AAR

[veasleyd1]

Jacqueline Winspear, Elegy for Eddie (the latest in her Maisie Dobbs series). B

It's much more a straight historical novel than either a romance or a mystery -- though it has elements of both. The timeframe has proceeded to 1933; Hitler has just come to power in Germany, which impacts all aspects of the plot.

[Natalie]

Kiss An Angel, Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Well, SEP can't write a book that fails to entertain you. This one is probably one of the best, if somewhat old school (but sometimes that's exactly what one needs). I could do without extremely far fetched hero's origins, but then I just don't take this too seriously anyway. I think SEP used more variety in her 90s books than nowadays.

[maggie b.]

IN Close
Brenda Novak
A-

The third in her IN series, this book had me enthralled from the beginning. Here is the cover blurb:

[bavarian]

Eggletina : My winner for the weekend was Liz Fielding's Flirting with Italian. I don't read many contemporaries and usually only pick up Harlequins only upon recommendation. So glad I picked this up based on the review here because I loved everything about it: the characters, the setting, the way the relationship developed and how sex did not take over the story. This will go on my comfort read pile to read again when I'm in the mood for it.

Couldn`t agree more!

"Thanks" to an illness I'm at home and have more time to read! So...

Ingrid Weaver, Delaney's Shadow (A-) and Dream Shadows (B). Started a new thread about these two books.

Sarah Mayberry, A Natural Father (B) I couldn't start to read a new book straight away what always is a very good sign. A moving story about a man suffering (!) from infertility and a woman left by her partner after 8 years just as she got pregnant.

Today September Rain by Mallory Kane, sold as a romance but it's only a novella (C-). The sample sounded good so I bought it but it ended as one of these books I'm really angry about as it includes one of my pet peeves:
The H is beaten nearly to his death and - miraculously! - 24 hours later he is ready to seduce the h. He is nearly not able to drink because his lip is badly hurt and a few hours later he kisses the h, hard as it is told! And so on...

I have the Caroline Linden books on my Sony so I may start with the first one tomorrow as there seem to be some positive reactions. Or perhaps one of my TBR Mayberrys?

By the way, Arabella was the first Heyer (and Regency!) I've ever read and since then I'm hooked to the genre.[/quote]

[mirole]

[Susan/DC]

[jaime]

[Natalie]

Betrothed by Elizabeth Elliott

Warlord was one of the first historical romances I've ever read but I never read the sequel for some reason. So when I heard the new book in the series was going to be published this year, I found Betrothed and finally read it. It was an enjoyable read overall and I liked it that the characters were willing to at least give each other the benefit of the doubt and resolve misunderstandings fairly quickly (something not very common in old school romances). It might not have impressed me as much as Warlord did almost twenty years ago, but then it takes a lot more to impress me now anyway (I guess I've become jaded over time). Still, Dante is definitely a very interesting character and just the dark, tortured type of the hero I like. Here's hoping his book lives up to the promise.

[pwm in mi]

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

This is the first book I've read by this author, and it will not be my last. The book follows Eva, who has lost her sister prior to the novel, and is trusted with the task of spreading her sisters ashes. Eva decides the perfect place is in Cornwall England, where they spent many happy summers as children. She decides to stay on and visit with friends at the house they vacationed in. Turns out the area around this house is a time portal that throughout the book sends Eva back to 1715 where she meets Daniel Butler, a smuggler and sigh-worthy man.

Kearsley has a wonderful talent for creating mood and tone. You could feel Eva's grief for her sister, her sense of belonging skewed by the loss of her last family member. Similarly, the reader experiences her odd sense of belonging in the past, the relief it brings her. Initially, I wasn't sure I would like it, but before I knew it, I was wrapped up in the story.

P.S. : I now add Cornwall to the growing list of places to visit before I die.

[mirole]

jaime wrote:

[MEK]

I had not yet read Meredith Duran, so I started with her first: The Duke of Shadows. I enjoyed it so much! It wasn't perfect, but I'm so glad I read it, and can't wait to get to her others. I can see now why there is so much buzz about this author. There were times I couldn't follow where she was going with the dialogue and I was a bit lost in conversations, but, oh, what a writer! Its books like these why I read the romance genre.

[Sarah]

This is the first book I've read by this author, and it will not be my last.

Oh you MUST read THE WINTER SEA soon! It is horribly romantic. I liked it much better.

[D Rogers]

Just finished When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris. I liked it very much. It's nice to see both Sebastian and Hero achieving a certain amount of peace in their lives. And I like that she's maintaining her independence. She's working hard to stay loyal to both Devlin and her father, though I think it won't be long before she sees her father as he is and has enough of it.

Denise

[LordRose]

I've been trying to find Anne Stuart's older historicals recently. Inter-library loans are amazing, but unfortunately still limited, especially for older books.

Anyway, I read To Love A Dark Lord and A Rose At Midnight, both of which were wonderful. I've always liked dark and tortured heroes, and Anne Stuart does them to perfection. Both have A reviews here at AAR, and I don't think I really have anything to add to that. (Now I just wish I could find copies to buy...)

[Jane A]