Month: October 2023

Mini-Reviews: Fight, Familiar, Village

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Maureen Lee Lenker, It Happened One Fight

Joan Davis has worked hard to become a famous and beloved movie star, and her goal is nearly in sight. Her only problem is her costar, Dash Howard. Audiences love “Davis and Dash” films, but she can’t stand him, and he’s constantly pranking her on set. When one of his pranks goes spectacularly awry, leaving Dash and Joan legally married, the answer is simple: move production of their current film to Reno, where they can divorce after residing there for six weeks. But as Joan and Dash get to know each other better, they reconsider their plan to separate. This book is obviously inspired by the screwball comedies of the 1930s, and I enjoyed the setting and the movie allusions very much. However, the romance itself fell a bit flat. Mostly, I thought the book dragged on too long — there were several points when Joan and Dash overcame a big conflict and the book could have ended, but instead they had to confront yet another obstacle. I just got a bit tired of it. I’d love to read more historical romance set in this time period, but this one wasn’t as enthralling as I hoped it would be.

Lish McBride, A Little Too Familiar

This cozy paranormal romance centers around Declan, a werewolf, and Lou, an animal mage who specializes in bonding humans to animal familiars. When Declan moves in with Lou and her housemates, the two are immediately attracted to each other, but Declan has a traumatic past that’s left him distrustful of animal mages. When that past comes back to haunt him, he and Lou (and their other housemates and friends) must team up to stop Declan’s enemies. I don’t read a lot of paranormal romance, but I liked this book a lot. All the main characters are kind, well-intentioned people, and the “found family” vibe is strong. The romance worked for me (though it’s definitely racier than I’d prefer), and the suspense plot provided some stakes for the novel, but it’s pretty low-conflict overall. Some of my favorite scenes were when Declan, Lou, and their friends were just hanging out and bantering. There’s at least one sequel to this book, and I definitely plan on picking it up at some point!

Catherine Lloyd, Death Comes to the Village

After being seriously injured at Waterloo, Major Robert Kurland is back at his estate near the village of Kurland St. Mary to recover. One night, looking out his bedroom window, he sees an unidentified figure carrying a heavy load. Meanwhile, Lucy Harrington, the vicar’s oldest daughter, is disturbed when one of the young female servants disappears without even collecting the wages she’s owed. When Lucy visits Robert (an errand of mercy on her father’s behalf), they compare notes and team up to discover what’s going on, soon uncovering evidence of theft and murder. I really enjoyed this cozy historical mystery! While Lucy seems to have a bit more freedom than is period-appropriate (conversing with the major in his bedroom, gasp!), she’s not just a progressive 21st-century heroine in period garb. The mystery is solid, though not brilliant, and I appreciated that the plot wasn’t overly convoluted. I’m definitely interested in continuing with the series; it looks like there are seven more books, and luckily my library seems to have them all!

Mini-Reviews: Widow, Conspiracy, Rake

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John Dickson Carr, The Red Widow Murders

“Do you believe that a room can kill?” The people gathered at Lord Mantling’s London home are about to answer that question. One particular room in the house, dubbed the Widow’s Room, has been the site of four previous violent deaths. All the victims were alone in the room and apparently poisoned, though no one could discover how the poison was administered. Now Lord Mantling and his guests draw lots to see who will spend two hours locked inside the Widow’s Room — and when the unlucky loser dies like his predecessors, detective Sir Henry Merrivale must figure out how, and by whose hand, the death occurred. I have mixed feelings about this book. The solution to the locked-room puzzle is ingenious, but the book really plods. Also, none of the characters feel or behave like real human beings, and the murderer’s plan is incredibly farfetched. This is my second encounter with Carr’s work, and so far I’m not really clicking with him, but I hope that future reads will work better for me.

Michelle Diener, The Emperor’s Conspiracy

Charlotte Raven started life on the streets, but she was rescued from poverty by a warmhearted noblewoman. Now she lives among the upper classes, but she still maintains ties to her roots. When she warns a society friend about a vicious gentleman she encountered in her old life, she’s plunged into danger, along with the friend’s brother, Lord Edward Durnham. Charlotte and Edward team up to figure out who’s trying to do them harm, falling in love in the process. But Charlotte’s oldest friend, who is now a London crime boss, isn’t ready to let her go. So many things annoyed me about this book, from the utter implausibility of Charlotte’s situation to the anachronistic prose to the insta-love between Charlotte and Edward. What kept me reading was the fast-paced plot, and I’ll admit I was mildly entertained. But I definitely wouldn’t recommend this one and won’t be keeping my copy.

