. Every trite and hackneyed plot device and characterization seems to be included in this book: heroine gets illness, reveals terrible mistreatment during fevers; loves small animals; is kind to the servants; gentles the fiercest of men. But you know, it wasn’t hackneyed when I first read it and despite the familiar conventions, I still enjoy this book on re-reads. Thanks for writing gentle love stories with good humor and lots of passion.

Best regards

Jane

REVIEW: Of Paupers and Peers by Sheri Cobb South

Jayne — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:00:09 +0000

Dear Mrs. Cobb South,

I’ve been a fan of yours since “The Weaver Takes a Wife” and was delighted to hear that a new book was coming out. I can now happily say that “Of Paupers and Peers” will take its place beside my other Cobb South keepers. I just wish that 1) it was a lot cheaper so more people might buy it and enjoy it and 2) your books were available as ebooks. Any chance of that?

James Weatherly’s greatest hopes in life were to win the hand of the Peerless Miss Prescott and to aspire to the living in the small village of Fairford. When Miss Prescott laughed at his proposal, he lowered his sights to earning his keep as a Latin tutor and vicar. It was then that Fate, in the form of an unbroken male descent from the disinherited second son who ran off with a milkmaid, changed his life. James suddenly finds himself a wealthy Duke traveling to his vast Surrey estate when Fate hits him over the head again, only this time literally. Beset by two robbing ruffians, he’s lying in the middle of a dusty road when Miss Margaret Darrington appears and pronounces that he must be the new tutor she’s engaged to teach her 14 year old brother. James is horrified when he discovers he’s lost his memory and with nothing to contradict Margaret’s assumptions, he soon takes his place in her family house and begins to fall in love with her. When his memory finally returns, James, mindful of his first rejected proposal, decides to woo Margaret as a lowly tutor instead of revealing his true identity. But things don’t turn out as anyone expects on the road to true love.

Thank you for turning standard trad Romance traditions on their heads. Those of us who have read tons of ton books will recognize them and delight when you veer around heroes who don’t need buckram padding to fill out their Weston coats or head off most of the Big Misunderstandings we’ve come to accept as inevitable. And the fact that you manage this without either making your characters act too modern or jump into bed with no fear of the consequences is that much better. This is a wonderful book and a strong B+ recommendation.

~Jayne

REVIEW: Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase

REVIEW: Forbidden by Susan Johnson

Jane — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 09:00:44 +0000

Dear Ms. Johnson:

Long before there was Jaid Black and Ellora’s Cave. Long before the rise of erotic romance and the publication of lines like Aphrodisia, Spice, and Avon Red, there were authors like you who wrote historically rich, emotionally deep and impossibly erotic romances. There are three of your books that I re-read with some frequency and this is one of them.

Forbidden is a book full of rule breakers. The book itself is a rule breaker because it features a heroine who is a minority, an Absarokee Indian; a hero who is married and then proceeds to get a divorce; a heroine who lost her virginity well before meeting up with the hero; a hero who actually has adult children and one grandchild; and a long separation; it’s set in 1891 and its in France and America. You would think that all of those things would tend to irritate the crap out of people but Forbidden is still in print today, some fifteen years after its original publication in 1991.

But it is your rule breaking that makes this book so wonderful. Daisy Black is a serious person, not given to frivolity. Raised amonst the Absarokee tribe in the region of Montana, Daisy has been imbued with a sense of purpose and devotion to her people and her land. Her father went to Harvard and when she was of age, Daisy went to Harvard as well. She became one of fifty female lawyers in America and represented her tribe’s land interests in court and out. Her half brother, Trey, begs her to go to France to oversee the succession rights of a member of Trey’s family. Daisy agrees reluctantly.

Etienne, Duc de Vec, is a man of great passion and excess. From the beginning he seems ill suited for Daisy. Daisy views him with disdain as she perceives his life is devoted to pleasure, everything about him as anethma to her. Etienne’s marriage is a dynastic one and since the requisite heir was born his wife and he have had little do with one another. They co exist side by side in society with little common interests. She has never minded his affairs in the past and she really doesn’t begrudge him Daisy. When Daisy and Duc first meet, they are both a bit unimpressed with the other. Daisy because he’s a profligate wastrel and Duc because she’s just another woman who would bed him for his wealth and not much else.

Of course, their passion for life makes them a perfect match; the serious Daisy is evened out by the live for pleasure Duc. Etienne’s life of frivolity is given meaning by Daisy’s love. Their need to be together gives rise to Etienne shocking society and his wife by filing for divorce. What proceeds is one of the nastiest divorce fights I’ve ever encountered, in fiction and real life. The suspense is whether Etienne can actually get divorced. His seeming inability to overcome his wife’s influence with the church and the monarchists (her cousin is the Archbishop) drives Daisy to believe that it isn’t meant to be; that the spirits do not intend for them to be together. Daisy returns to America. Time, distance and her belief that the divorce will never happen leads her to end things with Etienne.

There is a great scene in which Daisy and Etienne exchange frank and heartbreaking telegraphs.

Don’t understand. Won’t understand. Can’t understand. You’re killing me, he added at the last, a wrenching admission for a man of his pride.

I’m sorry. Words of duty, practical words, words that dimmed the sun.

Don’t be. I’m not. Etienne had replied, a prideful man, resentful and frustrated after two hours in the telegraph office at the Bourse under the interested scrutiny of the key operator. Affronted at having exposed his private life to the world, he stalked out of the office and strode to the Jockey Club to drink himself into an oblivious state of disregard for all women, friends or otherwise.

This book is a series of great scenes. There were great love scenes, particularly the ones where Etienne and Daisy make love in his lodge in Colsec. The scene in which Etienne and Daisy’s father and brother meet on the polo grounds in Newport and try to kill each other. Etienne and Daisy’s reunion. The flaw to this beautiful romance is its wordiness. What some authors can say in only 5 words, you use 15. For some reason, because of the lushness of this story, the grand passion, the expansive nature of the love between Daisy and Etienne, the wordiness fit. I am thankful that this is a book I can revisit frequently, particularly in this day of erotic romances, just to remind myself of how a really good erotic romance reads.

Best regards,

Jane

REVIEW: The Smoke Thief by Shana Abé

Janine — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 22:00:30 +0000

Dear Ms. Abé,

Imagine a place so ripe and thick with the promise of magic that the very air breathes in plumes of pearl and gray and smoky blue; that the trees bow with the weight of their heavy branches, dipping low to the ground, dropping needles and leaves into beds of perfume. A place of white sparkling mountains and black forests and one high, ancient castle. Of diamonds that churn up raw from the marrow of the earth to lace the woods, unseen, in necklaces of ice and fire.

