Sandy M’s review of The Summer of You by Kate Noble
Historical Romance published by Berkley Trade 6 Apr 10

Oh, heavens. This dilemma doesn’t happen to me very often. I’m a happy reviewer, cruising right along book after book, enjoying a lot of what I read. Then the unusual occurs. I come across a book that doesn’t work well for me for one reason or another. The biggest problem for me with this story? So slllllloooooow.

In fact, so slow that I have to say I was bored a lot during the first half of the book. We get a lot about the heroine’s plight since her brother took off for parts unknown and her father’s slide into oblivion. When Jason comes home, you’d think it would be a nice reunion, not having seen each other for years. Didn’t happen.

Life goes on as usual with their snide comments to one another and said sibling not wanting to face their father’s illness, nor help with the man’s daily care. He goes out and does his own thing once again as he did just after their mother’s death, with no thought to anyone but himself, leaving it all up to Jane, adding to her stress and disenchantment with her lot in life.

There’s also a lot of other side things that go on and I didn’t feel they added anything to the story at all. I kept waiting for the hero to show up during all of it, but it took chapters before he’s in the picture with the heroine. They needed to be together so much sooner.

The point of the story is to clear him of accusations of being the highwayman who’s terrorizing the area where Jane and her brother whisk their father to so he’s not seen during the season in London, thereby having to explain to friends his current state and, thus, causing embarrassment all around. But the mystery part of the story doesn’t come fully into focus until much later in the book.

Neighbors, friends, acquaintances, and anyone else around who’s nosey all stop in for one reason or another, causing Jane more problems, all on top of what her brother comes up with. And then by the time Jane and Byrne begin their investigation to clear his name, I actually didn’t care anymore. With so much going on, I had nothing invested in these two characters, and it’s too late to do anything about it to bring around a different reaction.

Once Bryne and Jane act on their attraction to each other, those scenes are the best in the book, but, once again, even as good as the sexual tension is between them and as long as it’s taken to get us to this point, there’s too many interruptions that keep them apart over and over again. That almost ruined the ultimate moment for me when Jane finally gives herself to him. I’m all for sexual tension, but when I’m strung out so long on secondary issues and characters, stringing out sexual tension loses steam and appeal.

I did enjoy Byrne’s character the most. He as well as his situation is interesting. Obviously he has more patience with Jane than I did. She does have a lot of responsibility due to her brother’s absence and she does it all efficiently. She even blackmails her brother when he returns so she can now get a little enjoyment out of life and that was the first spark that made me like her, but that faded until much later when she’s with Byrne.

Jason does eventually grow up a little bit, tries to take his responsibilities more seriously, but his effort is sort of half-assed and, like other things in the book, too late. But he does try. The highwayman is, of course, eventually caught, and that did come as a surprise, so that’s a rare plus from me in the whole scheme of things.

I’ve been assured by friends that there are other of Ms. Noble’s books I will like. I always give an author a second chance, so I’ll be hunting down one of those recommended stories as soon as I can.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Lady Jane Cummings is certain that her summer is ruined when she is forced to reside at isolated Merrymere Lake with her reckless brother and ailing father. Her fast-paced London society is replaced with a small town grapevine. But one bit of gossip catches Jane’s attention- rumors that the lake’s brooding new resident is also an elusive highwayman.

Jane must face the much discussed mysterioso after he saves her brother from a pub brawl. She immediately recognizes him from London: Byrne Worth, war hero and apparent hermit-whom she finds strangely charming. The two build a fast friendship, and soon nothing can keep this Lady away from Merrymere’s most wanted. Convinced of his innocence, Jane is determined to clear Byrne’s name-and maybe have a little fun this summer after all.

Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of Revealed by Kate Noble
Historical romance released by Berkley Sensation 3 Mar 09

Kate Noble, in her second book, goes for a bit more intrigue and some derring-do with a story about a former spy in the fight against Napoleon and the Queen of Society.  I do have to mention that after reading Lynne Connolly’s post about class in historical romance, perhaps my view of this book has changed a bit, but it is a lively tale that keeps one turning the pages.

Mrs. Phillipa Benning is the nearly unrivaled leader of polite society in London. Her one rival is Lady Jane Cummings, though no one really knows why the two women don’t like each other. Phillipa, wanting to have all of society at her feet, wants to of course score the proposal of the season from the Marquis of Broughton. To gain his attention, she agrees to meet him in secret in a library at a ball where a romantic rendezvous is implied, though not promised.

