Previously published in Virtues of Christmas. Henrietta Whitlow is leaving behind the life of a very successful courtesan in hopes of making peace with her family in the shires. Michael Brenner’s family all but ignore him, despite his shiny new baronial title, and his errand along the Oxford road isn’t ... more >
Jennie: When Janine mentioned this expanded novella, and suggested we review it together, she asked if I’d read it when it originally came out in 2004. My book log says no, but my brain says yes. If I didn’t read it I must’ve read a lot about it back when it was ... more >
Dear Ms. Cayne: The blurb says that King and Lady have the choice of staying spoiled and safe or breaking free but I felt like that wasn’t the real conflict. Because of Mr. Adams, their owner’s capriciousness (perhaps one might say psycopathic), every day was a possible danger to them if ... more >
It is a time of celebration in the Pingkang li, where imperial scholars and bureaucrats mingle with beautiful courtesans. At the center is the Lotus Palace, home of the most exquisite courtesans in China… Maidservant Yue-ying is not one of those beauties. Street-smart and practical, she’s content to live ... more >
Dear Ms. Carr, Thanks again for sending an advanced copy of your newest book “Ripe for Pleasure” to Dear Author so we can get an early sneak peak at it. When I heard that it would be set during one of my favorite historical periods, Georgian England, that’s all it ... more >
Dear Readers, Just as I had finished reading Forbidden Shores by Jane Lockwood (a pseudonym for Janet Mullany) and was getting ready to review it, I had a conversation about the book with my good friend Jennie F., who had also recently read it. Jennie’s comments were so insightful and ... more >