The first book in your drákon series begins in this fashion, with a prologue that tells of a species of dragons who, in order to survive the encroachment of mankind, took human shape and traveled from their home in Eastern Europe to England. Although I am usually a fan of luxurious language, the descriptions in the prologue verge on being too rich for my blood. They are very effective at conveying that drákon’s origins are the stuff of fables, but I am nonetheless glad when the prologue gives way to chapter one and The Smoke Thief settles into a lovely style that is still poetic, but more restrained.

The girls had paused in a soft valley between the hills, clutching their hats as the breeze turned brisker. Sunlight showed honeyed locks flying and flaxen, strawberry blond and ginger red. Four girls, smiling and chattering amid the green. Someone loosed her flowers, and the August wind blew them into bright confusion.

The year is 1737 and the girls are being observed by sixteen year old Kit Langford, Earl of Chasen, just as his father, the Marquess of Langford, and the men on the drá kon’s council are discussing the fact that no female in four generations has completed what they call the Turn. Kit, bored with the discussion, watches as a younger, mouse-like girl appears in the meadow and the other four girls begin to chase her. She is Clarissa, whose father was human, and who for that reason is considered a "Halfling" of no importance to the drá kon tribe. Kit gives little thought to Clarissa, who is in love with him, and five years later, when he is away at school, he learns that she has drowned.

Nine more years pass, by which time Kit’s father has died and Kit has become the tribe’s alpha. He and the others on the council are plagued by the growing notoriety of a London jewel thief associated with smoke, dubbed "The Smoke Thief" by the press. Such a thief could only be a runner, a member of the tribe broke their laws and escaped their village of Darkfrith. To do so is punishable by death, and this particular runner’s high-profile thefts are endangering the safety of the entire tribe, whose survival depends on passing for human.

In order to capture the thief, Kit and his fellow members come to London to display the tribe’s cherished jewel, the Langford diamond, in order to tempt the thief into carelessness. When the diamond is displayed at The Stewart, Kit makes a stunning discovery: that the Smoke Thief is female — the girl whom everyone believed dead — and that unlike any other drákon female, she possesses the power to turn herself to smoke and then to dragon. Before he can capture her, the woman disappears, and someone else steals the diamond.

Rue, as she is now called, always felt like an outcast among the tribe and has carved a life for herself in London. She does not want to return to Darkfrith, but when Kit and the council find her, they don’t give her a choice. Were she male, she would face execution for her crimes, but the fact that she’s a female who can Turn makes her far too valuable. She is now the tribe’s female alpha, and the man whose mate she’ll become will have supremacy. Like the other men, Kit covets Rue for himself and he intends to have her, one way or another.

But as much as she is attracted to Kit, Rue craves her freedom more, and so she strikes a bargain with him: she will help him find the Langford diamond and capture the drákon who stole it, in return for liberty from the tribe. Kit agrees, but has no intention of honoring his end of the deal.

The Smoke Thief is one of the best examples of paranormal romance I have found in my reading so far, a successful blend of romance and fantasy, fable and gritty reality. Going into it, I expected that any book about people who can turn into dragons would be at least a little bit cheesy, but I was happy to have my prejudice refuted. The fantastical aspects of the book are married so well with its romantic aspects, its historical atmosphere, and its jewel thief subplot that what emerges is a nearly seamless creation, the written equivalent of a creature that can fly and thieve and perform dazzling tricks one moment, and in the next be as naked as a newborn, stripped down to its essentials.

Rue and Kit are such creatures too, and they display both human and dragon characteristics. Each of them is in his or her own way covetous, ruthless and pragmatic, and they fight not only for each other, but for the upper hand and for the having of the other on their own terms. But through their streaks of selfishness and self-possession wind threads of generosity and bravery, and this combination of traits make them not only multidimensional and real, but also right for one another. I closed the book unable to imagine Kit with someone other than Rue, or Rue with someone other than Kit.

As I was debating what to grade this book, I thought of giving it a B+, because a few things did interfere just slightly with my enjoyment, namely the lushness of the prologue, the presence of yet another orphan urchin, the emphasis on Rue’s purity, and a few same-scene viewpoint shifts that were a bit jarring to me. But while I was debating, the book and its characters stayed with me, like an unusually vivid dream.

In this season of gratitude, I’m thankful to have discovered you with this book and that I have your backlist to explore. Writers who put words together like jewelers crafting bracelets, whose characters have as many facets as polished diamonds, whose creations sparkle and gleam, make me glad to be a reader in a genre rich with possibilities. A-.

Sincerely,

Janine

REVIEW: My Lady Notorious by Jo Beverley

Jayne — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:00:25 +0000

Dear Mrs. Beverley,

I had fond thought of this book before I even started it because it was the subject of the first email I ever exchanged with someone who’s become a dear friend of mine. I had mentioned after the year 2000 AAR Top 100 that I was looking for a copy and Deb, the consummate bookstalker, emailed me saying she had one. Plus about 10 other books I’d been looking for. Deb, this review’s for you!

Mrs. Beverley, you work for me yet again with this one, the first in the Malloren series. Cyn, Captain Lord Cynric Malloren, is a great hero who is bowling along in his brother, the Marquise of Rothgar’s coach, when it’s held up by some very interesting highwaymen. Sensing something isn’t quite right, he goes along with things til he finds himself kidnapped to drive the coach to an out of the way cottage where things get even weirder. He soon concludes that the two *highwaymen* are actually women, one of whom resumes her female identity and turns out to be the mother of a months old infant. The other, the one who intrigues him, stays in her male persona and Cyn, not being able to resist a challenge or turn down an opportunity for some fun, decides to join their mad adventure.

Lady Chastity Ware is not quite sure what to do with this dangerous man, this pretty sweet-seeming viper, as she thinks of him. He’s a fly in the ointment of the desperate flight that she and her sister are on but as he slowly takes over the operation, she has the sense to realize that without his help, they’re doomed. Chastity and Verity are fleeing from not only their father, the unforgiving Earl of Ware, but also from Verity’s brother in law. While not being able to deduce why those two are after them, they know that they must stay out of the clutches of both dangerous men who appear willing and able to go to any lengths to get the women back. At first Cyn thinks that their tales of menace are just overblown women’s delusions, but soon he realizes that there is something sinister afoot and that he’s falling in love with Chastity. Which makes his sexual teasing of *Charles* all the more fun.

Chastity also finds herself attracted to Cyn but unlike him, she knows it can lead to nothing but heartache for she is the Notorious Lady Chastity Ware. A woman who has fallen from society’s graces as part of the devious plot of her father and brother in law. No one will listen to her protestations of innocence and she despairs as she falls in love with a wonderful man she can never have. The plot thickens as the entire Malloren clan is enlisted to not only unravel the mystery but also clear the name and reputation of the woman their little brother longs, with all his heart, to make his wife.

