AAR

[Tinabelle]

Sweet Enemy - Heather Snow

I really enjoyed this debut novel. The writing was very good and the plot and characters were well developed. I really liked both Lily and Geoffrey; I appreciated the development of their relationship first as friends and then lovers. It certainly made their HEA believable. The secondary mystery plot was also well done and didn't distract from the romance. I would definitely recommend it to historical fans who are looking for a fresh, new voice. Grade: A-

Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea - Sophia Nash

I have enjoyed Nash's previous books and had high hopes for her latest, especially as it is the first in a series. You really had to leave your "reality meter" at the door for this one. While some parts of the book were downright funny and some very touching, there were a lot of problems with plotting, character development, and details left dangling. It was kind of all over the map. Lots of characters to keep straight and set-ups for several upcoming books in the series. I never felt I really got to know either Roxanne or Alex very well so it was hard to feel attached to them. The ending was a bit rushed and abrupt, too, IMHO. Despite the problems, I am intrigued enough to likely read the next book in the series.
Grade: C+
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[Lillian Sulivan]

The Black Rose - Thomas Costain (1945)

I raided daddy's library back shelves and found this historical romance. With 67 years of change, discovery and globalization since its publication I found it interesting, dated and flawed. The author got quite a few of the historical details wrong, but perhaps the novel reflected good scholarship of its day. I found the characters' racist attitudes historically very reasonable but was disgusted when those same attitudes appeared in the narrative text. There were instances of motiveless trials and tribulations perpetrated on the characters solely to inject conflict into the plot line. The wonderful secondary character Tristram was really wasted [The screenplay for the 1950 movie of the same name (Tyrone Power and Orson Wells) handled this better.] And Walter returning to the other side of the world without Maryam and hoping maybe she'd 'show up' instead of moving heaven and earth to find her? Meh.

Best,
Lilly
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"Or perchance when the last little star has left the sky,
Shall we still be together with our arms around each other,
And shall you be my new romance?"

[JudyZ6666]

[PatW]

Read the first two in this series back in January... based on the review of this one - third in the series. Unfortunately I read this over an extended period due to "real life" getting in the way and it lost some of the suspense factor as a result. Since I didn't feel compelled to finish it no matter what, I would rate it as another solid B, rather than the B+ I had hoped for.

I do agree with Wendy who wrote the review here: Mac is a terrific hero!
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When in doubt, read.

[veasleyd1]

C. S. Harris, When Maidens Mourn: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery. B

I couldn't take the supposed motivation for the murder seriously, and otherwise not much happens between Sebastian and Hero in the relationship area.

[Eggletina]

[Tee]

Before She Dies - Mary Burton

Mary Burton is fast becoming a favorite romantic suspense author with me. This book was very well done. Once again, I was a bit disappointed with the way the ending evolved, but not enough that it messed with the rest of the story. She handles relatiionships well within a suspense story and that can be difficult to do.

I'm looking forward to her next book.

[veasleyd1]

Patricia Briggs, Fair Game (Alpha and Omega series). B+

[Tinabelle]

[Nicole]

Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison. B+

I think this one might be my favorite of the series. I confess to being somewhat confused by the hero's motivations early in the book, but I found Grace to be an enjoyable heroine.
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She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain. -Louisa May Alcott

[Mingqi]

Tried my first Victoria Dahl historicals:

A Rake's Guide to Pleasure (C): this is a grade based purely on emotion, my distaste for the hero, Hart, and how unfair I think that he managed to win such a cool badass like Emma. Hart was just angry all the frickin time. He was like some stereotype of a woman suffering from PMS. The only other emotion he really felt was lust. I enjoyed Emma - got to love a con-artist who can gamble and win. She did get a bit annoying towards the end, but I think it was probably the author trying to fulfill the page requirement. I do have to also give this book props for introducing the wonderful Viscount Lancaster. After I was finished with the book, I used my kindle to search for all mentions of him so i could reread his parts.

One Week as Lovers (A): Horrible title. I would have never picked this up if I didn't know this is Lancaster's book. It made me LOL several times and I loved it to pieces. Lancaster was one of the nicest, most good-humored, most adorable heroes I have ever encountered even despite his tortured past. He may claim his charm was just a facade to survive but he really was a charming hero who was truly charming. And I loved reading about his relationship and romance with the equally charming and lovable Cynthia. Though Lancaster and Cynthia were lovers, they were also friends, companions, and partners. They worked together. Each knew exactly when to be stubborn and when to concede and back off- which is something I don't usually see much in romances.

[pwm in mi]

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon.
Wow. I waited a year to read the 2nd Outlander book, wanting to save it for winter, when I need a good read to get me through the many grey days. This was wonderful! I'm not sure if I will be able to save the 3rd one for next winter:) Grade=A

[Tee]

The Temporary Wife - Mary Balogh

This is the first story in the recently released two-in-one book. A Promise of Spring is the second one.

I read The Temporary Wife some years ago and really enjoyed it. I think I loved it even more this time around. What a neat feel-good story. When everything is working for Balogh, she can't miss. I know I've read the second one, but I don't recall it offhand. We'll see.

[Natalie]

A Promise of Spring is a great book, one of Balogh's best (if somewhat underrated IMO)

[Tee]

That's good to know, Natalie. Thanks.