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

More on Romance and Libraries

I found it very interesting to come across a recent interview with Jennifer Lohmann. She is a librarian in North Carolina and was interviewed by SB Sarah of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books website. This site reviews books from the romance genre and also writes articles relating to the genre.

Anyway, I was interested to see that Jennifer used the same expression that I did in revealing her love of the romance genre. In this interview she talks about coming out of the closet as I did about 7 years ago. I hope people will go to the site and read what she has to say about libraries and romance. I would love to see her come to Maine and make a presentation to a group of librarians. Here is the site address for the interview.
http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/librarians-and-romance-an-interview-with-jennifer-lohmann/

Also the Smart Bitches have written a book "Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels." A description of the book from the site of the Smart Bitches follows.
"A guide to the most popular and maligned fiction genre, this hilariously sarcastic but always affectionate study of romance novels is perfect for hardcore fans and dabblers alike.
Smart and irreverent, the women who founded the popular blog “Smart Bitches, Trashy Books” both mock and pay homage to this highly successful genre. Sure, the authors visit the wild love scenes where the hero/heroine Must Have Sex NOW, but they also speak with famous romance authors and explore how the billion-dollar genre has influenced gender and sexual roles in our society.
From insider advice on writing romance novels to discovering your inner Viking warrior, Beyond Heaving Bosoms shows that while some romance novels can be silly, maybe even tawdry, they’re also intelligent, savvy, feminist, and fabulous — just like the Smart Bitches."
While this book has received mixed reviews from readers and reviewers alike it should probably be on a professional shelf in every library. We need to do everything we can to change the perception of this genre and its readers!

The Romance Reader and Bookstores and Libraries

I have been thinking a great deal about my favorite genre, Romance. I especially like historical romances set in England and Scotland. I like almost all time periods but I have a distinct fondness for the Medieval era. I have a number of friends who also read romances and they yearn for a library that will buy these books or for a small bookstore that will carry them. Yes Borders and Barnes and Noble and of course Amazon.com carry them but sometimes you have to travel a distance to get to one of those stores or wait forever for an order to come from Amazon. You can also find them at Wal-Mart, or in grocery stores but I have looked over what they carry and they do not carry very many authors and often not the best authors.
Over 50% of all mass market paperback sales are in the romance genre. This popular genre is often overlooked by small independent bookstores and libraries. One reason is because this genre is thought to be trashy and not well written. I can vouch for the quality of the writing and the complexity of the stories.
When I was director of a medium sized public library I wrote a newsletter article about my romance reading. I started the article with “Yes, I am coming out of the closet! I am a secret romance reader.” This article talked about the quality of the writing, the character development, the plots, and the settings. I found this article gave people the freedom to ask about these books and to ask me to order books by certain authors. I had been watching circulation and noticed that our small collection of romance novels circulated frequently. So, I started adding to the collection in that genre and buying romance in large print and those books were all going out. Our circulation really increased and the books were in high demand via interlibrary loan. The addition of these books to the collection is very economical as opposed to paying $24.95 for a book that might circulate 10 times as to paying $6.99 for a book that might circulate at least that many times and maybe double that.
Now don’t get me wrong! I believe in a balanced library collection that supports the interests and needs of all readers and I certainly spent thousands of dollars on a variety of fiction and non-fiction titles. However, we make a mistake in not thinking of those who like this genre and support them by buying books that they like.
On the website Librarything.com there are over 1,000 members in the group Romance – From Historical to Contemporary. This is a very active group with good discussion about a large variety of books and authors. I have found the discussions to be informative and they cover all aspects of the plots, the writing style of different authors, characters and settings.
As Diane Pershing, President of the Romance Writers of America says: “the recession-proof romance is a no-brainer. Romance novels offer rich, complex stories about good people overcoming obstacles to achieve intimacy and an eventual joining of their lives," she said. "Along the way, they have great sex," she said. "What's not to like?" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052804081_2.html
“The fact that there is such an abundance of these mass market paperback romances should tell us something. In fact, each year, over fifty percent of all paperback sales in the United States are romance novels. People are buying and reading them in large numbers.” http://theauctionrebel.com/731/the-auction-rebel-guide-to-romance-mass-market-paperbacks/
Well I hope I have made my point. That is there is an underserved population of readers out there who need libraries and small bookstores to begin to put aside prejudices about the books and the readers and begin to serve this population.