Instead Phillippa stumbles upon another secret meeting between the head of the Home Office and one of his operatives, Marcus Worth. When the name, the Blue Raven is brought up in the conversation, Phillippa decides she is going to unmask the Blue Raven at what will then become the event of the season, the Benning Ball, which also happens to be one of the last major events of the season. She ends up gaining the cooperation of Marcus Worth in her plans with some help of her own in getting invitations to other major society events.

Marcus needs the invitations because he has suspicions of a plot made by an old enemy from the war to attack various society events. The purpose of the attacks is not known, nor has the villain shown his face, but Marcus has instincts that haven’t let him down and he knows he has to do something. As he works with Philippa he begins to worry for her safety, for as she proves valuable in finding the rival spy, she is also putting herself in danger and Marcus has realized he doesn’t want her hurt, for any reason, because of him. Nor does he want to let her go.

Phillippa is a character that is pretty much what she appears to be on the surface. She has a bit of a stand-offish demeanor from having most people in her life disappoint her or never pay over much attention to her, like her deceased husband and her mother. As such, she does what she likes and is not thought of less before it because she’s very wealthy and very intelligent. She hides her true smarts from society, but then she wouldn’t be the head of the fashionable world without using her intelligence to get her to her current position.

Marcus is happy with being on the fringes of society. When he’s forced to get invitations and become seen about town he does it with good humor and is able to see beyond Phillippa’s public image to her caring nature underneath. He’s very protective of her, as he sees Broughton as a popinjay and not good enough for her (which he is of course). What Marcus doesn’t like is being nearly on display for society, which he inevitably is when he’s on Phillippa’s arm. Marcus is used to working behind the scenes and not out for all the world to see.

While it is believable that these to characters could end up together, Phillippa never seems to grow past some of her selfishness and overconfidence in her abilities to get what she wants. She’s rather cruel at times to some secondary characters as she thinks that is befitting her position as a leader in society. That Marcus can break through that to get to her vulnerabilities underneath shows that she’s not (for lack of a better word) a bitch, she still holds herself a bit apart from others around her.

The spy storyline trying to sabotage events in society in the end didn’t come out to be wholly plausible, but it did provide the necessary elements to get the plot moving to the point of a sort of climax that forces the two characters to come together in the end. The story was well written enough to keep my interest, but this book wasn’t as good as Noble’s first, Compromised.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Phillippa Benning is the unrivaled beauty of the Season. But when another lady challenges her for a marquis’s attentions, Phillippa entices him to a secret rendezvous—only to stumble upon The Blue Raven, England’s most famous spy, lurking at the site of her planned tryst.
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The Blue Raven has uncovered an enemy plot directed at upcoming society functions, but he’s unable to infiltrate London society. Phillippa makes an offer: in exchange for entrée among the ton, he agrees to have his true identity revealed at the Benning Ball—guaranteeing her unrivaled notoriety. As the danger draws closer, the mysterious spy and Phillippa give in to mutual desire. But when the game turns deadly, betrayal waits around the corner, and Phillippa must decide once and for all—is it the myth that captured her heart, or the man?
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Read an excerpt.

LauraD’s review of Compromised by Kate Noble
Historical Romance released by Berkley Trade 4 Mar 08

Historical Romance gains a new author in Kate Noble and Compromised is her first novel. In an unusual move, Penguin has released it in trade paperback format. The cover is lovely, the story sounded fun, and I was totally in the mood for a good historical. 

Gail Alton and her sister Evangeline are newly returned to London after spending years traveling with their father. Their new stepmother considers bookish Gail to be the perfect foil for older sister Evangeline’s beauty, and insists that they make their come-out together. Maximilian, Viscount Fontaine, attends their debut ball and encounters both girls. While he finds a tipsy Gail to be a brat, he is smitten with Evangeline when he encounters her alone in the conservatory and that is a good thing because he has compromised her and they become “secretly” engaged. Gail becomes the couple’s chaperone, and she and Max find that while they might bicker quite a bit they also have a lot more in common than Max and Evangeline.

I’m a sucker for stories where the heroine is in love with her sister’s/friend’s fiancé, and this is a good one. There is a nice dynamic between all three characters. Gail and Evangeline are friends as well as sisters, and both feel protective of the other. The whole Alton family is portrayed as loving, including stepmother Romilla; their time away from England has made them a close unit. Ms. Noble gives plenty of time to establishing all four characters, so none of the family is a cardboard cutout.

