Mary Balogh, The Gilded Web

When Alexandra Purnell steps outside a crowded ballroom to get some air, she is kidnapped and locked in the Earl of Amberley’s house overnight. The incident is a total misunderstanding — the kidnappers are friends of Amberley’s younger brother, and they thought they were kidnapping his sister as a prank. But now Alex has been compromised, so Amberley (as head of the family) feels obligated to marry her. As a Balogh fan, I was expecting to enjoy this book more than I did. It’s a perfectly fine read, but I wanted it to focus more on the main couple. Instead, a lot of space is given to Amberley’s brother (who feels he should marry Alex himself, since he’s the one who arranged the kidnapping) and sister (who is both annoyed by and attracted to Alex’s brother). The obvious sequel bait was distracting and made the central romance less compelling. Still not a bad book by any means, but it’s not one of my favorites by Balogh.

Erin Beaty, The Traitor’s Kiss

Sixteen-year-old Sage Fowler is excited to start her adult life as an apprentice but dismayed to learn she’s been hired by the local matchmaker. Sage disapproves of the whole concept of matching, but her observational skills are undeniably useful in pairing people off. Meanwhile, Captain Alex Quinn of the royal army is gathering intelligence on a potential rebellion. When he encounters Sage, he and his soldiers enlist her help, but their need for secrecy means they can’t be fully honest with her. This novel has a lot of my catnip — fantasy world plus political intrigue plus romance — and I was surprised by a late-game plot twist that made me reconsider all that had gone before. But I didn’t fully connect with the book; Sage is a bit too much “not like other girls,” and some of the plot threads didn’t quite make sense to me. Overall, this is a good read, but I’m not sure I’ll continue with the series.

Kathleen Gilles Seidel, Again

Jenny Cotton is the creator and head writer of a popular historical soap opera. Her longtime boyfriend, Brian, is an actor on the show, but he has only a minor part because he won’t commit to a contract longer than six months. When veteran soap actor Alec Cameron joins the cast, Jenny is shocked to realize that he’s basing his character’s speech and mannerisms on Brian — and in doing so, he’s revealed the character as cold, distant, and unlikable. But Alec himself is kind and talented, and he seems to understand Jenny in a way no one else does, including Brian. I quite enjoyed this one, especially the behind-the-scenes aspects of producing a soap opera set in the Regency era! I also liked how Jenny works through her feelings about Brian and Alec through the soap’s characters. Alec’s feelings seem to escalate really quickly, and everyone except the three main characters is pretty one-note. But those quibbles aside, I liked this one a lot and am glad I stumbled across it!