Wed Him Before You Bed Him by Sabrina Jefferies

If you haven’t read this book, you may not want to read the review as it does contain a few spoilers.
Mrs. Harris, headmistress of The School For Heiresses, tells her pupils to “wed him before you bed him. “ Does she follow her own advice? The answer is found in Wed Him Before You Bed Him which is the last book in Sabrina Jeffries’ School for Heiresses series and it does not disappoint. It certainly deserves the 4 ½ stars awarded by Romantic Times.
As I have read this series and wondered who Cousin Michael really is, I was not totally surprised to find out that it is Lord Kirkwood. I was so glad that it was not Charles Godwin! What we didn’t know was the history between Charlotte and David. Once I found out so early in the book the real identity of Cousin Michael I had this feeling that I wanted to be able to tell Charlotte and of course could not. There were so many times that I wanted to shake either Charlotte or David and say tell the truth now or don’t you see what is really going on. I really felt a connection to these two characters.
I loved both Charlotte and Michael and enjoyed seeing their relationship grow and change. While there were important secondary characters the story really focused on Charlotte and David. Would Charlotte be able to accept David's offer of help and would David understand Charlotte's need to exert some control over her life? How would Sarah react when she finally found out the identity of Cousin Michael?

While we already knew, from the last book, that Sarah, Lord Kirkwood’s wife and a former student of Charlotte’s had killed herself, I was really surprised to have her death come back to haunt them.
I thought the mystery surrounding Sarah’s death was well done with a surprising conclusion. It was that event that really brought Charlotte and David closer and showed what a strong individual Charlotte really was. She was able to overcome a very strong fear in order to save someone she loved.
This was a wonderful end to a great series. I am looking forward to Jeffries next offering. What will it be and when?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The title, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows, caught my attention right off. However, it took me quite a while to read it and I actually listened to it on audio CD. My library gave it to me before it was catalogued and it lay hidden on my desk until this week when I uncovered a pile of stuff! So feeling very guilty I put it into my car CD player and it has kept my attention ever since. I must hurry and get it back!!
The setting of the book is at the end of World War II and is a collection of letters between author Juliet Ashton and a variety of people in her life but most especially the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

While this is not typically the type of romance novel that I usually review and read this is a romance of a very different type. It is a love story that spans the generations and involves so many different people who love and support one another through very tough times. I admire the courage and bravery of these people.

If I ever knew I have long forgotten that England’s Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans from 1940-1945. The people who lived on the islands found life very changed under German Occupation. Food was very scarce. The Germans appropriated many of the animals and kept a strict inventory of those on the farms.
It was out of a secret pig roast that the Society was formed. It did however keep this group of islanders together and supportive of one another. One of the members of the society finds Juliet’s name one the flyleaf of a book and writes to her and thus begins this wonderful correspondence from both male and female members of the society to Juliet and from Juliet to them. As Juliet receives letter after letter and corresponds with the islanders she develops a strong desire to go to Guernsey and visit these friends and hopes to write a book about them.
I fell in love with these people and their stories and I felt as if I knew them as well as Juliet did. I am not usually a fan of books that are a collection of letters but the stories were so interesting and filled with humor, sadness, betrayal and love that I wanted to keep on driving so I could finish the book.
The audio is very well done and narrated by five different people so the listener gets used to certain voices for certain people and I found that fun and very good listening.
I could go on and on but I don’t want to give the story away but I highly recommend it. I gave the print copy to a friend and we are going to use it as a discussion topic. It was also Border’s Book of the Month Club in May.

June and July Are Looking Good For Romance Novels!

I always like to look forward to see what new books are coming out and it looks June and July will bring us a bonanza of good books. We all have our favorite authors so this post will contain many of mine but feel free to chime in and add some of yours. I also will mention first authors as I think we all need to give them a chance as they could become our favorites as time goes on.

June releases

• Mary Balogh finishes her Huxtable Series with Seducing an Angel



• Sabrina Jeffries comes out with another in her School for Heiress Series, Don't Bargain With The Devil which was reviewed on this blog on April 28th.



• Eloisa James book, This Duchess of Mine, continues the Desperate Duchess series.



• Sherry Thomas (I love her books!) writes Not Quite a Husband.



• Elizabeth Thornton has a paranormal (not my favorite genre but I do like her) The Scot and I.



• Johanna Lindsey's Victorian Romance, A Rogue of Her Own, comes out June 16.



• Lavinia Kent (first novel! Give it a try!) debuts with A Talent For Sin. It received 4 1/2 stars in Romantic Times.

This is just a sampling of the June releases. There are many, many more so check out your favorite bookstore.

July Releases (This looks to be a banner month!)

• Loretta Chase (Yea! One of my favorites! She is an automatic buy for me.) comes out with Don't Tempt Me.



• Galen Foley's latest Regency is My Wicked Marquess.



