Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Snowflakes and Stetsons by Jillian Hart, Carol Finch & Cheryl St. John
Historical Western Romance anthology published by Harlequin Historical 20 Sep 11

There are certain universal truths when it comes to my romance reading: 1) I love category romance 2) I love westerns 3) I love Christmas-themed stories and 4) I love Harlequin Historical.  So naturally, the diabolical minds at Harlequin have taken it upon themselves to produce an annual Christmas-themed western anthology for the past several years.  I’m one of Pavlov’s dogs and somewhere in the bowels of the Harlequin offices someone is ringing a damn bell.

The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by Jillian Hart

Fresh out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit (naturally), Caleb McGraw is looking for the sweetheart he left behind, only to discover she’s passed away. When he learns she left behind a son, he knows that child is his. So he tracks down the tyke living with Caroline Dreyer, a widow still mourning the loss of her husband and child.  She adores Thomas, but can’t seem to reach the boy, who takes to starring out the window, waiting for something or someone.

Hart is what I call an “angst writer” and she really slathers it on with this story.  Both Caleb and Caroline are haunted by their pasts, and even young Thomas walks with a shadow following his every move.  What I like here is that we have a secret baby plot that actually seems quite plausible, and that none of these characters is prone to hysterics.  It’s a real emotional heart-tugger of a read, with a healthy dollop of holiday spirit on the side.

Grade: B

Christmas at Cahill Crossing by Carol Finch

Rosalie Greer owns a dress shop in Cahill Crossing and is on her way back to town with Christmas supplies when a blizzard stops her cold. She comes close to freezing to death when Lucas Burnett’s dog (named “Dog” – seriously) uncovers her in a snowdrift. Lucas is a Loner with a capital L, but can’t very well leave the delectable Rosa to die – so he carts her back to his ranch.

What follows is Rosa thawing out, challenging Lucas at every turn, and dragging him out into society by his nose. Finch tends to spoon on a healthy layer of humor in her stories, which doesn’t always work for me. For the most part, it does here. Some of the dialogue didn’t ring true to me (Lucas actually says “mixed heritage” in regards to his half-Comanche, half-Mexican blood – which sounded a little too “PC” to my ears for 1880s Texas), and the fact the couple likes to jump to conclusions about each other did get tiresome. However, it is a fairly enjoyable story, and it’s a nice taste of the upcoming Cahill Cowboys continuity series.

Grade: B-

A Magical Gift at Christmas by Cheryl St. John

U.S. Marshal Jonah Cavanaugh is on a train guarding a gold shipment when he spies a notorious outlaw on board. Suspecting danger is up ahead in the form of an outlaw gang, he unhooks the the mail car from the train, which is carrying the shipment. When he does that, he also unhooks a well-appointed Pullman car, carrying railroad heiress Meredith Abbott. However, that’s not his only concern. Stowing away in the mail car? Two young orphans heading to Denver to find their long-lost Daddy. Now Jonah has a woman and two children to keep safe, with a band of outlaws sure to be paying them a visit once they hold up the train and find the mail car missing.

What I enjoy about St. John’s stories is that her characters are always practical thinking people. They’re never prone to hysterics or overly dramatic. Meredith might be an heiress, but she’s level-headed, can handle a weapon, and doesn’t waste time senselessly bickering with our hero. The author also crams in a ton of story here and gives readers a nice action-adventure style plot that is a nice change of pace from the other two offerings. The only real missteps here are that one of the orphans (the little girl, naturally) speaks with a lisp (blessedly she doesn’t talk too much!), and I feel the ending is a bit rushed. But it’s still a solid offering, featuring a page-turning plot and interesting characters.

Grade: B

This is a solid, cozy anthology that delivers a warm, fuzzy Christmas vibe. It’s the kind of book that should be read Christmas Eve, with a mug of hot cocoa, by a crackling fire place, after the kids have gone to bed. For that matter, it’s the kind of anthology that can be kept and reread every year right around the holiday season. This one is as-advertised.

Overall Grade: B

Summary:

The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by Jillian Hart

Wrongly imprisoned, Caleb McGraw is finally free—but the bitterness he holds still makes him feel trapped. Until he sees the beautiful Caroline holding a little boy with eyes just like his own. Discovering his long-lost son is just the start of Caleb’s Christmas miracles!

Christmas at Cahill Crossing by Carol Finch

One Christmas night, outcast Lucas Burnett finds a silver-haired angel buried in the snow. But Rosalie Greer is no pale spirit—she’s a fiery, independent woman, as wild as the mustangs Lucas breeds. Can she be the one to finally thaw Lucas’s frozen heart?

A Magical Gift at Christmas by Cheryl St.John

Meredith has always dreamed of a grand life but, stranded on a train in heavy snowfall with two young stowaways, she unexpectedly finds she has everything she needs with just one strong man to protect her….

Read an excerpt (Hart story only)

Dinca’s review of The Gunfighter and the Heiress by Carol Finch
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 19 Jul 11

A delightful, fast-paced trip through the bad lands of Texas, you will not find a dull moment in this book. The characters are strong and independent and butt heads as well as lips along their wild journey.

Donovan Crow has completed his last assignment and all he wants to do now is sleep. When he receives a telegram telling him his fiancé is arriving, he thinks it is a trap to kill him. What woman in her right mind would want to marry a half-breed Indian gunslinger/bounty hunter? After having a look at the sassy, determined women with the most spunk he’s ever seen, he decides this might be the easiest money he has ever made.

Natalie  Robedeaux Blair is determined to save her family fortune from her greedy stepfather who is trying to marry her off to his handpicked pawn. After her mother’s death she devises a plan too and finds her own handpicked husband and bodyguard. When Bart, Crow’s business manager, is shot, she realizes that anyone who tries to help her is put in harm’s way, so she rethinks her plan and tries to go it on her own so no one else gets hurt because of her.

Marsh, Natalie’s stepfather, adds another name to his list of people in his way to get his hands on the Robedeaux-Blair fortune – Donovan Crow. He will still make her a widow and carry on with his plan to marry her off to the simpering wimp with gambling debts that he’s found. As soon as the Robedeaux-Blair fortune is signed over to him, neither Crow nor Natalie will be left alive, so his secret is safe.

There are a whole slew of bad guys, too many to mention here without going on and on. Bad guys that should be good guys and Indians being bad to do good and Texas Rangers, I am sure, who will, in turn, have stories of their own. If you don’t have this book, get it. If you have it on your TBR list, put it at the top. You will not be disappointed.

Grade: A

Summary:

From hired gun to hired groom…

Money can’t buy love…but it can buy marriage for on-the-run shipping heiress Natalie Blair. Her vicious stepfather’s scheming ways have the Louisiana beauty fleeing to Texas to seek out legendary contract gunfighter Donovan Crow. He is dark, dangerous, and marrying him would be the perfect protection…

For Van, the price is right and the spirited woman is impossible to resist. Soon the hardened bachelor can’t tell what’s more challenging—keeping their
legions of enemies at bay or keeping his hands off his fake wife!

Read an excerpt.

Dinca’s review of Gold Rush Groom by Jenna Kernan
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 23 Aug 11

Welcome to the Yukon and a delightful story with a heroine full of determination, ingenuity and just plain common sense, and an uppity New York greenhorn. You can’t help but turn the pages in this book.

Lily Shanahan needs a partner. Not just any partner but one who can get her over the atrocious terrain in the Yukon Territory to Dawson City where she can make her fortune. Her only drawback is no one wants a female partner. They see her as a liability, not an asset. She does what she can to make money while she is waiting for the right partner to come along. With her dog Nala and their sled, she offers her services to people to gather their belongings from the ocean where they are dropped off, since there is no dock.  When she spies the greenhorn with way too many crates, she sends Nala out to retrieve one of his boxes. She offers to retrieve the rest for a fee. When he cannot afford to pay, she makes a deal with him to become partners.  Nala saves his cargo, and Lily takes him back to her tent to dry him off before he loses his toes.

Jack Snow doesn’t want or need a partner and now he has a woman chained to him. He just needs to make his fortune so he can return to New York and restore his family’s position in polite society.  He tries to think of a way to get out of the deal, but in the end they take off together on this wild adventure. Jack learns that the three of them make a good team. The attraction between them is strong and they both know they will not fit into each other’s worlds, so they try to maintain their distance.

The trek from Dyea, Alaska to the gold fields of Dawson City, where they agree to part ways, takes months of travel over frozen terrain. The journey is so real, I could swear my toes felt the cold. Jenna Kernan does a wonderful job of storytelling. No one describes mud like Jenna! I could taste Lily’s biscuits and smell the coffee she sells along the way to the other would-be miners.

When they arrive in Dawson and part ways, Lily gets a singing job and Jack tests out his mining invention. Its weeks before they see each other again. The feelings are still there and so are the reasons not to cultivate those feelings. After he discovers his invention works, Jack looks for investors and, once again, Lily comes to his aid making at least one of his dreams come true.

This is a captivating story. I enjoyed it every step of the way. Jenna touches on the supporting characters just enough and builds up the relationships along the way at an even steady pace, just like their travels through the Yukon. I plan to visit Jenna Kernan’s website to see what else she has coming in the near future.

Grade: A

Summary:

A search for gold…

Jack Snow has learned the hard way that the only person he can rely on is himself. With his family fortune gone, he’ll don his best jacket and reel out the charm to bag himself an heiress bride!

…could lead to something more precious

The last person with whom he expects to travel across the Yukon is an outspoken, impoverished daughter of an Irish immigrant. Their social standing is miles apart. But Lily Shanahan proves resourceful and dauntless in the face of raging rivers and icy mountain passes, and Jack is forced to admit her passion for life is enough to tempt him from his course…

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Secret Life of a Scandalous Debutante by Bronwyn Scott
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 23 Aug 11

I always enjoy reading Bronwyn Scott. Her characters are intriguing and fun, her storylines sizzle and are action packed. This time we take a dangerous journey with Beldon and Lilya, two opposites who try their best to resist the attraction between them, only to find the love of a lifetime, ending with an adventure to keep those they love safe and an exciting place to begin their new life together.

Beldon Stratten, Barron Pendennys, is an English girl’s dream, the perfect gentleman, and he’s in need of a wife. She must be respectable and polite, one bred to be the perfect partner of someone of his station. She must also bring financial security to their union, especially after all the years it’s taken him to rebuild his holdings. So here he is at the beginning of the season, trying to pick and choose among the available misses. Until he spies a sexy, bare back.

In London visiting with her guardian, Valerian Inglemoore, Viscount St. Just, Lilya is biding her time until she’s forced on the run again because of her duty to family and country – she’s the protector of a precious stone that can change the fate of nations. Taking her responsibility seriously, Lilya has learned to be diligent and self-sufficient in keeping the gem out of the wrong hands. Coming face to face with Beldon again, she’s intrigued by the changes that have resulted in the confident and handsome man he’s become. As intrigued as she is by him, he’s not for her. Too dangerous to become involved with.

She’s not for him. Too beautiful, too exotic, to exciting. Beldon has to keep his focus to make the right decision. But when one of her countrymen shows interest in Lilya, suspicions begin to flow, and the only way to keep her truly safe is for her to never leave his side. The logical thing is marriage, despite Lilya’s protestations. She’s better at running. But Beldon won’t be swayed and they are immediately wed. Thus begins their life journey of exploration, danger, excitement, and an all-consuming love that grows so beautifully between them.

I like how Beldon adds dangerous protector to his perfect gentleman facade. He takes every precaution to keep his wife safe, and still the evil comes after them. In the midst of all this, they enjoy exploring each other, finding out about one another both in bed and out. They began as two people who knew they would never mesh, but they now are a team with charm and wit, who outwit a league of villains to grow old together, starting life anew away from anyone and everything that means the world to them. What’s not to love about that kind of romance?

This is a fun, quick read, one that will leave you quite happy when you reach the last page.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Just another dull debutante? From boxing at Jackson’s to dancing starry–eyed society belles around London’s ballrooms, Beldon Stratten is the perfect English gentleman. And he’s looking for a perfectly bland, respectable wife.

Appearances can be deceiving…Exotic Lilya Stefanov is anything but bland. Beldon is intrigued to see that the ragamuffin girl he once knew has matured into an elegant lady, poised and polite!

