Tag: romantic

Review: The Shadowy Horses

4 Comments

The Shadowy HorsesSusanna Kearsley, The Shadowy Horses

Verity Grey is a young archaeologist who has recently quit her job at the British Museum and is looking for freelance work. Her former colleague (and ex-boyfriend) Adrian tells her about a potential job in the coastal town of Eyemouth, Scotland, but he is vague about the details. Nevertheless, Verity is intrigued enough to travel to Eyemouth for an interview. There she learns that the head of the expedition, wealthy archaeologist Peter Quinnell, is hoping to find traces of the Ninth Roman Legion, which appeared in Britain in the second century A.D. and then vanished from history. Verity is excited to be part of such a potentially major find — until she learns that Quinnell has no tangible evidence that the Ninth ever passed through Eyemouth. Rather, he is basing his expedition on the word of an eight-year-old boy who is said to have the second sight. Verity is extremely skeptical at first; but the longer she spends in Eyemouth, the more she becomes convinced that something supernatural is at work.

I was surprised to discover that, unlike many of Susanna Kearsley’s other novels, this book is not a work of historical fiction; all the action takes place in the present day. Aside from that, however, The Shadowy Horses definitely has a similar feel to Kearsley’s other books. There is a young, intellectual heroine who is fascinated by history; a story in the present that closely parallels a story in the past; various supernatural elements (in this case, a ghost!); and a romance. These are all things that generally appeal to me in books, but once again, I found myself unable to get emotionally involved with this novel. There is just something about Kearsley’s writing that keeps me at a distance; though her books (including this one) are very readable, I’m never on the edge of my seat, dying to know what will happen next. A lack of dramatic tension, perhaps? Anyway, I did enjoy this book — the bits about archaeology were especially fascinating, though probably a bit outdated now — but it wasn’t anything more than a pleasant read for me.

Review: The Two Mrs. Abbotts

5 Comments

Two Mrs. Abbotts, TheD.E. Stevenson, The Two Mrs. Abbotts

Warning: SPOILERS for Miss Buncle’s Book and Miss Buncle Married.

This third book in the “Miss Buncle” series jumps forward in time to explore life in an English village during World War II. Barbara Abbott, née Buncle, now lives in Wandlebury with her husband and two adorable children. The war apparently has little effect on her life, except that there is less food available at the market. But Barbara’s niece by marriage, Jerry Abbott, is dealing with the fact that her husband Sam is fighting somewhere in Africa; in the meantime, she has opened her home to soldiers and evacuees. But despite the privations and worries of wartime, there are still plenty of opportunities for gossip and romance! Sullen Lancreste Marvell has fallen in love with an unsuitable woman; famous authoress Janetta Walters is coming to Wandlebury to speak at the village bazaar; and Jerry’s brother Archie finally seems to be ready for marriage. Finding herself in the midst of these entanglements, will Barbara be able to engineer a happy ending?

I’m so happy that Sourcebooks is re-releasing D.E. Stevenson’s books! I really loved the first two “Miss Buncle” books, and this one is also quite fun and charming, though it definitely suffers by comparison. The problem with this book is that it lacks cohesion; there are several little plots going on, but they are largely independent of one another. Some plots also seem to peter out with no resolution; for example, in the beginning of the book, an old friend of Barbara’s comes to visit, and it seems as though she is going to be a big part of the story, but then she vanishes about halfway through the book. Ultimately the biggest story is about Archie’s courtship, which is quite sweet, but it’s not really developed in much depth. I did like reading a World War II novel that isn’t really about the war, but nevertheless the war affects many aspects of the characters’ lives. The happy, wholesome picture of village life in this book was most likely vanishing at the time Stevenson wrote the novel. Overall, I’d recommend this book to people who liked the other “Miss Buncle” books and are looking for a nice comfort read.

Review: Dear Mr. Knightley

2 Comments

Dear Mr. KnightleyKatherine Reay, Dear Mr. Knightley

Samantha Moore has been in and out of foster homes her whole life. Now, at age 23, she’s living at a group home called Grace House, but she’ll soon have to leave unless she can find a way to go back to school. One day she gets a surprising offer: if she can get into the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, an anonymous donor will pay her tuition and living expenses. The only condition is that she must write regular letters detailing her educational progress to the donor under the name Mr. Knightley. Samantha is reluctant at first, particularly because she feels much more connected to fiction than journalism. Indeed, her closest friends growing up were the classic novels that kept her company through dark times, and she frequently hides in the world of books when real life is confusing or difficult. Still, Sam agrees to the deal, and through her letters to “Mr. Knightley,” she is finally able to face her past — and her future.