• Sabrina Jeffries concludes her School for Heiresses series with Wed Him Before You Bed Him. In this book we finally find out who Cousin Michael is if you haven't already guessed!



• Amanda Scott's story, set in 1374 Scotland, should be a winner! It is Tamed By A Laird.



• Lorraine Heath's book Surrender to the Devil actually has a release date of June 30.



• Mary Jo Putnet begins a new series, The Lost Lords, with Loving a Lost Lord.



• Julia Quinn (One of my all time favorites) pens a sequel to The Secret Diary of Miranda Cheever which will be Olivia Bevelstoke's story titled What Happened in London.



• Terri Brisbin writes another of her medieval romances The Conqueror's Lady.

There are so many more coming out in these two months. I will need to save my pennies for trips to Borders!

It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn

I love books in a series especially if they are as good as the Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn, The Slightly Series by Mary Balogh or the Cynster Series by Stephanie Laurens. I always look forward to the next book and when the series ends I am sad for a few days as those characters have become dear friends.

The Bridgerton series consists of eight books. Each one is devoted to one of Violet Bridgerton's eight children, Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth. Through the eight books the reader becomes acquainted with the whole family and the story of each one is as different as the personalities of the eight children.

This is not a new series. The first book, The Duke and I, is Daphne's story and was published in 2000. It's In His Kiss is the seventh book and is Hyacinth's story. It was published in 2005. I read the book when it was first published and loved it as Hyacinth has always been one of my favorite characters. Recorded Books recorded this on audio CD and I have just finished listening to it for the second time.

Julia Quinn writes with a wonderful sense of humor as well as giving the reader some really romantic love scenes. Her characters are well developed and their personalities come through very well.

Hyacinth is a very opinionated young woman and when Gareth St. Claire enters her life she finally meets someone who appreciates her frankness but who can also match wits with her. The reason I decided to write this review is when I was driving along and listening to it I found myself laughing out loud at the scene when Gareth goes to ask Hyancinth's brother Anthony for her hand. Anthony seemed so relieved that finally someone suitable wanted to marry her. Gareth was quite taken aback at his attitude.

The scene when Gareth asks Hyacinth to marry him is also very funny. It takes place in his grandmother Danbury's home and she, Lady Danbury, refuses to leave and stays as Gareth proposes to Hyacinth. Along with the humor though there is a tenderness about the story as Gareth deals with his father and as Hyacinth realizes that there really is a man for her.

Simon Prebble is the narrator and if no one has ever listened to his narrations it is a must! He also narrated Stephanie Laurens Cynster series and I find his voice addictive and he expresses the emotions evoked by the author so well.

Unfortunately Recorded Books has only done the last two books in the Bridgerton series. Why they did not begin with the first book I will never know.

Anyway, if you haven't read this series or any other of Julia Quinn's book, please give them a try.

The Old is New!

Yes, I have decided to make one blog (http://gigisthoughtsandideas.blogspot.com/) for my liberal leaning poltical thoughts and make one for my romance reading and reviews (http://gigisromancereviews.blogspot.com/) This should make it easier for folks to follow. I have imported my reviews from the other blog into this one and will be adding more soon.
The photo I am using in my profile is taken of me in Inverness, Scotland at Culloden Field. I am kneeling by the Fraser Grave stone there. Diana Gabaldon has written the most intriguing, romantic and historical series. There is so much depth to her writing. Her Outlander series which now numbers 6 books telling the story of Claire and Jamie Fraser beginning with Outlander. The next book in the series is An Echo In The Bone is eagerly awaited by thousands of readers. The new book is due out in September 2009.

After reading the series it was my dream to visit the area where they lived and traveled in Scotland. I was able to live that dream due to the wonderful friends that I traveled with. It was a beautiful day when my friends and I arrived at Culloden. As we passed many of the clan's markers it was so exciting to finally come to the Fraser marker. It was an extremely moving time for me as I felt and still feel that Jamie and Claire are a part of my family.

I hope you enjoy this blog as I share my readings with you.

Highland Scoundrel by Monica McCarty

Wow! This book is a page turner! Set in the Highlands of Scotland this is the story of Duncan Campbell and Jeannie Gordon. The story takes place in the early 1600's. Duncan was wrongly convicted and sentenced to hang for something he did not do. He and Jeannie had fallen in love and hoped to marry. However, Duncan thought that Jeannie had betrayed him and that she was the reason he had to leave his beloved Highlands.

Duncan has traveled to Ireland and Europe as a mercenary and has become famous as the "Black Highlander." He has also made his fortune. He returns to the Highlands ten years later hoping to prove his innocence.