But beneath the mysterious beauty’s evening gowns and polished etiquette lies a dangerous secret—and a scandalous sensuality…

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Her Wyoming Man by Cheryl St. John
Historical Western Romance published by Harlequin Historical 21 Jun 11

A new Cheryl St. John Harlequin Historical tends to be a cause for celebration for me.  She is a marvelously consistent writer.  She’s delivered enough times (for me at any rate) that when I settle into one of her stories, I know my chances are very good that it’s going to give me exactly what I expect it to.  Her Wyoming Man is no exception to this rule, well at least until the ending.  But more on that in a moment.

Ella Reed was raised to be a courtesan. Her mother was a prostitute, and Ella was a beautiful child. So the madam of the brothel spent a lot of time and money investing into Ella. She speaks fluent French. She plays an exquisite piano. She knows how to make a man happy. And that’s her job, to make one man very happy. One man has exclusive rights to Ella because he’s very wealthy. So while the other girls in the brothel get knocked around by cowboys and outlaws, Ella is the hothouse flower. Until one night when her man tells her he’s moving back East with his family. There will be no one there to protect her anymore. But the man in question does give her money and the advice that she should run away, while she still has her looks. When one of the girls shows her a clipping from a newspaper about mail-order brides wanted in Wyoming? Ella sees it as her chance for something she’s never had – a normal life.

Nathan Lantry is a widower with three young children. He’s well enough off that he has hired help, so he’s not terribly hot to trot to remarry – except that he has political ambitions. Having a lovely wife on his arm certainly isn’t going to be a determent. He’s not interested in any of the potential brides that have just landed in Sweetwater, Wyoming until he sees Ella. She’s breathtakingly lovely.  Smart, accomplished, so what if she’s not much of a cook and isn’t terribly familiar with children. She’ll learn in time, plus – he has hired help. Before you can say Big Secret, these two are tying the knot. But what will happen when Ella’s past comes calling?

What I like about St. John’s westerns is that it is typically the heroine with the Big Secret. Some part of her past that serves as the conflict. The hero tends to be a nice guy who is blindsided when the truth comes to light. The courtesan angle is a good one and allows our heroine to still be somewhat innocent. She’s lived her whole life preparing for one goal – to be a kept woman. She’s traded that in for being a married woman – but her new husband gives her the freedom that she never had living in the brothel. Little things that other women might take for granted. Every day is a day of new discoveries.

The romance here is gentle and sweet, with enough sensual longing that it’s really fantastic when these two finally succumb. Granted, I found it slightly odd that Nathan doesn’t really question Ella’s lack of innocence in this area until after the Big Secret is revealed – but hey, he’s a guy falling love. You can overlook a lot when you’re falling in love. What I can’t quite overlook here is the ending.  It’s very sugary, and frankly, I find it unbelievable.  Maybe if Nathan and Ella live out in the middle of nowhere – but they’re in an established town.  A civilized, established town that earlier in the book had snubbed a “fallen woman,” and Ella witnessed said snubbing.

However, while the resolution to the conflict doesn’t work for me on the grand scale – the romance, in general, does.  I like Ella.  I like Nathan.  I like that they find each other and are together.  It doesn’t light my world on fire, but it is a very pleasant read, a gentle way to entertain myself while stuck on an airplane.  That’s what I wanted, and that’s what I got.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Courtesan Ella Reed escapes dangerous city life to rural Wyoming and says “I do” to a marriage of convenience! But she may not live the life of a respectable woman for long if she can’t keep her past—and her heart—under lock and key.

For a self-made man with political aspirations, love is trivial in a paper marriage. Nathan Lantry needs a wife to secure his election and manage his rowdy little boys. Yet he can’t stop wanting more from his irresistible new bride. Then her secrets start to unravel….

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of A Thoroughly Compromised Lady by Bronwyn Scott
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 18 Jan 11

What I always love about reading Bronwyn Scott books is that her heroes and heroines usually work together to resolve whatever conflict but still stay the course when it comes to their relationship. They have their disagreements and quibbles, but they still stay true to each other and to themselves. Such is the case with Jack and Dulcinea in A Thoroughly Compromised Lady. They stole my heart early and never once broke it.

Dulci is the toast of the season – actually, she has been for several seasons after making the decision to never marry to retain the freedom she’s got being the sister of an earl. She enjoys the witty banter and innuendo exchanged with Jack, Viscount Wainsbridge – something the ton enjoys just as much. They’ve known each other forever and Dulci’s feelings for the man have grown over the years, but his job with the Crown takes him away for unknown periods of time, usually at all the wrong times. Dulci is a fascinating woman, into history and fencing – more reasons to keep her atypical freedom.

Vowing to never marry because he knows a marriage would never last due to the frequency the King needs his services, Jack continues to do his duty while looking forward to his verbal dueling with Dulci when he’s in London. As much as he’d like more with her, his best friend, Dulci’s brother, would kill him for taking advantage. But when he’s given his next assignment, she’s right in the middle of it with South American artifacts that include a hidden forged map that could start a war between England and Venezuela. Figuring out what it all means, Dulci refuses to stay in the background where it’s safe, much to Jack’s frustration.

When the villain learns Dulci has his map, he takes no prisoners in his haste and greed to get what he wants. Jack is sly and a step ahead, so he and Dulci escape to South America to clear Jack’s name against  fraudulent accusations and to reaffirm English claim to British Guiana. It’s the adventure of a lifetime for Dulci and she takes to it like a duck to water, even despite the danger. She keeps her head when that danger does hit, and she does the same when it comes to confronting Jack with her feelings as well as his.

Even at the end Jack tries to protect Dulci, and I wanted to shake him silly! He acknowledges she’s the perfect partner for him, but he can’t get past something happening to her. He’d rather die than have that happen. It takes facing natives with their own laws to bring home how life without her would be. I like their honesty with each other, even in dire circumstances. They’re an intriguing couple, and I had fun with them and enjoyed them immensely.

As an aside, though I like the cover of this book, I’m a tad disappointed Harlequin has stepped away from the plate when in comes to Ms. Scott’s books. Her previous covers have been different and simply a lot of fun, Pickpocket Countess being my favorite. That cover tells the story before you even start reading. I think the art department could have had a bit more of a good time with Jack and Dulcinea.

I always enjoy Ms. Scott’s action and mystery as well as her characters and storylines in her books. She pulls you into the story quickly, plays on your emotions frequently, and keeps you on the edge of your seat till the end. A Thoroughly Compromised Lady is a very satisfying read.

Grade: B

Summary:

When it comes to fencing, be it with words or weapons, Dulci Wycroft considers herself more than the equal of any man. Only once has she ever met her match….Jack, Viscount Wainsbridge, is all charm and quick wit in the ballroom, but his impenetrable green eyes hint at darkness underneath. His dangerous work leaves no space for love—yet Dulci’s voluptuous figure is impossibly tempting.

He’s sure it won’t take him long to discover if her sharp tongue can have other, more pleasurable, uses!

Read an excerpt.

Dinca’s review of Taken by the Wicked Rake by  Christine Merrill
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 21 Dec 10

I had a hard time staying with this book. The beginning is a slow take off and I lost interest several times. Usually I can stay up a long time reading at night, but I had no problem drifting off to sleep with this one.

This is the eighth book in the miniseries Silk & Scandal that started back in 2009 by different authors and the first Christine Merrill I have read. I will not be hunting her next book down in a big hurry.  As my memory dims I may give her a try again at a much later date. But for this series, the hero, Stephen Hebden aka Stephano Beshaley (half Gypsy, half English), is the supposed villain and appears to be the villain in the other seven books as well. I just can’t wrap my head around him being the villain in seven other books, a menace to the heroine’s whole family, and then turning hero all of a sudden and being forgiven. And I am not a big fan of “I had a bad childhood so I am not responsible for my actions” type of characters.

Once again, the Romany people get a nasty reputation through most of the book.  The saving grace is the hero’s grandmother. She is a sneaky, secretive little thing. It is not enough the really evil villain is a rich, vile, old, upstanding Englishman. I’m surprised by who the bad guy is in the end.

I’m not impressed by the Lady Verity Carlow. She’s just there. She is kidnapped and, yes, she tries to get away, but there’s nothing spectacular about the attempt.   She’s turned back by a look. How exciting is that?  She tries to make the best of her stay in the gypsy camp. She tries her hand at baking bread and teaching the children English. She nurses Stephano back to health when he gets a fever from a cut on his hand. Still, there is nothing exciting and interesting going on here to keep my attention. Enough said.

Stephano Beshaley is the total epitome of ‘poor me’ syndrome, which I cannot tolerate on any level, much less in my supposed heroes. The curse told me to do it, yeah right! He is a grown man and should be responsible for his own actions. I can feel pity for all the things that had befallen the unfortunate half-gypsy child, but the grown man needs to get over it and stop making everyone’s life miserable.  Again, enough said.

Because of the lack of attention-holding power, I would normally give this book a D and an F for the dysfunctional, whinny hero and the boring heroine. The only thing that elevates the grade to a C is the fact that I did not know who the real villain would turn out to be. I have to give Christine Merrill an A for that, so I will meet her half way in my grading.

Grade: C

Summary:

Lady Verity Carlow is poised, charming, virginal. Her family’s precious jewel. She will marry whatever titled bore is chosen for her. Yet sometimes, in the dark of the night, she wishes she weren’t always so well behaved….

Then she is kidnapped by her family’s enemy, Gypsy lord Stephano Beshaley. In this dangerously unsuitable man’s arms, Verity is tempted to do wicked, wicked things. And, shockingly, she does not want to be rescued—not one little bit!

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Princess Charlotte’s Choice

Princess Charlotte & Prince Leopold

Princess Charlotte’s wedding came bang smack in the middle of the Regency era, so what better event to write about, since the Regency is what I love.

Researching the wedding and the courtship was fascinating. I was struck most by how Charlotte and Leopold mirrored Victoria and Albert’s experience.

My  story, set at the Brighton Pavilion and Carleton House, follows Isobelle and Count Count Nikkolae Grazinsky as they assist their royal employers on their path to matrimony.

Summary:

As Princess Charlotte prepares to marry Prince Leopold, one her most trusted ladies, Lady Isabelle Fenwick, must remain chaste and beyond scandal. Yet she has never forgotten darkly handsome Count Nikkolae Grazinsky and the kiss he stole – along with her heart!

She later discovered the Russian had only used her for a wager, so why does he still seek her company? And why does the air tingle with anticipation when they are together – surely this rake cannot be thinking of following Prince Leopold’s example and making a love-match?

The carriage turned into the mall. Masses of people lined the roadside cheering and waiving their hats.

“Bless me,” the Princess said, leaping up to waive back. She grinned. “What a crowd.” Her father certainly never received such a warm welcome and well she knew it.

“Sit down, Your Highness, please,” Mrs. Campbell said. “The Queen would never forgive me if you fell.”

The Princess sat, but continued to waive with great enthusiasm, to the delight of the people until they turned into the gates at Carlton House where a band played God Save the King with great gusto.

Princess Charlotte was directed to the royal closet where her bridegroom, the Prince of Wales and Duke and Duchess of Orleans were waiting. The Queen and other members of the royal family accompanied by selected attendants were accommodated in rooms adjacent to the throne room.

At just after nine o’clock, all the guests were ushered to the Crimson Salon. Women in gold or silver gowns superbly embroidered fanned themselves. Their feather plumes waived to and fro as they gossiped and admired each others’ gowns. Many of the English gentlemen present wore the uniform of the House of Windsor, a dark blue coat lavishly embroidered across the front and high standing collar with gold bullion. Some wore military uniforms, red or blue, and they flashed and glittered almost as much as the ladies. The ambassadors and ministers from every country in Europe had their own style of magnificent dress. On her way to her seat, Isabelle kept a careful eye out for the swords they wore on their hips.

A Princely Dilemma

George, Prince of Wales & Princess Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunwick. 8th April 1795

Ah, the joys of a royal wedding! The history, the pageantry, the romance! Er, yes, the romance. Maybe. Perhaps. Or not.

I’m often asked by readers why I write Regencies. My aunt assumes it’s because of the masculine fashions; you can always tell what a gentleman is thinking! Apart from that obvious advantage, what I love about the Regency, and late Georgian era generally, is that it is an age of contrasts. Extreme wealth and devastating poverty. A brutal penal code and the beginnings of political reform. A man might weep over a sentimental play one night and the next go to a cock fight to watch two birds battle to the death. The same gentleman who expects that his bride be a virgin has quite likely boffed half the married ladies and widows of his acquaintance.

