Tag: romance novel

Mini-Reviews: Dreams, Daring, Undone

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Sarah Adams, In Your Dreams

Madison Walker has always seen herself as the “failure” among her successful siblings. She’s just graduated from culinary school in New York, but she’s no longer sure cooking brings her joy, and she doesn’t love the big city like she thought she would. Still, when family friend James Huxley offers her the executive chef position at his new restaurant, she jumps at the chance to move home to Rome, Kentucky, and prove that she can succeed at something. Little does she know that James has been secretly in love with her for years, and he may finally be ready to do something about it. I enjoyed this light, charming romance and felt Madison’s insecurities and issues with her (loving but imperfect) family were relatable. James is of course a bit too perfect as a romantic hero, though I liked that he had a conflict with his brother, Tommy, that was partly (or even mostly) his fault. It looks like this is the last book in the Rome series, but is it weird that I kind of want Tommy’s story now?

Joanna Shupe, A Daring Arrangement

Lady Nora Parker is a spirited young Englishwoman who’s fallen in love with an unsuitable artist. Her father has sent her away to New York to find a better match, but Nora just wants to return to England. She decides to find an outrageously unsuitable American man to pose as her fiancé, so her father will object to the match and summon her home. Wall Street tycoon Julius Hatcher seems like the perfect candidate; his lavish parties and scandalous paramours are the topic of every gossip column. But as Nora and Julius spend more time together, an inconvenient attraction sparks. I love the fake relationship trope and was excited about the Gilded Age setting of this romance, but ultimately the plot just doesn’t work. Nora wants Julius to help her create a scandal, while he is trying to use her to get into high society, so their desires are opposed from the start—why does either of them think this arrangement is a good idea? That said, I do think they have good chemistry, so I enjoyed the romance aspect. Overall, the book is fine but didn’t knock my socks off.

Cecilia Grant, A Gentleman Undone

Will Blackshear is a soldier who has returned from the Napoleonic Wars with visible and invisible wounds. He needs money to support the widow of one of his men, and he hopes to win it at the gambling tables. There he meets Lydia Slaughter, a prostitute who once worked in a brothel and is now a gentleman’s mistress. She also happens to be a genius at cards and agrees to help Will cheat in exchange for a share of the take. They are drawn to each other almost immediately, but they know that acting on their attraction would be a huge mistake: Will can’t afford to keep a mistress, and Lydia’s entire livelihood depends on her current protector. I finished this book thinking, “Now this is how you write historical romance!” Will and Lydia are both such complex characters, broken in many ways, convinced they’re unable to love and unworthy of being loved. Every interaction between them is fraught with tension, and while I don’t usually like books with a lot of steam, the sex scenes here are crucial to the development of character and relationship. If you want superior-quality historical romance, I can’t recommend Cecilia Grant highly enough!

Mini-Reviews: School, Remember, Secret

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Soman Chainani, The School for Good and Evil

Every year, two children are kidnapped from the village of Gavaldon. One, beautiful and kind-hearted, is sent to the School for Good, and the other, ugly and malicious, goes to the School for Evil. This year, Sophie is determined to be the one selected for the School for Good, where she’ll become the heroine of her very own fairy tale, complete with Prince Charming. But when she and her friend, the plain and all-black-wearing Agatha, are chosen, she’s shocked to end up in Evil, while Agatha is sent to Good. Can the two girls figure out how to fix this mistake – and what happens if they want to go home? I loved the first sentence of this book (“Sophie had waited all her life to be kidnapped”), but unfortunately it was mostly downhill from there. The plot lurches along unsteadily and is surprisingly hard to follow, and I found Sophie so awful that I wondered why Agatha (or anyone) would want to be friends with her! There are some interesting ideas in the book, but they never quite gel into anything substantial. Not recommended, and I won’t be continuing with the series.