The action in this one is pretty much nonstop but it isn’t running around to no purpose. The danger is real even if the villains turn pretty much over the top by the end (the denouement ball scene is a touch too much). I usually don’t care much for women dressed up as men books because they seem so improbable but Chastity has had a while to practice and is quite good in her disguise. Plus, all she wants is to go back to her female life instead of running around pretending to be a man for no good reason. She is smart and acts true to the times instead of TSTL.

Cyn, as I’ve said, is great. And boy does he know how to do fun sex. The sexual tension in this one is quite hot and the love scenes are too. We also get a glimpse of the Bacchanalian decadence of a Georgian orgy (My God!) and the scene with Chastity (in disguise) listening to the bawdy songs of Cyn’s fellow officers and friends, is a hoot. Cyn also goes in disguise at times and during one scene I couldn’t help but think of an illustration from The Wind in the Willows of Mr. Toad running in his dress.

As I said before, Chastity’s father goes over the top as far as villainy is concerned and becomes something of a cartoonish character by the end which brought down my final grade just a bit. Also, some readers might not care for the depiction of Georgian society’s views on women and children. It is not only accepted but expected that men will physically discipline not only their wives but also their children. And the fact that the subjects of the disciplining seem to accept it as the fact of life, gets a bit hard to read about sometimes. But it is true to the times and I applaud you for not trying to sugarcoat that reality. My final grade is a B+ and this is one reason by I’m thankful you have chosen to write romances.

~Jayne

REVIEW: Ride a Painted Pony by Kathleen Eagle

Jayne — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 09:00:25 +0000

Dear Mrs. Eagle,

I’ve adored your books for years and have posted in praise of them in the past. And then something happened with your writing. A new direction, I think it was called. I know you have to follow where your muse leads you but frankly, I wasn’t happy about where she was taking you. Well, hallelujah I think you’re headed back in the direction I like.

Lauren Davis didn’t realize until it was too late that she was way over her head going up against a man she had once, well maybe not loved, but enjoyed being with. He hadn’t wanted her to stop riding his racehorses to have the baby but once Joey had arrived, Raymond Vargas decided that no one was going to take his son away. And when Lauren tried, he beat her then ordered her killed. And she would have been too if his henchman hadn’t gotten soft and dumped her by the side of the road on a rainy night in Missouri.

And that’s where Nick Red Shield finds her, bruised and bloody and so helpless he can’t abandon her even if that kind of behavior was in him. So she tags along with him to pick up his dream in Colorado and haul it in his horse trailer back to his place on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. True Colors has a flashy pedigree and is guaranteed to sire babies with the paint colors horse buyers are interested in now and that is what Nick and his partner need to get their horse breeding business up and running. What Lauren finds in him is a fast horse who can win races and maybe be the “in” she needs to get her son back. But is she willing to risk Nick’s dream and their chance of a future?

“The Night Remembers” is the first book of yours I read and this one has some similarities: a battered woman on the run who finds shelter and protection then love from a Native American hero. And like “What the Heart Knows,” Indian casinos and gambling play a role as well. But this time you’ve added the world of small stakes quarter-horse racing to the mix and come up with something unique. Your knowledge, and love, of modern Lakota life is apparent and shown to us in the characters’ actions rather than parroted as a social studies lesson. I can see the places and actions you describe: a rainy night on the road, a truckstop, a tackroom in a barn, Lauren racing True Colors across open ground and the lazy riverbank where Nick proposes. What I had a little trouble seeing was Lauren managing to keep herself from trying to get Joey back sooner or Nick being willing to forgive Lauren for her betrayal quite as quickly as he does. But I can say that I enjoyed this book more than, oh well let’s just say more than the past few and I’m glad to be able to endorse yet another reason I’m glad you write romances. B for this one.

~Jayne

REVIEW: A Curious Courting by Laura Matthews

Jane — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 22:00:56 +0000

Dear Ms. Matthews:

I am writing this letter today because I fear that the readership believes that I am a suspense thriller junkie who only likes boring police procedure stories interrupted by bouts of hot sex. I mean, yeah, that is me, but I also like to mix things up a bit. You are a traditional regency writer. If you were being published today . . . Well, I guess that’s a silly thing to say because you wouldn’t be published today because you do write traditional regencies but I think there is a readership out there today so I am thankful for Belgrave House for reissuing your books in ebook format.

A Curious Courting is set in Leicestershire, Quorn(hunting) country. Mr. Gareth Rushton is visiting his good friend, Sir Penrith Southwood. It’s important for me to note that until I started reading these older traditional Regencies, outside of a Heyer book, I hadn’t seen a mere mister be cast as a hero. It goes to show that it doesn’t matter what title you give a man. Mr. Rushton comes from a distinguished background and from one of the oldest families in England. The gossip is that Mr. Rushton offered for a Miss Longmead but she “showed him the door.” Mr. Rushton’s response is to purchase land and build a completely male residence with no feminine accoutrements. Sir Penrith is quite a savvy man and understands that this is the result of Mr. Rushton’s piqued feelings even if Rushton refuses to admit it.

Rushton reminded me a bit of Darcy in his priggishness and self righteousness. Rushton invariably thought he was right and was often being set off guard by Selena, Miss Easterly-Cummings. Miss E-C as Rushton refers to her in his journal, is a wealthy single woman of age 23 whose father died some time ago and left her “pots of money.” When Selena was 18, her young cousin was involved in a terrific accident coming to her father’s funeral. Young Henry’s parents died and Selena took over Henry’s care when Henry’s guardian took a disgust of Henry. Henry did not survive the accident unscathed, but with a physical disability. Worried that Henry’s guardian would deem her too young to be Henry’s caregiver, Selena threw off any remnant of youth.

Everyone wonders a bit why Selena dresses and acts like such an eccentric, never giving into much frivolity when she is one of the area’s greatest beauties. When Rushton comes into Selena’s life, Henry is 16 and is chafing at Selena’s supervision. Selena herself recognizes that she really cannot provide Henry the guidance he may need to make a man of himself but she bristles at the idea that Rushton can. Rushton himself rarely knows what to make of Selena and they often find themselves grating on the others’ last nerve. We readers know that this constant aggravation hides the deeper attraction that neither are willing to acknowledge.

At some point, Rushton recognizes that he loves Selena and he begins to court her. Unfortunately, Selena doesn’t realize that she is being courted and misreads all of his actions. These moments provide some immense hilarity.

The greatest thing about your books is that they seem so historically accurate. I have no idea if they are, but the characters all act and talk like I imagine them to have acted and talked in the 1800s. They use period appropriate colloquialisms:

“Lord, Assheton Smith does give one a good day, what?”
“Would you care to ride into Barton to enquire”
“Devil of a nuisance ”
“A complete hand . . .”