Max is a good man; he wants to do the right thing by marrying Evangeline, even as he begins to see it’s Gail he truly loves. He’s definitely a beta; I grew frustrated with his unwillingness to just take action regarding his engagement after he made his decision about Gail. I appreciated his character’s more intellectual pursuits — while Max is attractive and sought after he’s not portrayed as the typical drinking and carousing romance leading man. When he takes the girls on an outing they go to the British Museum, and we readers get a view of the museum in its infancy. [Ed: I adore the British Museum - you have to see its basement - chockablock full of ancient sculptures, row after row after row...]

Compromised might not work for readers who need their historicals to ring true 100%. Speech and personalities are more 21^st century than 19^th. At one point, Gail and Max have a discussion about whether or not the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece; that sentiment seems so contemporary that it jarred me out of the story.

Ultimately, I found Compromised to be a very enjoyable romance featuring both a truly likeable hero and heroine. Their path to a HEA is interesting and a pleasure to read. I really appreciated the author’s decision to make Romilla a loving and well-intentioned stepmother, avoiding the Cinderella cliché. I recommend this book, and happily give it a solid…

Grade: B

Read other reviews by clicking on the Compromised tag.

Summary:

Miss Gail Alton was not having a good day. Or a good year. First, her new stepmother strong-arms her into attending the Season as a foil to her beautiful sister Evangeline. Then while riding her mare in the park, she gets toppled by a stuffy, self-important, too handsome-by-half ‘gentleman’ who has the audacity to blame her for their fall into the chilly lake! Little did she know that the same man would soon be found in a compromising position with Gail’s sister…Forced into asking for Evangeline’s hand in marriage, Maximillian, Viscount Fontaine, can’t take his mind off the irksome girl who threw him from his horse and insists on matching wits with him at every turn. He’s determined to follow through with his best intentions, yet he can’t deny that every encounter with Gail makes him want to cast propriety aside – and whisk away the sister of his soon-to-be bride…

Read an excerpt.

Shannon C.‘s review of Compromised by Kate Noble
Historical romance released by Berkeley Sensation 4 Mar 08

This book was fun. I didn’t expect I was going to be as engrossed by it as it turned out that I was. It’s also that rare kind of book for me that gets better as I contemplate it, hence the A grade it ended up with. There are so many small scenes, great moments, and turns of phrase that I liked that I wanted to spend large sections of this review talking about. As I was running errands today, I found myself thinking about the book, hoping I’d remember to mention one small thing or another. If that’s not a sign of a good book, I’m not sure what is.

I won’t summarize the book, because Lawson did that in her review, but I will start out with an observation. When I was reading the book, and having met Max and Gail, our leads, I ended up thinking about Jo March and Laurie Lawrence, the most wronged romantic couple ever in any book I’ve read–yes, even more wronged than Butch and Vishous, if you can believe that. (Seriously, why did Jo have to marry the stodgy German guy, leaving Laurie bereft and heartbroken so he had to go marry Amy, the twit!) Anyway, while Max and Gail certainly did remind me of Jo and Laurie, they were very much their own characters, and furthermore, they were fun to read about.

I admit it. I love a well-written Regency bluestocking, and Gail definitely was. I only rolled my eyes a little bit when Gail started going off on how wrong it was that the British colonized the rest of the world, because the idea seemed a bit too 21st-century, but for the most part, I enjoyed Gail. I felt that her awkwardness in social situations was entirely justified, and I liked that she wasn’t a completely feisty little hoyden out flouting conventions left and right. She was a very strong woman, very much capable of holding her own without being abrasive.

Max works well as a foil for Gail. He wasn’t really the roguish Regency rake, dallying with every lightskirt in London. I liked that he actually was seen earning his own living, and didn’t go around throwing money around. His personality was complimentary to Gail’s, and there was a nice give and take between the two of them, with each of them winning a fair number of their contests of wills. I loved Max’s sense of honor, and I loved that when he finally realizes he’s in love with Gail, nothing will sway him from that course. There were opportunities for some big misunderstandings, too, and Max and Gail were very adult about them, which was such a nice change.

The family relationships between the characters were another strong point. I particularly liked seeing that the relationships between the various family members weren’t completely one-sided. The characters acknowledge that they don’t always behave well toward each other, but they move on. And yet, I liked the undercurrent of family loyalty that ran strong between these people. (My favorite scene is when Evangeline, Gail’s much quieter, sweeter older sister informs their stepmother that she has just been extremely petty, and the stepmother realizes that, yes, she was.) The relationship between Max and his father also had surprising depth, and I absolutely loved the way that plot resolved itself.

