Mary Balogh, My Author of the Month

 This month I am going to feature the books of Mary Balogh.  In this post I will focus on what I call her Slightly Series.  These were my introduction to Balogh's books and since them I have bought all of them and have the audios of a few of them.  I sure wish someone would do the audios for the Slightly series with Simon Prebble as the reader.
I have always loved Mary Balogh's books and always eagerly await her next book.  I have just finished rereading the entire Bedwyn series.  I read them all in order and I am sorry that I have reached the end of the series.  In fact I will have a hard time staying awake today as I read Slightly Dangerous until 1:30 this morning as I could not put it down and that is after having read it several times before.
Each book is the story of one the the six Bedwyns.  It would be hard to say which of the Bedwyns is my favorite but I have to say that I think it is Wulfric, the Duke of Bewcastle.  His influence is woven through all of the books and while he is a tyrant and at first seems to have no emotion but  in each book he plays a major role in securing the happiness of his brothers and sisters.
Each one of the Bedwyns is unique.  Aiden in Slightly Married seems stiff and unbending but honorable and intent on doing the right thing.  Rannaulf in Slightly Wicked, is a devil may care man who has not found his way in life until he finds his love of the land and the love of his life in Judith.  Initially I did not like Freja Bedwyn in Slightly Scandalous.  She was very high in the instep and could be quite rude.  As we learned her story you could understand her anger and the need to protect herself.  But I found myself laughing out loud at some of her antics and then almost crying when I learned the reason that she so protected her heart.
Morgan, the youngest of the Bedwyns, showed that she had real stamina and caring while she waited for her brother to return from a diplomatic mission during the Battle of Waterloo in Slightly Tempted.  Her romance with Gervase, the Earl of Rosthorn had it ups and downs but was fun to read about and see how bitterness and anger can be overcome with the telling of the truth.  Then there is Allyene, in Slightly Sinful, who seemed to have no purpose in life and took a position with the diplomatic corps as a last resort.  When he is wounded while on a mission and loses his memory and is rescued by Rachel he finds himself with a group of very different individuals than he would usually associate he begins to find out who he really is and finds love in the bargain.
Then we come to Wulfric, The Duke of Bewcastle in  Slightly Dangerous.  After reading the previous books I had no hope that he would be able to unbend enough to find love for himself.  His story is  wonderful!  How can he be two men, Wulfric and the Duke of Bewcastle?  It takes a lovely, animated and joyful widow, Christine, to show him how.  This book brings the series to a great conclusion and leaves the reader wanting more.
This has to be one of the best series written.  The characters as so well developed that the reader feels as though they know each one of the characters intimately.  The books are filled with humor, passion, some intrigue and a true caring of members of a family for each other.
I am so lucky to have a complete autographed set that I won in an auction on ebay.  I treasure these books and will surely reread them many times over.  I highly recommend them to anyone who has not read these and I give them all 5 stars.

The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne

Oh No!  I did not want this book to end!  Every once in a while a book comes along that just grabs you.  The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne is one of those books. This is a book that I wanted to hurry through but at the same time wanted to savor every page.  Bourne's writing is beautiful.  She has a wonderful way of putting words together so that they flow naturally making the reader want to read every word and not skip over anything.  Her research is excellent and her plot very well developed.  I loved her characters.  They are strong and  honorable while doing the sometimes dirty work of spies.
The book is set in France during the French revolution and is the story of Marguerite de Fleurignac, also known as Finch, and William Doyle known as Guillaume LeBreton .  Finch is the leader of La Fleche which is a group dedicated to helping those opposed to the French government of Robespierre escape France.  Doyle is an English Spy sent on an important mission for the British.  Maggie and Doyle's developing romance is nicely done with sensuality and tenderness.
The plot moves smoothly and quickly and the sense of intrigue and suspense builds throughout the story.  I was on edge at several points hoping all would work out.
While Maggie and Doyle are the major characters I loved Hawker!  He appeared in Bourne's other novels and it was good to see how he became a major player in the British spy network.  The other secondary characters were all well developed and portrayed.
The ending of this book is touching and quite moving.  There is nothing not to like in this book.  I would give it 5 stars and make it one of my keepers.  I highly recommend her other books The Spymaster's Lady and My Lord and Spymaster.  I have reread these several times while waiting for The Forbidden Rose.
I will anxiously await Joanna's next book!  When, When?