Mary Balogh, Remember That Day

Winifred Cunningham is close friends with Owen Ware and has been invited, with her family, to his family’s estate of Ravenswood for a few weeks. Winifred wonders whether Owen will propose to her; they share a passion for helping others and might do a lot of good together. But she’s not in love with him, and as the visit proceeds, she finds herself unexpectedly attracted to his brother, Colonel Nicholas Ware. Meanwhile, Nicholas is about to make a pragmatic proposal to his commanding officer’s daughter, but meeting Winifred throws a wrench in his plans. This is another mildly pleasant installment of the Ravenswood series. I liked the central love story but felt it lacked depth; too much time was spent on the myriad supporting characters in both Nicholas’s and Winifred’s families, and I just don’t find them interesting! I really hope the next book is Stephanie’s story, which still intrigues me, but after that I’ll probably stick with Balogh’s earlier titles.

Tana French, The Secret Place

This fifth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series is set at St. Kilda’s, a posh girls’ boarding school where a student from the neighboring boys’ school was found dead a year ago. The case was never solved, but now Detective Stephen Moran has received an anonymous note saying, “I know who killed him.” Hoping for a permanent spot on the Murder Squad, Moran teams up with Antoinette Conway, the abrasive detective who worked the case the first time around. As they delve deeper into St. Kilda’s mysteries, they’re shocked to discover just how much these teenage girls are hiding. I liked this book a lot more than Broken Harbor, though a few things still bugged me: The narrative switches between the present-day investigation and the months leading up to the boy’s murder, and I found the present-day story much more interesting. The teen speak felt inauthentic, and I didn’t like the supernatural element. But I did really love the insights into teen friendship and psychology, as well as the development of Moran and Conway’s partnership. I’m interested to see how that dynamic continues and changes in the next (and final) book.

Mini-Reviews: Spouse, Duke, Fallen

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Alice Coldbreath, A Contracted Spouse for the Prizefighter

Former prizefighter Clem Dabney has embarked upon a new career and established a popular music hall in London; now he seeks to expand into a real theater. The Parthenon, owned by Theodora Fields and her two siblings, is his target, but he’s surprised when she approaches him with a proposition: She’ll marry him and thus give him an ownership stake in the theater, if he agrees to put her male impersonation act onstage. Clem agrees and soon finds himself oddly drawn to his eccentric wife, but his secrets may threaten their happiness. I’ve enjoyed this whole series, and this book caps things off nicely. I liked Clem’s bewildered affection for Dora (as he calls her), and I enjoyed the music hall setting. I do think the book is oddly paced, and the conflict between them isn’t terribly substantial, but I still really enjoyed the central romance. I’m looking forward to my next read by this author!

Anna Harrington, If the Duke Demands

Miranda Hodgkins has been in love with her neighbor, Robert Carlisle, for years, but the attraction has always been one-sided. Determined finally to get his attention, Miranda sneaks into his bedroom and attempts to seduce him—only to encounter his older brother, Sebastian, instead. Sebastian offers to help her with Robert if she’ll help him find a suitable wife; as the Duke of Trent, he needs a woman with the right family and social connections. But as Miranda and Sebastian’s agreement brings them closer together, an inconvenient mutual attraction sparks. This Regency romance was a perfectly fine read, but it didn’t knock my socks off. I generally enjoy the “wrong brother” trope, but here it’s a relatively small part of the plot. Miranda also gives off strong “not like other girls” vibes. I did like that she’s honest with Sebastian about her feelings and desires, but I felt he was caddish and irresponsible for pursuing her without feeling able to marry her. Overall, I didn’t dislike this one but wouldn’t particularly recommend it either.