Mary Balogh, The Notorious Rake

Mary, Lady Mornington, has been terrified of thunderstorms ever since a traumatic event in her past. So when she’s caught in one with only Lord Edmond Waite for company, she clings to him in terror, even though she despises him because of his terrible reputation. Desperate to block out the storm, she sleeps with him — but when the intrigued Edmond wants to pursue a relationship with her, she wants nothing more to do with him. As he persistently seeks her out, however, she slowly discovers there’s more to him than meets the eye. This book definitely has its flaws: The thunderstorm thing is a bit ridiculous (although Balogh does a pretty good job of selling it), and Edmond is a problematic hero in that he keeps bothering Mary even after she repeatedly tells him to back off. And yet, I can forgive a lot in a romance novel if I find the central relationship believable, and I definitely bought the connection between Edmond and Mary. Plus, Edmond grows a lot throughout the book and reveals surprising depths, which for me redeems him as a hero. Balogh’s books can be hit or miss, but this one is a winner!

Mini-Review: Bridge, Hazard, Stardust

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Barry Hughart, Bridge of Birds

Number Ten Ox is a peasant living in the Chinese village of Ku-fu. When all the village children suddenly contract a mysterious illness, Ox must find a wise man to discover the cause of the sickness and its cure. He finds Master Li, a very old man with “a slight flaw in his character,” and the two of them travel throughout China seeking the Great Root of Power that will supposedly cure the sickness. Along the way, they have a series of adventures involving thievery, beautiful women, murderous dictators, divine entities, and the occasional ghost. This is a fun picaresque novel full of improbable stories and sly jokes. Master Li and Number Ten Ox are the only characters with any depth, but I enjoyed them both immensely, and I also liked how some of the secondary characters kept reentering the narrative. I’m glad I finally got around to reading this one; it isn’t particularly deep or life-changing, but it’s certainly an entertaining read!

Stella Riley, Hazard

Aristide isn’t interested in love or marriage; right now he’s more focused on running the high-class gaming hall he co-owns. Meanwhile, Genevieve is a recent widow who’s desperate to marry again and escape the clutches of her overbearing brothers. Seizing upon a slight prior acquaintance with Aristide, Genevieve makes a shocking proposal, and Aristide is surprised by how tempted he is to accept. Meanwhile, the long-brewing romance between Aristide’s sister, Madeleine, and Nicholas, the duke of Rockliffe’s brother, finally comes to a head. I liked this book a lot, though I found Aristide’s story much more interesting than Madeleine’s. He’s learned to hide his true feelings under an iron mask of self-control, and it’s lovely to watch his growing affection for Genevieve transform him. Genevieve is also a deeply sympathetic character, though I felt she healed awfully quickly from her traumatic past, which includes an abusive husband as well as the aforementioned brothers. Overall, though, a great read in a great series!

Neil Gaiman, Stardust

The village of Wall has long stood at the border of Faerie, but none of the villagers has dared to cross that boundary — until 17-year-old Tristran Thorn vows to bring back a fallen star to impress the prettiest girl in the village. He didn’t count on the fact that the fallen star is actually a young woman, Yvaine; further, he’s not the only person seeking her. Also on the star’s track are the sons of Stormhold, who want a magical token she possesses, and a witch who needs the star’s heart to restore her youth. This novel is very atmospheric and brilliantly conjures up both the beauty and danger of Faerie. Tristran is a likable everyman hero, not too brave and not too clever. The book’s pacing is a bit off, for me — a ton of time is spent setting up the world, and I don’t think Tristran even gets to Faerie until about halfway through. Then he and Yvaine have some adventures that are briefly mentioned in a throwaway sentence or two, but I would have loved to learn more about them! If you’re looking for a book that gives gothic fairytale vibes, this is an excellent choice, but if you prefer a snappier plot in your fantasy novels, I’d look elsewhere.

Mini-Reviews: Christmas, Compromised, Morgan

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Kerry Winfrey, Faking Christmas

Six months ago, Laurel interviewed for a social media job, and to demonstrate her skills, she showed some Instagram posts she’d done for her sister Holly’s farm. But her boss mistakenly assumed the farm belonged to Laurel, and because she desperately needed the job, she didn’t correct him. Now he’s invited himself to “Laurel’s” farm for Christmas, and she has to scramble to sustain the lie. The most awkward part is that she needs a fake husband, and the only option is her brother-in-law’s best friend, Max, whom she’s always hated. But as she spends more time with Max, she’s forced to reevaluate her opinion. This book is a frothy holiday read that will likely appeal to fans of Hallmark Christmas movies. But even as a fan of those movies, I found the book a bit too lightweight. The “comedic” hijinks of Laurel’s struggles to maintain her fictional persona get too much page time, at the expense of the romance and any deeper character development. It’s a cute story with plenty of Christmas spirit, but ultimately I wish it had been a little more substantial.