You get the idea. Everyone addresses other appropriately so that when the hero and heroine actually use each other’s Christian names, its meaningful. This is a quiet love story, but as you do in most of your stories you show us that the characters truly understand each other, the good and the bad and that they both love each other because of those attributes. Thanks to you for writing these “true” regencies and thanks to Belgrave House for making them available long after the first date of publication.

Best regards,

Jane

REVIEW: What a Woman Needs by Caroline Linden

Janine — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:00:46 +0000

Dear Ms. Linden,
I was intrigued by the premise of your first novel, What a Woman Needs.

Stuart Drake has to get his hands on some money, and he has to do it fast. After becoming embroiled in not one but two scandals, neither of his own making, Stuart was cut off from his allowance by his angry father. Now Stuart, the subject of London gossip, is living on meager funds, and worse yet, if he doesn’t find another source of income quickly, he may have to sell Oakwood Park, the beloved estate he recently purchased.

In order to avoid that fate, Stuart has put his future title, his handsome looks and his charming manners up for sale, so to speak, and moved to Tunbridge Wells ahead of the gossip. There Stuart has found a young heiress who wants nothing more than to marry him. But standing in the way of Stuart’s marriage to Miss Susan Tratter is her aunt and guardian.

Charlotte Griffolino is the surly old widow of an Italian count, according to Susan. So when Stuart finds himself halfway seduced by a lushly-curved, golden-skinned woman of thirty, he doesn’t realize who she is until the rug, or rather her tempting body, is abruptly pulled out from under him.

Charlotte has heard the gossip about Stuart in London and she is displeased, to say the least, to find her niece and ward in love with a man Charlotte believes to be a cad. When Charlotte was young, a fortune hunter took advantage of her and she suffered considerably as a result. As a result, she is determined to keep Stuart away from Susan and prevent him from preying on other young women.

Stuart is willing to forget about marriage to Susan (truth to tell, a big part of him is relieved that he won’t be marrying her), but when Charlotte ensures that the rumors from London follow Stuart to Tunbridge Wells and that no mother allows him near her daughter, it’s as good as a declaration of war. From then on, Stuart and Charlotte spar, break into one another’s homes to retrieve their possessions, and fall into delicious lust.

Then Susan disappears, leaving Charlotte a note in which she says she has followed her love. Certain that Stuart plans to abduct her niece, Charlotte threatens him with her gun, and Stuart agrees to take her with him to London, on one condition: if he’s proven innocent of her charges, she must spend one night in his bed.

What a Woman Needs was slow to involve me at first, perhaps because for all the enjoyable sparring, in the first half or so Stuart and Charlotte’s characters were not as clearly defined as I would have preferred.

In the first half of this book, I saw mostly the outward facades that Stuart and Charlotte presented to the world, and not the people they were inside, whom I really wanted to get to know sooner. Stuart seemed to hover somewhere between cad and a desperate man, Charlotte between seductive siren and strict guardian.

In the second half of What a Woman Needs, the masks dropped and I finally felt I was seeing the real Stuart and Charlotte. Stuart began to see and allay Charlotte’s fear for her niece, while Charlotte realized that Stuart was a better man than she’d thought. As the two began to trust each other more, they also saw each other’s fears and scars, and each helped the other find strength.

I enjoyed this portion of the book very much, especially the way you explored and resolved the main characters’ relationship with their parents. Stuart grew into a hero I wanted to see succeed, and Charlotte was refreshingly sophisticated. I also thought your writing style was solid, though occasionally a speech tag here or there seemed superfluous. Here’s an example of what I mean:

“Let’s find out, shall we?” proposed Whitley, puffing at a cigar he’d found.

I can see from Whitley’s words that he is proposing something, so the word “proposed” seems like an unnecessary explanation to me.

But that’s a minor nitpick. On the whole, I thought that What a Woman Needs was an accomplished first novel. I feel that you are a new writer with much potential, and that at just $3.99 for the cover price, courtesy of someone smart in Kensington/Zebra’s marketing department, readers can afford to give this book a try. I hope they do, and that they like it as well as I did. This one gets a B- from me.

Sincerely,

Janine

REVIEW: Bad Girl by Michele Jaffe

Jane — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 22:00:53 +0000

Dear Ms. Jaffe:

I feel for you. I really do. You really, really must have made someone angry in the art and title department. Why else would they saddle your outstanding contemporary romance suspense book with the cutesy cover and an even worse title? I imagine that those readers looking for a fun cute read were sorely disappointed by the contents of the book and those readers who would have picked up a hot, sexy contemporary romance would have totally passed this by. I know I passed it by any number of times. I can’t recall if I finally picked up after a recommendation or what. But oh, what I story I had been missing. If you ever decide to give us romance readers another try, let us know.

Chicago “Windy” Thomas is the new head of the Las Vegas Metro police department’s criminalistics bureau and the mother of a 6 year old going on 16. She’s also very hot. One suspect wondered if she was a stripper. “Honey, you tell 'em to get these cuffs offa me and we can get the party started right.” To which Windy applies with much aplomb, “Mr. Ruiz, I'm Chicago Thomas,” she said. “I'm here to save your life.”

Dialogue is real and sparkling throughout the book. Witness the exchange between Windy and Ruiz.

The first thing Roddy noticed about her was the way she pronounced her name, ThomÃƒÆ’Ã‚ ¡s, with the accent on the last syllable, trying to act like she was Latino. Bond with him. Man, these cops must think he was dumb. He took her in, caramel-colored hair, light green eyes, and sneered. “You trying to get down with me, mamacita, saying your name all slick like that, act like from my 'hood? You think you're J. Lo? What part of Mexico you from, honey? You know, Texas don't count.” He winked, man to man, at the detectives but they just stared at him. Cop bastards.

“My family is from Chile,” the lady cop said. “But I was born in the States.”

“What kind of a name is Chicago?”

“The name of the city where I was born. What kind of a name is Roddy?”

“A sexy one.” Roddy winked. “They call you Chicago? Or just Chica?”

“My friends call me Windy.”

“No shit. I used to have a dog named Windy. On account of him farting all the time.”

Windy looked at him wide-eyed. “Really? You'd be amazed at how many people have that same pet. Now tell me about yourself. Where were you born, Roddy?”

“Man, I was born the day I saw you.”

Exactly the right bravado and come on by Roddy and exactly the right repressive response from Windy. Windy is smart. She uses her skills to solve crimes. I.e., when she read in the crime scene report that Roddy owned five pairs of underwear, all of them blue and white striped boxers, she makes an educated guess that the ones he has on right now are blue and white striped boxers, scaring the shit of Roddy when she is right. :)

You constantly surprise me in this story as you defy normal romance story conventions. For example, when Windy and Ash Langton first meet, Windy says something about how the head of Violent Crimes could really make a difference by getting people to work together. Ash is really the head of Violent Crimes. In normal romance stories, this setup is used to create a cute conflict and mini misunderstanding. In your story, however, Windy says that she knows who Ash is.