Ellis Peters, Fallen into the Pit

It’s been five years since World War II ended, but in the English town of Comerford, on the Welsh border, trouble persists. Helmut Schauffler, a former POW and proud Nazi, is deliberately antagonizing everyone, picking fights and tormenting a local Jewish woman. No one is sorry when his dead body turns up, but Sergeant George Felse knows it’s his duty to find the killer—especially when his teenage son, Dominic, gets involved in the investigation and ends up in danger. I adore the Brother Cadfael novels and was excited to finally try Peters’s other mystery series, which she set in her own era. Overall I really enjoyed this book, despite its being a bit too long; it manages to be a convincing depiction of a changing postwar England, a compelling mystery, and a surprisingly tender portrayal of George and Dominic’s relationship. The Cadfael series has my heart, but I think if you enjoy that series and like Golden Age-style mysteries, you’ll enjoy this one too. I’m excited to continue with the next book!

Mini-Reviews: Ready, Ruined, Christmas

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Cara Bastone, Ready or Not

When Eve unexpectedly gets pregnant after a one-night stand, her stable and predictable life suddenly gets a lot more complicated. She doesn’t have parents to lean on, and her best friend, Willa, is struggling with infertility and finding it hard to be supportive. Fortunately, Willa’s brother Shep, whom Eve has known since childhood, is showing up in a big way—and suddenly Eve is seeing him in a whole new light. But are her feelings real, or is this just a hormone-induced infatuation? I continue to be a fan of Cara Bastone’s contemporary romances, which tend to star real people dealing with real problems, and this one is no exception. Eve’s narrative voice is fun and down-to-earth, and I bought her as a character, as well as her friendship with Willa and her developing feelings for Shep. Shep himself is wonderful, perhaps a little too perfect (the pining!), but a great example of the golden retriever hero. Definitely recommended if you like this premise, and I look forward to my next Bastone book!

Alyssa Everett, Ruined by Rumor

Roxana has been engaged to the dashing Major Wyatt for five years, waiting patiently while he served in the Napoleonic Wars. Now that he’s back, she’s ecstatic finally to set the wedding date—but Wyatt suddenly breaks things off, and a devastated Roxana turns to her neighbor, Alex Ayersley, for comfort. Little does she know that the proper, stuffy Alex has been in love with her for years; when he attempts to give her a consoling hug, they end up kissing passionately. When he learns that their kiss was observed, and Roxana is the target of vicious gossip, he proposes marriage to save her reputation. But will she be able to return Alex’s love, especially when Wyatt comes back into the picture? This is a reread for me, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. Alex and Roxana are both terrible communicators, but their reasons for not being direct made sense to me. And the denouement, while a bit implausible, is extremely satisfying!

Alexandra Benedict, The Christmas Murder Game

Lily Armitage is summoned to Endgame House to participate in the family’s traditional Christmas Game. She hasn’t attended in years, ever since her mother’s suicide on the grounds of the estate. But this year, her aunt begged her to come, hinting that her mother was actually murdered. Moreover, the winner of this year’s game will inherit Endgame House. But tensions are high within the Armitage family, and as they start to play the game, it’s evident that everyone is hiding something. And then the players begin to die. This book had all the elements that should have appealed to me—a country house murder mystery set at Christmas, complete with anagrams and puzzle clues—but it never really clicked. The characters felt flat and predictable, and honestly the villain’s identity was pretty obvious. In theory, I liked the author’s inclusion of a scavenger hunt for readers (finding anagrams of the Twelve Days of Christmas within the book), but in practice it just distracted me from the story. A cool premise, but unfortunately the execution didn’t live up to it.

Mini-Reviews: Blue, Nothing, Wish

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Lia Louis, Dear Emmie Blue

Emmie has been best friends with Lucas since high school, and lately she’s been hoping they can become more than friends. So when Lucas plans a nice dinner at their favorite restaurant with a big question to ask her, she’s ecstatic—until he asks her to be “best woman” at his upcoming wedding. Emmie is devastated, but ultimately she agrees and tries to suppress her feelings. Meanwhile, she finds herself unexpectedly growing closer to Lucas’s brother, Eliot, who helps her with some difficult family issues of her own. Has she been in love with the wrong brother all along? This was a reread for me, and I still enjoyed it this time around. There’s nothing groundbreaking about the plot, but I like that Emmie has important relationships and problems that don’t involve her love life at all. And without spoiling the romance, I’ll just say I enjoy a man who pines!

