I’m sorry to say I found this boring and slow moving. The love happened quickly and without being earned. I didn’t sense any chemistry, and the hero wI’m sorry to say I found this boring and slow moving. The love happened quickly and without being earned. I didn’t sense any chemistry, and the hero was very forward with the heroine. There was a lot of travelling, via increasingly uncomfortable methods of conveyance, and a fair amount of vomiting.
I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley....more
A little slow moving. The author didn't do the hard work of showing the relationship moments between Charlotte and Anthony berounded up from 3.5 stars
A little slow moving. The author didn't do the hard work of showing the relationship moments between Charlotte and Anthony because she established from the beginning that they were in love years before. Still, an enjoyable clean Regency romance. ...more
The hero is not very likable, and the heroine is constantly needing his hand or his arms to save her or rescue her. The "falling inThis was ... fine.
The hero is not very likable, and the heroine is constantly needing his hand or his arms to save her or rescue her. The "falling into his arms" from a tree or trellis or ladder or roof trope is pretty tired. The heroine's father was supposedly the bad guy in a big investment scam (spoiler: he was not) and he just carries on, too noble to make clear that he is being wrongly blamed. Eyeroll to the beautiful heroine being the "ugly duckling" in her family of beautiful sisters.
The second to last page literally stumbles into the next book in the series, which was unnecessary. ...more
A delightful clean Regency romance. I enjoyed the sisters, I especially liked the heroine's relationship with her father, and the hero is definitely sA delightful clean Regency romance. I enjoyed the sisters, I especially liked the heroine's relationship with her father, and the hero is definitely swoonworthy.
I had a little trouble believing how horrible the horrible cousin's behavior was, and that a nice man could possibly actually fall in love with her, but that's a minor quibble. I liked a scene in which the horrible cousin badly misbehaves at Almacks and Sophy clearly sets her straight on how dangerous her behavior is. ...more
I wanted to love this, I really did. But I did not love it.
I adore Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, but this book is only very very loosely "inspiI wanted to love this, I really did. But I did not love it.
I adore Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, but this book is only very very loosely "inspired" by it. Very loosely. The plot is somewhat like a more original Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but without the original brilliance of the parts of P&P that survived the alteration.
The Monstrous Kind is very slow moving. The narrator, Merrick, is a complete idiot who does too much eavesdropping. (She is nothing like the intelligent but impetuous Marianne.) Her house, family, servants, people are all always in grave danger, but she keeps leaving her weapon behind. She several times makes rash decisions that she is lucky to survive. Her sister is even more unlikable and doesn't even have a fun romance to make her more interesting.
The attraction between Merrick and Killian is very predictable, and too argumentative to mirror Marianne and Colonel Brandon. The carrying on with polite society and manners while danger literally creeps up to you just didn't work for me. (I wanted it to!)
So overall, a disappointment. I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley. ...more
Oh, this was okay. The author tried to tackle the issue of insanity and women being unjustly sent to institutions, but I didn’t find that the story reOh, this was okay. The author tried to tackle the issue of insanity and women being unjustly sent to institutions, but I didn’t find that the story really worked. As soon as I heard that the Brooding Baron’s mother killed his uncle, I knew it wasn’t a case of insanity. An imprisoned sister was almost an afterthought (although she may be getting her own book and romance in the future). I didn’t sense any chemistry between the leads, and the constant quoting of Shakespeare was intrusive. I love Shakespeare as much as the next person, but I don’t think I could stand to date someone who can’t stop quoting Shakespeare and expecting me to get every reference. The cross-dressing ala Twelfth Night was forced. Also, the stupid decision made by the heroine at the end? Give me a break.
There were some good passages, which is why I gave it three stars instead of two, but on the whole I just found this – mediocre. Another round with an editor and another rewrite might have done it a lot of good. If you are looking for a good book in which a woman is institutionalized against her will, I recommend The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews.
