B- Reviews / Book Reviews1930s / crafts / dysfunctional family / England / family relationships / Historical / spinster / Womens-Fiction4 Comments
1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a “surplus woman,” one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ Reviewsattorney / historical romance / Regency England / reunited-lovers / Scandal / spinster / Winner Takes All series2 Comments
Dear Ms. Noble, I’ve enjoyed the first two books in your Winner Takes All series, The Game and the Governess and The Lie and the Lady, so when I saw that a novella about Cecilia Goodhue, a minor character in the second book, was available on Netgalley, I requested it. ... more >
A- Reviews / Recommended Readscountry-set / friends-to-lovers / Georgette Heyer / Regency England / second chances / spinster48 Comments
Dear Readers, When I reviewed The Nonesuch a few months ago during Sourcebooks’ summer Heyer sale, I mentioned in passing that I really wanted to review Sprig Muslin, but it hadn’t been digitized yet. Now it is, so as promised, here’s a review. This book wasn’t in my Top 10 Heyer ... more >
B+ ReviewsHistorical Romances / novella / Samhain-publishing / spinster / Tessa Dare8 Comments
Dear Ms. Dare, In the usual way of things, I am not a fan of the novella. Neither am I quite keen on the short story. I find both lacking in character, particularly in romance where that is the key to any relationship development. Neither the novella nor the short ... more >
B- Reviewscountry-set / Georgette Heyer / Historical Romances / Regency England / spinster30 Comments
Dear Readers, When an author has published over fifty books, where do you start? I want to make the case for one of Georgette Heyer’s less frequently discussed novels. It features an on-the-shelf but still attractive spinster, a paragon of a hero, a brilliantly drawn cast of supporting characters, a ... more >
A ReviewsJo-Beverley / opposites attract / rake / Regency England / spinster23 Comments
In the spirit of better-late-than-never reviews, here is one of my favorite books of 2010. Dear Ms. Beverley, Before there were Mallorens, before there were Rogues, there was the Daffodil Dandy. You are justly renowned for your ability to create a fully realized world inhabited by characters across multiple books, ... more >