Jodi Taylor, The Nothing Girl

Growing up in the shadow of a strict aunt and malicious cousins, Jenny Dove has always faded into the background. Now she’s dissatisfied with her small life—always at home, never allowed to pursue an education or career—but doesn’t know how to change it. Enter Russell Checkland, a chaotic artist who’s just been rejected by the love of his life. He shocks Jenny by proposing a marriage of convenience: Her money (inherited from her parents) will help restore his dilapidated estate, and in return he’ll help her to try new things. But Jenny’s growing confidence and delight in her new life are threatened when it seems that someone is trying to kill her. There is so much plot in this book, and I didn’t even get to the magical talking horse! But this is a delightful little fairy tale, somewhat in the vein of The Blue Castle but with a modern setting and a bit more spice. I loved it, and it will definitely be in my top 10 books of the year!

Louise Allen, His Housekeeper’s Christmas Wish

Alex Tempest runs (literally) into Tess Ellery on the streets of Ghent and causes her to miss her boat back to England. He therefore offers to escort her to London, where she hopes to find employment as a governess or companion. Unfortunately, a society matron spots them together on the boat and assumes Tess is Alex’s mistress, ruining her chances of a respectable job. With no other options, Alex hires Tess as his housekeeper, but their mutual attraction makes everything more complicated, especially when Alex is forced to visit his estranged family at Christmas. Louise Allen’s historical romances have been hit or miss for me, and unfortunately this was one of the misses. I found the plot contrived and unrealistic, and I never really bought Alex and Tess’s romance. I also don’t love stories where family dysfunction is magically healed just because it’s Christmas. Not a terrible book, but definitely not a keeper for me.

Mini-Reviews: Physicians, Trickerie, Promise

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Lois McMaster Bujold, The Physicians of Vilnoc

Penric is summoned from his cozy home in Vilnoc with wife Nikys, baby daughter Florina, and mother-in-law Idrene to deal with a mysterious disease that’s broken out in the local army camp. It’s nothing the army healer or Penric has seen before, and they can’t figure out how (if at all) the illness is passed from person to person. As the cases and fatalities multiply, Pen begins to despair—but timely assistance from his god brings new insight and helps turn the tide of the disease. This novella came out in 2020, and while Bujold’s “outroduction” says she started writing it before Covid was on her horizon, it’s certainly an impactful coincidence of timing! I think she does a great job of illustrating a healthcare worker’s experience of a pandemic, though obviously it’s not fun to read about. A well-written but somber installment of the Penric and Desdemona series; I’m hoping the next one will have a little more lightness and humor!

Rosanna Pike, A Little Trickerie

In the year 1500, Tibb Ingleby and her Ma are vagabonds in search of a permanent home. When Ma’s plans to get them a roof go awry, Tibb is left on her own and must navigate her way through a challenging and hostile world. Her adventures include living off the land with a troubled friend, performing with a group of traveling players, being kidnapped by a dangerous man, and faking a miracle (the “trickerie” of the title). I have mixed feelings about this book. I really liked Tibb’s irrepressible and unique voice—the author was definitely going for A Style, and I think it mostly worked. But I wasn’t a fan of the chapters told from another character’s POV; they took me out of the story, and I always found myself wanting to get back to Tibb. Also, the Catholic Church (and religion in general) doesn’t come off well in this book, which rubs up against my biases as a Catholic myself. Still, lovers of historical fiction will likely find a lot to enjoy here, and I’m glad I ventured a little bit outside my comfort zone for this one.