I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley. ...more
An Inconvenient Letter was fine, if filled with a number of problematic plot points.
(view spoiler)[Both the hero and his cousin Frederick are completAn Inconvenient Letter was fine, if filled with a number of problematic plot points.
(view spoiler)[Both the hero and his cousin Frederick are complete jerks; Gerard at least shows some growth, but plotting to marry an old friend for money and blackmailing her sister by holding on to the inconvenient letter aren’t very nice things to do. Why does Etta’s mother dislike her so? Why was Frederick so angry when he received the letter? When did Anne meet Mr. Seagram who so conveniently turned up in love with her and got her out of the picture with Gerard? And Miss Bates seemed to be playing multiple roles in the plot and not very consistently. (hide spoiler)]
This is my third Julie Wright book and I’m guessing she is just not the author for me. I need to remember that the next time an advance reader copy with an intriguing plot description tempts me.
I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley....more
This book is so much fun. I enjoyed it even more than the first Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney. I love Sense and Sensibility and all of its adored characteThis book is so much fun. I enjoyed it even more than the first Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney. I love Sense and Sensibility and all of its adored characters return in this murder mystery fan fiction.
I'm no Austen or Regency expert, but to me as a reader Gray does a great job adopting the cadence of Jane Austen's writing and the manners of the times. It's such fun to spend a little more time with characters I love who are depicted in a faithful way to the original novels.
The mystery was nothing - I guessed the murderer although not the motive very early on - but the oldest son of the Darcys and the oldest daughter of the Tilneys are engaging characters to lead the story. Good news is, the ending of this book strongly suggests book three is in the works. Bring it on.
I've read a fair number of Austen continuation books, and this truly is one of the best I've read. ...more
A lot of fun, if too long. I enjoyed seeing so many of Jane Austen's characters interact. I felt Captain Wentworth was treated poorly for most of the A lot of fun, if too long. I enjoyed seeing so many of Jane Austen's characters interact. I felt Captain Wentworth was treated poorly for most of the story, but (spoiler alert) there are happy endings for all. (Except, of course, the dastardly Mr. Wickham.)
I'm not sure if I will read the sequel. Looks like it will be even longer. ...more
Marion Chesney's heroines are always so silly, and her heroes are always so proud. Still, one of the better Chesney romances I've read. Marion Chesney's heroines are always so silly, and her heroes are always so proud. Still, one of the better Chesney romances I've read. ...more
Charlotte Sloane is a widowed lady of quality with a secret. She is a satirical cartoonist under a pen name. She uses her pen to cast light on injustiCharlotte Sloane is a widowed lady of quality with a secret. She is a satirical cartoonist under a pen name. She uses her pen to cast light on injustices and misbehavior. Circumstances bring her together with two orphaned guttersnipes who she comes to love as her own, and with the intimidating Earl of Wrexford. This series has a nice mix of mystery, historical details, and found family. The relationships feature romantic love, parental love, family love, and deep friendships.
The book that introduces these characters and other series regulars is Murder on Black Swan Lane, and book seven in the series is due out in September. This is a great time to start reading, because if you like the first book, you can move right on to the next, but the number of books already published is not intimidating. Set in Regency London, the author likes to spotlight legitimate scientific innovation of the time period. Real scientists make occasional appearances in her stories.
Book seven, Murder at the Merton Library, starts with the murder of an Oxford librarian. It deals with fallout from the Napoleonic wars and intrigue around competition to create a marine propulsion system utilizing steam engines. (If that sounds boring, don’t worry – the author makes it interesting.) The Regency details seem perfect, and the author believably makes her female characters as important to the action as the male characters. I’ve found some of the other books in the series a bit draggy at times, but this one moved along briskly for me.