And a Prince, known as the First Gentleman of Europe by virtue of his refined manners, could send his mistress down to Greenwich to meet his bride-to-be. Never mind that he took one horrified look at her on first meeting, set her away from him and called faintly for brandy, he still married her three days later. Caroline of Brunswick’s account of her wedding night with the Prince of Wales, later Prince Regent and George IV, has come down to us. Her bridegroom, having had recourse to the brandy bottle both before and after the ceremony, passed out in front of the fireplace, only recovering sufficiently to discharge his royal duties the next morning.

Not exactly the stuff of romance, is it? Yet when asked to write a short story based on an historical royal wedding to celebrate the upcoming marriage of Prince William of Wales and Ms. Kate Middleton, I picked this one. As royal marriages go, it’s one of the more disastrous on record, but I figured the contrasts and drama were built in. (The bits I’ve touched on here are only the tip of the iceberg that was the scandal-ridden marriage of the prince who became the Prince Regent, and George III’s niece, Princess Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfen-Büttel.)

So I looked for more contrasts. A devastatingly handsome duke threatened with financial ruin and the shy, plain heiress of a very wealthy merchant who is somewhat overawed by her aristocratic French grandmother. Surely they have enough problems. But this ill-assorted couple, trying to make the best of a marriage of convenience and give each other a chance, are confronted with a royal couple at odds with each other from the moment they meet. I did have a great deal of fun with this story. It’s a little earlier than anything else I’ve done, before the actual political Regency, and I definitely enjoyed giving a voice to the Prince of Wales and Princess Caroline. Fortunately Kester, Duke of Severn, and his bride do a much better job of sorting out their marriage than do the royal couple in the case.

Princess Berengaria’s lady-in-waiting Adriana takes her duty to the future Queen of England seriously – she will defend her to the death! When their sea voyage to the Holy Land ends up in shipwreck and capture, Adriana knows her only hope lies with the mysterious Irishman, Liam MacEgan.

Liam escapes to reach Richard the Lionheart and together they plan a rescue mission. Nothing will stop these warriors from succeeding – their future brides are captive on Cyprus and they’ll raise hell to claim them!

Off the coast of Cyprus
April 12, 1191

Liam MacEgan hated ships. Though he’d spent many years of his life exploring the waters of his native Éireann, being trapped aboard a wooden vessel for months was somewhere between purgatory and hellfire.

It was your idea to go on Crusade, he reminded himself. He’d believed he was embarking on an adventure, to see the Holy Land and fight to free Jerusalem. His family had been firmly opposed to it. His father, King Patrick of Laochre, had demanded that he face his responsibilities as a future provincial king.

But he’d needed an escape from his homeland. He’d grown up listening to the stories of distant lands, told to him by his uncle Trahern. He longed to see the glittering foreign cities and taste new foods. He needed this last chance to see the worlds that were forbidden to him . . . to feel the sting of desert sand against his face . . . to learn the secrets of exotic women.

And so, defying his family’s wishes, he’d slipped out one night and arranged passage to France, to join in the service of the King Richard, Coeur de Lion.
Liam stared out at the fierce blue of the Mediterranean, and a bittersweet tang of homesickness caught him. The sky was a dark gray, and clouds rolled in the distance. He was dimly aware of a woman moving along the side of the boat, just behind the oarsmen. Her long dark hair was covered by a veil, but the length of it stirred in the sea winds.

Adriana, daughter of the Vicomte de Manzano, was one of the Princess Berengaria’s ladies. She was a dark beauty, with olive skin and raven hair. Her hands curved over the wood of the ship, and she turned back to stare at the waves.

He wanted to go and talk to her, but he sensed it would be an intrusion of her time alone. Her eyes lifted to the darkening skies, as though she were afraid.
Instinct made him glance behind him, and he spied the Count of Berduria staring at the young woman. The unrestrained lust on his face made Liam cross over to Lady Adriana’s side. Though she shied away from him, he said in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid. I came to offer my protection, not to disturb you.”

When she sent him a confused look, he added, “The Count is watching.” At that, Lady Adriana settled her gaze back upon the sea. Liam wasn’t certain whether or not she wanted him to stay. “Would you rather I left you alone with him?”

“Stay,” she whispered. “Unless your intent is the same as his.” She shivered in the wind, rubbing her shoulders. Liam unfastened his cloak and settled it around her shoulders. It was meant to offer her warmth, but it also sent an unmistakable message to the Count.

She pulled the cloak around her. “You’re one of King Richard’s men, aren’t you?”

“I chose to fight at his side, aye. But I am not his vassal.” He refrained from mentioning anything further, not wanting to admit his own rank. During this journey, he’d told no one that he was an Irish prince, save King Richard. He wanted to experience life as a common man, as a soldier. It had meant giving up the luxuries he’d come to enjoy, but in return, he’d seen a side of life that his family had tried to protect him from.

“Has King Richard spoken of the princess?” Adriana asked. “My lady Berengaria worries that he seems so . . . distant, ever since the new betrothal.”

Liam shrugged. “His Majesty is preoccupied with the journey to the Holy Land. He’s eager to fight for Jerusalem.”

“What of the Princess Alys? He broke his betrothal to her only a few months ago. Does he desire to reconcile—”

“Given that his father took Alys as his mistress and she bore him a daughter, rest assured, King Richard had little desire to take her to wife.” Liam sent her a sidelong glance. “Berengaria didn’t tell you?”

Adriana shook her head. “She didn’t know. Queen Eleanor never spoke of why the betrothal was broken, but it was she who brought Berengaria to become the King’s bride.”

“And what of you?” Liam asked. “You intend to travel wherever the Princess wishes to go? Even to the Holy Land?”

She nodded. “She has no choice, any more than I do.” The young woman clasped her hands together.

“You could marry or return to your family,” he suggested. “Jerusalem is dangerous for a woman.”

“Not for me.”

He stared at her, and she sent him a confident smile. “I have four brothers. I know ways to protect myself.”

“How?” He moved closer, until his knee brushed the edge of her silk gown.

The tip of a knife touched the soft skin above his throat. “Like this.” Adriana’s dark brown eyes were dancing with amusement. “You wouldn’t be likely to harm me now, would you?” She removed the blade and offered it back to him.

Son of Belenus, it was his own blade. She’d somehow stolen it from his belt without him even sensing her.

“How did you do that?”

Her face transformed with a knowing smile. “You should know better than to underestimate a stranger. I am one of the princess’s guards, just as you protect His Majesty.”

It was rare for a woman to surprise him, but he found himself fascinated by Adriana. Her full mouth drew his attention, and her scent reminded him of aromatic spices, like a heady mulled wine.

“Men are often distracted by a woman,” she said. “Just as you were.”

“You are a distraction,” he agreed. Her expression shifted, and he saw the wariness in her eyes. She wanted nothing from him; that much was evident.
Stepping back, he asked, “What if your enemy overpowered you? Your strength would be no match for an attacker’s.”

“I rely on myself. And I protect the princess when there is need of my blade.” She squared her shoulders and removed his cloak. “Take this back. You’ll be cold.”

“It’s far colder than this in my homeland. I’m accustomed to it.” He nodded toward the aft side of the ship. “Are you wanting me to escort you back to the princess?”

“Not yet.” Lady Adriana took a deep breath. “She gave me leave to do as I please for the next hour. I’ll go back soon enough.” She donned his cloak once more, and the wind buffeted the sails, the sky turning ominous. Within minutes, the rain began to fall. The change in the weather was enough to send the Count away from his pursuit. The Lady lifted her face to the droplets, smiling wryly. “Isn’t it my ill luck to have rain during the only moments of freedom I’ve had?”

Liam ignored the rain and studied the waves. The sea water reflected the gray skies, and as they continued eastward, the waves were rising. “You should go below, a chara. The storm is going to get worse.” Already the oarsmen were fighting the winds, their arms straining to keep control of the ship.

As if in response to his warning, the vessel lurched, and Adriana went flying. Liam caught her before her head could hit the deck, and he steadied her on her feet. “Are you all right?” She nodded, but he kept her hands at her waist for balance. “You need to go back to the princess. I wouldn’t want you to be swept overboard.”

Her face had gone pale, and she glanced out at the waves. “How far are we from land?”

“Don’t think about that now.” Aye, it was likely that if the ship capsized, they might drown. Liam was a fair enough swimmer, but it was spring and the water would be uncomfortably cold.

Adriana removed his cloak and handed it to him. “Take me back to the princess.” Liam donned the garment and walked behind her as she returned to the princess’s tiny chamber.

“Stay with Her Royal Highness,” Liam said. “And tell her not to be afraid.” Even as he spoke the words, he knew they were unconvincing. He was struggling to remain on his feet, and when the ship tossed again, Adriana struck the wall hard.

She rubbed her shoulders, wincing at the pain. “I’ll be all right,” she said, before he could ask. “But promise me something.”
Liam rested his hand against the wall for balance. Adriana stood only inches away, her dark hair resting over the shoulder of her crimson gown. He waited for her to speak, though his gaze was caught by her lips and soft skin.

“If the ship is going to sink, I want to know. We may lose the king’s treasure for the Crusade, but I don’t want him to lose his bride.” She knew, as he did, that this ship was one of two that held the king’s gold and treasure to fund the Crusade.

“If the storm seizes the ship, I’ll do what I can to help the sailors,” he said.

Adriana lowered her head in a silent nod. “What is your name?”

“Liam MacEgan.”

She studied him, and her expression held doubt. “You’re not like the other men I’ve seen aboard this ship.”

“Why?”

“You don’t behave as though you serve the king. You carry yourself like an equal.”

“Perhaps I am his equal,” he said in a low voice.

Though her gaze said she didn’t quite believe him, there was enough hesitancy in her face to suggest that she knew he was not as he seemed to be.
“I’ll come for you if the storm worsens,” he promised. Lifting her gloved hand, he pressed his mouth upon it. “Guard your princess. And I’ll guard you.”

But the worry didn’t dim in her eyes. If the storm worsened, as he suspected it would, there was a very real chance that all of them would die.

What the Duchess Wants

Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry of Anjou

What the Duchess Wants is the story of how Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest women in the medieval world, decided that Henry of Anjou, future king of England, was the man she wanted to marry. In that time period, women generally–and wealthy, land-owning women in particular– did not control their choice of spouses. But Alie-Anor, as she was called, was Duchess of Aquitaine and Queen of France and controlled more land than her then-king-of-France husband did!

Though divorce could have been a shameful thing, Eleanor used it to seize the kind of life and husband she wanted — a young, vigorous, enthusiastic and on-the-move warrior who also held huge amounts of property in France and who wanted more. Henry of Anjou knew the prize that Eleanor was and intended to win her.

Although I know that their later life was not all that happy, and, as happens in many royal marriages in history, the kingdom and power became a driving force between them, I believe Henry and Eleanor began their marriage in love with each other. Henry opened up worlds to Eleanor that she had never experienced before and he appreciated her worldliness and her experience as chatelaine of her vast lands and properties. He needed that experience while he was off pursuing his claim to England. They worked together to establish his claim and to create a family who would hold all the properties they owned–they worked for a future for their dynasty.

And, though their private lives would suggest otherwise, they were successful. The Plantagenet dynasty would rule England from 1154 until 1485, through various branches and descendants, so I would say they were successful!

Lionheart’s Bride

Richard the Lionheart and Princess Berengaria

When I was asked to contribute a story based on a true-life wedding, my first instinct was to research Richard the Lionheart. This was partially because of my favorite Robin Hood legend, but when I started researching Richard’s wedding to Berengaria, I was shocked at what I read.  Truth was definitely stranger than fiction!

Not only had Richard called off his wedding to Princess Alys of France (because she’d born a bastard child to his father, King Henry II—a good reason!), but Richard’s new marriage to Berengaria was delayed because his bride was shipwrecked off the coast of Cyprus. Richard now had to overthrow the tyrant ruler and storm the island to rescue his bride.  It was drama, passion, and such fun.