Darcie Wilde, A Lady Compromised

This fourth book in the Rosalind Thorne mystery series sees Rosalind traveling to Devon Winterbourne’s ducal estate. Ostensibly she’s there to help his cousin, Louisa, with her upcoming wedding; actually, she and Devon hope to decide whether they want to rekindle their romance. But Rosalind is soon distracted by another mystery: Louisa’s friend Helen has unanswered questions about her (Helen’s) brother’s recent death, and finding those answers could imperil Rosalind’s life as well as her relationship with Devon. I liked this series installment, which moves the setting from London to the country and also expands the narrative by increasing the number of point-of-view characters. I was also happy to see some progress in Rosalind’s romantic life. But as with the other books in the series, the plot is a bit slow and the mystery is unsolvable until almost the last moment. I’m still planning to continue with the series, but I’d call myself mildly interested rather than enthusiastic.

Amy Barry, Marrying Off Morgan McBride

As the oldest McBride sibling, Morgan has been like a parent to his younger siblings since Ma died. While he loves them dearly, he’s also tired of the responsibility. Now that his brother Kit is married and settled, he finally feels free to leave, but his little sister, Junebug, refuses to let him go. In desperation, she once again advertises for a mail-order bride. Epiphany “Pip” Hopgood has been rejected many times for her “plain” looks and views Morgan as her last chance. They’re immediately attracted to each other, but Morgan is adamant that he doesn’t want a wife. Can Pip change his mind? I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and this installment is very similar in tone. Junebug is a hilarious character, and I especially enjoyed the scenes with all the McBrides and their friends together. The romance itself was a little disappointing; though both Morgan and Pip are interesting, complex characters, they don’t really get to know each other very well. This book is also significantly steamier than the last one, which I found disappointing. Overall, though, I’m definitely still planning to read the next book when it comes out!

Mini-Reviews: Plumeria, Wake-Up, Shadow

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Lauren Willig, The Passion of the Purple Plumeria

Gwen Meadows, a “spinster” in her mid-40s, is publicly the chaperone of her young relative, Miss Jane Wooliston — and privately a principal member of the League of the Pink Carnation. When Jane’s younger sister disappears from school, Gwen and Jane immediately suspect spy-related foul play. But another girl is also missing: the daughter of Colonel William Reid, a retired East India Company officer who’s only recently come to England. Gwen and William team up to look for the missing girls, finding a legendary Indian treasure — and love — in the process. This is another fun installment of the Pink Carnation series, and it’s nice that Miss Gwen (usually reduced to comic relief) finally gets her turn in the spotlight. It’s refreshing and sadly rare to read about more mature adults finding romance! This isn’t one of my favorites in the series, but it’s still a good read — can’t believe there are only two more books to go!

Beth O’Leary, The Wake-Up Call

Izzy and Lucas are colleagues at the Forest Manor Hotel, and they can’t stand each other. Izzy is a sunshiny people-pleaser who always goes above and beyond, whereas Lucas is grumpy, reserved, and blunt to the point of rudeness. Further, Izzy confessed a crush to Lucas about a year ago, and he (seemingly) responded in a particularly cruel and insensitive way. Of course, the truth is more complicated — and now that Izzy and Lucas are being forced to work together to save their beloved hotel, their mutual “hatred” is turning into something else entirely. I really loved Beth O’Leary’s debut novel, The Flatshare, but her subsequent books have been too angsty and/or gimmicky for me. This book, however, feels like a return to form; it’s just a strong, well-written romantic comedy with some bonus holiday charm thrown in. The conflict between Izzy and Lucas centers around miscommunication, which may be frustrating for some, but to me their misunderstandings made sense given their very different personalities. Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope should definitely check this one out!

Philip Pullman, The Shadow in the North

Six years after the events of The Ruby in the Smoke, Sally Lockhart has established her own financial consulting firm. One of her clients loses her life’s savings when a shipping firm unexpectedly collapses, and she asks Sally to find out why. Meanwhile, Sally’s friends try to help a magician who’s receiving death threats. When the two cases turn out to be connected, Sally and her friends must go up against a ruthless businessman who will use any means necessary, including murder, to stop them. I’m continuing to enjoy the Sally Lockhart series, both for the immersive Victorian London setting and for the main characters, particularly Sally herself, her beau Fred, and their Cockney friend Jim. The book may be slightly too busy; there are a plethora of minor characters and plot strands that need following. There are also more than a few heartbreaking moments. But I nevertheless liked this book a lot and look forward to continuing with the series.