This series is a lot of fun for the serious historical mystery reader. I read an advance reader copy of Murder at Merton Library from Netgalley. It is scheduled to be published on September 26. ...more
Not one of Heyer's best. It's too long, the plot is boringly repetitive, and the wife being 16 years old gives me a bit of ick factor. The best part iNot one of Heyer's best. It's too long, the plot is boringly repetitive, and the wife being 16 years old gives me a bit of ick factor. The best part is the presence of the pug in the closing scenes. ...more
There are a few lines and scenes in the screenplay that didn't make it into the movie, but nothiWonderful book, wonderful movie, wonderful screenplay.
There are a few lines and scenes in the screenplay that didn't make it into the movie, but nothing critical. The diaries are fun. I learned a lot. (Alan Rickman's first day on set was his last appearance in the movie - the wedding scene.)
A Heart Worth Stealing is a sweet and proper romance, with a spunky and independent heroine and a handsome hero hiding secrets. Ginny has a troubled rA Heart Worth Stealing is a sweet and proper romance, with a spunky and independent heroine and a handsome hero hiding secrets. Ginny has a troubled relationship with her older half-sister, and I enjoyed watching that plot thread play out. She also has a loyal best friend who I’m guessing will get her own romance in a sequel to A Heart Worth Stealing. I love the cover.
The plot has heart, flirting, manners, and action. What it does not have is a lot of mystery; I guessed who the villain was (view spoiler)[literally on about page 1 (hide spoiler)]. A ruse in which the thief-taker pretends to be Ginny’s cousin stretched believability even for me as the reader, much less for Ginny’s sister and acquaintances. As usual with historical romance, I found myself wishing the story had a third person narrator, instead of Ginny, or at least some chapters from Ginny and some from Jack.
I read an advance reader copy of A Heart Worth Stealing from Netgalley....more
Isabelle was a delight for a reader like me – someone who enjoys historical romance and manners more than historical romance and graphic sex. This novIsabelle was a delight for a reader like me – someone who enjoys historical romance and manners more than historical romance and graphic sex. This novel has the added bonus of some hijinks involving a cat and a fur muff in the manner of Georgette Heyer.
Our heroine is Isabelle, recently orphaned and with a sister who might as well be a fairy tale stepsister, she is so resentful of Isabelle. For four years, Isabelle and her father’s faithful valet have assisted her ailing Papa and managed the estate as he declined. Now he is dead, and he had the gall (according to her sister and brother-in-law) to leave his estate to Isabelle. Fortunately, Isabelle has a good-natured cousin to protect her from the dastardly pair and from the patronizing suitor who feels certain she will marry him given enough time.
Isabelle’s father always hosted the Boxing Day hunt, and she eagerly agrees to host without him, to give her something to think about other than her grief. An unfortunate shooting accident leaves Isabelle with an unexpected houseguest. Isabelle moves a little slowly for a stretch, when Isabelle is nursing the gravely injured Earl of Idsworth. However, it turns into a cracking good time. There are plot twists and kidnappings, carriage chases and heartfelt romance.
The author has written many lovely, old-fashioned passages that I quite enjoyed, like this one: “This was England, and he loved it. Fighting through the Iberian Peninsula had taught him to appreciate the verdure of his native country, even in the grey-green drabness of winter; the smell of damp woods with the leaf litter of beech, oak, and ash; the dark, ploughed loam ready to nurture the next year’s harvest. Only by being effectively exiled from it had he come to realise how much it meant to him.” (p. 76)
I read an advance reader copy of Isabelle from Netgalley, courtesy of Allison & Busby. ...more
A novella that is part of a long-running series, in which the grouchy spinster aunt from previous books suddenly becomes the beloved spinster aunt whoA novella that is part of a long-running series, in which the grouchy spinster aunt from previous books suddenly becomes the beloved spinster aunt who gets a happily-ever-after romance with the man she loved when she was 20. There was no tension as to whether they would get together after 30+ years of being apart. Written more for the author than the reader, I think. ...more
The Best Intentions is marketed as the first in a new series, but many of the characters have appeared in previous books. I felt like I had been droppThe Best Intentions is marketed as the first in a new series, but many of the characters have appeared in previous books. I felt like I had been dropped in the middle of a story, like I was missing key information. At the beginning especially, there were so many characters, and they all seemed so perfect and charming. The opening chapters were a little too heavy on set up for the series for my liking, and is not one person in this circle unlikable?