The more I ruminate on this book, the more I absolutely love it. It’s not without its flaws, but most are relatively minor–a few times when a character spoke in a way that seemed too American, the presence of some other Regency-lite cliches, that sort of thing–but they don’t detract at all from my enjoyment of the book. (Well, I do have to admit I snorted a little when the author had some character use the phrase “Good gravy!” but like I said, minor nitpickiness there.) Kate Noble is an author to watch, and I sincerely hope that someone has given her a really hefty contract so we’ll see more books from her.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Miss Gail Alton is not having a good day. Or a good year. First, her new stepmother strong-arms her into attending the Season as a foil to her beautiful sister Evangeline. Then, while riding her mare in the park, she gets toppled by a stuffy, self-important, too-handsome-by-half “gentleman” who has the audacity to blame her for their fall into the chilly lake! Little does she know that the very same man will soon be found in a compromising position with Gail’s sister.

Forced into asking for Evangeline’s hand in marriage, Maximillian, Viscount Fontaine, can’t take his mind off the irksome girl who threw him from his horse and who can match wits with him at every turn. He’s determined to follow through with his best intentions, yet he can’t deny that every encounter with Gail makes him want to cast propriety aside-and whisk away the sister of his soon-to-be bride.

You can read an excerpt here.

Lawson’s review of Compromised by Kate Noble
Historical romance released by Berkley Sensation 4 Mar 08

When receiving this book, I will admit I was not very excited. Okay, so I was bad and didn’t even read the blurb until I had finished the first couple of chapters. When you’ve got a story with pratfalls and a little slapstick, but the hero ends up engaged to the heroine’s sister things could be interesting. And they were. It’s funny, it’s light, it’s got some passion and it does have a bit of a social message as well.

Poor Gail Alton is not having fun. She’s been traveling with her diplomat father all over Europe most of her life, but now the family is back in London. Her sister, Evangeline, is excited about the prospect of a Season of balls, fashion and new friends, but Gail isn’t. It doesn’t help their new stepmother, Romilla, wants to push for Evangeline’s success and nitpick Gail’s faults. Gail keeps it all in stride though, because she always has her father’s support.

Gail is riding in the park early one morning when an incident happens and she ends up in a lake with a man. Though she doesn’t get his name, she gains an instant dislike of his arrogance and highhandedness. She doesn’t see him again until her debut ball where she’s been given spirits by an unscrupulous young lordling. Drunk and sick she throws up on his shoes and then escapes to her room. Max goes to the conservatory, cleans off his shoes and is seen kissing Evangeline.

Since the story does come out, Max and Gail are in each other’s presence quite a bit since Evangeline wants Gail’s opinion of Max. Max then brings in his friend Will Holt to distract Gail to get to know Evangeline, but as most plans do, this one goes awry. The more time Max is around Gail, the more he sees they have things in common and that she hides from society.

What was very nice about this story was it took its time. There seemed to be a good amount of time the characters all talked with each other, got to know each other. Some books seem so rushed between meeting, talking, bedding, conflict, resolution. Not that this was a slow read, but the story gave a good impression of a true getting to know each other period. Which gave the moment when Max and Gail first kiss and those other sexy moments truly sexy, passionate and sweet.

Will and Evangeline are sweet characters as well. Romilla means well with her actions, but sometimes she was a little cartoonish. Max’s father was an interesting if arrogant and unbending but lonely old man and when Max comes around to seeing his father in a better light, it makes Max a better hero for it. There was also a good feeling for the time period with the aspects of the girls’ father’s diplomatic career and how it affected their social lives.

One thing that may bother some readers is the fact that Gail is 18. Though she does at times act older than her age, she’s generally the way an 18 year old is thought to be. Insecure at the loss of her mother and unsure about her new stepmother’s role in her life. She’s passionate about various things, and sometimes doesn’t know how to keep her mouth in line with what’s acceptable in society. At the same time, she is not an immature, trying 18 year old heroine who just throws caution and life into the wind.

All in all nice character-driven story that was a pleasant surprise and it’s a sweet read. I recommend it.

Grade: B

     Blurb:

     Miss Gail Alton is not having a good day. Or a good year. First, her new stepmother strong-arms her into attending the Season as a foil to her beautiful sister Evangeline. Then, while riding her mare in the park, she gets toppled by a stuffy, self-important, too-handsome-by-half “gentleman” who has the audacity to blame her for their fall into the chilly lake! Little does she know that the very same man will soon be found in a compromising position with Gail’s sister.

     Forced into asking for Evangeline’s hand in marriage, Maximillian, Viscount Fontaine, can’t take his mind off the irksome girl who threw him from his horse and who can match wits with him at every turn. He’s determined to follow through with his best intentions, yet he can’t deny that every encounter with Gail makes him want to cast propriety aside-and whisk away the sister of his soon-to-be bride.

     Read an excerpt.