Valentine's Day is Coming

Yes, the big romance day of the year is this Sunday.  While I love to read romance novels I also love to watch romantic movies.  I have my favorites.  What are yours?

My all time favorite is You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  I loved the email messages that passed between them perhaps because I am addicted to email also.  I felt so sorry for Kathleen Kelly, played by Meg Ryan, when she had to close her book shop because of the big super bookstore Fox Books.  It reminds me of what Borders and Barnes and Noble have done to so many independent book stores.  Anyway the blooming of their relationship with the finale in the beautiful garden in Central Park brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it and I watch it several times a year!

Next is Sleepless in Seattle with, of course, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks!  What a good pair.  Sam's son Jonah plays a huge part in getting Sam and Annie together on Valentine's Day at the top of the Empire State Building.  Jonah's calls to a national radio show are quite funny and poignant as he tries to break up a relationship between his father and a woman he can't stand.  The ending is beautiful!

My third favorite is Sarah Plain and Tall.  I love stories set in the West as it developed.  This one takes place on the prairie where a widowed farmer sends for a mail order bride.  Sarah lives in Maine but realizes in order to have any life of her own she needs to break away from family and while,it is a hard decision she answers the advertisement.  Thus begins her journey to go and try to make a life with Jacob and his two young children on the prairie.  This is a beautiful story with great characters.  The children are precious and Glenn Close as Sarah is wonderful.  In fact I think I will go watch it now!

To Catch a Bride by Anne Gracie

I have been in a reading slump so haven't posted in a while.  It took Anne Gracie's book To Catch a Bride to pull me out of the slump!  I like Ann Gracie and I think she develops really good characters and plots.  I don't normally like books that take me to distant lands but Rafe's journey to Egypt to find the lost granddaughter of Lady Cleeve really grabbed me.  It showed the seamy side of life for those who are disadvantaged in this Egyptian city.  I cheered every time Ayisha outwitted those looking for her including Rafe.
Rafe's search for Alicia Cleeves takes him to the back streets of Cairo where he finds the girl he thinks he is looking for but as she puts it, "Here there is only Ayisha."
Ayisha is a wonderful heroine who has learned how to survive in some of the worst conditions.  Her concern for her companions in Cairo is admirable. Ayisha's tender care of Rafe when he is ill on board ship shows the power of her love for him. Rafe is resourceful and when he finally gets Ayisha to agree to return to England he does it by making sure that her so-called Cairo family will be secure by finding them a protector.
Their arrival in England takes many twists and turns before ending beautifully and satisfactorily.
This story is well paced and the plot moves along well.  Both Rafe and Ayisha are great characters and while there are some secondary characters the story focuses on them.  This is a book I would reread and it has been added to my permanent collection.  I give this one an A-.