Even once we moved beyond meeting all the huntresses, the story failed to engage me. I found it boring, and I did not care about the main characters. There wasn’t really any tension as to how things would turn out, no barriers to the happy ever after. (If only we all had rich friends to confide in, all problems would be smoothed away and our lives would be perfect.)
The romance moved way too quickly. It hardly seemed like Gillian and Scott had met before they were in love. Everything moved too quickly – the use of first names, the casual touching. Everyone acts like “dear friends” when they’ve just met.
From chapter 22 of the advance reader copy: “He’d known her only a matter of weeks, and in those few weeks he’d laughed more and smiled more than he had in years. In those few weeks, she had become home to him, and he hadn’t fully realized it until that moment.” I found their relationship saccharine.
Scott’s uncle ran the family estate into disrepair, but before he died he constantly criticized Scott and called him a born failure. Scott feels these criticisms deeply, but I didn’t get why. His uncle is clearly the loser; it was hard for me to imagine that his uncle’s opinion would matter that much.
The heroine’s father had financial troubles and has now become…a butler using an alias? In the home of the woman who took Gillian in? That seemed so far-fetched to me. So did Scott deciding to solve his financial problems by turning one of his holdings into essentially a Regency era Airbnb.
I’ve read better from Sarah Eden; for me, The Best Intentions was a dud. I read an advance reader copy of The Best Intentions from Netgalley. ...more
Miss Newbury’s List by Megan Walker is a clean romance set in the Regency period from Shadow Mountain Publishing’s Proper Romance line. A happily everMiss Newbury’s List by Megan Walker is a clean romance set in the Regency period from Shadow Mountain Publishing’s Proper Romance line. A happily ever after is assured, and behavior will be more or less appropriate to the times.
The story is narrated by Rosalind, who has agreed to marry a duke in order to bring a title to her family. He is marrying her to recover a plot of land sold to her family years ago. They have literally no feelings for one another – good or bad.
Years ago, inspired by her aunt’s wedding, Rosalind made a list of ten things to do before she marries. Although the wedding is fast approaching, she has done none of them. So she enlists her best friend Liza and Liza’s ne’er-do-well cousin to help her to truly enjoy her final days before becoming a duchess. But participating in a set of adventures with an attractive man is not necessarily the safest way to arrive successfully at one’s wedding day to a groom one does not love.
Previously I read Walker’s book Lakeshire Park, and the author’s writing has matured since that book. There is humor (like her best friend’s footman refusing to allow Rosalind into their home) and genuine feeling between characters. It is neither a series of misunderstandings nor refusal to have frank conversations that keeps the lovers apart, but the genuine obstacle of being already engaged. I do still think Walker’s stories could benefit from being written in third person instead of first.
This book has an absolutely gorgeous cover. There is a whole host of side characters, including the disappointed duke, who could receive books of their own if the author decides to make this the first in a series. I definitely consider Megan Walker a Regency romance author to watch.
I read an advance reader copy of Miss Newbury’s List from Netgalley. ...more
3.5 stars Better than book 2, not as good as book 1. A little long. I'm not looking forward to the love triangle being set up, sigh.3.5 stars Better than book 2, not as good as book 1. A little long. I'm not looking forward to the love triangle being set up, sigh....more
This book is fine. The "lady doth protest too much" angle got a little old, but the secondary plot of the hero being kidnapped as a child livened up tThis book is fine. The "lady doth protest too much" angle got a little old, but the secondary plot of the hero being kidnapped as a child livened up the book. ...more
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