But there was a shadow over the true relationship between Richard and Berengaria, given their separation and childlessness.  I decided to create a fictional romance to parallel reality and offer a true happy ending.  Since the story takes place in 1191, it was perfect for a second-generation story, featuring the son of one of my MacEgan Irish warriors.  Liam MacEgan is a prince in disguise . . . and he falls hard for the Spanish beauty, Adriana, lady-in-waiting to Princess Berengaria.  Lionheart’s Bride is a tale of chivalry, shipwreck, and romance that I hope you’ll enjoy!

Prince Charming in Disguise!

Caroline of Ansbach and Prince George, later King George III of England

A real life love story, that’s what I wanted to do when I got the call to be part of Harlequin’s Royal Wedding series.  We were given a choice: find a British royal wedding in history and build a fictional relationship around the setting of an actual royal wedding OR do a royal couple themselves.  I wanted to do a real royal couple. I was convinced there must have been a happy wedding out there somewhere.

That was the hard part. Royal weddings in history, being what they were, were inevitably politically driven by a number of factors, romance not necessarily being one of them. But I did find intriguing accounts of the courtship of Caroline of Ansbach by Prince George and I was hooked.

It was a courtship made for a romantic tale—a lovely princess known for her beauty and intelligence but from an obscure German house, struggles to make a marriage on her own terms although her guardian, the powerful King of Prussia, has other ideas about a suitable match. So good so far, right? Who doesn’t love an independent heroine in distress as she fights against the system?  Well, that was Caroline in a nutshell. Charles of Spain is mad for her, all she has to do is convert to Catholicism and the riches of the world will be laid at her feet.

Enter George. He’s got a hero’s background. Courageous and stubborn, up until now he’s led a standard German prince’s life — he hunts and flirts and beds half the court. His every wish is granted, until he goes wife hunting. Refused by Hedwig Sophia of Sweden, he is the perfect case of once bitten, twice shy. It’s time to marry but he needs a bride! He hears of the lovely Caroline but is reluctant to show his cards before he’s sure he’ll be well received. He can’t risk being turned down twice — people will start to wonder what’s wrong with him. So he goes to Ansbach in disguise as a ‘common’ German baron. He spends a few days being entertained at Ansbach by Caroline and her brother, where he is stricken with a case of love at first sight. Caroline is all that he hoped. According to one dispatch, during his days at Ansbach he had to ‘restrain his ardor,’ so overcome was he by Caroline. He returns home and demands the betrothal process be put in order at once.

Of course, Caroline does not know she’s entertained a prince in disguise until his messenger returns to Ansbach and reveals all. She is stunned but willing. She too had developed feelings for the ‘baron’ during his stay. She makes all haste to George’s side and the rest is history.

Yes, there were problems later and like any marriage, even in today’s world, the fairytale can’t last forever. George had mistresses throughout his life, as was expected by custom and by Caroline. Yes, George was short of stature, but the history books suggest that even if he wasn’t tall, in his younger years he was attractive enough to pass muster. I think one report put it that the George Caroline looked upon at Ansbach had not yet begun to show his flaws and was quite the golden charmer.  To his credit, George stayed by her side during a smallpox epidemic when she was close to death. She recovered, but George did get smallpox for his efforts. To her credit, she bore him several children and never once sided against him in political matters. She was often regarded as the real brain behind the throne and served as Regent on several occasions while George was off traveling.

The Royal Wedding is just weeks away! To celebrate, Harlequin is offering a digital Royal Weddings series to commemorate the event.

In April, Harlequin will release five royal wedding stories that feature British weddings throughout history. Some of the stories are about fictional characters involved in historic weddings and some are about real royal couples.

Take time to appreciate seven new exciting stories from Elizabeth Rolls, Ann Lethbridge, Terri Brisbin, Michelle Willingham, Bronwyn Scott, Lucy Ashford, and Mary Nichols.

Throughout the day we will have guest blogs from these Harlequin Historical authors telling you how they chose their heroes and heroines for this exciting new series, plus a excerpts from some of the books.

Have a royal day!

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Society’s Most Disreputable Gentleman (Wellingfords #6) by Julia Justiss
Historical romance published by Harlequin Historical 18 Jan 11

One of the reasons I spend entirely too much time online is that I like chatting with fellow romance readers.  And when I chat with them?  I manage to also get some listening done.  Enough listening to know that there are more than a few readers out there tired of “21st century people inhabiting supposedly historical romances.”  It was these readers I was thinking of even before I got done with the first chapter of Julia Justiss’ latest Harlequin Historical.

Warning: This review is going to contain spoilers for the previous book in this series, From Waif To Gentleman’s Wife.  Not a whole lot I can do about that, so stop reading now if that’s going to be an issue.

Greville Anders is finally, blessedly, back in England.  Thanks to the diligence of his sister, Joanna, it was discovered that he was “pressed” into naval service as a common sailor!  However, his release could not be secured before a skirmish with pirates left him wounded.  While his influential cousin Nicky (a Marquess) sees about getting him discharged, he’s arranged for Greville to recuperate at Ashton Grove, the country estate of Lord Bronning.

Miss Amanda Neville is Lord Bronning’s daughter and is now mistress of the house thanks to her mother’s untimely passing.  She’s an ambitious girl, hoping to one day marry a man of prestige and political connections, and has aspirations of becoming a premiere society hostess.  However, her come-out keeps getting delayed by tragedy. Although, finally, it appears the time has arrived.  She’s about to have her debut, thanks to her mama’s influential BFF, and nobody is going to stand in her way.  Certainly not the disreputable, unkempt, ::sniff:: common and coarse looking sailor that has just nearly collapsed in their entryway.

I’m hardly well-read in the particular subgenre, but I could not escape how much this story reminded me of a traditional Regency.  First, there’s the conflict.  While Justiss does bring in some small bits of external conflict to spur a few chapters along (Amanda’s brother out looking for kicks in the country, a notorious and dangerous smuggler operating in the area), the bulk of this story deals with society and the couples’ place in it.  Amanda is not only a true beauty, but charming as well.  She’s destined to make a huge splash once she debuts.  Likewise, she acts like one would expect any young lady of her station and time would act.  She’s, well, a little snobby.  She’s very proper.  However, she’s also a girl who has been asked to shoulder responsibilities before her time, and she’s also a girl who knows that her lot in life is directly tied to the man she’ll eventually marry.  It’s in her best interests to marry well or else?  She’s screwed….and not in a good way.

Greville was born a gentleman, but that’s really all he’s got going for him.  An accident of birth made his cousin the Marquess.  He was bitter about this for a long time, and used it as an excuse to be disreputable, rakish, and generally useless.  However, his time in the Navy has forced him to grow up.  He’s now ready to turn over a new leaf.  So while the old Greville would have entertained the notion of dallying with Miss Neville, the new Greville isn’t about to go there.  But that doesn’t mean our boy isn’t tempted.

Because of the nature of the conflict, the strong focus on class and society, and the lightness of the external conflict, I suspect some readers are going to find this story slow and…well…boring.  It is slow.  There’s no denying it.  The author takes the time setting the stage, introducing the players, really showing us what makes them tick.  And when she does that, something remarkable starts to happen…I get invested.  I’m so invested that by the time the Big Dramatic Declarations Of Lurve occur in the final chapters, I’m damn near choked up.

However, the reader does have to be willing to invest the time in the story.  This isn’t a book you can chuck after 20 pages.  No, you have to keep reading to get to The Pay-Off.  To get to those moments where the characters start to click.  For that reason, I suspect readers who have become accustomed, and enjoy, historical romances where the Regency Miss is getting debauched on some back stairway by Chapter Three are probably going to be bored out of their skulls with this book.  Hey, and there’s nothing wrong with that!  I like those books too!  But those readers who have grown a little weary of those types of shenanigans?  Those readers who don’t want 21st century women masquerading as 19th century young ladies who toss aside their virginity without so much as a by-your-leave?  Yeah, I’m thinking this will work well for them.

As for me?  I was charmed.  Plus, I’ll be honest, I’m happy Joanna’s brother finally got his act together.  He’s going to be an uncle after all….

Grade: B-

Summary:

Wounded in action courageously fighting pirates, the notorious Greville Anders returns to society with neither the dress nor conduct considered proper for a gentleman.

Even more scandalous is that well-brought-up debutante Amanda Neville finds this rogue irresistibly tempting….

It was her mama’s last wish that her beautiful daughter have a glittering London Season, shine on society’s stage and marry a lord. But now Amanda’s greatest desire is just one more secret rendezvous—with the most disreputable man in town!

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Western Winter Wedding Bells by Cheryl St. John, Jenna Kernan & Charlene Sands
Historical western romance anthology published by Harlequin Historical 01 Oct 10

I love Harlequin Historical for their willingness to publish a variety of settings, but I gotta be honest – I’m mostly in it for the westerns.  And lucky me, they’ve had a tradition the last couple of years of publishing a western anthology just in time for the holidays.  Three Christmas-themed westerns in one book?  Merry Christmas to Wendy!

Christmas in Red Willow by Cheryl St. John

I think I might have mentioned a time or two (or three….) that Cheryl St. John is one of my very favorite authors.  So it was with some disappointment that I was…well…disappointed in this story.  Chloe Hanley’s grandfather was the town preacher, and after he passed, the beautiful church fell into disrepair.  Now the town council wants to tear it down and build a hotel in its place!  However, if she gets the place spruced up in time for Christmas services, they’ll abandon the idea.  For help she turns to carpenter Owen Reardon – the brother of the man leading the charge to tear down the church.

This is a nice, inspirational story with a strong Christmas message that didn’t dissolve into preachiness.  Chloe is a determined young lady and Owen continues the fine tradition of wonderful St. John Beta heroes.  However, I couldn’t get past the lack of backstory.  Red Willow is a close-knit town, with many neighborly, god-fearing residents.  When Chloe puts out the call for help, a lot of people answer.  Which begs the questions – why was the church in such disrepair in the first place?  Why was it allowed to deteriorate?  What led the members of the congregation (still meeting, mind you, even without a preacher!) to move services to the schoolhouse?  Why?  It’s not having those answers that annoyed me and keeps me from getting behind this story wholeheartedly.

Grade: C

The Sheriff’s Housekeeper Bride by Jenna Kernan

Eliza Flannery boards the train without a ticket because she’s wanted for a crime she didn’t commit.  When it’s discovered she has no ticket, she’s on the run again – but this time it’s straight into the arms of Trent Foerster.  Before you can say Big Misunderstanding, he’s thinking she’s the new housekeeper he’s hired and she’s happily going along with the charade if only to save her skin.  However, she’s really in the soup now.  Trent not only as a young daughter he’s raising on his own, he’s also a former Texas Ranger!  Oh, not to mention that Eliza can’t cook with a darn.

These types of plots tend to annoy in full-length novels, but are easier for me to swallow in short stories.  That said, Eliza still gets nailed (and not in a good way) for failing to spill the beans to Trent, even though she has oodles of time to do so.  Naturally he doesn’t take kindly to her deception since he was done wrong by his baby’s mama (well, of course, he was!).  Quibbles aside, though, Eliza’s backstory, coupled with Trent’s daughter (who plucked at my heart-strings, I’ll admit it!) and the sense of doom surrounding the Big Mis kept me eagerly flipping the pages.  I wasn’t wow’ed, but I was hooked.

Grade: B-

Wearing the Rancher’s Ring by Charlene Sands

Sands tends to be hit or miss for me, but this story mostly works.  Cooper Garnett is tracking the man who murdered his family when he’s robbed and shot in the back on widow Rachel Bodine’s land.  She nurses him back to health, and he kick-starts her libido.  But what will happen when she learns the man she’s falling for has vengeance in his heart?

This is the most emotional story in the bunch.  I love that both Cooper and Rachel loved their dead spouses, and I adore the fact that neither wallowed in guilt over their mutual attraction.  The conflict mostly revolves around Cooper’s plans and Rachel’s disapproval of them.  That said, with vengeance such a focal theme in the story, it’s disappointing that it’s largely wrapped up “off page.”  I’ll also admit that it did give me pause that Cooper’s wife and son had only been dead for six months.  However, this a good, solid story with good, solid western themes, which mostly worked for me.

Grade: B-

Anthologies can be tricky business, but this one largely works.  I wasn’t blown away by any of these entries, but they did succeed in giving me that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling dressed up with some western flavor.  If you’re looking for some heartwarming, and quick, holiday stories to squeeze in around the craziness of your reality?  This collection may fit the bill.

