Regency

REVIEW:  Thunder and Roses by Mary Jo Putney

REVIEW: Thunder and Roses by Mary Jo Putney

Dear Ms. Putney, I was a big fan of your books in the 1990s. They came along at a time when I had not read anything like them. If the characters made mistakes or committed wrongs, your books actually examined the of the characters’ motives for doing so in some depth. And your characters actually [...]

REVIEW: Confessions from an Arranged Marriage by Miranda Neville

REVIEW: Confessions from an Arranged Marriage by Miranda Neville

Dear Ms. Neville, I should probably preface this review by saying that I’ve chatted with you on Twitter and what I know of you, I really like. Ever since they met in The Dangerous Viscount, book two of your Burgundy Book Club series, I’ve wanted to see Minerva Montrose and the Marquis of Blakeney (known [...]

REVIEW: Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea by Sophia Nash

REVIEW: Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea by Sophia Nash

Dear Ms. Nash: So. I’m thinking that I’m not quite the right reader for your books. “Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea” is meant to be a comedy, a piece of frivolity. It’s a tale of frippery, if I can borrow a period phrase. There is nothing wrong with frippery but sometimes it [...]

REVIEW: A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

REVIEW: A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

Dear Ms. MacLean: This is the first of your books I’ve read, and it’s the first in quite a while that I’ve considered applying the mistorical tag to. Given the muddled nature of Regency history in Romance, as well as my insecurity regarding how much I really know that’s true about the period, I decided [...]

REVIEW: The Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London

REVIEW: The Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London

Dear Ms. London— I really enjoyed your latest novel, The Revenge of Lord Eberlin. Recently, thanks to the many thoughtful and well-written reviews here at Dear Author, I’ve been reading books out of what I think of as my comfort zone. And it’s been great. I loved Heat, disliked Beautiful Disaster, and am reading my first [...]

REVIEW: Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel

REVIEW: Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel

Dear Ms. Jewel, I loved your 2009 book, Scandal, and very much enjoyed Indiscreet, which came out later the same year. So when I learned that you were publishing a new historical called Not Wicked Enough I got excited, and asked Jane if she could send me the ARC. Having now read it, I have [...]

REVIEW: The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

REVIEW: The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

Dear Ms Willig, I always seem to be behind in keeping up with this series but I think it’s because I want to be sure I have a Pink Carnation book on hand. And in this instance it worked beautifully for me. You see, I’ve been in a reading slump for it seems like ages [...]

REVIEW: Mad About the Earl by Christina Brooke

REVIEW: Mad About the Earl by Christina Brooke

Dear Ms. Brooke (aka Christine Wells): I didn’t pick up the first title in this series. I think I was put off by the concept of the Ministry of Marriage (although that’s probably why the series was bought by the publisher).  The Ministry of Marriage (and the fact that is has a name) is this [...]

REVIEW: An Unexpected Gentleman by Alissa Johnson

REVIEW: An Unexpected Gentleman by Alissa Johnson

Dear Ms. Johnson, I haven’t read too many regencies lately because they were all beginning to smear together in a Duke/spy/fiesty heroine filled blur. I had Regency ennui. When I started this book, I kind of got the feeling that it was part of a series but nonetheless, I took the plunge and dove in. [...]

REVIEW: How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long

REVIEW: How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long

Dear Ms. Long, I’ve been reading your books since I discovered Beauty and the Spy back in 2006. Beauty and the Spy is still on my keeper shelf, and three others of your books have since joined it: The Secret to Seduction, I Kissed an Earl, and What I Did for a Duke. What’s more, [...]

REVIEW: False Colours by Georgette Heyer

REVIEW: False Colours by Georgette Heyer

sail under false colours (British & Australian) also sail under false colors (American & Australian) to pretend to be something that you are not in order to deceive people When we did a series of reviews on some of Georgette Heyer’s novels, many people listed “False Colours” as a favorite. Since I’d never read it, [...]

REVIEW: Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

REVIEW: Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

Dear Ms Doornebos, We at Dear Author get sent a lot of requests to review books and many of us have lamented at the frequency of Jane Austen themed ones. Yet, despite that, another reviewer and I were interested in the description of your book “Definitely Not Mr. Darcy.” A reality dating show with a [...]

REVIEW: The Lady’s Secret by Joanna Chambers

REVIEW: The Lady’s Secret by Joanna Chambers

Dear Ms. Chambers: It’s always exciting to read a debut book by a fellow blogger, although it can be a bit daunting, too. What if I don’t like it? Will that affect the way I read your blog? Fortunately, I enjoyed The Lady’s Secret, a book that mixes old and new genre conventions in interesting [...]

REVIEW: The Danger of Desire by Elizabeth Essex

REVIEW: The Danger of Desire by Elizabeth Essex

Dear Ms. Essex: The Danger of Desire opens in the POV of a young woman named Meggs. Meggs, a London street thief, and her younger brother Timmy, are preparing to steal near the Admiralty building. Meanwhile, Captain Hugh McAlden is in the same building, meeting with Admiral Middleton, who tells him the Admiralty Board has [...]

Friday Film Review: Emma (BBC)

Friday Film Review: Emma (BBC)

Emma (2009) Genre: Novel adaptation/Romance/Regency Period Grade: B This is the latest entry into the “Emma” canon, released in 2009 by the BBC. I guess it would be more accurate to call it a miniseries rather than a movie as it’s told in four roughly one hour parts. And while I didn’t think it would [...]