Mary Balogh, A Christmas Promise

Randolph Pierce, the new Earl of Falloden, is struggling to pay his predecessor’s considerable debts. A rich merchant has purchased all those debts and says he’ll write them off if Randolph marries his daughter, Eleanor. Randolph reluctantly agrees, not knowing that Eleanor isn’t happy with the match either—she’s only consenting because it’s her father’s dying wish. Initially, both Randolph and Eleanor are cold and distant, but as Christmas approaches and Eleanor’s boisterous, loving family comes to visit, they begin to see each other in a new light. I like Mary Balogh’s marriage-of-convenience romances, and this one is well done. The holiday setting is fun and not too cloying, and I enjoyed the slight secondary romance as well. Not my favorite Balogh, but probably my favorite (so far) of her Christmas romances.

Mini-Reviews: Children, Christmas, Mistletoe

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P.D. James, The Children of Men

This dystopian novel imagines a near-future world in which no human children have been born since 1995. England is ruled by a seemingly benevolent dictator called the Warden, and most people’s material needs are satisfied. But the human race is dying out, and hope is a thing of the past. Theo Faron, a 50-year-old Oxford professor, views the future with detachment and despair. But when a young woman, one of his former students, approaches him with a surprising request, he finds himself unwillingly getting involved with a resistance movement. I’m of two minds about this book. On the plus side, it’s steeped in deep questions about morality and whether good and evil even matter if the world is ending. Certain scenes are quite memorable and chilling, and the dramatic tension builds effectively even when there’s not much going on. On the minus side, the pacing is slow, the world-building doesn’t feel completely thought out, and the ending leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I’m excited to talk about this book with my office reading group, as I’m sure it will generate an interesting discussion. But for me personally, it was an unsettling read.

Martha Waters, Christmas Is All Around

Artist Charlotte has never enjoyed Christmas, and she especially hates holiday rom-coms because when she was nine years old, she had a role in the modern holiday classic Christmas, Truly, which she’d love to forget about. But when she visits her sister in England for the holidays, she finds she can’t escape her past as they tour an estate that was used as a set on the film. There Charlotte meets Graham, the estate’s handsome owner, who hires her for an art project to bring much-needed publicity to the estate. Will grumpy Grinch Charlotte find herself in a holiday rom-com of her own? I enjoyed Martha Waters’s recent historical mystery and wanted to try more of her work, so I was excited for this contemporary romance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as funny as I wanted it to be, and I didn’t really connect with the characters. It’s still a pleasant read – there are some fun one-liners, plentiful Love, Actually references, and cozy Christmas vibes – but this book won’t be a keeper for me.

Chloe Liese, The Mistletoe Motive

Gabriella Di Natale and Jonathan Frost are work nemeses. They’re co-managers of Bailey’s Bookstore and couldn’t be more different: Gabby is a festive ball of sunshine who loves the bookstore’s soul, while Jonathan is cold and grumpy and all about the bottom line. But as Christmas approaches, Gabby starts experiencing a strange attraction to Jonathan—an attraction that just might be reciprocated. I enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope, so I was hoping to like this holiday novella a lot more than I did. But it suffers from perfect hero syndrome: Jonathan is outrageously handsome, incredibly attuned to Gabby’s every need, and the ideal ally when she discloses her autism. And while I think it’s great to see neurodivergent folks represented in romance, autism (plus loving Christmas) basically felt like Gabby’s entire personality. She’s so mean to Jonathan, yet he’s completely devoted to her. And don’t get me started on the overly Christmassy names—there is literally a character named George Bailey. In short, I found this book frustrating, and I won’t be reading more by Chloe Liese.