She said, “I know.”

He did not have a speech ready for that. “You know?”

“Of course. Why would I bother to say all of that to someone who can't do anything about it? Or would you rather I just complained behind your back?”

I’m only a few pages into the story and already Windy is my favorite contemporary romance heroine of all time. Ash is her worthy counterpart. Just as smart. Just as savvy. A little bent. Self-deprecating. Who can’t get Windy out of his mind (he goes home after meeting and plays Chicago’s Greatest Hits for two hours. “Oh brother, are you in trouble, Ash told himself.”) I could probably quote from this book ad infinitim, the dialogue is so stellar.

Ash inhaled the last of his Twinkie. “I'd rather talk about something else. Like what you know about Windy, for example.”

“Hey, look who dropped in. Its Mr. Subtle, long time no see, man.”

“Are you done?”

“Yeah, I'll catch up with him later. All right, dossier on Chicago 'Windy' Thomas . . .

The one caveat that I would have and it’s not one that I mind, but others might. This book is quite violent and contains graphic descriptions of the violence. The serial killer is killing families, entire families, and the recreation of the murder scenes is heartbreaking when it talks about the deaths of the children. This is a story not for the faint of heart but if gripping suspense is a reader’s thing (as it often is mine) this is a thrill ride not to be missed.

As with any great book, this story is more than just two people falling in love tied together with some suspense. Windy and Ash are both imperfect individuals. Ash tends toward emotionless affairs with no strings mostly with married women in motel rooms. Windy has issues with her dead husband and sought refuge in Bill, her fiancee. Bill wants Windy to give up her job, spend more time with him, seemingly realistic complaints. Over the course of the story, it is apparent that Ash and Windy are meant to be together. It takes Windy a bit longer to come to that realization but when she does it is wonderful. And as Ash said, he wants to be with her always, not just for the easy parts.

“There are things about me you don't know, Ash. Important things.”

“Like what?”

“I toss and turn a lot in bed. Wake up at night.”

He kissed her forehead, her cheek. “Me too. We can tell each other stories.”
. . .
“Sometimes I can be immature.”

“Sometimes Jonah and I put on Bike Patrol uniforms so we can ride up and down the steps in front of the Venetian hotel on our mountain bikes.”

This book really does do a great job of showing the growing attraction between two characters balanced next to dangerous suspense thread. The romance slowly unfolds as Windy’s relationship with Bill falters and the attraction between Ash and Windy cannot be denied. Ash and Windy are shown utilizing detective skills (not just summarizing what they did to catch a killer) and acting like normal detectives (exchanging death humor). It was like reading about book about your two favorite CSI characters. The suspense existed up until the very end, even when you think you’ve clearly found the bad guy. I’ve re-read this book often for the sheer pleasure of the excitement of the dance between both the serial killer and detectives and between Ash and Windy. I’m thankful for awesome action figure heroines, self deprecating heroes and heart stopping suspense.

Best regards,

Jane

P.S. This book is widely available as an ebook.

REVIEW: King of the Last Days by Diana Norman

Jayne — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 09:00:02 +0000

Back blurb:

“The cowled figures which stood around the open grave in the moonlight at Glastonbury in the year 1189 were used to mystery but even they were overawed by what was in the coffin.

Their great and ancient monastery was in trouble and if this sword was what they thought it was, if those bones were really Arthur’s, then they had a great relic for which their king would be properly grateful.

But their king was in France, fighting his son, Richard Coeur de Lion, and getting the sword to him would be a perilous business. A lot of people wanted that sword for a lot of reasons.

The young monk who takes it for them is unobtrusive enough but, as rumour of what he is carrying spreads, he is in danger. The companions he picks up on the way, a formidable Prioress, a Crusader haunted by the massacre in the Holy Land, may be trustworthy, or they may not.

The king they are seeking, Henry II, is sick so they are not only evading enemies, they are also in a race against time.

KING OF THE LAST DAYS makes a story full of sharp medieval detail, and lively wit and variety of mood. A very satisfying and immensely readable successor to Diana Norman’s first novel, Fitzempress’ Law.”

Dear Mrs. Norman,

Why, oh why are most of your books not still in print? Trees die daily for Cassie Edwards and Connie Mason but not for an author who truly deserves to be read by more people. Life sucks, ‘eh? The only way I knew this book existed was because it was listed at Amazon.co.uk as out of print. I knew nothing else about it as there was no back blurb or reviews. So when I found it listed by an English bookseller, I took the plunge, crossed my fingers, whipped out my credit card and hoped for the best.

Since most of the books we review here are romance, let me say up front, this is not a romance. All of the your other books I’ve read so far have romances in them but not this one. What readers do get is a great view of medieval life, especially from the POV of the religious community and the peasants. All three main characters have deep feelings about Henry II and, especially for the Prioress and monk, the law he instituted (which serves as the backbone of English Common Law). There is enough period detail to set it firmly in medieval times but not enough truly gross details to ick me out.

You refrain from inventing over melodramatic backstories or forcing nonessential subplots into the story so it’s short (189 pages) but still rich in the tale you’re trying to tell. I still blush and/or shudder to think what I paid for this book but I have to say that it was worth it. “King of the Last Days” is yet another reason I’m thankful you’re an author.

~Jayne

REVIEW: Dream Man by Linda Howard

Jane — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 22:00:47 +0000

Dear Ms. Howard:

I know that you won’t be reading this letter as you are not an onliner, but let me tell you about my love for Dream Man. To some, this is a terrible book filled with a terrible betrayal by the hero. To me, it shows the extent I will overlook things when I fall in love with a story.

Marlee Keen is a psychic. She can see the thoughts of people around her. The emotional unstable are unusually strong projectors and because of this Marlie could see crimes as they were being committed. After a terrible ordeal in which Marlee was kidnapped and she was forced to watch while a madman violated a young child, Marlee’s psychic ability left her. Marlee found this to be a blessing. She moved to Orlando and began to build for herself “something safe and solid.” She bought herself a nice little house. Got a job at the bank and lived without feeling anyone else’s emotions but her own.

As she is driving home from the movie theater, she begins to have visions of a grisly murder being committed. She is barely able to make it home before she blacks out.

Dane Hollister is a detective with the Orlando police. He has a gut instinct for crimes and is very successful at closing cases. One look at a new crime scene and he recognizes that this isn’t an ordinary crime. Upon arrival at the police station, he finds his superior officer talking with Marlie Keen. Marlie felt it important to report to the police her visions even though it tore her apart. Dane is immediately suspicious and sets out to discredit her only to find himself a believer.

Marlie has enormous strength of character to not only overcome her past trauma but to put herself up for ridicule and suspicion by reporting her vision. She also learns to overcome her ability and that she can live a somewhat normal life, even with her special abilities. Marlie’s strength in herself is never more evident that in the end when Dane betrays her trust.