Despite what the title might suggest, this book is not a Jane Austen spinoff; rather, it’s a contemporary reimagining of Jean Webster’s novel Daddy-Long-Legs. My overall opinion is that the original is far better, but I can’t get into more depth without SPOILERS for both books, so skip the rest of this review if you don’t want to know how they end! … OK, so if you’re still with me, what happens is that Samantha eventually falls in love with “Mr. Knightley,” who turns out to be the handsome mystery novelist who’s been keeping Sam company throughout the book. He knows everything about Samantha, whose letters to him have been more like a diary, yet he doesn’t confess his true identity until the very end of the book. There’s this huge power imbalance between him and Sam, and the book never really addresses it, and I just couldn’t buy it as a romantic or satisfying ending at all. For some reason I didn’t mind it as much in the original – maybe because of the time period in which it was written? So I had a huge issue with the core of the story, and I also didn’t like the author’s writing style. It’s a very readable book, and if you like Daddy-Long-Legs you may enjoy this one too, but I was disappointed.

Review: Just Like Heaven

1 Comment

Just Like HeavenJulia Quinn, Just Like Heaven

Lady Honoria Smythe-Smith is desperate to be married. Though she is part of a large, affectionate family, things have been very quiet in her parents’ house ever since her brother Daniel fled England after seriously wounding a man in a duel. Honoria longs to start her own family and once again feel surrounded by love; and as an added bonus, once she is married, she’ll no longer have to perform at the Smythe-Smiths’ infamous musicales. Meanwhile, Marcus Holroyd, the Earl of Chatteris, is Daniel’s best friend and has always felt more at home with the Smythe-Smiths than with his own distant family. Marcus and Honoria have always been friendly, but when a sprained ankle and a dangerous illness throw them together, they both begin to suspect that their relationship is deepening into something more.

I basically picked up this book for two reasons: 1) It shares a title with a really great Cure song, and 2) I’m a sucker for ridiculous British surnames. Fortunately, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit! Marcus is a delightful hero; he comes across as proud and brooding, but only because he feels shy and socially awkward (shades of Mr. Darcy!). And Honoria is a sweet girl with just enough humor to keep her from being insipid. Somewhat unusually for a Regency romance, most of this book doesn’t take place during the London Season; rather, Honoria spends a good portion of it nursing Marcus back to health from a life-threatening fever. Some might find the sickroom scenes tedious, but to me they underscored why Marcus and Honoria make such a great pair. All in all, I’d definitely recommend this light, quick read to fans of Regency romances, and I’ll probably pick up something else by Julia Quinn in the future.

Review: The Perfect Match

Leave a comment

The Perfect MatchKristan Higgins, The Perfect Match

Practical, reliable Honor Holland has been in love with her longtime best friend, Brogan Cain, since high school. But when she goes to the gynecologist on her 35th birthday (because that’s the kind of girl she is), the doctor tells her that she should think about having children soon if she wants to be a mom. Honor realizes it’s time to get serious about her love life, but her hopes for a romance with Brogan are dashed when he rejects her. Meanwhile, Tom Barlow is a British college professor whose visa is about to expire. He’s desperate to stay in America to be near his “almost-stepson” Charlie — even though Charlie is a sullen, withdrawn teenager who seems to want nothing to do with him. With a little help from some matchmaking friends and family, Honor and Tom decide to form a marriage of convenience; this will enable Tom to stay in America, and Honor will get a chance at motherhood. But all too soon, sparks start flying between them. Can Honor and Tom move past their baggage and insecurities to turn their fake relationship into something real?

I’m a big fan of Kristan Higgins’ light, witty contemporary romances, and this book is no exception. It’s a sequel of sorts to The Best Man, and there are welcome cameos from Honor’s sister, Faith, and the rest of the Holland clan. I really like books that feature big, rambunctious, mostly functional families; it’s very rare in fiction, unfortunately, and I found it a refreshing change. I also tend to enjoy the “fake relationship becomes real” romantic trope, although here I was a little confused about the setup. Honor agrees to marry Tom on the condition that they will both give the marriage a real effort, to see if something can grow between them. But that seems like an awfully big risk to take, especially since Honor is hoping to get a child out of the deal. Aside from that, though, I have no complaints! The romance is very well-written and well-developed, as usual in a Higgins novel. There are a few “adult” scenes, but nothing too explicit. I even liked Charlie, even though I usually hate the way children are portrayed in adult novels (too precocious, too sickeningly sweet, too much of a blatant plot device rather than a real character). All in all, I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance! You may want to pick up The Best Man first, but it’s definitely not necessary to follow this book.