Overall Grade: B-

Summary:

Small town Christmas—Three big proposals!

Christmas in Red Willow by Cheryl St. John
Chloe Hanley must save the town church. But only if she can convince reclusive carpenter Owen Reardon to help repair the broken heart of the community and open his own up again— in time for Christmas!

The Sheriff’s Housekeeper Bride by Jenna Kernan
Running from her past and a crime she didn’t commit, Eliza Flannery bumps into her future—all rugged six-foot sheriff of him! Single father Trent Foerster mistakes her for his housekeeper, but there’s no mistaking his desire for a mistletoe kiss from this mysterious miss….

Wearing the Rancher’s Ring by Charlene Sands
Cooper Garnett is shot and left for dead near Double J Ranch when widow Rachel Bodine comes to his aid. Could his unexpected arrival be the best Christmas gift ever— a second-chance family for Rachel and her little son?

Read an excerpt (St. John story only)

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Surrender to an Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham
Historical medieval romance released by Harlequin Historical 01 Sep 2010

I haven’t read Michelle Willingham’s entire backlist yet, but I’m at the point where I’m getting pretty darn close.  So I feel fairly confident when I say that her latest Harlequin Historical, and the last in her long-running MacEgan Brothers series, is possibly her best work to date.  That being said, it’s a book that isn’t going to appeal to every reader thanks to it’s very heavy subject matter and tone.

The back cover copy is, I suspect, purposely vague but rest assured my plot description pretty much adheres to the first chapter.  Trahern MacEgan makes his living as a bard/storyteller.  However when he learns that his betrothed is killed when Vikings raid her village, he swears vengeance.  He’s tracking the killers when a young girl, barely 13, stumbles into his camp.  She recognizes him, and begs him to help her sister, who she fears is dying in a nearby hunting shelter.

Morren O’Reilly lived in the same village as Trahern’s beloved.  She survived, but was the victim of a brutal gang rape.  She’s miscarrying the baby that was the result of the events of that terrible night, and her sister, not knowing of the pregnancy, runs for help and fetches Trahern.  What follows is Trahern’s promise to protect Morren and find the men responsible for the raid.  In turn, Trahern needs Morren’s help in identifying them.

The only way to describe this story is heavy.  It’s a heavy read featuring two deeply emotionally damaged people who have lived through unspeakable pain.  Even though the author does not write these events in graphic detail, the mere suggestion of what Morren endured is beyond horrifying and haunting.  From the time I started the first chapter, to the time I finished the last, I was stuck on an emotional roller coaster, feeling the pain that these two people felt, and marveled that they were still able to put one foot in front of the other.  Even the secondary character of Morren’s sister isn’t spared from this angst, having witnessed exactly what happened to her sister.

Besides the internal conflict, there’s the mystery of who was behind the raid.  This is largely what propels the plot forward, and is what literally sucks all the air out of the room when the Big Reveal happens.  When a story can floor me like that, and in a good way, I know I’m reading something special.  Ironically, this is actually when the story stumbles a bit for me.  As amazing as the resolution to the mystery was, I felt that the heroine started to behave a bit out of character.  Especially when compared to what had been motivating her throughout the entire story.

That said, this blip on the radar wasn’t enough to diminish how accomplished I thought this book was.  It’s certainly not going to be a book for everybody.  It’s dark, heavy, and emotionally-gutting.  Certainly those attributes can, and in this case do, make the happy ending all the more sweeter and rewarding, but it’s still a tough read.  I was exhausted after the first chapter, and that feeling stayed with me for a long time.  It’s a departure in tone from previous books I’ve read by this author, and it’s a risk that I largely think she pulls off.  Yes, I had quibbles, but not enough to overshadow all that is so good.

Grade: B+

Summary:

An Irish warrior with a thirst for revenge…

Trahern MacEgan—his body is honed for fighting, his soul is black and tortured. Women want to tame him, but he has loved once, and now is lost.

A woman who has suffered in silence…

Morren Ó Reilly—she has known pain and shame, but holds her head high, even though she shrinks from a man’s touch.

Their passionate redemption

Can Morren be the light to Trahern’s darkness, and can she be made whole again by her surrender?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Di’s review of Untamed Rogue, Scandalous Mistress by Bronywn Scott
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 1 Jul 10

If ever a couple were made for each other, it would have to be Aurora Calhoun and Crispin Ramsden, from their first kiss just after meeting to their last one. These two very independent individuals spend a great deal of time learning they can work together. Neither is after love and commitment, but it just seems to be falling in place without either of them realizing.

Aurora is making it on her own as a horse breeder/trainer and also providing a riding school for ladies. With the backing of the Earl’s wife, hence the Earl himself, the success of her stables is assured. Yet there is always at least one egotistical joker who can’t respect or endure the right for a woman to succeed on her own. With trouble under foot at her stables, Crispin walks a fine line trying to be a supportive and helpful gentleman without undermining her responsibilities.

Crispin, the Earl’s brother, comes home from his government position to settle an estate he’s inherited from his Aunt. He has no intention of keeping the property and is looking forward to his next assignment. He had once dreamed of owning his own stables, but his desire for adventure has won him over. It does not stop him from being very impressed with the Calhoun stables and its lovely owner, who thinks he kisses better than he sits a horse. Having much to prove to the beautiful Miss Calhoun, he insinuates himself into her daily life and discovers a villain after her and her stables.

I just love this story. It’s very refreshing after all the other stories of conflict between the couples themselves. Our heroine and hero find themselves pulling together, fighting other greater issues than love and sexual tension.

Once more I started reading at the end of a series. I now have to backtrack to Crispin’s brother Peyton’s story, The Earl’s Forbidden Ward, and his other brother Paine, Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady. I look forward to more of Bronywn Scott’s highly romantic and sensual tales.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Self-made Miss Aurora Calhoun has always possessed an uncommon amount of sense when it comes to men. However, within minutes of colliding with Lord Ramsden’s carriage, she finds herself kissing the incorrigible rogue! Crispin Ramsden feels restrained by the shackles of his unwanted inheritance. Especially when he is faced with a woman whose impetuous nature ignites a passion that is as uncontrollable as it is scandalous! Society is rocked by this outrageous couple. Can these two wild hearts find a place to belong?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s Duckies Do Series review of The Accidental Series by Michelle Willingham
Historical romances released by Harlequin Historical Feb – Mar 2010

I’ve spent all of 2010 being perpetually behind in my reading.  It’s gotten to the point where I literally have whole series waiting for me to read.  Depressing, to be sure, but the upshot is that I can do one of these cool Duckies Do Series posts!  I hope to do at least one more of these in the near future (When? Uh, go back to top and reread first sentence of this paragraph again), but for now let’s start with the series I’ve been neglecting the longest – Michelle Willingham’s first foray outside of the medieval time period.

The Accidental Countess
1 Feb 10

Stephen Chesterfield, the Earl of Whitmore, wakes up in his bed at his country estate to discover an angry knife wound on his chest, a mysterious tattoo on the back of his neck, and Miss Emily Barrow nursing him back to health.  They were childhood playmates, and sweethearts, until his father put a stop to it and her family fell into scandal.  Stephen remembers a great many things, just not the last several months of his life.  Which means he has no memory of who tried to kill him and no memory at all of marrying Emily.

What we have here is a pretty compelling mystery, and a deft handling of the popular amnesia trope.  What didn’t work quite as well for me was the romance.  Emily has a definite Cinderella quality to her, but after the umpteenth person treated her like crap, I wanted her to man-up and grow a pair already.  In turn, Stephen, in the name of protecting Emily from the bad guys, uses that as an excuse to treat her like crap, thereby giving the people snubbing her ammunition.  Why he thought that would protect her is beyond me.  What?  Bad guys don’t hear society gossip?  In the end it was the mystery of who was trying to kill Stephen, and why, that kept me flipping the pages.  Having read the prequel to this story months before, I had the concept of the the romance.  I just didn’t like it all that much in this full-length treatment.

Grade: C-

Summary:

When Stephen Chesterfield, the Earl of Whitmore, awakes to find a beautiful woman berating him, he knows he is in trouble! He cannot recall the past three months of his life, never mind having a wife! What’s more, someone is trying to silence him before his memory returns….

Emily Chesterfield is trapped in a marriage of convenience with a man who doesn’t remember her. Stephen clearly thinks she is the most unsuitable countess, but she is falling for her enigmatic husband…. Can they find trust and love before it is too late?

Read An Excerpt

The Accidental Princess
1 Mar 10

Lady Hannah Chesterfield’s entire life revolves around her landing a suitable husband, and Lieutenant Michael Thorpe is so far from suitable, he might as well be on another planet.  But they can’t seem to stay away from each other, and when scandal erupts, Hannah finds herself traveling with Michael on a grand adventure.  Could the man who was raised by a fishmonger, and who is a soldier in the British Army, really be a long-lost prince?

The author keeps up the fairytale theme of this series by putting the Cinderella glass slipper on the hero’s foot.  Michael sets out on the trip just wanting answers, but when his life is threatened, his drive for those answers takes on more urgency.  There’s also the small matter of Michael and Hannah being in love with each other – and either way the prince thing turns out, it doesn’t mean a match between them would be celebrated.  As a solider, Michael isn’t “good enough” for Hannah, and as a prince, Hannah isn’t “good enough” for him.  Also, there’s the small matter of Hannah being sick and tired of people controlling everything about her life – right down to what she eats and what she wears.

I liked that Hannah didn’t toss up her skirts the minute she got her head turned by Michael.  She might not want to be controlled by her mother or society (good girls don’t…), but she also doesn’t disregard them outright.  I liked that Michael was smart, brave, and honorable.  Towards the end of the story I did feel these two were basically talking circles around what was really bothering them, and that did get a little tiresome (just come out and tell him/her already!), but the author sews it all up nicely, right down to Lady Hannah finding a voice all her own.

Grade = B

Summary:

Lieutenant Michael Thorpe is a forbidden temptation for Lady Hannah Chesterfield. Etiquette demands Hannah ignore the shivers of desire his wicked gaze provokes, but he’s the only man to recognize her restless spirit, and her unawakened body is clamoring for his touch….

Thrown together by scandal, a defiant Hannah joins Michael on an adventure to uncover the secret of his birth—is this common soldier really a prince? If so, will the ordinary man who has taught Hannah the meaning of pleasure now make her his royal bride?

Read An Excerpt

While I’ve enjoyed many of Willingham’s medieval historicals, and I’d hate to see her abandon that time period altogether, I did enjoy this side trip to the Victorian era.  Taking into account the B- I gave the Harlequin Historical Undone prequel I reviewed earlier this year?  That leaves us with….

Overall Grade: B-

Other titles in series:

Liviania’s review of The Rake of Hollowhurst Castle by Elizabeth Beacon (no author website found)
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Aug 2010

I am fond of character driven novels, especially in historicals.  With many authors, like Caroline Linden, I often feel that the action plot was tacked on and that I would’ve been perfectly happy just reading about the characters.  On that basis, I would think that I’d like The Rake of Hollowhurst Castle, which has nothing to distract from the romance of Roxanne Courland and Sir Charles Afforde.

Turns out The Rake of Hollowhurst Castle could really use an action plot to keep things moving.

Roxanne has been in love with Charles since she first saw him at the age of fourteen.  She believed they would marry, but at seventeen he broke her heart by snubbing her to go off with a married woman.  She was further hurt by reports of his rakehell reputation.  Instead of marrying, she became the chatelaine of Hollowhurst.  But now her older brother has decided to live in America, and thus sold his birthright to Charles.  On her side, there isn’t much suspense.  She’s been in love with the man for ten years.  There’s no real tension as whether she’ll give into his advances.

Charles tries not to love because both his parents and grandparents had terrible relationships.  Combined with his experiences in the war, he didn’t want to hurt the young girl with the ardent eyes.  Now he and Roxanne’s brother David agree that it would be best for Charles to marry Roxanne, so that she has someone to care for her but can remain at Hollowhurst.  However, he’s not willing to love her.

To me, there are two problems with Charles.  One is that he changes his mind quickly, or does him ruminating while the story is in Roxanne’s point of view.  He switches from “I have no real feelings for her” to “yes, I have noticed her for ten years” to “I am in love and have been in love.”  As slowly as The Rake of Hollowhurst Castle moves, it feels like the changes in his feelings should become gradually apparent.  Instead, something happens and the tone of his narration changes.