Dane. What can I say about him other than he talks like a man, walks like a man, and acts like a man. He constantly has a woody around Marlie, even when he doesn’t like her. There is a great scene between his partner and Trammell right after Dane meets Marlie and accuses her of being in cahoots with the killer.

Trammell was right behind him as they walked back to their desks. “What the hell’s the matter with you?” he muttered to Dane’s back.

“Whaddaya mean? You think I should have pretended to believe her?”

“No, I mean you had a hard-on the size of a goddamn nightstick, and you were standing so close, you were about to poke her in the belly with it,” Trammell snapped.

Dane turned and glared at his partner, but he couldn’t think of any excuse to give. He didn’t know what had happened, only that from the minute she had turned those dark blue eyes on him, he’d had a boner so hard a cat couldn’t scratch it. He was still twitching. “Hell, I don’t know,” he finally said.

What I really loved about this book even more than Dane and Marlie was the exquisite detail paid to detective work. Trammell and Dane spent time interviewing witnesses, going through garbage, and alot of other investigative work. It was fascinating to read. And it was scary.

The serial killer stalks his prey and then waits inside their house for them to come home. I remember reading this for the first time at night. I asked Ned if he was going to stay up and read because I thought the book sounded scary and didn’t want to be the only one awake to confront the serial killer in my closet when I was done reading. He promised he would stay awake and vanquish any serial killer in the closet but alas, he didn’t. He fell asleep about 10 minutes later but I couldn’t stop reading. At the end, I was still scared and had to get up and look in my closet. Thankfully no serial killer. But I admit that even today, I still think about those scenes.

And the betrayal? Well, Marlie forgave him and she was a strong woman who knew her own mind so I figured I couldn’t hold it against Dane either.

I am thankful for romances that provide thrills, the scary ones, along with the passionate ones.

Best regards,

Jane

REVIEW: Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts

Jane — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:00:41 +0000

Dear Ms. Roberts:

If I were to rate my favorite books by my favorite authors, this would probably qualify. It’s full of classic Nora Roberts features: three dimensional characters, rich family relationships (albeit dysfunctional), and two believable individuals coming together to give each other comfort and love. Your books aren’t about the big and grand romantic gestures, but rather the small gestures that show inevitably that these two lovers belong together and regardless of what life throws them, they’ll be there for each other. Which is big and grand in its own way.

Caroline Waverly is a world class violinist. She had an emotional breakdown in the midst of a long tour and a messy breakup with her conductor-lover. She retreats to her grandparents’ house in Innocence, Miss, to recover. Unfortunately peace and quiet isn’t to be had because there is an attractive, naked, and murdered woman in her pond: Edda Lou Hatinger. Edda Lou had a very public spat with favorite son Tucker Longstreet just days earlier. She was looking for more than what Tucker ever offered to women: permanence. Edda Lou is the third mutilated female corpse in Innocence and thus an investigation is launched by a federal investigator. The town begins to look at one another with suspicion and none looks more guilty than Tucker Longstreet.

Tucker is the middle child of one of the founding families of Innocence, Miss. Like many families, the Longstreets have their share of skeletons. Tucker’s daddy was a mean, angry drunk who didn’t hesitate to turn against his children. Oldest son, Max, seems to be following in his father’s footsteps. Tucker tries to avoid conflict hence his inability to committ to any woman and youngest child and only girl, Josie, is a mess trying to find her father’s love in any man available.

When Tucker first meets Caro, he recognizes that she is something he has never encountered before. He’s intrigued and puts forth an effort to charm her. Of course, this is a bit of a novelty for Tucker as he does not put himself forth to do anything. He likes to lay in his hammock, pleasure women and have a nice cool drink now and again. Tucker’s pursuit of Caroline is pinched when Federal Agent Matthew Burns comes to town. It just happens to turn out that Burns loves Caroline like a thirteen year old loves the Hansons. He is a big FAN.

Caro is sick and recovering. She spent time in a hospital after her breakdown and she is at a crossroads. Does she go back to the limelight or does she stay and do . . . She just doesn’t really know. As any good northerner, however, she is seduced by the warm people of Innocence, of the slow way of getting things done, the magic of the small town of Innocence which was comprised of the good and the bad, just like any other town, and by Tucker.

But the story is more than just about Caro and Tuck. It’s about Caro and her mother. About Tuck and his dead father. About Tuck and his families. And about who’s killing all these women. The villian seems clear on a couple of occasions but I guessed wrong and the end was a real twist. In rereads it seems obvious now. I’m thankful your writing is prolific and consistently good as it has provided me with hours of enjoyment.

Best regards,

Jane

REVIEW: The Briar Rose by Dinah Dean

Jayne — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 09:00:32 +0000

Dear Readers,

This was a nice little book. It’s set in 1540 England during the dissolution of the last monastery by Henry VIII. Now, when’s the last time you read a book with that background? The heroine’s father has been the bailey of the monastery of Woodham which is to be surrendered to the King. I got the impression that a bailey was the man responsible for managing the monastery grounds, record keeping and such. Anyway, the hero is with the Court of Augmentations, the group of men who traveled around the country seeing to the take over of these church lands and property and guess who’s house he’s come to inventory? Not an auspicious beginning for our love story.

Kate is in love with a showy courtier who’s come in the company of the King to Woodham (the fictional town and Abbey which is based on the real Waltham Abbey) to go hawking and enjoy rural life away from London for a few days. She’s upset about the closing of the monastery both for religious reasons and because her father is about to lose his job. Master Matthew Hartwell seems to her to just be itching to take over her home after he’s inventoried it. But she hopes that Amyas, her love, will come for her one day despite the fact that she now has no dowry. But she’s beginning to worry that Amyas is more interested in his advancement at court than he is in her. And why won’t Master Hartwell leave her alone? He knows she loves another. Besides he’s too quiet and dull for her. No matter that he does seem to be a kind man who does her numerous small favors with no ulterior motive in sight. But Matthew is nothing if not persistent in the pursuit of his lady love and Kate learns to tell true love from dross.

Dean writes more quiet, slow romances. She takes her time to set the stage and gives lots of background info on the times and places about which she writes. But she does it in a very subtle, non bashing you over the head style. However, she’s not one for lots of sexual tension and the love story in this one is played out very slowly. Maybe too slowly at times. Still, the period detail of Tudor England is fascinating. So many jobs that don’t exist anymore, so many traditions that have fallen by the wayside, so much pomp and ceremony that has vanished with that age. B for it.