Mini-Reviews: Merry, Wallflower, Best

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Charlotte MacLeod, Rest You Merry

This yuletide mystery is set in a college town, where Professor Peter Shandy hates the tacky, over-the-top Christmas light display in which all the residents are bullied into participating. This year Peter retaliates by putting up the most garish decorations possible, then promptly leaving for a Christmas cruise. When he returns to find local busybody Jemima Ames dead in his living room, he wonders whether his prank might have somehow contributed to her death. And when he suspects murder, the college president orders him to investigate before scandal can damage the college’s reputation. I really enjoyed this vintage mystery novel (first published in 1978), which includes all the predictable elements — an intelligent amateur sleuth, multiple suspicious deaths, some seeming impossibilities, a closed circle of suspects, and even a romance — but deploys them well, with plenty of clever wit. This is the first book in the Peter Shandy series, and I’ll happily read more if I can find them at my library.

Eloisa James, How to Be a Wallflower

Cleo Lewis has come to London for the Season, but she’s more interested in running the company her father left her, Lewis Commodes, than in finding a husband. In fact, she’s determined to be a wallflower and orders her wardrobe accordingly. At the dressmaker’s, she runs into Jacob Astor Addison, a rich American who wants to buy the dress shop and transport it to New York. Cleo immediately opposes this scheme, and they become business rivals—which of course leads to bickering, bantering, and falling in love. After enjoying Eloisa James’s story in Ladies in Waiting, I picked up a bunch of her full-length novels as free/cheap e-books, but this one was just okay for me. It’s the very definition of a wallpaper historical; Cleo and Jake would never have been tolerated in high society based on their speech and behavior, and the plot is completely implausible. There’s also not much conflict in the romance; Jake’s feelings and intentions are clear from the start, and Cleo comes around pretty early on. That said, James does have a fun, breezy writing style, and I’m hoping to have more luck with her other novels!

Kate Clayborn, Best of Luck

This final book in the Chance of a Lifetime series focuses on Greer, who’s trying to complete her degree at age 27 but needs a photography class to graduate. She asks her best friend’s brother, Alex, for help while he’s in town, since he’s a well-known photojournalist. But their collaboration is complicated by a mutual attraction that seems pointless in the long term, since Alex travels for his job and hates staying in one place. I really like Kate Clayborn; a lot of contemporary romances these days seem same-y and flat to me, but hers are heartfelt and complex. I loved that both Greer and Alex are dealing with real problems, but their trauma isn’t their only defining characteristic. They’ve both fought hard for what they have, so despite their affection for each other, they’re understandably wary of how a relationship might destabilize their lives. There’s maybe a bit too much angst toward the end of the novel, but overall I really liked this one, and I’d strongly recommend the whole series to those who enjoy contemporary romance!

Mini-Reviews: Substitute, Local, Cover

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Alice Coldbreath, A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter

Lizzie Anderson is a “poor relation” in a respectable Victorian family. Benedict Toomes is a prizefighter with a prison record. But he’s also rich, which makes him just barely acceptable as a fiancé for Lizzie’s cousin, Betsy. Lizzie and Benedict heartily dislike each other; but when Lizzie inadvertently causes a scandal and the family casts her out, Benedict surprises himself by coming to her rescue. Already tired of Betsy, he proposes to Lizzie instead, and since she has no other options, she accepts. As she adapts to Benedict’s life as a boxer on the fair circuit, the two slowly grow closer. Alice Coldbreath is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for historical romance. I loved the detail about life as a traveling fair performer, as well as the romance between Lizzie and Benedict. It’s steamier than I normally prefer, but I loved how honest and direct they are with each other. My only complaint is that not a lot happens; Lizzie meets a lot of people who add some fun color but don’t end up being particularly important to the story. Still, I’d highly recommend this one to fans of the genre who are looking for something different in terms of setting and social class.

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Local Custom

Er Thom yos’Galan is a Liaden from a prominent clan; as such, his duty is to make an advantageous marriage. But he’s still consumed with feelings for an old love, the Terran Anne Davis. Three years later, he resolves to see Anne once more before fulfilling his duty to his clan. But when he learns that their affair resulted in a child, his life becomes much more complicated. I’ve heard good things about the Liaden books, and this one was suggested as a good entry point. I found some of the setting and terminology a bit difficult to understand at first, but the main plot is easy enough to follow. The novel is billed as a “space Regency,” which pretty much sums up the genre and vibe. I wish more time were spent on the development of Er Thom and Anne’s romance, but they’re pretty much obsessed with each other from the start, so I’d call it more a novel of manners than a true romance. Overall, I liked the book fine, but I’m not sure I care enough to continue with the series.