Second is that I read The Rake of Hollowhurst Castle right after Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas.  This is not Elizabeth Beacon’s fault at all, but Kleypas’s hero, transformed and haunted by the war, was better done and more compelling.  Due to the juxtaposition, Charles paled in my estimation.

I liked Roxanne and a number of the side characters, including Stella and Lady Samphire, Charles’s relatives who serve as chaperones.  Beacon’s prose flows smoothly and I didn’t have any problems with her writing style.  I just found The Rake of Hollowhurst Castle to be rather dull.

Grade: C-

Summary:
Sir Charles Afforde:

the infamous, devilish rake has purchased Hollowhurst Castle lock, stock and barrel. All that is left to possess is the castle’s determined and beautiful chatelaine.

Roxanne Courland:

her youthful, romantic dreams of Charles shattered long ago, this unconventional country miss would rather stay a spinster than enter a loveless marriage.

Only this rake’s devastatingly sensual onslaught is impossible to resist….
Read an excerpt

Liviania’s review of The Smuggler and the Society Bride (Regency Silk and Scandal, Book 3) by Julia Justiss
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 August 2010

Sometimes, reading historical romances, it seems like getting caught in a compromising position is just how people proposed two hundred years ago in England.  Therefore I found the premise of The Smuggler and the Society Bride intriguing because Lady Honoria Carlow did not marry the man who was caught compromising her.  They weren’t already in love or fell in love after their quick marriage.  They were just two people caught up in someone else’s revenge.  No, she was thoroughly ruined and fled to her aunt’s home in Cornwall.

Lady Honoria Carlow now goes by Marie Foxe.  She is adjusting well to life in Cornwall, though she is a bit put off by the region’s reliance on smuggling.  Yet when she tries to save a man from drowning, she meets the dashing Captain Gabriel Hawksworth.  Gabriel is a military man and a member of the Irish gentry, but he’s captaining a smuggling ship for a set amount of time as a favor to an army buddy.

Julia Justiss creates a wonderful sense of place and society.  Justiss even uses terms whose meanings have changed, like sensibility, correctly.  The history is integrated into the story instead of simply providing a colorful setting.  Sennlack, the Cornish village, is well fleshed out.  The villagers have a variety of motives, personalities, and beliefs.  Honoria feels out of place at first, since she used to be a Diamond of the Ton, but she quickly discovers ways in which she can fit into Cornish life and use her high society connections to help the poor girls of the village make their own money.

Gabriel is willing to think the best of Honoria once he realizes she was involved in a scandal.  In fact, he sets out to clear her name.  Even when he discovers she has a false name, he’s willing to give her a chance.  A hero who doesn’t automatically assume the worst about the heroine is always a plus.  In addition to showing off his loyalty to Honoria, the search for the man who framed her also allows Gabriel to show off his intelligence.

Gabriel and Honoria are both empathetic characters.  Their relationship is sweet and refreshing, though Justiss throws in some darker elements to keep The Smuggler and the Society Bride from becoming too fluffy.  (At the end of the day, The Smuggler and the Society Bride’s biggest problem may be that the hero and heroine are too good.)

I’m definitely going to read some more of Justiss’s books, and I may pick up some of the other novels in the Silk & Scandal miniseries.  As a side note, I know that they have silly costuming, but I really like the photo-with-bright-background cover style that has appeared on many of the recent Harlequin Historicals.  They’re eye-catching and attractive.

Grade: A-

Summary:
Lady Honoria Carlow, leading Diamond of the Ton, is in disgrace. Her spirited nature has led her too far this time and she is, in reputation at least, ruined.Indifferent to polite London society, Captain Gabriel Hawksworth is a gentleman in bandit’s clothing. On the storm-tossed coast of Cornwall, this smuggler is reckless, sexy and sinfully tempting….

Gabriel is luring Honoria right back to what she’s escaping—trouble! Only this time her impropriety won’t be quite so innocent…
Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Sandy M’s review of Untamed Rogue, Scandalous Mistress by Bronywn Scott
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 1 Jul 10

I so love a story that has a hero and heroine working together to overcome conflict instead of having that conflict break them up, keep them apart, and make them snarl and snip at one another. Bronwyn Scott does that beautifully in this book, all the while giving us strong characters and a very interesting backdrop with steeplechase racing.

Crispin Ramsden has finally come home. He’s a military man, combing England and other countries for the good of his homeland. Giving up his dream of owning his own stables one day has been taken over by his wanderlust; he craves adventure and new places. He’s received an inheritance of an estate that would give him his dream from long ago, but knowing he can’t stay put for long, he’s determined to sell and be on his way again after visiting family. At least if it weren’t for that intriguing miss he met on the road on his way home, the one he kissed and now can’t get out of his head.

Forging a friendship with the backing of an influential name, Aurora Calhoun has found success — again — with her stables, which includes lessons for women and also horse breeding. She’s an independent woman on her own, with her own ideas, doing what she wants when she wishes. As Aurora has learned from her past, however, all good things do come to an end, because men aren’t able to deal with the success of women, especially when said women are free thinkers and do as they please.

She also doesn’t need the complication of Crispin Ramsden doing her fighting for her, but the man refuses to back down. Deciding instead to enjoy him for the moment, she becomes his lover. He’s an equine expert just as she is and sits a horse quite well, so they do get along famously having so much in common, if it weren’t for his protective behavior.  As the steeplechase race she covets draws closer and more mysterious and dangerous happenings occur, Aurora finds she is rather happy and relieved Crispin is in her life.

I really enjoyed Crispin and Aurora so much. They both stay away from commitment and marriage, living for the moment until something makes them move on in life. But being together gives them a whole new perspective on what they want to make it through and perhaps have someone by their side.

They work together to discover who’s behind the near ruination of Aurora and her business. Their love scenes are intense and filled with a love neither of them recognizes until much later in their relationship.

I also like that we get a glimpse of Crispin’s brother, Peyton, who is the earl, and his wife. I have yet to read their book, The Earl’s Forbidden Ward, though I have read brother Paine’s, Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I like the family aspect of these books a lot.

Ms. Scott is becoming a favorite of mine for her rich historicals and wonderful characters.

Grade: A

Summary:

Self-made miss Aurora Calhoun has always possessed an uncommon amount of sense when it comes to men. However, within minutes of colliding with Lord Ramsden’s carriage, she finds herself kissing the incorrigible rogue! Crispin Ramsden feels restrained by the shackles of his unwanted inheritance. Especially when he is faced with a woman whose impetuous nature ignites a passion that is as uncontrollable as it is scandalous! Society is rocked by this outrageous couple. Can these two wild hearts find a place to belong?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Miss Winthrope’s Elopement by Christine Merrill
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 01 Mar 10

I like a well-done rake hero as much as the next girl.  The trick for authors is writing them convincingly (no fake-rakes please!) while still managing to make them redeemable enough so that the reader believes in the happily-ever-after.  While Christine Merrill definitely delivers in the rake hero department, for pretty much this entire story I was praying that the heroine would pick up her unfashionable skirts and run as fast, and far, as she possibly could.

Miss Penelope Winthrope is a printer’s daughter.  Her father’s business was wildly successful, so she has plenty of money to live comfortably, study to her heart’s content, and buy whatever books she so desires.  Unfortunately, with Daddy dead, her inheritance is run by her brother, who is making a muck of the family business.  Worse yet?  He’s putting demands on her lifestyle, syphoning off her funds, and just being an all-around ass.  Penelope figures the best way to get out of the situation is to marry a husband more tolerable than her brother.  The problem being that she’s hardly a great beauty, is a bit “odd,” and is firmly on the shelf.  Oh well.  She’s just going to have to scare up a suitable man somewhere along the way to Gretna Green.

Good fortune smiles upon her when Adam Felkirk literally throws himself in front of her carriage.  Drunk as a skunk, Adam has made a mess of the family finances and is ready to say goodbye to this cruel world when Penelope pulls him out of the mud.  Before you can say “marriage of convenience,” these two are hitched.  Penelope just wants privacy in order to continue her studies, and Adam needs her money to save his bacon.  The fly in the ointment?  Did I mention that Adam is the Duke of Bellston?

There’s really no way to sugarcoat this – Adam is an asshole.  A poor harvest season and bad investments aren’t a crime, but this guy had an affair with a married woman (I know, you’re thinking, so what?  What historical romance rake hasn’t?).  Naturally she’s a vile shrew of a woman who just happens to be…wait for it… married to his best friend.  Niiiiiice.  But he’s a Duke after all, so apparently cuckolding your BFF isn’t an unforgivable sin.  Everyone seems determined to forgive this guy while The Other Woman is painted with the traitorous whore brush.  Boys will be boys, women will be sluts.  Historically accurate?  Yes.  Any less annoying?  No.

Penny is a nice girl, even if her logic in the beginning chapters is severely flawed.  No, she doesn’t want her brother controlling her finances.  But what makes her think that a perfect stranger is going to be any better?  And what makes her think she’ll have any power whatsoever to have any sway with her new husband whatsoever?  However, once the reader gets past this, she’s a nice, intelligent, forthright girl.  A girl who adores books and scholarly endeavors.  I liked her and thought she deserved a lot better than the husband she ends up saddled with, but after all, that was partly her own doing!

Where this book sings (and salvages itself) is when the couple spends time together.  On the same page, away from the problematic conflict and secondary characters.  These scenes sing off the page, sizzle with sexual tension, and are a joy to read since both characters display a fair amount of intellect.  However a hero who dips his pen in his best friend’s ink well?  Yeah, that’s just wrong, and a major stumbling block in this story.  The author certainly provides a nice grovel at the end , but it’s especially dissatisfying that he’s hardly punished at all.  Has the leopard changes his spots?  Probably.  I mean, he genuinely seems to love Penny.  I’m just not convinced he deserves her love.

Grade: C+

Summary:

Dashing Duke, Bluestocking Bride!

Shy heiress Miss Penelope Winthorpe was only trying to escape her bullying brother. She didn’t mean to wed a noble lord over a blacksmith’s anvil! Adam Felkirk, Duke of Bellston, had no intention of taking a wife. But then Penelope’s plight moved him.

Now the notorious rake has a new aim – to shock and seduce his prim and proper bride. But the gorgeous Duke will be taught a lesson of his own as scholarly Miss Winthorpe becomes his seductive duchess!

Read an excerpt.

Limecello’s review of The Earl’s Forbidden Ward by Bronwyn Scott
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Mar 10

I now see the light. Or at least, a glimmer of it. I know Sybil and Wendy love Harlequin Historicals. My feelings toward them aren’t quite as warm, but now I think I’ve been unlucky in my choices. I decided to read this book, yes, based on the premise. Amazon suggested it, I love these story lines despite the fact that I think they’re hilariously wrong, and I bought it. I took a gamble that paid off, and now I want more. A lot more.

Tessa Branscombe is a model heroine, in my mind. I think that’s also why I liked the book so much. She’s a diplomat’s daughter, and has been acting as her father’s hostess for a number of years. Tessa is very sensible and intelligent. She knows she’s in danger, and nothing is as it seems. Essentially everything Tessa did made sense to me. It may not have been the best possible choice, but given what she knows and her circumstances, it’s the only available choice for her. I like that she didn’t blindly trust Peyton, even though her affections are engaged much more quickly. Tessa is protective, and capable as well. No, she couldn’t have saved herself, but that’s also an integral part of the story.

Peyton Ramsden, the Earl of Dursley, really makes me think “cold fish” from the outset of the book. As I read, however, he began to grow on me. Peyton has a lot more depth than one would think, but at the same time he’s flawed. He’s rather arrogant, but needs to be when he first took over the estate. Over a decade later he’s realized that may not have been ideal, but it was his way of coping. Peyton doesn’t think he’ll marry – and part of him is still a mystery to me. I didn’t think him entirely developed, but all the essential points are covered. He’s rich, smart, experienced, and desperately in love with Tessa. He’s also trying to protect his country’s interests and not let anyone know anything about whatever secret plans or ulterior motives he might be embroiled in.

I think there is a nice balance between plot and character focus. Events happen that put Tessa and Peyton together, and while no, not everything is believable, it works for the story. I like that Ms. Scott writes about Tessa’s frustrations in feeling bowled over and then Peyton’s determination to be the hero. It’s rather gripping.