~Jayne

REVIEW: Dangerous Temptation by Kathleen Korbel

Jane — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:00:33 +0000

Apparently this is the conclusion of the Kendall series started in the 90s(?). I haven’t read that series but I understand that there is some who have great affection for this family. To some extent, I felt that this book was written for them because I lacked any real connection to ~~Zach~~ Zeke which inhibited my ability to stay interested in what happened next. I wanted to like this story because it was a different type of paranormal. The fantasy theme: a fight of between the faerie clans was also appealing. Unfortunately, too little time was spent on the faerie politics and too much spent on describing the fantastical scenery.

~~Zach~~ Zeke Kendall is an anthropologist who studies Northern American indigenous societies. At the invitation of a colleague, ~~Zach~~ Zeke is looking at burial and rituals of the migratory cultures of the eastern hemisphere, specifically, Ireland. ~~Zach~~ Zeke, while looking at burial grounds in Ireland, falls down a cairn and like Alice, awakens in a new and strange world. Nuala, heir to the throne of Mab, is there to catch him. Faith, for sure, because she has been looking after him since he was a wee thought in the heart of his mother. Sure, and wouldn’t the magic of that story and the uniqueness of the fantasy setting excite me?

I guess not. While you did a great job of describing the setting providing a rich and atmospheric environment, there was little time spent making me appreciate ~~Zach~~ Zeke as a character or Nuala as a character or their connection. Perhaps it was the constraint of category length but the first 40-50 pages were just descriptions. At times, I felt like I was reading a travelogue and not a novel.

The entirety of the story was too predictable. The villian was immediately revealed. It was also apparent how the villian would attempt to ensnare ~~Zach~~ Zeke. The good and bad characters were drawn with broad and obvious strokes. The villian wanted power. Good, kind, heroic Nuala did not want power. The villian used sexuality as a tool. Nuala would nevuh! do something like that. The resolution to the conflict was broadcasted from the beginning and lacked tension.

~~Zach~~ Zeke is set three tests that he must overcome in order to win his freedom from Faerie land and possibly win Nuala. There was never any doubt to the outcome and two of the three tests were redundant and despite your attempts at making me feel that he was in danger, I never really believed it.
There was an emotional ending, but because I hadn’t connected with the characters I didn’t feel invested in the outcome. I never felt that Calgon moment. C.

Best regards

Jane

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: The Raven and the Rose by Doreen Owens Malek

Jayne — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 22:00:07 +0000

Dear Ms Owens Malek,

Are you still writing? I hope so but haven’t seen anything new from you in ages. You’ve got me worried. I guess until I learn otherwise, I’ll have to just keep re-reading your OOP books.

This is a dual ‘against all odds’ romance. Two sisters love men who are completely forbidden to them. Julia Rosalba Casca was dedicated as a Vestal Virgin on her 10th birthday by her power greedy grandfather. She’s now 17 and resigned to her fate until the day she helps the Chief Vestal make alterations to Julius Caesar’s will and sees the handsome Centurion with him. Marcus Corvin Demeter feels like Jove’s thunderbolt smacked him down when he sees Julia and knows he has to meet her again. But romantically pursuing a Vestal will lead to death, both for him and, in a more horrible way, for her for betraying the sacred trust of the Roman people.

With the help of her sister Larthia, the two begin to secretly meet. But this isn’t the only thing that Larthia is up to. Fearing that his widowed granddaughter could become the target of assassins due to his political opposition to Caesar, Decimus Gnaeus Casca has bought a slave to guard her whether she wants it or not. And she definitely does not. At first. Verrix is a nephew of the defeated hero of the Gauls, Vercingetorix. He’s escaped more than once and was sentenced to crucifixion for killing a Roman officer during one of them. But if he can keep this spoiled, willful widow alive for three years, then he will be set free. And he’s determined to be set free. What neither of them can control are their growing feelings for each other.

But political events are spiraling out of control and the Ides of March are fast approaching. Marcus feels he can’t abandon Caesar now with the general’s enemies circling around him and Verrix knows that Larthia could end up paying the price for the ambitions of her grandfather. On March 15th, 44 BC, everything goes to hell in a handcart and both sets of lovers have to survive not only the riots in Rome but also the revelations of their forbidden love.

Julia and Larthia are both very strong and strong-willed women. Both have been handed the short end of the romance stick and both are determined to finally have the love that they’ve been denied so far. Neither of them chose the lives they’ve lead so far and neither of them feel any loyalty to decisions that were forced on them by the men in their family. Marcus and Verrix are amazed at the love they feel for the sisters but unable to resist its pull. Both know it’s madness but once Venus strikes, what are you going to do?

This book just misses being an A read for me. You do a pretty good job of interweaving the facts of daily life in Rome, the Army, the Vestals, and the politics of the time into the story but there were a few awkward passages. These, however, were countered by the usual dry, sardonic comic style that I love in your books. I did have a problem with one aspect of Marcus and Julia’s relationship but will only say that Marcus should have known better. Verrix and Larthia were a scream to watch circling each other like bristling cats even as they slowly fell in love. It has some great secondary characters, especially Septimus, a friend of Marcus who watches his friend’s growing relationship with horror then is appalled to find himself drawn into it as well. This one isn’t for everyone but for me it is a strong B+.

~Jayne

REVIEW: The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

Jane — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 09:00:40 +0000

Dear Ms. Hoyt:

At first blush, this isn’t a book I would buy. The back cover blurb reads as follows:

Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant male on horseback nearly squashes her, she arrives home to learn that she is in dire financial straits. What is a gently bred lady to do?

The Earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior. Dammit! How hard can it be to find a decent secretary?

When Anna becomes the earl's secretary, both their problems are solved. Then she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London for his “manly” needs. Well! Anna sees red–"and decides to assuage her “womanly” desires . . . with the earl as her unknowing lover.

Frankly the blurb reads like some idiotic erotic romance book that publishers seem to think are so popular. Virginal heroine turns skanky ass prostitute like in order to sate her newly discovered passions. What it turns out to be is a believable love story between two lonely people who experience some smoking hot, but totally integrated, sex. I wondered if Julie Ann Long and Elizabeth Hoyt shared the same editor because it had a similar feel to it and I may start buying into SB Sarah’s theory

Anna Wren is widowed and she lives in a small cottage with her mother in law (called Mother Wren) and a young and incompetent maid, Fanny. The investments that Peter Wren left to his wife and by extension, his mother, are not doing very well and Anna is forced to go out into her village to seek employment. She even has to seek to offer her services to the Squire’s wife who suggests that because Anna isn’t well trained in musical deportment that Anna may best suited as a scullery maid. It’s pretty humiliating for Anna.

One thing I have always found a bit clever is when an author gives a name to a character that has meaning for the story. Maybe it’s a silly thing to find clever, but alas, what can I say? In this book, Anna Wren is very wrenlike in the beginning. She has tart thoughts but isn’t one to give them voice. Being at the end of her rope, gives her the courage to start speaking out. After all, what does she have to lose? Circumstances make it difficult for Anna to be just a widow gentry woman. She takes advantage of the Earl’s absence to become the Earl’s secretary without him realizing she is a woman. Once she starts giving voice to “her” opinions, she finds it very exhilarating. It was a pleasure to read her character and watch her unfurl her wings.