Review: The Wanderers

3 Comments

The WanderersCheryl Mahoney, The Wanderers

Jasper is a wandering adventurer-for-hire, fighting monsters and rescuing damsels in distress — for a fee. He stays in one place just long enough to collect his reward; he never sticks around for the happily-ever-after part. He doesn’t want any emotional entanglements, and he’s got a whole list of Rules to keep him suitably detached. But when a seemingly ordinary battle against an evil magician introduces Jasper to a talking cat, he finds himself breaking Rule 18 (always travel alone) and making a friend in the process. Things get even more complicated when one of the damsels Jasper rescues demands to join him on his adventures. Julie is determined, thirsty for adventure, and desperately afraid of her (literal) witch of a mother. As Jasper, Julie, and Tom the cat continue to travel in search of wrongs to right, Jasper finds it harder and harder to follow the Rules. Will this unlikley team be able to conquer their personal monsters and find their way to their own happy ending?

This is the debut novel of a blogger I follow, Cheryl Mahoney at Tales of the Marvelous. It’s always a little nerve-wracking to read a book by someone you know — even someone you only know on the Internet — but I’m happy to say that I found this book absolutely delightful! I loved Jasper as a protagonist, with his stubborn practicality and his long list of Rules. I like that he’s brave but not foolhardy; he knows that walking away from a fight you can’t win is sometimes the best choice. Julie is also a wonderful character, strong and capable but also legitimately fearful of her mother’s evil magic. Since she’s not invincibly tough all the time, I found her more relatable than many fantasy heroines. I also loved the world of this novel, which operates on fairytale-esque principles, but with some interesting twists. For example, third sons are normally fated to succeed on quests, but sometimes the son in question doesn’t quite have what it takes to get things done. Then there are the Good Fairies, who are actually much more dangerous than Bad Fairies when crossed. Ultimately, all I can say is that I finished this novel with a huge smile on my face. I would definitely recommend it to fans of this genre!

N.B. — The book is available as an e-book for Nook and Kindle, as well as through Amazon if you want a hard copy.

Review: An Excellent Mystery

4 Comments

An Excellent MysteryEllis Peters, An Excellent Mystery

In the summer of A.D. 1141, two Benedictine brothers seek refuge at the Abbey of Saints Peter and Paul in Shrewsbury. They have fled the city of Winchester, where their former abbey has gone up in flames, a casualty of the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maud that still rages on. The older of the two refugees, Brother Humilis, is obviously a nobleman — and just as obviously dying from a mortal wound sustained many years ago in the Crusades. The younger man, Brother Fidelis, is mute, but he tends his fellow traveler with astonishing devotion. Brother Cadfael, due to his knowledge of herbs and their healing properties, spends a lot of time with these two brothers and eventually discovers that there is more to their story than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Cadfael also investigates the disappearance of a beautiful young woman who intended to become a nun but never arrived at her convent.

This book is the eleventh installment of the Cadfael series, but I think it can largely function as a stand-alone; newcomers to the series wouldn’t get lost if they jumped in here, though I still recommend starting with A Morbid Taste for Bones. These books are always comfort reads for me. I love the historical setting of a medieval monastery, and I enjoy seeing how Cadfael’s small world is affected by larger historical events. I also like the fact that these mysteries are firmly on the “cozy” end of the spectrum; there is often murder, but it’s never grisly, and there’s also romance and humor and a lot of lovely descriptions of monastic life. As for this book in particular, I definitely enjoyed it, but I’m pretty sure I read something about the solution to the mystery ahead of time, because it definitely didn’t surprise me. In fact, I think the resolution is fairly predictable even if you haven’t been spoiled. However, I still liked this book a lot and look forward to the next installment of the Cadfael series!

Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies

1 Comment

Curtsies and ConspiraciesGail Carriger, Curtsies & Conspiracies

After the events of Etiquette & Espionage, Miss Sophronia Temminick is back at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s finishing school, where young ladies learn to finish…anyone or anything. Sophronia learns that she has received top marks in her espionage classes, which causes resentment among the other students, even her close friends. Meanwhile, she discovers more information about the crystalline valve prototype that caused so much trouble in the previous book. While she tries to learn more about the valve’s purpose, it quickly becomes evident that she’s not the only interested party — and that her best friend Dimity might be in danger because of it. While Sophronia attempts to put her clandestine skills to good use, she must also cope with the arrival of boys from a rival academy — including one who flirts with her most scandalously! Will Sophronia be able to protect her friend and solve the mystery, all while trying to listen to her confused heart?

This second book in Carriger’s Finishing School series is another fun Victorian romp with steampunk trappings. The world of these books is fascinating and very entertaining, with its steam-powered “mechanimals” and rules of supernatural etiquette. This book even furnishes a few specific alternate-universe facts, such as that the telegraph was introduced a few years ago but failed dismally. These tidbits help to anchor the novel’s plot a bit more in reality, which is important because most of it is so entirely silly! If you’re not familiar with Carriger’s schtick, be prepared for a lot of riduculous names and pseudo-British witticisms. I personally enjoy the silliness, but your mileage may vary. I also quite like Sophronia, a delightfully practical, self-assured heroine who doesn’t let little things like rules or restrictions prevent her from satisfying her curiosity. My only complaint is that I’m still very confused about the valve and the various parties involved. No one’s motives are clear yet, which makes it hard to know whether Sophronia is doing a good job or not. But I’m still definitely planning to continue with the series to find out!

Review: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

2 Comments

Balzac and the Little Chinese SeamstressDai Sijie, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (trans. Ina Rilke)

This slight novel tells the story of two young Chinese men who are sent to a remote mountain village to be “re-educated” during the cultural revolution of the 1970s. Both youths are talented individuals; the unnamed narrator plays the violin, and his best friend Luo is a master storyteller. Despite these gifts, however, they soon feel oppressed by the overwhelming boredom of their new lives, where they are forced to perform manual labor from dawn to dusk. But two unexpected events soon occur, changing the course of their lives forever: they discover a hidden cache of Western classics translated into Chinese, and they meet a beautiful young seamstress who steals both their hearts.

This is a very short book, and it honestly felt more like a tableau than a novel to me. The setting is described vividly with meticulous prose, but nothing much happens. I think I was expecting the book to be more overtly political, since the author was himself “re-educated” during this time period and ended up leaving China for France. But while the cultural revolution certainly isn’t praised, the boys’ lives aren’t portrayed in a particularly negative light either. Also, their exposure to Western culture isn’t always a good thing; in fact, their relationship with the seamstress is irrevocably altered by her exposure to European literature. So I was very interested by the ambiguities in the novel, but the plot and characters didn’t particularly grip me. I’d like to read another novel (or nonfiction work) about this time period, which seems like it would be rich in dramatic material.

Review: The Dream Thieves

1 Comment

The Dream ThievesMaggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves

***Warning: SPOILERS for The Raven Boys!***

Ronan Lynch has the unusual ability to steal objects from his dreams. This doesn’t seem very strange to his group of friends, but then, they’re not exactly normal either. Gansey is obsessed with finding the medieval Welsh king Owen Glendower, Adam has made a strange bargain with a magical forest, Noah is a ghost, and Blue lives in a house full of psychics. Although they’re all working together on the Glendower quest, Ronan is more preoccupied with his own talent and how it might be linked to his family’s past. He’s also being drawn into the orbit of another Raven Boy with a bad reputation and a reckless thirst for danger. But the greatest threat of all seems to come from the sinister Grey Man, who is hunting for something — or someone — that can bridge the gap between dreams and reality. Only Ronan’s friends stand between him and the darkness that awaits…who will prevail?

While I enjoyed The Raven Boys when I first read it, I wasn’t completely sure that I cared enough about the story or characters to continue with the series. This book, however, sold me; I’m now committed to reading the entire series as it comes out. Stiefvater is an excellent writer, with a sparse yet poetic way of describing things that I really admire. Also, since this is book #2 in the series, the characters and world have already been established, so there’s an opportunity to dig deeper into Ronan’s and his friends’ backstories. It doesn’t hurt that this book features Ronan heavily; he’s definitely my favorite of the Raven Boys, and his story arc in this book is compelling. I can’t wait to see what happens to him and the other characters as the series continues!