In the meantime, Jeannie had married Francis Gordon who has just died leaving her a very vulnerable widow. She is swimming in the loch when Duncan comes upon her. She is so startled to hear someone behind her that she turns and shoots only to find that it is her lost love, Duncan.

This story is filled with intrigue and betrayal and I have to admit that I stayed up much too late last night so I could finish it. I shall have to reread parts of it as it was so exciting that I know I skipped over some things.

The romance was very touching though certainly not smooth as Duncan and Jeannie try to deny the passion that still exists between them. Duncan knows Jeannie is keeping something from him and cannot figure out what it is. When all seems lost help comes from a very unexpected quarter. While the romance was a major factor in the plot it did not rule the story. It was well integrated with the intrigue, betrayal and the search for the truth.

I loved Duncan and Jeannie as hero and heroine and I felt that their characters were very well developed. Duncan is very strong both physically and emotionally except when it comes to Jeannie. Jeannie is strong in her own way as well as being very stubborn but trying always to protect her family. I would have liked to see a little more development of some of the secondary characters. Jeannie's daughter Ella was charming and I loved her vivaciousness. Jeannie mother-in-law was a bitch and very well portrayed.

I love books set in the Scottish Highlands so this book had immediate appeal for me. The author's notes at the end of the book were interesting as they gave the historical background of the story. Monica McCarty writes consistently good stories set in this region. Her Highlander Trilogy was very good.

I can highly recommend this book to my romance lover friends. I gave this book 4 stars.

Confessions of a Little Black Dress by Elizabeth Boyle

I really liked Confessions of A Little Black Gown by Elizabeth Boyle. There was a nice mix of intrigue, humor and romance. There were several situations that developed throughout the story that had me in gales of laughter.
Lord Larkin, who thought he was retired from the business of being a master spy, finds himself called back into duty. His mission is to find the pirate Dashwell. Dashwell was scheduled to hang and was sprung from prison by two women. The women are related to the Duke of Hollindrake.
These two women, Tally and Pippin, are to be at Lady Hollindrake’s house party so Larkin arrives disguised as the bumbling vicar cousin of the Duke. In this disguise he will attempt to find Dashwell and kill him. But Tally is a good match for him and he finds his task much more difficult than he thought as well as finding himself very attracted to Tally.
I liked all of the characters and thought they were well developed. Tally was funny, intuitive and very bright. Her twin sister Felicity, The Countess of Hollindrake, is a strong minded woman bound on becoming the best matchmaker in the Ton. This makes for some very funny scenes. Larkin is struggling to overcome some very traumatic events in his life and some peace when he is with Tally. Their developing romance is warm and quite romantic.
The ending of the story took me a little bit by surprise. Loose ends did get tied up but not in a hurried way. I am looking forward to Boyle’s next book, Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress.

I gave Confessions of a Little Black Dress 4 1/2 stars.

Don't Bargain With The Devil by Sabrina Jeffries

I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of the new book, Don’t Bargain with the Devil by Sabrina Jeffries. It is due to be released in June 2009 and it is surely worth the trip to the nearest bookstore to get it.
This is another book in Jeffries’ School For Heiresses Series. One thing I have always enjoyed about this series is the correspondences between Charlotte Harris, the owner of the school and her mysterious “Cousin Michael.” In this book they were very enjoyable and sometimes humorous.
Lucy Seton, a former student at the school, has been hired temporarily to replace the art teacher. She arrives at the school to find out that the property next door is for sale and could be sold to a magician who says he would like to build a Pleasure Park there. Obviously this would not be good for a girl’s school to have such a park next door. Enter the hero Diego Montalvo ,conjurer par excellence. There is an immediate attraction between Lucy and Diego which Lucy tries to deny. As their relationship develops it is obvious that there is more to the reason why Diego is living next door to the school. Lucy, Mrs. Harris and the school’s supporters do everything they can think of to raise money to try and thwart the purchase of the property. All of this makes for some very interesting events and interactions between characters.
Without giving away the meat of the story let me just say that Jeffries has written a book that immediately draws the reader in. I found myself so involved with Lucy feelings that I was actually getting angry on her behalf at the way she was being manipulated. I shared her frustrations and her tears. She is a bright “hoyden” of a heroine who is full of spunk and in her own way tries very hard to do the right thing.
Diego is a handsome hero and I had some sympathy for him but his manipulation of Lucy and his friend Gaspar certainly made me dislike him at times.
I thought the characters were well developed and I liked seeing how they changed as the story progressed. The setting changes from England to Spain and while I usually dislike that feature in a story it was necessary and was done in a very seamless fashion. Jeffries has her own way of including humor into her stories and I always appreciate that.
As usual Sabrina Jeffries delivers an excellent tale for which I give it 5 stars. I highly recommend this book. Even better at the end she gives us just a glimmer into her next book in the series which is Charlotte Harris’ story and she gives us several clues to chew on as to the identity of the mysterious “Cousin Michael.” I think I will be so disappointed if he turns out to be Charles Godwin!!! That book Wed Him Before You Bed Him will be released in July 2009 and believe me I will be first in line to by it!