The Earl, Edward, suffered a terrible loss when small pox swept through the village. His entire family succumbed and he fell ill. Everyone else died. He’s marked by this incidence with small pox scars and the emptiness that his life has become. He wants to have a family more than anything and contracts a marriage with the daughter of a respectable Baron whose wife has a record of being a good breeder. Given time spent with Anna as his secretary who listens to him, who talks back to him, who isn’t afraid of him, he begins to have untoward thoughts of her. He spends virtually no time thinking about the Baron’s daughter because she is merely a means to an end for him. This sounds callous but you tend to believe that family means everything to Edward and that he would be honorable to his wife, whomever she was.

There is a deception involved and that is Anna sees a receipt on Edward’s desk for Aphrodite’s Grotto. She asks a fallen woman about it and learns that it is a place where masked society ladies go to mingle with the prostitutes and that the men go there not sure of whether they are getting a lady or a whore (thus more titillating). Anna believes that there is an attraction between her and Edward but that it wouldn’t be right to act on it. A number of believable circumstances occur which gives Anna the chance to go to the Grotto. This gives rise (pun not really intended) to some torrid love scenes. There is a sense of total anonymity in these sexual encounters and not a little illictness. The anonymity and the fear of discovery add to the heightened sensuality of the scenes. Torrid would be a good word to describe the Grotto encounters. Anna discovers that in sex, she can have power over this man — this domineering, overbearing man. It’s a real awakening for her.

Of course, as all deceptions are wont to do, this turns badly. The ending is a bit of a farce but I still enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one, The Leopard Prince.

One thing that I need to give some thought to is that each chapter starts out with a small portion of the fairy tale of The Raven Prince. I am not sure what the corollary was between the story and the fairytale. It just wasn’t immediately clear to me but I did enjoy that part too. I know that historical sales are down, but I hope that you hang in there. Yours is a voice I want to keep reading. B.

Best regards,

Jane

REVIEW: Cold as Ice by Anne Stuart

Janine — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 22:00:53 +0000

Dear Ms. Stuart,

Genevieve Spenser finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time when she arrives on billionaire Harry Van Dorn’s yacht. Harry is not only rich but gorgeous and charming, and his sexiness has gotten People magazine’s stamp of approval. He is known for caring about working conditions in his factories and is meeting with Genevieve to give away oil fields to charity.

Among the staff working for Harry is his practically invisible assistant, Peter Jensen. Peter is meticulous, bland and polite, except when Genevieve catches him casting a disapproving look at her seven hundred dollar shoes. He seems completely sexless and Genevieve thinks of him as “that gray ghost of a man.”

From this description some readers who haven’t read your previous book in this series, Black Ice, might assume that Harry is the hero whom Genevieve will end up with and Peter is just a fly on the wall. The nice thing is that they’d be wrong. Harry, it turns out, is a megalomaniac villain plotting to bring seven worldwide disasters he can profit from. And Peter, a secret assassin sent by a shadowy organization called the Committee to stop Harry at all costs, is the hero, such as he is.

Peter is a professional in every sense of the word. He has killed countless villains in the line of duty and views sex as just another weapon in his arsenal, one he can use on both men and women. No, Peter is not bisexual. He is straight, but will do what it takes to get a job done, and as he admits to Genevieve later on in the book, he is willing to prostitute himself.

Though Genevieve is far less experienced than Peter, she is perhaps not as different from him as she’d like to think. A former legal aid attorney, Genevieve now works for a law firm that caters to the wealthy. Once idealistic, Genevieve now wears Armani and Blahnik, and takes tranquilizers to allay her unease. She even considers sleeping with Harry, not because she wants to, but because she knows it is what the senior partners at he law firm expect her to do to close the deal.

But Genevieve ultimately decides against it, and next thing she knows she is being kissed and rendered unconscious by Peter. When she wakes up she is lying next to the tied up Harry, both of them hostages of Peter and the other men who have hijacked the yacht. Genevieve soon learns that Peter, no longer the gray ghost but now a man who exudes danger, has orders to kill her within a day or two so there will be no witnesses when the Committee gets rid of Harry.

What she doesn’t realize is that Peter is balking at the order to execute Genevieve. He has never had to kill an innocent bystander before, and he doesn’t want to start now. Seemingly so Genevieve will be able to protect herself from his fellow agents but secretly in the hopes that she’ll escape as well, Peter begins to teach Genevieve self-defense.

These scenes are some of the most effective in the book, with a dark and hypnotic feel. It’s as though an invisible thread binds Peter and Genevieve together, and neither can escape the other’s powerful effect. Peter feels caught between his commitment to keeping the world safe and his need to spare Genevieve, and Genevieve is mesmerized by a man she believes intends to kill her.

As they arrive on Harry’s island, the sexual pull between them leads Peter and Genevieve to become even more entangled, and the sex they eventually have is hot and disturbing. Meanwhile, Harry Van Dorn plots his escape and his evil plans for Peter, Genevieve, and the rest of the world.

I think Cold as Ice is one of your best books. A lot of this is due to your fine portrayal of Peter, who is more than just another bad boy hero. His coldness never feels gratuitous because it is the mechanism that allows him to function in a job he doesn’t like but feels is necessary for the good of the world. He is a character with depth and nuance, and I liked him very much and empathized with him even knowing that he was a killer.

Genevieve, though not quite as interesting as she seemed when introduced, was also a character I liked. Her mouthy comebacks made for a nice counterpoint to Peter’s solemnity. Although she’s not as tough as Peter, she (with just one exception) fights for her life and for others’ as well. Her interactions with Peter are written with a stark honesty that I really appreciated.

I can’t help but feel, however, that I would have liked more scenes between Peter and Genevieve to develop their relationship even more, especially in the second half of the book. In addition, Cold as Ice could have been even better if not for its over-the-top villain. Not only does Harry plot death and destruction all over the world, he’s also an abuser of women and children and a fanatic believer in the zodiac. His character felt out of place to me in this otherwise psychologically acute book.

Readers who have read Black Ice might be interested to know that the Committee has become a slightly more restrained version of itself. Its new head, Madame Lambert, agonizes over every death order she signs. The Committee’s agents too, seem less ruthless here than they did in the earlier book. That is perhaps necessary to differentiate these two books from each other, but even knowing that, I miss the earlier version of the Committee that gave such a dark context to Bastien and Chloe’s romance in the superb Black Ice. Still, I think Cold as Ice is one of the better romances of 2006, and it easily gets a B+ from me.

Sincerely,

Janine

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