Mhairi McFarlane, Cover Story

Investigative journalist Bel has just gotten a tip on a huge story: The beloved mayor of her city is preying on his young female staffers and receiving favors from a known criminal. To get the evidence she needs, Bel goes undercover, but her plan is almost ruined when her new colleague, Connor, sees her using her fake persona while talking to a potential source. To salvage the situation, Bel claims Connor is her boyfriend, even though they actually dislike each other. But as they work together to chase the story, they slowly change their opinions. I love McFarlane’s contemporary romances, and I enjoyed the ride here as well; she’s very good at writing clever banter and conveying the slow build of attraction. But in this case, I don’t believe that Bel and Connor are actually a good match. They are terrible communicators throughout the book, including at the very end when they both dither about confessing their feelings. I also felt there was a bit too much going on in general, with two of Bel’s exes creating problems that didn’t matter and Connor dealing with trauma from a previous job and relationship. I do still think this book is a good read, but it’s not one of my favorites by the author.

Mini-Reviews: Silk, First, Conquest

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Cassandra Dean, Silk & Scars

The setting of this very short novella—more like a short story, really—is early Victorian England, and the plot is a version of Beauty and the Beast. Gwendolyn Parkes is (implausibly) a scribe in a law firm who accidently sends a personal letter, meant for a friend, to one of the firm’s clients: Edward, the Duke of Sowrith. Intrigued, Edward replies, and the two soon strike up a friendship via correspondence—but when they meet in person, his scars from an old injury and her lower social status hinder their romance. The best thing I can say about this story is that I didn’t pay any money for it. The plot strains credulity, the characters are two-dimensional, and the writing is clumsy. I did feel a flicker of charm when Edward, searching for something to write about, can only come up with, “The weather is nice.” But overall, I don’t recommend this one and won’t read more by the author.

Cara Bastone, When We First Met

After a series of mishaps in her life, elementary schoolteacher Cat is looking for some fun. She’d love to have a fling with her hot neighbor, Jared, but every time she tries to get him alone, she ends up talking with his roommate, Quentin, instead. Meanwhile, Quentin’s had a crush on Cat for months but knows she sees him as just a friend. But the more time they spend together, the more Cat finds herself noticing Quentin’s attractive qualities—and the more he hopes their friendship might evolve into something more. I’ve really enjoyed Cara Bastone’s Forever Yours series this year, and this prequel novella is no exception (and it can definitely stand alone). Cat and Quentin are super charming, individually and together, and I was happy to watch their relationship grow. And I was very pleased to see that a secondary character, who could have been a stereotypical “crazy ex-girlfriend,” turned out to have some nuance and depth. I’m really enjoying Cara Bastone’s contemporary romances and can’t wait to read more!

Claire Delacroix, The Christmas Conquest

Rhys and Catherine made a marriage of convenience two years ago, exchanging her wealth for his title and status. Now Catherine is madly in love with her husband but fears he doesn’t feel the same way, as he never pursues intimacy with her. As a result, she’s considering a separation and accepts an invitation to a friend’s house party to make her decision. Little does she know that Rhys does return her feelings, but he fears a family curse that will cause her to die in childbirth. When he attends the house party as well, Catherine—with a little help from a saucy instruction manual—decides to seduce her husband. This was another free e-book for me, and it was just okay. The couple has decent chemistry, but they spend way too much time not communicating for very silly reasons. There’s also a subplot with the courtesan who wrote the seduction manual, which I found utterly boring. Not recommended, but I’d consider trying the author again.