Highland Scandal by Julia London

You know I am so disgusted with the whole political landscape I don’t even know what to write about. I can’t believe that key Democrats in the House of Representatives are planning on blocking the energy bill just to cave into the interests of the coal industry. So lobbyists still have their grips into Washington. So what else is new? Then of course we now have swine flu to contend with now! Purell everyone?? What next?
So, I have decided to keep reading romance novels to escape into a better and more pleasant world. I have just finished Highland Scandal by Julia London. The book, set in Scotland in 1807, is the story of Jack, Earl of Lambourne who is being chased by bounty hunters set upon him by the Prince of Wales. Jack is being wrongly accused of adultery with the Princess of Wales.
In order to avoid the bounty hunters he agrees to a handfast marriage with Lizzie Beal. Lizzie is being forced into this marriage against her will by her uncle. All she wants to do is to save her property, take care of her crippled sister and be left alone.
I found this story to have a fast moving plot and well developed characters. Even some of the secondary characters such as Newton, one of the uncle’s men set to guard Lizzie and Jack, were very well developed. Scotland is one of my very favorite settings so this story had instant appeal for me. I like the geography of the country but I really like the loyalty of clan members to each other. Of course a handsome hero only adds to the attraction!
There is an element of mystery as the reader tries, along with Jack, to discover why the uncle insists on this handfast marriage. There is also some humor which I think adds to a story’s attraction. I loved the scene where Jack, who is considered a rake of the first degree, is up on the roof trying to patch it. This is surely not like a rake’s behavior and the dialog was very good in this scene as it is throughout the book.
Julia Long is a very good author and I am looking forward to the next book in the series which will be A Courtesan’s Scandal. This book is due out in November of 2009.
I gave Highland Scandal 4 ½ stars.

The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries

I know, I know, I promised reviews of romance novels! I have been so wrapped up in politics that I have let that promise lag. So this month I read the Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries. It is the first book in the Lord Trilogy. Jeffries is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint.
I have just finished The Pirate Lord. I have to admit when I first started reading it I was not sure I was going to like it. The premise of creating Utopia on an island named Atlantis seemed pretty far fetched, although the idea of a Utopia is quite appealing. The pirate ship, Satyr, captured an English ship that was carrying female convicts to New South Wales. On board was Sara Willis. Sara was accompanying the women to be sure they were treated well and to keep a journal about the conditions on board the convict ship. Gideon, the captain of the pirate ship, wanted the women to become wives of his ship's crew on the island Atlantis.
Gideon, the hero, was so filled with bitterness over the way he had been treated as a child that it was hard to like him at first. His willingness to change when they got to the island brought out his goodness.I did not care of the Earl of Blackmore (Jordan) and Sara step brother, as he was so dictatorial even though he was being protective of Sara. One of the funniest scenes was when Sara had been taken back to England and Jordan was making her go to a ball and she appeared dressed in a very provocative dress. I laughed out loud at the way she provoked Jordan! Sara was a very strong heroine and it was interesting to see how her actions and words changed the way Gideon thought and acted.
The character that I did not like at first became one of my favorites and that was Silas, the cook. He was such a grouchy human being but he ended up standing up for the women and especially for Sara. His love for Louisa, one of the convicts, grew into something very special. He was the one who helped Sara understand Gideon and why he so wanted to create this place of happiness and wonder. Sara was always putting others before herself and was very courageous.
I did not like Queenie, an ex prostitute, but was very surprised at the end of the book to find her married to Barnaby, the ship's first mate, and expecting a child. So I guess there is redemption for even the most disliked person.
I had a feeling all along that Sara would find Gideon's mother but I was taken by surprise to discover his real father alive. I did not see that coming at all.
I did enjoy watching the love between Gideon and Sara develop. Jefferies does write some very good love scenes and her level of sensuality is not over the top but quite nice and very romantic.
Jeffries is an automatic buy for me. I especially liked her School for Heiresses series. I have not read the other books in the Lords series but will surely do that now that I have read Pirate Lord. This was a good read for April! I gave the book 4 stars.