I really like this story. I don’t even know what it was about this book – because when I think about it, the romance doesn’t particularly make sense. We are just supposed to believe that the hero and heroine fall in love… well, because they’re supposed to. Maybe I’m overthinking. (Then again, with more thought, I guess it works. She’s incredibly beautiful, smart, and capable – as well as being a novelty, and then he’s handsome, eligible, and incredibly protective and responsible. Okay, so it works.) I think I also like it because I’ve been in a horrendous reading slump, and I still managed to read this book in a day. Considering I’ve been reading next to nothing, that’s significant in my book.

I’m definitely interested in reading more books by Ms. Scott – I just wish she’d update her web page. Anyway, if you like historical romances, I definitely recommend this one. It’s sweet, but there’s enough intrigue and sophistication to keep it from being trite. The characters are definitely the focus, and it’s very well written. I have an inkling that the next book may be about Crispen, Peyton’s younger brother, and Petra. For once, I hope so. They seem to be “opposites” that would mesh perfectly. I’m definitely keeping an eye out for that story.

Grade: B-

Innocent debutante Tessa Branscombe senses that underneath her handsome guardian’s cool demeanor there is an intensely passionate nature. The arrogant earl infuriates her—yet makes her want to explore those hidden depths….

Peyton Ramsden, Earl of Dursley, has no time for girls—especially those who are suddenly given over to his care! Miss Tessa Branscombe, in particular, is trouble. She tempts this very proper earl to misbehave—and forbidden fruit always tastes that much sweeter.

Oh you lucky, lucky ducks!  In honor of the holiday craziness season, the Pond is giving away not one, but two recent historical western releases from Harlequin Historical!

Alaskan Renegade by Kate Bridges

In need of a bodyguard on her mission into the Alaskan wilderness, nurse Victoria Windhaven is shocked to recognize the hired gun as none other than Brant MacQuaid—a man she had thought never to see again! Brant, now a notorious bounty hunter with a burning passion for justice, had once betrayed her.

But closely confined in the stagecoach by day, and even more closely combined under the stars by night, Victoria can’t help but dream of turning this renegade into ideal husband material….

Her Colorado Man by Cheryl St. John

When eighteen-year-old Mariah found herself pregnant and unmarried in her small Colorado town, she disappeared. One year later, she returned with a baby—though minus the “husband” who had conveniently ventured off to Alaska’s gold fields to seek his fortune….

But now, with handsome adventurer Wes Burrows turning up and claiming to be the husband she had invented, Mariah’s lies become flesh and blood—and her wildest dreams a reality!

One random commenter will be chosen from the comments on this post.  All you have to do?  Since both of these were November and December releases respectively, we want you to share with us your favorite winter holiday tradition. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, anything goes!  Any of the November or December holidays will do

Contest will close on December 13, 2009. Both copies were purchased by the blog and are not signed.  Contest is open to all.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Her Colorado Man by Cheryl St. John
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 01 Dec 2009

Cheryl St. John is, hands down, my number one comfort author.  Her books are the equivalent of a cold winter night, snow falling outside, wrapped in a blanket, cuddled up on the sofa, drinking a mug of hot cocoa.  There is just something about her stories that rich deep down and strike an emotional cord in me.  Her Colorado Man continues that tradition, although I will admit it took me some time to wrap my mind around the jaw-dropping conflict.

When Mariah was 18-years-old she found herself pregnant.  The only soul she told was her grandfather, who promptly suggested she go to Chicago to attend “school.”  She lived there for a year, and when she returned home with young John James, she discovered grandfather, as a way to protect her and his new grandson, had concocted a make-believe husband.  He had a friend, Otto, working as a postmaster in Alaska, and asked him to come up with a name.  In return, Otto would write the occasional letter “home” to keep up appearances.  It’s an elaborate lie, but one Mariah agrees to.  The truth isn’t an option, so she agrees to become Mrs. Wesley Burrows.

Unknown to them is that there really is a Wesley Burrows.  He went to Alaska looking for gold, but quickly learned that delivering mail was a more reliable way to make money.  After an accident leaves him confined to bed, his backlog of personal mail is delivered to him.  Otto is no longer around to intercept them, so among his mail are letters from young John James.  Reading those letters, from a young boy who desperately needs a father, causes something to break for Wes.  He gets better and writes a letter to Mariah’s grandfather.  He’s coming to Colorado to be the father that John James wants and needs.

As one can imagine, this news is a bit upsetting to Mariah.  She had no idea Wesley Burrows was “real,” and the idea of welcoming a stranger into her life is unacceptable.  Yes, using his name was wrong, but what does he want?  What are his motives?  She doesn’t know this guy from Adam, how can she possibly trust him?  Why is he really doing this?

That’s the rub, of course – and it’s easy for the reader to understand how Mariah feels, because Wes’ decision is pretty fantastical.  Not just any man would drop his whole life to become a father just because a boy needs one.  However the author makes it work by explaining more about Wes.  What his life has been like, the accident, and how those letters from John James gave him so much comfort that he wanted to comfort the boy in return.  Admittedly he doesn’t think this plan all the way through.  He thinks, “I can be this boy’s father.” He doesn’t think, “Um, but what about the boy’s mother?” That’s ultimately what gets sorted out over the course of the story.

How willing the reader is to buy into this conflict will determine how well the book will work for them.  It worked fairly well for me because St. John sells it so well.  It also worked thanks to how fresh and lively this setting felt to me.  This is no run of the mill western. Mariah’s family is a large, lively, close-knit German clan that happens to run their own brewery.  Mariah works there, as does almost every single family member.  The brewery atmosphere, the trip to Denver the family takes for business, made this story feel so fresh and different compared to some of the other historical romances I’ve read this year.

At the end of the day, this story delivers exactly what I’ve come to expect from a Cheryl St. John book.  Good, hard-working characters who aren’t prone to hysterics, compelling conflict, and a tenderness that runs through the romance.  The plot and conflict of this story are a bit of a stretch at times, but it’s to the author’s credit that even this cynical skeptic ended up swallowing the idea.  I finished the final page thinking to myself, “Sure, that could have happened.  Hey, maybe it did happen?  And ::sigh::, what a nice story.”

Grade: B

Summary:

When eighteen-year-old Mariah found herself pregnant and unmarried in her small Colorado town, she disappeared. One year later, she returned with a baby—though minus the “husband” who had conveniently ventured off to Alaska’s gold fields to seek his fortune….

But now, with handsome adventurer Wes Burrows turning up and claiming to be the husband she had invented, Mariah’s lies become flesh and blood—and her wildest dreams a reality!

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Taming Her Irish Warrior (The MacEgan Brothers #5) by Michelle Willingham
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 01 Oct 2009

Michelle Willingham continues her Irish medieval series about the MacEgan brothers with this latest entry, featuring the youngest of the lot, Ewan.  I’ll admit I have a huge soft spot for younger brother romance heroes with a need to “prove themselves” to their older siblings (siblings that usually tend to cast long shadows).  Ewan fits that mold, and while I found him appealing at times, his stubborn nature, coupled with the equally stubborn heroine didn’t always make the romance sing for me.

Ewan is the youngest of five brothers, and while the oldest one is a King, Ewan’s prospects are pretty slim.  It’s imperative that he weds a lady of means, preferably one with some land to her name.  He sets his sights on Lady Katherine of Ardennes.  Unfortunately for him, Katherine has the kind of beauty (and dowry) that inspires a number of suitors.  As a lowly younger son, one with few prospects, he’s got his work cut out for him.

Katherine’s older sister, Honora St. Leger has already survived one disastrous marriage.  After her husband dies, she finds herself thwarting the unwanted advances of her odious son-in-law.  So she returns home to her father and sister to regroup.  For years Honora has secretly honed her fighting skills among her father’s warriors.  In fact, it was Ewan who helped to train her.  She wants to rid the poor peasants of her vile son-in-law, but to do so she needs to raise an army.  There’s also the small matter that the villain terrifies her.  On top of that, her father is pressuring her to remarry, which Honora would rather be skinned alive than do.  That is until Ewan shows up.  He’s there hoping to win the hand of her properly feminine sister, and Honora knows she lacks everything he needs in a proper wife.  So how come these two cannot stay away from each other?  And what will they do with the villain comes calling?

There are a lot of potential pitfalls in the story that will likely turn off some readers.  For one, we have the heroine who likes to disguise herself as a man and play warrior woman.  Then we have a hero who is wooing one sister while lusting after the other.  It all sounds a bit….distasteful.  For the most part Willingham does a good job working the angles.  Chicks in pants playing with swords can annoy, but it fits Honora’s personality well.  Once determined to prove herself to a father who had little use for her, she now welcomes her skills as a means to protect herself – which come in especially handy during the course of her marriage.  Where this story stumbles a bit is with the conflict revolving around Ewan’s wooing of Katherine.

It’s very apparent early on that Ewan is smitten with Honora.  She infuriates him, puzzles him, vexes him, and she drives him totally mad with lust.  As the reader, this is very easy to see and understand.  Unfortunately it takes Ewan a while to realize it.  From a historical standpoint, I get it – making a good marriage match was everything, especially if you were a younger brother with little to no prospects.  He needs an heiress for a wife.  He needs the land, the dowry, the whole deal if he wants any sort of semi-comfortable life for himself and his future children.  So it’s easy to understand why he doesn’t throw Katherine over within the first 50 pages, but it does drag on for the bulk of the novel.  And then there’s the small matter of Honora pushing him away because she’s not what he needs, never mind she’s exactly what he wants.  It was kind of sick actually.  “Darling, I know you lust after me, but go!  Go marry my sister!”

Ultimately something happens that forces their hand, Ewan has to finally make his choice, and the villain must be dealt with.  Still, the couple keeps tap-dancing around their feelings for each other, and the belief that neither is what the other one needs continues to linger.  By this point I found myself getting a bit exasperated with them both.

Willingham continues to write interesting medievals, and it’s to her credit that she delivers a readable story featuring plot devices that generally are harder sells for me.  If you’re a reader who is a sucker for a chick in pants or heroes who start out the story wooing another woman?  This one will surely deliver what you crave.

Grade: C+

Summary:

When did Ewan MacEgan grow to be so overwhelmingly strong and disarmingly sexy? He intends to wed Honora St. Leger’s demure sister—but why should that matter to her? Honora would rather wield a sword than a mending needle and, as a widow, she knows there is little pleasure in the marriage bed….

Ewan MacEgan has set his sights on a wealthy bride but, tantalizingly, he finds himself drawn to the forbidden Honora! One touch and he is longing to awaken her sensuality, for he suspects she will be as passionate in bed as she is on the battlefield!

Read an excerpt.

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Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of From Waif To Gentleman’s Wife (Wellingford’s #5) by Julia Justiss
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 01 Oct 09

Over the years I have remained fiercely loyal to Harlequin Historical in part because of their willingness to publish stories set in locales currently not the flavor of the month.  Which means they offer more to readers than just Regency historicals about spies and Dukes.  They were literally my lifeline during a time in my reading life when I was so burnt out on All England All The Time that I would read maybe one Regency-set book a year.  Now that my crippling burn-out has begun to lift, I’ve been making up for lost time by discovering many Regency writers that other readers have known about for years.  This being my first book by Julia Justiss, I wasn’t all that surprised to discover that Harlequin chose to publish a Regency historical that actually felt different.  It was like opening up a window on a warm spring day after a very long, dismal winter.  You mean Regencies can be about more than Dukes and spies?  Wow.

Joanna Merrill is a young widow with few options.  Her soldier husband succumbed to a fever he contracted in India, her in-laws have washed their hands of her, her family is abroad, and she’s sunk.  So she takes a job as a governess, only to find herself thwarting the advances of her randy employer.  When the fine upstanding Lady of the household catches her husband accosting Joanna, she promptly fires Joanna.  What with it being all her fault for throwing herself at a married man.  Joanna is tossed out on her ear, with very few coins to her name.  Desperate, she decides to travel to Blenhem Hill where her brother, Greville, is employed as estate manager.