Mastered By Love by Stephanie Laurens

The loyal fans and readers of Stephanie Laurens have been awaiting the final book in the Bastion Club Series. It is finally here! Mastered By Love is the book in which we learn the true identity of Dalziel, the commander of the agents who worked for him during the war with Napolean. All along Laurens has hinted at Dalziel’s connection to the Ton and there were people like Therese Osbaldestone who recognized him but never gave his secret away. So we find his real identity as Royce Varisey.
He leaves Whitehall to take up his newly acquired position as the tenth Duke of Wolverstone. He has never found the last traitor that he believes is embedded deep in the government. He returns to his home and finds Minerva Chesterton serving as his chatelaine. Minerva grew up at Wolverstone as the ward of Royce’s parents.
Sometime when we wait for a book it never seems to live up to our expectations but this one does. I read it in a day and a half and didn’t want it to end. I liked all of the Bastion Club characters, both the men and their wives. The unveiling of Dalziel was a fitting end to the series. All of the men from the Bastion Club and their wives appeared in this book and it was fun to see them as supporting characters.
The romance between Royce and Minerva develops slowly. The Varisey’s have never been ones to open their hearts and embrace love but as Royce has watched his friends have the kind of marriages that include love and a special sharing, he realizes that he wants the same thing for himself. Can he convince himself and Minerva that this is possible?
The setting in the old keep is perfect for ferreting out that final spy and what a surprise to find out who it was. Wolverstone is set right on the border between England and Scotland and that is one of my favorite settings. Royce’s father left quite a few illegitimate children along the way. His half brother Hamish lives just over the border into Scotland and they have a very close relationship and Hamish and his wife Molly were great supporting characters.

This book is highly recommended and I gave it 5 stars!

I always hate to see the end of a series like this as the characters have become like friends but I shall look forward to Lauren’s next book which come out on October 27, 2009. It is The Untamed Bride and is the first in the Black Cobra Quartet.

Don't Tempt Me! by Loretta Chase

Loretta Chase’s new book Don’t Tempt Me got rave reviews receiving an A- and a DIK designation from All About Romance and 4 ½ stars and a top pick from Romantic Times. It was also recommend in Library Journal. So with all of those recommendations I went and bought it. I would have anyway as Chase is an autobuy for me but all of these recommendations made a trip to Borders imperative.
When I first started reading the book I thought what in the world are all these reviewers raving about. But not long in to the book I realized what a great story this book contains. It has great characters, a good sense of place, a very different scenario and a little bit of mystery.
Zoe Octavia Lexham was the 8th child of Lord and Lady Lexham. From the beginning she was a rule breaker and was often called “The Bolter.” Lucien de Grey, the Duke of Marchmont was always able to find her. Until one day 12 years before this story takes place she disappears while on a family trip to Greece. Now she has turned up on her father’s doorstep and none will accept her as it turns out that she has been the second wife of a favorite son in a harem so according to Ton standards she is in disgrace. Lucien takes matters into his own hands and makes sure that she is once again accepted into society.
Lucien and Zoe’s developing relationship is at times funny and very poignant. Chase uses humor to good advantage in this book and I ended up loving both hero and heroine and cheering them on. Zoe’s family, other than her father, were not nice people, always thinking of themselves and never giving Zoe the support and acceptance she needed.
I have liked all of Chase’s books and even though at the beginning I was disappointed I ended up really liking Don’t Tempt Me. I highly recommend it. I gave it 4 ½ stars!

What Happens In London by Julia Quinn

I just finished reading What Happens in London and I loved it! As usual Quinn manages to create great characters and using her sense of humor comes up with another fabulous book. In addition to using her sense of humor she manages to create some real tension and intrigue in this book. It kept me on edge right up to the end! I have to say that some of the scenes between Harry and Olivia were very funny.
I remember Olivia Bevelstoke from Quinn's earlier book The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever. Olivia and Miranda were best of friends and Miranda married Olivia's older brother. Olivia comes into her own in this book and she is certainly different from the usual tonish debutante. She is bright and has a great sense of humor and is comfortable with who she is.
At first I thought Harry Valentine was a little weird! But I really liked how he accepted Olivia for who she is and didn't expect her to change, even though they got off to a rough start. Harry was different and very bright. His childhood left alot to be desired but because of his grandmother's influence and his friendship with his cousin Sebastian he was able to overcome that and become a whole person. He ended up being my favorite character.
I loved their method of communication and I thought the proposal scene was very funny and tender and quite romantic.
The secondary characters such as Sebastian Grey and Prince Alexi were well developed and they played an important part in moving the plot along. I can't wait to read Sebastian's story which will come out next year. I am wondering if Harry's brother Edmund will eventually get his own book.
This book got a DIK (Desert Island Keeper) rating from All About Romance and 4 stars from Romantic Times