Sir Edward “Ned” Greaves has purchased Blenhem Hill from his good friend Nicholas Stanhope, Marquess of Englemere.  Nicky gave his distant cousin Greville the job of overseeing the estate, only to learn that he was doing a terrible job of it.  Firing Greville, he’s at a loss of what to do next.  Blenhem is out of the way of his other holdings and he’s loathe to leave his wife and young son.  So when Edward, being a bit of an agricultural nut, offers to buy it from him, he accepts.  On his way to take up residence though, Edward’s carriage is assaulted by Luddite hooligans.  To get to the bottom of the local unrest, Edward decides to pose as Mr. Ned Greaves, the new estate manager hired by Englemere, keeping his own noble lineage a secret.  Which is how Joanna Merrill comes to meet him when she literally collapses at his feet after finally arriving at Blenhem.  The turmoil of the journey, the shock of her current circumstances, and finding out her brother has been fired is just too much.

What follows is Ned and Joanna coming to an understanding.  He’s determined to get Blenhem Hill back on track, which means making repairs, amends and opening a school for the children.  In turn, with no other options available, having no idea where her brother is, and loathe to throw herself on the mercy of distant relation Englemere, Joanna accepts the job of being the schoolteacher.  Naturally as they spend more time together, Ned and Joanna are drawn to each other.  But what will happen when she learns who he really is?  And who is behind the unrest among the local farmers and textile workers?

While Justiss employs the common Big Secret trope, there was so much about this story that felt unique and refreshing.  Notably, the circumstances that Joanna finds herself in, and how realistically they are portrayed.  This is a woman who is smart and resourceful, but at the mercy of people with more power than she has.  You bleed for this woman as she arrives at Blenhem, after all the drama and turmoil, only to discover her last hope, her brother, has been fired and nowhere to be found.  She has to rely on the kindness of a stranger, and ultimately is drawn to Ned because of his kindness, work ethic, and the fact that she believes they’re in the same social stratosphere.

Ned’s a nice guy, and one can understand his reasons for the deception, but his keeping the truth from Joanna for as long as he does is a bit hard to swallow.  Especially after he muses, quite often, how logical, forthright and intelligent she is.  He justifies his secrecy by saying it’s to protect her, but ultimately I was left with the impression that he obviously didn’t think her intelligent enough to be able to handle the truth.  When it all comes tumbling out at the end, it’s hard not to sympathize with Joanna, and the author handles these final chapters of heartbreak and redemption very well.

Part of the author’s long-running Wellingford series, this book stands alone extremely well.  It’s a quick, charming read, very much in the tone of a traditional Regency (well, expect this story has s-e-x in it!).  It’s also so refreshingly different from a lot of the other Regency historical currently cramming the shelves that it was hard for me not to be delighted by this tale.  I read it in one afternoon, and it was an afternoon well spent.

Grade: B

Summary:

When a destitute governess faints on Sir Edward Greaves’s threshold, chivalry demands that he offer her temporary shelter. However, the desire Ned feels when he catches her in his arms isn’t at all gentlemanly….

With her large, troubled eyes and slender frame, Joanna Merrill calls to something deep inside this guarded man. For one who has purposely shunned the conniving beauties of London society, just how much is Ned risking by having this intriguing woman under his roof…?

Read an excerpt.

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Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Cowboy Christmas by Carol Finch, Elizabeth Lane & Pam Crooks
Historical romance anthology released by Harlequin Historical 01 Oct 09

Holiday time means two things.  1) Harlequin starts churning out the Christmas-themed books and 2) Wendy’s wallet starts quietly sobbing.  It doesn’t help matters that Harlequin has a habit of offering up a western historical anthology.  So I started Cowboy Christmas with some anticipation, settling in for what I hoped would be a solid, heartwarming collection.  Unfortunately, none of the stories inspired more than just an “Meh, it’s OK” reaction from me.

A Husband For Christmas by Carol Finch

Victoria “Tori” Thurston enjoys her life in a tiny west Texas town where she runs her own bakery.  Her parents are major movers in Fort Worth society, which means they have the perfect potential husband picked out for her.  Naturally Tori isn’t overeager to abandon her business to wed some stuffed shirt, so she tells her parents it’s too late, she’s already married to local marshal, Logan Daniels.  However now she’s really in the soup.  Her parents expect her home for Christmas and they want to meet this mysterious husband.  Now all she has to do is convince Logan to play her husband for a quick holiday visit home.  Surely that won’t be too difficult.

This is the humorous story in the anthology, and Finch does a nice job keeping the proceedings fairly light and fluffy.  Unfortunately she skims over a lot of the sticker details in order to achieve that goal.  Tori has always played second fiddle to her gorgeous older sister.  She has a good relationship with The Chosen One, but her parents, while not mean-spirited, are offhandedly neglectful of the more enterprising Tori.  None of this family baggage is really addressed, other than for Tori to realize that her sister’s life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  I also was disappointed there wasn’t more than a passing western flavor to this tale.  Honestly the author could have plucked these characters up and dropped them anywhere else in time or place and the story wouldn’t have changed all that much.

Grade = C







The Homecoming by Elizabeth Lane

Clay McAllister has spent the last three years in prison because of his reckless, stupid younger brother.  All he wants is to return to his ranch, his wife Elise and their young son.  When he arrives though, he discovers the ranch in disrepair and Elise less than happy to see him.  Why had Buck never returned home, delivering the money they made on their last cattle drive together like Clay had begged him to?

I love holiday stories that center around redemption and forgiveness.  However, this one hinges on one of the more insulting plot devices around – The Character Who Won’t Read Letters That Explain Everything.  Yep, you guessed it.  Clay wrote his wife faithfully from prison and she marked them all Return To Sender without reading them.  So naturally while she thinks she knows what happened, she really doesn’t.  Honestly, who the hell does this?  It makes absolutely no sense.  Also, while there is more than enough conflict to keep this story chugging along, there’s really too much conflict to keep this story chugging along.  If ever a story was begging for a full-length treatment, this one is it.

Grade = C







The Cattleman’s Christmas Bride by Pam Crooks

Allethaire “Allie” Gibson is returning to Montana in disgrace.  She’s been accused of embezzling money from a fundraiser she was spearheading back in Minneapolis, and she needs to see her father in Montana to explain her innocence.  That’s when the train is held up by outlaws and they find a whole wad of cash in her trunk!  But she’s innocent!  Before the authorities on the train can take her in for questioning, she’s saved by local rancher,Mikolas “Mick” Vasco who was nearby when he heard the train stop in the middle of the tracks.  He spirits Allie away, determined to help her clear her name.  There’s one small wrinkle though – a few years back Mick was one of the men who kidnapped Allie for ransom!

This is a sequel of sorts to the author’s previous book, The Cattleman’s Unsuitable Wife.  If you haven’t read that story, this one is a bit rocky.  Mostly because the majority of the conflict is a holdover from that book.  Once the author catches the reader up to speed, it sails along at a smoother clip, but too much is glossed over.  Namely the heroine’s compulsion for drinking brandy in secret and the small matter of the stolen money, which is apparently going to be fodder for a future book.  Which ultimately makes this story nothing but a placeholder between books.  If you’re a fan, you’ll likely want to read this one.  Otherwise, there’s not a whole lot here for newcomers.

Grade = C

All in all these stories never rated above OK for me.  This anthology was a quick pleasant read, but it didn’t set my world on fire.  If you’re hooked on Crooks’ series, this one is probably worth a look.  Otherwise, while it’s a decent diversion, it didn’t have a whole lot of staying power.

Overall Grade: C

Summary:

Twelve days of Christmas—three heartwarming romances!

A Husband for Christmas by Carol Finch

To reassure her overprotective parents, Victoria Thurston must convince the town marshal to be her “holiday husband.” But the magical, festive air—and Tori’s luminous green eyes—make it very difficult for Logan Daniels to keep to their marriage in name only!

The Homecoming by Elizabeth Lane

Brooding rancher Clay McAllister paid his reckless brother’s dues in a tough Kansas jail. Now Clay must win back his beautiful wife, Elise. And, after three years apart, some yuletide passion is just what Clay and Elise need to reignite the fire that still smolders between them….

The Cattleman’s Christmas Bride by Pam Crooks

With her reputation cruelly slandered, Allethaire Gibson is forced to flee to the snowy Montana mountains. There the dazzling socialite unexpectedly finds a Christmas romance with a man who has fought for respect just as she has—rugged cattleman Mikolas Vasco!

Read an excerpt – Finch Story, Lane Story, no excerpt found for Crooks story

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Texas Wedding For Their Baby’s Sake by Kathryn Albright
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Sep 09

As readers, oftentimes when we read a book we love, we immediately hope for a sequel.  Sometimes those sequels are just as good, and sometimes it’s a case of be careful what you wish for.  I loved the first book in this series, The Rebel And The Lady, and gave it a glowing review last year.  I really and truly adored it.  So naturally, I was looking forward to this follow-up romance, featuring the wayward Brandon Dumont, who left behind a sweetheart in South Carolina to join the fight for Texas’ independence.  I wish I could say this story worked just as well for me, and I loved it just as much.  Sadly, I cannot.

 Five months ago Brandon Dumont arrived in Texas to join the fight for independence.  He ended up getting captured and was ultimately rescued from a Mexican prison camp by his older brother, Jake.  A doctor, Santa Anna only kept him alive to tend to the hundreds of wounded Mexican troops.  He walked away from the ordeal bitter, scarred, with a bum leg, and a serious case of post-traumatic stress.  Brandon is completely out of sorts, treading water, with no plans for his future.  The only thing on his agenda is the impending arrival of Franklin, the family hired hand from Charleston, who is making the trip for Jake’s upcoming wedding to his fiancee’, Victoria.  Imagine their surprise when Franklin arrives with the lovely Miss Caroline Benet in tow.

Caroline and Brandon were sweethearts that were planning to marry.  However, a failure to communicate, and a kiss shared between Caroline and Jake (oopsie!) sent Brandon running off to Texas.  Since he hasn’t returned to Charleston, she decides to take matters into her own hands and go to Texas to find him.  See, the poor gal is pregnant with his baby, and she’s determined to let him know he’s going to be a daddy.  It does come as a shock to her though that the Brandon she finds in Texas is completely different from the Brandon she fell in love with in Charleston.

This story requires an extreme amount of patience on the part of the reader, and it was only my love for the first book that had me persevering through to the grand finale.  Brandon and Caroline are “torn apart” because they’re both two stupid kids who won’t talk to each other.  My profuse apologies to all the Regency romance couples I maligned over the years for “not talking to each other.”  Turns out romantic couples from the American South also suffer from the affliction.

When Brandon isn’t having a pity party for himself, he’s pushing Caroline away for “her own good.”  No, they can’t be together.  He’s too damaged.  He’s no good.  Besides that, she done him wrong.  Caroline starts out equally as shaky: a prim Southern belle who’s sole purpose in life is to look pretty, smile and do needlepoint.  She’s a bit of a stuck-up snob once she lands in Texas, simply horrified that Brandon would want to live like this rather than returning to South Carolina.  But do you think she tells him about the baby right away?  Of course not!  That revelation doesn’t come out until after they fall into each others’ arms again and Jake finally notices that she’s got a baby bump.

Adding to my annoyance was the fact that Jake, the wonderful hero from The Rebel And The Lady, who I adored, was an insufferable jackass for about three-quarters of this book.

Still, I kept reading – and I was rewarded for it, because the story did get better for me.  Brandon keeps up his noble, sending-away-the-woman-I-love-for-her-own-good nonsense pretty much until the bitter end – but Jake stops being an ass and glory be, Caroline grows up.  The girl reaches deep down and finds her spine.  She starts giving it to Brandon with both barrels and when she actually calls him a coward (to his face!) I wanted to reach through the pages and kiss the girl.  Truly.

It took some patience on my part, but I found the ending of this story ultimately rewarding.  Unfortunately I had to slog through the first half of this novel to get to that point, and there really wasn’t a whole lot I liked there.  In the end, I found it a disappointing follow-up to one of my favorite historicals from last year.  Bummer.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Brandon Dumont is not the man he was. Embittered by war, he’s now a rugged survivor, a broken hero. Certain he’s not fit for society, he finds his lonely self-imposed exile shattered by the arrival of the woman he once bedded and left behind.

Since her fiancé went to war, social butterfly Caroline Benét has had to grow up fast. She’s held up a stagecoach at gunpoint and left the safety of Charleston for wild Texas territory—all to find a man she no longer knows…for the sake of their unborn child….

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: